Monthly Archives: August 2016

“Apple Orchard Darling”

Hi all! Happy Saturday to you! It’s early morning here in northern Illinois, and it’s gray and dark outside (a storm is approaching), but warm and cozy inside. I love the fleeting bit of time “before the thunderstorm”.

Yesterday I showed you a few photos of my two Little Darlings in their apple themed ensembles. This morning I’d like to show you Lucy’s, “Apple Orchard Darling” in more detail.

Here’s my smiling #3 sculpt Little Darling by Helen Skinner. Doesn’t she have the sweetest face?

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This fabric caught my eye because of the 1930s shade of green used for the greenery. I love this vintage green! It’s like the green used for jadeite. The bits of pink in the print were an added bonus; I had the perfect pink pindot to use for an accent.

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I custom mixed and dyed the wool for Lucy’s sweater. I wanted a pastel shade of the green, so the red embroidery and greenery would pop. I love the soft pastel green—it’s so much fun to “invent” my own colors. Bullion stitched apples line up along the bottom of the sweater’s front sections, and pink and off white blossoms float along the neckline. Both side mirror each other.

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I love Lucy’s apple leaf hair ties. They’re a fun accessory for her pigtails. A pop of red was needed, so I knit Lucy a scarf. It can be worn multiple ways.

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The little apple picking basket is crocheted with hemp cord for a rustic feel. The shape of the basket fits Lucy’s hand nicely and the loop fits over her thumb. (A clear elastic band placed over the handle and doll’s hand will secure it, just in case.) The basket is filled with a juicy red apple, flower blossoms, and paper leaves from the apple and maple trees. It is early in the apple picking season, the flowers are still blooming and the leaves are still green. ❤

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Lucy’s “Apple Orchard Darling” ensemble will be available on Sunday (August 21, 2016) at 7:00 pm CST, cindyricedesign.com. Please check the “Shop What’s New” page at that time for more details.

The storm is here! It’s coming down in buckets!

Bye for now, and thank you for visiting.

This Week

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I got through my first (work) week with my daughter away at college. I am proud of myself, not doing too bad. The tears still come now and them, but not like they did on Monday. Thank you for your comments and support, you all help very much. I guess she hasn’t forgotten us because she wants to text and talk on the phone. ❤ Thank goodness for that, and thank goodness for technology!

I want to share with you these photos I took of the sunrise yesterday morning. Yes, I was up early… We ended up having a beautiful, but hot day.

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Some days after my morning coffee I also need a cup of tea. That was the case yesterday. For my birthday I received three varieties of Teavana tea. This green tea is my favorite; it is called Jade Citrus Mint. The most prevalent flavor is the mint, but it is a soft mint, not like peppermint tea. I love peppermint tea too, but this is different, which is nice. (My daughter left her teapot home for me to use. 🙂 ❤ )

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Now for dolly news, I am working on some apple themed outfits. I wanted to get two made for the Little Darlings so that they could dress in their outfits together.

As I was putting the macro lens on my camera I noticed my straight pins in the pincushion. I’ve used these pins forever and am extremely happy with them. They were sold by the Stretch & Sew company, so they probably have a tip made for knits. These pins won’t ruin fabric, are extra long, and won’t rust. Unfortunately, I don’t think they are being made any longer. I’ve probably had them for 20-25 years!

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Lucy’s ensemble was finished first (last week). Each of the girls has a little basket for their perfect little apple. The baskets were crocheted with hemp cord and they fit perfectly in their hands. I made the loops just the right size for their thumbs to fit through too. Here’s a macro lens shot of Lucy’s apple basket.

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As you all probably know by now, I am a sucker for cute fabric, and this apple print was a must buy. I took the hint from the bits of pink blossoms in the print and added the pink pin dot border.

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I finished knitting Alice’s golden yellow sweater in the car on the way to our daughter’s university on Saturday.

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I took this photo Wednesday morning. By the end of the day Alice’s sweater was complete with its embroidery and buttons. Yesterday I put the finishing touches on Alice’s ensemble and got photos taken of both girls.

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More on their individual outfits in the next two posts. I will most likely have both of these available on Sunday evening.

I hope you all have, or are having, a wonderful Friday. We had rain overnight; outside it is very cloudy, still, and humid. It is a most peaceful morning.

Bye for now!

Trying and New Beginnings

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Hello everyone! This weekend my husband and I dropped our daughter off at college to begin her freshman year. We got her moved into her dorm room yesterday, in the middle of a rainstorm, on a very wet weekend! We, and every thing got a little damp, but we got her moved in fine, nothing ruined.

I am very happy for her as she starts on this new journey in her life. She is at a beautiful, faith-filled school; her cousin will be a couple of buildings away, and she has a loving aunt and uncle very close by. I know she’ll be happy and looked after if she needs anything, which I am most thankful for.

I knew when my daughter started college it would be hard for me, but didn’t realize it would be quite this hard!!! I am trying, really I am. The tears come, and then I feel strong for a little while, and then the tears come back again. I miss her terribly (already) and I’m not really sure how to get along without her as a part of my daily life. I find silly things set me off: her water glass with half a glass of water still left in it (as if waiting for her), her over filled hamper with the clothes she left behind, how she took the sheets off her bed for laundering even though I told her to leave them for me to do. I keep wanting to ask her something, but she isn’t here; I guess I very quickly got used to having her at home this summer. However, I need to remember that continual change is a part of life, and so, I need to figure out how to adapt to these changes. So, I am trying . . .

I keep telling myself that I am blessed to have a daughter that I miss so much! It helps (a little) when those tears threaten to start . . . yet again.

I managed to take a few photos of the beautiful campus, but mostly I was trying to keep my emotions in check. My husband took a few also.

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