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

Ssssshhhhh.....

Ssshhhh.... I have a secret....

I am offering 15% off of Harmony for my blog readers until the end of the year.  To redeem this offer, simply go to the Etsy shop and enter the coupon code "Secret"!

I want this special girl to find her forever home :)

http://www.etsy.com/listing/88681700/harmony-12-inch-apple-tree-house-doll

I will have some custom doll listings available in my Bigcartel Shop on Tuesday.  Just a few at first, and hopefully more later.  I am also working hard gathering materials for the 10 inch doll making kits and hope to have those available after the beginning of the year.  More on that later.

Have a wonderful Monday!

xoxo Debra

Big Plans

It is hard to believe that another year is coming to a close.  This is my second winter selling my Waldorf styled and inspired dolls, and boy has time flown by!  I just finished up the last 2 custom dolls for the year, both boys:

As I was preparing to send them off, it got me thinking.   I had forgotten how much fun custom dolls could be.  The end of the year seems to be a great time for reflection :)  I think it is high time to start taking some more custom orders.  There will be just a few spots at first, but as I get back into the swing of it there will be more.   There are currently 2 skin tones I have to chose from (peach and mocha - I have found these 2 colors clean up nicely from the smudges that happen during play) and you will be able to chose 8 or 12 inch. 

Harmony, in the shop now http://www.appletreehouse.etsy.com

That also got me thinking about my 10 inch doll making kits.  I really miss getting the excited notes and photos of mamas making dolls for their kids.  I am going to spend some time the next couple weeks getting supplies together and there will be kits in January in my Bigcartel shop.  I will put supplies in listed as  "Coming Soon" until I have everything together.  This time, kits will be offered a little differently.  There will be a listing for a kit with your choice of skin colors (based on what I have on hand).  The kit will include the pre-sewn body, head, thread to match, and instructions.  Then there will be separate listings for crochet caps and yarns for hair.  This will benefit us all... I will have choices available and you will be able to see and plan for yourself without trying to convo back and forth and not really knowing what you will get until it arrives.  I am still working out all the kinks, but that is the plan for now. 

"My mama made her just for me!"

Finally, I want to make more of my 15 inch baby dolls.  I do love this doll so much.  She has been wonderful company on my shelf as I set up the new house.  This size will eventually be offered as a custom doll option after I get a few more made as ready to go home dolls.  And there will be ready to go home dolls, just maybe not quite as many as you have been used to seeing, at least not in the beginning of the year. 

So, those are my big plans for 2012... I think I will be very busy :)

I hope wherever you are and whatever you do
That someone special can spend time with you!

xoxo Debra

Upload 12/14/11

The last shop upload for the year will be today, 12/14/11 at 10 pm EST in my Etsy shop.  There is a link on the right side bar.

Here's some pics of the 2 girls I just finished, both wearing their Melamoose Co. outfits.

First up, we have Harmony.  She is 12 inches, has mocha skin, grey eyes, and some really amazing hand spun yarn in her hair.  It has sparkles and some of the original curly lamb locks in it!  It is predominately blue and silver, but there are some purpl-y and darker bits as well.   I have been dying to use this yarn for the longest time.  When I put the face on this little girl, I knew right away she was the one to have it. 

She will be $175 plus shipping.



This is Addie.  Addie was named for a very special little girl that believes in doing random acts of kindness.  She is also the daughter of the creator of Paint The Moon Photography  http://paintthemoon.net/  .  I use a lot of Annie's PSE actions to process my photos.  I was so moved by her story of Addie trying to give balloons away and though of her while I was making this sweet little gal.  Addie has over 500 strands of yarn in her super soft head of hair.  Much of it is a hand spun yarn. 

She will be $160 plus shipping.



Speaking of shipping, I normally use USPS Priority Mail.  This time of year, the timing can be tricky.  If you need a guaranteed delivery date, please convo me immediately at the time of purchase and I will send you an invoice for either Fedex or UPS shipping which will be about $35 for shipping within the U.S.  For other countries, please contact me before you purchase to make sure it is feasible. 

Thanks for all of your support this year, I can't wait to share what I am working on for next year!

xoxo Debra