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Amethyst Shimmer - SOLD OUT

9/11/2013

I've just put three of the Amethyst Shimmer Ensembles up for sale. Three, because I decided to keep one for myself, but I couldn't decide which one, so whichever is left after the first three go, will be mine. *Edited to add - All the ensembles are now sold out.

I love this photos of Miki, which I took early this morning while the backyard was still all in shade, before the sun had risen over the house. It was hazy and warm, and I used a white card to bounce the light into Miki's face to remove the dark shadows. I'm hoping to have some similar light conditions so I can photos graph the other girls as well. Maybe before the storms hit.

Too late - it's started pouring, even though the sun is still out. Well, maybe tomorrow then.

Pizza Delivery

9/11/2013

I made my girls a miniature pizza, so they could enjoy a slice on "Cheese Pizza Day"

I'm saving the box for when "Pizza with the Works Day" comes around. I don't know who comes up with all these crazy "Special Days", but it's kind of fun coming up with photo ideas for them.

Well, today is supposed to be another hot one, until severe thunderstorms usher in a cold front. So I'll be down in the cool basement studio taking more pictures. There's also one more photo for a Special Day I missed, and then I'm caught up and can start thinking about upcoming ones.

Nami and her Teddies

9/10/2013

Yesterday was National Teddy Bear Day, and I wanted to commemorate it with a photo,
so gathered every tiny bear I could find, and grouped them all with Nami.

It's so ridiculously hot and humid out today- a record-breaking 34C with a 44C humidex - that I'm staying inside with the air conditioner on, and trying to address the huge backlog of photos I need to take, so I can get all my Gallery pages up to date. I'm making good progress, and with tomorrow set to be another scorcher, I'm hoping to really get a lot done.

the Papergirl

9/10/2013

Last week there was a "Newspaper Carrier Day", but due to being so busy with sewing, and not feeling very well, I wasn't able to take any Special Days photos. But better late than never!

I caught a photo of Peach ready to go out on her paper route. Thankfully, her little sister noticed she'd forgotten one of the papers, so rushed out to give it to her. Good thing too, because the last house on her route is quite some distance from home. "Thank you Elin!"

Amethyst Shimmer

9/9/2013

Took a few quick photos in order to show the long-sleeve dresses. They are pretty much exact copies of the original toddler dresses, except I added beading to the neckline and sleeve cuffs.

And the bows at the waist are on opposite sides in the two versions. Everyone together....

These dresses were a huge challenge, with uncooperative fabric slipping, sliding, and unravelling all over the place. As a result they aren't quite as neat on the inside as I'd normally like. Usually I hide all the inside seams neatly with the lining, but this time there are visible zig-zagged seams inside. Oh well, it's the outside that really counts, and I think they turned out beautifully.

Tomorrow we are getting a mini heat wave, so I'll be stuck inside with the air-conditioner on, so that will be a good day to finish taking all the studio shots.

Apple Picking Time

9/9/2013

September is the month the apples ripen, and my girls wanted to go pick some. The crabapple trees are unusually full of tiny apples this year, so Nami's basket filled up quickly.

Today there's lots of photography to catch up on, and after cleaning up my work space I will start on the witch's hats. I bought nine at Dollarama, but they need a lot of work. Everything has to come off, and then be reworked and reapplied.

the New Dresses

9/8/2013

The four new dresses are finally done! There's two with long sleeves like the original toddler dresses, and two with short puffed sleeves. I made three different hair clips for each dress so customers can choose something that works with their doll's hairstyle. I took two dolls - Layla and Hope, both in the short sleeve versions - to the Pickering Civic Center to see if there were any flowers, as my backyard doesn't have hardly any this year. There were lots of gorgeous flower-beds with all kinds of lovely flowers, so I took a few photos.

Hope with the gloriosa daisies. I love the colour contrast, but the flowers were rather awkward to use as background. So we went on to the raised containers full of pink petunias and blue salvia.

...and finally a photo that shows the entire dress....

I love how the sequins on the tulle overskirt catch the light! Now I need to take all the studio shots, including some with all four girls together. Then maybe a few more just for fun, and then they can all be released for sale. I'll see what I can do tomorrow before the mini heat wave hits.

the Little Fisher Price Family Playhouse

9/7/2013

Still no opportunities for new Special Day photos. I've been developing a sore throat all week, and had almost totally lost my voice, then came down with an ear infection too. Plus it's been raining all day. So I thought I'd take a photo of Elin with her new little Fisher Price playhouse.

One good thing about being stuck inside at home, is that my four Kaye Wiggs dresses are booming along nicely. I was so tempted to take a photo of Layla trying on the first one, but I decided to wait until it's completely finished. So, probably tomorrow. I'm really liking how they are turning out. The skirts are so soft and full, and the whole dress sparkles with a touch of purple. Two dresses still need their skirts basted on, then sewn permanently. I've cut the fabric for the decorative bows and Fray-Checked all the edges since it's so slippery and unravels all over the place. There wasn't enough fabric left to make hair bows, so I found some dark brown velvet ribbon on sale at Fabricland. It was a bit stiff, but I washed it, then left it in fabric softener for a few hours, and that helped a lot. The dresses will need hooks and eyes, but I only have enough for two right now, so will have to pick up some more.

the Little Fisher Price School Bus

9/5/2013

My girls were surprised with some new toys that arrived in the mail today - a miniature Fisher Price school bus and playhouse. They are from the Hallmark Fisher Price ornament series which ended last year, and now are very hard to find. There's all kinds of miniature toys in the series, many of which I still have the full-size versions of. Unfortunately as collector's items they have become very pricey. But last week someone on one of the doll forums was selling some of their props, and there they were - two of my favourites - for a good price - so I bought them.

Taupe and Brown

9/5/2013

Working hard on my Kaye Wiggs dresses. I have two bodices almost finished - one of each kind - one with short puffed sleeves, the other with log velour sleeves. The next two bodices need the sleeves basted in, and sewn, and then it's time to bead the necklines. Even though the colours are something I'd never have picked, I think the dresses will turn out very nice.

I've decided to make the slips separate in order to reduce bulk in the waist. So I cut an extra half inch off the top of the brown slips, so the bottoms wouldn't come out under the high-waisted dresses. I'm hoping there's going to be enough fabric left over to make some hair bows. If not, I'll have to see if Fabricland has any dark brown velvet ribbon.

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