Out and About With Glenda

At Linda Sue's suggestion I decided to take the Roldan doll out on Saturday, to photograph her in a new location. The beach at Grain was cold, windy and deserted-perfect! My trusty assistant Andy held the bag while I took a quick few pictures. As we were leaving, the name Glenda came into my head-so Glenda it is!

Beach shorthand is quite chilly around the legs.

This piece of wood came in handy to stand her on.

By the number 4 step.

In the layers palette on photoshop, there is one called 'threshold' and this is what it did to the photo. It was a lucky chance but I liked it!

Dreaming

My impulse purchase arrived and I love her! She has such a perky, yet faraway expression. She is dreaming of a life where she can get away from shorthand and office life, to go where I am not sure.

Her hair is so red and vibrant. Cassie was most interested and gave it a little lick!

Cassie trying to look faraway.

Cassie loving the doll.

Lily is ok-the lump was benign.

She has got an appointment on Thursday to have the stitches removed.

I wonder how long her fur will take to grow back.

She is back to her lively self-currently

asking Andy for treats!

Dolly Mixture and Other Bits and Pieces

Beautiful buttercup which I don't need to find out whether I like butter or not. I do. Oh butter you are my downfall!

This past week I have been doodling doll faces in my journal.

This is the result of a secret trip to Paris that Clarice and Pamela went on this week. They didn't even tell me! They visited some Parisian flea market, and came back with a job lot of furniture which is, frankly, too small for them. They also made a new friend, Lena. Lena feels the cold, hence the woolly hat on such a hot day.

This is a doll I have had for a long time. I have quite a collection of dolls, mainly hidden away as I don't have the display room. I love the details of their costumes and this is one of my favourites. I love to find out information about things I have, but when they are not labelled this is not easy. So this doll has remained a mystery. Until yesterday when I chanced upon a similar style of doll on Ebay (which I have ended up buying as I just couldn't resist). She caught my eye as I was looking through the pages of dolls, because she was so obviously the same type as my doll. They are Roldan dolls. A similar type of doll is a Klumpe doll. They were made in the 1950s and 60s in Barcelona for the tourist market. This is a really well made doll. I am jealous of the way they have made her stand up in such an interesting pose, but perfectly balanced. I can't do that! She has pointy toed ballet feet-another thing I really like. I like to draw those kind of feet and have incorporated them in a couple of my dolls.

This is my other WIP doll. She is legless and needs her arms attaching to her too. The dress and waistcoat are both vintage fabric. The hair is not fixed-not sure how to do her hair yet.

This is the book doll appearing in a ghostly way in front of a rainy Rochester castle.

I went to Whitstable with a friend today, and just outside the little information shop, some lovely ladies were sitting enjoying the sun and knitting. If anyone knows the book 'Traction Man', by Mini Grey, the action men remind me of it just a little!

On the main street in Whitstable I spotted these chairs-and lovely table. The chairs are exactly the same as the ones in our kitchen-German pub chairs according to the lady I bought them from. They are surprisingly comfortable.

A fun illustration on a bookshop's sale pile.

And I finished my reports! More or less, apart from adding photos and a few things I need to check! I am so happy to have done them. Millstone, neck, separated at last!