It's getting near the End of Round 2 in the Small Press Idol contest...   And I still have more contestants to blog about here!

Oh yes, there's still time to check them out and vote for them, but you gotta hurry... because there's only 7 Days left for the contestants to get the votes in for their projects before Round 2 closes and only 20 contestants move on to Round 3! 

There were 27 entries that made it out of Round 1 and are now being voted upon in Round 2.   But only 20 can move on to Round 3!

So why does this matter and why am I blogging about this contest again?   Well, in Round 2 it is not only the three initial Judges that are doing the voting... it is also registered persons on the site, like YOU or me could be, that are voting in this round!

I have already blogged about a few other entries in the SPI contest so far.... please see my prior posts for those.

'White Rose' is the subject of this blog post.  It got a late start in moving into Round 2, and could use your help in catching up and staying in the Top 20 so as to enter Round 3!   It has found favor with the voters so far, because as of yesterday it was #11 on the listings!  The project was submitted by George Burnett from the Gloucester, MA area.

The Small Press Idol 2009 has 4 rounds:

Round 1 is already over. It was to present the Basic Concept - Talent.

Round 2 ends on April 30th. It is more about showcasing the characters with illos and background text. Only 20 entries move on to Round 3!

Round 3 goes from May 18th - June 7th.  It is on the 'sequential primers'.

Round 4 goes from July 15 - ??? It is the Origin or the #0 issue.

Below is the Basic Concept shown in Round 1 from the 'White Rose'  project:

" In our world, we think of a person as composed of three things - Body, Mind and Soul.

In the world of the White Rose, there is a fourth thing: the Name.

To Name a person is to have power over them. To steal their Name is to gain that power. Memory is linked to the Name. But it’s not the ordinary memory inside one person’s mind. It’s the Memory of the Name itself, of everything that person ever did, and everyone they ever met - to steal a person’s name is to effectively wipe them out of collective Memory - it’s as if they never existed…

This belief in the power of Names is widespread, but the dark rituals allowing Names to be stolen are the stuff of myth and legend. Just as every child learns to fear the bogeyman, name thieves are the inhabitants of their bedtime stories. The truth behind these tales has been lost to time… until now.

After surviving a horrific attack on her village, a young woman wakes with no memory of her Name; in fact no one else in the village can remember it either. It seems she is the victim of a forgotten magic… somehow, during the attack, someone has stolen her Name.

They call her the White Rose, but she is determined to get her true Name back, and she’s not going to let anyone stop her…”

Round 2 at the web site shows the characters from 'White Rose'.  The above illustration at the top left of this post is in pencilled form only at this time and is just a representation of what other pages are like at the web site for viewing and reading.

I believe those blog readers that are into 'Fantasy' Comics and Graphic Novels may enjoy this project.  Those of you that have been reading this Blog for a while will know of my fondness for 'Red Sonja' and 'Belit' from the Conan Era. 

For more on 'White Rose' I invite you to check out this entry on the Small Idol Press web site.   After viewing his progress so far, and liking it, George would definitely appreciate your vote!  If you are not yet signed up to vote at the Small Press Idol 2009, feel free to do so!

If you have signed up to vote at Small Press Idol, you can vote for 'White Rose' at: 

http://www.dimestoreproductions.com/forum-t36664.html 

To read more about the 'White Rose' project go to:   

http://www.dimestoreproductions.com/content339.html

If you haven't signed up yet for Small Press Idol, the 'sign up' page to vote for 'White Rose' or any other of the SPI entries is at:   http://www.dimestoreproductions.com/signup.php

Audrey Lee's creations...  Have been featured on eBay for a while now!  I have been meaning to blog about her and her life sized soft dolls, but wanted to present a more in depth blog post instead of just a passing mention of the dolls and Audrey's eBay Store. 

My thought was that these life sized dolls would be a great addition for my blog readers that are into HoRRoR and MoNSTer stories, AND that enjoy turning their homes into neat little 'scary' places at Halloween time by showcasing one of Audrey's dolls!  

I earlier asked Audrey about what would 'posess' her to create these dolls.  Well I received my answer just this very week!

As a little girl, Audrey loved to play with dolls.  She began at a very young age creating her own on paper and for many years entertained herself and others with these 'paper pretties'. Her love of the macabre led her to create them with Halloween costumes. Years later, these inspired her to create life-size soft-cloth OoaK dolls.
 
As a young adult, Audrey loved to decorate for Halloween. She began with making a life-size scarecrow each year to grace their front porch and welcome guests.  Her first doll was made with old clothing, wadded up newspaper and a papier mache head which she crafted one day from a balloon, newspaper and home-made paste.  The first scarecrow changed it's appearance each year until one day there were two... a male and a female!
 
So it was that in 1999, Audrey created her first 'real doll' using fiberfill and a styrofoam wig head.  It was then that 'Willow the Witch' was born. The following year she created Lily, a Vampiress; then each year following until at one point she had more than 20 in her private collection.  Each year the dolls were improved, some dimantled and many were recreated.
 
Her family and friends all encouraged her to make these for sale but each doll Audrey makes is special to her and very difficult to part with. She then decided to create some just for the purpose of selling.  She created a life-size body pattern from newspaper taped together, then began the creation process.
 
Each doll Audrey makes is a one-of-a-kind, (OOAK). She spends days unnumbered thinking about them, working on them, shopping for the perfect outfit and look for each doll. Even naming them.. it's all very involved.  Is it work for her? Yes! Fun?  Definitely!  In fact, making these dolls is her 'passion' and she says she absolutely loves her 'job'!
 
Her ideas and creativity stem from her love of horror, science fiction, and mythology.  Of course Audrey's fondest childhood television memories were a huge inspiration!  "The Munsters", "Addams Family" and "Dark Shadows" were three of her biggest inspirations.  And long time readers of my blog will know that the first two were shows I enjoyed as child, and Tina used to run to friends' houses after school to catch the first runs of 'Dark Shadows'!
 
This blog post's featured doll is dedicated to the memory of Yvonne De Carlo who played Lily Munster from 1964-1966 on the TV Show 'The Munsters'.

  Ms. De Carlo passed away at the age of 84, Jan. 2007 which I blogged about previously.  Although her achievements included key roles in many movies including "Follies" and "Moses", she was also a long time student of voice, singing opera and she also played the harp.

However to many of us she's best known as the definitive Lily, who presided over the faux scary household in a cob-webbed, gothic setting in the TV Show.  She was 'Vampire Mom' to millions of baby boomers and Audrey was one of them, saddened by her passing.  She fashioned Yvonne after her, to give honor and tribute to one of the greatest, gracious, and most beautiful glamour Queens of Hollywood.  
 
'Vampiress Yvonne' is currently for sale at Audrey's eBay store, "Rock On by Audi".  For those interested in seeing more pictures of Yvonne and the other dolls, please see the following link:

Rock On Audi OOAK Dolls and Other Unique Toys!

(Please note:  This listing is NOT one of Make It So Marketing's... it comes directly from Audi's eBay enterprise.   Additional  Note: A complimentary item for this mention / review was NOT provided by the creator.)

It's Down To The Last 9 Days To Vote...  In the 2nd Round of the Small Press Idol 2009 contest!

And that's counting 'tonight' as a voting 'day'!

There were 27 entries that have made it out of Round 1 and are now into Round 2 of the SPI.  Why does this matter and why am I blogging about it again?   Well, in Round 2 it is not only the 3 initial Judges that are doing the voting... it is also registered persons, like YOU or me could be, that are voting in this round!

I have already blogged about a few entries in the SPI contest so far.... and there just isn't time to blog about all of them, what with all of the current projects that have come in for me to do this week and next!

However, one of the early entries that caught my eyes was that of the 'Mr. Man' comic book project. The project was submitted by Scott Alan  of Mountlake Terrace, Washington. It is now in Round 2 of the competition.

The Small Press Idol 2009 has 4 rounds:

Round 1 is already over. It was to present the Basic Concept / Talent.

Round 2 ends on April 30th. It is more about showcasing the characters with illos and background text. Only 20 contestants move on to the next round...

Round 3 goes from May 18th - June 7th.  It is on the 'sequential primers'.

Round 4 goes from July 15 - ??? It is the Origin or the #0 issue.

Below is the Basic Concept shown in Round 1 from the 'Mr. Man' Comic Book project:

Jim Dandy is an out of work actor in a failing economy who has one last chance to make it, an audition for a tv series based on the popular comic book hero Mr. MAN. Despite Jim’s thorough preparation for the role he fails the audition. This sinks him into a deep depression which is compounded by a blow to the head that causes Jim to suffer amnesia. Still looking just like the hero Mr. MAN, events lead Jim to believe that he IS this hero allowing him to perform super human feats. Now Jim struggles with his new identity, trying live up to the legend of Mr. MAN and learn what it really means to be a hero as the city begins a trend of costumed villains and oddball criminals looking to take him down.

Taking it’s roots from the days when comics weren’t so dark and broody and had no fear of having fun with the characters and stories, Mr. MAN is the tale of mind over matter, the faith of a child, and a hilarious look at modern life through the eyes of a man who would be a hero … if he could only get his mind on task.

Round 2 shows the characters from 'Mr. Man'.  He is shown at the top of this blog post, along with a character outline / bio. The other characters are shown at the web site.

For more on 'Mr. Man' I invite you to check out his entry on the Small Idol Press web site.   After viewing his progress so far, and liking it, Scott would definitely appreciate your vote!  If you are not yet signed up to vote at the Small Press Idol 2009, feel free to do so!

If you have signed up to vote at Small Press Idol, you can vote for 'Mr. Man' at:  http://www.dimestoreproductions.com/forum-t34874.html

To read more about the 'Mr. Man' comic book project go to:    http://www.dimestoreproductions.com/content306.html  

If you haven't signed up yet for Small Press Idol, the 'sign up' page to vote for Mr. Man or any of the other SPI entries is at:   http://www.dimestoreproductions.com/signup.php