Still in Doll Show mode

Although it has been 5 days since the doll event I am still in doll show mode. I can't stop making the dolls and the clothes. I even had to try and paint one of the wardrobes. The picture does not do it justice. I think it came out nicely. I rubber stamped a design over the crackeled and antiqued paint. It was fun to paint the wardrobe. I might have to try another one in another color.

I finally finished this little girl. Her name is Lacey. She won a third place ribbon at the Land O Sky doll event in Asheville NC. I like her a lot. This was not the dress I had in mind for her but as time ran out I put a dress on her that I already had and then made the apron up really fast. She sits really prettily.

I had made the dolls for the event and they all were sold. I was able to make and sell a companion doll and outfits as well. My husband made the cutest wardrobes for the dolls.

OH, and I made a baby for the dollies as well. I did not have time to dress her but I took lots of orders for her. I think the event was a big success. I enjoyed the meal, the fellowship, and the programs. One program was by Linda Edwards who researches and writes about cloth dolls. She has a very nice book that I was able to purchase and have her sign.

I also was able to take myself and two friends to see the Biltmore House as i was given free tickets by a friend of mine. What would I do without my friends?!

And speaking of friends, my two friends Beth and Selena went with me and helped me to sell my things and take orders. I could not have done it without them.

Beth is on the left and Selena is on the right. That is me in the middle.

I finally got around to working on a doll of my own instead of someone elses. I think she turned out pretty. Still not what I was aiming for but pretty. Now she needs a dress and penafore. She already picked out the fabric. I will have to make her sandals because her feet are sweet.

I also finished a little apron for the dolls that are going to the Land O' Sky event in two weeks. I hope to make a bunch of these to take with me.

I finally finished all the dolls that are going to the big doll event at the end of March. I have a lot of dresses to make. But that is fun. At least I say that at the beginning of the work. After about 50 dresses I'll be wishing for something new to do.
I have been sneaking a little work here and there on some dolls that I have been wanting to make. One is done and has a new home already. One just is not coming together right. Her face is a sculpt and it is too pretty to just "settle" for the bodies that i have been putting together. I have cast out two bodies and one pair of legs. And now that I have put one new leg on the body I settled for it isnt working properly. This girl is just going to have to have better than that. I'll try and post pictures of both dolls.
In the meantime I am selling some of my treasures on ebay. One of the neccessities created by the economy. Plus I am learning how not to 'store up treasures on the earth'. But instead to store them up in heaven. Not such an easy lesson sometimes.

Sunday - My day?

It seems that every day, morning, noon, and night, I have had to be working on something for someone else. But yesterday I decided that i would take a few days out and make something I have been wanting to make for a long time. Months ago (in fact, I think it started over a year ago) I had sculpted a face mask for a little girl doll. She has a cloth-over and has just been waiting for a body and a head to attach the face to.
Yesterday I finally made the pattern, sewed the arms, legs and torso. Today I have stuffed and sculpted the arms and legs. I will put the first layer of finger/toe nails on and go stuff the torso.
When the torso is done I will take a picture so you can at least see some of the process. I can hardly wait to get to my favorite part - painting the face.
Come back and see.

I got another box of 20 dolls finished and mailed off. Just another 18 more to go and I can start working on their dresses. There are two of the dolls I am so tempted to keep. One favors a picture of my mother when she was young and the other is just very unique. The one pictured here is the unique one. She has a turned and tilted head. She is looking down more than the others. It is hard not to keep the ones that are truly different.

I have an earnest desire to make a new doll. The day is almost over but it could still happen.

My husband has built a beautiful 5 ft tall lighthouse for the front yard. He put a solar light at the top and a chain around the top.

It is hard to see in the picture but the little chain goes around through the posts that stick up around the light. We may try and see if they sell.

Can it be?

January is almost half over. It seems that Christmas was just around that last corner.
It just doesn't take long for the days to pass. I have nothing new to report. However, I'm working steadily on the dolls for the Land Of Sky event in March. A friend gave me two passes to see the Biltmore house in Asheville while I am there. How wonderful! I am looking forward to it. But I don't want the weeks to pass too quickly.
I think that sometimes I wish my life away and am so busy thinking of what comes next, or of somewhere that I am not that I cannot completely be aware of how wonderful the moment is, or how grateful I can be about where I am.
In fact, yesterday as I was feeling sorry for myself and being angry at God for what I did not have and how hard this was making my life, He reminded me that even if I had the things that I thought were going to make my life easier; life would not be easy. Life is always going to be hard in one way or another. Whether it is broken relationships, personal or national conflicts , financial issues or health issues, there will always be something that makes life harder than what I would like for it to be. But the test of every trial is whether or not I am willing to rely on God and trust Him with whatever may come my way. In fact, I now realize that this experience of not getting what I want is actually something that I need. If I can learn to trust my God in this situation then it will be easier to trust Him in the next. So what I really need in this situation is not to get that thing I think I need, but instead learn how to trust God enough so that in this and in future difficult situations I can respond in a way that displays faith in Him with grace, mercy, lovingkindness and wisdom.

Oh.. it just occured to me. It's not HOW I get out of this trial. It's WHAT I get out of this trial.