Thanks for all your suggestions on how to sell the things I’m wanting to get rid of from my sewing room. They won’t all be sewing related, but the majority of them will. I haven’t decided exactly how I’m going to do it, but you have given some great ideas and I’ll decide soon. If I’ve seemed a bit MIA (missing in action) lately, I’ve been busy… making some meals for Bithar and her family while she studies for a big nursing test. My hubby said I was a “regular Betty Crocker” tonight. I had quite a busy week, but it has been very rewarding and she was VERY grateful! She’s a very special friend! (2 side dishes this week included corn casserole!) I don’t think they will ever NOT want me to bring one over to them!! I think my life will be a little less busy next week and I’ll figure out who to list the items for sale.
Okay, now onto some new May Day pictures. Today’s pictures are from Barbara… She, like me, had some interruptions in her life, with a new bathroom makeover, and didn’t get her dolly dresses finished in time to show for Easter, but we could care less about what kind of dresses they are, or WHEN they are shown… we just want to SEE them! So here goes… this is what Barbara wrote to me…
Hi, Jeanne,
Finally here are my promised pictures.
The first picture is my new bathroom vanity. Some of my Sofa Sisters had asked to see it. It was hard to take a picture because you had to take it from the doorway so this is the best we could do. The marble was done by a small family firm that was amazing to work with. Most we consulted with had the sinks as part of the top and we already had the sinks we wanted. The people we chose were fine with cutting the top to the sink specifications and had that already done when they arrived. We also thought we would have a take-it-or-leave-it choice for the marble because that was what we were running into, but these people actually created the marble to our specifications. We wanted some black to accent the sinks but not too much. And the wallpaper is shades of gold so we wanted something that would tie in with that but not be too “gold”, so they included some beige gold swirls. And the caulking is absolutely perfect. I wish I had known about them when we did our kitchen.
Now for the dolly photo shoot. The first two pictures are the little girls doing their Maypole dance. The participants are my three Heartstring dolls Grace, Eva, and Jacquie, my Little Charming doll Jade, my vintage Ginny, Shirley Temple, Tiny Betsy and modern Ginny. They asked me to take a video of them doing the Maypole but I talked them out of that. They’re sure they are human but I had to use their stands to make it work at all. True confession: I did not create a thing other than the set-up. I bought the Maypole and all their clothes are created by people who are far better at making small wearing attire than I am.
The next photo is my AGAT Sam in her new dress for the school Spring Fling.
Next is Siblie Sydney in her precious Easter dress (pattern by Sewdolledup81), Evianna in her Easter dress (Ann Estelle pattern by Simply Grace Designs) and MA Lissy in her Easter dress (a Dumpling pattern by Sewdolledup81). Evianna’s wardrobe has still not shown up and it was supposed to arrive in April. When that didn’t show up I had to make her something for Easter. It’s actually the only thing she has to wear at the moment but Kathy of Kathy Anne Designs just created a pattern for her and a similar one for the Little Darlings and will be doing more as soon as she finishes up some other pattern requests.
The last two are my LD Greer Adele in her Easter finery (pattern by Dream20aDolls a Russian shop that I miss very much). Something changed with my lighting on the last two pictures making the background fade some but her outfit shows up okay.
I included the designer of the patterns I used in case others want to know. Sadly, at the moment, the lovely coat and dress pattern for Greer Adele’s ensemble is not available. Hopefully sometime soon the Etsy Russian shops will be able to reopen.
Thanks, Barbara
Thanks for sending those pictures, Barbara… We have been through 2 MAJOR remodeling projects for our bathrooms, so I know how excited you were to get new sinks finally installed. His and Hers… perfect!!!
Your girls look very happy modeling for you, and now the whole world! :o) The backdrop looks nice too!
Thanks for helping me out during this busy week… I appreciate it!
Blessings, Jeanne
You definitely have been busy, Jeanne (when are you Not?!), and I’m sure Bithar and her family have appreciated your efforts.
Barbara, I LOVE your bathroom! It’s gorgeous. When my folks bought their last house (early 90s–both are gone now, so the house has been sold) they did a little redo in the main bathroom, and put in a hexagonal sink like yours, only in a sort of periwinkle blue, if memory served. They also had the most gorgeous “watercolor”-looking wallpaper on one wall–I told my dad, I wish it was fabric, I’d like to make a dress for myself!
Anyway, your bathroom is so pretty, and the marble is really lovely, with the butterfly wallpaper and shiny black sinks.
And I so enjoyed your other pictures, too. the May pole dance scenes are wonderful, and in all the pictures, everyone looks so pretty, all dressed up. I particularly like Greer Adelle’s outfit. Thank you for sharing!
Yes, Jeanne, you do seem to be very busy! I don’t know, but the older I get the busier things seem to get, even though I don’t have children at home anymore, don’t do regular babysitting, don’t have a job, etc. I can’t understand people who have nothing to do!!
Well, Barbara, your pictures turned out to be darling, and this is your table top? Too bad you can’t leave these up and enjoy them all the time! I love your Maypole scenes! That second one taken from the top is adorable! You can almost see them twirling with their dresses all puffed out! The colors are so springlike too, and your background just adds to the frolicking scene! Just adorable, and kudos to you for showing them!
Your bathroom looks wonderful and so unique! For sure you won’t find many vanities like that with the special touches you asked for!
I can’t believe you made all those darling Easter dresses! Each one is special, and I especially like that coat and dress ensemble! Perfect!
Just thought, Barbara, if this is your dining room table, put the Maypole in the center, and have the dolls dancing around it, a perfect centerpiece! You don’t need the background for that!
I have a bathroom sink that needs replacing, and I love Barbara’s sinks — and the faucets — you must love your new bathroom.
The Maypole scene is wonderful — the background scene makes it even better.
This morning my computer assured me that a few minutes of organizing would make me more productive. It clearly hasn’t seen my AG clothes collection, Jeanne’s sewing room, or a working kitchen. I did get a little cleaning done yesterday and it encourages me, but “a few minutes”? Now to the garden. A few minutes won’t work there either.
I’m so glad you are helping Bithar. It will make all the difference, and the corn casserole makes any meal a party.
Dear Jeanne, how thoughtful of you to help your friend.
Barbara’s photos are adorable! The girls dancing around the Maypole are precious.
I love that Barbara has a beautiful Little Darling.
Cheers to Jeanne for helping out a friend in need!
The bathroom renovation at Barbara’s is lovely. The new special order countertop is perfect with the great sinks and so spacious. I couldn’t live around here without double sinks. I don’t share well.
What fun with the littles for the Maypole. Please tell them that they are wonderful dancers! Their outfits are a cuteness overload. So perfect. I think Linda’s idea of leaving up the scene for May is a great one. 🙂
Sam and Greer Adele are so sweet in their outfits and Sydney, Evianna, and Lissy look like a breathe of spring. Thanks so much for including the patterns and makers. It is great to see that some dolls can share pattern sizes. Just hearing that doesn’t seem to help me as much as actually seeing the girls standing side by side. I think Barbara has been sewing up a storm lately. What’s next? The fourth of July? Guess I had better get on that around here as well. Thanks so much Barbara and Jeanne for the fun photos.
Bithar is a lucky lady to have you for a friend. Making meals for her big family is such a wonderful thing to do…especially when she is in the middle of tests. A nursing degree is a great field for her too.
Barbara the bathroom is awesome! Love, love those sinks and the marble and wallpaper just make it perfect. Mayday pics are the cutest things ever….I know it took so much time to dress every doll and set up that pretty background! The dresses are sweet …it is everything you think of for a May Day scene. Thank you so much!
I’m here a bit earlier do to a well kitty check up and pouring down rain which cut my morning walk short. I’m sure Bithar appreciates all your help, Jeanne. Studying for a major test is difficult enough and doesn’t leave time for cooking for a large family.
Your new bathroom is wonderful, Barbara. It looks very elegant with the black sinks and marble. I love the butterfly wallpaper.
Well, those maypole photos were certainly worth waiting for. All your dolls look so beautiful and the background is just perfect. I would want to leave that up for all of May and a bit longer. Tbh, if I could have had the PC/AG historical clothing and accessories on a smaller scale for smaller dolls I would have thought that the best of both worlds since I love miniatures and fairy gardens. The historical accessories are the clincher that force me to have the bigger girls although I do see some look fine with my RRFF.
Greer Adele is adorable in her dress, coat, and hat. I love that robins egg blue color. The little heart topped bench is so sweet. Thank you so much for brightening the dreary day outside.
Jeanne, how wonderful that you are helping Bithar and her family out with meals. I’m sure that has taken enormous pressure off her while she studies for such an important test. I have great respect for people who continue their education while raising a family. But a lot of credit goes to her family too. She couldn’t do it without their love and support.
I will pass your nice comments on the vanity on to David and Sean since David designed it and he and Sean built it. My husband is a master at wood finishing. I love having the two sinks and all the drawers. The vanity pretty much is the bathroom. One of the improvements David makes when he remodels is he adds lots of electrical outlets. Since our house was built in 1945 they were few and far between when we moved in. We had so few in the kitchen we couldn’t use more than one electrical appliance at a time. Long before we remodeled the kitchen he added lots of outlets. He did this in the bathroom years ago also with the idea of one day putting in the vanity. So the vanity has an outlet at each end and one in the middle.
Thanks so much everyone for the wonderful comments on my pictures. I never think about setting up a seasonal display using my photo shoot set-ups. The Maypole is still on the kitchen table so maybe I will just move it unto the dining room table. There is still a lot of May left. I always think of decorating the table for Christmas but never the rest of the year. I think it’s time I started a new tradition.
The main reason for the delay in “publishing” the pictures was I was waiting for the backdrop to arrive. It is pretty amazing and it is two-sided. I think the reason for the change in lighting was Greer Adele fell over while I was trying to pose her. She hit the backdrop and caused it to bend slightly. I didn’t realize that would cause a change in the lighting and never noticed it until I was ready to hit the “send” button to Jeanne. I was concentrating more on the outfit. The flip side of the backdrop is very interesting. I told hubby I needed to do a photo shoot called “lost in the wilderness” because the reverse side is sort of a barren wilderness. Any ideas from my Sofa Sisters on what to do with that side?
We had quite the rainstorm last evening. Fortunately we didn’t get any of the serious effects but one of these every couple weeks is helping keep things green around here. Unfortunately we are expecting some seriously hot weather this weekend. Nearly 100 degrees. Way too soon for that.
Thanks, Jeanne, for posting my pictures.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO EVERYONE!!
Barbara, just thinking about the other side of your background. Maybe some sort of camping scene, with added trees, or plants which would give it a 3-D effect? Maybe some artificial flowers too? It really doesn’t take much to fill up the background when also having several dolls in the pictures. With RRFF it is much easier than AG dolls, who are much larger. I can rarely get more than two dolls in any picture I take with a background, so hardly use them at all.
Dear Barbara, I love your pretty girls dancing around the Maypole! I did not know you had so many dolls that where sculpted by Dianna Effner. How wonderful! Thanks for sharing these photos.
Somehow I missed yesterdays post but got to see it today. I see your reason in wanting to organize your sewing room. You are a busy lady but you’ll get to it in time.
It is so nice of you to help Bithar out with Meals. I can only imagine her studies with testing and being a busy mother.
Barbara, your new renovated bathroom is stunning. The shape of the black shiny sinks with the two tone streaks against the white look really smart. The wall paper is very pretty and goes well with what you chose! It’s nice to see the results you had been planning!
And your Maypole pictures are really neat. All the girls look happy – I get not letting them move around! Lol. Each outfit looks great on each girl. Little Greer Adele is adorable in her dress and coat. I like the flowered dress on the little blond girl in the back of the Maypole picture. Also, nice background. Barbara, thank you for sharing your pictures!