African Matryoshka Party Favor / Gift Boxes PDF Printable

African Party Favor / Gift Boxes (constructed)

African Party Favor / Gift Boxes (backs)

I often get requests for PDFs made from my international Matryoshka illustrations. So, I'm coming up with PDFs incorporating some of my international Matryoshka faces. This first batch is my African Party Favor / Gift Boxes PDF printables. Don't they look festive? I placed one of the girl's face from my Matryoshka Tuareg Family illustration on my Matryoshka Party Favor Box and created these six colorful boxes. I hope you like them. :)

Tunisian Girl Matryoshka

Tunisian Girl Matryoshka Close-Up Portrait

Tunisian Girl Matryoshka

I have just completed my Northern African Tunisian Girl Matryoshka! Another wonderful suggestion. I can't wait to print out ACEOs and magnets and all my prints of her. I really enjoy hearing from you all. I love your suggestions and the one-on-one contact I have through my Etsy shop. I am very grateful for all your support. Did you know, I include a hand written and signed thank you note on the back of a Matryoshka ACEO print (the small baseball size print I offer) with each order I fill? I want you to know how much I appreciate each order. I even keep track of which Matryoshka ACEO I send because I try to send a different one with each order a customer makes so you can collect ACEO thank you notes along with your purchases. Thank you all so much for your wonderful suggestions and continued support! :)

 Below is my grouping suggestion for my Tunisian Girl.

Turk Bride Matryoshka, Tunisian Girl Matryoshka, Greek Matryoshka

Matryoshka Coloring Sheet PDFs

Armenian Girl Matryoshka Coloring Sheet PDF

Queen Elizabeth I - English Matryoshka Coloring Sheet PDF

German Bavarian Matryoshka Coloring Sheet PDF

Italian Girl Matryoshka Coloring Sheet PDF

Scotswoman Matryoshka Coloring Sheet PDF

Hello friends. While nursing a cold and feeling sluggish I have found it difficult to pursue the normal long hours drawing at my computer. Since laying on the couch has been more my speed, I decided to work on something that turned out to be quite therapeutic while convalescing. I took my lap size light box, my original Matyoshka pencil sketch drawings and some good ink pens and set to work creating these Matryoshka coloring sheets! I am offering them in my "DIY PDF Printable Crafts" shop section. I hope they are as enjoyable to color as they were to draw. Thank you for all your kind support of my pencil sketches without which these never would have come to be. :)

Mexican Matryoshka Sisters

My Mexican Matryoshka Girls: Yucatan, Jalisico Dancer, and Tehuana

As I mentioned in my last post when I was doing research for the much suggested Mexican Matryoshka, I was so inspired by the many regions that feature such beautiful, traditional dress that I decided to illustrate three! So here are my Mexican sister Matryoshka! Pictured above, the middle one is my Jalisico Mexican Dancer that I introduced you to in my last post. The girl on the left is from the Yucatan where the dresses are white with beautifully embroidered flowers. The girl on the right is wearing a black Tehuana dress from Oaxaca, again with embroidered flowers. The Mexican culture is so rich, I hope you like these Matryoshka, they are all now available in my shop. :)

Mexican Dancer Matryoshka

Mexican Dancer Matryoshka

My newest Matryoshka illustration is inspired by the Mexican Ballet Folklorico, the Jalisico dress traditionally associated with Mariachi dancers, adorned with brightly colored ribbons. While doing research for my Mexican Matryoshka illustration I found three different regional dresses I was very inspired by and I plan on drawing the other two as well. The other two regions are the Yucatan and Juchitan (in Oaxaca). Often when researching a culture I find many different groups and styles of dress. It can be quite hard to choose which one to draw. I usually try to draw the one most often associated with a particular country, as is this Mexican Ballet Folklorica. But this time I thought why draw only one? So if ever I draw a Matryoshka and you are interested in a different region please just let me know. The more the merrier! :)

my Mexican Dancer Matryoshka rough sketch

Ethiopian Girl Matryoshka

Ethiopian Girl Matryoshka

Hello blog friends! I hope you like my newest illustration, an Ethiopian Girl Matryoshka. I have had many requests for her, some of which came from the international adoption community.

Here are a couple of grouping suggestions for her. The first is a blue-green grouping.

Armenian Girl Matryoshka, Ethiopian Girl Matryoshka, and Irish Dancer Matryoshka

The second grouping is of my African Matryoshka.

Southern Nigerian Matryoshka, Ethiopian Girl Matryoshka, and Violet Tuareg Matryoshka

 I love all of your suggestions so please keep them coming! Next on my suggestions list I see a Mexican Girl Matryoshka! I've really been looking forward to her too! Thank you! :)

Swedish Girl Matryoshka

Swedish Girl Matryoshka

This is my latest illustration, my Swedish Girl Matryoshka. I hope you like her. :) She wears a purse as part of her traditional dress and I also included a wreath of flowers in her hair. She is not the first matryoshka I've drawn that includes a purse as part of the traditional dress. Below is a grouping suggestion showing these similar cultures.

Norwegian Girl Matryoshka, Swedish Girl Matryoshka, Finnish Girl Matryoshka

Assyrian Girl Matryoshka

Assyrian Girl Matryoshka

My latest Matyoshka is Assyrian and adorned in silver and feathers. I had such fun researching her culture. I found wonderful videos of traditional dress and dance. I hope my illustrations inspire you to do research into your own heritage and also to explore other beautiful cultures of our world. Thank you for the suggestions, and please keep them coming! :)

Chinese Pink HanFu Girl Matryoshka 5"x7" print

Right now on elephantislove blog there is a give away going on of my Chinese Pink HanFu Girl Matryoshka 5x7 print. Please check it out! :)

UPDATE 10/21/2011

Assyrian Girl Matryoshka

I have updated this illustration to show more of the feathers. It has been suggested to me that the feathers are a very important part of the traditional dress and they needed to show more. I hope you are happy with the results. :)

Armenian Matryoshka

Armenian Matryoshka

Armenian Matryoshka sketch

Hi, and Happy Independence Day (long holiday weekend) to those of you in the US. I just completed my Armenian Matryoshka. She wears a sheer veil, silver coin necklace and long ringlet curls. I fell in love with her and her culture as I drew her. I hope you like her too! Please keep the suggestions coming! :)

German Bavarian Matryoshka

German Bavarian Matryoshka

 German Bavarian Matryoshka pencil sketch

This is my latest illustration, my German Bavarian Matryoshka. I have had several requests for a German and specifically a Bavarian Matryoshka. She is wearing a formal style of dress (dirndl) versus a folk/everyday look. I enjoy finding similarities between cultures and this is another silver coin, choker necklace, and apron wearing Matryoshka. I've also included my pencil sketch. I hope she lives up to everyone's expectations and you like her. :)

Roman Goddess Juno Matryoshka

Roman Goddess Juno Matryoshka

As you probably know by now, I welcome suggestions of nationality/ethnicity/culture to draw as Matryoshka. Ancient Roman was suggested, and as I researched I came across beautiful sculptures and paintings depicting the Roman Goddess Juno. As I read about her I knew she was the perfect choice to draw as my Roman Matryoshka! She is described as being associated with femininity, childbearing and marriage. Also, she is often depicted with a peacock, that is why I included the peacock feathers. I hope you like her! :)

Framing

Portuguese Girl Matryoshka 5"x7" print

Chinese Pink Hanfu Girl Matryoshka 5"x7" print

Japanese Geisha Matryoshka 5"x7" print

Hello, I have begun framing and photographing my Matryoshka prints to show examples of what the pieces look like framed and displayed in a home. The Portuguese Girl Matryoshka is lying on a Portuguese Apron my Grandmother bought in Portugal in the 1960's. The Chinese Pink Hanfu Girl Matryoshka is hanging on a mural I painted on my dining room wall of plum tree branches in bloom. The Japanese Geisha Matryoshka is sitting on a bamboo shelf with a wooden doll my grandmother got in Japan in the 1950's. Next, I'm going to photograph my larger prints in different frames and settings. Please note I am only selling prints in my shop, not framed pieces. I purchased these frames at a local store for a $1 each. Because the illustrations have a white boarder outside of the Matryoshka, I think they look great without matting. So if you are thinking about starting a collection of my Matryoshka you don't have to go to the poor house over framing and matting. :)

Scotswoman Matryoshka

Scotswoman Matryoshka Close-Up Portrait

Scotswoman Matryoshka

Scotswoman Matryoshka Rough Pencil Sketch

Hello friends! I have just completed my Scotswoman Matryoshka. Another redhead! I am a redhead by choice and Scot on my father's side (my maiden name is Stuart). With this Scotswoman Matryoshka I departed from my normal symmetrical style, as I've only done a couple of other times with my Italian Girl and Queen Elizabeth I. Sometimes I like to experiment with a more natural pose. I hope you like her! :)

Here are the two redheads I've drawn so far.

Scotswoman Matryoshka & Queen Elizabeth I Matryoshka

And because I forgot to show you this in my last post, here is my preliminary pencil sketch for my Swiss Girl Matryoshka.

Swiss Girl Matryoshka Rough Pencil Sketch

And another grouping suggestion, my Swiss and Finnish Matryoshkas.

Swiss Girl Matryoshka & Finnish Girl Matryoshka

Swiss Girl Matryoshka

Swiss Girl Matryoshka Close-Up Portrait

Swiss Girl Matryoshka

Hello, this is my Swiss Girl Matryoshka! She was inspired by the women of Nidwalden Switzerland. Their white shirts have pleated (starched I would think) sleeves with black bands and lace cuffs. Black lace covers the lower part of the arms. I really enjoyed drawing all the lace!! Silver adornments include a hair stick and chains on the bodice of the dress. I hope you like her!

I have just added my suggestions list to the right hand column of my blog, so you can see what is coming up next and make sure I have added any nationality/ethnicity suggestions you have made. I work on my suggestions list from the top down (in the order that they were suggested). I haven't researched all of these yet and I can only draw them if I find sufficient examples in my research. If you make a suggestion, photos or links to examples are most helpful! Please leave me a link in a comment or convo me on Etsy with a photo. Thank you for your suggestions, and please keep them coming!! :)

Matryoshka Party Kit Printable PDF

My Matryoshka Party Kit Printable PDF includes all this!

I have been working for the last month on bringing you a Matryoshka theme party kit! Last week I completed the design and over the weekend I staged my own Matryoshka party! 

The Matryoshka Party Kit includes:

Streamers

Food Label Signs (blank for handwriting)

Cupcake Toppers

Straw Decorations

Paper Dolls that stand and nest

Coloring Sheets

Finger Dancer Dolls

Doll Face Stickers

Party Favor Box

Cookie Doll Decoration Card

Invitation

Thank You Card

Close-Up of the table items

Another Close-up

My Matryoshka Favor Box

These are my original designs and I worked really hard to make each item easy to assemble. I'm very pleased with the way the Matryoshka Favor Box came out. It's one continuous piece with only one tab to glue!

My Matryoshka Invitations

 I wanted the invitation to have some aspect of how a nesting doll works but I wanted to minimize construction work. I decided to come up with a design that did not require cutting, only folding (the cards do come 2 to a sheet so the only cutting is cutting the 2 cards apart on a dotted line). I think I achieved the effect I was going for with minimal effort for the assembler. The card is designed to open in the middle (like a nesting doll). Open the doll to reveal the hidden invitation!

My Matryoshka Thank You Cards

The Thank You Cards are just a simple fold over card with a blank inside.

Matryoshka Party Activities
(3 Paper Dolls that stand and nest, 2 Coloring Sheets, 4 Finger Dancer Dolls)

I've tried to anticipate your needs by offering an entire Party kit and also offering two smaller kits: an Activities Kit, and a Decorations Kit. The Favor Box, Invitations, Thank You Cards and Coloring sheets are also sold separately. If there is any other configuration or item you are wanting to purchase individually, please let me know and I will make additional listings.

I think these Matryoshka party kits are perfect for birthday parties, bridal showers, or baby showers! I hope you like them! Happy parties! :)

Queen Elizabeth I - English Matryoshka

Queen Elizabeth I - English Matryoshka

Hello and Happy Mother's Day! I have been busy working on my latest Matryoshka drawing from my list of suggestions and just completed her this morning (and listed her in my shop). She is my first redhead! The suggestion was "English" and after conducting a poll on facebook I chose Queen Elizabeth I to represent England. Because she is royalty, I tried to infuse the illustration with ethereal qualities. I've learned a few new techniques drawing the lace and feathers that I am very excited about. I may have to draw other ethereal female images. Let me know if you think of any you would like to see! :)

This is my original rough sketch for the illustration:

Queen Elizabeth I - pencil sketch

Please keep in mind this is a rough sketch, drawn one morning before the sun rose, in a dimly lit room, with a lead and eraser challenged pencil. I really need to stock up on new pencils and erasers. ;)

Matryoshka Coloring Sheets PDF

Matryoshka Russian Nesting Doll Coloring Sheets PDF

I have been busy working on a Matryoshka party kit chock-full of fun and helpful printable PDFs. I can't wait for you to see them! I wanted to give you a taste while I complete the design of the other elements. These coloring sheets come as a two page PDF file. Page 1 shows a single black and white version of my Classic Matryoshka Russian Doll, and page 2 shows three nesting dolls. Fun for a bored rainy day activity, and fun and economical for party or classroom activities. Once purchased you can print as many as you like as often as you want! I hope you like them and are inspired by this and my future party kit to have your own Matryoshka themed party! Happy May my friends! :)

Colored Shells and Matryoshka Party Kit

Hi everyone! I hope you had a nice weekend. I want to share with you a fun, creative idea we came up with that you might want to do too. This year when we colored our one dozen eggs (with a typical store bought Easter egg dying kit, that comes with dye tablets that you add vinegar and water to) it went too fast (as fun things often do) and before we knew it, all our eggs were colored! My daughter said (in her imaginative kid way), "What else can we color?" I looked at her and said, "Good question." We thunk and we thunk, and she said, "How about that plaster Christmas decoration I have left over. That was a great idea! So now the pressure was on, I needed to come up with something too! Then it came to me, "Seashells!" They have a surface similar to eggs and I thought surely the vinegar and dye would etch and adhere much like it does to the surface of an egg. And you know what? It did! Not as vibrantly, but still they turned out pretty pastels. My daughter had a ball (as did I) and we ended up with more dyed shells than eggs!

The basket in the photo is my Easter basket from when I was a little girl. It is a wicker basket striped with green and pink dyed wicker. It has faded over the years. I sat there dying those shells and thought, "Hey I bet this would work on my wicker basket!" By the time I thought of it we had already poured out the pink dye but I used a paint brush and painted over the outside green stripes of the basket. The wicker drank it right up. I'll have to remember to brush on the pink dye next year. So I leave you with my daughter's question, "What else can we color?" :)

Oh, and another question - I am in the process of designing a Matryoshka Birthday Party Kit as a PDF printable. What types of items would you like for me to include? Thanks in advance for your input! :)

Thai Dancer Matryoshka

Thai Dancer Matryoshka Close-Up Portrait

Thai Dancer Matryoshka

As promised in my last post, my newest illustration- Thai Dancer Matryoshka! I drew a dancer because I was inspired by the hand positioning and all the gold adornments of the traditional dance costumes. Also, I couldn't resist adding another "Gold" girl to my collection. I think she would look splendid displayed along with my Cambodian Girl Matryoshka, don't you?

Thai Dancer Matryoshka and Cambodian Girl Matryoshka (she is a fan dancer),

I'm realizing that many of my Matryoshka illustrations are inspired by traditional dance costumes but I haven't always labeled them as "Dancer", this was unintentional though. I may go back and rename some of them at some point.

Have you noticed my new blog layout? I rearranged it to include a new Etsy mini (top left) of my Etsy favorites! My Etsy favorites will include Matryoshka, girls room and nursery decor, and cultural items you may be interested in. I am browsing Etsy for fun items to share with you everyday so please check back often! :)