Annie Beez Folk Art

This blog has moved!

2008-06-24T21:05:00.001-05:00

Please come visit my new blog at:

http://anniebeezfolkart.blogspot.com/

I am having a free give-away on my new blog! Come and see!!

~Annie

News...News...News!!!

2008-06-15T15:30:00.003-05:00

Due to a series of unfortunate events that were...ahem!...beyond my control, I am going to have to give up my website. I feel a little bit sad and a little uneasy about this move, as I have had my website for 5 years and it has served me well. It has always been a place to call home where my customers could easily find my wares,and I could keep everyone informed of either new items I had for sale, or places where my work could be seen, either online, at shows, or in print. But life means change and it is time to roll on.
So, that being said I have done a lot of soul-searching and trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to do in terms of a replacement. I have decided to go with a master blog with links to places where my work could be found and patterns can be bought. I will be selling my patterns retail again through email and Paypal. All information will be given and ordering should be very easy. I will continue to sell my patterns on ebay and hold pattern sales there. Wholesale pattern sales will not change at all. I think a blog is the best way to keep everyone informed of new items, news, and sales.
So I am working on opening up a brand new blog, with Annie Beez Folk Art as the URL, and this blog; anniebeezdoll will be discontinued.I will also be terminating my samplerpost blog and combining all of my patterns; dolls, needlework, punchneedle and what-have-you all in one place.
As this idea has begun to take form I am quite excited about it! I welcome the end of monthly web fees, and I just know it will be easier to have everything centrally located, as I have sort of spread myself thin all over the web in the last few years.My website is closing on June 20, 2008, and I hope to have my new blog up and running by then. Yay!

The picture above is a work in progress. This doll is from an online class I am taking with Gail Wilson. It is a paper mache fashion doll, and will be dressed in a costume of the 1860's. She has an awesome 2 piece dress with a bustle and her hair is dressed in a snood. Right now she is in a wigging clamp and I am working on her wig. It is not fastened to her head yet, I am still in the process of gluing the hair to the wig cap. Then it will be styled into a swept back hairdo and the snood will hold all of the hair in the back. I love doing Gail Wilson dolls for 2 reasons. 1) I don't sell them, so they are just for me and I can just have fun. And 2) Everything is provided so I don't have to search around for supplies, etc. Everything is already thought out, so it is just go go go!

Julia is on Ebay!

2008-05-26T13:27:00.002-05:00

I hope she gets some bids. Ebay is just the pits these days. But if she doesn't sell, then I will pop her into my Etsy shop so she can wait for just the perfect person to adopt her!

A sad thing

2008-05-24T09:38:00.003-05:00

USA Today article: Rosaries are Newest Gang Symbol

To be honest, I am a devout catholic and the rosary is a very sacred thing to me. It is never an article to be worn, it is not jewelry, it is used only for contemplative prayer. It is a very special sacremental given to us by Our Lady, and to be used any other way is a profanity. Most rosaries have been blessed by a priest and are no longer just a thing, but a sacremental. Whenever I find a broken one, or a fragment in antique shops etc. I buy it because it has to be destroyed in a very specific way.

I don't want to make anyone feel bad, I know this is not general knowledge. But I don't think people would use them in this way if they knew that they were offending others. People wouldn't wear a Jewish yamakah on their heads as a fashion accessory,or wear a prayer shawl around their waist, it is the same thing.

I am sad to see this association with something that means so much to me. But you will never see a true catholic wearing a rosary around their neck.

OK, I'm gettin down off of my soapbox now!

Julia sneak peek

2008-05-23T12:58:00.001-05:00

Check for her on ebay Sunday evening!

Work in progress~Julia

2008-05-19T20:12:00.002-05:00

Here is Julia awaiting some clothes. I have decided to try Gail Wilson's paint overdye method to tone down the brightness of the fabrics I want to use for her costume, so I am at sort of a stand still until I can pick up some paint in the colors I need. I also still need to design the pantaloons for her. I am hoping to make Julia a standard "type" so that I can use her basic body for several different dolls that I want to do.

My favorite doll

2008-05-16T21:30:00.003-05:00

Michelle asked which was my favorite doll that I have made. So I had to really hunt this picture down. Her name is Callie, and she is in a private collection. I wish I still had her!

Geez!I may never be done!LOL!

2008-05-15T12:18:00.006-05:00

some real dusties!

2008-05-14T22:15:00.002-05:00

More doll show!

2008-05-14T22:08:00.002-05:00

Baby Emma

2008-05-14T15:53:00.003-05:00

On ebay now!

And more...

2008-05-13T16:41:00.002-05:00

Found a few more!

2008-05-13T14:37:00.001-05:00

How about a doll show?

2008-05-13T14:23:00.003-05:00

My computer has been running s..l..o..w! So I have been forced to clean it out, back things up and etc. It is a lot like going through an attic, I have been looking at a lot of doll pics! Some are really old, almost 9 years! So I thought I would dust some of them off and post them here for you all to enjoy!Here goes:

More tomorrow!

Almost done

2008-05-10T13:52:00.002-05:00

My extra-curricular activities, things I volunteer for, etc. are starting to wind down, so I hope I can get caught up on my blogging again! Its been crazy!

I am almost done with this little doll made from Susan Fosnot's Mina pattern. All she needs is a bonnet. I am working on a sculpted doll next, and then I will be putting together my Snow Queen pattern for publication.

I couldn't wait...

2008-05-02T22:52:00.004-05:00

to post this picture! Doesn't he look handsome!

Happy May!

2008-05-02T13:36:00.003-05:00

Here is the link for the new issue of

Glitter and Grunge

Thank you for looking!

May is here, and things always rev up for me this month. Its the last month of school for all of my kids, so we have finals and prom(tonight) and the end of all the school related activities- teacher appreciations, and coach dinners and things of that sort. I have to try to gaurd my work hours or I won't get anything made and that means no $!!

I have joined a new dollmaking group that I wanted to tell you all about. (Michelle are you listening?) Its called Modern Cloth Dollmaking, and they concentrate on patterns from the 70's, 80's and 90's, to today. Although I really am a vintage cloth dollmaker, the reason I joined is because great innovations were being made during this time period in regard to construction. This is when people like Antoinette Cely were teaching draping and other advanced techniques, and there were some great dollmakers doing awesome things with costume as well. These ladies got us to where we are today in many respects. So I thought it would be cool to learn more about them, and try some of their patterns.

Glitter and Grunge

2008-05-01T20:51:00.002-05:00

Well I was hoping to post the link to the new items on Glitter and Grunge today, but they are having technical issues. So I will show you my new painting here! What do you think?

My next little baby

2008-04-30T11:59:00.002-05:00

She still needs some work, and I have to come up with an outfit too. But I didn't want you all to think I wasn't working around here! LOL! I've also been doing a lot of Stampin'Up activities. Can you believe I am a closet SU demonstrator too! Don't tell anyone!

Busy, busy, busy

2008-04-23T08:37:00.003-05:00

I know you can all relate to that. The last couple of days I've been so busy that at night when I go to bed I can't sleep because my entire body is so achy! How weird is that? It stinks getting old! LOL!
I am working on another oil painted doll. She is a black baby too, and I'm going to make her the cutest bonnet!
I also have a few new canvases that I bought at Dick Blick(I am proud to say I am now a preferred customer and receive a 10% discount everytime I go there! So cool!)I snuck in there last Sunday when I had to take Lucas for his tux for prom. He is my jr. and he looks SOOO handsome in his tux, wow! I can't wait to get pictures!I will definitely post them! So anyway, I hope to get a few more mixed media pieces done.
Last night I went to guild(I belong to the EGA) and even though I haven't been stitching in a while I still really enjoy going because I have some really nice friends there. I also need to get designing on some new needlework patterns. Why am I so fractured? I just like to do so many different things, its hard to stick with just one!
Here is a pic of some dolls I dug out of the basement. I hope to get them finished up soon.

Oil painted doll on Ebay tonight!

2008-04-21T10:28:00.004-05:00

She is finally finished, little pup is dry and the adoption papers are prepared and ready! Esther goes up for auction on ebay tonight!
Click here for lots more pictures!

I DO love oils!

2008-04-17T21:13:00.003-05:00

Whenever I go back to them it is like...ahhhh!

I made this little guy to go with my oil painted doll-which is finally finished. I will get pics as soon as this little guy dries. I am working on another doll now too. Yippee! Its fun to work in oils. Next,... a painting!!!

A dreamy little kitty on ebay

2008-04-15T14:41:00.003-05:00

Click here to go to the auction!

2008-04-14T08:51:00.003-05:00

This poor little dolly is finally getting some clothes. It took me a long while to figure out what she should wear. I had lots of grand ideas for her, but I just couldn't cover up those wonderful feet! So a modest gown and pinafore have finally been decided upon. I should have her clothing finished this week and then she will be ready for adoption.
I'd like to tell you that Mew-mew is really interested in my work and has jumped up on the table for closer inspection. But she is really just there for a better view of the birds outside my window, which is just to the left of this picture.

Folk girl with flowers

2008-04-13T10:06:00.006-05:00

I had sort of a discombobulated week, in which it was very hard to get in the studio, and when I did I couldn't concentrate. We had a funeral this week involving the very untimely death of a friend. Everything just gets put on hold in these situations while you attend to the more important things in life. So as a result I have a couple of paintings that I feel a little uneasy about. This just brings home the thought to me that art is so personal. Whatever is going on in your life really gets reflected in it, whether you want it to or not. Whether you are the only one who can see it, its there.

Folk girl with flowers on ebay here.

This one I feel is a work in progress. I am not comfortable with it. I have to look at it and contemplate it a little bit. I'm not sure what it is that bugs me about it, but something does. Hmmm...

Click on picture for a closer view.
This is something of a self portrait of me as a kid. I was always, always jumping rope, it was my favorite activity for sure. When I was really small we had to wear those little red beanies so we would have a hat on in church, which we attended every single day.( I love to tell my kids that when they complain about going once a week!)