cat art doll , Fiona ....... by sandy mastroni

cat art doll ........ she has a black tail too , hard to see in the photos
This is Fiona the cat
You can see the REAL life Fiona on this blog ........sprocketsinside
Beth has a beautiful PHOTOGENIC cat .... her name is Fiona
so this doll is for Beth , visit her blog !!!!

Monster doll {{{ special order }}}

Monster with baby monster
the monster is 17 inches tall , the zipper mouth opens and closes . the baby fits in the pocket { mouth }
it's hard to see in the photos , but the big monster's nose is a separate stuffed sewn on piece
SO much fun to make monster dolls !!!!

two weird dolls , for etsy , Sandy Mastroni

In my shop !!!!

Art doll , a new one for Etsy {{ SOLD }}, Sandy Mastroni

A new art doll in my Etsy shop
Her name is Clara
*** update ** ........ Clara just sold , she will be on her way to England soon . This doll was a lot of work but I really like her so the plan is ... to make another somewhat similar
thank you Cheryl for buying her

My cat Buddy { in my studio }

I cleared up the mess on my table so I could get to work and make a new mess , I turned around , came back and there ..... was .... Buddy !

" Buddy , I have to get to work . Could you find another place to sit ? Go look out the window , go bother your sister { Holly } "

 No ..... this is good , I'll just stay here

This is a good spot

" Well , I have to move you , I will put you in my bed , make a tent for you , a nice spot to take a nap "

and then .... that sad sad face

This is Buddy . He's with me ALL the time .  Some cats are the best , most lovable , sweetest cats ..... Buddy is one of the best { ever }
If you ever thought about getting a cat ............ get a cat ...... now . today .... ha ha

Bird art ..... whimsical art doll , Sandy Mastroni , Etsy

a whimsical bird ........ the head , the wings , the legs are all sewn and stuffed separately and sewn into the body by hand .... I made a little fabric flower { with an old pearl in the center } ....... Oh , and I put on an antique finish , so the brown antiquing paint goes into the crevices.... This bird is in my etsy shop !

art doll head , sandy mastroni {{{ etsy }}}

art doll head ......... she is in my Etsy shop !!!

be good art doll clown , sandy mastroni

this clown is now in my etsy shop !

three little kittens . three art doll cats ...... by Sandy Mastoni

 This is Christine .... I made a fabric flower for her { with a pearl in the middle } , and she has a necklace too 

This is Linda Lou ....... I made a fabric flower for her too , her dress is linen , lace collar with an old button.

and this is Beatrice ..... painted in off white , old lace at her hemline , with a fabric flower { pearl in center } , lace and old pearl button collar
don't forget to click photos to see larger image

new cat art doll { a fabric sculpture } sandy mastroni etsy

Here is the start of a new cat doll ...... it never looks very good in the beginning , I admit that I don't have to spend a ton of money on " supplies " , it's the TIME , it is labor intensive . This is just a strong cotton fabric { a curtain panel } and of course the stuffing ... I use a dense cotton stuffing { like they used to use to stuff sofas } Upholstery stuffing , and clean rags  { cut up soft blankets }
her head , the legs and tail have been stuffed separately and sewn into the body by hand

 then I paint her all black

black acrylic paint

a little sanding ..... then I dry brush white acrylic paint

a little color

 start the face
and then I put a coat of polyurethane on , let it dry well  and I love adding the antique finish , I brush on " Folk Art " antique medium . letting it get in the crevices .  Rub it off

and .... here is Cecilia . She is in my Etsy shop .

art in progress ...... Mister Rodrigo ..... by sandy mastroni

what am I doing ...... I have no idea

maybe this will be good

after stuffing and sewing all the pieces into the body , I paint it all black , and I want to throw it out , just throw it in the garbage can and start a new doll ,,,,,, but ,,,,, I keep going

 I still don't know .... but I keep going

 and then ....... maybe ..... maybe this could be good

 maybe

liking him more now , so I keep painting him , and so I put a coat of polyurethane on him , then an antique finish that I rub on and wipe away { I use Folk Art medium }

and Mister Rodrigo is done ......... on my wall , hoping to find a new home

three art dolls , and a story about my oven

This is Claudia Anne .... she has a blue fringe trim at the hemline

This is Cookie ..... with her stripes and polka dots

This is Claudia , I put a gauze fabric at the hemline

I made these three ...... for my friend in England to look at , for her to decide if she wants any of these dolls .
also

OH .... I've had so much going on here , house stuff !!!!  problems , but they did all work out okay .
One night last week I turned on my oven , walked away , and when I came back , it was beeping like crazy , I could not shut the oven off , and the stove was SO SO HOT . It freaked me out , scary ..... so my husband shut the circuit breaker off , we put fans in the windows and the oven cooled down . well ..... so.... we needed to get a new range , since this one was 17 years old . and all the other appliances were 17 years old too ,  we went and bought a new washer , dryer , refrigerator and a GAS range { I've always had electric }
but the problem was the driveway and walkways were solid ice  { under the snow } ..... so we spent a day chopping ice and shoveling .
the other problem was clearing a path in the basement , { I have SO much stuff } , clean out the frig , clean and move stuff in the kitchen so they could get the new stuff in , we have a small cape cod house , so things are tight
I'm getting used to the gas stove .... I wanted it because I've also been getting into using a cast iron skillet ! {{{ I like it }}}}
I made THE best  eggs that night . I've been cooking for over 40 years and I never could make eggs , so I made my husband very happy finally !!!!!!
When we went to the small appliance store { not a big place like Home Depot } .... when we walked in , the first thing I saw was a beautiful AQUA range . I WANT THAT ONE , I said ..... but then I realized it was just for display , a beautiful old aqua range from the Fifties ....... oh ...... so ...... just get the basic boring , VERY basic nothing fancy appliances . just plain white , so boring ..... but even though ........ I'm grateful , they are clean and new , so that's good
anyway this real life stuff exhausts me .... I haven't been working and that makes me NUTS ,
Hoping to post more on this blog , I love Pinterest , I don't like Facebook , I don't know what good Flickr does me ........
but I just want to thank you for visiting and I hope you will come back again !!!

how I make my Rat art doll ........ sandy mastroni {{{ SOLD }}}

 this is how it starts .  I use any fabric { usually cotton } as long as it's good and sturdy fabric . This is material from a curtain panel .  I draw the shapes , sew it up .

Sewing all the pieces together takes time .... the legs , arms ,ears and tail are cut separately , stuffed , and each piece is hand sewn into the body . Stuffing is so important .... time consuming , because I pack in the stuffing , pack it in hard , shaping things as I go . Then I paint the whole piece solid black . get it dry { I have no patience , I use a hair dryer }
Looks awful at this stage , doesn't it ? !!!!

 Then I dry brush white paint on , letting some black show through , letting black sit in all the crevices .
Then I paint colors on her . soft pink for her shirt , a blue for her skirt
I then apply a generous coat of polyurethane varnish all over the doll ..... let it dry , making sure it is very dry before I continue.
finally ...... I brush on Folk art medium , which is a dark brown antiquing gel ..... wipe some away with a soft cloth, leaving some brown in the crevices , adding any more details ....... like polka dots and stripes , dry brush red onto cheeks and nose ....... derwent Inktense pencils used around the eyes .  I might add a few more whiskers , black threads stitched through and secured . On the back .... I usually put a button with some wire for hanging . Sign my name on the back

ALL DONE ......... I'll be putting this rat doll in my etsy shop soon , Her name is Greta
**** she's in my shop now ! **** {{{{ sold }}}}}
also > was this interesting to see ?  If you think it was , please let me know . I've been neglecting my blog , not sure who still looks at blogs , seems like Pinterest and facebook have taken over the blogs !