Hera, The Altoid Doll by Diana Gonzelez

“Try again, fail again. Fail better.”

-Samuel Beckett

You know, this reminds me of kid’s song on a show my daughter watches, called “Yo Gabba Gabba”. It goes, “keep trying, keep trying, don’t give up, never give up..”

It’s true. In the path to your creativity, or to your creative dreams, you must not give up. Keep on going, keep on pushing yourself, keep on trying.

One principle in sales, is the thought that you must come across a hundred “nos” before you reach one “yes”. It’s the same with your future, with your dreams. You might not hit the jackpot on the first try, but everything in life is meant to be. Make your destiny happen, and keep trying. Don’t ever give up on yourself. Giving up on your creativity is, in my opinion, like giving up a part of yourself. The things you make and create….they express a part of you. When I receive swaps in the mail, I can see what kind of person the artist is, just by looking at their work.

Don’t give up that part of yourself. Keep going. When it gets tough, that’s when you keep going. That’s when you DON’T give up. Keep going, past the tribulation, onto the path of your own brand of success.

I recently finished a doll that I had to make for a swap that I’m in. Her name is Hera. My daughter named her. Here she is:

The challenge for this, was that we had to use an Altoid Tin somehow. It opens up, and there’s stuff inside. The altoid tin itself is decoupaged with pages from a book, and Mod Podge. Then I went over it with the Tim Holtz alcohol applicator thingie and some assorted colored inks.

On the left, there is the body of an earring that I made. And a domino piece, that was altered. Then on the right, I used Art Glitter Fantasy Fiber, English Ivy, to make a “nest” for the fairies inside. Clip art was from Alphastamps.

I added a buddha because I couldn’t help myself. I hope my partner doesn’t mind.

Here’s a close up of the head:

Well, what do you think?

Oh, she has wings. Her wings were glittered, using Art Institute “Dazzlers” glitter, and Designer Dries Clear Adhesive. Art Institute glue was used because a glue gun is just too frustrating for me, and their glue is awesome! It glues anything, and is quite strong.

So that’s that. I have to make some paper mache beads, because I ran out of beads, and want to make my own. It’s eco friendly, and you have more control over the color and size. I have to make a tutorial for you though, because the one I used made me fail miserably. So after consulting with my dear husband, I found a way to make it happen for me.

The Craftaholic