For the Little Girl in All of US!

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This one is for the little girl in all of US! 

I actually got to do some fun stuff in the craft/doll room this week. A doll club friend asked for some help setting up a 'Christmas Party' diorama for our holiday party.

The party was held at a local library (one I had nver been to,) so with a rough idea of how we might set something up and a bunch of questions and answers as to exactly what the theme was to be...it was settled a winter wonderland type formal party setting with a dance floor, band, photo op spot, and just some winter lusciousness.

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This was a temporary setup of how an acrylic lighted dance floor might look with  a backdrop of trees and lights.

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After the first run with the lights, I decided to really put them in a straight line...the haphazard look wasn't working. I coated the acrylic plastic with washable kids glue clear and then 'basically decoupaged some snowflake tissue on to it. It worked pretty well. I'm hoping I will be able to soak it off later. I may use it for a doll story. 

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My goal was to use as much stuff as I already had. I did purchase the tissue 2 packages at $1.47,. glue was like $2.76. I mounted the wood beams (painted silver acrylic) and double stick taped them to a piece of foam core. The measurements of the floor are 24" x 18".  The lights were plug in and began at the far end of the stage, you can see the stage footlights reflected on my backdrop.

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I had hoped the tables at the library would be as deep as my work table (30")

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I covered a hunk of  packaging styrofoam...the thick dense white stuff around fragile electronics. I covered this with my trusty matte silver poster board. I poked holes through the edge of the foam and inserted the lights up from bottom...roughly 1" apart.

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This is my old trusty mini stage from gosh my 2017 Halloween Bash...it looked rough...so I also covered this and made a similar footlight of the poster board. Everything was applied with double stick foam tape.

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Another necessity was to have some seating. Since it was too cold to spray paint all my dollar store chairs...I covered them with some tissue squares and tape. A sweet tie of ribbon across the back. Tables had a cohesive table cloth square and a simple tree for a centerpiece.

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I did not do this photp---it was an inspiration photo backdrop on Pinterest (real size). I could not find the original source, and it's been used a million times. My friend really liked the idea of a photo op-spot for the dolls everyone would bring to the meeting.

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I used the wall backdrops with trees and lights and my trusty cake pillars. These are actually the ones for the Grandview with all kinds of velcro which I utilized to stabilize the dome which is a baseball cap drying frame I've had for years. I did buy 4 sprigs of white berries for 1/2 price at $1.00 each. The glass balls I had on hand from past projects and the battery lights---two strings 

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This was a very popular spot for couple shots. 

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This couple was waiting their turn in the gazebo. 

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Stunning dress on this doll and he's pretty sharp, too.

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These girls were waiting for their turns...for Christmas cards for MOM. Custom dresses on an early Midge and a Handkerchief design on Barbie.

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Here's an over view of the bar area...left- where a group of characters showed up to party. Santa was first up to the modified 'Gloria' bar. The Ugly sweater crew showed up looking adorable!. 

The dance floor is to the right. Two more pillars support a rod with my mirror ball lights I've also had for years and never used but for the Billie Holiday Special last Spring. The 18" floor just fit with the snow and trees in front of the white backdrops.

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Everyone placed their dolls where they wanted to party---um this girl must have started very early and was definitely a 'bargirl' and carried her chair everywhere.

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To the left of the bar were a bunch of tables ...the Serious shoppers landed here.

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They also had theatre tickets for after the party.

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The more sedate crowd, Silkstone party girls, were all decked out and enjoying the ambiance.

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Custom dresses on the two on the right.

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Meanwhile the dance floor is hopping, and the band plays on.

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Great couples dressed  for serious partying.

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The entire event was video'd by our trusty photographer.

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Zara on the violin, Jin on the guitars, 

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Tres on Drums, while Sonnie is on Sax and clarinet. 

An Barbie Advent calendar doll enjoyed the song sets, too.

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Gregory is ready with the French horn and horns.

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And look who popped in to do some Holiday music...

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..."

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Ella backs him up...and oh, they sounded great. 

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"The weather outside is frightful...."

A couple of very vintage dolls enjoyed the great band vibes.

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The whole display went up in less than two hours, and down in 20 minutes with lots of help.

Four 5'tables 21" wide....and we made it work! A total of 20-feet of lit diorama filled with dolls! 

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I really should have snuck some Mistletoe in there...

who wouldn't love to KISS a guy in a pink tuxedo! 

Happy Holidays...a great time was had by ALL! 

Please Share your dolly holiday DIY's in the comments, links are fine if they aren't advertising!

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Wrapping Up the last Mather Class: It started with a CUP

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I had my last Mather class for Watercolor II yesterday.

Our project for two weeks was shading a cup...

The cup is round on top and squarish on the bottom.

I work too fast so I began other areas...l

I can't say enough about the Mather classes, if you are over 55 and interested in learning any kind of art or craft for free with patient teachers and students all the same age as you (and older) then the Free MATHER classes are for you. Check them out, HERE. 

Non-denominational, non-political...Mather is just for anyone. There are free craft supplies for specific classes for those who live in ILLNOIS. I have shared the Fabric one and the Printmaking one here in the past.

My black handle is actually Raw Umber/Indigo/Paynes Gray. 

Back to watercolor...while I think I have some skills, watercolor was always a ?????for me. I learned so many techniques, that I'm now comfortable trying anything. For me the problem was I always worked toooo fast and muddle-puddled my paintings. I've learned now to walk away...and let it dry in-between layers.

This painting was done on multi-media paper, 110#. Hence the fuzzing all over the picture. I may even try the same cup on several kinds of paper to show you the differences between types of Watercolor paper--which is a bit $$$.

Again, I say I work fast, so while everyone was working on their cup...I painted my whole desk scene and the window behind it...(very vague on the window)(...but that was the point.

Here is the actual scene...of course my eyesight line is higher...and there were two light sources, a tall lamp to the right and the outdoor light, which varied through the painting of this piece in roughly 3 sessions. I basically worked in two time-sets + the frisket adding, and then the final bit.

Much of the class emphasized, shading and shadows...Ruth the instructor encouraged us to tape off a strip of our paper to test colors. These basically are the colors I layered over others for shadow and light.

The beauty of having a space to do this in, I can leave it and walk in and add a layer, then walk away.

I also used Friskit...a rubber substance you paint to keep the paper white, or where you want to detail later. I used it on the rim of the cup, around the paint palettes holes, and the water bottles. It stuck really hard to the multi-media paper. I definitely won't use it on that paper again.

I know this is a mess, but they are labeled. I used those upper left colors for so much of my shading. And surprisingly my wood tones were with the warmer ornge shaed and raw umber and grays.

I used the greens, burnt umber (upper left)

I pretty much used this for the green in the upper right. These are my 'cheap' paints, but I do like the intensity and opacity of these for details or empasis.

My goal was to not add any fresh paint to my palettes, which was achieved. And it was very easy to mix and find the perfect shades with so much available. I was thinking I would clean my palettes, but then I painted another picture after this and still didn't have to add paint.

Here is a better example of Frisket on another piece.

I sketched out an entire page----with watercolor pencil very lightly. All the blue gray you see is dried Frisket on Water color paper #140 slightly rough.  I splattered the frisket for snow.  You can see the rough outline of the trees.

Here is the painting roughed in....and then I peeled all the frisket away to work on finishing trees, dogs, and the nemesis squirrel.

I'm noticing in these enlarged photos the dark specks are still frisket...I need to peel. 

The squirrel is the nemesis for the dogs...these dogs are the critters from MOSTLY DOGS the cartoons I share of my friends' daily animal experiences, sometimes more. 

You may even recognize them...

left to right...the Shenanigans Corgi, the Rescue pitbull/terrier/dachs mix, her Majesty Dachsund, and the lost boy Chihuahua mix rescue. She fostered him, and he came back a couple of times, seems he liked it with the pack and her better than adopters.

I signed this as it's a gift...

And titled it...animals teach you so many things...

My brushes will come out only a bit now...for some little gift tags...but who knows. I can't wait to start up in the New Year.

Hope you enjoyed my exploration into WaterColor II with Mather.

Anyone interested in my friends Cartoons they are hysterical!

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If you want a daily laugh....definitely enjoy

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 Sandi Magle

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 Sandi Magle