Rhissanna

Picture heavy...

2017-06-25T21:57:00.000-07:00

Here, for the

Beautiful Freaks Fest

a humble offering.

And like all rabbits,
I know I'm late.

Emma Yardis

and
Magaly Guerrero

host this year's

Darkly Beautiful Blog Fest.

I am going to fill this full of stuff for you to look at,

as I know life is short

and the internet is full of busy thing to watch.

So, there's going to be some pictures
and then a special offer and then I'm done.

So you can scroll through and nod.
Comment maybe.

If you comment on mine, I'll comment on yours.
That's only fair.

I've made some dolls whose hearts have been dark.

Sleeping Vampires

Lucy Westenra

Claudia

Wisteria

Roseblood

Sang de Rose

Orlando

Strange Twins

Clover and Petunia

Helena and Hermione

Oona

Dark Fairies

Dark Lords

Dark Lord and Heathcliff.
(but don't tell Orlando)

Dark Alices

Dolls like darkness.

It suits them.

They like tea, too.

Hence the dark tea sets.

And here's my darkly magical special offer.

I have a new design of tea set.

And I will make you one, just for you

for the special price of $19.99.

There will be only three

in total.

(Free shipping in the USA.)

What will it look like?

I don't know.

but it will be dark in theme.

Find me here.

Skulls.

Raven,

Bleeding Hearts...

I'm the latecomer to the Fest.

But you can

find everyone here at the

Beautiful Freak Fest.

2016-10-10T22:00:00.002-07:00

Welcome to this year's Virtual FantasyCon 2016

Fairytale/Punk Day

Virtual FantasyCon is an

on-line convention

celebrating fantasy writing and art.

St Cecilia J W Waterhouse

Hey, there.

This is a writer bio.

( Just so you know,

we all hate writing these things

as we're obliged to put ourselves in a spotlight.

If we liked being in the spotlight,

we probably wouldn't be drawn to an art

that requires us to labour alone

with words on blank spaces.

Instead we'd be rock stars.

Every one of us.)

So.

My name is Rhissanna Collins and I am a writer.

I write the kind of things I want to read

and my most successful adventures so far

have been in co-writing the Mabel Bunt adventures

with the very talented B R Marsten.

(Find his blog in the link.)

Mabel Bunt and the Masked Monarchs

is a rip-snorting, fast-paced, clockpunk tale

of shining blades and tight-packed corsets;

revenge and love; gallows and garters,

with wit and drama and action to spare.

Clockpunk, you say?

Yes, indeed.

Back to the writer's bio...

I write because I like having adventures

without leaving my chair

and I write because words are the most

delicious calorie-free snack I know.

When I'm not writing I make dolls

and dolls' tea sets and

peddle them on Etsy.

Yes, I know that sounds creepy.

Mabel Bunt : Free and Easy. Free Book!

2016-04-20T13:42:00.000-07:00

When I'm not being a doll maker,

I'm being a writer.

I've been lucky enough to co-write a

ribald, swashbuckling adventure with

Ben R Marsten,

about Mabel Bunt;

a girl with a big heart and

loose morals who is sent to

comfort a noble on his last night

before his beheading.

She gets into all kinds of trouble

and find herself a fugitive from the

king's justice and a shadowy secret society!

Swordplay, corsets, derring-do all ensue.

The first book,

Mabel Bunt

and the Masked Monarchs

is available right now

for a free download.

FREE!

Free download

until Sunday, 24th April.

After that, it's $2.99.

So, almost free?

The next book,

is available now,

$2.99.

Find out what happens next

is Mabel's extraordinary adventures.

I was delighted to be

able to do the cover work for

both these novels.

This is the mask I made for the second volume,

with my first try or a crackle finish

using the school/PVA glue technique.

I was really thrilled with how it came out

and how stable it's been.

No flaking or cracking.

And this is my Mabel Bunt doll!

Don't forget to go get your FREE download.

Here are the links for

the Mabel Bunt free download

around the world.

Mabel Bunt UK

Mabel Bunt Australia

Mabel Bunt Canada

Thank you so much

for your support.

Every free download really does help us.

Every book purchase means we can continue

to write this wonderful story.

Cult of Doll : Secret Project

2016-04-12T10:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I can't tell you anything about this.

It's a secret.

What I can tell you is that

all will be revealed on

April 24th 2016.

It's been a wonderful,

uplifting event to be involved with

and I'm delighted to

be included here with some fabulous

and inspiring doll makers.

For more information and the big reveal

visit the

Cult of Doll

Facebook page.

A Doll with No Name.

2016-03-06T23:38:00.000-08:00

No.

I don't know who she is,

because she won't tell me.

You can find her here, though.

Face # 10!

2016-02-10T23:59:00.002-08:00

Face #10 of the

29 faces of 2016 challenge.

This is a small sketch

in pencil

on a tiny piece of

5"X 3" paper.

Yes, I know I'm six faces behind.

See more here.

I hope to visit people's faces, soon!

Face Three!

2016-02-03T23:15:00.002-08:00

Here is

Face Three!

29 Faces

Feb 2016

Face Two!

2016-02-02T22:09:00.002-08:00

This is day two of the

29 faces Art Challenge!

I'm still here, still drawing!

This is an Absinthe Fairy

on a little index file card.

She's a preparatory drawing for

an Absinthe Tea Set

I'm working on.

Channeling some Lalique here.

Day One 29 faces Art Challenge.

2016-02-01T22:24:00.001-08:00

So, I need to be able to draw better faces.

I do.

So I'm joining the 29 Faces Challenge for

February 2016.

Read all about it here.

Here is face one

It's going to be a long month.

Witches in Fiction 2015… Death Rites and Remembrances

2015-10-16T23:44:00.002-07:00

This year's

Witches in Fiction 2015

Death Rites and Remembrances

is now live and lusty

and full of gifts and prizes.

Artwork by Sunshine Shelle

Get on your best besom

and fly over to Magaly's Blog

where you'll find all the links

to all the wonderful people taking part.

It's a great beginning to the

Samhain season,

the Halloween Holiday,

however you celebrate it.

I'm offering a tiny tea-for-two set,

all ready for tete-a-tetes and

fortune tellings.

The Skull Tea Set through the

darkly delicious eyes of the

Deep Dream Generator.

Halloween is coming!

Blingee by me,

and John Waterhouse.

Magic Circle

It's Coming! Halloween!

2015-10-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

It's nearly Halloween!

And that means

Skull Tea Sets!

Perfect for a

Darkly Delicious Dolls'

Tea party.

New designs appearing

all the time.

Skulls and scary faces,

gothick grey and ghastly green.

Just don't drink out of them!

The Skull Tea Set

is now available in three colours.

Gothick Grey, Steampunk Salt Glaze
and a tasteful Jasperware Blue,

for the more refined doll.

Also, pumpkin?

Who doesn't like pumpkin?

Jack O'Lantern sets, too.

Totally channeling Tim Burton.

Find it all here in my Etsy shop!

Free USA shipping on all tea sets until Halloween.

(But if you want it for Halloween,

you need to let me know.

These are made-to-order.)

Have a Happy Halloween!

Mad Tea Party and a Rabbit/Cat Toy Tutorial!

2015-07-11T00:27:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the 8th Annual

MAD TEA PARTY!

This is a special year for all things

ALICE

This is the 150th anniversary

of the publication of

ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND!

Hop on over to

A Fanciful Twist,

and join in the fun.

The kettle's on!

I made an Alice doll for myself,

and I thought, maybe there were

some other people

who would like an Alice doll, too.

People like

the White Rabbit

and the Cheshire Cat.

Obviously, a little paper clay art doll

isn't a good toy

for a bunny or a cat.

We're going to make a little Alice doll

from some sisal twine.

Sisal twine is safe for cat and rabbit toys.

You need a ball of sisal twine,

a book and a pair of scissors.

First, wrap the twine around the book ten times

cut off the end and slide off the book.

Then, wrap the twine across the book

five times, and slip off the book.

Take the longer piece of twine and tie off

where you want Alice's head to be.

Poke the shorter piece of twine through the long piece,

to make Alice's arms, and tie another stand of twine

underneath, to make her chest.

Cut through all the loops at the opposite end to the head

and fluff them out, to make Alice's skirt.

Tie a nice fluffy piece of sisal twine through the top of

Alice's head and separate the strands,

to make Alice's long, blonde hair.

Here's your Alice!

Give to your kitty or bunny to enjoy!

(Yeah, I know.

It does look a bit Blair Witch...

But, that's ok.

Now you know what to make

your bunny for Halloween, too.)

And, as I always make

an Alice doll

for the

Mad Tea Party,

here is mine for this year.

Tiptoeing through the topiary.

Lying in the clover.

She's very small, just ten inches tall.

And you can find her, here.

On a side note, I'm

very

excited to tell you

I've designed another book cover,

for Ben Marsten, for his latest Oliver book.

Thank you so much for visiting me

and taking tea

at this Wonderland

Mad Tea Party.

I'll be along to your blog,

some time this weekend.

Hugs!

Mad Tea Party

2015-07-08T11:37:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year again!

You are cordially invited to this year's

MAD TEA PARTY

Hosted by the fabulous Vanessa

at A Fanciful Twist.

Sign on, join in,

have a cup of tea...

See you on Saturday 11th July!

May Monster Madness

2015-05-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

MMM

I went for Steampunk.

The late Victorians were big on
the insect theme

and it's only a small step to
steampunk and animate these little beauties
into creations of exotically beautiful horror.

Here is a selection.

Creatures crafted from
discarded parts.

by Edouard Martinet

My friend, Miss Magpie's Steampunk Observer.

Lego Steampunk Scuttler.

Watch-part Insects from

A Mechanical Mind

Creation of a clockwork insect.

One of my favourite films

The City of Lost Children

has a spectacularly unpleasant

altered flea.

See it here, with its trainer's forceps

adding a hypodermic needle.

The flea's view as it travels to its target.

And here, its mind-altering toxin takes effect.

Here is my own Surveillance Arthropod.

(Right now, it's under your couch,

taking notes in Morse code.)

And a how-to, if you want to make your own.

Thank you so much,
for sharing in
May Monster Madness!

If I haven't visited your blog yet,
I'm on my way.

What I'm doing right now.

2015-05-28T23:41:00.000-07:00

What am I doing?

Well, I'm making a

Mabel Bunt Action Figure.

Here she is, looking unusually introspective,

which probably means Lord Guise

has said something complicated...

She'll get tavern wench gear, and a tiny sword!

It's a rare perk of being a writer and

a doll maker; I get to make

my own action figures.

No, she does not come with kung fu grip

Read about Mabel Bunt here.

And here is Oona.

She's an interesting girl,

with at least two opinions on everything...

...and rarely agrees with herself.

Also, she's a little intimidated

by all this sunshine...

Anyway, back to this week's commercial.

Everyone's favourite action figure.

Mad for Hats? Welcome to Mad Hat Day

2015-05-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Debi's

Mad Hat Blog Party!

Mad for Hats?

Make your own!

I found a wonderful pattern for

doll-sized decorative hats on

A Field Journal.

I love the pattern,

but I don't use it for my dolls

because it's not for commercial use,

which is fair.

But when I got an opportunity

to use the pattern for a Mad Hat

I was so excited!

Here is my

Mad Hatter Mad Hat!

I took the basic pattern

and loaded up Tenniel's illustrations

into the crown and brim.

I then printed it out on cardstock

and cut it out and glued it together.

Done!

(Original hat design on A Field Journal )

I don't know if this image will print for you.

If not, you'll have to try the original blank

version on

A Field Journal.

But once you have the basic shape,

you could print out the design on any

coloured or pattered thin card.

The hat was done and ready for the best bit.

Trimming!

An Alice-style talking flower.

A lacy brim

(This is one of those fancy laser-cut

cupcake holders)

Ribbons and braid.

Anna Lee models for you.

A raven's feather.

(Because they're like a writing desk...)

Thank you so much, Debi,

for this fun party!

Back later to see everyone's hats.

Little Clothy Riding Hood.

2015-03-31T00:08:00.001-07:00

Little Red Riding Hood,

with her basket.

Off to grandma's house.

I hope she gets there!

...what was that?

Find Little Red here.

Free doll pattern,

if you fancy making your own.

First Day of Spring! New things happening!

2015-03-20T09:58:00.000-07:00

First of all,
here is my new book!

Ready to read on Kindle
(you don't need a kindle)
and full of exciting stuff!
Mabel Bunt
and the
Masked Monarchs

Hi there!

Well, last year was a wild ride

and I did all kinds of exciting things.

If it's been quiet here recently,

it's because my writing time

has been put into writing,

rather than blogging.

But we'll get to that in a minute.

First of all,

I'd like you to see the wonderful dolls

made with my little cloth doll pattern

by Edie Marie,

over at

Creations by Marie Antoinette

and Edie Marie .

They're really sweet!

See? Lovely hair and such sweet little faces!

If you're interested in the doll pattern,

it's here, complete with a photo tutorial.

Play around with it to make all kinds of dolls.

Like this fairy,

or a hit man...

Which leads me to my other news.

The hit man above (all 11 inches of him)

is the witty, pragmatic anti-hero of

A Conversation with Oliver

by Ben Marsten.

Ben and I have been co-writing

feverishly to produce our first joint work

Mabel Bunt and the Masked Monarchs,

which will be going up on Amazon

this weekend.

I'm so excited!

I did the cover, too!

Who's Mabel Bunt?

She's a girl of indifferent morals

(and I choose my words with care)

thrust suddenly into a wild world

of intrigue, masks, swords and corsets.

Doesn't that sound fun?

I can tell you, it was fun to write!

I'll give you all a heads-up

when Ben lets me know the novel

is up and running on Amazon.

This will be a Kindle book, initially,

but that's ok.

YOU DON'T NEED A KINDLE TO READ IT!

Yes, I was shocked too.

If you have a PC, a lap-top, a smart phone,

whatever you can get on to the Internet with,

you can download a free app

to read Kindle books.

Lots of free books out there, too.

Happy New Year!

2015-01-07T23:04:00.000-08:00

Hi there!

I closed my Etsy shop

for two weeks over Christmas,

and had myself a little Sabbatical.

During this sabbatical

I mostly slept and ate chocolate;

it was very good and I

highly recommend having

a little sabbatical if you

can possibly squeeze one in.

I also painted a horse.

I try and tell myself it's actually

a prop for doll photographs,

but it's really a toy for me!

I didn't sculpt it!

This is a Battat horse I bought

on eBay. I think they're sold

at Target or Toy'R'Us.

It was a nice horse, but very yellow

with a frizzy mane and tail.

So I took those off.

Underpainting. Or, how not to paint dapples.

Dapples. Not apples.

I sculpted pointed tips to his ears, a tail-bone

and added some depth to his jaw

(This is the third attempt to paint dapples.)

I looked at so many references, and so many horses

I decided that dapples can look any way you want.

So mine look like this.

Then I added a mane and tail.

A suri alpaca mane and tail,

which is pretty luxury stuff

for a plastic horse.

Here he is, posing.

He doesn't have a name yet,

so I'm going to have to work on that.

And he insists I make a lady in a riding habit

so I suppose I better get on with that, too!

(Suggestions for name gratefully received.)

Wings!

2014-11-19T19:25:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited!

I finally learned how to make wings!

Proper fairy wings,

and just in time for Christmas, too.

So now I'm making fairy dolls,

because fairies are for Christmas!

(At least, they are if you're British.)

Here's a close-up of the wings.

Chloe is up on Etsy,

and she's about to be joined

by more fairy friends.

For a free pattern

to make your own Chloe,

I've posted it here.

Chloe's wing design came

from Karen at

The Graphics Fairy

Find it here.

This post shared with the wonderful
Ivy and Elephants,
What's It Wednesday

Halloween Party: The DIY Witch

2014-10-24T23:46:00.000-07:00

Win Me!

Welcome to the

Halloween party!

Hosted by Vanessa at
A Fanciful Twist

My party piece will be a pattern.

A free doll pattern.

An easy, peasy, guaranteed doll pattern

to make a small doll,

suitable for all social occasions.

What with this being Halloween,

I'm making a witch doll.

Not this kind of witch.

A nice witch!

A witch doll you can win in my giveaway!

Stage One

HERE IS THE PATTERN

(This free doll pattern is for personal use only.)

Print this out. You won't need the bloomer pattern.

I printed this out on a standard piece

of printer paper and it was true-to-size.

I'm not sure if it will need adjusting for a piece of A4.

The doll will be about 11'', but if you want it smaller,

just shrink the pattern before you print it.

Off to the cutting table!

Stage Two

Cut out the pattern pieces.

Then, (and this is the unorthodox bit)

sew a strip of your chosen skin colour

to your chosen dress colour.

I'm using a tea-dyed cotton for the skin

and witchy black for the dress,

so you can see which is witch.

(see what I did there?)

See the line of stitching in black?

When you've sewn it, open it out and iron the seam flat.

How big a piece?

You need a strip wide enough and deep enough

to fit the body and two arm pieces.

I got this wrong. I'm not ashamed!

So I had to sew a separate piece for the arm

Position the arm and body pattern pieces

on the wrong side of the fabric

(the side with the raw edges)

so that the hand of the arm piece

and the neckline of the body piece

overlaps into the skin fabric,

Like this. See?

Why are we doing this?

So that when you sew the arms and the body,

you've already made the

sleeves and bodice of the doll's clothes.

Draw around the leg pieces

and the head pattern pieces

onto your skin coloured fabric.

Stage Three

Sew around all the drawn edges,

leaving a gap for the stuffing.

Like this.

Sew very carefully around the chin. Smooth is good.

Stage Four

Cut out all the pieces, carefully,

about 5mm from the stitches.

When everything is cut out, snip little V shapes

around all the curved seams.

Turn each piece the right way round.

If you don't have any turning tools,

or a haemostat, this will be the

worst part of making the doll.

I wish you luck.

Stage five

Once everything is turned the right way round,

and you have pushed into all the corners,

the doll is ready to stuff.

So, stuff.

Here she is, all filled out.

The body, head and legs are stuffed with polyester fibre.

The arms are filled with pipe cleaners,

two for each arm, so she can pose.

She's not just a doll!

She's an action figure!

Stage Six

You're going to join the arms and legs to the body.

DO NOT ATTACH THE HEAD YET!

Hold on to that head.

Why?

Because painting the face is the

most worrisome part of making a doll,

and this way, you get two goes!

Stage Seven

I'm a strong believer in the appeal of simple doll faces.

This face is just two black dots,

a little crescent moon in red,

and some pink powder on the cheeks.

It's cute, right?

If you're worried about the face,

make one like this.

Or you can try something more elaborate.

This is a detailed face,

but it's just drawn and painted with

Crayola watercolor pencils

and brushed with pastels.

You don't need any fancy equipment,
and there's lots of good face tutorials online.

Stage Eight

Adding the head.

Ok, this can be tricky.
I hoped you stuffed the neck really well.

Pin the neck to the back of the head,
(At a slight angle is best. Trust me.)

Make sure you leave enough neck,

but not so much the head is flopping.

Like this.

Pin it. Sew it good and tight.

Now you kinda have a doll, right?

Stage Nine

The hair.

Look, I didn't take any photos for this bit.

So, magically, she now has hair.

(Basically, I wrapped some fluffy ginger yarn

around a (clean) peanut butter jar,

sewed the top of the loop to the top of her head,

then cut the loop and fluffed out the hair.)

Totally channeling Merida.

Stage Ten

Stockings

You don't have to make stockings at all.

You could make the legs from

witchy stripped fabric

instead of your chosen skin colour.

You could paint the legs,

(yes, really)

with acrylics, sanding between each layer.

But if you want stockings,

use the leg pattern as a base.

Get an old t shirt,

and line up the leg pattern

to the height of the stocking.

Fold the fabric and sew with a zigzag stitch.

but ignore the ankle. Just keep sewing down to a point,

like a very long, slim inverted V.

Turn them right-way-round,

and hey, stockings!

Stage Eleven

Yes, we go all the way to eleven.

We also use glue.

Yes, we do.

Glue trimming,

(lace, ric-rac, ribbon)

to the top of the 'bodice'

and just above the bottom of the hips.

You can sew it.

If you wanna.

You have to sew the skirt.

The skirt is a strip of fabric at least 15 inches long

and as wide as you want the skirt to hang.

Mini, or floor length, you decide.

(I didn't hem mine, just to keep it witchy.)

Gather the top of the skirt, and

(this is important!)

pin it to the doll upside down,

around her waist.

Upside Down. Don't forget.

Sew it firmly in place.

Turn your doll right-side-up

and fluff out her skirt.

Done!

Mostly.

I added doll shoes, as I just happen to have doll shoes.

I think a pair of Ken doll shoes might fit her, maybe?

If you painted stockings, you could paint on shoes, too.

Superhero Pose

The tutorial for the witch's hat is here.

She'll get her own hat.

She'll get a name, too.

From you, if you win my giveaway!

Usual giveaway rules.

Please follow my blog,

and let me know in the comments.

Please like my facebook page

and tell me in comments.

That gives you two entries.

Yay!

I'm running a second tutorial

with a giveaway, here.

Join up to win one of my

Gloomy Tea Sets

and a red witch's hat.

Both giveaways will be drawn on

5th of November.

More rules.

(Imagine me saying this in a stern teacher voice.)

The free doll pattern is for personal use, only.

You can make gifts, and items for charity,

but you can't sell the pattern

and you can't sell dolls made from the pattern.

(I feel like such a grouch saying this.)

A Halloween Party!

2014-10-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

It's that time again!

Time for

A Fanciful Twist's

HALLOWEEN PARTY.

Yes, I will be taking part!

This is my first year as a participant.

Come back tomorrow for

fun and games and prizes!

Witches in Fiction: Crafting Blooming Howls

2014-10-17T11:25:00.000-07:00

Loading.
(This is graphic heavy)

For
Witches in Fiction 2014
Crafting Blooming Howls
(which is up and running on Magaly's blog
and is full of all kinds of good things.)
I thought I'd post a timely tutorial.

How to make a teeny witch's hat, like this one,
sported by Willow Wind Moon here.

You will need the following:-

Felt

Lace

Thread

You can add to this,

buttons or beads or bells

tiny ribbons, little roses

bats, skulls, bows

First, measure how TALL you want the hat to be.

Mark that distance along the top and

down one side of your piece of felt

and cut out a curve to make a cone shape.

See?

Like this

Cut a piece of stiff lace twice as long as the curved edge

Gather the lace along the top edge.

(Even if it's already ruffled, it will still need gathering)

Pin the lace to the curved edge, making sure

the lace is pointing up towards the top of the cone.

Like this.

See how the lace is pointing towards the tip of the cone?

Pin it! Pin it!

Whip stitch the lace to the curved edge.

Sew the two ends of the curved edge together.

Then, sew up the open seam.

You can either oversew it, or use cross stitch.

Join the two edges of the lace.

It will now open out and form the brim of the hat.

Add pretty things.

Or scary ones.

Or both.

You can now make anything into a witch.

This bartlett pear, for instance.

Or a disdainful doll.

(This is WIP Roseblood,

and thank you, Magaly, for the use of the name.)

If you find this tutorial helpful in any way

and make a witch's hat, I'd love to see pictures!

!!! GIVEAWAY !!!

To celebrate Witches in Fiction 2014 and the release of Blooming Howls,

I'm offering this Gloomy Tea Set and Red Witch's Hat

To take part, please follow my blog!

For a second entry please

(please, please)

like my Facebook page

(I know, I sound so needy)

and mention that in a comment.

The Gloomy Tea Set is available

in my Etsy Shop

Meanwhile, hop over to

Magaly's blog

where

Witches in Fiction

Crafting Blooming Howls

is now in action.

My good friend Gina made some hats.

Hers are fab, with extra lace!

See them here.

Getting ready for the dark nights...

2014-09-12T12:00:00.002-07:00

Firstly,

here's a dark knight.

Feel better?

Secondly,

(to bring some of you up to speed)

I'm co-writing a novel

with the writer, B.R. Marsten

(of 'Oliver' fame)

and the first chapter is up for review, here.

B. R. Marsten and I would be delighted

if you could pop over and have a (free) read.

We'd love to know if you can read it on your device,

and if you enjoy it.

What's it about?

It's the picaresque adventure

of a woman of low repute,

Mabel Bunt.

I'd insert a picture of Mabel here,

but all I have are rough sketches.

That's ok.

Mabel is a pretty rough kind of girl,

living in a changing world;

a world that has corsets and daggers and masks.

(Yes, there'll probably be a doll, too.)

Thirdly,

I'm having a lot of fun with my

Gloomy Tea Sets.

I'll be making them all the way to Halloween!

I've had a couple of lovely people

commission a dolls' tea set,

which is a delightful idea.

I'm open to all kinds of suggestions,

(including pretty ones)

and if there's something special you'd like

just let me know.

Hot tea and a book to read.

That's one of the best things

about long dark nights.

Good news, everyone!

2014-09-03T23:28:00.000-07:00

Well, all kinds of exciting things have happened!

(And I don't mean getting stung on the foot,

by a wasp, in the shower.

Because that happened.

And yes, by definition, it was exciting.

but not in a good way.)

I did another book cover!

This is the second novel about

B R Marsten's charming, pragmatic

hitman, Oliver Tunstall.

It's as witty, intriguing

and darkly funny as the first,

with Oliver doing the terrible things he does;

cleanly, calmly and wearing a nice suit.

You'll find it on Kindle, here

UK Kindle

Australia Kindle

Canada Kindle

To celebrate the release of

A Confession from Oliver

B R Marsten is giving away

the first Oliver novel

for free.

Free!

A Conversation with Oliver

is available here, on Kindle.

You don't need a Kindle

to read a Kindle book

There's a free app, here.

Just add to your laptop/PC/smartphone

and you're all set!

Go read about the

wickedly adorable Oliver!

(and maybe I'll get to do another book cover!)

Other exciting stuff.

I finished my third conjoined twins,

Helena and Hermione,

and have a commission for another.

I also have a commission for a two-headed raven!

I know!

I have four Vampires to make.

I learned to insert lace!

Lace in position.

(Note pintucks!)

Lace sewn in and

background cut away.

Matching lace on hem.

This is for a doll in a Jane Austen type night gown.

And finally, I made these!

Little Halloween Dolls' Tea Sets.

These are altered dolls' tea sets

with paper clay skulls

and gloomy, gothic

monochromatic paints

all sealed and lacquered.

You'll find them here

on Etsy. If they're sold out,

I'm making more!

Just don't drink out of them!