I cut the head off a doll last night

YES, it’s true. My first, and (hopefully) only time …..

I figured something out about myself a few years ago. I like miniature things. (Took a bit of a while to discover that) Bonsai trees, ventriliquist puppets …. I made a Little Free Library a few years ago that was a little out of the realm. A red copper roof, a dragon atop said roof, a blacony, working French doors from said balcony.

There was a dollhouse supply store in Edina, a few miles away.

I even took the time to cut pictures from magazines and glue them to the inside of the windows I installed. (Kinda cool, that). More than a few people stopped me and told me it was a destination spot when they walked the dog. Or when they were out with the kids.

There is a garden store heading towards St Paul, about the same distance the other way as the dollhouse supply. They had some Fairy ornaments that were the perfect size.

I turned the ornaments into Little Free Library inhabitants. There was one on the balcony who was actually leaning on the railing and looking down. And she was looking at a male Fairy on one knee reaching up to her. (Like I said, perfect)

All destroyed within a year or so ….

People took the dragon, I replaced it. (Screwed it on and epoxied it) That one was stolen. Random Faries, this and that. (Some D****EAD even pried out a small octagon window) For what, who knows.

Good while it lasted, I spose’.

My hard drive shuffled off this mortal coil a few months ago, so I don’t have any pictures of it. ( And yeah, shoulda’ backed everything up …. feel better now? All you Computer Geeks wagging fingers at me ….)

I also like Marionettes.

On the Ellen show years ago, someone sent Ellen a gift of a Jack-In-The-Box. When the figure popped out, it was a Polymer Clay image of Ellen. I thought, that’s cool. I checked her website a few days later, and a banner across it said “PLEASE BE PATIENT, I’M TRYING “

Apparently, being on Ellen can generate some interest in a product.

I thought “Now that’s something to consider, make something unique, and people will overwhelm you wanting one”

I remembered that the other day when I was thinking about making a marionette. I belong to a Maker’s Group,( more on that in another post.) Or Google it, it’s pretty cool. I have NO clue on polymer clay, but it looks like you can make dome amazing creations with it. A-a-a-nd, if you have such an amazing head, you should have an equally amazing body.

That hasn’t worked out for me personally on either front. But I was thinking of it as, y’know, a broad concept via-s-vis’ marionettes.

Just having some oblong, boring PIECE O’ WOOD unbefitting the other-worldly visage I had dancing-in-my-brain-once-I-actually-learned-how-to-form-polymer-clay just didn’t float my boat.

Ahhh, but what to do? I pictured the hassles endemic in shaping a block of wood. I could do it, but it would be a lot of work for a fledgling project. Carving foam? Seemed …. messy. All of those little foam pills about. Then I recalled a candle I made. I fahioned with a mold I made from a 2-part silicone rubber mix.

Hmmm …. that could work. But I wanted the doll’s body to have form. Not some pudgy-looking baby.

I headed to the local Target and descended on the doll section of the Toy Department. Unknown territory to Mark Rockford. And, boy oh boy, are some of those dolls expensive. Yes, yes they certainly are, (amswered my own question) Wandered the aisles a bit…. Nope,nope,nope,nope, wait.

And, there she was. Disney’s Moana.

The right height, the right proportions, a slightly over-sized head like I was thinking for the marionette. so I purchased it and brought it to my Maker Space. Right away things got odd. I accidentally pushed the pendant on the front of her throat, and she spoke. PERFECT. The big, brown eyes looking at me weren’t bad enough. She’s going to possibly be talking as I take her apart to mold each part seperately.

And; of course, I hit it a bunch more times…. I finally took out the batteries. I just couldnt take it anymore. I felt enough like Hannibal Lector as it was.

“What were the lambs doing Clarice?”

(AAAARRRRGGHHHH !!! STOP IT ! Get out of my head!!)

So that’s where I’m at. I’ve just started building the forms to hold the mold. I’ve got the doll parts prepared, and ready to go. (As far as I know.) Something always goes wrong.

That’s part of the challenge. And the FUN.

I’ll keep ya’ll informed.

Be Good Everyone,

• Mark Rockford Winsor-

{Author’s Update} Sooo-ooo, I published this 3 or 4(?) days ago. I may be having a change of heart ;), I’m not sure I want to do this a LOT. Maybe it’s because I’m so brand new at it. But I kinda suck. There seems to be absolutely NO talent to be found here. I’ll let you know. Perhaps I’ll do one for a friend, but they’ll have to be a REALLY good friend