Mini Face pendant

I'm attracted to tiny, delicate objects. That's why I wasn't content after I made the first silver face pendant. I loved it, but it just wasn't small enough for my liking, so as a side project, I made a little 'daughter' pendant for my collection. I molded it too, so that if anyone else wants to have this petite face pendant, I could make more. And seeing how it's half the weight of the original, it's also almost half the price at $98.00 CAD. It comes with a crown bail and an adjustable metal ball chain. Email me at inquiries@enchanteddoll.com if you'd like me to make one for you.

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.

Enchanted Little Red Riding Hood

At 3 years old, I first heard the tale of the Little Red Riding Hood. At 6 years old, I made my first jointed doll. At 10 years old, I promised myself that one day I'd make a beautiful Little Red Hood doll. At 30 years old, I finally made it. It took me 27 years to go full circle. I feel like I've touched the origin of my being.

Do you want more pictures?

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?

Doll Yoga

Took some more pictures of my new doll with the new double jointed hips. I had her doing Yoga for some shots. She is too flexible!

Echo group shots

Hey guys!

I am so very touched by your concern for my well-being. Thank you! My family and I are fine. The disaster in Russia hasn't touched us. Thank you for being so alert and concerned.

My absence usually means that I'm simply buried up to my ears in work. I've been so busy with some new projects, that I just realized I never posted any group shots of Echos. Please enjoy them in the meantime.

Enchanted Doll Book - Second Edition

The Second Edition of the Enchanted Doll book is sold out at this time. For those of you that ordered it, they will not be available for shipping until at least mid-August (they are still being printed). You will be contacted by email when your copy has been sent out.

Thanks to everyone that ordered!

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„–4 Revealed

Echo â„–4- Sayan ($18,900 CAD)

Sayan’s crown incorporates elements of Tibetan and Mongolian tribal jewelry, while her name was inspired by the Sayan mountain range between Northern Mongolia and Southern Siberia, close to where I spent my childhood.

Solid and ornate, this sterling silver crown is adorned with long silver pendants, set with 4 red Corals and flanked by two removable, resin-dipped Roses. Other features include a pair of silver earrings and 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

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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

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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.

Limited Edition Echo line is finally complete!

Finally! Enchanted Doll introduces a very special, limited edition doll Echo!

Echo is a unique, fully costumed, ball-ball jointed porcelain doll, limited to just 5 pieces. All five, wear different, one of a kind, ethnic headdress, each one created in a different aesthetic tradition. Other features include two pairs of interchangeable feet and two pairs of ornate silver shoes, a printed costume with individual accents of bead embroidery and Swarovski crystals, magnetic mohair wig, a custom stand and a beautifully upholstered tin box.

Originally I was planning to make 30 Echoes, but decided to stop at five, having realized just how labor intensive they are.

This is Echo 1. I named her Orchid Echo.

Orchid’s floral crown was inspired by the traditional Kingfisher hair ornaments of the Qing dynasty.

Each flower in this crown is cast in sterling silver and enameled to resemble the color of Kingfisher feathers. The composition is accented with two pendants, 12 corals, 10 turquoise, 6 Opalites and golden disks.

She has been completed first and already SOLD, but the remaining 4 Echoes have yet to be unveiled.

To make this edition even more special, I've customized five tins with luxurious fuchsia lining, tasseled pillows and 5 discreet but secure safety snaps to hold the doll in place. A precious bed, for a precious doll.

Remaining four Echoes will be unveiled one by one this week, until all are revealed!

Double-jointed neck roll animation

That's how it moves.

New Double-jointed hips for Enchanted Doll

For several years now I've been wanting to give my dolls a more articulated hip joint, which would allow them to tuck their knees up to their chests. I've been torn over this, because adding more articulation inevitably breaks up the flow of body lines, interfering with the aesthetics of the doll. The last few months I've been tinkering with the hip joint, trying to come up with the most balanced solution to the conflict of form and function. It was the most difficult joint I've had to design, but I'm quite pleased with the result.

Those of you who are not fans of this new anatomy, not to worry, this is just an alternate hip joint to the original one, not a replacement. From now on, both of them will be featured in my dolls. It's something I needed to try in my search for growth and that elusive perfection. Can't expect to get anywhere interesting doing the same old thing over and over again, can you?

I'll post more pictures within a couple of days, but in the meantime, what d'ya guys think? First impressions?

Tight Security at Enchanted Doll shows

No Casualties this time. ;)

Enchanted Doll Books

Just a little bit of housekeeping with the Enchanted Doll Book. All the books have been sent out, except for a small handful that are still waiting for the shipping fees to be paid. I think our emails might be going to "Spam" or an outdated email address, so just making this post as a reminder. If you haven't received any information regarding shipping of your copy of the Enchanted Doll book, please email me at inquiries@enchanteddoll.com and we'll get it straightened out.

Now that the first edition has been (mostly) taken care of, the second edition can begin production. I will announce when pre-orders will be available soon, so keep an eye on this blog for details.

Long Weekend Map Project

I've been feeling a little bit worn out, uninspired and travel-sick lately, so this long weekend I took time off dolls to draw another map of my recent travels in Europe. It was either that, or vegging out on the couch and feeling sorry for myself. At least I did something productive. I believe these maps are a side effect of my obsessive-compulsive tendencies towards sorting, organizing and compartmentalizing my experiences, memories, feelings, goals and possessions. And since I'm a visual and a sentimental person, this tendency sometimes manifests in maps. (click for larger images)Charting out travels is somewhat cathartic, but it doesn't cure my wander-lust, only makes it worse. So much of the world still needs to be seen! And I intend to keep adding new routes and journeys to this map until there isn't any blank space left to draw on.

These are my mementos of distance. They are fragments of rocks and flora, collected from different places in the world which I've visited and brought home with me. Like the rest of my world, they are neatly compartmentalized and labeled. I open one vial, inhale the scent of volcanic pebbles and remember being atop Mt. Vesuvius and the sensation of my earrings swinging against my neck in the strong wind as I look down in wonder at the sprawl of Naples below; I open another, and smell the salty surf breaking on the rocky beach of the Pacific coastline of Vancouver Island; I open a third one, and get transported to a tree-shaded park in Prague, where Chad and I fell sleep one hot summer afternoon while counting clouds...These little bottles are time capsules and I'm a time traveler.

I also keep this old Flammarion engraving framed where I can always see it, because I find it to be a deeply profound visual representation of human curiosity and our relentless search for new experiences and knowledge about our world and beyond. It shows us needing and reaching for something larger than ourselves and our immediate surroundings. This simple and brilliant drawing deeply resonates with my own longings and inspires me every day.

There is a blank scroll at the bottom of the drawing where I want to insert a quote by R.L Steventson, which says: "There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign".

The Rubenesque sisters

My Aurum and Muse, before they were separated. I think they miss each other.

I love them both, but I made them each with different personalities in mind. Can you guess what they are? How would you describe their temperaments based on their facial expressions and features?