Oh my goodness, this girl is very photogenic and we had such a great time with our photo shoot… I’m talking about Stella, my new Ruby Red Fashion Friends doll that I just received… Maybe it’s because I picked a green fabric to go with her eyes, but I’m not certain that’s it… I just think she has that “Wow” factor… She looks a bit sunkissed and it just makes her look so alive!
And I’m not the only one who thinks she’s pretty… Joy has a bit of a problem on her hands out in California… you see she got Luca, the Ruby Red Fashion “BOY” doll, and he has a crush on Stella… Joy sent me this picture…
When I told Stella, this is what happened as I turned my back to pack up Kirsten’s dress set for the winner…
Oh dear, a budding long distance romance between two tweens! :o)
Okay, now let’s get back to what I accomplished since we last met…
I decided to shorten the romper just about a half inch and I think they look better. The next time I make a romper I have a different idea for the shorts part…
The snaps have been sewn on and all the handwork on them is finished…
Next I decided I wanted to make it so there wasn’t so much fiddling with keeping her shirt in place. When you slide up the romper, up comes the shirt… so I decided to do a bit of a body suit… and it’s not great, but it sure does do the trick… it worked perfectly when I put her romper on. It was an afterthought so there is a seam where I added the panties part… but since it won’t show, I’m not too worried about it… It closes in back with a skinny piece of Velcro.
So let’s see…the romper is finished, the tee has been turned into a bodysuit…what do we need?
Oh, yes, a hat… Marilyn gets credit for reading my mind on this one… she suggested a straw hat and I didn’t have one in her size, but Cindy had sent me several in pink, red and yellow… they fit perfectly…
But… I didn’t need pink, red or yellow… I wanted one to match the natural color in her romper… Sooooo…. I took that yellow hat, and covered it with foil and used it for a form… it was a bit flimsy, so I took a couple of my hats and put them all underneath it, to give it a little more stability, and this happened…
…and then this…it was a tiny bit bigger than the yellow once since I did my work on “top” of the yellow hat and the foil, so I added a bit of rust wool felt around the crown of the hat to help take up a little bit of the space…
Then I actually had a few paper flowers in the right color green…it’s a different color than a regular green, but look what I had just enough of…
So with her bodysuit done, her romper finished and now a hat, it was time to take some pictures…
Didn’t I TELL you in my first sentence she was photogenic?
Well, I hope you like today’s post!
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
First of all, Jeanne, congratulations on the VERY successful outcome of the auction for Kirsten’s outfit!! Wow, more than double the opening bid!! It was a winner, sure enough, and maybe indicates it’s time to start doing more for the historical dolls again? Particularly Kirsten because, as someone said, there really isn’t a lot out there for her any more.
Oh, my, what a sweet little romance is going on between those Luca and Stella! I’ll bet you never thought “matchmaker” would be part of your job description!!
Stella’s outfit looks really cute, and I like the idea of turning the shirt into a bodysuit. Maybe you should draw up a pattern for one, as I imagine this would come in handy for future outfits, too–not just rompers, but for jumpers, too, as well as skirts.
Speaking of which….Last week there was a skirt…..is that on the back burner now, or are you still working on it?
Stella’s hat turned out really nicely. I should get some of that braid and try my hand one of these days. It looks like fun!! (And, yeah, I really NEED another hobby! LOL)
Where in the world or the Internet do you find those great flowers šŗ šø ? They are exactly the right scale and color for the doll hats. The outfit is so cute. Congratulations on the auction. Kirsten is a beautiful doll to show off your creative talents.
All I can say is that when Luca sees Stella in that sweet hat, he’ll be hopping the redeye for Carbondale. Must hide the credit card immediately. š
Congrats on Kirsten’s dress. Definitely a winner in all aspects. š
The bodysuit is a great idea. It might also be used under some other outfits to protect from the dreaded dye transfer problem. I think bodysuits in thinner fabric would sell quickly in the Etsy shop.
Can’t believe it. This morning there was some of that wet stuff all over the deck. Is it called rain? Been so long since we’ve had any, I’ve forgotten. Might just be fog, but any dampness is welcome. Probably not enough to measure, but I’m sure our brown lawn is happy.
Joy, you need to keep that boy in hand, my dear. I have faith that you will. Still, good idea to keep your cc close to you.
And lucky you to get some rain. Like we say in CO, too, any little bit helps.
Stella looks beautiful in her sweet outfit! The color and print of her romper is perfect with her eye color and red hair. I agree with everyone that her under shirt is a good idea too. Another wonderful idea by Jeanne.
Hi Joy! Luca needs a bike with a banana seat- if he ever meets Stella, he can ride her on it up to the ice cream shop.
When I met my husband, he was 12 ( I was two years older) and he had a red bike with a banana seat. He would ride me to places near our neighborhood. There was a little shopping center near by. Such fun innocence.
I did have my parents permission!
What a great idea. Sounds like you had a lot of fun as a kid. š
April, thank you for sharing your wonderful, wonderful dolls and the amazing clothes you have made. A lot of you ladies on this blog apparently sew. I love doing handwork like appliquĆ©, embroidery, beading, darning…but put me in front of a machine and itās instant bad, bad mood. At least my mother was able to teach me all about quality construction and I know what to look for. Your Shermie is a cutie pie.
Jeanne…great job on your Kirsten auction! And for sure, Miss Stella is a stunner and looks incredibly awesome in this outfit . What a super hat and how resourceful you are. How lucky she is to have a boyfriend. I have a Luca, too, but he is not as much into girls, (though he is surrounded by them!) as Joyās Luca seems to be. Maybe itās because hers has the blue sweater and mine has the orange?? Ha! Maybe kids are āfasterā in CA???! ššā¤ļø Just kidding, Joy! Your boy sure looked dear with his bouquet and Jeanneās Stella has the good manners to write a thank you. Well done all around.
My Rozen is scheduled to arrive today. Rain was predicted but so far, so good for walking to meet a friend for coffee. Everyone have a super day. Have fun with your guests, Jeanne.
Sally, did you get your Rozen yet? I did the same thing you did – after all the talk a few days ago about so many new dolls coming, I checked ebay for Rozen, (who had been in the back of my mind ever since Jeanne got hers), and there she was, at a fairly reasonable BIN price! I figured that stimulus money I’d gotten awhile ago was meant to stimulate, so I ordered her, and she arrived this morning!
First off, I really like the box she came in – so much easier than the packaging the other RRFF come in, but still sturdy. Second, the resin smell when I opened the box was overwhelming. I had to totally undress her, put her clothes in a lingerie bag, and toss it in the dryer with a wet towel and fresh dryer sheet. That should take care of the smell in her clothes. For the doll itself, I’ll just have to keep her naked until the smell dissipates. š Third, my doll has a “ring” in the resin around the right leg opening, like a mold mark that wasn’t cleaned up properly, or something. It’s obviously not going to show, or anything, but I was surprised that it wasn’t cleaned up any better than it was. I’m curious to know if others who have Rozen also have this “ring” around her leg opening.
Overall, she is a gorgeous little girl, and I am quite happy with her!
Hi, Theresa.
My doll just got delivered as we were eating dinner. I will open her in a couple hours and will respond. I wonder if Jeanne had the same situation? Thanks for writing this.
Sally
Hi, Theresa,
I opened my doll with some trepidation but am pleased to say there is no smell and no mark on a leg. She is just lovely and I am thrilled. I think the doll you bought was listed shortly after I bought mine, the same day. Was your seller āredsoxnutā by any chance.? I hope you can eliminate the odor. That is more concerning than a mark that wonāt be seen when she is dressed. My fingers are crossed for you. I am glad you are still happy with her and will be able to enjoy her. Iām totally enchanted with mine, and yes, the special and limited edition dolls come in boxes WAY easier to open. That is a really nice feature.
Just thinking how fun to be able to walk to downtown Salida for coffee. Can’t get any better. Hope your Rozen arrived without any damage. She is so pretty.
Hi, Joy…Iāve been meaning to tell you that I think you and your hubby should write a book about Salida! Seriously, I have enjoyed your stories and thank you.
We are on 6 and G. I walk everywhere. Youāre right; it doesnāt get any better!
My Luca says hi to yours. My Luca already has two Stellas here…Rock Star and Holiday as I wanted a blond but didnāt want to deal with that braid on Sara. I have seen some pics posted of Sara with her hair cut that I liked and am considering getting her and doing that. However I am leaning toward keeping my eye out on that French shop that gets so many exclusive limited editions. Last week I sprang for Rebecca. I spent over an hour doing the order form that was all in French, and got reassured by the shop owners that I did perfectly fine. They sent me a reply in English and told me that on future orders, to just send an email now that I have set up my account. Rebecca will be available sometime in July and comes with two wigs and freckles. Doing the French translation was actually rather fun thanks to Google and my years of Spanish, though old, came into play fairly well.
Let me know when youāre coming to Salida
Ooh, lucky you, Sally, to be getting Rebecca!
I would be lost on anything in a foreign language. I was going to be a nurse, so I took two years of Latin in high school, which, as it turned out, I didn’t need because I became a teacher instead! But when you’re 16….LOL
First of all, Joy, I didn’t know there was a boy rrfd. He is SO cute!
The romper is totes adorbs, Jeanne!
We went to a green house yesterday and I bought an amaryllis. Hope I can keep it alive.
Thanks Julia. He is the same mold as Daisy so we have twins. š
My goodness, a spring romance right here on Jeanne Marieās blog! Luca is adorable, as much as Stella is beautiful! What a cute pair!
That hat is just adorable! I love the colors you have decorated it with, but feel the romper needs a skirt to snow off the hat properly. The hat is so pretty, and I think the romper is more for play, but add that cute skirt with it opening in the front, and you leave a REALLY cute outfit.
The body suit is a great idea! How many times would I have been able to make use of that? Especially with slacks, since you canāt pull tops down from the legs.
It looks like we will be having rain here a bit every day this week. I wish we could send some to California where they really need it. However, everything here is so pretty and green!
Congrats on another successful auction! Really successful! As for the charisma of lovely Stella, all I can say is – I told you so! She is precious. Luca has really good taste as does Stella. Really cute couple. Perhaps in a few years they can meet in person and who knows what then. Jeanne, how are you at making dolly wedding gowns?
What a sweet outfit the romper set is turning out to be and how clever to create a hat that way. And once again you have the perfect flowers. Amazing! Stella really pulls off the hat look perfectly. The bodysuit is a great idea too. Is the skirt still a possibility? Does anyone remember the combination blouse/slips where the top was a blouse connected to a half slip that were around when most of us were little? They were great for wearing with a skirt. You never had to worry that your blouse was popping out.
By the end of the week I may be wanting to send some of our rain to CA and CO. Our lawn needs mowing right now but it is too wet and there is supposedly more to come each day this week. We have a terrible mosquito problem already and the city is preparing to spray but having long grass doesn’t help the matter.
A summer romance!! How exciting, brings out lots of smiles, (and memories.)
Jeanne what an awesome sale! I think thereās a real hunger for Kirsten outfits. Please do another soon. Iām sure buyers have been checking your eBay site to see if you have more.
The jumpsuit is so cote. Have you seen fashion friends āpicnic in the parkā outfit? Floppy hat and romper jeans.
Congratulations on Kirsten’s auction. There is stuff for Kirsten on ebay, but a lot of her clothes fall into that same over $100 price range. The rarer sets go for more. The main thing that is hard to find are her accessory sets in complete condition. Those early PC historical sets are fragile. I’m so glad mine for all those six were finished before this resurgence of interest that kicked the prices way up.
Ha ha, how sweet of Luca to have some flowers for Stella. Looks like “April Love”, no, I mean May.
A bodysuit is a great idea, especially for these slimmer, shorter dolls to make dressing easier. The hat is just what the outfit needed and amazing you had just the right color of flowers again. Is it still getting a skirt? That would make it a very versatile outfit.
Aww isn’t young love wonderful. Your Luca is so cute Joy, and I am not surprised he has fallen for Stella, she is lovely and photogenic as you say Jeanne.
The outfit is lovely I agree with Susette, how do you have exactly the right colour flowers every time? Even when the colours of the fabric are unusual you seem to be able to ‘go to your box’ and magically the right shade is there. I don’t think I would be able to do that if I took the fabric to the store and tried to match it lol.
Congratulations on Kirsten’s outfit it really did well.
Sam has discovered English paper piecing with hexagons and is taking it with her when she goes anywhere where she has to wait a while. She wants to make a quilt for Ashley. When I was looking on Pinterest yesterday (did I tell you I spend a lot of time on there lol) I saw a cute Hexie travel pack and decided to make one for her, only it needed 2 Altoid tins which I have never heard of. I checked Mr Google and could get them from Amazon but they were coming from USA so I knew the postage would be high, so I looked for someone in NZ. Found a place in Auckland called Martha’s Backyard, they sell all kinds of American stuff that isn’t usually available here, (we have shops that sell British imports as well, some ex-pats can’t live without their favourite brands). Cost $4.50NZ a tin + $8 postage. I needed 4 tins (I have a friend I want to make one for) and postage was the same. I should have kept going till the postage went up. So 4 tins of Altoids cost me $26. Anyone want a pile of mints lol?
So funny about the Altoids. Every time we go to Trader Joe’s I check out the mint tins which are right by the counter. They have Altoids, less than two dollars and a generic with a tin that has no depressions. I want some to make suitcases for the tiny dolls. Haven’t succumbed to buying them yet. No postage involved here though. Thinking of you. š
Oh Anne,
If you were my neighbor I’d bring over all my empty Altoid containers!
Be safe and God bless
Hi Jeanne,
Congratulations on Kirstens auction, job well done! I agree with the ladies that would enjoy seeing more historical Jeanne Marie outfits. There’s definitely a renewed interest in the historical dolls. I think producing more outfits for them will prove very profitable.
Stella’s summer romper is adorable and her hat is a perfect accessory, so cute!
Joy’s new little guy is sooo cute too.
I’ve been busy with Hazel my new Connie Lowe doll. I didn’t care for the outfit she came in or her eye color or the way her hair looked so I’m changing her look. Wish I had taken before pictures but I forgot. LOL
Spring is finally here to stay in Western New York. Everything is green and lush and the temp has been steadily creeping into the 70’s (40’s and 50’s at night but that’s ok)
Hugs
Ingrid