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I saw this technique in Stampington's Art Journaling magazine and really love the effect. The artist is Dina Wakley. I have done stencils before but not thought of using cut outs of people. I have been cutting out lots of people from magazines so I can use them in other books-when I have finished this one. I used acrylic inks flicked from an old brush-one of those ones that all the hairs have spread out on-perfect for this job!

13-unlucky for some

I lived at a flat with the number 13 for quite some time, so have lost my superstition about the number-I think! This dress is lovely-but I always worry that I look like I have gone out in my dressing gown. It is from Hennes (a cheap yet stylish clothing chain) so I have seen lots of other people in the dress-or its rusty red version, and they look ok, so I hope for the best! I loved the bamboo patterns on it and the way it has brown on black.
The other side was a drawing of some brooches-it went wrong so I gessoed and painted, then did the nursery thing of drawing around my hand-outside of my hand, then coloured and drew-using weird souffle pens-they have to dry to appear. It has my snake ring-but next week I am wearing labradorite-for protection-look at Kasia Blue!

12

From left to right, top to bottom:-

Tiny Red (Vanessa Valencia-A Fanciful Twist), Mother's Day Doll(She has bird children) (Beth Robinson-Strange Dolls), Violet (Mealy Monster Land), Titania, (Me!) Broken Hearted Doll (Beth Robinson), Gothic Lolita (Beth Robinson), Susanne (Du Buh Du Designs)

I have a collection of old dolls-not valuable old dolls, just old. They are beautiful to me. (I would like to clarify-they are not the porcelain type Victorian dolls, or the baby doll type-they are costume dolls from different countries mainly)

In the past, I have made papier mache figures-just three-two of them were Frida and Diego Kahlo. When I became involved in blogland I realised that there are so many Frida fans out there and many of them feel drawn to make a representation of her so I am not alone there! Then I discovered the world of art dolls-did I know about it before? I can't remember, but I am so glad I do now. I have a growing collection which I love. I love to look at their faces, and, as someone who is learning to make them, I am inspired by and in awe of the artists that make such beautiful things. Their little faces do really take me outside of myself-I stare and stare at them. They are, logically, inanimate objects, made of clay or cloth. But to me they look real and I read many doll artist's writings and they all say the same thing-that their dolls start to take on a personality of their own as they emerge.

11

I tend to have favourite clothes or jewellery-or music actually. I wear/listen to it over and over again and then one day-that's it-I forget about it. (Am I fickle?) This is one of those pieces of clothing. It has a lovely blue and white pattern, is cut well so as to disguise my stomach, and looks good ( I hope!) with either a short or long sleeved t-shirt worn underneath.

10

These were both Tiger, but actually, one looks like Lily-looking slightly mad at the back!