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Cutting Up Another Baby Dress

3/30/2012

I've finished three commission outfits and made Gallery pages for them, so now am taking a short break to make my Nelly something new. It's her turn for an 'up-cycled' baby dress, and I've chosen a bright yellow sundress with chickies embroidered on it - for Easter. The hardest part - after taking that first cut - is finding enough fabric to cut the various doll outfit pieces out of. I really like the 'hatching chick' motif on the original bodice front but it's way too big for a doll dress. I thought about cross-stitching a smaller one, but I'd rather keep the integrity of the original, so am going to piece a single chick on the bodice instead.

The original baby dress was just a simple jumper which was worn over a separate blouse, but I'm going to combine the two into one outfit with white lace-edged collar and puffy sleeves.

More Adventures in the Scillas

3/28/2012

Jan was working from home today, so we took the opportunity to go take a few more photos in the scillas. This time we took Layla, who is modeling a recently completed fairy commission; and Hazy, who looks gorgeous everywhere; and the little girls went to chase butterflies again, but this time Cinnamon came too - and she brought butterfly nets. Here's a few photos from today's session. I'm going to have to make a few new Favourite Photos pages with the rest.

To see the entire 'Chasing Butterflies' photo story, just click on the photo above.

A New little Elf

3/27/2012

Well, the Sun-Kissed Layla Elf went up for pre-order yesterday, and I couldn't resist, so sometime in mid-summer she'll be coming to live with me and her Kaye Wiggs sisters.

I finished another KW fairy commission yesterday, so today I get to start two new outfits. I'm hoping for a nice, bright, overcast evening to take some more fairy photos in the scillas.

Not Taking Any New Commissions for Awhile

3/26/2012

I've decided to stop taking any more commissions for the foreseeable future. The ones I have already will take the rest of the year to get through - I got three more just this past weekend!! As much as I appreciate everyone's enthusiasm and willingness to wait as long as it takes, I can't have waiting lists for years in advance. Many requests are for things I've already made, and so all the ideas for new things I want to make keep getting pushed further back. I've stopped buying intriguing fabrics on sale because I know it will be years before I can actually make something out of it. That's no fun at all! So until further notice, the commission list is closed. And once everything on it is finally done, then I'll take a few months to tackle some of those ideas that I've had siting on the back burner for awhile now, and maybe make a dent in those piles of gorgeous fabrics and Indian saris that I've acquired in the past year.

Kaye Wiggs Girls

3/25/2012

We had another period of cloudy skies this afternoon, so we went back to the scillas for
some more photos - this time with Miki, Layla and Nelly. Here's some of my favourite shots.

Miki as a cute Apple Blossom Fairy.....

....and Layla and Nelly....

I'll have to make some Favourite Photos albums for all the great photos.

Fields of Blue

3/25/2012

Took several dolls out to the old house on Durham/York Townline which has the fields of blue scillas each spring. Started by photographing the smaller dolls, as the flowers will just keep on growing taller all week. I brought along some wired monarch butterflies I found at Michael's a few weeks ago - for the littlest girls to chase. Kyle and Narae came along too, and I got some nice shots of them as well. But then the sun came out and the lighting turned too harsh, so the rest of the dolls will have to wait until later. When the sun came out, bees appeared from everywhere, and the most gorgeous scent began to rise from the flowers.

Here's two of my favourite shots from this morning; the little girls chasing butterflies.....

...and Kyle presenting Aeran with a bouquet of blue scillas that he's picked for her.

Spring Flowers & Fairies

3/24/2012

Well, we drove past the fields where the scillas bloom each spring, and they are already in full bloom - a whole month ahead of last year!! Which means any doll photography to be done this year will need to be done as soon as possible. However, it's supposed to rain, so maybe tomorrow. That gives me the chance to finish at least one of my fairy commissions. For the rest, I'll just have to make do with my own dolls in outfits that weren't photographed there last year. If the colder weather later next week doesn't damage the flowers I may still have another chance with the second fairy commission, but each day that goes by the flowers grow taller, and doll photography works best while the scillas are still very short. Well, better get busy then.......

.......I finished the 'Apple Blossom Fairy' - all I still had to do was make her flower wreath
- so we quickly popped outside to take a few photos in the garden before it got too wet.

Welcome to Spring!

3/20/2012

It's a gorgeous day out today, and we are breaking all kinds of records. The humidex is going up to 28C today, and Hamilton even has it's first smog alert. The crocuses are blooming, and plants are growing so fast you can almost sit and watch. The robins have been back for weeks, and mosquitos are even out already. It's just mid March!! This is the warmest, earliest spring we've ever had, but considering we never really had a 'winter' this year, who knows what we are in for.

I love crocuses, and mine haven't looked this good in years! There is something so cheerly about the purple, yellow and white flowers bursting forth out of the dead brown earth - the first flowers of spring. I especially love the white ones with the purple veins.

Buried in Fabrics!

3/19/2012

I've been going through boxes of fabrics all day looking for materials for the next four outfits - three commissions, and one outfit for my Narae (or Isar, if she arrives in time). I have boxes of fabrics stashed everywhere - in closets, behind doors, and in one big room in the basement. I think I have all the fabrics now, so the next step is to look through my patterns, and get started. I think I'll try make the two fairy outfits first, as the weather has turned so warm, and the plants are literally shooting out of the ground. Who knows when the scillas will be in bloom - mine are already showing their blue buds, so it could be very soon. So, I better make those fairies first!

Another 'Little Bluebird'

3/18/2012

I thought I'd try the new native outfit on my Asa to see how she looks in it, as I'm planning on making her one too, although her's will be a totally different design inspired by designs from the Pacific Northwest. I also wanted to check her hair colour, as I do have a black IH wig that she came with. The consensus is that I need a dark brown wig instead, as I find the black too 'dead'.

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