The Barefoot Kitchen Witch

New Shop

I’ve opened a new Etsy store.  It’s called “Of Shreds and Patches.” 

I’ve had the name of the shop on my mind for some time now, though I had it wrong, which led to all sorts of creating of accounts and cancelling of accounts when I realized the whole world would be exposed to my inaccuracies.

So, What Do You Think?

I've finally got a workspace set up - and room to stretch out in it.

Yesterday I decided to play with some of those strips of denim I'd cut from old pairs of jeans a while back.

And I made this:

Mermaids...and Other Fanciful Notions

I meant to post these pictures a while ago but, well, I should change this website name to "barefoot kitchen witch SLACKER GIRL" I suppose.  I have no excuse.  Just...didn't get to it.

Anyway.

Those of you who still read me despite my slackerly ways may remember the dolls I made not too, too long ago.  First, there was this one, and then this one, and finally, the Princess Julia doll.  (The original Princess Julia isn't all that enamored of her likeness, so the doll sits near my sewing area and cheers me on.)

I'd had it in my mind that a mermaid doll might be fun to do - a combination of the doll-making and the new fun-with-beads addiction I have recently fallen under.  Or should that be a fun-with-beads spell I've fallen under?  I suppose "spell" is more in keeping with the barefootkitchenwitch persona I've got here.

True to form - I digress.

I made two mermaids.  The first one was the learning-how mermaid (I'm all about hyphens today, apparently) and the second one was my not-for-julia-to-play-with mermaid.

Here they are, for your perusal:

 

This one is the first one - the experimental, see what works and what doesn't one.  I used pipecleaners in her arms and spine (one pipe cleaner across from hand to hand, one from head to tail) and decided that until I find a better way to do it, I'm not going that route again.  I thought it would be cool to be able to pose the mermaid, you know, sitting on a rock near the shore or something, but...no.

And here's the second one.

 

I toned the crazy hair down a bit by braiding it (ocean water does horrible things to hair, but unfortunately human hair conditioner doesn't seem to work on mermaids) and then stitching in some tiny clear aqua-colored beads - like the little oxygen bubbles that dot the surface of plants in my husband's fish tank.

 

I also treated her to lots of fancy-schmancy mermaid bling...

 

 

 

(Why do I write "bling?"  I don't talk like that, why do I write like that?)

She's also wearing a shimmery sort of stole/wrap thingy (I should write for fashion mags, I know) that's dotted with little bits of gold.  Because you know how when you're IN the water, you're perfectly fine and comfortable, but as soon as you rise out of the water and the air hits your skin, your lips and fingernails suddenly turn blue and you're riddled with goosebumps?  Well, my mermaid doesn't like that look, so she wears this for her excursions above the sea. 

 

And then...after playing with those gorgeous watery colors for a while, I made this -

 

and this -

 

(here's a bit of a closer look)

 

And that's my whole shy and roundabout way of letting you know that I opened up a little shop on Etsy, in case you're interested.  It's still in the fledgeling stage - I have ideas percolating faster than my hands can bring them to fruition.  But anyway, I just figured I'd let you know.  :)