2ND VICTORIAN SANTA WORKSHOP..still creating! #7

no betty saving them for xmas have to clean real good tonight lol

I've been designing a snowman in my head the last couple of days. I got really unmotivated about finishing my Santa (and half a dozen other projects that I need to finish). Anyway, as soon as I started putting the hair on my Santa last night, I started ticking away the design on a snowman. I want this one to have legs and may just order the kit online for the body that stands. Then after I order the first one, I can make a pattern to cut any others that I might want. I have extra styrofoam balls from the Santa. I have some white fleece that I can rap around the ball to form the head. The hands would be the same as Santa. Getting it all laid out in my head and getting it done may be two very different things, but my brain is certainly working overtime.

I would be interested in Mrs. Santa.

Well, Santa Junior is now up on the Viewing Thread.....he was fun, but it is more difficult to find embellishments to go with the little one.....I am still working on that part so he has my poly clay deer for right now...........

He's so cute..love the deer...made good use of some left over hair or did you purchase more?

Shuggins..who knows maybe next year it will be snowman year..lol

Thought I'd share a few I made...

This old primitive couple was so very easy to make, left over boards from some of my projects..problem is, where do I put them...every corner/shelf etc. is in use...lol

Another pretty..

And this once was a plank of 1" x 8" wide and about 5' long..
Now he's pretty and sitting near the doorway greeting guests..

Oh/Oh wish you hadn't mentioned 'snowmen' here is a pretty I must finish painting...went on the shelf, will dust him off and finish this week, another project I don't know what to do with but I'm sure there is a corner here or at DIL's for him...

He's done on thin MDF (multi density fiber) board that you can get from Home Depot..probably cost of sock - $2.00, now on to paint it..lol

Shuggins, those Santas are very nice, and I love the little one! Never never thought of making a Jr... Now you have us all thinkg, a whole family of them? Betty, you need to come up with some Mrs, and Jr faces, if not before, for next year please?
LOL

LK

As for the junior I have some..it's miniature of the ones I sent you..the ones I sent are 4" long by about 2 1/4" wide the smaller is 3" long by about 1 1/2" wide...

and yes, will be on the lookout for a Mrs.

Please let us know when you do?

How is your Mrs clause dress coming Betty. looks like you are busy cutting, or maybe sewing by now?
LK

Shuggins, your snowman ideas sounds cute. Can't wait to see them. Sure hope my creativity kicks in today. Looks like today I'll be able to sit down and work on my Santa for the first time since the first day we started! Poor guy .... still standing over there waving away .......

Trishia, jr. Santa is a cutie. Where did you find the deer? I've been looking for forest animals to display with my 'Father Nature' santa but haven't found them. Thought it would be easy.

Betty, entering your home must be a joyous thing.

Well not so sure a joyous thing, probably most shake their heads, but it warms my soul so keep on doing it..lol..

Isn't that what joy is? A warming of the soul?

Guess it is....

I want to make a vest for my next Santa. Can y'all help me with a vest pattern?

What I can gather is the easiest...cust the robe and do same just making it somewhat shorter...the desired length you like ...do not sew the back seam,instead put the open part in front..gather the two together...ie. back neck and front neck and it will look like a vest..

Shuggins, your snowman idea sounds great…..be sure and show us pic when you make him!!

Thanks all. Have had a lot of fun with Little Santa!

Betty, regarding the hair…..I purchased some additional before you posted the addy for yours. What I got was $9.99 for a 36” braid. Sounds like a good deal…..the quality is very good, and they shipped very quickly. My only issue is the braids are a tiny bit thinner than what you sent. Works fine for the Small Santa, but required that use extra to get the fullness needed for the larger one.

Love the Snowmen!! The Second one…..I loved his little slippers!!! I would love to do Snowmen in strictly Winter (not Christmas) attire as I like to keep my Snow People out through at least January…later if we have a particularly cold winter.

Debra, the little deer is one I made out of polymer clay….

Trishia, you made the deer? OMG! Does the talent never end?????

;0) I found a book on making realistic animals.......I need to find it again, it is buried in my work room somewhere....I have been looking ever since you mentioned the fox....I did have a cute little fox, and a River Otter and several others but they need repair......One of Laura's friends had a little boy with severe ADHD among other problems, he would stay over occasionally (his dad was single parent Military) and some of my figures suffered a bit from being played with by Aden.

Trisha!!!
How exciting! Love the mini Santas..LOL, you beat me to it too. was going to make
a smaller one myself, but i am wrapped up in the big ones..

Liz, Excellent job on the Purple Santa..

How neat you made the Deer too, wow cant wait to see what else you are making!

Betty, Love the snowman stocking.

Well, I ran out of faces from Betty so had to do something while I am waiting. This is a polymer clay mold I have that is about half the size of the small heads that Betty has. I also need to do some quick gifts that don't require as much fabric since my budget is about zero right now! Wait till you see what I'm making for Jim!! If it turns out I will post a pic here for you.

The crafty skills shown here are an amazing show of excellence. Kudos. Even with airbrush and extreme care I doubt I could catch up with what I see here. Thanks for the seasonal craft show. I'm for the time being boxed in with the grip but I sure am enjoying your shows.

Good morning, Doc! May I call you Doc? Thanks for dropping in and for the compliments. This is a talented group, for sure!

Hey, gals, docgipe is a professional doll doctor! (yes, I read your personal page)

Hey Doc, welcome to the group, glad to stopped by. We all had a lot of fun building these santas, and we could not have done it with out our gracious, and talented hostess, BettyPauze.
LK

Yes..........professional doll doctor but.............99% retired. The big deal was 20 years of teaching the art to others in four nations plus America. Things like restoring a broken hand blown hundred year old German glass eye then getting it back into a hundred year old head to work again. I have loved arts and crafts just about forever. ":)

That sound tedious, but very exciting at the same time. You must have really enjoyed your proffession, as well as the travels?
Linda Kay

Ooops I misinformed you a tad.......In all cases the internationals came here. I/we worked from our studios set up two in Pennsylvania, Va. Beach, Va., and the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. We moved the school around America. It would have been costly to ship the studio equipment and our motors would have had to have inverters to work in some international locations. Many of our chemicals would have been hard to ship if indeed we could have shipped them. Students from France, Germany, Mexico, Austrailia, Canada and most from American states came to us.

That sounds not only tedious but fascinating. You must be responsible for saving many an heirloom.

Welcome Doc...what a feeling of accomplishment you must get in restoring these antiques..yes I'm very proud of these girls who signed up and made 'treasures' beyond what I had anticipated they would do..very creative bunch of girls...

It will be hard to decide what our 3rd. Christmas workshop will be...but am sure I'll find something, something easy to ship..lol

Drop in anytime..

It's a blowing/snowy morning here..working from home, well not really working, here just incase so have my Santa Claus jacket cut out and am ready to sew...

My goodness, went out and bought tablecloths for all the tables in the craft room, yesterday we kind of did the old ones in..I started with a clean room and it's back to disaster time... how I can make a mess...

Trisha, with those 12 new faces, how many of them will become THIS year's gifts? guess it depends on how quickly you paint and your budget right...lol

Betty, I started painting last night. My niece and Her husband really want one, he asked about three times in the hour I was over there how he would go about ordering one.....couldn't tell him they will probably be getting one for Christmas.....as long as my fabric stash holds out!

Doc i wish you were close by and I had some money....I have the walking doll I got for my birthday in 1953. She was and is well loved....in pretty good shape except the body halves have been held together with a strip of masking tape for the past 30 years or so, and the band that held the arms in finally fell apart and are now standard rubber bands......someday I hope to get her properly repaired.

Faces take just a little longer than you would think don't they? I'm still in Santa's workshop..snowing/blowing and look mighty fine in these jammies of mine..thank goodness I've many pairs as I've been living in them..trying to decide if I want to go to town at 4:45 or not...would mean I'd have to get dressed...this working at home is amazing..

By later tonight I should have the santa suit finished...I'm up to here

My speciality in doll restoration began with those made into 1920 and back into the middle 1500's. We did not do clothing. That was all farmed out to gals like you who also knew the field of antique dolls. We would take an occasional stitch in time but that was it.

My mom does porcelain dolls, life size a lot of them..she's well over 20 of them..keeps talking about when her time comes I'm to take them...ooops did I forget to tell her I don't want little people sitting all over my house...best not tell her! lol

Those little people are only worth a fraction of what your mom thinks they are. Each one is special only to her because she made them. In the real world they are very hard to sell and rarely bring enough to cover materials cost. The only thing that changes this is if you have an estate auction and her friends bid each other up. As a dealer I never touched them for this reason. It broke my heart to know certain outlets improperly suggested they would increase in value. Around here they bring $25.00 to $50.00 if you are lucky. Sometimes they can not even sell them. Ladies would call looking to sell fifty or so to pay final arrangements for a deceased husband. It really bothered me at times like that. Sellers are still telling buyers that same ole lie.

Think that some of them cost her $400/$500 to make, know that sounds a lot but with the wig, clothing, glass eyes etc.etc. it doesn't take long...

If I do end up with them, pray I don't, I'll keep a few..with no girls in the family it's hard..all grandchildren are boys so would hard to distribute them..

The hardest thing is some are the size of 2 &3 year olds...

I can imagine you knowing the value (at least in the minds of those who created them, the work/the cost) not even to make enough to help that lady re funeral expenses...so sad!

Snowing heavily again, winter wonderland...I've got today to finish Santa Claus suit so best be off and get to work..lol

Four or five hundred bucks to make one and dress it is about average for a doll that size. This is a case of your mom having the bucks and a ball making the doll. If those are the aproximate facts I see nothing wrong there. It is more positive than spending an equal amount of bucks bowling, playing bingo and drinking. When we sold my mother's ceramic equipment and made objects we may have gotten ten cents on the dollar. My sister and I each have a piece or two for our memory lane.

Betty, those dolls sounds very nice. Do you have pictures of them?
My "granny" was a doll collector also. I know she probalby had more than 200 of the different handmade, and store bought china dolls. She had them all over the house in little wagons, or rockers... When she passed, her daughter, my Aunt, took them all. It is all in the sentimental value I guess.
LK

I've got one, a smaller one, next time I visit will take photo's for you...

Yes, that's her hobby..she just loves them..still goes to class..more for the firing discount than the actual lessons..it's the socializing aspect as well..

Betty, how is your Mom doing? Anymore affect from her problem, Was it a stroke?
How is your earaches doing?
LK

Well Betty, should you end up with them and are unable to sell them, there are potential gift items .......can they be turned into Mrs. Santas, or Angel dolls!?!?!?