Year: 2008

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Kitten in Black and White

Here is my little kitten, with his/her (still haven’t made up my mind) face sculpted and dry, and some basic lines marked with pen. I’m going to use that adorable tuxedo kitten to the left as a model when I paint.

It was bound to happen some day…I’ve been tagged. I may be the last person who hasn’t been tagged yet, ever. I think I just passed my first year blogging anniversary too, roughly. I erased my first post that said something like, “Just testing.” So, no accurate date there. I digress…I’ve been tagged by Annie Oakleaves (I like saying that. It makes me smile.) Here goes… five random facts about myself:

  1. I am an only child. People have always asked me, “Did you miss not having brothers and sisters?” I never understand this question, but I try to answer it politely. The truth is that I never had them, and so I have no idea what it is like to miss having them.
  2. I like to watch campy TV. My dad says that my mom and I will watch anything that “sparkles”. Dancing with the Stars, American Gladiators, Passions, Dr Who…if it has some element of the ridiculous, I’m in.
  3. I hate to buy new sneakers. I will wear them until they die. I’ve been known to strap them back together with duct tape. I really need a new pair right now.
  4. I am a pack rat. I had to reduce the number of my possessions when we moved several years ago, and it still pains me to think about it. I must have saved everything I had ever had, including piles of junk mail.
  5. I usually remember to take the laundry out of the washing machine, but I usually forget to take it out of the dryer.

Okay. Since I can’t believe I am not the last person to have been tagged ever, I will leave it up to anyone who hasn’t been tagged and who would like to be tagged, to volunteer five random facts about themselves. Or even one random fact. I’m not fussy about rules. Even if you don’t blog, you can just leave one or more in the comment section 🙂

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Brownies

They may not be fancy, but they are good. These are the made-from-scratch kind of brownies. I got the recipe right off the box of my Baker’s unsweetened baking chocolate squares, Baker’s One Bowl Brownies. I never have pecans around, and so I always go for the chopped walnuts instead. Quick and easy.

I had my first sculpting lesson from Max today. I was told that I behaved myself and didn’t yell, although I did get a little frustrated at points. All in all, we both thought I did pretty well, better than I expected. Hence the need for a brownie reward. I was going to take a picture of my first kitten, but I was afraid to touch him/her because he/she wasn’t dry enough. At some point I will have to decide on a gender. It is always hard to tell with kittens, isn’t it 😉 So far my kitten makes me think of what a Maurice Sendak version of a kitten might look like, which is good, I think. Quirky, cute, a little odd.

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Kitten, Bunny, Kitten

I have a mean headache today, but I managed to finish stuffing and assembling my bunny doll. So, now there are three dolls ready and I think I am about to start my sculpting “apprenticeship”:) Max has agreed to give me lessons, and has high hopes that I have the sculpting gene in me. I hope so. The first requirement was that I make my own doll patterns up and the second is that I don’t share any of Max’s sculpting secrets. I guess that means the next time you see these dolls, they will have sculpted faces. That, or they will have clothes, depending on which I take on first.

To answer Annie Oakleaves question in my comments section about which dollmaking book I would recommend to start with, it depends on what you are most interested in learning, but my personal favorite so far is Antonette Cely’s book, Cloth Dollmaking. Her instructions are great and she starts with a very simple doll. Then, in the following chapters, she explains how to make increasingly difficult dolls. There is a doll pattern for each section of the book, and so you really get hands-on experience of what she is teaching. I love Antonnette Cely’s book because you can keep progressing right up to her very advanced designs, and it’s loaded with clever, helpful tips.

P.S. Don’t my dolls look like they are at the drive-in or something in that second photo? 🙂
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Isadora, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese Cat Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max Bailey

Isadora, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese Cat Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyThis is Isadora, a Siamese cat. Isadora is as slender and as elegant and as regal as the long-stemmed roses she loves.

Isadora, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese Cat Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyIsadora once heard that if you talk to your plants, they will flourish and grow to be hardy and strong, and so she talked to her roses, in her strange Siamese voice, for hours on end. She thought the roses seemed to lean toward her when she spoke.

Isadora, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese Cat Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max Bailey“Perhaps if I sing to them, they will become even more beautiful,” she thought.

Isadora, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese Cat Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyOut in her backyard rose garden, Isadora sang, loudly and frequently. Neighbors as far as a block away heard her, for her voice was impossible to ignore, and came to see what all the commotion was about. They peeked over the garden fence to see the lovely Isadora gliding through the garden, singing her heart out.

Isadora, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese Cat Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyNot one of them had the heart to tell Isadora that her voice might be less than inspiring for the roses, as they could plainly see how sincere and well-meaning she was. They feared the roses might wilt. But as they watched, the roses bent toward her, their buds opened, and fragrance filled the air.

Isadora, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese Cat Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max Bailey“Now that is truly amazing,” they whispered, in awe.

Isadora, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese Cat Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyWithin a short time, Isadora was invited to all the neighborhood gardens, where she shared her gift. The neighbors sometimes hid when she sang, so she wouldn’t see them covering their ears. They loved her dearly, and it is said that they had the most exquisite flowers ever to be seen anywhere!

Crybaby, Belinda and BoBo, Isadora, and Ginnie, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Ct Doll Figurines by Max BaileyIsadora’s old-fashioned dress is a beautiful shade of periwinkle blue that sets off her sapphire-blue eyes. It has a dramatic dark blue yoke with a wide ruffle that falls just below her shoulders, and matching dark blue lower sleeves. Both yoke and sleeves are trimmed with a band of gold. Ruffled gold petticoats can be seen below her dress, from which her long tapering Siamese tail emerges.

Isadora, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese Cat Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyI hand sculpted Isadora and her rose from paperclay, and she is a one-of-a-kind work of art. No molds are ever used in my work.

Isadora, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese Cat Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyShe is completely hand painted using acrylic paints, then signed and dated and sealed with matte varnish for protection and preservation. Her whiskers are made from stiffened cotton thread.

Isadora, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese Cat Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyIsadora rests firmly upon a turned wooden base that is stained and sealed in golden oak. She is 9 and 1/2 inches tall and she is meant for display only.

Isadora, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese Cat Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyUpdate: Isadora has already been adopted. Thank you!

Isadora and Ginnie, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese and Ginger Tabby Cat Folk Art Doll Figurines by Max BaileyIsadora’s ginger tabby cat friend is Ginnie.