Merry Christmas

Kell Belle Studio wishes you a safe and peaceful holiday.

New Project? Link Jointed Dolls

Okay, time to get back into the swing of things and do some creating again. While I really enjoyed the paper corset and dress projects, I'm ready to take those concepts to the next level by playing around with some jointed dolls.

elongated torso for bust doll

I would really like to move into something on the whimsical side, something with an elongated torso, a pretty but more primitively sculpted face, wire link joints and a head that twists. Oddly enough I found little to no information about wire link joints or even how to make them.

whimsical girl sketch

You would think that the images I was able to find would be self explanatory enough to help me figure it out and mostly they are but in my opinion they still fell just slightly short of the mark. What about the head? How does that get attached and how do I make it twist?

wire jointed doll armature

The first step will be figuring out the mechanics of it all. Since other artists appear to be unwilling to part with their carefully guarded secrets (and I don't fault them one bit) I'll have to figure this out by trial and error. Maybe I'll even put together a tutorial so that others don't have to guess.

Happy Independence Day America!

What would the 4th of July be without indulging in a little strawberry shortcake? Below are some fun facts about strawberries you may not have known.

• Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside


• The average strawberry has 200 seeds


• Strawberries are the first fruit to ripen in the spring


• Strawberries are a member of the rose family


• Folk lore states that if you split a double strawberry in half and share it with the opposite sex, you'll soon fall in love


• A strawberry will not ripen once it is picked


• Fresh strawberries were once used as a toothpaste, as the juice cleaned discolored teeth

Enjoy your holiday and be safe out there, especially those who are experiencing HOT weather.

The Naked Truth About Mermaids

Do not be fooled by myths about mermaids for they have a tendency to take on the qualities of your own beliefs. See only the good and the positive and that is what a mermaid will reflect back at you.

see the Merman on Etsy

Mermaids are magical and can help you make your dreams come true if you believe. Take care though as they are selective about whom they let into their circle.

mermaid digital collages on kraft envelopes

Mermaids can be playful or spiteful. Be nice to them and they will return the favor 3 times over. I really enjoyed the creation of these mermaid collage kraft envelopes. I hope you enjoy their gorgeous, vibrant colors and the stories they have to tell as much as I have enjoyed creating them.

meet more mermaids on Etsy

Visit Le Charmed Life on Etsy to view the entire collection. Cheers!

My Hair Brained Idea Could Make You a Winner

I've been roused by the semi-recently certified aromatherapist in me to begin creating body products for enhancing well-being. The question I asked myself in January was how seriously did I want to take the nagging whisper inspiring me forward and what would it take for me to create an income stream from it?

Option A

The answer prompted me to start doing some reading about how to create a business plan which prompted further questions about such things as giving myself a name, figuring out how to narrow the focus of what I will offer and what will make me stand out from the sea of other manufacturers of handmade body products?

Option B

Kell Belle Studio is known for paper art so how do I go from blogging about paper to blogging about foot soak and sugar scrubs? The obvious answer: I don't, at least not on this blog. I realized that my paper art and digital design need to be kept separate from anything related to the development of body products, my interest in healing touch therapy and all things divinatory. See?! My focus is getting better already.

Option C

I gave a lot of thought to the naming of this new venture. It had to be broad enough to cover those related interests mentioned above yet still leave room for the business to grown and evolve. Even my color choices had to be significant in some way.

Option D

Yesterday I posted some samples of the new logo on the Kell Belle Studio Facebook fanpage and asked fans to vote for the one they liked the best with the promise that those who voted would be entered into a drawing to win one of my soap samples. You can still get in on the action. Cast your vote by leaving a comment. Drawing will be held next Saturday, March 7th.

Note: There an extra sample in this post, one of these is also the final and none of these is in the same order they appeared on Facebook. See if you can figure out which one is which. 

Paper Heart Book Page Ornament

Now that the Christmas decorations have been tucked away, what's next? Would you believe Valentine's Day is only six short weeks away? My book page pumpkins were such a favorite with Etsy buyers and treasury makers that I expanded the idea into a heart ornament.

paper heart book page ornament - Le Charmed Life

I hear that those who are reluctant to say good bye to the yuletide holiday can now reduced their wait time between seasons from 12 months to 10 by transitioning the tree from Christmas to the Valentine's Day tree. I haven't quite embraced that concept but I do like the idea of ornaments so here's a little something I made that can be used as stand alone ornaments or made into a garland.

Check out Le Charmed Life on Etsy for other photos

Leonardo, Kell Belle and a Magical Imaginarium

After spending nearly every free moment of the past year engaged almost exclusively in online shopping, I find myself ready to contemplate the next chapter of my life and what that will look like. With so many varied interests to pursue, I find the voice of social conformity screaming inside my head that it would be career suicide to appear too unfocused. How do I select and commit to just one? Thankfully, the answer is simple. I don't have to.

A Google search turned up an article written by Steve Pavlina titled "What If You Have Many Different Interests and Cannot Commit to Any of Them?"  Keeping my options open will not only make me smarter but it puts me in the same company as Leonardo Da Vinci, an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, military-engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer, and a shining example of someone who excelled in a variety of areas simultaneously.

I call BS on any rule or limiting belief that says I have to be a genius to pursue multiple interests at once especially if being engaged in those interests makes me feel more deliriously happy than having the life sucked out of me day after day in an over illuminated office surrounded by cement colored panels and living like an industrial worker drone.

Vitruvian Man by Leonardo Da Vinci - Wikipedia

That said, I made one tiny adjustment to my blog header this past year to include the term "Imaginarium." This word beautifully encompasses all of my most cherished, creative endeavors leaving room for new additions while allowing for the falling away of those that no longer interest or serve me.

In addition to paper crafts, expect to see more posts on such topics (in no particular order) as natural beauty products, craft fairs, herbalism, essential oils, tarot, dolls, painting, mixed media art and digital design. This sounds like the most creatively fulfilling life I can imagine so I'm anxious to see how my transition to gypsy life takes shape this year.