Liebster Q&A

I'm back! I've been out of commission for a while, thanks to a few nasty hand injuries, but thankfully I'm fully healed and have some new fun stuff planned that I'll hopefully be able to share soon.

A big thank you to Hannah of AGDTime, who graciously nominated me for the Liebster blog award. It's been floating around the internet for a while, and I am so honored that you thought of me! Here are her questions.

Which AG doll do you want next?

I'm not really looking to get an American Girl doll any time soon, but I made a list of my favorites here.

Pleasant company or AG?

Since the Pleasant Company is the originator of the American Girl brand, the question is a little unclear. I'm going to assume that you meant Pleasant Company vs. Mattel (please correct me if I'm wrong), in which case I really don't have a preference. Some people like the Pleasant Company dolls better and firmly believe that American Girl was much better before Mattel took over, but to be honest it's not something that makes a big difference to me.

Saige or Isabelle?

Both dolls are attractive, and I can relate to various aspects of both of their stories. I don't think one is better than the other per se, but from an artistic point of view I prefer the design and color of most of the items that American Girl manufactured for the Saige collection. Naturally, I would have preferred that they had been Latina or African American, seeing as those are the predominant racial makeups of the areas in which their stories are set, and American Girl reaallly needs to add a little diversity to its Girl of the Year line, but that's another rant altogether.

Summer or Winter?

I'm not a fan of extreme temperatures, so I enjoy spending time during these seasons in places with moderate climates. Winter in Florida is fantastic, as is summer in Pennsylvania. My enjoyment of the season is pretty closely related to where I am, so this is a bit of a draw.

Fall or Spring?

That's tough too! You must think me so wishy-washy for not giving you straight answers. I'll go with fall, because the weather where I live is so nice then, but spring is wonderful too.

Bittys or 18 inch?

The Bitty Baby line is cute, but I've never been particularly enamored of it, artistically or otherwise.

Youtube or Blogs?

Generally I prefer to read people's blogs rather than watch videos on Youtube, but there are some really great Youtubers whose videos are a pleasure to watch.

Favorite hobby?

I love to draw and read good books. I also enjoy sewing, watching my favorite movies in late-night movie marathons, playing with my dogs, and doing chemistry experiments.

What is your favorite game?

Trivial Pursuit and Cut the Rope. I'm not the best at the pop culture questions in Trivial Pursuit, but I love the history ones.

iPad or iPhone?

With a larger screen, the iPhone would be my favorite, but the iPad is a marvel of design.

Favorite color? 

I can never decide on just one, but I tend to use blues, greens, and oranges most.

And now on to you! I'm passing the award on to anyone who makes paper dolls, blogs about paper dolls, or just has a passing interest in them. Here are my questions for you; feel free to answer them in the comments or on your own blog (just please give me a link - I want to hear your thoughts!).

1. What do you use to make your dolls (markers, colored pencils, etc.) and what do you like best? What brand makes that item?

2. What size do you make your dolls?

3. How do you store them?

4. What is the best thing you have made or seen in paper doll scale?

5. What is the most useful thing you have learned/discovered about making/storing/photographing paper dolls?

6. What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of paper dolls?

7. What are your sources for drawing inspiration?

Current Crush: Everything By Sitara Chandra

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you'll know that I have quite a thing for Sitara Chandra and everything she produces. In addition to being a magical photographer and filmmaker, Sitara is also a fantastic seamstress. When I first thought about making the Current Crush series, it was only natural that I should dedicate a post to her incredible creativity and talent.

Since we share an interest in science, a photo shoot of the trio modeling L'Atelier de Sitara pieces in a laboratory set-up seemed only appropriate. (Yes, I know that they should be wearing safety goggles and lab aprons but the purpose is to show off Sitara's beautiful clothing designs, so we'll pretend that lab safety isn't an issue here.)

You may remember Corazòn's top from last week when Alia was modeling it. It's a combination of the "Academia" ensemble cape and shirt - I made the cape, then colored a scrap of paper to match the shirt fabric and glued it to to the cape. The piece came about as an accident - I added the shirt because I mistakenly made the cape too short - but now it's one of my favorite clothing items. The colors are brilliant and sophisticated (at least I think so), and look perfect with Corazòn's brown-green eyes.

You've seen Alia's outfit ad nauseam, but I just had to share it again. The jacket is from the "Most Likely to Succeed" outfit, and the top is "Fleurs d'Automne." The color combination is lovely - pastel without feeling childish - and a great seasonal transition piece. Thanks again to the Doll Wardrobe for styling this outfit!

Isabelle's shirt is the piece I'm not sure about. It's from the "À La Famille" outfit, and looks much better in fabric than on paper. I adapted it to a henly style to give it more visual interest, but I'm not thrilled with it. Maybe it'll grow on me?

And what kind of ode to Sitara would this be without my favorite capelet?

I made another one extra green and black houndstooth, so now two can play in the snow. Something tells me the outfit would look a lot more grown up without the OX Uglydoll hat, but I think it's cute and that Isabelle carries it off well.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures! Any suggestions for future Current Crushes?