Dolls and Ceramics: BJD Hybrid and Heart Boxes

The doll comes from a dear friend of mine, Alison. She was parting with this doll at a convention and I fell in love with her. My friend has such a good eye for color, fashion, and interesting BJD hybrids. She even dressed the doll in this cute ensemble! The doll pictured is a hybrid of a Peak’s Woods KoonieS head on a Doll Chateau kid body. The outfit is from a Tonner doll called “The Intriguing” that fits the Antoinette body. The lace bodysuit is a little tight and makes in hard to pose the doll, but I do my best to make it work since I love the attire.

The ceramic item pictured is my heart box made from a slipcasting mold. It’s an old Duncan mold I picked up a couple years ago and it’s one of my favorites. I typically put a few pieces of handmade heart-shaped recycled paper in each box.

There are more images of several heart boxes and the doll on my Instagram account.

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Cloth Napkins: Two Layers of Fabric

I work with a lot of fabric and have a very large inventory of textiles.  In that big stash, there are quite a few fabrics that I won't use for most of my regular projects.  I found a solution for all those fabrics -- make them into cloth napkins.

However, some of the fabrics are printed/screened, so the back of the napkin would not look quite as nice.  I decided to do two layers of fabric to hide the wrong side of the fabric.  See my basid tutorial below.

Cut out two pieces of fabric to desired size of cloth napkin.  With right sides together, sew a seam around edges of napkin, but leave a small opening to turn inside out.  Clip corners.

After the napkin is turned inside out, press seams.  Top stitch around the entire napkin.  Top stitching an additional line or two through the middle of the napkin is recommended since it will make the napkin sturdy and the fabric will be less likely to shift around with use.

Give napkins another press, if you feel like they need it.  Voila!  A set of cloth napkins ready for a dinner party or everyday use.

Another Custom Wig

Recently, I made a new wig for my Peppermint Asleep Eidolon, but I found some new doll hair at a local second-hand store and decided to make her another wig. I'm not sure what kind of hair it is, but I have attached a pic of the package, originally made in Virgina Beach. The new wig has longer hair, which I may trim to even it out a bit. It reminds me of a blond version of that beautifully crazy hair of Merida from Brave. Perhaps I should find some pretty red hair and have my own little Merida. Look out for that little outfit she is wearing. It will be appearing in the Etsy shop very soon. I'll be doing quite a bit of 16 cm doll clothing from here on out.

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Custom Wig with Hair Style

Recently, I acquired an Asleep Eidolon Peppermint (16 cm doll), but I've been having a hard time finding a wig that's a good fit. What solution did I come up with? Use a mohair-like wig that's been collecting dust and turn it into a brand new wig with this great tutorial provided by a talented member of the online BJD Magazine.

I decided to take the tutorial one step further and give Peppermint a little more complex hairstyle. I didn't want something too simple. I decided to add a couple bows to the hair that would help pin it down. If you are interested in the pin idea, I'll give you a little tutorial.

First, get out some of those old sewing pins that have been bent by the sewing machine so they can be given a new use. Take a wire cutter and needle nose pliers (jewelry tools versions are very helpful), cut off the pin top and straighten out the pin a bit. Bend the pin in half to it can be inserted through the hair like a bobby pin. I attached some ribbon to the pins so little bows would be in the hair.

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The Memories in Cork Boards

Cork boards made from old wine corks is not a new craft, but I found something quite noteworthy about them when I was constructing my own. After constructing the cork board using an old wood frame I picked up at a thrift store and corks I have saved throughout my experiences, I realized that my cork board was full of memories of events in my life. The day I graduated college, my first dinner at my new home, great dinners and recipes with people I love, the big summer party, and the list goes on. So, I am mentioning this craft idea to y'all not just because it is great decor to adorn the walls of your home, but also because it can provide you with lots of memories. It does not require more than a frame, cardboard, hot glue, and quite a lot of corks. I even used champagne corks. If you are interested in detailed instructions, let me know via email or the Facebook page.

Save those corks!

Support an artist! Visit my Etsy Shop. You can also follow my Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest pages. I'm planning on offering discount codes on the Facebook page from time to time!