Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope you woke up to some sweet surprise this morning. I sure did. If you love chocolate you must try this kind once in your life: Leonidas. It is the best chocolate in the world. I swear!

It brings back bittersweet memories of my mother... The last few times we visited her in Germany she'd always leave a box for my husband and me by our bedside. What better way to say I love you? At least for a chocolate lover...

My DH ordered a box for me this year for Valentine's Day! What a sweet guy! The children still love their little sweet heart dolls I made them for Valentine's Day last year.

I hope you all are having a wonderful day with the people you love at your side!

Happy Valentine's Day!

from the German Dollmaker

New St. Patrick's Day Offerings

January turned out to be the strangest month ever. My heart was heavy and I felt all torn up about the whole CPSIA situation. What was I to do? Stop making dolls altogether? Or become a maker of "collectible" dolls only? I got bad headaches and stomach aches because of this.

But what helped me through this difficult time was the support of lots of concerned customers who wrote to me. They all were so supportive and kind. Everybody said the same thing: This is crazy! I hope you will keep selling your dolls and doll clothes.



I love making dolls! But I kept asking myself how I could continue. Was it worth going to jail for it? Not really! But I need to create. I love making these dolls! I did not see how I could possibly stop.


I am glad that finally the scare is over. It appears that the people in charge have seen the light and realized that toys made of natural fibers such as cotton, sheep's wool, and mohair yarn do not pose a threat to children.


So in order to celebrate I am posting ome of my new creations to celebrate my craft. Check out my new Pocketdress in honor of St. Patrick's Day. I love green. It is such bright and hopeful color. I am glad that my hopes were not disappointed and that I can keep making my dolls for children and not just adult collectors. =)

More computer issues...

Okay, so I thought the problems with the computer were solved. Just as I was settling in for a nice session of loading pictures and listing dolls on etsy the thing completely shut down and died! Again!

Woe is me! I lost all the pictures I had taken in 2009. The rest was luckily saved on a CD. When things started getting funky my dear husband backed up - EVERYTHING! What a smart guy I married!

Still I lost quite a bit of information and all the pictureS I had taken in January of this year.

But I feel so lucky to have a husband who is good with technology. The poor guy. After talking to his computer person at the university he figured out what to do. I don't know what it was. It is all a great mystery to me. To me a computer is nothing more than a advanced typewriter. I use it that way. =)

It took the DH another day of cursing like a sailor...

I am hoping it will last this time....Please keep your fingers crossed! So I am posting these pictures just in case...First a new Valentine's Day doll. Sweet Girl, isn't she?

The other picture shows some new needlefelted gnomes I have been working on.

I love needlefelting! So much fun!

What do you think of the new couple? I hear that gnomes always have twins for children. So guess what I will make next?

New Dolls

It has been a tough week. A computer virus descended on the home computer. So not fun! After many days of worrying and cursing like a sailor my dear hubby thinks he has fixed the problem. I avoided the computer as much as possible.

But now that I am back to the computer screen and hopeful that it will all be okay I just had to show off my new dolls on the blog. I am so proud of this adorable gnome doll.

I think this is such a wonderful set. I just cannot get enough of that wonderful Heather Ross fabric. It is very hard to find. And so expensive now.

I managed to snatch up a few more yards before Christmas.

Please, keep your fingers crossed that our computer troubles are over! We really can't afford a new one at the moment...

Taking Breaks and Coming Home

It is good to be home! I cannot believe how long it has been since I last posted. Christmas went by so fast. So many packages to be posted. Christmas cards to be sent the family in Germany and here. It was strange not receive any until three days before Christmas. I had only two cards and kept asking the DH what is going on? Why is nobody sending cards this year? But then they all arrived at once. I guess people waited much longer this year. Maybe the worries about the economy slowed everybody down?
Then we went on a long car trip to New Mexico. I am not a great fan of car travel. But the options of public transportation given in the US what can one do? I really miss the German train system...
I cannot believe we forgot to take the camera. So no pictures from the trip. I love the New Mexican landscape. Not having to take pictures has its advantages too. You have to soak up the beauty with your heart and mind.
I am very tired from the long trip but feel refreshed and ready to create. It was lovely to come home to my sewing machine and our little old house.
Any New Years resolutions? Well, the worries about the new consumer protection laws have really put a dent in all of my dreams and hopes for my little business. I try my best to stay positive. Think positive.
I wish all of my readers, friends, family, others who stumble across my blog by accident a very Happy 2009! May happiness, health, and love be the major themes in your life in this new year!

Your German Dollmaker

Yay! Natural Kids Team Rocks!

Wow, one of my etsy team members got featured in a wonderful video! It is so sweet! Kind of funny when you talk to people all the time but you don't know what they look like. But you sort of make up an image in your head of what you think they look like. Then you see them in a video! Yay, Woodmouse! Or Amber. I think that's how I imagined you. Or pretty close at least!

http://www.etsy.com/storque/handmade-life/handmade-portraits-woodmouse-2972/#comment-48230

So glad you got to be featured and mentioned our group of friends on etsy. What a lovely Nikolaus present. My boot is full this morning. =)

The Ebb and Flow...

This is sort of a follow-up post to yesterday. Today I am shipping out my last big order for the season. At least I think so. I have not received any more orders over the last few days. But one just never knows. That's online selling for you. Sometimes nothing happens for days. And then boom: you get 33 transactions in a day. At least that is my record. What is your's if you have an online store?

I remember the days back when I was a student working at a gallery in Berlin. Every Christmas my boss would moan and complain: "This is terrible. The worst Christmas ever. Nobody is going to come!" And then they would all congregate outside the store. A huge herd of people would enter the store all at once. And we'd be sweating taking artwork off the walls, beautiful jewelry out of the glass displays, wrapping wrapping wrapping - until there seemed nothing left at all. Counting the money at night I felt more like a bank clerk...
I remember one Christmas, the big hit item was a life-sized chocolate high-heeled shoe. It ran about $100 dollars and came in three different colors or flavors: strawberry, white, or dark chocolate. I could not believe that people would actually buy such a thing. But guess what: We nearly sold out!
So in retail, off and on-line alike there is another rule: Keep a cool head! Everybody needs Christmas presents. If you have great items they will come and buy eventually.


It is snowing in Colorado. Great now I have to fend my way to the Post Office through a blizzard to mail my last package. But I am glad. We really need every morsel of precipitation after the drought..

Enjoy the pictures of my little army of Wee Dolls. The little felted gnome (who was not part of the order) helped me to do the last inspections before they left my studio. No doubt they will make some little kids very happy.

I am exhausted and feel a bout of carpal tunnel syndrome come on. But wasn't it totally worth it?