Drawing for doll goodies

Hey! I just realized some of the people replying to the drawing don't have a blog, so can you all leave your email address? That way if your name is drawn I will be able to contact you!

This is my fashion doll I am making with Gail Wilson's online class. She is wearing a onesie-camisole and pantalets all in one piece. Cool huh? AND, the lace on the sleeves is actually crocheted right on there, using regular sewing thread. I love it! Now on to the clothes!

Welcome to my new blog!

How great that you have stopped by!

I am so excited about combining my website and all of my different interests and wares on one (ok, actually 2 counting Picturetrail, where you will go to view all of my patterns) central location.


To celebrate the opening of my new blog and on general "New Beginnings" I am having a give-away! Just reply to this post to be entered in the drawing. I will be giving away a small dollmakers care package, including:

A brand new Frozen Charlotte still in the package from the Gateway Arch in St. Louis,MO.

A Stilletto from Gail Wilson Designs~these are great for moving work through the sewing machine, and for arranging gathers!

A Fiber Comb for doll hair also from Gail Wilson Designs~these are great for smoothing out mohair while wigging your doll.

A package of 24 vintage pearl buttons from my own stash in sizes 1/4 and 3/8, perfect for dolls!

An Annie Beez Folk Art pattern of your choice!

And a few other little suprizes you'll only get to see if you win!

And coming soon:

Julia(my 2nd prototype will be up for sale this week on ebay!)

News...News...News!!!

Due to a series of unfortunate events that were...ahem!...beyond my control, I am going to have to give up my website. I feel a little bit sad and a little uneasy about this move, as I have had my website for 5 years and it has served me well. It has always been a place to call home where my customers could easily find my wares,and I could keep everyone informed of either new items I had for sale, or places where my work could be seen, either online, at shows, or in print. But life means change and it is time to roll on.
So, that being said I have done a lot of soul-searching and trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to do in terms of a replacement. I have decided to go with a master blog with links to places where my work could be found and patterns can be bought. I will be selling my patterns retail again through email and Paypal. All information will be given and ordering should be very easy. I will continue to sell my patterns on ebay and hold pattern sales there. Wholesale pattern sales will not change at all. I think a blog is the best way to keep everyone informed of new items, news, and sales.
So I am working on opening up a brand new blog, with Annie Beez Folk Art as the URL, and this blog; anniebeezdoll will be discontinued.I will also be terminating my samplerpost blog and combining all of my patterns; dolls, needlework, punchneedle and what-have-you all in one place.
As this idea has begun to take form I am quite excited about it! I welcome the end of monthly web fees, and I just know it will be easier to have everything centrally located, as I have sort of spread myself thin all over the web in the last few years.My website is closing on June 20, 2008, and I hope to have my new blog up and running by then. Yay!

The picture above is a work in progress. This doll is from an online class I am taking with Gail Wilson. It is a paper mache fashion doll, and will be dressed in a costume of the 1860's. She has an awesome 2 piece dress with a bustle and her hair is dressed in a snood. Right now she is in a wigging clamp and I am working on her wig. It is not fastened to her head yet, I am still in the process of gluing the hair to the wig cap. Then it will be styled into a swept back hairdo and the snood will hold all of the hair in the back. I love doing Gail Wilson dolls for 2 reasons. 1) I don't sell them, so they are just for me and I can just have fun. And 2) Everything is provided so I don't have to search around for supplies, etc. Everything is already thought out, so it is just go go go!

Julia is on Ebay!

I hope she gets some bids. Ebay is just the pits these days. But if she doesn't sell, then I will pop her into my Etsy shop so she can wait for just the perfect person to adopt her!

A sad thing

USA Today article: Rosaries are Newest Gang Symbol

To be honest, I am a devout catholic and the rosary is a very sacred thing to me. It is never an article to be worn, it is not jewelry, it is used only for contemplative prayer. It is a very special sacremental given to us by Our Lady, and to be used any other way is a profanity. Most rosaries have been blessed by a priest and are no longer just a thing, but a sacremental. Whenever I find a broken one, or a fragment in antique shops etc. I buy it because it has to be destroyed in a very specific way.

I don't want to make anyone feel bad, I know this is not general knowledge. But I don't think people would use them in this way if they knew that they were offending others. People wouldn't wear a Jewish yamakah on their heads as a fashion accessory,or wear a prayer shawl around their waist, it is the same thing.

I am sad to see this association with something that means so much to me. But you will never see a true catholic wearing a rosary around their neck.

OK, I'm gettin down off of my soapbox now!

Julia sneak peek

Check for her on ebay Sunday evening!

Work in progress~Julia

Here is Julia awaiting some clothes. I have decided to try Gail Wilson's paint overdye method to tone down the brightness of the fabrics I want to use for her costume, so I am at sort of a stand still until I can pick up some paint in the colors I need. I also still need to design the pantaloons for her. I am hoping to make Julia a standard "type" so that I can use her basic body for several different dolls that I want to do.