Craft night!

Thursday night was the long-awaited craft night at Maggie's house. It was the perfect break from conferences. We had a scrumptious veggie lasagna dinner with this incredible gooey cake for desert...can't quite think of it's proper name right now. It was wonderful nonetheless. To top it all off, Maggie gave me an adorable Halloween card and birthday gift!

And no, it didn't stop there...her brother also gave me a handmade birthday card...that he made...with felt :)

The fully belly and joyful spirits resulted in a productive night of crafts, stories, and this curious little gal...

It's here!

I've been so busy the past couple weeks with student evaluations and family-teacher conferences that I didn't have time to update. (Did I mention I'm an elementary school teacher?) During the hustle and bustle, however, I did receive my eagerly awaited copy of The Black Apple's Paper Doll Primer! It is simply lovely...

Here is one of my favorite characters that Emily Martin has included in her book. I think it's pretty obvious why I like her :)

It's a lovely book. I'm looking forward to getting some color copies made at Kinkos (I don't dare cut it up).

The Paper Doll Primer

I just ordered Emily Martin's new book, The Black Apple's Paper Doll Primer and it is expected to arrive on Friday. I can't wait to see all her "misfit" characters and learn new crafts!

Here's an article about it in the LA Times that best describes it:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/2010/10/black-apple-paper-doll-primer.html

Here is one of her characters...

...and her clothes and accessories


So excited :)

....the third

Ok. So I'm becoming a bit obsessed with these Black Apple dolls. Today I went to Joann's to get more cotton fabric, muslin, and tiny buttons. I've realized who I'm reminding myself of...

Jillian Jiggs! If you read the Jillian Jiggs books as a kid you'll recall the shenanigans she often got into, her mother always rolling her eyes or sighing with exhaustion from her daughter's elaborate ideas. I'm thinking of one book in particular though...

Jillian decides to make stuffed pigs. After making one she realizes she needs another, and another...and another. There are just too many pig personalities to create. That's sort of how I feel about these quirky little dolls. In the back of the book there are instructions for making pigs just like Jillian's. I remember making one, realizing they weren't as cute as the ones in the book, and ditching the idea altogether. Anyway, I happen to think these Black Apple dolls are just too charming and simple to resist.

I think this one's an Ella...

And then there were two

I think they look like a Betty and a Jane.