Studio 5 Clothespin Doll Clip, and a tour of the news room!

 

I had a BLAST on Studio 5 yesterday!!! I was able to take my cute daughter with me, and she LOVED it! I have never done a segment with Tanya Papanikolas. She is even more lovely in real life, and so sweet. And of course... I always love doing a segment with Darin! As I always say... I LOVE my producer Stephanie! I am so happy to get to see her every time I go in! She even gave Sophie an awesome tour of KSL! 

How LUCKY are we??? I know they are SUPER BUSY there, so I am glad she was able to  take us on the tour! I know Sophie LOVED it, and so did I!

News Anchor Sophie

Weather Girl Sophie

 

 Sophie in the KSL Weather Station

What fun I am having with KSL and Studio 5! I feel so lucky!

THANK YOU!

Here is my segment:

I hope you like it!

Have a Happy and Creative Day!

Risa

CLOTHESPIN DOLL

 Have you seen the darling clothespin dolls on etsy? 

I LOVE THEM! 

I have a whole pinterest board dedicated to them. You can see it HERE. They are so darling, and so expensive. I have made all sorts of other wooden dolls in the past, and have full tutorials for them. 

Including:

Kokeshi Doll Tutorial

Gnome Family Tutorial

Gumdrop People Tutorial

Indian Princess Tutorial

Toothpick Doll Tutorial

Click on them, and check them out!

I made these dolls to look like the kind you find on etsy. As far as I am concerned, with wooden dolls and faces, less is more. All I ever add is eyes, and do that by dipping a toothpick in paint. I like them to look simple and not messy, and after all, it is easy to mess up when you have more steps!

Here is a little 4th of July doll!

I love this one, and she'll be going in my daughter's room.

I made this for a friend's front door.

 This is what you need:

 HEAD - Dowel Caps 1 1/4"; (not ball knobs - dowel have a bigger opening, and the clothespin will fit inside)
BUNS - 1/4" dowel caps, and 3/8" round balls. Whatever else you see that you think will work.
BODY - Clothespins with flat feet
BASE - Clothespin base  - round, and hanging near the clothespins
ARMS - Skin color pipe cleaner - (optional - skin color embroidery floss if you choose to wrap the arms. I like #739)
Paint hair, dress top, eyes, legs, and base
Fabric for the dress. You can use this method, or the one I am showing in this tutorial.
Hot Glue and Tacky glue
Triple Thick (varnish - near the craft paint at Hobby Lobby)

 

Paint the bodice if you want, and don't plan to wrap it in ribbon or fabric.

NOTE - my husband drilled holes for the arms in each one. You don't have to do this, and can glue the arms on, but I like the look of the arm better with a drilled hole.

Paint the head, using instructions in the tutorial above for the Kokeshi doll, or the Indian Princess.

 Fray check the edges of the skirt and top. After it dries, glue it to the clothespin with the tacky glue.

This is Fray Check.

Stick the arms through the hole. If you don't have a hole, make two arm pieces, and glue them to either side with hot glue. Glue the head on with hot glue. I have tried other types of glue for the head, and always go back to the hot glue, because it dries quickly, and doesn't drip like others can.

The last step is to varnish them if you want. I like them varnished, but I also appreciate the look of the natural wood. If you choose to varnish, I recommend, "triple thick." I bought mine at Hobby Lobby. It goes on super thick, and all you need is one coat. It dries to the touch in 10 minutes, and completely in 24 hrs. Don't even bother with the spray varnishes. It is a waste of money.

Here is a little lady with no varnish.

You can give your little lady a sign or something to hold if you want. Here she is with varnish. It just depends on the look you want.

These are so fun, and sure to please anyone you give them to! I have given a few to girlfriends that are my age, and they love them!

Have a Happy and Creative Day!

Risa

TOOTHPICK PEOPLE

 While prepping for this week's Studio 5 segment, I came across these darling toothpick dolls. They are so easy to make, and inexpensive!

All you need is toothpicks, cut like this:

 Embroidery floss, in whatever color you want. I like #739 for the skin color. Embroidery floss is not expensive, and can be purchased at most craft or sewing stores. I got mine at Ben Franklin, for $.39 each.

 

Alene's Tacky Glue:

First, glue the legs on, as shown in the photo above. Let them dry.

Place a small dot of glue on where the three pieces meet, and wrap the floss starting at the top, and making your way down. Decide where you want the skirt to end, and place a dot of glue there, and smooth the floss into it. Make sure you always end on the same side.

Next, glue the arms on. You can wrap them first in skin color floss, I don't mind leaving the toothpicks natural.

 Next, wrap the shoulders starting with a glue dot in the back. My daughter wrapped this with thicker floss. You can see if gives if a different look and texture.

 Next, wrap the head. You can make a long thin head, or a round head. You choose what you want. Just make sure not to go over the top of the toothpick, and add glue to the back of the head periodically, otherwise, all your floss could come off, and that would lead to more work.

 Next, add the hair. The best tip is to start in the back, with a two inch piece of floss folded in half. Add a dot of glue to the hairline. Place the fold on the glue. Then, add more until you feel it is thick enough. After you have finished, give your doll a haircut for the desired length. Small embroidery scissors work best.

 Boys are fun to make as well, you will use the same technique, just wrap each leg separately first.

 These were so fun, my daughter started making them with me, and now we have a little family!

Have a Happy and Creative Day!

Risa