MY BROTHER'S BLOG: TROY HOWELL STUDIO

I have just added my brother, Troy Howell's blog link to my side bar. Artist extrodinaire, author of 'The Dragon of Cripple Creek'; children's book illustrator, American jacket cover illustrator for all of the 'Redwall' series by Brian Jacques of England.  Please enjoy my brother's blog. After you click his blog icon, on MY side bar, it will take you to his first page with a man in a leaf cocoon. As you enter his artistic world, it will take you to many places on my brother's site.  Please click on the word 'blog' on the second page. When you arrive on his blog page there are many options to view.  If you want to know more about 'The Dragon of Cripple Creek' on his right side bar click on that option too. If you want to see available artwork for sale from previous book jackets he has illustrated, please click on his 'trunk sale' option.  His book is available on Amazon books.com and I believe also on Kindle e-books. 
Enjoy~
Teresa in California

COMPARISONS OF MY FAVORITE TWO CLASSICICAL BOOK SERIES...'THE LORD OF THE RINGS' TRILOGY AND 'HARRY POTTER' SERIES

I have read and re-read both 'The Lord of the Rings' and the 'Harry Potter' series many times over.  And I began thinking there were a lot of comparisons in both classics.

I will begin with Frodo and Harry.  They were both orphans.  Frodo was raised by his Uncle Bilbo and Harry was raised by his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon.  Frodo was despised by the Sack-Ville Bagginses, and Harry was despised by the Dursleys.
Both Frodo and Harry were hunted by a Dark Lord.  Frodo was hunted by Sauron, and Harry was hunted by Lord Voldemort.   Both were called the Dark Lord.
Frodo had The Ring which connected him to the evil of the Dark Lord.  The Ring drew the Ring Wraiths  better know as the Nazguls who followed the whereabouts of The Ring.  Harry on the other hand had a scar left by Lord Voldemort which was a direct connection to the Dark Lord, as we all know it was a part of the Dark Lord's soul that resided in side of Harry.  It was an evil connection that Harry felt when the Dark Lord was feeling most evil or was committing an evil act.
There was Gandalf in 'The Lord of the Rings' and there was Dumbledore in 'Harry Potter'.  Both were very great wizards.  Gandalf protected Frodo and knew of Frodo's whereabouts due to the fact that Gandalf wore one of the elf rings Naria, which made a direct connection to The One Ring of power.  Dumbledore suspected that there was more to Harry's scar then met the eye, and he knew he had to protect Harry to help him survive the onslaught of the Dark Lord.'
Frodo had his companions from the shire to be with him on his journey and to sustain him in times of need.  But especially Samwise was his faithful companion to the end.  In Harry's case, he had Ron and Hermoine to help him figure out how to get rid of parts of Voldemort's soul which were hidden in horcruxes in various valuable treasures from the Dark Lord's wizard family, or from past Hogwart's founders.
Frodo had things to protect him from the Dark Lord or other hideous creatures who fought to kill him.  Frodo had the mithril coat that Bilbo had given him, he also has Sting, the sword to protect him, and he had Lady Galadriel's phial, a crystal light that kept evil and darkness away when Frodo was in dangerous places.
The sword of Goderic Griffindor came to Harry in the Chamber of Secrets to protect him along with Fawkes the Phoenix.  Harry's own wand protected him too, at times as it shared the same core as the Dark Lord's so Harry was not as easy to kill as Voldemort found out.  Harry, in the end, had the Deathly Hallows to protect him...the Resurrection Stone, The Elder Wand, and the Cloak of Invisibility.
Frodo could make himself invisible by wearing The One Ring but with much risk to his own safety as it would bring the Nazgul to him.  But it did hide him from Boromir when he sought to take the ring from Frodo.  Whereas, Harry had his invisibility cloak to protect him from danger at times.
The dementors could suck the soul out of a person, and a few times Harry was attacked by them, but escaped by his own daring.  Where as the Nazgul were drawn to Frodo and they too could have taken Frodo to an other worldly realm where Frodo could not have escaped the Dark Lord.
There were the eagles who came at Gandalf's call to help in time of need.  The thestrals in Harry Potter also helped the Order of the Phoenix help take Harry to safety.
Then there was Gollum, he was evil yet good, lured by the One Ring which he could not escape the agony of it's pull on him. Gollum 'came' with the ring of power.  Frodo had no choice but to grudgingly 'befriend' him. There was Dobby who helped Harry and Kreacher who despised Harry but was bound to him out of the death of Sirius Black...Harry 'inherited' Kreacher and as Frodo, Harry grudgingly 'befriended' him.  
Then there was Saurman, the great wizard who turned bad, but was enticed by the plantir which was a direct link to the Dark Lord and Sauman's mind was corrupted by deceit.  If not for that, he would have survived the Dark Lord's power over him.  Then you have Snape, who was by all means the most difficult character to figure out as he seemed to despise Harry with a hate/love relationship only because he had loved Lilly Evans who was Harry's mother.
That is not all of the comparisons I found, but that will do for a while.  Both book series are some of the greatest classics written of all time.  Founded on faith and trust, and the ultimate evil being finally overcome of good, with much risk of defeat or failure, but the stout hearts of Frodo and Harry won out in the end.


Thank you for reading my own synopsis of my favorite books.

PART OF MY DOLL COLLECTION FROM CURRENT ALTERED DOLL ARTISTS

I am parting with part of my doll collection.  IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ANY OF MY DOLLS PLEASE leave a comment below with your email address as for some reason my own email address is not allowing new email addresses to come to my email address.  THANK YOU! My love for one-of-a-kind dolls began in the spring of 2008, when I saw a photo of one of JoAnnA Pierotti's Bella Altered Art Dolls and her online class was available.  From there, I journeyed to Cloth and Clay Doll ning with Jane DesRosier to learn her paper clay over a cloth doll body technique.  I was totally hooked on that technique.  That began my love for what doll artists were creating and selling on E-bay, Etsy, and Doll Town.
 And other doll makers were found at Spooky Time Jingles, AHAG, and other primitive doll sites.

I have told other stories on previous posts if you want to know more of my wonderful experience with the doll makers and designers online.  Without much further ado, I am going to slowly show my doll collection, and I don't like to part with any of them, but the time has come.  Thank you so very much and enjoy the dolls!                        posted by Teresa

This doll was made by Deirdra Doan of Deirdra Doan's blogspot. The doll's name is The Lady of Del Mar.  She is made out of a cloth body and has a Creative Paper Clay face and torso with embellishments of a sea shell and other lovely items.

Here is another photo of The Lady of Del Mar in her finery with a tiny star fish as an embellishment. (The other sea shells behind her and next to her are not part of her accessories.)  She is about 17 inches from head to toes.

This is Abelia from Sarah Faber of Blackeyed Suzie's blog.  She is made from paper clay and is a Victorian Gothic style doll.   Sarah is a fabulous doll maker.  The doll is about 11 inches from head to toes.  She is a real charmer.

Here is a close up of Abelia's extraordinary facial features, exquisitely painted, and also her beautiful hair coff.

Brother and Sister nursey dolls from Cheryl Foster of PattyCake Primitives with paper clay heads and vintage style clothing.  The perfect addition to any primitive doll collection.  Cheryl was just highlighted in the latest PRIMS publication from Stampington.  These dolls are about 18 inches tall.  The details on their faces are so charming.    THIS BROTHER AND SISTER DOLL SET HAS BEEN SOLD.  THANK YOU! AND YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!  SMILES!!!!!

Alice in Wonderland by Abi Monroe of Oklahoma.  Abi's dolls are charmers and are perfection.  Alice has her own tea cup and has a key to the door to Wonderland.  (The flower and tea spoon were optional and do not come with the doll).

Another adorable Alice in Wonderland charmer with her bunny rabbit by Michelle Sylvia of Black Berry Briar. She stands on a pedestal with her stripped stockings showing through her tulle flounce and ruffled overskirt.  She stands about 9 inches tall.

Ah, yes!  The Queen of Hearts made by Catherine Darling in her Pure Art Studio, for the American Holiday Artists Challenge.  Don't you just love the exquisite face on this doll!  Quite a treasure to have.  The doll is about 18 inches tall, and the legs are cloth, whereas the hands, torso and head are made from paper mache.  I was so honored to have been able to purchase this amazing doll.

I will be posting more dolls in the near distant future.  Please enjoy viewing these.  And, as I indicated, I am offering these for sale, please inquire at: tscat@sbcglobal.net     ENJOY!   posted by Teresa

The Gals over at THE PRIMITIVE GATHERING are having a sale!

This is NOT one of the items they have on sale, this is actually a very vintage cat portrait that went up for a lot of money on an auction.  But you will find primitive style dolls, felted animals, and many artisans at The Primitive Gathering.

I just wanted to support some very creative artists who are at The Primitive Gathering at this time of year.
Please follow the link on my side bar of the cat to their link.  Have a lovely Holiday Season!
Teresa

MORE PHOTOS WHERE MY FRIEND LIVED IN FRANCE...

This sign indicates the city is a tourist city.

A while back I mentioned one of my close doll making friends, Denise Cangelosi had passed away in August 2011.  I was trying to find the photos of the village she lived in and finally found them. This is in honor of Denise and her love of handmade things and the simple life.

This is the village square where they have a farmers' market every Friday, and a festival once a year; there is a beauty parlour, two banks, a post office, two bakers, an English thrift shop, a superette, a tiny library, a couple of estate agents, and the lake has campside facilities.

Here is a lovely flower filled planter in the village square.

Usually the wood on buildings are painted aqua but this one is painted red and white.

Here is a cafe/bar where you can sit and gossip to your heart's content and sip your coffee in the wonderful French village.

A pastry shop has many delectible items to choose from.

Here is a street on one side of the village square which leads to a bourgeois house, which is almost a castle.

The roof on this house has an area that dips which looks like a 'cat slide'.

This is another view of the 'castle'

This is the door to the castle.

This is the lake in the village of Jugon where Denise lived.

A view of the stream that flows through the village.

A door of a house that faces the stream.

A lovely hotel to sit and drink something cool and eat a nice lunch.

The steps where Napoleon the III spoke to his people, being the nephew of Napoleon the I; and Charles de Gaulle also addressed his people some two hundred years later.

Here is the plaque memorializing Napoleon the III and Charles de Gaulle.

An interesting view of the steam that flows behind the houses where laundresses used to wash clothes.

And the sign that points to the village square and the other side that points to the next village...I hope you have enjoyed your armchair tour of Denise's sweet village.

Photos of Anne the Angel from the Bella Art Doll workshop in JoAnnA Pierotti's Moss Hill Studio Blog

 I thought some of  you would like to see more photos of Anne the Angel, the one I used for my profile photo. This is Anne the Angel which I made in JoAnnA Pierotti's Bella Art Doll workshop in the fall of 2008, in her online Moss Hill Studio blog.

The members of the workshop could use any type of embellishments for their dolls.  I chose mosaics for the base and vintage crocheted items for the hat and front and back wings. 

I glued a vintage button onto the crocheted piece on the back of the doll.

JoAnnA's online workshop showed videos of how to make the dolls.  She has several secrets to the success of making these stunning altered dolls.   I do have an interesting story to tell.  I had found JoAnnA's blog which can be found at :  http://www.mosshillblogs.com/    Anyway, I was unable to find her blog for another year!  And then I found the booklet Exhibition 36 which had two or three pages devoted to JoAnnA making this very doll and simple instructions on how to make it.   But I knew there had to be more to the making of the doll and the Moss Hill Studio blog site was listed in that publication, along with many other very talented altered artists works and instructions.  That is when I found out JoAnnA was giving an online workshop for the Bella Art Doll.  JoAnnA has other workshops to take such as her soldered embellished bottles.  You'll just have to take a look at her blog. She is always making something to sell in her Etsy shop or she also goes on location in various artists retreats to teach her altered art designs in person across the country. Enjoy!

Photos of the doll I made in Cloth and Clay doll ning in 2008

YES, SHE HAS A POUTY FRENCH LOOK TO HER.

YOU CAN CLICK ON THE CLOTH AND CLAY DOLL NING SITE BUTTON ON MY SIDEBAR FOR INFORMATION ON HOW TO JOIN JANE DES ROSIER'S DOLL CLASS.  ENJOY!!!

I enjoyed making this doll so much.  It was tedious work, first cutting out a cloth doll body, arms, legs, then stuffing very firmly.  Then using Creative Paper Clay to sculpt the three or four layers of clay for the face and sanding, and letting the layers of clay dry in between.  Then painting the face, hand, feet, and body.  And also making a very sweet dress for the doll.  The possibilities are endless as to how you can dress and make your doll look charming.  Many of the doll makers in Jane's class have gone on to having their dolls featured in Art Doll Quarterly and in PRIMS, two publications by Stampington, Inc.   Stampington has doll challenges for both publications where doll makers can submit their dolls for challenges and for normal submissions for dolls to be featured in their publications.  When making Jane's doll pattern, she has some secrets up her sleeve for making her dolls.  Her class can still be joined for $12 per year which includes all of the video tutorials, and extra doll making tutorials and doll making tips.  With your own page for posting your doll photos related to the site.  And other pages for discussion forums, and a forum for posting you blog name along with others who want to discuss and post their doll related sites.  It is just a great place to be!

I used the opportunity to make my doll over a three day weekend when my husband was on a trip, and I worked probably eight hours a day on my doll.  It was tedious work but richly rewarding.  I love this style of doll as it reminds me of a marionette.

It's Time For More Photos of Laurelwood...Our Victorian Home

This is the front walkway.

This is the right side of the house next to the master bedroom.

This is a view from the next door neighbors of the right front side showing the upper balcony door.  There used to be an outside staircase and we intend to replace it.

This is a view of the Widow's Peak and the left side iron work.

This is a photo of the left side door.  Beautiful woodwork indeed!

These are the double front doors.

This is a shot of the left side of the house.

This is in the very front lawn under massive oak trees.

This is a distance shot, showing the massive trees, the entire house and front grounds and the garage which is a masterpiece in itself.

This is a gazebo in the backyard.

This is a photo of the back door and back patio.

This isn't the most beautiful shot, but it shows the rose beds and part of the garage.

At the first part of the year we had an opportunity to purchase a house at foreclosure, and what a house it is!
I think these photos shows most of the outside of the house and grounds.  I will next time, post photos of the interior of the house.  And we are in the middle of remodeling the entire upstairs into three bedrooms.  There are approximately 23,000 bricks that were used in the making of the house and flower beds, and back patio.
ENJOY!

Photos from Paris, France from a friend

I had a very dear friend I had been corresponding with for the past two years and she would send me very special photos from France taken by herself, where she was living at the time.  She passed away on July 31st, 2011, her name was Denise Cangelosi.  She was a doll maker and would create fabulous soft-sculptured trolls and fairies.  I will miss her greatly.  She was in Cloth and Clay doll ning and some of the fantasy doll ning sites too.  These are her photos. Enjoy with remembrance of Denise.  Her former blog is: The Arrogant Frog and the Smug Beef which are evidently phrases known by Englishmen and Frenchmen and the ladies of course!