The Traveling Twig: 2014

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Ugly Christmas Sweaters!

A friend of mine is selling some awfully cute

Ugly Christmas Sweaters.

There are girl and guy styles,

and will fit Fashion Royalty, Barbie

and other like-sized dolls :)

All of the ones pictured below are for sale,

$20 each!

Inquire here, or at

https://www.etsy.com/shop/KnittyandPurrrl

Girl Sweaters Available (including the one above!)

1. Lovely Reindeer

2. Santa Kitty

3. Screamin' Snowman

4. O' Christmas Tree

5. Regift

________________________________________

Guy Sweaters Available (including the one above!)

1. Naughty Reindeer

2. Krampus

3. Ugly Sweater

4. Light It Up

5. Bday Boy

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Adventurers Club: October

It's a new month, therefore, time for a new ADVENTURE!!!!

Welcome, Adventurers!

Last month marked 6 straight months of Adventuring, and I know some of you have been steady adventurers that whole time! That means a prize!!

I'm working on a chart that will help me keep track of it all!
But there will be a post about it this month!

NEWSFLASH!!!

There are new ways to share your Adventures!

Join the Flickr group: The Adventurer's Club

http://www.flickr.com/groups/2496069@N20/

(Monthly Theme icons will be posted there as well)

Or, if you have a blogger account,

let me know the email attached to it,

and I will add you as an author to the Adventurers Club

blogger blog!

http://dolladventurersclub.blogspot.com/

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

October Theme:

Night

October is a spooky month,

a time when ghouls and ghosts

roam in the night,

when zombies walk and witches fly.
So now would be the perfect time

for our little doll and toy friends

to sneak outside and have an adventure

IN THE NIGHT!

Perhaps you're new to the Adventurer's Club...

Would you like to join the Adventurer's Club?

"What is it?" you ask?

The Adventurer's Club is a monthly photo challenge.

The "theme" for the month is vague enough that you can complete the task indoors if you're not a "drag your dolly out in public" kinda person.

ALL DOLL TYPES ARE WELCOME!

On the FIRST DAY of every month, I will reveal that month's theme.

There will be participation prizes...
these will be given out on a "number of months participated" basis.
There will be a 6 month and 12 month participation prize.

The months will be cumulative, because I know life happens and sometimes we might miss a month.
Although I'm thinking I might have to make an extra special prize for anyone who participates for 12 months straight!

*NOTE*
January is a "wild card"... since I put this one up so late, you can complete this one at any time throughout the year. If you would like to participate in the January Adventure, please do!

You can find the theme on the Adventurer's Club tab, here:

http://travelingtwig.blogspot.com/p/adventurers-club.html

Don't feel like you have to have a masterpiece photograph either,

snap the shot with your cell phone, a point and shoot or a pro camera,

it doesn't matter, just as long as the resulting image is theme related!

How do you participate?

Simple!

1. Take your photo that relates to the theme

2. Share that photo with me (via email, posting a comment with a link, etc), on our Flickr Group:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/2496069@N20/

or by tagging me, @littlebearries on Instagram!

(In the righthand side bar at the top of the page, you will see a link button back to this post)

My email is: littlebearries@yahoo.com

Please feel free to include a little caption for your image that describes what is going on, as well as any link to your own blog or website, and your doll's name, if these are things you'd like to share!

Monday, September 1, 2014

Adventurers Club: September

It's a new month, therefore, time for a new ADVENTURE!!!!

Welcome, Adventurers!

NEWSFLASH!!!

There are new ways to share your Adventures!

Join the Flickr group: The Adventurer's Club

http://www.flickr.com/groups/2496069@N20/

(Monthly Theme icons will be posted there as well)

Or, if you have a blogger account,

let me know the email attached to it,

and I will add you as an author to the Adventurers Club

blogger blog!

http://dolladventurersclub.blogspot.com/

September Theme:

Water

Are you afraid of the water?

Are you secretly a pirate?

Will you sail the seven seas,

Scuba dive in the bathtub,

or skip through a puddle?

What kind of water adventures will you have?

Perhaps you're new to the Adventurer's Club...

Would you like to join the Adventurer's Club?

"What is it?" you ask?

The Adventurer's Club is a monthly photo challenge.

The "theme" for the month is vague enough that you can complete the task indoors if you're not a "drag your dolly out in public" kinda person.

ALL DOLL TYPES ARE WELCOME!

On the FIRST DAY of every month, I will reveal that month's theme.

You can find the theme on the Adventurer's Club tab, here:

http://travelingtwig.blogspot.com/p/adventurers-club.html

Don't feel like you have to have a masterpiece photograph either,

snap the shot with your cell phone, a point and shoot or a pro camera,

it doesn't matter, just as long as the resulting image is theme related!

How do you participate?

Simple!

1. Take your photo that relates to the theme

2. Share that photo with me (via email, posting a comment with a link, etc), on our Flickr Group:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/2496069@N20/

or by tagging me, @littlebearries on Instagram!

(In the righthand side bar at the top of the page, you will see a link button back to this post)

Friday, August 1, 2014

Adventurers Club: August

It's a new month, therefore, time for a new ADVENTURE!!!!

Welcome, Adventurers!

NEWSFLASH!!!

There are new ways to share your Adventures!

Join the Flickr group: The Adventurer's Club

http://www.flickr.com/groups/2496069@N20/

(Monthly Theme icons will be posted there as well)

Or, if you have a blogger account,

let me know the email attached to it,

and I will add you as an author to the Adventurers Club

blogger blog!

http://dolladventurersclub.blogspot.com/

August Theme:

Transportation

Do you ride horses?
Do you travel by plane, train, automobile?
Do you rollerblade or sky dive?
Maybe you just walk or run?

What is your mode of Transportation?

Perhaps you're new to the Adventurer's Club...

Would you like to join the Adventurer's Club?

"What is it?" you ask?

The Adventurer's Club is a monthly photo challenge.

The "theme" for the month is vague enough that you can complete the task indoors if you're not a "drag your dolly out in public" kinda person.

ALL DOLL TYPES ARE WELCOME!

On the FIRST DAY of every month, I will reveal that month's theme.

You can find the theme on the Adventurer's Club tab, here:

http://travelingtwig.blogspot.com/p/adventurers-club.html

Don't feel like you have to have a masterpiece photograph either,

snap the shot with your cell phone, a point and shoot or a pro camera,

it doesn't matter, just as long as the resulting image is theme related!

How do you participate?

Simple!

1. Take your photo that relates to the theme

2. Share that photo with me (via email, posting a comment with a link, etc), on our Flickr Group:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/2496069@N20/

or by tagging me, @littlebearries on Instagram!

(In the righthand side bar at the top of the page, you will see a link button back to this post)

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Adventurers Club: July

It's a new month, therefore, time for a new ADVENTURE!!!!

Welcome, Adventurers!

NEWSFLASH!!!

There are new ways to share your Adventures!

Join the Flickr group: The Adventurer's Club

http://www.flickr.com/groups/2496069@N20/

(Monthly Theme icons will be posted there as well)

Or, if you have a blogger account,

let me know the email attached to it,

and I will add you as an author to the Adventurers Club

blogger blog!

http://dolladventurersclub.blogspot.com/

July Theme:

Travel Case

When you go out into the world,

how do you travel?

In a box? In a bag? In a pocket? In a backpack?

How do you get from place to place?

Perhaps you're new to the Adventurer's Club...

Would you like to join the Adventurer's Club?

"What is it?" you ask?

The Adventurer's Club is a monthly photo challenge.

The "theme" for the month is vague enough that you can complete the task indoors if you're not a "drag your dolly out in public" kinda person.

ALL DOLL TYPES ARE WELCOME!

On the FIRST DAY of every month, I will reveal that month's theme.

You can find the theme on the Adventurer's Club tab, here:

http://travelingtwig.blogspot.com/p/adventurers-club.html

Don't feel like you have to have a masterpiece photograph either,

snap the shot with your cell phone, a point and shoot or a pro camera,

it doesn't matter, just as long as the resulting image is theme related!

How do you participate?

Simple!

1. Take your photo that relates to the theme

2. Share that photo with me (via email, posting a comment with a link, etc), on our Flickr Group:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/2496069@N20/

or by tagging me, @littlebearries on Instagram!

(In the righthand side bar at the top of the page, you will see a link button back to this post)

Monday, June 30, 2014

Mid-Month Tutorial #6: agusyornet's Tiny Hangers!

Ok, so I *barely* squeaked this one in...

BUT IT'S STILL JUNE!

Me: Uhm... you're not Christie...

"Christie": Who's to say? You never did name me. *glare*

Me: *gulp*

Let's start with the facts!

I followed the tutorial by agusyornet,

http://www.agusyornet.com/2013/11/mini-hangers.html

I have to say, I love folks who can make clear, precise, easy to follow tutorials in 4 steps!
I have to admit, I modified mine just a little though... but let's get crafting and you'll see!

Supplies:

1. Paperclips

2. Needle Nose Pliers

3. Wire Cutters

Here's a little tip from me...

buy a pair of Needle Nose Pliers that have built in wire cutters!

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Let's begin!

Step 1:

Pull the inner loop and the longer stem piece upwards.

Looking at the picture below will give you a good idea what I am talking about!
Make sure you pay attention to where the arrow is pointing in the image below.

You want that angle to feel "hangerish" to you.

Step 2:

Grab the loop end that you pulled up and bend it upwards.

You will leave the loop shape alone, that becomes your hanger hook.

I try to make it so that the hanger hook will end up centered when the hanger is finished.

Step 3:

In agusyornet's tutorial, she doesn't wrap the wire around the hanger hook, which is fine and will work great... I just like having a little more stability than that when it comes to hangers for doll clothes.

I pull the longer stem past the hanger hook.

Step 4:

I then take and fold the longer stem over the base of the hanger hook...

it gives you one very stable little hanger!

Conclusion:

I LOVE this tutorial... there is something so satisfying about coloring these pencils and seeing them come to life.

This is such an easy and painless process for making tiny hangers!
Plus, they're ... uh... "Christie" tested and approved!

They really will work to hang up your dolly clothes!

The cost was minimal (my pliers cost me $3.99, the paperclips I've had around forever)

and so was the time investment.

I highly recommend you try this tutorial out!

http://www.agusyornet.com/2013/11/mini-hangers.html

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Dior in Miniature

If you guys haven't seen this yet, go check it out!

http://www.dior.com/magazine/int_en/News/Dior-in-Miniature

©Dior

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Free Faux Suede Swatch at Spoonflower!

A little bit random, but...

Get your free swatch of faux suede in any spoonflower print you want!

From Noon today until Noon tomorrow!

http://www.spoonflower.com/faux_suede

It's just the test size... but for dollies, that can make quite a few lovely things!

Plus, it's FREE!! XD

Monday, June 2, 2014

Adventurers Club: June

It's a new month, therefore, time for a new ADVENTURE!!!!

Welcome, Adventurers!

Are you ready for another month of adventure?

We've been having a lot of fun so far, I'm excited to see what adventures await!!!

NEWSFLASH!!!

There are new ways to share your Adventures!

Join the Flickr group: The Adventurer's Club

http://www.flickr.com/groups/2496069@N20/

(Monthly Theme icons will be posted there as well)

Or, if you have a blogger account,

let me know the email attached to it,

and I will add you as an author to the Adventurers Club

blogger blog!

http://dolladventurersclub.blogspot.com/

June Theme:

Your Own Backyard

Sometimes an adventure awaits you in your own backyard!
You never know what you might find,

going out of your own back door!

Or maybe your "backyard" is somewhere in the house?

Or maybe you consider your backyard somewhere else all together?

Wherever, or whatever your backyard is,

this month is the month to have an adventure in it!

Perhaps you're new to the Adventurer's Club...

Would you like to join the Adventurer's Club?

"What is it?" you ask?

The Adventurer's Club is a monthly photo challenge.

The "theme" for the month is vague enough that you can complete the task indoors if you're not a "drag your dolly out in public" kinda person.

ALL DOLL TYPES ARE WELCOME!

On the FIRST DAY of every month, I will reveal that month's theme.

You can find the theme on the Adventurer's Club tab, here:

http://travelingtwig.blogspot.com/p/adventurers-club.html

Don't feel like you have to have a masterpiece photograph either,

snap the shot with your cell phone, a point and shoot or a pro camera,

it doesn't matter, just as long as the resulting image is theme related!

How do you participate?

Simple!

1. Take your photo that relates to the theme

2. Share that photo on the Adventurers Club blog ( http://dolladventurersclub.blogspot.com/ ), with me (via email, posting a comment with a link, etc), on our Flickr Group:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/2496069@N20/

or by tagging me, @littlebearries on Instagram!

(In the righthand side bar at the top of the page, you will see a link button back to this post)

Friday, May 30, 2014

Mid-Month Tutorial #5: Zakka Life's Miniature Colored Pencils

Sorry for the lack of posting this month, guys!

Life got super crazy, so I had to pause!

I figure I'll start back up next month with the Friday Favorites...

but I really love the Mid-Month Tutorials... and even though it's half a month late,

I still wanted to get it in before the month ended!!

Tutorial #5 is Zakka Life's Miniature Colored Pencil tutorial!

It's easy, cheap, not a huge investment of time and yields great results!

**NOTE**

These pencils don't actually write, they're just for show.

Please see the original tutorial here:

http://zakkalife.blogspot.com/2011/02/craft-miniature-colored-pencils.html

Supplies:

1. Round Toothpicks

2. Scissors

3. Markers

4. Sandpaper

5. (Optional) Mod Podge

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Let's begin!

Step 1:

Take a single toothpick from the box and decide how long you'll want your colored pencil to be.

Zakka Life's instructions say to cut the toothpick in half... but for me, that would have been too long, proportionally, so my toothpicks are about 1.125 inches long.

A little less than half a toothpick.

TIP:

Step 2:

Sand the end of your pencil so that it's nice and rounded.
I used 220 Very Fine 3M sandpaper.

I didn't even have to take it out of the package to use it XD

Step 3:

Now it's time for coloring!

**IMPORTANT**
Do NOT handle your dolls while you're coloring these... you *will* get marker on your fingers,

unless you wear gloves... and it could be unintentionally transferred to your dolls, or their clothes.

I color the pencil tip first... and to color it, I just dab the marker against the toothpick tip... because toothpicks are made from a soft wood, they absorb the ink, and it spreads a little... so don't get overzealous right away with the ink application.

Then again... if you do... it's just a toothpick... there are plenty more to try again on!

Next I color the body of the pencil:

Step 4:

Let the markers dry for 24 hours.

(This is not a step in Zakka Life's instructions... but I'd rather be safe than sorry!)

Step 5:

(optional)

Let's take a minute to discuss dolls and markers.

Bottom line?

They don't mix.

I've seen many a doll ruined with Sharpie markers... some intentionally, some, not so much so.

After I made these colored pencils, I let them dry for 24 hours,

then I took the darkest one and rubbed it against my doll's skin.

Light rubbing was fine, no color transfer,

but harder rubbing (like if you were going to shove it into the doll's hand between fingers)

yielded color transfer.

I wiped it off right away, and it all came off... but it still worries me that if you left a pencil in a doll's hand, color transfer would happen over time.

My solution?

Coat the pencils in Mod Podge to seal the color in.

Glossy or Matte, your choice.

Conclusion:

I LOVE this tutorial... there is something so satisfying about coloring these pencils and seeing them come to life.

Friday, May 2, 2014

Adventurers Club: May

It's a new month, therefore, time for a new ADVENTURE!!!!

Welcome, Adventurers!

First let me say, the Adventurer's Club is alive and well...
I have just been reorganizing, working on a logo, and trying to figure out a way to make it easier for me to keep track of your submissions!

With that in mind...

Are you ready for another month of adventure?

We've been having a lot of fun so far, I'm excited to see what adventures await!!!

NEWSFLASH!!!

There is a new ways to share your Adventures!

Join the Flickr group: The Adventurer's Club

http://www.flickr.com/groups/2496069@N20/

(Monthly Theme icons will be posted there as well)

April Theme:

Someplace Scary

Is there somewhere that gives you chills?

That makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end?

Is there somewhere filled with monsters and shadows?

This month, take us someplace that scares you!

Perhaps you're new to the Adventurer's Club...

Would you like to join the Adventurer's Club?

"What is it?" you ask?

The Adventurer's Club is a monthly photo challenge.

The "theme" for the month is vague enough that you can complete the task indoors if you're not a "drag your dolly out in public" kinda person.

ALL DOLL TYPES ARE WELCOME!

On the FIRST DAY of every month, I will reveal that month's theme.

You can find the theme on the Adventurer's Club tab, here:

http://travelingtwig.blogspot.com/p/adventurers-club.html

Don't feel like you have to have a masterpiece photograph either,

snap the shot with your cell phone, a point and shoot or a pro camera,

it doesn't matter, just as long as the resulting image is theme related!

How do you participate?

Simple!

1. Take your photo that relates to the theme

2. Share that photo with me (via email, posting a comment with a link, etc), on our Flickr Group:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/2496069@N20/

or by tagging me, @littlebearries on Instagram!

(In the righthand side bar at the top of the page, you will see a link button back to this post)

I am currently in the middle of reworking how I share the images... to hopefully make it a little cleaner and easy to view (I'm not a fan of adding them all to the page, as it makes the one page very long)... so I'm reworking it a bit. :)

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Adventurers Club

Only two more days (including today!) to partake in April's Adventure!!

http://travelingtwig.blogspot.com/2014/04/adventurers-club-april.html

If you have a blogger account, let me know the email attached to it,

and I can make you an author on the Adventurers Club blog!

Visit the blog here:

http://dolladventurersclub.blogspot.com/

You might also notice a slight change in the logo...

My original idea was to have a gal with the name Adventurer (which I still do)

and it was her club...

but every time I saw it, it just looked like a typo, so I changed it!

Remember, you can still email me your entry at

littlebearries@yahoo.com

or add them to the group on flickr:

https://www.flickr.com/groups/2496069@N20/

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Listen to your elders...

... they won't always say what you expect them to.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Marwencol

Have you heard of Marwencol?

©MarkHogancamp

I originally watched this documentary when it was on Netflix,

and it's an amazing story.

Here is the blurb from the Marwencol website:

"Marwencol" is a documentary about the fantasy world of Mark Hogancamp.

After being beaten into a brain-damaging coma by five men outside a bar, Mark builds a 1/6th scale World War II-era town in his backyard. Mark populates the town he dubs "Marwencol" with dolls representing his friends and family and creates life-like photographs detailing the town's many relationships and dramas. Playing in the town and photographing the action helps Mark to recover his hand-eye coordination and deal with the psychic wounds of the attack. When Mark and his photographs are discovered, a prestigious New York gallery sets up an art show. Suddenly Mark's homemade therapy is deemed "art", forcing him to choose between the safety of his fantasy life in Marwencol and the real world that he's avoided since the attack.

"Marwencol" was released theatrically by the Cinema Guild and aired on PBS. It has won over 25 awards, including two Independent Spirit Awards, Best Documentary of the Year from the Boston Society of Film Critics and Rotten Tomatoes, and the Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary at the South by Southwest Film Festival. The Los Angeles Times calls the film “an exhilarating, utterly unique experience” while the Village Voice says that it's “exactly the sort of mysterious and almost holy experience you hope to get from documentaries and rarely do.”

Marwencol was an interesting, emotional, wonderful documentary...

and I love that the art gallery that shows Mark Hogancamp's work is still working to help him.

You can donate dolly items to him via this link:

http://www.marwencol.com/donate/

But it's worth it to watch the movie,

and browse the gallery on the website.

Mr. Hogancamp's work is amazing, detail oriented and interesting.

©MarkHogancamp

If you haven't checked it out, do so, today.
http://www.marwencol.com/

Pages

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Monday, September 1, 2014

Friday, August 1, 2014

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Monday, June 30, 2014

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Monday, June 2, 2014

Friday, May 30, 2014

Friday, May 2, 2014

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Monday, April 21, 2014