Meet Jeff Mizzle

Jeff was the beginning of my journey making my own dolls without the assistance of a pattern.  I tried combining some of the techniques I learned from the others.  The ears, arms, and legs were just like the previous creations. Jeff's eye is similar to Belinda's face, where it is an added piece to the original sock.  I, also, added a tail similar to Graffey's.

Jeff is the responsible one.  Everyone can always count on him to do the right thing.  He is the rule follower of the bunch.  He has a bit of OCD and has to do things a specific way. No matter the situation, even if there is an emergency, he must do everything in the specified order. He loves to spend his time sitting at the highest part of the tree, where he can think and sing to the stars.

Meet Graffey Mizzle

My third creation from the book.  I think of all of the characters I learned the most creating him.  I made many mistake along the way and had to start over a few times.

Larry's best friend, Graffey is a coward.  He is terrified of not following the rules, but he will follow Larry anywhere.  He always manages to find himself in trouble or on some adventure because of this.  He is extremely loyal and makes a great friend.

Meet Belinda Mizzle

Belinda was my second creation from the book.  Again, she didn't turn out like the picture in the book.  I was still learning the ins and outs of sewing, so after a while I had to re-sew parts of her that had come undone.

Belinda is a bit of a Mizzle diva.  She believes everything is always about her.  She doesn't like to work, but is very good at delegating her responsibilities to others.  She is extremely bossy and superficial.  Her biggest secret is that she has the biggest heart.  She really loves and cares about everyone.  She is thinks if she shows her soft side that it will make her seem weak.  When others are not looking, she secretly does good deeds, but extremely small ones so she doesn't draw attention.

Meet Larry Mizzle

Larry was my very first creation.  I had no idea what I was doing and had very little experience with sewing.  I can tell you I followed the design pattern in the book, but my results didn't look like the photos provided.  I'm glad it didn't, though.  By my results not becoming an exact replica of the sample in the book, it gave me a glimpse of the creative possibilities there were.

 Now, when I look at him, I feel a desire to restitch him, but refrain from doing so because I think that is where a lot of his character comes from.  I definitely learned a lot about making these sock dolls after making Larry.  I realized that I had made the arms and legs extremely short in comparison to the body.  I probably could have gotten 2 dolls out of the pair of socks, but I used up most of the pair on him.  I began by using regular sewing thread.  It is very thin and would break while sewing.  I have since moved to a thicker thread used for upholstery. 

He is extremely curious.  He asks many questions and always wants to know "why?"  Even after someone has explained something to him, he still needs to see it for himself.  He gets into trouble because he doesn't listen to what is being told to him.  He is best friends with Graffey.  They go on many adventures together discovering the answers to all of their curiosities. 

Finding Happiness

One of my students came up to me and said "Ms. Roldan, I think you found happiness."  I smiled and thought that is kind of a weird thing to notice considering I am generally a very happy person.  But I was curious why this was on her mind.  She explained "Well, you wake up and come to work where you teach the youth how to be creative; at work, you, also, get to explore and play with mediums with your students and learn something together; you create your Mizzles and make up fun stories; you draw every day; and you are pursuing your dream of becoming a children's book author/illustrator, while doing all of the rest.  You are constantly being creative and loving what you do... you have found true happiness!"  She is absolutely right!

 But living a life in creativity isn't the secret to my happiness.  I have always managed to be creative in some way or form.  And it is true that I am currently in this constant state of creativity, which keeps me very happy.  It is finally seeing me for who I am and what I am truly capable of that makes me happy.  I know my flaws and have rediscovered my strengths.  I refuse to judge myself, but to love the imperfect me.  I have come to realize that it is never too late to pursue your dreams; and you are never too old to stop dreaming.  I have come to understand that no matter how bad things get there really is no need to stress or worry because it will all manage to work itself out; it always does.  It has taken a lot of bumps in the road for me to finally reach this state of happiness.  It was really nice to find out others can see how happy I am.

Where it all started

 

It all began with a book and some socks.  I found John Murphy's book Stupid Sock Creatures.  I thought it might be something fun for my art club students, but it ended up not grabbing their attention.  I, on the other hand, fell in love and maybe obsessed with creating fun sock creatures. Little by little, my collection of socks, buttons, and sewing materials grew.  It now sits, unorganized, in its own closet.

About 5 years later, I have created too many of these to keep count.  I wish I had taken photos of the first batches I made.  There were so many I adored, but gave them away.   I kept many. My little Mizzle family has grown; each one full of personality.  This eventually led to me creating stories.  I knew they lived in trees, but they needed friends.  It took me very little time for me to realize how perfect a squirrel would fit that role.  They live in trees and have a curious nature just like the Mizzles.

 

 But this has only increased my love for squirrels.  Today was pretty amazing because I got to hand feed Striker, one of the squirrels who come to my parent's backyard for nuts.  She has been visiting for the past 3 or 4 years.  We know it is her because she is the only one who will allow us to come close to her.  We are not allowed to touch her, but she will gently take food from us.

I have been thinking about this all week.  I draw my characters and share them with you, but none of you really know them.  I think I'm going to spend some time introducing them to you.  I'm a bit excited!  I can't wait for you to get to know them all. 

Artistic Ego Boost

 

I've been feeling pretty good the past few days.  The Mizzle I auctioned off has received such a great response.  People have been complimenting me on how well crafted they are and how I professionally packaged them.  I bought boxes from Staples and did a quick portrait sketch of the character on their own box.  It has been such a boost to my artistic ego.  It has also made me more aware of how little credit I give myself and how much I have grown as an artist.  I have finally found my artistic style.  

It has kind of felt like I've found the hidden pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  But the gold isn't gold; it is the magic of my imagination. I have been on such a creative streak!