1,500 Facebook Fan Giveaway

08/16/2013 THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED NOW! winner will be announced shortly!
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The time has come for another giveaway to my valued Fans. Thanks so much dear customers for your continued love and support of my waldorf style doll creations! It's been wonderful to see my Facebook page grow this year and receive so many lovely comments and words of encouragement. 1,500 fans is a huge milestone.

I am also happy to announce that I just had my 2,000th sale in my Etsyshop. It's so amazing to look at those numbers.

I wanted to run this Giveaway a little differently this time around. Instead of giving a particular item I wanted the winner to have a $50 Gift certificate to use in my shop. You can use it towards any finished doll or doll clothing item in my shop (dollmaking supplies excluded). Once I draw the winner's name I will email them with the details.

Here are Giveaway rules if you would like to enter in the drawing. Do one of the following things on the list or do all of it and help get the word out about my little business.

1. Share my Facebook page with your friends and leave me a comment about it here.
2. Like my shop page on Etsy and leave a comment about it here.
3. Become a follower of my blog - right here!
4. Follow me on Pinterest.
5. Follow me on Twitter.

YOU MUST leave me your email address with your comment so I can contact you. Only entries with an email attached will be considered for the drawing!

This Giveaway ends August 15th, 2013 midnight. Good Luck!

Another Soulemama Giveaway!

There is another Giveaway by my team going on on Soulemama's blog right now! Don't miss out on it. There are so many lovely items. Valued at $250 winning this drawing could take care of a some of your Christmas gifts...

Go and comment away!

 

I am giving away one of my sweet blue Whale dresses.

 

 

 But there are other gorgeous items by my NK Teamies. Thanks, Dustin @ Armadillo Dreams,  for making the lovely poster!

Fair Time

It's time for the annual Weld Conty Fair once again. We love to go and see all the kids work with the animals they raised. For some kids it's really hard because they know they have to say "Good Bye" to the critter they raised, take it to market, and sell it to be butchered.

Honestly, I couldn't do it. I don't think my kids could. These are the days we want to turn vegetarian...

Here are some shots of cute pigs and other critters I took at the fair.

 

 

Inspired by what I saw at the Fair I had to pull out my Piggy fabric and make a cute outfit for my dolls. Isn't it darling? Everthing matches down to her little shoes with felt applicques of tiny pigs.

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase this sweet GermanDolls darling you can leave me a comment or contact me via email. She is 12 inch tall and comes with shirt, farmer overalls, shoes, and pink undershorts.

Can't Wait for Fall

I can't wait for fall. When it gets too hot I go in the basement and sort through my fabric bins. In the process I found a piece of this lovely Japanese linen fabric with fall colors.

I love the bright oranges, yellows, green, and brown on it. I made a dress that still needs a wearer. Who will it be?

It's fun to go through one's stash once in a while. I have cut way back and bought a lot less fabric this year. Our house is just too small to keep a lot of fabric around. I got another lecture recently about how I have too many bins of fabric.

Some day I'll have my own big sewing room with enough space to hold my fabric. I get kind of tired of stumping up an down stairs all day long. But then, it's good exercise. ;)

Linking up this post with Creative Friday on Natural Suburbia. Go check it out!

Going Strong - Christmas in July

Don't forget: My Christmas in July Sale on Etsy is still going on. There are only 12 days left to get your GermanDolls presents for 10% less during this storewide sale: Including CUSTOM DOLL SLOTS!!!

Also, many items in my shop are one-of-a-kind and once they sell I will not list the same item again. Right now I am sold out of Teething dolls and First Dolls for young kids.

Thank you for your great response so far, early Christmas shoppers! You won't have to scramble in November and December - since you managed to snag up your order of very cool GermanDolls wares back in July. ;)

Little Crow Doll

I am currently working on a birthday present for a little girl who is of Native American descent. I am having a blast with it.

At first I was very hesitant to get started on the project. There seemed to be a lot of obstacles concerning the materials. The doll is for a family with ties to the Crow Nation. I received some really cool photos of various elk tooth dresses. The first photo I received of greatgrandma was in black and white and looked very old. I did a search for images on the Internet, too. I found the same problem. Lots of old photographs. The dresses looked like they were a brownish red, maybe?  And where does one find doll-sized elk teeth?

I found a cool shop in town that actually sells elk teeth. They were really expensive though ($17 per tooth) and when I saw how big they were I knew they wouldn't work on a doll dress anyway.

My alternative was white beads made from cow bones. I also solved the color problem and decided to make the dress green. It was so much fun receiving new photographs of current style Native American dresses. I loved the bright colors on them. Reminded me of going to the Denver PowWow.

I know this dress will need a few more beads. I'll have to run back to the shop and get a few more. Better watch out so I don't spend all my money...at the Old West Leather Company.

Eco-Friendly Mailers

I am so excited! I received my new eco-friendly mailing envelopes today. They are made right here in Colorado where I live,  by a company called Ecoenclose. It is located in Longmont. I thought about driving there and picking them up myself. But then I thought it may be more "green" to have them shipped to my house.

I really really like the idea of compostable shipping materials. They are about one third more expensive than my old mailers. Maybe I need to raise my shipping prizes? Oh well, I think they are totally worth it.

What's your take on the subject?

Creations from the heart...

I recently created this new ©GermanDolls Design  for my shop. I call it my swaddle baby. It's a tiny pocket doll with a small soft blanket for swaddling.

I get so excited when a new idea pops in my head. I can barely sleep until I realize the idea and create the item.

It came to me when I was getting a package ready for my youngest sister in Germany who is expecting her first child. I was searching the house for my old nursing bras and some other newborn items I wanted to mail her. Stuff I forgot to put in my suitcase on that recent trip home...

I was holding one of the swaddling blankets in my hands that I used for my own babes after they were born. Tears started welling up as a memory popped up. The little blanket was beige and had tiny little stars on it.

This is probably the memory of one of the happiest moments in my life. The image of my midwife handing over my newborn baby boy wrapped in one of those little hospital issued blankets. I was able to repeat this happy moment 2 1/2 years later when my daughter joined us in a similar swaddling blanket.

In Germany they don't hand out such blankets. I had never heard of them and swaddling until I gave birth here. I wonder where this tradition comes from. Anyone know?

So I wanted to share this special memory with my little sister. I sent her the little blanket with the stars along with my newly created doll in a "sweet pea" blanket. I also printed up some instructions on how to swaddle your baby. I found it very hard to explain this in German. The dictionary didn't have a good translation of the word. To swaddle was translated as "wickeln". The word "wickeln" in German basically means changing a diaper. Not exactly what I was looking for.

It's all good. My sister received the package, and I think she understood with the help of my little drawings and the instructions I printed off the internet. Now she can practice with the tiny doll - and soon with her own baby boy. ;)

It's ON: Christmas in July Sale!

Folks are having the annual "Christmas in July Sale" on Etsy! At first I wasn't sure whether I was going to join in. It's a bit strange to think of Christmas when it's in the 90s outside.

But yesterday I decided to join in the fun. My WHOLE shop is on sale and all items are 10% off.
A little bird told me this sale was going on between July 11th to July 17th. Well, my sale is on right now. So go on over to my shop and check it out!

Snowflakes anyone?

Maybe you live in a hot place without air-conditioning like me? Well, I will list some snowy and very Christmassy items later today and we can all sit there and think cold thoughts together.

Take Care!

Hello, Kittens!

Today I dug out one the loveliest fabrics from my stash. It's so precious. If you love cats you will fall in love right away. The fabric has a lightblue background. It has the most adorable little kittens on it.

One kitten is chasing after a butterfly. Another one is playing with a ball of yarn, another with  a green marble. A little ginger cat is simply taking a nap. I used to have this fabric in a pink colorway.

I believe I cried a wee bit when I ran out...But I can't keep all this cuteness to myself forever.

So here is little Rosalind. She is up for sale in my shop.

So Hot...

I hope you had a good 4th of July. We had a lot of fun going to different parties and visiting with friends. It's funny how many of our frieds don't have airconditioning either.

It's rough. This German immigrant is feeling very miserable these days. So if you don't find very many posts on my blog this month this is why. Not much fun when your hands stick to the keyboard while typing. Accordingly, doll production is down sharply, too. =( 

'

Sunny, our friend's 13-year-old Golden Retriever was the Star of the party

I make good use of the early morning hours, between 4 and 6 am.  I did finish this lovely blond mermaid/ play doll though. Hope you enjoy her.

 

Oh, and did I mention? She is not "just" a mermaid. She is a real girl with legs who likes to play pretend...

 

 

 

Pretty in Purple...

I love this new dress I made. It is so perfect for little Bea.

June Giveaway Winner

The winner of my June Pocket Doll Giveaway is Joanie. Congratulations! I will contact you shortly!Thanks to all who participated and shared my FB page!