Art Dolls

I sat up until 1 am this morning working on my stuff. I get in these manic artistic moods and all I can think about is making things. Some of my best work comes out of these sessions so I go with the flow. I feel like a mad scientist in my laboratory. I try all kinds of things, use things in a way they were not meant to be used. Sometimes I have what I like to call happy accidents. Something goes terribly wrong and Presto! I discover a new technique. That's what happened last night to my Santa that I am working on. My workroom looks like a tornado went through it so its time to do some clean up this morning and start the whole process again.

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Folk Art Santa Ornament

I finished him today and he is on eBay

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He looks better with some paint on. Can't decide what to make his hat out of yet but he is coming along.

My folk art Santa Ornament just going into the oven to bake. Don't know how I am going to finish him yet but I am thinking of flocking his beard. He will be going on eBay next week.

Pug Christmas Card

I felt like drawing today but as I am looking after my grand kids that are 4,3 and terrible two I didn't know if I should chance it. As some artists know you have to go with the feeling because you know there's something trying to get out. Anyway I did this cute pug today. I took a great chance as my little Shay (Shayzilla as we call her) is inclined to make soup (as she calls it) with almost anything. She made "soup" with a full bottle of shampoo, toothpaste and toilet paper in my toilet. She was so proud of her soup she looked on with pride, as I stood there in shock. She did this all in the blink of an eye. She moves around the house like greased lightening without making a sound, truly and incredible child. What will she be able to do when she is four or eight? Yikes!! I will be older too. I won't stand a chance.

Looks like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth

Old Fashioned Santa

For Sale On eBay

SOLD

Primitive Folk Art Christmas Angel Ornament

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Christmas Blog

I am going to change my blog appearance to Christmas soon and because I mess up often, I could be down for a day or two but I"ll be back . I really need to finish some of my projects and get them listed. I am helping my husband to build an outhouse for our guests to use as a changing room and restroom by the pool for next summer, so I have been up to my ears in mud and wood. By the end of the day I am so tired and sore, all I can do is crawl to the spa and sit and soak. I am working on the sweetest angel at the moment and some Santa ornaments. I am hoping to get some work done this Sunday and all next week so keep checking back.

Folk Art Snowman

Old Dusty and little Shivers

This duo has a very time worn feel to them. They are both made from fabric that has sat long forgotten in the family barn. Great-Great Grandma used the fabric to make toys for her grand children, so they come with a little bit of our family history.
His coat is a wonderful mossy green color complete with moth holes. I hand stitched all around the coat with brown embroidery floss. His head is sculpted from paperclay, painted aged and sealed. His body is muslin that has been tea dyed. His hat is bark and twigs held together with wire.
There are wires in his arms and hands so he can hold his candy cane and flag. He proudly carries a tattered stars and stripes flag attached to a twig from my garden and a hand made candy cane walking stick. I have hand painted pine cones and greenery with a Grosbeak sitting on a branch. He is not free standing and so needs to be stood against something. In his pocket is little Shivers a field mouse peeping out at the scenery, he is a one of a kind made from synthetic mohair and sculpted hands made from polymer clay, he come with a little locket around his neck that has the words “made with love” on it. The snowman stands 18 ½ inches tall to the top of his hat. This is an Kaz Original design.

$59.00 Plus $12.50 Shipping

Newest Christmas doll

A Kaz Original One Of A Kind

Lock up your men because here is the beautiful Flirty Gertie. She roams around the party with her mistletoe in hand, batting her beautiful eyelashes. Men can’t resist her charm and hour glass figure. She has big Seductive blue eyes and the cutest Christmas peppermint candy nose, luscious ruby red lips and a head of striking snow white hair that frames her face. This is my first Christmas doll of 09 and the first one in this size. She is made from 100% cotton muslin and paperclay. Her skirt is made from a lovely burgundy taffeta with a snowflake belt buckle. Her top is burgundy with gold polka dots and white furry trim. She has on a cute taffeta hat that I have decorated with candy canes, holly leaf sequins and tiny gold bells as well as a hand sewn rose made from the dress fabrics. She stands 20 inches tall and is mounted on a wooden candlestick which has been painted, glittered and stained. Her arms have wires in them so they can be gently posed. I painted and shaded her face in acrylics and added glitter to her eyelids. I made her a gold necklace with a tiny gold bell. I found the cutest tini tiny Christmas bells that were just the right scale to be made into earrings. I needle felted her hair with wool roving and Tibetan lambs wool and gave her some cute curls around her face. She is holding a sprig of mistletoe that I made from handmade paper, floral tape and three tiny pearl beads mounted on jewelry findings.

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Working On Christmas Dolls

Well I am almost done with my first of the seasons Christmas doll. I had an idea for a doll but the doll sort of changed during the process. That sometimes happens. I just like to go with the flow. I get my best results that way. Maybe my next doll will be the one I have in my head. I have to do one more Halloween item and that is my grand sons Batman cape, he is coming to Nana's for a fitting tomorrow. I love to sew for my grand babies. It took me a while to get out of the Halloween mode but its beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. I have some ornaments in the works right now as well that I will be adding to my Etsy and some on eBay. I would like to thank the people that have sent me wonderful comments about my work. It means a lot to me. It feels really good to know that people out there get what I am doing and like what I do. So thank you all I really appreciate it.

Painting my kitchen black

This is the beginning of a several week project

I love this artists work her name is Tracy Flickinger. This is the journey of my ugly duckling kitchen becoming a beautiful swan of a kitchen. I had to change it but didn't have gazillions of dollars to spend on it, so as they say "necessity is the mother of invention". I did it myself. And all because of the color black and this apron.

I have a tiny kitchen that had horrible orangey stained cabinets. I wanted to do something out of the ordinary and decided that black was the color. I was very nervous about and wanted to search the web to look at some kitchens with black cabinets before taking the plunge. I couldn't find any. I found dark brown but no black so what to do, just do it that's what its only paint after all. Anyway I had my husband apply bead board to the inset parts of the doors on the bottom and around the breakfast bar and set about turning my kitchen black and we added crown molding to the top of the cabinets to give them a custom look, turned out great. I was going for a Tuscany, victoriany oldy worldy sort of feel. Something that looked like it had been there for a long time. I sanded and primed them first and set about painting them. I loved it but it was very dark and I wanted to add some sparkle to it to brighten it up so I came up with tin back splash and ceiling. YES! that is just what I was looking for. But wait it needs some more bling. I had this apron that was hanging in my kitchen with waiters on it by artist Tracy Flickinger and I thought they are just the thing to finish off my tiny kitchen. I had six long cabinets and there where six waiters. I made sure that waiters all were the same size including what they were holding so even the little fat guy was as tall as the big guy if you take in to account the serving dish he was holding. I drew them freehand on to the cupboard doors then painted them, it was so much fun to see them come together one by one.I had to do some additional artwork for the four little cupboards. As I live in wine country I decided to add some old wine bottles and a basket of bread, garlic and grapes, yummy. I wanted to add some architectural features to the underside of the breakfast bar but after checking them out at the local hardware store I couldn't believe the price of them, they were $50 each. I searched for alternatives and found two very inexpensive shelves with grapes on them but they were a yucky grey color so of course I painted them black. I added a silver polish to the edges of the cabinets to make them look as if the were worn by time and added it to the little shelves as well. I also decided to do something with the builders yucky orange peel plaster finish on the walls and ceiling. I plastered the walls and ceiling in drywall mud and painted them. I am so happy with my little kitchen and hope this helps all of you out there looking for a black kitchen like I was. Be brave it is so worth it.

Newest Halloween Folk Art Doll

SWEET AND SOUR

Well she is finely finished. Miss Candy turned out very sweet I think. She has very dreamy eyes and a sweet smile. I thought since she is so sweet I should add a bit of sour so I made a sour puss to go with her. She loves him all the same, its just in her nature. His name is Mr. Meaner a troublesome feline with a habit of biting and scratching, hence the name. I painted him in a vintage Halloween style and gave him a fish bone to finish off his ruffled collar. I am very pleased with the end results. Now on to Christmas.

SOLD

One more Halloween doll

I am working on one more Halloween doll and then I am moving on to Christmas. I really enjoy working with all the colors of Fall and its hard to put them aside. I have to switch gears inside my head. I will be doing a lot of Santas in the next few months and a few snowmen but I have some creepy ideas as well that I have to bring out. I will post my doll when she is finished on my blog.

Halloween Baby Shoes

These baby shoes are genuine vintage Jumping Jacks that I purchased from an antique store. They have the name George written on the bottom of one shoe. I wonder who that little boy was and how his life turned out. They have been hand painted in an original design on the outside and painted orange on the inside then sealed several times to protect them. They will make a very sweet table decoration or could be used on a teddy bear or doll or even worn by a child if the child is not walking yet as they could get scuffed.

$45.00/ $10.00 Shipping & handling

Picnic Teddy

This is my one of a kind original design teddy bear. Made from 100 percent wool in a light tan color. She has a very grungy well loved look. I have weighted the bear to give her a wonderful feel when you hold her. She has fully jointed head, arms and legs and she can be posed in lots of ways. She sits really well but has a fun floppy way about her. The eyes are German black glass shoe buttons. Just four and a half inches high including her hat while sitting and seven inches if standing (She can’t stand on her own). The hat looks like newspaper but it is hand made from fabric with an actual Victorian newspaper article printed on it. Also included is a jar of honey which is glass with a real cork stopper. She is wearing a little collar made from leather and tiny rusty bells. She also has her little picnic blanket to sit on. I have signed Kaz 09 on her foot. I made the tag by scanning my original art work and printing it on the tag, which measures only 1x 1 ½ inches. It is signed and dated.

$125.00 free shipping within the US

AHA task for July

We were given the task to take pictures of our garden for the month of July.

So I did

OK so I don't get any points for color but I did choose the plants and I did plant them

Still no color

nope

Aha (excuse the pun)

back to green

This is color

Wow!! At last some color, and I got artistic

It just happens to be my favorite color

Thank you for taking my mini,minor color garden tour

Morbid Marvin

There is something wrong with Marvin. He looks charming in his suave attire but do not be fooled by that and his warm smile.. He has been out trick-or-treating and his bag is full of candy, (which he is happy about) but there’s a more sinister reason for that smile. Look beneath his feet and see what his favorite hobby is. He is a bone collector and he has some treasured finds in his little box.

This is a wonderful character made from paper clay and wire armatures. His legs are wood. He is hand painted in acrylics then sealed several times. The bow tie is made from fabric, hand stitched. I gave him a vivid green shirt that is full of eyes with various expressions His little treat bag is hand made from orange scrapbook paper which I stamped inside and out then aged. Inside his bag you will find sweets hand made from various colored Play- doh that are individually wrapped in iridescent paper. They are very tiny but look like real sweets. I added a picket fence to the box he is standing on then painted it black and added Halloween art on the sides and front. The box has a little draw that opens to reveal bones that I sculpted from oven baked clay that has been aged to look like real old bones. A lot of detail went into this piece and it took quite a while to make. The photos don't do this one justice, it is a stunning piece.The whole piece stands 14 inches high and about 5 inches wide.


This is a one of a kind, Kaz Original signed and dated

Sold

Halloween Baby Pumpkin In Baby Buggy

How happy is she to be out in her pram. Little “Sweet Cheeks” has a smile a mile wide. She comes dressed in her diaper and bonnet and carries her favorite rattle and she never leaves home without her binky. She fits into her pram so perfectly. I couldn’t stop smiling at this one as she came into being. I can just imagine her coos and giggles as she is taken out for a walk on a cold fall day (her favorite time of year of course).

The baby is made 100% cotton feed sack material that has been hand painted, sanded then sealed. Her rattle is paper clay, wood with green thread for the hair (it does not rattle). Baby’s bonnet is vintage lace. Her diaper is a terry type fabric and has a miniature pink diaper pin as a fastener.
The pram is made from Styrofoam and covered in plaster and gauze bandage, painted and sealed. It has metal wheels that turn. The inside of the pram is padded and lined with black fabric that has stars and moons in orange. I have made a custom tag to go with this piece.
The pram measures 9 ½ in wide x 9 ½ high and 11 ½ in deep. Baby pumpkin measures 4 ½ in high x 7 ½ in wide elbow to elbow and 6 ½ in front to back.
This is a one of a kind piece designed and made by me the artist, signed and dated.

This is NOT a Childs toy and is meant for adult collectors only.

SOLD

Black Widow

The Black Widow

I had a vision of this doll in my dreams. I saw a doll that was a meld of human and insect. She has had many husbands, none of them survived. Just as with the real black widow spider, it kills its mate and devours them. My lovely black widow is dressed in her mourning clothes and is shedding a tear for her dearly departed. Her dress has the unmistakable red hour glass shape of the black widow spider and her face is covered in black net to hide her dreadful pain.

Don't be deceived, if you look closely she seems to be dancing on air in her blood red shoes. She is already thinking of her next husband to be.

SOLD

Big Top

Big Top

A sweet little fairy hovering above the ground carrying her red balloon. In the background is the big top circus tent.


This is a 7 1/8 x 5 ¾ x 3/8 on wood. It is painted it in acrylics and sealed several times to protect the art piece. The wings have fine gold glitter applied to them. The back and sides are painted black. It has a hook on the back and is ready to hang.

This is an original one of a kind by me the artist Karen Michaels and is signed and dated front and back. Original design is the copyright of Karen Michaels.

$39.00 $7.00 Shipping

Walk In The Park

This is an original piece painted on wood in acrylics. It measures 11x12 ½ x 3/8.
I have hand painted ,stamped and stenciled it.

The background is pale greens and pinks making the main subject pop out of the painting.
There are butterflies bugs and plants faintly painted into the background with a pretty black lacy stamped border at the top. The sides and back are painted black. I have signed and dated the front and back of the painting and it has a hook on the back making it ready to hang.


My original intent was to have this lone girl in the painting but after looking down at my Misty I thought that she would look great in the painting.
I have a wonderful 13 year old faithful little Mini Schnauzer called Misty who is my constant companion. She sits in my studio with me every day watching me create. She seems curious about what I am doing, watching my every move. I sometimes ask her what she thinks; she looks at me with her sweet face adoringly and never criticizes, what a friend. Occasionally she takes a nap but if I go to clean my brushes she is right behind me (even if it is only five steps away from my table).

Misty and I thank you for taking a peek at our latest work.

$65.00 $7.00 shipping

Set Of Three Mixed Media

Memory Lane

This is a case of more is more. These three pieces of art are full of items that tell a story of family and life. I have collected objects for many years never knowing what they will be used for but knew there would be a use for them some day. I love my family and I know there are so many out there that feel the same way. This art tells a tale of that love of family and life, passage of time and fond memories.

They start with 4x12x1 ½ inches of wrapped canvas that I painted and stamped and speckled. I then began adding all kinds of wonderful things that remind me of life’s journey and love of family. Some of the items are elevated to give them dimension and some are even removable like the love letters clipped on the tiny clothes pin. I made a little envelope with a letter that can be taken out, even the tiny scissors open and close. Some of my family’s vintage lace has been used as well as old buttons. All three are all signed and dated on the back and are ready to hang. I hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane.

To purchase this item please email me at

kaz@kazoriginals.com

$55.00 free shipping

American Revolutionary War Doll

Molly Pitcher
Margaret Cochran Corbin

This is my version of Molly Pitcher, heroine of the revolutionary war. She was a true American patriot. I feel that this doll should be made over and over again by many doll makers because she deserves to be remembered for her bravery. I dedicate this doll to Molly and to all the men and women that have served and do serve America in the fight for our freedom

Her head and shoulder plate are sculpted from paperclay, painted with acrylics aged and crackled. She has hand applied Tibetan sheep’s wool that has been hand dyed a medium brown. She is wearing a floral dress and under garments made from 100% cotton all of which have been tea dyed. She also comes to you wearing a black cotton cloak that has been aged. Her shoes are painted on and have sewn on shoe laces. Molly has her left arm in a sling. She was injured in the war and never had the use of her left arm again. Molly carries a pitcher that I sculpted from paperclay. I finished the pitcher in a pewter metal finish and gave it a look of being tarnished and much used. Included with this doll is the history of her life and a custom made hang tag. She will be hand signed and dated by me. All of the components of this doll have been created by me using only patterns that I have developed. As she is hand sculpted she is a one of a kind.