Valentine's Day is Just Around the Corner

Did you ever notice how the specialty days and holidays all seem to merge together, rather like a string without end. This year I saw Halloween candy, Thanksgiving Pilgrims and Xmas trees all displayed at the same time. There's no time to breathe in between times.

Which brings me to my latest artwork -- Valentine's Day Paper Dolls!! Just when you thought it was safe to grow up and be an adult, a new hobby comes along. I designed these two ladies - one adult known as Lady Valentine and one a young adult known as Little Val (about 60% the size of the larger one) for a local scrapbooking store as a prototype. I will be teaching a class -- perhaps a mother/daughter class as well. And VD is only 7 weeks away. Thus, the earliness of this creation. (click on the pictures for a larger view)

These were lots of fun to make, although I had to keep trimming the adult's heart body near the shoulders as she was really looking like a fullback there for awhile.

Paper Dolls are on their way to new homes

I so enjoyed creating these paper dolls, that I decided to send off some to my 2 sisters, a niece and selected friends as surprise holiday greetings. A total of 16 dolls are headed to new homes and should arrive there next week. Some of these dolls are already pictured on this blog in earlier postings; if you are interested go in search of them. I'll add a few more to this post. (Click on picture for a larger view.)

I had a good time making these dolls and picking out just the right one for each recipient. I hope the recipients enjoy having them as much as I did making them. You never know with this kind of thing -- one person's vision of art is not necessarily anyone else's view.

Due to the density of the doll's decorations, I couldn't risk sending them in a normal or even padded envelope, but had to use small boxes instead. This became an opportunity to use up all those small boxes I'd been saving from Amazon.com book shipments. So each doll left here in her own bed of tissue in a rewrapped Amazon.com book box. If you'd been passing through Grants Pass around 10:00 pm the other evening, you could have seen me lugging 16 of these little boxes into a well-lit, but silent (and empty) post office to use the self-mailing package shipping kiosk. My life is one big adventure after another.

My Niece, Alexis

Alexis' paper doll has been finished and shipped off in a Xmas package to her. She's 22 and still finding her own path as she stumbles through the briars and brambles of life. In a few weeks she's off to a new job and a return to college. I have great hope for this bright and lovely young woman. Go forth and make a difference Alexis.

(Click on the picture for a 'really big view'.)