Oh - and had some fun with photography...

with Roxy helping.

Oh my! I haven't posted in several days!

Well - to be honest I have been working a lot. First I got caught up with all of my shipping. Steve burned a bunch of DVDs for me and then I burned even more so I have plenty and can just put them in the mailbox as the orders come it. Weee!!!!

I am finishing up a commission today. Thought I had finished it on Monday but then the client wanted more stuff (some that I forgot about - oops!) so I am finishing that up today. But I am showing a picture of her.

Yesterday I worked on a vampire since I was inspired by by commission. So this new one - a Suzette - will be the second in my Halloween series of dolls.

Today I got a late start. Had a sort of rude email so I let myself get all in a tither over it. Roxy said I was being a little over dramatic so I calmed down. Why is it that one little email that is rude can upset you so easily. Geez...

Now I am going to work on my vampire but here are the latest dolls I have done.

Nymeria - a Lana Lang repaint.
Rawnie - an Antoinette

Couldn't find the videos but I did find some pictures...

Dracula's House - the really cool Jack-o-lanterns and a pic from the Saw house. : )

Well - I tried to post yesterday but...

my computer crashed and I didn't feel like rewriting the entire thing over again.

Friday night Roxy and I went to Halloween Horror Nights! It was so much fun. So far we have seen four houses. Our first was The Wolfman which was so cool! We actually walked through trees and the wolfman growled and jumped out at us a bunch of times. It was great.

Second house was Dracula... very cool castle. I actually have a video of it and the Frankenstein house.

The Saw house was actually my favorite of the night. Roxy and I watched all of the Saw movies in preparation and it felt like we were walking through the actual places. Very cool, gross, and creepy! Loved it! Unfortunately there are no videos of that.

We didn't get to ride the big roller coaster because it was closed. We did ride The Mummy and MIB... it took us about 5 hours to do all of that without a break. We have passes so we will be going back again next Thursday!

I was so exhausted that on Saturday I just didn't move much.

Today, however, I cleaned up and washed clothes. Also worked on my shipping and DVDs so I wouldn't have to worry about any of that in the morning. Just want to focus on dolls and art. : )

I will post the videos in a second. When I went to get them last time that is what made me crash! So I will post first and then post the videos.

Happy Sunday Night!

My babies wanted to say hello...

and please forgive the typos in my last post. I didn't proofread until after I posted. OOPS! XOXOXO

TGIF everyone!

I can't believe it is Friday! SO happy! Love the weekends.

Tonight Roxy and I are going to the opening night of Halloween Horror Nights. We are going to check everything out - ride a few rides (yikes!) and maybe get a little scared. Who knows! It should be a lot of fun.

Enjoying a late breakfast or granola bars and fat free milk. Sort of like having cookies and milk from breakfast. Delicious! I waited too long to eat again. I listed my latest gypsy on eBay - Pesha - this morning. She is 9th in the series. It took me a bit longer because for some reason my Turbo Lister won't open so I had to go through eBay but it worked just fine. Only took a little longer.

The month is almost up and I have been terrible about listing my men! I still can't get into the old file where some of my favorites are. I have them on a disk somewhere but that requires looking. HA HA

OH NO - I also have to decorate for Halloween... and that will be crazy. My decorations are behind a wall of boxes and stuff in my garage. This weekend would be a great time to get in there are break those boxes down and make a path. That way when Oct 1st comes around I can start decorating. I love Halloween and want to enjoy it for as long as I can. I am hoping for nice weather over the weekend so I won't swelter and DIE in the heat.

Have a very happy weekend!!!!

Oops - that was suppose to say Gyspy MAN - not name...

: )

My new gypsy name!

My minime loves him as you can see. I love the big guys! So the Green Lantern is finished. What to do with Superman now... and I don't have a Batman yet. Hum...

Sooo my Gothic Bride is sold...

thank you so much! Whenever I go out on a limb and create something that is just gotta be created it is so thrilling that it is appreciated by others. I just love her and will miss her already. Now I have to make another Halloween doll. But tomorrow I have a gypsy man. Her is the green lantern doll I couldn't get him finished today. He has mohair and I managed to squeeze him into some sexy gypsy clothes! Can't wait to show him tomorrow. Right out of a romance novel this one is!

Monday Monday...

Well - I didn't really get on the computer yesterday. I actually didn't do much of anything. On Sunday that is definitely my rest day.

Today though - I will hopefully have two dolls completed. One is a gypsy man doll and the other is my first Halloween doll of the season. She ended up being more work that I thought she would be. But I so enjoyed the process and had a lot of creative fun with her. I hope you will enjoy her too! Here is a preview of her.

TGIF!!!

So it is Friday but I am still wondering what happened to Thursday. Tried to post yesterday but it froze up and I lost the post. Once I restarted the computer I couldn't remember what I had said. HA

Woke up late, did the treadmill and had a late breakfast, cleaned up the kitchen and now I am going to do some doll work. Hopefully I will be able to finish and show something today.

Oh yeah! I was going to post Vincent - a Matt repaint of Tom Cruise from the movie Collateral. Roxy's best buddy, Maritzabel is obsessed with it right now which reminded me to post the picture.

Happy Friday - hopefully I will have more to post later on today!

Hi Ho!!

So I worked on a doll today and then later on Roxy and I took off for Orlando. We decided on Universal City Walk because we wanted to explore one of the resort hotels we hadn't seen. When we got there (it is a far walk from your car!!!) we got on a boat that takes you to the resorts. We stayed at Portafino Bay before but we still haven't seen the Hard Rock or the Royal Pacific Resort. This video shows you exactly what we saw today!



After we decided to go crazy and eat out! We were going to walk around in the mall but decided just to have dinner at Red Lobster. Roxy had coconut shrimp and I had shrimp and stuffed flounder. It was great! We came home and watched our shows and now it is time for bed.

P.S. I am furious with America's Next Top Model. Two of my favorites went home! I loved Bambi eyes! The the girl with the broken foot deserved another chance over Bianca who already had a second chance! NOT FAIR! BOOOOOO

I'm UP!

Already did the treadmill and had a big breakfast. Going to paint for a while and then later in the day Rox and I are going to go out exploring.

I haven't posted a man doll for several days so here on is. This is Gandalf... one of my favorites. He started out as a Basil and was created in 2006. Lots of work was done on him including resculpting and mohair application. The fabulous outfit he is wearing was created by Dalila's Dolls.

http://www.daliladolls.com/

One last thing!

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter's opening date has been revealed along with a behind the scenes look!

http://www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/first_look_uo.html

Here is the real thing...

One more thing...

In preparation from Halloween Horror Nights Rox and I have been rewatching the Saw movies... just finished watching Saw IV again... I watched Saw III the other night. Apparently I had missed that one so now Saw IV makes a lot more sense. Next up will be Saw V!!! It is SO gross but the story is clever.

I will also be riding this roller coaster for the first time. No over the shoulder restraints either! YIKES!!!

I don't have a new doll to show yet...

but I am working on commissions and other dolls too. I have a lot going on! Finally took my puppies to the groomers and got their nails clipped and they smell like vanilla now. I also went to the grocery store. Steve brought a London broil over on Sunday that you put in the microwave. It was from Sam's and it was great. So to save myself some cooking time this week I picked up those pot roast type dinners that you heat up. They aren't frozen, are low fat, and taste yummy. I also bought veggies, mashed potatoes, and dessert. No cooking at all for me!

Yesterday after I was done doing all of my packaging and shipping I went to Marshall's and just walked around. I was so nice to just look at stuff, especially the Halloween and Fall decorations. How I wanted to buy it all! I didn't find anything for dolls. Sometimes you can find little goodies... but nothing much. I did get a romance novel for 50 cents! Love that.

Rox and I might go out tomorrow. Don't know yet. I plan on getting to bed early so I can get up early and do some painting in the morning. I found this notepad that is so cute! It is just a little bigger than a mousepad and has a non-slip bottom. Of course I plan on filling it out better next week.

I am so sad about Patrick Swayze...

he was one of my very favorites and will be so missed. I may have to do a tribute doll... I still haven't been able to do one of Heath Ledger but when I did one of Farrah it was nice. I will think on it.

So I guess I have been quiet the last few days.

Sometimes I just don't feel like being on the computer except to read a few emails and check Twitter, Facebook, Prego, and other regular sites. Just not in the mood.

Super annoyed when Kanye West ruined Taylor Swift's moment. I nearly jumped off the couch when I was watching. Katy Perry tweeted that it was like he stepped on a kitten. Oh so true! I don't care that he is remorseful. This isn't the first time he has done something like this. Loved that Obama called him a jackass.

Here is a list of his outrageous behavior:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2009/sep/14/kanye-west-taylor-swift-timeline

In case you didn't notice I am a huge Taylor Swift fan! A big congratulations to her first VMA! You beat them out girl!

I am glad the cleaning is over with!

Now I just have to keep up with it (grin - this is my weakness). I usually don't work on dolls over the weekend but I am going to be playing with my Halloween ideas this morning. I just finished surfing the wide world web so now it is time to get busy. Can't wait to show off my Halloween creations. Expect some super creepy stuff!

Whew - that was a busy day!

I am almost done with the laundry too! Whenever I focus only on the house and cleaning I get really domestic. For dinner I made yummy stuffing stuffed chicken with gravy. It was so good! So I do cook but lately we have been having light meals, sandwiches, soups, etc... tonight that comfort food was delicious!

Let's see... should be posting a man doll... gotta look at pictures. So sad that I can't break into older files and pull out some of those guys. : ( But anyhoo... here is Chad Michael Murray created in 2006 out of a Matt. : ) Happy Friday!!!

Today I am cleaning...

My poor house has not been getting a lot of attention from me so today I am focusing on cleaning. It is pinching me up looking at the mess so I have already started so I can't be on the computer or I will lose my drive.

I will post pics later on today!

Today is for remembering...

Gypsies in the HOUSE!!!

Check out the Gypsies still living here... from left to right: Esmeralda, Nicabar, Marcel, Gitana, and Catarina. : )

Also Catarina reads Gitana's palm.

Here is the Fortune Teller...

I had a lot of fun with her! Her name is Catarina. Her sculpt is Jac.

Another Gypsy?!

Well - I guess it isn't a crime. Next series will have to be scary dolls though. Love the scary dolls! Need to start brainstorming.

So Marcel is complete. Here he is... he was formally a Captain Jack Sparrow but he has gone from pirate to gypsy. He is connected to Marko and Luca through their sister, Gitana. I may even complete one more Gypsy today.

I finished up on the treadmill this morning and I am hungry!

Last night Roxy and I worked a little on the paper mache mermaid. But America's Next Top Model AND So You Think You Can Dance started last night. Love those shows!

Off to get something done... gotta wake up Rox and have some breakfast first.

OHHH - I forgot to mention that yesterday was the 30th anniversary of the day I flew home from Saudi Arabia. I can't believe it has been that long. I was only 14! I lived there 9 months and had the most amazing experience.

Sooo I was going to make my last Gypsy the last for...

a while but I got several emails asking me to do a few more. So I have been working on a Captain Jack and a Green Lantern. The Captain Jack should be finished today or tomorrow but the Green Lantern is getting a reroot.

I haven't worked on my polymer sculpture in a couple of days. Her dress is dyed and she is almost ready to bake.

I am also working on a collaboration with Roxy on a doll that is going to be pure art. She is going out so amazing! I can't wait to share.

Besides writing which I only fit in a little last week, I have also been trying my hand at paper mache. WHO knew you could do anything with this stuff! I am having the BEST time. BUT she is going to be so big! I am making her a wall hanging and if she comes out great I will offer her for sale. She is 22" in length without her head or tail fins!

I have several things to mail out but I ran out of tape so later on today I will have to go to the store.

Good almost afternoon!

This morning I let myself sleep an extra hour. Just went to bed a little too late. But hey - that is okay! I did my stuff this morning and had a big breakfast with Roxy. Just now going to get to painting. Fall is on its way! Love the FALL! Want to put pumpkins everywhere!!!

How about a little Criss Angel this morning. Formerly a Matt... resculpted and rerooted. Created in 2008!

Tony Robbins!

Steve found the original Personal Power and I am going to start listening to it again right now!!! So excited but I don't think I will have much time for anything else after. It is already getting let and the treadmill calls me!

Check out these pictures we found over the weekend. Was I ever that young? I was thirteen in both pictures. One is in front of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece in 1978. I am with my mother, step-father, and my brother.

The other is in front of my house in Texas in 1978. Night!

Here is my latest Gypsy...

I am obsessed with Gypsies!!!!!!!!

This is Esmeralda... she is the dancer. Her auction begins tonight at 9PM EST. Or if you would like her just mail me... I have more pictures.

beautifulfaces@cfl.rr.com
www.laurieleighart.com

XOXOXOXO

Here we go!

Had to restart the computer but here is Prince Henry.

I didn't write yesterday!

I guess I was taking Sunday off. Steve brought over huge steaks - they were 2.5 lbs each! Great steaks though.

I accomplished 0! Absolutely nothing at all. Soo - even though it is Labor Day and a happy Labor Day to all of you out there - I am still going to work.

Just got off the treadmill a little bit ago and ate a bowl of cereal. Off to take a shower now. Poor Rox doesn't feel good this morning. She is still resting.

Wait!! I did do something over the weekend. On Saturday I finished a chapter in my book.... I am at Chapter 22 but I think it is more than that because I have added more in between by almost three chapters so I could very well be at Chapter 25! Yesterday I tried to make a little outline of the Chapters so I could see if it was all cohesive. The outline was done late last night so it was rushed. I will need to take more time with that.

Today - however - is all about my dolls! So off to get that shower so I can get back into paint. When I don't paint for several days I really miss it.

Oh - here is a man doll for Sunday. I will get another up for today later on. This is Prince Henry... a Matt repaint, resculpt, reroot inspired by the movie Ever After in 2007 I believe. ; ) Okay - will post him later.. the computer is acting strange.

So have been blabbing so much that I just

skipped yesterday all together. I read this quote today from Tony Robbins on Twitter. Someone asked him how he had so much energy and he said: "You're spirit has Unlimted energy & its fed by a life of meaning Find UR passion!"

Soo we all have to find our passion! A long long time ago I came across Tony Robbins very first tape sets and I started listening to them and following them. Now get this... during the process I lost all of my weight, opened an account and started my business on eBay as an artist, and then found dolls. However, I was so busy with my dolls and living in that passion that I sort of forgot my Tony Robbins lessons. I am thinking I should go through the course again and I have been saying this for a while but it would be great to revisit it. Every day there are small exercises that really work.

Sooo - today I am showing two dolls since I missed yesterday. I am going to go with Will Turner created last year and also Drake, also created last year and was inspired by a character in that book I have been writing. : )

Not sure what my deal is...

just tired I guess. Didn't get much done today. Wahhhh - just sets me back further... breathe breathe!!!!!!!!!

Actually for some reason I decided to look at the book I have been writing. Well - I wrote most of it last year and suddenly stopped when I realized it was consuming all of my time. I have been reading and it just made me think that my book wasn't all that bad. So I looked it over and now I am torn... torn between working on dolls, sculpting, and writing! It is hard to be pulled in so many creative directions. When I feel like this I can't seem to do anything.

I did manage to work a little on my Green Lantern repaint and he is a great sculpt and coming along good. Haven't decided if he is a gypsy yet. Probably. Plus - I got a raven Cinderella and I know she will be a Gypsy. I am just overrun with these people! LOL I need more Gypsy garb.

Last night I worked on the body of the big girl I am sculpting. I really really want to finish her. She has been a fun project at night. She is almost ready to bake but then I will have to create hands and feet which is the hardest part. I only hope she comes out as cool as I imagined her.

How about a little Jimmy Angelov from Practical Magic created in 2008. And here is hoping for a more productive day tomorrow!

Here I am again!

Sooo - I was thinking this morning while I was in the shower about guilt. Seems I dealing with a lot of guilt. More than anything else I feel that the most. I have a long list of things I feel guilty about. I don't keep my house clean enough, I don't get as much done as I need too, commissions, spending time with friends, money, mothering, my health, etc... the list literally goes on and on. As I write this I feel emotion welling up in me because I am constantly berating myself for my lack of accomplishments.

My goal needs to be how to overcome the guilt more than anything else on my list. I need to be kinder to me. If I treated and spoke to a child the way I do to myself that child would be incapacitated for fear of all sorts of failures. Intellectually I know this - my inner child is hurting. But on the outside I just keep doing it. How do I stop the cycle? It seems ridiculous knowing that I just have to "be happy". I know that is the key to it all.

I think I will start small. Make a list of things to be happy and grateful for. Maybe even make a list of things I have done right. You can always get so much more out of a person when they are happy and feeling good about themselves.

Dang - where did all of that come from? Guess I should put my male repaint on now! This is a Matt repaint, reroot, resculpt commission of an Indian man. I just love him to pieces. One of my all time favorites! He was completed this year.

Next month's dolls will be...

gothic! Love love creepy, fun, goth dolls!

September 1st!

Okay - where did this year go? It is already September! Really! That is just crazy.

Got on the treadmill this morning again - yay for me. I have a book I am reading in there that is keeping me entertained. I don't have an ipod but I would get bored silly if I didn't have something.

Had breakfast with Rox and we talked for a little longer than usual about stuff... life, etc... I am not in a particular hurry though because I am shipping things today. I was going to do it yesterday but it took me longer to get my auction done than I thought. Today is all about the shipping.

I have set aside some male repaints for this month. I can't access some of my files right now for older repaints but I will be able to before the month is out. I think I will start this month off with one of my most difficult and challenging repaints. I had him for a very long time and completed him early last year. This is Tommy Lee created out of a Sean.

Oh - I dyed the dress last night before bed. It is brilliant!