It’s a good thing I got a few pictures from some of my readers, because my hubby kept me busy today… I will show you something at the bottom I plan to work on soon…
Sylvia, in New Hampshire, sent these pictures to me… She said Addyâs was made last year, #21’s dress is one she just finished. Addyâs hat has some very old lace that came from a free box at the transfer station that her granddaughter brought to her. #21’s hat is made of felt. Aren’t they beautiful? Sylvia, now you have to “up” your number of doll dresses by one I think…three hundred and ???
Thanks for sharing…
Karen, from Kentucky, took a trip to Walmart with her girls and found some fun things… she told me her favorite was the chicken set… (I think she wasn’t the only one who liked the chicken the best!!!) :o)
Then they went to the Thrift Store and found these things…
They found a few more things at Once Upon A Child… a washer and dryer and a gray couch…
It looks like a fun time was had by all! Thanks Karen!
Okay, now it’s my turn… but it’s not much… you can blame it on my hubby… :o)
I missed all the Back to School dresses that I LOVE to make… I missed the beginning of Fall…so I’m skipping straight to Christmas or I might miss out on it too…
I don’t have anything made yet, but I have it all planned out… 3 girls in 3 dresses… and this is just a sneak preview of the fabrics… Sorry to tease you, but this was the best I could do. Sometimes it’s just as quick to make three as it is one. We’ll see!
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Sylvia, your doll outfits are just wonderful, and the lace in Addy’s hat is simply gorgeous! Your granddaughter has a good eye, to pick out something like that for you!
Karen, thanks for posting your pictures of your Target adventures! Wow, do they have a lot of stuff!!! Yes, that chicken set is adorable, but I’m thinking my girls might enjoy having a bird. We might have to talk about that (if they will clean the cage!! LOL). And some of the food items may have to come home with me, too.
Oh, I NEED to go to Target!! SOON!!!!
Jeanne, what a nice variety of fabrics you’ve chosen for Christmas dresses!! Hm, that yellow-background one looks like it could be for Addy. I can see Molly in the red plaid (my Molly’s favorite color is red, so you can be sure that’s what She’s hoping for, anyway!!), and the green/gold is so elegant….maybe for Rozen??? Guess we’ll just have to wait and see!!
Hi Charlotte, we were actually at Walmart, not Target. Rose, one of my other daughters, really likes the birds and cage, too. When we were at a Pet store a few weeks ago, we saw some Budgies that were full of personality. One was cocking his head as though he was listening to us, and another one was hopping around trying to communicate. It was soo cute and easy to fall in love with them. Budgies are beautiful. We were actually at the pet store pricing goldfish… the kids and my husband were working at the fish bowl toss at our Church’s festival, and they worked really hard, so the lady gave them 3 goldfish. One was dead the next morning, so I wanted to get backups. Plus here was my chance to own some again… The cheapest place was Pet Smart at 31 cents a fish, so I got 7 of them. One by one, they died. I tried filtered water. I tried drops in the faucet water (two died that time). I tried water treatment drops in the filter water. It was especially sad when Lucia’s fish, Water Drop, died. He was the one she thought had a “short haircut” because he had black on his head. Now we have none left out of ten. Maybe it was the chlorine. My husband doesn’t like caged birds in the house because he thinks they were made to fly and not be cooped up. So at least we have two chickens outside.
Thanks for sharing, Jeanne. đ
Karen your husband’s thinking on birds reminds me of a wonderful “Andy Griffith” show. Opie was using his sling shot and killed a mother bird. He had to raise the babies so they put them in a cage. When it came time to let them go Opie was sad but did it anyway. The show ends with Opie saying how empty the cage looks, but you could hear the birds singing in the trees and then Andy says yes but don’t the trees seem nice and full.
Thanks, Barbara. I remember that one đ
Hi Karen,
That is so sad about the fish. Certainly sounds like you tried everything that you could.
We had a budgie when we were kids. Taught it a few things to say which was fun, and we let him out of his cage to fly around the house at certain times. So he was both cooped up AND allowed to fly. Just throwing this out to you.
That sounds like a good idea, Sally! Was it hard to get him back into the cage?
Hi, Karen,
Boy, that was 60+ years ago. There were times when it was a little challenging to catch him to put him back in and we didnât always have to catch him. Just keep an eye out for when it might hop back in on its own for water or food and scramble to shut the door!
It is important to do it in a reasonably small room and to keep the doors shut. You donât want any open windows or doors or that will be a sad ending for poor birdie. They like being covered up at night, a cover over their cage. You might want to read up on this, but we had a very good time with âJohnnyâ for several years. And it was fun hearing him talk!
Good luck, my dear Karen!
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Hi, Sally! Thanks for your interesting answer below! That is a great idea to watch out for windows and dangerous things for birds. I remember a long time ago when I was a little kid, my mother would put a blanket over her bird cage when she wanted them to be quiet even during the day, like if she was going to talk on the phone. She had two budgies, named Poppy and Budgie, but I was very young. Thanks for all your help! <3
Oh, of course, Karen–I see that now! Well, we have a Walmart not far from church, and I’m usually there practicing 2-3 times a week, so it looks like a trip is in my future!!! Fun!! Thanks for clarifying.
I’m sorry about your fish. I had a goldfish a long time ago (well, we had some as children, too, but I think it was after we were married that I had one, or maybe our son did) and it lived for several months, as I recall. The only thing I remember is letting the water stand for some time (several hours) to get to sort of room temperature before I put the fish into it.
Hi Charlotte,
I wanted to send you a quick reply…Karen and her girls were shopping at Walmart…not Target…
Wow! Everyone has said what I would about this post, so I wonât repeat but second the Comments. Beautiful dresses, very well designed and sewn, Sylvia. Thanks, Karen, first for the darling picture of your little girl and for the tip about the vast array of cute âstuff â for the dolls. Sally, glad your husband is doing well and has good pathology results.
I did receive my Elinda RRFF doll yesterday. She is in her undies but not dressed in her clothes but does have the bear đ» with her in the box.
Susette, the Elinda here is still in her undies too and wigless. Hoping to find some uninterrupted time today to get her dressed and see what number she was given. Not that it matters. đ
Thanks, Susette. We hear the pathology report next week, we hope.
Looks like several of us got Elinda. I dressed mine out last night and think she is much prettier than the company photos. Have fun with her!
Jeanne, Good idea to get started on Christmas. The holiday will be here soon.I have got to find the Farm to Table set for my great granddaughter. Her grandparents have a CSA farm in New Boston,NH. She is only 3 so I will have to hold on to it for a while. All of those sets are great!
Have a good day!
Sally, Hope your husband is doing well. My husband also had cancer and had surgery, that was 11 years ago. He is doing great! Wish the best for yours as well!
Dear Sylvia, your girls look adorable in their outfits! I bet they wanted you to take them out for lunch so they could show off their ensembles (smile).
Hello, dear Sylvia in NH!
Thank you for sharing your pictures. I admire both of these outfits so very much; you clearly have a great eye for proper print scale for these dresses. Oh, that little cape, bonnet and reticule set on the blondie is so different and beautiful! The little decorative stitching, the use of the ribbons, the shaping in back. Oh, my! Then Miss Addie is wearing her perfect colors, and the solid coordinating underskirt peeking out is wonderful. Hurrah for that lace find and the way you put it to use. How lovely that something so precious and vintage gets a new use in such a special way. These outfits are outstanding. Truly. What a pleasure to see them.
A great granddaughter in New Boston? Our oldest sonâs wife has a sister that lives there and is a school librarian.
Thanks for your well wishes for my hubby. The surgery went well on Tuesday. We got home Wednesday and he is doing really well. The clincher, of course, will be the pathology report which we hope for by late next week. That is excellent that your hubby has done so well. Thanks for the words of support. You are most kind. Have a lovely day in NH.
How I miss the foliage. Folks out here in CO get into ecstasies over the Aspen leaves. Well, yes, the shades of yellow and gold are very pretty, and occasionally a red hue here and there, but âthey ainât seen nuttinâ â in my not so humble opinion! đ
Hugs,
Sally
I have the same feeling about the fall leaves in Colorado. We went up to Gunnison one year during the fall. It was my first time not going in the summer. I couldn’t wait to see the leaves. Okay the Aspen leaves are beautiful and they have a shimmering movement that I’ve never seen on other trees but I really missed that any colors other than gold were few and far between.
You are 100% correct about the Aspen leaf movement and I love their sound in the breeze. It is so soothing and melodic. However, you and I both agree on their not comparing to any places that have a variety of deciduous trees and variety of color. Amen!
Hi, I have to tell you what I did today as it was special. I took my youngest daughter( itâs her birthday), her daughter, her daughter in law and her granddaughter and my oldest daughter to Pickity Place. It is a charming cottage that serves a 5 coarse lunch. Check it out on the web or maybe you have also got to go there.
Hi, Sylvia,
So it is still in operation? I love that place and the food is always a surprise and so special. You made a very nice outing, indeed. Iâm so glad for all of you and Pickity Place.
Sylvia, I looked it up on Google. It looks like a lovely place. I bet your daughter had a wonderful birthday lunch.
Dear Jeanne, what great photos you shared today. I just left a note for Sylvia.
Oh my goodness, I want everything in Karen’s pictures! I love the kitchen set. I am now thinking…hmmm…if I get it where will I store it.
Houses really should come with built in doll rooms!
I am excited to see your Christmas dress creations. There are 85 days until the Jolly One makes his way down our chimneys.
A big thanks to Jeanne and Sylvia for the photos. Love the outfits and the hats are the perfect topping. The lace one is so special and the design of the blue felt goes so nicely with the cape. Fun to see.
Thanks Karen for the Walmart dolly fun. Your girls are such great helpers. So hard to see all of those fun items without taking them home. We were just at our local WM and the only things even close to what you found were the dolls. No My Life sets at all. I really want that Pizza oven and that sweet chicken house set as well as the Hello Kitty set. All of those work well with the RRFF doll size as well as the 18″ size. So much fun and creative play there. đ
Here, I was able to get my RRFF girls out of their boxes. Haven’t put on their wigs or dressed them yet after their extremely long two day journey from China, through customs in Anchorage, to the Midwest, back to LA, flight to Oakland, and truck ride north. Can’t believe the fast delivery service. Definitely not by oxcart as I sometimes believe.
Love the new dolly fabric choices. Can’t wait to see the progress, that is after whatever project George has going on. Steps? Floors? Guess we might find out in a future episode. đ
Thank you for helping me appreciate my Walmart more, Joy! The pizza oven set reminds me of the Calico Critters’ one. So neat! Like being back in the “old country” where they make bread daily…
Good morning all!
First, a huge, heartfelt thanks to all of you who expressed concern for my hubby. SO appreciated. As I told Sylvia, above, surgery went very well on Tuesday and we came back to Salida the next day. So far, so good, thank you, Lord, but the âbiggieâ will be the pathology report. Hopefully by the end of next week at the latest. Anyway, you are all very dear to me.
OKâŠKaren, what a blast taking the girls out on a dolly expedition! I just LOVED the big eyes and smile on your little girl. Made my face light up, I can assure you.And what FUN STUFF! I can see why Joy and others may be getting âthe itchâ to go hunt for some of those terrific props. You know the expression, âyou canât take it with youâ? Well, wouldnât it be Heaven if we COULD take our dolls, doll clothes, props, backdrop scenery (how I miss using my AG scenes books), our sewing machines,(not mine, unless I could get the tension right and get lessons from all of you) and have all the room ever for setting up our dolls, dressing them, having tea parties, etc??? Oh, be still my heart. Thanks so much for sharing all of these delightful pictures, Karen.
Well, Jeanne, whatever the project, hope it went well. I am sure you will share it when youâre ready, and it is very exciting to see you thinking ahead to the winter holidays. I love that holly pattern. Did you use that in a Kish dress once upon a time? For some reason, it ârang a bellâ. How I wish I was into my Kish girls when you were. Thanks for sharing Sylvia and Karenâs pics today. They were great fun. Hope your Josefina (I call my girl just âFina) auction goes spectacularly. Good luck, Marilyn! And as for your winnowing your AG girls, I agree with your choices. Would you kindly come visit me in CO and get me started on EBay? I would love to get rid of at least 30 of my AG dolls. Câmon out here, dear lady!!
Everyone have a good day, and Joy, get your new girls (congrats!!!) dressed and wigged. Iâm sure the sisters will be delighted to see those. And we still have to see dresses from the great Swap. Barbara, glad those curtains are done, but it sounds like it was more of a challenge than such a job should be.
We havenât heard from Alina in some time, and been some days since we heard from Anne. Hope all is well and just good âbusynessâ.
Hugs to everyone. Youâre the best.
Sally
Thanks, Sally! I do get happy around dolls. God can do anything. If He wants, He could let us have dolls in Heaven with backdrops and tea parties đ
đđđâ€ïž Karen!
Sally, your comments today just lifted my heart. We have been in the dark place of showing our home and sitting in parks and parking lots for days on end. I havenât set eyes on a doll in weeks and weeks. I am saying prayers for your hubby. I have endured five eye surgeries in as many years for an inherited eye dystrophy so can appreciate the discomfort and uncertainty.
Debbie
Dear Debbie,
Your note touched my heart. Oh, I hope your house sells soon, because what you are doing is so unsettling and difficult. Thank you for your prayers, and rest assured, you and your husband have mine. May I ask how your eyes are doing?
Sending a huge hug to you, dear âsisterâ.
Sally
Hi Sally, Thank you for asking, my eyes are well and I am so thankful to be able to see. I had to have cataract surgery preventively before a corneal transplant in both eyes.. Unfortunately one cataract lens had to be replaced because of a miscalculation in the power. That was totally preventable but things happen. The very best wishes and prayers to you and hubby.
Best, Debbie
Sally, I know when David was having his heart surgery it was great hearing from so many people about how they had friends and family who had by-pass surgery and lived a long time after. So I’m here to tell you that my brother-in-law had the surgery so long ago I can’t remember when. He’s done great. He and my sister love to travel and I see no indication they plan on stopping anytime soon. I’ll keep praying for a good outcome on the pathology report.
Hi Sally, Thank you for your concern. I’m fine but have been very busy. It is my best friends 70th Birthday on Sunday (tomorrow) and he asked me to make her cake. Almost finished, just got to put the flower spray together but it is our Patchwork and quilting guild day today, first since July because of lockdown so will have to finish tonight I think when I get home.
I really should proof read before I press send! My friends husband asked me to make the cake. He has organised an afternoon tea without her knowledge so we will see her in the morning and then again in the afternoon!
My friend had her breast removed 17 years ago because of cancer and is obviously still here to tell the tale. She was wonderful with Sam when she was having surgery and treatment especially when I was still away on holiday and didn’t even know she had had a mammogram let alone that it was positive for cancer.
Oh, Anne, so good to hear from you. Sounds like a very, very fun event you have planned for your special friend. Have the best time ever! Must have been glorious being with your quilting group again. Hurrah!
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Dear Sally, I am sending prayers your way.
Jeanne, Good luck with your latest home project. I am looking forward to seeing your Christmas creations! Holiday cheer is in order this year.
Sylvia, love seeing those girls in their autumn splendor! What a gift to create outfits for your dolls.
Karen, Thank you for sharing those Walmart treasures. I never think to look at Walmart. The chicken farm is just adorable! AG Blair would love that for her farm to table restaurant.
Dear Sylvia,
What adorable doll dresses. Addy’s bonnet is beautiful and I love the extra ribbon detail you’ve added to #21’s. The cape is also perfect for crisp fall weather.The dresses are gorgeous. Brown is such an overlooked color and so lovely. You even have Felicity’s Scenes and Settings to showcase them against.
Thank you, Karen , for sharing the cute Walmart items. Some really creative sets that MLA and OG puts out.
Three dresses, Jeanne? I’m guessing your LDs, Janie, Isabelle, and Lian are getting Christmas dresses.
Sylvia’s doll ensembles are really lovely. I love Addy’s dress and sweet bonnet and #21’s bonnet with the ribbons and her cape are perfect for the season. And I love her dress. I’m a fan of brown and if I’m not careful my girls would be wearing a whole lot of it. I often have to put the brown fabric back in favor of something else or they would have too much brown in their wardrobes.
My granddaughter just bought a “My Life As” doll but when I asked her which one she didn’t know. I was really excited to see all the things you can buy for them. I need to check out my Wal-Mart next time I go. Not only would it give me some props, but it would also give me some idea for presents for my granddaughter. I’m going to make her some clothes for her doll also.
I was supposed to be taking my car in this morning to the dealership to have them do a reset. We had to change the battery the other day and evidently on the new cars you have to have the system reset so everything works. It drives fine but some of the little bells and whistles I’ve gotten used to won’t work until the reset. Just as I was about to walk out the door, Sean called and told me he wouldn’t be out today because it was raining where he lived and the roads were already flooding. He lives in the same area as the dealership so he suggested I reschedule my appointment. It wasn’t raining here at the time but shortly after we hung up it started pouring so I decided to stay home.
Oh, I can’t wait to see what you do with those three wonderful fabrics!!! I may not be able to get any sewing done today. The fabrics I’ve chosen for my next couple outfits will require doing fray block on the edges. They are loosely woven and lightweight so serging the edges will make them too bulky. I usually put the fray block on in the evening and let them sit overnight to dry. Maybe I’ll just decide on the next outfit or two I want to make while that’s drying and start getting them ready. It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to play with fabric and I’m loving every minute of being back.
Karen..loved your trip to Walmart with that darling granddaughter! She is the cutest and those big brown eyes peeking over the chicken set is adorable. So did she get it from Grandma or is it for Christmas?
Sylvia your latest dresses are lovelyâŠthe lace on that hat is beautiful and the cape and hat look awesome with the dress.
Best wishes for those who need to get back to healthy. Hi
The fabric you have to make dresses from are all so different. Love the traditional plaid.and the holly print is so sophisticated. Same with the greenâŠ.Iâm sure you have some styles that will compliment the fabrics. Maybe that pretty red head AG that looks like Rebecca will be the model for that green fabric..or the holly fabric
OopsâŠsorry Karen..so many of us have Granddaughters I didnât read very carefully. So sorryâŠ.she is one sweet little girl!
That’s ok, Kathie! Thanks for the kind message. It made me happy đ She was just holding it for me, so I could take a picture. We can hope her Grandma will give it to her for Christmas, but I think the price is kinda hefty, being close to $30. Hope you have a great night!
Hello, sisters on the couch. I read the blog every day and it’s hard to write comments. My youngest son was getting divorced this week. It’s hard to talk about it, sorry. The son got married three years ago, he has a daughter, Zuzanna, three years old.
I’m glad Rebecca is happily married. May their love last. I greet everyone.
Hi Alina, I have 4 children. Two have been divorced, it is very hard on parents
to have their child go through that sad time. Mine have remarried for better days. Sometimes it just isnât right. I hope you can still be close to your granddaughter.
Dear Alina, thank you for sharing this very painful time. Our love and prayers are yours for your entire family. Stay strong and well, dear âsister.â
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Dear Alina, I am praying for blessings for you. The biggest blessing is, of course, your wonderful granddaughter Zuzanna.