The Bubble Club

New dresses and more clothes coming soon!

The Bubble Club was formed today. The girls were really excited and spent the whole afternoon planning the Tea Party.

"Let's make it our Inaugural Ball" said Dossie, "We'll wear gowns and
have special cakes!"

"Cup Cakes!" said Zoey "What is 'inaugya..ya..inawgya..Oh, inaugural mean?"

"I'm pretty sure it means to begin or introduce something like a President or in our case, US!"  said Fee

"Hey, how about a bubble making machine!" said Sewfy

"COOOOOOLLLLL" they all cheered.

"Here," said Dossie "I just got a new Mary Englebriet Tea set and we
should use it to toast our new club and get practice holding our pinkies up like proper tea drinkers. All in favor say 'Aye'."

"Aye!!" they once again all proclaimed.

The Bubbles sipped their tea and planned on what flavor cup cakes they should bake.

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

My own little Tea Party Princess, Sophia Cayenne!!

 

She sure has been an inspiration.

The New Dresses

It was so much fun for Dossie and her friends to go shopping with their moms and what fancy dresses they got. Dossie was so excited she had her hair done to show Zoey she loved pink hair too! It was only Kool-aid that would wash out, but her friends will be so surprised! Little did she know that Sewfy dyed her hair lavender and Zoey dyed hers 2-tone rose and turquoise. They all thought the others would be surprised by the new colors. The only one who would not put Kool-aid in her hair was Fee. She had an Earthy outlook and loved her natural hair. You would too if you had those curls! 

 What do you think of the girls new dresses? 

Dossie and her friends meet Zoey

 It was a lovely day in Bubble Land when Zoey moved to town.  She was so worried she would miss all her friends from her old school. Oh, she knew she could email and skype with them, and she could call them as often as she liked. But it wasn't the same. 

Zoey's Mom knew how she felt. Being an Army wife left her always packing and moving and never having the time to meet real friends that lasted through the years. She didn't want Zoey to have to go through that. She had an idea. She would call the new school and ask them at the office if they knew any girls who would be in Zoe's class. She got a few names and made some calls.

Fee's Mom was first and she was so happy to help that she called the other Mom's and they made a plan. Why not have a tea party? Girls love it, and you know we do too! Us grown-ups can have our tea party on the deck and the little girls can have theirs in Fee's room. All agreed that would be great.

There were many plans to be made and some new dresses to buy. Should they wear hats and gloves? LOL, no, but pretty dresses would be great. Each girl was delighted when she heard the news. 

On the day of the tea party, Fee, Dossie, and Sewfy put on their new dresses and went to visit their new friend. She had pink hair! They loved it and they knew that Zoey would become one of their good friends, too.

Don't forget to come back soon. Dossie and her friends are going 
to be having their tea party and you wouldn't want to miss that! Maybe you could cut out all the girls, Dossie, Fee, Sewfy, and Zoey and play tea party with them. You could draw a tea set and cake and maybe some stuff toys to join in the fun. Until then, don't forget to play!

A Man Called Sky

I thought it was time to get a man around the paper doll house so I drew Sky and made a few things for him to wear. There is a colorful version or two, and the black and white for you to paint on your computer, or print out for crayons, color pencils or water colors. I noticed when I print out something and watercolor over it, it does run a bit. I like colored pencils the best, and small markers when I want some vibrant color.

Meet Little Fee

Is it an Elf? Is it a girl? It is both! Meet little Fee. She is magical and can appear and disappear , just life a fairy. She lives in trees by a brook and  has many friends in the woods. You might even meet some of them here one day. I'll be looking for them under mushrooms, in back of clouds, and sliding down rainbows where they'll find me hiding with my camera!

Sewfy Visits the 2nd Hand Paperdoll Place

This is Sewfy. I've made a doll or two of my granddaughter, Sophie, using her photo, but I didn't like a real face on illustrated clothes. So, I reinvented her as Sewfy. My g-daughter loves to sew and is learning in leaps and bounds. She told me she wants to have a studio someday and I told her I'd save all my fabric, patterns, thread, notions, quilt frames and tools, leather and beads for her. She loves playing with those when she visits since she was a tiny little girl, maybe 3 years old and walked into my studio and said,  "Gramma Dor, this is amazing!!!!".

I know she just isn't into paperdolls nor is her Mama, a wonderful photographer, but Sophie is such a good artist I told her it would help her draw more often and learn at the same time. She has a busy, busy life and lives across the country so I'll let it be (the paperdoll issue). Meanwhile, I've made this 'Sewfy' just for me!!!

Sewfy has met other wonderful paperdolls from around the globe. I'll be introducing a few here one of these days but first, this paper doll needed clothing, and quick! I went to the place I keep all my old paper dolls and found outfits I only had to tweak here and there. It was very much fun!
I love going to second-hand places and finding vintage clothing or just plain old stuff still in good shape for only a dollar or two.

The witches costume was from a Hallmark greeting card from a very long time ago. The others are not as recognizable but they've been reborn here. Try doing that if you have some time to fool around refitting paper dolls. Not many do have the time for that so I'm savoring this opportunity. I'll let my little Sophie be her own guide and find her own fun play things, but my inner 'dossie' loves the new girl, Sewfy. 

Little Girls Love Pink

Me Too!

The name of this little charmer was not available. The dress is so amazing! I've sewn hundreds of dresses, little girl dresses with lots and lots of ruffles. I even had a machine foot called a ruffle maker and it worked pretty good. But, I've never seen such a ruffle bonanza as this! The pink palette is so balanced and the pantaloons, so Mary Had a Little Lamb, or Little Bo Peep, add a touch of pizazz! 

I have always loved pink! It still seems to be the favorite of little girls everywhere, but lavender is certainly a close second. They do look good together.

I love the colors of dawn, sky blue pink we'd call it as kids. All together, or individually pink, magenta, peach, orange, mauve, lavender, brilliant blues, gold and yellows paint a lovely picture.

Here is Dossie at age 5. I've retouched her and she's ready now for new clothes just waiting on the drawing pad for her and friends.

New Year Babies

In 1999 I had a paper doll project called "The Seven Sisters". The Adirondack Mountains, near to where I live, is called The Seven Sisters, and in my childhood on L.I., New York, I lived next to Adirondack Drive in Farmingville, NY. Adirondack Drive had 7 huge hills, at least to me at age 7. 

One of the sets from my 7-Sisters days was of babies. I've dug it out of the archives and touched it up a little but here it is.

Leonardo on his first Easter Egg Hunt.

Leo and Desmond are finding lots of eggs this Spring, 2012

My son, Adam Star and his wife, Lisa.

Rowan, Leo and Alex  help celebrate Leo's birthday.

Grandpa Gar chose just the right Lion birthday hat for Leonardo.

My husband, Grandpa Gary with Desmond.

Me, Oma Dor with my grandson, Des, 2012

 My little paper twins would be 14 years old today. I have two step-grandkids around that age now. Oh, wow, they sure grow fast and the older I get the faster they grow it seems. I'm blessed with knowing them all. Rowan and Alex are such interesting people. They've enriched our lives and I sure miss them both. They live hours and hours away so we don't see them much in the winter.  Their Mom, Lisa, has two boys with my son, Adam. The little boys, Desmond and Leo, are absolutely adorable and so much like their Dad when he was a baby.I hope you have fun with my paper babies. Enjoy!

It's 8 below zero out today!

Yes. It is so so cold today here in the very uppermost part of the state of New York. But, the icicles are glistening in the sunshine and the birds are eating their sunflower seeds right outside my snowy-view window. Ah, I love Winter. That is because I don't have to go OUT in it too often. I can do what I love doing, draw cut-outs. 

I've made several new sets, mostly all in black and white for recoloring. I'll color them in and post them again, too. I have a set of 8 little crones. No, they aren't witches, or fairy god ma's, just chubby senior citizens like me. I get to hang out in flannels on a morning like this, so I'm thinking of more realistic clothes I can draw for them. I have fun developing the different personalities of the ladies and the era they dwell in so I can design suitable stuff. 

I also made a set of three elves. I'm not doing Christmas elves, nor Hobbit-like elves (so elegant and tall). Mine are just my usual cartoony, kiddish little dolls. I want to explore making clothes for them using photos of flowers, trees, etc. Oh, yeah, it's been done many times before, but not by me. My daughter gave me a gorgeous fairy book on Mother's Day filled with elegantly drawn elves with real flower frocks. Beautious!!!

I also drew a set of friends for Dossie  Bubble age 5. I made Keefer, Lily, and a few more girls and boys whose names I can't recall. All of them have several sets of clothes and the creative energy just won't let up.
So, I will keep going and hope I'm getting better all the time.

I hope the Muse finds you cozy, happy, and energized this Winter, 2013, and aren't you glad that Mayan calendar 12/21/12 thing is over? Cheesh! Still here lovin' it, Our Mama Earth. <3  
DJH

Happy-2013

This is my cousin Mary's little granddaughter, Jania. She's at that age where she still likes to play paper dolls w/ her GrandMa, Mary. I remade Mary from her black and white kid photo below. I found retro sets of cut-outs with a few outfits that fit them both, so I cut and pasted them into photoshop in the hopes that they'll work. I excluded tabs on this set since Jania likes magnetic paper dolls best. Bobby pins, the ones we used back in the 50's, hold the clothes on just fine, too. I've been using small dots of paper putty on my own tabless outfits for the dolls and it works pretty good. I'm not sure a little kid could remove it easily, but if you have Mom, Grandma or big sister around, try Fun Tac, a blue paper putty used to hang posters and it can be reused over and over.

Dossie Bubble - 21

I used a photo to add a new personalized face to this doll. I found some original clothes from the doll and recolored them, and then I continued making more of my own designs. I know my old hand is so wobbly, but hopefully they are playable. I had a ball drawing them.

The black and white set of clothes have no tabs. Either print them out on magnetic sheets, or use a bobby pin to hold the clothing on. I am experimenting with a paper putty, putting little dots on the back of the clothing. It is re-useable so so far so good. I'll talk more about this when I've completed my own experiment.

Have fun coloring, or cutting and if you think you'd like to give your own designs a try, please do. You'll be glad you did. It is a fun hobby and growing in popularity all the time. From vintage to modern day self-made dolls and designs, this is an inexpensive hobby with so many facets to it. Enjoy!  ~DJH

Sophie

 I used another paper doll to model for my 8 year old granddaughter, Sophie.  She is a talented girl and does all kinds of art and crafts. She dreams of having her own studio someday. I know she will be a success in whatever she does. I am so blessed to know her!!!

Oddie is Sophie's favorite Moshi Monster. I haven't made up my mind yet. I think I like the little white and magenta pink pony four rows over and four rows down. I don't know her name. perhaps Sophie will tell me. Her brother, Kai, my also very talented grandson, age 5, probably has a favorite but all I know is that he loves Legos and I love him.

Addy

Here is an Adirondack trio of boys, Addy, Ron, and Dack. They're  ready to go play on the trail. Of course, Puppa Yuppa must go with Addy. He loves dogs, and so does his brothers. I wonder what adventure you can dream up for them? They love climbing your Christmas tree or any tree for that matter.

Friends and Family Cut-Out Creating

The year, 1978 , Dor and Gar married and a few years later we gave birth to our own little Bubble of Joy, Jade.......

 I think we made a wonderful combination and having 2 boys of my own to share with Gar, we stopped at three. She is our baby. Our baby is now the proud Mama of her own little Boy-Bubble, Eko. He is walking now and I have some good poses to use for Eko Cut-Outs.

I have been going through family and friend pictures looking for good shots to make more personal cut-outs and paper dolls. It's fun!!!!!!!!
I have lots to work with.

I'm starting with one of Dossie's first little cousin-Bubbles. Cut-outs kept me and my two cousins, Val and Lorraine, busy for hours. They are some of my happiest memories of my mid-century childhood.
I also had a younger cousin. My Baby-Cousin, Mary Ellen, on the left, is adorable and now a Grandma, too. Her little Jania, on the right, plays with cut-outs like most of the girls in my growing-up-time family did.

Jania likes magnetic paper dolls and I'm getting some magnetic sheets to  print on to see what they are like. It sounds wonderful, but like the Kindle is to the book, paper dolls just feel so right in my hands and much easier to draw by hand than with all my art tools and programs on-line. There is an essence that gets lost, a sensation that goes with paper dolls and cut outs that diminish the enjoyment. But, hey! I am old, old school. I applaud modern techno when it makes it easier for little girls to enjoy playing with and manipulating the dolls and clothes.           You go Bubbles!!!! 

Mary Ellen and Jania

 

Here is my paper doll version of my cousin, Mary Ellen, when she was just a little Bubble.  I think she does look like Mar....and I see Jania looks like Mary, too. I will put her on the list for family cut-out dolls. First

I used the computer to draw a few sample outfits for little Mary Ellen. My favorite way to color paper dolls is with a good quality colored pencils like Verithin. Crayons are fun, too. Markers usually work great for clothing but not skin. I want to try some water color paint to paint the printed out clothes. The lines are so mechanical and lose the soft flow I get when I use pencil by hand, but she's still fun to color and play with...I hope :D

This Dossie is all colored with a few details in marker before I scanned it. The huge head is a style of paper doll very popular in the 1960's and still seems to be in style in Spain and Mexico. She's quite cartoony, but hey, so am I.

Here is my daughter, Jade, when she was just about 4 years old. I made us Mom and Daughter dresses. You have to do it when they are too little to protest, and really think dressing up like Mom is a great idea! It is a very short window of time so do it quick if you have a little one. I think this Dossie Bubble Jr. is just right to pose for some paper dolls. If you have a child you'd like to see as a doll here, (or if you want to be one) email me your photos.

Well, I am off to see how the world is doing out there. I see the sun is shinning. May the 'long-time-sun' shine upon you.