Annabel and Elly.....................

all done and listed on eBay!!
A quick peek:

 Follow the link to her listing:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/230738564662?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
More photos can be found under Available Art Dolls tab above.

Hugs.................................Leanne

Weekly Workspace Round up..........

this is a peek at what is sitting on my work table right now:

Yes, that is a bear you see. Finally assembled this fellow over the weekend. Still needs the finishing touches ~ claws, antiquing and embellishing. His companion is in desperate need of some clothing :-) There is also the beginnings of another doll. I may be a little time poor this week with work, but it will settle down soon enough.
Hugs.....................................Leanne

Happy Mail...................

these arrived and were waiting at the post office when I finished work:

Finally professionally printed swing tags and stickers from HERE. Thank you to Kate Mason for blogging about MOO.
The quality is outstanding, the cost was minimal (and included freight from the UK) and the service was exceptional. I placed my order on 11th Jan.
I'm a happy camper. Now to photograph Annabel, attach a tag and list her for sale.

Hugs...........................Leanne

Painted....................

my shelf-sitter that is:

I have had a lovely day playing, made the most of my last day of holidays. Back to work tomorrow. Not too distressed, have missed the social aspect of my work and I feel like I have accomplished a lot these holidays. I was floundering creatively, but now I feel like I am flourishing.

Hugs...........................Leanne

Sculpting limbs................

revisited!! I had a go at sculpting hands for the Santa doll before Xmas, but I was a bit pressed for time, probably not the best situation to have a go at hands, and gave up ~ Santa got cloth hands. However, I want this shelf sitter to be a bit more delicate, so sculpted hands seemed obvious. After another net surfing session I found some tutorials and began sculpting. The result is far from anatomically correct, but I have made a conscious decision to make whimsical/fantasy dolls, as opposed to anatomically correct human sculptures. Here's my first set of hands:

and her legs:

The knees and elbows will be hinged, hence the 2 pieces for each limb and the holes. Not sure if she will have painted fairy boots or fabric ~ decisions, decisions!!
And the hands antiqued:

Hugs...............................Leanne

A challenge................

as a result of spending a few hours at work today in preparation for Friday's return I have rewarded myself with some crafting time tonight.
I have decided to join the Art Doll Quarterly Challenge via a group at Cloth and Clay Dolls
The current challenge is a Shelf Sitter doll. I decided to give polymer clay another go and am thrilled with the head I have created tonight:

So now I am thinking polymer clay is OK and I would like to experiment further. The huge advantage over paperclay is no sanding (or minimal sanding at the worst). This girl will be a fairy (I think) and I am going to have another go at sculpting hands. So, the plan is ploymer clay limbs that are hinged at the elbow and knees. Seems like a good plan in head..........................

Hugs................................Leanne

New Workshop...............

I have just signed up for Leap Year Lapin at Roses on My Table:

I can't recommend Christy Meyers as a teacher highly enough. I completed 2 workshops in 2011 (I never finish workshops, but in both cases I did) and learnt so much ~ I went from never sculpted to addicted to sculpting. The videos are fabulous and there are no "tricks" or "secrets" to work out yourself. An added bonus is the workshop forum which offers access to Christy for questions, as well as other class members. In both previous workshops the forum has been a highly supportive creative group.
Registration info can be found HERE. Come and join the fun!!

Hugs............................Leanne