Thursday, March 24, 2011

Beer Bottle Doll of Inspiration

             
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In August 2008, my husband Mark (then my boyfriend) took me on vacation to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. If you have never been to Portsmouth, I highly recommend going there. It is a wonderful walking town full of coffee shops, cafes, galleries, and unique boutique shops. Portsmouth is a coastal city with a bohemian/New England historic feel. Anywho, my hubby took me to this great city to walk, to eat, to shop a bit, and to ask me to marry him over a divine, five-course Italian meal at Ristorante Massimo. (Also highly recommended!!!) So as you know, Mark is now my husband...so he did get the answer he was hoping for! And we are living as happily ever after as we can while we are both full-time students and living with my Dad! LOL! Life is good...no complaints!

So this is my engagement doll inspired by those magical days in Portsmouth. She was one of my first dolls and she has more experiments than a science lab! I must say that I am proud of how far I've come with my painting skills and I have considered repainting her face, but then I also enjoy seeing how far I've progressed in doll-making.

She is hand-sculpted with paper clay over a beer bottle, a tinfoil ball, and wooden dowel. Her arms are attached with twisted jewelry wire pushed through a wine cork. Her hands are paper clay and glued to the cork. This cork is from the bottle of wine Mark and I shared over our engagement dinner. She is painted with a variety of acrylic paints. I then decoupaged a dress onto her and the beer bottle with tissue paper, a printed picture of Portsmouth's downtown area, and the business card from Ristorante Massimo. I painted our initials in the windows of one of the businesses, signed Portsmouth and 2008 on the doll and sealed her with varnish. I love this doll...she is kind of creepy in a way (zombie eyes), but she signifies a special time in our life. A place of new beginnings, a place of invention, a good place to start from...again.

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