Boo, the Special Auction

Just a quick reminder that the Boo auction is live and off to a fantastic start... she is up to $200 already!  Please spread the word so we can raise some money for the wonderful non-profit childrens hospital, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. 

In case you missed the earler post, Ashley of Li'l Blue Boo has been dealing with a very aggressive form of cancer. You can read more about her ordeal on her blog http://www.lilblueboo.com  I am so happy to say that as of now, it looks like the chemo is working so hopefully Ashley will be on her way to a complete recovery very soon. 

This is how Boo started:  Stephanie Corfee http://www.stephaniecorfee.com designed a "Team Ashley" logo at the request of a dear friend so people could show their support for Ashley during this tough time. When I saw the logo, I got an idea. I had some of the art yarn left from the 1st doll I made for Ashley's daughter, Boo http://www.lilblueboo.com/2010/10/lil-sally-doll-dress-pattern-giveaway.html and I thought it would be fun to make a doll similar to that one to wear a shirt with the Team Ashley logo. The Melamoose Co. http://www.themelamooseco.etsy.com very generously made the t-shirt and the coolest ruffle pants from some incredible Japanese linen blend fabric. And to top it all off, Boo is wearing a hair clip made by Ashley's sister, Perry. Perry sent me a couple clips a little while back, and this seemed like the perfect doll to wear one. You can find more of her work at http://perfectlyperrywinkle.etsy.com.

As you can see, this doll was a group effort and made with a lot of love.  The auction for Boo is up and running now right here:

 

https://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/photo.php?fbid=10150913737530243&set=a.339920055242.343456.334216215242&type=1&theater

 

  If you are interested in bringing her home, simply put in a bid before the auction ends at 7 pm EDT 11/4/11. At the end of the auction, I will send a paypal invoice to the winner and send the proceeds to the local non-profit Children's Hospital, http://www.choa.org/Support-Childrens in Ashley's name. If you would like to send a donation to the hospital directly too that would be fantastic :)

 

Thank you! xoxo  Debra

Jewel and Boo

The 2 dolls I just finished are very near and dear to my heart... I would love to tell you a little bit about them. 

First, there is Jewel. 

She has the most amazing head of hair.  The handspun art yarn came from a very dear friend of mine who is also a doll maker.  I have had this yarn in my stash for a bit, I couldn't bear to cut it!  But boy am I glad I did. 

Jewel is about 12 inches tall and is wearing an outfit that The Melamoose Co. made especially for her after seeing her.  She has mocha skin and light blue eyes.  There are a lot of creamy colored soft wool yarns mixed in with her special art yarn, and yes, there is some sparkle in her hair.  Jewel will be offered for sale comment style on my Facebook Fan page 11/3/11.  At about 9 am EDT, I will post a pic of her on the fan page.  If you are interested in purchasing her for $175 USD (plus shipping) simply leave your comment under her photo.  At 9 pm EDT, I will pull a name out of the hat and message that person who will have 24 hours to purchase her, or there will be another name drawn. 

And this is Boo.

Boo was a real labor of love.  I am not sure if you are all following Ashley of Li'l Blue Boo's blog http://www.lilblueboo.com , but if you haven't heard Ashley has been dealing with a very aggressive form of cancer.  Stephanie Corfee http://www.stephaniecorfee.com designed a "Team Ashley" logo at the request of a dear friend so people could show their support for Ashley during this tough time.  When I saw the logo, I got an idea.  I had some of the art yarn left from the 1st doll I made for Ashley's daughter, Boo http://www.lilblueboo.com/2010/10/lil-sally-doll-dress-pattern-giveaway.html and I thought it would be fun to make a doll similar to that one to wear a shirt with the Team Ashley logo.  The Melamoose Co.  http://www.themelamooseco.etsy.com very generously made the t-shirt and the coolest ruffle pants from some incredible Japanese linen blend fabric.  And to top it all off, Boo is wearing a hair clip made by Ashley's sister, Perry.  Perry sent me a couple clips a little while back, and this seemed like the perfect doll to wear one.  You can find more of her work at http://perfectlyperrywinkle.etsy.com. 

As you can see, this doll was a group effort and made with a lot of love.  I wanted to try a something a little different for finding a new home for Boo.  I would like to try auctioning her on Facebook.  Tomorrow night at 9:30 pm EDT, I will put up her pic and an opening bid.  If you are interested in bringing her home, simply put in a bid before the auction ends at 7 pm EDT 11/4/11.  At the end of the auction, I will send a paypal invoice to the winner and send the proceeds to the local non-profit Children's Hospital, http://www.choa.org/Support-Childrens in Ashley's name.  If you would like to send a donation to the hospital, please click on the link above. 

I will update this post with more photos in the morning when I have better light.

Thanks everyone for all of your support! 

xoxo Debra

P.S.  I read each and every comment and love hearing what everyone has to say, but for some reason Blogger says I am not allowed to comment on my own posts.  Go figure.

Time for a $1 Apple Dumpling Doll!

Time is just flying by... hard to believe we have been in our new house for 2 months already.  Renovations are well underway and I hope to have pics of my new kitchen to share soon.  Things have been a bit slow on the doll making front as I have been super busy unpacking, fixing, homeschooling my oldest, and my with my job, but I have been trying to make as much time for the dolls as possible as I love it so much!  I have a few dolls in various stages of completion, 2 very special ones that are just waiting on some cool duds from the Melamoose. 

Now, without further ado, I would like to share Cheri Applestocking!  She is quite an adventurous gal, loves climbing in the trees, playing on the rope swing, investigating in the woods...

Cheri Applestocking is an 8 inch Apple Dumpling doll.  Her cherry red mohair locks were hand dyed by me and will look best if they stay in braids.  She can sit assisted and her arms are just floppy enough for fun play.  She is of course wearing The Melamoose Co. halter jumper that was especially designed for her.  She will be offered comment style on my Facebook page for $1 (plus shipping and handling).  If you are interested in purchasing her, please leave a comment below her photo on my FB page before 9 pm EST on Sunday 10/30.  At that time, all the names will go into a hat and one will be chosen to buy her.  If you are not on Facebook, please feel free to leave a comment here and I will enter a comment for you on the fan page.  To get to the fan page, please click on the link in the sidebar. 

I leave you now with a pic of the gorgeous fall color that is starting to pop up in my part of Georgia.

xoxo Debra

I'm Back!!

The last few months have been oh so very busy... we moved into a real "fixer-upper" (LOTS of fixing needed!!), my youngest started a new school, my oldest is now home schooling.   I now have almost all of my yarns and supplies unpacked and put away and was so excited to be able to thread the needles on my machines and get busy....I am so very happy to be back to creating dolls. 

Here are the two 12 inch gals I just finished:

They need names and I gotta pick out the perfect outfits for them from my stash of The Melamoose Co. dresses but that will be done soon. 

As of right now I am planning on uploading them both to my Etsy shop on  Thursday evening about 9:30 pm EST.  I will update this post with their final pics and leave a note on Facebook as well as soon as I am all done..

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo Debra Ѽ

Unpacking

I know it has been a while since my last blog post and shop update, but I am still here!  I am pleased to say that we survived our move.  So far, at least... I know everything is here, just have to figure out exactly which box "it"  is in.  The house sold so fast that I barely had time to pack, let alone organize, and now I have the fun task of locating each item and finding a new place for it.  Mr. ATH has assured me that he will hang shelving for me this weekend so I can unpack my beloved fabrics and yarns.  Dare I unpack all of this at once?? lol

Moira, my daughter's 12 inch Apple Buddy Doll in the box of yarns... this is "most" of the yarns lol

I am hoping to get back to doll making some time next week and will keep you posted on my progress... meanwhile, here is a peek at what I can see almost daily outside my window:

The kids named the twins Spot and Dot, still working on a name for mama.

Have a wonderful day!!  xoxo Debra

Packing Up

Sorry things have been so very quiet lately... I have been deep in the mire of the business of moving.  We are all very excited about the new house, but not so much about the packing and impending move.  I have started a bunch of different things but have yet to actually finish anything and am not sure whether I actually will or not before all of my supplies get packed up.   One kid goes back to school this week, the other will be homeschooling, and the day job is keeping me busy as well. But fear not... I have many, many ideas swirling around in my head, dolls I want to make, modifications of some of my designs and rest assured that as soon as we get into our new place in a few weeks my supplies will be unpacked and organized and the steady hum of my sewing machine will fill my new sewing area!

I was recently asked to contribute a photo for a super fun project for someone I adore ... I can't say any more about it now but I will let you know when it is all done!  Speaking of fun collaborations, The Melamoose Co. has teamed up with Etsy shop Roses and Rhubarbs for some super fun doll outfits.  This is sold out, but a little moose told me there is more dolly loveliness.

http://www.themelamooseco.etsy.com

http://www.rosesandrhubarbs.etsy.com

Also, I am planning on doing another $1 Apple Dumpling Doll when we reach 2000 fans on Facebook so please tell your friends about Apple Tree House.  For those of you who may not know, a $1 Apple Dumpling doll is just that... a doll that is sold for $1 (plus s/h) comment style on my Facebook fan page.  It is my way of saying thank you for helping spread the word about my little company.  Last time I checked, we are only about 170 away from that benchmark, so hopefully we won't have to wait too long.

Here's a little something fun, we have been singing this at our house to keep the kids from feeling blue about leaving the familiar behind:

http://youtu.be/pOMqqI-kzHY

Upload 7/21/11

There are three little dolls that are just about ready to find new homes... they are all 8 inch Apple Dumpling Dolls.  The upload will be on Etsy http://www.appletreehouse.etsy.com/ Thursday, July 21st at 7:30 pm EDT.  All of the dolls are wearing special clothing made just for them by the fabulous Melamoose (love ya Moose!!)  http://www.themelamooseco.etsy.com/

Here's the preview pics for the next upload!

Each doll will be $88 plus shipping.  Please familiarize yourself with the shop policies which are also found here on the blog under "Purchasing Information" at the top of the page.

Thanks!!  Debra