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Find me here!

September 22, 2010 By Rebecca Leave a Comment

This weekend you’ll be able to find me here, amidst the artists & crafters displaying their works at the 40th Annual Sorghum Festival. You’ll find beautiful paintings, primitives, folk art dolls, pottery, brooms, quilts, ornaments, soap & a multitude of fantastic handmade items. All vendors are approved by the festival committee, insuring that the art & craft items we provide are top-notch & authentically hand-made. While you’re here pick up some homemade Sorghum (similar to molasses!) and visit the mule powered mill to see how sorghum was made many years ago. There’ll be great food, lots of homemade, old-fashioned goodies including apple stack cakes & fried apple pies. You won’t regret attending!

Click the banner below for more information & for a map of West Liberty, KY.

Filed Under: Announcements, My Appalachia Tagged With: Kentucky artists, Kentucky Festivals, Morgan County, Sorghum Festival

Look What’s Coming Up!

September 18, 2010 By Rebecca Leave a Comment

Want to particpate in the Jingle Bell Jubilee or just want more information? Use the contact form above to send me an email. We’ll make it a party! I’ll compile a list of participants so that we may advertise for each other & link to participating blogs/websites.

Filed Under: Announcements Tagged With: Christmas Sale, Holiday Sale, Jingle Bell Jubilee

Camille, Regal Pumpkin Queen

September 17, 2010 By Rebecca Leave a Comment

It takes a super sweet girl to be Pumpkin Queen, but make no mistake…this little girl can keep all those soon-to-be-Jack-o-lanterns in line! Meet Camille. She’s a 17″ original, one of a kind muslin & fiberfill creation. She’s been hand-painted top to bottom and has been sanded & aged, giving her such a lovely, vintage patina. Camille has been sealed so that she may be lightly dusted after display. She has button jointed arms which may be slightly posed. She has been made in the style of a stump doll & has no legs.

Camille’s face has been been carefully painted with a variety of media. Her nose & lips have been needle-sculpted by hand, giving her a great little pout. Her hands are needle-sculpted as well.

I just adore this sweet Moda Halloween print. It is 100% cotton. The hemline has been hand-stitched. Camille’s blouse is made of white muslin & features a beautiful vintage rhinestone button at the neckline. The button is speckled & shows wear but is such a lovely addition to such a regal doll! Camille’s sleeves have been gathered by hand. The neckline of her blouse & back of her blouse features hand-stitching.

Camille’s super sparkly wand is a paper clay creation With a dowel insert. It has been painted & festooned with Martha Stewart glitters. I have to say, Martha Stewart glitters are so fun to use (play with!) And they’re beautiful. The amount of sparkle is unmatched! Paperclay leaves have been attached with rusty wire.

Camille’s auburn hair is 100% mohair. It has been attached with light glue for extra security & needle-felting. Camille’s sparkly crown has been constructed of cardboard, held together with eyelets, painted, glittered & sealed. It is attached to Camille’s head with corsage pins.

Camille is currently available on eBay & will end Sunday, Sept. 19 @ 9:15 PM EST. Click here to view or bid!

Filed Under: Dolls, Halloween / Fall Tagged With: Cream, folk art doll, Glitter, Halloween, orange, Pumpkin, Queen, Wand

Milla – A Halloween Juggler Sure to Bring Lots of Giggles!

September 8, 2010 By Rebecca Leave a Comment

This delightful little girl is Milla! She’s a 17″ original, one of a kind muslin & fiberfill creation. She’s been hand-painted top to bottom and has been sanded & aged, giving her such a lovely, vintage patina. Milla has been sealed so that she may be lightly dusted after display. She has button jointed arms, perfect for juggling those Jack O’ Lanterns! Milla has been made in the style of a stump doll & has no legs. She’s 11.5″ wide at the widest portion.

Milla’s face has been been carefully painted with a variety of media. She has such festive coloring! Her nose & lips have been needle-sculpted by hand, giving her a great little pout. Her hands are needle-sculpted as well.

Milla’s jumper is 100% cotton. It is loosely gathered at the bottom with embroidery thread stitches.The neckline, back & sleeves have been hand-stitched. Her jumper is festooned with handmade tissue paper pompoms which have been sewn in place with buttons & embroidery thread.

Milla’s Jack O’Lanterns are hand-sculpted paperclay creations. They’ve been hand-painted with a variety of media & sealed. They are attached to the rusty wire with a dab of glue & the ends are wrapped around Milla’s arms.

Milla is available on eBay. She will end Sunday, Sept. 12 at 9:15 PM EST. Click here to view or bid on this funny little gal!

Filed Under: Clowns, Dolls, Halloween / Fall, Recent Work Tagged With: black & white, Clown Doll, Halloween, Jack o' Lantern, juggler, orange, Primitive fok art doll

Nan — a Primitive Halloween Party Gal!

August 27, 2010 By Rebecca Leave a Comment

This little girl’s ready to fill that bucket! Meet Nan. She’s a 16″ original, one of a kind muslin & fiberfill creation. She’s been hand-painted top to bottom and has been sanded & aged, giving her such a lovely, vintage patina. Nan has been sealed so that she may be lightly dusted after display. She has button jointed arms which may be slightly posed. She has an embroidery loop thread attached, making her suitable for hanging–or she may sit with assistance. Her legs are sewn through.

Nan’s face has been been carefully painted with a variety of media. Her mask is painted. Her nose & lips have been needle-sculpted by hand, giving her a great little pout. Her hands are needle-sculpted as well. Nan wears pretty green stocking with hand-painted ribbon closures & cute shoes painted in the style of MaryJanes!

This moon print fabric is 100% cotton in shades of cream & lime. Nan’s blouse is made of white muslin & features a beautiful mother of pearl button at the neckline.The hem, sleeves, neckline & back have been stitched by hand.

This fun little fellow is a paperclay creation. He’s been hand-sculpted, without the use of molds, over a styrofoam armature. He’s been hand-painted with a variety of media & sealed. A rusty wire creates the perfect primitive handle.

Nan is currently available on Ebay. She ends Sunday, Aug. 29th at 9:15 PM EST. Click here to bring the party to your house!

Filed Under: Dolls, Halloween / Fall Tagged With: appalachian folk art, green, halloween folk art, halloween party, jack o'lantern, masked doll, primitive halloween

Doll Army

August 17, 2010 By Rebecca 2 Comments

If you’re wondering where I’ve been the last few weeks, the photograph below might explain it all.

I’ve been alone in my workspace from morning until–most days–dark, assembling a powerful doll army. Ok, truthfully, I’ve been preparing for our local Market in the Park, scheduled to take place this Saturday. Yesterday, I began to work on my table display & something tells me I’m gonna need more space. The dollies above are the finished dollies. There are still around 10 waiting for clothes, or balloons, animal friends, accessories or hair–including one large Santa & a sweet Mr. & Mrs. Claus set! And I still have to find room for around 60 Christmas ornies! Although this has been a lot of hard work, it’s been so cheerful in the studio with glass glitter sparkling & snow glitter falling.

I’ve had fun working in paperclay. I find sculpting a bit challenging–so I suppose it’s important to work on that until it isn’t so challenging. I think I’m getting there. I have Santas, snowmen, angels & reindeer galore!

This is going to be a family even too. My husband will be offering prints of his fabulous photographs, for the first time ever. I’ve been trying to talk him into opening an Etsy shop for a long time. I’m just glad that someone, besides me, is getting to finally see his work. I think he’ll be happily surprised by the response.

And to add to the fun, my sister-in-law, Lori, makes the most beautiful jewelry & will be offering it at the market too!

Aren’t these gorgeous?!? If you’re near West Liberty, KY on Saturday, Aug. 21 come check out the festivities. There will be 45 local vendors, free home-grown food, music by local artists & lots of goodies & fun to be had. Click here for more details & driving directions.

Filed Under: Announcements, Recent Work

Scenes from my workspace.

August 1, 2010 By Rebecca 4 Comments

There’s been a lot going on the past few weeks. My studio (and tabletop) looks like a tornado full of art supplies & doll parts has stormed through it. I’ve been playing around with paperclay & papermache cones & have these little guys to show for it. Almost done!

There are doll parts strewn here & there, waiting for buttons, clothes & finishing details.

And there are new bodies waiting for extra coats of paint & then all the details!

Extra workspace means I get to have several projects going on at once. It helps me work better, but I’ve found that there isn’t such a sense of completion. I do, however, love working on these Christmas dollies. It’s a little weird when I’m thinking about snowmen & santas–then I open the door& a burst of steamy heat hits me in the face. But, I almost feel like a kid, anticipating the greatest of holidays. I like being in touch with my inner child!

Filed Under: Christmas, Dolls, Sneak Peeks Tagged With: elves, paperclay, Santa, snowmen, studio, work in progress

Starla–Little Pink Wonder

August 1, 2010 By Rebecca Leave a Comment

I apologize if you’re scared of clowns. However, I don’t think this little girl will send a shiver down your spine.

Meet Starla. She’s quite the talent! This little juggler is a muslin & fiberfill creation. She stands 17″ tall. Her lower torso is rag-stuffed & lightly weighted so that she stands nicely. She’s made in the style of a stump doll & has no legs. Her arms are button jointed.
Starla’s nose, bottom lip & hands have been needle-sculpted by hand for a great bit of dimension & the cutest pout. She’s been hand-painted top to bottom a couple of times & has been aged to perfection!

Her blouse is constructed from muslin while her apron dress is constructed from vintage fabric that is so sweetly faded & super soft. Starla’s blouse boasts a fancy, hand-made tissue paper pom pom which is wired & sewn in place.

Starla’s four pink balls, which she so delicately balances in mid-air are paperclay over styrofoam creations. They’ve been hand-painted, aged & sealed. They’re attached to rusty wire which is attached to her hands.
Her hair is brown mohair. It has been applied with light glue for extra stability & needle-felting. It’s been pulled to the side & left slightly loose.

Starla is currently available in my Etsy shop.

Filed Under: Clowns, Dolls Tagged With: circus, clown, Doll, folk art doll, juggler, miller campbell designs, original, paperclay, pink, standing

Works in Progress!

July 22, 2010 By Rebecca Leave a Comment

Even though it’s hot outside, it’s Christmastime in the studio. Today is all about reindeer, elves, sweet teddies & the jolliest elf of them all. These are just a couple of my works in progress today. Enjoy the sneak peek!

Filed Under: Announcements, Dolls Tagged With: Christmas, doll construction, elves, fun, sneak peek

Lumina, a tiny paperclay punkin’ head.

July 22, 2010 By Rebecca Leave a Comment

This sweet little girl is Lumina. If you’ve seen my previous dolls, you’ll know that this dolly is a little different than the dolls I normally create. Lumina is a 12″ tall doll created of paperclay, fabric & paper mache cone. Her head and torso have been sculpted by hand without the use of any molds. She has a paper mache cone as a base. She has no legs. Her arms are made of muslin, have been stuffed, painted & are button jointed. Lumina has been hand-painted top to bottom a couple of times & has such a lovely, aged patina. She’s been sealed so that she may be lightly dusted after display.

Lumina’s sweet face has been painted with a variety of media. Her paperclay face has lots of dimension & a great little pout (similar to my fabric dollies!) Her stem is accented with tendrils made of rusty wire.