German Bisque Pansy ll Doll 22"

Good Morning Everyone!

I have been falling in love with the German Bisque Pansy dolls for quite some time. I have acquired 3 of them to date and would like to show you one of my favorites.

 This little doll was purchased awhile back and is marked Pansy II Germany on her neck.  She was imported by George Borgfeldt in the early 1900's and is 22" tall. What I love about this sweet doll is her gorgeous big brown eyes and how beautiful her face is.
When I got her she was not dressed and her human hair wig was in thin little braids.

I came across a beautiful little dress that I thought would be perfect for her. After some small mends and a delicate cleaning the dress was brought back to a presentable state. It was quite sheer and delicate so undergarments definitely were in order. All dolls Must have the appropriate undergarments!   She was dressed with antique pantaloons along with 2 petticoats to help  her dress lay nicely. I love the beautiful lace near her waist and hemline.

Her hair... even though it was quite thin... curled up beautifully and now has a soft curl giving it more volume.

I then made a silk ribbon cumberband to accentuate her dress and since her name was "Pansy" I thought it would be cute to dress her with a slight Pansy theme.

The pansy was hand stitched by me on both her headband and her ribbon sash.

A tiny vintage pin was added at the neckline. Socks and shoes were also added to complete her outfit.

Pansy has become one of my very favorite dolls so far. I love the bisque dolls from this era and will be showing a Pansy I and Pansy IV that I am working on very soon too!

Oh...I can't forget to include her darling mohair bear! She takes him with her everywhere she goes!!

Thank you for taking a peek at my sweet little Pansy! 

Have a nice day!!!   ;-)

OOAK Update!

I wanted to mention that I am also finishing up a new OOAK doll.

She will be finished soon!

Be sure and stop by again!!!

;-)

Happy Tot Composition doll

Happy 2012 Everyone!
I thought I would start out the new year on my blog showing some "New" transformations on some dolls I have been restoring. I have been working on many new projects which I will be showing this year both with dolls and other items. 

I thought I would start off with this little Happy Tot doll that I purchased a couple of years ago.

She was a terrible mess. Someone had tried to restore her and oh how sad she looked with her terrible paint job. I knew this doll would be adorable once she had a little spiffing up.

 Happy Tot was made by American Character Doll Co. from New York city in the 1920's.

She has a composition head/breastplate, arms and legs. Her body is cloth and her eyes tin.

As you can see from the photos she was in desperate need for a transformation. Cracked, lifted paint along with discoloration, holes and dirt.

One thing wonderful about her was that she came with her original tagged dress and slip. After a little mending and cleaning it looks much better.

  Here she is after getting a total repaint and clean new clothes. I later changed her bonnet with one that looked much better but at the time I just wanted to see how she looked with a cute little pink bonnet on.

Happy Tot and her friend!

Here she is with her new bonnet. I made the little rosettes and added new silk ribbon  for the ties.
Don't you think she looks "Much Happier Now"? 
I adore this little doll...she has always been one of my favorites from that time period. These dolls typcially held little rubber tipped bottles but I don't have one at the moment so she holds a tiny little bouquet of sweet flowers for a sweet little girl!   ;-)

MADAME ALEXANDER 1920'S MY BETTY COMPOSITION DOLL 24'

This is a darling doll that I purchased at a local antique shop. She is marked "Fiberoid" on her back and I believe she is a Madame Alexander 1920's My Betty Composition doll.

She was in pretty good condition really only needing a new wig, clothes from her era and a good cleaning.  Her clothes were not appropriate for her so she would get a new dress ang wig.

Her hair is wild and thin. Time for a new hairdo!

I was hoping to find a dress with original tags but as I have stated before, dresses like that can be hard to come by. Until then I did find a dress that looks cute on her and from the time period.

Here she is with her new dress and bonnet on.  She also got a new slip and panties.

What a difference a new human hair wig made on this sweet little doll.

Very fun little doll to make over.

Snippets from the Sewing Room

Last year I decided to make a small bedroom into a sewing room. Originally, I had my sewing room combined with my studio for sculpting and other projects. I thought it would be nice to separate them and give me a little more room for my studio. I am sure most of you know....you can never have too much room for creating. So I thought it would be fun to show little snippets here and there of projects in the works and some of my favorite things I have collected over the years.  So I will start with this one little corner of my room!

I started my room off with a color scheme in mind.  I found some fresh pink and bright lime green fabric that I fell in love with.  Sweet wild roses on a white background  was the basis for the pops of color here and there around the room.  These 3 little shelves were found cheaply at the thrift store. I painted them a pink to match my curtains and lined them up on the wall. They hold some of my favorite things. Above them is a beautiful cross stich picture stitched on fabric by an artist named Paula Vaughn. She is a cross stitch designer and watercolor artist. For many years now she has created some of the most beautiful victorian and country designs that I have ever seen. I have stitched many of her designs myself. This is one of my favorites and as luck would have it I stumbled across this piece in a antique store and got it for a song. The colors were perfect and someone did a great deal of work on this beautiful piece of stitchery. I am always sick when I see such beautiful needlework so under valued in the stores. Hours and hours went into this piece and I am happy to have rescued it. Now it will be proudly displayed amongst my most treasured items.

 As I share different photos here and there her designs will show up often as I have been a huge fan of her work for years!

Here is a closeup of the picture. Her designs remind me of a gentler time.

I just love her soft use of color.

Princess Sarette and her Fairy Attendent OOAK Art Doll

It has been awhile since I have posted any new One Of A Kind dolls so I am happy to report that I have a new one called "Princess Sarette and her Fairy Attendant".

I really enjoyed working on this piece. She incorporates everything I love about dollmaking. Faeries, Princess's, Fine Fabrics, Embellishments, all things unique and magical!

Sarette is made of Cernit and is approx. 18" seated. She has glass paperweight eyes, lovely long auburn mohair and a beautiful cream/antique rose print dress. I love old vintage lace so I incorporated many fine pieces into the front of her dress and along the sleeves, bodice etc.,
She also wears a OOAK crown I made especially for her. Old metal findings, antique rhinestones and vintage pearls highlight her crown to make it a truly old world style. Her hair is pulled up into a high coif with tiny braids that circle around the crown.

Her little Fairy Attendent is approx 10" tall standing. She is made of Fimo and also incorporates vintage cobweb lace and trimmings. She has handmade glass eyes, creamy soft hair, a handmade crown and a tiny little bobble which reads "Fly" Her little wings are also handmade by me. She is there to make sure Sarette has everything she may need. A sweet little fairy loyal to her princess.

Sarette also holds a antique frozen charlotte fragment dug from the grounds of Thuringia Germany. She has been made into a little fairy doll for Sarette to hold.

Sarette sits upon a vintage metal chair purchased for her at a local antique shop.

Princess Sarette and her Fairy Attendent are available for purchaser here:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/94406358/princess-sarette-and-her-fairy-attendant

If interested...feel free to email me at marciehart@q.com

Thank you for stopping by!

xoxoxo 

I am honored to be the weekly featured artist on ADO's Blog!

http://networkedblogs.com/pNkwp

So happy to find out that I am the featured weekly artist on ADO's blog!

Thank you Sarah for a fun interview!

:-)

Changing of the Seasons

Well...it is hard to imagine that fall is upon us once again and I haven't posted here since spring. I have had good intentions but this year has been a difficult one with 3 deaths in a period of 6 months for our family. It has taken its toll both physically and mentally. It has been a time of much reflection.
As I watch the leaves starting to turn and feel the warmth of summer fading into a cool fresh nip in the air I am reminded how the seasons come and go and that life is like the changing seasons. We hope for days of warmth and sunshine, but along lifes path we encounter those days of cold and unexpected weather.  All we can do is try to weather the storms the best we can and hope for those beautiful days to shine down upon  us once more.

I feel a new sense of self, an awakening perhaps after seeing so much pain and suffering. I have come to realize that my art has been a strong force in the healing process. It has always been a place where I feel the most at ease and content. Little did I realize just how much it would help me to refocus and get back to the place I needed to be after what feels like such a long absence. It has been a driving force in my life and I can't imagine how life would be without it.

So... I am anxious to get back to work and share some new things with you. Thank you to all of my faithful followers. I hope I can bring some new and exciting things to share with you this year and as each beautiful leaf falls to ground I take notice and appreciate the small gifts life offers us everyday. I hope you will too!
xoxoxo
Marcie...