New Christmas Izannah!

A New Christmas Izannah In The Works!

She's not quite done yet, still working on trimming her unmentionables, which she's angry at me for mentioning.  She's very embarrassed that it's taking me so long to finish her, that I've dilly dallied on finding just the right antique fabrics for her foundation garments (talk about ungrateful).  She found out the hard way that I am a first class procrastinator.  But hey...I've been busy.  Really super busy.  She's new, so she doesn't realize that we're smack dab in the middle of the Holiday Season and... I have things to do. 

Hopefully, I'll get her undies done by Sunday so she can quit giving me the stink eye.  I hate when they do that to me and it just furthers my resolve to sell them right out from under myself.

When she's fully presentable, I'll post more photos that are taken in decent light.  It's a crappy day here today in what used to be sunny San Diego, and I'm a crappy photographer.  Two crappy scenarios equal really crappy pictures.  For instance, you can't tell from these images that her dress is the identical shade as this carefully selected text color.  Perhaps no one's noticed yet, but I do that a lot.   Her dress doesn't look brownish red.  Just brown.  In fact, now that I focus more clearly on this text color, it pretty much just looks brown too.  Hmmm.............I may have been too hasty in my fabric selection.  It's vintage polished cotton and I thought it'd look so fabulously deep, rich and Christmassy.  Might have miscalculated.  Might change my mind on the dress.  Might take me longer to finish her. 

Ho ho well,  it'll just be a surprise then.  By the way, she's the one in the photos that's bigger than the other.  She's my largest Izannah thus far, and at 25 inches she's what we facetiously refer to as a "big boned gal."  Really, she's her petite little sister's nemesis.  She uses her girth to get her way on the shelf and I have found the little one suspiciously face down on the floor on more than one occasion.  I hate to say it, but this one's a bit of a bully.  Don't let her confident smirk fool you.  Notice the concerned countenance on her little sister?  There's a good reason for that.  You can see from her body language how she's leaning away and doesn't want to get too close.  Poor little thing.  She's very sweet so I'll let her live with me longer (I have to because she's on an extended layaway).  The big one's getting kicked out as soon as I can get rid of her.

You can see in the bottom photo that she's calmly plotting her next move against the little one.  And as you can see...the little one is fully aware of this.

Dia de los Muertos Catrina Doll

For the upcoming Dia de los Muertos Celebration here in Old Town, San Diego, I decided to 'revamp' a few of my  old dolls into "Catrina" characters for altars.

This is the first one I've finished.  She's been reincarnated a couple of times, this is her third manifestation.  Originally, she was an adult Alice Liddell, the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland.  Got tired of her pretty quick, she had some proportional issues, so she was recreated as Emily Dickinson. 

When I decided to throw Emily under the bus, I chose to Halloween-ize her into a vampire.  That was last year, and she was never finished.  So this year, I am working on a Day of the Dead altar for the Old Town Saloon and I thought...hey, I know what I can do with this dead in the water vampira. 

Truthfully, I was inspired by the absolutely amazing artist, William Bezek.  He is THE master of all things Halloween and Day of the Dead... and I worship him.   Plus, my sister, who also worships him, just purchased his majestic Vampire creation, "Luca" (with his own glass windowed coffin!!!!) and we felt that Luca needed some female companionship from the other side.  So after Catrina is done watching over the souls who've passed on at the Old Town Saloon, she's going to live with Luca.  Whether he likes it or not.

For her costume, I used an antique mantilla that I beaded for my "Vamp" doll (who got reincarnated into Debbie Reynolds), and an antique Victorian cape.  Thank goodness I'm a packrat and save everything.  Because San Diego is an early Spanish settlement, I chose a less "Late Victorian" Catrina look, and went for more of an early California look for her.

As always, I am a lousy photographer,  as particularly evidenced in the second photo.  Nearly every single photo I took of this doll has weird haze and 'orbs' swirling around her.  Normally, I wouldn't appreciate that.  But in this case....'spooky' works for me!

I've got a couple more reincarnations going, and hopefully, I'll be done with them before November 1st. 

San Diego Celebrates Dia de los Muertos!

Old Town San Diego Celebrates

Dia de los Muertos!

If you live in the San Diego region, please do stop by and participate in this amazing two day event!  Dozens of fabulous Memorial Altars,  Food,  Music, Costumes, Face Painting, and our incredible Candle Light Procession!

(Procession takes place Wednesday, Nov. 2nd @ 7:00pm)

The Whaley House Museum is a major participant and will be open for evening tours, offering face painting and fun activities! 

I'm pretty busy right now, painting sugar skulls, converting some of my old dolls into Catrinas for altars, and creating an overhead banner for the Procession!  Also working on an altar for the Old Town Saloon, right across the street from the Whaley House, where one of my Catrina dolls will be keeping her eye on things...so do stop on by for a 'spirited' libation if you are kid-less!  Photos to come!

Couple new project I'm working on!

Here's a couple of dollies I've been working on:  another little Izannah and attempting a papier mache from 1850 for the Whaley House museum.  We're a little low on dollies in the nursery there so I thought I'd try to perk it up.  Alas, the empress as yet has no clothes, just a humble chemise.  A fabulous gown is my next project!



Whaley House Lambrequin

Well, I finally got my camera chip to talk to my computer!  So I've got a couple of very lousy, out of focus, badly taken photos of that lambrequin I created for the above rather naked original mantel in the Whaley House Museum!

   Eh, it's okay without a lambrequin, but I like it better WITH one!

 Used some of the antique Scalamandre silk drapery created for the dining room of the museum over 50 years ago, along with the guimpe braid and tassels to trim it off.   We found an antique silk embroidered with chenille yarn and beads that was probably intended to be a bell pull that was never finished and used that as the center panel.

Unfortunately, my poor photography does not do it any favors!  But it does pick up the colors in the Brussels carpet and the wallpaper quite nicely!  It really looks nice in the evening when the lighting picks up all the gold in the wallpaper and the fixtures.

I know.....I'm a blog slacker.

In case anyone is curious, I'm still around!  It's been a crazy time for me these last few months.  Lots of family issues, some health issues and working two jobs.   It may not seem like I've been productive based upon the lack of posts but I have been a busy gal.  If only my camera was cooperating with my computer I could show and tell.  For now, I'll just 'tell'.  Not very exciting, I know.  I LOVE blogs with pictures. 

Well, I made that fireplace lambrequin for the Whaley House Museum.  I am extremely happy with it.  Wish I could show it to you, along with some other goodies.  Mrs. Whaley recently received an 1860's sewing machine and I'm anxious to get her some sewing supplies to go with it.  We got Mr. Whaley an antique 'gout stool', which is a bizarre footstool in the shape of a big, fat rolling pin.  It arrived with an unimpressive 50's needlepoint, which was removed in favor of an 1860's Berlinwork piece I was fortunate to come across.  The difference is amazing, and I hope Mr. Whaley's wraith is enjoying sitting in his slipper rocker relieving his poor, downtrodden piggies.  It's a lot of work haunting a house, just because he makes it look easy doesn't mean it is and he's generally very cranky.  Now I have to get working on a smoking cap for him.   We're on a serious budget so if I can make a reasonably foolproof reproduction of something, I'm going to.  Maybe for Christmas if he's real good and doesn't show up in front of me anytime soon.  I don't like surprises.  He has a tendency to stand up on the stair landing staring down at long term docents in a rawther superior manner.  I don't care for people who put on airs.  Especially people made of air.

Revamped a display in the Whaley House General Store this week.  The Whaley's personal items were housed in a make do sort of vintage homemade glass case propped up on scrap wood and casters for the last 50 years.  Not attractive.   So we can finally lose the old case and I designed a display for the 1860's storefront window case we've got.   I'll get some photos of that too pretty soon.  Came out nice I think.

The operators of the Whaley House, the Save Our Heritage Organisation currently operates 4 historic site museums and will acquire another pretty soon.  So they keep me busy.  Got plenty of curatorial work to do in a few of em.  Works in progress every one.  I love it.  I've got canning to do for Whaley House, drapes to make for another house, etc.  Lots of 'busy' work.

My dolls?  Oh yes, that's right, I almost forgot.  I'm supposed to be a doll maker according to my header and the photographs on the left side.   Yikes, haven't made a doll in a loooooong time.   Got one laying around here and another in progress and have abandoned them temporarily.  Gotta say, I've lost my interest in making the Izannah's that I focused on for the last year or so.  I still love them, but realistically....everybody's making them.  Practically can't give them away.  And doing the same thing gets boring for me.  I devoted an alarmingly lengthy time period to making them, something rare for my attention deficiency.

I've got some ideas for some new dolls, still with a historical point of view.  Just haven't got all my ducks in a row.  Did lots of sculpting the last few months in "clay" clay, not paperclay.  Just for practice and keeping my skills in existence.  We'll see.  Hope to have something around for Halloween.  

Soon as I get a new camera I'll get some pictures loaded up here so you can see what I've been up to.  Much more satisfying than just reading about it!  And for those of you who haven't stopped following me due to my inactivity, I thank you!  I log on here about once a week and do a quick stealth drop in on many of the blogs I follow here just to keep up with everyone.  Sometimes I'm able to leave a comment, and there are occasions where I am but a mere ghost.  But I'm still thinking about you all!

Happy Father's Day

                                                                       Little "Dicky Dan"

                                                             August 3, 1934 - June 18, 1973

                                                    Happy Father's Day Dad, we sure miss you.