Friday Wind Down

    Seems like half of the Victorian population has a virus of some sort this month. I am certainly not the exception this week, having been hit by a virus, right along with the rest of my family.

    So what can you do when you're sick? Not a whole lot, except sleep [for those who can], watch Pride & Prejudice, find joy in the fact that The Doctor found a way save Gallifrey and fantasise about a tropical islands.

    I wanted to draw this week, but until today I hadn't been able to do anything proper. Not only did the virus zap my energy it also managed to take a lot of my creative mojo [jerk virus].

    Hoping for better things this weekend. We all need a good one.

    By the way, did you know Torchwood is an anagram for Doctor Who? Well, there you go.

Illustration by Melissa Gaggiano.

Illustration by Melissa Gaggiano.

Girl with iPod

Illustration by Melissa Gaggiano

Pinterest Inspiration

    Lights, action, balloons, butterflies and mermaids...

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Spotlight on Sarah Strachan

    I cannot quite remember how it was that I came across Sarah Strachan. Did someone send me a link to her? Or did I stumble onto her work on Pinterest? However it happened I have begun to regularly drop in for a look see at her website to see what new wonderfuls she is creating.
    Oh and incase you are wondering, Sarah Strachan is a puppet maker, she has worked at Jim Henson's Creature Shop [wow, wow and wow again], and she makes some of the sweetest dolls around.

You can find Sarah Strachan at her website and at her Etsy shop.

Copyright Sarah Strachan

My Spanish Heart

    I am so pleased to present the latest doll to my design collection - My Spanish Heart doll. She is inspired by all the beautiful hispanic ladies in the world.

    She is made of broadcloth, sparkly felt and has embroidered facial details. And you can buy her at my Etsy shop -

www.etsy.com/listing/170068801/my-spanish-heart-doll

My Spanish Heart doll by Melissa Gaggiano.

My Spanish Heart doll by Melissa Gaggiano.

My Spanish Heart doll by Melissa Gaggiano.

Boxing Kangaroos - Paper Craft

Expo 88: Japanese paper craft

    Okay, so who remembers Expo 88? I do. Of course it is certainly difficult to forget as I have so much memorabilia to remind me of the event.
    There were many pavilions representing different nations from around the world. My most favourite being the Japanese pavilion. There were pretty Japanese representatives, gardens, origami [with an Australian theme], plus a cute mobile robot that stamped your pavilion passport.
    One of the pieces of memorabilia that I have left over from this event is this kangaroo paper craft toy, which you can download and keep for a rainy day. I made this paper toy when I was a kids and it was a lot of fun [and kept me busy].

Note: I recommend printing onto medium-heavy paper. Or alternatively printing on regular paper, and then gluing to cardboard.

Pinterest Inspiration

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Inside My Head

Illustrations by Melissa Gaggiano.

    Thought I'd share a little of what bouncing around in my head. This week I have been playing around with a completely different doll concept to what I am used to working with. I don't know if I'll go ahead with this. But I am giving it just a tiny bit of thought. I cannot see these being entirely cloth dolls. More like art dolls made of polymer clay. It all depends on the type of resources are involved, and that sort of thing.

Check out my mermaid dolls currently selling at Etsy:

www.etsy.com/shop/MelissaGaggiano

Penny Paper Doll

    I have only just finished making a paper doll. Her name is Penny and you can download and print her for free.

    I recommend printing onto a thick paper so Penny will stand up after you cut her out [if not, print onto regular paper then glue to cardboard before cutting. Cut as close to her body as possible, and cut along the line near her feet. Wrap this rectangular section into a cylinder shape and tape the edges together.

    Additional enhancements: I kept the skin clear, so that it can be coloured in to be any tone you like.

Illustraiton by Melissa Gaggiano.

Illustraiton by Melissa Gaggiano.

Illustraiton by Melissa Gaggiano.

Illustraiton by Melissa Gaggiano.

Pinterest Inspiration

    Here are some of my favourite Pinterest finds. Hope it inspires you too.

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Spotlight on Mimi Kirchner

    One of my new discoveries and a new favourite, is a doll maker named Mimi Kirchner. You can check out this video about her love of doll making and how it evolved.

Visit Mimi's online Etsy shop.