Apple Themes, Doll Kits,& Other Stuff

Apples...love them apples!  "K" came up with a great, fun idea to have everybody name their favorite apple, then design a special doll inspired by that apple and have her come with some cool extras.  I knew there were a lot of varieties of apples, but I was surprised at the diversity of those mentioned!  The top three favorite apples were:  Gala, Granny Smith, and Golden Delicious.  I wasn't too sure about naming a doll Granny Smith, so I made an "executive decision" to substitute Pink Sparkle... the overwhelming top choice became Pink Sparkle...you can never go wrong with something that is pink and sparkles!  I am working on making her this week.  I also got some interesting suggestions from all the ladies who love their Granny Smith.  I love the idea of making an  "Anny Smith" so she will make an appearance sometime soon as well :)

I recently finished a special doll for Ashley of Li'l Blue Boo http://www.lilblueboo.com/ that she decided to name "Laurina" after a little Hatian girl that they are fostering thru Three Angels Children's Relief
http://www.facebook.com/thegreengoat#!/pages/Three-Angels-Childrens-Relief/149620460766
I can't wait to see pics of her modeling with Li'l Sally and can't help but wonder if Ashley will be creating a dress to name after her....

I have had many, many requests for more customized doll making kits, and I finally have enough materials in stock (and on the way) to accommodate a few more.  If you are interested in getting a kit, please send me an e-mail at appletreehouse@att.net on Thursday, November 18, 2010 between 10-11 am EST if you are in the US or Canada and 10-11 pm EST if you are an International Customer.  I will randomly select some the morning of Friday, November 18 and post a reserved listing on BigCartel that will need to be purchased and paid for within 24 hours, or I will have to offer the kit to someone else to keep things fair.  In order to expedite this whole process and get the kits out as soon as possible, please include the following info in your e-mail:

*  light, medium, or dark skin
*  eye color
*  blond, light brown, dark brown, black, or red hair
*  any favorite colors for fun yarns for the hair, as well as any colors you don't like (a lot of my art yarns are
    multi colored)

As a reminder, customized doll kits are $78 come with the following supplies:  ♥ a pre-made head with a cute little nose, ♥ a pre-sewn body in your choice of light, medium, or dark tan, ♥ eco-wool for stuffing, ♥ a crochet cap to get your doll wig started and yarn for hair in your choice of color, ♥ some art yarns in colors you love to make her hair fun, ♥ high quality threads for assembling the doll, ♥ embroidery threads in your choice of colors for eyes and lips, ♥ easy to follow instructions, ♥ a simple doll tunic and underpants pattern .  I send am ample amount of yarns and wool stuffing so you have the choice to use as much (or as little) as you would like to truly customize your doll.  You will need some sewing needles and a few other basic items easily obtained at most craft style stores.

Have a great week!  xoxox Debra

Time for a Giveaway!

It's time for the Giveaway!  I wanted to do something special to commemorate some milestones... 1,000 + fans on Facebook, 1 year on Etsy, 100 dolls made.... it's unbelievable that all three milestones happened within weeks of each other.  It seemed like a special doll was in order:

Here's Autumn...the fan designed, named, and dressed doll :)

Autumn has very long, soft Apple Tree House style red hair with 4 different types of yarn, ivy green eyes, and is wearing an original Li'l Blue Boo dress (don't forget, you can order custom dresses at http://www.lilblueboo.bigcartel.com/ and I think there is an option for a matching doll dress) and of course her little apple undies.  Autumn will come with a super cool African Bead bracelet, and she will  also have some more goodies... I will update the pic when they arrive.  Like all Apple Tree House dolls, she is OOAK, an individual, not to be repeated. 

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment here below her picture telling me how you found Apple Tree House: a friend, Facebook, Etsy Search, etc... For an extra entry, refer a friend to "like" Apple Tree House on Facebook, then comment here who you have referred, and have them leave your name in their comment as well.  The giveaway starts now, and will run thru November 10, 2010 at 7pm EST.  Don't forget to leave me contact info in case you win! 

Thank you to all of the friends and fans of Apple Tree House... it has been a pleasure creating dolls this last year.  I look forward to the dolls that are still waiting to be made :)

xoxo Debra

Giveaway Doll

The Giveaway Doll is done!  Stop by the Facebook Fan Page (click on the icon on the right) and help choose her name.  After she is named, it will be time to pick out her original Li'l Blue Boo Dress    http://www.lilblueboo.com/  .  Here is a couple of pics of the Giveaway Doll...

I left her super soft Apple Tree House style hair very long!

All Facebook Fans and Blog Followers will be eligible to enter to win her... more details on that later.

Have a safe weekend.... xoxo Debra

Doll Upload 10/27 on BIGCARTEL

I will be uploading 3 dolls on Wednesday, October 27th at 6pm EST to my new BigCartel shop!
http://www.appletreehouse.bigcartel.com/

There will be 3 dolls:

Sunny

Natalie

Spike

All 3 dolls were assembled by my friend Susan!  I am so grateful to have had her help this last week.  The first 2 she assembled, Sunny and Spike, are not quite perfect (NQP) so they will be offered at a reduced rate.  They are still very sturdy and made from all the same wonderful natural materials, they are just a bit uneven in spots.  Please be aware of this before you decide to purchase them! 

I am sure you have also noticed Natalie's super stylish upcycled Lil Blue Boo dress... the sleeves are a cherry print and the top of the dress has an original LBB screen print.  Please check out Ashley's shop on Bigcartel as well:  http://www.lilblueboo.bigcartel.com/

For those of you who may be wondering, "Why Bigcartel?" the answer is quite simple... I wanted to try something new :)  You don't have to have an account to buy, and  I love the ability to preview what is coming up for sale.  This will greatly help those of you who are not on Facebook.  I would also like a separate place to offer doll making kits.  My Etsy shop will remain open, and the extra clothing and accessories will remain there.  I will be sure to post here and on Facebook when things come available, and there will always be a link.  I apologize if there is any confusion!

XOXO Debra

News from the Tree House...

This week has been busy as normal... but not my usual busy.  My dear friend Susan has been spending some time in my studio, learning how to stuff and assemble dolls!  This will help get more dolls made and in to new homes.  I am thinking of offering the first couple of dolls that Susan has done at a reduced price.  They were made with all of the same high quality materials, and I am still doing majority of the doll crafting, they are just stuffed and sewn a bit differently as Susan is still working on duplicating all of my methods.  I think soon even I will have a tough time telling the difference between the ones she has done and my own!

I am also working on finalizing all of the details for the Vashti auction on Ebay.  My dear customer and new friend Jenn in Australia is working on helping me get the auction listing together.  The auction will include the doll, an original signed and dated "The Dot" book by Peter H. Reynolds, an original signed piece of artwork by the author, and an original Lil Blue Boo dress so she will have an extra outfit!  This auction will be a once in a lifetime opportunity... I will never create another doll quite like this, and she will be tough to part with, but I am so excited at the opportunity to be able to raise money for the school library.  I will post here and on Facebook when the auction is live. 

Back to the sewing machine.....   XOXO Debra

Doll Upload 10/14

OK, it's that time again!  The next doll upload will be Thursday, 10/14/2010 at 9pm EST.  There will be 2 dolls in the shop, (the one on the left and the one on the right), and the third (the gal in the middle) will go "Facebook Style"... I will post a pic of her on Facebook tomorrow 10/14 at noon EST and you will have until Friday, 10/15 noon EST to leave a comment under that picture to have a chance to have her reserved in your name for purchase on Etsy. 

Here is the bushel of Apples for this week....

(Left to Right)  Sloane, Serena, and Sadie

The girls are all 10 inches and have soft, full heads of Apple Tree House hair.  Sloane and Sadie will be $99 each, and Serena, who is styling in her Li'l Blue Boo Original Sally Style Dress will be $115.  Ashley is also working on some Sleeping Beauty inspired doll dresses, please see her Facebook page for more info.  Here is a link to the blue princess dress available now:  http://www.lilblueboo.bigcartel.com/product/doll-by-lil-blue-boo-princess-silk-screened-tiered-knit-dress-10-and-15-sizes

Have a great evening!

XOXO Debra

Dolls, Dolls, Dolls!

This week has been a fun one... I made my first dark skinned boy doll, Aidan.  I have not seen one quite like him yet!  He was so fun to make and so hard to part with, but he now lives in Canada.

I am also so happy to announce that  Li'l Blue Boo will be dressing some of the Ready 2 Go Home (R2GH) dolls!  You can see more of Ashley's creations at  http://www.lilblueboo.com/ .  Her model, Li'l Sally is a real crowd favorite.  I was able to get some more of the specialty yarns that we all loved in Sally's hair, so there will be a few more with this amazing style.... although there will only be one Li'l Sally :)

The Giveaway Doll is in the works... she will have light tan skin, green eyes, and fun & funky red hair.  I will post a pic when she is done and announce how the Giveaway will work.  The Giveaway will be conducted here on the blog as Facebook has some rules and regulations as far as Giveaways go. 

This coming week, there will be 3 dolls... Serena, a medium tan skinned doll with black hair with turquoise hi-lites and eyes to match; Sloane, a light tan skinned doll with the most amazing hair in browns and blues and eyes to match the blue, and Sadie, a fun loving blond... I will post a sneak peek soon!

Thanks again.... XOXO Debra