Ballgown with Stripes and Dots

This creation I cleverly call Ballgown with Stripes and Dots. Ahem, so naming is not my forte. It's another party dress for Cora, she'll be seen in a lot of these this summer! She has so many balls to attend her wardrobe is overflowing with gowns!


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Swimsuit Fashion

Wanna go to the beach? Tansy sure does. Here's a set of swim suits and a sarong to wrap as a skirt.

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Cleo as a Rajput Lady

There was a request for Indian Saris, and this is the closest I've gotten so far. It's based off of a drawing of a Rajput lady from around the 10th century. I'm not so pleased with how it turned out, the cloth just doesn't drape or fold right. More practice needed! I am starting to draw some more saris, maybe practice will make perfect :)



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Tunic Skirt & Shirtwaists

Mandie is wearing a lovely tunic skirt and shirtwaist. Click on the link below to see the other shirtwaists you can pair with the skirt!


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Cora's First Ballgown

The last time Cora graced us with her presence, she looked ready to scour a sink full of dirty pots. Today, she's wearing silk and lace. A grand ball is being held at the palace, and it's Cora's first time at court. She's spent a hectic week getting ready for the nerve-wracking event- after spending days with dirty dishes a ballroom full of aristocrats is a little intimidating! But she is now ready, and looking beautiful enough to be a real princess.
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Excerpt from story:

The court was in for a surprise the next evening. The belle of the ball was expected to be a pleasant princess from the Southlands, or perhaps the exotic ambassador from the Selyon Desert. No one expected a demure but strikingly beautiful lady of a minor household to steal the attention of all present.


Cora had been washed and painted and coached until she was exhausted. She had no more energy for nerves when a pageboy escorted her from the carriage to the top of the stairs. A decorous man announced her name, calling it loud and clear through the beautiful ballroom. She dimly remembered to curtsy, then descend the steps, and curtsy again. After that she was swarmed by young men begging to escort her round the room.

She nearly accepted the hand of a homely gentleman when a stranger entered the crowd. Knights and lords gave way to him. Cora realized this must be the prince. She curtsied, low and long.

“Good evening.” He said. He had a pleasant, melodious voice. His eyes were a soft brown, matched by curly hair of a lighter shade. His smile held a hint of mischief and his features made him appear younger than his twenty-four years. “I don’t believe I have met the most enchanting creature yet to grace this room.”

Cora stammered in reply: “I- my name is Cora Ghelter, sire.”

“Cora: the maiden of heaven. Your name suits you well.” He lifted her hand to his lips. “Would you honor me with the first dance, Lady Cora?”

“Of course.”

The music conductor tapped his wand in a count and the musicians began to play.

The prince bowed. She curtsied.

Cora took a deep breath and hoped she would remember the steps here in front of the entries court.

“I hear you have a fine desert-bred mare.” The prince said.

Cora smiled, “She is beautiful. I have never seen her equal.”

“Perhaps you would do me the honor of joining me on a ride.” Prince Dracone swung her away, then back into his arms. “I would very much like spend an afternoon with you.”

“I should be delighted, sire.”

Time for Summer Fun!

(Again, the doll has no shoes- not even toes! I will fix this someday...)

Tansy is ready for some summer fun! Anyone up for a quick game of ultimate frisbee? Or beach volleyball? Tansy is ready to jump in on the action!

Here's several summer items you can mix and match to make many different outfits for Tansy. She'll be ready for anything! (if she could just find some shoes...)


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A Small Preview...

A friend mentioned that she'd like to see gunslingin' western cowgirl, so I've been playing around with the idea. I have to say I'm enjoying it! I've always loved westerns, from Roy Rogers to Wild West to Clint Eastwood. If there's a cowboy hat, revolver, and spurs, I'm in! Researching the gunbelt and revolver was tedious, I wanted it to look realistic, and since I've never seen a real one I had no clue where to start drawing! So after a couple hours of looking up historical replicas and old photos I came up with this.

Summer Gown

Ah, here Mandie wears a charming, lightwight cotton summer gown. This is based off of the fashion from 1907. It is edged with lace, and has a charming belt at the waistline.
I almost forgot to post this morning! I was off to work, and then realized with horror that I hadn't worked on this last night like I told myself I would :) so here is a rushed update for you!


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Cora

This is Cora Ghelter. She is a poor cook's assistant, trying to earn a living and keep her fugitive brother from getting arrested. Life gets exciting when she's invited to impersonate a noblewoman for the summer. Typical Cinderella story, eh? Except does she fall for the prince? lol. Anyway, the premise is more of an excuse to draw fancy ballgowns than anything else.

In this outfit she wears a simple cotton shirt and skirt combination. A heavier vest protects the shirtfront, and also keeps Cora a little warmer. The apron is a necessity in her line of work, as are the rolling pin and wooden spoon.

For Doll:
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For Dress:
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Tansy

Tansy is a lovely, but shy young woman. She enjoys outdoor activities, and gets very talkative and competetive when she is with close friends. She loves anything to do with water, and will often be found swimming laps at the local pool. You'll find her hiking, backpacking, horse-back riding, swimming, and playing sports this summer.


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Going Grecian

Cleo is sporting a lovely ancient Grecian chiton. It is very simply made of fine linen with no pattern or trim. Two matching brooches gather the fabric over the shoulders.

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Poll Results
  So it looks like the majority of voters want a Jane Austen character for our next literary heroine. Awesome! I'll get started on the research, and sometime in the next month or so there should be a doll posted. If you have any ideas for dresses, let me know!
 Chronicles of Prydain came in second, and I love the series so much I think I will still do a set on Eilonwy, but she'll be on the back burner for now.

Swimming in 1906

Mandie is out enjoying the warm weather. Perhaps she is visiting her friend Tommy Patton in Charleston, South Carolina, and they've gone for a visit to the beach. I love the different bathing dresses from this era! They're so adorable, with their nautical references. They remind me of the little sailor dress I used to have when I was young. I would love to have a similar dress today (of course, I wouldn't use it for bathing...)

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  Here are a couple of period pictures. The one on the left is a fashion plate from 1906. On the right is a charming photo of girls racing each other into the water, taken in 1904.

A Dinner Gown for Tamarita

Here Tamarita reluctantly dons an elegant dinner gown. Of course you may color it as you wish, but in my mind it is a deep crimson velvet with trim and bodice of cream with blue embroidery.


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Amelia Goes to the Park

Here is a skirt and two shirts for Amelia to go walking in. She loves to saunter through the park, walk by the river, and find a quiet spot to read a book.


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Sketchy Saturday!

I'm so happy Saturday has come! Even though there were only four days in this work week (hurrah for Memorial Day!) it seemed too long. I'm enjoying a weekend of drawing, movies, and church. A nice relaxing combination.

Today I'm not giving you any new dolls or dresses, rather, I'm posting some ideas I have. I sat down at my desk after work on Friday and didn't feel like pulling out any of my current projects, so I started new ones!
Caution: I am infamous for starting new projects, it's finishing them that I have trouble with!

Here is Sheena. I wanted to stretch my talents by trying a different pose. I think I almost succeeded, but the proportions on the arms are wrong. I'll probably go back and change that before inking her. She will present quite the challenge for drawing dresses. All those wrinkles and drapes from the seated position. This will be a difficult one!

I mentioned a week or so ago that I had recently read Jane Eyre. I now have Jane on the brain, and have started sketching ideas. She is supposed to be very plain, with a plain hairstyle, and plain clothing. So I'm playing around with different facial shapes, eyes, nose, mouth, etc. and this is so far what I like the best. Soon I'll choose a pose for the doll and actually start a paper doll with dresses for her!

I also tried coloring one of the sketches (I'm usually afraid of colors, so this is quite the step forward for me!). I was inspired by Liana's beautiful paper dolls at her blog, and attempted it. Perhaps the future will yield more successful attempts once I begin practicing with color more.

1905 Princess Ballgown

Mandie is all ready to go to a fancy party. She wears a silk gown, based off this fashion plate she found in a magazine:

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A Hunting We Will Go

Tamarita is all dressed to go trapping with her brother, Tagel. Tam is a character in a story I'm writing. It takes place in a fantasy land, heavily favoring the dark ages as far as technology and architecture are concerned. Tamarita's father was a steward, placing her family in a class below nobility and above peasants.
An excerpt featuring this outfit follows:

“Why does she need to change?”
Tagel gave Lord Karel a quizzical look. “She can’t go trapping with all those skirts! She just wore those to please Mother.”
“She’ll wear breeches?” Karel was astonished.
“You nilly,” Laughed Tagel. “She still wears a skirt, just not so many underneath.”
“Ah.” Karel was quickly finding that the young lady of Castle Morva was very different than his sisters and friends back home. He liked the difference though. This was no tender lily afraid of wilting. She was a wildflower.
She returned from the cave quickly, wearing a peasant shift over a pair of Tagel’s trousers.
“Lord Karel thought you’d come out dressed like a man!” Tagel spouted with a chuckle.
Karel turned red but Tamarita didn’t notice.
“I wish I could!” She exclaimed to Karel’s surprise. “Skirts get tangled up so easily. It’s the only reason you ever win our races, Tagel.”

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