Victorian Hardware to the Rescue!

This vintage drawer pull seemed to be the perfect solution

to that "something else is needed here"  

nudge that I had with this newest doll.

I added a bit more verdi color and highlighted the hardware 

with some metallic antique copper and gold acrylic paint;

that I softly rubbed on with my finger-tip.

I also finished painting the faux soldered body cage...

and the tiny birdcage. (what will I put inside it?)

Root's Old Mill Flea Market... Finds!

We just returned from our annual three day get-together 

in Lancaster County, with dear friends from Vermont.

We spent Tuesday morning at Root's Old Mill Flea Market in Manheim.

I found this circa 1940 metal glove mold and two china dolls.

One of the dolls (the armless cutie) is marked Nippon (pre WW II) 

and the other is marked Germany.  They were $3 for the pair...

A bit of paper clay and some wire; 

and two new arms will be in the making!

The glove mold was marked $8 but the vendor agreed upon $6

It was a good day...

Borrowed Body Parts...Yikes!

It sounds like something right out of a Hitchcockian film...

Rather macabre beginnings for a new doll; 

involving borrowed body parts!

I salvaged the old wooden legs and vintage infant shoes

to incorporate in NEW (and improved) doll!  

(see August 12th post)

The head is "borrowed" from one of my other dolls...

Eventually my plan is to sculpt a "self portrait" doll head

(the charming little child I once was... Ha!)

and place it on this vintage box body.

I designed a faux "soldered" cage to fit over the body

 (it will be painted and distressed along the way...)

The tiny birdcage (Thank You Tim Holtz!) will hold

something dear to my heart.

The enameled metal number "14" just happens to

be my birthday, and the vintage glasses are for my old eyes!

And so the journey begins...  

Thank you for stopping along the way!  Daryle

She's Finished... Here's a Sneak Peek!

I just sent a CD of pics off to Laguna Hills, California... 

to the senior managing editor of PRIMS magazine 

for their consideration, in a up-coming issue!

Sooooo... I'm keeping "the Keeper" under my hat; until I hear if

Stampington & Company would like to publish her.  

If so, well... then we will all have to wait to see her in PRIMS!

Relegated to the Back Burner!

This one just isn't going to happen... 

I have, without an ounce of "regret"... 

already relegated the whole idea to the back burner!

Well... even farther (or is it "further"?) "back" than the "back burner";

as I have already sawn the wooden leg turnings shorter

and retrofitted them to some small vintage boxes that I

had on hand... for a NEW doll body!

(new pics to follow... I promise!)

A New Day... A New Diversion... A New Doll!

The makings of a new doll!

The BODY: 

a flea market find... a metal eye glass cleaner dispenser with a wonderful patina of verdi green (9 inches high).

The LEGS:
Repurposed (from an old chair) wood turnings that I had painted and used on an old outdoor angel, back in Vermont. 

The SHOES:
Vintage leather baby shoes, found at a shop up in Grande Isle, Vermont.

The Assemblage...

I cut out 3/8 inch thick wood "feet" to fit inside each shoe, then drilled a hole near the "heel" to fit the smallest end of the wooden chair turning, and then pushed those thick thighs right up the ol'... bottom of the metal dispenser (that conveniently was open with a flanged metal flap for dispensing the cloth tissues!   

Yet Another "Lost Doll" is Found...

I came across this little (3.5 inches tall) frozen charlotte

at the Cowtown Flea Market today, here in Woodstown...

Her "dress" appears to be folded triangle scraps of wool

that have been stitched together to make a skirt.

She will be a perfect addition to the Keeper's "found" dolls!

The Final Coat...

It seems to be my newest mantra:

"Layer upon layer... brush it on, wipe it off!

And... it seems to work!

I used FolkArt "warm white" and "raw umber"

for the head, upper chest and hands.

Then I inked the eye brows and lower lashes

using a ZIG 0.5mm point pigment ink, acid-free pen.

The final coat is Plaid's outdoor matte sealer;

giving her a soft, well-worn appearance.

Now... it's just a matter of "assembling" her!

Her hair-piece is sewn and ready to glue on... 
(coffee stained jute cord that has been unraveled)
Her three aprons are ready to be layered and add...
(a vintage doily, millinery netting, & embossed papers)
Her "lost dolls" are ready to be attached... 
(haven't figured this one out yet... how to "tie" the
dolls to the cage skirt so they can easily be removed)
Her vintage crocheted glove "bonnet" is waiting...
(to cover up the back of her bald head!)
Oh... her arms!
(they will be wired on)

The Keeper's Dolls...

I noticed a packet of round metal rim tags

that were hanging on the bulletin board,

next to my worktable...  waiting to be used!

"Ah... Ha!" (lightbulb comes on...)

Why not distress them, give each tag a "lost" date

and on the flip side... a "found" date

and create a tag for each of the lost dolls that

"The Keeper of Lost Dolls" has found?

voilà 

And just what might that look like... on the cage doll skirt?

voilà

Don't you just love those "Ah-Ha" moments!"