It Will Be EPIC

It is the end of January and I find myself in a very reflective state of mind.  I have had the opportunity to work on some pretty interesting things these past few weeks, and not all of them have been doll related.

I am sure many of you have been following the Cancer Chronicles by Ashley of Li'l Blue Boo.  If you haven't, I encourage you to take a moment and click the link to see what it is all about.  The Rite of Passage video is a must see, just make sure you have some tissues ready.
http://www.lilblueboo.com/category/cancer-chronicles

One thing very near and dear to my heart is the Team Ashley Choose Joy Auction and Benefit.  It will be held February 27th-29th, there will be more details to follow.  It has been a tremendous undertaking on the part of all the volunteers involved and oh so incredibly rewarding for us all.  Please feel free to grab this button and share it!

There will also be some fun stuff to purchase along the way...

like the $1 Download Thank You Notes from Stephanie Corfee, Artist  http://stephaniecorfee.com/downloads/a-special-dollar-download-fill-in-thank-you-cards-for-kids/

The first t-shirt from Team Ashley with artwork by Stephanie can be purchased here:
http://www.teamashley.bigcartel.com

This shirt is an homage to Ashley's never ending love of the Jelly Donut :)

And there is some more fun stuff in the works.  Rest assured that all profits from the auction, downloads, and T-shirts that I have shared will go straight to Ashley.

I am also adding a PayPal donate button to the sidebar of my blog if you would like to donate directly to the Hakshaw family.

On the dolly news front, I am working on a bunch of 8 inch Apple Dumpling dolls.  There will be curly boucle, Applestocking style, and hopefully a dreddy one (if the yarn cooperates!) in lots of fun shades... think pink, rainbow, purple... you get the idea!  I am leaning towards having the upload in a few weeks and having a larger number of dolls available so there will be some to choose from.  I am also working on a very special dumpling dolly for the auction, it will be a package with some fun goodies.  I will share more about her as we get closer to the date.

Thank you so much as always for your support!

xo Debra

Something New In Store

Doll Kits...

....and actually, there is a WHOLE NEW STORE!   One I have spent the better part of the week setting up.  I have gotten thoroughly spoiled by Etsy... it is so easy to set up and load items into your shop.  Probably one of the most user friendly I have seen to date.  I decided I wanted to do things a little differently for the kits though, so I set up a shop specifically in Hyena Cart for them.  Why, you ask?  Hyena Cart had a specific feature that I really wanted to take advantage of:  the ability to preview a listing.  When I finish a doll, 99% of the time I post a preview pic both here and on Facebook so people have a chance to really see it before it goes into the shop.  If there is a mad rush to buy, you know what you are rushing for.  A mad rush and picking out just what you want for a doll kit did not seem like a good match to me.  So, I spent many hours and pulled out lots of hair (computer stuff is so not my thing!) and I finally got it looking the way I wanted with a really nice offering to start the doll kit experience.

Here's the link to the new shop:

http://hyenacart.com/stores/appletreehouse/

You will notice the shop is set up into different sections.  You will pretty much need to get one item from each section.  Please take a moment to read the listing about how the doll kits work so you will be clear before you buy:

http://hyenacart.com/appletreehouse/mt/4134/4/How-the-doll-making-kit-works-DO-NOT-BUY

For now, I will be offering 2 different colors:

Mocha and Peachy

One of the things that has got me super excited about the kits is the new look of the instructions... my dear friend Stephanie Corfee   really took it to the next level.  Here is a little peek at what they look like:

I am totally loving the little doodle apples she did along the border... I am seriously contemplating having her do some kind of repeat to make a fabric.  How cool would that be?!?

Ok, I am off to finish making heads for these kits... in case you were wondering, they will be available Friday 1/13/12 at 1 pm!

Thanks as always.... Debra

The Scoop

I cannot believe it... I now have just over 2,000 folks following Apple Tree House on Facebook!  It is quite a milestone, one that I am so surprised and humbled to have made.  To celebrate reaching this mark, I will be offering a special doll making kit for $1 for sale comment style on my fan page on Wednesday, 1/11 at 1 pm EST (please click on the button in the sidebar and "like" me if you haven't already!).  You will have 24 hours to leave a comment, the name will be drawn 1/12 at 1 pm EST. 

And for those of you that have been oh so patiently waiting for kits, they are just about ready!  I have been photographing yarns and editing pics all day... there are 30 yarns in all, so there will be lots to choose from.  Stephanie Corfee, Artist is putting the finishing touches on the kit instructions as I type and there are just a few more things I have to get ready.  They will be available for sale in a new shop on Friday... I will announce the time and the shop address on Thursday, so please stay tuned!  Here is a yummy yarn pic to whet your appetite a bit for what is to come...

As always, thank you so much for your continued support!

Doll Kits

The first batch of doll kits are almost ready to be listed in my shop... lots of caps have been made, heads have been rolled, bodies have been cut.  I will be offering the kits a little differently this time compared to how they have been offered in the past.  There will be several listings to purchase to get the different parts. 

Thank you M.H. for the lovely photo... you did a wonderful job with your kit!

There will be a listing for the actual doll making kit which will include the pre-sewn body (2 choices for color), pre-made head, wool stuffing, and the complete instructions.  There will be listings for crochet caps for hair, one listing for each color available.  There will be listings for each base color of mohair available. 

There will be many listings for different art yarns for you to choose from.  That is going to take me a little while to get together... I have over 20 yarns I would like to make available to you, so there is lots to photograph.  I plan on having weights listed for the yarns as that is usually how I put a doll together.  Different thicknesses of yarns will have different weights and yardage. 

For the kits, I recommend you get one mohair and at least one art yarn, this will make sense after you get your kit and look over the instructions.  You want your yarn total weight to be about 4 or 5 ounces.  There will be extra yarns, but it has been my experience that extra yarn is always a good thing.  Sometimes it is nice to add a little more over time, and sometimes your little one might give dolly a haircut and you may need to do a bit of repairs. 

The kit instructions are getting a bit of an overhaul, CORFEE style!  I am super excited about this.  I know Stephanie will do a fabulous job and I can't wait to share a peek at the final results with you all.  You can see more of Stephanie's artwork at her Etsy shop.  She is the one who created my fabulous dolly art that I love so much.

Lastly, I realized this morning I am getting awfully close to 2000 likes on my fan page!  If you haven't already liked Apple Tree House on Facebook, please take a moment and do so.  When I reach 2000 likes, I will offer a special doll making kit for $1... think rainbows....

That's all for now!

xo Debra