The Perfect Eyes Just Got Perfecter

Saturday, November 6, 2010


I know "perfecter" is not a word. But, guess what? It is now, LOL! :)

In my post about the onyx brown glass eyes, I promised to post a picture of a doll wearing the eyes and little Shyann agreed to model for me. I wanted to see if the irises were the smaller variety. I have been looking for almost black eyes with a smaller iris for over a year now, and it looks like I have found them. Thank you so much, Axel! If anyone is interested in a pair: purchase them here.

No More Workshops or Classes

Wednesday, November 3, 2010


Hello everyone! I have been receiving a lot of questions about classes and workshops, so I thought I'd post this here for everyone who inquired. Anastacia of Web Way Art Studio has mentioned to a few artists that she learned to reborn from workshops and classes given by me. That is true, but I don’t know whether to post this blog entry or kill Staci first, lol! :) I want to kill Staci because the workshops were just -- ok, let me explain:

In 2006, I began working with a group of ladies I met at a local craft fair. They all fell in love with a reborn I’d brought with me to the show and offered to pay for lessons. Four years later, Staci is the only one who continued past 2008, and decided to take the Ebay route to sell her babies. I have not considered Staci my "student" for years. She is an extremely talented jewelry designer, so I knew she'd catch on to reborning quickly. She is a valuable addition to the reborning community.

In short, the workshops were a fluke occurence that I enjoyed immensely, but I have no plans to teach other artists in person. I hope this answers the questions about workshops.

How Long Will I Stick Around?

Monday, November 1, 2010



Hello everyone! Since my return, I have been asked the question "How long will you stick around?" by many readers. Before I answer, I would like to explain why I stopped writing the blog and hopefully at the end of my explanation, an answer will form, lol.

Time was not an issue when I decided to stop posting mid July. I ran out of blogging juice during that time because of the two portrait reborn dolls I was hired to create for a celebrity collector. That was a semi-secret project. I was asked not to discuss details about the portrait dolls and not to show pictures of them at any stage of their creation.

Since the main thing (and my favorite thing) I write about are my works in progress, I felt forced to fill the blog with other topics like infant fashion, product reviews, and new kits to compensate for the lack of painting topics. I have never taken a poll, but I am pretty sure readers mostly want to see what dolls I am working on as opposed to Baby Gap's new spring line, lol!

{I could have blogged about other dolls in progress but really I prefer to paint one kit at a time.}

So, that is why I lost my motivation for blogging this past summer. Please don't think I am complaining about the portrait order because I certainly am not. I enjoyed every second of reborning those babies and meeting their mom (my newest Internet bestie), secretly and all. If I ever work on another secret project, I may lose my steam again and mistake it for the end of blogging phase, who knows...

But rest assured that I will always be "around" the dolly community and responsive to email, even if I am not blogging. I am a collector first, an artist second, and above all: a serious dollaholic...so I couldn't disappear even if I tried. I hope this answers the question. Thank you all so much for reading!

Product Review: Winsor & Newton Gloss Varnish

Monday, November 1, 2010

Unfortunately, the air dry gloss varnish made by Genesis stopped working for me. I began using it in 2005 for nails, lips, and eyes. I never had a problem with it until earlier this year when it turned sticky on three or more occasions, prompting me to throw it away. Luckily, I was able to remove the sticky gloss from my vinyl parts with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I spoke to several other artists who had similar experiences with Genesis' air dry gloss. We suspect Genesis changed the formula at some point.



I decided to try Winsor & Newton's Artisan Water Mixable Oil Gloss Varnish and so far, I love it! It is easy to apply and has a perfect, smooth glossy finish. It is definitely not sticky or gummy at all. It is an air dry formula, but it takes about 24 hours to dry completely, which is a long time compared to Genesis' air dry gloss which dries within minutes. Drying time aside, this is a great alternative to Genesis' air dry gloss varnish for artists looking to switch.

Pro: Smooth, glossy finish. Not gummy or sticky.
Con: Lengthy drying time (24 hours)
Price: $5 - $10 for a 75ml bottle
Where to purchase: Dick Blick
Would I purchase this product again: Yes

Carter's Footed Sleep & Play

Monday, November 1, 2010



Here is one of the Carter's outfits I mentioned in the 'Aisha in Progress' entry. Isn't it cute? I know it looks very simple, but the polka dots and velour will photograph well, especially on an Ofelia blanket from Ikea. *wink* I purchased a newborn sized romper from Bonanza a few hours ago. Now, if only I can find the matching toy...

Happy belated Halloween!

Aisha in Progress - Part 1

Saturday, October 30, 2010



Here is my beautiful Aisha kit by sculptress Marissa May. I have not done much to him yet. I am trying to match up the vinyl pieces because I ended up with a pink head, peach arms, one light pink leg, one extra pink leg, and an extra pink belly plate. I found the arms and belly plate tucked away in my reborning cabinet, so I ordered the legs from Bountiful Baby. When they arrived I noticed they were two different colors, lol! That’s okay; I am up for a challenge.



Wow, this baby looks so real even lying around in pieces barely painted, lol! The second I saw this face in person I saw a baby boy. There is just something that screams BOY about the jaw area. Anyone else see it? Maybe it is just me, lol. I am so excited about a boy because there are two Carter’s newborn outfits that I am dying to use for a reborn. I’ll post them tomorrow.

More of Aisha coming soon!

Found Them : Onyx Brown Glass Eyes!

Saturday, October 30, 2010



Before I stopped blogging in July, I promised to update readers on the status of my search for very dark brown, almost black eyes with no red tint and a smaller iris. I have noticed the larger iris commonly found in eyes sold specifically for reborn dolls do not work for every kit. I like a lot of white to show on my babies' eyes. It is less alien-like, lol.

Anyway, Staci and I finally found mouth blown, full round eyes online at Axel Marx's doll shop, which is located in Germany. I can barely see the pupil in these eyes (which is a good thing!). The almost black color is identical to the color of my eyes which I have affectionately nicknamed onyx brown. I love myself, okay?... :)

The iris is definitely not as large as some I have seen, but to be sure I will have to try them on a doll. I do not have any kits that take a size 22mm eye in stock right now. I have one on the way and I'll post a picture of her wearing these eyes soon, promise!

Axel responded promptly with my invoice and shipped super fast! The eyes arrived in less than a week. Axel, if you are reading: THANK YOU!

Back to Blogging & New Layout

Friday, October 29, 2010



Hello everyone! You guessed it: my blogging phase has started over, lol. :) I am so happy to be back! Thank you to everyone who sent well wishes to Emme Jae when she was ill. She is doing much better and she sends hugs to all of you! ♥

As you can see, I published a new blog layout. I am still tweaking some things here and there, so bear with me if some of the elements look…weird. :)

Okay, now for the doll talk:

I am definitely dealing with withdrawal issues because I have not picked up a paintbrush in a long time. I am so looking forward to starting on some of the kits I have here. First up is Aisha by Marissa May. Aisha was a present from my sister (for my birthday-- which is tomorrow-- I am sooooo old, lol!). I have a pair of Avery limbs here I think will work well for Aisha. I will be posting work in progress (WIP) photos of Aisha, so stay tuned!