Hen And Chick

Happy Valentines Day!

2012-02-14T13:12:00.001-07:00

I hope everyone has a great day today! Take a moment to let your heart swell with love for the people in your life.

I had a chance to show some love recently by participating in the 19th annual "Valentines for AIDS" art show at Flying M Coffeehouse here in Boise. Every year nearly 300 artists donate work to be auctioned off over a 10 day silent auction, with proceeds benefiting SNAP (Safety Net for AIDS Program). Bidding ended 2 days ago, and I just heard that the event raised nearly $23,000!

My entry was one of my plushie robots with a big red felt heart. I feel very fortunate to have been allowed to participate, as it was sort of at the last minute I was asked to join, and it was a wonderful experience from start to finish! Here are a few pictures (some courtesy of Flying M's Facebook page, some of my own) from the artists' party on Feb. 2.

Custom Bride Doll Complete!

2012-02-09T10:07:00.002-07:00

Well, it feels so good to have "Cecelia" packaged up and off to her new home! I took a few pictures before I slipped her into her box.

Custom Bride Doll, Part 2

2012-02-06T17:05:00.001-07:00

Whew! Well, I had to go to the fabric store for more satin, but I finally got the gown finished. Instead of hemming each layer for the tiered skirt (which i have a very hard time with, satin being so slippery), I made three big flounces attached to an invisible underskirt. That made gathering the top difficult, but that is one point where the slipperiness of satin helped!

I'm very pleased with the results. Next: make her pearl jewelry and accessories, embellish the dress a bit with pink ribbon, and paint the face and shoes. I am hoping to finish her by the 9th, so I'll post a final picture before I send her away.

Custom Bride Doll

2012-02-05T09:21:00.002-07:00

One of my very favorite customers recently commissioned an art doll from me for her red-headed doll collection. This doll will be a bride with an ivory satin dress with a tiered skirt. Her name is Cecelia.

I've been feeling a little bit stumped on which of several methods and ideas I have to construct the layers of the skirt. Isn't it funny how sometimes too many ideas can hold you back more than too few ideas?

However, I have completely constructed the doll herself, and I'm very happy with her pretty auburn wedding hair. I've also got her tulle underskirt underway, and this is going to make all the difference in how the wedding dress hangs. We're going poofy, people!

Here is an in progress shot. She's 18 inches tall, for an idea of scale. More to come!

Mid-Week Snippets April 6, 2011

2011-04-06T19:34:00.000-06:00

Here is a picture Blake snapped of me reading in bed. My happy place.

Another of the rare Blake naps. I guess since it's becoming so rare, I photograph it when I can. Isn't this sweet with his little feet, one folded on top of the other?

Blake wanted me to ship him via Flat Rate Priority Rate, apparently. That boy LOVES boxes!

I really love the art that Blake makes. On paper. I could really do without the art he makes on his face.

And one more. A sneak peek at the start of a big project. Mum's the word.

Hey, could you do me a favor? Will you stop by my etsy shop and tell me your favorite item? I'm sort of in a place where I'm probably going to need to narrow down the number of items that I can keep up with, so I'd love the input!

Growing Up Before My Eyes

2011-03-21T11:59:00.000-06:00

Blake recently had a hair cut and he looks so grown-up now! It was as if his babyhood fell away with those curly locks.

Before

After. Isn't he handsome?

He also doesn't nap regularly anymore. Once in a while, though, on a long hard day, he'll zonk out. Like this:

So sweet.

It's also fun to watch him grow and develop his own interests and sense of humor. For instance, he thinks squirrels are awesome and hilarious. He calls them all "Jumpy." Here is one that made him laugh hysterically. Blake also loves checking the mail, so this squirrel, who apparently has the same interest, was a cause for delight for sure.

I love so much being home every day with him and getting the pleasure of watching him grow and change and develop.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Valentine's Cookies

2011-02-08T14:29:00.000-07:00

In the mood to make something yummy and Valentine-y for Nate and Blake, I got up early this morning to make these beauties.

They are peanut butter cookies with little hearts of raspberry jam in the center! I first got the idea from the Feb issue of Martha Stewart Living. But I have a secret. Being the lazy baker that I am, I totally used a peanut butter cookie mix. These only took 40 minutes to make a batch of 3 dozen!

Here's what I did: I whipped up the cookie mix. I rolled dough into balls and put on 2 large cookie sheets. I pressed the heart shapes into the balls with my thumb. Refrigerated the heart-stamped balls for 20 minutes. Put in oven (375*) for 12 minutes (though next time I make these, I will probably go with 350* or lessen the time. They got a little darker than I prefer). Removed from oven, reinforced the heart shapes with the end of a wooden spoon (despite the refrigeration, the heart shapes melted away a bit). Filled hearts with a tiny bit of jam. Put back in oven for 6 minutes. Put on cooling racks!

They were a hit with Blake as you can see. We'll see what Nate thinks when he gets home. I'll probably make another batch for his parents and brother when they are in town later this week. Happy Valentine's Day!

Finished! Hansel and Gretel Completed

2010-06-09T12:35:00.001-06:00

It took much longer than I intended, but I'm very happy with the results.

I had planned to make a hat for Hansel, but my heart just wasn't in it! I couldn't bear to cover up his hair. It's the first "boy" hair I've done with yarn, and I'm amused by the side swept bangs. He sort of looks like an emo kid, eh?

I have also started work on my next project. I am making a big batch of little brown boy dolls for a drive I found out about for dolls for orphans in Haiti! I found a link to this blog, Dolly Donations while searching for other doll-maker blogs one day, and was so impressed with Sarah and her program. Look at those pictures from her last drive!

I can't wait to mail these to the collection site! I will post pictures of those before I send them off.

Work In Progress: Hansel and Gretel

2010-05-12T16:01:00.001-06:00

Well, since finishing the Amelie doll a few months ago, I have been itching to work on another costume/art doll. I had kind of forgotten that I'd started Hansel and Gretel even a few months before Amelie.

I tucked them away because I just wasn't feeling inspired or motivated to work further on them. Well, I've been working on them this week. I squealed with delight last night when I finished Hansel's tiny lederhosen! (pencil for scale)

And this afternoon I finished Gretel's little apron and am equally delighted.

Isn't it funny how inspiration and creative energy ebb and flow? I'm looking forward to making their little boots (using the skills I gained from making Amelie's), and a little Alpine hat with feathers for Hansel! And of course hair and faces. Stay tuned!

A Few Recent Features

2010-04-20T08:51:00.001-06:00

I've been lucky enough to snag a few features here and there for my creations! The first one came as a featured item on a Storque post (Etsy's blog) about Earth Day. My recycled iPod armband was featured.

Then, Ann Gorman, writer of the fantastic blog Where People Create contacted me and interviewed me about my craft room! Her blog is gorgeous, check it out.

By the way, these are some of my newest dolls! Several of them are available at the Idaho Indie Works boutique, and some will be up for sale soon on my Etsy shop. I have been wanting to make a Little Red Riding Hood for the longest time. And Alice in Wonderland was another long-time vision come to fruition. Other new items coming soon!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T10:24:00.000-06:00

In honor of the holiday, here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip to the British Isles Nate and I took in October 2006. Enjoy!

At St. Johns Gogarty's in Temple Bar, Dublin

Glendalough, County Wicklow

Also at Glendalough

In the Wicklow Mountains on the way to Glendalough

Some buskers in Dublin

Erin go Braugh!

The New Idaho Indie Works Shop!

2010-03-16T09:55:00.001-06:00

Well, things have been quiet here on the Hen and Chick blog because I have been crazy busy with my latest big venture! The amazing crafters from the local Etsy street team that I have been participating in for about a year, Idaho Indie Works, has just opened an actual brick and mortar store in downtown Boise!

Ask any of us, and you'll find we're quite astounded to be where we are right now. At the end of January, our president Millie Hilgert sent out an email saying, hmmm, what if we opened a store? So many people were hip to the idea that we started talking about it seriously, looking in earnest at locations, and were knocked-on-our-butts thrilled to find an affordable location available in the Pioneer Tent Building! Yes, THAT Pioneer Tent Building, the one where we throw a craft fair every first Thursday of the month, where all of our loyal followers already know where to find us! At 6th and Main in downtown Boise.

So we painted walls, painted furniture, bought shelving, and put our wares on those shelves. Sara McClaran, Aimee Nord, and many more really put in the hours and the muscle. (See the Idaho Indie Works blog for a full list of members!)

Here are a few pictures of my own items in the shop (taken by and used with permission of Crissie McDowell):

My red-headed doll, and red velvet owl.

One of my lovely baby slings made from recycled materials.

Our first day open for business was for First Thursday, March 4th. But don't worry, you didn't miss out. That was our soft opening. And though we are going at full swing, we will be having our grand opening celebration on First Thursday, April 1st! In addition to the boutique, there will be dozens of artists showing and selling their amazing creations, including members of Idaho Indie Works who are participating in the boutique, as well as those who aren't. Talk about a variety of arts and crafts! We will have music, food, wine, and a raffle. It will seriously be the place to be on April Fool's Night. So come check out the Little Team Who Could, and see what can happen in 40 days when 21 amazingly creative people get an idea and bring it to fruition!

Vintage Quilts

2010-03-02T16:47:00.000-07:00

There is just something about sleeping under a handmade quilt. All of the care and love that went into making it somehow soothes the soul and lulls you into the sweetest sleep.

I have an amazing handmade quilt that my husband and I have had on our bed for a few months now. It is a quilt that my paternal grandmother bought in the town of Orderville, Utah as a tourist because she thought it was beautiful. She then later gave it to my mom, only to find out that Orderville was where my mom's Grandma's folks were from! Here it is on my bed.

I love to just lay on my bed and explore the different scraps that were used.

On a recent trip to Iowa to visit my husband's parents, I talked to his mom about some lovely quilts on the guest bed. Turns out they were handmade by my husband's paternal grandmother. This first one is a "postage stamp" quilt. The little squares are literally the size of postage stamps. I just can't fathom doing this entire quilt by hand.

And this one was in the same guest room as an extra blanket in case we were cold. It is hand quilted and cross-stitched.

Needless to say, I sleep well when I'm in Iowa. Something about all those hours of loving dedication make for long hours of peaceful slumber. Do you have any favorite quilts?

House Thinking

2010-02-15T13:17:00.002-07:00

I just finished reading a really great book called House Thinking: A Room-by-room Look at How We Live by Winifred Gallagher. It's a book I casually picked up at the library, never thinking it would hit me the way it did. Certainly not thinking it would be a book that would inspire me to blog about it. But it turned out to be so fascinating that I read it from cover to cover, dog-earring certain pages to come back to (sorry, local library). It changed my way of thinking about my home. The best way to describe it in a sentence is: an interesting combination of the anthropology of and evolution of the common home, and research findings of environmental psychology, explaining how our homes shape who we are.

This book goes beyond simple home decorating. It talks about the history, for example, of the dining room and how when homes first had dining rooms, it was a very formal place where the family's very finest articles were displayed prominently to assert their wealth and influence to their guests. But since then, very few new homes have a formal dining room, having instead evolved into the "great room," a wide, multi-use room for dining, spending time together, watching TV, reading, and an open wall to the kitchen, so whoever is cooking can be included in the fray. I love how the author talks about the benefits and pitfalls of this great room set up. Sure it's nice to have a place where the whole family can do their individual activities near each other. But is this quality time? And how can one family member read or study, if another is watching a movie or playing video games? In a lot of ways, the great room defeats its own purpose.

The book breaks the home down by room: the bathroom, the bedroom, the child's room, the basement, etc. One of the sections that I enjoyed the most talked about the neighborhood, and how suburban sprawl and poor developmental planning has essentially destroyed the sense of community our ancestors enjoyed with their neighbors. One reason for the decline is that we are forced to drive everywhere because there aren't little corner shops or cafes in a lot of suburbs, and we just drive our cars straight into our garages and never even see our neighbors.

This book made me think of my home and community, not to mention how I live within them, in a whole new way.

Dutch Fabric and Snow Day

2010-02-01T12:04:00.001-07:00

I'm currently in love with dutch-style fabric. You know, the fabric with the bold, bright flowers, little people or animals swirled all over it. Here are some favorites from my own stash:

The pink one with the little ladies, I recently used as the dress for a doll. Isn't she sweet?

Here are a few dutch fabrics I love from other Etsy shops:

From McYarnpants.etsy.com, in a knitting project bag usings this adorable fabric.

From vintagetouch.etsy.com, cute little ladies.

And "ducks and daisies" from NieszVingtageFabric.etsy.com

So cute!

Also, yesterday we had some nice, soggy snow. Hopefully the last of the season. But Nate and Blake and I made the most of it, building a snowman, having a snowball fight, and having a tiny taste.

Amelie Finished!

2010-01-26T14:39:00.001-07:00

I am so tickled; I finished my Amelie doll last night, putting the final touches on her Doc Marten's boot's shoelaces and finishing her garden gnome.

I was really intimidated at first by the shoes. I have never done boots before and didn't really know where to start. I was just going to do little ballet flats for her, but in the movie she wears the boots and I wanted to be as authentic as possible. So I took the plunge and after several trials and errors, came up with these. Aren't the little tongues funny? And anyone who has seen the movie knows that Amelie isn't complete without her father's garden gnome. My version is a little finger puppet!

My favorite part of making a doll is always painting the face. I usually just jump in and see what personality emerges. But with Amelie, I needed to make sure several features were present: her big black doe eyes, and her little pursed, humble smile. I sketched it out beforehand to get the feel, and I'm sorry to say the final product wasn't quite as good as the sketch, but I think it's quite nice after all.

For her little outfit, I wanted a pretty red skirt, and I've been dying to use this pretty, wide, red lingerie lace I bought at a thrift store. Instead of an A-line skirt, I went with a pencil skirt with a ruffle. And for her top, I used a fabric with the reds, blues, and greens of the movie, and I even think the pattern has a bit of French flair to it.

Complete with her little green sweater (with blue button), I think she turned out quite nice! Now maybe, just maybe, I can stop obsessing and watch a different movie.

Itching for Spring and Latest Project

2010-01-22T08:10:00.001-07:00

The weather this week in Boise has been beautiful, sunny and in the 40s-50s, despite rain being forecast for the whole week. Today it looks like the forecasts will come true, but Blake and I enjoyed lots of time playing in the backyard in the spring-like weather this week. I saw some early signs of spring: a lady bug curled up in a dead leaf on my raspberry bushes, and some tiny green spikes pushing through the dirt in my tiger lily patch. It's January, for goodness sake! But still it sent a little thrill through me to know spring will arrive someday. Blake enjoyed bouncing on the trampoline, and running his Percy train up and down the apple tree trunk, perfectly content to be running around on gray grass.

I've also been feeling more inspired this week, and have gotten to work in earnest on a doll I've had in mind for quite a while. It is Amelie from the eponymous French movie. I had wrestled for quite a while on what direction to go with her hair (yarn, thread, paint, felt, etc.) since her hair is so iconic to her look. I finally implemented a 3 dimensional felt method, which I have to say I am very proud of. I am also excited about the little tiny sweater I crocheted for her in the pretty deep green color that is all over the movie.

(Side view of the doll. Here, the "wig" is just pinned to her head.) I'll post more as I progress. I plan to paint her face soon, which is my absolute favorite part, and to make her pretty little red skirt today. I also have to figure out what to do for shoes...

Fabulous Tutorial and Fabric Finds

2010-01-18T08:58:00.001-07:00

Need a new dress, but strapped for cash? Well, if you have an old tee shirt, a bit of yardage, and some scraps here or there, Alexis from My Mama Made It can show you how to make one. Isn't it fantastic? See her beautiful tutorial for step by step instructions with TONS of helpful pictures.

I've been doing a lot of thrift store scouring lately with some fantastic results in the fabric finds department. Here are just a few in browns that looks so pretty together. The first one is just a brown cotton, but with a teeny tiny, old-fashioned little flower pattern on it. The second is a pretty buttery brown vinyl (I see some little brown doll boots in my future!). And the third is a pretty brown corduroy with teal and purple daisies. The print on this one is a little large for doll clothes, so I'm not sure what it will become. Any suggestions?

Speaking of fabric, you know about Spoonflower.com, right? It is an amazing site where you can make your own custom fabric. Or browse and buy other's custom made fabric. My sister Shannon and I made the fabric for my tiny dollhouses using Spoonflower, which was such a fun project. Anyway, this week, Spoonflower is having a toile contest. Here is my favorite, the Alice in Wonderland Toile by Star Primm. Check out the other contenders here. Which on is your favorite?

Craft Room Triumph

2010-01-15T11:47:00.001-07:00

Another New Year's resolution I had been harboring was to get my craft room in order for once and for all (or at least until the next time it's a mess) so I can spend more time crafting and less time looking for the right fabric. I'm thrilled to announce that I have accomplished it, and only half way into January, too! One of my most proud accomplishments is organizing my fabric. To do this, I took all the drawers, crates, totes and piles I had in my craft room and dumped them into my living room into a really appalling pile.

Then I spent the afternoon sorting the fabric by type, size, and color, and putting them back in their crates and bins, and drawers with labels so that this kind of mayhem would never befall my living room again. Since then, I keep finding myself sneaking peaks into the fabric drawers, they are that pretty!

And here are a few shots of the finished product:

This is my old crusty sewing table with my little clear plastic shelves and pretty jars of notions. (You can see in the mirror's reflection my newest addition to my craft room: a dedicated scrapbooking desk!) And the next photo is of my fabric dresser. Above it is my bulletin/inspirations board, and beside it is Blake's little vintage rocking chair where he reads and colors while I work sometimes.

Phew! Time to relish a job well done.

Check out some more amazing craft rooms at Etsy.com's blog, The Storque!

New Year, More Blogging

2010-01-13T20:18:00.001-07:00

I am getting serious about this blogging thing! 2010 is the year.

We're already off to a good start: 5 dolls sold to the creative director of a Toy Museum in South Korea! Not a bad start. I sure miss their pretty little faces, though.

This is also the year that Blake turns two. Yikes! It is just over a month away and we are already getting a feel for what it will be like, what with the leather sofa etching and dinner-time melt downs. But I'll be darned if he isn't still a little snuggle bug. All of the sweet kisses and hair pats make it easier to withstand the torrents in between.

Tutorial for Postage Stamp Trinket Boxes

2009-03-19T11:40:00.001-06:00

On my Etsy site, henandchick.etsy.com, I sell these cute little boxes for jewelry and other treasures that are embellished with beautiful postage stamps. I first thought of making these when I used to work as a secretary opening mail, and I started keeping the pretty stamps that would come in on some of the mail. I was enamored by these beautiful, tiny works of art and wondered how to best display them.

I did one enormous project with them; decoupaging them to a large papier mache hat box in a patchwork fashion.I liked the way this turned out, and wanted to try other ways of highlight stamps, but in a more individual way.

So I realized that a smaller object could better highlight these little pieces of art, as could a more gallery-like arrangement of the stamps. So I made this next:
I picked a theme (Olympics, 1984) and now the stamps are better highlighted.

Here is how you do it. Start with a collection of stamps that you love. You can order large lots of them on eBay for a few bucks, ask your old Aunt Tilly if she has some squirreled away, or maybe you have a stash of them around already. Then you need a pretty little box to put them on. The little white cardboard boxes that costume jewelry come in are great, so are match boxes or any other little box you can nab. Prepare the box if you don't like the existing finish on it, by either painting it a color you like, or covering it with paper. You'll also need some pretty card stock to mount the stamps on. This provides a cohesive background. Almost like a set of matching frames for a series of prints in a gallery.As I mentioned before, you should pick a theme. This can be stamps of a similar color scheme, from a series, of the same person, from the same country, same size, or whatever catches your eye and brings them together. Then play with arranging them in the space of the top of the box. Cut the cardstock to fit on the lid, with a little border showing around it, arrange the stamps how you like them, then decopage everything in place.This one is my favorite that I still haven't sold. My theme was Queen Elizabeth, and I was so excited to find so many different, lovely stamps of her from several different countries.
These instructions are very basic, but it is just a starting point for many more ideas. Pick one beautiful stamp, and let it stand alone like I did here. Or use the patchwork effect of stamps as a background to prominently display a couple of interesting ones, like here. The possiblities are endless. And when you are done you will have a beautiful tiny art gallery that doubles as storage!

Spring is here!

2009-03-18T13:18:00.000-06:00

I'm amused with myself and how excited I get about the first signs of spring. Every year, I almost give up hope that it winter will ever end. Ah, it feels good to pull the old, dead brambles away from the fresh bright spikes pushing their way up! Weeding is not even a chore this early in the season. It's a delight to get dirt under my nails, but I have to work on desensitizing myself to the bugs I run across in the mix. I've been reviewing the planting dates for various vegetables and planning my garden and can't wait to start!