'Queen of midnight colours' based on Erte's bronze sculpt Caberet for the Art Deco Challenge. Body pattern by Sherry Goshen and head pattern by Patti Culea.

This doll is my rendition of Erte’s bronze sculpt called ‘Cabaret’ which was made for an Art Deco Fashion Doll Challenge.

A Russian fashion and costume designer Romaine de Tirtoff, was also known as Erte (which is the French of his initials, R.T.) in the Art Deco period.

I used paint and fabrics and broken pieces of costume jewellery to dress the doll and give it an elegant and cool sophistication with vibrant colours and simplicity which characterised the Art Deco period.

This is 'Joy'. Pattern is by Mary Tressler.

This doll was made for a Christmas Challenge. What Christmas means to each of us, we were required to portray with the doll. Christmas is a time of joy to celebrate the birth of Christ and one of the many ways we celebrate is by decorating our houses with wreaths streamers and flowers etc. I used red, green and gold colour scheme which are the main Christmas colours to make up the doll. Face painting was done with artists colour pencils and gel pens. The body was painted and the skirt made from silk organza and embellished with Christmas decorations.

'Bahar,' pattern by Mary Tressler.

This doll was made for ‘The Spring Challenge’. We were required to dress the doll with any material other than fabrics, which would suggest the of arrival of spring. I decided to try my hand at beading the doll. This was the first time ever I tried beading a doll. She evolved into a Spring Fairy called Bahar. In England the appearance of bunny rabbits, spring showers, the springing of toadstools and new growth most certainly tell us that spring has arrived after the long cold nights and days of winter.

'Amrepali' was made for another internet Challenge. Pattern is by Mary Tressler.

The legend of Amrepali as some of you might know is that she was a beautiful court dancer. Inevitably the king fell in love with her and she with him. But theirs was a doomed love from the start so it came to a tragic end.

I made this doll for a Challenge called the Masquerade. In a Masquerade people were masks and go to the ball. Well I gave it a bit of an Indian flavour. I am sure Amrepali would have had to resort to masquerade to meet her king!!

I dressed this doll in the Kuchipudi dance costume. Kuchipudi is a classical dance style that receives its name from the village of Kuchipudi in Andhra Pradesh South India. It is famous for its grace, elegance and charm. The tradition of Kuchipudi dance was passed down through generations of Brahmin families in Kuchipudi village. It was always performed by all male troups. In recent times it has undergone a revival and is now performed by both man and women.

Prima Donna, Pattern by Jesse Chandler, made for 'Kiss me, I am Irish' Challenge in my NOD internet doll club.

Using mixed media collage techniques, I created this doll. I learnt this technique when I went to a doll conference in US. A combination of fabric, paper, trims, decorative elements, paints, pigments, mediums, and adhesives were used. Silk was used for the face and painted with colour pencils and gel pens and simplified sculpting for added dimension.

‘Kiss me I am Irish’ the theme was given in my Internet doll club Challenge in celebration of St Patrick’s Day. St Patrick is the patron Saint for Ireland. The challenge was to make the doll up in shades of green only, as green is the national colour for Ireland.

	Sareena La Nuit (Night) Pattern by Mary Treseller
This doll was inspired by the artist Alphonse Mucha’s Poster ‘La Nuit’. Mucha was a Czech and is best known for his luxurious poster and product designs, which encapsulate the Art Nouveau style. This doll got a red ribbon during my recent visit to EDAC in June in Alberqurque, New Mexico.

The Italian Dream Challenge 2005

"This doll was made for the Italiandream Challenge"
The Challenge was to create a doll or anything one associated with Italy. We bought a kit in which the Italian Flag tricolour fabrics were provided with trims and we had to use these to make up our artwork. The map of Italy was our pattern!

At first I had problems trying to figure out what I would make as I was not in the best of creative moods at that time but our illustrious leader Stefania Morgante would not take a no for an answer so I ended up making this doll. The body is the map of Italy with the arms and the purse being the 2 islands Sardinia and Sicily. My friend in US fell in love with her in so she stayed back there when I went for my doll conference.

Gypsy Challenge 2005

This is Apsara. She won the 'Best of Show' in the 'The Treasures of the Gypsy Challenge for "In Celebration Of The Doll" in the International Quilt Festival, Houston, USA.

Every year Pamela of 'Treasures of the Gypsy' sponsers this challenge in the International Quilt Festival held in Houston. We get a kit from Pamela in which we are supplied with fabrics and other do das for the costume. The challenge is to make a gypsy doll and create and embellish her using all the items in the kit and add more of your own embellishments if you want. This year I decided to enter this challenge. My doll is made from doesuede and I used the Wind Dancer pattern by Mary Tressler.

I am absolutely delighted by my win. I would not have entered the challenge if not for my friends in the doll community who have always encouraged and supported me. My special thanks to them and to Pamela who hosts this special challenge.

This fairy was made a Challenge in Doll Street. The challenge was to make a wacky fairy. Her name is Bracken Reedglimmer. She is fairy of the undergrowth. She has emerged to the light to see for herself what above the undergrowth world is like. She has heard that there are lovely beautiful things above. She doesn't have pretty cloths and her cloths keep getting caught in the undergrowth hence her cloths are tattered and she has bits of foliage clinging to her. The fairies above the undergrowth sprinkle her with fairy dust to make her look presentable as she certainly can't visit the Fairy Queen in tattered cloths. I think she is not at home with the new look she has got hence that rather lost look on her face. She just did not want to be wacky so I had to bow down to her wishes. I used Becky Holloway's pattern "Overture to a dream".