But I love the idea of giving each doll I work on a little token to document their time here. Maybe even something that could travel with the doll to future owners and point them back to all of the information in this blog.
Here's what I came up with:
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| My Twinn Project Shop necklace! |
It's a teeny tiny (doll-sized) locket. I've always loved lockets, especially if they open up and have something inside!
I had to keep these inexpensive, so they're not great works of art or anything like that, but I wanted to see what you all think.
The locket itself is a metal charm that I spray-painted with Rust-Oleum Gloss Protective Enamel. The chain and fittings are all sterling silver (except for the jump ring that connects the locket to the chain--that's silver plated).
I chose 925 sterling silver because it doesn't tarnish as quickly as other metals, and it doesn't have a finish that will rub off on the dolls.
Inside the locket, there's a little paper heart with the doll's name, and then another paper heart with the shop name. I figured if anyone ever Googled that combination, they might find this blog.
I'm not a jewelry maker, or anything even close, so the first necklace I made fell apart instantly (how do people get those jump rings to close tight enough??) but if I can get them to be reasonably durable, I'd like to make one for all of the dolls I work on.
The first two lockets went out with Elsie and Sterling yesterday, so perhaps if their new owners give me some feedback, and I get feedback here, we can see if this might work! Thank you! :)
I think that is just adorable! I love the idea.
ReplyDeleteYay! Thank you!
DeleteWhat a wonderful idea! I just revisited the blog posts on the dolls I own, and it really is a wonderful sort of keepsake time capsule. Ensuring their stories follow them in such a cute locket-love it!
ReplyDelete(My dolls are going nowhere however-I love them too much!!)
-Micah
Thank you, Micah! I'm very glad that you like the idea!
DeleteThis is a great idea!
ReplyDeleteAs long as the little hearts are something you're going to be able to get for a while. If it was me doing this, I guarantee my luck would mean, once I'd settled on the hearts, I would never be able to find them in a shop again.
Yeah, I was worried about that! That type of thing tends to be my luck, too! ;)
DeleteA lot of little antique locket charms I looked at are only available in small batches that can't be restocked, but fortunately I have over 100 of these, so that should be more than enough!
That's adorable. Reminds me of how Beanie Babies used to come with that cute heart-shaped tag with their name and a little poem inside.... but more durable. You could also sign them under the wig and put the date you remade them, so if anyone ever goes to redo the doll they will be able to look up the history of the doll, even if the necklace has been lost. But it wouldn't interfere with the look of the doll in any way. I mean like, in addition to the locket, of course - a sort of backup identifier.
ReplyDeleteYes, signing the head is an excellent idea! I could use acrylics so that it's mild on the vinyl. I should have been doing that all along, silly me, but it's not too late to start now! Thank you for the suggestion!
DeleteThank you, Linda! I love those little labels in doll clothing! Oh, you know what--I could have tacked on another little body tag to the My Twinns I work on! That would have been cute and easy! Oh, well. The nice thing about the lockets, if they work out, is that they can go out to dolls who have already been sold. A retroactive signing method! :)
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea! To close jump rings, this is what you're supposed to do: first of all, not everyone realises you have to twist them open and close. You don't pry them open like giving a pill to a cat. That weakens and deforms them, so when you close them it's really difficult to make them round again.
ReplyDeleteThe correct way is to grab each end with a pair of pliers and pull one end up and the other down, looking at the ring horizontally. I like to pull the ends slightly towards each other while doing that if they don't touch initially. To close it, do the same in reverse and I end up with ends overlapping a teeny bit. For the final touch I squish the join with plastic pliers (or through a paper) and the ends are flush with each other. I rarely have anything escape from my jump rings, and that includes tiny Barbie stuff.
This is really helpful, BlackKitty. I knew about twisting the ring from side to side (I watched a few tutorials online!) but your description of how to close the ring is really great. Thank you so much for taking the time to describe it so well! The chain on this necklace is so thin, I don't want it to slip through any jump ring gaps.
DeleteAlso, your cat pilling analogy made me giggle pretty hard. :)
Emily,, I'm so tickled that I inspired you.. The note was thoughtful and kind, and the locket you sent for Marina, is beautiful.. The lockets are a great idea.. to be able to go back and send them to beauties that have long moved on.. Unfortunately in doll collecting from time to time dolls move on and the artist's that creates the beauty of a doll gets lost.. Marina will always be known as one of Emily's pieces of art!! Thank you Emily.... Stay safe during these scary times.. Kimberly
ReplyDelete