New Coat for Froggy Gal

Guess what her favorite color is? Green, of course!

So she got a new green coat to match the rest of her lovely clothes.

 

But she also loves pink - like most little girls...So she wears a pink "sweet pea" diaper under her green clothes.

 

 

Dreaming of Fall...

When it get's too hot around here I like to get out my fall fabrics and dream of fall...

 

What do you do to stay cool?

Dolls you want to Keep...

When our son was an infant my husband used to sing to him the song "The Lion sleeps tonight". It's such a beautiful song and the perfect Lullaby. It kept going through my head as I was sewing up this little doll here.

 

Now our boy is 14 going on 15. We sent him to Germany this summer. We gave him up for two whole months, so he could learn some German and find his German roots. It's been a tough time. We have missed him intensely. Only a few more days until his return.

Learning to let go is part of being a parent. We all know the day when we have to let go for good is coming. Each days is just part of this practice...

Or in the words of Khalil Gibran

Your children are not your children.

They are sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you.

And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

The archer sees the make upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness.

For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He also loves the bow that is stable.” 

 

 

 

I get very attached to my dolls, too. Like the little doll with the lion outfit I just finished. I love her so much. I haven't had the energy to list her in my shop. Got so many listed and nothing is selling anyways right now. So I may keep her just a little while longer to keep me company as I wait for the return of our son from Germany....

 

 

Pocket Doll Giveaway!

I am trying to make it 1,500 Facebook fans. Is it possible to get there before the month is over?
I surely hope so.

 

Since it's hot and folks are miserable in many parts of the USA I am going to keep the rules simple and short.

If you would like to enter in this Giveaway for a set of  3 of my pocketdolls you must share my Facebook page with your Facebook friends and leave a comment about it here on my blog.

Don't forget to leave your email, so I can contact you if your name is drawn! This Giveaway ends June 30th at midnight.

Who can enter? Anyone living in the US. If you live abroad and are willing to pay shipping cost to your country you may enter too. Sorry, but the price has gone up so much that I cannot aford to ship worldwide for free!

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Comments on this Giveaway Contest are closed now. The winner will be announced soon!

Simplicity Rules

I have said it before in my article on "Where is Waldorf": the world of Waldorf style dolls has become cluttered with detail. They tell me if I want my business to survive I must add: ears, noses, chins, dimples, rainbow hair.

I cling to my love for the simpler doll. Here is a photo of one of my pocket dolls without eyes, hair, blushed cheeks. Isn't she beautiful?

She fits perfectly in the palm of a little hand.


Here are some quotes on simplicity by some famous folks.

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” 
   Leonardo da Vinci

    

“Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.”
   Henry David Thoreau, Walden and Other Writings

    

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.”

 E.F. Schumacher

 

I rest my case.

get well playset

The other day I was thinking of the time when our daughter had to go to hospital and have her tonsils removed. It was a pretty scary time for her. I wish back then I would have thought to make her a doll like little Arabella....

It's so tough to see your kids sick or suffer. Probably the hardest part about being a parent. Luckily our daughter healed very quickly and didn't have to stay at the hospital for a very long time.

But maybe you know a child who could use one of these sets and send it their way...

New Rage: Kale Salad

Kale salad seems to be the new rage. Or is it just me who has seen recipes pop up all over the place? I went to Wholefoods the other day and saw this strange rather healthy looking dark green salad. I thought about buying it for about one second. You know I am on a bit of a diet since I put on 10 pounds while traveling in Germany. Naturally, that salad had a price tag that we couldn't afford. We have a friend who refers to Wholefoods Market as "Whole Paycheck. Well right now my doll store is in the dumps - it's more like I have NO paycheck. So purchasing this rather expensive salad on a whim was out of question.

I thought, hey, why not try make some Kale Salad ourselves? I had seen some recipes in the newspaper. We just happened to have quite a bit of Kale growing in our new raised beds that we built over Spring break.

 Kale is actually very easy to grow. It's sort of like a weed. The only problem is that the kids don't want to eat it. I have put it in soups with sausage before or cooked it down and added some bacon to it. Not exactly slimming. But it seemed to be the only way to make that stuff palatable. Or so I thought.

I just couldn't imagine how one could eat such rough chewy leaves without cooking them. But  you can. And they are quite good! I hope you try out this recipe. You'll be amazed!


4 cups shredded raw kale leaves (all the thick stems removed, I left some medium sized ones on)
3/4 cup grated carrots
1 avocado, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup diced onion, preferably a sweet onion
2-3 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds

The dressing:
2 Tablespoons tahini
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
3 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice and some zest
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2-3 pinches cayenne pepper
salt and pepper

I made a bit more dressing since it made the salad a bit softer and broke down the Kale better.

It's also best to make this salad a day ahead and massage it a bit with your hands as you mix it. It's best if you let it sit in the fridge over night.

We ate it up so fast I never even took a photo of the finished salad...

Decisions...Decisions...

I am working on a blue eyed custom doll at the moment. She has light tan skin and is supposed to have mixed brown hair. Or not?

I can't decide.

I kind of love the plain medium brown colored long hair.

But there is also something to be said for the hair with lightbrown highlights.

Which do you prefer?

Full - Empty

Dear blog followers,

I am very sorry for the big gaps I leave on my blog at  times. But sometimes life is so full that the blog comes up empty. You know what I mean?

Last weekend I was busy enjoying my daughter's 8th dance recital. It was probably the best show our local studio has put on -  ever. I am deeply grateful for this program that we are able to be a part of.

Thank you to the teachers, dancers, and all the helpers who make our life more beautiful through the art of dance!

Fuzzy Baby

Remember that line in Despicable Me where little Agnes says: It's so fuzzy - I think I am going to die!"

That's exactly how I feel about this little baby. This baby has terracotta colored skin, brown eyes, and the softest brushed mohair cap you can imagine. I brought the yarn back from my recent trip to Germany. I love it!

Baby still needs a name. Any ideas? What shall we name him? Though my dolls are gender-neutral and don't have you-know-whats I have decided that this is definitely a boy. I just know it.

 

he comes with a little navyblue pocket doll friend - and check out the detail on the little shirt! Robot fabric from Japan...

 

Good Spirits...

I just received an order for a very special doll. A little girl with a Native American background needs a birthday doll. I am so excited to make one for her. It's been years since I made a Native American doll. Why?

I got very disenchanted because I received a not so nice note via EBay a couple of years ago. I had listed a sweet doll on EBay with the title "Native American Doll". I stated clearly in my listing that I was not Native American and that the title was just descriptive. The doll was simply a product of my imagination and my interpretation of Native American culture.  The doll I had listed on EBay had tan skin, black hair, and a super cute dress with petroglyphs on it. She also came with a tiny baby and a cradle board that could be strapped onto her back. Unfortunately I don't  have pictures of this beautiful doll any more. Must have lost that file...

Warrior doll

The person who wrote to me said some very unkind things to me. She asked me to take down my listing because it was insulting to her as a Native American. She accused me of steeling from tribal people by creating and selling such a doll. She also told me that it was illegal to list a doll calling it Native American. I don't know how, but somehow she got the idea that I was pretending to be Native American. What?

Now I wish I had never responded to her email. There was simply no reasoning with this person. After a couple of emails, it became clear to me, that she had made it her life's work to hunt down people over the Internet and harass them. She was convinced that I was wrong and somehow hurting Native American people.

warrior doll with her baby

The whole situation left a very bitter taste in my mouth. I never listed such a doll on EBay again. I guess in the end - I let that person win.

I only made one other doll like it, when a mother asked me to make a brave warrior girl for her daughter. The daughter was scared of going to bed. Then the mom read her a book about a brave Indian girl. The Mom wanted a doll to resemble the character in the story. There was a happy ending to this story. The little girl who received the doll was able to sleep with the help of the friend I made for her.

Now I am ready to make another doll in that spirit. I am having fun researching dress styles of the Crow people. I received an amazing photo of the little girl's great grandmother in her traditional Crow dress.

How would you have dealt with such a letter?