Only a few days left!

My giveaway ends on July 11, so if you haven't left a comment yet, you still have a few more days.

I've made three different dolls and the winner gets to pick the doll of their choice.

The rules are simple.

• Leave a comment. For each comment you leave, you'll get a chance in the drawing.
  
• Become a follower and tell me about it and you'll get 5 chances in the drawing.
  
• Post this drawing on your blog with a picture and you'll get 10 chances in the drawing.
• Contest is open to anyone, anywhere. (Yes, any country.)

Each doll is signed and dated. They are approx. 4 inches tall. They are made from polymer clay and their hair is yarn. I've used buttons and fabric to embellish them. I think they turned out pretty cute! I've antiqued them to give them that prim look.


Pink Polly

Americana Annie

Ginger Belle

This contest will end on July 11. Have fun!

Wicked Witch

Several years ago my friend Mary Ann painted a canvas and added a shelf and a doorway to it. She gave it to me to do something with. I never got around to it, stared it for months, put it away in the closet and finally, last fall took it out and stared at it some more.

I thought I might make some angels and place them around the doorway, cause it looked like the entrance to heaven, but I just wasn't feeling it.

Today though, I had an inspiration! I repainted the morning sky to a dark night sky, shaded it and added some clay to it. I roughed it up a bit, trying to make it look primitive. Although I'm not finished with (I want to put some words above the entrance), I thought I would show you what I've done so far.

A cat with a big grin sits on the porch next to two pumpkins.

I glued scrapbook paper on the background. I need to add some details to the witch, like hair, maybe a cape and a broom.


Don't know what to add to the roof, but will think of something. The moon looks bad at this angle, it looks better in person.

I'm trying to experiment and make more primitive things. I like to antique the clay which makes it look vintage and worn, but adds a richness to it.

I'm in the process of re-doing my website and will be making a lot of new creations.

Ebay

I listed several little characters on ebay yesterday. Here's a link it you'd like to check it out.


Remember that my giveaway ends in a few days, so leave comments. Good luck!

What's the other guy doing?

They say "to thine own self be true" and I think it's time for me to really follow my heart.

I am so consumed with what is trendy or hot, that I spend a little too much time surfing the net, checking out the competition, researching color schemes and styles and fretting over things that don't sell, that I am missing opportunities to create.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about. I read an article about a woman who quit her day job because she was making a nice living selling her craft on etsy. She gets up in the morning, checks her email to see how many things sold during the night, fills the orders, then produces more inventory. Sounds like a dream! When I saw what she made, I felt disheartened, because what she creates isn't too much different than what I make. I certainly don't get up everyday to see all the orders I received during the night. I may get three or four a week. At this point, it's not enough. I need daily orders!

So what's the difference between her and I? I really believe she just follows her heart and creates her art. She's found her niche and is happily creating. I doubt if she worries about the competition or what's hot or not. She just creates. She creates everyday and it sells everyday.Sometimes when I read a success story, I think to myself..."they aren't worried about you, Debbie. They are doing their art." They aren't surfing the web looking for ideas, or biting their nails over the competition. Their heart isn't racing because someone else has a website full of similar creations. They just are doing it.

"It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation." Herman Melville

So I've made a challenge to myself for tomorrow. I'm going to turn on the computer for one hour in the morning to check my emails and finish my homework. Then I'm going to turn it off for the rest of the day. I'm not going to worry about etsy, or Ebay or Paypal. I'm not going to do searches on Halloween or Christmas. There will be no surfing for color trends and hot ideas.

I'm just going to create. I don't need any more ideas swirling around in my head. I have thousands up there already. My brain is so crowded with ideas that most of them get so lost I'll never find them again. If all goes well, I'll make it a habit to keep my on-line visits for bill paying, emailing, and selling. Oh, and of course, blogging!