Casual English Dolls

     There are some things I know and some things I don't know, all in relation to productivity. Before I had my studio space I thought that I was likely going to be able to be more productive if/when I had a dedicated space. At the time, I had nothing to back that up, but it was what I thought. Now that I actually have the dedicated space it has proven to be true. Last night, around 8:00, I decided I wanted to cut out some doll clothes. So I did. Then I felt like sewing them. So I did. The sewing machine was already out and plugged in. I had moved it onto the floor to put my laptop on the desk for the live studio session, but it was not hard to put it back up. So I worked for a bit, later in the evening, because I felt like it. I also had had a horrendously bad day where so many issues cropped up with non-doll things that I was frustrated with how much time I felt like I had wasted. 

     After a couple of hours I had not only cut out and sewn a couple of outfits but also started dressing the dolls. I got pretty far and my mood was very much improved. It also kept me in a good mood knowing I didn't have to clean anything up. I just left everything where it was on the desk, turned the light off, and left the room. It felt good. 

    So then today, I was feeling lazy and tired and actually ended up taking a nap mid-morning. Eventually though I got the urge to go and do a bit more work on the dolls. I started on the boots for both of the ladies, and then took this funny photo that went on Instagram. Sometimes you just need to be silly. And I need to remind myself to send this cowboy off to the Mares in Black for the Resin Renaissance show. But it's July 4th and the post office is not open today. I can wait until tomorrow. 

    I decided to watch a couple of episodes of Outlander and hair heads, but then it was back to the studio to paint faces. And to paint the boot bottoms. I usually use a black Prismacolor marker (I mentioned this during the live studio time) but mine is running out and doesn't make things very black anymore. Paint seemed like a better option. And, since everything is so easy to get to, it was not a big deal to take out the paint and get all of this done. 

    After that I put together a couple of removable helmets to match the dolls and got some more photos. 

     And just like that, I finished a couple of dolls. I started them last night and completed them today. Nothing was stressful, I feel like I was super productive, and I am really pleased about it. 

     So now I know for sure, having the studio is making me more productive. What I don't know is if it will last. I imagine it will go in waves. Sometimes I am very motivated to work. Sometimes I am not. I am really glad that I am currently as motivated as I am. I go back to work tomorrow and I won't have quite as much free time in the day. But the summer program is only a few hours a day, only 4 days a week, and only for 5 weeks. It will still give me all afternoon to work on dolls. Or all afternoon to go out and play and all evening to work on dolls. Whatever I feel like doing. 

     Both dolls are now sold.

Trying New Things

       I love trying new things. Sometimes they turn out really great and sometimes they don't. And while I can, and do, very easily fall into routines (that some might call ruts) I do enjoy new things and new experiences. Yesterday, I had a spontaneous live studio day. This (bad) photo was taken in my studio, after the live portion of things, when it had started to get sort of hot. I need to adjust some things in the construction of the room to make it more comfortable when it is not of a moderate temperature outside. Anyway, I grabbed my laptop and went live. Then I worked on a couple of dolls and chatted with people. I worked sort of slowly, because I was watching the chat for messages, and I basically talked and told stories, prompted by what people were saying in the chat, or questions people asked. It was a fun, different way to work. I will likely be doing more live studio days at some point. Though I have promised to give some forewarning so people can know to join in. I need some feedback though. Are evenings best during the week? Weekends? What days and times work for people? I will basically also do whatever works for me, but I would love to know how I can do this so people who want to join in have the opportunity. 

     Another new, fun thing I have been trying, is different "Viking" hairstyles. They look the most interesting when my hair is multicolored and bright, which currently it is quite faded, but they are fun. They are also usually "up" without actually being up. Which is something else I enjoy. Most of the tutorials I have found are fairly simple, but still a bit challenging to do on myself. But it used to take me 45 minutes to put in my contacts and I don't need that much time anymore. I am sure these fun styles will get a lot easier with practice. 

          I have some dolls available for sale. A couple of them were finished before and the hunt seat dolls were finished yesterday, mostly during the live studio time. Prices do not include shipping, which is $10 to US addresses for up to 3 dolls. Overseas is more and please contact me for a quote. If you are interested in a doll please email me at fieldofdolls@gmail.com. 

non-blingy Western pleasure doll. Price reduced $220

Casual western doll in purple. Has a removable hat. $220

Bendy neck hunt seat doll with black coat $240

Bendy neck hunt seat doll with navy coat. $240

It’s Nice To Be Right

     It's nice to be right. I always figured that if I had a dedicated studio space I would be able to be more productive. Or it would be easier to be more productive, which is sort of the same thing. And I was right. The other day I decided I was going to put some bendy necks onto some bodies that have been prepped for weeks. And I was going to paint some faces and then why not also paint the gloves? I have always painted the gloves off of the dolls for some reason. But I wasn't actually planning on finishing the dolls when I started the painting parts, so there wasn't any reason that I could see that I shouldn't paint the gloves right on the dolls. So I did. 

    Then I got wildly out of control and I pulled out the fabric I needed to make the 2 hunt seat outfits for the dolls I was working on. And the craziness continued when I took the cover off the sewing machine and got the sewing done. It really was super convenient and easy. I had everything I needed right there, it was all easy to get to, and I got a lot of work done in a relatively short amount of time. Then, I pulled out all of my merit awards that I found when I started poking through the boxes in my workshop and I got those hung up. Because I can. And I earned them. 

     So the doll work happened on Wednesday and I totally meant to finish the dolls on Thursday, but I signed up for the Breyerfest virtual 5K, like an idiot, and figured I should take my horribly sore body out to the woods to at least hike. So I did. And I did run a small bit, but mostly just to more easily get up some of the steeper hills. I enjoyed my hike... and that was the end of the good part of the day up until late in the evening. 

      When I got back from my hike I had to start adulting, hardcore. I had to deal with the health insurance, then I had a phone appointment with social security for Travis, which turned into we had to go into the office, and in total I spent over 2 hours with dealing with social security. Then we had to go and get Elecktra and bring her to pick up her glasses, which is not close, so that was another big chunk of time. At the end of it I was super sick of sitting, driving, and adulting. So I read a book and a friend came to visit for a bit. So I had a good start and a good end to the day, but no doll work. But there is no reason I can't just pop in the studio whenever I feel like it, and get a bit more done. I might just do that after I wash the dishes. 

In Training… Again

     I did it again. I signed up for the Breyerfest virtual 5K. Which means I have signed up for another 5K that I haven't properly trained for. I was sort of trained for the Desforges Challenge, though definitely not totally since that also consisted of a bunch of (watered down) marine obstacles. I did make it through that, with better time than last year, but I have been busy with so many other things the past couple of months I haven't done any hiking or running pretty much since the Desforges Challenge, which was at the end of April. So I have a couple of weeks to get ready for the Breyerfest 5K. Lol, this is a bad idea! But I am going to give it a try anyway. Which means getting started. 

     So I went to the LHS track yesterday. It was not a nice looking day, parts of the track were wet (and slippery) and it was super humid. Kind of like running in Kentucky in July I would imagine. As always, I had no plan to run the entire time. So I stretched, did a warm up lap walking, which got progressively faster, and then I did intervals of running. And it often felt like I was running through mud. Back to that I see. *sigh* I did it to myself. 

* 

    But I met my goal, I did a bit over a mile, and I didn't feel light headed or nauseous, no shin splints, so I'd call that a win. I also seem to have misplaced my wireless headphones, which is a huge pain to not have those while running. That will need to be remedied soon. Prime says by 10:00pm today. 

     My Fitbit says I had an average page of an 18 minute mile. Which is pretty sad considering I can walk a 15 minute mile. But I guess my sprints were slow and my recovery walks were even slower than normal. But no shin splints. I live to fight another day. 

     My Fitbit also says I did a little over a mile, but it was also more than was registered on here. I did a full lap before I turned on the run feature. I didn't want my warm up to count towards my time. Not that my time was all that good anyway. But I did it. And then I came home and did some sit-ups. That is actually a goal for the Desforge's Challenge for next year. If I start now, with just as many as I can do (7 is how many I could do yesterday) then by next year, at the end of April, I should be able to do however many are needed for the challenge. I will do some more today. Since I already have sore abs maybe it will be less than 7. Maybe more. I won't know until I do it. 

     I am likely not going to run today, but I am going to go out for a hike in the woods. Maybe I will run a bit, some of the trails are incredibly inviting for running. But I will at least get out and stretch all my walking muscles. I have done an insane amount of walking and lifting in the past several weeks, but now I will focus on the idea of building up my running endurance. Again. And maybe this time I won't lose it. Will I be ready for the Breyerfest 5K? If by ready we mean, will I be able to run all those miles without stopping, then the answer is not a chance. I am a sprinter, not an endurance runner. If by ready we mean can I be fit enough to be able to get my average mile down to under 15 minutes, then the answer is maybe. I have done stranger things in my life. 

Studio Day

     Yesterday, I did a blog post, revealing my new studio. I also finally did some work in the studio, instead of just peaking in and smiling about it. The very first thing I did was pull out bits and pieces of dolls I started over a month ago, but didn't have time to finish. 

    The second thing I did was to notice that the purple shirt had a very large separation in the side of it. In my old studio, aka the box top on my lap in my bedroom, I would have put this shirt aside because it was just too much work to go drag out the machine, get it all set up, for one small seam. In my new studio I took the cover off the machine, which was already set up and plugged in, and I sewed the seam. Miraculous! Then I moved on with my life. 

     Every once in a while, I would look up at my horses. Just right there, on the shelves that I hung. They are perfectly level, in case anyone was wondering. 

     I made a good amount of progress on these two casual dolls and then decided I wanted a bit of a change of scenery. So I came out to the computer and wrong yesterday's post. I left the dolls, and everything else, right where it was. No one cared. Nothing was in anyone's way. It was nice. 

    When I finished the post I went back in and got some more details done on the dolls. Clearly, something was still missing...

     I wanted a bit of a change, so I took my box of doll hair and a couple of heads and went to sit on the couch and watch Doctor Who. And I haired a couple of heads. And it was nice. I went back into the studio and grabbed down the paint box, which was conveniently in reach and didn't have to be dug out of anything, and I painted the two faces. Easy. Everything was in reach, and half the time I didn't even have to get out of my chair. It was wonderful. 

    And in the end I very efficiently finished these two casual dolls. I did have a head start since both bodies were already prepped and the clothes were already sewn, but still, I finished 2 casual dolls in a day. And it wasn't overly hard and I didn't stress about it at all. It was nice. 

    So then I went digging to see what else I had hiding out, and it turns out I actually have several dolls all finished and ready to go. I stole the hat off the small cowboy, so currently, he is hatless, though he is for sale $250, the western pleasure lady next to him is $240, The casual lady in either the purple or the blue shirt are $220 each, and the non-blingy western pleasure rider on the end of $240. Shipping is extra. 

    Speaking of extras, I did find some other things while I was hunting around. I have two cross country kits, one in lime green and one in red. They are $38 each. I have removable helmets (Yvonne sized) in lime green, dark green, and black. $15 each. And I have a saddle bag stuff set for $15

     I can't promise I will be posting regularly now, but things are a lot less crazy for me, so maybe. I might not had a lot to talk about. But I may have lots of dolls to post, so who knows. I can promise I will try to post more often. If anyone is interesting in purchasing any of the dolls or accessories I have here please send me an email to fieldofdolls@gmail.com. 

The New Field of Dolls Studio

     It's been 3 weeks since I have done a post. I have been insanely busy and I just haven't had the time. What have I been doing in that time? Moving. Unpacking things. Assembling furniture. Cleaning things. And setting up the new Field of Dolls Studio. 

    I have never actually had a dedicated studio space before. It's cool and a little bit overwhelming. I can, in theory, leave projects out if I need to go and do something else (I am currently taking a break to write this post!) I have my models out on display, right where I can see them. Did I mention how nice it is to have things organized into different boxes, with labels, so (again, in theory) everything is easy to find? People who have always had a dedicated space might not understand these feelings of awe I have. People who have not had a dedicated space, and then got one, likely know these feelings I am experiencing. I can find things without digging for them. I don't have to move things out of the way so people can eat, or sleep (because I worked at my kitchen table, or sitting on my bed). I have a feeling that I have the potential to be more productive now. We'll see how that goes. 

     I have done almost nothing in the studio yet, other than set it up and move things around a little bit. But I like to look at it. I like to peak my head in the door and see MY STUDIO. It makes me smile. It also makes me wonder where my Field of Dolls Studio sign is... I need to go searching. 

     This is a completely acceptable stack of things that doesn't look unpacked. The bottom tote is ultra suede, stuffing (not usually for horse projects), and fleece. The flatter tote above that has things like boxes for mystery boxes and tissue paper. The pink and white bag is my emergency backup sewing machine. Long-time readers know that my Husqvarna machine is my preferred machine. But when it's in the shop, which has happened twice, I need a backup. And my super cheap Singer is the winner of that honor. The stack got slightly larger since this photo, I added a bag of Breyers I have for sale (or mean to have for sale, I have no idea if they all are listed anywhere or not). But it is an acceptable stack and doesn't offend me. 

     I posted a photo of the storage drawers on Instagram and Facebook last week sometime. The bottom two drawers are full of doll bodies. I *may* have a few. The top drawer ended up getting filled with stretchy fabric, specialty fabrics and I don't even remember what else is in there. But I actually took this photo to highlight my unicorn wastebasket. I was going to get just a plain black one, and then I saw the unicorn one. Clearly, I needed this one in my life. And it was less than half the price of plain black!

     So after the longest break I have ever taken from doll making, I am finally ready to get back to work. I'm behind on Mares in Black and have that on. I did get a start on a couple of casual western dolls this morning. I had them started from before, so it was a pretty easy thing to jump back into. I can hopefully finish them by the end of today. And since I don't have to go back to work until July 5th, I can potentially crank out a bunch of dolls this week. But Summer school is only 3 and a half hours a day, 4 days a week, for 5 weeks. That will still give me lots of time to play around work in my new studio. I am ready to get back to creating!

What is this?

 

     Any guesses on what this is? This is the future home of Field of Dolls Studio! It is currently a huge mess and not ready for use, or proper viewing, but it is coming soon. I am hoping this will allow me to be much more productive than I have been able to be recently. I still have a huge amount of work to do to get everything situated, but I know I have not posted in a while. I am still here! Just super insanely busy at the moment. I will have some updates, and dolls, soon. Though I do still have some items for sale on MH$P and I think I have one doll left (I would have to check). I know I have the short cowboy for sure. Oh, two! I also have the western pleasure doll, in blue, that I finished last week. This lady right here:

     But for now, I wanted to let you know that I was still around, just crazy busy. I will be back soon and will have new dolls to offer! Thanks for sticking around!