My Answer To The Favecrafts Blog Question - Who Inspired You To become An Artist? Why Do You Create?

On September 27, 2010 I received an email from the Favecrafts.com Editorial Team asking if I would be interested in answering the Monthly Craft Question over at FaveCraftsBlog. The question was: Who inspired you to become an artist/designer? Why do you like to create?

Here's what I said: I have loved dolls, sewing, floral arrangements, and crafts since I was a very little girl and was always making or sewing something. Even at a very early age I wanted hundreds of dolls and hundreds of clothes and the only way I was going to get them was if I made them myself.

But, before I could do that I had to learn how to sew. And, for that inspiration I would have to credit both my Mother and my ancestors. My mother taught herself how to sew, my grandmother was a seamstress, my aunt was a seamstress, etc. Women from sewing families know what I mean when I say sewing runs in the family. It's in the blood.

So, not only did I have the "sewing gene" but, I also had the "crafting gene." You see, my Dad loved crafting and wood working and he learned that from his Father, who learned it from his Father and so on. My Father always loved to involve his children in whatever he was making and would spend hours on end just teaching us how to do something and do it right.

However, from an early age I liked to rebel so while I learned how to do things "right" I also learned what I liked and didn't like. At a very early age I was already trying to establish my own individuality and creativity.

Despite my rebellious nature my Mother was able to painstakingly teach me how to sew. I say "painstakingly" as even at an early age I didn't like to follow the patterns and read all the instructions so many of my creations were let's just say "crude" at best. However my Mother was able to properly teach me how to sew and sew I did.

But, my Mother did more than just teach me how to sew properly. She also reinforced my individualism and creativity. She said it never hurts to experiment. That's what they make seam rippers for. If it doesn't work just rip it out and start again. So, I did time and time again until I developed my own style.

And for my style and passion I would have to credit my grandmother for that. You see, when I was a very young girl she gave me a very old print of Godey’s Fashions for August 1870 that belonged to my great, great aunt Flossie. I was captivated by the frilly, beautiful dresses and from that moment on I was hooked. From that moment I wanted to make beautiful Victorian dolls.

My Grandmother, my Mother, and my Father have all been a source of inspiration for me. Each brought a different kind of inspiration which I would have to say formed the basis of my creativity as it exists today.

I Was Nostalgic - What Is A Doll, Really?

For some reason I was re-reading some of my earliest blog posts and ran across my post entitled "What Is A Doll, Really?" that I had written back in September of 2005. I enjoyed re-reading it and thought you might enjoy re-reading it, too!

Here's my post:

In thinking about the anniversary of Raggedy Ann and about dolls in general I had to wonder "What is a Doll, Really?"

According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, a doll is defined as: a model of a human (often a baby), a humanoid (like Bert and Ernie), an animal or a fictional character (like a Troll or a Smurf), usually made of cloth or plastic. Sometimes, intended as keepsakes or collections for older children and adults, it could be made in wood, porcelain, bisque, celluloid or wax. Some dolls are intended as toys for children, usually girls, to play with. Others are for decoration or have some cultural significance, possibly for use in some ceremony or ritual, or as a physical representaion of a deity. Archaeological evidence places dolls as foremost candidate for oldest known toy, having been found in Egyptian tombs which date to as early as 2000 BC.

While I think all of that may be the physical representation of what a doll is, the definition is sorely lacking and misses the point entirely. Dolls are much, much more to those of us who loved them as little girls and who still love them as grown-up girls.

They are and were our first BEST friend. They are and were the keeper of all our hopes, dreams, and secrets. We would tell them things we would not tell anyone else. They shared our joys and our sorrows. They were cherished items that if destroyed would break our hearts. We learned and practiced our social skills from our tea parties.

They were our first forums for they listened to our fears, gave us advice, and offered silent counsel. They helped us to think for ourselves, and provided us with a sounding board to bounce our ideas off of. They were what we held if we cried ourselves to sleep at night. They were the first to hear about our sorrows and dry our tears. They offered us counsel, albeit not always wise counsel. If we were angry and mad they bore the full brunt of it, sometimes losing limbs in the process.

No matter what we did to them they ALWAYS stood by us. They ALWAYS remained faithful, loving, and hopeful. They were our first and biggest fan club. Always rooting us on from their perch on our bed, shelf, floor, or where ever they lay. They were usually the first thing we saw in the morning and the last thing we saw at night. For us, at the time, our dollie was everything.

So, while the description in the encyclopedia is correct as to what a doll really is, they are much, much more to us. For all of us that loved them as little girls and continue to love them as grown-up girls, our dolls are priceless and cannot be defined.

A Treat For You - More Fall Floral Decorations!

I know that I've mentioned that I love to decorate for the Fall. So much so that I'm sure you're tired of hearing it. Ya think!


Well, I never get tired of decorating for this wonderful season and thought you might like to see some more of the Fall floral decorations that I have around my house this year.


Some are in baskets that I painted and some are in natural weave baskets. Most of the contents of the Fall baskets are either dried natural florals, pinecones, dried florals from my garden, or silk florals.


Happy Fall!  I hope you enjoy the season and the wonderful colors.