2008 July

Greta, a Primitive Harvest Angel

July 28, 2008 By Rebecca 3 Comments

I’m so happy to introduce to you Greta, a very special Harvest Angel. Sometimes, it takes more than a green thumb! Greta is my original design & measures a little over 30″ from head to toe. She’s been made of muslin, stuffed with fiberfill & hand-painted & sanded, top to bottom many times. Greta’s lower torso has been rag-stuffed & bean-filled in order to weight her little bottom. Her arms have been lightly wired. Greta has a rich, deeply-aged patina.

Greta’s face has been needle-sculpted by hand and hand-painted. Her bottom lip ‘pouts’ while her top lip is simply painted. She has been painted with various media & has been sealed top to bottom with a combination of sealers so that she may be lightly dusted after display.

Greta’s fingers have been needle-sculpted by hand. She sports buttery yellow gloves. Greta also sports brown painted boots with with buttery yellow socks. They’re highly detailed right down to the pretty tan laces!

Greta’s apron dress is made from 100% cotton prints. They are completely soft & supple & are of fantastic quality. (Sewing high quality fabric is such a delight to my fingertips!) Her blouse is made of taupe osnaburg & features hand-gathered sleeves and a pretty collar finished with a vintage button & contrast stitching. Both the dress & blouse feature tons of hand-stitching! All visible hems have been hand-stitched (dress, sleeves, collar), as well as the back of the blouse.

Greta’s wings are 10 inches wide. Her sunflower (including white-washed terra cotta pot) is 13 inches tall. Greta’s wings have been hand-quilted, stained & distressed & are attached with a vintage button. Greta’s sunflower features TONS of hand quilting. It’s been painted, sanded, painted & sanded again & aged for a warm, antique patina. I’ve tucked dried green moss into the terra cotta pot.

Greta’s hair is warm brown 100% mohair. I have lightly glued, then carefully needle-felted it to her head in this super sweet bob! Her slight curls are reminiscent of finger waves!

Greta will be available on eBay beginning July 27th at 9PM EST. She will end Aug. 3rd, at 9PM EST. Click here to view or bid.

Filed Under: Dolls, Flowers Tagged With: angel, Harvest, sunflower

Dandy, A Handmade Primitive Christmas Elf

July 22, 2008 By Rebecca 7 Comments

This little girl is Dandy. And for the first time ever, I’m offering this doll directly from this site. (Available on my For Sale page.)

Now for the details! Dandy is quite dandy, if I do say so myself. She’s dressed in rich chocolate polka dots & a beautiful red floral print…truly supple 100% cotton fabrics. Her muslin blouse features a taupe bead & all of her clothing features tons of hand-stitching.

(Please click thumbnails to see a larger version of each picture.)

Dandy is hand-painted, top to bottom & even features little earrings on those pointy ears! She carries some super Christmas treats in her sweet osnaburg bag too–a hand-painted teddy bear & Christmas tree. Dandy’s bag features decorative stitching, mustard yellow seed beads & a vintage button.

Dandy is 17″ long from the top of her head to the bottom of those darling boots. Her teddy is a wee 3″ from head to toe & her tree is 5″ tall. She has a hemp loop attached making her suitable for hanging or she can sit, with assistance as shown above. Dandy is my first doll for the 2008 Christmas season & comes signed, numbered & dated with a Certificate of Authenticity.

Filed Under: Christmas, Dolls Tagged With: Christmas, elf, Toys

A Primitive Sea Maiden in shades of Blue & Green

July 21, 2008 By Rebecca 3 Comments

This special little girl is Miranda. Miranda is my original design, inspired by my recent vacation to the beach & all the ‘mermaid money’ we found! She measures 15″ from head to tail. She’s been made of muslin, stuffed with fiberfill & hand-painted & sanded, top to bottom many times. Miranda has a rich, deeply-aged patina, reminiscent of antique dolls. She has a hemp loop attached to her back making her suitable for hanging.

Miranda’s face has been needle-sculpted by hand and hand-painted. Her bottom lip ‘pouts’ while her top lip is simply painted. She has been painted with various mediums & has been sealed top to bottom with a combination of sealers so that she may be lightly dusted after display.

Miranda has needle-sculpted fingers. She has delicate pink fingernails. She is highly detailed & even features knuckles & a tiny belly button.

Miranda’s tail is painted in varying hues of blue & green with highlights added to give the illusion of sparkling scales.

Miranda is carrying seven sand dollars which range in size from 1-2 inches. They’ve been made of muslin, stuffed & hand-painted & sanded several times. Each piece of ‘mermaid money’ has been strung to a piece of hemp twine & loosely tied to Miranda’s arm.

Her hair is brown 100% mohair. I have lightly glued, then carefully needle-felted it to her head. It is parted & hangs loosely upon her chest. Extra care has been taken (and must be taken) while handling this long mohair as it is fragile & separates easily. Minimum handling is recommended.

Miranda (named after my little cousin who had curly long brown hair just like this) will be available on eBay July 20th at 9PM EST. She will end July 27th at 9PM EST. If you’d like to look at this little girl or even, perhaps, have her swim to your house, click here.

Filed Under: Dolls Tagged With: mermaid, primitive folk art, sand dollars

Blogging Awards & Link Love

July 17, 2008 By Rebecca 2 Comments

I’ve been so fortunate this week to receive some blogging awards from my sweet blogging friends & spectacularly talented fellow artists.

These people gave me an award recently. If you have a moment, please check out their work. I am so impressed & continually inspired by their creations & writing.

Lori – Queen Anne’s Lace & Lilacs

Betsy – Foothill Primitives

Krissy – Krissy’s Folk Art

Tootie – Honey Girl Studio

Lily – French & Country Chic Gallery

So, the rules are now that I nominate 5 other people for the awards. But…since a lot of my blogging friends have received these awards already, I’m just gonna link to five sites that I think you will really enjoy, because I surely do & am inspired each day by the endless creativity of these folks.

Cart Before the Horse – Whimsical fine folk art by Dylan & Jo.

A.F. Norling – One of my favorite artists – creator of fine mixed media pieces.

Carol Roll / Nostalgic Folk Art – Her paper mache creations are darling!

Katherine Quinn – Adorable art.

Laurie Hardin – Endlessly creative creations!

If you want to smile & oooh & ahhh & see some fabulous art, take a moment to visit these blogs & websites! You’ll so appreciate the visit!

And don’t forget!

(Feel free to snag this button for use on your website or blog. To view more buttons I have made that are available for free use, click here: Prim & Whimsy : Freebies.)

Filed Under: Favorites