A Mermaid Cake for Ana

If you knew Ana and her long beautiful hair... you would say... Ana's Hair~!!!!

Happy Birthday to a wonderful friend at work. She loves her mermaids so......

My first swap gift.

MINE~~MINE~~MINE~!!!My redhaired witch swooped out of her travel bag and out to the backyard. She was soooo excited to get a wiff of the HOT Pacific NW. She thought the trees would be the safest spot since the big black crows were ready to strike. She must have been told by her maker "Starla" that this might be a new and magical place. She is adorable. Her little feeties in her little booties!! RED RED ... flaming RED HAIR. She will protect me in all my endivers as I enter my studio.Thank you so much Starla. It is a treat to have this be my first swap gift. So special to have Starla as my first swap partner.

This witch is from http://briar-rabbit-prims.blogspot.com/




http://susiedesigns.blogspot.com/

TDIPT Summer Swap "To Dwell In Primitive Thymes"

To Dwell In Primitive Thymes Summer Swap.
Just a picture of my swap gift that I sent to Starla...
http://briar-rabbit-prims.blogspot.com/ Go see her wonderful art !!

This is a pumpkin man make do on a candle stick. I sculpted a paper clay head and face on him and used my FAVORITE COLORS!!

Now I can't wait to see what I get in exchange.

Summer Garden in Oregon City

This is what good old chicken pooo will do for your garden. We took these on July 9, 2009. So knee high by the 4th of July. Plus crook neck yellow squash, tomato's, peppers, beans...

The deer won't leave my tomato blossoms alone~!

Blue berries.. just a small picking. Anyone can grow blueberries in a sunny location. Be sure to add "all" your coffee grounds around the base.... The plants love the acid taste and it doubles your yield and the size of the berries.

Kodiak, Alaska ~~ Fishing with Susie

Going... Fishing ~! Our Kodiak, Alaska fishing trip is getting close.This is just a sample of a couple years ago. I was the fish cleaner for our 15 fish limit for the day. No bears this day but lots of Eagles flying around to see what they could pick up for lunch.

I love Halloween colors~! My husband said that I couldn't tie black and orange fishing flies for our Alaska trip. Oh POO~! What does he know.

This table of fishing supplies .... sure does look a lot like me crafting table. I might have to run off with some of his "stuff". Hey... did he get into my stuff???

Shop and Win on the TDIPT Mercantile

Red with Pigtails and a Piggy for sale.
George Washingto goes to the County Fair for sale.
Find these 2 on the TDIPT Mercantile~! Plus many other artisans wonderful hand crafted items.

http://www.tdiptmercantile.com/index.html

You can find me under the Artisan SusieDesigns

http://tdipt-susiedesigns.blogspot.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don't for get to sign up at the TDIPT 100TH Blog give away.

Win this hand painted Angel or many other great gifts.
http://todwellinprimitivethymes.blogspot.com/

To Dwell In Primitive Thymes 100th Blog Give Away

http://www.todwellinprimitivethymes.blogspot.com/

Be sure to go to click on the link to the TDIPT ~~To Dwell In Primitive Thymes

TDIPT's 100Th Blog Post Giveaway. We are excited about having reached this milestone and we want to celebrate by offering some special prizes . If you'd like to win one of these special prizes, you can do so in one of 3 ways. You have THREE chances to win! 1) You can simply leave a comment on this post, 2)You can become a follower of our blog (current followers automatically have a chance to win!) 3) You can spread the word on your own blog about our 100Th Post Giveaway!
Last day to enter ~ Sunday, June 21st

http://todwellinprimitivethymes.blogspot.com/2009/06/tdipts-100th-post-giveaway.html

I have donated a hand painted piece of art work to the give away. Be sure to click on the link to reach the TDIPT blog and enter to win. Also, sign up to receive our newsletter bi-monthly with wonderful hand made items from wonderful artisans across the country.

Go and see the other special art prizes you could win.

Which Craft to work on~?~?~?~

I have been busy getting back into being crafty busy. Sewing my nursing uniforms out of wonderful colors has brought my sewing back to life.

Working on a silk tie quilt by request isn't my favorite but wow it takes alot of squares and ties to get done!

Sculpting old George Washington going to the fair. Just a peek at him....He's not done yet.

Another peek at a prize that will be offered on our TDIPT Mercentile. Now I can paint again.

OOPs!!! getting ahead of myself with Christmas... I think not. It will be Christmas this summer soon on our TDIPT Mercantile ~!

Garden Blooms~~My Collecting

I have friends that collect antiques. I collect old stuff to paint on.
I have friends that collect fancy clothes. I collect old and new clothes to tear apart for crafts.
I do collect garden plants to make me happy as my friends and I wander the garden. The photos here are of blooms and my gardening helpers.

Family Needs Me

Now on to be obsessed with my life like my Mom taught us all to do.

I have family here that depends on me. Fatty puggies and the tough cat.

Ok... I am going to get busy and be me again.

Angel Mom

My 92 1/2 year old Mom would still get an obsessed quilt, gardening idea or travel plan in her mind. She would tackle it head on and not stop til she had it done. It took only 14 days after her diagnosis to her passing.

My Mom did not fight leaving but wanted to visit all her family and finalize her last ideas. She was on a mission and needed to get it done. She said her goodbyes to everyone who visited, dictated notes to those who could not and never regretted a single bit of her life.
My Mom made 2 quilts just 1 month before she knew.
My Mom went to Spirit Mt. to play the slots just 2 weeks before she knew.
My Mom had gardening plans and was waiting for the blueberries to get ripe.
The love of her family carried us all though. My Mom worked just as hard and strong on her last journey to become and angel April 20, 2009.

Lazy Fat Cats

Do you wish you could just lay around and have no worries. Live the life of a cat at our house!

Family Ties~~Aging Mothers

My 92 1/2 year old Mother has been a strong and wonderful parent for her large family. We have been celebrating her life since finding out she has just a short time left with us. She has been pain free with liver cancer but failing rapidly. She wanted to have everyone to stop by so she can say goodbye and we continue to parade in and out. The grand kids dressed her in a pink feathered tiara and boa as we laughed and teased with her last weekend. She is still with us now eating ice cream every chance she can and 1/2 a beer at 5pm. She is in her home with my sister staying 24/7 just as promised.It has been a reconnecting of aunts, cousins, brothers and sisters. My nieces and daughter took me out to Karaoke...they sang and I laughed. We all needed it.
She continues to amaze us with her delightful smile, funny, historical and thoughtful comments.

Art Apprentice

If you were looking to work for me as an artist .. I am sorry that the job has been filled. This little lady bug applied and was hired on the spot.

Now I think she may be calling her agent. ~!

Art From My Recent Past

I have loved to paint. I looked back at some of the art I have done and wanted to share it with you.

SusieDesigns T.D.I.P.T Banner

How cute is this custom made banner by http://bigbrowndogprimitives.com/. Jan put her wonderful skills to great use with my special picture and her computer designing talents. I couldn't be more happy. With a few back and forth fun emails, Jan had a full sense of my ideas and blended them with her skills and WOW!!! I am so happy with this design. Don't you wish you had this cute little sweety in your design corner! Sorry she is mine and I am her NANA!!

Click this link http://www.tdiptmercantile.com/ and you will be whisked away to "To Dwell in Primitive Thymes". Some of the best primitive artisans across the country have a home here and list their wonderful crafts. Also, journey to their blogs and see what inspires them. You might even get a glimpse of a special piece that is in the process of being thought of, crafted and finished. Contests are held and before I joined I was one of the winners of a Christmas Ornie! Now they have welcomed me and my art into their group.

Be prepared .. I say... winding your way through the items for sale, blogs and links could be inspiring and addicting. One artist will lead you to their favorite sites and on and on.... But be sure to know that you will have lots of fun. You can come back often since many artists here will have items on Ebay, Etsy or also on their blog or website. Just a never ending specialty crafters market.
You will see my banner and listings in the T.D.I.P.T. Mercantile email March 15TH.

TDIPT To

I have just been accepted to TDIPT. To Dwell in Primitive Thymes. This is an group of artists who promote their specialty hand made work on Ebay and through a Bi-monthly newsletter.

I am jumping up and down to jon them and will be in the newsletter on the 15th of March!

You can sign up for the newsletter and see the artists work at:

http://www.tdiptmercantile.com/index.html

SusieDesigns on the Oregon Trail

Coth and Clay Dolls~ Gritty Jane Doll

This is my Gritty Jane Doll from the online Cloth and Clay Doll Class by Jan DesRosier.
She was very fun to do. Music sheets decoupaged to her bodice and arms. Clay hair in a flip... I think mine was like this in 6 Th grade.
A vintage black and white skirt from a resale shop for her skirt. Eyelash metallic yarn, a vintage rhinestone button holds 3 red and black polka dot hearts from her waist line. Her Mary Jane shoes have red polka dot heats on the bands.

Doll head in the process.

This dolls head was done in a class from Prosculpt clay. It started from an foil ball. She has real glass eyes and eyelashes. She needs to be turned into a clock face at the base. Time will tell if I work on her or run off to another project.

This little bunny girl was sculpted with Paper Mache over an old porcelin figure. She is now a pink sparkling angel with white feather wings.

She is about 10 inches long and 7 + inches high. She is secured onto an old vintage woven wooden basket. She has a vintage rhinestone button and a pink bell around her neck. She hides an easter egg under her right hand. She also is covered with german glass glitter and mica flakes.

Brown Bunny Boy

Hopping along the bunny trail. This guy is hand sculpted by me. No molds for him. He has a cone hat on that has a purple feather and a vintage rhinestone button on it. Fun little carrots and eggs he has. All items sprinkled with german glass glitter and mica flakes. He is about 10 1/2 inches tall. Very sturdy and Easter cute.

Sculpted Art from Paper mache clay

This little hand sculpted paper mache bunny came from my heart and hands. Not a mold. She is in a Vintage style and is 7 1/2 inches high.

I hand painted her eyes and sealed them. They look moist as if they are real.

Holiday Dolls With Round Heads

These are 3 of the Holiday dolls that I have finished. Cloth heads, arms and bodies attached to old wooden beehive bobbins. They have been hand painted, their clothes are hand sewn and stand 23-24 inches tall. I am done with these cloth dolls and off to sculpting now.

Rag Doll Swap for Friends of Cloth Dolls

Our group is in the middle of a Rag Doll swap. We each were paired up with another doll friend to swap with. I'm not done but thought I would tease my Carla swap mate with the feet of her doll.
Carla her little feet won't get cold... at least! She won't let me name her yet but we are discussing it.

VR Challenge Doll for Friends of Cloth Dolls

The face of this doll is from pre-printed fabric designed by Virginia Robertson who sells designs dolls and sells patterns and books on
http://dollmakersjourney.com/index.html We each had several faces to chose from and then we each decided on what kind of doll to design around our face. Halloween popped into my head for her.
I hear from other doll makers who have unfinished dolls and other projects still left to do. I had finished this doll for our challenge in this group but had wanted to add more to her. Her body is from a thick felted wool and then Halloween added from head to toes. She as articulating hands and arms, she can sit but not stand. I needle felted her a litttle black kitty face in black wool then metallic yarn with orange wool facial features. She has ruffles and ribbons and a jiggle bell ring and bells on her toes.

The cape I redesigned for her is lined and filled with cotton flat batting. I free stitched quilted the cape and appliqued a moon and metallic black cat jumping across the moon.

Her face was sweet to start out with. I only needle sculpted it a bit, added highlights to her eyes, cheeks and lips. The hair I made is from 100% wool yarn and eyelash yarn. I made ringlets by wrapping that combination around wooden dowels, soaked in water then baked. Long flowing lush ringlets!!
I have placed her on Etsy under Susiedesigns.

Friends of Cloth Dolls: a Yahoo group for doll makers, new, old, just starting out or old hands at it.

Halloween Goth Primitive Witch

This is a primitive Halloween Doll that I have made from a thick Cotton Muslin. I have painted her face with acrylics. The Halloween Orange and Black colors are some of my favorite.
I pie quilted her skirt and added tons of trim, metallics and a netted slip.
Her little pumpkin flowered hand bag is needle felted into a face, with black stained petals and some metallic from yarns and an old sweater.
She is about 27 inches tall, she will sit but not stand. I have her on Ebay right now under SusieDesigns.

Hoffman Doll Challenge 2008 Northwest Quilt Expo SusieDesigns Susan Woodworth

The Hoffman Fabric Challenge 2008
http://www.hoffmanchallenge.com/

At the Northwest Quilt Expo
http://www.nwquiltingexpo.com/

More of the dolls can be seen at Deanna Hogan's great website.
http://www.blueherondolls.com/2008%20Hoffman%20Challenge.htm

The dolls from the Hoffman Challenge from Trunk A
http://www.hoffmanchallenge.com/2008challenge/doll_trav_for_web.pdf
Sorry for the fuzzy pictures... the dolls are in a glass case.

The above 3 pictures show the dolls left to right on the table under glass. Althougth I can't get the pictures to mind me and stay "3 in a row".

Left to right under the glass.

There were so many beautiful quilts at this show. Not must from the Hoffman Challenge. My sister was with me and had a walking cast on. So we were limited in time and steps. !!
If you would like any of these pictures please email me at Suethenurse@msn.com and let me know.

Teagan's Birthday Picnic Table

Back to Tole painting for this project. It was toooo hot to paint out on the patio this weekend at almost 100 degrees. Then it rains and is too wet to paint out on the patio. Grandma (Pam) Cameron had Spencer bring me a great garage sale find. This wonderful wooden picnic table will be a Birthday gift for our 2 year old Granddaughter Teagan.

So the project starts out in my head and then to the art studio on the living room coffee table. This little table is a bit bigger than tole painting a Christmas Sled. Out come the paints, more paints and lots more paints to mix and match.

Teagan loves just about anything but kitties that say, "Maow" are her favorite. So of coarse her table had to have kitties! Each kitty has found the top of a birdhouse to visit with thier bird friends.

The black and white kitty is my favorite and the heart says T.J. for her initials. The large orange kitty looks a bit menacing But really has a sweet face, a red bow, a tag that says "Maow" and a blue bird on his tail. He just got a bit big.

This kitties face opposite of each other on the table so she can pick which kitty to eat and visit with. On each attached sit is a large lady bug and a dragonfly or butterfly. I have to been done sooooo. It needs it coats of varnish.

I have always been an 11Th hour procrastinator~! Lots of love Nana

July 2008 Adele Sciortino,ODADA Viva la Carnivale workshop

My doll is the orange and black one that I still have to finish. We learned how to make paper clay masks for our Viva La Carnivale Doll.

My first doll workshop was with Adele Sciortino,ODADA. http://www.adelesciortino.com/

The workshop was held by the Stitchin' Time Cloth Doll Club in Eugene, Oregon. We brought our cloth doll bodies made prior to class and each student bought tons of fabric and embellishments. The Stitchin' Time club brought baskets of fancy fabric to drool over and help plan our elegant dolls from. Adele had multiple stopping points for us to come up and see demonstrations of fun and new techniques. We spent 2 days on Dolls and one whole day on beading. We learned some basic beading skills and started to build on a cabochon pendant. The completed one was done by Adele Sciortino. My sister, Beverly Reinhart's is right on with her beginner pendant with the even beading. WOW!

Our workstations started out all neat and organized then went to a pure busy state. Dolls were everywhere. We made wonderful friends, laughed and cried from stories and discussions. I came home exhausted with my mind over flowing with learned skills, brewing ideas and a lonesome husband.

Bev and I traveled from Portland, Or to Eugene, Oregon to attend the class. The traveling students and teacher were hosted by the some of the students in the class. Our host family was the doll club's president, Leilani and her husband Ron. He seemed to have plenty of stuff to do while we were off to class then came home to sew on our dolls till midnight each night. Just like a bunch of teenage giggly girls. Oh and we learned that the president of this club rules not with a gavel but a loud squeaking frog!!

Our room mate, Cindy Urich, is building her dream house with plans to have specialty art seminars held there.

I can never thank Adele Sciortino and Jean Peeters the club organizer enough for this event. It was soooo much fun.

OH!! I had to come back and put my dolls away (for awhile) and cook dinner and vacuum.!

Depot Doll Club Portland Oregon

My sister Beverly Reinhart http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=6&uid=5760442 and I attended our first doll club meeting, that lead to our first doll showing. The dolls from the other club members filled the shelves to overflowing!

Depotdoll club was able to display all these beautiful dolls at Quilting Delights in Clackamas, Oregon. http://www.quiltingdelights.com/ This wonderful quilt shop has remodeled and expanded and offered this unique book shelf as a stage. http://www.depotdollclub.com/ The club was started in 2000 after Elinor Peace Bailey taught a workshop. http://www.epbdolls.net/ They are sponsored by the Fabric Depot in Portland, Oregon. This Store usually has just about any fabric you can think of and I can spend hours just wondering around, filling up a cart. https://www.fabricdepot.com/

Can you find my Witch, Garden fairy and my White primitive angle doll in the mix??

It's Almost Halloween!!!

This doll will be for sale shortly. Please email me at Suethenurse@msn.com if you might be interested. She will be listed at $180. She is about 22 inches tall.

BOO! BOO! BOO! BOO! BOO!

I wanted to show my Halloween doll I did this spring but more are coming. This doll is OOAK, soft cloth and totally my design.

She has painted striped legs, a leather cape with an attached pointed collar.

The cape has an embroidered spider web and beaded spider on her right side. A wonderful lama Halloween dress that is gathered on the bodice and enhanced with beads at the hem line. Her long fingers are sculpted clay with each fingernail hand painted with a small Halloween design. Orange needle felted pumpkins drip from her left hand. In her right had is a magic staff of feathers, beads and copper wire. She is beautiful even with her long witchy nose but her eyes are spell binding. Spooky orange sherbet hair with black metallic strands flow from under her leather cone hat. I haven't decided if she will be a hanging from the wall witch or standing on a hand painted Halloween pot. Witch ever the wind blows... will tell me what to do.

Hoffman Fabric Challenge Doll 2008 Artist Susie Woodworth

I thought I had another 3 weeks and not 5 days to finish and ship her...plus go fishing with my husband. Yikes!!!!!!! We did fish at Lawrence Lake up in Parkdale, Oregon. How beautiful blue and sunny it was as we sat in the sun and just enjoyed ourselves. The lake is pretty high and Mt. Hood is just looming over the next ridge.

My Hoffman Challenge Doll started off long and lean with blue striped Hoffman fabric legs. Bit by bit I started to add clothes and accessories of found and stored items.

The Peacock and not the nest...(the nest is still on the ironing board). How do you make a stuffed peacock when all the peacocks are going the same direction? My secret!~ I stuffed this bird and her she is with the bird in hand. Hopefully, if this doll is picked to travel with the Hoffman Challenge shows, she will hold up well.

The skirt was different shapes and sizes in my head and on the doll. It took awhile to get where I wanted. I beaded some gold and blue beads here and there. It was too boring and at the 10 th hour of cramming to get her done... I decided that sprinkles of beads was my artistic design. I used some ribbon to crazy quilt around her large lily. The wonderfully cute pink sequin bead trim came from my sister who loaned them to me to try.... oops I owe her! I lined the skirt with some wonderful green fabric that had metallic green tinsel in it.

My husband can't quite figure out her fingers holding up her skirt. I told him it was a girl thing! I also asked him to help me name her and that was a total mistake. I showed her off at work and one MD asked for an Anti emetic. Funny... boys.

It's just a girl thing to enjoy.

Her tail feathers are from the peacocks tail of the main Hoffman Challenge fabric. I lined them with a blue suede fabric and edged them with a turquoise fringe yarn. I made my own multi - varigated ribbon to cover the ends of her wings and tail feathers. I used all sort of bits and pieces of most this fabric. My mother would have a fit if she saw the left overs.... holes all over.

Do you like her wings? At first they started out to be pantaloons for her. Then I hated the idea... then I got a wild idea at the 11th hour while trying to get her done to ship her the next day. I had machine quilted them already and I had not used that Hoffman fabric yet in the challenge. I made my own bias tape with another challenge fabric and had wings. Inside them I added firm wire .

On the wooden bass and I knew I wanted to use the large flowers from the Hoffman fabric. I gooped them up and attached them to the base, added those small and even smaller micro beads with a matte sealer. I had planned to have the stuffed peacock at her feet since I was not the happiest with them (the feet). Then she would have been holding a blue feathered peacock nest in her right hand. BUT... my sister saw the nest and said, "what is THAT THING!" The nest got axed! This base picture looks like her feet are blue duck like feathers. One foot is flat and one is toe pointed. Maybe duck feet would have been better!Do you like her hair. What I do to a skein of yarn would have knitters after my hide. I was going to add all sorts of beads, ribbon, extra yarns and "things" to her hair as I planned her in my head. But the final showing is just the gorgeous yarn it's self. OOOps. Lost the yarn tag to tell you what it is.

Her face next to the last thing to be done. I wanted to see her whole being before I hand painted her face. I use pins to even everything out then dot the spots, remove the pins and draw in the face. It took me a bit to get the blue green of her eyes then add a touch of gold and sealer to simmer.

I loved doing this doll. I hated to ship her off. Hope she has fun and it will be interesting how she looks when she returns.

Dimensions in Dollmaking 2008 Susan Woodworth Garden Fairy Doll

http://www.iolcc.com/
Dimensions in Dollmaking

Best Original: "Garden Fairy" by Susan Woodworth

I used a wooden base and drilled a hole for a metal rod that holds her up and and into the base. It was covered with mulberry paper then skeleton leaves, beads and a left over copper wire that had a leaf on each end. She rises up off the base as if in flight. How fun she was to make. I never could have guess the end product. I try to use only found, recycled or remodeled items. I hit the fabric store all the time for remnants. I collect "stuff" all the time. She has 100% wool felt legs, hand fringed skirt, 2 brass like bracelets as her belt. I had that great charm that is at her waist and then used petals from a Burgundy sunflower at her waist. Her hair is hand spun wool yarn that I cut to use the thick and thin parts. The wings are from coat hangers that were bent in shape and then I zig-zag stiched the delicate wing fabric on to them. There are some beads, copper wire work and .... my kitchen wind chime gave up it's bells to her. It had served it time in the window long enough.

This is the finished product of my first stand alone doll. She is 24 inches tall and is totally original and made by me... inside and out.

Pretty N Pink Shabby Chic Snow Lady

This cute little snowman is like a Beetlejuice character... very small head. She is shabby and chic with pretty pink and rose fabric. The buttons on her jacket are porcelian roses. The stockings were all hand made. She has a big fat standing base and is hand painted. She needs a new head. I might do that towards fall.

My Wild Irish Eyes Doll

I wanted to make a primitive folk art doll for St. Patrick's Day. I found old pj's, beads and used the thick chunky muslin. I painted her eyes green and taught myself how to do appliqued eyelids. The fun cone party hat has some hand made Mylar 4-leaf clovers on it. I hand made those and found out you really need to shrink the Mylar outside .. since it stinks! She had bloomers and remodeled crocheted sweater for her size. This doll also was sold on Ebay and lives back east some where?? ! Her eyes scared my friend too.

My First Doll was for Valentines Day

This is my first doll to make. IT scared my friend. She hated the eyes. Although they kind of resemble hers!! She is total cloth, painted head and hair, bits and pieces from my stashes of fabric, lace and beads. I hand made a Valentines card for her in a hand made envelope. Her little legs were painted white and I sewed red beads all over them. She could barely stand on her own but I didn't know to make her to stand, sit or hang yet.

I listed her on Ebay last year and she sold and flew to Hawaii. How fun!

Picture Trail.

These are 2 paintings I have done with my decorative art. The red skating lady is on an old wooden window and is about 24 inches by 36.

The Pink Rose is the first old painting that my sister showed me how to paint. Working with oils is pretty fun and makes you loosen up with your brush and paint. Be sure to see my Halloween and Christmas items that I have mostly sold at bazaars and on Ebay. Next sales with be with Etsy.