Fireplace and Wainscot in April Cottage

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

Josie wishes everyone a happy Monday morning!

Tammy by Ideal

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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!

 

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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!

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!

 

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?