Friday, February 12, 2010

Dotees..a new obsession

I will be honest, I have slacked off on updating my blog. Ok, I've slacked off a lot. And I also haven't posted some of the items I've made in the past for the various swaps I've participated in. Just goes to show what happens when the normal mundane everyday gets in the way of the creative flow of things.

So to start catching things up, I'll start with one of the swaps I have just finished. Since all of my partners have received their items, I can freely post pictures of them. I had a lot of fun with this swap, not only was it something I've never made before, it also got me to start thinking outside of the box when it comes to creating something.

However, I don't have any progress photos of each. I should have taken some, but didn't. I'll know for next time.

These are the Dotees I've made for the dotee swap on Craftster (and yes I seem to be addicted to that website lol). For those that do not know, Dotees are mini art dolls. They range in size from 3" to 6" tall, have a face, a hanger to hang them, and a tail. They are traded much like ATCs and each are their own pieces of art work. They are super easy to make and can be made out of just about anything your imagination can come up with.

 This is a group shot of the ones that I made for my partners. Each one was inspired by what my partners liked. 


This is the sock monkey dotee. I was inspired by the various creatures my partner makes. The ears are made out of air dry clay, painted and glued onto the fabric body. The face is hand painted. The legs are made out of shrink plastic and colored with colored pencils, then sealed to protect the color. I used some japanese yarn I received in another swap wrapped around the monkey and a piece of paper glued on for its belly. It also has a braided tail made out of embrodery thread.

 
This one was inspired by vintage spool ornaments that she had posted on her blog. They had black and white designs on them. I made this one using an empty thread spool. I glued some scrap felt around the spool first and then covered it with some black and white fabric I had received a while back from my grandmother. I glued some scrapbook paper cut into circles to the top and bottom of the spool. I used some black ribbon to cover the seams and to give it a more finished look. I found some vintage buttons and beads in my stash of craft supplies to use as well. I also used a wooden bead that I painted the face on. Another button and pearl and she has a hat.



The dragon's body was my own design. I was worried at first because it looked a bit like a seahorse lol. But with some vintage and glass beads, some vintage eyes and a pair of wings, a seahorse became a dragon. The wings were made using some scrap vinyl and rainbow cellophane sandwiched together with some clue. They were cut into wing shapes and hand sewn onto the dragon's body.


Last but not least was the mermaid. She was one of my favorites and I found it very hard to part with her. Again her body was my own design. Her face is hand painted. The hair is a mixture of spun yarn, cotton yarn, and the japanese yarn. She's embellished with some seashells, netting, pearls and beads.

These were so much fun to make and I'm sure they won't be the last either. 

Happy Crafting!
~K.Michele

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