New Altered Paper Dolls

This weekend I made some new paper dolls...

I was at a used book store and came across this book by Claudine Hellmuth, called "Collage Discovery Workshop: Beyond the Unexpected". It's a wonderful book of whimsical inspirations and I couldn't wait to make something inspired from the book.

The first doll I made was a 3-dimensional doll filled with rice to help weigh it down so it could stand by itself.

Below are some pictures of how it was created.

I covered the bodice with text paper and then painted over it with Making Memories Celery color paint.

I cut out a skirt made from black and white striped fabric.

I sewed the sides and bottom closed with turquoise embroidery thread.

I filled the skirt with rice and inserted the paper doll inside the skirt.

Finally, I drew in a collar and added a hat, flower and ribbon.

Below is a picture of the other two paper dolls I made. I used fabric for the skirts and painted text for the bodice. I love the mix of a vintage photo with acrylic coloring, doodling and fabric and the odd body proportions.

Thanks Claudine for creating such a magical book, I can't wait to make more of her projects!

Now, to share a few non-creative photos. This week we went down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and my daughter captured some beautiful photos. My favorite exhibits were the jelly fish and the sea horses.

Then check out these sea horses. Definitely not your typical sea horse.

We then took the kids on the 17 mile drive in Carmel. It was a beautiful day and we got a wonderful shot of the famous lone cypress tree. Although, it looks a bit smaller than I remembered.

Then last but not least, I finally treated myself with some Copic Sketch markers. Thanks to my sister, Lana, for letting me borrow her extensive set of Copic markers to play with before I made the plunge to buy my own set.

I've been watching lots of YouTube videos on how to use them for blending...I'm so excited to get started with these, too. Here's one of my coloring samples using my new copic markers.

My daughter also decided to try her hand at a few drawings and coloring with copic markers

Diane from Scrapbook Territory was a big help in customizing a set for me. Love her scrapbook store in Berkeley!

I've also been working on my ruler project. If you've been following me, you know that I've been collecting vintage yard sticks to make this unique picture (inspired from a picture on Paula's blog: One Lucky Day). Here's a sneak peek...it's almost done. My brother-in-law, Bob (Pat's husband) created this beautiful frame for me. It has a glass cover (not shown). Below is a picture of me painting the background with chalkboard paint.

It was a great week, spent lots of time with the family and got to add in some shopping and crafting, too!