October 2006 Archives

Make some  creepy looking hands to spook people with on Halloween.

Dress up your little pumpkin for trick-or-treating.

Want to create a personalised pumpkin? Design a stencil to carve your own one-of-a-kind jack o' lanterns.

Pretty up your home for the holidays with these easy to add accents.

Large hole bisque beads you can dress up and use when you are making jewellry.

Halloween brings to mind the jack-o-lantern, carved from a pumpkin. Do you know how this tradition started?
Halloween nowadays is a night for dressing up, telling ghost stories, having spooky parties, trick-or-treating and pumpkin carving. Halloween is actually based on an ancient Celtic holiday known as Samhain (pronounced "sow wan"), which means "summer's end".
It was the end of the Celtic year and a night to honor ancestors. On this magical night, glowing jack-o-lanterns, carved from turnips or gourds, were set on porches and in windows to act as protection against malevolent spirits. Burning lumps of coal were used inside as a source of light, later to be replaced by candles.
When European settlers, particularly the Irish, arrived in America they found the native pumpkin to be larger, easier to carve and the perfect choice for jack-o-lanterns. Halloween didn't really catch on big in this country until the late 1800's and has been celebrated in so many ways ever since!

Throw a Halloween Party this weekend. Let your guests make any of the easy projects from this book to take back home.

Make yourself this Trick or Treat tote and stuff it with all your goodies.

For a special touch to your garment, choose one of these original hand-painted buttons.

Use colorful beads to make up these cute patterns for Halloween.

Mongolian-style handmade wooden carving  of Argal sheep.

Angkor Wat is the magnificent temple city Angkor, Cambodia, built for king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century.

The temple, a significant religious centre—first Hindu, then Buddhist, is the epitome of the high classical style of Khmer architecture, now known as the Angkor Wat style. It combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temples.

Within a moat and an outer wall are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west. The temple is admired for its extensive bas-reliefs and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls.

The complex showcases the Khmer architects skill and confidence in the use of sandstone as the main building material. The elements characteristic of the style include: the ogival, redented towers shaped like lotus buds; half-galleries to broaden passageways; axial galleries connecting enclosures; and the cruciform terraces which appear along the main axis of the temple. Most of the visible areas are of sandstone blocks, while laterite was used for the outer wall and for hidden structural parts. The binding agent used to join the blocks are thought to be natural resins or slaked lime. Typical decorative elements are devatas (or apsaras), bas-reliefs, and on pediments extensive garlands and narrative scenes. Statuary is conservative, being more static and less graceful than earlier work.

Jack o' Lanterns of all shapes and sizes grace these vivid posters. Get one or steal a carving idea or two.

String up a bunch of jack-o'-lanterns or ghosts to hang around a room and spook up your Halloween decor. Use flourescent paper or markers to have them glow in the dark.

These spooky prints will surely send a chill down yor spine!

Some wax, wick and color - all you need for a fun, easy candle making project that will bring some ghosts or other holiday ghoulies into your house for Halloween.

Paper dolls have come along way in the last few deacades. Most paper dolls were often only to be found in the backs of magazines and had minimal detail and few outfits. Today, detailed paper dolls with clothes designed to represent many time periods and design styles are readily available. With an abundance of exciting collections ranging from Little Women to Snow White, it's sometimes difficult to choose a favorite.

Paper doll collections, however, don't always have to come from a store -- creating your own   can be a fun and educational project! Go here for some lovely patterns.

Any artist or designer knows how invaluable a grid or graph paper is to scale drawings up or down. Here you can find graph and grid papers you can download and print.

The largest annual quilt show, sale, and quiltmaking festival  in the world happens in Houston, Texas. The exhibition includes quilts, cloth dolls and garments, with booths selling supplies, books, notions, antiques, and crafts, and more than 400 classes, lectures, and events for all skill levels.

This year's festival is scheduled for November 2-5, 2006; classes begin Oct. 30.

The latest sewing machines offer a variety of elegant decorative stitches. Use them to quickly embellish your projects.

Fashion a fall wreath for your door with these step by step instructions.

Start a new tradition with a Halloween tree. This year's festivities will decorate next year's tree.

'Tis the season for gourds, big and small, of all shapes and sizes. Make a lovely piece using apoxy clay for your hall table to welcome your guests.

Name: Rivkah Rosenfeld

Nickname:  Rebeka

Location/Business:  Doll Makers Muse/ Israel

Website:  http://rivkahrosenfeld.googlepages.com, http://dollmakersmuse.blogspot.com

Patterns Type/Style Available:

“Orianna (beginners) Ruth (intermediate, advanced)  Niamh (advanced)  All patterns are online classes / patterns.  More patterns are in the works and /or are not released yet.

Books Published: I’ve not written any books but my work appears in various publications.  Art Doll Quarterly, Dolls United, Patti Medaris Culea’s second book, a new book by Rockport to be released in 2007 (secret)

Please tell a little about yourself.

I’m 36 years of age, married with three daughters age 9, 11 and 13.

I moved to Israel 3 1/2 years ago from Seattle, WA.  I have no formal training in art but have always been a talented seamstress.  In college I was very gifted in literature but did not major in English.  I loved Irish literature and plays, Shakespeare, etc.  I appreciated it while I was “being graded,” since it came naturally to me, but never realized what a profound impact it would have on me until years.  Looking back, I realize that this small exposure had a major impact on my artistic inspiration, which has only begun to develop in recent years.

How long have you loved dolls and have been making dolls?

4 years

What started you making dolls?

I was a project manager for an upscale commercial lighting design firm at the prestigious Seattle Design Center. I did not receive any formal art training, but learned to appreciate fine art while working at the Design Center.  My profession was mainly business oriented, and I was mostly around lighting and furniture designers, architects and interior decorators.  However, something about working in that luxurious atmosphere, and spending so much time there, sparked my desire to create art.

I have always been involved in sewing, having begun to sew at the early age of 12.  I used to make elaborate dresses for myself and my children.   About a year before relocating, I was given a marvelous sewing machine which was complicated, and rendered me to take lessons from the dealer on how to use it.

At the dealer, I became mesmerized with different classes going on, and the high level of enthusiasm that went along with them.  On one occasion, I saw a group of women sitting around a table passing dolls around.  I had never witnessed such a thing in my entire life.  It was so against the grain of society, you know, so funny to see, but yet it felt so refreshing and so brilliant.  I joined the group immediately and was completely hooked on dolls.

It wasn’t long before I relocated.  Once I got to Israel I discovered that I was not going to find a prestigious job like I had in the states.  In fact, it was hard for me to find any job.  I decided to engross myself in the art of dolls, and it has changed my life profoundly.  I would never have been able to do this had I stayed in Seattle.  I never knew what I was missing.

What is your favorite doll?

David by Michelangelo, if you can call that a doll.

What is your favorite type/style of doll to design/make?

I love fairies and other fantasy creatures.  They represent the "impossible."  By creating such a composition, and bringing it into “existence,” I feel that nothing is truly impossible.

What medium do you like to work with?

I love to MIX media.  I love cloth, clay, paint, glue, beads…..together.  I feel that I’m creating something novel and exciting that way.  It satisfies my compulsive need to PLAY!

Do you have a background in art?

I studied art and literature in College, but only to meet my elective requirements.  It happens to be that I studied Irish Literature and took an art course on Medeival Art, which was of course Irish.  I was never taught art “hands on”- I never learned painting, sculpture, etc.  That is completely self-taught information.

Do you teach classes/workshops or do Trunk Shows? Where?

Yes, I teach classes and workshops in Israel.  I have been thinking about teaching a conference in the States and might accept an invitation if afforded one.  I’ll probably send a proposal to teach in the near future.  I’m just slightly dreading the long plane ride!

I sell exotic textiles through my website.

Who is your favorite doll designer?

Edna Dali, a friend and advisor, who has been in the doll business for 26 years.  She works in Porcelain, though, and is not involved in cloth pattern making.  Her dolls are contemporary but inspired by culture of old. 

Do you have a favorite doll pattern?

No.

What artists/people/places inspire you or where do you get your
inspiration?

Artists/ people:   I am inspired by Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, Shakespeare, Rubin, and of course, a variety of contemporary and old world fantasy and fairy art masters. 

 

Places:  I begin the design process in my mind.  I always have an idea of who this doll is, some basic theme behind it, and I get that inspiration from something musical, conceptual or visual.  I browse pictures of paintings that take my breath away.  Then I push the “image” into my own theme. Here is an example:

I’ve got a doll pattern called Niamh.  She is a faery who lives at the Dead Sea.  Have you ever heard of such a thing?  That is completely from my imagination.  However I was inspired by the painter Rubin, whose rolly-polly “rubinesque” angelic-looking subjects enchanted my mind until I created a doll with that character and body composition.  The personality of the doll is completely different, but you can see that Rubin truly inspired me.

What was the first doll you ever sold?

She was called “Miri.”   The doll was modeling a religious Jewish costume and was purchased by a collector who was interested in cultures.

Do you name your dolls?  If yes, how do you come up with
your dolls' names?

Yes, I do.  I never name the doll until it is complete, even though many names pop in and out of my head as the doll progresses.  I give my dolls actual names, not things like “girl with white dress” or some such thing.

The names are sometimes words from Hebrew which have something to do with the character.  Sometimes they are odd names that I made up, and just like the sound of it.  Sometimes the name eludes me and I search the internet for ideas. 

Do you have a favorite doll-making tool and/or product?

Translucent Liquid Sculpey, Pigment Powder, Genesis paint

What is your most favorite part of the doll to make?

If the doll has wings, that is my favorite part.  If not, I love to embellish (beading, trimmings, Angelina fibers, etc).  I try to create the embellishments by hand as much as possible, to be as creative as I can.

What is your least favorite part of the doll to make?

Garments. Somehow I don’t like sewing clothing separately and then putting it on the doll.  I feel it covers the sculpture!  I overcome this by draping fabric on the doll and sewing the “clothing” right on the body.  This creates the illusion that the doll is “dressed” and it gives me much more pleasure.  In this way,it feels more like “embellishing.”

 
What's your secret for overcoming a creative block?

If your block is because you can’t seem to ‘get started,’ then look at an art book or magazine or go to the bookstore.  You’d be amazed how inspired you can become.  If possible, select one picture of a painting or a doll or something that touches your soul.  Look at it and study it, and pretend you were in the picture.  It helps.

A word from the wise:  shut off the computer and go OUT for your inspiration.  If you have already done the above, then just take out your clay, patterns, fabric or whatever, shut off your phone and sit there for a minimum of a half hour until something comes.  If nothing works, tell another creative friend about it. 

What is your best doll-making tip?

Never pose the doll’s head dead center.  Always tilt the head and turn it to the side at least a little bit.  This makes the doll look more animated.  If the doll’s pose requires the face to be absolutely centered, then have the eyes glace toward the side.

What advice would you give a beginning doll maker?

A successful composition is one that makes the viewer think.  That viewer can be yourself.  Even if the viewer thinks you have a lot to learn, then you have created a masterpiece.

Use this twisted cord maker and pearl cottons, metallics and other fibers to make beautiful twisted cord for tassels, Christmas ornaments, jewelry and trim.

Here is a neat little drawing robot that kids could put together themselves. A great design to help design.

Leave your mark on what you do.Use these rubber stamps to dress up your work.

Love the look of vintage clothes and accessories? Get patterns and make yourself some new oldies.

Freezer paper is found in your grocers' storage aisle along with Ziploc bags and foil wrap. One side of the paper has a light coating of a plastic which melts when you iron it. It finds various versatile uses in crafting.

Freezer paper is great for appliqué. There are several methods of freezer paper appliqué:

• Draw your motif on the dull side, cut it out and iron it to the top of the appliqué piece. As you are appliquéing, you tuck the fabric under the appliqué piece, then peel off the freezer paper. You can usually reuse this piece several times.
• You can also draw your motif on the dull side in reverse. Iron the freezer paper to the wrong side of the appliqué piece. You appliqué as above, but just before you get to the end, you remove the freezer paper with a pair of tweezers.
• Or, you can iron the freezer paper to the wrong side of the appliqué piece then iron the fabric over the edges, giving you a crisp edge to appliqué. Remove the paper before doing so.

Check out this year's National Design Award nominees, and vote for your favourites.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial is the magnificient carved mountain in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dakota. Here are four 60feet high sculptures of U.S. Presidents - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, representing the first 150 years of the history of the United States of America.
Sculptor Gutzon Borglum, a student of the great French artist Auguste Rodin and one of America's most prolific artists, was commissioned to take up the work. Borglum was one of America's most successful artists. His Mares of Diomedes was the first work by an American artist ever purchased by New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The great presidential figures were selected for the carving to create an eternal reminder of the birth, growth, preservation and development of a nation dedicated to democracy and the pursuit of individual liberty. 
In the six-and-a-half years of work that occurred on and off between 1927 and 1941, Borglum employed almost 400 local workers. Some built roads, ran the hoist house, generated power or sharpened thousands of bits for the pneumatic drills. Others set dynamite charges or completed delicate finishing work on the sculpture. As the four faces emerged from the granite, the men who helped carve the memorial began to share the sculptor's dream and became caught up in a challenge that would produce a national treasure.
Among the most highly skilled workers were those using dynamite. Using techniques he had developed at Stone Mountain and relying on skills his crew had acquired in mining, Borglum used the explosive in an innovative way that helped to remove large amounts of rock quickly and relatively inexpensively. His powdermen became so skilled that they could blast to within four inches of the finished surface and grade the contours of the lips, nose, cheeks, neck and brow. In fact, 90 percent of the 450,000 tons of granite removed from the mountain were taken out with dynamite.
Borglum created a model of the four presidents on a one-to-12-inch scale, which has been preserved for viewing at the Sculptor's Studio. To transfer measurements from the model to the mountain, workers determined where the top of the head would be, then found the corresponding point on the model. A protractor was mounted horizontally on top of the model's head. A similar, albeit 12 times larger, apparatus was placed on the mountain. By substituting feet for inches, workers quickly determined the amount of rock to remove.
Next, drillers used the same measuring system and air-powered tools to drill closely spaced holes to exacting depths, a process known as "honeycombing." The rock between these holes was then broken away using chisels and hammers. The final process, known as "bumping," used a pneumatic drill and a special bit to leave the finished surface as smooth as a concrete sidewalk.
Mount Rushmore represents the largest work of art on earth. Each face is 60 feet high, compared to the head on the Statue of Liberty, which is only 17 feet tall.

Hook this star and wish upon it.

Let your little one sail around the world in the bathtub with this lovely wooden boat.

Learn to bead crochet, then make yourself and your friends these lovely retro ropes.

Throw in a ghostly touch for Halloween with these felt pillows.

Ever wondered what to do with all your old floppy disks? Here's a way to use them - make yourself a bag.

Turn out perfectly crimped buttons and badges in minutes at home.