If you’ve been a reader of my blog for awhile you’ve seen my Little Darling named Gina many times. I’ve had her since 2012, so she is 10 years old. Gina is a busy little bee around here. She is always modeling or trying on new wigs, etc. And, I noticed that she was starting to get a little tired.
Geri Uribe, who brought Gina to life in 2012, graciously agreed to give Gina the spa treatment she desperately needed.
Below is Gina’s before photo. Although as cute as ever, you can see her lip color is starting to wear off and her eyes have lost their gloss.
And, this is her after. Her eyes are shining again and her lips have a beautiful rosy color. Geri also blushed her cheeks and body, and gave her a mani/pedi. Isn’t she beautiful?
Many, many thanks to Geri ❤️ and for sharing her talent by creating gorgeous dolls for us! Here is Geri’s page on Dianna’s website if you’d like to see more of her work.
Stayed tuned… Gina will be showing you more of her new ensemble very soon.
Happy Sunday to you all! How are you? It is SO COLD!!! here in northern Illinois! Our wind chill right now is -20°F (-28°C). Is anyone else this cold, or colder? I am very thankful for my cozy and warm home. 🥰
I mentioned in my last post that I had completed Rose’s ensemble. She is so thrilled with how it turned out! After being neglected for so long Rose is one happy little girl, and has forgiven me. She’s such an angel.
Rose arrived in December of 2017. I made a couple of holiday ensembles that she happily modeled for other little girls to wear, then she went into hibernation. Until now that is! And this one she is keeping for herself. I hope to give her another very soon.
Rose’s dress is made with the fabric that you all voted on. Do you remember? Here is that blog post in case you missed it. This dress really does look sweet on her, and it’s extra special because you all helped with the creation of it. Even if you picked something else–that’s okay, too–you all helped! Thank you! Secretly, I liked all the fabric equally.
Rose is a 10″ Boneka vinyl doll who was sculpted by Dianna Effner. The good news is that these dolls are in stock and available at Happily Ever After, or at Boneka directly. You can change their wigs to give them a different look too. Rose is a Tuesday’s Child. I think they make cute little sisters to the Little Darlings.
Oh, I think I forgot to mention I published a new video on YouTube. It shows my progress on this ensemble and on Didi’s cardigan.
I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend. Stay warm… or cool, if you are south. Bye for now, my friends. 🤗💕
This year I am SO ready to begin decorating for Christmas. On one hand I absolutely cannot believe it is that time of year, but on the other hand I am ready and excited for it. Are you feeling festive earlier this year? We already have quite a few houses in our neighborhood with their Christmas lights turned on. I think others may be feeling the same as me…???
Way back in August I purchased tickets for the Chicago Botanic Gardens Lightscape event. This event sold out so quickly last year, so I purchased the tickets on the day they went on sale. We picked a random date which happened to be this past Saturday. It was a beautiful evening–just cool enough and dry (rain had been predicted for Saturday earlier in the week). We got lucky because you just never know what the weather will be like on November 21st when it is still mid August. It was a festive start to the season… and so good to be out in society. This event is totally outdoors and everyone stayed far enough apart and wore masks. I felt very safe.
My favorite exhibit was the waterfall made with lights. It originally is the waterfall garden, but they dry it out for the winter. It’s hard to capture the essence on video, but trust me it was amazing!
Other news! I finished a holiday ensemble for Gina. Here are a few pictures.
Gina’s cardigan was knit with my Light Cardigan Little Darling pattern. I used the instructions for the long sleeved version and the longest body length. I added an eyelet lace design on the neckline and hemline. I think it worked better on the hemline; it kind of gets lost on the neckline. It’s probably because I had to add all of the missed increases right after the lace pattern. I also added a lace motif on each sleeve which I like.
Gina’s ear flap hat was the sample I made for my newest pattern. I ended up changing the pom pom from pink to red because it needed a little red to coordinate with the rest of the ensemble.
The Christmas stocking was knit with a free pattern from Little Cotton Rabbits. I made the leg 4 stitches narrower, but otherwise followed the pattern as written. It was quick but fiddly. I am not keen on executing a p2tog tbl. I think it only needed to be made a few times, but I found it very difficult and put me off of the whole pattern. I wonder if a regular p2tog would work…
I published a YouTube video from my past week’s work or so. While I worked on this ensemble I took video here and there. It’s not a tutorial–just a virtual visit with me while I create it. Please join me.
I wish all of you (who celebrate) a very Happy and safe Thanksgiving. Hugs to all of you, my friends. 🤗 ❤️
Cindy Rice Designs 