Retail Therapy

    It's been a rough several months. I've definitely had to do some dressmaking

And I've possibly brought home more Disney Princess dolls than was strictly necessary...

they were on clearance?

...but when even the packaging is fun to play with, who can blame me?

   But of course, when you buy more dolls, they demand more accessories! Thank goodness TinyFrockShop was there for me in my hour of need.

I made the skirt, TinyFrockShop provided the rest of the ensemble

I've had my eye on this necklace for months!

A few impulse buys of course

It's metal! It's about time my dolls had a smartphone

I couldn't resist this jewelry set

But I was going on vacation, and that meant that Regina wanted a swimsuit of her own. Out came the fabric and sewing kit again!

I had never made a doll swimsuit (or any swimsuit!) before! It is made from the fabric of an old swimsuit that is far too small for anyone living here, so I found it fitting to turn it into a doll suit. Super stylish and perfect for her!

But then while I was on the trip, I made the mistake of going to a bulk goodwill. Those places are so horrifying, but I found a few treasures, including a couple of dolls. One was a GI Joe that is a double for one I already have. Another was a blonde lady with frizzy hair who just needed to come home with me! Into my bag she went and for only a few pennies! She has now been washed and had her hair styled back to perfection.

When I returned home, there was a package waiting for me. I had forgotten that I had ordered a few more dolls...and one was eager to be out and about!

The new ladies seem to be making friends. There is one more new lady who is nowhere to be seen. Hmm, who could it be?

I really think it is going to be a slow doll year for me, but I would love to get one of the new yoga curvies! Eeee! If only! (but there are also some really cute fashionistas too...hmm but I need to save for a doll shelf...this hobby is dangerous!)

Jewelry Day!

All of this weather fluctuation we've been having here has kept me off my feet most of the week. In response, I have been very bored, so I brought a bunch of my craft supplies in and started playing around with some beads and things. Eventually, I started making doll outfit accessories. I've never been particularly good at this in the past, as I tend to make them too bulky and complicated, but I think so far, these have turned out pretty cute!

Attempt #1, a colorful metal hoop necklace

I went much simpler with this one.

This one took several tries until I was happy with it!

My first ever DIY doll earrings

Then, I made a set!

This one was tricky, but I'm proud of it.

This can be worn this way

Or this way

My latest project: fun with memory wire in doll scale!

A Few Updates

A brief moment in between storms

My doll time has gotten shorter as work gets very busy during the summer, and the next few months are going to be very busy indeed. We finally put in an offer on some property and it is exciting to think that soon I will have a place to put my little cabin-house! I've been living in a travel trailer for over a year, now, and it will be wonderful to have more space for myself and dolls and all of my projects. I am looking forward to it, and also hoping that the funds will come together. The property is definitely a fixer-upper (but that is kind of fun, too, seeing something so ugly turn into something beautiful!).

I did get around to doing Celeste's head swap onto a Made to Move body. The other body's neck was broken, so I temporarily glued the head on just so I wouldn't have a creepy body and head floating around the trailer. Oddly enough, Celeste's head is a great match (not perfect, but close enough) for the MtM but she is a little too pale for Celeste's old body.

























I also found Celeste a non-pink outfit for her chosen profession. It's a bit large for her, but that can be fixed. I love the reflective tape! Yep, she wants to be a firefighter.

Melody claimed a bunch of clothes from a Wal-Mart shopping spree, plus she begged me to buy her some black stockings. They're a little too short for the outfit, but I don't think Melody cares. She loves clothes and I love shopping for her. I think she might wind up being the most spoiled doll, closet-wise. It's funny how her funky personality just clicked.

Sam finally made it inside the house, by bringing food.

The dark blob is a hungry dog

I have also been attempting to make clothes. These are a few of my works. I don't work from patterns, so they generally turn out a bit...interesting.

Odd little shirt in progress, this is what happens when I make clothes while watching Deep Space Nine.

Stretchy "snakeskin" skirt

Not quite finished yet, just playing with an idea

This was a window dressing at one time. Now it is a sun dress.

I am also still gathering things, slowly, for building the nightclub. My fun funds got seriously depleted this month...but they will recover, I hope!

Fashion Show

Well, the weather outside is frightful, so I've been inside, making doll clothes. I don't have patterns, a sewing machine, or really much sewing experience, but I'm the kind of person that really just likes to jump in and learn by doing anyway.

My first attempt was a red fleece sweater. It turned out pretty well, I think, for a first try. Jayda is at least going to be a lot warmer than in that white dress. Ignore the makeshift skirt. She just wanted to be decent for the photos!

Next, I decided to do something with some scraps left over from a full-size sewing project of mine (another first for me). Clark needed something to wear, so I thought I'd try making him a shirt.
It didn't turn into a shirt, exactly, but I like it anyway. Personally, I think it's the best thing I made.

After that, I got bored with sewing and wanted to crochet. I am very good at crocheting, at least. So I crocheted this cute little top for Jayda.  I made a few mistakes with the back, but I'll know what to do differently next time.

The yellow fabric called to me to create a hoodie for Clark, because I've wanted it for him since before I got him. It turned out to be a thicker fleece than I was expecting, more of a felt, really. This caused some scale problems, but I tried to make it work anyway. It looks cozy.

He had two jackets, but nothing to wear under them, so I made him this weird...fleece sleeveless tank top shirt thing. I also made the pants, but they are really ugly and awful and I hope I can make better pants someday. I really am limited right at the moment in what fabrics I have here (mostly fleece. WHY did I mostly bring fleece?).

Slowly, my dolls are getting some clothes. They aren't the best clothes ever, but they're better than nothing, and it's kinda fun that I made them myself.

Just for fun, Jayda tried on Clark's suit. She makes quite the adorable Classic program, I think!

Clark Helps Me Sew His Hoodie (He's so helpful)

Clark personally approved the fabric selection for his new yellow fleece hoodie jacket.
Wearing only his white glove hands.
And after that, he just got silly, wrapped himself up in the cloth, and took a nap. This guy is a total goof.