NaturalKids Team Soulemama Giveaway!

My Etsyteam is doing another Great BIG Giveway on Soulemama's blog this weekend! There will be tons of beautiful items that are perfect for Easterbaskets or as small gifts for a birthday.

So don't miss out on this great opportunity and make sure you enter in the drawing!

 

                                          Good Luck or Viel Glueck - as we say in German!

Fighting the Evergrowing Stash

I am so proud of myself. You know each New Year I have this resolution that I will buy less fabric and use up fabric from my stash. I am very happy to report that have made good progress this week. I figured what is really missing in my shop is some PJs for boy dolls.

I made two differen kinds of pajamas so far. I love the fabric with the little boats on it. When our boy was little, one of his favorite books was called Little Toot on the Thames by Hardie Grammatky. It's such cute story. So as I was cutting into the fabric I found myself getting very nostalgic. I had to go find the book and read it one more time. Time flies...

Redheads...

Still snowing over here. I am loving it. If only one didn't have to drive through it....

 

Hope you are staying safe out there!

Critters in the Snow...

We got more snow this weekend. About 5 inches of snow fell yesterday. A couple more of those blizzards and we would not have to worry about the drought any more....

The bad part was: Lots of backbreaking snowshoveling we had to do. The good part: We got to play in the snow.

Lots of fun furry critters showed up yesterday.

As I peeked out my window yesterday morning there was a strange sight. Something stuck out by the corner of roof where the gutters end. At first we thought it was a big lump of snow. Can you tell what it is?


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After digging out our pick-up truck we hit the sledding slopes. There is one great hill by the University Campus. A few years ago the administration discussed getting rid of  this hill to put another building there. We are so glad the senate members protested. All kids - big and small - congregate here after a big snowfall. We have seen the strangest vehicles of transportation used to get down that hill. From old suitcases,  to cushions wrapped in plastic, over coolers, to a shopping cart - we have seen it all. Yesterday we spotted a big raft.

Everybody had fun! I hope you got some snow too.

Pocket Dolls for Everyone!

I received this sweet note from a customer on my Facebook fanpage the day after Valentine's Day.

I love the little poem she sent along with the little doll I made.
This is the note my customer sent:

"So Yesterday I put one of the heart shaped pocket dolls in my daughter's lunch with this note

If you're feeling sad or blue, 

stressed out or even angry too,

 Reach in your pocket and give me a squeeze,

and all those bad feelings will start to ease.

She loved it. Did I mention she's 17. Guess who had it in her pocket when she left for school."
 

Thanks so much, Melissa! What a great note. Maybe some other folks want to use this poem to put in their child's pocket. I think there is no age-limit on these dolls. If you know anyone who needs a little love go ahead and get them one of these little ones.

My dolls have been used in therapy by other customers I hear...

What is Bingo?

Sorry, it's been awfully quiet over here. I can't believe it's been over a week since I last posted on my blog. We got lots of snow and it's been sooooo cold. I guess I have not felt all that chatty as of late. The weather is perfect for sitting around the house making little dolls.

There really have not been any exciting news. I wanted to write a post about bingo. Our family helped with a school fundraiser last weekend. I didn't know what it was until I found myself standing behind a counter selling "pickles" to a very strange assortment of people. Wow, was I lost. I could not believe that somebody would spend 100s of dollars on scratch tickets. I am not sure how to put it all into words but I learned some strange new lesson about American culture last weekend. The evils of gambling... And it is all legal and okay. Yup, do a fundraiser for your non-profit and take the money from a bunch of folks who are obviously suffering from a very strange addiction.

Can somebody please explain this to me? How is it fun to sit in a brightly neon lit room for 3 hours on end putting colored dots on pieces of paper with numbers? Maybe I'll have to play next time - instead of selling the tickets and pickles - to understand.

After I sobered up from the shock of working at the bingo parlor, I had to make some more little dolls as therapy.

My Giveaway on the Naturalkids Team Blog!

Hi Folks! Happy Valentine's Day!

I got some really nice surprises this morning. How about you?

My husband ordered me some custommade M&M cnady. I didn't know it was possible to get personalized candy. So sweet! I will share a picture later on.

 I wanted to point you to a Giveaway I am hosting on the NaturalKids Team Blog.

You have to leave a comment there to be entered into the drawing for one of my cute doll dresses.
The only other condition is that you share my FB page with your friends on FB.

Think you can do it?

Have a great day! And don't forget to share the love and my FB page!

Ex Benedict

Okay, since I am German, I figured I need to make a statement about Pope Benedict's retirement.

Really? I didn't know that popes could quit their job. Did you? I swear, us Germans are not quitters. Once we decide to do something, we usually see things through to the bitter end. No matter how stupid or bad the consequences may be.

Well, I am really surprised here. I say: Good for you, Benedict! After all, this is a position of great power. Probably best to hand over the stearingwheel to someone who is younger and firmer. Why hang on to a job you feel you can't do well any more?

Egg Benedict...

It's kind of sad for Germans. Who knows if we will ever have a German pope again. I think the chances are pretty low. I'd be even more surprised if they voted for a cardinal from a Third World country.

Pope waving Good-Bye from his egg

In the photos you can see my take on the whole situation. The little doll with the tall pink hat represents the pope. Of course, it's a blond and blue eyed guy with a very tall hat. Remember the controversies around his Nazi past when he was first elected? He was a member of the Hitler youth. Duh, so was my dad. Everybody had to be - or there were harsh consequences for your family during the Nazi regime.

Bye, Bye, Benedict!  I hope you get a few more good years of studying and meditating in.

May the new guy be a good leader and use his power wisely!

Bunny in Blue Egg

I just had to share this supercute photo of a needlefelted Easterbunny I finished this morning.
Isn't he the cutes little thing?

Just Hatched...

With the help of "el Cowboy" I managed to create some pretty awesome little treasure eggs for hiding my pocket dolls in.

I think having a harder surface to agitate the wet eggs on has really helped to firm up the felt and speed up the process of felting them. I love how they turned out. It still took about an hour per egg. My hands are very dry and a mess after all that soapaction...

I would have loved to find such a treasure egg as a child. My felted eggs can hold a small rabbit or one of my pocket dolls. But they could easily hold a piece of candy or other small gift. So if you would like to just order an empty shell don't hesitate to ask for one.

They come in pink, purple, blue, and green.

Suave ~ Smooth

I got a new toy the other day. You will never guess what it is.

I had bid several times on old washboards on Ebay. You know there are tons of them listed. But it seemed that I would always get outbid at the last minute, and the price would go past $20. Then the next day I would see a very similar looking item relisted by the same seller. I can't say for sure, of course. Hmmm. But I smell something fishy is going on.

Then the shipping would be another 10 - 15 bucks, and I just didn't see it as feasible to spend that much on a tool I don't know how often I will use. I definitely didn't wasn't looking for a rickety antique to hang on the wall.

After searching for weeks on the internet, Hubby brought me home a washboard from a little Mexicano store in town. Figures that they would carry this wonderful item at a very affordable price. Cost me $7.49 plus tax. I love the name too: El Cowboy! I doubt that any cowboy would scrub their clothes clean on a washboard. But this shiny new tool sure made my wet felting much easier. Suave!
Forget about bubble wrap folks! You need "El Cowboy" in your home!

I will share some photos of my new felted eggs later this weekend.

Lea - new Doll in shop!

I am very proud of this sweet doll. There is a little girl in my daugther's dance class with that name. Her hair is such a pretty blond it looks like liquid gold. No yarn will ever come close to that perfect color but the doll I made still looks pretty darn sweet.

Now you know how I feel about noses. I usually don't do them. But maybe I am changing my mind. I think tiny little button noses are fun. I love how little Lea's turned out.

Since Easter doesn't seem all that far away, I figured I give her a dress and a pet bunny. Lea loves her little white friend. He is soft and has blue eyes like her. I made him from some a very soft wool roving. Took forever to get him in that perfect seated shape. No two needlefelted bunnies ever look the same, you know!

Now this unique set is available in my shop. I hope they will find a good home somewhere down the line. But I also wouldn't mind keeping them around for a spell. I am hoping to get a professional photographer to take some photos of this darling set before it sells.

Dolls and a Movie

January has been super busy for me, with an order or two almost every single day. I love it. I can play Santa for another month. I hope this keeps up because the money is badly needed.

Not sure why, but I keep running out of supplies. I am almost out of wool for stuffing the dolls again. And it is not cheap. But polyester just won't do. A real Waldorf style doll requires the goodness of real sheepswool. Unfortunately I cannot find it around here. How weird is that. There are lots of sheep in Colorado. But they don't sell the wool the way I need it. Maybe if I started cleaning and carding it myself. No time for that. Must make more dolls...

This week I am working on a custom doll. She is supposed to look somewhat like the doll in the photo. It's always a tall order when people ask for a doll that looks similar to one you have made before. Handmade doesn't lend itself to exact copies. Of course, I will do my best to make the replica of this brown haired doll.

In the breaks I get to read a good book and watch a fine movie once in a while. Have you seen the movie Simon Birch?

I got it from my mail carrier Annie. I love that woman. You know mail carriers see a lot of the world. Even if it's just the same few blocks they get to visit every day...

We visit quite a bit when Annie collects my mail. Usually we talk about the "State of Union" and netflic movies we have seen. But the other week she dropped off one of her own movies. I am not sure how old it is.

It's a great movie. Sad and very funny at the same time. Like most great movies. It's the very inspiring story of a little boy who is born with a condition that causes him to have stunted growth. I don't want to give away too much of the story. But you must see it if you have not already. Please, do drop me a note when you do. I'd love to hear your opinion on it.

Thread Storage

How do you store your thread? I have about 80 different colors of thread in my studio. I try to keep one or two extra spools of thread per color. But where to keep those spools that don't fit on the pegs on my wall? You never know when you might run out. I like to keep them handy on a shelf.

I found this cute wine crate at a liquor store. It's made of wood and very sturdy. I like that is has a rope handle. Nope, I did not drink the wine that was stored in it. I just recycled the box. It is perfect for storing my thread. It holds about 100 spools.

Do you have any interesting storage containers in your studio?