Monthly Archives: November 2017

Christmas Ensemble Availability Dates

Hello, from frosty Illinois. Boy, we had a good frost last night. It’s sooo cold here, but it’s very pretty too. When I look out my windows I see blue sky, frosty white grass, trees of red, yellow, orange, and yes, some are still green. I don’t think our magnolias will ever give up their green leaves. I don’t know what they’re thinking! 😮

I spent the last two days getting my 6 Christmas ensembles ready for market. It was a lot of work, but the majority of it is complete. It’s a peaceful feeling to have weeks and weeks of work all wrapped up. I’d love to sit and breathe it in, but I cannot wait to start on something new!

I have decided to offer one ensemble every evening for 6 days in a row. They will start on November 11 and go through November 16. The time that the sales page will be live on my website will remain unchanged at 7:00 pm CST.

Here is the order, so you can plan, if you’d like. As a reminder, I’ll also send out a blog post and Facebook post in the morning on the day each one will be available.

November 11: “Frosty Festivities” for Rose (10″ Boneka by Dianna Effner)

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November 12: “Christmas Wishes” for the Little Darlings.

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November 13: “Little Frosty” for Kaye Wiggs ‘illies’ (Millie, Tillie, Lillie)

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November 14: “Classic and Cozy” for the Little Darlings.

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November 15: “Christmas Snow” for Patience.

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November 16: “Miss Cookie Elf” for the Little Darlings.

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All my girls say “thank you, with ❤ ” for taking the time to admire them in their finery today. (I do, too, of course!)

I hope you all have a beautiful day!

❤

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My Fall Colors

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Hello and a happy new week to you. It was kind of a ~~dreary~~ cozy weekend here in northern Illinois. However, yesterday was dry and the sun came out a few times for about a minute each, enjoyed those brief glimpses. Being that it wasn’t too cold, my husband and I went for a walk in one of the nearby forest preserves. The one we visited yesterday is my favorite; I feel like I am in a fairy tale when I am here.

We don’t get a ton of fall color, even less this year, but the colors we saw yesterday were quite beautiful. I didn’t anticipate taking photos, but I had my phone with me, so I can share some of the magic with you.

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Instead of the golden arches these are tree arches.

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Make a wish–wishbone tree trunks.

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Aspen trees, says my husband. I thought these were birch trees. I didn’t know aspens grew here. Anyway, the shade of white caught my eye as it stood out from everything else.

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I didn’t realize that oak tree leaves can turn anything but brown. Now I know they can be beautiful reds and oranges.

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I think fairies must live in this old oak tree. I may, or may not, have caught a glimpse of one. 🙂

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Whenever I see mushrooms, I must go and check them out; I find them very intriguing.

All in all, it was a good Sunday. I learned a couple of new things and spent some time out in nature, which is always rejuvenating.

Today, it feels like winter, but the sun was shining practically all day long. I spent about four hours photographing doll ensembles today. Now, I will enjoy a cup of tea while I start to edit them.

I hope you’ve had a good day!

❤

Holiday Spirit in My Studio

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Happy weekend to you all! This morning I awoke to rain pelting the windows very early this morning. It was a comforting and cozy way to wake up, although hard to get out of bed.

After getting the kettle going on the stove for coffee, I took a peek outside the front door. Sweet Morris, one of the two feral cats that we feed, was snuggled up close to the front door. We have a deep porch that normally keeps off the rain, but this morning there was only enough dry area for him on the welcome mat. Poor thing! I felt so bad for him, and promptly gave him his breakfast.

Miss Feral, the most feral tabby I’ve ever met, hasn’t been around yet. Being a smaller cat, she has a special place that she squeezes under in inclement weather. I’ve never been able to figure out where she goes. There is a tell tale sign on her back where her fur gets trimmed off; she goes somewhere.

My studio is looking mighty festive. Five of my girls are dressed in their holiday finery, and another one is almost ready. I’ve brought out a few decorations too. We don’t decorate the house for Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but getting my studio ready helps me get in the spirit for making Christmas/holiday ensemble.

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This is the “sweets” tree as everything on it has to do with yumminess. I usually put it on the hearth, but decided it would be perfect in my studio, for now anyway.

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Little stuffies in Santa’s sleigh.

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Teeny tiny things, many are vintage dime store ornaments from my mom and grandma, decorate this Boyds Bears potting bench.

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I hung up one of my two poinsettia botanical bouquets in my studio. This framed piece was part of my very last published pattern; I cross stitched it about 15 years ago. I remember trying to get all of the nuances in color when designing the poinsettia for this chart. I also wanted to get as many types of holiday greenery in the bouquet as possible. The metallic gold/silver balls were a fun addition, but a challenge to work. I’m not sure I like working with metallic thread.

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