Author Archives: Cindy Rice

About Cindy Rice

My wonderful husband, my beautiful daughter, and I live in northeastern Illinois with our two sweet chihuahua boys. For as long as I can remember I have loved dolls and making things. I got my first Barbie when I was only three years old! My mom sewed for my Barbie dolls and taught me how to use her sewing machine when I was only seven. I cannot believe she let me near that needle, but she did. Not having enough money for my clothes habit in high school and college led me to start sewing all of my own clothes. There were so many fabric stores around back then and fabric was so inexpensive. I would wait for the 99 cent pattern sale and go crazy. Sewing for myself continued well into my 30’s. (I even made my wedding gown and bridesmaid dresses.) Shortly after I got married I left my full time graphic design position and started designing cross stitch patterns. I called my company “The Lilac Studio” and sold my botanical patterns at trade shows, through distributors which sold to retail shops, and mail order. My most popular pattern, “A Bouquet of Pansies” sold 5000 copies and won a J&P Coats Golden Needle Award! I was also featured in various cross stitch magazines and designed special projects for the magazines. When my daughter was born I didn’t have the time needed to cross stitch and design patterns all day long so I let my pattern design business slip away. And then I started discovering dolls again and I now had an excuse to start buying them. The only problem was that they were for my daughter and not for me. I soon discovered all of the adult collectors out there and decided I would be one of them. I started small at first, collecting Mattel Kelly dolls. Soon I collected over 100 Kelly dolls! After Kelly, I discovered Helen Kish’s Riley and Tonner’s Ann Estelle. I have since learned to knit doll sweaters and love an excuse to knit so most of my doll outfits include a sweater and/or hat. I love creating miniature outfits for dolls and enjoy sharing them with others. Currently I create doll ensembles for Ruby Red Fashion Friends, Kish Bethany, Dianna Effner's Little Darlings, Wilde Imagination's teeny tiny Amelia, Kaye Wiggs BJD, Boneka 10", Linda Macario's Penny.

Portraits of My Girls

12 Replies

I was looking around at my old photos this morning and stumbled upon a folder that contained casual shots of my girls. In these photos the clothing wasn’t the focus, the dolls’ faces were . . . and I was struck by how gorgeous they all are. I am so fortunate to have these girls in my collection and to be able to create for them.

My dolls come from different doll makers and artists, but I love them all. I gathered some of my favorite photos for you to enjoy.

Alice by Dianna Effner/Nelly Valentino

Gina by Diana Effner/Geri Uribe

Lucy by Dianna Effner/Helen Skinner

Gracie by Kaye Wiggs

Talyssa by Kaye Wiggs

Millie by Kaye Wiggs

Penny by Linda Macario

Amelia Thimble by Wilde Imagination

Remy by Pamela Macy

Alisha by Helen Kish

Patsy by Tonner

Bethany by Helen Kish

Patience by Wilde Imagination

Gracie and Talyssa by Kaye Wiggs

Gina, Amelia Thimble, and Patience

Gina and Lucy by Dianna Effner

Lucy by Dianna Effner/Helen Skinner

Gracie by Kaye Wiggs

Gina and Lucy by Diana Effner

Lucy & Gina by Dianna Effner

Patsy & Sophie by Tonner

Penny by Linda Macario

Talyssa by Kaye Wiggs

Patsy by Tonner

Pukipuki Sugar by Fairyland

Bethany by Helen Kish

Talyssa by Kaye Wiggs

Amelia Thimble by Wilde Imagination

If you’d like more information on they dolls that model my ensembles you can visit the FAQ page on my website.

Hope you enjoyed! Bye for now!

“Summertime Roses” for Patience

4 Replies

I don’t have many roses blooming on my three rosebushes (I may have deadheaded them too vigorously) right now, so it’s a good thing they are blooming on Patience’s dress. I really am not good with roses. *sigh* 😦

Anyway, on a brighter note, Patience is here to relieve your rose withdrawal (if you, like me, have any).

summertime roses 518

summertime roses 535

Patience’s tiny sweater is hand knit with the finest lace weight yarn I have in my stash, a blend of baby alpaca and silk. The embroidered bouquet on Patience’s sweater is “tied” with a silk ribbon embroidered bow. Her sweater buttons are glass pearls.

summertime roses 552

Silk ribbons also decorate the waistline of Patience’s dress.

summertime roses 578

summertime roses 591

I quickly took the photo below during the golden hour, just before sundown. I noticed how beautiful the light was getting and wanted to capture it. I literally had minutes before it got too dark.

summertime roses 628

Patience’s bracelet is part of her crocheted clutch purse. It really opens and closes and can hold a tiny treasure. Her pearl headband is crocheted with the same pink cotton as used for her clutch.

summertime roses 512

Patience’s “Summertime Roses” ensemble will be available tonight (July 27, 2016) at 7:00pm CST, cindyricedesigns.com. You can check the “Shop What’s New” page at that time for more details.

Don’t forget to stop and smell the roses today! 🙂

“Pink ‘n Plum Sweetie”

8 Replies

It’s Lucy’s turn to model something new for you. She has been quite patient, I must say. She hasn’t had a turn since early May.

Back in June Lucy was already wearing a new dress and waiting for me to return from Florida so she could model the entire ensemble for you. Well on the way home from Florida (we drove) we found out that Alice would be arriving very, very soon. Lucy wanted to welcome her with open arms, so gave up her new dress to Alice. Isn’t Lucy the sweetest Little Darling ever!

I love this fabric.. and I think lots of you did too! I used it about the same time last year for an ensemble and then quickly made another in the smaller scaled, but same color way fabric. It turns out that this fabric is PERFECT for the pink mohair yarn I often knit with, so I decided to use it again. Lucy wasn’t around last summer, so this is all new for her! Doesn’t she look happy!

pink 'n plum sweetie 413

This time I made a longer sweater, so the dress is a drop-waist style. You can see my first “Pink ‘n Plum” here, and “Pink ‘n Plum Encore” here. I changed the waistline sash from ribbon to lace, and added a bow to the headband. Lucy has a drawstring bag (which she LOVES!) instead of a little bouquet. All in all, she one happy girl.

pink 'n plum sweetie 424

pink 'n plum sweetie 410

lucy 366

pink 'n plum sweetie 471

pink 'n plum sweetie 433

During our photo shoot Lucy and Alice wanted some photos taken of the two of them. Then, Gina wanted to try on Alice’s new outfit, so I took some outdoor photos of Gina. Most definitely, we had fun!

First, it’s Lucy and Alice modeling together.

lucy alice 393

lucy alice 401

alice lucy 391

Then Gina tried on Alice’s outfit.

chic not shabby 494

I thought Gina looked adorable in “Chic Not Shabby”.

chic not shabby 476

Lastly, a hug for Gina from Lucy!

gina lucy 500

One last look at Lucy in “Pink ‘n Plum Sweetie” which will be available tonight (July 24, 2016) at 7:00 pm CST, cindyricedesigns.com. Check the “Shop What’s New” page at that time for more information.

pink 'n plum sweetie 408