The Magic Bean

Soul Whisperer Online Class Starts this Friday

My Soul Whisperer class starts this Friday on Joggles.  Click here for more info on the class and to sign up.

This is the class for you if you ever wanted to learn:

- how to draw and colour a beautiful black face

- how to create a body with an interesting gusseted shape, including face with a gusseted chin

- how to create amazing shoes out of polymer clay

- how to embellish with crystals, microbeads and pressed clay faces

- how to create a tiny shrine

- how to make an easy stool for your doll

- how to do a beaded picot edging

- and so much more

I love this doll, she really does speak to the soul. 

Teaching Finders Keepers at Blue Haze in Chesham, Bucks

Finders Keepers class at Blue Haze in Chesham, Bucks UK

Friday 5th & Saturday 6th February 2010
10am to 4pm
Class Fee - £100 for a 2 day course

This little imp is a bit of thief! She just can’t help stealing stuff from humans. With a pen clutched in her tail and her pockets stuffed full, she also carries some pilfered booty on her back in her upturned hands. Finders Keepers hands are perfect for holding your business cards, recipe cards or a treasured photo.

This class covers drawing and sculpting a face as well as wiring and shaping a simple mitten hand. Finders Keepers’ body is then created with a wire armature that is wrapped to create a realistic body shape. Those students wishing for a more relaxing and simple class can keep the body proportions of their doll to the standard of the 13” sample doll, while students seeking more of a challenge can alter the body proportions of their doll to suit.

The methods learnt in this class are invaluable as the same method of body construction can be adapted to use with any doll head and hands, including cloth or clay.

Please note, that there is a small amount of “homework” to be done before the class – just sewing up the head and hands so we can begin the class with face drawing and sculpting and get that part done right away. Also be prepared that unless you are a super speedy doll maker it is unlikely that you will complete the entire doll in class but you will be given complete instructions for every little detail of this doll, so you can keep to your own pace and enjoy the class.

Bookings are now being taken, (non-refundable deposit of £25)
Bookings must be paid for by 15th January 2010.
Contact Hazel Hopkinson
at Blue Haze Arts & Crafts
2 Church Street, Market Square, Chesham, Buckinghamshire, HP5 1HT
Telephone - 01494 782030  Fax - 01494 782060  Email - info@blue-haze.co.uk
Opening Hours - Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm
ALL NEW WEBSITE - www.blue-haze.co.uk

You can even sign up for this class online by clicking here.

This doll is not available as a pattern - she is a class doll only.  Don't miss out.

My Second Mom

I have not one, but two fabulous mums/moms.  Rose Gibbons is my second mom and when I visit America she takes good care of me.  She cooks me good food and talks away with me and lets me play dolls all day.  She even invites over lots of friends for me to play with.

Here are the lovely ladies who came to play, from left to right, back row:  my second mom Rose, Sue, Mary Ann (of Doll Makers Journey fame), Doris, Lee, Carol, Right to left, front row:  Celia, Joanne, Marguerite and moi.

These ladies are fabulous doll makers and tons of fun.  Sue impressed us all with the dolls she had made from my Gather ye Rosebuds pattern after the last class I taught at Rose's too.  I had so much fun, I can't wait to go back to Rose's again.

Mmm good

It's been almost a month now since I was at MM&M (Magic Mischief and Mayhem) the fabulous doll conference run by Annie Hesse in Kentucky.  I had such a great time.  I met loads of people that I've know via this blog or e-mail and had never met in person before.  I was privileged to take classes from Arley Berryhill, Allison Marano and Pam Grose.  I was lucky to teach an evening class of my Pinelope pin cushion doll to a great group of ladies.  And I learned a lot.

I learned that Arley Berryhill and I have a lot in common - we both worked in theatre costuming and so I found myself agreeing with him a lot.

I learned that Allison Marano is extremely funny as well as a fabulous teacher and can translate Mexican menus very well.

I learned that Annie Hesse can organise one fun event with a group of fabulous people.

I learned that Pam Grose never seems to stop being a genius.

I learned that you can be a pyromaniac and burn fabric right when it's on the doll.

I learned that doll makers are so generous it hurts.

I learned that doll makers can make you laugh so hard it hurts.

I learned that the talent and inspiration that you are exposed to at these types of events is without price.

Thank you to all my MM&M friends and Annie for bringing us all together.

 

Soul Whisperer is Murmuring Again

I'm teaching my doll Soul Whisperer on Joggles starting November 13th, 2009.  This is a doll that I get asked about a lot, so you've twisted my arm, I'm teaching her again.  Click here to read more about the class and to sign up.

Can't get enough

When:  Saturday September 19th and Sunday September 20th

Who:  Me,  a bunch of awesome women and some cloth dolls

Where:  Rose Gibbon's studio in New Windsor Maryland

What:  My doll Finders Keepers

How:  I'm not sure how this happened as I was just teaching at Rose's at the end of June, but I find myself going back to teach already.   

It's going to be great.  We are going to be learning how to draw and sculpt a face as well as wiring and shaping a simple mitten hand.  Then we'll create a wire armature that is wrapped to create a realistic body shape.    For those people who want to just chill and relax they can keep the body proportions of their doll to the standard of the 13” sample doll, while students seeking more of a challenge can alter the body proportions of their doll to suit. 

I'm really excited to see what people do with the skills they learn in this course because the methods learned in this class can be adapted to use with any doll head and hands, including cloth or clay.

Just look at what one of my students from the June class did with what she learned in the Gather Ye Rosebuds class.

This is Sue:

 

This is the doll Sue made in class:

 

OK, so that is supremely awesome.  Then Sue makes this doll with the Gather Ye Rosebuds pattern as a base:

 

Then, because Sue is very creative and brilliant, she used my head pattern for a Bendi Doll Challenge for her doll club.  She tucked the original head of the Bendi doll inside of the body creating more of a chest.   She then re-wired and added more stuffing by wrapping batting around the doll.  She used a different hand pattern and Gather Ye Rosebud's head.

 

Yup, Sue is brilliant and these are the ladies I get to hang out with.  Want to hang out too?  If you want to be part of the class at Rose's then e-mail Rose at truefriend21776@yahoo.com.

I'm sorry if you don't live anywhere near Maryland and you totally want to come play.  Bummer.  But you could always get your doll club or a bunch of people together and have a class.  Read more about the classes I teach and download supply lists and my contract and snazzy things like that here.

Have dolls, will travel.

Bea is About to Begin

I'm teaching Bea in her Bonnet on Doll Street starting tomorrow.  Click here to read more about the class and to sign up.  She's a honey, you don't want to miss her!

Tales from a Cloth Doll Class

I think every wasp in England has congregated in my tiny flat.  They are having a insect insurrection in my very living room.  I think it is a conspiracy to keep me from writing on my blog.  I'm sure that's it.  It couldn't be the jet lag that is preventing me from concentrating - it's definitely the wasps.  Definitely.

But I shall prevail. 

I have just returned from North America where I visiting my family and where I was teaching Gather Ye Rosebuds at Rose Gibbon's in Maryland.

 

There's the lovely Rose on the right and moi on the left.

What a pleasure it was to teach this fabulous bunch of ladies, from left back row:  Bunny, Toni, Sue, Rose, front row from left me, Sharon, Nancy Jo and Annie.

 

And I tell ya it was hard work.  I had to make dolls for two days.  And talk to ladies who liked dolls for two days.  I had to laugh for two days.  Boy this teaching malarkey is tough - hem, hem... did that sound remotely convincing?

 

Nancy Jo and Annie Hesse

 

Sue

 

Bunny and Sharon

 

I had so much fun that I am going back.  Well, I'm blaming Annie for that - Annie runs Magic, Mischief and Mayhem (MM&M), a doll making conference, and seduced me with the most fantastic line up of teachers ever.  So I'm getting back on a jet plane in September to fly to Kentucky to attend the conference. 

I will also be teaching a mini-class one evening at MM&M.  I'll be making Pinelope my pin cushion doll.  The class will be able to create the original Pinelope with her funky ear flap hat, scarf, thimble-tote and Converse running shoes. 

Alternatively, I'll be offering Bath Time Pinelope, created especially for MM&M, which features Pinelope in a shower cap, towel and fuzzy bunny slippers (pictures to follow shortly).  This mini-class will focus on drawing one of two expressions for Pinelope’s face as well as putting the details together on this cute, but useful doll.  I can't wait.

I don't know if there are any spaces left at the conference, but if you e-mail Annie Hesse a anniedolls@roadrunner.com you might just be able to find out.

As I'll be in the States again in September, I will be teaching once again with Rose, although date and particulars are not finalised.  I'll let you know.

If you or your club is interested in having me come to teach during that time, please e-mail me about what classes I offer at colleenbabcock@uwclub.net .  Then I'll have tosuffer through more fun filled doll making days with a bunch of great people.  Life is tough.  Tee hee.

Bea in her Bonnet is Back

I'm teaching an online doll class for Bea in her Bonnet with Doll Street starting August 14th.  Click here for more info and to sign up.

 

Don't Miss Water Lily or She'll Really Pout!

Just a reminder that I'm teaching Water Lily as an online class with Joggles starting July 14th.  Click  here for more information and to sign up.