Dolls, Dolls, Dolls!

Dolls like this one are where I began my journey as The Garden Swing.
This is not the first doll I created, but it is in my first "showcase"--it is part of the first group of dolls I displayed publicly. She is a mermaid, created in the summer of 2011.

My journey as The Garden Swing is not long yet, but it's already been a learning experience! It started over a year ago when my mom was at a quilt retreat. She saw a woman there working on a doll instead of a quilt. She inquired about the doll and learned the name of the book the woman got the pattern from. My mom, being the extremely thoughtful person that she is, ordered the book online and gave it to me for Christmas in 2010.

... Well, she gave me a picture of the book.

It was recently published, and due to its popularity, it was backordered! I got the physical book in March 2011. That's where my addiction with dolls started. I drank in the many pages of colorful fabrics, ribbons, buttons, colored pencils, sequins, paints....... it was fabulous!

Needless to say, I spent a spring and summer creating dolls. Their first showing was at a summer art show in 2011. Now, I'm selling them in my shop: www.etsy.com/shop/thegardenswingBH

This particular doll is an OOAK art doll---code for a "one of a kind" doll made specifically to admire and display. All the art dolls I have made are cloth, and they're fixed in their position (though I am currently working on a "jointed" doll, so watch for her!).

More about dolls later. Have a great, creative day!!