Last night I attended the "Arty Dolls Workshop" at Artistic Stamper, although it was organised (note the UK spelling) by the Selling Women's Institute. I'm glad I went although at first I wasn't too excited about it. Unfortunately a few people pulled out at the last minute, so I really felt sorry for the workshop leader who had obviously planned for more people. Anyway, this was my first attempt at making the clothespin dolls (or "peg dolls" as they're called here in the UK). The leader brought in some very elaborate bride dolls and others, but also some really, really simple ones. This might be something crafters could do with their children to get them started in crafting.
I can see that children might enjoy making these to illustrate and play out a fairy tale. For example, make a dowdy Cinderella, a Cinderella at the ball, a Prince Charming, three ugly stepsisters, and a fairy godmother. They could make a stage from a shoebox and fabric scraps, and even a coach with a smaller box. I saw at least two Rapunzels last night. And there are many examples, patterns, tutorials, etc. on the Internet. I did this one in about 45 minutes with no pattern. I drew the face on with a black marker pen. If I'd been better prepared, I would have taken more care with the detail, but just shows how easy it would be for children to do.
Today I received my order of Marianne dies and was so disappointed. I've decided to never buy dies again unless I can SEE them first. Two of the three I ordered are so small! I ordered them based on some card samples I saw, but the cards must have been miniscule. First is the Marianne LR0192. Here is the die on a 5" x 7" card for scale:
And here is the card I first saw it on:
At least I thought it was the same die. Now I'm not so sure! If it is, the card must be about a 4"x4" or smaller. And the second card:
These cards are both from a Polish blog here. If you want to see some absolutely gorgeous cards, you should have a look -- and chase some of her links to other Polish cardmakers. They're stunning!
And the second die:
Again, the 5"x7" card, which is my favourite standard size. I expected the die to basically be just smaller than this card. I'd hardly be able to fit a small sentiment inside it. Oh, well. . . the Make-It Show in Farnborough is coming up in two weeks, so I'll be able to see the dies there before I buy. Maybe.
