Well, I'm a big dope. I created the other blog but forgot to link this one to it...oops!
http://blog.petitepoire.net/
Friday, September 10, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Crossroads
So here I am...wondering what to do next. Somehow I knew I would get here. I knew the very first minute that I decided to make dolls for my girls that I was starting something that I would love and it has changed me and my dreams forever. I used to dream about making clothes for little girls and running into them on the street in one of my creations. I used to lie awake at night thinking about color combinations and picturing how they would look on my daughters. Now I dream about...yarn. Every time I get a new clothing I groan because that's time that I won't get to make a doll.
What does this mean? Does this mean I'm done with designing clothes for any other girls but my own? Honestly, I have no idea. I still have my Etsy and Petite Poire website up but I haven't been refreshing my listings because I'm trying to keep the orders down. I guess time will tell me where I want to go and what I want to do. In the meantime, I just sew...and spin yarn!
I have no idea what most Waldorf Doll makers do - I don't know if most of them make their own clothes or spin/dye their own yarn. I enjoy doing both, but there's something about hand spinning yarn that is downright addictive and soothing to the soul. Something that is not just medieval but prehistoric - I grin at the fact that I could go back in time 10,000 years ago and have something in common with those people. We could sit down together with our spindles and grunt at one another or something. I've been asked if I am going to buy my own spinning wheel and I try my hardest not to snort when I say no way. Yes, it would be faster. But so would buying your own pre-dyed/pre-spun wool from the store! That being said, I do buy some of my yarns pre-spun, mostly on Etsy, but also from a local Colorado yarn store called The Recycled Lamb. I enjoy spinning yarn, but my ultimate goal is to make a doll so I don't spend all of my time spinning. But I will say that there is a special place in my heart for each of the dolls that have hair that I have hand spun for them!
I do know that as of this time in my life I am enjoying making dolls. I'm not done yet. I don't know where I'm going, but I do know where I am right now and I'm happy doing it!
What does this mean? Does this mean I'm done with designing clothes for any other girls but my own? Honestly, I have no idea. I still have my Etsy and Petite Poire website up but I haven't been refreshing my listings because I'm trying to keep the orders down. I guess time will tell me where I want to go and what I want to do. In the meantime, I just sew...and spin yarn!
I have no idea what most Waldorf Doll makers do - I don't know if most of them make their own clothes or spin/dye their own yarn. I enjoy doing both, but there's something about hand spinning yarn that is downright addictive and soothing to the soul. Something that is not just medieval but prehistoric - I grin at the fact that I could go back in time 10,000 years ago and have something in common with those people. We could sit down together with our spindles and grunt at one another or something. I've been asked if I am going to buy my own spinning wheel and I try my hardest not to snort when I say no way. Yes, it would be faster. But so would buying your own pre-dyed/pre-spun wool from the store! That being said, I do buy some of my yarns pre-spun, mostly on Etsy, but also from a local Colorado yarn store called The Recycled Lamb. I enjoy spinning yarn, but my ultimate goal is to make a doll so I don't spend all of my time spinning. But I will say that there is a special place in my heart for each of the dolls that have hair that I have hand spun for them!
I do know that as of this time in my life I am enjoying making dolls. I'm not done yet. I don't know where I'm going, but I do know where I am right now and I'm happy doing it!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Waldorf Dolls!!
They are ready to be adopted! I've worked long and hard to get these girls ready for their new homes. It's taken me three weeks of long nights to get to this point!
I know most Waldorf Dolls are extremely difficult to buy. But I'm new to this and pretty much unknown, so I don't expect there to be a problem getting these. All the same, I'd like to keep the confusion to a minimum so that people cannot buy the same doll. For now, since I don't think they will be flying off my cyber shelves, I'm going to list them on my website and see how it goes. Click on the "Waldorf Dolls" link (will be available Monday, June 14th at 12:00 pm MST). If they don't sell there then I will also list them on Etsy within a few days. Whether or not they sell, though, I will continue to make more of them because they are so much fun! So keep checking back and maybe you'll eventually see one you love and want to take home with you!
Please allow me to give a brief description of my dolls, and how they differ from traditional Waldorf dolls. I mentioned in a previous post that my dolls are not traditional Waldorf dolls - so if you're a purist you might not be as interested! I come from the Cabbage Patch Kid era; the days when they very first came out and you couldn't even buy them in the store! I remember my mom was trying to get on a layaway list for a couple for me and my sister and still had a difficult time scoring them. My dolls have knee and elbow dimples, feet, buttcheeks and a belly button. Their eyes are also a little bit bigger than your "average" Waldorf doll since I feel it gives them more of an innocence that I feel reflects childhood. They are more like Waldorf Patch Dolls :P I feel that I've taken the best parts of both styles of dolls and mushed them together to form (in my humble opinion) the perfect doll!
The dolls are completely hand made from natural materials; their bodies are stuffed with wool, which will warm as they are snuggled with! Their hair, which can be styled in many ways, is a mix of wool, alpaca, or cotton yarns and fibers. Each doll comes with at least one outfit, which includes shoes, hair accessories (if applicable) and underwear. As of right now, the larger dolls (16" not including their hair) have the option of being adopted either with one outfit for $135 or three outfits for $150. At this time I do not know if their clothes will fit other dolls such as Bamboletta, since I've never tried them on one. The 14" dolls are only available with one outfit and are $75.
So with all that out of the way, let me introduce you to my first batch of orphans! I really wanted to do an outdoor photoshoot with them but Mother Nature and I didn't see eye to eye this weekend and it was raining and snowing all weekend. Yes, I said snowing, that was not a typo. Gotta love life on top of the mountain!
You have already seen Hadley. She's a 14" doll and has orange and pink curly hair with green eyes. She is stuffed with wool and her hair is 100% alpaca mohair boucle and can be styled in many different ways.
The other 14" doll is Delilah. She has violet eyes and blonde hair with pastel rainbow streaks in it. She is stuffed with wool and her hair is a mix of alpaca mohair, alpaca mohair boucle, and handspun merino wool roving.
More outfits can be made for her - please message me if you're interested! She does fit into the 16" clothes pretty well, though.
Emberly is a 16" dark brown doll with green eyes and an adorable little inverted bob haircut. Obviously she isn't going to be sporting pigtails or a pony tail, but her hair is 100% alpaca mohair and is unbelievably soft and can still be played with...a little! Here is Em and the three outfits she comes in. Please note that the shoes on all of the dolls could possibly vary depending on availability (the pink rubber ones are Cabbage Patch Kid shoes and will not be included!).
This is Freya, a 16" doll. She's a little funky with her 100% merino wool dreadlocks and big blue eyes. She comes in the outfits seen here:
This little cutie is Cora, a 16" light brown skinned doll with gold eyes and a brown/black/caramel mix of curly alpaca boucle hair with streaks of coral colored handspun merino wool roving. Here she is in her 3 outfits:
This is Anjali (pronounced On-Ja-Lee) and it means "Gift" in Sanskrit. She is a dark brown skinned doll with blue eyes and ultra long and super soft alpaca/merino wool blended hair.
Last, but certainly not least, here is Keiko. Keiko means "Blessed One" in Japanese and this soft and unique doll is certain to be a blessing in her new home! She has brown almond shaped eyes and her super long hair is a blend of cotton yarn, black merino handspun roving and turquoise handspun merino wool. There is no end to what you can do with this hair!
This is it for this week...hopefully I'll have at least a couple more for next week. I'm working on fairy wings right now :) While I am not taking custom orders right now (I'm having way too much fun making the ideas in my head right now!) I am happy to take suggestions and maybe you'll see something you inspired up here soon!
I know most Waldorf Dolls are extremely difficult to buy. But I'm new to this and pretty much unknown, so I don't expect there to be a problem getting these. All the same, I'd like to keep the confusion to a minimum so that people cannot buy the same doll. For now, since I don't think they will be flying off my cyber shelves, I'm going to list them on my website and see how it goes. Click on the "Waldorf Dolls" link (will be available Monday, June 14th at 12:00 pm MST). If they don't sell there then I will also list them on Etsy within a few days. Whether or not they sell, though, I will continue to make more of them because they are so much fun! So keep checking back and maybe you'll eventually see one you love and want to take home with you!
Please allow me to give a brief description of my dolls, and how they differ from traditional Waldorf dolls. I mentioned in a previous post that my dolls are not traditional Waldorf dolls - so if you're a purist you might not be as interested! I come from the Cabbage Patch Kid era; the days when they very first came out and you couldn't even buy them in the store! I remember my mom was trying to get on a layaway list for a couple for me and my sister and still had a difficult time scoring them. My dolls have knee and elbow dimples, feet, buttcheeks and a belly button. Their eyes are also a little bit bigger than your "average" Waldorf doll since I feel it gives them more of an innocence that I feel reflects childhood. They are more like Waldorf Patch Dolls :P I feel that I've taken the best parts of both styles of dolls and mushed them together to form (in my humble opinion) the perfect doll!
The dolls are completely hand made from natural materials; their bodies are stuffed with wool, which will warm as they are snuggled with! Their hair, which can be styled in many ways, is a mix of wool, alpaca, or cotton yarns and fibers. Each doll comes with at least one outfit, which includes shoes, hair accessories (if applicable) and underwear. As of right now, the larger dolls (16" not including their hair) have the option of being adopted either with one outfit for $135 or three outfits for $150. At this time I do not know if their clothes will fit other dolls such as Bamboletta, since I've never tried them on one. The 14" dolls are only available with one outfit and are $75.
So with all that out of the way, let me introduce you to my first batch of orphans! I really wanted to do an outdoor photoshoot with them but Mother Nature and I didn't see eye to eye this weekend and it was raining and snowing all weekend. Yes, I said snowing, that was not a typo. Gotta love life on top of the mountain!
You have already seen Hadley. She's a 14" doll and has orange and pink curly hair with green eyes. She is stuffed with wool and her hair is 100% alpaca mohair boucle and can be styled in many different ways.
The other 14" doll is Delilah. She has violet eyes and blonde hair with pastel rainbow streaks in it. She is stuffed with wool and her hair is a mix of alpaca mohair, alpaca mohair boucle, and handspun merino wool roving.
More outfits can be made for her - please message me if you're interested! She does fit into the 16" clothes pretty well, though.
Emberly is a 16" dark brown doll with green eyes and an adorable little inverted bob haircut. Obviously she isn't going to be sporting pigtails or a pony tail, but her hair is 100% alpaca mohair and is unbelievably soft and can still be played with...a little! Here is Em and the three outfits she comes in. Please note that the shoes on all of the dolls could possibly vary depending on availability (the pink rubber ones are Cabbage Patch Kid shoes and will not be included!).
This is Freya, a 16" doll. She's a little funky with her 100% merino wool dreadlocks and big blue eyes. She comes in the outfits seen here:
This little cutie is Cora, a 16" light brown skinned doll with gold eyes and a brown/black/caramel mix of curly alpaca boucle hair with streaks of coral colored handspun merino wool roving. Here she is in her 3 outfits:
This is Anjali (pronounced On-Ja-Lee) and it means "Gift" in Sanskrit. She is a dark brown skinned doll with blue eyes and ultra long and super soft alpaca/merino wool blended hair.
Last, but certainly not least, here is Keiko. Keiko means "Blessed One" in Japanese and this soft and unique doll is certain to be a blessing in her new home! She has brown almond shaped eyes and her super long hair is a blend of cotton yarn, black merino handspun roving and turquoise handspun merino wool. There is no end to what you can do with this hair!
This is it for this week...hopefully I'll have at least a couple more for next week. I'm working on fairy wings right now :) While I am not taking custom orders right now (I'm having way too much fun making the ideas in my head right now!) I am happy to take suggestions and maybe you'll see something you inspired up here soon!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Like I Needed ANOTHER Hobby...!
I had seen Waldorf Dolls before, and I always thought they were cute, but I could never really understand the "mania" that surrounds them. One day I was looking at them and thought my girls would probably like to have one and that it would be a nice heirloom gift. I wanted something that would be their "baby" that they would love and take with them everywhere, then maybe some day they would put it on the shelf so they can show their little girl. The problem was that getting a handmade Waldorf Doll is pretty darn near impossible, even if you're willing to shell out the money for one! Just try going on Bamboletta's website and ordering a doll. It simply cannot be done. Other brands are equally as difficult to get, and there are some downright scary looking dolls on Etsy that are somehow selling.
That was when it dawned on me that I can just make them! And as soon as that thought came I was barraged with so many ideas that I couldn't even sleep that night. Outfits, hairdos, names...yes, Waldorf Doll mania hit me BIG TIME!
So I made my first doll. I wanted to name her Eve (for obvious reasons!) but my daughter flat out insisted that her name be Molly. I guess she does look more like a Molly anyway :P
My heart jumped a beat when she immediately picked Molly up and started playing with her. She proclaimed her as her very favorite - which is saying something! And hasn't let her go since.
Of course, when my younger daughter saw that her big sister had a dolly and she didn't the tears started. I knew I had better hurry up and finish my second or I was about to have a meltdown at my house! And so Maggie was born...
So I worked out a few kinks. Made a few more dolls. Tore them up and started over. And over. And over. Worked on my orders, but kept dreaming of dolls. That's when I decided to open the "Orphanage". I don't know how I'm going to work it, but for now I'm going to make a few dolls and some outfits for them, and then I'll probably list them on Facebook when I'm ready to sell them. If they don't sell on Facebook I'll list them on Etsy and see what happens!
Remember when we were kids and we all HAD to have a Cabbage Patch doll? I remember falling in love with mine - I loved their hair and the smell, but more than anything I loved their little buns and belly buttons! lol Waldorf dolls, generally speaking, do not have very many features. Their limbs purposely have little detail. I love Waldorf Dolls, but I can't rid myself of the magic of the Cabbage Patch dolls from my youth...so I took my favorite features of each and put them together in one doll! My dolls have little knee and elbow dimples, feet, and of course a belly button and little buttcheeks :-)
Hadley is my first orphan. She came to the orphanage after finding out that her parents got lost while climbing Mount Everest in search of the rare and endangered Himalayan Musk Deer. She has green eyes with bold curly red boucle mohair with streaks of blonde and hot pink. Quite the stunner!
So for those of you who ever wanted to know what goes into these dolls, I've taken pictures! Don't look if you are worried about it taking away the magic...
It starts with a ball of wool. To me, this is the most difficult part of the doll making process, since it has to be tightly rolled and your hands cramp like crazy. Kindly excuse my wreck of a sewing room - yes, it looks like I belong on Hoarding Buried Alive in there.
The making of the face
Getting skinned!
Sewing on the body - another not so easy part!
Believe it or not, this is me sewing on the legs!
Getting ready to sew on the hair
Giving her a 'do
All done!
Is it sad that this is my favorite part of the doll?
I have other dolls in the works...I won't be displaying them until they're all done, though! I need to work on my orders, but I think I'm going to have a busy (and fun!) Memorial Day weekend. I hope you all have the same!
That was when it dawned on me that I can just make them! And as soon as that thought came I was barraged with so many ideas that I couldn't even sleep that night. Outfits, hairdos, names...yes, Waldorf Doll mania hit me BIG TIME!
So I made my first doll. I wanted to name her Eve (for obvious reasons!) but my daughter flat out insisted that her name be Molly. I guess she does look more like a Molly anyway :P
My heart jumped a beat when she immediately picked Molly up and started playing with her. She proclaimed her as her very favorite - which is saying something! And hasn't let her go since.
Of course, when my younger daughter saw that her big sister had a dolly and she didn't the tears started. I knew I had better hurry up and finish my second or I was about to have a meltdown at my house! And so Maggie was born...
So I worked out a few kinks. Made a few more dolls. Tore them up and started over. And over. And over. Worked on my orders, but kept dreaming of dolls. That's when I decided to open the "Orphanage". I don't know how I'm going to work it, but for now I'm going to make a few dolls and some outfits for them, and then I'll probably list them on Facebook when I'm ready to sell them. If they don't sell on Facebook I'll list them on Etsy and see what happens!
Remember when we were kids and we all HAD to have a Cabbage Patch doll? I remember falling in love with mine - I loved their hair and the smell, but more than anything I loved their little buns and belly buttons! lol Waldorf dolls, generally speaking, do not have very many features. Their limbs purposely have little detail. I love Waldorf Dolls, but I can't rid myself of the magic of the Cabbage Patch dolls from my youth...so I took my favorite features of each and put them together in one doll! My dolls have little knee and elbow dimples, feet, and of course a belly button and little buttcheeks :-)
Hadley is my first orphan. She came to the orphanage after finding out that her parents got lost while climbing Mount Everest in search of the rare and endangered Himalayan Musk Deer. She has green eyes with bold curly red boucle mohair with streaks of blonde and hot pink. Quite the stunner!
So for those of you who ever wanted to know what goes into these dolls, I've taken pictures! Don't look if you are worried about it taking away the magic...
It starts with a ball of wool. To me, this is the most difficult part of the doll making process, since it has to be tightly rolled and your hands cramp like crazy. Kindly excuse my wreck of a sewing room - yes, it looks like I belong on Hoarding Buried Alive in there.
The making of the face
Getting skinned!
Sewing on the body - another not so easy part!
Believe it or not, this is me sewing on the legs!
Getting ready to sew on the hair
Giving her a 'do
All done!
Is it sad that this is my favorite part of the doll?
I have other dolls in the works...I won't be displaying them until they're all done, though! I need to work on my orders, but I think I'm going to have a busy (and fun!) Memorial Day weekend. I hope you all have the same!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
May Showers
Aren't April showers supposed to bring May flowers? (And what do May Flowers bring? Pilgrims. hahahaha) Okay, well around here April snow brings...May snow and no flowers to speak of. But today it's raining and hopefully they are wrong about snow tomorrow and Thursday!
I just realized that I hadn't blogged in a month. I know - I'm horrible! I can't even really blame it on the photos either, I've had some great photos sent to me! I've just been extremely busy, mostly trying to get ahead on orders before today. You see, today is D-Day - as in "Drop off my sewing machine Day" for it's semi annual cleaning and servicing. I'm going to be stuck with my older-than-Methuselah Singer machine for a whole week and it doesn't do button-holes. I'm always embarrassed when I get it back and they tell me "Wow, this thing is REALLY dusty! Just how much are you sewing, anyway?" If only they knew....
I whipped together a really cute outfit last week but then got ZERO good pictures out of it. In fact, the pictures are so bad that I'm not even going to list the thing until I get some halfway decent ones! But here it is, please don't judge too harshly - it really is adorable!
The loop tops/dresses have been flying off the cyber shelves! I have a few more in mind for the summer but I really need to start working on the fall stuff. I love how it finally stops snowing around here and I get to start thinking about what to wear in cold weather...it's a little depressing, really!
I've been working on my daughter's school wardrobe. It turns out that her school dress code will not allow her wear anything that reveals her shoulders...so no halters, knot dresses, or loop tops for her unless there's something underneath - yikes! I figured this will work well, though:
Yes, that's our St. Bernard. Meet Eulee, the biggest, slobberiest, hulk of a dog you've ever seen!
A couple weeks ago I had to say goodbye to my all-time favorite outfit, the Natty Huckleberry Halter Set. I did a promotion to send it out in style - however, I did not expect about ten people to PM me within 5 minutes about it! The first two entries were within 5 seconds away from one another - I ended up doing two sets, though one is slightly different than the other because I was out of the "standard" fabric for it. Someday I may come up with a new Natty Huckleberry Halter but for now I must say goodbye! At least I know they went to good homes :-)
Have you seen the new Liberty Belle set? It's a red, white and blue Tilly Rose Romper with a matching sunhat - sooo cute! A Miss Mamie Romper can be substituted for an extra $5, and I can also just do the romper (no hat) for $25.
Isn't that little baby the cutest?! I wanna squeeze her cheeks and smother her with kisses.
And last, and the very opposite of least, I have more Rhiana pics! Enjoy!
And praying I don't see any more of THIS until at least August!
I just realized that I hadn't blogged in a month. I know - I'm horrible! I can't even really blame it on the photos either, I've had some great photos sent to me! I've just been extremely busy, mostly trying to get ahead on orders before today. You see, today is D-Day - as in "Drop off my sewing machine Day" for it's semi annual cleaning and servicing. I'm going to be stuck with my older-than-Methuselah Singer machine for a whole week and it doesn't do button-holes. I'm always embarrassed when I get it back and they tell me "Wow, this thing is REALLY dusty! Just how much are you sewing, anyway?" If only they knew....
I whipped together a really cute outfit last week but then got ZERO good pictures out of it. In fact, the pictures are so bad that I'm not even going to list the thing until I get some halfway decent ones! But here it is, please don't judge too harshly - it really is adorable!
The loop tops/dresses have been flying off the cyber shelves! I have a few more in mind for the summer but I really need to start working on the fall stuff. I love how it finally stops snowing around here and I get to start thinking about what to wear in cold weather...it's a little depressing, really!
I've been working on my daughter's school wardrobe. It turns out that her school dress code will not allow her wear anything that reveals her shoulders...so no halters, knot dresses, or loop tops for her unless there's something underneath - yikes! I figured this will work well, though:
Yes, that's our St. Bernard. Meet Eulee, the biggest, slobberiest, hulk of a dog you've ever seen!
A couple weeks ago I had to say goodbye to my all-time favorite outfit, the Natty Huckleberry Halter Set. I did a promotion to send it out in style - however, I did not expect about ten people to PM me within 5 minutes about it! The first two entries were within 5 seconds away from one another - I ended up doing two sets, though one is slightly different than the other because I was out of the "standard" fabric for it. Someday I may come up with a new Natty Huckleberry Halter but for now I must say goodbye! At least I know they went to good homes :-)
Have you seen the new Liberty Belle set? It's a red, white and blue Tilly Rose Romper with a matching sunhat - sooo cute! A Miss Mamie Romper can be substituted for an extra $5, and I can also just do the romper (no hat) for $25.
Isn't that little baby the cutest?! I wanna squeeze her cheeks and smother her with kisses.
And last, and the very opposite of least, I have more Rhiana pics! Enjoy!
And praying I don't see any more of THIS until at least August!
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