BIRTHDAY DOLLS
I read a fascinating article about a woman who made a doll each year on her birthday.
With each doll, she included a booklet highlighting the events of the past year.
I LOVED this idea.
So on my 50th birthday, I, too, began making a doll to celebrate.
I set myself some parameters:
started and finished on the day,
and no use of a pre-made pattern.
(However, I do not chronicle my year ... maybe sometime!)
50
Five decades. A half century. Mid-life.
51
Some days ... Oh cliche!
Some days I feel like I have been run over by a truck ... oh cliche!
Some days I feel like the stuffing has been kicked out of me ... oh cliche!
Some days my head feels as if it is full of cotton wool ... oh cliche!
Some days my life feels as flat as a pancake ... oh cliche!
Some days I am all knotted up ... oh cliche!
Some days are such bad hair days ... oh cliche!
But today is like no other day ...
today is the first day of the rest of my life ... oh cliche!
Some days I feel like I have been run over by a truck ... oh cliche!
Some days I feel like the stuffing has been kicked out of me ... oh cliche!
Some days my head feels as if it is full of cotton wool ... oh cliche!
Some days my life feels as flat as a pancake ... oh cliche!
Some days I am all knotted up ... oh cliche!
Some days are such bad hair days ... oh cliche!
But today is like no other day ...
today is the first day of the rest of my life ... oh cliche!
52
Socker-punched!
53
Dancing with the two halves of life
54
I have the power...
55
I am woman. Hear me shout!
56
A comfortable fit
57
Freeing the caged heart!
58
Will I ever find the shoe that fits?
59
The Fairy Godmother - giver of blessings
Why do I remember birthdays?
It is a time to celebrate the joy of life -
this one, precious life.
My birth is my beginning.
Someone once wrote that it is a 'window to the chance of a life-time";
the chance to fulfil my unique mission (or missions) in life.
So my birthday is an opportunity to re-think my life -
where have I been,
where do I want to go?
This day provides a holy pause -
a moment to contemplate my birth,
a time to recall new beginnings.
But mostly I feel my birthday is a day of gratitude,
deep, heartfelt gratitude.
I celebrate the day of my birth thankful for all those
who have enabled me, empowered me, encouraged me,
grieved with me, danced with me,
worked and created alongside me,
and those who have loved me, still love me, and will continue to love me.
Knowing I am loved enables me to be the best person I can be.
Thank you.
It is a time to celebrate the joy of life -
this one, precious life.
My birth is my beginning.
Someone once wrote that it is a 'window to the chance of a life-time";
the chance to fulfil my unique mission (or missions) in life.
So my birthday is an opportunity to re-think my life -
where have I been,
where do I want to go?
This day provides a holy pause -
a moment to contemplate my birth,
a time to recall new beginnings.
But mostly I feel my birthday is a day of gratitude,
deep, heartfelt gratitude.
I celebrate the day of my birth thankful for all those
who have enabled me, empowered me, encouraged me,
grieved with me, danced with me,
worked and created alongside me,
and those who have loved me, still love me, and will continue to love me.
Knowing I am loved enables me to be the best person I can be.
Thank you.
60
Where the wild women are!
My adorable daughter gave me a book
"Where the Wild Mothers are",
a spoof on "Where the Wild Things Are".
I love it
and revisit it often.
The doll reflects the triumphant 'coming-of-age' of the mother!
"Where the Wild Mothers are",
a spoof on "Where the Wild Things Are".
I love it
and revisit it often.
The doll reflects the triumphant 'coming-of-age' of the mother!
61
Letting go
62
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62 was inspired by a visit to 'A Private View',
an exhibition by Fleur Wickes. It was a profound, intimate experience. Her bed was casually draped with a damask linen bedspread. So I used a scrap of very worn damask linen to create 62. She has realised that when we acknowledge our inner beauty, we develop an attentive and grateful heart. Fleur had created several word-paintings, one of which she put on her card. It reads, "it's beautiful here in this small room, in this small own, in this small country at the edge of the world." |
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63
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63
This year, I broke all my own rules! I followed a pattern (most of the time). I created the doll a month late. I made her over a couple of days. But the end result reflects my struggles, my need to affirm myself, my desire to find where I belong, an ache for simplicity. She is created from a 1981 Simplicity pattern I first used to create a Moon Baby for my daughter, more than 30 years ago. The materials are the scraps remaining after making floral bouquets for my son's wedding. "And the Moon said to me - My darling, you do not have to be whole in order to shine." |
64
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64
A birthday celebrated during a 49 day national lockdown to eliminate Covid 19 from Aotearoa New Zealand. I lived in a 'bubble'. Groceries were delivered to me. No gatherings. I had watched with wry amusement at the panic buying of toilet paper. So I created a figure with her skirt shaped over a roll of toilet paper. Her bodice knitted with inflexible wire. Her smile intact. All inside a bell jar, a 'bubble'. Around the base is a quote from the Cheshire Cat, "You may have noticed, I'm not all there myself." |
65
A birthday milestone ...
65 ...
the year I am able to get superannuation!!!
I chose this black velvet with an embossed rose pattern
because it a beloved piece of fabric.
Black is not a negative colour for me.
Instead it speaks of moonlight,
quiet,
the haunting call of the ruru (morepork),
of night's invitation to renew, refresh, be reborn.
65 ...
the year I am able to get superannuation!!!
I chose this black velvet with an embossed rose pattern
because it a beloved piece of fabric.
Black is not a negative colour for me.
Instead it speaks of moonlight,
quiet,
the haunting call of the ruru (morepork),
of night's invitation to renew, refresh, be reborn.
