Wednesday, October 3, 2012

My Very First ATC

I ought to explain that these aren't the ATCs I made.

I've already sent mine out to Susan
and I forgot to take photographs first.

These are the wonderful ATC cards
Susan made for me.

The theme?
Rabbits and Halloween!

These are the backs of the cards.
Look at the lovely papers.

  
And here are the cards in a pile.


The first card is very funny and a little wicked.
An Easter Rabbit, dispensing  all kinds of tricks and treats!



Then, a bunny in a witch's hat,
in Halloween colours of black and orange,


A pretty rabbit, on a dreamy teal background.



And, my absolute favourite, a 
bunny at a Halloween Ball.
Or is it a lady in a bunny mask?
Or a bunny in a bunny mask?


With the BOO! Banner and attendant raven,
she looks glamorous and mysterious.
Which is a pretty big deal 
for something small and fluffy like a rabbit.

Thank you so much for these, Susan.
I enjoyed the excitement and the 
thrill of being gifted someone's art work.
I can see why the ATC
 is such a big part of the art world.

I was particularly delighted by the
she's making from an papier mache deer.


I thought her
mysterious figure 
with the bunny face
was so inspiring,
I'm making a bunny doll with a mask. 



This is in Anita's Etsy Shop.
Isn't it sweet?

If you like Anita's stuff,
you'll love her blog over at
It's a very special kind of experience.

Meanwhile,
here is how far I've got 
with the Bunny at a Masked Ball.



And here is a random doll head I'm working on.


I used polystyrene (Styrofoam)
as a base for both of these, which means
(silly me)
I can't harden the paperclay in the oven.
So these might take a while.



33 comments:

  1. OOHHHH RHISSANNA!!!!!!!!!!! You know that I adore RABBITS; we have tons of them in our garden and in our CITY! And your vintage bunnies ready for the BOO HOUR are just sweet with their little wicked outfits! teehee

    OH MY! You are featuring my masked maiden.....how sweet of you! THANK YOU! I am sure you are aware of CELLUCLAY, right? I use it and it is a wonder. No baking, just WATER! I can sculpt what I need. I made my horse head with it and it is good to work with and dries over night.

    Your bunny is going to looks super! THank you for visiting my friend! Anita

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    1. Happy to link your lovely bunny at a Bal Masque. She's so cute!

      I'll have a look at Celluclay. I'm intrigued by the idea it can be diluted to whatever consistency you want. Thank you for the suggestion. (Love the little horse, too)

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  2. I see my dear Anita is here, and how sweet of you to feature her magical work Rhissanna.
    Oh I can't wait to see your bunny, and I love this doll head you are working on.
    Thanks so much for your sweet comment on Mother Goose. I wanted her neck and head to move so I made a wire armature for her... so happy you enjoyed.
    Wishing you a wonderful week my friend
    Penny

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    Replies
    1. It was a pleasure. I love Anita's stuff and the masked bunny is such a sweetheart.

      Your goose has so much character! Have you ever considered making your needle-felted figures into a little movie?

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  3. Hi Beverly-just thought I'd mention I use styrofoam in all my dolls and I dry them in the oven .Put them in at 60 degrees (I use paperclay).even if you put them in a hotter oven the styrofoam just shrinks or you can scrape it out when its dry.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Oooh! Really? I was worried there'd be fumes and that awful smell of burning plastic. As soon as I've worked out what 60 is in farenheit, I'll give it a try! Thank you!

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    2. What a clever idea to scrape out the styrofoam. I know they kind of do that with Ball Joint Doll parts. (Which I am scared to death to try a BJD!)
      I am learning all kinds of fun stuff from the comments to this post! Yay! Bev!

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    3. Isn't it, though. About a BJD?. You know we'll make one, someday. If you start one, I'll join you! If I start one, I'll chart my progress (and epic fails) here.

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  4. Hi Beverley!
    Oh my goodness those cards are so enchanting! And I love the same one you do best *winks*
    I also feel I've learned something because I had never heard of celluclay (Thanks Anita!) I can't wait to see your completed bunny! And I can't wait to try a little sculpting myself.....Hmmm I wonder if I could use this to repair the noses on my boudoir dolls? Any ideas?
    I'm so happy you stopped by my blog for a visit so I could find you! Vanna

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    1. Lovely to have you visit, Vanna and thank you so much for the follow!

      For small repairs on the boudoir doll lamp, the dent on her nose was so small, I actually built it up with a dab of acrylic paint. Just put on a tiny dab, let it dry hard, and then another dab until it was smooth. I've covered her wire cage and I've added a black taffeta petticoat. The silk skirt is ready to be hemmed, I'm just trying to gather the information I need to sew her bodice and poke bonnet. Your blog has been the best source of these dolls I've found. I'm really grateful!

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  5. You never fail to inspire and intrigue me!

    I also would worry about fumes, but maybe you can use a toaster oven at very low heat and use it on a porch?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's the nicest compliment ever!

      If I can get my toaster oven down that low, I'll give it a try. Patricia makes BJD from paperclay, so I'm guessing she's done this lots. I used to dry paperclay after the oven had been turned off, just using the residual heat, so it's worth a gamble.

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  6. Thank You so much for doing the ATC swap with me! I really enjoyed challenging myself with the bunny theme and Halloween. Not a usual combo, but maybe it is now! I love the unexpected, and pieces that make you think, so happy that you are inspired to create a magical masked bunny too! I can't wait to see it's completion:) I am certain is will be a masterpiece! Thanks for the shout out too! Anytime you are open for another swap, just let me know! I love swapping.. Hugs to you Xo ~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was my very first! Thank you so much for inviting me to take part in this swap. These are lovely ATC you made and they're going up on my studio wall (when I find the studio under the mess).

      And, as soon as I get some space, I'll be able to do some work on my Masquerade Rabbit. Thank you for showing the way.

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  7. Beverley THANK YOU sooo much for the link to the 18th century pouf tutorial!! That was EXACTLY what I was looking for!
    And I'm so happy that I could be of some help to you with my doll collection. You just let me know if there's anything you need to see in more detail. I can't wait to see the beauty you're restoring! I will definitely be trying the paint trick you mentioned. I have another wonderful doll coming to me that has the same ole chippy nose problem. I'll be sharing her and giving you credit if the nose restoration works *winks* Thanks again!Vanna

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad it was helpful! There's a lot of 18th century re-enactors out there and, thanks to the wonderful Internet and people's general niceness, they're happy to share tips and tricks.


      I'll be looking at your collection again to see if I can find a bodice I can copy. I need a Victorian look rather than an 18th C one for the lady who owns the Munzerlite. She's sent me an article, published way back in the 70's, by someone who did some restoration. I need to get it scanned and posted here.

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  8. Thank you so much for coming over to meet my little mice.
    I always fur my clay mice... It is a little time consuming but I enjoy the end result.
    A little moive of my needle felted animals? hmmmm.. That would be fun but I would need a video camera, which I no longer have. But it was a great idea.. Maybe someday.

    I can't wait to see these two completed.
    I will check back.
    fondly,
    Penny

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for popping over, Penny. I have to admit, I'm in awe of the time and care it must take to fur those little mice.

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  9. RHISSHANNA! You spy correctly over at my place; BUNNIES! Bunnies for Halloween, like you have here...(OH THESE ARE SOOOOOOO CUTE! That WITCH rabbit with the hat!) and I am having fun making those ornaments! Thank you for coming by; at least you got a view of part of my home, where bunnies abound!!!

    Much love and thank you again for the mention here!!! Anita

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    1. Any time, Anita. Anyone making the divine lapine can have all the coverage here they want.

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  10. Just when I thought bunnies were for Easter only, LOL. These are some neat cards, my favorites - Wild Rabbit with Full Moon and the one with the BOO banner.

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    1. I know! Aren't they lovely? Thank you for popping over, Sherry and yes, rabbits go with everything!

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  11. Oooo! I like the Rabbit and Halloween ATC's from Susan. And, you might try a hair dryer, not too close to dry the paperclay (I haven't tried it yet!) There's just something about bunnies, no matter what 'theme' you put them in they are adorable! And me too, I posted about Anita's wonderfully fabulous creations about a week ago.
    And thank you for coming over to my blog and your comment about seeing if Dollar Tree/Store has inexpensive frames! Great idea!
    The weather has changed and I love it!
    Teresa in California

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't it wonderful, cool winds and clouds and rain. It's like being back in England!

      The hairdryer sounds like a good idea, specially for small areas of paperclay I need to hurry up so I can get to the next thing!

      The Dollar tree had some big frames for certificates, but no wooden ones. But as its stuff always changes, I'll be back to look again.

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  12. Hi B!
    Thanks so much for stopping by! Yep I'm not going to try to repair that little dolls nose. I think she's sweet just as she is, but I do have another doll with more extensive rhinoplasty needed *winks* And I'm so happy you like my Diana! She's one of my favorites. I hope you're having a wonderful week! Vanna

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    1. I saw the photo. Yes, it does make her look rather winsome and the damage isn't too severe. It's always a gamble, deciding whether or not to restore, repair or refurbish.

      Oh yes, Diana does look wonderful and I think it's amazing she's kept her little crescent crown all this time.

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  13. Love your bunny witches. How original. Can't wait to see the sculpted bunny when it's done.

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    1. Thank you so much! Yes, I was thrilled to get the cards. Now I just need some free time to make the bunny.

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  14. The ATC cards are beautiful! The bunny and doll head are coming along really sweet.

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    1. Thank you, Dee! I thought you'd like the bunny cards. Bunnies are fine for Halloween, right?

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  15. Your cards are wonderful.The Bunny cards are just too darn cute,. I love card exchanges

    I love making cards and I use recycled cards & pretty paper and rhinestones and glitter and oh my lots of stuff
    however the last card exchange I was in locally didn't like my cards they only wanted Tim Holt type cards in their exchange Boo Hoo so I am out of that club LOL

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    1. Wow, really? What's the point of a card exchange if everyone's cards look the same and are made of the same stuff? You're better off without them!

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  16. What a doll you are Beverly for leaving such a sweet note.
    Happy you enjoyed the ballet!
    Can't wait to see this bunny in completion.
    Wishing you a wonderful week,
    fondly,
    Penny

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Thank you all for the wonderful and supportive things you say! I'm thrilled to read them and I reply to each one.