more looking back

Today I want to mention a really great embroidery newsletter that I've been getting and perhaps you might like to sign up for it yourself.  There's a very excellent embroidery magazine published in Australia called 'Inspirations' and they issue a bi-weekly (or perhaps it's weekly?) online newsletter that is often filled with wonderful embroidery inspiration.    They also can be found on facebook with tons of pictures of absolutely beautiful embroidery.  Unfortunately I can't give you a link to that...can't get it to work properly.  (Oh...and just as a sidenote - remember my rose-themed hussif?  Well, they published it a few weeks ago....not only on their facebook page but also in their newsletter!!   Did you see my buttons popping??).

Now, back to the looking back series....  Yesterday I showed you my naked Shudayra doll as she looked setting off into the world.  Well, here she is as she looked upon her return...

She came home riding on a beautiful horse and her lovely auburn hair was protected by her very own parasol.  The horse was created using a plastic version, which was then covered with paper mache.  To say I was thrilled was the understatement of the year!!


UPDATED TO ADD:  This doll was done in a round robin and visited several other doll artists all over North America before coming home to me.

 There are just so many incredible details that the girls added to her and I never cease to be blown away when I look at her.  Right now she resides on top of my bookshelf in my studio and oversees all that I do.

Here's another doll that you might like to see as well.

This one I called 'Key To My Brain' and she was created as a result of a challenge in the doll group I belonged to at the time.

Her body was a metal Christmas tree and her torso and head were from a dollar store doll.  I gave the poor thing a lobotomy  (oooh - mean, mean person I was!!) and re-created her 'brain' using electrical wires and keyboard keys.  She was painted silver and her 'dress' was a piece of metal mesh ribbon.

Here's a closeup of her face and head...













Well, poor ol' 'Key To My Brain' wasn't destined for a long life and one day, not too long after her creation, I entered my studio to discover this...

Yep, she'd had enough of this earth and threw herself off the shelf and beheaded herself.  Poor thing.  Sad really.

Today I have another anonymous quote.... "You have to take the good with the bad, smile with the sad, love what you've got, and remember what you had.  Always forgive, but never forget.  Learn from mistakes, but never regret"