Kokeshi Dolls and Infant/Toddler Toys

 So it's craft show time! And I'm terribly late in getting this posted!  Time flies when your busy in the wood shop. The shows I'm in this year are coming up in November, all three of them! See the info on your right, for the dates/times/locations.

 These old fashioned cars and the little copters and bi-plane are new for me this year. I've had the plans for the cars all ready to go for a while now, so I'm excited that I finally have them made and ready this year.  They are all my own designs, and the bi-plane, specifically, was a allot of fun to design and make. I only had time to make one bi-plane, but have my pieces all ready to go for a second, and hopefully, I'll have it ready for the second show.  All of my toys very sturdy, and solid, and are finished with all-natural bee's wax.  As with everything I make, they are made with old fashioned craftsmanship and are heirloom quality.

 If you have questions at all, feel free to contact me.  I will have car critters there, my cute little baby rattles, the teethers, cars, copters ...

And, of course, I will have my Custom, on-of-a-kind, Kokeshi Dolls there too =)

Have a great November, and if your in the area, come by to see my at the shows =)

Custom Kokeshi Doll with Walnut hair

 This special girl is my first Custom Kokeshi Doll with hair made from Black Walnut wood.  She was a gift for a special girl we know that has blessed our family very much. Her mom said she loves music, and her kitties, and she also has long, beautiful hair, so I just had to try this style of Kokeshi with the hair made from a separate piece of wood, using a contrasting natural tone.

 The edges of the hair on her hair piece are turned down to only about a 16th of an inch thick! I wanted her hair as delicate at the edges as I could get it. For my first time trying this technique, I was very pleased.

 Her obi has the ginkgo leaves and above her shoulder, a butterfly is flying close to her hair.

 Her kitty couldn't resist the lure of the ear buds hanging from her ipod  =)

 She stands about. 7.5 inches tall, and with her slender build, she looks taller still.

Elegant and fun, and totally new for me, I really enjoyed making her and personalizing her...I fully intend to make more of this style. This style does take much more time, but the process is part of the art, and fun of each one.  What do you think? Do you like her?

Have a great entrance to fall, and enjoy the new colors of the season =)

Custom Angel Kokeshi Doll with pony tail hair and cat

 I had the privilage of making some very special custom order Kokeshi Dolls for a wonderful lady.  This doll, especially, was fun to make.  She was for a girl that loves animals and loves her cat, specifically. 

 From the front directly, you can't see it, but she also has a fun flippy, cute little pony tail at the back of her head.

 This pony tail was custom made and had a lot of hand work to shape and contour it to the shape I wanted.  If you look closely, you can see her kitty is poking about in the grass hunting for bugs!

 

Here you can see her angel wings.  She is one of several that were in this order of Kokeshi Angels.

I like how the hair piece added some bounce and fun to her personality =)  Don't forget, if you'd like me to make a customized Kokeshi Doll for you, I'd love to!  You can contact me via my Etsy shop.  Custom work is the most fun =)

Hope your summer is off to a great start.  =)

Cheryl

Kokeshi Dolls Shop View "behind the scenes"!

 So every once in a while it's fun to see the "behind the scenes" stuff, right?  Well, here's "my corner".  This is where I turn logs into Kokeshi Dolls (pun intended)  =)

 I use Okanagan Birch for my dolls currently.  For turning and just overall subtle detail and beauty, Birch is beautiful.  I love it!

 And here's my special friends that help me pull out what my mind sees.  I have my personal favorites, of course, and use certain chisels for certain things...

 Here's a shot that shows the smaller display I use when I have folks coming by for a custom order pick up.  This just gives their Kokeshi Dolls the little platform center stage they deserve!  And the two peg dolls are just something I am also interested in making when I have more spare time!  (Spare time .... what's that!....)

 Here's a picture just showing my girls ( and a few boys) hanging out on their shelf, waiting for the next show...

 So they go from a piece of Birch log to an elegant, personal, sweet, simple Kokeshi Doll.  The transformation is all part of the fun for me.  I love seeing a doll in my mind and then going off to pull her out of the wood!

 We need a little whimsy  and simplicity in the world, don't you think?  I love making these simple wooden dolls.  They create a memory for some, a personal touch for others, and a for me, a tangible expression of my heart.

 If you want a truly unique and personal creation - made for you or for someone you know, I'd love to come up with something for you.

From my creative corner to yours ( I hope you have a creative little "something" that you do, we all have it in there somewhere and it needs to get out!) I hope you have a great and awesome day!  =)

Cheryl

New Blog to announce! Wood Burned Portraits - Pyrography Portraits

 

So I have my new "Pyrography Portraits by WoodLuv" blog for you to check out:

 

 

I was going to post here about this new artistic interest, but my husband encouraged me to make a whole new blog about it instead, so I thought, "Why not!"

 

 

And I'm glad I did, because I think I am really going to like doing more of these.  I'm only posting one photo from it here, just to wet your appetite.  You'll have to go to my new blog to see more, OK?!

 

 

Happy beginning of February, everyone!

 

 

Cheryl

Kokeshi Nativity

 To start off the New Year of Kokeshi Postings, I thought it would be fun to show this little Nativity set.  Each Kokeshi Doll stands aprox. 5" tall.  A little Mary and Joseph set dressed in Japanese clothing, why not  =)

 The Baby Jesus is about 1.5 inches long and rocks in his carved little cradle. He's fun to lift out of his bed and hold.

If you'd like a customized Kokeshi Nativity set, let me know.  I can make larger or smaller sets than this with more characters if you want, as well.  No two sets are ever the same, as I make each Kokeshi Doll individually with original designs.  Now's the time to order a set if you'd like one, since it's now a little less crazy than the fall closer to Christmas.  You can reach me by emailing me at:

woodluv@telus.net , or go to my Etsy shop and use the contact buttons there. 

So here they are, very sweet and unique, too  =)

Hope 2013 has started off well for everyone!
Cheryl - Woodluv Kokeshi Dolls

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!