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?

Carrot Embroidery

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

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!

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

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

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

They are just too cute!

And then there were four!

 

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!

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!

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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!