A big thank you to everyone who took the time to comment on my last post and share your thoughts on my work-in-progress. There were people who thought the print would distract from the overall look of my shop and dolls, and then there were those who suggested I go out on a limb and not worry too much about 'branding'. Is it terribly wishy washy of me to say I agree with everyone? I do think it's important to experiment and try new thing and be willing to take risks, but I also wasn't totally satisfied with that particular image, which I suppose is why I was asking for feedback. So I'm still feeling my way and experimenting with the illustration/fabric collage idea. What I liked about the last one is that the face reminded me of an illustration from a children's book, but with the straggly edges of torn fabric to give it bit of that shabby Victorian look of which I'm so fond. So I decided to try an illustration of one my dolls, but in the same simple style of the last one, and here is what I came up with:
It's still in the rough stages - I think I'll enhance it with some ink - but I do feel like she has more character than my last attempt (although maybe her hairstyle makes her look like Minnie Mouse?) I'll keep playing - it's so much fun!
I've also experimented with a couple of pendants, which still need much refining. I tried to give them an old-fashioned-y, desaturated look, but I think maybe I went too far because the image is not that crisp under the glass. Also, this is not a great photo, but it will give you an idea of what they'll look like. I'm thinking some nice ribbon for the necklace, instead of the standard ball chain:
I've also been playing with some new glass eyes. I had been making them with acrylic cabochons as the eye lens, but I was so pleased to find some glass cabochon small enough for doll eyes. They're irregular and distort the image somewhat, but I feel that will just add to the charm - I so prefer natural substances over synthetic when I can find them. 
In non-doll related news, my husband got a new job! After a fairly anxious month of looking and us trying to survive on my graduate school teaching stipend, he got a job writing for a science show. He'll be paid more for less hours than his old job and he can work from home....yaaaaayy!!!.....We are going to see The Duchess and then for dinner to celebrate. (Really, what could be more celebratory than Kiera Knightley stuck in a corset and an unhappy marriage with hottie-pants Ralph Fiennes?) I'll also be celebrating with a giveaway of some sort fairly soon. I let my one year blog anniversary go by without even a mention (shame on me) so I'll make up for it soon, I promise...watch this space...