Window Shopping Wednesday -- Noodle and Lou Studio

Here is an artist that I have been following for quite a while.  She does fantastic mixed media paintings and she loves vintage things.  Her blog is full of pictures of all types of vintage things.  She also makes the cutest little houses, called Lullettes.  I think the houses are what first caught my attention.  Anyway, here are some pictures of her work.  I invite you to visit here blog and go to her Etsy store to see her work.  I love it.  Her work is fun and happy.  You will find her at noodle and lou studio.
Aren't these just the cutest?

 She also makes really cute dolls:

Please visit her and leave her a message if you love her work as much as I do.

Tuesday Tutorial -- Going Sew Crazy Clothespin Doll

Sometime last year, I found a really neat picture of sweet clothespin dolls that I really wanted to make but there was no tutorial.  I have kept looking since that time and I have finally found a tutorial that gives the same look and type of doll as the one I first saw. 

These look like lots of fun to make, seem simple enough, and probably won't cost you an arm and a leg.
I know I will be trying these out very soon.  When I do, I'll post my results here.

This tutorial is from Going Sew Crazy.
Please drop her a line and tell her how your dolls turned out.  I know I will.

 
I finally got this together! I am going to apologize first for the crappy photos. It has been horribly cloudy all day and I was working in my badly lit kitchen.
Supplies Needed:
-wooden clothespins
-wooden doll pin stands
-wooden dowel cap with 5/8" hole
-6 in. square of fabric
-small ribbon
-acrylic paint
-paintbrushes
-glue gun
-gloss varnish
-pencil
-small piece of flesh colored pipe cleaner

Steps:
-Draw face shape onto face with pencil.
-Paint face and top of pin in your choice of flesh color. Let dry. Repeat.

-Paint pin stand and pin "legs". Let dry. Repeat.
-Paint hair onto dowel cap. Let dry. Repeat.
-Gloss varnish all parts. Let dry.

-Cut a 5" circle out of fabric. Cut a small hole in the middle and 2 small slits for the arms a bit down from the middle hole.

-Cut a small piece of flesh colored pipe cleaner and gluse to center back of clothespin.

-Slip fabric over the "neck" of the pin. Slip "arms" into slits.
-Tie a small piece of ribbon around the waist and tie in a bow in the center back.

-Glue head on doll and tilt to give it a sweet look.
-Glue doll pin into doll stand.

Some tips and tricks:
-Use tape or paper reinforcements on "legs" to make stripes or polka dots.
-You can leave the arms free or twist them together and glue something into the doll's hand. I used a mushroom in the pic above.
-You can also buy wooden spools and paint them and attach just the heads for fun trim and ribbon holders.
Let me know what you think! Have a great day ya'll!

Still working on the prayer dolls and other things

I have been in the middle of a terrible slump.  I don't want to finish anything.  I don't want to do anything.  I just sit and let the time pass me by. 

During this time of depression, I have managed to finish and give three of my prayer dolls away to my sister and my friends.  I have also managed to work on three more dolls, but they still need some work. 

I also started, but have not finished, an old friend.  Here are some pictures to show my progress, pitiful as it is.

My prayer dolls are leaving!

I just gave this one to my friend, Elizabeth.  She put it by her bed.  I am happy that she liked it.

I gave this one to my sister and she set it on her bookcase in her bedroom.  She likes hers, too.

On Sunday, I will be sending this one to another friend.  She is actually the reason I tried making these dolls.  She was in a crisis and I felt sending her a prayer doll might help.  Anyway, she will get hers Sunday.  I'll see if she likes it then.

Thursday--Spa Day

I received an email a day ago from a trusted source (actually a work at home mom source) that talked about a mother who had discovered that she was taking such good care of her baby girl that she was actually poisoning her!  Here is a list of items found in most personal care items that are toxic and are absorbed directly by your skin and what damage they actually do:

Here's a "top-ten" list of the most toxic types of substances in skin care products Dr. Sears' Wellness Research team identified - and the dangers they pose to your health:

 

Chemicals Commonly Found In Commercial Sunscreens	Dangerous Side Effects
1. Parabens	"Endocrine disruptors," these gender-bending chemicals mimic estrogen, upset your hormonal balance, and can cause various reproductive cancers in men and women
2. PABA (may be listed as octyl-dimethyl or padimate-O)	Attacks DNA and causes genetic mutation when exposed to sunlight
3. Mineral oil, paraffin, petrolatum	Coats skin like plastic and clogs pores, trapping toxins in, slows skin cell growth, disrupts normal hormone function, suspected of causing cancer
4. Sodium laurel, lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate (sometimes listed as "from coconut" or "coconut derived"	Combined with other chemicals, it becomes nitrosamine, a powerful cancer-causing agent; penetrates your skin's moisture barrier, allowing other dangerous chemicals to enter your bloodstream
5. Phenol carbolic acid	Circulatory collapse, paralysis, convulsions, coma, death from respiratory failure
6. Acrylamide	Breast cancer
7. Octyl-methoxycinnamate (OMC)	Kills skin cells
8. Toluene (may be listed as benzoic, benzyl, or butylated hydroxtoluene)	Anemia, low blood cell count, liver and kidney damage, birth defects
9. Propylene glycol	Dermatitis, kidney and liver abnormalities, prevents skin growth, causes irritation
10. PEG, polysorbates, laureth, ethoxylated alcohol	Potent carcinogens containing dioxane

You probably use them on your body every single day of your life. And since your skin is the largest organ of your body, these nasty chemicals go straight into your bloodstream.
Once they get inside of you, they mimic estrogen, disrupt your endocrine system, and throw your hormones out of whack.

So, that said, it makes even more sense to look into the possibility of making some of these products yourself--you have control over the ingredients and the method of manufacture.

Here is a link to a site that has numerous recipes for all types of personal care items.  Check out some of these at The Spa Index.  Another site that has many recipes to make your own personal care items is Craft Bits.  I know I will be looking these recipes over and seeing which product I want to make for myself as a way to "get my toe in the water" so to speak.  If it is as easy as they say, then I may go whole hog and make everything I use--actually I won't have to because my oldest daughter is now making me lip balm and soap.

Try some of these out and then let me know your results, won't you?  I would love to hear what worked and what flopped and what you think went well.  Talk to me, please!

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Window Shopping Wednesday -- Megan Hoover

Here is an artist I found that I simply love.  Her work is fresh, funky, and funny.  All things that make for great art in my mind.  Please visit her blog at WANNA PAINT!  Below are a few of her paintings for you to get a little taste of her work.  Enjoy!

I especially love the little girl floating away with her heart! Such a great talent and a very nice lady, too.

Remember those who died for your right to freedom