Christmas Countdown 10 : Christmas Tree#16

Christmas Countdown 10 : Christmas Tree#16 - Dollies

Amendment - Since writing this post, I have found out that this art doll was created by
doll, artistNeva Waldt, entitled "Gertrude finds the perfect holiday wrap "
For more like this go to this Pinterest page

Advent Blog : Day 16 - Dollies
Strictly speaking, these are not alternatives to a traditional tree, but I just had to include them. Those of you who know me know that one of my passions is doll making. This is a special blog post to wish all my friends at Gumnut Dollies, Newcastle, Original Doll Artists of Australia and Art Dolls Only a merry Christmas.
Many professional doll artists like Cindy Moyer like to create Christmas tree themed dolls, using a mixture of techniques and media, publishing their patterns. Others make dolls for their own enjoyment or as a response to a Christmas challenge in a group. The reasons for creating Christmas dolls varies as much as the techniques and the materials.

Cindee Moyer Christmas Trees

Christmas tree doll

Russian doll

Porcelain Christmas Tree Doll and Christmas Tree Light Doll

The porcelain dolls made me think of the Krinkles series of works and one of my favourite Christmas artists, Patience Brewster. I own a "pudding" girl from one of the PB series, but no Christmas trees. There are so many that I like.

Patience Brewster tree/doll

Patience Brewster Christmas tree dolls - Krinkles

Patience Brewster Tree doll and candle holder

As well as the many mixed media doll artists, there are are just as many creating from cloth or from knitting and crochet. And there is always a person to be found who creates something a little more quirky and whimsical than the usual.

And the kitsch... remember these toilet air freshener dolls? I guess one's needed even at Christmas?
I am left speechless so I include the wording on the photo as explanation "Just in time to spruce up bathroom for the holidays- a quaint air-freshener doll clothed as a decorated Christmas tree!"

So as not to end on that note, I have added a primitive" Christmas tree doll with a pattern, and some lovely little pin dolls, created at Gumnut Dollies Newcastle three years ago for a Christmas tree challenge and a swap.

Prim pattern

Hope you are enjoying the variety of Christmas trees I have uncovered.... there are a few more which may surprise you ... please continue to count down to Christmas with me.

The Sea - for Tag Tuesday

For the current challenge "The Sea" at Tag Tuesday, I made a couple of painted/ hand drawn tags . These were created from a piece of watercolour paper which had been sprayed with acrylic paint - blue, yellow and quinacridone gold. I then sketched over the top , trying to follow some pattern created by the splatter and then add some felt tip pen lines watercolour pencil to highlight the shapes. The tags represent the fantasies of the hidden city of Atlantis and a mermaid. With this theme in mind, I also add a free motion stitched tag I made earlier this year for 29 Faces -

In the Pink

At Tag Tuesday . Pinky O' Hagan is hosting a tag challenge which asks for 'a bit of pink".... not so difficult if you like pink. I don't use a lot of pink in my work, so it was quite a bit of a challenge when I thought only of pink - my thoughts went to pink roses, pink hearts, pink confectionery !!! Then I referred to this week's colour prompts, #coloricombo by artists Este MacLeod.... pink with sap green, dark tea, and sea green. I'm not sure I got the colours in this palette exactly, but here is my tag, a stylised landscape - The collaged background of the tag has torn pieces of watercolour art rejects, painted magazine pages and a little bit of gift paper. The tree silhouette is decorated with paper dots, cut with a hole puncher.

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks .... The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or my husband or from off cuts gifted to us from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks. Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as w...

Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

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