Eileen Sedgwick Miniatures

Sometimes I don't notice what is right under my nose. New on my followers list is art doll and miniature artist Eileen Sedgwick of Britain. Her tiny 1/12th scale figures are beautifully detailed - many are art dolls twice - from being OOAK art dolls and from being portrayals of famous art. Plus her blog is cool too - keep scrolling for WIP's.

Gregg Ortiz

I enjoy looking at the splendid costuming and delicate painting on Gregg Ortiz's sweet faced dolls. He has recently created this limited edition jointed hard vinyl doll holding her own antique style doll. I like the way his website is organized by category so that you can look at his dolls in groups. I think I like the "Theatrical" bunch best.

You'll think it's Architectural Digest

If you think that doll houses and miniatures refers only to Victoriana, think again and visit this awesome blog, Call of the Small. A beautiful, picture heavy blog largely about Moderne miniature architecture and furnishings, including a fine review of some uber-cool recent new stuff at the NY Toy Fair. I'm not going to waste any more of your time repeating any of it - just go there and look.

A Quick Dose of Cute

Celebrate Spring with some crochet! Sayjai of K and J Dolls has a charming selection of free amigurumi patterns available on her blogsite, as well as more for sale through her Etsy store. They really are adorable.

New Classes

Doll friend Edwina Sutherland has asked me to announce that her new schedule of classes and workshops is up on her website. She makes and teaches gorgeous cloth dolls and needle felted characters of great personality. And by the way, she is an awesome costume maker and bridal sewist - more info from her blog. Her work will be found in the upcoming Quilting Arts Gifts.

Win a Doll

OK I know it's a bit cheeky, but here is a post about me.

My upcoming column in Natural Life Magazine includes a miniature diorama contest, with the prize being an Iggy Jingles Dream Star doll in your choice of colors. The contest is open to all ages, with the proviso being to use recycled packaging as the foundation.

Photos of your entries to Natural Life Magazine by April 30th (so plenty of time).

Kimberley's Kingdom

Here's another lovely fiber artist, doll maker and Reiki practitioner. In Kimberley's Kingdom you will find cloth faeries with needle sculpted faces, and charming needle felted creatures and spirit dolls. I like the organization of the website also, with her Etsy link button nicely visible on each page, and large scale pictures.

Focus on Fiber

I love it when info just comes to me.

Kathie Briggs, quilter, doll maker and fiber artist, will be attending the upcoming Focus on Fiber Retreat March 15-21 in Smyrna Beach, Florida.

Following these days of communion and creativity she is presenting an art doll workshop - details on her blog, which is worth visiting even if you don't plan to attend. If you can go, over three days, you and your fellow participants will create one of three gorgeous cloth dolls and learn a ton of useful techniques.

Both of these events take place at The Atlantic Center for the Arts, a vibrant looking facility.

Gung Hee Fatt Choi

When I was a little girl in Hong Kong, children celebrated Chinese New Year by going out to watch fireworks in the evening carrying cellophane lanterns hanging from bamboo sticks. These were wire outlined shapes, like animals, birds, or butterflies, with colored cellophane filling them. In the center was a little well holding a tea light or votive candle.

So just to be clear - hundreds of small children in crowded streets carrying highly flammable items hanging from sticks with lit candles inside. And yet no one ever seemed to be burnt up.

They were very beautiful,like carrying around a stained glass window.

Here are some paper patterns to make traditional Chinese costumes for your 18 inch doll. Carpatina makes some nice looking playline dolls and dolly clothing actually, including a wide range of international traditional costumes.

Giveaway For Haiti

Yve Hoosen is giving away a couple of her Freaky Little Things in aid of Haiti. Go here to make a donation and be in the running to win one of two of these beautiful hand painted dolls. Great idea!

Valentines from October

October Effigies artist, Kerry Kate, is having a pre-Valentine's Day sale on her Etsy store of stuffed print dolls with heart themes and motifs. These dolls are beautiful, dark, wonderful gifts for your macabre loving beloved. She also makes OOAK hand painted dolls, and keeps a very cool artful blog.

First dolls

Someone was wondering about the header here on this blog. Those are the first cloth art dolls my daughter ever sewed. I believe she was six, since the photo is dated 2006. She cut out shapes for the body from some outgrown sweaters, and then very carefully used a largish needle (I had to thread it for her)to hand sew the dolls together AND embroider the little face. All her own work. She makes jewelry too.

Doll Auction

Absolute Auctions is currently holding a huge doll auction continuing through February 21st. There are some antique dolls, porcelain antique and vintage repros and contemporary collector dolls. The current bids on many are remarkably low - although that may change as the auction moves forward. Many pictures of interesting dolls - click for more views.

Doll and Teddy Bear Expo

The Doll and Teddy Bear Expo is back! It will be held October 1-3, 2010 in Winston-Salem, NC. Highlights include a lifetime achievement award for Helen Kish, the DOLLS Awards of Excellence, and The Golden Teddy Awards from Teddy Bear Review.

Reborn blog

Thanks to Twitter, I can today feature a site that is surely delicious to reborn afficianados and collectors with lots of information. My Fake Baby is a good resource with articles, book reviews, links and news about Ebay bargains. There are photos too, although some are missing, labelled "unavailable". Still, those I can see are lush and show very realistic dolls.

Of Paper. On Paper

It's been too long since I mentioned anything at all about paper dolls.

Altered Pages, a place that markets primarily collage, mixed media, scapbooking and paper art materials, is offering an adaptable kit for a very sweet paper doll by Australian artist, Linda Baldock.

Meanwhile Art Doll Quarterly is seeking ongoing submissions for a new department - Paper Personas.

Well, what are you waiting for?

Puppeteer

There's been some enthusiasm about puppets recently. Here's some more for the topic.
Alexander Mergold is a Canadian puppet, doll and figure maker working in polymer and air dry clays whose marionettes, jointed dolls and standing figures are just wonderful.
His main style is naturalistic (I mean hyper real) portraiture and caricature. Many of his people are recognizable celebrities. His site is very cool and nicely organized -tons of pages to see. Be sure to check out the video of his puppets starring in a tv commercial - which incidentally gives an idea of the depth of the realism.
However if you visit his blog, you will find a whole other world of creatures and monster puppets and a lot of charming whimsy as well. Not to mention cool pics of wips and the underlying jointing. Here's his Etsy store.

Spring Mayhem

There are still a very few spaces left for Magic, Mischief and Mayhem this April 8-11, in Shelbyville, KY.
The line up of workshop instructors includes some of doll making's most eminent figures - Patti Culea, Judy Skeel and Cyndi Mahlstadt.
More information from anniedolls@roadrunner.com

Fiber Art class

Not really dolls - but it seems like the techniques could be used for doll making. Susan Sorrell is offering a bunch of reasonably priced online classes on a range of Fiber Art and Mixed Media topics. I like the look of Funky Felt Pins and Doodling designs - faces and fabrics perhaps.

Cute Ninja

I am indebted to Craft Magazine for the news about Ninja of The Month from Shawnimals. For a single price you will receive 12 numbered limited edition plush residents of Ninjatown Academy with accessories and other stuff. They are 426 very cute characters in the Shawnanimals world.

New Art Doll Blog

Megan Butel, Australian doll afficianado, has started a new blog about art dolls.
Art Doll Artists will feature news, tips, interviews and resources about and for art doll makers. More dolls online - yay.

Enchanted Resin

Don't look now - Marina Bychkova, the Enchanted doll maker, is about to start producing resin BJD's - still painted with limpid delicacy. She has written about her process on her blog.

Book Giveaway

Craft Gossip is holding a random draw give away for what looks like a really sweet book written by a felting doll maker about felt dolls. It is called "Felt Wee Folk" by Salley Mavor. On her blog are more deets about the book and about some challenges based on the felt characters. How cute are they?