God Bless America

I enjoy making patriotic pieces.  It all began back in the fall of 2001.

Of course, we all remember that fateful day, September 11, when terrorists struck us on our own land. No one will ever forget that day.  Or what they were doing that morning.  I was knee-deep in preparing for my very busy upcoming craft show season.  But for a while, time stood still. 

After several hours, I had to pull myself away from the tragedy unfolding on TV.  I had to get back to work.  It wasn't out of disrespect for what had happened, but more of a self-preservation thing.  I just couldn't watch anymore.  It was far too heartbreaking.  I had to move forward. 

At the time I was selling my work at a local craft boutique, not far from my home.  By Friday of that week, I had a call from the owner, asking if I had any patriotic pins, or anything else patriotic that I could bring in.  She said the requests were non-stop.  People wanted to show their support for our grieving nation.  (This is also a big military area, with Offut Air Force Base just down the road.)  So I rummaged through my inventory and found a dozen or so flag pins, much like the ones shown here.  I grabbed a few other patriotic things I had left over from July and took them in. 

Two days later, I got another call.  Everything I had taken in was gone.  When could I bring in some more?  So began a cycle for the season.  Every two or three days, I needed to restock the store. 

While many crafters say they saw a slump in sales that fall, I did not.  I was working long hours every day, mostly creating things in red, white and blue.  Normally, this is a one woman operation.  Anything that must be done in this business, I do myself. Well, that year, there was no keeping up on my own.  I had to enlist some help, so I called on my niece. 

As a college student, she was always eager to make a few extra bucks.  I handed over the busy work to her.  She glued jewelry findings on pins and earrings.  She put the jewelry on cards for display.  She priced everything I made.  She packed boxes of inventory.  She even carried things over to the craft shop and filled my booth for me.  She was a Godsend that year.  I don't know how I would have survived without her. 

My patriotic work extended beyond flag pins and star earrings. I made Christmas ornaments and figurines as well.  One of my more popular miniature figurines was this adorable little Angel:

God Bless America Angel

She is still one of my favorite patriotic pieces. 

God Bless America!

Lisa

Raggedy Ann and Andy

About a year and a half ago I decided to make bigger figurines with the polymer clay.  I was inspired by papier mache folk art and vintage holiday pieces, but wanted to interpret them in my own whimsical way, in the medium that I love---polymer clay, of course!  I also wanted to go beyond just holiday decorations, and started compiling a list of suitable subjects.  One of the first things that came to mind was Raggedy Ann and Andy. 

These classic American rag dolls have been reinvented thousands of times, by thousands of artists.  Some rework the traditional form of the rag doll, while others, like me, take them in a new direction by sculpting them from clay.  I have done different versions of Raggedy Ann and Andy in my miniature style, but this newest incarnation of the dolls is my favorite.

I love polymer clay.  But I also have a severe addiction to paper and ribbon, and I enjoy adding some of these items to the dolls.  It's sort of like doing a 3-D mixed media project.  For these pieces, I made Raggedy Ann's skirt from blue gingham paper.  It was a real trick getting it to pleat just right and to fit around her chubby middle, but after several attempts, I finally got it to work.  The red gingham ribbon was the perfect finishing touch for her skirt.  I used the same paper to fold into a cute little sailor hat for Andy. 



Many of my pieces feature crepe paper collars. I like how it fancies them up a bit.  I love the little details in everything, and attaching Swarovski crystals to Ann's buttons added the perfect bit of sparkle.  A little satin bow on her head was the final touch.

These cute little dolls are probably one of my most viewed items in my etsy shop. I was also very pleased when they were featured on this blog last winter as part of a birthday party plan. I had never really thought of using them as cake toppers before, but why not? 

I am very inspired by storybook characters, and have plans in the works to bring lots of my favorites to life in polymer clay.  Who is your favorite character?  Who would you like to see me make?

Have a cheery day!

Lisa

Off to See the Wizard

I started making miniature figurines in 1990.  I've made HUNDREDS of figurines.  I've covered all sorts of themes from professions and sports figurines, hobbies like quilting and fishing, angels of all sorts, and pieces for every major holiday.  You name it, I've likely made it.  But some pieces stick out to me as my favorites, and this is definitely one of them. 

Everyone has seen the movie, of course.  Lots of people have read the book.  And even if you haven't, you can certainly pick the characters out of a line-up. They are quite possibly the most iconic fictional characters there are.  And they are a source of inspiration for a lot of artists, me included. 

I first made this particular figurine as a birthday gift for a very good college friend.  Her whole family loved the movie and each year they would make a big celebration out of watching it together on TV. (This was back in the day before video and DVDs and it was only on TV once a year.) They never missed it, and they sometimes watched dressed as their favorite character. She was thrilled with the gift, and I knew there were others out there that loved the movie as much as she did.  So I decided to add this piece to my collection. 

Off to See the Wizard is available in my etsy shop.

Making Off to See the Wizard is very labor intensive, so it has never been my hottest selling item, because the price prohibited that. But it is what I consider to be one of my 'show stoppers'....a piece that attracts a lot of attention and comments.  And having people appreciate your labors of love is about as good as it gets.  It was actually a bittersweet moment the time I first sold one.  I was THRILLED that someone loved it and wanted it and was willing to pay for it, but I had worked so hard on that figurine and loved it so much I almost hated to see it go!  (I tend to have attachment issues with some of my work....something I've had to overcome.)

I've made many of these figurines over the years, but it still continues to be one of my favorites, and it still attracts many admirers.  And I'm always happy when someone wants to take it home.

 

Do you love the Wizard of Oz?  Who is your favorite of the four main characters?  Or do you prefer one of the others?  Glinda the Good Witch?  The Wicked Witch?  Did the Flying Monkeys scare you to pieces like they did me?  I would love to hear your thoughts!

"There's no place like home....."
Lisa