Tag: doll making

A tool to make you feel better about yourself

A tool can be helpful, but all the self-improvement hoopla we get bombarded with online can become tedious. BUT if you have one visual tool, the long-term effect can be felt even if it’s subtle. Life improves with time. Improvement happens where you focus. FOCUS is the key.

I have been into Spirit Dolls for a long time. It’s not something new. Indigenous tribes have used talismans throughout the centuries. They made poppets from nature’s bounty, twigs, rocks, and grasses.

I know that intention-setting is a great tool, and it can be applied while making a Spirit Doll. When you make a doll that carries intentions, you support yourself with positivity.

So I got busy and created A SPIRIT DOLL KIT.

I have made the polymer clay painted faces forever and sold them in my Etsy shop as one item, but then I decided to put all the parts together into a kit. Each doll is unique: a single painted face, different fabric, polyfill, talismans, and twigs.

The best part: It’s almost NO SEW. You can put it together in an hour. There are detailed printed instructions included with lots of pictures, and back in the day, I made a YouTube video about it. How To Make A Spirit Doll From Scrap Fabric.

A tool / doll that won’t give you a headache (like Ikea stuff 🙂

The way to give this doll “life” is to fill her with your written intentions. Anything you want to improve, write it down and stick it into the doll. When you look at her, you are reminded. She will be your special doll because you made her!

There will be more dolls to choose from in the near future. I have also been busy in my other Etsy shop, Virtual Stationer. It’s getting some traction, which is often tough for a new-ish shop.

I sell all kinds of ephemera for art and junk journaling. I’ve been playing with a Gelli plate, and it’s so much fun! I also have a massive stash of ephemera that I have collected over time. I don’t art journal that much now, but I sure love ephemera / fodder. Take a peek at the goodies.

That’s all for July, my friends. I wish you lots of fun and creativity!

Lots of love,

A pink heart with the name Maria

Fear of failure

Fear of failure anyone? I have experienced a lot of resistance lately as I’ve been stretching myself to create more complicated sculptures. I have always enjoyed making them, but if I make too many of the same style, I get bored. I have been wanting to make more Santos cage dolls, and I found some interesting “stands/cages” at a thrift store. They were probably part of wall sconces in the past, but I could see their potential.

Possibly a wall sconce in its prior incarnation

I used one of them for the first cage doll. To make them look a bit less modern, I wrapped and glued all the parts with sewing pattern paper.

Anything to make the process easier (than making a cage from scratch.) If you’re handy with wood and nails, go for the traditional cage. There are videos on YouTube.

The hardest part is to visualize the doll on top of the stand. I went for a longer dress but, traditionally, the cage is the “skirt.”

I use epoxy clay (Apoxie Sculpt brand) for these sculptures because it’s very strong.

The resistance/fear shows up questioning if the sculpture will be any good. Will I come up with a design I like? What if I waste all that pricey clay and have to scrap the project?

The doubting imp is always lurking on the outskirts of my mind. I am well-versed in the Fear of Failure! 🙂 There’s always uncertainty when you start a new project, especially if you have never made it before. They say that fear is the only thing that stops us from moving down untrodden paths. BUT, they also say that if you can visualize the project, it’s already done.

Fear of failure project

The choice is: do I go into the studio and start (or continue what I started?) Or… do I clean the fridge? There are always dirty areas to clean in the home.

The fear wins out often enough, and lately, I’ve had a very clean house, haha.

But, ultimately, the sculpture won’t go away, so I surrender to the process wherever it wants to take me. More often than not, the end result is okay, and if it isn’t, the sculpture can be used in another project. (Hope springs eternal…)

I have many ugly parts that I repurposed or took apart for elements for other projects.

The silver lining is: I learned something during the process that I can apply to future projects.

The more I listen to the urge to create “no matter what”, the more insights and experience I gather, and that’s priceless!

I leave the fridge cleanup for another day. That will always be there, but the exciting inspiration breeze from the muse fades away if I don’t use it.

Fear and resistance will never go away, but we can choose not to listen to them!

Uglee hands

I’m okay with this sculpture, but I need to work on fixing the hands and the hearts. One thing about Apoxie Sculpt, it is super soft when you mix the two parts together. I let it sit for about an hour before I use it, but then you have to work quickly. The good thing is you can build on top of the clay without a problem. I also have to attach another heart, and work on the one that “collapsed.” I will add another heart on top, and no one will be the wiser. 🙂

Have a wonderful, creative week.

Lots of love,

Maria

If you want to learn how to make one of these polymer clay sculptures, visit my Whimsy Girl workshop HERE.

Spirit doll tutorial video

Spirit dolls seem very popular these days. This month I sold out all of my painted clay faces in my Etsy shop Earth and Faery. I had to get busy making more. I had this great idea to make a Green Woman version of the Green Man. It has been a great success, so far.

Then I got the idea of making a video tutorial on how to make a Spirit Doll using fabric scraps and one of my faces. I will explain more, and the link will be below.

https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/EarthandFaery/tools/listings/1012602710

I ended up making a series of Green Women until I ran out of green clay… That type is not the only one I sold. I make my usual faces too, and they are generally well-liked.

I also made some unusual ones. My creative muse has been working in overdrive all month.

I’m getting better at sculpting my own faces, but it has been a learning curve for sure, and it ain’t over!

I also got some funky sculptures done from styrofoam eggs and Apoxie Sculpt.

I had a lot of fun making the boots for the light blue chicken! To make the sculpture stand on its own, I had to make heavy shoes / boots. Each time I get a bit more creative, haha.

I also got a couple of paintings done.

Most of these items are available in my etsy shop.

So as you can see, creativity has been my friend this month, and I LET IT! No big resistance.

SPIRIT DOLL YOU TUBE VIDEO.

What are you working on now? I’d love to see some of your art in the comments.

Here’s an older Spirit Doll/ box I posted a couple of years ago. It’s mostly made from paper, and so easy to make!

Spirit Box tutorial.

And another one: Today I Made This Spirit Doll.

Make your own! You can paint the face on fabric, or leave it faceless. It’s the intention that counts!

Lots of love,

Maria