Why I use the materials I use for my Art Dolls

Happy New Years everyone. I am starting the year out with a new business blog.

Over the years I have supported my family with my art. For a variety of reasons, I have never made an over abundance of money but we always have gotten by.

We owned a cabin in the woods with no running water, no phone, no electricity (though we did have some solar panels that gave us a couple of hours of light a night) . We had a nice out house and we heated our Minnesota cabin with a small wood stove. We lived on 5 acres of woods and had lots of animals around us…raccoons, deer, bear, wolves, skunks, chipmunks, squirrels etc.

We lived there for 10 years or so until we moved to the city to help care for my dying Dad.

We never had lots of money so I found ways to stretch what we had.

I learned to buy things at thrift stores and garage sales. This certainly helped us get by. And my daughters were always dressed nice with garage sale finds!

But still we struggled. I have never had much for investing in materials.

So now, when I create my art dolls I like to use recycled goods. I love using sweaters that I find at the thrift store. Often they are ones that few people would want because they are not in good condition. But that makes them perfect for me! I find wool scraps from making blankets at the woolen mills near my home. Anything, that I can find that would be eventually going to the trash heap.

I also like to use all the “orphan” beads from my years of jewelry design. They are the ones that I find on the floor after I have put the beads away. Or a single leftover bead from a project. I throw them all into a box. Over the years, I have collected quite a stash.

I have bits and pieces of many “useless” things. But often those things, even though they may be broken or damaged, still have an attraction for me. I hate to waste them.

When I use the wool for my dolls, I use up every scrap. I cut out dolls until there are small pieces left. Then I use the small pieces for smaller pins and such. Then I use the tiny scraps to stuff my dolls. I waste nothing.

I love making art from leftovers.

I also like making new food dishes from refrigerator leftovers. *smile*