Dynamic Duo!

Introducing....The Apple Tree House Super Heroes....

Alicia the Atomic Apple 

Able to look fabulous at whatever she does


& Kung Fuji Kevin 

 Able to chop enough apples for cobbler in one swipe! 




I am planning to put them into the Etsy shop Friday at 9 am EST, if anything changes, I will put it here as a new post and on my Facebook page.  Please make sure you are familiar with all shop policies before buying!  Also, please do not click blindly or get a doll because you fear you won't be able to get one later... there will be more dolls soon (and I am on the hunt for help with some of the behind-the-scenes part of the business to free me up), so there is bound to be one that is just perfect for you.  I have many, many more dolls I want to make...if you could only see my yarn stash...      :o)

Special thanks to http://www.themelamooseco.etsy.com/ for supplying such fabulous apple core-ture for the dolls to wear this week!  I am looking forward to many more collaborations with Mel.   I hope to have some Lil Blue Boo for this new size doll soon.... they are super busy getting their spring line together as well as preparing for Trunk Shows.  If you haven't pre-ordered yet, please stop by and check out what is new. at http://www.lilblueboo.bigcartel.com/. 

Yarn

This past week has flown by... the doll kits are almost assembled and ready to be shipped, a couple of custom Li'l Lovey dolls are complete, a present for a dear friend (pics later!) and there are several dolls waiting for faces and hair.  Notice I said dolls.... not gals.  :)

I went a little crazy yarn shopping on Etsy this week, and my spoils are starting to arrive.  Here is one of them, it is an alpaca blended with mohair, in the natural colors of the lovely creatures that provided the fibers that went into this yarn.  Thanks to Diana at http://www.frolicnfibers.etsy.com/

This yarn is as soft as it looks, and I cannot wait to use it so it will be on one of the upcoming dolls.  I am still planning on a fantasy themed doll upload... there will be 2 superheroes and I am thinking the 3rd will be a mermaid.  I opened it up to the Facebook fans the other night to see what kinds of apple superheroes they could think of.  There were so many great suggestions.  A couple stood out from the pack....One of the superheroes will be named "Kung Fuji"!  That name was just too funny to not be used.  I will post preview pics as soon as they are done, and set the upload as soon as I receive some of the clothing from The Melamoose Co.  Yep, you read that right... The Melamoose Co. is helping dress 2 of the dolls this week, and I can't wait to show you what she has created!  But since I don't have the clothes, you will have to check back for a peek later on.....   http://www.themelamooseco.etsy.com/ to see some of the wonderful clothes.

Have a great Friday!

XOXO Debra

Custom Doll Kit WAITLIST

What a morning!  I am completely overwhelmed and appreciative by the number of mamas that are interested in a Custom Doll Kit.  To show my appreciation, I will keep a copy of the e-mails that I received in the allotted time frame and offer kits as I am able to gather supplies.  There is no obligation, just my way of saying "Thanks". 

XOXO Debra

Sophie, a mama made doll :)

LIMITED -- Doll Making Kits

Doll making kits are back!  Last time I offered them I asked for e-mails to be sent during a specified time period and that seemed to go very smoothly for everybody so we will do it that way again.  If you are interested in getting a custom kit to make a 10 inch doll, please send me an e-mail at appletreehouse@att.net on Wednesday, January 19, 2011 between 6 am EST and 1 pm EST. I will randomly select some e-mails and start notifying the mamas that afternoon 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. E-mails will not be accepted before or after this time frame.  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 (many of the art yarns are multi colored)



As a reminder, customized 10 inch 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 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.

Here's an example of a mama made doll from one of the kits last year... her name is  Eloise, she lives in Australia... isn't she adorable?!?

After the listing is paid for, I will start putting kits together and sending them out, usually within 10 business days.  If you have any questions, please e-mail me or leave a post on the Facebook page and I will answer you as soon as possible.

Have a wonderful Monday!   xoxo Debra

Wednesday, January 12, 2011 UPLOAD

Here's a group shot of the girls for this week taken in the igloo that the kids built in the backyard....

Fancy Nancy, Juliette, and Melanie.  And yes, I said igloo.  We had a tremendous snow and ice storm in the metro Atlanta area this week and we have had so much fun!

Fancy Nancy is 12 inches, has light skin, soft sage green eyes, and a super fun head of hair:  carrot wools in 2 textures and a plant dyed rainbow boucle from http://www.mamajudes.etsy.com/.  She is wearing a skirt and t-shirt made from new and upcycled knits, many of them are from my favorite upcycler http://www.lilblueboo.com/ .  She will be $150 plus shipping. 

Juliette is 12 inches, has light skin, soft periwinkle blue eyes, and a very soft, dreamy head of hair:  blond mohair, blond wool, and an incredible hand spun and dyed yarn from http://www.northyorkshireyarns.etsy.com/.  She is wearing a cotton top with a li'l red apple applique and a denim skirt.  Juliette will be $150 plus shipping.

Melanie is 12 inches, has light skin, chocolate brown eyes, and her hair is made from brown wools and a super squishy stripey pink wool art yarn.  She is the first doll that gets to wear a very special dress collaborating efforts from The Melamoose Co.  http://www.themelamooseco.etsy.com/ ,  Li'l Blue Boo http://www.lilblueboo.bigcartel.com/ , and Stephanie Corfee, Artist http://www.stephaniecorfee.etsy.com/
This special collaboration has been dubbed "BooFeeMooTree" and I look forward to many more! 
Melanie was named for the creator of The Melamoose Co. and will be $160 plus shipping. 

At 5pm EST I will put an individual pic of each doll up on my Facebook page.  If you are interested in purchasing a doll, please leave a comment under the pic of the doll.  At 10 am EST Thursday, January 13, 2011 I will randomly choose one of the comments for each doll and set up a reserved listing to purchase that doll on BigCartel.  The winning name will then have 24 hours to purchase the doll or another name will be drawn.  If you have any questions, please e-mail me or leave a comment on the fan page and I will get back to you ASAP! 

XOXO Debra

Something kinda new...

Here we are, almost a whole week into the new year, and I have been up to something! 

Everything I make has to pass a stringent "Research, Development, & Quality Control" Department, a/k/a my kids.  They have been after me for a while to make a doll that can sit.  One with cute, shaped feet.  Maybe a little bit bigger and more substantial than the 10 inch dolls I am so fond of making. I had some ideas, but didn't have time to really work on them and bring them to fruition.  Then the flu hit.  Put on the brakes!  I was cooped up for a while and stuck on the couch, which for me was incredibly difficult as I have a hard time being still.  It did give me an opportunity to get my kids requests down on paper, then on fabric.  Finally, yesterday, "Melanie" came into existence.  Here she is next to my daughter's 10 inch doll, Sugar, to give you an idea of size.

Melanie is a 12 inch doll who sits nicely and has cute feet as ordered by my li'l apples.  Perfect for a tea party, playing school, reading to.  I am so happy with the way she came out!  She is a really great size.  Not too big (or heavy) for the littlest girls, not too small (or lightweight), she is something that will not be outgrown.  She was named after the wonderful mama behind The Melamoose Co. and  is wearing an original "BooMooFee" outfit with components by some of my favorite people...
"When I Grow Up" Artwork by http://www.stephaniecorfee.etsy.com/
Screen Printing by http://www.lilblueboo.com/ (also the official clothier of ATH!)
Dress by http://www.themelamooseco.etsy.com/
I am going to make a couple more dolls this size and I will have a comment style upload on Facebook, possibly on January 13th, stay tuned for more details.

I have gotten lots of requests for Custom Doll Making Kits, and I will be offering them Wednesday, January 19th. I will be doing it e-mail style... you send me an e-mail with the requested info during the specified time period, and I will randomly choose some e-mails and set up a listing for you on BigCartel.   To keep it all fair, e-mails will not be accepted before or after the specified time, which I will announce when we get closer to the date.  If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me at appletreehouse@att.net or post on the Facebook page (link is on the right) and I will get back to you. 

It's almost Friday.... hang in there!

XOXO Debra

2010... Where did it go?

Is it just me or has this year completely flown by?  I have experienced so many milestones, both personal and professional.  I have made so many dolls, and so many more friends!  I have been able to be part of some wonderful collaborations and have some more fun stuff in the works... here's a little hint at one of them:

As you are giving your children their dolls or watching your kids play with their dolls, please take pictures!  There is no way to measure the joy it brings to me when I get to share a special moment by way of a snapshot.  You can post pics directly to the Facebook Fan Page, or you can e-mail them to me at appletreehouse@att.net and I will be glad to post them for you, or I can just keep it to myself if you prefer.  There will be a fabulous and fun photo contest in January, I am just working out all of the details now and I will announce it at the beginning of the year.  There will be several categories and more than one prize :)

I have started a "Reviews" tab on the Fan Page for all of the Facebook mamas... when you get a second, please leave one so others will know how you feel about AppleTreeHouse, no matter how you came to acquire her/him.  When I get 50 reviews, I will randomly select one to get a special little present for their AppleTreeHouse doll.

Also, regarding rehomes, if you should happen to be the recipient of one, please let me know!  I will update the Club Members Album pic with the new location and I will also be happy to send you a new, personalized care card. 

I would also just like to take a second and thank all the friends, fans, and customers of AppleTreeHouse. I am so very grateful for each and every one of you.  Being able to create dolls and have them find special people to live with (be it from a direct purchase, a gift, an "angel", a rehome) is so very rewarding for me.

I hope everyone is able to enjoy special times with loved ones....

XOXO Debra