Sunday, February 6, 2011

Dolls in the Works!

Mung is born!

Here is little Mung in the works. Her face is made from Premo clay, using one of Kimberly Crick's fabulous molds (which I have a lot of, many fabulous dolls to come). After it was baked, I painted the face with acrylic paints, and sealed it with DuraClear Satin Varnish

Then I made her body, which has a three-sided triangle shape. The head and neck are one piece, attached to the body at the top of the shoulder. She is stuffed with polyfil, a cedar wood ball, and a handful of mung beans (from which she gets her name), and which give her a little weight, so that when you pick her up you then can't resist bouncing her in your palm a few times.

She's 11 inches tall from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, though she much prefers to sit than stand. She sports a white and gold necktie, and of course, as all my female dolls celebrate their femininity, she has very special boobs made of handmade turquoise and white clay buttons that I discovered in my Grandmother's button jar. (Doesn't everyone have a jar filled with the buttons Granny saved? If not, then you must be the Granny and start one for your grandchildren!) There's something wonderfully fun about searching through and sorting old buttons, wondering what the garments looked like that they were attached to and how many good times were had in them : )

Gammy's Buttons (and marbles too!)
After I made Mung's face, head, and body (which took about 20 hours) I created some legs for her out of a gorgeous floral fabric. Her little feet are extensions of her legs, which will have the same soft velvety teal fabric that makes up her body for the bottoms of her shoes. She will most likely have some beading on them as well. 

I'm still working on her hair, which is created of several rows of seed beads, finished with fancy Jasper end beads. 
Mung's fabulous hair
The Jasper beads are gorgeous, and lend her the qualities of "nurturing, tranquility, and wholeness," according to The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall, 2004, Godsfield Press. Judy records that "Jasper facilitates shamanic journeys and dream recall. It provides protection and grounds energies and the body. It absorbs negative energy and cleanses and aligns the chakras and aura. Jasper balances yin and yang and and aligns the physical, emotional, and mental bodies with the etheric realm. It clears electromagnetic and environmental pollution, including radiation and dowsing. Psychologically, Jasper imparts determination to all pursuits. It brings the courage to get to grips with problems assertively, and encourages honesty with yourself. It supports during necessary conflict." Jasper comes in many colors, and Mung incorporates many of them. Check out Judy's book for more info on Jasper.

Mung will soon be finished, as will other dolls which I'll have available on my Etsy site, Dreamkeeper Creations. These dolls can be set in your environment, simply imparting their glorious energies, or you can actively work with them in meditation to lend strength and guidance and special energies to your journeys.

Mung has flirty legs : )
Here is another doll I'm making - which is inspired by the legends of the Green Man, who symbolizes rebirth. This doll will have beading around the face, and a gorgeous fringe across the bottom, stay tuned for updates on progress.
Green Man Doll in the making...
Now I'm off to get some more work done on these dolls! Thanks for visiting - all comments welcome : )

Namaste