White Rose

I have a love of dolls as you already can tell, and this one was inspired by Asian ball jointed dolls. I hope one day to be able to create one, perhaps out of resin or porcelain...

Introducing the Menagerie...

The Menagerie has been added to the Sandee Rose Dollhouse, here are the first of their official portraits.


Mr. Bun as a Dandy in Velvet
Mr. Bun is usually very conservative and would not want to parade around like some dandy but a new headmistress at the school has caught his eye and this velvet suit does have a certain flair....


Miss Wilhemina Hammerneck- Headmistress

Miss Hammerneck is the new headmistress of the Bartholomew Finishing School for girls. While she looks quite stern during school days, after hours she reads romance novels by candle light and drinks sherry.


Benny
Just so we are clear on this, Benny was NOT one of the boys who threw the baseball at greenhouse!


Miss Lilly Edwards - Pickpocket

Miss Lilly comes from a very respectable family though her father had to send her to Bartholomew's Finishing school for Girls due to her rather shameful habit of picking pockets. That hasn't stopped Miss Lilly. Many of her classmates report missing items which was once on their person.

One lump or two?

It is getting into winter and it has been a few months since my best friend and I have gone out for tea...(sigh) Looking at teapots all morning has lifted my spirits and I thought I share with you this charming set...


Tea Set Red Toile...found browsing Teapots and More
I do have some cucumbers and cream cheese and some soft white bread, perhaps I will settle myself for a tea for one today.

A Stroll in the Spring

I had lovely time creating this piece. It was very spontaneous the way it happened. I was looking over some vintage photographs of children and saw this:


...which inspired the painting. The rest came from my imagination. I love the idea of transforming everyone into doll faces and having bunny friends that we can stroll through wonderland with.

Deliciously Spicy

I came across a Lindt Dark Chocolate Bar infused with chili at the market and wow, what a delicious combination! I have a love affair with dark chocolate and lately it seems that the higher the percentage of cocao, the better. I see many new varieties and supposedly dark chocolate is full of antioxidants as well as magical properties, so it gives me more reason to enjoy.


...Which reminds me, one of my favorite movies of all time is Chocolat, with the beautiful Juliette Binoche and the brilliant Johnny Depp. I adore her outfits in the movie. Very 50's vintagy cardigan sets...anyway back to the chocolate, I truly believe hot cocoa is the drink of Gods. The mayans would agree.

The Amulet - Somewhere a Cat is Waiting

This painting was inspired by my beloved cat Coco who no longer walks this earth plane. He was my dearest and loyal cat. All black... he was a skinny flea bag kitten who I adopted from a lady in front of the grocery store. She had 4 all black kittens and Coco was the runt of the litter but grew to be big and healthy with a luxurious coat of shiny black fur. He was loving and hug-able!
This is my actual amulet and locket of Coco with bits of his hair on the other side.

Loosing him was rather depressing...This book by Derek Tangye "Somewhere a Cat is Waiting" helped me get through the loss. A wonderful book about life with cats and the lessons they can teach us about life and loss. And exactly a month after Coco passed a cat was waiting for me. I was on a temporary assignment at Disney Studios and a coworker suggested I accompany her to the pet store. There sat in a cage was a big beautiful tom cat, with gray striped markings, white paws and green eyes. He was left in a box that morning. He left with me that day. He was big and hug-able! ...That was 9 years ago and he is curled up under my desk as I type. I have no idea how old he really is, but he has lost his girth over the years so I am guessing he is elderly now. He has grown a bit ornery but I need to remind myself that he is really is a good cat and I must be sweeter to him.
Oliver, doing what he does best.
******************************************
I often think about my Coco. Cats are magical creatures so Im sure that he is with me at times...well...that topic is for another post.

Wonderfully gothic - A Christmas Carol

Disney's A Christmas Carol in 3d

The Mister and I had a date away from the children last night and saw Disney's A Christmas Carol in 3d. It was very impressive technically and the scenes were really wonderfully gothic. The costume, the "set" of the town was rendered realistically yet had that stylized look and that gloomy Dickens feel that I so love. The 3d aspect of it was captivating, you really feel like you are in the movie. The tale stayed true to the classic with a lot of flying around the town and fun 3d action. The characters were remarkably life-like but still retained that somewhat dollish look. I would love to learn how to render some 3d characters in the future. We had a really enjoyable time.

Going Digital

I started painting before I learned to use a pencil so there is a long history and love for the craft. It was watercolor first, then acrylic, then oil then back to acrylic when I had my babies. I do love oil painting. Something about the buttery feel and creaminess of the paint...I secretly even love the way it smells. Sometimes I would add a bit of lavender in it to really get lost in painting aromatherapy. Hours would fly by when I am painting. Over the years I have a lot of paintings, (most in my garage being an unknown artiste). I have had moments of wanting to give up painting. It was taking up a space, supplies were costly, lack of time due to babies, worrying about the toxic effects on them, hurting my back being hunched over... and lastly just not sure where I am going with my art. A month ago I decided to buy a Wacom Tablet and I feel a renewed since of being able to create freely without constraints. Granted it still is pretty time consuming! It was a bit awkward initially getting used to drawing on the tablet yet looking at the screen! But after a while, I began to enjoy the spontaneous nature of it. Getting straight to the blank "canvas" and not having to do so much of the planning and preparing of the actual canvas gave me a sense of freedom. I am also able to incorporate my love of graphic design and photography and the mountains of source materials on the internet is so inspiring. So, we will see where this leads me. I would definitely pick up the paint brush again but for now I am having so much fun.

These are some of my works done oil on canvas...
HMMOG (Holy Mary Mother of God) Oil on Canvas
Muixalante, Oil on Canvas

ps: I use the Wacom Intuos4 with photoshop cs3 on a 24" imac.

Behind Gilded Cages

I often love to depict doll-like creatures in luxurious surroundings. There is something very precious yet sad about being confined in beauty.
The Carousel

When no one else will listen...

there are always bunny friends. As a little girl, kittens and hamsters (and bunnies) are sometimes the only ones that truly understand our hearts...
The Audience

A Real Life Story Book Wolf

I came across this poinant award winning photograph of this wolf and it really captures all of the mysteries and imagination I have of the wolf in one photo.

This picture of a spanish hunting wolf has won the prestigious Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009 award. Link to the story.

update 2/2010: The photographer has his award taken away as it is suspected that he used an actor wolf to stage the photo. That is unfortunate, but the picture is still poignant and I think that the actor wolf should get an award.

Sometimes we need guardians

The Guardian
I always felt that animals were our protectors. Now I'm not one to go and get a Tigon or a Liger for a pet but we do have a connection with creatures that go back since the beginning of our existence together. I like the Native American concept of having a animal self. I think mine would be a wolf or maybe a polar bear. I'm happy that the wolf is making a comeback but one day the polar bear might very well disappear into myth...

Fairytales

Like many girls I am forever haunted by fairytales...
The Little Wolf
The wolf gets a bad rap sometimes...


The Apple


Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White was the first of the truly scary fairy tales. Little Red taught me not to wander alone or trust wolf like (boogeyman type) creatures that may snatch me up and worse, eat me for dinner! Snow White told me that stepmothers were mean and women were jealous beings. The beauty of Snow White is so idealized, with her ebony hair and white skin, red lips...I forget exactly what color eyes she has but in many cultures East and West (before the tanning craze), pale skin was very much the standard. Now with all the vampire movies and books it may very well make a comeback –though I'm not a fan of fangs.

Nostalgia

Nostalgia is a bittersweet longing for things, persons, or situations of the past. Or in my case a past lifetime. I used to call it slipping away from time...I would get into one of my moods and yearn for something which either never existed or only exists in my dreams or memories from another time. I am attracted to the past-myths and fairy tales I hear can trigger some feeling which I suppose is what nostalgia is. The word Nostalgia is a formation of a Greek compound, consisting of νόστος, nóstos, "returning home", a Homeric word, and άλγος, álgos, "pain" or "ache". It was described as a medical condition, a form of melancholy. I suspect a lot of people have this. Maybe we used to have past lives and reincarnation is a real thing. Or perhaps we long for a time past when we were children and innocent and believed in fantasy and magic. This "feeling" is something that inspires me or directs me to do my art. I want to tell a story but not always able to put it in words. Sometimes an image is all one needs to know the entire tale...



Captured

Tales from Sandraland

Hello and welcome. Sit back with a cup of tea... or if you are daring a cup of hot chocolate. Welcome to my world of creativity, daydreams, self expression and discovery... I'm Sandra your blog host and proprietress of my fantasyland Etsy store Dollface LaLa, along with the very indulgent Dollface LaLa blog. I paint and make things. I design and take photographs...I have a fondness for big eyes and doll faces and I'm prone to subversive behaviors which sometimes sneak into my work and writings. I'm constantly inspired by my 2 little girls and my mother...all very mischievous. I enjoy working after midnight and I am always craving desserts though I am trying to get healthier and stronger. I'm lost in my own world sometimes but my little ones demand I live in the real world. This blog is about how I juggle all these aspects of life, a little place for me to write, reflect and most of all share my adventures...these are the Tales from Sandraland.

The Keeper