October 2014 Featured Fellow Artist
Whenever I make a doll, whether it is a Goddess doll or Spirit Doll, they never come out how I intend them to be.
I start by choosing a fabric or a polymer clay face that I have made and think of who it should be. As I start making the doll, adding things here and there, before I know it, she doesn't look anything like I thought she would, and she has become someone entirely new! It also seems to depend on the mood I am in when I'm working how these dolls turn out.
I love spending time creating them while burning my incense, watching movies, t.v or listening to music. I can spend days, weeks or just hours making them. Again it all depends on the doll.
Blessings everyone, and Hello!
I have always had art in my life. I have worked in many different mediums. Before becoming a doll maker, I loved painting, and I still do.
My nephew Joe was killed a week after turning 30 in 2003 while building a house when a fully-dressed heavy wall fell on him. He was an only son, and the last to carry on his family name. As you can imagine we were all very hurt and lost by this tragedy.
My sister...It was really hard for her. She helps manage a metaphysical book store with all kinds of wonderful things in it and she was inspired to start making Spirit dolls to help us get through this awful tragedy. That is when it all started.
Since then, my oldest daughter contracted a rare brain cancer--so rare only about 100 people in the world have it. The medical staff managed to remove the tumor that grew from her eyebrow bone into the back of her skull but the treatment, Proton Therapy, gave her another tumor in her pituitary gland. Two of my oldest daughter's also have Huntington's disease.
On top of this, I lost my mother in 2011 and my dad in 2012--they were together for 65 years. It was very hard losing them. It seems every year more and more of us are getting sick. My art has become an outlet for me and very much needed therapy.
I have a few tips! For soft-bodied dolls: draw your pattern first, then copy it on to thin cardboard so you always have it. Trace it onto freezer paper, shiny side down. You can then cut an area out around the pattern, not on the lines of it. Iron it onto your fabric, then sew on the lines. For small dolls it is best to set your top stitch length to one. The tiny stitches are better, allowing you to rip off the paper and trim up the fabric. Turn it inside out and you are ready to go!
This is not about money..though that is nice! It is a part of you, your mind, heart and soul goes into making them :) | For my faces: I paint my polymer clay faces with acrylics. Instead of painting rosy cheeks, you can use real make-up. Just put it on with a Q-tip, and rub it around..after that you can use your fingers. Any powder make-up will stay on. I seal my faces with an acrylic varnish, a matte finish is best. Another good idea for the faces is to paint them first, then apply some neutral shoe paste (the smell is not too nice!) Then rub Pearl-Ex powder on it, let it dry and seal it. Now if you are like me and just hate waiting for things to dry, break out the hair dryer or embossing gun, it's much faster!! I have found that gluing the polymer clay faces to felt first, then trimming it, then finally gluing that to the doll works well. And if you bead around your face, the needle and thread have something to go through to hold the beads on. My best tip? Never, ever, let any glue show if you use it, try to hide any bead threads in your work, and LOVE what you do. |
I am a Grandma, sometimes called, "Mema". I married for my second time and we've been together for over 20 years now. I have three beautiful daughters and three very handsome grandsons.
Other things I like to do: read, go online (Cathy's Pinterest site here) and see the beautiful creations of others, work and walk in the 2 acres of wonderful yard and woods we own. We live in Michigan and I just love fall and winter--and yes, I love snow!!!
Here's are a couple of special pics I wanted to share: On the left, my youngest daughter, Maria, and myself. My parents are in the middle pic and on the right are my other daughters. My oldest daughter, DeeAnna, is on the right, and my middle daughter, Jennifer, on the left. They were at a benefit to raise money for DeeAnna.
Thank you so much, Lili, for inviting me to share my dolls, my art, my life and some tips. It was really fun! Blessings to all of you!
You're an inspiration as an artist, mother, aunt, daughter and friend.
Find Cathy's art in her store treasuredwishes on Etsy.com and on Pinterest!