The 3 Gifts of Doll No. 3

Doll No. 3 of 5 in the TADS series was mailed to Utah yesterday after much fussing over what her first message would be. My journal entry for Doll No. 3 changed 3 times before I finally settled on a theme. What a spirited girl she is to have been so indecisive. They say the third time is the charm so I shall call her my charmed doll and here is her story for this entry.


While enjoying a perfectly luxurious morning sipping mint tea on the veranda, a butterfly landed on my shoulder. She was soon joined by two other delicate creatures, one that landed on my tea cup and one that tried to land on my eyelashes but after reconsidering the possibilities, settled for a nearby rose instead. They had come to awaken me to the knowledge of my own personal power within, something I have always intuitively known but had simply forgotten along the way.


We chatted for hours and when it was time for them to go, they each left me with a gift which can each be found in the elements on this page.


The first gift is this seed packet in which to place all of my dreams to be nurtured and grown with plenty of wild imaginings because today's dreams will become my reality tomorrow.


The second, an eternally blooming garden of delicate fuchsias to remind me to always reach for positive thoughts for it is only through my constant connection to my higher self that all things are possible.


The last gift was this miniature collection of paper butterflies so that I would always be reminded of the first two gifts and know that I can fly.


For more information about the TADS project or to sign up, please visit the sidebar to the left.

Doll No. 2 Finds Love in the City of Love

Doll No. 2 visited Pennsylvania this past week where artist Victoria O'Neill added her flair before sending our girl on to the UK to have a visit overseas. Be sure to check out her blog for more on the story.

"I kept her in Paris and created a sparkly butterfly dress, hat, and shoes for her. I wrote a story about her search for love, printed it, then glued it right on the pages since no one can read my handwriting including myself. The background was done with markers."

"Paris is the city for lovers,
so the next task at hand is to find one.
I donned my sparkly butterfly dress,
hat and shoes and headed out the door.
I received many whistles, cat calls
and even a bottom pinch here and there
as I strutted through the city.
I came upon an elaborate entrance
to a garden path
and was enticed into a colorful meadow.
I tossed my shoes off
and began to run, skip and dance,
spinning and spinning and spinning
until I lost my balance
and fell headlong
into the suprised,
and suprisingly delightful, arms
of the most beautiful Monsieur I'd ever seen."

"After finishing playing with the doll, I took off her clothes, made a little hanger for her dress and a box to tuck her hat into. (Her shoes are glued on the pages) I placed her carefully back into her envelope/journal. Now she goes back into the box she arrived here in, and heads out over the ocean to an artist in England for another adventure."

Where in the World is Doll No. 2?

After a brief but very enchanting visit to Paris for a birthday shopping spree, our girl is now en route to Pennsylvania.



When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother, what will I be?
Will I be pretty? Will I be rich?
Here's what she said to me.



The technique used in the title page is the same faux silk technique used in the first journal. With this technique, stamped, and crumpled tissue paper is glued on to the blue background. The wash painted on first and then lightly salted to give the crystal effects. Happily this one doesn't make me think of wall decor at the Overlook Hotel. Remember the Shining? Yeah, nuff said there but you can see what I'm talking about here.


I actually did not know what I wanted to use as the theme for my page. I started by writing a short journal entry and the page practically created iteslf! My inspiration was the fact that I had just created a human form that was literally naked! Well, birthday and naked turned into a shopping spree in Paris and a page was born!


Scroll down to the next entry for photos of the journal page and entry.

Doll No. 2 ~ Birthday Shopping Spree in Paris

Dear Diary,

It's happy birthday to me today and I haven't got a thing to wear! Well, being the sophisticated, uptown girl that I am I suppose this calls for a shopping spree right?


The only question is where? I do so love Rodeo Drive or will it be Milan? New York? Then again Spring is the perfect season for Paris boutiques and intimate cafes. *sigh*


No wish is too great and I am worthy of all the goodness this life has to offer. I think I'll fly to Paris on a golden ray of sunshine. Oh, the sweet romance of it all intoxicates me so as I await the soft kiss of transformation into the butterfly. I might even be back by dawn but don't count on it! ~ Kitty

TADS Needs Your Help to Spread the Word

The Traveling "paper" Art Doll Symposium (TADS) needs your help in spreading the word and creating an awareness about this magical and exciting project. Below is one of, perhaps a few, blog buttons created especially for helping you do just that.

Step 1: Click the image

Step 2: Copy the code located in the scrolling box

Step 3: Paste it into your website or blog. If you are on blogger simply add a new HTML/Java Script gadget, paste the code in the box and save.

Don't know what TADS is yet? You can visit any of the links in the sidebar to the left for information about the project like what it is and how to sign up. You can also track the progress of the dolls that have been sent out.

Happy Mother's Day!

Lollishops tweeted the other day on Twitter about wishing all the new moms a Happy Mother's Day. Could there possibly be a more joyous Mother's Day in the whole world than the very first one? How very beautiful. In the spirit of that sentiment it is with my whole heart that I wish all of you, and especially the new moms, a very happy Mother's Day.

TADS: Where in the World is Doll No. 1?

The Traveling "paper" Art Doll Symposium (TADS) has mailed doll number 1. North Dakota, all eyes are on you! This doll has my face on it and as mentioned in an earlier post, she will be the only doll that does.


A paper pouch with acetate window and ribbon closure was created and adhered to the cover of a journal in order to keep the two together and also keep the doll protected. I think it looks positively divine! Look for a video coming soon on how I created this.


Whoa! Double take! Scuse me but didn't I see this background covering the walls of a room in the Overlook Hotel? *insert nervous laugh* For some reason all I can think about when I see this page is the movie "The Shining."

This is actually a technique I learned from a Stampin' Up demonstration called faux silk. It is really quite a nice technique and one I plan to demo for my students. I can do that now because I am an official Stampin' Up demonstrator but more on that another time.



When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother what will I be?
Will I be pretty? Will I be rich?
Here's what she said to me.

I feel like I do when I'm about to go on one of my cruises. There's excitement about what is to come but also a litte sadness about leaving the familiar behind for awhile and getting out of my routine. It's as if I intuitively know that somehow deep inside I'll come back forever changed by the experience, if only just a little. I always do!

So, here I am, naked and alone about to make friends with the world as they lovingly add their creative expression to my paper form. Like the lonely child it is here on these pages I take my first steps away from fear and into the known.

xoxo
~Kitty Kellie

TADS Official List (Traveling paper Art Doll Symposium)

For more on what TADS is please visit the "What is TADS?" post.


I thought of an acronym for the Traveling Paper Art Doll Symposium ~ TADS. How perfect is this? It could also have been PADS or even T-PADS but my female mind went directly to what I most often associate with PADS and it just wasn't sexy so I decided against it. Now this is getting fun! I can't wait to start seeing #TADS as a trending topic on twitter but enough of that for now. (hee hee ;-) I'll leave you with some photos of my latest commission as you browse the rest of this post. This should give you an idea or two as to just how artful you can get with a simple paper doll.


Since this project will be open to all artists whether you choose to sign up for my network or not (although I hope you will reconsider that), the "official" participant list will be kept here as well as on the Artful Paper Doll Ning network and updated regularly. If you are not part of my network, I will need a way to contact you for mailing purposes so be sure you either provide your e-mail address with your comment or provide it to me privately. If you are comfortable providing a last name, this is also helpful. No additional information is required from you at this time.


Doll 1 will have my photo on it and will be the only one that does. It will be my opportunity for a little bit of immortality captured in the medium I love most ~ paper.

OFFICIAL LIST:
(NN means you joined as a member of my network)

1. Anita V - NN
2. Amanda H - NN
3. Kellie L - NN
4. Tristan - NN
5. Debbie - NN
(Here are my first five who will each receive a doll and journal to start on her way)

The next five will add to one of the dolls above so participants 1 - 5 will mail your dolls in the same order to participants 6 - 10. (i.e. 1 will mail to 6, 2 will mail to 7 etc.) You will want to contact the person you are mailing to directly in order to protect the privacy of the mailing addresses. If you do not know who to mail to you can contact me.

6. Gail F - NN
7. Victoria O - NN
8. Brinda - NN
9. Barb in CA - NN
10. Renee T - NN

11. Brittany - NN
12. KeKe - NN
13. Tammie D - NN
14. Julia R - NN
15. Kim - NN

16. Ann D - NN
17. Victoria (Puyallup) - NN
18. Margaret F - NN
19. Becky S - NN
20. Juanita M - NN

21. Amy F - NN
22. Heather M - NN
23. Gloria C - NN
24. Karen M - NN
25. Kathy Owen - NN

26. Connie - I (Hawaii)
27. Ginger T - NN
28. Samantha - NN
29. Susan D - NN
30. Kristin L - NN

31. Marie W - Dolls by Marie Antoinette
32. Laura G (Vermont)
33. Lori Shatz - NN
34. Lori Ann Merrill - NN
35. Brinda - NN (2nd time hostess)

36. Kitty Kellie

Do not fret, instructions for what to do will come with the journal. Some of you will make your contributions quickly and some may need extra time. That's okay, pass her on when you have finished even if you finish the same day you receive her. I ask that you keep the doll no longer than a week or so. I know everyone leads busy lives so even if you just choose to gaze upon my beauty . . . I mean her beauty for a week that's fine, just pass her along when the week is up. The participants are eagerly awaiting the chance to add their artistic expression to this project too so please be considerate.


Lastly, I am deeply grateful and appreciative for this opportunity and for all of your enthusiasm and support. This project would be nothing without you.

Traveling Paper Art Doll Symposium

During my recent travels through the virtual jungle I came across a project called 1000 journals. Below is an exert from an Amazon.com review of the book by Danusha Goska.

Someguy began the "1000 Journals" project in San Francisco. He purchased 1000 blank journals and sent them around the world. He gave them to friends and left them in coffee shops, book stores, and libraries -- and even on park benches. People wrote in them, drew sketches, painted pictures, glued-in photos, and then passed them on. Instructions inside the cover ask that each contributor scan his/her pages and email them to Someguy for posting on the website.

I let this fantastic and magical idea swirl around in the creative nebula of my mind for awhile, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to bring it forward and incorporate it into a project of my own. In the spirit of this concept, it is with much enthusiasm and excitement that I announce the Traveling Paper Art Doll Symposium.


I will be sending out unfinished paper dolls beginning May 4th to participating members of my ning network The Artful Paper Doll along with a journal in which to document both her creation and her travels. Participants will be instructed to add 1 thing only to the doll along with a journal entry or they can create a journal entry only. I will ask that entries and doll additions be digitally photographed or scanned and sent to me so that I can follow her progress on my blog. Once the journal is full, the last participant will be instructed to mail it back. My hope is to create a true, collaborative art doll diary unmatched by any single effort.


If you are interested in this please leave a comment here or join me on The Artful Paper Doll Ning network and I will add you to my list. If a participant does not know who to send the doll to next, they can contact me and I will match you up with someone from my list here.

Happy May Day!

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Artful Elite will not be posting an interview for the month of May. We hope you have enjoyed the interviews so far and look forward with eager anticipation to June's featured artist. Thank you for your support.


In the meantime, I found this lovely little treasure on my latest trip to the craft store. The ideas began spinning almost upon first sight. I have a yummy plan for this beauty which will include, of all things, a fairy!


My Spring project is actually a home improvement project which includes remodeling a room in my condo to become the craft space of my dreams. You know, hard wood floors, lots of airy storage, yellow and blue paint, and white furniture. This will be everything the cottage charmed studio should be. I have been gathering storage boxes, jars and pretty things with which to decorate and organize the space. I will share sneak peeks along the way. Happy May Day!

Cheers! =D
~Kitty Kellie