Think Spring with these two vintage style bunnies!

Here are my first two bunnies for spring 2014!  The one on the right is already sold, but the one on the left is available now. If not sold here on my blog, I will list it on Ebay soon!  Both are jointed like teddy bears with moveable arms and legs.  I jointed them with some waxed Irish linen string.  They are about 4 inches sitting and 5 inches with their legs extended. The ears were sculpted over heavy wire armatures for extra strength.

Tiny "stitches" make them look hand sewn, but they are, of course, sculpted from polymer clay!

Please contact me at toodlesocks@yahoo.com if you are interested in my work!

Harold's Halloween ~ a jointed bear and pumpkins!

Silly me, I forgot to give you the link to my auction. Here it is!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/171098691287?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Harold's Halloween ~ a Shabby Sweetie bear and his pumpkins!

Here is my first sculpt for the Fall 2013 season!  Harold is jointed with heavy duty thread.  He wears a hat made from a vintage dictionary page. The black ruffle is silk and he wears an orange bell around his neck. He comes with 3 sparkly pumpkins! Not only that, but he comes in a box that I altered just for him!

I sculpt with Parkinson's Disease.  I used to think about how lucky I was to have a passion for sculpting and how I would be doing it until my nineties.  Then, the tremor in my left hand started.  It began with a twitch in my thumb.  I thought it was just one of those twitches that everyone gets from time to time. But, it got worse. I was eventually diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.  I had to learn new ways to do my work.  Often, I have to lay my work on my desk, rather than hold it in my left hand. Paint must be applied quickly...in between shakes!  I started out with primitive pieces and have found some peace and happiness going back to them, although I might just try a realistic baby one of these days!

I don't know how much longer I can do this, but I will continue until it's no longer possible.  I hope that you won't let obstacles get in the way of your life, your loves.  Please don't let the elephant in the room make you quit!  Work around it.  Never give up!

"Poppy," a shabby sweet baby orangutan

Finally, after a few months, I have a new sculpture finished!  This baby orangutan's name is Poppy.  I haven't finished embellishing her box, yet, but as most of you know, my work always comes in a custom box. 

I work a lot slower than I used to because I have a tremor in my left hand caused by Parkinson's disease.  I'm too stubborn and determined to give up sculpting until my work all begins to look like little aliens.  I think it's still pretty good and pretty cute! I hope you do too!

Here is the link to Poppy's auction:

Poppy

Edgar is my first goth teddy bear.  I have him glossed gray eyes, which I think add a lot to his creepy look.  I used Premo for this little guy.  I painted the stripes on his legs, his hat, and the pads on his feet, with acrylic paint but used Genesis heat set pain on his eyes because I wanted a transparent look.   My intention is to make my goth characters loveable rather than sinister or evil looking. They simply want to be loved like everyone else.  I hope they find a place in your heart!

Here is the link to Edgar's auction:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170983084738?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

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Clara Westerling, silent film star, is my first goth doll of the new year!  Her true love, on and off of the stage, was murdered on the studio's back lot and she mourns for him. His spirit haunts one set and she haunts another.....their souls never to meet again.  Tis sad.

She holds the movie camera containing his last images.

I sculpted her and her camera and have them listed on Ebay. I hope you'll visit her auction where you will find more of her photos.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170975399469

We Three Gnomes

Aren't these just too silly?  I love them!  These are my new "stocking stuffer" sculpts.  I have them sitting on an old window that is hanging in my hallway.  It makes a great prop for my shabby chic, cottage sculptures.  I sculpted them with white Fimo and sprinkled some fairy dust on their hats. 
Their noses are the only thing that shows on their faces!

Here is their auction link:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170954384397?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Oliver is my new jointed beagle puppy!  I was afraid I couldn't capture the worried look I was going for, but I think I did it!  He is a miniature, only 2½ inches sitting and 3 inches with his legs extended.  I hope he finds a good home because he sure is a sweetie!  As I mentioned in his auction, he doesn't bark or shed!

Here is the link to his auction:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/170941560005?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Priscilla, The Crazy Cat Lady

Yep, she's crazy!  She's obsessed with cats! Priscilla is my latest creation.  This is a 4 piece set, one black cat and three off white ones,and, of course, Priscilla.   You can arrange them however you like and Priscilla can be posed in several positions because she is wire jointed.  This doll has a clay ruffle around her neck, something I have not done before, but I like it!  I knocked off the edges with sandpaper before I stained her so that she would look old and worn.  She has polka dot legs, which area very whimsical.  I hope cat lovers can identify with this feline crazed woman!  I know she has more cats. I think she has then hidden somewhere in her house.  
I will alter a box just for her. Collectors who have my dolls know that they are quite lovely and artistic in themselves!  I use bits of lace, ephemera, photos, ribbons, etc......anything I can find to embellish the boxes.  You'll see! But you have to win her to find out!

Here is the link to her auction:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/170937254518?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Lulu, an OOAK newborn puppy!

This is Lulu, a sweet, tiny newborn puppy!   By tiny, I mean that she is 1½ X ¾ inches! I sculpted her from ProSculpt polymer clay so that she would have the "skin" of a newborn puppy and then I painted her with Genesis heat set paints and used a stiff bristled brush so that the paint would go on like hair and let the skin show through just as it would on a real puppy.

People often say "I wish they could stay little like that" when referring to a baby animal. Well this one will stay that way! 

Lulu comes in a cute little box that I altered just for her. I used vintage dictionary pages for a shabby chic look.  You can store her inside or display her on it.

Here is the link to her auction:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/170928816123?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Creeda, the mortician's daughter

Maybe I have some goth in me, even at my age.  I am drawn to this look and even dress in black a lot.  Perhaps my love for all things spooky showed up in me as a teen when I was glued to the old black and white horror movies every Friday night.  

I have, however, read about goth on the internet and it's not all about spooky and certainly not about evil. Rather, it is an open mindedness about death, darkness, and everything we have been thought to fear. Would death be scary if we weren't taught that it is?  

I, for one, don't want to be afraid to die. I don't want to fear that I don't have enough faith to be "saved."  I believe that death is as natural as being born, just like Creeda believes.  I believe in a loving God that will not send people of other religions to hell because they aren't Christian, even though I was raised to think that way.

So, I think that I can honestly present goth art to you, from my heart.  

This is Creeda. Please read her story. She is sweet and so is her rat!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170926151403?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

And finally, with the new format, my links are active! Yay!

Annamaria, an opera singer who lost her voice

Annamaria was an opera singer circa late 1800s. She lost her voice after she gave her heart to a low down tenor who left her for another soprano. She walks the world looking for it. That's her story, sad but true. She will not rest until she finds it. She carries with her a note (hand sculpted) and a page of music from an Italian opera. People say that they have caught a glimpse of her in various hotels and theaters around the world. She shows up a lot during this time of year....in the fall when shadows are tall and beings lurk in the shadows. Maybe you have seen her.... Here is the link to her auction: http://www.ebay.com/itm/170915214764?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Here's something different from me, a pumpkin head altered bottle (sort of doll) that I named Vincent after Vincent Price. I am a long time aficionado of spooky movies, so I named him after Vincent Price. As a teen, I spent many Friday nights, staying up late with my best friend, Bonnie, watching those wonderful old black and white horror movies. I hand sculpted Vincent's head from Fimo and premanently affixed it to the bottle cork. I used various ephemera to embellish the bottle where you will find one of my hand pleated medallions with an antique bone button in its center, a reprint of an old post card, a "key," and part of an old necklace around the neck. I wrapped some coffee dyed torn silk around the neck for more of a shabby look. Oh, I stained the pumpkin head to keep with the antique or vintage look. I like him a lot! I hope you do too! Here is his link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/170913225571?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Louisa, a shabby wire jointed ooak doll

Louisa is my most recent listing. Louisa was sculpted from white clay that I aged for a shabby chic look. She is one of my wire jointed dolls. Jointing a doll's legs takes a little engineering. If the angles aren't right, she will not sit up. I cure the body before I finish sculpting the legs in order to get a good fit.

FYI, I will not be listing my dolls for under $49 from now on.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170822827169?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Thread jointed fairy, Nella & a knot tying tip

I wanted to sculpt a simpler style fairy, one without as much realism as I try to put into my usual fairies. I came up with Nella. I used black onyx beads for her eyes rather than handpainted eyes and I like the look. I think they give her a "impish" look. I have really been enjoying tearing up old books and using the pages and covers for my sculptures. For this little girl, I pleated wings from paper from a vintage dictionary, one of those old kind with the real thin pages. For the bodice of her dress, I used some canvas from the cover of another old book. I cut out part of the definition of "fairy" from the old dictionary and used it to accent the bodice of her dress. Her wings are secured with a snippet of thick antique lace that I cut out of a doily.
I certainly think twice before throwing out any little piece of ribbon, lace, jewelry finding, or any other odds and ends because I love repurposing and using unexpected items for accents in my work! Even the tiniest little left over piece of antique doily gets put to use, eventually.

I received a question about how I keep my thread tight when I am thread jointing. So, here's a tip. After I pull the two threads together the first time, I put a bit of Fabritac on the thread before I finish the knot. I use double strength thread so there is no chance of breakage over the years.

Here is the link to Nella's auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170799514319

A Baby Parrot, Lola!

Birds are popular right now and when I saw that baby parrots are white, I just had to make a shabby cottage style one! So, here is Lola. She is a very needy little being and just wants to know if she is loved. I altered a box for her, as I have been doing for all of my recent work. She can be displayed on it as I have done in the photos.

Here is her auction link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170793860200

When pigs fly!

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Pigs do fly! Well, maybe not, but this little piggy soars over the clouds as he is help up by a wooden skewer! He (or she!) is my latest little shabby sweet animal that I have created go with your cottage white decor! I don't have the pig glued to the skewer so that it can be taken apart and shipped inside of the cute altered box I have made especially for this piece.

This link will take you to this cute little pig:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170792023347?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

I finished a cottage style bunny girl today! After much thought, I decided not to sell her. She will go to my grandbabies. I just can't let go of some pieces.

I sculpted her face before Christmas and had no idea she would become a bunny! We are having some spring days here in southern California so I guess I have been hit by spring fever!

I will be working on another shabby sweet animal,and maybe another bunny child. I am thinking "flying pig!"

Shabby white elephant is listed!

I have listed little Stellaphant! Here is her Ebay link:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170781263614?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

a cottage bunny

I have listed another shabby sweetie on Ebay. It's a shy little OOAK cottage bunny! I used printed paper to accent the ears and I made a simple little fan out of a page from an old school book to send with him for display.....just because I thought it would be cute! Here is the link to my bunny auction:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170772698940?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649