Elfin

I have uploaded many photos of these Elfins before, but just had to show yet another. I just love this color. Check out the little fairy earring ... almost makes me want to get my ears pierced so that I can wear it. Photos enlarge to show detail.

Elfins

Elfin on pedestal - SOLD

Elfin on the base is 18" tall and the Elfin in the pod is 12" tall including the antenna. All photos enlarge to show detail. As you can see, today my favorite color is orange.

Elfins in pods

Hard at work making stock for the Renaissance Festival. It starts August 22nd, so I will have no life until it's all over on October 4th. I enjoy it, bit it is an amazing amount of work. All the photos above enlarge to show detail. Including the antenna these figures are 12" tall.

Playing with dolls continued...

Geez! How could I forget?!? The earrings are my favorite part of making any doll and I forgot to include of photo of that! Each of these figures has long pointy ears and most all of them have 2 piercings in one of their ears. This one has a brass bell and a flying bug of some sort dangling from the smallest pearls I have ever seen.

Back to playing with dolls

Sometimes plans can get REALLY delayed. I started these a few months ago. In fact if you scroll down all the way to April 12th you can see where I first started constructing the paper mache cones for these figures. Between not having the proper doll parts and other projects that came up needing priority over these, they were put on hold. I plan (or at least I hope) to make at least 4 more of these wall mounted pieces before going off onto yet another project. From tip to tip (including antennas) they are each 29" tall and will be available at our shop at the Michigan Renaissance Festival. Both these photos enlarge to show more detail.

Elfin in Pod

5 1/2" X 12" including antenna

Purple Princesses

I just can't seem to make these Steam Punk styled princesses fast enough for the festival. I am not complaining of course, that's wonderful, I just wish I had thought to start them earlier in the season. I have so many ideas for the Elfins in the Steam Punk style. After Festival and some other commitments I believe I will start exploring the possibilities. In the mean time I shall start pulling out the metal wheels, cogs, copper tubing and other various metals to incorporate into the pieces. My head is already spinning with ideas. I'm thinking of some pretty wild contraptions that the Elfins will actually be riding on.

Yet More Elfin Princesses

Steampunk Princesses

Fortunately I found the necessary parts to make more of the birdcages as shown in a previous post. So, I have been busy making quite a few of the Elfins with birdcages in different colors. Now I am now on to something a bit different. Still working on the Elfins, but have given several of them dresses which I have never done before and painted the faces differently. I feel they have a real "Steampunk" quality to them, which I am rather pleased with. I realized that I have several large bins full (yes, ridiculous quantities) of antique lace and trims. I really should be using it. I also have hugh amounts of antique buttons and I won't even begin to mention the amount of beads I have. Another one of those things I sort of forgot I had. I want to start using this stuff as this is why I have it. These figures will be available at the Michigan Renaissance Festival this season. All photos enlarge to see more detail.

A few finished Elfins

These are the first Elfins I have made with birdcages. Have to admit I really like the birdcages. Unfortunately, I was only able to make 4 of them as that is all of the shallow metal tins I had. I will try to find something else that works but for now it looks like this is it for the birdcages. I have included a few close up shots of these figures so that you can see more of the detailing on them. These figures really have to be one of my favorite items to make for The Michigan Renaissance Festival. Not only are they so very appropriate they are just too much fun to make. So much goes into them and they are each so personal. I just love working with all the tiny accessories and building a story around each one of them. I am planning on phasing out the majority of my other dolls so that I can concentrate on the Elfins and the Vessels. My interest just isn't in all the other figures I have been making for so many years now, it's time to move on. Between the books and the Vessels I have been kept very busy and I have to start eliminating some of the other items I have been making in the past. There are only so many hours in the day. The Elfins stand about 14" tall. They are made of fired clay and the hair is Marabou feathers. The pants are made of leather and as seen the accessories vary widely. All the pictures enlarge when clicked so that you can get a better look at all the detailing. Opps, Just realized I didn't give them anklets! Elfins with bare feet get anklets with tiny dimes hanging on them. It wards off the evil eye ... that's very important, you know.

Bird Cages

I am working on my Elfin stock for The Renaissance Festival. While these Elfins are still in the somewhat alien looking stage, I had to share the birdcages I have made for them. There are made out of little metal containers for make up I have been saving. A bit of wire soldered on, Spanish moss and little eggs complete the birdcages. The cages are 1 3/4" tall (not including the ring on top) and 1 1/4" in diameter. Click on the image to enlarge and see more detail.

Elfin Scribes

I have been working on a few Elfin Scribes. I am having trouble getting good photos of them, but that is always the case. I wish I could just cram them in the scanner as I do the books. Those always come out good. I really have to work on my photography skills. If I were wealthy I would just take everything to the photographer and have him/her handle it ... in my next life I suppose. These two Elfins are my first Scribes. I have been planning on making them for quite some time, so I was very happy to get to them now. I am planning on making some of the Elfin Kings next as those were quite popular last season at Festival. I have several bases made up already for

the seated ones and I will also making a few standing ones. After that I will make a few Elfins on swings. I am running low on the marabou feathers. My color selection is rather limited at the moment, so I should place an order for them tomorrow. I went to the "Charm" wholesale house a couple of times when Tricia was visiting so I have a lot of new fun stuff to work with. A lot of the charms are new ones that I have never had before. They have such an amazing

selection that it is so hard to decide what to buy. I try always to be as practical as I can be, but it's hard when you want to buy everything they have. Not only is the stuff wonderful for these Elfins, there are about a million other wonderful things

you can use the charms for ... like jewelry ... and books .... I can't think of the rest of their possible uses right off the cuff, but I know they exist. Years ago I made several very large dolls with books and remembered how much fun it was making smaller

books. Now I have made even smaller books for these Scribes. I just used some old Japanese pages for the pages as I just really like the way it looks. The letters have such elegant shapes. I have not the slightest clue what the original Japanese book was about, although I believe it was a novel of some sort.

Elfin King

I finished up a few Elfin Kings and am quite pleased with them. Unfortunately, this is the only good photo I have of only one of them and this one already sold. I have a few more in different colors, but they are out at Festival. I will try to remember to take the camera out and photograph them first thing Friday morning. This is the last weekend of festival. I'm actually quite tired and am glad to see it come to an end for this season.

A new Elfin design

I have been working on a new Elfin. Shown is a freshly poured and assembled Elfin King. His crown will be smaller (This one came from an unfinished Goblin King) and he will be holding a scepter rather than an old paintbrush. But, this gives a basic idea of what he will look like. I'm hoping everything will be dry enough that I can fire tomorrow or Friday before the killer (3 days with Labor day) weekend coming up for Festival. Thanks to my generous and non complaining husband I have 12 of these fabulous bases that I can papier-mache and collage to compliment the figures as well. I'm kinda figuring that he is hoping that these figures don't go over too well. I have the idea he isn't too keen on making a lot more of these pedestals for them .... but I could be wrong.