Category Archives: Spring

How’s Spring Shaping Up?

It is coming along very nicely here in northern Illinois. Although most trees are still look pretty bare, our magnolia trees have started blooming. We have a few white blossoming trees in the front of our house and a magnolia tree that produces pink blossoms in the back around our deck. These blossoms are short-lived so I’ve been cutting branches to bring inside to enjoy them more.

Also, today while driving, I noticed clumps of yellow daffodils blooming along the sides of a two lane road. These clumps appeared quite frequently for a mile or two. They were a wonderful surprise! I couldn’t help but wonder who would have planted them there as they didn’t seem to be on private property. I wanted to stop and pick a bunch, but of course I didn’t. I picked up a bunch at Trader Joe’s instead.

How is spring shaping up by you?

This Past Week & A New Dress for Millie

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I’m so glad that last week has passed. Here in northern Illinois, we had such dreary weather practically the whole week and then horrible storms Thursday night. Mother Nature even managed to deliver more rain to us yesterday. I felt my mood going downhill with each progressing day last week, and it was affecting my creativity. I felt like I was going through the motions of creating without any excitement towards my work. Today was a blessing, warm and sunny…*sigh*. Finally!!!

I got outside today to see how spring is progressing around our house. It is slow, but there are some new things to see. Most notable is the color of the grass—a beautiful emerald green—thanks to all of the rain we got this past week. Other lovely happenings outside include the magnolia trees starting to bloom, the crocuses finishing their blooming, the daffodils starting to bloom, and the teeny tiny buds becoming visible on the bushes. It’s a wonder to observe the changing seasons.

I love knit dresses, even in the warmer weather. This past week, I adapted Millie’s wool dress pattern for knitting with a lighter weight bamboo. The first try came out too long and not flared enough, so I made some small changes and tried again. This time I got it right; it fits her shape perfectly. She is such a cutie pie! I finished her outfit today and took the pictures. Since I still had Izzy and Amelia Thimble’s rose garden dresses, I was able to get the three BJD girls together for some photos, and boy, do they look precious together!

For more information on Millie’s “Spring’s Sweetheart” ensemble, please visit my “Available for Sale” page on cindyricedesigns.com (after 7:00pm CST on Sunday, April 12). Amelia Thimble and Izzy’s sets are available for sale right now on my “Available for Sale” page.

For the Fun of It

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The fabric that I used to make Talyssa’s new dress is pure fun and sunshine. Even the fabric has a fun name—Posy Swirl. When I saw it, I knew immediately that I wanted to use it to create an ensemble for one of my girls (dolls). I had my youthful and sweet Talyssa in mind right from the start. When I showed her the fabric, she did indeed love it too.

Talyssa’s cardigan is embroidered with bullion stitched tulips and daisy-like flowers to coordinate with the dress. Her three crocheted flower ties range from light pink to deep magenta. They can be arranged in endless ways and one can even be tied around Talyssa’s bouquet, if you so wish.