Elizabeth's Whimsies

January Snow and Goat Girls

2012-01-21T16:59:00.002-05:00

Anza climbs and Josie wails, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

I will post a video later--these girls are just too silly! Josie is busy wailing at me in this photograph. See her little open mouth? They want COOKIES!

Dollmore Aga in Yellow

2012-01-19T15:32:00.002-05:00

Dollmore Aga in Yellow, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

My mother sent me the yarn for the knitted shrug that is worn here by Dollmore Aga (Mia's Baby Doll). I received the yarn for my birthday last year and my mother hand-dyed it. It knitted up beautifully! The pattern is from Froggy Duds on etsy and was easy to make.

January Snowfall

2012-01-15T08:43:00.002-05:00

January 14 snowfall, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

After one of the warmest winters I can ever remember, it suddenly decided to be cold and snow. We live east of the Great Lakes and the arctic air mass over the warm lakes caused a LOT of snow to fall. We got about 12 inches in one day (which is not as much as last year by FAR). It is certainly pretty! The snow started as rain first, then freezing rain, then slush and then regular dry snow. The freezing rain, slush and wet snow froze onto the branches and the whole yard looks like a winter fairyland. This was the view out the kitchen window yesterday morning before work (around 7:30 AM). Today, it's cold (-7 F) and the birds are flocking to the feeders! This next picture is a little blurry. It was still darkish outside and the camera shutter speed was slow.

PJ Kid

2012-01-14T18:00:00.002-05:00

PJ Kid, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

I love making jammies for little dolls. They're so easy and so cute! This little set is made from flannel (one of my favorite prints with piggies on it!) and is modeled by Dollmore Aga, who still does not have a name! I'm considering Primrose as her name, but I'm still not sure.

Willa's New Overalls

2012-01-10T12:26:00.002-05:00

Willa in heart overalls, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

Willa is wearing some new overalls that we made for Etsy. I'll list them in the next few days. There is a picture of the full outfit on my Flickr account (just click through the photo).

Bethany's New Outfit

2012-01-08T19:39:00.002-05:00

Bethany's New Outfit, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

I ordered a pattern from Designs by Jude and made Bethany an outfit. It will be listed on etsy within a week or so.

Narsha in grey

2012-01-08T07:18:00.002-05:00

Narsha, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

I had a suspicion that this dress would look nice on Narsha!

Some New Year Musings...

2012-01-05T08:34:00.000-05:00

Well, I was having trouble gathering the energy the other day to reflect on the past year and think about the new one but I'm feeling much better now! I am going to take this time to think about all those things in my life that I am extremely fortunate to have. I'm really a very lucky person to have the life I have and it helps to reflect on that once in a while.

I'm so happy that I added those two little mischievous goats to my life! I was thinking for a few weeks that I might be entirely crazy to get more pets, but they are so much fun and have such unique little personalities! They really brighten my day!

I'm also glad that every one of my original 11 chickens is still with me and happy and healthy. They are so funny and friendly and cheery and there is nothing more comical than watching a big, fat hen with a floofy bottom run across the yard to see me when I get home from work. A running chicken is just a naturally amusing sight and one that I recommend for anyone who needs a good laugh! The ducks, as much work as they are, are so cute and so funny, too. Little Duck's children, who are still here, keep her company and keep her warm at night, so even though the boys are sort of pushy and demanding, I think Little likes them and since she is the whole reason I have ducks, I'm glad that she's happy! The cats and dog are well, too, and happy and healthy, even though Toby is now 12, Zoe is 12, and Onyx is 11. The Brother is still only 6, just a baby. Here is Onyx, helping me put up the Christmas decorations!

I'm also quite grateful that the veterinary clinic is doing well enough in this economy. I hope our clients continue to think we do a good job and keep bringing their little family members to us. I am honored by the trust that they place in us and I'm so happy to help pets on a daily basis. One of my resolutions from last year involved making sure that I practice according to my philosophy and I have definitely seen improvements in this respect and expect it to get better in the new year as we add a new doctor and a new technician.

I am happy to say that I did pretty well with most of last year's resolutions, with the exception of finishing April Cottage! I'm still stalled on the living room, although it is more complete than before! The next step is to get the ceiling paper and lights in the living room and finish trimming the room. I want the finished result but don't much enjoy getting there!

So for this next year, what do I want to accomplish and work on? Mostly, I think I need to concentrate on making sure that I reduce my personal stress level and this is 100% tied up with one of last year's resolutions to communicate what I need and want more fully to everyone. I still need to work on this, although it's improving! I also need to make sure I make time for myself and my own projects and learn how to say NO when necessary. I can't help anyone by being over-committed and never having any free time for myself. My crafting goals include making more outfits for the dolls I have and continuing to keep my etsy shop stocked with a variety of things. I enjoy making doll clothes and it's a big stress reliever for me! Mostly, in this New Year, I want to appreciate what I have in life, simplify, slow down and really enjoy my days.

New Wallet

2012-01-02T07:45:00.002-05:00

Simple Wallet, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

I am probably the only person in the world that likes it when something wears out, because then I have an opportunity to make a new one! My old wallet has a hole, so I used a tutorial from Lola Nova to make a new one.

Here's the link to the tutorial, and thanks to the author:http://lolanovablog.blogspot.com/2009/07/summer-wallet-tutorial.html

Here's my color selection for the inside:

Oh, The Cute!

2012-01-01T17:42:00.003-05:00

Gnome Dress, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

Happy New Year! I do not have the energy this year to make a Resolutions post...perhaps I will do it in a few days.

This little doll was my present to myself for Christmas. This is a Dollmore Aga (Mia's Babydoll). She's about the same size as my Rosen Lied girls but appears much younger. She can share clothing with them, which is nice. Her face is painted by Dollmore and I'm happy with their work. I was a little anxious to see how they did on it because I could not find any photos of this doll with the factory paint. She's so cute! I'm looking forward to making more clothing for her. This dress is from basic patterns in Storybook Clothes for Dolls (10 inch size). The hat pattern I made up myself and the vest is also from the same book. The little bunny is from a pattern from Little Dear. Closer view of her face:

More photos are on Flickr.

Christmas Dress for Jenna's Doll

2011-12-26T18:22:00.003-05:00

Christmas Dress, in color, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

I sewed this dress for my niece's American Girl Felicity. I used a pattern I purchased on ebay from All Time Fashions. The pattern was easy to use and came out well. I have a bit of trouble photographing these dolls--they're too big for my light box!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and holiday season with your families. We had a very relaxing weekend and it was quite nice to see my younger brother for the weekend, as well!

Norah in kid heaven

2011-12-18T12:30:00.002-05:00

Norah in kid heaven, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

Norah (Heidi Plusczok's Candy 2007) is in kid heaven after receiving these fantastic gifts in a swap on the Plusczok Doll Yahoo Group! She also received two little gingerbread ornaments that are so cute! She loves everything! The sweater's color looks marvelous with her hair and happens to be one of my favorite colors!

Goat Girls at Christmas

2011-12-10T15:48:00.002-05:00

Girls in outfits, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

These girls are as silly as ever. I plied them with goat treats and photographed them in their outfits. I did make a few videos, too, but will have to upload them later because they take forever to upload. It's been COLD here today; a high of 27 degrees Fahrenheit! I had to finally dump out the ducks' pool. No more swimming till spring for them!

New Etsy Listing

2011-12-08T13:37:00.000-05:00

I put one of my entries from the Little Darlings Yahoo Group fashion contest on etsy for sale. Perhaps your girl needs a Christmas formal outfit? Or an outfit for a holiday concert?

Emma Hiking

2011-12-04T17:19:00.003-05:00

Emma Hiking, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

Emma Leigh Addison, walking in the woods last weekend. I made her the little slacks, and the shirt is borrowed from one of my Chrysalis dolls.

Close up because she's pretty:

Emma is a 13" Effner vinyl studio Little Darling, painted by Dianna Effner and sold by Everybody Loves Dolls.

Our Thanksgiving and Some New Thrift Shop Finds

2011-11-27T08:18:00.003-05:00

Vegan Thanksgiving, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

People ask me frequently what vegetarians/vegans eat for Thanksgiving. I made this feast for us. We had pot pie with pumpkin biscuit crust, mashed sweet potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, rolls and roasted green beans. Dessert was apple pie and it was the best! Yummy!

We went thrifting yesterday and I found this gorgeous candy-colored afghan. It's now my craft room afghan!

We also decorated for Christmas. I found this heart garland at the thrift store and it looks great up there with my mistletoe!

Ducks and goats!

2011-11-19T15:46:00.000-05:00

Well, around here it has yet to significantly snow, which is good with me. I can still fill up the ducks' kiddie pools, which they enjoy. Next summer, I have plans to put in a larger pond for the ducks to swim in, hopefully a large koi pond in which I will install a drain to make my life easier!

Hattie and Roger, swimming

Little (Daisy) Duck's children are all grown and the boys are becoming obnoxious. Anyone want a few ducks? I have had them listed on Craigslist for a while with no takers. The two Mallard boys are a bit pushy with all the females. They and Nathan and possibly Mark are soon to be deported to the goat yard, as soon as I can figure out where to put their food so the goats can't get into it. They are so beautiful, though, these naughty boys. Mark has grown into an interesting looking duck and Nathan is very hard to tell apart from his daddy, Roger. Pearl is a good (but noisy) little girl and can stay with her Moms and Dad. Mark is the multicolored boy below, Nathan the white with Edward and Pearl behind him, and Charlie is the Mallard colored boy in the lowest picture.

The goats are ridiculous, no matter the season! They are hard to capture on camera because they don't stay still, so video is the best way! They are obsessed lately with seeing if I will give them a treat. They try to find treats in my hands and pockets and also they jump up onto their balance beam, expecting a reward. Greedy girls!

Anisha in a pretty winter dress

2011-11-17T14:30:00.002-05:00

Anisha, full view with embroidered dress, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

Sorry for the long blog silence! I finished this dress a few weeks ago but haven't had time to photograph it. Under the dress there is a cute little white petticoat with embroidered purple snowflakes on it.

Fireplace and Wainscot in April Cottage

2011-10-29T11:15:00.002-04:00

Fireplace and Wainscot in April Cottage, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

This is fiddly work. I bought a new fireplace (unpainted) for April Cottage because I did not like how the paint came out on the one I sculpted. I painted it this morning and finally installed the wainscot and trim on the walls, except for the wall with the door. I need to stain the trim for the door and get that up before I attach the wainscot on that side.

First Snowfall

2011-10-27T14:41:00.003-04:00

Snow on Mums, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

It's our first snowfall of the year today. We are not expected to get much, but it really drives home that winter will be here very soon! I still have to run an extension cord to the chicken coop for their heated waterer and to the goat house for the same reason. And the duck run roof needs a little reinforcement before heavy snows come. The chickens are spending the day inside their coop on the shelf by the window, looking mournfully outside at the bad weather. I have given them a cabbage suspended from a chain to give them something to keep them busy. The wild birds are eating much more seed than they have been the last few weeks. They were very eager for me to fill the hopper this morning and a titmouse took a seed right from my scoop. The chickadees routinely do that, but this is the first time a titmouse has done that.

Rose Red

2011-10-13T15:41:00.003-04:00

Rose Red, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

I finally redressed my Boneka Dianna Effner Rose Red. She had been wearing her original outfit for a LONG time. Her dress, in reality, is darker red than it shows in the pictures. The apron is made of a vintage linen handkerchief. I added a line of embroidery along the bottom.

Peak Color

2011-10-10T17:48:00.002-04:00

Fall Leaves in Upstate NY, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

The view out back is gorgeous! It's all yellows, reds and oranges.

I got Venetian Carnival Olivia by Helen Kish from MDCC's website. She's gorgeous! I made her a new outfit and had some fun drafting patterns to fit the vision I had in my head of what I wanted to make. The first version came out too large and so it is on an Effner Little Darling at the moment. After I get the snaps and slip done for that version, I'll share that, too.

Song and Tamsin

2011-10-06T10:06:00.002-04:00

Song and Tamsin, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

I found this great bench at the thrift store and realized it would be perfect for the 14" Chrysalis girls. Song and Tamsin volunteered to have their photos done, with Tulah's cat, Toots.

New Sculpture

2011-10-03T19:54:00.002-04:00

Adam in Hand, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

I was inspired the other day to see if I could still sculpt in dollhouse scale. I made this little guy. He's 2 inches long! He has hand-painted brown eyes, hand-applied blond hair and a hand-made little (non-removable) outfit. He was lots of fun to make! He is jointed at the hips and shoulders. I will probably list him on etsy at some point in the near future but have no idea what 1:12 sculpted babies are going for these days! Better do some research first!

Cleaning the Goat Shed is Great Fun!

2011-10-01T17:14:00.000-04:00

These two are endlessly silly. They thought that cleaning the shed was party time last weekend. They were tearing around, hopping from their hammock which I placed on the lawn when I was cleaning the shed, to the wheel barrow and then onto the bales of shavings that were to be put into the shed when I was done. It was so funny! It was also exhausting!

Autumn Overalls

2011-09-25T18:58:00.003-04:00

Effner Girl in Autumn Overalls, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

I made these overalls yesterday. I had to wait for today for the light to be good enough to photograph them. The embroidery detail is from Vicki Haninger's book and the pattern for the overalls I modified to fit this doll from one of Rosemary Ionker's patterns.

And here's my inspiration! The view from my back deck.

Newest Little Darling

2011-09-24T10:30:00.002-04:00

IMG_2871, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

This is my newest hand-painted Little Darling but I'm not sure what her name is yet! She was painted by Lana Dobbs, to my specifications. She does such beautiful work! I made the smocked dress last weekend.

Nice day for embroidery

2011-09-12T19:20:00.001-04:00

I finally finished another block on my State Flowers Quilt! It's been a while since I had a chance to make a block. They're so much fun and come out so nicely. I need to get another one ready to embroider. The patterns, in case you didn't know, are available free at Turkey Feathers blog by Vicki Haninger.

Today was perfect weather for embroidery. I sat on the deck and made this sachet (pattern from here) as a gift for one of my receptionists at work. She is so thoughtful and always brings anyone with a birthday a small gift and her birthday is on Wednesday, so I made her a small gift. I was home today because I got home from a veterinary conference in Boston late on Sunday night. Today was a catch-up, reorganize and get ready for the week sort of day!

Piper on a late summer day

2011-09-04T19:11:00.002-04:00

Piper on a late summer day, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

Finally, I had time for the sewing machine! I bought a pattern today from Designs by Jude for some jeans. It also has a turtleneck, but it was too hot here today for turtlenecks, so we put a blouse on Piper and took her photo. The early evening late summer light is a little difficult to photograph in, but Piper is such a pretty doll! Below is a close up, just because.

Anza and Josie are Silly!

2011-09-02T07:28:00.001-04:00

Anza and Josie on a beam, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

The girls needed some sort of toy to climb on, so we made a makeshift one until we can get them a picnic table or similar. They have a board balanced between two stacks of cement blocks, and they obviously love it. They were yelling at me yesterday morning from this position, and stayed right in position while I got the camera and took a photo!

Sorry about the lack of crafting photos lately. I have had company and have been so busy I haven't had any time for any doll dresses or other craft projects! Hopefully this weekend I can make something fun!

Josie

2011-08-22T07:30:00.002-04:00

Josie, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

Josie wishes everyone a happy Monday morning!

Tammy by Ideal

2011-08-21T18:29:00.002-04:00

Tammy, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

My mother had a Tammy doll when she was a kid. I looked them up online a few years ago and thought they were really cute! I have had this one for about 10 years or so. I made her a new dress. She needs shoes very badly, though! She doesn't even have one pair! I also have her little sister, Pepper. Pepper's outfit came with her but is not an Ideal outfit.

Anza and Josie are Home

2011-08-13T18:35:00.003-04:00

Anza and Josie in their new pen, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

These are my new little girls! They are home and are getting along well. Anza is about 10 weeks old (born June 2) and is the solid cream colored girl and Josie is the buckskin baby and is about 4 months old. They are both absolutely adorable!

Alisha, Hand-Painted by Helen Kish

2011-08-07T13:47:00.000-04:00

This is my little Alisha, 8" and all-vinyl, hand-painted by Helen Kish! She arrived the other day and is so pretty! I made her a little romper but had to draft the pattern for it myself because I had no patterns exactly right. It still needs a bit of tweaking to be absolutely perfect but it will do for Alisha's new outfit.

A close up of her face to show the painting. The camera fails to capture that her eyes have a bit of iridescence to them!

The Goat Shed Has Arrived!

2011-07-28T15:02:00.003-04:00

Goat House, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

The fence goes in on Monday. I'm so excited for my new little pets to arrive!

Duck Pedicure

2011-07-24T09:27:00.002-04:00

Duck Pedicure, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

Little's (Daisy's) children think that toes are really interesting, and perhaps if they moodle them enough, they might produce some green peas like fingers sometimes do. I started out this drippy Sunday with clean feet! Not so much any more!

Little Duck (Daisy) thinks having all these children is exhausting!

These little guys are now almost five weeks old and are cute as buttons. I haven't decided yet whether to give them all away or keep some or all of them! I might keep some to keep my goats company in the pen on the other side of the yard. I will decide soon enough. The two mallard cross ducklings are male and I think all three of the calls are girls. This call baby has great coloring. We've been calling her Checkers because her little wing feathers came in first.

Margie and Gitta

2011-07-18T07:33:00.002-04:00

Margie and Gitta, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

These girls don't get photographed much, but they're so beautiful! They are Margie and Gitta Himstedt. It's a shame that Annette Himstedt is no longer producing dolls, because they are fantastically well-painted, beautifully detailed and just lovely! I need more clothing for them, though!

Charlotta in Liberty of London

2011-07-14T21:05:00.002-04:00

Charlotta in Liberty - Full View, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

I have been saving this fabric up for a long time! Charlotta needed something handmade, just for her, so I used a small piece of the Liberty lawn to make a dress for her. The waistband is accented by vintage lace and the collar line is embroidered. I plan on making a little crocheted shrug to go with it.

Bye bye, guys!

2011-07-10T13:58:00.000-04:00

The little set of 4 ducklings (Hattie's babies) have gone to a new home as of yesterday! Hattie and Roger don't seem to mind a bit. I was sad to see them go, but they are in good hands and I'm confident they'll have a great life.

In other news, only about five more weeks till my goats come! Their shed's site is leveled and ready. The shed itself should arrive in a few weeks. I'm eagerly awaiting my new little friends.

Vegetarianism

2011-07-06T07:20:00.000-04:00

I've been a happy vegetarian for 17 + years and a near vegan (I eat the eggs of my own, spoiled and happy chickens) for about a year. I am a vegetarian for many reasons, not the least of which is I see personality and individuality in each of the animals I interact with and killing and eating them goes against my nature and against the oath that I took when I became a veterinarian. Much as people don't want to know it, a chicken truly has a personality, as does a cow and pig and the family dog. I won't eat the family dog and I won't eat any of the others, as well. I'd like to share a great book and my Goodreads review of it:

Ninety-five: Meeting America's Farmed Animals in Stories and Photographs by No Voice Unheard

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Although somewhat melodramatic in places, this is a beautifully photographed book that talks about the personality and individuality of the featured animals. I found it to be consistent with what I know about the traditionally farmed animals that I keep as pets as well as those I interacted with when I was in veterinary school. It raises significant moral questions about the fate of animals kept in factory farms. Do Americans really know what they are eating and how much suffering goes into producing cheap meat, eggs and milk? If you don't know, you should make an active effort to find out. Willful ignorance and continued participation in a corrupt and unethical system makes you just as guilty as those who raise these animals in deplorable conditions just to provide you with a cheap chicken dinner.

I'm also currently reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, which is a logical, calm and open look at animal production. It's a great read so far. Ok, back off my soapbox and back to thinking about happier things!

Zoe Effner

2011-07-05T07:23:00.000-04:00

Zoe is modeling the newest dress I made. This dress is actually perfectly sized for Narsha and I designed it for Narsha, but it also fits Zoe. It's listed in my etsy shop.

April Cottage Fireplace

2011-07-04T16:51:00.002-04:00

Fireplace for 1:12 scale cottage, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

At last I am making some progress on April Cottage. I have nearly finished the fireplace. This is made from a block of styrofoam that I cut to the proper size. I then covered it with a thin layer of LaDoll airdry clay and shaped the stones into it. Once it's fully dry, I will tint it to match Cotswold limestone and then I will put a back on and a base on. It'll go in the parlor of my cottage.

Anza the goat baby

2011-07-03T10:10:00.002-04:00

Anza the goat baby, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

I went to visit Anza yesterday! She is growing well and will come home in about 6 weeks.

Daisy and her Ducklings

2011-06-24T07:40:00.002-04:00

Daisy and her Ducklings, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

Daisy is a good mama. She loves her little duckies. They're just impossibly adorable.

In other news, I will be a goat mama later in the summer. This is Anza! Her photo was taken by her breeder, Marla.

Daisy Duck Has Babies!

2011-06-23T08:53:00.002-04:00

Mallard Call Cross Ducklings, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

Daisy has five children! I don't think any more will hatch and I think at least three of these are actually hatched from Hattie's eggs, but that's OK. Daisy doesn't know the difference and she loves them all. She lets me pick them up but no one else. She makes ugly mama duck faces at everyone else who tries to see them. Ducky babies are SO CUTE!

Someone is coming today to see my older set of ducklings. I will be sad to see them go but they have grown up well and will be happy duckies!

Peony in June

2011-06-19T07:49:00.003-04:00

Peony in June, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

These peonies are part of what I love about June! They smell so nice.

Wistful Astrid

2011-06-11T12:51:00.002-04:00

Wistful Astrid, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

Part of the fun of ball-jointed dolls is seeing how they look with different hair and eyes or eye positions. This is Dollmore Narsha in a different wig than her usual red one. It makes her look completely different. I have also found it's very difficult to properly photograph her red wig in natural light! The sun makes it appear too brassy. For comparison, click here.

I made a new dress for Astrid. She needed something of her own. It's basically impossible to find any dress patterns that fit her, so I drafted my own. In width, her torso is similar to Bitty Bethany's but it's longer and she's a lot taller. I will see whether this dress also fits Bitty Bethany sized dolls--I suspect it will but it will be long on them.

I love the summer months. It's much easier to photograph dolls!

Ahh...summer at last!

2011-06-10T09:55:00.003-04:00

Willa relaxing, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

Willa is relaxing in the morning sunshine after picking a little wildflower for her hair. I made the dress from a pattern I drafted myself to fit her. The hem is embroidered with chicken-scratch embroidery, which looks so pretty but is very time consuming to do. I made it through nine episodes of Lost while working on this embroidery!

Here is a close up, just because she is so beautifully painted. Lana is painting me another Little Darling, I'm happy to say! She does such beautiful work!

And another photo just because.

Just Ducky!

2011-06-06T16:00:00.000-04:00

Miss Daisy has informed us that she, too, would like to raise a small family. She is sitting on seven eggs, some of hers and some of Hattie's. I have possible homes in the works for babies so I'm letting her sit on them. They will be half Mallard and half Call.

Roger and Hattie's children are getting very big. I was gone for the weekend and they sprouted right up! They are getting feathers. In about two weeks they should be ready for new homes; just about when Daisy's children should hatch. Anyone need a bitty baby ducky?

Carrot Embroidery

2011-06-03T08:49:00.001-04:00

My Curo is modeling a drop-waisted light green cotton sleeveless dress with a wool felt embroidered jacket. I made two of this dress and put one on etsy, but the one on etsy has a blank front. Whoever purchases it can specify what they would like embroidered on the jacket front.

Charlotta Plusczok

2011-05-30T16:02:00.002-04:00

Charlotta Plusczok full view, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

Here is my Charlotta, by Heidi Plusczok. I redressed her in a dress made by Janet Wysong. She's a beautiful doll and has the new joints that Heidi made for this year's line.

We are 3 weeks old!

2011-05-29T08:08:00.002-04:00

Baby Call Ducks at 3 weeks of age, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

My little ducklings are growing fast! They are now three weeks old and they have to come inside at night because we separated them from Roger, since he decided they were competition and that he needed to bite them. Mean Daddy! He will visit with them through their pen fence, though. Mommy ducky still loves them. They now take two hands to lift up! They grow visibly day to day, and sometimes even from morning to evening! They are just starting to get tail feathers. I will get nicer photos sometime if it ever stops raining around here.

Clarissa Joy

2011-05-15T13:06:00.002-04:00

Clarissa on a garden bench, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

My niece, Jewel, asked me to make her doll a little friend for her birthday. I used the Wee Wonderful's Chloe, Kit and Louise pattern to make a new little doll. Her name is Clarissa Joy and she enjoys playing outside, nature walks and looking at butterflies!

Video of the Kids

2011-05-08T15:19:00.002-04:00

Duckling a video by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

They are just too cute!

And then there were four!

2011-05-07T19:42:00.001-04:00

The little dark brown one was hatched sometime during the night. He's cute! They all are. I don't think that the two remaining eggs will hatch. Hattie is still keeping one of them warm, though, so we'll see. She has rolled the other remaining egg out of the nest. The babies have already gotten into trouble--one popped through a tiny hole in the fence and was wandering around with the chickens and squeaking. Luckily I was outside when that happened. I'm not sure what the chickens would have done to him. I've found all the holes now and there should be no more episodes like that. Roger is not sure what to think of the babies. If they run at him, he runs away, but other times he tries to push them around with his beak. Daisy just ignores them and keeps out of their way. It's too much commotion for her! Here is the family when Hattie came out to get something to eat and drink. Such a cute little family!

More ducklings!

2011-05-06T19:16:00.000-04:00

SO CUTE! I adore them!

Three more eggs are left and obviously, one is in mid-hatch right now. That little guy is moving around nicely, so I expect more kids soon. These little guys are just so cute. I will try to post a video at some point. They bounce around and scare the big ducks. It's hilarious.

Duckling!

2011-05-05T17:33:00.000-04:00

There's a little duckling this afternoon in the nest! Hopefully he's healthy and will do ok--he's peeping. Hattie won't let me look at him much, but he's pretty cute. Sorry about the poor picture! I didn't want to disturb them too much.

Rosen Lied Arina

2011-05-02T07:27:00.003-04:00

Rosen Lied Arina, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

She arrived and she's so pretty! I got this doll from a fellow collector who was letting her go. She's perfect and has beautiful face paint. She's posing here with a little felted kitten I made. Her name is Samantha.

Hattie

2011-05-01T17:51:00.001-04:00

Hattie is expecting. She is sitting on 7 eggs. I'm not sure if any of them will hatch, or who on earth I will give them to if they do hatch, but I didn't have the heart to throw them out. Roger has been very devoted to Hattie and here is trying to protect her from the camera.

What you can't see here is that Roger is quacking his head off at me! And his head has some sort of dirt smeared on it; don't worry, it's not blood. He just likes to be dirty and had his head in the mud this morning.

And here is Daisy's opinion on it all.

A New Rosen Lied Doll

2011-04-28T12:43:00.002-04:00

Xander side view, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

I just adore all of Rosen Lied's Tuesday's Children. This is the model Poppy. I named mine Xander. I also received Arina the other day, too, and will be posting photos as soon as I have a few minutes to make her an outfit. A kind person on a BJD forum was selling the two and I snapped them up! I'm so glad I did!

Finally, It's Spring!

2011-04-07T15:28:00.001-04:00

Crocuses, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

After an absolutely unending winter (who knows, it'll probably snow again next week!) we finally have crocuses up. According to my camera photos from last year, we had crocuses a full two weeks earlier last year! But they're so pretty, whenever they decide to poke through the landscape. They provide a bright splash of color on the brown and muddy lawn.

The chickens have churned their fenced area up into a giant mud soup. I used temporary fencing today to block them out of their mudhole and re-seeded it so hopefully we will have some grass this summer in there! Naughty ladies! They also unplanted my peas and spinach only 24 hours after I planted it! Luckily, I will be making a taller garden fence to keep my flighty birds out!

Thrifted Goodness and a Sad Quilt

2011-03-31T14:26:00.000-04:00

I went to the thrift store today while Aaron was at physical therapy and I came home with some great things. Our thrift store is very iffy--sometimes I get great stuff and other times it's a wasteland. I found this fabulous teacup on my second pass down the dishes area, and the crocheted doilies were hanging clipped together near some place mats. The doilies are very finely done. Can you imagine the time someone put into them?

I found this quilt, too. It made me so sad that someone took this beautiful quilt that this lady lovingly made for a family member and donated it to the thrift store. I wonder why? So many hours and such beautiful colors...it was made in 2007 and was signed by the original quilter. It will have a good home with me. I'll appreciate every stitch.

Regency-Inspired

2011-03-26T19:06:00.002-04:00

Full View of Regency-Style Dress, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

Emma Leigh Addison is wearing a Regency-inspired dress that I finally finished last night. It's made in white-on-white cotton print and there are little matching pantalets beneath. The pattern was modified from a pattern in Storybook Clothes for Dolls by Londie Phillips. I made the neckline deeper and the waist higher. I hand-embroidered a little line of rosebuds along the hem, the bodice and the pantalet cuff.

Chick Sculpture

2011-03-24T14:25:00.002-04:00

Chick sculpture, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

I had Robin Andreae make me this needle-felted chick sculpture. The chick lives in my craft room and makes me giggle! Robin is a talented artist and has an array of great and unique animal sculptures available on ebay. I love her work!

Zoe in Spring Floral

2011-03-13T09:54:00.002-04:00

Zoe loves her teddy a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

As the winter lingers and lingers and lingers here (it's snowing outside AGAIN), I wanted to see something spring-like. I ordered some new calico from Fabric.com and made up this little frock for Zoe. I crocheted the hat and ran a single strip of unfinished fabric through it for a bow. This isn't the best of photos and in fact, I will probably be re-shooting it eventually (I don't like the lighting) but I wanted to share the picture anyway. If you click on the photo and go to flickr, there are a few other views of the dress.

We had some chicken excitement here this past week. I went out on Thursday afternoon to check on the ladies and noticed some odd holes dug into the bedding in their coop. I thought it must have been a chipmunk or something looking for seeds, but when Aaron went back out about 45 minutes later to check on them, there was an opossum in their coop! He was young and sluggish. Aaron used a stick to shoo him out, but the ladies were so terrified! Aaron had to dump a whole scoop of scratch onto the floor to get them back into the coop. They went to bed that night, nervous, while the 'possum dug around under their coop. I could hear him scratching when I checked on them around 9. I went back out at 11:30 (not much sleep for me that night!) and he had pushed open the run door where the hinge is loose because of all the ice buildup and gotten into the run and was eating up their feed! I yelled at him so loud that the dog across the marsh started barking. He ran, and I haven't seen him since, although we have had a Havahart trap baited out there for two days. Hopefully we catch the little bugger soon. Don't worry, I won't kill him, just move him to a safer area of our land, OUTSIDE our chickens' fence.

Just for fun, here's either Rhoda or Tildy (Matilda) when she was a baby. It was before I banded them, so I don't know which one of them it is, but isn't she cute?! Prudy was trying to sit on my lap today when went outside to do the morning chores. She wants chicken hugs! I want the snow to melt so the ladies can go play in their yard!

Fluffy Stuffy Bunny in Pink

2011-02-27T18:05:00.002-05:00

Fluffy Stuffy Bunny in Pink
Originally uploaded by elizabeth's*whimsies

This little soft bunny is made from a pattern by Jenny B. Harris. She shared the pattern and the dress pattern, free, on her blog, Allsorts. I had to make it--it was so cute! I'll give her to my niece for her birthday that's coming up. She was fun to make and very quick and easy, too! Her dress is reversible.

Even her tail is cute.

Dawn's Little Sweater

2011-02-25T15:04:00.001-05:00

Dawn's little sweater
Originally uploaded by elizabeth's*whimsies

I finally finished this little sweater. It takes me forever to knit anything. I made the little dress in November or so and started the sweater to go with it. I paused for making Christmas gifts and then just recently finished up the sweater. It has little half-sleeves and it's made of 100% wool.

Spring Green E-Reader Cover and other Crafty Goodnesses

2011-02-20T12:53:00.003-05:00

New version of Kindle Cover
Originally uploaded by elizabeth's*whimsies

Here's another version of the Kindle cover, made for my little sister's Sony E-Reader. The embroidery detail is a motif from Aimee Ray's Doodle Stitching: The Motif Collection. The fabrics are 100% cotton quilting fabrics and the lining is white cotton. It reminds me of spring, which I hope is on the way soon after all this cold weather! We had a brief respite from winter with two days that were above freezing, but yesterday winter returned with a vengeance and it snowed and blew all day. The wind knocked a tree down on my chicken's fence, which will have to be repaired in the spring when all this dreadful snow melts. For now, I'll take inspiration from lovely springy green fabric!

I also wanted to show a few more photos. I made a crocheted owl toy for my new niece or nephew who will be born this summer.

And I made a new bunny for my other niece, who loved her first one to death!

Lacy crocheted cell phone case

2011-02-20T09:00:00.002-05:00

Lacy crocheted cell phone case
Originally uploaded by elizabeth's*whimsies

I made this a few weeks ago. I modified a pattern from Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts!: Lacy Crochet. I left off the side gusset, as my cell phone is small enough that it didn't need that extra room. I closed mine with a vintage button.

Ringo in Happy Kitty Dress

2011-02-10T08:18:00.002-05:00

Ringo in Happy Kitty Dress
Originally uploaded by elizabeth's*whimsies

I had cut out the pieces for this little dress months ago but didn't have time to make it up. This past weekend, I finally had a little time to work on it. It fits Ringo nicely and also fits my little 6" Kish babies, too.

Patchwork Kindle Cover Tutorial

2011-02-05T16:30:00.003-05:00

I haven't been able to bring my Kindle anywhere because I'm afraid it will get scratched. Today, I decided to make a sleeve for it and decided to photograph the steps and present it as a tutorial in case anyone else wants to make one. So here goes!

Patchwork Kindle Cover

This cover has a finished size of 8.5 x 6 inches and fits a Kindle 7.5 x 5 inches or a similar-sized e-reader. The seam allowances are ¼ inch unless otherwise stated. Click on the images to see them full-sized on Flickr.

Materials:

four or five different fabric prints (I used coordinating Japanese linens)
one 12.5 x 9 inch fabric piece for lining(I used plain linen)
thin cotton batting at least 13 x 9.5 inches
3/4” button
4” of cotton yarn or twine
sewing supplies (machine, iron, thread, pins)

Procedure:

1. Cut a long piece for the left side of the front 9 inches long x 3.5 inches wide from one print and then from three different prints, cut two pieces 3.25 inches long x 3.5 inches wide and one last piece 3.5 x 3.5 inches.

2. Cut your lining piece 12.5 x 9 inches and cut the back print 6.5 wide x 9 inches long.

3. Right sides together, sew piece 2 to piece 3. Press the seam open.

4. Align piece 4 right sides together with the unit you just made (piece 2 and 3) and sew the seam as marked in the photo and press the seam open.

5. Align piece 1 right sides together with the patchwork strip you just created. Sew the long seam between the pieces and press the seam open. You have now completed the patchwork front.

6. Place the front piece right sides together with the back piece and sew the seam between the two to form a single unit as seen in the photo.

7. Place your sewn front and back on top of your piece of cotton batting, allowing the batting to stick out at least ½ inch all around.

8. Quilt however you want. I quilted “in the ditch” on the seam between the front and back and then quilted ¼ inch inside the squares on the front. Once you are done quilting, trim the excess batting even with the quilted top.

9. Cut a 4” piece of cotton yarn or twine and fold it in half. Center it on the top of the back piece and pin it into place. This will be the loop for your button. Leave the twine sticking about 3/4 inch past the fabric, as shown below. You will trim the extra off later.

10. Place the lining piece (plain linen here) right sides together with the outside of the cover and sew the seam along the top of the bag, making sure to catch your pinned yarn/twine in the sandwich. Trim the seam about 1/8” from the stitch line to reduce bulk and iron open.

11. Place the sewn unit down on your work surface in the orientation above and fold it in half lengthwise to make a long tube as seen below.

12. Sew around, starting with the outside of the cover and using a ¼ inch seam allowance. Continue sewing all around the outside to the lining but leave about 3 inches or so on the bottom of the lining to turn the cover as seen here.

13. Turn. Press the seam allowance to the inside and sew the lining closed by hand using ladder stitch.

14. Tuck the lining inside the case and iron to neaten everything up.

15. Then, top stitch around the top of the case to hold everything securely together.

16. Sew your button on the front by hand. I used doubled thread that I waxed by running it through a hunk of beeswax. I find it is more durable that way.

Put your Kindle inside and close the top button!

Your case is complete! Off you go, scratch free!

Edited to add (May 11, 2011): If you use this to pattern to sell Kindle covers on etsy or otherwise, a word of credit would be great. It has been brought to my attention that etsy is flooded with Kindle covers from my tutorial and I see none that have mentioned where the pattern was obtained. I don't mind, just please don't claim the credit for inventing the pattern yourself. Also, do not copy these directions, make them into a tutorial and sell the pattern on etsy. That's just lame, people.

New Dress on Etsy

2011-01-30T09:32:00.000-05:00

Emma's outfit has been listed on Etsy. It consists of the sleeveless tier dress (full view below on Narsha, or check out my Flickr account to see it on Emma), wool felt hand-embroidered jacket, hair pin, and lace-edged bloomers.

Today

2011-01-29T14:13:00.000-05:00

It's January and it's snowing, again. These icicles were hanging from everything today, and I admired them on my way to the coop to check on the girls. Even when hanging off the dusty edge of the chicken coop, they were pretty. One admires what one can in January, when there are no flowers to be seen and no blue sky for weeks.

I even admired my snowy work boots. They are so useful in the snow and in the coop, both. And they're warm.

I visited the ducks in their pen, sitting comfortably in the straw and hay on the run floor. I re-purposed the used straw and hay from the chicken coop, cleaned out yesterday, to put on the run floors for the ducks and chickens to scratch and play in. I don't let the coops get so dirty that the straw is too dirty to play in. It seems to be appreciated. I never cease to wonder that the ducks do not mind the cold. Even when it was -6 the other morning, they all tumbled out of the duck house and made their merry way to their water bucket to swim. Little Duck (Daisy) is not in this picture because she was too busy trying to eat my camera cord instead of posing nicely.

This is what passed for afternoon amusement in the chicken coop today. That's a cabbage there, hanging from a chain. I've found the best way to hang it up is to use a nail to stick into the cabbage, which I wrap a bit of wire around and then hook the wire to their chain which is hanging from a hook on the ceiling. The chickens really enjoy having a cabbage. They swarmed around when I hung it up. Their feathers are looking much better after putting on the pinless peepers, as seen on a few of them here. The only ones that still look awful are Matilda, in the front, and Rhoda, just in front of Matilda. They look terrible, not because anyone is picking them, but because they are molting! I'm not sure what possessed them to molt in the middle of January, but they are staying warm inside the coop.

And this is what waited for me inside after checking on the ladies. I had a nice cup of tea and read the last of my issue of Mary Jane's Farm, which I picked up at the farm store with the chicken feed the other day. I wish I had room for goats and a nice small barn. Now, back to my tea and relaxation. Enjoy your weekend, all.

New personality

2011-01-20T18:05:00.002-05:00

New personality
Originally uploaded by elizabeth's*whimsies

My Dollmore Narsha was just not right. I couldn't seem to like her, no matter what I had her wearing. So, I erased her face, again, and repainted her for the third time. I think the third time's the charm, because now I like her face a lot better! Her wig is ordered from Dollmore and fits correctly because it's made for her. It's hard to find things to fit this doll. Her torso is similar in width to Bitty Bethany Kish's torso, but her limbs are much longer. She can share some clothes with the Effner Little Darlings, but they are loose on her, which does work well for certain styles. Below, she's wearing an outfit I made for Emma Leigh Addison, which I will be listing on Etsy very soon.

Here's a full view of the outfit, without the matching coat. More about the outfit later--I'll blog it with Emma wearing it.

A reminder of spring

2011-01-08T19:15:00.001-05:00

The eyes of this doll just called out for a green themed dress and the color reminds me of springtime. The flower seemed to be just the thing for her hair. I asked Lana to leave the wig detached on this doll, in case I wanted to rewig her, but I can't imagine her in any other wig, so I might glue it down. Her coloring and personality fit this particular style of hair.

The dress is made from quilter's cottons. The jacket is, as well, and I happened upon the tiny buttons at Joann Fabrics and knew I would use them eventually. The jacket pattern is actually sized for Bethany Kish but worked well on this doll. It's fully lined and matches the dress. She has little pantaloons underneath.

Another New Year

2011-01-01T09:50:00.001-05:00

Another year has gone by and a fresh, unwritten year is before us all, waiting to be filled with whatever we want to fill it with. It's time for my annual look back and look ahead. Here are last year's resolutions:

1. Have a successful starting year for my new veterinary practice.

I seem to have accomplished this, thankfully. The place is still afloat!

2. Make time to craft lots of things and keep my etsy shop stocked.

I haven't done too badly with this one, although I think all my etsy listings have expired!

3. Visit my family!

Managed to do this in March and at least one of them has come to visit me this year, too.

4. Paint my darn craft room!

Hooray, this is done and I love the new room.

5. Work on my new dollhouse

I have made it to the living room. And now I'm stalled...better get back to work!

6. Eat more vegan meals.

Well, I'm glad to announce that I have managed to eat almost entirely vegan. I do still have a little cheese now and again, especially when I'm eating out, because there aren't too many other options. I also eat my chicken's eggs, mostly in recipes, but I know they're spoiled and happy so I don't worry about the quality of their lives.

7. Continue to play my dulcimer. Perhaps get a new music book because I am bored with the few I have.

I haven't played it as much as I would like, but I have picked it up now and again. I need to get a new song book! I'll have to add one to my amazon cart ASAP.

Overall, it looks like I've done OK with last year's resolutions. So here are a few new ones.

1. For the veterinary practice: get the practice more into accordance with my own personal philosophy and away from the past owner's philosophy. The good thing is that mostly, we share philosophies, but there are a few things that need work. A new sign and logo will help to accomplish this goal, and I have an artist working on a logo.
2. Be more open with my communications with everyone. By this, I mean that if something is bothering me, I need to communicate about it rather than figuring out non-confrontational ways of dealing with things. This should help my management style and my overall life.
3. Continue to craft and sew and keep my etsy shop stocked.
4. Finish the interior, at least, of my dollhouse. The length of time that it's taking me to get this done is getting ridiculous!
5. Participate in more craft and dollhouse swaps. These are fun and a good way to motivate me to work on things for myself.
6. Read more. I think the lack of reading for fun is impairing my imaginative processes, and that in turn makes me less creative with things like my miniatures and dolls.
7. Keep working on the dulcimer, as mentioned above.
8. Sculpt some. I haven't sculpted in a while and I was not so bad at it and miss doing it.
9. Make some stuff for myself. I always make things for other people, but I've wanted to make tons of things for me but I never get around to it. I want a sweater, a garland of hearts for the mantle, curtain tie backs, etc!

So here's to a fresh new year and all the good things it will contain!

Emma Leigh Addison

2010-12-31T10:01:00.000-05:00

Emma arrived on the same day as Willa. Emma is painted by Dianna Effner and is #2 of 6 for Everybody Loves Dolls. Her dress was made by Janet Wysong (owner of Everybody Loves Dolls) and she has the cutest little underthings.

Tag Along Bethany

2010-12-26T17:20:00.003-05:00

Tag Along Bethany
Originally uploaded by elizabeth's*whimsies

This is this year's new Bethany, produced by Kish and Company.
She's Piper's (14 inch Chrysalis) little sister. When I first opened up her box, I didn't like her much. I don't like the hard plastic bodies that are being used on these jointed dolls. I also thought her head was too big for her body, and didn't understand why they made the doll in this size when she's only about 3/4" taller than the Bitty Bethanies. And her face is different--why didn't they name her something else?

Anyway, after I made her a new outfit and smoothed her hair out, I like her a lot more. I wish Kish and Co would produce these dolls with a jointed VINYL body. The hard plastic is just unpleasant and irregular and the more you move the joints the looser they get. The faces are still beautiful, though, and the wigs are great quality and the painting is nice. The original outfits are of very good quality, too, although they are not the style I like my dolls dressed in, so I usually store the outfit immediately.

Her outfit is made with Bitty Bethany patterns. I lengthened the skirt very slightly. The jacket pattern is from an Ionker book. and is made from microwale corduroy.

Overall, I'll still buy Kish dolls, but only new faces. I so wish she would go back to the original all-vinyl bodies. Why mess with perfection?

Willa, Hand-Painted by Lana Dobbs

2010-12-24T11:36:00.001-05:00

This is my newest Effner Little Darling. She's hand-painted by Lana Dobbs and is just amazing! Even her little fingernails and toenails are painted. I have to make her a unique outfit, since she's borrowed Zoe's, but I couldn't resist photographing her. She came recently, and actually on the same day as another Effner I had pre-ordered. I will be posting about the other little girl, Emma Leigh Addison, very soon.

Katie Kitty

2010-12-23T09:56:00.002-05:00

Katie Kitty
Originally uploaded by elizabeth's*whimsies

This is Katie Kitty, made from fleece fabric for my niece, Jewel. The pattern is from Wee Wonderfuls: 24 Toys to Sew and Love. Jewel has declared that she's great, but she wants a white dress, too. Jewel also has declared that she wants every toy in the book!

Ellie the Pink Elephant

2010-12-11T16:52:00.002-05:00

Ellie the Pink Elephant
Originally uploaded by elizabeth's*whimsies

I've been quiet on the blog lately--I'm spending all my free time making toys for my nieces and nephew for Christmas! This is Ellie the Elephant Bag, made for Lily, my little niece, from a Wee Wonderfuls pattern. The pattern is found in the book Wee Wonderfuls: 24 Dolls to Sew and Love.

Olivia, redone

2010-11-18T15:17:00.001-05:00

Olivia had a face repaint. Here is a link to a photo from before. I didn't like something about her eyes and her cheeks seemed too dull, so I enhanced the face paint by repainting the eyes and eyelashes. I reblushed her cheeks and chin, too, and now I like her better. I made her a dress with an Ionker A-line pattern, which I lengthened. I decided it needed embroidery and a hat to make it complete.

Here is a closeup of her face painting. I also re-wigged her, as her original wig was not of good quality. I used a mohair Heidi wig and overall, I think she's much cuter.

Luke in Overalls

2010-11-14T17:45:00.003-05:00

Luke in Overalls
Originally uploaded by elizabeth's*whimsies

I made some new overalls for my little Customhouse Ange Ai Uri today. I love this photo. The lighting came out just perfect. I also photographed him reading a book (below). There are a few more photos on my flickr account.

Cuteness Just for Cuteness' Sake

2010-11-03T18:21:00.002-04:00

Alice has a cupcake
Originally uploaded by elizabeth's*whimsies

Alice Cherry Blossom is just too cute. It's cold and dreary here this afternoon. What better to perk the day up than a scrumptious cupcake offered by an adorable piglet?

Bookworm

2010-11-02T17:08:00.002-04:00

Bookworm
Originally uploaded by elizabeth's*whimsies

This little wormy is from the Wee Wonderfuls pattern for Evelyn Inchworm. Once I got her finished, I thought she would be a great gift for my favorite librarian, so into the mail she went, to my sister!

Home Economics at Cornell in 1918

2010-10-27T15:21:00.000-04:00

I was browsing Flickr and realized that the Flickr Commons has a number of photographs uploaded from my alma mater, Cornell. I was looking through, and stopped on this photograph. Click on it and view it in the highest resolution. These were some interesting ladies. They posed for this photo right before women got the vote in the US. You can read their biographies here: Faculty of Home Economics at Cornell in 1918-19 school year. You can see the second row first lady on the left is holding her glasses in her hands. I wonder if the photographer made her take them off or if she wanted to remove them for the photo? There are so many details present in this photograph. The laces appear so crisp and fresh and the expressions of each of the women make me wonder more about them and their personal stories.

I find this photo fascinating, not only for the glimpse into history, but for the character and personality of each of the women pictured in it. There's some enlightening reading on the history of Home Economics in the US here.

"Canning peaches. Sewing a dress. Making perfect gravy. These are familiar images of home economics, but do they tell the whole story? So often home economics has been cast as a "conspiracy to keep women in the kitchen," an interpretation that has overlooked its impressive and diverse contributions. New scholarship in American women's history suggests that home economics was a progressive field that brought science to the farm home and women into higher education and leadership positions in public education, academia, government and industry."

Little Hedgehogs

2010-10-26T08:32:00.000-04:00

I love this Japanese print fabric! I still have a little left. I only use it for special projects. I made this dress for my sister for one of her ball-jointed dolls. It looked so good on Dawn, though, that I had to take a few photos. I also made a little embroidered felt jacket to go with it, but I didn't photograph that. Dawn is just the cutest, even though she is factory painted rather than hand-painted. She's a Let's Play Dolls exclusive by Dianna Effner for Boneka.

Bitty Belle by Helen Kish

2010-10-24T15:28:00.000-04:00

Here's a girl who doesn't get enough attention. I love her hair. This is Bitty Belle by Helen Kish, about 11 inches tall and just as cute as can be. I made her a new outfit, because she had been wearing her previous one for way too long. The dress pattern is from a Rosemary Ionker pattern and the fabric is a small quilting calico from Fabric.com.

Riki with Puppy

2010-10-21T17:04:00.003-04:00

Riki with Puppy
Originally uploaded by elizabeth's*whimsies

Riki, by Helen Kish, is snuggling with my Toby portrait sculpture by Barlee Rumburg. I made Riki a new outfit yesterday. She looked cold in her sleeveless summer dress! Below is the full view of the outfit. The pantaloons are made from a Londie Phillips pattern and I drafted the bonnet and top myself. The top is wool felt. The embroidery pattern is based on an illustration in a Dover book of floral embroidery patterns.

Before and After

2010-10-20T12:47:00.002-04:00

After seeing one of the dresses I sold on etsy on a Narsha, I realized that I really needed to add one to my collection. I found the one above (upper right photo) on Den of Angels forum and knew when I bought her she would need to be repainted. I spent the weekend repainting her (twice!) and now I'm satisfied with her appearance. She needs new hair and eyes, though, but the ones that she has are OK for now. Narsha is about 14 inches tall, but her torso is quite delicate. I find that she can actually wear Bitty Bethany clothing, but it needs to be lengthened. Items for the 13" Effners and 14" Kish girls fit her, too, but they're rather baggy around the middle. I'm looking forward to sewing for her.

So good to be appreciated

2010-10-18T17:10:00.000-04:00

Here's my little old dog, Toby, curled up on the bed I made for him. His old bed was pretty icky, so today he had a bath and while he was drying off, I made him this bed from some leftover fleece. About five minutes after I set it on the floor, he curled up on it and he's been sleeping there ever since. He's a sweet little doggy. Those are appliqued hearts in the corner for him to rest his head on.

Oregon and Pennsylvania

2010-10-18T09:47:00.001-04:00

Finally, I have finished a few more blocks on the State Flowers Quilt. I'm resting at home for three weeks after having foot surgery, so I have time to embroider! These are from Vicki's free patterns. I should have taken the iron to them prior to photographing them. They're not as uneven as they look!

Doll with Doll

2010-10-10T15:48:00.002-04:00

April is playing with the 1:12 scale baby from my Edwardian dollhouse. He is dressed in a little dress I knitted when I was crazy. (It was really difficult to knit that tiny and I wouldn't attempt it again!) April is wearing a dress similar to the one I made in Little Darling Effner size. I was asked if I could make a similar dress in yo-sd size, and I did and it's already mailed out to the recipient. I hope she enjoys it!

Little Middleton Toddler

2010-09-25T15:13:00.002-04:00

Little Guy Closeup
Originally uploaded by elizabeth's*whimsies

This is a little doll I redid recently. The head came with another doll I ordered, and once he arrived he needed some fixing up. I wanted to take him off the too-small body he arrived on, so I posted a want ad on Doll-Fan and a nice person sent me a standing toddler body for him. Finally today I reassembled him and I think he came out pretty cute. He had extensive re-painting. The whole original face was stripped and I redid his paint from a blank slate. I also re-wigged him. He's funny and he makes me smile! He needs a name, though.

Today's Sewing Project

2010-09-19T16:26:00.000-04:00

I've had a thing lately for drop-waist dresses. I have a feeling there are more to come, too. I will eventually list this one on etsy, but I want to make some accessories of some type to go with it, first. My Rosen Lied Tuesday's Child Beige is modeling. Her red hair seemed just the thing for this outfit. It will also fit 10" Effner dolls by Boneka.

Zoe Effner in Blue

2010-09-18T14:55:00.002-04:00

Zoe Effner in Blue
Originally uploaded by elizabeth's*whimsies

I made Zoe a new dress. We were going to list it on etsy, but the back of the collar came out a little off, so she's keeping it. That's a good thing from her perspective, because she needs more clothes!

Dennis Hopper the Bunny

2010-09-16T08:59:00.002-04:00

Dennis in springtime
Originally uploaded by elizabeth's*whimsies

It's been a sad year for me. My bunny, Dennis, passed away on Monday night. He'd had a thymoma (large mass in his chest) that was diagnosed in spring '09. He had radiation to shrink it last summer, which gave him more than a year of extra, happy life. It grew back and he started to have a bit of trouble with it this summer. He was still happy and eating and playing up to Monday night when he suddenly became much worse and died before I could euthanize him.

Dennis was a good little bunny and a good little friend. Brother Cat liked to sleep in his exercise pen with him and keeps looking in his cage to see where he is. Dennis was always friendly, loved treats and carrots and had the softest fur. He was sometimes naughty and chewed up my woodwork, but that's what bunnies do when you don't watch them! His passing was not unexpected, but he will still be missed.

Kitchen Wainscot

2010-09-06T13:51:00.002-04:00

dollhousekitchen
Originally uploaded by elizabeth's*whimsies

April Cottage, after a stalled summer of work, is under construction again. Yesterday evening I finished applying the wainscot to all walls of the kitchen except the wall with the door, which will have to wait until I install the door and the door trim. Next up is the parlor, which will be painted in a soft blue with stained wooden wainscot. I'm a little afraid of wiring this house, as I've never electrically wired any houses before, so we'll see how that works out!

Zoe Effner in Purple and Lace

2010-09-05T17:09:00.002-04:00

Zoe Effner in Purple and Lace
Originally uploaded by elizabeth's*whimsies

I'm working on how to blog directly from Flickr and thought I would share this photo of Zoe, as well. She's easy to photograph!

Late Summer

2010-09-05T16:40:00.000-04:00

It's getting cool at night and the local kids all go back to school in just two days. This time of year always reminds me of stronger colors like dark purples and golds. I made Zoe Effner a dress inspired by the season. The lace is a lovely lace I found on etsy and the ribbon is silk.