Baby

Well, this is a long overdue post, but here he is at last! I decided right before Christmas last year that my son needed a baby doll, which may or may not have been due to my looking at the amazing dolls of Lalinda, who you can find Facebook. Inspired by her beautiful creations, I created "Baby".

I kind of made up his body pattern as I went, but I feel like it turned out pretty well for my first try at a baby doll.

By far the most time consuming part of this doll was the hair. Every strand is individually stitched, and it takes hours! But I love the way it looks when it is finished.

Right now baby's only clothes are a diaper. I tried to make him more clothing and between being busy with Christmas and realizing that baby clothes don't really inspire me, they never got finished. My son doesn't seem to mind though, and is quite happy with just taking his diaper on and off.

I have to admit when I finally finished Baby and all his hair I wondered for a moment whether it was wise to actually hand him over to a very messy 14 month old child. But I decided he wouldn't do any good sitting on a shelf, and watching my son give him hugs, carry him around, and give him diaper changes has made up for occasionally having to scrub stains off his face. After all, I can always make another, right? Hahahaha.

Thanks again to the amazingly talented Janette for the pictures!

35. Ideal Comfort

The ideal outfit according to approx 15 year old me

I think I go through phases in life, times when I a super productive and crank out three stories and two dolls along with everything else in my life, and times when I just want to curl up on the couch with a good book and never get up again. Right now is one of the later times, so this blog may be a little slow. If you don't see me post for a while I'm probably dressed in a slightly more practical sweat suit, lying on my couch reading. In case you were wondering, the book will most likely be Inside Outside Upside Down, which does not qualify as the most exciting book by my standards, but thrills my son.

34. Through the Arch

Another post form the old sketchbook as I try and get back into blogging after the holidays. First, a few updates. Gigi made it to her new home where she appears to be well loved, and I am finishing up a baby doll for my son (hopefully pictures soon!) and I have another doll in planning stages. Not to mention three or four stories I'm in the midst of and a million other new years goals.

Which brings me to this sketch. This girl is wearing a typical example of what I thought was the ideal adventure outfit at the time, and she stands in a stone arch in the wall, ready for whatever lies ahead. It is that very quality that I think I admire so much in fantasy and hope to incorporate more in my own life. Heroes in stories (usually) face whatever lies ahead with courage, with a willingness to go out and do and experience whatever necessary to achieve their goals. Yes, sometimes they doubt themselves or complain endlessly (yes I mean you Harry Potter...) but in the end they do it, they don't just sit around at home and wait for whatever comes. They step through the arch and into the adventure.

So as a new year starts, what ways are you going to step through the arch?