The BIG Woodland Dolls and Wood Crafts

I've been telling you about the BIG dolls and wood crafts that I love. Well, this post is about the BIG woodland type dolls and wood crafts that I love. One decorates my house during different times of the year and some have been made as gifts for my sister.

My sister and her husband are into hunting. Actually, I need to clarify that. My brother-in-law is into hunting - my sister is married to a "hunter!" So they like log cabin homes and woodland style decorations. As a result I'm always looking for woodland style dolls like moose, deer, brown bears, etc. that I can make for her.

This year I have a surprise for her and I hope she doesn't read this post. While my sister does love woodland style things she also happens to like "Victorian" dolls. Talk about different ends of the spectrum. The two could not be more opposite.

In any event, two of my new doll and doll pattern designs for this year were a Victorian moose gentleman, and a Victorian moose lady. I designed them specifically with my sister in mind and will hopefully have the patterns ready in the coming months. I made two of each doll - two male moose and two female moose. One to support the pattern and the other to sell or, in this case, give to my sister. I know she will like them.

But, being the mean sister that I am I'm going to show them to her, but make her wait for them. I figure a couple of years of waiting and then maybe I'll give them to her. What a nice sister I am!!!!! Tease, tease, tease. Sisters must tease each other!!! Not to worry. She'll get back at me - I know!

So, one of my favorite BIG woodland wood crafts was a painted wooden moose that I made for my sister for Christmas one year. I named him "Karl Me Moose!" and her stands 32" tall. He was made based on a TLC Crafters design. He holds a sign that sells "Welcome" and I thought she'd love that for the front door area of her home.

He was made using 1" pine wood and painted in my sister's favorite color - blue. His shirt I painted to look like a blue plaid shirt, and his antlers were "sponged." Decorative stitching was added all along his edges and he is wearing a blue striped flannel bandanna.

My favorite part of him was his boots. They just came out so realistic to workman's boots that I just loved them.

His welcome sign was "sponge" painted and a bronze bear and bronze goose were added as decorative accents. My sister loved him.

The year before I had given her a woodsy wreath (see picture to the left) that I had made from a TLC Crafters pattern design. She absolutely loved it and the wreath was a compliment to my "Karl Me Moose" so I was pretty sure she'd like him, too. Luckily, she did.

The BIG woodland wood craft that decorates my home is a 29" painted wooden bear that I named "Homer."

He, too, has a welcome sign to greet guests to my home and was made based on a TLC Crafters design.

"Homer", too, was painted using an "ocean sponge" effect for his Welcome sign and for the big evergreen tree that he's leaning against.

He, too has workman's boots and I just love how they turned out.

"Homer's" shirt was painted to look like a plaid flannel shirt and his bear fur was painted to make it look lumpy. You can;t really tell that from his picture, but the paint is lumpy so it looks like fur.

Decorative floral were glued to the base around his feet and the base of the evergreen tree. The evergreen tree was also painted to make it look lumpy and white paint was "sponged" on to make it look like snow.

I had intended to give this to my sister as a Christmas present for her home, but "Homer" sent me a message one day asking for me to come talk to him. Well, I had to find out what that was all about so I went to speak to him.

He told me that while he understood that he was meant as a present for my sister that he would much rather stay with me. She already had a moose Welcome and a woodsy wreath and, well, truth be told, he'd rather be with all the "Victorian" dolls. They were so fancy and so beautiful and, well, he was so honored to be in their presence that he wanted to stay here. He figured they were so dainty that they needed a BIG bear to protect them. So, I acquiesced and told him he could stay.

Just don't let my sister know that he was intended for her. She wouldn't care that she already had a moose or two or three or four, she'd want "Homer", too. He could protect the one "Victorian" doll that I had made for her. After all, she needed protection. She was surrounded by moose. And that could be perilous, indeed!!

So "fork Homer over", sis! He's mine!!! YIKES!!! Poor "Homer."