More Little Red Riding Hood

More pictures, you say? Well, you got it. Enjoy.

This cape was designed in the spirit of Art Deco. I definitely had it on my mind when making it, but then again, I always have it on my mind. His work is a part of me. Same with all of my inspirational artists and experiences. It's hard to tell where they end, and my own vision begins.

I wanted to introduce a contemporary, urban element into the cape by adding a front pocket to it. And then negating that, with the decidedly non-urban tassels. I think they kind of clash with each other, but also complete each other somehow. It's an urban couture-art deco-medieval fusion I've got going here.

The basket is made from polymer clay and reinforced on the inside with leather, for extra strength. I decided to upgrade the archetypal peasant basket look to something more refined and elegant, matching the luxurious cloak. Something more along the lines of a couture fashion bag.

I've always wanted to make a tiny little muff. I've got a taste for it with this project. I've come down with the MMMM syndrome; Must. Make. More. Muffs.

The Hybrid Beetle Crown

I made this guy as an experiment. My lovely Arum is modeling it. This Silver rhino beetle has 8 legs, assembled from 3 different beetle species. The articulated vertebrae tail is detachable. It actually belongs to another project of mine, but I attached it to the bug out of curiosity and loved the look of it. Because, why not?

Echo â„–5 Revealed!

Echo â„–5- Saffron ($18,900 CAD)

Saffron’s exquisite crown was inspired by and constructed from components of traditional Norwegian jewelry, which I acquired during my travels in Scandinavia.

Light and delicate, it’s made from silver filigree wire, 24k gold-plated pendants and disks, that shimmer and sparkle as they move. Other features include two silver Buyao hairpins; a pair of silver earrings; 14k gold-plated bracelets; bead embroidery and Swarovski crystal accents on the printed costume; two pairs of silver shoes; two pairs of interchangeable feet; magnetic mohair wig; custom stand and a specially upholstered tin box.

The doll is porcelain, ball-jointed, china painted and articulated with industrial springs. 13.5” (34.5cm) tall. 2012

Echo â„–3 Revealed

Echo 3- Zhenzhen ($19,700 CAD)

Zhenzhen means precious. Her elaborately beaded crown was inspired by a traditional Manchu Qitou hairstyle.

The colorful crown is embroidered with 24k gold beads, 17 Pearls, 6 glass Roses, Swarovski crystals, dyed mother of pearl, glass seed beads and a resin-dipped Rose. Other features include a 24k gold overlay ring; Pearl earrings; glass roses, pearls, bead embroidery and Swarovski crystal accents on the printed costume; two pairs of silver shoes; two pairs of interchangeable feet; magnetic mohair wig; custom stand and a specially upholstered tin box.

The doll is porcelain, ball-jointed, china painted and articulated with industrial springs. 13.5” (34.5cm) tall. 2012

3-zhenzhen

echo3-5

echo3-2

echo3

echo3-3

echo3-4

Introducing Echo 2

Echo 2- Willow ($19,100 CAD)

Willow’s crown was inspired by decorative elements of a traditional Russian Kokoshnik headdress.

Draped with long streamers of gold beads and pendants, this intricate and lacy crown is cast from bronze, plated with 24k gold, enameled and accented with 8 rose Zirconium crystals. Other features include two braid pendants that convert to earrings; 24k gold bead embroidery accents on the printed costume; two pairs of silver shoes; two pairs of interchangeable feet; 14k gold-plated hoop earrings and bracelets; magnetic mohair wig; custom stand and a specially upholstered tin box.

The doll is porcelain, ball-jointed, china painted and articulated with industrial springs. 13.5” (34.5cm) tall. 2012

Please email me at inquiries@enchanteddoll.com if you have any questions regarding this piece.

Wearing the Lantern pendant

Here you go guys; you wanted some shots of the lantern pendant being worn, you got it.

I snapped these really quickly just now, so the lighting and picture quality is not the best, but they convey the message well enough, I think. It can be worn casually on a long chain over tops, sweaters and even coats, and it looks very pretty on a shorter chain with low cut evening wear as well. The good thing about the complimentary chain included with the pendant, is that it's very long and can be adjusted to a desired size to be worn low on the chest of close around the neck. Or you can use your own, favorite chain altogether if you prefer.

The batch of orders for next month is nearly full, so if you want to have your little lantern by the end of June, then email inquiries@enchanteddoll.com with "Lantern Pendant" in the subject line. The pendants are $350 CAD. International shipping is available.

Let me know if you have any more questions regarding this Lantern.

The Silver Lantern pendant

Hey folks!

After much debate, I've decided to make the silver lantern pendant available to order. It wasn't an easy decision, because this piece is quite difficult and time consuming to make, requiring a special assembly and a technical casting. But, having gotten a bunch of requests for it, I think I can pull off a very limited number of orders per month.

I love this Lantern and wear it as a reminder of the things I've already done and those I've yet to do. It helps me stay focused on my priorities, because whenever I get distracted or lazy, its weight on my chest reminds me that there are still too many dreams yet left to pursue to be lying around on the couch. To me, this little Lantern is a symbol of inspiration, guidance and direction. It's a beacon of light and hope in a relentless pursuit of happiness which constitutes the essence of life. Perhaps my little charm would mean something profound to you as well.

Metal: Sterling Silver

Weight: 26 grams

Size: 2"x 1" (5.1 cm x 2.2 cm) + 3/4" (18mm) crown bail

Price: $350 CAD

Comes with a crown bail and an adjustable ball chain seen in the picture. Production time is 4-6 weeks. Email me if you are interested in having it made at inquiries@enchanteddoll.com, with a subject line of Lantern Pendant.

Also, which one of the four pictures is your favorite? I can't decide which one to make the principal shot and need your input.

Making a Lantern Ornament

You've seen this sterling silver lantern featured in my latest project The Muse of Art Nouveau. I've been wanting to make a tiny lantern for doll ornamentation for a year or so before I was finally able to find the time and put the work into making it.

My sketch was heavily inspired by an actual street lantern in Nice. When I saw it, it took my breath away and I resolved to make a little replica of it. I think I have a thing for lamps and lightscaping, because my place is lit by over a dozen different table lamps. I really hate the harsh ceiling lights, and prefer the warm, muted glow of lamp-lit interiors.

I made detailed schematics for computer rendering. If the scale allowed it, I would have carved it myself, but I found it impossible to translate the richness of the ornamentation of the original into a miniature scale with my human hands. In some ways it was harder than just getting right down to it and carving away, because instead of working organically and relying on my own instincts and my hand-to-eye coordination, I had to approach it from a geometric and mathematical standpoint. I had to transcribe the shape from my imagination as accurately as possible, to make the technician understand exactly what I had in mind.

In some ways, working out the precise measurements of each part was pure torture. Every few hours I would find a mistake in the proportional calculations, lose my composure, curse and yell at the graph paper in frustration, throw my pen against the wall and curl into an upright fetal position in my chair, rocking and crying quietly. Then I would put myself back together and begin measuring and drafting my model all over again.

When the model was finally built, molding it was another can of worms while nearly half of the models fail to cast properly due to the extremely technical casting, but I really love the result and the effort that went into creating it. I had made one into a pendant for myself to wear. I frequently catch myself touching it and pretending that the tiny lantern is some sort of an ancient talisman which allows one to see things hidden from human eyes as it illuminates a path through the dark maze of its wearer's subconsciousness.

New Raised feet

Although I intensely dislike the look of raised feet on dolls, for the sake of experimenting I had made a pair of them for Enchanted Dolls. Raised feet look pretty in high heels, but naked, they look so contorted and unnatural, that it repels me. In my opinion, raised feet restrict a doll to a specific, severe glamor look, while flat feet can be more versatile, soft and feminine. I dislike dolls that are permanently stuck on their tiptoes. Particularly if they have a movable ankle joint. It just looks silly.

Those of you who own my dolls know, that even though they have flat feet, they can still wear the custom designed high heels of the Enchanted Doll brand. I design stilettos specifically so that can go on a flat foot and appear as if they belong there.

Anyway, I was curious to see if I could make better raised feet somehow. I've learned that sometimes ideas which make us initially uncomfortable, are the ones that may turn out to be quite interesting with enough consideration and proper treatment. So, whenever I am repelled by something, I try to give it enough thought and decide if it may actually be worth pursuing. So, I made raised feet against my own reservations. It could be an interchangeable option for those who do like it. I'm going to model a couple of raised shoe designs for them in sterling silver and see if I like them any better then.

In the meantime, I'd love to hear what you guys think about dolls with permanently raised feet and which you prefer.

Annual birthday contest postponed to next year.

Dear Enchanted Doll Fans,

Time has ran away from me again. :( I had my hands so full the last 6 months, that I didn't notice my birthday creeping closer and closer. I very much regret to inform you that the 4th annual ED Birthday contest has been postponed to next year due to time constraints.

I apologize, since I know that like me, many have been looking forward to the contest. The Enchanted Doll book has taken a lot out of me, and combined with other commitments, I just couldn't come up with a contest theme in time.

I am very pleased to say however, that the Enchanted Doll book is nearly all printed and bound, and should arrive here in about 2 weeks. Just in time for my birthday! We have started emailing those who purchased it with rates on shipping. If you haven't received an email with shipping information, just hang on, as we will likely get to you soon.

In other news, I am working on a brand new doll for an upcoming (May) show at Strychnin gallery in Berlin, Germany. Stand by for more details. Right now I am nervously biting my nails while I wait to see if the crazy new head ornament I've spent over 150 hours designing and milling for it is going to work out. We shall see, we shall see...soon.

New Doll Face pendants

The peeks continue: for the past few weeks I've been working on this little side project as a way to relieve stress. Yeah, sometimes I relieve work-related stress by working some more, but I digress.

This is a Sleeping Beauty face pendant. It's cast in sterling silver and designed to be versatile and customizable. There are 10 discreet holes and loops in the pendant that allow for extra accessories such as jewels and chains to be attached and suspended from it. The pendant can be as minimal or as extravagant as desired. They are almost like dolls that can be dressed up or down. I've made only two fairly conservative combinations because I only had three tests pendants cast and didn't really have time to play with them. I'll post more pictures next week. Today there is more book editing to do.

Line of Printed Aluminum Accessories

Good news everyone!

Due to many requests, printed aluminum accessories can now be ordered. Just in time for Christmas. These are double-sided, full color prints on aluminum, with images of Enchanted Dolls on the front and a brand logo on the back. The prints are permanent, non-fading and water resistant.

There are 22 designs to choose from, in any of the following options: Key chains, Dog tags and Deluxe pendants with a silver crown bail.

Deluxe pendants with a crown bail.

A standard ball chain comes with the dog tags and deluxe pendants. It's 30"(76cm) long, but can be adjusted to any desired length. The silver Satellite chain featured in the photographs is not included, but can be purchased separately for $22.00 CAD. Chain Length is 15" (38cm).

Prices

1) Dog Tag with ball chain $12.50 CAD
2) Key Chain $13.50 CAD
3) Deluxe Pendant with silver Crown bail + ball chain $28.50 CAD

The silver Satellite chain featured in the photographs is not included, but can be purchased separately for $22.00 CAD.

Please choose a design or two or several here......and email inquiries@enchanteddoll.com to order.

Key Chain

Midnight's new wigs

This is the second wig for a Twenty To Midnight ebay auction that opens, Monday, September 5th, 2011.

Two wigs down, two more to go!

The White dress side project

As you may remember from my earlier posts, I've been working on this tea dress for a couple of weeks now. I needed a light and fun distraction from other, more complex and demanding projects; a little working holiday.

And it still took me longer than I originally planned, because I kept complicating the design. I can't seem to help myself.

Yup....just loooove complicating things.

I was working without a sketch. Just letting the bits of lace inspire me.

I think it might be done. At least for now. I want to keep it light. Must. Stop. Beading.... I do feel a sense of completion about it, but, a week from now I may wake up and decide that this dress is several thousand beads short. It's like I've got an Alien Hand syndrome.

I think the dress suits her.