Amazing Photos by Wenmei HIll again =)

 So Wenmei surprised me with some absolutely wonderful photos of her daughter playing with the three dolls she had ordered for her!  These photos are beautiful!

 Her daughter is so precious and has really fallen in love with her dolls.  Her mommy even took pictures of her with them in her bed =)

 Wenmei you have a way of taking the subject of your photos and pulling out the beauty and sweetness, the heart of the people in them.  Your daughter's tender heart is so tangible in these photos!

If you are looking for an absolutely amazing photographer and are in the Seattle area, Wenmei is the one to call.  Check out her site at: http://wenmeihill.com/  Her work is stunning.

And thanks again, Wenmei for letting me post these photos.  I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

16th Century Samurai

 Do you love the Samurai?  If so, this Kokeshi Doll is for you!  Or maybe one like him, if he sells at my next Show...

This fellow is dressed is the outfit of the Samurai from the 1600's.  He wares the Mon of Tokugawa, the ruling Shogun of Japan from the 1600's to the 1860's.  He is on his way to court to visit the Emperor or Empress.  He holds a fan in his dominant hand (the one he would draw his sword with), thus signifying that he comes in peace.

 On his back, is the Bushido, or "Way of The Warrior".  This was the code of conduct and basic virtues and values of life that the Samurai lived by.  Some of these include:  courage, bravery, compassion, loyalty, benevolence,sincerity, and honor.  His Bo staff is also at his back.  This was one of several staff weapons of the Samurai, and is still used in many martial arts taught today.

 His Top Knot and hair are entirely wood burned, not died or painted.  This took two hours just for the hair!  It really sets it off, though, to have it darkened by heat and pressure.

My husband says he has a bit of a formidable face.  I think that's in keeping with his rank and time in history.  If you know anything about the Samurai and Japanese history, you will know that the era of the Samurai was not always one of peace.  The Samurai had their code of honor, yet were still individuals you would not want to cross in a fight!

This Kokeshi Samurai was an intriguing challenge to make.  He stands 10.5 inches tall with a strong presence all his own.

My Little Kokeshi Boy In His Kimono

 Here is a sweet little boy all dressed up and ready for a formal event in his special Kimono.  He stands just under 4" tall.

The symbol on his coat is the Japanese symbol for "Truth"  He has a very sincere and honest little face and "Truth" is the word that came to me when I was looking him.  I decided to use this for the symbol where a Mon or Kamon would usually go.  He's one of my little favorites!

Kokeshi Ballerina

 About time for another entry.  It's been a long summer of kitchen renos....OK, here we go....

Another special little doll for a little girl on her 3rd birthday, this little Kokeshi Doll is also a Ballerina!  As a custom request, her mommy had only requested that she have three tulips representing her threes years of age, and only mentioned in conversation that her daughter liked to run around being a "ballet".

 I took a little poetic licence and added the ballerina slippers and the magazine.

The mother was thrilled and mentioned that her little girl was getting ballet lessons as a birthday gift! Perfect!  I was thrilled, too.  The custom Kokeshi Dolls are definitely fun!

 Have a great start to your fall!

One of my husband's favorites

 So it's been a while since I have posted to my blog!  And it's been a long while since I have posted any new dolls to my Etsy shop as well!  I have actually been rather busy with custom Kokeshi Dolls.  So, since it's about time to get some posting done, I thought I'd post one my husband's favorite dolls. She has some really strong character in the birch wood, mixed with the subtle and simple design for her kimono.

 Her hair was of particular interest to my as I made her.  I wanted to show long hair in a graceful and elegant way.  The hair bun was perfect!  She was my first Kokeshi Doll with a hair bun and I have been asked to make several since. 

 Her tall, slim figure is part of her charm and the grain of the birch was so beautiful that I kept the kimono very simple to show off the natural pattern.

 Her bouquet has roses, Calla lilies, and daffodils.

Hope you like her as much as we do.  Well, back to my custom work.  I will soon be starting on my own Kokeshi Dolls, hopefully, to prepare for the fall fairs coming soon (when you take as long as I do to complete each piece, July means October is just around the corner!)  Hope your summer is off to a great start =)

TTFN (Ta Ta For Now)  =)

A special Chinese Kokeshi ???

 A Japanese Kokeshi Doll made for a half Chinese boy!  His Mom ordered this as a Christmas Gift for him.  They are always teasing one another about his Chinese heritage.  This doll was a special Christmas tree ornament to him from his Mom ( who is Chinese) =).

 He is studying civil engineering in college and loves computers, so his Mom wanted him in the traditional Chinese dress with something to do with civil engineering.  Hence the lap top, game control, and the blue prints, and drafting tools!

 He had long hair until just before Christmas, when he cut it all off to a crew cut!  So the pony tail out the back was also a request by his Mom, to remember his long hair!  This doll was fun to make and the personal touches from Mom to Son made it very meaningful for them and for me.

First Etsy Kokeshi Doll off to Seattle!!

 So the Calla Lily Kokeshi Doll took her journey off to Seattle a few weeks ago.  She was bought by a wonderful photographer that was looking for a special gift for a special baby's baptism.  Here she is in Seattle sitting on a window sill waiting to go to her new home.

 I sent along a special "surprise Kokeshi Doll"  as a thank you, since this was my first Etsy sale!  It looks as though our little surprise is going to be well-loved.

These beautiful photos were taken by Wenmei Hill of  ©Wenmei Hill Photography.  Check out her site at: http://wenmeihill.com/  Her photos are amazing!  If you need a great photographer...

Thanks, Wenmei, you have been so wonderful and encouraging!  And thanks so much for letting me post these incredible photos!  =)

It's been a while since I have done a post, but I hope to get back to one a week or so, so enjoy and have a great springtime!  =)

Kokeshi Custom with another Jack Russel Terrier!

 This Kokeshi Doll was commissioned for a beautiful lady that is very creative herself.  Her birthday was coming up, and her Step-Mom had seen some of my other Kokeshi Dolls and was so excited to order one for her daughter that would reflect her interests and personality. She stands 7 3/4" tall.  A nice size for a detailed design.

 This little Jack Russel Terrier represents several that she has owned over the years.  They have and still are her dearest friends and stand up comedians!

 She loves to paint, so this painter's canvas with the easel and pallet were a special request, as well.

 The hair style was of particular interest to me, and using her photo, I was able to give subtle reference to her bangs and spiky, flip out hair style. The result turned out quite well.

The book tucked into the daffodils says "Gourmet secrets".  She loves to cook, not just normal cooking, but fancy, amazing gourmet meals that make your mouth water!  She was a joy to make.

So there you have her, my latest custom Kokeshi Doll!

Hope she inspires you =)

Kokeshi Doll, Custom order Doctor Doll for Medical School Student

 This Kokeshi Doll was ordered for a beautiful girl by her parents for Christmas this last year.  She is currently studying to become a Doctor.  They gave me her photo so I was able to copy her bang style as well to give a hint of her likeness.

 The Kokeshi Dolls usually have short hair, unless I add the pig tails, but since she often wears her hair in a bun, they asked if I could show it that way.  I like the effect it gave of long, full hair pulled up.

 She absolutely loves her cat, so naturally, I had to include one =)

Pretty much anything is possible with a few photos and a little thought and creativity ...

Just a reminder, if you new to my blog, I love doing custom work, so if you'd like something made just specifically for someone you know, just contact me at:  woodluv@telus.net

More Samurai Photos

 Here are the photos finally of Randy Martin's Samurai Kokeshi Doll.  He was very gracious to allow me to show more photos of his doll and to promote his Dojo Marial arts studio.  Check out his web site at:http://www.roninjj.com/home.html

 The Mon or crest is Randy Martins own which he uses on his web site.  The Japanese symbols on the Bo Staff say "Bo Staff" in Japanese. 

 And you may have noticed the car magazine tucked into his belt?  There is an old Ford Model A on the cover, of course.  He loves classic antique automobiles.

 The various symbols across the bottom are Japanese.  The vertical set shows the central symbols in the "Code of the Samurai" or "Way of the Warrior".  The rest are symbols showing his name and Title of Certification and Honor as a 6th level  Shihan Sensei, or Master,Teacher.

It was a real honor to be commissioned to make a Samurai Kokeshi Doll for Randy Martin.