Happy Halloween!

 Looks like it'll be another dreary day for trick-or-treaters this year.

Happy Halloween!

 Love these cool crisp days!

Happy Halloween!

It's Halloween eve, and I realize we have no candy - which is unusual, because we usually buy (and eat) early. My Halloween decorations are still in storage in the attic. Where has this month gone?!

Pumpkinhead

Stampington's Art Doll magazine:

 Call for Submissions! We're excited to announce that a brand-new special edition of Art Doll is coming your way in 2021, and it will be bigger and better than ever! We're currently seeking submissions of all types of autumn and Halloween-inspired dolls — from spooky to whimsical, from clay to fabric, from realistic to primitive. For all information on submitting your artwork, please visit: https://hubs.ly/H0G5_HR0 We can't wait to see your art dolls! Deadline April 25

So I decided to do this, and though that another Pumpkinhead doll would be perfect. I submitted her photo today, and she may or may not be accepted for the September issue featuring these seasonal dolls. But it was fun anyway.

Visit my website for some of the details: http://www.blueherondolls.com/Gallery13.htm

Happy Halloween!

Autumn is my favorite time of year. Crisp and cool, and just before the real rains begin here on the Oregon Coast. As I look out my studio window, the setting sun is sparkling across Young's Bay. Not a bad view!

I haven't carved a pumpkin this year - since when did they get so expensive? I'm nostalgic of the smell of a fresh pumpkin being hollowed out. Maybe next year. 

Happy Halloween!

It may be dark, drizzly, and dreary here in Astoria, but that's not stopping the Halloween festivities!

Happy Halloween!

It's a chilly Halloween morning, but at least it's not raining this year!

Pumpkinhead is finally finished

I finished Pumpkinhead's dress today, finally. I would have been done a few days ago, but I never found her dress pattern from before. I had to re-draft a pattern, and then I miscalculated on the waistband so it's a little loose. It's fixable, and the pattern has been corrected for next time. 

 

She's about 15 1/2 inches tall, which is a nice size. Her clothing is removable.

Hazel the Witch

She's been on my work table for too long. She's getting done today! This takes me back. "Hazel the Witch" is one of my first doll patterns, published in 1999. I still have the pattern available, both in traditional paper format and e-pattern HERE. Pin dolls take just as long to make a bigger dolls in my opinion, and are sometimes more difficult due to their small size.

 

Did it!

 

Here are my other Hazels:

Prototype #1

 

And Hazel prototype #2

 

Hazel #3, and pattern cover

A Wet and Blustery Halloween in Astoria

Pretty typical for this part of the world, I feel sorry for the Trick-or-Treaters this year.

It's a stormy Halloween!

I feel sorry for all the little trick-or-treaters this year!

 

Here's another vintage postcard, with lots of photoshopping to make it look nice. But that's part of the challenge :)

Happy Halloween!

Stay safe and use common sense please!

Happy Halloween!

Wishing all of you a spooky (but safe) Halloween this year. We'll be dressing up at work today, but taking along scrubs, too, for a quick change if needed.

I spent more hours than I want to admit on my costume - the first human sized garment I've made in a very long time. I'm to be Alice in Wonderland, and the other nurses I'm working with today will be the Mad Hatter and the Red Queen.

Halloween Queen's Giveaway

You all should hop on over to the Artistic Halloween Queen's blog and check out the giveaway. The drawings will start on October 1 and run through October 31 ~ a prize giveaway for each day. Just click on the badge or the link below it.

http://artisticthalloweenqueens.blogspot.com/2010/09/queen-for-day-giveaway.html

Happy Halloween!

Worked my butt off - lots of ambulances and flu people in the ER today. Came home, had no Trick-or-Treaters, so more candy for ME!

The Wobblin' Goblin

I've been trying to remember the lyrics to a song my mom used to sing around this time of year. I looked it up on youtube, and was tickled to hear the original, as sung by Rosemary Clooney.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nprCD04Zfls

The Wobblin Goblin

(Intro)
There once was a sad little goblin,
Who had a broken broom
When he went anywhere, it would wobble in the air
And his heart would fill with gloom
He tried to hard to fix it every night
But he just couldn't get it working right

The Wobblin goblin with the broken broom
Could never fly too high
For right after take-off
Another piece would break off
And soon he would be danglin' in the sky!

Each evening just as he would leave the ground
His radio would say:
"Control tower to Goblin,
Your broom stick is wobblin',
You better make a landing right away."

It soon got so he could only ride
When the witches took him piggy back
Until at last, he used his brain,
And bought himself an aero-plane!

So if you look for him on Halloween
You'll see him zip and zoom
No harm can befall him, no longer can they call him,
The Wobblin' Goblin with the Broken Broom!

Tombstone Angel Wallhanging ~ prototype #1

Last night I added some detail stitching on my Tombstone Angel Wallhanging prototype. I tried adding the wing detail with the sewing machine, but didn't like the look. So I ripped that out and hand-sewed them instead, using thread just a little bit lighter in color. I also added some pupils, which helps a bit.

Today I'm drafting the Tombstone Angel pin doll/ornie version of the pattern. It's almost identical to the other angel, but a little fuller in the chest and wings.

Today's the perfect day to work on this project. The weather's stormy and gloomy ~ no reason at all to go outside. I'm planning to make Tombstone into a pattern. It takes me a really long time to write the instructions, but maybe I can get the bulk of it done today.

Pumpkinhead Doll Finished

My pumpkinhead doll is finally done. Well maybe. I might still paint her some boots and possibly add some lace along the hem of her dress. Or maybe not. She's about 16 inches tall (from her feet to the top of her stem). Her clothing is removable. She's all cloth, with a paperclay sculpted over her badly formed stuffed cloth head. You'll notice I didn't include a photo of her stuffed head with my first progress photos.

She turned out just a little darker than I'd intended, especially after the wash of walnut ink was applied. It doesn't help that these photos turned out a little dark and grainy.

I wonder how the other doll club members' challenge dolls turned out?

Pumpkin head ~ painting done?

I've got most, if not all of the painting done today. Now I just need to decided if I should leave her be, crackle the surface, or just try a wash. My husband thinks the color's too brown, but I didn't want a cartoony orange.

I've got the upper torso masked off in preparation for a crackle/stain, or just a stain. Then I'll sew on the orange arms, which will be crackled or whatever.

For her dress, I found several green plaids in my stash from which to choose. I'm not sure what fabric I want to use for her legs. The pattern is a really simple design, so I may decided to tweak the feet just a little. Her dress will have to be designed after sewing on her arms and legs.

Tombstone Angel in Progress

We went to Boston about 7 or 8 years ago, and I took some photos of old tombstones. I was thinking the primitive angels would make great dolls. So while I was waiting for my pumpkin paint to dry (many layers), I made a prototype for a new doll/pin doll/wall hanging.

I decided to start with a small wall hanging so I could work out the kinks on an easier scale (a pin doll would be more difficult. I need to find some plexiglas or Mylar that isn't so shiny. One side is open so I can slide in various sentiments, quotes, or whatever (this one is by Benjamin Franklin). I also want to add some detail stitching to the wing feathers like the original below, pupils, and maybe even some shading with colored pencil.