Serenity's arms cried out for a baby to hold. The challenges was finding the best material to make the baby from. After a few experiments, I decided felting would be the best choice. I allows the baby to hold onto Serenity without being too heavy or ridged.














I had planned to write on this page after it was painted, but I found it calming so left it as is.

This is a song I used to sing to my third daughter when I was pregnant with her. I found myself humming it while felting the baby so it seemed appropriate to include in the journal.

The song is called "In This Heart" and is sung by Sinead O'Connor.

These pages were created with paint, a glue mixture, and tissue paper.

Serenity came to me with empty arms but was otherwise so complete and lovely that I couldn't add something just to add it. Then it occurred to me that I have never felt so serene as I did after nursing my baby to sleep. The look on the doll's face showed the peace of a mother whose body is flooded by oxytocin and whose heart was full of gentleness and love.

Once the baby was in her arms, I thought perhaps the deepest serenity was feeling safely cradled in mother's arms. All needs met, all love received, sleeping in perfect bliss.

Whether you imagine yourself cradling the babe, or being cradled, I hope these two will bring you some of the serenity they are enjoying.

The scalloped edge reads-

"Breathe....out....in....out....in...out....in....

Raisa's Journal

I decided that the journal spread needed to look old, since Raisa is from the 20's (that's the 1920's). Almost as if it's a letter that got to close to a fire, and one over which many tears have been shed, causing discoloration of the paper. As I stated in my previous post, Raisa is mourning her Johnnie, sitting, staring out the window at the birds.

The first page has music and a bird and starts out "Dearest Johnnie"

"My heart is lost without you. I sit and weep. Music has no meaning for me anymore. I hear the birds outside my window and long for your smile. How long can this go on?".

The journal pages are collaged pieces of paper, vintage sheet music and calendar images with a broken heart partially hidden by the bird. They are colored with fluid acrylics and the writing is done with a China pencil.

Onoma going home - part two

Above is the first page of the journal... the quote is from Marcel Proust and reads "When nothing else subsists from the past, after the people are dead, after the things are broken and scattered, the smell and taste of things remain poised a long time, like souls, bearing resiliently, on tiny and almost impalpable drops of their essence, the immense edifice of memory."

 Page Two

Page Three

Page Four

Onoma is ready to go home!

Arlee's doll Onoma was quite a challenge to know what to add.  Being the last person to work on a doll sometimes is a bit difficult because everyone else has done a great job already.  He/She had wide shoulders to begin with so I decided to emphasize that and added even more width, along with the 'dangles'...

Next I added some further decoration to the waist area...

And finally, Onoma saw these in my stash and absolutely HAD to have them insisting that they must have been lost the last time he/she visited earth.  Who was I to argue?

The next post will show the journal pages I added...

Lady Sebastian's mysterious journal

I found this picture of a cat lady from the right era of Lady Sebastian, and I swear she looks just like Talitha!

There is definitely some kind of conspiracy going on to prevent Lady Sebastian from tracking down her father and the Lost Temple of Sekhmet. I'm convinced that the month she lost, apparently spent in the temple, is amnesia from post hypnotic suggestion.

She continues to search and find artifacts and fabric swatches along the way. Meanwhile her journal definitely looks like it has been unearthed by someone years later.

I believe I know how Lady S's story ends...it involves fulfilling the prophecy at the temple.

Raisa's Heart

Raisa arrived at my house heart broken. Her Johnny dead, her parents keeping her from him in his last days. She decided that she had no reason left to live. As time went on, the sharpness of her grief faded. She was pulled from her deep depression by the birds outside her window. Watching the pair of robins with their eggs, the hatchlings, the care with which the parents nurtured their young, absorbed Raisa. It is too early for hope and joy, but perhaps, life holds something undiscovered for Raisa. She has locked her heart in a box, but maybe there exists someone who can unlock her hopes and dreams again.

Raisa needed a heart, so I made one out of red satin, covered with lace. I stuffed and beaded it and stitched to the inside of her box.

I used the same lace to make a collar for Raisa. I also attached some metallic trim under the lace of her ruffle and attached it with beads.

Here she is, in all of her mournful glory.

Here's the full inside of her box.

Her head on Talitha's quilt with her lace collar.

I also gave her hands, attached to her arms with beads.

I added long geaded trim to the underside of her tutu.

I have her journal to finish up, but couldn't wait to post pictures of her.

Audacity on her way home

Audacity---a boldness

This doll is certainly holding up to her name.

Audacity came to me with so much,

after being with so many artists,

that it was difficult to know what to do.

I began to think of Atlantis and her origins.

Queen Audacity is strong,

comes from a strong woman (Gail),

and needs more of the power of what comes from the ocean...

the starfish wisdom,

the pearl trident,

and the abalone power.

For added beauty she received some hair embellishments of

 sari ribbon and sari yarn

 to match her face and crown.

The starfish covers her heart and represents regeneration,

moon magic, beauty, and tidal movement.

Abalone shells are revered by ancient tribes as magical gifts from the sea. 

They stimulate fertility of ind and body, improving self-image and physical power.

She has a shell on her back for protection.

Does Atlantis exist?  Some think it does.

Mermaids and Mermen (the merfolk) were once warriors

and Queen Audacity still holds the power of the pearl trident.

Are we decendents of the people of Atlantis?

So many unknowns...

I also added a turquoise disc earring,

a sharktooth embellishment,

eyelashes to the octopus base, and

green eyelash yarn to her hair and

another pearl to a shell on her coral reef.

                                                                                   

    Audacity returns home soon.

Enjoyed working on Audacity.

Enjoy her Gail!

Yvonne