Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Sculpting again...

Sculpting again...can you believe it? I can't. And only for a few hours - my girls are waiting for a MOA trip today.
I'll have to ease my body into the sculpting position slowly. My joints hurt already just thinking about it....better get back to yoga soon. It helps so much.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Baby booties?

Baby booties?
That's what happens when my creative friend, Lavona, comes over! We were either going to make chickens, dogs, flowers, purses or just work on our dolls. Lavona has been taking my private lessons and really needs to finish up her doll! Maybe next time.
Anyways, I have had this book on felting sitting here for three years or so. Maybe not that long but anyways.
So we settled on baby booties. Well - we did them smaller to be doll booties but I am afraid mine turned out too thick and short and they might fit a dog foot.
After she left I wanted to make another pair that was bigger. You see, I think this would be a GREAT project to teach for young moms.....so I had to try them.
They took a couple of hours to do. Not bad for a beginner. Now I have to see if they are functional. I am sending them off to Ablemabel so LouLou can do her 500 in them. We'll see what her mother says about them. May have to tweak the pattern.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Weekend away with friends.

What else do you do when you go up north with friends besides:
Eat!



Act goofy!

Eat and take pictures of food.

Shop!



Craft!

Show it off!
Snooze.
Fun times.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Dyeing Day

While my blazer, jacket and shirt are simmering on the stove....and the other two jackets are hanging to dry out in the porch....and the buttons for my Alice dress are cooling off...the clay I ordered is on it's way here!!....I should keep cleaning this studio...
So my "yellow" jacket turned out "pumpkin orange" and my "green" jacket turned out sort of blackish brownish greenish...love it! The plum jackets and shirt are still undecided if they will be blackish plumish or plumish blackish.
Will post a picture when they all dry.
Maybe my studio will get cleaned up unless I start another project...

And the winner is...

And the winner is.......Lori Metcalf!!
Sorry Selma...try again.
Lori - if you email me your address I will send you a set of my greeting cards!

thanks everyone - will do this again with another doll!
Sarah

Eeeek!! The giveaway!!

What day is it??? Did I say you had until the end of the day on WEDNESDAY?? And today is THURSDAY??
I have been cleaning my studio (you would too if you were having Swedish company tomorrow), ordering more clay, putting away jewelry making stuff, washing clothes, dyeing clothes....????
S'cuse me while I jump up to stir the yellow pot on the stove. At least if it boils over it will match my counter tops.
Yes, fall is coming and I don't want any white left in my closet. Besides don't you think three white jackets is too many?
One is turning yellow, one green and that tan one I always wear....maybe I can do it plum, gray, black...we'll see.
Anyways back to the giveaway...
Thanks so much for commenting all of you. I hope to do this again!
Will get the names now and put them in a hat and draw out one!

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Mallory and the giveaway




Here is Mallory and her baby doll. I did this sculpt a while ago and never finished her. She reminds me of a sweet and gentle little girl that has no cares in the world. She takes good care of her dolly and does whatever her mom wants her to do!!!
JK - that sounds too good to be true. Well it is! She is only a doll and you can make up anything when you are the artist!!!
She is one of my larger sculpts - if she were standing she would be about 22" or so. She is dressed in silks - white taffeta on top and pink seersucker for the skirt. The ribbon and roses trim is all silk - love this stuff - I use it often.
The baby doll is another sculpt I have had laying around here. Her top is bought - love finding little stuff I can use. Have you ever tried to sew tiny clothes??
I made her little bloomers to match the skirt. I used some hand-dyed lace and made her hat! Lots of hand sewing went into that!
Her pearl headband is made from Austrian Swarovski pearls. Love them too.
I made her wig out of mohair (that comes from goats - really!). Have you seen auburn colored goats?? It's the newest thing.
Not really.
So now if you comment on Mallory by the end of the day Wednesday August 18th I will do a giveaway to one of you - a full set of greeting cards (my own of course). You can see them on my website: www.sarahniemela.com. If you are the winner you will have to send me your real address when I contact you.
If you are the only one who comments - well, that was easy!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Wedding bells


Which one will be the head of the family?

My sons and I! Don't they look tough?
Happy us!

The family who made it there!

Okay...so this is why I haven't updated. I am too tired from this whole summer of family fun to sit down and keep trying to write about it!
Do you remember that I once went on this long trip from Minnesota to Washington State? That was soooo long ago! Well, I did.
I had a few days to get ready to get on the road again. This time we went up to the prairies of Saskatchewan. (My kids once told me the saying to always remember how to spell Saskatchewan but I forgot it and it looks like I spelled it right since spell check didn't underline it in red.)
Have you ever driven up there? This was our first time (well, we were both up there separately waaaay back in 1974, but that is another story). Our kids have done the trip plenty of times since they have lots of friends up there.
So anyways, it is about 15 or so hours so it makes for a long day.
Son #3 (birth order, not the order of my favorites) married a very sweet and pretty Sask girl. Since she loves the prairies so much and he loves her so much my son got his dual citizenship (his father was born in B.C.) and they will reside up there for now and he can get a job right away and save his money to make a trip down here!
So now I don't have any more excuses to not get back to work.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Emma

After many hours of nail biting I think my computer is fixed again. Geesh. It gets overwhelmed so easily. Just like me.
Here's Emma - she got mailed of to The Dollery today...hope she arrives safe and sound!
I am trying to finish up lots of loose ends before I head north to Sask. (can't remember how to spell Saskatchewan.)
I haven't started to panic yet....

Monday, August 2, 2010

I'll try one more time


Here is Mallory - one of the dolls I just finished! I posted her earlier and she went onto my family blog instead of this one. So I will try again!

Mallory again

This is Mallory's baby doll...