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Monday, October 15, 2007

And the winner is...

I apologize, I have neglected my Blog in the last 2 weeks.
Its been a bit crazy here... ok a LOT crazy!!
Is it the weather? Is it something else? I don't quite know but I am exhausted and scatter brained. *sigh* I might need a vacation. After the UK show... before Christmas. I hope!

Anyway! I wanted to let you know that the winner of the 8th Birthday Give-Away is Kathy Frye from the US!! Congratulations Kathy, your little one will be in the mail this week!!
If you want to see a video of the drawing click here:
Free Baby Drawing
Of course we are speaking Greek, but what we are saying is, "Cody pick ONE number... only ONE"
This was actually the 3rd or fouth take. Before that John just grabbed a handful every time. So we decided to let Cody try and he picked just one :)

We will be holding another free baby drawing for Christmas so stay tuned. We will be asking for those entries next month!
Tina

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Leo the Grumpy Lion

Leo is the #3 baby in the series of Halloween cuties. He had an accident during the second firing in order to set the Genesis Paints. Love the paints, hate they need to be heat set :( Firing your piece again is dangerous... as Leo proves.
but he is cute nevertheless!
Here is his auction link:
Leo The Grumpy Lion

And a couple of pics:
Leo 1
Leo 2
Leo 3

Erica the Little Mouse

I am moving on nicely with my Halloween series babies. I finished Erica and listed her on eBay.
Here is her auction link:

Erica the Little Mouse

And some pics for posterity:
Erica
Erica 2

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Dreaming of Ellie

This is kind of a personal post:

Some of you might know that I was born with a thyroid problem which affects my reproductive hormones and does not allow me to ovulate and thus become pregnant naturally.
It took us 3 years, 3 doctors, 2 surgeries and countless drugs, injections, a miscarriage at 11 weeks following an accident, heartache... a LOT of heartache and almost tearing my marriage apart, but in March of 2005 I was finally pregnant!

It was a bumpy start and a bumpy pregnancy, I won't get into that, but in the end I gave birth a little early, to two wonderful, healthy, perfect baby boys; John Mario and Cody Peter.
John and Cody were named at 12 weeks, when we were told the sexes of the babies. John is named after George's father and Cody is my father's name... its a family tradition for firstborn males to be named after the paternal grandfather. But since there were two boys, my father got to hear his name too (although he will probably hear it twice more since I have two unwed younger brothers).

What I wanted to share with you was that, in the beginning of the pregnancy I was actually carrying triplets. I don't know why, call it instinct, but I am positive the 3rd baby was a girl. Unfortunately she had implanted very near the cervix and she did not make it :(
All through the pregnancy I didn't even think about her or that other lost baby. But when the boys were born, it hit me: these two could have been here right now. I could have had two more little persons in my arms right now. The potential was there. Had they developed they would have had a face. Their hair color and eye color were already determined when they died.. They could have been here.

If I had my little girl, I would have named her Ellie after my grandmother who was the most important person in my life and the one who spurred me on with my doll making. She was very artistic and a very brave and educated woman. The only female in a class of 250 male Civil Engineers right before the 2nd World War and she was brilliant. One of the most sought after Civil Engineers after the war!
She used to tell me bed time stories... not children stuff like Red Riding Hood, but by the age of 6 I knew half of Jane Austin's stories by heart and we had moved on to the Brode sisters novels.

If my Ellie was alive, she would have been close to two years old now, like my boys. She would have looked like my grandmother, with reddish brown hair and green eyes or maybe with blue gray eyes like my dad and blonde hair (95% of people in my family have green or blue eyes, red or blonde hair. I have hazel eyes and auburn hair and only my brother has deep brown eyes with auburn hair. The boys got their browns from George who has black eyes and hair although John has light brown eyes and both have auburn hair)

And so in dreaming of this perfect little toddler I never got to hold and meet, I have been "in labor" mentally for many months now.
And I decided I want to try my hand now and create my Ellie. I missed out on everything about her, her pregnancy, her birth, her first birthday...
So I will start at the beginning... a newborn at 36 weeks like my sons and will go up until my boys' age. They will be 2 in 6 weeks. So for the past year I have practiced making older looking mini babies. I figured if I can't get the anatomy just right, at least they are mini babies not much time or materials lost anyway... and I have gotten to a point I feel I am now accurate enough to try a life size two year old.

So just a personal post today about my dream baby... Wish me luck and I hope to share pics with you very soon... I can't start yet. I have orders to finish... but soon.... very soon :)

Hugs
Tina

Monday, October 01, 2007

Happy Birthday Little Wonders - Free baby for YOU

It all started when I was 7 years old. I pick up something my mom called "Cernit". It came in little celophane packages, in lots and lots of colors. It felt like plasticine. My mom used it to make jewelry. She molded them into shape in her hands, then placed them in the oven like cookies and the soft clay was transformed to hard stone... and her creations would stay like that forever!

I was fascinated! I remember my mom NOT wanting to give me any, because it was expensive but my non-stop chattering and excited jumping from foot to foot, finally convinced her to give me some scraps just to shut me up.
That was it! It shaped my entire future forever...

From the moment I sculpted my first miniature animal, I never stopped. Its been 22 years since that day and my interest has shifted from those miniature cartoon animals to realistic infant and children but my passion remains unchanged.
In 1999, I started selling my creations under "Little Wonders Original Creations" by Tina Kewy.
Back then I was sculpting string puppets, Marot puppets and miniature animals.
They were quite popular with local kindergartens and I had many orders for fairy tale creatures. Usually they were for the entire "cast" of a fairy tale like Little Red Riding Hood or Snow White and the 7 dwarves.

But my interest changed once again when I saw a porcelain doll kit. I knew I wanted to sculpt babies... In April of '01, I listed my first Berenguer Reborn on eBay. Except they weren't called reborns back then.
But reborning wasn't enough for me. I wanted to make my own babies... my first one in 1999 was not only made "without the use of aids" but also without the use of tools!
I only had the back of a paint brush and toothpicks. I had no knowledge of things like styrofoam heads or glass eyes. My previous dolls were made from air drying clay or cernit and everything was hand painted.

I feel I have come a long way since that first baby in 1999. And I owe it all to you, the collector. Because if you hadn't bought my earlier dolls, I would never have the money to by more clay and practice more and be where I am today.

So to thank you, I am offering a free custom mini baby to one lucky collector.
All you have to do is mail me at tina@tinakewy.com with your name, country and e-mail address. Please put "FOR FREE BABY" in the message subject so your e-mail won't get lost in the clutter. I get too much e-mail every day!

You have until Friday the 5th October 2007 to send me your entry. On Saturday I will draw a name at random. The winner can then decide if they want a boy or girl, full sculpt or cloth body etc.

Thank you once again my collectors. Without you, I would be nothing :)
Here's to many more years of creating babies that you love!!
Warmest regards!
Tina Kewy

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Baby's First: Halloween

Has it really been 12 days since I last updated?
Wow! Time sure flies when you have sick kids in the house :)

I started a new series called Baby's First. Since Halloween is just around the corner, the first babies of these series will be dressed in Halloween costumes.
I must tell you, I am not a professional seamstress but I do love sewing and I do try...
These costumes were a challenge but I am happy with them.
I have 4 babies so far: A sleepy Cow, a Grumpy Lion (both around 10") and a Little Girl Mouse and a Little T-Rex (7").
I am also working on a Little Leopard (10") and a little Boy Mouse and a Little Clown.
The only one really ready is the Sleepy Cow who is also listed on eBay right now. Here are some pics. Hope the thumbnails work :)































Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Baby Claire

Announcing the birth of Baby Claire, in Athens Midwest Maternity.
Claire was born at 38wks, measuring 12 1/2", and weighting 1lbs 2oz.
This in miniature term is the equivalent of a healthy 7lbs 20" baby :)

Claire is my first big multi jointed baby girl, jointed at the head, torso, shoulders and hips.
Please not that in her pics below I haven't yet painted her body or limbs :)
She will be heading on eBay I think in the following days. I have to still make her a few outfits. I did finish a gown with matching booties and a hat today. My very first design ever! And holly cow it worked. I took apart one of my boys' newborn gowns and made out a pattern. Amazing thing is, IT WORKED :)
And its not half bad either!

Enjoy Claire's pics!!
Claire's first pic
Claire has hand painted hair
She is a multi jointed full sculpt
I really love this little girl

Monday, September 17, 2007

Simon and Jamie

Simon is almost 3 years old and just a week ago he got a baby brother, Jamie.
Simon is 7" tall with a cloth body, partial arms and legs and a light armature that allows him to be posed in a million ways.
Jamie is 4" tall, a full sculpt. Both their outfits were made by the amazingly talented and sweet, Cherry in the UK.
Simon has crystal mouth blown eyes in a blue/lavender color and a hand made mohair wig. I did his hair cut ;)

Enjoy the pics!
Simon
Simon 2
First glimpse at Jamie
He is not so bad mommy!
Brotherly cuddle
Be gentle with the baby Simon!
Closeup

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Newborn Baby Girl

I am out of clay!!
That's a terrible thing to happen to any artist, to run out of material that is... and I am out of clay!
So, I rushed to place an order except I got a message back, that my supplier is on vacation until the 18th :(
Well, ok, at least its only a couple of days away, right?
She had told me before she left but did I remember? Nooooo... My brain is like Swiss cheese these days; can't remember a thing!!
I mean... literally can't remember a thing. I forgot to cook lunch for the boys today. Thankfully I am pretty quick to make Mac and Cheese (the homemade kind not the boxed kind) and so catastrophe was averted :)

Any way... I am out of clay. There was a little head sitting on my work bench (lie, there are LOTS of half finished heads sitting on my work bench) looking at me with her half open eye (she was missing her other one at the time) kind of forlornly. Next to her was the package of clay I had used for her.
Aha! So you HAVE clay you might say... well... kind of.

You see you can't mix and match packages unless you have mixed them together *before* you started. Its a common occurrence for variations in the clay color to appear between packages. So you might have a half done face and then open a new pack of clay to finish it and you end up with a face that is dual colored; one part is lighter than the other.

So for every head I start, I use a fresh pack and I keep that pack next to the head or I put a post it on it to know which head goes with which pack.

So this little one was sitting there, with her half finished face and her half finished pack of clay... and I was working on a bigger ordered baby.. and I was stuck.
You see for a baby to be *truly* good I must feel it. Its a feeling that comes and goes... yes I take longer that way but most of the babies I made, that are considered "my best work" I felt it.. and I took forever to complete.
So because I really want to give this lady a wonderful piece of art, I put the baby aside for a bit and decided to work on the little girl's head. Especially since I was now out of clay for the big head. Problem? Not really because I am only missing the back of the head and neck ring so even if the clay is another color when it comes, it won't show at all.. Well, I still have to tweak the face a little bit but if I need to add clay I can always steal some from under the chin or something...

So anyway, off I go, working on my derelict little head and before I know it (actually it was about 5 hours later) she had two eyes, chubby cheeks and was ready to be baked.
So I baked her, then colored her and boom! It was a girl (all the while I thought I had another boy).

With this and that its now 2:20 am. I didn't sleep much last night and I guess I won't sleep much tonight either.
I will be up with the boys in a few hours since George is on duty today.
Its also Election day over here so I will be out much of the day voting and then having lunch with family.

But my perfect little girl she is so cute! I must think of a name :)
Any suggestions? I will post pics when I have a minute!
T.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Imperial Child

This little baby's face was started some time in the beginning of summer and I worked on it for a few days, then left it alone on top of my work bench.
It sat there, looking at me... well not really looking at me, because it was still a sleeping baby with fat cheeks at the time, but you know what I mean..
Last night I don't know what got over me and I started working on it again. It turned from a sleeping, chubby European kid to a barely awake, Japanese newborn... still chubby :)
I am still looking for a name with the help of my Japanese friend Rieko, but for now, he is "Imperial Child" all wrapped up in red imperial silk, complete with a 5 talon dragon.

Here he is:
Imperial Child

He is about 13" long with a 11" head circumference and fits into micro preemie clothing fine.
These are not his limbs though... I hope to make his real limbs soon. Last night was a break from orders... tonight I am back to finishing the two larger babies I have been working on.

Thanks for looking
Tina

Friday, September 07, 2007

Mei Li Hua

This is a little BJD I am not sure I want to let go... however I am sure one of the major utility companies will soon change my mind by sending me a lovely little note called a BILL and I will need to sell her to pay it.

Her name is Mei Li Hua and she is 6" tall. These are not the best of pics or the official ones. I am still waiting for her outfit to arrive ... click on the links below for pics
Mei Li Hua on her tricycle
Mei loves to go on tricycle rides!
She is only 2 years old!!
She is also trying to teach her doll how to ride
Mei also loves playing with her blocks
And she also loves to drive her green car
Isn't she adorable?
Yeah, we think so :)

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Here he is...

This is Julian! Click on the links to see some photos. I had to re-sculpt a leg as it turned out too big for him after all.. Hey, it happens to the best of us some times ;) (ok not to say I am the best, its just an expression alright?)

Julian
Julian's little foot
Julian's little leg

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

"The Real Infant" by Tina Kewy

Sometimes you sculpt a doll that really touches your soul but maybe you can't really understand why. It might not be your best work even!
Well, recently it happened with me. I sculpted one mini baby I am in love with (and will be very difficult to part with) and a preemie baby boy I adore.

This post is about the preemie boy, Julian Earl Kewy. He is my "Real Infant"... he is a 34 week preemie, with the very characteristic preemie look, all the extra skin he still hasn't grown into, froggy eyes, not much cheek, lots of rolls of skin and wrinkles. Perfectly proportioned, very delicate ears, tiny nose and rosebud lips.

I am unsure of his fate. If I offer him to a company I need to pick carefully. I want him made in the "good stuff" (good quality thick vinyl), in the right color, fairly soon and with good attention to detail.
If I decide to produce him myself, I take the risk of paying a good amount of money and nobody, or few, buying. Plus he will be made in resin this time as I 've always wanted to try it!

No pictures of Julian as of yet. He is still uncolored. My order of Genesis paints just came in. Yes I was without paints the whole time... Cody dropped my jar of red acrylic (my main color) and the hobby store was out of Mameri! The only thing they had was the French stuff that turns orange on the clay a few days after you color it!! Grrrr!
So I decided to get some Genesis... I painted Lucy as a test run with them, she turned out great... I hope to paint Julian tomorrow... or when I get a breather anyway :)

Stay tuned for pics!!
T.

Monday, September 03, 2007

Baby Lucy

I had a great time creating Baby Lucy. Lately I have been feeling very burned out and frustrated with my cracking clay problems. It seems the only thing I could sculpt reliably with the "old" clay were mini babies.
But I feel much better after receiving my new order of clay on Friday. I finally got the new and improved clay that does not crack while being baked so I can now finish a few larger babies orders I had on hold. Thankfully the expectant mothers were very patient :)

So I made baby Lucy; a multi jointed, pose able little girl. She is the first of her kind for me, I mean with this kind of jointing system but I am very happy about her :)
She is a little older than most of my babies at 3 months old but cute as a button.








Click here for Lucy's Auction (and more pics!!)

Have a great day everyone!
Tina

Tuesday, August 28, 2007


Meet Little Miss Wild Hair - Meggie

This is my newest little one... Meggie! She is 5 inches tall, ball jointed (obviously) and of course One of a Kind.

I even made her wig myself and I love that ruffled hair look. It reminds me of my 21 month old sons after they have been playing in the playground for an hour... all ruffled up :)


Click the links for more pics of Meggie... She will be on eBay next week!!



















Tina's Kidz!

This idea came to me years ago but only now I am starting to get it rolling. I wanted to create a line of slightly stylized dolls, mainly toddlers, in fun, cute and realistic poses and outfits but with a fantasy flare to them.

I was looking for a "trademark" characteristic that would make them stand out.. wild hair maybe? Pointed ears? It was pretty hard to come up with something; there are just too many artists out there and making something "new" is hard... what would my trademark be?

It wasn't until I made my first one that it hit me... it was something that all my dolls had anyway since the beginning. It was something I had... something I passed down to my sons too.
BIG EYES!!

When I sculpted Miyadorie, my first Ball Jointed toddler, I fell in love with her. I didn't know at the time that "Tinas Kidz" were being born.
The minute I finished Miyadorie, I wanted another go... and Meggie was born...
Not two hours after I finished Meggie, I started on Mei Li Hua who is now a head and torso and I hope to finish the limbs this week.
I am now hooked ...

You can see Miyadorie at the beginning of this post.
I haven't photographed Meggie yet but I will soon...
Stay tuned!

Tina

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