Paper Doll Witches Workshop

Halloween is my favorite holiday so its no surprise that I was thrilled to teach something spooky for  Creativebug. Check out my Halloween Paper Witches Workshop and create some sassy and spooky paper witches for Halloween! These guys are so easy to make and so much fun! Enjoy!

Midnight Crafting

                   

Rag doll made of vintage linens... possibly a workshop in the making!

Page for Do Not Leave Unattended

Finally created a page for the Do Not Leave Unattended project, which I have had sitting unattended and unfinished in my studio for the past two months.  The text is in answer to my boyfriend's questioning me on why I like to make put my paper shoes on top of mushrooms. He'll do a page and then I'll send if off (finally). 

Available for purchase at my etsy shop here.

More Halloween Witches

More Halloween witches....

I definitely have the bug!

Something stirring...

My favorite holiday is Halloween, probably because its always been a huge holiday for my family.
My Mom is obsessed with all things spooky, black and orange. My Dad said that when he and my Mom were dating she made him gather up a bunch of dead leaves to scatter on their front lawn for Halloween night; that was just the beginning...
Since I was a kid my Mom always threw these massive Halloween parties, fancy dress required, and after some years of months of planning and preparation she finally decided people should bring a dish too. The night of, she would force my Dad (who's idea of participation was to watch TV in the dark) to turn off all the lights for atmosphere,while my brother and I hurried outside to put fresh glow sticks in all the monsters' eyes my Mom had been building since August.
Every year the theme was different. The back yard was once the gondola hollows from Phantom of the Opera, complete with boat and characters and fog rolling in from a series of machines strategically placed in the yard. Another year Aliens landed, a 15 foot spaceship with racing lights parked next to the deck. A skeletal version of Titanic is to be remembered along with a 15 foot dinner party which sat among other guests, Monica and Bill right after their scandal.
The whole neighborhood was involved. People would help starting mid August in the construction of mummies, vampires and the like. One neighbor even constructed a massive Ferris wheel made of PVC pipe that actually spun and was lighted with Halloween Xmas lights for a carnival themed scene. Much to my Father's horror, the PVC monstrosity sat naked in our back yard for several seasons after.
These parties have since ceased after me going to college, and my Mom's energy burning out from years of constructing almost everything on her own. While neighbors helped, the rest of my family (me included) sat spectator side, offering glasses of ice tea intermittently throughout the hot afternoon. Her enthusiasm and love for the holiday is catching and I still shriek with delight at the first sign of Fall decorations appearing in retail and craft stores many months too soon.
Now as a semi-adult, I enjoy carrying on certain traditions. A trip to the pumpkin patch, the opening night for Halloween items at Gaslight Emporium, and of course Halloween paper crafts that I usually make for my Mom. My Mom was my teacher and is my partner in crime when it comes to all things Halloween. Afterall, she's the only person I know who has a lifesized butler who looks like he came from the Addams Family at attention in her dining room all year round.

I have been gathering Halloween things for the past week, and made this paper doll today. I hope to teach some workshops on Halloween crafts, and pass on the bug to all who want to be bitten.

I drew some paperdoll figures for my boyfieind's 5 year old, Nadia. She loved these! She and her Sister Mila (3) colored them in, and then Nadia and I punched holes in them to attach all the parts with brads. I recommend using a 1/8" or 1/16" hole punch and corresponding brads. Normal (1/4") brads are too large. You should be able to right click on the image below, and print or save to your computer in their full size. Enjoy!

Doll House for Mila

Working on a dollhouse for my Boyfriend's daughter's 3rd Bday. I started with a wooden blank house (purchased from Michaels) and have painted the outside and wallpapered the inside.

This is the bookshelf inside the attic. The girls (Mila soon to be 3, and Nadia 5 1/2) love to be told stories and read to, so this is an important addition to the dollhouse.

I wanted the house to have a whimsical feel, so the colors are very little girlish and the painting is loose. The sides of the house are painted like brick, the front has ivy with flowers, and the roof is scalloped like singles, but all pink

I chose a paper for the inside that is also loosely painted and has soft colors.

Mila requested cupcakes for her birthday, so the kitchen is set with miniature cupcakes to celebrate.

I've used furniture from a dollhouse I had when I was a kid. Good dollhouse people are hard to find (they are all blonde) so this is one I had, and I'm sculpting the others from this weird soft modeling clay made by crayola. Its white, very light and feels like you're sculpting with Divinity candy.

I'll post some pics of the people once they are dry and painted. I think she'll like it!