CWPoppets

Pig Maid with a sow and two piglets

2012-03-12T08:43:00.000-07:00

I have finally finished another group of figures.
The pig maid is not new but I never did like her skirt. It looked to bulky. So, when I started making a sow with two little piglets I redressed my maid and ... voila ... I think she is the perfect pig maid.
The little piglets are made of pink polymer clay and have very fine fur. The mother is mostly made of mixed pink and brown polymer clay to make her look a bit dirty.

Short trip to London

2012-03-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hubby and me and 5-year-old have been to London. I love London and hubby humors me and takes me there pretty often. This time we promised our son that he can accompany us (what was I thinking???).
Well, it was different and a bit exhausting but quite nice ... except for the regular hunt for toilets and some meltdowns. Do you know how fast you have to find a toilet when a 5year old tells you "Mommy-I-have-to-pee"? You just run! Believe me. And it is not easy in London to find one. Phew!
5-year-old loves my camera and his newest discovery is the Zoom. I have about 100 blurry pictures of everything .... lol. But some pictures are amazingly good.I'm usually not into showing private pictures of us but I just have to share this one. It's been taken by my son and I thought it funny get a glimpse of what a little child's viewing angle is.

And then there is the food, of course. I thoroughly miss the food variety we had in Western Canada and try to get my share in London every time. Here is the entrance to Shaka Zulu, an amazing African restaurant.

Needle felted hair clip

2012-03-02T07:01:00.000-08:00

Now and then I do enjoy making jewelry. And for the longest time I thought about making some unique hair clips. Last night I rummaged around in my wool stack and found this wonderful three-colored wool. I didn't have a plan what to do exactly and just started felting.
What do you think it is? A snail, a sea shell, a soft ice cone? lol, I'm not sure myself... The little button on top belonged to my grandma and just had to go on top of it. And the tiny barette is a cheap store bought thing that I painted the right color.

The Pumpkin Seller finished

2012-02-24T04:17:00.002-08:00

I have finished my pumpkin seller.
Need to make better photo's, though.

And here the original painting by Hermann Kern.

Pig faced Lady

2012-02-17T07:36:00.000-08:00

There have been stories of pig-faced women throughout Europe in the 15th century. The majority of these tales told of a wealthy woman whose body was of normal human appearance, but who had the face of a pig.
In the earliest forms of the story, the woman's pig-like appearance was the result of witchcraft. Following her wedding day, the pig-faced woman's new husband was granted the choice of having her appear beautiful to him but pig-like to others, or pig-like to him and beautiful to others. When her husband told her that the choice was hers, the enchantment was broken and her pig-like appearance vanished. These stories became particularly popular in England, and later in Ireland.

1:12th scale one-of-a-kind polymer clay character made by me. The lovely bonnet and muff are made by the talented Luned.

Look what I found!

2012-02-12T07:39:00.000-08:00

Yeah, finally after months of scouring the Internet I found a wonderful covered wagon on eBay.
It is made of metal and quite heavy. And it is not 1:12th scale. I believe it could be 1:8th scale but have to check that out first. I can't wait to start with it...

Old Master's minified - The Pumpkin Seller by Hermann Kern

2012-02-11T07:39:00.000-08:00

Right from the beginning of my dollmaking "career" I made dolls from paintings or statues that I liked.
I haven't done any for a long time but when I saw this painting by Hermann Kern (called the pumpkin seller) I immediately knew I would like to replicate it in 3D.

So off I went shopping for a nice table. I found this beautiful white table and it took me some to paint it brown. I have never distressed furniture but I must admit it is quite fun.

I also am not doing food in polymer clay. I leave that to people who really know what they do. :-)
But after painting the table it just had to be filled with something. So here I am making pumpkins, watermelons, peaches .... And then I needed a basket. I'm sure you know what I did. It is far from perfect. But I like it. And when the table was still to empty for my taste I made a little wooden crate with tiny mosaic tiles.

Now the only thing missing is the Pumpkin Seller. ... lol

Time to move out, Buddy!

2012-02-10T06:11:00.000-08:00

This is a giant red kangaroo with her baby! Well he looks more like a teen than a toddler.
It's time to move out!
The kangaroo mother measures 2 1/2 inches(6cm) in height and 6 3/4 (17 cm) inches including it's huge tail in length.
Both animals are made of polymer clay and flocked with real natural wool. They are full body sculpts.
The baby is firmly attached to the mother. It can't be removed.

Second Bust of a Woman

2012-01-22T05:46:00.000-08:00

So here is the second Bust. This time an African Woman. Her Scarf is an old Sari fabric which I thought looks very fitting. She is about 3 1/2 inches tall.

Giant Anteater

2012-01-19T05:50:00.000-08:00

This guy is a Giant Anteater. Well, in this case he is not really giant.
He measure 2 1/2 inches and is made of polymer clay. His fur comes from Jacobs sheep.

Covered Wagon miniature model

2012-01-16T00:57:00.000-08:00

For months I've been browsing the Internet to find a model of a covered wagon.
Last month I bought this somewhat rough and cheap Allwood kit. It was pretty straight forward to make and the result is nicer than I expected but unfortunately it is 1:16th scale. I knew this beforehand but thought I give it a try as I so urgently would like to have a covered wagon in 1:12th or 1:10th scale.
If anybody out there has a wagon in the right scale for me I would love to have it
(if it doesn't cost a fortune) !!!
I also would trade or custom make one of my dolls/animals for you in exchange for a wagon.

Bust of a Woman

2012-01-13T05:01:00.000-08:00

One of my new year's resolutions is to improve my sculpting. Well, it is pretty much every year's resolution. ;-)
This year I especially would like to improve my faces and go more into animal sculpting.
Starting with the faces I made two busts. Here is the first one. She is not 12th scale. She is not any scale at all, actually. I started sculpting her without any size reference. The complete bust is slightly under 3 inches tall. Made of polymer clay.

Roxanne

2012-01-06T06:49:00.000-08:00

Roxanne, you don't have to put on the red light
Those days are over
You don't have to sell your body to the night
Roxanne, you don't have to wear that dress tonight
Walk the streets for money
You don't care if it's wrong or if it's right ...

Roxanne must have been quite beautiful in her younger day's. Now her figure isn't that slim anymore. She is missing a tooth and her hair is thinning ... She is coloring her hair, her eyelashes are fake and her make-up too heavy.

Two Chairs and a Winged Settee

2012-01-05T09:28:00.000-08:00

As I've been a good girl last year Santa was very nice to me! ;-)
Ok, I admit it! I bought it myself. I've been ogling Kris' furniture for a while now. And every time I'm able to sell something I allow myself to buy miniatures from other artisans. I do have some plans for diffferent scenes and love to browse the internet for the right things. So when I saw Kris' blog I immediately thought of my planned Carl Larsson inspired living room. I already bought a lovely oven from Mollamari a while ago and I'm getting impatient to expand my collection. Kris was very patient with me and together we found the perfect fabric for the settee. Just look at it!
It's perfect. I love it.

Then there was "The Chair". I don't know why but I alway's wanted a chair with chinese fabric. I'm really impressed with the patience Kris showed me. If I had been my own customer I'm sure I would have whacked me over the head! I just couldn't find the right fabric. And then Kris went searching for it. And just look at it.

Kris blog can be found at : http://1inchminisbykris.blogspot.com

Back again

2012-01-04T07:45:00.000-08:00

I wish you all a belated wonderful new year!
I've spent the last two weeks skiing in South Tyrol (Italy). It was wonderful. We had plenty of snow and sunshine. 5 year old enjoyed skiing and is pretty good already. I had a lot of sore muscles from cross country skiing and hiking up mountains in snow. Thank goodness the hotel had a Spa! ;-) We celebrated Christmas and Birthday (yes, it's happened again to me) and New Years Eve!
But now it's time to go back to our daily life!

What?

2011-12-13T06:54:00.000-08:00

I was only having a little nap on the chair while you were gone!

donkey

2011-12-07T04:26:00.000-08:00

Krampus

2011-12-01T05:38:00.000-08:00

Yet another Krampus! This time made of polymer clay with the frightening size of 5 3/4 inches! ;-)

Krampuslauf

2011-11-29T09:16:00.000-08:00

Last weekend hubby and I drove to Schladming, Austria. Schladming is best known for skiing but we went there for their yearly Krampuslauf. A Krampus is

a mythical creature recognized in Alpine countries.^[1] According to legend, Krampus accompanies St. Nicholas during the Christmas season, warning and punishing bad children, in contrast to St. Nicholas, who gives gifts to good children.

In the Alpine regions, Krampus is represented by a demon-like creature. Traditionally, young men dress up as the Krampus in Austria and southern Bavaria, especially the market town Berchtesgaden, during the first two weeks of December, particularly on the evening of 5 December, and roam the streets frightening children with rusty chains and bells.^[2]

^{thank you wikipedia!}

It was a huge parade with more than 600 Krampusse walking for hours through this little village. At first I was a bit dissappointed that I couldn't get a place in the first row. But after 10 minutes I was really glad I wasn't in the first row. Because they hit you. I mean, they really do! And it hurts.The whole thing was pretty rough and wild with a lot of alcohol later on and I was glad my 5 year old son wasn't with us.
Nevertheless I enjoyed it immensely. The costumes were great and I got so many ideas for my figures.We stayed the night in a nice hotel and the next day on our way back home we visited Salzburg. Of course we had to eat Salzburger Nockerl.

JUST BECAUSE !!!

2011-11-24T04:33:00.000-08:00

I'm having a sale in my etsy shop.
From now on until December ,1st you get 10% off everything in my shop if you use Coupon Code "JUSTBECAUSE"!
just because ... ;-)

www.cwpoppets.etsy.com

Black Santa

2011-11-23T01:27:00.000-08:00

Yet another Black Santa!
This time I clothed him more traditionally. He has a cloth body and can be posed.
He is 12th scale.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

2011-11-21T06:32:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we visited the City Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It is only a 2 1/2 hours drive from our home.
The sun was shining after weeks of fog and we so enjoyed walking the old medieval streets and admire the houses.

The Executioner

2011-11-13T09:13:00.000-08:00

Remember the guillotine I bought at my last fair? It needed an executioner, of course.
I've started making him a while ago but couldn't decide on his clothes till now. He is a full body sculpt and 1:12th scale.

Kilt / Skirt Tutorial

2011-11-10T12:23:00.000-08:00

I have finally found out how to publish my Tutorial of how to make a 12th scale miniature kilt.
Click on the picture to get to the tutorial.

Balthasar

2011-11-09T04:49:00.000-08:00

I've finished my first figure with a cloth body. He is Balthasar, one of the three kings or wise men. Usually I make a lot of research for my figures. But this time I deliberately tried to not look at any paintings or description of him. I wanted to make a completely unique Balthasar.

After several attempts with my cloth body patterns I found one that resembles a normal male figure. Ok, he did eat a little bit too much ... but hey ... it's Christmas! All the cookies and family parties. ;-)
So I sewed the body out of special doll fabric (which is stretchy), inserted a wire armature, stuffed it and defined the body with stiches. I did learn that technique years ago from a doll making class I took with Jack Johnston. I'm not sure that I got it completely right, though. Anyhow I am pretty happy with the result but with the limited time I have I will stick with my clay sculpting I think. If I'm not having the chance to attend a class with Lisa Lichtenfels.;-)

cloth body experiments

2011-11-03T07:29:00.000-07:00

I prefer some of my dolls to be posable. What I don't like is the pipe cleaner solution. I did that with my very first dolls but I alway's fear that the break easily. I also think that the arms and legs look too bulky and coarse.
For the last two weeks I've been trying out different patterns to get realistic looking cloth bodies. I started with anatomy pictures and made patterns from it. It is really really difficult as it is a matter of millimeters between a fat woman and a skinny one. Phew ...

daytrip to Castle Neuschwanstein

2011-10-24T06:26:00.000-07:00

Even though it is unusually cold for October the sun was shining on Sunday and we decided to drive to Hohenschwangau. That's the little village were the famous castle Neuschwanstein is. It is only 80 km (50 miles) away from us. We have seen both castles inside already and decided to walk along the Alpsee which lies beneath the castles.

To the left is castle Hohenschwangau, a much older castle that was renovated by King Ludwig's father. They used it as a holiday retreat. In the middle is the new museum and to the right castle Neuschwanstein.

The Alpsee

Someone has been building a lot of Inukshuks! No, it wasn't me. lol

And here ... trara Castle Neuschwanstein

It's time for .... rubber boots

2011-10-20T05:48:00.000-07:00

or wellies, wellingtons, gumboots, rain boots. However you want to call them!

foal and experiments with air drying clay

2011-10-19T05:32:00.000-07:00

I do have a hard time finding new air drying clay as my stack of creative paperclay is dwindling.
I can't buy this brand here in Germany ... at least not without going broke. So I try every air drying clay that is available in Germany. This animal is made with efa plast classic from Fimo. It is not my favourite one while wet or drying. It is very heavy and strangely cold to the touch at first. But I love it when it's dry. I've never had so much fun carving and sanding something afterwards.
I also did try Fimo air natural which is very coarse. I think it would be ideal for structured walls and floors, maybe. I'll try it with my next room box project and will tell you.
And then there was darwi extralight. After half an hour working with it my hands and everything around my workplace were so sticky from that clay it looked a mess. The only thing where it didn't stick was the poor donkey I tried to make... lol ... I couldn't make a foto as I didn't want my camera to become sticky.

Quinces

2011-10-18T00:52:00.000-07:00

Fall has definitely arrived here in my little corner of the world! We have unusually cold weather and I decided to collect the quinces. When we bought this house two years ago there was only a small branch growing out of the side of a tree stump. This summer the little branch has grown into a two meter tall tree with lots of quinces. I've never done anything with quinces. Everybody tells me that it is not easy to make jelly or marmelade out of it. Well, lets see! But for now they have to ripen for another week.

update on my kitchen

2011-10-15T02:34:00.000-07:00

I've been working on my kitchen again. I still don't know what to do with the wall space (cupboards or shelves). There is also bread to be made, a frame to be found and glued on, the fridge to be filled ....

To be continued .... ;-)

Needle felted pumpkins

2011-10-14T02:32:00.000-07:00

Just fooling around a bit with my wool.

modern kitchen - wip

2011-10-04T01:26:00.000-07:00

I've decided for dark blue and aluminum for the kitchen doors as it harmonizes so nicely with the floor. I was thinking about painting the AGA oven dark blue as well but decided against it when I found this lovely creme coloured tiles which I used as a back splash. The original kitchen kit came with a black counter top but I used my stash of cherry veneer. One can see the difference where I treated the veneer with cherry stain already.
Now I have to decide what to do with the upper part of the kitchen. The kit came with four glass shelves. I've assembled one of them under the "window" but would rather prefer some wooden cabinets for the space left.

kitchen frenzy

2011-09-29T07:09:00.000-07:00

The good thing about miniatures is that you can pretend to be a interior designer without your husband having a nervous breakdown. In my case it is not even possible to move a chair one inch without my husband complaining about it.
Last month I've decided to buy a new kitchen. As my real size kitchen is perfectly fine and there is no reason what-so-ever to renew it I had to stick to a 12th scale kitchen. I found elfminiatures and was hooked immediately.
The bad thing was that I decided to buy the cheaper do-it-yourself solution. Not good for someone who doesn't know the word patience.
Ok, so I've persuaded my hubby to build a roombox (no small feat, I can tell you!) and then I went shopping. I've ordered an AGA oven from Reutters (alway's wanted one in real size!), found the perfect dark blue slate floor and ordered said kitchen from elfminiatures. This is what I found in the package!

First I had to calm down with a glass of red wine. ;-) Then I was contemplating buying a complete kitchen.

But that wouldn't be very brave. So I read the instructions and I read the instructions and .....Two day's later I started assembling it. Of course it wasn't as if it would fit into the roombox like it was. No, no ... that would be to easy. Either way ... if I succeed or if I throw it in the garbage: you will hear from me soon again.

Oktoberfest

2011-09-23T07:20:00.000-07:00

It's Oktoberfest time! I don't think I have to explain Oktoberfest to anyone. :-) It's famous.
I used to live in Munich right after finishing university and I must admit I started to hate Oktoberfest. I was living only a stones throw away from where Oktoberfest takes place. It was loud, it stank (no, you don't wont to know, believe me ... lol) and I had to get to work and back home by subway which was nearly impossible at that time. Now I can go to Oktoberfest if I want to and I do enjoy it.
And here is my poor waitress having to work in one of the beer tents. If you ever have been to the Oktoberfest and watched these ladies (if you haven't been to drunk to only see till your nose) you really must admire them. It's hard, hard work.

Jeez! Geese!

2011-09-15T06:23:00.000-07:00

I had to make Geese! Couldn't help myself! ;-)
The smaller one with the yellow head scarf is made of real feathers and kapok which gives her a slightly yellow look. The other one is made of feathers and wool flocking!

fleamarket find

2011-09-12T06:45:00.000-07:00

I found this wonderful letter case at a fleamarket. It is huge and many of my miniature items fit into it. I thought of using it for my next miniature fair.

Guillotine

2011-09-07T00:46:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I've been to Giessen for the "Schoene kleine Welt" miniature fair. Saturday has been wonderful and not many people attended the fair. I did better then some other sellers but it wasn't really exciting. Well, hubby and me had a wonderful and relaxing evening without four-year-old.
AND, of course, I found an interesting prop for a new scene. Yes, it's a Guillotine! Doesn't it look great ... lol. It makes a really mean "plop" when it comes down.
I'm already working on the hangman but have no idea what the poor soon-to-be-headless guy/girl will look like. I don't want to make Marie-Antoinette. That would be to obvious a choice, wouldn't it ?
Hubby found this lovely little rusty water can and bought it for me.
By the way, I can't leave comments on your blogs which is really annoying. I so enjoy reading them. So please don't think I'm not interested in them.

"Schoene kleine Welt"

2011-09-01T02:48:00.000-07:00

I will take part at the "schoene kleine Welt" (which means beautiful little world) fair on Saturday, 3rd near Giessen. I haven't been there before so I'm really looking forward to it. It is a miniature fair with artisans/artist only AND they allow 1:10th miniatures as well (which is my favourite size).
Hubby was so nice to revamp my homepage http://www.cwpoppets.net/ for that occassion. I neglected it for too long as it is a bit complicated to make changes. But now I can update my pictures in flickr and they will be automatically updated on my homepage as well.

Djinn / Genie and his bottle ....err ... problem

2011-08-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

Djiin (aka Genie) was having a good time in his bottle. For 123 years no pesky human tried to rub on his bottle and asked for a favour. Djinn was doing in this 123 years what was his favourite pasttime: Eating, drinking and sleeping. You must know that his bottle is way roomier than it seems.
One day he was having a six course dinner with a nice glass of red wine cooked by the most famous chef in the ghost world. And can you believe it? Someone was rubbing his bottle! He was not even finished with the second course. Oh, Djinn was furious. He thought of giving this human a real fright by getting out of his bottle in lighting speed. Err ... there was just this problem with having eaten too much in this 123 years. He was stuck ! Oh, what a ridiculous situation for a genie like him. He tried to wiggle his way out, sucking his belly in and trying to look dignified and angry at the same time.

African Man

2011-08-26T02:10:00.000-07:00

... sitting on his carpet. Again in 1:12th scale. His arms are movable, so that the buyer has more options in posing him.

Bernese Mountain dog

2011-08-19T09:41:00.000-07:00

I love making animals. I love making people (that's what I call my "dolls", I don't like the word doll particularly). As I always have a hard time deciding what to do I made both this time.Yep. Here is the result. He is a Bernese mountain dog/poppet fetching a ball. He has a tiny soft clothes body in 1:12th scale with feet, hands and head made of polymer clay.

Gentleman's Office redone

2011-08-16T15:21:00.000-07:00

So here it is. The promised picture of my little roombox. I left it in it's original state having only changed the fabric of the chair, the bookcase and adding curtains.

Bregenz Festival

2011-08-15T03:20:00.000-07:00

Even though this summer is cold and rainy I'm busy going to a lot of festivals and enjoying my summer.
Last friday I had the luck to be invited to the Bregenz Festival. The festival is pretty famous here in Europe with a spectacular stage on the lake Constance. This year they performed the opera "Andre Chenier", a story about tragic love (it's always about love, isn't it?) at the time of the french revolution. It wasn't the best opera I have seen so far but the stage was really interesting and I did love the costumes. They had traditional costumes with a funny twist like the fabric or wearing fluffy red sheep as a head piece. I also was treated to a behind the scene's tour and a nice dinner and best of all: we had 30 degree C and sunshine!

Reupholstering an old chair

2011-08-08T04:46:00.000-07:00

I do have this old room box standing in a corner of my studio unloved. It is one of my first miniature scene's back when I didn't even made my own dolls. Ok, ok ... I'll tell you. ;-) 13 or 14 years ago.
It is a gentleman's office and although I wasn't to bad in making the room box it's a bit boring. It was at the time where Prado sold this horrible cheap stuff every week and I was looking forward to buying it every Thursday.
Last week I was looking at my little room box already thinking of throwing it away. But somehow I can't do it. The furniture was done by me from pretty good quality kits and the room box itself has a lovely wooden floor. So now I'm upholstering the chair with a nice dark blue fabric, I'll be sewing curtain's (strange enough I never had any in this room) and I beautified the ugly book case, too.

Sir Applethwaite

2011-08-04T06:11:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't resist making another of my gentleman. This is my third one. I just love making them.
This time I wanted to make a really exaggerated face that goes a bit into caricature style. And he got a nice white wig, dear Sans ;-) He also insisted wearing a hat with some feather.
He is a one-of-a-kind, 1:12th scale figure.

My new stove arrived

2011-07-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

A while ago I found this wonderful stove for sale at http://mollamari.blogspot.com/
As soon as I saw it I thought of making a little scene inspired by Carl Larsson.
I'm a huge Larsson fan. I even have glass coasters with his paintings on it. lol ...
Today my miniature stove arrived and it is so lovely. Anna-Mari was even so nice to include this little plant on top of my stove. It must be common knowledge that I love plants and I'm having two left hands when it comes to making them myself. :-)
So now I only have to finish a couple of other things which will take me about 120 years or so to finish and then I'm ready for my Larsson project. *sigh* Why is there never enough time?

pants, pants, pants ...

2011-07-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

I've been in the mood for making some clothing again. Pants to be precise. Here the result:

Kaltenberger Ritterturnier - Knights Tournament

2011-07-18T06:03:00.000-07:00

Last saturday we went to the knights tournament in Kaltenberg. It is the biggest in the world and we are lucky that it is only a 10 minute drive away from where we live.
There is the tournament of course, a parade, medieval market and food stands, different shows, medieval music, ....
This time hubby was with us and took a lot of pictures. If you click on the slideshow twice you will get it bigger! Enjoy!
Oh, and the third picture is not me! lol ....

Die Betende - Praying Woman

2011-07-15T06:09:00.000-07:00

I finally finished another doll. She is 1:12th scale. The wayside cross is a common side here in Bavaria. I bought this miniature version at a fair in Munich and stained it.

black currant jam

2011-07-02T10:31:00.000-07:00

We have two huge black currant shrubs in our garden. Usually I pass them with my nose in wrinkles. Do you know how black currant smells? I think the smell is overwhelming and not nice at all. So I already contemplated taking these shrubs out and put in some other, nicer smellings shrubs or trees.
So last week I found a recipe for black currant jam which I thought was really interesting.
The recipe is so simple that I thought it doesn't matter to give it a try. If I don't like it I can throw it in the bin.
So, here the recipe:
1. gather as much berries as you have or like (or can buy ... lol).4 year old and I picked 230 gram which was enough for about 2 smaller glasses.
2. put them in a bowl and weigh them.
3. add the same amount of (regular) sugar and mix it till it is liquid.
4. fill the sterilized glasses with the jam and put them in the fridge as soon as it has cooled down enough.

You have to eat the jam within five days as it is not cooked. It tastes slightly sour but as my family loves sour we "devoured" our jam within three day's. ;-)

Oh, and look at my lovely new garden clogs handmade from a little company in Berlin. Aren't they lovely? And they are even comfy! Go to Dawanda and have a look.
And ignore this curious dog nose. I alway's have some nose in my pictures. I can't avoid it. They are alway's around me.

Wish you a nice Sunday!
Christine

Back from vacationing and a new doll

2011-06-28T07:43:00.000-07:00

Hi there!
I'm back from Ontario, Canada and no ... the black flies didn't eat me alive! ;-)
In fact, it was really really nice. We had gorgeous weather and 4year old and I were busy swimming, going to Museums, shopping (yes, my son really loves shopping!) and eating Asian Food. It wasn't a real vacation as I've been living in Ottawa for two years but I did enjoy it. I haven't been in Canada for the last two years (I'm half Canadian, half German living in Germany now) and I was amazed at how familiar everything was to me.
But now it's back to day-to-day life and making dolls. My next exhibit is September, 4th and I do not have a lot of dolls & miniatures.
I've finished a doll today. Both man and jackal are made of polymer clay. They are 1:10th scale.
Wish you a wonderful week with lots of sunshine!

Look where I am ...:-)

2011-06-19T06:44:00.000-07:00

Max Oscar Arnold Kunstpreis

2011-06-04T23:29:00.000-07:00

I won the Max Oscar Arnold Kunstpreis in the Category "adult doll".
Every year there is a huge week long doll event in Neustadt bei Coburg. This area has a long standing tradition in producing dolls and dollhouses. Companies like Zapf Creations or Goebel (the makers of Hummel figurines) are still there. There are open houses of doll producing companies, doll shows, doll and christmas museums, a doll fleamarket and said doll competition.
It was the first time that I participated. I must say I'm really really proud and somewhat baffled. There were a lot of particants and the dolls were all fantastic. The winners were invited to an evening event at the town hall with press, two mayors, some politicians, live music.... and of course the doll fairy. ;-)
The price winners got a sculpture, flowers, a certificate and even price money. After that we were invited to champagne and buffet. Very, very nice!
Here you can see me grinning triumphantly.

And this is the doll I got my price for. He looks really tiny next to the bronze sculpture but he is actually bigger than my usual dolls (19 cm).

Here are some of the other winners.

The next day we went to the Veste Coburg as our son behaved so well during the events and he wanted to see the ghosts and knights at the fortress.

Gardening weekend

2011-05-30T02:32:00.000-07:00

The weather is unusually warm and dry for Germany this month. Perfect for grilling, sitting in my hammock and watch 4 year old play in his little pool. This weekend I also tried to make my own (organic) lemon balm and elder syrup. My elder tree looks quite funny and I had to climb up there to get the flowers.
The lemon balm is already done and husband and son did like it with pancakes.I think it's a bit too watery so I need to change the recipe's next time.

washing day

2011-05-27T08:41:00.000-07:00

Little piglet and John had some fun outside. But now it's time to get clean again!

Brand New Sewing Machine

2011-05-25T00:51:00.000-07:00

My dear old sewing machine gave up on me. She was 12 years old. Plain and cheap. But she helped me with countless (real size) curtains, miniature clothes and more.
So now I treated myself to a fancy one. She has a lot of useful and useless features and I really love to sew with her. Just didn't find the button yet that say's "house cleaning". :-)

Camel and Bedouin No. 2

2011-05-18T07:25:00.000-07:00

I've finally finished my second Camel and his Companion. This time it is a long haired Camel and it sits.
I wanted to make them differently than the first pair. As the first pair - both Camel and Bedouin look haughty - I decided to give them both a cheery look this time.

Gardening

2011-05-15T10:33:00.000-07:00

We bought a house 1 1/2 years ago with a dream garden.
It is a huge garden. At least for European Standards it is.
There is a wet area with fern and a natural willow fence, there is a wooden patch with farn, a grown pine tree and mushrooms. There are seven huge old birch trees besides numerous fruit trees. And there is a south facing area which just tell's me to plant tomatoes, herbs and other veggies.
So hubby and I planned and plotted and bought material for our garden. :-)
We were working hard this year (and last autumn) to convert a garden which looked quite desolate to something we like and feel is a space for us and the wildlife.
Here is a work-in-progress photo of what we were working on for the last two weekends. Can you guess what it should look like ?

Lady in Pink Evening Gown

2011-05-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have to admit something horrible. ;-) I have no romantic bone in my body. Not one!
And I'm baffled myself about this doll. I intended to make a haughty woman in a 1920's dress.
Yepp, you're right! It doesn't even come near it.
Like some of my dolls this one has a will of her own. Or is it because I was watching to much of this Will-and-Kate Story ... lol ? Yes, even I was glued to the TV for hours on Friday for the Wedding. And I did sooo enjoy it. :-)

The Water Carrier

2011-04-27T05:37:00.000-07:00

My son asked me lately why I don't make brown people anymore. If I don't like them?
You must know that my son is African. So I rushed to make this little lady and I tried to make her especially beautiful with a nice dress and cornrows (hair braided like that is called cornrows).
She is as usual 1:12th scale and made of polymer clay.

Air Show

2011-04-18T01:04:00.000-07:00

For all wondering if I'm still alive. Yes, I am! ;-)
It's just that my garden needs attention, it's Eastern holiday's here and 4 year old has to be entertained. So not much time for doing anything miniature related. Yesterday we have been to a huge air show in Friedrichshafen (south of Germany). 4 year old was quite impressed sitting in helicopters and looking at small and huge air planes (43 year old was pretty happy, too). We even could watch a Zeppelin land and start. Friedrichshafen is the city where they originally built Zeppelin's starting in 1899. The Zeppelin museum still operates them for visitors.
The whole way back home we heard "zeppelin, zeppelin" in the back of our car.

It's a dog's world

2011-04-08T05:09:00.000-07:00

Hope you all enjoy spring time :-)

2011-04-05T07:51:00.000-07:00

Milkmaid

2011-03-27T06:34:00.000-07:00

1:12th scale, made of polymer clay, one-of-a-kind full body sculpt

cover wagon plans anyone ?

2011-03-24T07:59:00.000-07:00

Does anybody know where I could find a building plan for a covered wagon ? There are wonderful wagons for sale right now on ebay ... but they are way over my budget.

So, if any of you know how to build a wagon that would be great.

Korntal

2011-03-22T07:12:00.000-07:00

I'm back from Korntal. It is a smaller miniature fair in the South of Germany with about 50 exhibitors. I did sell quite nicely which was a tremendous relief for me after Arnhem (where I didn't even earn the money I spent for the table).

I mainly bought supplies but couldn't resist buying these three guys here. Aren't they funny ? Georgia Marsfeld made them. I couldn't find a blog but she has a Dawanda Shop.

No Rest for the Wicked

2011-03-15T10:26:00.000-07:00

No, no ... I haven't been lazy these past weeks. I have been really busy actually. Every single family member was seriously sick (even my dog) and I had to play nurse.
I also prepare for a miniature show which will take place next Saturday. I sold so many dolls lately - poor me ;-) - that I had to make some new ones in a hurry.
So if you happen to be near Stuttgart this Saturday, the 19th please come to MiniaturenArt and say hello.
I also prepared a new free tutorial for CDHM for Saturday, 26th at 8 pm CET (European Time). If you are interested in making a kilt/skirt go to CDHM and register.
Well, I think thats it for now ...

And the Winner is ....

2011-03-08T09:32:00.000-08:00

Here are the names of the participants

shuffle, shuffle ... hubby has the honors as it's his birthday ... ;-)

Can't say he isn't thorough ...

and the winner is .... "drum roll" "Trommelwirbel"

CLAUDIA !!!!
GRATULATIONS !!!! Herzlichen Glueckwunsch!!!
I met Claudia at a really boring weekend last year where we both had our beginnings in the dolls/miniatures/bear world. We don't live very far apart. Claudia makes the most lovely bears I've seen ! Look at her blog here. I just have to persuade her to open an Etsy Shop so people can see and buy her lovely bears.;-)
Claudia, kannst Du mir bitte Deine Adresse nochmal geben. Ich finde Deine Visitenkarte nicht. *betretenschau*.
liebe Gruesse
Christine

Disco Queen

2011-03-04T09:13:00.000-08:00

She reminds me a bit of Lady Gaga. No intention there! :-)
She has a soft clothes body so she can move in every pose imaginable. Her arms and her head are polymer clay. And of course she is 1:12th scale.

Missy, the Pink Poodle

2011-03-01T04:39:00.000-08:00

Before I"ll start with my second camel I had to do something else.
So here is the result. It's a pink poodle. Do not ask me how I got that idea. I don't even like the colour pink very much.
She is 1:12th scale, made of polymer clay and then flocked and furred with wool.
Cockerina: The camel has been flocked with real baby camel hair. Flocking is a method where one cuts wool (or any fibre) into tiny pieces, nearly dust. It is then applied onto the figure with glue. That's pretty much it.
I'm just a beginner with this technique myself. But when I'm getting better with my animals I will make a tutorial, promised!

First Camel finished

2011-02-25T10:23:00.000-08:00

So, here my progress of flocking a camel ... five hours later ...

what was I thinking ????
So, here I am .... 8 hours later ...

nooooo ....
and here I am .... twelve hours into flocking a camel !!!

Phew ! There is an end to it after all !
Here the finished "product". Tata !!!
Made of air drying clay with an armature underneath, lacquered, painted, flocked, got his eye lashes and finally his leash and bags!

Scuttling off to share some furball kibble with my cat...

Two nekkid camels ...

2011-02-21T04:36:00.000-08:00

patiently waiting to be finished. :-)

Lord Oglesby

2011-02-18T02:05:00.000-08:00

May I introduce Lord Oglesby!
He is a gentleman from England living in the 18th century. He is a very proud man and dresses after the latest fashion. His justaucorps is made of silk, he has finest white stockings and his vest and shoes are finest leather. His costume is refined by silver trim and lace. His wig is a nice shiny black. He only wears a bit of powder and make-up as he thinks he is still attractive enough.

His walking stick has a duck head on top.

He is a 1/12th scale one-of-a-kind miniature doll fully sculpted from polymer clay.

GIVE AWAY

2011-02-15T06:07:00.000-08:00

So here the official announcement of my 100 follower give away!

I know I'm a bit late (or early) for a Christmas girl but this little lady insisted on wearing these colours. Sometimes my dolls can be very bossy and then they tell me what to do.
But Christmas will come again. Promised! ;-)

So if you want her, then:
- comment here (or at the last post)
- be a follower
- it would be nice if you tell people but it's not a must.

I'm sorry if I have confused some people with my last post.

The drawing will be on March, 8th.
Good luck!!!

100 followers

2011-02-08T02:23:00.000-08:00

100 followers !!! I can't believe it! Thank you for being interested in the things I make. It means a lot to me. And even if I do not comment to much I love looking at what you do and the things you tell. In my opinion blogs are one of the best inventions lately. It is so much easier for me to handle (contrary to a website) and this idea of following is great.
I've promised a give-away for my 100 followers and here I show you a sneek peek of the miniature I intend to make.

So let me rush to finish it ....

Justaucorps and the gentleman

2011-02-06T08:36:00.000-08:00

I've made a prototype for one of my new 1/2th scale dolls. It is called a justaucorps and was worn over centuries in different slightly altered versions. This one was worn in the 17th century. I found the pattern online and tried to get it together. There was no explanation so I had to puzzle it together. I've been using a really fancy fabric for this one and stitched golden beads to the front, back and sleeves.

And here is the Gentleman waiting for his long vest, justaucorps, a bit of makeup and his wig.

Black Forest Hat / Bollenhut

2011-01-29T09:41:00.000-08:00

This is a black forest hat in 1/12th scale. It's called a Bollenhut in German. There are not really a lot of woman in the Black Forest wearing it because it has never be worn outside of a really small region within the black forest. But it is a very nice looking hat and many people in the world recognize it.
I've tried to make it as authentic as possible. The red pompons are worn by unmarried women. If they are married they wear hats with black pompons. The pompons are really that big in real!

Something fishy going on here

2011-01-27T04:42:00.000-08:00

Another little doggy

2011-01-22T05:42:00.000-08:00

I've tried making yet another dog. He is 1/12th scale, made of polymer clay and covered with wool flocking. This method is completely different to making dolls and I try to get better because I really enjoy making animals as well.

This sleepy guy reminds me of my own dog. And poor Camillo (that's his name) was disrupted in his "beauty sleep" quit often because of me looking at his paws and belly.

Stone turned wool

2011-01-20T04:20:00.000-08:00

While walking my dog in many different places while I was living in Canada I happened to see a lot of Inukshuk.
I've alway's been fascinated by them and I needle felted some within the last year. It never occured to me that it is quite funny to make something that is originally a heap of stones from wool until now.

Rover and the pink house

2011-01-13T02:11:00.000-08:00

Beaver at work

2011-01-07T05:55:00.000-08:00

I've made this beaver out of polymer clay. He is 1:12th scale. These beast can get huge! Don't forget they topple trees...This one is 2 3/4 inches (7 cm). The base is wood. The tree and stones are air drying clay.

Free Shipping

2011-01-03T05:19:00.000-08:00

I've just sold my first doll this year and went to the Post Office for shipping my parcel.
And again ... I got the most wonderful news! German Post reduced their shipping costs to North America.
I can now ship my dolls for 5$ or 10$ depending on weight instead of the ridiculous 45$ they charged so far for parcels.
I will offer free shipping now for all of my dolls in my etsy shop! I will also be able to reduce prices for my clothes and other miniatures. Dancing the happy dance ....

ETSY SHOP

IMAG January 2011

2011-01-01T09:53:00.000-08:00

I hope you are all ready for 2011. :-)
I hope that 2011 will be a good year for me. After a terrible 2009 and a somewhat bumpy 2010 I hope that this year will bring some stability in my husbands work life (I hate it when he has to travel for weeks on end), health for all of my family and friends ( no more hospital stay's and visits this year, please!) and most importantly a new baby for us.
But .... signs are good. :-)
The year already started with my dolls on the cover of January's IMAG.
Click on the image to get to the online magazine.

IMag

Boots in Fabric

2010-12-30T06:03:00.000-08:00

This is my first attempt at making boots in fabric. I did make sandals and slippers in fabric before but never boots. I've always used polymer clay. I thought it was quite tricky and I needed to change my pattern three times. I also changed my way of doing heels. So far they were out of the same material I used to make the soles but this time I carved them out of wood.
I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out and hope they will be better with more practice.

AND THE WINNER IS .......

2010-12-27T07:49:00.000-08:00

Thank you for participating and for the well wishes for my birthday!

My 4 year old was the one who picked the winner.
We had quite the discussion why he can't take all of the little pieces of paper out of the hat and why not all of you could win. I'm sorry ! If it would have been to him you all would have won. Nice concept, though .;-)

So we finally agreed to one piece of paper and it is :

ALMA AND LIA !!!!

CONGRATULATION!!!

Please send me your address to Christine_Wex@yahoo.com and I will send you the baby basket and onesie (or the pet accessories if you change your mind).

But now I'm off to Dad's ! He is preparing dinner for me ! Yummy !

Froehliche Weihnachten

2010-12-24T03:01:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all of you out there !

Mr. Reindeer got his companion

2010-12-17T01:50:00.000-08:00

Mr. Reindeer complained about being alone. So I had to knit all night long yesterday (at least for me midnight is very, very late) and here she is. Her name is Lisa!
She loves Mr. Reindeer and knows that he loves apples.
The snow and the nosy dog in the last picture are real. But it's a new way to show the size, isn't it ? lol

My first GIVE AWAY

2010-12-14T01:14:00.000-08:00

I got the Give Away fever. After seing all these lovely give away's from other miniaturists I decided to make one when I reach 100 followers. And I have been waiting and waiting ....
So last week I decided I have to find a different reason to give something away. As conveniently my birthday is on Dec. 27th I declare this to be the date of the draw.
OK. So here is what the winner can choose from:
It's either A. the baby gift basket with the onesie or b. the pet accessories.

And here are the rules:
A. You have to work ! Yep! There is alway's a price isn't there. lol
You have to tell me which sewing you prefer on this quilt. I couldn't decide and thought I would let other people tell me what they like best. Do you prefer the machine sewn stitches (left) or the hand sewn one (right)? You can click on the picture twice to get a better view.
Please leave a comment and tell me!
B. The second rule is that you spread the word. Please publish my link at your blog or homepage (if you have one, that is).
So I hope that some of you are interested in this little present and participate and I will finally be able to finish my bedding. Good luck!
Drawing will be on my birthday, Dec. 27th.

Mr. Reindeer

2010-12-09T07:01:00.000-08:00

Mr. Reindeer has been finished. Now he is waiting for his companion. No it won't be Santa ... ;-)

More Stichery

2010-12-04T08:45:00.000-08:00

Here some more things I've stitched lately.

These boots are made for walking ...

2010-12-03T08:44:00.000-08:00

Wintertime! Pack away the Sandals! Wear your boots!

Winter is stitching time for me

2010-12-02T02:11:00.000-08:00

Patrisan's Giveaway

2010-11-30T04:47:00.000-08:00

They look so perfect! Wants it, wants it ! lol

etsy shop re-opening soon

2010-11-20T08:19:00.000-08:00

My shop will open again November, 22th !
Come on in ... lol

www.cwpoppets.etsy.com

skirts, skirts, skirts

2010-11-16T08:25:00.000-08:00

Three legged chair

2010-11-13T07:37:00.000-08:00

Medieval kitchen

2010-11-08T07:33:00.000-08:00

I've made this kitchen a couple of years ago. As I 'm not really practiced with woodworking I alway's try to find alternatives that I can use. In this case I bought some coffee cups in a nice wooden crate. Oh how I miss my monthly Costo shopping trip.. sigh! There was alway's something for me to buy. Well, I'm saving a lot of money without Costco. That's for sure... lol.
But back to my little kitchen. I took the coffe mug crate and altered it with paper clay, acrylic paints and wooden strips to make this little roombox. The floor was made from very thin polymer clay squares glued to the wood.
Unfortunately my last overseas move was to much for my roombox and I had to "renovate" it.
I added some items like the washing bucket and the wood for the oven to make it look more crowded and comfy.
But somehow I never got the right angle to show all the mice that are having a great time in my kitchen ... except for the one in the mouse trap.

Happy Birthday

2010-11-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

My sweet little boy turned four this Friday.

Happy birthday, mein Schatz!