Mixed Media Paper Dolls or Ornaments by Judi Kauffman for The Queen’s Ink

Once upon a time, there were dozens of paper crafting magazines – both print publications and online. For over thirty years, I was a writer and designer for many of them. Almost all have ceased publication, but I retained the copyright to my projects, words and photos. Back issues of some magazines can be found on eBay and at yard sales, but Scrapbooking.com Magazine, an online-only publication, has totally disappeared.

I thought it would be fun to share some of the Scrapbooking.com Magazine articles from my archive, hoping that the ideas will be as useful now as when they were first published. Many of the products are still available, and where that is not the case there are easy substitutions. 

Let’s start with mixed media dolls! (I have totally revised and updated the copy to suit The Queen’s Inkling.) 

IF THERE IS ENOUGH INTEREST I WILL TEACH THIS PROJECT AS A CLASS AT THE QUEEN’S INK THIS WINTER. Please call the store if you want to be on the list. Do NOT leave your name and phone number in the comments section of the blog.

The two mixed media dolls shown today can stand alone as art objects or they can be incorporated into a collage or art journal. This time of year, you can think of them as angels and hang them as tree ornaments.

Design Strategies – Basic Instructions:

1. Start with a square or narrow rectangle cut from heavy weight paper or cardstock for the body. Shown: Embossed cardstock, silk screened paper. (Option: Create your own stamped, stenciled, or gel printed papers!) Reinforce with chipboard for added stability if needed. Don’t worry about making a realistic shape.

2. Use knotted netting for the legs or arms. Again, don’t worry about realism – once you have a face in place your brain will ‘read’ the netting as limbs.

3. Stamp a face on an egg shape. Optional: Add a die cut flower or decorative circle as a halo.

4. Stamp or stencil wings or make them out of foil scraps. 

5. Embellish to complete as shown or as you prefer! The dolls shown include ball fringe, a dimensional butterfly, snowflake gems, Asian coins secured by red brads, orange half-circle feet.

6. More options:

Make a 2-way doll (a good choice for ornaments that will be viewed from both sides) by adding another face plus more embellishments to the back. These elements can be duplicates of the front or totally different! For example: The front can be a human face and the back can be an animal.

Instead of a stamped face, use a photo!

Make a big batch of dolls so you can give them to friends and family. 

Supplies:

• Adhesives for paper, fabric and metal
• Stamp of a person’s or animal’s face
• Stamp or stencil for wings
• Inks, paints
• Assorted papers
• Small scale ball fringe or other trims
• Low-relief embellishments (coins, gems)
• Brads
• Dies (egg, decorative circle or flower)
• Metal scraps
• 6” wide netting