DANA's Bulletin Board

THE DOORS OF BLACKWOOD MANOR ARE OPEN... 

THE SECRETS OF BLACKWOOD MANOR

A Gothic Romance & Dollmaking Experience by DANA

TODAY OUR STORY BEGINS.

Before we pick up our needles, lace, ribbons and tiny treasures, I want to tell you how this rather unexpected adventure came to be.

Those of you who have been with me for a while know that I rarely see a doll as simply a doll.

I see the woman she might have been.

Where did she live?

Whom did she love?

What secrets did she keep?

What happened five minutes before the moment we have captured in miniature?

And that is exactly what happened with Evangeline Blackwood.

She began as my Gothic Nightgown doll.

But the more I worked with her, the more I felt there was a story hiding behind that raised candle and that beautiful old-fashioned gown.

Why was she awake in the middle of the night?

What was she looking for?

And most importantly...

What was waiting for her upstairs?

That tiny question became Blackwood Manor.

With my ideas and Lady D, my AI Muse, helping me with some of the literary heavy lifting, Evangeline's little world grew into a complete Gothic romance filled with an old manor house, a mysterious ancestor named Lady Cordelia, a childhood love who has unexpectedly returned, a forgotten attic, family secrets and, eventually, one very important dusty blue book.

But here's the part I love most.

We are not merely going to read Evangeline's story.

WE ARE GOING TO CREATE IT.

As the story unfolds, we will make pieces of Evangeline's world in miniature. Her clothing, her keepsakes, her discoveries and some of the objects that become important as the mystery of Blackwood Manor deepens.

Some photographs will show my actual original doll and my actual dollmaking work, before any AI enhancement used for the novel artwork, so you can see exactly where Evangeline began.

And PLEASE remember...

THERE IS NOTHING TO PURCHASE.

NO KIT.

NO SPECIAL PACKAGE.

NO SECRET SUPPLY LIST WAITING TO ATTACK YOUR WALLET. <G>

This is simply something new I wanted to share with you.

A little storytelling.

A little dollmaking.

A little history.

A little romance.

And perhaps a candlelit corridor or two.

You may make every project, make only the pieces that intrigue you, or simply curl up with Evangeline and enjoy the story.

There are no rules for wandering Blackwood Manor.

Well...

Perhaps one.

If an old house tells you not to open a door, you should probably open it.

And so, my dolliers, candle in hand...

Here is where Evangeline's story truly begins.

(Read the first chapter on my website.  You know where the start page is <G>)

ENJOY … and see my students in class at 11:00 this morning!

DANA