These are a few of my favourite peacock things!

Liaison ........ Redrubyrose
luxeminerals ...... catherinereece
tnoble8238 ...... Gypsies
eccentriques ..... mulberrymuse

Loving my new prints!

Bold seems like kind of an understatement when I try to describe this artwork, and it really has incredible 'Wow' factor. I bought 2 gorgeous prints from an Australian artist on Etsy called Kathy Panton. The colours are so vibrant and I can't wait to frame and hang these beautiful prints. I bought the 'Houses 1977' and the 'Flowers 1974' prints, but I also like the 'Left Behind Me' print. They were really well packed and arrived within a couple of days. The Houses print would make a great house warming gift I think ;)

Click here to visit Kathy's shop.

Black & White

It's hard for me to decide if this is black & white for infant visual stimulation, or does she look more like a gothic/emo Raggedy Ann? I think the little spider painted on the back of her head makes her lean more toward gothic/emo LOL.

I just listed her in the shop, and she got a heart straight away. I hope she sells ... she's really cute. Click here to visit her at HelloDollies.

These are a few of my favourite blue things

Cufflinks ....... Sabahnur
Savor ........ SarahJohnAfana
Steppie ....... Beladonna
Tiarastutus ....... Bayanhippo

Aren't these Etsy goodies just beautiful!

I'm a list-maker

I can't help it ... I'm a list-maker. I always have a 'To Do' list, and it never seems to end!

The good thing, about my current 'To Do' list (and yes, I always write it with capitals and ') is that it's pretty exciting. Here's a peek:

* Complete unfinished dolls
* Paint bears on aprons
* Prepare & paint doll wardrobe for competition
* Paint new Kokeshi for magazine ad copy
* Create more PDF pattern packets
* Create new swing tags & price tags
* Prepare demonstration for Darling Harbour

I've resigned myself to the fact that laundry, ironing and dishes are a permanent fixture and no longer bother to add them to the list.

Are you a list person?

Raggedy Taggedy Ann in Blue

I was able to complete a few more dolls today and photograph them. This one is now in the shop. I love making these so much that I now have 14 on the table in various stages. I will be submitting 7 to the Quilt & Craft Fair at Darling Harbour, Sydney which is on next month.

Are you in Sydney? Will you be attending the craft fair? Cool! I am demonstrating on the FDAA stand on Sunday 14th June. Please do come by and say Hi :D

Baby Chimpanzee

I thought it was time to give my other Etsy shop a little love, and have put up a couple of new listings. On a trip to Taronga Zoo, Sydney last year, this beautiful mother chimp sat and posed with her baby for me, for quite some time. When she was done, she looked right down the barrel of the camera at me, as if to say "Our sitting is over now" and took the baby elsewhere. I feel privileged to have been allowed to photograph them.

Both photos are available as 4"x4" photo prints in my Etsy shop, and are available in other sizes for those who ask :)

These are a few of my favourite girl things

These are a few of my favourite girly artworks from Etsy. Please take time to check out these sellers:

Gorguss ...... ScarlettCat
Tascha ....... SerpentMandalas
TheDreamyGiraffe ..... PinkyToast
ThePoppyTree ..... TheBlackApple

Happy Mothers Day!

Wishing everyone a Happy Mothers Day ... whether you be carer for child, ward, fish or furry pet.

We celebrated en mass yesterday with extended family. But this morning I was treated to breakfast in bed and some beautiful gifts including a frame my Princess #1 decorated herself & plant she grew herself at Guides. Princess #2 made me a card with her very best writing, and bought me a cute little angel charm. I am also about to go play my new Wii game with hubby.

The best gift of all, though, was this gorgeous card that my family made for me. OK ... so I'm a little taller and Princess #1 is a little shorter, but overall ... this is us. Hubby drew the outline and the girls coloured it in. It's my absolute favourite thing I received for mothers day :)

Mineral Makeup Follow-up

Remember I mentioned my very great excitement about ordering some brushes and samples of mineral makeup from The All Natural Face on Etsy? Well ... they got here in great time, and the number of samples absolutely took my breath away! I was able to figure out my foundation colour really easily (Medium Beige Warmer), and this morning I applied foundation (light as a feather) with the cute little Kabuki brush. There was a sample of blush, which was beautiful and subtle (I haven't worn blusher since the early 90's!), also applied with the mini kabuki brush.

Now I need to rave about the concealer ... wow! I used it under my eyes (thinking I didn't really need it), and the difference was quite remarkable. I was a bit spoiled for choice with eyeshadow samples, but today I opted for a gorgeous 'Swiss chocolate' colour and it's wonderful.

I have put in my order for full size jars of foundation, eyeshadow & eyeliner and a blending cream for eyeshadow. I even ordered some for my sister, because she was really impressed. Price is excellent, the product is beautiful and light, and full size eyeshadow jar generously packed.

My verdict ... for a girl who learned to apply makeup in the 80's, decided she wanted to update her look (no I wasn't still wearing blue mascara, but I had gotten a bit boring), I am thrilled with the result, the cost and the customer service. Definately go visit Crystal at The All Natural Face on Etsy and tell her Hello Dollies sent you :D

These are a few of my favourite red things!

HyacinthDesigns SparkleandSketch
Dudadaze Vaivanat
BitofWhimsyPrims trystbykerry
Modernality Liaison

Kids + Baking = mess!

Early on I learned that my kids love to help me bake (Princess #2 in particular), and it was inevitable that they would get a grubby front. So ... I drafted a cute little apron pattern and made one for each princess. Then I decided that they were too plain, so I started painting them. Since it's not much extra trouble to make 4 aprons when making 2 ... well, I did! Then I painted those too. Then I put them up for sale, and you could have knocked me down with a feather when they sold!

So ... I've been painting my little Kiss the Cook aprons ever since, and I'm on a roll to get ready for the Quilt & Craft fair at Darling Harbour next month. I thought I'd test one out on Etsy and see if it sells ... it has 3 free recipe cards with it, and it's even wrapped ready to give as a gift. Oh, and I'll do custom colours too.

Click here to see it in the shop.

Raggedy Taggedy Ann

Meet the newest girl in the Hello Dollies team ... Raggedy Taggedy Ann!

As much as I love making decorative Annies, I wanted one that could be played with. This little lass has removable clothes, and if you want her to be machine washable, I can heat set her painted shoes and face. The taggy hair is double stitched to make them nice and secure, and they don't go all yucky after a few days of play like yarn does.

This little gal is pink, but I can make her in any colour you like! Her nose can be painted to match her hair and outfit as well. I am really excited about this doll ... I designed her from scratch from her unique body shape right down to the little raglan sleeve dress and proper pants, and face design. Watch for some of her sisters at Hello Dollies very soon!

Give the People what they want!

I like that saying, and after hearing it on tv last night it got me to thinking ... what do the people want? For example ... I'm designing some new dolls, and would it not be wise to find out what it is that people want in a doll?

So ... I put it to you, my wonderful blog readers with incredible good taste ... what do you want in a doll?

Pretty to sit on the shelf and be admired?
Practical to be played with and subsequently machine washed?
Colour schemes ... what colours work for you?
Themes ... I love making pirate dolls, but how do you think your doll should be dressed up?
Are you a soapmaker? Do you want a doll who is all geared up for soapmaking too? Or a jeweller, or a photographer, or an artist?

So come on ... hit me! What do you want in a dolly? :)