Elf Yourself Puppets Free Templates Patterns and Printable

One more post before Christmas. I did not plan this one but I wanted to do some "Elf Yourselves" with my grand kids. I looked for some free patterns but I did not find any really good ones, so I decided to make my own. I had so much fun making memories with my grandbabies! The three year old did need a little more help but he still had a blast! It is almost Christmas so tell your friends so they don't miss out of this fun activity with there little ones.

 

Aren't they cute!

I did not want to just print them to save on ink, these have so much color! I think the card stock looks better anyway. However we did print the hands, ears and faces. 

There are three full sheets to this set. The finished elf is about 20 inches tall. One sheet is the printable hands and ears and they should be printed on card stock. Then you will need to take a picture of your child and that should be printed on card stock as well. 

Then there are two sheets of patterns. Just print these on standard copy paper and use repositional glue to adhere them to colored card stock. Cut them out and peel off the patterns. To do the stockings, I just cut strips of red with my paper cutter, glued them across both legs and then trimmed the stripes off to the edge of the legs. We then added glitter glue to jazz them up! 

Feel free to pin the picture of the boys above but Get the pattern at my little etsy store! 

Enjoy!

My Table Top Mannequin and Bortree Corsets Paper Doll Free Printable

I really have a treat for you today :) I don't know if you have noticed but I always try to post something that goes along with what I am working on. Well I have been working on my studio. I had planned to make one big post with all my studio projects but things are taking a bit longer than I had hoped... so I thought I would just start posting some of my smaller projects.

I bought this mannequin bust on ebay but as you can see it is not quite my style. A redo was in order. I hated the thought of having to sew a new cover so I thought I would try painting it first. Because I did not want to loose the softness or texture of the fabric, I used some textile medium with my acrylic paint and gave it a whirl... it worked! I added a candle stick to the bottom and then had my son cut me a stencil that I took from one of my favorite paper dolls for the wording.

It now has a home on top of my favorite project so far.. but more of that later.

 

The paper doll that I took my inspiration from is an advertising paper doll for corsets made by Bortree manufacturing. I hope you love her as much as I do :)

Feel free to pin the thumb above but please do not pin the actual download. I would like everyone to stop by here to download it so they don't miss all my other fun free downloads

Serving Up Silver Platter Paper Dolls

Did you know you can have yourself made into a paper doll? I have not had these listed for some time but just decided I would list them again. These are dolls I did of some of my friends sometime back but I just made some new sheets that you can steampunk any paper dolls with so I used them. This is such a fun idea... Just because I used my paper dolls you really can use any paper dolls.

I just love tarnished silver and I have been looking for ways to merge my art with my decor! Anyway... every time I see a piece of old silver plate in one of the local resale stores... I just have to buy it! Since I don't have a lot of storage in my little house, I have started to just put it on the walls.

Recently I discovered that magnets will stick to some of them. You do have to be careful though, not all silver plate platters will accept magnets. It depends on what base metal they were made with so test them before you buy them. Here are a few ideas I have come up with to give them a little more pizzazz. I have use the magnets to attach old photos and papers, I have added magnetic hooks to hold my jewelry

Or how about hanging scarfs on those hooks!

 

 and now of course... I am dressing them up with paper dolls.

 

 

I just added some magnetic strips to the back of my dolls and instant steampunk decor! These are kinda a grown up version however this would be such a fun way to decorate a little girls room too.

I colored them with watercolor crayons and then added some printed graphics from some of my other collage sheets to steampunk them out. I also added some real gears, feathers and chain to give them an additional layer of interest.

Vintage French Pierrot Marionette Clown Puppet

I have been so crazy busy! I did do a couple new collage sheets for circus theme art and gosh the examples the ladies on the list made are extraordinary! I have also done a new vintage puppet sheet with this guy on it.... now available in my little etsy store.


 

 

The Count's Castle

I have been working on this for some time now. I actually started the graphic's for it last year. I had wanted to do it for Halloween but time flew by and I knew I was not going to make it. So I started a Nutcracker theater, thinking I would have time to get that done before the Christmas season. Well that did not happen...lol
 

So off season or no I tend to work on my holiday projects year round because as you know by now, if I don't then it doesn't get done :)) I am calling this one "The Counts Castle" but I do intend to make some completer sheets for it in the future. Then it can be dressed for "The princess and the pea, Sleeping Beauty (a friends idea) and yes of course Haunted Halloween! It also might be a fun place for Marie Antoinette and her court to live.For those of you who have purchased the digital kit from my little etsy store, I also wanted to do a quick rundown on how I made it. I started with an old jewelry box from the local thrift shop. Then I cut a hole in the top. I left this kinda big so that it would be easy for little hands to maneuver the puppets.
 

Then I covered the box with the brick paper also in the kit. My box measured 7 inches high and 10 wide so the background paper was longer than the interior wall. Instead of wallpapering it to the back and bending it around the corners, I bowed it and just glued it in along the sides. I loved how it gave it a real theater feel.
 

I did the puppets, facade and the towers as I always do. I printed them on brochure paper but you can also use a light weight photo paper. Then I used spray glue to attach it to a medium weight matte board. You can purchase medium weight matt board at your local office supply store or just use the light weight gift boxes you get at the dollar store. Cut all the pieces out and sand the edges with a emery board..the heavy ones for artificial nails.
 

I curled the towers up and attached them to the sides. You can make them more pliable by pressing it against the corner edge of a table, in a sawing motion move the tower from side to side and it will start to curl, then go ahead and roll it into a tube. This way you will not get any wrinkles or bends in the matt board. Be sure to use a marker on the edges of all you pieces too. That way no one will see cut cardboard on the edges. If you do it right, it will be hard to tell it from a die cut image.

I have used some little wire puppet stands for display I used the picture from My Gotcher theater so you can see what the stands look like. Wands for "The show" and stands for display :) Don't forget to put a tab on the back of your doll to hook your wand to.

 

One World One Heart 2011

It's Here!!!
Every year I have such a wonderful time hopping from blog to blog, seeing all the amazing artwork and signing up for all the wonderful goodies being given away.

If you click on the link above it will take you to the list of participants so you too can have an amazing blogtastic adventure and meet some amazing artists!

But Wait!
First leave a post so you can be entered into my drawing!

 

 

 

I am offering my Music Hall Theater!
This little theater was designed from a famous Stage Curtain that was hand painted by Philip Goatcher in the early 1900's. I have created graphics to give it the dimension that the painting depicts and I have added even more dimension by layering the same graphics onto chipboard and creating layers of the architectural details. I have also added the "Music Hall" marque and some of my favorite little musician images. The little tree is not included...lol

To make sure you are in the drawing, leave a post with a way to contact you if you win!
You do not need to have a blog nor be a participant of the OWOH event to win!
Please post a comment only once, all comments will count as one entry. I will draw the name of the winner on February 16, 2011 and I will post the winners name here.
I also hope you find the time to browse my blog, learn a little bit about who I am and see my artwork :)



And the winner is!
Marlynn over at Honeysuckle Breeze

Congratulations Marlynn ... now just email me your shipping info and I will get it sent :)

Halloween Jester.... eeeeeek!

Here is my Jester for the current Gothic Arches challenge.

I used one of the jester puppets that I offer at my little etsy store. The back has the cover from "Witches Dance" and a bit of torn sheet music.

Don't miss my last post for Blog Candy too! I am offering a memento's ink pad and a surprise package!

OMGosh OMGosh ... Check out the goodies I got in the mail!!!!!

It was pretty late last night when my son came in with my mail and I was pretty tired so this is an awful picture of me :] However I just had to take a picture and show off the goodies that Lisa from CobwebPlace sent me. Check out her blog ...she is an amazing artist! ... and OMGosh ...this scarf is soooo me! but that was not all...she also sent me one of her "First Ladies". The paper doll is from my "Rose Berlin" digital paper doll but Lisa dressed her up with feathers, ribbons and German glass glitters... I hardly recognize her so fancied up! ...and the scarf is made from hand died silk, antique bobbin lace and luscious velvet. I can not even begin to tell you how yummy it feels around my neck! I really feel I came out on the better end of this art exchange! The art I did for her was digital, nothing you can touch and experience the thrill of the feel :))

Thank you Lisa! I can not tell you how much I appreciate all the time and thought you put into this!

For The Love Of Theater

I have been under the weather so I have not done much of anything but sleep. As I was looking thought my pictures I realized that I had not blogged this. I think I had planned on saving it because I am working on a new free workshop for little theaters and some of the pictures taken during the construction of this one will be use. But I decided to share it because I have also finished another little theater I can share when I get the workshop finished.

 

This on was also done from a reclaimed drawer out of an old jewelry box. I used my dremel to expand the hole into a slot where the nob was. That way the little puppet can be lowered through the slot and the little handle can be used to make her dance.

 

Step by step instruction will be posted as soon as I can get up and around enough to finish writing them :)

Diva Dolls

I know I have been a little quite but I have been busy working on a fun project for the local stamping club I attend...Designing Diva's. This month it was my turn to present the project. I had seen these little Victorian paper dolls and decided it would be such a fun project for valentines day.... then I thought if we were going to do dolls they should have our faces! So I got to work making a personalized paper doll for each one of us ... but only some are represented here.

What a fun evening we had! but really I was giggling all week as I designed each doll. I could hardly wait for last night so I could reveal "the girls" It was so worth the wait though as each doll was revealed to the giggles and squeals of our Diva's The lighting was not great but they all turned out so cute

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UPDATE
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Now you can be a real doll too! ... available in my etsy store!