A Special Doll for a Special Friend

I have to tell you guys about my best friend, Jessi.
She is one of the nicest people I know.

She and I have been friends since we were just little kids.
We went to church together (and we were very involved in that church!).
For a few years, her mom would babysit my brother and I after school everyday.
She's always been there for me when I needed it.

As I look back at our relationship, one thing always really hits home to me.
There have been several times throughout the years that we've grown apart (high school especially)...yet, we have always been able to pick right back up as if no time has passed.
Jessi has shown me that is what makes a true friendship, and I just love her for it.

Anyway, enough sappy stuff. I'm sure I've embarrassed poor Jessi enough. ;)

I decided to only make one Christmas gift this year, and I knew it had to be for Jessi.
She's done so much to encourage (hassle lol) me into opening an etsy shop this year. It just seemed appropriate that I make her a doll of her own.

Jessi decide to name her Penelope!

This little doll is pretty special.
The fabric for her arms and legs was dyed by Jessi and her daughter, Olivia. It was originally a costume Olivia wore to school. After the school event was over, Jessi gave it to me to use for dollmaking.

 

The pretty yarn I used for her hair was dyed by Jessi too!

She decided to try out dyeing some yarn for me as a Christmas present.

Lucky for me, Jess was too excited to wait until Christmas to give it to me...so I was able to surprise her by using it for her doll! :)

 

Jessi actually hand dyes thread in all sorts of gorgeous colors for tatting (something I had never even heard of until she introduced it to me).

You guys should go visit her at her blog or her shop!

Meet Chloe

Chloe is pretty sure I saved the best for last.

 

Chloe loves fashion.

 She reads all the magazines.

 She spends hours on Pinterest pinning her favorite outfits.
 

 Her favorite show is Project Runway...she never misses an episode!

 

 

Chloe will be the last Secret Keeper listed in the shop this year (which sounds way more dramatic than saying "until next month at least").

 

My desk didn't stay clean for long though!

I've got several new projects cut out all over the place.

 

I'll be working on a new monster design, a few top secret Christmas presents, and I'm sure a glove monster or two!

A Little Troublemaker

I've been so excited about making this doll.
I guess I'm just a sucker for bright colors. :)

Meet Jinx!

 

Jinx is a bit of a wild child.
 

 She's really not bad at heart.

 She tries to be good...but it's just so much more fun causing trouble.

 

Jinx has already found herself a new home!

(I should've known I wouldn't be able to keep a wild one around for long.)

Marnie, the sweet little redhead

Whew, I've been finishing up these little dolls left and right lately!
It'll all end soon...don't have many more pre-prepared dolls left.
(And you guys were thinking I was just that fast all of a sudden...ha!)

Here's the newest girl!

This is Marnie.

 Marnie is a dreamer.

She loves myths and legends.

 

She often pretends she's a princess, waiting patiently for her prince.

Marnie is now in the shop!

A Newly Designed Glove Monster

I was determined to finish the last few dolls on my desk before letting the monsters wreak havoc, but this little guy somehow slipped out!

 

I've always loved the glove monsters.

They're cute and little (my favorite combo!)

This guy is about 6.5 inches tall and 5.5 inches wide (counting his arms).

 

I've been wanting to change the look of the glove monsters to reflect my style a little better.

I think I've finally figured out how to do it!

What do you guys think of the new look?

 

I have a feeling he's going to have many siblings in the near future...

 

This little guy is in the shop!

Lyric the Musician

Meet the newest Secret Keeper...Lyric!

 

Lyric is a laid back girl.
She loves music of all types.

 

One day, she hopes to be a great musician.
She practices every day with the hope that she'll fulfill her dream.

 

Lyric is looking for a new home in the shop!

 

Just three more Secret Keeper dolls to complete...after that, I'm pretty sure I'll no longer be able to hold back the impending monster invasion.

Good thing the monsters around here are nice!

The Newest Addition, Paddy Cake!

Meet little Miss Paddy Cake!

 

Paddy is a sweet, inquisitive little girl.
She loves to talk, and she loves to ask questions.

 

She tends to do both almost nonstop.
She can't help it that she's so curious about everything.

 

Luckily, she's so cute, it's hard to get annoyed with her.

 

 

 

 

Paddy Cake will be listed in the shop at some point today!

The Shop is Finally Open!!

Just a quick update for you all...

I've finally opened my etsy shop!
You can visit it here.

There's just a few listings for now.
I have five more Secret Keeper dolls in progress that I'll be adding over the next couple of weeks.
They'll each get their own individual posts here.

If you want to stay up to date with my works in progress, come join me on Facebook!

My Elf on the Shelf, Miss Elle Towe

I'd like to introduce you to Miss Elle Towe.
She says you can just call her Elle.

 

Her whole life, Elle has been a toymaker in Santa's workshop (except for that brief and very embarrassing period where she tried to be a reindeer whisperer).

 

This year Santa decided to give her a shot at the highly desired position of Shelf Elf.

She's really hoping she'll make Santa proud!

Elle is about 11 inches tall. She has a wire frame so she can hold all sorts of fun poses.
This was the first time I've made a doll with a wire skeleton...and it certainly won't be the last!
She's quite a lot of fun to play with.

I created Elle for a challenge being held by Deedra's Art on Facebook (aka FoxyBlue ).
I'm so happy I saw this challenge and was able to participate!

Oh, and since I'll be spending the next few days in a house cleaning frenzy....Happy Thanksgiving!

Facebook and a New Doll!

 

I finally made a facebook page for my dolls!

I'll still be posting on my blog, but if you want to see my latest works in progress, you can follow me here. I have a feeling I'll be updating it pretty frequently. ;)

 

 

In other news, I have a new little doll to show you all!

 

This is Porridge.

 

Porridge is a quiet girl.
She loves nothing more than to curl up with a good book and a warm blanket on a cool evening.

What are you guys working on this week?
Can you believe Thanksgiving is just a week away!?



Introducing Persephone

The next week or so will be pretty exciting for me.
It's time for the seven dolls I've been working on to each take their turn deciding who they want to be.

I just love dolly birthdays. I think it's the best part of making dolls!

This little one decided to go first.

It's funny...as I was working on her, I kept trying to decide what her name would be.
I was pretty sure I had one picked out and everything.
As I put the last stitches on her though, she whispered the name she wanted and I knew it could be nothing else.
I always find it funny when a doll does this to me...especially since the name is one I never would've originally considered.
Anyway, this is Persephone.

She loves flowers and spring time.
She's a bit disappointed that her birthday is in the fall.
She also has a weakness for sweets (don't we all?).

Like all my Secret Keeper dolls, she's about 12 inches tall if you count her long legs.

She's now patiently waiting for her sisters to be finished!

I know what we're gonna do today!

I love that cartoon Phineas and Ferb.

I have seven dolls in progress right now!
Faces are sewn, bodies are sewn...and they all just picked the fabrics they want for their arms and legs.
As Phineas would say, "I know what we're gonna do today."

What's all this for?
I'm determined I'm finally going to open an online shop and I'm building up some inventory to do it.
I'm excited. I've only been dreaming of doing this for a few years!

Bunny for a Special Baby

Hey guys!
I've been hard at work this week making a gift for a baby shower (that I'll be going to tomorrow.)

My brother and sister-in-law are expecting a baby!
Baby Ruby is due to join us December 1st.

I'm pretty excited about being an aunt. :)

I wanted to make Ruby something special for her nursery, so I made her a little bunny.

She's 15 inches long counting her legs and ears.

I knew I wanted to include her name somewhere.

 

Her ears are wired so they can be posed.

I can't wait to give her to my sister-in-law tomorrow!

Punkin the Halloween Doll

I'm happy to introduce you to Punkin!

Punkin just loves Halloween and anything having to do with fall.
She could hardly wait for me to take her outside to see the pumpkins!

She's about 12" tall (but just 6" when sitting...she's got long legs!)

My Little Pony- Rainbow Dash Inspired Plushie

My second commission is finally done!
One of these days I hope to finally design a pony that I love as soon as I finish it.
So far, with this one and with Penelope, they've had to grow on me before I decided I actually liked them.

It's kind of weird really...when I first finished Rainbow Dash here, I hated her and was so depressed.
I had to walk away for a few hours and when I came back I decided that she wasn't so bad.
After playing with her for awhile, I'm kind of sorry she has to leave now.

Do any of you guys ever have weird "relationships" with your creations like that?

Ah well, I guess sometimes we just have to step away from our work before we can appreciate it.

Anyway, here is my little Rainbow Dash inspired pony!

She's about 6.5 inches tall and 6 inches long.

She's going to be a Christmas present for a little girl that just adores Rainbow Dash. :)

 

Her wings are wired so they can be posed.

I hope she likes her!

Now I'm off to work on that little doll that has been so patiently waiting for a body...