Off To France!!

Okay everyone..this is my last post till I return from my trip to france! I'll be home after the 19th..barring Jetlag!
If you'd like to catch up on my travels, please check out my friends Marilyn Radzats Blog, as she will be posting on her blog our travels!!
I will be meeting with my friend Phyllis (hopefully at the same time) and driving from Toulouse to Soreze....sp?? to meet up with Marilyn... and staying in a house that is 350 years old!!! I'm sure to meet up with some old familiar spirits there, besides Phyllis and Marilyn!! LOL! It amazes me how new our own country really is compared to other countries.
Have a safe and creative time while I am away and hopefully I will have some inspirational ideas for you when I return!!
Big hugs, Gail,... oh..and miss "P"!!

New Ghostie in my Etsy Shop!

Lila is my last little ghostie for my etsy shop until I return from my trip to France and the creativity retreat in hawaii mid Nov." Little Lila O'Brian Cox... succumbed after a short bout with the chicken Pox"

Lila is free standing and measures around 10 1/2" to the top of her head and 11" to the top of her antique chinese doll hat. Her dress is made from remanants of antique and vintage chinese theatrical costumes. Her shoes are vintage deep red velvet and match her sleeves. She has vintage millinary netting across her dress.

Hand painted glass eyes and red mohair hair

Her dress was inspired by the photo of the real "Alice" taken by Lewis Carroll in her dress up oriental costume. In my etsy shop...

Hope you like her!

Happy Hauntings, Gail

Happy Birthday !!

Today is my Birthday!! Happy Birthday to Me!!..And to celebrate birthdays with me, is my
friend Phyllis's Oh so french Irish Woldfhound "Laurie- Amelie" who is two years old and longer length wise than I am tall!
So Happy Birthday to ME and Laurie-Amelie!!!!

Alice and the Mad Rabbit

Here's a few photos of the finshed Alice and her Mad Rabbit! She is about 10 1/2" to the top of her head and 13 3/4 to the top of her hat. She's Free standing, and ready to run through the rose garden! She has hand painted pinkish/redish brown eyes and cute little buck bunny teeth.
Her dress is from antique civil war mourning dress sleeves, which is all that I had from this dress. I do not deconstruct antique dresses, I only use fabrics that are slavaged pieces and parts from them that otherwise do not have a home. I love using the old fabrics, as I feel it gives a since of history and mystery to the dolls. I love to wonder at who may have worn the piece and what their life was like, and to give the material a new life for someone to enjoy.

Her Mad Rabbit has had painted eyes, and new and old materials

Her hat is sculpted from polymer clay then flocked. The rabbit ears are leather. I like to combine different materials and textures.

Alice is happily haunting her new home far away from here!

When I create a doll I love to set a mood for myself. I am fortunate to have a studio to work from and do not have to pick up after myself! When I start a piece I do like to have a clean spot... I light absinthe candles that I got from a wonderful seller on ebay. Alas..the name escapes me as I write this, but I will look it up and post it later for you. I like to play movies and listen to music that deals with what ever subject matter I am sculpting at the time.

If your a big Alice Fan and like darker imagery than you get with the disney movies, Miss Pennythistle,...who is posing as the doremouse in this photo, recommends some of our favorites for you. "Alice" directed by Jan Svankmajer. The master Czech animator, no talking in this movie , lots of stop motion antique dolls and strange animated pieces, very artsy. Yaso, a japanese magazine has an issue devoted just to it. You can find the movie on amazon and the Yaso mag. can be found on ebay.

Another movie that is more of a darker Alice, is from the BBC. It's called "Alice in Wonderland" and stars Peter Sellers and Sir John Gielgud. I think also available from amazon.

Then there is the original music score from "American McGee's Alice" the game..very creepy and strange! All this sets the mood for making a more unusual type Alice. To top it off, I love the perfume oil blend from Black Phoenix Alchemical Laboratory called "Alice".

I hope this inspires you to create your own Dark Alice!

On more of a personal note, I just brought my husband home from the hospital today from his knee replacement surgery, so I am putting on my "nurse Ratchett" uniform for the next week!

I am hoping he heals fast as I will be leaving for France on the 30th to meet up with Marilyn Radzat and our friend Phyllis who is brave enough to drive us around France!

Marilyn will have her laptop and will be posting our adventures on her blog if you want to follow! she is already there paving the way for me and Phyllis!

Also..we have just a few openings left for some ladies for our hawaiian retreat in Nov. This is not a dollmaking retreat but a creativity retreat open to anyone searching for new inspiration. No experience required. Contact Marilyn at ikons@hawaii.rr.com or check her web at www.marilynradzat.com/

Happy hauntings, Gail

Slacking off

Sorry I've been such a bad Blogger lately. It seems there is always something going on here that takes time away from being creative. I did manage to finish up a new little Ghostie among all the turmoil.Poor little Mistress Maude,
always seemed a little odd.
She said her playmates came from the otherside,
But when the doctors examined her, insanity was implied.

Mistress Maude is on her way to her new home. She measured about 10 1/2".

I am hoping to get one or two more pieces done in the next couple of weeks before my trip to France with Marilyn Radzat..WoooHooo!! I'm getting the Hell out of dodge!!
Then I'll be home a week, just enough time to unpack and get re- packed and head off for our Creativity Retreat at Marilyns to-die-for beach front home in Hawaii!
The retreats are a wonderful combination of Magic, Art,Creative Inspiration, and just plain Fun!
We still have a few spots open.If anyone is interested in the information contact Marilyn at ikons@hawaii.rr.com.
I'll write more later...but for now I'm off to the studio to create an Alice figure. I've been so inspired with the new Tim Burton Alice movie coming out....I Can't wait to see that one!!
Happy Hauntings, Gail