Sunday, December 26, 2010

The day after Christmas

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We were quiet here as our family lives all over the country and they all spent time with their kids. John and I went out to the casino early in the AM and both of us won. It was quiet out there too with just some of the seniors who are local with no family near or snowbirds here for the winter. Then came home and had a normal day. Laundry, made a nice ham dinner, played on the computer and worked a little on dolls.

We had so much rain last week and cloudy weather for 10 days and then the sun was finally out for a couple of days and now again this morning, here we are with clouds again and a possibility of rain today and again on Thursday. This is not normally the time of the year when we get rain in the desert. Weird weather this year all over the world.

Now it is really time for me to go work on some dolls. I have several naked babies waiting for new clothes. Sometimes it is hard to decide how I want them to look and seeing I haven't been posting on this blog for a while, no one has seen many of the newer dolls that I have done. I will try to get some on soon.

The last month has kind of been a blur as I have started to sell on Ebay and have done pretty good there but it really becomes almost a full time job to keep up with it. I post new/old dolls on there almost every day with them going to auction for just 3 days. It takes a lot of work to keep up with it but it has been profitable so will continue into January to see if the people are still buying. Of course, with being on there, I also find dolls that I want so I am buying too. Should probably do that but there is always another doll that I don't have or one that needs to be replaced.

Have a good week with the New Year coming up.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Bears looking for homes







I went and picked up the items I had at the Art Fair this morning and now I have bears to sell. These poor little guys need new homes and would make great Christmas gifts for the young and old alike. They all have soft faux fur, are 14 inches tall, 5 way jointed and have child safe locking plastic black eyes and noses. I have put them all at a great low price.

This will be the last of the bears that I design and make. I will not be making any others than for special order. I am having too much fun now, learning about old dolls, finding them, cleaning them up and redressing them.

Now it is time to get some Christmas decorations up. The tree is started and a few things out. Will not go overboard this year like I have done in the past. Just can't get into it this year.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Craft show season over.

The craft show season is over for me. I know there are others who have a couple more shows but after 8 shows and dismal sales this year, do I want to do it again next year. Right now I would say no but I know when it comes around again, I will be out there, selling what ever new doll I come up with and of course, I have my newest adventure with all the vintage and refurbished dolls.

My biggest seller this year has been my Emma doll. This is different because it has four different faces and everyone seems to want one. I sold the last one today and have orders for more, so I guess I will be making some of these in the next few weeks. The bears, for me, are not going to be any longer. I will only do these if someone orders a special one. I still have a few of these left on the website and so far this fall, they haven't sold either.

Now it is time to start working on my vintage dolls, which I find more exciting. I have learned so much about old dolls and it is wonderful to take a tired old naked doll and turn it into a like new doll. Right now it is just cleaning them up and making new clothes but I can see that I may get into rerooting hair and doll repair. That is all in the future and not sure at this point if that is what I want to do.

I will try the antique and collectible show this coming year and see how that goes. Don't know yet if this is where I want to show my dolls. All the doll shows are quite a distances away and we really are not into traveling much. Just may have to try one to see what they are all about. May have to start making extra doll clothes too as I have had some requests for these. These I know will go over well at doll shows because so many people have dolls that need clothes and they don't sew. I have made clothes in the past and they have always sold well.

Only time will tell what direction my business will go this coming year.

I think I had better start to put up some Christmas decorations. We don't even have the tree up yet. I did get the Christmas cards written out but not mailed yet. Tomorrow may be the day to get out to the shed and find some of the stuff and then move the living room around enough to get the tree set up.

That is tomorrow....then maybe it could be the next day.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Sale time on my website.

It is sale time on my website. I always at the end of the year have some one of a kind odds and ends so I decided I might as well put them up before Christmas to let everyone have the bargains before Christmas.

My craft shows are pretty much done for the year. I am doing the Art Fair at the local college but it is boutique style so I only work 2 of the 6 days. I got it set up with bears, soft dolls and mice. It starts tonight so I hope to sell most of the bears because that will just about be the end of that part of my crafting.

My stock shelves are now filling up with vintage and refurbished/recycled dolls and they don't seem to take up as much room as the bears did. Those will stay until my antique and collectible show in February. Of course, they are available on my website right now. I thought I had all of them on the website until yesterday when I looked and nope, not all there. Today I added some of them and will try to get the rest put on tomorrow. I have to take some pictures first.

So all of you out there looking for some great gifts for family or friends, don't forget to check out my site for some great bargains.
http://ejcrafts.com

Monday, November 22, 2010

Busy, busy!!!



Well here it is Monday and I don't have all the stuff ready for a outdoor craft show I have for this coming Friday and Saturday. This is the last show of the year to show my vintage and recycled dolls. I do have an Art Fair show the first week of December but that is only the stuff that I make.

I do like to do all the shows and meet at the people but Oct, Nov and the first part of Dec, do tire me out. I will be glad and sad that the selling season is over. Sad because then I don't have anything until February and March to get ready for. The end of December and January are dead times in the show circuit. People have spent all their money and are not looking to buy anything new.

Well I did get all my walking dolls finished up this past week so they will be ready to show this weekend. I love doing the big dolls and people seem to be more impressed by the bigger dolls. I still have some small baby dolls to get dressed but I already have some finished for the show so they may wait until after the first of the year.

I think after this week, I wil put some of the stuff on ebay and see if I can sell a little more before Christmas. You know, for all those people who wait until the last minute to buy.

Monday, November 15, 2010

I have been working on dolls.

Yes, I have been making dolls. I got a special order for 6 of my Emma dolls (the four face doll). I was down to one in stock and the lady decided she wanted 6 and no lace on them. Okay, so lace in the easiest way to trim the dresses and hats but she wanted ruffles. So self fabric rubbles I made. Now I think I like the ones with ruffles better too. Funny how someone asks for something and it turns out to be a good thing. It is hard on my hands to make them because I don't have a rufflier for my machine. I run a basting thread and then ruffle them by hand. I have blisters on a couple of my fingers from pulling thread. Just a little problem of the trade and they will heal. These are now done and will be on their way to the east coast tomorrow.


So today I got back to working on my vintage dolls. First was a trip to the grocery store of a couple of things we forgot last week. Then decided that because we were near the Goodwill store we might as well go there too. Found a couple more dolls. One was a 1977 Horsman baby doll in what looked like an original outfit. The other a Cititoy soft baby doll from 1997. I decided after cleaning several dolls up this afternoon that I would try Ebay again and see if I could sell anything on there. I have not had much luck with selling there but right now with the free listing what do I have to lose. So on went four dolls. Cross your fingers for me that at least a couple of them sell.




Now tomorrow, I have several other dolls that I need to work on. I have two walking dolls that really need new clothes. One is 30 inches tall and and other is 21 inches tall. I love walking dolls and they are hard to find good cheap ones that I can work on. I still have an old composition 1950's walking/crying doll that need new hair and clothes. That one will have to wait.

I have one craft show and one art show yet to do this month. The craft show I can show my dolls at and that is Thanksgiving weekend and then the art show at the college I can only show my own work. I didn't have many bears left so dropped out of the online show so that I would have bears for the art show. Hope I did the right thing. Two years ago when I did the art show, I sold a lot of bears.

Hope everyone is having a great craft season and you know Christmas is only 40 days away.....can you believe that. WHEW!!!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

November already????

Where has Ocotber gone and now November is already a week old. I think I have been lost or busy or something. I know I have been busy with dolls and more dolls plus crafts shows so that is why I must have lost some of the past few weeks.

I have done a few shows, none that were really great but at least I made expenses and a little extra but I don't think that is why I do them. I really miss the big show that I have been doing every year but alas it is gone now and I have been trying all these little shows and it just doesn't bring in the money I am use too. There are no big shows left in the area I live and driving to the Las Vegas area and picking up a few shows, I am finding in not the way to go. I still have a couple of local little shows that should get me some business but as of December 1, those are done too.

My body just can't take the physical labor it takes to pack, setup and teardowns and unpacking that all these little shows require. When did I get so old? I still want to be able to get out there and work like I use too.

I am hoping that going from teddy bears and soft dolls to concentrating on vintage and recycled dolls will be a good step for me. There is one local antique and collectible show in March that I want to do. Maybe there will be more down the road too or maybe we will be able to drive over to California or down to Phoenix to do a big doll and collectible show. Don't know if we will be able to or not as we live each day now without making any long term plans.

On a happier note, I did get a bunch of, new to me, dolls this week from my daughter and I am now working on them and should have some ready to show by the end of the week. Maybe they will peak someones interest and get a loved one or friend a beautiful doll for Christmas.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Thrift stores, Ebay and me


I am beginning to think I am a compulsive buyer. I have been looking on Ebay and I am finding all kinds of dolls that I want and of course I have been buying. Plus I have now hit all the thrift stores in town and bought dolls in some of them. Even my hubby is getting into looking at the dolls and having me buy some that I would probably not get.


I am trying to get a good varity of dolls both vintage and newer dolls plus all the different sizes. I forgot that when I started making bears and dolls of all the things that I needed to buy to make the stuff to have a decent showing. In the long run, I am probably spending less now because I have all the fabric that I need to make the clothing and I don't need to buy doll joints, doll eyes, bear noses and stuffing which adds up quickly.


Today I started another new thing for me and that is listing dolls on Ebay. I have a bunch of small dolls that I thought maybe I could get buyers on Ebay. I also need to be known on Ebay so that I can get a good rating and that way Ebay won't hold my money back. Any way, another new adventure for me and we will see if it works.


I thought I would show you one of the newest babies that I got at the Goodwill store the other day. This poor thing was so dirty that you could not tell what color she dress was. It is a very nice cotton pale pink with white lace trim. I washed her and her dress up and fixed all the loose elastic on the outfit and redressed her. It looks like it was the original outfit. She is a 18 inch porcelain doll with a weighted cloth body. She is heavy. She is a pretty little thing. She is listed at present on a antique and collectible site and will be listed today on my website.
Hope you are enjoying my newest adventure as much as I am. I really think all the excitement had gone out of me on making bears and this finding dolls and reviving them into a like new condition has brought back the excitement in my life.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Has it been a week since I posted? WOW!

This last week I think is a blur. I was getting ready for a 3 day craft show that ended yesterday. It was a profitable show for me and the crowds were there and they were buying. This is unusal for this area with the snowbirds not being back in town yet but I am happy.

After 30 years of mainly designing and making teddy bears, I am changing. The last two shows plus the traffic on my website says it is a time for change. I am sad about this as I really enjoy making the bears but the public doesn't seem to be going in that direction. So I will leave the teddy bears go for a while and concentrate on the dolls.

I like designing and making dolls and I always get lots of compliments and sales on the dolls. I will continue doing this with a new design every year or two and keep the dolls in my line that are my top sellers.

Now my big surprise is the traffic I am getting on the recycled and vintage dolls. This is right now, the way that I will be going. I enjoy finding a doll that has been played with and now has been discarded for something new and then cleaning it up and making new clothes and finding a new buyer for the doll. People are excited about seeing the doll they played with as a child and no longer have. They want the doll back. I am not sure why but it may be just the idea of a easier time in their life or they are at the age where they are now collecting the older dolls. Even the kids are wanting the dolls that may not be that old but are all redressed. This I was kind of surprised about because I thought maybe kids are not playing with dolls that much, but I guess they are.

So now from me you will see more and more dolls and I will enjoy the hunt in all the thrift stores, yard sales and anywhere else I can look and then bringing them home and making them all pretty again. Then I will probably be doing more doll and collectible shows and not as many craft shows but that is okay as then I will meet a whole new group of people.

Stay tuned as my newest adventure begins. I am excited and I hope others will be too.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Some more dolls finished up.

Yep, more dolls done. I thought I had all my dolls finished on Saturday and then today I walked into the sewing room and what did I find but this poor little baby wrapped in a blanket because she didn't have any thing on. This is a 13 or 14 inch Tiny Tears doll made by the Ideal Toy Company in 1971. She has a one piece body that is hard plastic. This is one of the first Tiny Tears doll before they came out with the ones with moveable limbs and head. She is a drink/wet doll. She does have pretty eyes that are permanently open with long lashes.

I have had her for some time as I had got her in a group of dolls. I really didn't know what to put on her and today was the day to finish her up. Because she is so old even though she is in excellent condition, that hard body was difficult for me to decide what to make for her. I dug through my stash of fabric...now this takes a while as I as a fabricholic lol........I pulled several fabric and then found this vintage yellow fabric and decided that would be the one. I custom made panties, an open back dress and a hat and put cotton dark beige lace on it all. I think the hat sets off her cute little face perfectly.

Now as a side note....
I don't like the color yellow. I don't have any yellow in my personal wardrobe or any where in my house. It is very hard for me to make anything in yellow but I know it is some people's favorite color so a do have a couple of yellow fabrics in my stash. I am sure that someone is just going to love this doll, not only because she is a Tiny Tears doll, but because she is dressed in yellow.

She is now available on my website for $24.95. http://www.ejcrafts.com I checked other websites and she is listed for $35 and I thought that was just too much to charge for her. I do try to keep my prices down. Some of the dolls I have had to pay more to get so they are a little higher but I have dolls available from $4 to $135 on my site. I want everyone to be able to afford to buy the doll they want. I will even nogotiate the pricing if more than one doll is needed.

I hope you will all take a look to see what you want and if you need a lay-a-way I can do that too. I am in the middle of my craft show season and some of these dolls will be sold at the shows. I have a big show this coming weekend.

Enjoy your week and will try to get more posted before the end of the week.











Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Beautiful Day Today

We were sunny, and 98 degrees today with wind. That is fall in the desert. Cool morning with the windows in the house all open and the breeze coming through and then afternoon with everything closed up and the air conditioning on. They are saying that by this weekend we will get back to the 80's. I prefer the 80's but then by the time it gets down below that I have a sweater on. Thin blood, I guess, from living in the desert for 30+ years.

Today was a very productive day for me. After two days of being tired and down in the dumps, today my energy came back and I got quite a bit done. A weekend show of 9 to 9 for two days is just too much for this "little old" lady. Thank goodness, I don't have any more like that this year. I do have three more shows scheduled and will probably still pick up one more for the first part of December.

I finally got my bears, that have been sitting here for a week, stuffed. I still have the hand sewing and the trimming to do but with any luck, I will get them done tomorrow. Then today, I picked up another doll that is in desperate need of a new hairdo and clothing. I will have to see if I can't get her done before my show next weekend. I think she will be a good one to sell at that show.

Now if I could just get someone to do all my house work, I would be on top of the world. Any takers?

Monday, October 11, 2010

Is it Monday?

I think I have lost some days somewhere. Does any one know what happened to my weekend? I have to admit, I worked the whole thing from 9 to 9 every day doing a show but today has been a blur.

The show was not the best or the worst show I ever did. At least I made a little profit. The promoters were super nice as were the vendors. None of us did really well but we did all enjoy each other company and took turns watching each other's booth while we walked into the casino and played for a while or as some of the guys did, sit at the bar and watch football. Traffic was extremely slow and we could sit an hour and not see one customer.

That show is not one I will do again. You never know when doing shows if the are going to be a bust or a huge profit. The life of a vendor is always maybe, maybe not on what shows to do and what shows are better left to someone else.

I had lots of interest in my vintage dolls and sold some of the more expensive ones and then I sold some of the dolls that I design and make. Bears were hardly even looked at so after this season of shows, I will have to decide if I will continue to do bears. I love doing them and have for the last thirty years but they are just not in vogue anymore.

I do have an online bear show to do in November and maybe then what I am making now for that show will sell. I sure hope they do.

Well seeing that today has been one of those days where not much got done, I think it is time to go watch a little television and go to bed early.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

It's Craft Show season!

Yes, this is the time of the year when I do most of my craft shows. Holidays are coming and people are more willing to buy that child safe bear or doll. I am now in full gear mode to get my shows going.

I have a show this weekend, then another in two weeks and then another two weeks after that. I use to be able to do a show every weekend but age has caught up with me and it takes a week to recover from a show. My mind thinks I can still do all the shows but my body just says stop you can't. Boy old age stinks sometimes!

So today is getting all my displays ready and all the table covers washed and ready and see what else has to be done with products I am taking to this show. Tomorrow will be packing everything into containers and packing the van.

Even with all this, I still am sewing today. I got a couple cute dolls at the Goodwill store yesterday and so I did one doll up yesterday and today will try to finish up the other one. Then the lady at one of the other thrift stores says she will have some other dolls ready for me to look at today so will probably make a quick trip down there is see what she has. I have to remember to take a couple of the dolls with me that I got from her when I go down there and show her what I have done with them. She wanted to see them.

So the next two days are busy and then the weekend will be lots of sitting and standing and talking to people. Hope for lots of good sales so I don't have to bring so much stuff home.

Happy Crafting everyone and for you who do shows, I hope you have great sales.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

American Craft Week

This week is American Craft Week and I hope everyone is thinking about what they will be buying this year for the holidays and think about buying handcrafted items to give. The local crafter who works so hard to produce their product and never gets paid for all the love and hours they put into the product and then pay to show it at the local craft show really do need your business.

Go to http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/community/HandmadePledge.aspx
and pledge to buy handmade this year. We all need to help our fellow crafters.

There is a press release that the Handmade Toy Alliance put out too.

http://www,oressrekeaseoiubt,cin.bide.507012


I am a crafter and have been for most of my life. My grandmother, who raised me, taught me to crochet, knit and sew and for that I am very grateful. Today, I don't see enough of the younger people learning to do these things. Even all the craft shows I do, I very seldom see a person under 40 who is a vendor. This is sad. Crafting should not be a dying art. We are true artists, each in our own venue. I know I wouldn't know what to do with all my time and it sure releaves the stress of every day living.

On another note, I am doing a craft show this weekend. Maybe that isn't another note because it is to sell all my products that I have worked so hard on all year. My original designed teddy bears and soft dolls. Then with the new recycled and vintage dolls that I have been having so much fun working on the last couple of months. Now I get to let others enjoy what I make.

The show is at the EdgeWater Hotel and Casino in Laughlin, Nevada on Saturday and Sunday November 9 and 10 so if anyone is in the area, please stop by and see what I have. Everyone I make is child safe and oh so cute, if I do say so myself.

Remember BUY AMERICAN AND FROM YOUR LOCAL CRAFT MAKER.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Sunday has been a different type of day for us.

Yep, Sunday has been different. It rained off and on all morning with lots of thunder and lightening and some beautiful double rainbows. This afternoon we had some thunder but the storms all past us and just went over the mountains. Living in the desert, we love a rainy day as we only get about 6 inches of rain a year so this was wonderful. It also made the temperatures lower. We were in the low 80's and it was nice until the sun came out in the afternoon and the humidity got to us and we had to turn on the a/c. The weather people are saying we could have the same type of weather the next three days. I think our fall has finally arrived!

Today was a bear making day. I know all you have been reading about from me is dolls, dolls and more dolls. I love doing the dolls and I have a couple more that I still need to dress but I also have a online show in November and the bears have to get done first. Wish I could show you what they look like but you will all have to wait until they go online on November 21 and 22. At this moment I have two completely ready and three more partly done.

Now I know that I will make my rounds at the thrift stores on Wednesday so you will probably see more dolls. The funny thing is that for years, I have been making and selling bears and they have always been my passion. Over the years I added rabbits, cows, pigs, mice and dogs to the mix that I made of craft shows. Most of these have now gone away from my stock. I also added soft dolls which I designed and they have always sold well. People like to buy handmade dolls. It has only been a couple of months with the recycled dolls and this is now my new passion.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Second one done.



I was good today and got the second of my two 32 inch walking dolls done. My hubby thinks this one is the best one. I like them both and I am hoping that others like them too.


The weather gave us clouds, thunder, lightening and some rain today. Started about 2:30am and was all over by 6am. It was nice to see something besides sun. The only thing is, it did make it hot and humid for the day. Now they are saying we possibly could get more for the next three days. I only hope that the air is not so hot but they are saying we are suppose to be cooling off to normal temperatures by the middle of next week. I sure hope so!

Our normals are in the upper 80's to low 90's and that is good weather. Anything below 80 and I am cold. I know, all you people love the cold and snow and all the other things that come with that type of weather but I had all that when I was younger. Now that I am "old", and we won't say how old, I do enjoy my desert living. Okay, maybe not all of it because I do complain about the 110 degree weather but with a/c, I just stay inside and sew.

The one thing I really love about the fall....no I am not talking about the weather now...is craft shows. I love to get out and show all the teddy bears and soft dolls that I make plus this year with the vintage and recycled dolls it is really going to be interesting to see the reactions of the people to what I do. Now if they will just take their hands out of their pockets and buy, I know I will be one happy camper.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Didn't think I would make it today, but I finished this one.




It has been a long day and it is still early afternoon. I woke up for some reason at 4:30am today. Wide awake and could not get back to sleep. Got up and did the dishes I didn't do last night Oops! Then opened some windows and took care of the cat's needs. By 6am my daughter emailed me and said to let her know when I got up and she would call me so did that and talked to her for an hour. At least by then John was up so that I could go and do some sewing. So, that is how my day started.

I wanted to work on an outfit for one of the 32 inch walking dolls I got yesterday so pulled the fabric from my stash, made a pattern for the dress, cut it out and sewed it up. Then I wanted an apron on her and it has been ages since I had made one so that took a lot longer than I thought it would. I don't use a pattern, just cut and sew.

I had done the hair yesterday and cleaned her up so at least she was ready for clothing today. I thought she could use a necklace so found a little heart locket and added a ribbon in the same color.

I hope you like her because I think she came out really cute.

So now I think it is time to go take a nap or I will fall asleep watching tv tonight.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

What do I do next????

I have bears to finish for a online show in November, and I have dolls to dress. Right now I have 6 dolls to dress. What to I do first...that is a good question and here is sit at the computer.

I know I will get one bear finish tonight because it is just finishing up the seams and I can do that while I am sitting and watching my tv programs. Then tomorrow maybe I can get to the other bears I want to finish for the show. I am having problems getting them stuffed because my hands and wrists hurt when I do it. I will just have to do part of it at a time I guess.

But then, I want to dress some of those dolls. I have all these poor naked babies sitting and staring at me when I walk into my studio. All I can say is sorry babies, I can't do you all at once.

Today, I picked up two of the dolls from Goodwill. They were a mess but then that is not how I look at them. I look at them as what they will look like. They did have dresses on but cheap little china made dresses and I can see them in a nice cotton dress with a white pinafore. The hair was another thing and that I have already taken care of. Washed, conditioned and set. They came out beautiful. One had shoes but I had to buy socks for both and the shoes for the one.

Now I didn't even tell you what size these dolls were. They are a big 32 inches tall and are walking dolls. They are going to make someone very happy when they get them. They may be recycled and they may have been made in china but to some little girl, they are going to be their pride and joy.

I will post some pictures as I get them done, so stay tuned.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Now we are on to some little dolls.



I am not thrilled with doing dolls under 15 inches. I like the feel of a bigger doll and the clothing is so much easier to do. In among all the dolls that I have bought, which my hubby thinks is way to many, I got a few little modern plastic dolls that had just been thrown in with the order. I decided, what the heck, might as well dress them and sell them too.

So here are so of the dolls that I did this to. First is a little 10 inch doll. She has such a sad look on her face. I thought she look like a little girl who needed an old fashion type print dress. She has her hair cut in a pageboy and this is the way I use to look when I went to school as a child. Not the sad face though because I loved school. She just has that old doll style doll face. She is a soft plastic and vinyl doll and I know someone will fall in love with the look. Her tiny feet are only 1 1/4 inches long and boy were those shoes hard to make. They are felt but I don't do any hand sewing unless I really, really have to, so they are machine sewn.

The second doll, which I did first is 14 inches tall and to me another of the school girl look. I found this small piece of black and white cotton fabric in my stash that has a blackboard look to it with all the writing on it. Of course, that called for a white blouse and I found another little piece of white on white heart fabric in my stash. Made up in a really cute blouse and enough left over to make the panties. These black felt shoes were easier to make and the socks too.

You must have surmised by now that I am a fabricholic. Yes, I must admit, I can't pass up a bargain on fabric or even dolls. I have a double wide closet full of fabric plus a shelving unit full of fabric. It is a good thing there are no fabric stores in town any more since WalMart quite their fabric department, or I would have lots more. I probably could never buy another piece of material and sew every day until I can no longer sew and I still wouldn't use all the fabric I have.

Now the dolls are another subject and my hubby is getting a little worried that I have bought too many and that they will not sell. I figure, and I hope that I am right, that with the holidays coming up, there will be lots of sales at the shows I am doing and from the website.

Final note: I talked about the fabric I have and some day I will talk about all the faux furs I have. You see, bears were the main thing that I made for a long time and now I have fur stacked from floor to ceiling on a 4 foot wide shelving unit. Then there is always all the supplies that go with all of this sewing.

Another day for that subject...................

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Another day - Another Goodwill find.



Here is my latest find at the Goodwill thrift store. Wednesdays are senior day and it is always crowded but being a senior means I get a 25% discount, so we always stop there before we do our grocery shopping.

So I picked through all the dolls that they had available and I see this big doll and it is heavy. Had a battery area in its backside and the contacts inside the case look clean and the doll, who you could tell had been played with, was dirty plus the hair was messy. The price was good so we bought her.

When we got home I washed her and her jumpsuit and then brushed out the messy hair and set it and put her out in the sun to dry. After she was dry I combed out the curls in her hair and put them back in the little ponytails that the doll was set up to have.

Then it was time to do some research and see if I could find out what kind of doll it was. After an hour or so looking though collectibles dolls and a few other websites, I found her. She is a Baby Loves to Talk doll, made in 1992 by Toy Biz Company. She was designed and sold as a promotion doll of the year in Toys R' Us. She was called the most innovative toy of the year in France and the best toy and doll of the year in Australia's Family Fun magazine who named her the Best Doll of the year.

Now that I found all that about her, I wanted to see if she talks. She requires 4 "C" batteries. I looked all over this house and could only find 3 "C" batteries. Bummer!! So in the car we go to the dollar store to get batteries as now we were both curious as to what she does. The store is less than 2 miles from the house so we were only gone about 10 minutes. Get back home and after fighting with the blister packs to get them open, hate blister packs, I put the batteries in and it said to kiss her forehead and tip her head. Nothing. Take the batteries out and try again. Nothing. Now this was getting frustrating and I was bound and determined to see if I could do something else to make her talk. Decided maybe the contacts needed to be cleaned so did that and put the batteries in again and then hit the reset button. She talked! Now we had to see what else she said so for about an hour we listened to her as she said different things and moved her mouth and blinked her eyes. She is soooo cute! Also in my research it said if she said a word wrong to repeat the word and she would say it right. It worked! What a great doll.

I know that some of you may remember this doll as it is only 18 years old and some may have had her as a child or bought one for your child. I am going to have a hard time parting with her but I will be selling her. I have so many dolls now and I know I will be buying more and I am quickly running out of room. I truly do enjoy the hunt for dolls of all kinds and then turning them into a clean like new doll for someone else to enjoy.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

My winning entries



Finally I am able to post the winning entries I had in our Mohave County Fair. This has been a month long adventure. First was trying to decide if I was going to enter anything in the fair and this being the first time that I had ever done anything like this, I didn't know what I should enter. I changed several times before I got the final decision made. From there it was deciphering the entry form on the internet. So many divisions and so many categories and sub categories to choose from. The easy part was being able to enter on the internet and not having to print everything out and mailing it in. The forms had to be in almost a month before the actual fair.

So now were the 3 trips to Kingman. The fair grounds are over the mountains and a 100 mile round trip. The first trip was to get the things there a week before the fair so that they could be judged, the second trip was to see if I won anything once the fair was open and then finally yesterday was to go pick everything back up after the fair closed.

I am happy that everything I entered won a First Place ribbon and am really happy that the Fairy Princess won a Best of Class ribbon. I do get a little money from all this but that is not why I entered this competition. I just wanted to see if anything I design and make would be judged by others as good. There were 100's of entries in my division and so I am very pleased that mine all won top honors.

From here these items will all be available on my website and I hope that you will take a look and with Christmas coming up soon, you will decide if anything I have will fit into your budget.

I have several craft shows that I am doing this fall and everything that is on my website will also be shown at shows. Shop early if you see something you want and with 50% down, I will hold an item for you in layaway.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and tell you friends about it as I really do need more followers.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Poor Strawberry




Poor little Strawberry. She had so many problems when I got her in the mail. Her body was so dirty and she had red and pink strips in her unkepted hair plus one eye was not all there. She looked like she had been truly loved but then discarded in a box. I found her and tried my best to clean her up. She use to be a Mattel Sneezy doll, dated 1975, that when you pressed her tummy, she would sneeze and her head would go up and down. I suspect that the original mommy decided she needed a bath and put her in water and all the stuff that make her work leaked out and all over her hair and body. It had to have been red and this gave her the red streaks in the hair but the body is a soft vinyl and it made the body a purple tint. I tried and tried to get the body streaks to go away but to no avail. They are lighter but she will never be like new again. Even her little fingernails and toenails were a blue/purple color. And then there was the poor eye.

Oh what, oh my, what was I going to do with a this sweet little doll with a cute little face. Surely she could come to life again and be loved by another mommy.

After working on the body for two days, and being frustrated in not being able to get the streaks out of her, I decided to work with them. First was repair the eye. A little paint and pens took care of that and now she has dark blue eyes that twinkle at you. Next was the mouth which had no color so a little red took care of that and the blue fingernails and toenails are red too. She was beginning to look better. Then to tackle the hair. A good roller setting and a few hours in the sun and she had curls. There is still the red in the hair but now they looked like they were meant to be there.

Now it was time to work on clothing. The legs had to be covered so after a couple of tries I got her a pair of flesh colored tights made and that covered up all the ills on her legs. Had to pick out some fabric for her and I found this little piece of strawberry print fabric and used that to make her a dress with long sleeves to cover the rest of her body. Of course she had to have shoes too so a piece of green felt and shoes were created for her.

So now you know that she had to have a new name to go with the red in her hair and the strawberry print dress. Strawberry, what else could she be named! Now she is all ready to be loved by a new mommy.

You can see her and the rest of her pictures on my website where she is now for sale.
http://www.ejcraft.com

Thursday, September 16, 2010

I WON, I WON

Not much time to write tonight because it is almost bed time but I did have to come and tell you about my day.

I had entered four items, a faux fur black dog, a faux fur long haired teddy bear, a Emma doll, the four face doll, and a green suedecloth fairy princess into the Mohave County Fair. Last week we drove them over to the fair grounds so they could be judged before the fair opened. Today the fair opened so we drove back over the mountains again to see if any of my items had at least placed.

Surprise, surprise!!! I won a First Place ribbon on all four of the items. Then I also won a Best of Class ribbon on the Fairy Princess.

I took some pictures but because you couldn't get close to anything they didn't turn out well. I will have to wait now until Tuesday evening when back over the mountains we go again to pick up all the stuff.

I am thrilled as this is the first time I had ever entered anything into the fair competition. There were probably 200 to 300 entries in my division so I think I did very well.

Nite all.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Dolls, dolls and more dolls.







Dolls and more dolls. I am having so much fun! I go to the thrift stores and find all these dolls that are in good shape but have been played with and are dirty and have messy hair. I bring them home and with a good washing and shampoo and some times curling of the hair, they look like new dolls. Then I just make them clothes and they don't even look like the same doll. These I can then sell at a good price. Most of them are not vintage but just something that was made in the last 10 years or so.

I have found a couple of vintage dolls and that is exciting to find a collector doll among all the modern dolls. Today it was another Berenguer baby boy doll. He still needs some clothes so he won't be ready to sell just yet.

The dolls pictured are all more modern dolls and they look nothing like the dolls that I found in a dirty messy condition.

Hope you enjoy my journey into the world of redoing all these dolls because I sure am. It is becoming an addiction of what can I find next.

Tune in and see what I come up with next.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Today I remember my Dad

Today is a day for remembering my Dad who was born this day in 1915. He passed away in 1998. I miss him and know that he still watches over me. I was his first born and was named after his mother.

He was diabetic and then went blind when he was about 65. He was a short, heavy set man and loved his beer and any thing sweet. He did not watch his diet and didn't go to the doctor until it was too late. The last 5 years of his life were spent in a nursing home after he had lost his leg to the disease. He got the last couple of years where he didn't even know anyone. It is so sad to know he was this way and I know I should have went back to see him but I just couldn't see him that way.

He had been such a happy and loving person all his life and never said any thing bad about any one. My parents were divorced when I was 4 and I was raised by my mother's parents. My Dad remarried and him and my stepmother were married just a couple of months short of 50 years when he passed. My stepmother is a wonderful person who I still write to. Being in her 90's and still living alone in their house she gets lonely and I try to keep her up on all the things that go on in our lives.

I spent 2 weeks every summer while growing up with my Dad and Stepmother and after I was married our kids know them as Grandpa and Grandma. We would drive up to see them every chance we got.

Anyway, I miss my Dad's hugs. He gave such great ones. Rest in peace and continue to watch over me and John and all the kids and grandkids. We sure all miss you.

I also have to remember the twin towers, the plane crash and the pentagon and all the people who lost friends and family that horrible day. I remember that day like it was yesterday and not 9 years ago. May this tragic event never happen again.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

New dolls






Well as you can see I have some new dolls. I have never done up porcelain dolls before and thought I would give it a try.

I went to the Goodwill store yesterday to see if they had any doll stands. They didn't so was looking at all the dolls they had for very little money and decided that I could clean them up and maybe redress them if needed. I found these three porcelain dolls and I also got three plastic dolls. Those will be for another day as they all need clothing. I got all 6 of the dolls cleaned and washed and curled the hair on the onea that needed it. Also washed the clothing that was on the dolls. They may not have looked dirty but I assure you they were filthy as the wash water was almost black when I finished.

So onto the porcelain dolls in the pictures. The first thing I had to do because I don't know much about porcelain dolls was to do some computer research. Boy was I surprised when I discovered that the one doll was a highly collectible doll.

She is called Rose, She is marked with Royal Albert and the crest on the back of her breast plate. She was made for the Royal Doulton Company in a limited edition of 10,000. The pattern is now retired. She even had all the original clothing on. She is missed the flowers and ribbons in her hair but other than thay she is in perfect condition.

The second doll is a 12 inch doll marked Rose 1-5000 and couldn't find out much about her other than she is from the Victorian Rose Collection. No date so not sure how old. The outfit she has on is original and all I had to do is clean her up. Even her hair was good.

The third doll is a 15 inch doll and has no marking and so not really sure where she is from. I had to complete redress her and do major work on the hair. She has a ton a hair and it was all matted. I got it cleaned and curled and then piled it on the top of her head. Her outfit consists of white stockings and white bloomers trimmed in lace. The dress is a green moleskin fabric trimmed in white lace with a tie of white with white and silver snowflakes. She has such sad looking eyes. I hope she likes the way I dressed her.

Tomorrow is a trip to Kingman to drop off my handmade stuff for judging at the county fair the following weekend. I have never entered anything before so we will see what happens. Cross you fingers that I will get a ribbon.

It has been an exhausting day so will close and wish everyone a good night.

PS.........I guess I am tired because all the pictures are reversed. Sorry!

Monday, September 6, 2010

Last day for gift.






Okay this is the last day I will offer the free gift when you order from my website. Tomorrow will be too late!


I have also added these three dolls. They are all bargain priced at $25 each. The little one is a 12 inch Eegee doll from the 60's. She is all vinyl and I have dressed her in a fun fish print dress and bloomers. Also made her shoes and socks.

The other two are from my collection. They are TallyTots dolls made for WalMart a few years ago. They have the vinyl head, arms and legs and cloth bodies. They are 18 inch dolls and the WalMart version of the American Girl doll. I just have too many dolls and seeing they were just sitting on my shelf, I decided to offer them to someone else to enjoy.

Have a safe and great Labor Day.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Labor Day Weekend Sale






Hope everyone is enjoying the last long weekend before fall or spring which ever part of the world you live in. We are finally suppose to start to cool off tomorrow.

Thought I would help every one out with a sale on my website and those that are starting to think about their Christmas gifts. Yep, I know, no one wants to think about Christmas yet but it is a good time to start getting those special gifts for the wonderful people on your list.

Just for my blogger friends,
$5 gift for anyone who buys $50 worth of merchanise...
A $14.95 bear or doll for those who buy $100 worth of merchanise...
And $24.95 bear or doll for those who buy $200 worth of merchanise...

This will only run today Sunday September 5 and tomorrow September 6

If you need to put things on layaway for later, I will hold your order with a 50% deposit.

I have several shows coming up this fall so get your things before they disappear. Everything is pretty much one of a kind and I don't think I will have much time to make any thing else.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Happy September

Here it is almost fall and we are still into the 110+ temps. What is with the weather here? I enjoy living in the desert but this summer has been almost unbearable. We have had too many days of 120 degree weather and only to short rain showers all summer. We usually get 3 or 4 and it will cooler it off for a little while. We also didn't get only about 2 weeks of high humidity this year, which I am glad for because that is a real killer with the over 110 temps and then adding the humidity.

Well all I can say is I am glad that fall is just around the corner. I am also looking forward to taking four of my pieces to be judged at the Mohave County Fair next week. This is something I have never done before and am a little anxious on how I will do.

Then in October I will have my first local craft show of the fall. I hope to be able to do a couple more of them too before the year is out. I also will be doing an online bear show in November, but more about that later.

This has been a week of received Mattel Vintage dolls. I have them all cleaned up now and those that needed their hair recurled that is done too. I also have made dresses and bloomers for them all, got new shoes and socks and the Charmin Chattty Cathys also got their glasses today. Now I think they are all set to show and put on my website for sale. There are a few on there now if anyone cares to look. I really need to sell a couple of them so that I can buy more and fix them up. I don't restore their voices or cracks in their bodies that they may have. These dolls are all 50 years old and I don't want them to look like a new doll. You can buy reproduced dolls every day and there is no history in doing that. These are dolls that have been loved and played with and you can just imagine the stories they could tell.

Everyone have a great Labor Day weekend. My hubby and I will be staying home and just doing our normal things. I hope that I will be able to get some of the pictures on here sometimes this weekend of all these dolls so that all can see.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Beautiful Sunday Morning

Happy Sunday everyone!

It is a beautiful morning here with clear skies, lots of sun and low temps and humidity. Maybe we are finally getting over our extremely hot summer. I know this is Arizona and the desert so we will still have some 100+ temps before we get into our fall but this morning at 68 degrees it feels good and gives us hope that the cooler weather is on the way.

The windows are all open in the house and we are enjoying it. The cat really loves to go from window to window and checking out what is going on outside. As an indoor cat he can still check on everything and not get into a fight with the cats that roam the neighborhood.

I am still working on doll clothes for the different Chatty Cathys that I have been getting. Right now I only have 5 of the dolls and still have two more that are in the mail. I have about a dozen dresses made and hope to get a few more made before my fall shows start so that I can sell them along with the dolls. The clothes will fit not only the Cathy dolls but also the American Girl dolls so that will be good for selling. I use to make lots of outfits for the American Girl dolls but stopped dong in about two years ago. I really enjoy designing and making dresses for all the dolls.

I have a little retired Berenguer boy doll that I am crocheting an outfit for at the moment and will show that as soon as I get it done. He is so cute and I just love him.

Well enough rambling for today. Enjoy your Sunday.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Tuesday and Another doll





Well here it is Tuesday and I have another doll. This one came to me dirty, with very messy hair and naked....poor baby. She is a 25 inch tall Charmin' Cathy from 1982 per her body markings. I don't know if she talks or not as it takes a record to make her speak. I hope to find some of the records soon so I will know one way or the other if her player still works.

I cleaned her up which took a couple of hours and she still has a couple of faded spots but these may still come off with more cleaner. I then worked on the hair and it came out beautifully and looks almost like it did 35 years ago. She desperately needs clothes so I made up a pattern and cut the fabric for a school girl look in red cotton and lace. She has the red dress and matching bloomers and then I also made some socks and put on a pair of cute little shoes that I had. I added the red bow to her hair and now she is ready to move on to some little girl or collector who will cherish her.

Tomorrow will be the next doll. A cute little Singing Cathy (sorry no voice) but I will tell you all about her tomorrow.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

My love of dolls continues





Has been a busy week here with making doll clothes. This is my latest find. She came to me dirty with a really nasty little outfit on and I had to rid her of the dirty and grime. She is an all one piece soft vinyl doll make in Mexico. What year, who knows? The thing is she talks. Says several phases by pulling the string in the back of her head. She cleaned up very well and I made her a cute little pink dress, bloomers and white socks all trimmed in pink lace. The only thing I kept of the original outfit were the white plastic shoes, which were in a like new condition. She is now listed on my website http://www.ejcrafts.com

My love of dolls has gone back to my childhood. I always had a doll and played dolls with my sister all the time. I made doll clothes from the time I was about 8 or 9 when I was allowed to use the sewing machine. Maybe I am in my second childhood because I am starting to get excited again about getting some more dolls, cleaning them up, redressing them and letting others have the joy of getting a "new to them" vintage doll. This is going to be a great adventure!

Monday, August 16, 2010

Dolls and more dolls




I really should stay off EBay because yesterday I won the bids on three different dolls. They were really low bids and I didn't expect to get any of them and I won three. Who knew!

It all started last week when I got the two Chatty Cathy dolls in the mail from a collector. I decided I would go on EBay and see the pricing plus I wanted to buy some shoes for the dolls. Bad idea because I started to bid on some of the dolls that had low pricing figuring that they would go way high....well a couple of them did but then came yesterday and I get the notices that I was high bidder. Now I have three more dolls headed my way and I am really going to have to decide what I want to do with all these dolls.

I did get some clothes made for the dolls this week and it is so much fun making doll clothes. I like pulling the fabric and cutting out a basic dress and then going through all the embellishment's that I have, adding them to the dress and seeing what I come out with.

Here are three of the dresses that I did this week and now with getting some "new" old dolls in the mail over the next week, I guess I will be making more clothes.

If anyone is interested in buying some of these dolls or even the clothing for these dolls, please contact me and I can send the information on the dolls. I will also be putting all the dolls and the clothing on my website over the next week.

Now it is time to go sew some more............

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Today my husband John is in love.



I got this fur the other day and John wanted a bear made from it right away. The last couple of days I worked on making a panda and this is the result. He is a 14 inch, 5 way jointed bear and I even put vinyl paw pads on him to make him a "man's" bear.

Even though navy is a hard fur to photograph, I think you can see the shine that this fur has. It is so soft and easy to work with. Anyway, John thinks it looks almost like Chicago Bear colors so he is in love. It is going to be very hard when this bear sells. The bear is now listed on my website.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Wednesday and I am in love.



Today I received two "new to me" Chatty Cathy dolls in the mail. I think I am in love with these dolls. They were popular in the late 60's and early 70's and I remember at the time that we could not afford to buy one for our daughter. Now I have three of them.

The first one I got a couple of months ago and that one is going nowhere but these two I bought for resale. I really wish I could keep them but it is best if I sell them. I will be making a complete wardrobe for each of the dolls. These two are in pretty good shape. One still has the pull string but the voice is garbled and the other one the string is missing. This is a common thing in these dolls. The one also have discolored legs which also is common. These dolls have been around and played with so you have to expect some minor problems. They have both been redressed with new clothes and then I will add some more clothing.

If you know of anyone who would like one of these dolls, please contact me for further information on the dolls.

Maybe tomorrow I will get around to more about my life. As for today, I am off to my sewing room to see what I can do with the new wonderful fur that I got yesterday.
I got some peach and navy and think I will be making a Chicago Bear panda for my hubby. He is a Chicago Bear fan. These will be special ordered if you want one and will not say Chicago Bear anywhere on them as only the colors will make it look like a Chicago Bear. Don't want to get into any copywrite problems.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Reflections

My birthday was last week and as I start another decade of my life, I sit and reflect on where I have been and where my life has led me.

Background: I grew up on a farm with my grandparents raising my sister and I. Our parents were divorced when I was 4 and my mother had us living with her. One day she brought the laundry and us girls and our baby brother to my grandparents and said she would be back in a couple of days and she never returned. My grandparents who had two kids of their own still at home, one girl 16 and a boy 12 couldn't keep all of us so my brother who was only 5 months old was adopted by my grandfather sister and husband. My grandparents then got guardianship of us girls. We had a good life from then on and enjoyed living and working on farms in the northern Illinois area.

I think because of this early trauma, I vowed if I got married, I would never put my children through that. Well, here I am married 52 years and raised three wonderful children so I guess I made it. Yes, being married is not always easy and yes we had our bad times but there were many more good times than bad.

My husband, John and I are best friends and have worked all our lives until we retired 6 years ago. The last few years of working we even worked in the same job so were together 24/7 so when we retired we didn't have that trauma of all of a sudden being together all the time.

We even spent 20 years of doing craft shows all over the western states. We really enjoyed doing them with John setting up everything and I doing all the sewing. It worked great. We would work all week at regular jobs and our weekend were craft shows. We still do a couple of shows a year but due to health problems, that is all that we can manage. Then John doesn't drive anymore so now the shows are all local.

I love doing my crafts and I love to sew so now with a website I am able to sell some of my work that way too. I try to keep my cost low and I don't charge what I know I should charge for my work but it is more of "keeping busy" so as long as I can make enough to cover my costs of materials and a little extra to cover the shows, I am happy.

I have rambled on now and never got to the part of reflection that I started this blog with so tomorrow is another day. I have lots of time, so if I get busy doing something else I will write and explore what my life has given me.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Green is good




Green is good, right?
For these pretty little fairy dolls, yes.
Now the story of why these dolls came out a moss green color. Polyester fabric is not suppose to take dye but I have done it before and it worked. I made a bright blue and orange bear from a lovely white faux fur this past winter to match the Chicago bear colors. The fur colors turned out beautifully and the guy who commissioned it was thrilled.
So on with the story of the green. I have the light taupe colored ultra suede and I thought I could dye that a nice brown to make some brown dolls. I got out my big stainless steel stock pot and mixed the dye according to the package and put it on the stove to boil. I added about a yard of fabric and waited, stirring the fabric every so often. For an hour and nothing was happening, another hour and it looked like maybe the fabric was getting brown. Another hour and now it looks brown so I do the next step of washing the excess dye from the fabric with cold water. The fabric does look like it is really the brown color I was going after, so into the dryer the fabric goes. Twenty minutes later, the fabric is soft and the color looks right.....yea I did it. WRONG!
I put the fabric on my cutting table that is in front of a south window and OH NO....the fabric is mossy green.
Now what am I going to do. I have fabric dyed and I am not a person who likes to waste fabric so I cut out two dolls and made them up. Okay, so now I have two green dolls....let's see.....what kind of things are green......gnomes, sprites, fairies..........hummmmm what to do, what to do.
First they need hair so start to pull faux fur fabric to see what would look best. Tried several colors and none were quite right and then tried the white and it worked as it is a complete contrast to the fabric. Okay now that that is done, what about clothing. Maybe a Christmas theme outfit but no Christmas theme doesn't sell well for me so onto the next thing. Fancy, that will do it! So pull out all my bridal type fabrics. White, blue, lavender, green, pink, rose what oh what is the best ones to use.........
White on white satin is always good so start there. Cut that out and decided it really needed puffy sleeves in a different fabric so cut out some sheer sleeves. Hum, better cut out two sets of sleeves because these would look good on both dolls. Start to sew and opened several drawers of lace to find just the right lace to put on the dress. Sewed it all up and dressed the doll. Looks good. Now what color for the other doll? Had a small piece of a heavy rose fabric and cut that out, sewed and dug through all the lace again to find a piece that would work on that fabric. Done and now both dolls are dressed.
Set the dolls on stands and go........what do I need to finish them. Flowers for their hair, but I don't have any flowers that would work. Shoot, now I have to make a trip to WalMart and it is 110 degrees outside and I really don't want to go out.
Next morning now and I have to go get some flowers if I want to finish these dolls so off to WalMart. Get to store and they really don't have much to choose from and they are expensive but found a couple branches of a velvety flower that would work. Also bought wire and floral tape and extra ribbon. Home again and see what if the idea I have in my head will work. Got the wire the right size and used floral tape to cover the wire and started to try to get the flowers on the wire. Nope........doesn't look good. Darn! Walk away and think of something else I can do.
Second idea. Hot glue. Dug out the hot glue gun and heat that up and cut the flowers down and now have to cover the wire with more than floral tape or the hot glue will melt the tape. Cover the wire now with ribbon. Finally I can start to cover the head piece with leaves and flowers. After a couple of hours of work, two head pieces are done and I attach some ribbons for streams and put the head pieces on the dolls.
Dolls still don't look finished....Now what???? Baskets of flowers in their hands. Nope. Wands in the hands. Nope. Okay, dig through the accessory box and see what else I have. Lockets....I have some little antique looking lockets in there. These will work!
Finally after days of going back and forth on this project I think I have a couple of cute dolls. Now they are on my website and we will see if anyone else thinks they are cute and will buy them.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

New Doll Designs







It has been since May when I last was here and I am not sure anyone is reading this anyway.




Here are a couple of the new designs that I have been working on. The first is a set of dolls I call Kyle and Katie. They are 16 inch dolls. I like this design and they have been good seller for me this year. I am down to just the three sets.
The second picture is of my design I just finished up this week. She is a 17 inch doll with bent arms and legs. It took me third times to get her right but I am pleased with the finished product.
The weather is hot here but then it always is in the summer in the desert. No craft shows to do in the area and everyone pretty much just stays in the house and only goes out to do what is necessary. We all look forward to the end of the summer when we can get out and do things again.
I hope everyone is having a great summer and the storms have stayed away from you.
















Monday, May 3, 2010

Greetings

















I have been working on new bear designs and new soft doll designs since the first of the year. My newest bear is one with bendable arms and legs and is 20 inches tall which is a big bear for me as most of my bears are either 14 inches or 8 inches. These bears have a foam covered bendable rod that goes in the limbs and I really love working with them. Three of them are shown above. I am still trying different furs and dressed and undressed to see what everyone thinks of them
I have a small craft show to do this coming Saturday in Henderson Nevada, at the Fiesta Hotel/Casino and hopefully these will be a big hit. If anyone is in the neighborhood please drop by and take a look at all the bears, dolls, dogs and other critters that I have available. The show runs from 10am to 8pm on the second floor next to the buffet and across from the bingo parlor.
Next week when I have the time I will show you all the dolls that I have been working on. There are three new designs for them too.