Forgive me for Bragging....

The Hoffman Challenge winners were announced late last night. I checked the website at 1am (couldn't sleep!) and got the biggest thrill - my doll The Dragon Slayer won 1st place! Here are the winners

1st Place: The Dragon Slayer by Stephanie Novatski (me!)
2nd Place: Miss Izabelle Darling by Marie Carter
3rd Place: Miss Chao Mian by Susan Ranoa
Honorable Mention: Bingo Little by Sheri Sheppard
Curator's Choice: Behold: B’Elanna, Princess of Mongo and bride of Flash Gordon by Doris Moore

Best First Time Doll: Sultan of Akteo by Linda Brackett
Most Humorous: Anne Bolyn's Nightmare by Wendy Whittemore
Best Incorporation of Theme: Dance of the Blue Lagoon by Patricia Wormuth

I can't wait to see the pics which will be posted next week. What intriguing titles!!! So you're not in suspense, you can see more pics of my doll here.

Preview of the ArtBra Calendar!

We have finished the proofing and now it is being printed! Here is a preview of the cover with one of my favorites, "Are They Real?" by Jan Campbell, a 1 year survivor working on many more. Want to order yours? The printing is limited so get your copy now. They should start shipping the beginning of August. Order from http://www.artbra.org

Card Sets

As a change of pace during the last few months, I have been making sets of note cards for some special friends and as thank you and hostess gifts. So far they have been well received. Here are a few. I posted the teacup cards a few posts ago. This first set uses a Martha Stewart punch, die cut lace flowers colored with alcolhol inks, ribbon and stitching.

These small flowers were cut out with my cricut and a Flower font (who knew!), a Marthat Stewart punch, ribbon, and lots of Metallic gold spray paint.

These flowers were cut on my cricut and embossed with polkadots then hit with ink to highlight them. The punch is also a Martha Stewart. I used Alcholol Inks to "dye the ribbons. The flower centers are brads.


A lovely friend from EGA gave me a bag of lace so I made her these cards using it, dimensional paint, a punch border, embossed and inked paper, ribbon, and a dragonfly I designed and cut on my cricut.

Butterflies cut and embossed using a Cuttlebug 2-step folder and my Sizzix die cut, ribbon, flowers cut with my Cricut, dimensional paint, machine stitching.

More with the dragonfly using elements used before.

My oriental peony set. The large flower was cut with my Cricut, the paper ribbn a punch from Martha Stewart. those butterflies again (love them!) and my favorite, gold spray paing. Most of the papers were from a book by K and Company.

Doll Club Adventure and Art Bra Calendar

For the past three meetings, we have been working on a lovely little doll taught by the most talented Heather. It is a version of a doll she made in a Pam Grosse class. We have been having lots of fun with it. Very little machine sewing, the body armature is wrapped. The face is a cloth over cloth. I finished mine this week. She is going to be a gift for a special 11 yr old lady. Hope she likes it!

The ArtBra Calendar has gone to the printer!!! It should be ready by the beginning of August. This is sooooo exciting! Can't wait! They can be pre-ordered at http://www.artbra.org/ Make sure you get your copy - printing is limited.

JAKE Book

My DIL bought these cute stickers that mark each month for Jake. She is taking pics of him in a white shirt with the stickers and I felt she needed a special place to put them so I created a Name book. I only had a copy of the one month pic though I know she took one for Month two. I cut out the name and the frames on my Cricut. The book measures 6" x 12" and the pics are 3" x 4". Behind each picture is a tag so she can journal his accomplishments! I know for Month 2 he has found his mouth with his hands! She hasn't seen it yet - hope she likes it!