Meet Bliss

Have you ever finished a project and loved it so much that it made your heart sing?

I've created things before that I liked. I've created things before that I've been pretty proud of.
This is the first thing I've made that has filled me with such joy.

I've always dreamed of creating something I felt worthy of labeling an "art doll."
This doll has been my muse ever since I first taught myself to sew in 2009.
She's been patiently waiting these past few years for me to figure out how to create her.

Sure, there's still some edits I want to make to my pattern and still lots of room for improvement, but that's part of the fun, right?

Anyway, I'm really excited to finally introduce you to Bliss.

She came out way larger than I originally planned...24" tall!
(I think I'll shrink my pattern some for the next one, lol.)

She is jointed at the shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees.
She and I had so much fun taking these photos!

She's the first of what I'm calling my Muse dolls...and I have a feeling there's going to be many more!

(Seriously, I've got a long list already written out of dolls I want to create!)

I can hardly wait to get started on the next one!

Hope you guys like her. :)

Lovely Friday- Baby Feet

Today I'm loving baby feet.

I'm really not a foot person.
I don't want to touch anyone's feet and I really don't want anyone to touch my feet.

But there's something about cute little tiny baby feet that gets me every time...


What do you love today?

Dishes

I don't know about you guys, but I hate doing dishes. It's one of my least favorite chores.
It's also the only chore that I have to do every single day.
I've tried slacking off on it before, but it just means way more work later.
Bleh.
I can't complain though.
I don't cook. It's never interested me in the least.
I confess, I hate touching food...can't stand to get my hands dirty!
Luckily, my husband loves to cook. It's only fair that I have to clean.
Do you have a least favorite chore?


I spent a lot of time today chasing a certain little boy around.

How he can stand to run nonstop in 100 degree weather, I have no idea.
Must be a perk when you're three years old. :)

Personally, I think Summer had a much better idea...

Hope you guys have a great week!

We're going to be busy busy with family in town to visit.

Bliss

Today has been such a wonderful day.

I think it's pretty obvious I adore my two kids.
They make me laugh with their silly antics.
They constantly inspire me with their personalities...but they also wear me out!

Today both kids spent the day at my mother-in-law's home.
After weeks of being on the go constantly, my husband and I finally found we had a day together with NO responsibilities.
It was pure bliss.

We went out to lunch at a nice restaurant and strolled around the local outdoor mall
(and nearly melted from the terribly painful heat!).
We finally ended up in Barnes and Noble.
I gathered a stack of artsy books and we found a quiet corner to read and drink overpriced coffee.
I feel SO much better.

It's funny how much we took these "date days" for granted before we had kids.

I'm now back in my art room, waiting for the kids to get home, and doing as much of this as I can before they do...

I am beyond excited about my current project.
It's something I've been dreaming about for years and it's finally coming together.
I can not wait to share it with you guys...
I'm actually so excited, I don't even want to show it until it's completed!

I have so many ideas brewing right now and I'm just dying to start putting it all together.
Hopefully I can rework how I handle my days to make more time for creating.
In the meantime, here's some sketchbook doodles.

Anyone have any exciting plans for the weekend?
Or working on any exciting projects?
I'd love to hear about it!

Ramblings and a New Monster!

I hope you'll forgive me if I ramble for a few minutes...I'll reward you with photos of the latest monster in the art room, I promise!

So I have a confession to make...I've been holding myself back.
Actually, I've been doing that for years now.
It seems that I've kept the "high school mentality." I'm already a terribly shy person, and I'm discovering I just care way too much about what others think of me...to the point that I let it control who I am.
Isn't that awful? It's felt awful.

As you know, I have a new baby girl. After she was born, I was able to finally start the beginnings of my dream. I quit my job and started staying home with my kids.
I have been enjoying every single one of these precious moments...

Lately, people have been telling me I look better than I ever have.
I was pleased with this statement, but couldn't quite figure out why.
I think I finally know what it is...Confidence.

I'm finding now that I have my own little family, I'm constantly surrounded by people (well, little people and an awesome hubby) that accept me for the way I am. I don't have to hide anything from these three.
And you know what?
I'm discovering that I actually like myself. I'm even learning to forgive myself when I make mistakes.

I know this might all sound a bit silly to you, but for me, it's HUGE.
As funny as it sounds, I'm actually becoming inspired by my dolls and their little blog that allows them to live.
I think I'm finally ready to really start living. And what better place to start than here?

It's really going to be a bit of a plunge for me, so I hope you'll stick with me as I work on coming out of my shell a bit. :)

And since I promised, here's the latest monster in the house!
(Forgive me for the photo quality...still trying to get used to this new cheapy camera.)

His bright colors make me smile.

He says he loves to party!
Anytime, any place...he's there!

He's 6.5" tall and hand sewn.

He still hasn't told me his name though.
Any suggestions?

Work, work, work

Things have been a whirlwind since I wrote last.
I love being a mother to two, but it sure does keep me busy!

Look how big my babies are getting!

I had to spend one week sitting at our house while repairs were being done (so we can put it up for sale!) and then I had to spend the following week at my mom's house while she had repairs done. Those handymen were nice guys, but I was so sick of them after two weeks!

We took a nice mini vacation to St. Louis.
It was lots of fun!
It was the first vacation we've had since we became a family of four...and I'm discovering that it doesn't quite feel like a "vacation" when you're a mom!
I was relieved to get back home to normal days again.
I hated to see my husband go back to work, but it was nice to have quiet days at home with baby Summer again.

In all this, my camera gave up on me.
I took it to the repair shop only to learn that it wasn't worth putting the money into it to fix.
Sure, it was just a point and shoot, but it was one of the nicer models and it certainly wasn't cheap. I'm very disappointed it only lasted a year and a half.
I've picked out a camera to replace it with, but it looks like it'll be my birthday (in September) before I have any hope of buying it.
Luckily, my husband took pity on me and bought me a cheap little camera to get me by.
I simply can not survive without a camera at my side!
For the low price, it's really not a bad little camera. I think I can manage until September.

I have a few little monsters to photograph for you guys...hopefully I can make time for it tomorrow!

Until then, you get a couple of work in progress pictures (a.k.a. "look at Mandy's messy desk!")

This ugly pile are the glove monsters patiently waiting to come to life.

It amuses me to have body parts laying all over my desk!
This is a new doll I've been working on for awhile.
I'm pretty excited to see how she turns out.

What is everyone else up to?
Having a nice summer? Working on anything exciting?
I'd love to hear from you. :)