Samantha and a custom doll!

Samantha is my first "freckle" doll! I think the freckles give her a spunky tomboy-ish look! She has very soft merino wool hair that is very fun to play with and she is also my first doll with an "outie" belly button!

I have been working on another doll with similar coloring, but a different look. She is a custom doll and I am very pleased with how she has turned out.  She has mohair yarn for her hair, which creates a very dreamy look (similar to Moira)!

Moira... a dreamer!

Moira is a dreamer... she loves to read and make up her own stories as well! So many adventures and wonderful places to think about...

I hope you have a lovely weekend!!!

Hi!  I am very excited to show a sneak peak of Isabella!  She has a lovely new body shape that was designed by a very talented dollmaker - July Colby from Inviting Play.

This doll has dimensions similar to a 18" American Girl Doll, which opens up tons of possibilities for clothing!  The first outfit that I have made for Isabella is from a pattern for 18" dolls and it fits her very well.  The pattern for her dress was purchased from and Etsy shop called Avery Lane. I will be working on more clothing for Isabella - stay tuned for more fashion showings!

Isabella has a belly button and little bum cheeks!

 

Sitting in her undies, waiting for her dress to be made!! 

More Dolly Dolls!

Hi! It has been a busy summer and start of the school season.  I have not been posting much, but I have been continuing to work on my Dolly Doll pattern and trying out different techniques.  At first, the doll bodies were very simple, but I have started working on a more shapely body style.  I have also been working on some clothing for the little ones!

Here are some variations of my earlier body shape:

Here is the new body shape! I'm calling her Lola! (notice her belly button and cute undies)

And Lola's clothes!

I'm going to try making another one with this new body style, but with a more rounded face and larger cheeks. Which body style do you like best?

I'm also working on a great new body shape for a larger doll that I will share more information about soon!
Thanks for reading!!!

Puppy Love!

We have acquired a new family member - A PUPPY!  We have considered getting one for years, but somehow the timing was never right.  This little pup was just too hard to resist and it really does feel like our family is up for the challenge.  And challenging it is.... our faithful old Emma dog is 16 years old and I had quite forgotten all of the details of raising a puppy.  It's a good thing he is so cute!  I would like to introduce Scout, our beautiful 8 week old red tri Australian Shepard!

Dolly doll

Here is my first "dolly doll" - a miniature version of my standard (16-18") sized dolls. She is about 7 inches tall.  I will need to create some clothing for her soon, but I am still playing around with the first pattern I created to see if I can improve upon it a bit.  Cricket has taken quite a liking to this little one!

Happy 4th of July everyone!!

Introducing Cricket!

Here are some photos of my latest doll, Cricket! She is wearing a dress that I sewed using some beautiful fabric purchased from the lovely Amy at Pinked Fabrics on Etsy.  I just adore the Little Red Riding Hood theme!  The shoes were, once again, a challenge for me - more of a mental block than anything else.  Once I made up my mind to do it they went OK and I like the two-toned look of the wool felts.  I still hope to be able to crochet some booties in the future if I can figure out a pattern that looks good and doesn't take me FOREVER!  Practice will improve my crochet and knitting skills, right?  Anyway, here's Cricket!!

She got a little bored last night while I was trying to figure out my approach for her shoes, so she found a basket of hair ties and made a bit of a mess!

And, finally - the shoes are finished.  It's a bit late and the lighting is not at it's best, so she will have to wait until tomorrow for a photo shoot with the shoes.  Hopefully I will be able to post her on Etsy within a day or two!

My daughter's art!

Hi there! I have been busy working on (and have almost finished) my next doll to post for sale on Etsy.  I am also working on a design for some miniature versions of my dolls and hope to have one or more available on Etsy also.  In the meantime, my three year old (almost four year old) daughter has been making some "dolls" too:

She loves to create things and has also tried her hand at drawing our chickens!

I hope to post some sneak peaks of my new dolls very soon.  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

PS. Loving the roses from the garden:

Fickle Hill Old Rose Garden

This weekend was the open house for Fickle Hill Old Rose Garden (in Arcata, CA), one of my favorite places to visit. We go each year for inspiration and to buy new plants from a wonderful selection of healthy roses that are difficult to find in standard nurseries.  Some years the weather is warmer than others and then the scent of roses fills the air, thick and sweet as honey.  I love the way the roses and other plants all intertwine with each other and climb up into trees and other structures, giving the sense of rooms with rose tapestries on the walls and ceilings.  The grass pathways form a thick lush carpet of green.  Here are some photos to give a sense of the place: