Forlorn... Gets a Face! (sort of)

I spent a few hours at my worktable this morning...

(alongside Katie, who has been working on

some delightful watercolor cards!)

"Forlorn" finally has a top coat on his head, hands,

upper body and legs... Now the real fun begins!

I'm thinking: vintage music on his wings with an

application of gilded mica fragments to give them a little "pop!"

Perhaps I will cover his arms and chest with decorative

tissue papers applied with white glue?

Still haven't decided on whether or not he will have "hair"... painted.

And should he be wearing a vintage funnel, the over-sized folded 

paper hat, or this vintage button and rusty wire wreath?

His eyes will tell his story! (charcoal pencil is a must...)

Ringing in the New... Daryle

On the Eve of the Eve... Give-Away!

On this eve of New Year's Eve, as 2015 comes to a close...

our final give-away for the year:

A wee, 6" high grunge-board house, a 3" vintage bisque doll,

a small tin funnel, an old clock-face rubber stamp,

a doll face mold  (I just could never get myself to use a mold!)

a box full of fun "stuff" and some decorative clips.

"Forget me not..." 

(Doesn't that say-it-all... as our year comes to a close!)

We will pick the winner in a few days... by the "luck of the draw!"

Just leave a little note or greeting on this post!

December Blessings to all... Daryle & Katie

Not in MY Late December Garden?

This has certainly been an atypical Christmas weekend

for us here in South Jersey, with temps in the lower 70's.

Several of my "Knock-Out" rose bushes remain in full bloom!

This is our neighbor Barbara's long-stem yellow rose...

just exquisite in color and shape!

And even my Lenten Rose has been fooled into

believing that spring is just around the corner!

Forlorn... the fledgling angel?

I'm partial to "raw umber" as my color of choice

when it comes to base-coating a doll.

It adds a warmth and richness to the look.

This fledgling angel has such a forlorn expression...

Does he carry the cares of the world 

on his shoulders or perhaps tucked away in his heart?

Art Doll Quarterly Challenge: Dr. Seuss Character

This past Friday, I was inspired...

picking up my most recent copy of Art Doll Quarterly

noticing the up-coming challenge was a

Dr. Seuss Character Doll...

Well... with only nine days before the deadline for submission

my "strange bird" is off tomorrow in the mail!

He is based upon the book: "Oh, the Places You'll Go!"

Here are the stanzas that inspired my character doll:

You'll get mixed up, of course,

as you already know.

You'll get mixed up with

many strange birds as you go.

So be sure when you step.

Step with care and great tact

and remember that Life's

a Great Balancing Act.

~ Dr. Seuss

I just put together this "sneak peek" video

which captures the process (and madness!)

Enjoy! Daryle

Yay!!! And the Three Winners Are...

  

Each one of the "Troublesome Trio" 

has found a new home!

"Fallen Angel" (that little devil...) will be living with Jan Conwell

(Jan Conwell Dolls)

"All in Good Funnel" (such a silly boy...) will make his new home

with Darlene Pringle (A Dancing Mango)

"Cone Head" (he never seems to get the point...) will travel to

be with Anne Stevenson

Congratulations to all...  

Jan, Darlene, and Anne... please e-mail  a postal delivery address

to me, using the link on the right side-bar!

Warmest Wishes & Blessings... Daryle

"Strangers and Pilgrims"

These two dolls sitting next to my worktable caught my eye 

early this morning... on this day of Thanksgiving.

Two "odd dolls"... (like us): Pilgrims of Faith!

"...not having received the promises, 

but having seen them afar off were assured of them, 

embraced them and confessed that they were 

strangers and pilgrims on the earth."  ~Hebrews 11:13 (NKJV)

Window to My Heart... Well, almost Finished!

I finally glued and dowel-pegged his legs and painted his face...

(this guy first showed up in a June, 2014 post!!!)

He just may need a crackle glaze yet...

to add a bit more warmth to his funny face!

His rusty heart hangs in the perfect space to

tuck away some "treasures" and keepsakes.

(Hence the hang tag: "the memory keeper")

Wishing you and yours a Blessed Thanksgiving!

Triple Play...Give-Away!

These three trouble-makers need good homes!

So... our September, October & November 

Give-Aways 

are just waiting to be shipped off to.... you? 

Please leave a comment on this post...

indicating which of these three (mention the one by name) 

has wiggled his way into your heart, and why!

We will choose a new home for each one, at the end of the month!

"Fallen Angel"... there's hope for him yet!

Ol' "Cone Head"... he's all heart!

"All in Good Funnel"... who doesn't like 

a little good, clean "funnel" now and then!

Drop us a note at this post... and you're in the running!

Blessings in this season of Thanksgiving!

Daryle

Triple Play!

These guys are real "cut-ups" and hams...

when the camera comes out!

After "softening" some of the coffee-stained Osnaburg;

(with a little warm water)

these three boys have "lightened-up" a little.

This guy is just too funny! 

(I'm affectionately calling him my "fallen angel")

Perhaps some single, sparse strands of black

thread need to finish off the top of his head?

This guy...

has just wiggled his way into my heart.

(I've affectionately named him "cone head")

And WHO do we have here?

"All in good funnel!" (get it?)

He kinda grows on you...

Next step: Find some suitable fabric and "dress-'em up" a little.

Thank you for stopping by... Where has this week gone?

Daryle

Coffee-Stained... Shenanigans!

Just as I suspected...  give these guys
a "coffee-stain bath"... and their personalities just "pop!"

("rusty hearts"... I'm thinking a must!)

per·son·al·i·ty   ˌpərsəˈnalədē    noun

"the combination of characteristics or qualities 

that form an individual's distinctive character."

peculiarity = "endearing" (in this case)

So, I coffee-stained these guys, 

added a healthy heap of cinnamon to the mix

and popped them in the oven for thirty minutes...

rinsed part of the coffee-stain off 

and put them back in the oven until "done..."

Oh... I added paper clay lips too... the low-heat oven

dried the paper clay along with the coffee-stain.

Face-Painting is next!  

Thank you for taking a peek! Daryle

Trouble Comes in Three's!

 I have started working on a trio of troublesome dolls

inspired by the work of the gifted "outsider" doll artist:

Sandy Mastroni...

(a link to her blog is now in my "Favorite Places to Visit" side-bar)

I'm convinced the exaggerated body forms and features make them, 

well... rather troublesome!

I also have a feeling that... as their personalities emerge,

so will their propensity for getting into (good-natured) trouble!

Their bodies are made using Osnaburg fabric, gently stuffed 

with polyester fiber-fill.  I have sculpted their facial features with

paper clay.

South Jersey Surprise

"A rose by any other name..."

You can imagine my surprise on this lovely November afternoon 

while cutting the lawn here in South Jersey (sunny and 71 degrees)

when I happened upon this Dandelion!

I hope it makes you smile...

No "Tricks"... Only "Treats!"

I am feeling "ghoulishly guilty"...

for posting too little, to late!

No New Dolls... No Give-Aways... No News...

"Boo Hoo!"   No Nothing! 

So to make things "right"... 

on this "Halloween" night:

We will have three (3) Give-Aways in November!

Hope you'll stop back soon to see exactly what "treats"

we come up with!

Blessings, as always... Daryle & Katie

"Shine on, Shine on Harvest Moon..."

Just before the clouds rolled in, we smooched under the

light of this memorable "blood moon"... and I was able to

get a few pics of it minutes before the total eclipse.

Breathtaking beautiful!

Woodstown Welcomes an Impromptu Visit!

Look who stopped by, en route from NYC to nearby Philly...

just to smell the roses

in our backyard flower garden today!

Celebrate the gift of "family"...

Blessings! Daryle & Katie

With Brush in Hand...

Katie has been working on her watercolor technique

over the summer months... We thought that it was "time" 

to debut her lovely work!

Tulip Times Two...

A Perennial Favorite... Pansies!  (Violas, truth be told...)

Bluebird...of Happiness!

Fresh-Cut Flowers from Our Gardens...

Enjoy! Daryle & Katie

August Give-Away goes to...

Katie and I just returned from a few days away with our grandsons.

Our oldest, just began first grade... how exciting is that!

Oh my... each response struck a chord with our hearts and souls;

but in the end we both agreed that the August Give-Away should

find a new home with: Mickie Beverly

Congrats... please send us your postal mailing address 
and we will get this box of goodies in the mail this week!

Daryle & Katie

Our August Give-Away

As you can see... "center-stage" in our give-away for August

is a tiny cigar tin: "Between the Acts"

For this month's give-away we are asking you to post a comment

about: "Between the Seasons..."  Katie and I both love 

this time of transition and change, from August to September.

From spending less time in our gardens 

to simply enjoying the longer shadows on the lawns; 

change is in the air!

What do you enjoy the most about the seasonal change, 

moving from summer... and approaching autumn?

Drop us a note... embrace the change!

Daryle

Vintage Shoe Form Angel... A Forlorn W.I. P.!

His expression is a bit... woeful, this work-in-progress!

But he kinda grows on you, in spite of himself!

His head is paper clay over Styrofoam.

His body is Osnaburg fabric stuffed with polyester fiberfill.

His arms (articulated) and wings are craft finials and plywood.

And those feet... 

His shoes are vintage children's shoe forms (size 3 1/2 to be exact!)

Some paper clay hands are (sort-of, kinda) in the works!

Give-Aways for June and July: Going to...

August is here and our June & July  Give-Aways 

will be "on their way"... this next week to:

North Carolina, USA

and

Queensland, Australia

Congratulations to Penny... from "Art Journey"

and

Pam... at "Nest in the Attic"

Blessings and Well Wishes...

Daryle & Katie

June and July... Give-Aways!

July has come... and will all-too-quickly be gone!

We've been away for a week; visiting

Lancaster County and then Vermont...

We also had our grandsons, both daughters (and wonder-dog Stella)

with us back in mid-July... catching fireflies in the evening

and taking none-stop day trips all week long!

We're home... for a while! 

Well... as promised, this month we are posting two-give-aways:

One for June and one for July!

Here is the June Give-Away... 

a stash of vintage photos,

some rusty old keys, stamps, craft tags, and

other fun embellishments for your use!

Here is the July Give-Away...

a vintage book, some old keys, craft tags,

ivory game board pieces, a vintage

little leather book, a small cigar box, and other

fun embellishments!

Please leave a note on this post... if you wish to be in the drawing.

(if you have a preference: June or July Give-Away... so note it!)

Well Wishes and Blessings... Daryle & Katie

Out of the Dark... After the Storm!

It's one of my favorite lines from the 1939 movie: "The Wizard of Oz!"

"The wind began to switch - the house to pitch 

and suddenly the hinges started to unhitch.

Just then the Witch - to satisfy an itch 

went flying on her broomstick, 

thumbing for a hitch."

Well... apart from the witch; that pretty much sums up our past 
week, here in parts of South Jersey!  A storm hit last Tuesday, 

just about this time of the day, and we were without power until Saturday!  Thank the Lord... we, our neighbors, and our friends are just fine!

But in all the flurry of activity 
(not too mention the loss of electricity!)... 

I wasn't able to post a June Give-Away!  

Not to fear... I hope to pull something together in the next week 

for a combined June-July Give-Away!

In the meanwhile... look at the fruit on our newly acquired Fig tree!  

I could hardly believe my eyes when I spotted it last week... 

It survived the wind and the rain, just potted up on our back patio!  

Be blessed! Daryle (and Katie too!)

A "Wort" By Any Other Name... is Still a Wort!

I almost missed the blossoms on my St. John's Wort

the other day, while I was mowing our lawns...

Diminutive, understated, but delightful!

A Late Update... From the ADQ Challenge!

I have been beyond remiss... when it comes to posting

any creative work, here at Woodstown Whimsies!

Well over a month ago, when the summer issue of Art Doll Quarterly

came out... I was delighted to have my "Emily Dickinson Doll"

included in the "black & white" challenge article on page 76!

So here is a "sneak-peek" of what the publisher was unable to

include in the photos, due to space:  a collection of memorabilia

that relates to the life and love of Emily!

After the Rain...

The words were penned by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:

"Thy fate is the common, fate of all–

Into each life some rain must fall..."

And the rain DID fall, here in South Jersey  earlier this week!

We were under a tornado warning... very uncommon for the area.

Lots and lots of rain, some wind, but that was the extent of it.

The rain was much needed... and after the rain;

well, these pics say it all: our flower gardens 

are resplendent in color and beauty.  

Even the Lamb's Ear put on a show with its flowering heads!

Common Lavender doesn't look quite so common this year,

and the Spiderwort (my least favorite plant in the garden) looks...

well, O.K. for now!

Our Prickly Pear Cactus has dozens-upon-dozens of flowers!

And the Rose Campion remains a charmer... 

love that silver-gray foliage, against the weathered fence.