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Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Welcome Home Fiona!

I am so thrilled to introduce all of you to Fiona and her incredibly talented creator, Pauline Pugliese of New Jersey, USA!


Fiona is 5-1/2" tall, hand made with polymer clay over a wire armature, has a cotton cloth body and can be gently posed. She is the friendly face who welcomes visitors to Autumn's Pantry and is an expert in all things harvest! As you can see, she is a dapper and jovial witch who is perfect for the job!

Fiona

Her lovely white hair is viscose, curled with a hot rod. Her blue/gray eyes look animated and sparkle. Her elderly face is just full of character, incredibly detailed and sculpted by Pauline as a one-of-a-kind creation. You'll have to ask Pauline how she manages to get such a big soul inside such a small being.


Soulful eyes

Pauline also designed and created Fiona's gorgeous costume and beautifully adorned witch's hat. She is as talented at dressing dolls as she is at creating their unique and life like faces! The fingers and arms show the thin skin, veins, age spots and protruding bone of a person who's seen many years. Her dolls imbue a sense of wisdom, and you can sense they just know things.


Seeing Fiona inside the shop, it's as if she were created just for Autumn's Pantry! I can't wait for all of the little Trick-Or-Treaters to meet her!




Pauline has loved miniatures, dollhouses and dolls since she was a little girl, but only got her first dollhouse, a vintage colonial, 5 years ago. Since then, it has become an obsession for her! She's one of us!

Pauline is still pondering her name

As an art major in college, Pauline loved to sketch people, but didn't really enjoy sculpting.  Believe it or not, she didn't attempt her first doll until April of 2018! She fell in love with the process, though she says her first dolls weren't very good. Doll making was much harder than she thought it would be, but she kept at it, and has since created a vast variety of dolls in many periods, ages and of both sexes.

Charlotte

Esmeralda 

Jamie

Zelda

Sylvia

She says "I love all aspects, the costuming, the sculpting, painting the faces, the wigging etc. Once they are finished, they come alive to me. I am a perfectionist and often paint their faces 10 times before I am satisfied! Fiona is the first doll I've made that I really feel I've reached the level of craftsmanship that I aspired to.".

Fiona will be featured in the October issue of



Margaret


What strikes me so much about Pauline's work is that each doll seems to posses so much personality! I follow Pauline on Instagram and have admired her exceptional work for such a long time. I am absolutely enamored with each and every one of her dolls, and feel so lucky to have Fiona to enjoy in person!

The photos I've shared here are such a small sampling, so if you'd like to see more of her incredible work, I recommend looking at her Instagram page. You'll find a wealth of drool provoking photos, including scenes from her incredible dollhouses! She also has a FaceBook Page and periodically lists dolls for sale via eBay.

Back soon with the next installment of  'what has she stuffed into Autumn's Pantry now?'! :O)

xo xo,
Jodi

34 comments:

  1. Those eyes. The eyes on those dolls are amazing! I see what you mean about putting a soul into the dolls. What a lovely addition to Autumn's Pantry. You just know she gives free sweets to children, and that everyone loves her.

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    1. I know! The eyes and the teeth on her dolls are just so real looking! I better get to making a bowl full of candy for Fiona to hand out!

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  2. Oh she's gorgeous! Everyone will want to come in and talk to her.

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    1. I just wish I had a crowd of costumed kids for the scene!

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  3. I love Fiona! It is said that if you have a witch in you kitchen, it is good luck. All of your cooking endeavors will be divine.....I need to get me one!!!
    I can't wait to have a look see at the artists other work. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. That's interesting Carrie! I don't know much about witches or what qualifies someone as one, but Fiona certainly has that look that says she knows some secrets! Pauline does an incredible amount of diverse dolls in amazing outfits so I know you will have fun looking and be inspired for your own amazing dolls!

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  4. Precioso el trabajo de Pauline. Fiona queda fenomenal como encargada de la tienda.¡Dan ganas de acercarse un día a tener una buen charla y adquirir uno de los maravillosos productos!

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    1. Gracias isabel Fiona parece una persona confiable y conocedora de esta tienda, ¿no es así?

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  5. A new person to follow! Pauline’s dolls are amazing! Fiona is perfect for the pantry and your right she has wonderful soulful eyes!

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    1. Thanks Sam! You'll enjoy following Pauline and I recommend going far back in her posts to see her dollhouse scenes! They're full of inspiration!

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  6. It is a real pleasure to meet Fiona! She is charming in every way from her engaging smile to her very detailed outfit. I can’t believe that she made her first doll last year and that she has already completed so many. It was fun to see Jamie; we are binge watching Outlander now ;) .

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    1. I know it's pretty incredible to uncover such talent in such a short amount of time! I love her Willy Wonka doll, too! He looks so much like Gene Wilder it's uncanny!

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  7. Fiona is Really Lovely Jodi with a Personality all her own! Her sunspots, welcoming smile and her kindly blue eyes, are simply Enchanting!
    I LOVE the photo of her in the chair as she appears to be someone's wise old grandmother; ready to tell her favourite fairy tale, to a spell-bound audience of grandchildren, sitting quietly at her feet.

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    1. I don't know how Pauline get's those details so perfect! She makes aging look distinguished!
      Oh wouldn't that be a wonderful scene Elizabeth! I think kids of all kinds would flock to her!

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  8. Me encanta el personaje que has elegido para atender la tienda.
    Es encantadora.
    Un saludo

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    1. Gracias marian ¡Realmente se siente como si Fiona fue creada solo para la tienda en el momento perfecto, también! ¡He admirado el trabajo de Pauline durante tanto tiempo y nunca soñé que tendría la suerte de tener uno para atesorar en persona!

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  9. Fiona is the perfect addition to your store Jodi! Wow, Pauline’s work is stunning. Her dolls have such character and beautiful, fine detail. I think you are very lucky to own one! Have a great weekend ahead. X

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    1. Thanks Shannon! I can totally see Pauline's characters in one of your amazing builds, too! They have a quality about them that seems to be captured in time!

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  10. Ooohhhh!!! no puedo imaginar mejor tendera que Fiona para tu tienda,es exquisita,esa mirada que se introduce en tu alma,te desarma y le compras todo lo que quiera vender,es maravillosa,maravillosa!!!!
    Besos.

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    1. Gracias pilar! Como otra persona que parece infundir alma en sus personajes también, ¡debes saber lo que se necesita! ¡No puedo dejar de mirarla en la tienda!

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  11. Wow Fiona what a caracter and what a beautiful store!!!
    groetjes van Marijke

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    1. Thank you Marijke! I am so fortunate to have been able to own one of Pauline's dolls, but to have Fiona who is so perfect in the project I am working on now is incredible!

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  12. Fiona is a delight and you can bet she used some magic here and there to create her lovely shop. She has an element of mischief about her, I bet she was gorgeous when she was a girl.

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    1. Thanks Marilyn! She does have a sparkle in those eyes as though she knows a secret!

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  13. I can easily see why you've thrown your reservation against witches and other magical creatures over board! *LOL* Fiona is stunning in every way and I can only agree about what you've said about her eyes. "Soulful"... that's a very good expression, her eyes are amazing, well, the whole figurine is, but the eyes are exceptional and among the details which decide if a doll is just a doll or a character. It was the same for me when I stumbled over Gertie Gumthrop, her gentle face touched me at once although I'm not (surprise!) a doll's person… And what made her even more irresistible was the name - my Grandma was called Gerti. *smile*

    I've enjoyed very much to share your joy about this wonderful purchase, Fiona is indeed perfect for Autumn's Pantry; she looks as if she was made for your shop with her face so gentle and friendly and her wonderful clothes. And it made me smile what Pauline says about her creating process: "Once they are finished, they come alive to me" - so true and so well said, I know exactly what she means. ;O)

    Hugs
    Birgit

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    1. Yes I think maybe when it comes to scary things, I have been a little too much like a fraidy cat! Gertie certainly does have a face that is full of knowing, kindness and wisdom, and Igor is pretty darn adorable for a bat!!!

      Being the maker of tiny bears with so much personality and soul, I bet you do know exactly what Pauline feels like! Each tiny entity is really alive in some way, and it's wonderful when they imbue our dollhouses with so much life! Someday I should love to have a wonderful BiWuBären of my own! ;O)

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  14. There cannot be a better and more wonderful saleslady than your gorgeous Fiona. No wonder Pauline feels the way she does about her dolls coming alive. This is one of your most wonderful, successful purchases.
    Hugs, Drora

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    1. Thank you Drora! She will be enjoyed and treasured!

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  15. Dear Jodi, you are SOOO lucky to have Fiona in your Shop! What an outstanding creation she is!!! And seeing all those other wonderful mini people gave me a shiver or two of Doll Envy... *sigh*... I keep thinking I will make more dolls... but I know what happens.... they turn into little people who run my life for me! LOL! And that is even when they are NOT perfect but are just "test" versions!!! I don't know how I will ever reconcile myself to this... I do want to make a whole world full of more little people....! (You see what trouble I get into?) Meanwhile the shop is looking better and better and fuller and fuller... but that is exactly what Autumn Bounty is about! The place is stuffed to the rafters with everything we could need and now we can settle back for the loooong cold winter with Plenty of supplies! :):) Now I can't wait to see what more there will be!!! :):)

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    1. Thanks Betsy! Now you have me worried! So far none of my dolls has been very demanding, but what if they start to be? I can never say no to anyone so I'd be in real trouble!!! You probably find though that if a little person intends to get created there is not much use in resisting - needs must after all!
      I am not sure how much space will be left inside the shop for the customers to walk around on opening day, but hopefully enough!

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  16. All the dolls are magnificent, but Fiona is a lovely old woman.

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    1. Thanks Faby! She really is so beautifully created!

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  17. Hi, Jodi - What an unexpected pleasure to meet Fiona - and what a masterpiece of art she is! The sparkling, lively eyes are captivating and very nearly bring her to life. You've chosen well in allowing her to meet and greet the visitors to Autumn's Pantry.
    Marjorie

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    1. Thanks Marjorie! She really is such a lovely character and brings so much life to the shop!

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