Hi All,

Many thanks for all of your comments and to my new followers.  If you are leaving a comment and you are a new follower, be sure to click on the “followers” box towards the bottom of the right column of the page.  We just need a few more and then we can have the contest.

http://miniaturedolls.blogspot.com/2012/05/new-prize-give-away.html

I am still finishing up some older order and then I will be back posting new dolls and tips of making miniatures, etc.

Hi All,

Sorry I have been away.  Both of my kids are graduating.  My daughter graduated from High School and my son is graduating from UC Irvine this Saturday with honors in directing.  We had a huge party for them last week so I am still recovering (read…getting my house back in order, lol).

Thank you to all who have signed up as new followers.  We only have to get 15 more followers until the number reaches 200.  Then I will put everyone who made a comment on that post into a “hat” and pull the lucky winner of the fan.

http://miniaturedolls.blogspot.com/2012/05/new-prize-give-away.html

I will also be giving away some lovely paper roses and rhinestones and beads to go with the fan.

Big Hugs,

Gina

Hi,
Thanks to all for your continued comments.  Keep them coming.  I will let you know when I will announce the winner! 
Big Hugs to all,
Gina

Hi,

I happen to have an extra fan left over from my recent “Chantelle” doll that I created.  It is slightly darker than the one pictured.  Please post this giveaway to your blog!  When the followers get to 200 I will give the fan away and post a new giveaway in celebration!  Please just leave a comment letting me know you want to be entered.
Hugs,
Gina

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! 
May your day be filled with, peace, joy, happiness & the love of your family!

I have finally had some time to go through some fashion plates and get some inspiration for the gown that Chantelle will be wearing.  Chantelle has since received the beginnings of her undergarments.

The fashion plate pictured is just for reference.  The gown will be similar but not a miniature copy as I have some other ideas and elements I want to add.  I also have a great pieces of antique lace that I want to incorporate into the skirt as an overlay.  I found this great fashion plate online and was thrilled to see how much it sort of resembles Chantelle, her gloves, etc.

I have decided on a nice color palette of rich lilac & purple and dark charcoal laces.  I went through all of my antique lace & trims and pulled the ones I think will work for the idea I have in my head.  Since all of the lace and trims are ivory colored I had to dye them a deep dark charcoal color.  They will read as black in such a small scale which is what I want.  I used Tulip fabric dye to color the laces.  I added a bit of brown to the black to warm the color up a bit.

I especially love the dark charcoal tuck pleated fabric on the right.  It is originally from the lower edge of an antique pair of pantaloons.  The pleats are only about 1/16″ wide.  So fine.  It still has the tiny cotton lace edge attached to the bottom.

I found some terrific silk fabric at a store that was going out of business.  I wish I had bought more.  It dyes beautifully and is so soft.  I used Jacquard Acid Dyes to dye the silk.  It is specially formulated for silk and feathers and really binds to the fabric nicely.  You can see my tutorial on using the Jacquard Acid Dyes (feathers), here:   Silk/Feather Dyeing Tutorial

This dye will NOT work on cotton fabrics which is why I used Tulip Fabric Dye for the cotton lace & trims.

Stay tuned for the next installment of Chantelle!

Haley Kit will be blank – not painted

Hi,

Thank you so much for all who are following me.  I hope to be posting more often with doll kits and dressed dolls I am working on. 

When the blog follower count gets to 200, I will hold another contest!  This time it will be for a porcelain doll blank that you can paint yourself. 

You can find my china painting tutorial here:

China Painting Tutorial

It is a great tutorial for beginners and also advanced doll artists looking for some tips on painting eyes, etc.  You will find a list of all the supplies you need as well as the colors and supplies I like to use.  You can also apply these tips to using oil or acrylic paints if you don’t have access to a kiln.

Here is a sneek peek at the tutorial:

See the whole tutorial from start to finish here:
China Painting Tutorial

Step #10 Okay, This is one of my favorite parts, but also one of the MOST frustrating! I will admit, it sometimes sends me over the edge, lol.Wash your brush in water, blot on paper towel. Dip brush in area medium, and run brush over your skin (yep) to blot excess medium without removing too much from brush. Carefully set the tip of the brush in the center of the paint. It will blot up some of the paint. Now repeat this step several times until you can see a nice light circle in the center. Remove enough paint to leave a radiant circle in the iris. Step #11 Ahhh, Dannie, here’s looking at you, kid! Repeat the last step on the opposite eye.Turn that little head upside down to make sure the irises match.This is a really important step. The irises should be as even as possible. They should look similar in size, shape, and coloring. It is very easy for one to become lighter or darker than the other one, and that will show up when you go to add the pupils. It will be very noticible.

See the whole tutorial from start to finish here:
China Painting Tutorial

Often times I have a customer who would like me to make a doll in a person’s likeness but cannot afford the fees for a one of a kind sculpted doll. 

There are other more affordable ways to have a doll made that will resemble a person.  It helps if you have a good repoire with your dollmaker/artist.  They should be willing to work with you to find the right face and talk about options for hair, painting style, gloves, etc.

My customer wanted me to make a doll kit that she will dress of her daughter for her wedding.  She did not want a custom sculpted doll.  She chose the face from my selection of doll kits I carry on my website: Gina Bellous Dolls .  After narrowing it down, she chose Lydia from a mold by Stacy Hofman.  I had to agree with her that this was a good choice.  It is a mold that is not available commercially, but has no dropped shoulders.  Her daughter is wearing a strapless gown and her shoulders will be bare so no matter what type of shoulders we chose, there will be a seam showing. 

This is Alex. She is such a pretty girl. After making both dolls, I realize that her hair will be worn down like in the photo so doll #1 with the full arms will work just fine, but I like the face of doll #2.

I decided to make 2 dolls and let her choose which one she likes best.  To offer a variation of the shoulders I cut the head off of Stacy’s doll and put it on my Victoria body and flattened the bustline a bit.  This gave the doll a nice youthful neckline and  body.  I was able to squeeze her face a bit when I removed it from the mold to make it narrower.

>Hi All,
If you haven’t had a chance to do so, please check out the Miniature Show Online:
http://aminiminiatureshow.weebly.com/

It will be open from now, March 9th until Monday, March 12th.  There are many miniature artisans at the show and shopping is so easy!  Registration is free and i think there may even be door prizes.  There are 4 pages of vendors (I am on page 4).  So many wonderful miniature items to see and drool over!

>Hi All,
If you haven’t had a chance to do so, please check out the Miniature Show Online:
http://aminiminiatureshow.weebly.com/

It will be open from now, March 9th until Monday, March 12th.  There are many miniature artisans at the show and shopping is so easy!  Registration is free and i think there may even be door prizes.  There are 4 pages of vendors (I am on page 4).  So many wonderful miniature items to see and drool over!