Happy Independence Day

Happy Independence Day to everyone in the US!  Our hot spell broke, which was lovely, because we have been undergoing a construction project at the veterinary practice and we've been so hot it's been ridiculous!  Today is delightfully cool and breezy.  I just wish the sun would come out a little, though!

Olivia turned 14 months old yesterday and is a busy bee.  She can say lots of things (mama, dada, baba/baby, love, cat, meow, moo, pop, etc etc) and she loves to use her baby signs, too.  She will sign little sentences, like "Cat eat" and "Help please" and then point at what she wants help with.  She's starting to LOVE my doll collection and wishes she could hug all of them at once!

The photo above shows Littlefee Ante with a little sailor dress that I made from a pattern by MyOwnLittleWorld.  The nice thing about the pattern is that it comes in a LOT of sizes to fit all sorts of BJD!

Peyton by Helen Kish

Peyton arrived a while back but he was still stifling in his winter clothes, so I hadn't photographed him yet.  I asked Texas Carol to make me some clothes for him and she made him this great polo shirt and shorts with grommets in the sides.  She does wonderful work!  Peyton looks much cooler.  Hopefully I can make him some more clothes myself at some point.  Carol was so wonderful to work with and also threw in a free gift!

Hankie Outfit

Willa was my model for the Hankie Challenge on the Our Little Darlings Yahoo Group.  I used a white sheer vintage hankie with pretty white embroidery to pleat for the top and I embellished it with coral embroidery. The skirt is a pleated coral floral hankie which is attached at the waist to a crocheted waistband that closes in back with a button.  It was fun to make.  I used a scrap of the skirt fabric to make a bow for her hair.  Just some basic info about the doll:  Dianna Effner's Little Darling Sculpt #1 with a hand-painted face by Lana Dobbs (she was a custom order).

Emma's Rose Trellis Dress

Finally, I've had a little sewing time occasionally!  I have a full view of this dress on Flickr, so feel free to check it out there.

Cute!

Olivia is almost a year old now and is walking well! She's a joy!  And she keeps me very busy.  We think she's pretty cute.



Anza says, "HEY!  I'm cute, too!!"



Anza is very gentle with Olivia, who is learning how to be gentle to the goats, too.  She thinks they're just HILARIOUS!  Especially when they caper around and butt heads!  It makes her laugh out loud!

The spring is warming up, my kitchen is almost done and I'm hoping to have some sewing time this weekend!

Endless Winter and Spring Changes

I've been a busy bee lately, chasing around 10 1/2 month old Olivia who thinks she can walk better than she can!  I also have a major construction project going on at work (the vet clinic) where we are expanding to 5 exam rooms from 2.  And my kitchen at home is also under construction.  No rest for the weary lately, but the kitchen is coming along nicely.  The old kitchen was very 1980s with floral wallpaper and blue-grey carpet on the floor.  We managed for 8 1/2 years with the carpeted kitchen but carpet simply does not work with a food-throwing soon-to-be-toddler in the house!  So the carpet is gone and a new vinyl plank flooring is down.  The new cabinets are in at the store and will be installed next week.  Here's the floor so far, and I'll post before-and-after photos once the whole kitchen is done.  I'm very excited to have a better kitchen.

In other news, the winter just will NOT quit around here.  There is still snow on the ground and it's cold and windy and today we're supposed to get more snow.  Spring cleanup is still impossible!  The squirrels are enjoying my feeders because there is very little else to eat yet.  I saw a robin today, though, so hopefully spring will come someday!

Janie in sundress

Janie in sundress, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

Someday spring will come!

I made this dress for an embroidery challenge on the Our Little Darlings Yahoo Group. It doesn't have much embroidery on it, but time is limited these days!

Matilda

Matilda the Chicken, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

Matilda passed away on 2/26/14. She was nearly five. She died of ovarian cancer, something that is common in old chickens. She will be missed. Here she is below as a day-old chick. I got her on April 2, 2009. Hard to believe that five years has gone by! Matilda was the head hen in our coop and the rest of the girls are a bit lost without her.

 

Bitty Belle in Pink Petticoat

Bitty Belle in Pink Petticoat, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

I made this as a custom order for someone on Etsy. I just love Bitty Belle. She reminds me why Helen Kish is one of my two favorite doll artists!

I did finally update my etsy shop, too (link over to the right).  There are a few dresses in there and some underthings for various sized dolls.

Just because...

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

Janie was modeling for the etsy shop update, but her face was so pretty that I had to photograph it close up!

Another dress on three dolls

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

Here's another dress I made, soon to be on etsy, shown on three different dolls that it fits! (Bitty Belle by Helen Kish, 10.5 inch doll by Heidi Plusczok, and Byuri by Iplehouse.)

One outfit on three dolls

Alice Cherry Blossom, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

I made a little romper. It'll go on etsy soon. It's a little loose in the legs on Alice Cherry Blossom (the piggy) but it fits Ringo and Puki Fee Ante perfectly!
 

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays to all who read!  I wish you all the best this season!  Look who was a perfect little poser this morning!

Sewing for Real Dolls

Olivia is growing!  She's 7 months old and about 15 pounds.  I made her some overalls today from a KwikSew pattern.  The KwikSew book of basics for babies is great.  The patterns are easy to follow and simple enough to allow customization however you want!

In other news, I plan on restocking my etsy shop in January.  I have two items done already and more cut out and ready to sew.  I don't imagine it will be an enormous number of outfits, but do keep an eye here for the announcement that the shop is stocked and possibly some sneak peaks as I get a chance to photograph the outfits already completed.

New look

Dollmore Monadoll Mong-a, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

I redressed and rewigged Dollmore's Mong-a. She looks pretty in just about anything!

Andrew

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

I had a few minutes the other morning while Olivia was napping to finish up this pair of overalls. The doll is actually my Anne of Green Gables, rewigged as a boy.

Cassie by Helen Kish

Cassie by Helen Kish, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

Finally, I had a minute to photograph this! Cassie is wearing a hankie dress that is made from instructions from Sissy Lingle.  Now I have to make one more outfit for the last of my Beach Girls, Buffy, and I will have everyone redressed.

Getting bigger!

Same outfit, same baby--she just barely fits in it anymore!  She's up to 10 pounds at this point.  She's doing great!

I'm still not finding much crafting time (no surprise) but I have a hankie dress in the works that is handsewn and I find a few minutes every few days to make a little more of it!  It will fit one of the Kish Beach Girls when it's finished.

Meet Miss Olivia Wren

Well, my long term craft project decided to be ready three weeks earlier than expected!  This is my Miss Olivia Wren, born May 3rd.  She's wearing the last craft project I'll have time for for a while, I think!  The bloomers are from a pattern by See Kate Sew, and the little onesie is embroidered with a motif from Aimee Ray's Doodle Stitching Motif Collection.   Miss Olivia is now almost four weeks old and we are getting along well.  She's growing fast, which is good because she was teeny when she was born (only 5 pounds 9 oz).  Hopefully I will have time for craft projects and doll projects as she takes longer naps!

New Chicken Run in Progress

New Chicken Run in Progress, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

Not a very exciting photo, but this is an exciting project! We have been having a new run built for the chickens. My fantastic construction guy is building this to match the duck run with the change that the chicken run will have a solid cement floor to prevent any burrowing animals from getting in (like sneaky minks and weasels). I will finally be able to have some comfort that nothing will eat the girls if they are in here while I am out. As the construction guy said, if something gets into this run when he's done there was no way anyone could have stopped it! It is being lined with hardware cloth (1/2"). I will put sand down in there to keep the girls' feet comfortable and give them something to dust in (I will likely put an actual deeper sand box at one end) and roosts will be added in the corners for them to sit up on. It should be done by next Wednesday or Thursday. I'm so glad to be able to have this done!  The chicken girls turned four a few weeks ago.  They are laying really well for being older ladies. They make an average of 6-7 eggs per day from the 10 girls.

A closeup of the cement floor:



Spring appears to have finally arrived around here, after a lot of cold weather!  I will have a new spring arrival in about a month; more about that later!  Spring is the best time of the year!

Primroses:



Daffodils:











Hyacinth: