Monthly Archives: February 2023

Evianna’s First Ensemble, “Spring Greening”

Happy Sunday to you! I hope it is a good one. The sun is shining and the snow is already melting here in northern Illinois. The snowfall we had on Thursday ended up being a disappointment for me, but that is ok. The flakes were so fine that they could hardly be seen. I think we ended up with 5 inches of snow over the course of about 18 hours. Maybe the next one…

However, I still made the most of the day by staying in and finishing up Evianna’s first ensemble. It was very relaxing.

Evianna is my Christmas 2022 doll. I love getting a new doll for Christmas… or my birthday… or Mother’s Day. In fact, anytime! A box showed up yesterday and it was a dolly shaped box… but it was only a new filter for our water filtration. 😞

Evianna is the first Li’l Dreamer Dianna Effner doll. She is a sweet addition to my Dianna Effner doll family. I love her!❤️

I found this dress partially finished in a box from another doll. I guess it didn’t fit that ‘new’ doll well enough, so I abandoned it. It fits Evianna quite well, not perfect, but nice enough so I finished it and completed her first ensemble. I have no notes on which pattern this is, so I have to start from scratch for her second ensemble. Oh, well…

I dyed merino wool to get the palest shade of yellow green for Evianna’s knitwear. In the hank the yarn looked barely dyed, but when knit up it is definitely a beautiful yellow green and matches the dress florals beautifully. I made her sweater a bit longer to cover the bodice length and gave it a slight a-line shaping. After many hours of embroidering, and adding shimmery Czech glass bead buttons her sweater was complete.

The beret was looking for some adornment, so that too, got some embroidery.

To complete her ensemble I made pale pink cotton tights. Her tiny crocheted basket holds some pink blossoms. Evianna’s heart charm bracelet tells her that this ensemble was made with love just for her!

Evianna and I say ‘bye for now’. Thank you for stopping by for a visit with us today. We appreciate the company! Take care and enjoy the week ahead! 🤗❤️

Dreaming About Spring

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Hello! 😁 It is a most blustery morning here in northern Illinois. The wind chimes are singing, singing, singing–tiny tinkling notes in the backyard and low notes from the bamboo chimes on the front porch. We are under a winter storm watch which starts in the wee hours of Thursday morning. Over 6 inches of snow and wind gusts up to 40mph will be Thursday’s weather conditions where I live.

However, today I am dreaming of spring; the crocuses and grape hyacinths are coming up and all of the snow has melted.

I dug into my photo archives to retrieve some of my favorite outdoor spring shots and thought you might enjoy them, too. I find it so rewarding to look back at these pictures in the middle of winter. I’d like to take more outdoor shots this year. It’s such a challenge though… My dollies are always falling over! Maybe I can figure something out. Any ideas?

Little Darling Gina in “Springtime Beauty” from 2019.

Little Darling Alice wearing “Sunshine in the Garden” from 2019.

Little Darling Gina showing off her dress’s lace yumminess, “Summery Blue in the Garden” from 2020.

Kaye Wiggs Millie in “Blue Skies, Sunny Days” 2015.

Kaye Wiggs Gracie wearing “A Lovely Blossom” 2017.

Wilde Imagination’s Patience in “A Stroll in the Garden” from 2015.

Do you have a favorite? If you are still stuck in the middle of cold, snowy winter weather I hope you at least enjoyed these springtime pictures of my sweet girls.

A lot of these dolls are retired, but can be found on the secondary market. For more information about the dolls in these photos visit my FAQ page–tab at the top.

Wishing you a wonderful day no matter the weather! Enjoy! Sending hugs to you!🤗❤️

Alisha is “Pretty in Pink & Blue”

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Hello to you! I hope you have been enjoying this mid February weekend. I am having a hard time believing it is February. The sun is shining and it is quite nice today. I am feeling April vibes not February vibes. There are some crocuses and grape hyacinths that have started showing their leaves in the gardens already. I hope they don’t regret coming up so early.

Now for what I’ve made for Alisha who is a Helen Kish doll. Yes, it has been awhile for her. She was long overdue for something new to wear.

Alisha’s soft and fuzzy long sleeve blue cardigan was made with two strands of lace yarn, a cornflower blue and pure white mohair/silk. When these two yarns are used together it produces a very soft shade of blue to match those tiny blue flowers in her dress. The cardigan is embroidered with pink roses, leaves, and deep pink colonial knots. Tiny Miyuki rainbow drop beads button up her cardigan.

Alisha’s dress is made with 100% cotton from the Guernsey collection by Brenda Riddle. It’s been in my stash for years–I have no idea the name of this particular print. However Brenda Riddle always has some very sweet florals in her collections. The print has the tiniest rosebuds in shades of pink with even tinier blue blossoms and greenery. Delicate white cotton lace edges the full skirt and a silk ribbon ties around her waist.

Alisha wears a crocheted beaded headband that is beaded all around with clear rainbow Delica beads and the blue lace yarn used for the cardigan. She wears a pink seed bead bracelet with a silver toned “Loved and Beloved” heart charm. Her tights are in pink cotton knit. She has managed to pluck a blossom out of Mom’s garden too. It has a bit of stretchy jewelry cord strung around it so that Alisha can hold it.

As you can see she is one happy little girl, and I think she is oh so pretty in pink and blue. Alisha just whispered in my ear that she’d love to hear what you think of her new springtime ensemble!