Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

Fabric_-Animotion 1994  Further adventures in Australia of the Traveling Art Doll.( please see the previous posts for more information - Australian Inspired Traveling Art Doll  and  Art Dolls Only Traveling Art Doll )  Today is Anzac Day, so it was a quiet afternoon and  I set to completing Lulu's doll. Here is what she looked like early this morning. As Lulu lives in USA, I wanted to give this doll an Australian touch ,too.  Lulu's doll as she arrived.  I had intended to use the"Yalke" design fabric which I used on Martha's doll but once I held it against her body, with the fringed yarn already in place, it just didn't seem to work. This doll has a "spirit" look and I first thought of the Australian classic children's novel, "Playing Beatie Bow"  about the ghost girl who couldn't find her way back to 1873....  No....calico pinafore - a bit boring!  Then I remembered a vintage looking piece of Australiana fabric with

Gum leaves (Eucalypt)  - dried leaves and some encased in fused organza   Last week I posted about Art Dolls Only "Traveling Art Doll" project. Our team , Tiny Team  is Martha (Ayala Art ) and Lulu ( Lulus Apples ) both from USA and me. When Martha's doll arrived, I was very worried ... Such a beautiful face -  I didn't want to do anything, not in character. And I had not made a doll with a polymer clay breast plate before, so I wasn't sure how to proceed. Martha had named her Linda but I nicknamed her "Dimi" - a kind of  tiny sprite! And then it came to me as I was walking in the bush near our place - an Australian bush sprite, inspired by a pile of dried gum leaves on a path! Traveling Art Doll 1 - on arrival  Sketches 1 Sketch - close up The fabric I chose is a design called "Yalke" ( Aboriginal word for Australian bush onion) by indigenous artist, June Smith. The skirt is made from fabric leaves, and natural leav

I belong to a wonderful online group called Art Dolls Only   Here is a little information about us, from our Facebook page ...  We are a dedicated and diverse team of artists who create one-of-a-kind (OOAK) art dolls using a variety of mediums. Wondering what exactly is meant by "Art Dolls"? Here's a good explanation from Wikipedia- "Art dolls are dolls created by artists and intended as expressive and unique art objects rather than children's toys. Art dolls made by professional artists may be considered fine art. Made using a wide variety of styles and media, some are abstract or tribal, while others are incredibly realistic. They ran ge from dolls with pre-manufactured parts to being wholly fabricated by the artist or sculptor. The term "art dolls" usually refers to human-like dolls, but not always. Art dolls can depict animals, mythical creatures, or abstract beings. Each month we have an open challenge, and for members onl

With the Easter weekend over, I can calmly reflect on what a great weekend it was. It's been a long time since I cooked hot cross buns from scratch, but when I went to the bakery last Thursday night, they had sold out! I was a little "hot" under the collar and cross, because I hadn't planned to spend Good Friday morning baking! However,  I  checked the internet for an "easy" recipe  . The recipe in the CWA cookbook seemed a bit complicated, but I am sure it would have produced good results, too! I am sharing the recipe link  because although Easter is over, without the cross, these buns would be a delicious treat at other times of the year.   I have never been good at baking with yeast but all seemed to go smoothly even if the process seemed a little tedious, waiting for the dough to double in size and then do that all over again. However, in the end I  was happy with the results. Both batches tasted great, and the family ate them without complaints!