Friday Favorite--Rustic Road Studio

I'm sorry I didn't take you to a shop last Friday.  The week just got away from me.  But I'm back today with a wonderful, seasonally appropriate shop.

Rustic Road Studio is full of beautifully hand-carved Santas. The attention to detail is amazing.  The faces are exquisite.  The details in the clothing are wonderful.  The colors are perfect.  Each of these Santas has a charming personality all its own.  It's hard to choose which one is my favorite, because Erik does such wonderful work.  But here are a few that I love:

Santa in Green Robe with Walking Stick

 

Traditional Santa

 

Santa Holding a Sack

 

Santa in a Snowbank

 

Slim Santa

 

Santa in a Red Robe with Walking Stick

 

I will admit, I'm a sucker for a Santa.  My house is full of them right now.  I'm very particular about my Santas now that I have so many.  These certainly would make the cut!  I would LOVE to have one of these in my collection!

 

I hope you enjoyed our visit to Rustic Road Studio, and I hope you will go have a look at the rest of Erik's exquisite work.  Which one is your favorite?

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Lisa

 

 

 

 

Friday Favorite--Sunday Drive Studio

Today we're headed off to Sunday Drive Studio and the work of Amy Jung. 

I'm always intrigued by the work of other artists who use clay to create whimsical folk art sculptures.  Amy uses paperclay to sculpt delightful, vintage inspired holiday decorations. I think her work has wonderful personality and I'm pleased to share it with you here.

A few of my favorites from her etsy shop:

Kris

Marvin

Sam

 

Kris

Kringle

The Christmas holidays are quickly approaching...really, they are!  I thought I would share these adorable vintage style Christmas pieces from Sunday Drive Studio, but Halloween pieces are still available as well. 

 

I hope you enjoy Amy's work.  If you have a favorite etsy artist, let me know who they are.  They just might become one of my future Friday Favorites!

 

Enjoy your weekend! 

Lisa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Friday Favorite #7--Cindy Riccardelli

I love dolls.  I always have.  It started with Baby Lisa (yes, that was her real name!) that Santa brought me when I was 4.  I still have her, packed away now, of course, but not forgotten. 

I've never quite outgrown the appeal that dolls have for me.  Over the years I've had country bunnies, Raggedy Ann and Andy, folk art dolls, and Santas in my home at one time or another.  I used to have them sitting around on benches and shelves around the house.  I have outgrown that (except for at Christmas when the Santas come out), but I do still have a few special ones in my studio.

There are lots of wonderful dolls available on etsy.  I've been searching around for interesting art dolls---one of a kind darlings that you can't find anywhere else.  One artist that I am very impressed with is Cindy Riccardelli. I'm going to share a few of her dolls here.

Amelia

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  Some of you might look at her work and think, "Oh, she's not cute".  But that is what I LOVE about Cindy's dolls.  They are full of emotion and character and flaws, and that is what I enjoy about them.  I love that they are not quite pretty--their noses might be too big, or their eyes spaced a bit oddly, but they seem like real girls to me.  As we all know, it's what's inside a girl's heart that counts, and these dolls, to me, have a lot of heart. 

Cindy creates her one-of-a-kind art dolls from fabric and paperclay.  They are hand painted and dressed in handmade clothing.  You can tell by looking at her work that Cindy LOVES her girls. 

Here are a few more of my favorites:

Eugenia

(I love her big bow and her 'fancy' dress.)

Shadow Box Doll and her Chicken

Sinead

AnnaMae

I can't decide who is my favorite, Sinead or AnnaMae.  I love them both so much!  I think it might be the hair....

I hope you will have a look at Cindy Riccardelli's shop.  I think her work is truly delightful!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Lisa



Uncle Sam

Following a theme this week, with the upcoming 4th of July holiday, today I will show you my VERY FAVORITE patriotic piece.  I know I say that alot.  Each time I make a new design, I think "I like this one the best."  Well, it is sort of true.  I enjoy my work, and 99% of the time I'm very pleased with the finished product.  This one, however, truly is one of my favorites.

Meet Uncle Sam. 

Uncle Sam is rather tall and skinny.  I thought long, thin legs would accentuate his striped pants.  The stripes are not painted on....they are long, skinny strips of red clay placed on his white pants.  Same with his tall hat.  (LOVE IT!)

I searched high and low trying to find a flag that was the right size and proportion for this piece.  NOTHING!  Everything was either way too big, or the wrong shade of blue.  So finally, I bought some red and white striped fabric, and some solid blue and made my own!  The 'stars' are handpainted little dots.  Yes, there are fifty!

I tried to give Uncle Sam all the details you expect to see....a red bow tie, a white goatee, a blue jacket.  This piece is full of the little extras I love to put in my work. 

You can visit Uncle Sam in my etsy shop, along with many other wonderfully whimsical pieces.  I hope you take a minute to have a look! 

Happy 4th of July!

Lisa