Hi there! It’s been so, so long! I am sorry about that. I really don’t know where the summer went, but went by it did. Thank you for the messages. I love hearing from my readers.
I got a new doll for Mother’s Day in May. She is my first Ruby Red Fashion Friend. My daughter picked out Bella for me. I love her! Her face is so close to Dianna Effner’s number 3 Little Darling sculpt, which is my favorite. (Dianna sculpted Bella too.) She is such a beauty–so smiley and happy.
It took me almost all summer, but I managed to make a couple of ensembles for Bella. I want to share them with you. The first couple for a new doll are always a bit of a test, but Bella says they are ‘perfect’.
First, I made Bella “Sun Kissed Beauty”. Surprisingly her cardigan turned out to match the coppery roses on her dress quite beautifully. I held two strands of lace weight yarn together–a rust tonal and a pink mohair/silk. Coppery shades look beautiful with her hair color don’t you think?
Her leather shoes are from Boneka. They have them sized for the Fashion Friends, but the straps were too long. I made a new slit with my Exacto knife and cut off the old slit–worked perfect. There is plenty of room in these shoes for seamstress made stockings too.
My second ensemble for Bella involved a little more time dedication since I knew it would be something that she’d like to wear. I made a few adjustments to the cardigan to make it fit better and took more time with the embroidery.
Since finishing these two for Bella I’ve completed a holiday set for her, one for Rose, and am finishing up one for Kaye Wiggs’ MSD sized girls. It’s still a little early to show you those, but I will soon.
The summer here in northern Illinois was very dry. So dry in fact that we were in a drought for quite a number of months. The beginning of autumn has been strange too. Since we are no longer in a drought, the grass is now green and growing long like it should have in the summer. There is hardly any autumn color, and it remains warm; the leaves are turning brown-ish and then falling. We’ve had no frost and the flowers are still blooming. In my mind it is early September, not mid October. I wonder what winter will bring for us. One never knows…
So, that’s my unremarkable summer in a nutshell. Oh, I turned 60 in July! That’s a big one!
I hope to chat more often with you here. Is that something you’d like to see–more blog posts from me? I cannot always promise my posts will be filled with dolly stuff, but there are other things to talk about too… if you’d enjoy reading about other things that is. Please let me know.
Take care. Sending you virtual hugs 🤗, and kisses from my dolls.
Cindy Rice Designs 
Absolutely beautiful! Thanks for showing us your lovely work!😊
Hi, Susan. Thank you! And thank you for commenting! ❤️ It’s so nice to hear from you.
I love the face on the Bella doll,too. When I first saw a Little Darling with that smile, I smiled, too. Glad you’re posting again no matter what you have to say. 🥰
Hi, Susette. Bella is a keeper! Thank you so much for reading my ramblings and commenting too. It’s so nice to hear from you. ❤️
She’s lovely! Your daughter made a great choice. Daughters are such blessings!
Hi, Dottie. Yes, daughters are one of the greatest gifts!!! She always knows exactly what I like–not sure how she chooses a hit. Thank you for commenting–it’s so nice to hear from you. ❤️
Oh my gosh! Bella is so so stunning and is absolutely top notch stunning by modeling your gorgeous dress and sweater set! We see that your daughter loves her Mom!!💕
So good to hear from you and God bless.
Hi, Wanda. Aww, thank you! My daughter is the best to me–love her to the moon and back! Bella is a sweetheart too, with that smile and happy face. It was nice to hear from you, thank you! ❤️
Everything is so lovely. I am new to your blog and have enjoyed it all. I am also a doll collector and would love to know how to make that beautiful sweater. Is it possible to get a pattern?
Hi, Cheryl. Welcome to my blog. Thank you for stopping by and reading my ramblings. It’s so nice connecting with my readers. ❤️
I haven’t put together a pattern yet for the Fashion Friends. I want to do that–thank you for asking. I’m not sure if you’ve seen my patterns for other sized dolls. They are available on Ravelry.
Delightful to hear from you. I was just getting ready to send a where are you message? Glad you now have Bella. They are such a fun size. We have quite a few here now. 🙂 Your Bella is one lucky girl to have several sweet outfits. We are going with shoes for the Glitter Girls as well as some that are available on Etsy. The smaller RRFF kids, Siblies are pretty close in size to the LD’s with some modifications. Maybe take a look at them. It would be fun for Bella to have a little sis. They are so posable. 🙂
So glad you posted.
Hi, Joy. Aww, thank you for thinking of me. Not sure how time gets away from me like it does…
These dolls seem to be the new hit, and I can see why, they’re adorable… and easy to collect.
So, the Glitter Girl shoes fit these dolls? I’ll keep that in mind.
I’ve looked at the Siblies. Maybe I’ll have to drop a Christmas hint to my daughter. Ha ha…
It’s so nice to hear from you, Joy! ❤️
I love your dolls and the beautiful clothes that you make for them…I must admit that at the age of almost 71, that I still love dolls and I wish that I could make the lovely clothes for them as you do.
Hi, Marie. I think it’s great that at our ages we still love dolls. It is an innocent passion (obsession?), isn’t it? They are so sweet and uplifting. My hands are getting slower, but I am thankful that I can get a few things made for them. Thank you, Marie, it’s been nice chatting with you. ❤️
She is adorable and I love her two beautiful outfits!!!
Hi, Johann and thank you! It’s so nice hearing from you! Enjoy your day. ❤️
Dear Cindy! I was so eager to hear from you! Your new doll is very beautiful! And dresses are a mastership as always! Thank you for pleasure to see them!
Hi, Evgenia. Thank you! Bella is a beautiful model, isn’t she? I am happy you visited my blog and said hello! ❤️
Hi Cindy.
Lovely to hear from you. I love to be kept updated ( and inspired) with your latest creations. Bella is a real cutie. Yes, daughters are special. Mine is my rock.
I am still waiting for my new Little Darling, Little Daisy, a sister for Little Grace . It is taking longer this time, but I have been creating sets for the both of them in anticipation of Daisy’s arrival.
Here in Tamworth NSW Australia we are enjoying spring with good rain and my gardens are looking great especially all of my dwarf fruit trees. I am enjoying loquats (one of my favourite fruits) straight off the tree at this time.
I am looking forward to your next blog.
Take care
Wendy😘💐
Hi, Wendy. That’s great news that spring this year is wonderfully rainy so all those spring flowers can grow and be beautiful. I had never heard of loquats, so had to google them. They look interesting, like yellow berries.
Sorry to hear you are still waiting for Daisy’s arrival. I hope she arrives soon as I am sure Little Grace is quite anxious for a sister. I am sure the two of them will be well coordinated and as cute as can be in the sets you make for them.
It’s so nice to hear from you, Wendy. Thanks for stopping by and chatting with me.❤️ Have a wonderful spring week.
It’s always a good day when you post. While it has been a while I am happy to know it was because of how busy you have been. I also have Bella, her sweet smile so similar to sculpt 3 was why I purchased her. Your outfits, as usual, are just lovely. I also noticed how beautifully you styled her hair. I will have to try it. I only managed to pull her hair back in a ponytail. I ordered a dress pattern on line and I plan on modifying it so that I can sew it up following your genius tutorial. I think I will be able to do so. I was able to modify one of my little darling patterns and was very pleased with the results.
Take care. Marian
Silly me I have Hanna, no wonder her hair looks so different🤦♀️
Oh, ha ha! Hanna is a cutie. I love her bob.
Hi, Marian. I’m glad I took the time to post too. It’s so nice chatting with you and my other reader friends.
I used Magalie Dawson’s Simplicite pattern for the 14″ Kish Chrysalis dolls. I can’t remember exactly how much modification I did, but it was very, very minimal.
Thank you, Marian. It’s been fun chatting with you. ❤️
Hi Cindy , it is so good to see you back !!! I did not message you but i figured you were busy and I waited patiently for you return ! What a lovely mothers day gift from your daughter in presenting you with Bella . I do love her smiley happy face also. I am glad Bella thinks they are perfect ensembles , I would also ! Her cardigan is so nice with her pretty dress! The leather shoes go great with the outfit. I can see the extra work you put on the second cardigan with the extra embroidery, I love it! The dress is gorgeous with it, and the pretty lace hemline. I am looking forward to seeing your Christmas creations. We had it pretty dry here this summer also, and the summer went into October! I wonder about winter also as we do in these northern climates ! i love seeing any posts from you Cindy! Maybe you could tell us about hidden gem tourist spots for us to visit in the Chicagoland area ! Sending big hugs and kisses to all your dolls and especially Bella ! I hope she is not shy, Hugs to you too Cindy, Terri xo.
Hi, Terri. Thank you for all your kind words. ❤️Bella is a fun little doll to create ensembles for. I think very soon it will be time to show her Christmas ensemble. Next week is the last full week of October already! Then Thanksgiving–5 weeks away now!
I’ll have to contemplate what hidden gems there are around here. We seem to visit the same places again and again, the Chicago Botanic Garden and the many forest preserves. We love nature, I guess. Chicagoland is huge though; we only occupy the northern section. I will keep your great suggestion in mind, most definitely. Thank you!
No, Bella is not shy in the least. She always has a beautiful smile waiting for me. 😁 I hope you are having a great week with beautiful fall weather. 🍁
Really lovely to read about and to see your work again, Cindy. I had to re-read some of your old blogs and watch some of your videos while you weren’t posting. I always have a smile on my face when I’ve finished them and it’s great to see all your work as well as different aspects of your life. Bella is really special and her outfits too. Looking forward to seeing more from you. Autumn is such a pretty time and I’d love to see your area change into its winter face and then, of course, see winter and the run up to Christmas too. Please keep posting updates. Sending lots of good wishes.
Hi, Judy. Aww, you are so kind, thank you. I really need to keep up with my blog. It is the best getting to chat with my reader friends. I appreciate you so much.
Bella is happy you like her photos and her new outfits. She is smiling from ear to ear. 😁
This autumn is lacking in the color changes, but last year was quite nice. I made a couple of videos from my forest preserve walks last year. One on the last day of summer
and one from mid October.
They’re short, but give an idea what a typical fall should look like. Thank you for your suggestions. ❤️ I hope your week is off to a great start, Judy!
Absolutely love to hear more from you. I missed the contact from you this summer. Love your patterns and beautiful outfits for our dolls!
Hi, Carol. It’s so nice to hear from you! Thank you for stopping by and saying hello! ❤️ I am happy you enjoy my doll patterns and photos of my dolls in their new outfits. I hope you are having a great week so far!