Monster High "Monster Secrets"

Making doll clothing in general is no easy task. Making clothing for American Girl dolls: not bad. Making them for Barbie: still not that difficult. Making clothing for Bratz dolls: hard. Making clothing for Monster High dolls: difficult.

They are very skinny, but their hips and butt sticks out. Chest area is quite small, especially on the Howleen! Ok, enough complaining! I wanted to start on a line of undergarments for them. Let's face it: i'm sure that we are all tired of seeing their unmentionables.

I started out like I normally do with all doll clothing. I used muslin, and draped the pattern. I do this, and adjust the pattern as needed until it is perfect. In the case of Rochelle's panty, I measured the elastic, and recorded each measurement. 

Draculaura's bra and panty set is a bit more complex. She is wearing a brief style panty. The bra is lightly stuffed and has velcro in the back. The front has ribbon ties with ribbon straps. The bra was so tiny that when I stitched one part on my machine, it went into the ditch. I ended up using more hand sewn elements, thus straining my eyes, lol. To finish the edge off, I used sating hem tape in black to match.

Next time, if I use the machine again, I will use a stabilizer and tear it off in order for the pieces not to get stuck "in the ditch".

I had fun doing the photo shoot. Product photos are normally a bit boring for me. But I have fun when it comes to taking pictures of my dolls, and fashion shots of my bows.

My First Monster High Face-Up

After looking at Monster High dolls from afar, I finally decided to purchase one. I love making dolls. In fact, I have a second shop where I sell handmade dolls. 

Before getting this Frankie Stein Skull Shores doll, I already knew that I wanted to do a face up with her. I had sketched out the design for a lovely zombie version of Marie Antoinette. 

The most difficult part was de-rooting the hair. On this doll version, there is glue on the inside of the scalp. It took plenty of scraping to remove the hair and glue. Removing her face paint, and body tattoos were a bit easier. I used pure acetone. Because it can be damaging to vinyl, I give the doll a wash down with soapy water. 

After painting her face using professional acrylics, pastels, watercolor pencils, and sealer- I made her a wig. When I blushed her body, I did not want it to look too dramatic, so it's in tones a gray and coral. I did want her skin to look as if there were hints of life.

The wig is made from Alpalca wool. I securely glued it to her head with a strong glue. The clothing was the fun part. I draped it. Honestly, the most difficult part was making the bloomers. I have made doll clothing, but never for a Monster High doll.

I kept her neck bolts because I actually wanted her to be an undead version of Marie Antoinette. I plan on making a series of her in the future. This was such a fun project. I am selling her in my shop here!

Vintage Inspired Owls

I love owls and not because they're still trendy. I actual have a thing for birds and reptiles. They're cool. They eat mice. They can twist their head all the way around. And I love their "hooting"!

I was inspired by dresses from the late 1800's early 1900's. They are so squishy and soft! I only have 2 available in my shop.

Blood Orange Marmalade Recipe

I know that it has been a while. I have had so much going on in my life. But I digress. I have started a new hobby and it is addictive! Canning, something that I started after I purchased a bag of blood oranges from Wal-mart of all places! I saw it, and I had to get it.

I used the traditional Ball brand glass jars, pint sized. I will say that investing in a funnel designed for the jars is a great idea...especially since I got a pint's worth of jam on the counter. I used 2 recipes plus my own variations to make it. 

In my version, I used blood oranges, Meyer lemons, and V8 mango splash juice blend. This recipe made 4 pint jars. This taste great with lamb and over salmon! Here is the original recipe here.

Featured On Care2.com

Wow, another surprise feature. It's boosting my confidence, that's for sure! I was checking out my traffic and stats as usual and noticed a considerable amount of traffic coming from the website care2.com. So I checked into it, and my gold button clutch made it in the 19 handmade clutches for fall list! 

Check me out and other handmade artists here.

Featured On The Front Page

It finally happened: I made it on the front page on Etsy! I didn't even know, I just decided to randomly check myself out on Craft Cult. I searched for my name, and BAM! A result actually showed up. I might not have made sales from it, but the traffic was nice.

Super Sale!!!

Hello everyone. I am having a cool sale because i'm featured on Paper N Stitch. You can get 20% off of everything in my Mienkintosh Fairie shop by using the coupon code : PAPER20.

Check me out here.