Carnival Venezia ~ It's Party Time!!

The Christmas gifts have been unwrapped, eggnog has been consumed, *hiccup* and many of us will be eating ham sandwiches for days. So what's next? If you thought Valentine's Day, that's a nice enough holiday alright but might I suggest something a little less traditional and perhaps infinitely more fun? How about a masque paper doll ball.


February marks carnival season in countries around the world. From Venice to Rio to our very own New Orleans, you won't find a shortage of celebrations to occupy your time.


It is in the spirit of Carnival that I offer up the idea for my newest online tutorial called Carnival Venezia in which we will create a doll similar to what you see here. Further details about this tutorial are coming.


Think elaborate costumes, piles of plumage, yards of fabric, rich, dramatic colors and you will begin to have an idea about the visual feast that carnival offers. If you absolutely must do something to satisfy your inner Valentine's Day lover, why not adapt this exciting theme and use pinks as your color scheme. You could even turn her into the queen of hearts!

Christmas Dreams and Holiday Wishes

Sending warm holiday wishes to you and your loved ones. May all your Christmas dreams come true and may the coming new year be filled with wonderful surprises. Have a Merry Christmas from Mandy and me, with love.

Paper Craft Ideas: Let them eat cake!

"Let them eat cake," she said. Although Marie Antoinette never actually said that, what she meant was if you don't have what you are looking for, why not use a suitable substitute?



I needed an image of a cake for a Marie Antoinette paper doll I was making. I, an artist (dare I say it) went looking for a piece of clip art at Dreamstime in order to save myself some time. Oh, I can just hear the collective gasp now!



I was not able to find an image of a cake that I liked much less one I thought would work for my purposes so I set out to make one. The video will show you the process for making your own paper cake.


The story has a happy ending though. My paper cake turned out even more beautifully than I could have hoped to find someplace else and works most perfectly in my project. So, the moral of the story is that what you seek can not be found outside of you. believe in yourself and the universe will provide you what you need.

Paper Hair and Paper Dresses: Marie Antoinette Style

Marie Antoinette was well known for her extravagant dresses and her towering hair. This art doll creation pays tribute to a great lady with a divine paper dress fit for a queen and a stunning paper hair treatment.


Marie's dress is made of crepe paper that was embellished with ink pens and stamps to create an elegant, brocade pattern. The video below is a quick tutorial of the pattern making process used to make the dress.



Marie's hair may have been tall but we secretly admire and appreciate the artistic expression found in that glorious coiffure. She was rather restricted in many ways. If she were living in today's world, she might have rebelled by dying her hair purple and piercing her tongue. I think I like her way better.


This paper hair treatment gives a very unique look to this paper doll. Not only is paper hair fun to make but it is also very easy. Look for new tutorials on The Artful Paper Doll network that will not only cover this lovely technique but will show you how to make the entire doll! In the meantime, please enjoy.