Jane

Today I will present you Jane. I know, not many people follow my blog but trust on my facebook page to keep up to date. So I thought this time the blog followers will have an advantage and be the first to see Jane. Before shoes but with dress and undies. and of course a BODY and hair (camel weft)... <3

Peter/Robin and Wendy

Some dolls are more than dolls. They tug at our hearts, move us to tears, make us smile, make us want to look after them and always be around them because we feel they are real, more than dolls. They reach out to us and touch us. I can't really explain and a few years ago I would have shaken my head if someone had told me this.

Then I met Peter/Robin, THE Inviting Play boy made by the amazing Julie Colby, who found his way to live with me.

I realized quite soon that he was very special, that he needed someone to properly look after him when I am away, someone who knows him on a deeper level than "just" another doll. So I asked Julie to please, please make a Wendy for "my" Peter. This is how Julie and I decided to make a trade. A Wendy for me and as it later turned out a Louise for her. Louise is still travelling, we're crossing our fingers for a speedy arrival.

Wendy was waiting for me when I came back from our holidays in the Swiss Alps. She is perfect! And like I hoped she and Peter/Robin share that special bond that only some siblings share <3

What do you mean big sister? I'm taller than you are. See?

Yes, I can even kiss you on the head!

Holiday in the Swiss Alps

We spent a week in the Swiss Alps and enjoyed the quiet (snowy streets, no cars allowed), cable car rides (my son's favourite), skiing (my husband and daughter's favourite) and just relaxing and knitting (that would be me ;))...
We had all kinds of weather, lots of snow, fog/being stuck in a cloud, sunshine.
Enjoy!

Aletsch Glacier

Yes, when the weather allowed us we saw the Matterhorn ;)

Wonderful trade on the way

Robin/Peter and Pippi waiting...

With a wonderful trade girl from Julie Colby of Inviting Play on the way I love thinking back on the trades I did in the past. 
Trades with other makers are scary to me. I don't do them often and there's always the fear that the dolls I am getting will be so much "better" than the dolls I send off. Because of course the doll I'm getting will be wonderful and I am very conscious of the shortcomings of my dolls. Almost worse than wish list dolls, when I make dolls and hope the other person will love them - not sure they would dare tell me if it isn't love if it isn't. 

I myself either love a doll or it doesn't click. Not because of hair or eye colour but because the doll has the certain something. But I realized that trades are wonderful because in the end I have a perfect doll from a wonderful doll maker here with me ;)

Robin/Peter is the most perfect Inviting Play boy ever. He melts my heart every time I see him! He can't wait for Wendy, his big sister. He will help her by telling her exactly what a big sister is supposed to be like ;)

To be honest Robin/Peter wasn't a trade, I bought him with the help of a wonderful lady who was there to snatch him up for me when I was on holiday without internet access. But because I love Julie so much he does feel like a trade doll to me!

Géraldine by sweet Lana of Emily Moon Dolls and Little Red by the wonderful Wendy of LIEF monster. These were my first trades. It's a pure coincidence they turned out the same size. A wonderful coincidence!

Dolls after Sara

Just after sending Sara off I realized I really can't make dolls without knee dimples or bottoms and belly buttons anymore. And my customers who've seen pics of these features seem to expect them. So yes, from now on all my normal style dolls (16/17 inch and 18/19 inch) will come like this.
Just like Lucille (a wish list doll) and Tess (a rtg)!

Sara - a first

Finally Sara is ready to go. She's the first of my dolls with knee dimples, a bottom and a belly button!

She has brown hair made from handspun yarn by luxfish and blue eyes.

She's a real whirlwind and never wants to sit still. So I made her some fun clothes she can run around in, climb trees, hide in high grass run and skip...

Sara will be sold auction style in my hyenacart shop on Thursday, 17th of October. The auction will run from 9am until 9pm edt here.

Clothes - the difficult/fun choices

Not so long ago I always worried about the clothes for my dolls. I love knitting, so I worked on knitted tops a lot and just added simple boots and jeans or velour trousers. Always the safe choice, just like I  myself dress...

I also tried to tell myself that like me most buyers buy the doll and will put their style clothes on them anyway. But one day I looked at my daughter and I saw how much fun she has dressing herself, combining whatever she liked whether it supposedly matched or not. For over a year she refused to put on identical socks but always chose each sock for each foot! Clothes for her are not a worry but fun, something to enjoy and wear with a smile. So I decided to stop worrying and dress my dolls with a smile, choose more what my daughter would choose, not always take the safe choice but to combine what I think is fun. Clothes that would make my dolls and me smile!

And it works. I love their clothes now, I don't mind if the new family will just change them but I feel my dolls can have fun in those clothes, they will make other people smile just like my daughter sometimes does when she walks, skips or runs past.

My newest two dolls that have been waiting for clothes for a long time actually got the rest of their outfits today. The knitteds had been made a while ago but I never found the time to sew the rest. Clementine just seemed like fun from the start so it was easy. She's not perfect, has some wrinkles on her chin but she makes me smile with her freckles and her crazy hair.

Violet to me was the beauty and I was once again a bit afraid to clothe her. So I tried to take the safe choices again - also because I felt so many colours would clash with her hair. Then I imagined her beside Clementine and felt so sorry for her. Why just because she has no wrinkles on her neck can she not have fun clothes? Colours that clash, socks that don't match the rest of the clothes at all? Funny comfy velour shorts/ actually longer than shorts but short enough to show off her fun socks?

So here they are...
They will both be available in my hyenacart shop in the next couple of days, whenever I find time. They are fun and more than ready for new adventures!

Lucky charm: Stone with a natural hole