Upload 3/14/11 at 6pm EST NEW PICS

Remember the all pink upload I promised?  They are almost all done!  The last 2 just need their hair finished.  This is one soft and sweet group, and I hope I was able to capture the "pinkness" well in the pics.  The upload will be at 6 pm EST at http://www.appletreehouse.bigcartel.com/   

Here are they are!

This is Peony

I really adore the pink boucle yarn in her hair.  My friend MamaJude uses natural plant dyes on all of her yarns and they are a real treat!  Peony is wearing a special dress from The Melamoose Co. http://www.themelamooseco.etsy.com/ with bunnies on the bodice and the skirt is the softest cream cable knit.  She is also wearing a pair of pink and white polka dot pantalettes with a vintage lace trim. 



This is Taffy

What else could I name a doll with colors like this in her hair?  And yes, it is as soft as it looks.  Taffy is wearing an absolutely adorable dress (also from Melamoose!) with umbrellas and kids all ready for those spring rain showers that bring those May flowers.  She is also wearing some apple printed undies.



Meet Azalea

This gal has a super special head of hair... there is a LOT of handspun azalea pink yarn in it.  This pic does her no justice!  She too is dressed in a special Melamoose dress in colors that match her eyes and hair as well as some apple undies.



And finally, Petal

Petal has an incredible full head of hair with 2 artyarns in it... one was handpainted by a local artisan named Maya from http://www.springtreeroad.etsy.com/ and I mixed it in with some more hand painted blossom pink to up that rosy factor.  Petal is wearing a dress that perfectly matches her hair and a pair of ruffle trimmed leggings from Melamoose.



And special thanks to Melamoose for sending such beautiful clothes for the dolls to wear this week...

xoxo Debra

Think....PINK!

I have been busy with my day job this last week (taxes and such!), but not too busy to be dreaming of the dolls I want to make next.... I just finished the dolls my girls have been begging for:

Moira and Ruthie

And they inspired me for the themes for the next 2 uploads... the upcoming upload (date and time TBA) will be PINK!   Here are some of the yarns I plan on using:

I will be taking naming suggestions for the dolls here and on the Facebook fan page... For each yarn, name the color pink it makes you think of.  This is going to be fun! 

xoxo Debra

Upload UPDATE

Here's my group of new dolls ready for new homes!  The three pictured will go up in my Big Cartel shop at 2pm EST on Tuesday, 2/22/11.  Please welcome:

Kennedy (dressed in The Melamoose Co.  http://www.themelamooseco.etsy.com/ )

Violet

and a special Apple Fairy!  She is wearing a special OOAK outfit from REFRESH ( http://www.aliciaverdier.etsy.com/ )

These 1st 3 dolls will be available 2/22 at 2pm EST http://www.appletreehouse.bigcartel.com/

Wait.... there is one more!  Li'l Ashley is the 2nd doll in the BooFeeMooTree collaboration series... that means 4 people played a part in her creation!  Ashley of Li'l Blue BOO provided the fabric and styling for the dress which MelaMOOse crafted.  Li'l Ashley is wearing some very special underpants made from a fabric with Stephanie CorFEE's baby bubbles print (available on Spoonflower.com), and the doll is by me (hence, the TREE....my kids actually picked out all the yarns and her eye and lip color... nice job, huh?!?) 

This doll is very near and dear to my heart, so she will be offered comment style on Facebook starting at 8pm EST on 2/20/11 and ending at 8pm EST on 2/21/11.  If you are interested in having the chance to have her reserved for you, simply leave a comment below the special post / pic on Facebook within this time frame.  At 8 pm EST on the 21st, I will randomly select a name out of a hat and contact that person who will then have 24 hours to purchase her.  If I don't hear back in the allotted time frame, we start over, or I give in to my kids and just keep her!!

Upload 2/22

The next upload will be on Tuesday, February 22nd at 2 pm EST... that will be 2/22 at 2!  There will be 4 dolls... here is a pic at another special gal that needs a name.  If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment below.  I will post more pics of her and the other gals very soon.

xo Debra

OUT OF ORDER!!

Things have gotten a bit out of order on Facebook lately... the new page layout for businesses are now being arranged by what Facebook deems to be the most popular posts.  Not to crazy 'bout that... I love being able to look at pics and reply to your posts there, so please don't think you are being ignored if you don't get a response, I may just not be able to find you! 

With all the chaos, I have still managed to finish a couple of dolls.  Here's a pic of one gal, she is wearing a fantastic outfit by REFRESH, especially made just for her!  The details on this OOAK outfit are amazing...  Alicia of REFRESH is thinking of a name for her and she will be available soon....

xoxo Debra

Doll Making Kits & Cool Art

I love yarn.  I mean, I really love yarn.  Especially expensive art yarns.  I have lots of yarn.  There is yarn pretty much everywhere I turn.  It is so wonderful to be surrounded by and get to use such fantastic materials in my craft. 

All of this yarn has got me thinking it is almost time to offer doll making kits again.  The first batch will be offered to the mamas who were interested last time and will be slightly different in that the floss / threads and premade heads will no longer be included in the kit.  This will lower the price a bit and afford several opportunities to the home crafter.  I love going to the craft store (or even Wal Mart) to buy the embroidery floss used for the eyes and lips.  There are so many beautiful colors to choose from, and you can even work at matching a beloved child's eye color or a detail in a special fabric.  By selecting your own skin tone threads you will have the ability to use as much or as little as you like, and you will also have extra on hand in case a little first aid is required.   Making heads does take some patience, but it gives such wonderful insight into how the wool "works"... by taking the time and effort to make your own head, you will inevitably have a nicer result stuffing the doll.  I will be updating the instructions to include directions on how to make the heads.  I will be e-mailing the mamas from the last go around by the end of the month and then offering kits on my BigCartel site soon after. 

On another note... I asked Stephanie Corfee http://www.stephaniecorfee.com/  to play around a bit with the Individuality Is Healthy art she created for me last year.  This is what she did:

Isn't it fun?  I am going to order a couple of these and they will be prizes in upcoming giveaways.  I have a couple different fun things in mind... stay tuned!

xoxo Debra

Upload 2/10

I have gotten so many incredible new art yarns lately.... so many, in fact, that I couldn't decide what to use for the next doll!  It seemed like a Facebook Fan Designed doll was in order...  I started with a medium tan body, and this is what I wound up making:

Her name is Maya and she is wearing a beautiful dress from The Melamoose Co.  http://www.themelamooseco.etsy.com/   .  I will put her pic on my Fan Page at about 9 am EST Thursday 2/10/11.  If you are interested in having a chance to have her reserved for purchase, simply "LIKE" the fan page and leave a comment under that pic before 2 pm EST on the 10th.  At 2 om EST, I will randomly choose a name from the comments (with extra entries to all who helped pick out all of her particulars) and contact that person, who will then have until 9pm EST to respond and purchase her. ♥

This was loads of fun for me and I will definitely do one again soon! 

xoxo Debra