Blog Posts

Steve & Iris' Family

3/17/2025

Steve is Owen's brother, and Iris is Leona's sister. They originally had three children. Their family started out in contemporary times.
From the left: Lisa, Eric, Iris, Steve, and Nyssa

...but after discovering their old wardrobe could send them into the past, they decided to go back to a much quieter era to Victorian times, where they had their fourth child, little Sena. The family actually lives in the same house as Owen and Leona, but a hundred and fifty years earlier.

They do occasionally go back to contemporary times for a holiday...

And sometimes Owen and Leona's family will venture through the wardrobe to join them in Victorian times....

like they did for Sena's First Birthday.

Most of Steve and Iris' family members have appeared as characters in other stories.
Eric played a young Baron, and Nyssa played young Grace in Somewhere in Time.

Little Sena played baby Kassia in the White Cat Sequel, and baby Baron in Somewhere in Time...

She also played baby Princess Paige in Somewhere in Time...

Steve had a role as a fashion magazine editor in Somewhere in Time..

..and he and Iris played Princess Kassia's parents in the White Cat Sequel

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In the Graveyard

3/16/2025

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Back in January I wanted to take a photo to commemorate Inauguration Day in the US. I don't normally do 'political' but I felt I needed to take a photo representing what all my friends in the US were feeling. So I dressed Owen and Leona like they were going to a funeral, and we went to the local graveyard. The only way to make forced perspective work in such a location was to have the dolls elevated, and not too close to any of the gravestone, so I set them up on our projector stand in a wide open spot between some short headstones...

It was snowing lightly, and Owen was holding a black umbrella, so Jan held a paint board covered with aluminum foil to bounce some light onto the doll's faces. Then I took the photos...

..and I added some snow...

I was really happy with the photos, but unfortunately what was intended as more of a 'tongue in cheek' personal comment on what was going to happen to the south of us, it turned out to be a more accurate prediction than anyone could ever have imagined.

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Owen & Leona's Family

3/15/2025

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Owen and Leona, and their four children, from the left: Lonnie, Coco, Holly, and Milo.

They were the very first of all my doll families. Up until then I had just been focussing on my smaller BIDs and KIDs as contemporary children, and all the MSD size dolls I had at the time were unrelated Fantasy characters. But when I purchased Leona on the secondary market, her previous owner sent her with a contemporary outfit, and she became the first JID to appear in photos as a contemporary woman with all the children. She immediately caught the attention of Owen, who had been a Medieval Fantasy guy up until then. The two of them became parents to Lonnie, Coco and Holly, and then I ordered Milo to complete their family.

They have travelled extensively across the country, all the way west through the Rockies...

... to Vancouver Island, in their Trip to the Pacific, 2015

They have also travelled all the way east to Newfoundland, both as a contemporary family...
in A Road Trip to Newfoundland

..and as a rugged Fantasy family with Winston...In the Land of Icebergs

Their family has also explored the US Southwest....in Desert Adventures 2016

But they are first and foremost a contemporary family..

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Winter Fun

3/14/2025

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It was a nice winter day, and the little forest friends were out enjoying the snow.

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House Elves

3/13/2025

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The final set of dolls inhabiting my Medieval Fantasy world, are the House Elves.

Back row from left; Lilly, Larry. Middle row from left: Archibald, Nolan, Gino, Phairby.
Front row from left: Willie, Every, Otto, Emily, Daisy

Daisy and Gino are a married couple and they have twins: Avery and Emily. Daisy's mother Phairby also lives with them.

There's also a few more House Elves in their community. From the left: Nolan, Otto, Archibald, and Willie.

Willie has been a long time friend of both Winston and Baron...

Even though the House Elves have a formidable little army...

They have a treaty with Lawrence's kingdom,

and can count on his protection if needed...

The newest members of my House Elf family are Larry and Lily, who are a much larger scale, but I haven't figured out how they will fit in yet.

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Little Helpers

3/12/2025

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A few weeks ago we were hit with three snow storms in just one week, and we received a record amount of snow. But that didn't deter Alex, who was determined to help shovel it...

The piles of snow were huge...

..but their kitty wanted to go for a sleigh ride...

But the shovelling seemed endless..

"So, when do you think you'll be able to go with us?"asked Bella.

"As soon as I'm done."

"Which won't be much longer. I'm almost finished."

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My Wizard

3/11/2025

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The Wizard is one of my favourite and most versatile dolls, and even though his original character is that of a Wizard, he has more ongoing individual personas than anyone else.

In addition to being a Wizard..

He's been a cobbler...

..and owned a Victorian Toy Store

He has been the proprietor of a Victorian Curiosity Shoppe.

He is Santa Claus...

..as well as St. Nicholas...

He has been a King as Lawrence's father in Somewhere in Time....

..and as Aeran's grandfather in the Quest...

He has been a Bishop, and officiated at Baron & Naomi's wedding...

...and he was a doctor in New Beginnings.

He is everyone's Grandfather, regardless of period...

...and one of his greatest roles was as Nick, the woodcutter, in A Christmas Story...

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Polar Bear Day

3/10/2025

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February 27th was International Polar Bear Day, and I wanted to take some photos, but something different than in the past. The dolls were dressed and ready, and I was waiting for another fresh snowfall. But in never came. In fact the last snowfall might just have been the last of the winter, and with double digit temperatures coming this week, any snow we still had would melt very quickly. So I figured yesterday was my last chance, and I scrambled to take the photos...of Agnes and Matias as they took their daughter Olivia out to meet some cubs....

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Three Single Ladies

3/9/2025

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There are three unattached, single, Medieval Fantasy ladies. From the left: Soa, Isar, and Lily
They don't have back stories of their own, and can occasionally appear as extras in other stories.

Lily has appeared in the White Cat Sequel as the Princess whose husband was turned into a frog..

Isar went on a solo trip to the US Southwest back in 2012, the year she arrived - Isar in Canyonlands

She has an ongoing role as tavern proprietor in the Quest, Somewhere in Time, and the White Cat Sequel, in which she also plays the Princess whose three brother were turned into Ravens...