Calamity Kim

Paper Art Dolls: The Vintage Modern Mermaid

I am not sure what it is about the Gibson Girls that captures my attention so completely but I have several stamps with different faces from that genre and I really enjoy using them to make paper dolls.

I often use Kimberly Crick's templates and rubber stamps as well as Catherine Moore's Character Construction stamps. I love the combination of vintage and woodland themes together and am also working up some circus and steampunk designs. I used to make paper dolls quite often and it has been a while since I returned to visit them but I have set aside wool, fabric and spinning wheel to get my paper on for a while.

Paper dolls aren't just for kids and my dolls can be used for decorating trees, wreaths, packages, worn as pins, necklaces or charming wall decor. I use acid free glue and papers and I decorate and embellish them with glitter, paper flowers, hat millinery and tiny ephemera.

Today I visited Retro Rosie's in Bradenton to grab some vintage lace and old letters to use in new dolls. Rosie and Nancy have a lovely shop filled with vintage clothing, shabby chic decor, wedding dresses, kitsch and aprons- as well as sewing notions, barkcloth and lots of good paper ephemera like tintypes and photos.

I love to combine vintage photos with water colored tails and will soon have a batch of finished mermaids- once they get some arms!

I am going to do some that are valentine related and some for Easter- assuming that I stay with it I should get them done in time to list on Etsy. Let's keep our finger's crossed and say a prayer to our patron saint of persistence and consistency- can't hurt- might help!

I joined the Selby Gardens Nature Printer's this year and I hope to be printing some fairy paper dolls using real leaves and flowers for their skirts and wings. No pictures of that yet- just playing with the idea and getting it worked out in my head before I begin printing them.

Monday begins a new year and I hope to be back here blogging more and sharing my adventures. Thank you for the five years of readership and for sharing links to my blog and all the love. Blogland is a special place and my life would not be the same without it. Happy New and Wonderful Year Ahead to us all! love, calamity

Alpha Stamps Giveaway!

So....the big day is over and you're surfing the net looking for fun and something to do...

Go visit one of my favorite sources for stamps, ephemera and embellishments and sign up for their awesome giveaway (with a mermaid theme no less!) and tell em calamity kim sent ya! Here is the link for Alpha Stamps.

I am off for my daily walk and then I will be back to share some new mermaid stamped paper dolls of my own.

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas celebration (or Hanukkah or Kwanza or Festive us).