While I was on a roll with the conference theme, I created what I call the Moon Riders, acrobats on a cresent moon. The burgandy one was a custom order for a lady at work.

Prototype

This year the theme for the Enchanted Doll Artist Conference was Cirque de la Luna, or Circus of the Moon. This theme really spoke to me artistically and I had no trouble coming up with items for the theme. I didn't go for the traditional circus, rather I leaned towards a Cirque du Soleil slant. I designed a prototype for the table favor dolls last fall and took advantage of Michaels Thanksgiving sale to stock up on ribbons and picks to use on the dolls. Once we had the prototype, Lisa, Vicki & I started creating the dolls. We got together first to scuplt all of the moons for their bases. The next time we got together we created the little circus performers. Finally we took them home and finished them, adding all sorts of embellishments. They were voted first place at the conference for table favors! I really did love this theme and felt like it stretched and expanded my doll designs and creations. It was really fun coming up with the different poses for the performers.

With faces painted

Sculpted with air-dry clay

I created a 2nd centerpiece doll to donate. This doll had an unusual beginning. A couple of years ago my secret Santa at work gave me two big, red, plastic ornaments (I don't decorate anymore for Christmas & red is definately not one of my favorite colors). I always felt I could do something with them. At one time I thought I would do a puppet head with a hat - due to the shape of them.

As I mentioned earlier, the theme this year for our conference was Cirque de la Luna, so I made the face a moon, with a blue hat with stars and gave him a clown's ruffle collar. I created an acrobat clown to sit upon the hat.

I hand dyed, painted and stenciled the fabric for the acrobat's costume. (finally played around with the shiva paintsticks that I bought at the quilt show a couple of years ago.

Acrobat before dressing

Since I had two ornaments, I created two dolls, keeping one for myself. The ornaments were plastic soI had to use an air-dry clay to sculpt the moon face and hat, but I used Living Doll for the acrobat's face. I made the shoes from canes I had left over from Donna Kato's workshop.

Donated doll close up

My doll close up

Both dolls completed

I had the opportunity to try a new clay released by Polyform called Living Doll. I LOVE this clay. For me it performs perfectly for sculpting my art dolls. I created the face of this doll the first time I used the clay. I decided to finish her and donate her to the Enchanted Doll Artist Conference as a banquet centerpiece doll, which are auctioned off as fundraisers to help defray the expense of the conference. She became the Gypsy of the Moon.

A while back I took an online class from Cindee Moyer, Equestrienne. I did really well on the horse (or should I say relatively), but I never did get around to doing the doll that goes with the horse. The flower dancer doll (Cyndi Mahlstadt style) goes perfectly on the horse. This was the doll that I created when the gals came over in August after EDAC that I mentioned in an earlier post. I've really enjoyed this method of making dolls and have created several of them since the conference. The doll in the center (largest one with the skinny legs) is the one I created in Cyndi's class at EDAC. The one on the right I started the day the gals were here for our doll "play day". The one on the left I tried something a little different and painted her eyes open instead of closed.


Here are some more images of the flower dancer dolls I've made, including the whole gang & close ups of some of them.

Sorry it took my so long to update my post - I haven't had a chance since right before I went to EDAC at the end of July - here is the update from that trip -
After much anticipation, we were off to the Enchanted Doll Artist Conference. Mother Nature was conspiring against us & we had a horrendous storm hit very early that morning with torrential rains and tremendous lightening. Luckily for us, though it was a fast moving storm and did not delay our flight. It was an adventure meeting up and getting to the airport. Happy travelers waiting flight out of DFW at the airport.

One of the first activities after arriving at the conference was the opening night festivities which consisted of a Gypsy Tea Party in honor of our head gypsy, Pamela Aramas. We were all asked to dress in our best gypsy finery. We did the best we could considering we had to pack everything in one suitcase. We laughed about looking more like aging hippies than gypsies.

The shirts we wore were drawings that I did and we got together before the conference and each of us painted her own shirt and added glitter and rhinestone embellishments. What fun!

Another thing planned for the opening night was making wish wands and exchanging them. Earlier in the day Lisa saw some shoes that she absolutely loved (they were so much Lisa's style of shoe) and commented on them to the wearer. When it came time to do the wands, Lisa thought she would wish for Maria Teresa's shoes. Later in the evening when Lisa & I were doing our make-it-take-its, Maria Teresa came up to LIsa with a bag and told her that her wish had been granted. Maria Teresa GAVE Lisa her shoes! It became much talked-about the conference. Here are the infamous shoes on their new owner.

Our first class was with Cyndi Mahlstadt, shown here with her Jesters, which she is teaching in an online class (details on her site). I'm going to take that one as well. I love Cyndi's whimsical style and her teaching format.

The 2-day class the three of us took was her tree doll, which used an Altoid tin. Here is my doll after the 2nd day of class on the right. Lisa's doll is on the left - she finished hers after she got home. I love the crown she did for her doll. Vicki's doll is under mine on the right. She also finished hers once she got home. I'll have to see if I can't get finished pictures of both of them to show - they all turned out great.

One of the really fun activities at the conference is the pin doll swap. You create the number of pin dolls you want to swap (up to 5), wrap them and then turn them in for swapping in a bag. Your bag is returned to you at the swap event with the same number of pin dolls from other people. I've participated both years and have a board in my studio with all the great pin dolls I've received. Here are the three of us with our pin swap dolls.

We left one night open so we could enjoy some of the local cuisine. We decided to go

to El Pinto which had been a working hacienda and had been converted into a restaurant. The food was devine and the ambience was fabulous! I wish I had thought to take more pictures while we were there.

The final night festivities include the banquet, which was our orginal

reason for creating our "doll" shirts. While I took many more pictures than are featured here, in respect to the conference and the artists of the dolls, I have not posted them. I'm sure you'll be seeing some of them on the EDAC site or in art doll publications. This conference is one of the most enjoyable ones I've ever attended and we are looking forward to going back in 2010!
I almost forgot - I commisioned one of my friends, Michael Champion to create our Galz & Dollz logo. He did it in black & white and I colored it for our t-shirt transfers. It was created from pictures I gave him of the three of us. I used the individual images to create business cards for each of us and for our luggage tags. Vicki made us aprons with the logo on it as well.

Sneak Peak

Here is a sneak peak of the two tote bags I drew to donate for the Opportunity Table for the Enchanted Doll Artist Conference that I'm attending later this month. The first tote is a beige tote with a pocket. I used Prismacolor Permanent Markers on this tote. The second tote I did (because I had so much fun doing the first one) is done on a white canvas tote with Tsukineko Fabrico Markers. Both totes have been protected with ScotchGuard.

These totes with either be raffled or be silent auction items to raise funds for the conference. Doll artists can carry lots of doll making supplies in these colorful totes adorned with doll faces.

One of the ways EDAC keeps the cost of their conference down is by auctioning the table centerpiece dolls that are donated by attendees. Last year Lisa & I both created one. This year the theme is Magic and I created a Wizard, collaborating with Vicki. I sculpted the face, hands, feet and "carved" staff and Vicki created the clothes. Once she did the clothes, she passed him back to me to give him hair and put him on his base.