here are the sister’s together, all done and ready to try on new clothes, so that’s my next project. 🙂
and just because i think the girls are truly adorable here are pictures of them separately:
ellyce
and ananda
her new hair color is reddish blonde. it was supposed to be carrot colored, but has just a hint of red. it looks both redder and darker in the picture than it really is.
after dinner we went up to the lounge to relax
the chairs were really comfortable and had a kind of old world feel to them.
black and white seemed to somehow fit the age of the hotel
there was a cozy fire burning, so i sat on the hearth for a while to luxuriate in the warmth
now they have lashes and eyes.
ananda has lovely new glass eyes.
ellyce has to wait for her new eyecolor. she was supposed to fit either 12mm or 14mm but the 14’s were much to big for the socket and i didn’t have another pair of 12’s, so they are now on order.
today our luck with the weather was still holding. it continues to be clear and just around 0 centigrade. another great day for exploring.
we crossed a creek on a rustic wood bridge and couldn’t miss the opportunity for a good photo op.
today i’m wearing a slim fitting, textured wool jacket in madelinetosh lace mourning dove, a blue gray variegated yarn. the front edge is trimmed in cream lace to add to its feminine appeal. i gave up my lace skirts in favor of a light blue tunic-dress over my leggings. you’ll see more of that later.
behind me you can see a bit of the creek that still flows unfrozen and undaunted
farther on we found a great stone wall that makes a perfect backdrop for more pictures. i love the rustic look. can i take it home, please?
higher up were cool lanterns glowing even though it was still only mid- afternoon.
it was warm enough to take my jacket off and give you a glimpse of my tunic-dress. it is knit in madelinetosh lace denim color, a very subtle blend of light blues. i love how the variegated yarn softens the texture slightly, almost like a soft focus photo.
the faceups continue, many layers of paint later the girls are done and waiting for the varnish to dry around the eyes so that they can get lashes, eyes and wigs.
i used mostly pastels to color them, rubbing the pastels on sandpaper to get my pallet then applying it with a variety of brushes and q-tips. the eyebrows were done with pastels and watercolor pencils and the lashes with thinned down acrylic paint.
here is ananda
and ellyce
i’m surprised at how different they look even though i used similar painting schemes and the sculpt is identical for both. ellyce’s shorter neck makes her face look chubbier.
i decided to do ananda’s little sister ellyce at the same time as ananada. it allows me to work on one while the paint/sealant dries on the other.
so to give ellyce equal time, here she is as she first arrived with default eyes and wig,
here she is ready for her first coat of mr super clear. her body is adorable and very posable but desperately needs heavier string!
and here is the fume hood she is sitting in.
the hood was built for michael by his dad, for painting his guitars. the white rectangle in the back is a filter/fan which leads to a long vent hose that we put up in the window when the hood is on. the vent is attached to a piece of wood that blocks the rest of the window opening so the fumes don’t blow back in. the box is just that, a box. the front flap folds up to close after painting to “seal” it. and is held closed by moving the tool box (seen on the left) in front. simple, but effective. it doesn’t block 100% of the fumes. we still paint with a respirator on, but it keeps most of them out of the basement where michael lives. there is also a light inside at the top, so you can see what you are painting.
Continue reading my first (and second) faceup part 2: mr super clear and the paint hood »
my cans of mr superclear finally arrived – by sea all the way from hong kong, no less – so i’m ready to try my first face-up ever. my first victim – er i mean subject – is my cousin ananda, a dollmore, narsha friend shabee. she’s been looking very pale and ghostlike ever since she came to live with us, and begged to be the first to get a facial.
in the spirit of true makeover articles, i will start with the before shots. this will show what she looked for to start with. i apologize in advance for the crummy lighting. they were taken in the bedroom and the light through the curtains makes her look very greenish. i assure you she is not normally green!
here she is looking as she did when she first arrived.
this is a closer look at her face.
even without makeup she is very cute!
with her wig and eyes removed for protection from the first spray coat. she will be getting a new hair color and changing her eye color as well, but that’s no reason to muck them up with spray 🙂
another angle.
she is trying to be patient with all these photos but is really ready to start!
it’s been a while since i added to my trip log, life’s been busy…isn’t it always?
today was a quiet day. the sun was bright, the air was clear, we went for another stroll around the lake. for some reason most of my pictures didn’t work out, but i have a couple to show you….
at the end of the lake i climbed up on a huge snow covered rock just to enjoy the view. it was warm enough that i chose a lighter weight sweater today – this one a lovely pink lace knit out of zephyr wool-silk, teamed up with my cream colored scarf to keep the chill off. i relished having the sun in my face and being able to go bare-headed today.
as usual we found many places to explore and a few good enough for a photo op.
after the heavy snowfall the day before, i woke to sunshine sparkling off a snow covered landscape. the day was calm and windless, a perfect day for a stroll and photo-shoot around the lake. the deep untouched snow did make for some hard walking, but it was so beautiful that i didn’t mind
today i dressed in my new lace skirts (see tutorials for more info on them) and a lovely thick, soft jacket made of shocking pink, malabrigio sock yarn and trimmed with cotton lace. once again i wrapped my bamboo scarf around my neck to keep out the chill.
the sun was already melting the snow, so i debated climbing up a nice little path i found.
but in the end i decided it was just too steep and slippery…
so i sat down to enjoy the view for a while instead.
it really was a gorgeous view!
here you can see just how far i had walked. i started out at the chateau….
and walked all the way around the lake to the other end!
the snow was so clean and untouched…
i just had to make a snow angel
then it was time to head back for just in time for dinner.
on the way back i stopped to watch some brave people scaling a huge ice fountain on the cliffside.
but was just as happy to stay on the ground this time.
after a long drive through a spring snowstorm, we finally arrived at chateau lake louise for the first day of our holiday. what a relief to get there! the drive took twice as long as normal because of the heavy snowfall. we took our bags to our room then quickly dressed for a walk outside before dusk. the snow had stopped falling and the whole lake gleamed with a fresh coat of powdery white.
walking down to the lake i found a lovely bronze statue of a guide, who must have been a bjd, because he was just my size!
since part of the reason for our trip was to photograph all of the new sweaters i had designed, we took a closeup of my lovely purple wool cabled sweater as i relaxed on the statue’s base. my cosy reversible cream bamboo scarf was just the thing to keep my neck warm in the afternoon’s chill.
up the hill i saw an ice cave and climbed up for a closer look. i really need to knit some mitten’s next, that snow is cold on my bare hands!
the little cave had some beautiful ice formations but after the hard climb i needed to sit and rest a bit.
maybe just a little longer? would you like another peek at my sweater while you wait for me?
on the way down i lost my footing and slid to the bottom. that was certainly a faster way down the hill, but i think i’ll go inside now and warm up….