Marie Antoinette and the Heart-Shaped Cheese

Castles, Crowns and Cottages.

I'm honoured, and delighted,
to be included In
Castles, Crowns and Cottages
exploration of 
La Belle France.

There will be updates on the
Princess Milk Maid Doll,
and my recipe
for a heart-shaped cheese.

I'll be here all week.


Poor, dear Marie Antoinette

a pawn, not a player,

in a most unpleasant game

at Versailles.

But, before her sad end

she was a lonely, bored

and over-scrutinised girl

with money and taste

and a great desire to escape.

And escape she did, to

the Petit Trianon,

which was a gift to her,

 to do with as she pleased.

Once through the gates,

the little palace and its grounds

were a fantasy retreat.

A magical rural sanctuary.

An idealised bucolic pastoral.

Where she and her princess friends

could play at shepherdesses

and  milkmaids.

Her farm and mill

and dairy

were exquisite

creations.

Like this.

The Laiterie.

Beautiful as any design

in an aspirational interiors magazine.

What wonderful cheeses would come from

such a serene marble dairy,

pressed by the milk-white hands

of a doomed princess?

I wondered if she had 

little princesses come and play.

Sweet and well-mannered, shy little girls

who'd come and curtsey and

stir the silken curds and whey.

I wanted to know what they'd look like.

So here was my inspiration.

A doll with the painted face

of an 18th century princess,

playing at a milkmaid.

With contemporary 18th century portraits

as a reference for the features.

 The eyes suggested with paint

in monochrome, like a grisaille.

The irises in a grey blue,

wide and innocent.

A rosebud mouth, 

small and slightly pouting.

Paint and powder,

a natural blush deepened 

by a touch of carmine.

And finally, soft white hair,

powdered, pomaded and piled high,

to be decorated with 

rows of roses.

And I know what she'd make,

this little princess milkmaid.

She'd make heart-shaped cheese.

The beautiful Neufchatel.

(PS. I didn't make this particular cheese. I wish I had.
If I made these wonderful, dreamy cheeses,
 this would be a cheese blog, not a doll blog.)

No, no, my dears!

Not the stuff in the block

by the cream cheeses

at Wal*Mart.

This is the real thing.

Salty and tangy and crumbly-delicious.

I miss it so.

So, I made a heart-shaped cheese of my own,

with herbs and garlic.

And if you come back and visit

I'll share the recipe.

Dollmaker on Thursday: Summer Covington Smith

 Summer Covington Smith

is a wonderfully talented 

doll maker.

I first found her dolls on her blog,

Dreamspirations Gallery

and I was entranced.

Her dolls are quirky and wicked,

and somehow still full of a 

gentle sweetness.

Like Trogg, here.

And Isabella,

biting her lip.

Those huge eyes

 full of worry,

make you just want to 

give her a hug.

Gretta, all Gothic 

in stark black and white

displays wide blank eyes

over sewn lips.

A doll to tell secrets to,

perhaps?

Summer's blog is generously full

with hints and tips and

her work-in-progress shots.

This is the creepiest smile, right?

Right!

And even if you're not scared of clowns

there's something deeply unsettling about

Barstow here.

Does it surprise you 

he also has a

blood splashed axe?

This is Madeline.

I love how she still looks

sweet and vulnerable

even with a zip

for her mouth.

Her elegant little dress

with a single red rose 

keeps our attention

on her expressive face.

Oh, I love the fidgeting toes!

Summer also make 

wonderful cloth dolls.

Evette, here

is a sultry stunner.

Look at those boots!

 She also makes

Goddess dolls.

This is Summer.

Her cool greens and warm pinks

are like a rose garden

Summer has a wonderful eye

for grotesque faces

that are appealing

and  full of character.

 Like Stink-Eye here.

Or tender and cute,

like Mallory.

But I must admit a soft spot

for wicked old

Lord Arsenic!

Summer's Etsy shop  is here

She also sells crocheted gloves

and scarves and wallets.

Go and see!

Molly Cottontail

The inspiration for this rabbit

came from an Easter card

I found at

The Graphics Fairy.

I loved the idea of a grey bunny

with a pink gingham dress.

I love the hat

and the pink striped socks

and little black shoes.

Now, Molly here is a toddler bunny,

and mine are a little older than that

so I made the dress

more suitable for a big girl.

First,

painting the body grey.

This gristly image

is the body drying outside

between sandings.

After being painted and sanded

I glued on the head

and shoulder plate.

I know.

Awkward!

A lined and fitted bodice.

A full skirt.

Little white collar.

Tucks along the hem.

And the dress is finished!

 It has a wide sash

at the back,

and white daisies

on the collar and cuffs.

And it's perfect

for playing dolls,

on long Summer days

in the meadow.

Shared on
The Graphics Fairy
Brag Monday.

The Return of the Return of Doll Maker on Thursday!

Well, hello there!

This is a 

Double Feature!

(Please note, 

these aren't my photographs.

They're Georgina's.

I wish I could take photos as nice as this!)

(PS, see that fab hat?

It's available here.)

This lovely creature

is Georgina.

And Georgina is a doll maker

I've been following for quite some time.

She makes gorgeous dolls,

from the sweet Claude here.,

to the fantastically exotic

and ethereal

Demonette.

Georgina's dolls

challenge our notions of

a doll's anatomy.

This is Spoilt Claudia,

an Aracna doll,

with a spider's many eyes

and a spider's eight limbs.

Here she is as a

 work-in-progress.

Spider legs and all those eyes.

And here she is completed,

with her surprisingly sweet pout

and dreamy gaze.

All Georgina's dolls

are beautifully photographed,

and seem to inhabit

a glamorous environment

where they are completely at home.

Here is The Faun

as a WIP.

Here she is,

lounging by candlelight.

I love photographs of dolls held in the hand,

so here is the Faun again.

Georgina has given her

delicately fluffy and convincing faun legs

and graceful, elegant arms.

The dolls' bizarre bodies

and exotic faces

are complemented

by exquisite costumes

and ornate accessories.

Here, a flowing pink gown

contrasts with the avian face/mask.

Another doll-in-the-hand shot.

This is the Sleeping Demon.

The Sleeping Demon

has an intricate

bronze headpiece

and is otherwise naked,

showing her jointed limbs 

Here are her beautifully sculpted teeth

in what is possibly 

the nicest photo ever

of a doll's teeth.

Georgina's work is always fascinating

and I truly enjoy the way her figures

push the boundaries

of what we find beautiful

in a doll.

I think her dolls deserve 

to be better known.

Find her dolls

in her Etsy shop,

Nevermore Dolls.

Find Georgina on facebook.

Her blog.