HI everyone,
I hope you had a nice weekend. Our weather here in Southern Illinois can’t quite make up its mind what it wants to do. We get in the car and turn the heater on, then the next day we have to have the AC on… The house is cold one day and you’re reaching for a sweater and the next day you’re in a tee shirt and flip flops. It rains, then the sun shines, then the winds blow like we’re in a blizzard. One morning this past week it was even spitting snow around here. I know it will end up Spring one of these days, but I’m still keeping the sweaters in my closet for now! :o)
I was also working frantically on my finishing up my books for my business so we could get our taxes to our guy. I worked most of Saturday and I did manage to get them done after midnight! YAY! I had to… because MY SISTER, CINDY AND HER HUBBY are coming in a week! I’m so excited to see them!
I was debating about what to do with these hats I’ve made and just decided this evening to at least make something to go with the 2 Easter Bonnets. I started a lavender dress for Ten Ping to go with the lavender bonnet. I have it all constructed and just need to sew the snaps on the back… but I’m at a crossroad again about what to do. Should I go ahead and make this a full-blown outfit with thigh highs and maybe shoes and maybe a purse or a lamb, or do I just make a dress and a hat set? Any thoughts? The other hats can be used with any dresses through Spring and the summer, so I’m not worried about them. I might make the aqua bonnet for tiny Bailey… I’ll wait and see what you all say.
So here are a few pictures of Ten Ping in her new lavender dress. I added a glass seed bead necklace to the dress. It’s sewn on at the shoulders, so you don’t have to fiddle with a clasp. Then I added some pretty white flat lace to the waist and near the hem.
Well, that’s what happened with my weekend… how was yours?
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne, the dress is perfect with the bonnet! I know you will add thigh highs and some other things, shoes would be great of course if you have time. I would love to see the other one on an outfit for Bailey.
Our weather is pretty strange too. Yesterday was the first Sunday we didn’t have a hard rain in a month….always on Sundays. Last Sunday we had 5 1/2 inches of rain. Weather stays in the 40’s or 50’s at night and up to high 60’s or low 70’s during the days. Some days very windy, others not. I guess it us just March, I wish the lion would go away and send the lamb!!
You can say that again about the weather, Jeanne! I certainly do wish it would make up its mind! There is so much I want to do outside, but it is hard to have enough of the right weather to do it!
Easter still seems a long way off, but before you know it, it will be here, and Ten Ping is all ready to go, but no shoes?? I think she needs some pretty white ones! A dress and bonnet are fine, but how many people who have a doll that size have enough shoes for them? I think adding shoes would help, then too thigh highs or tights. But that hat! Just adorable from the side view! The dress certainly is cute, and goes well with the bonnet! I love the colors lavender and yellow for Easter!
So exciting that you will be having some of your favorite people coming to visit!
I am so happy you are making dresses for each of these special hats. Each hat deserves a beautiful ensemble to make it perfect. I am glad you started with the hats. There are different ways to inspiration, aren’t there?
I like this start already with TenPing and her lavender dress, very sweet. Ooh I am excited for the shoes too!!
Okay, the weather: My life in Brussels Belgium with my parents, teen years:
There was a guy on the radio that sang the funniest song about trials in life.
He sang is so pitifully it really stayed in your head and you were singing it.
Hoe kan dat nou, hoe kan dat nou
Zo barst je van de hitte
Zo sterf je van de kou
it translates to this How can that be, how can that be?
You’re bursting from the heat
You’re dying from the cold
How can that be, how can that be?”
The song consisted of other things suddenly changing, as you can imagine.
the weather, your finances, your car etc etc
… haha well, it is like the weather. Here also, we have had nice days and a lot of very windy days! Really very cold days this month too. I think this is the windiest winter we have ever had. Meantime my daughter in Richmond has very little wind.
I like wind.
Well, Jeanne, was busy for sure. Love the little dress for Ten. Simple but with that lace, it is perfect. If you decide to make shoes, maybe a pair of tiny Mary Janes? Pretty hard to do though. Ten looks so sweet in the outfit.
Here, we managed to take down that second oleander to a manageable height on Saturday. Then, yesterday, worked at the other house weeding and weed whacking in the morning. Then, a trip to Home Depot to pick up a new Kohler toilet. Because, the old one in the main bathroom had snapped a piece in the tank. We’d replaced it some years ago, but this time opted for a new model. Got to HD which was packed with people, and then found the model toilet we wanted. Of course, we couldn’t see inside the bowl as the models were mounted up pretty high on the display. No one else looking at toilets, so we pulled over one of those huge rolling ladder things and other person climbed up to take a look. It had the right interior bowl we wanted, so he came down and we moved the ladder back to where it was originally. Not an employee in sight. 🙂 I’m sure they definitely didn’t want us climbing around in the store. Anyway, we found a boxed toilet down low and had a flat dolly ready to go. Pulled the box over to the dolly and tried to tilt and lift it onboard. Stymied! Just too heavy for us. At that moment, an employee coming from the warehouse spotted us asked if he could help? Yes, please. That guy lifted up that 90 pound box by the handles and placed it onto the dolly without a hitch. How embarrassing. We thanked him, and I noted that he was very muscular. Must sign up for a class soon. Anyway, after we paid with other person’s military discount, and were about out the door, I mentioned that maybe we should get someone to help us put it into the truck. Other person was already heading outside, so we pushed the dolly to the truck. Since it was a flat dolly, we managed to lodge it under the truck tailgate so that the huge box with the toilet was elevated a little. We were able to tip the box towards the tailgate and grab it from the bottom. Just as we were able to lift it up with great effort, a random guy walking by asked if we needed any help? I was just going to say yes, when we were able to slide the box onto the truck bed, so we declined. Home we drove. Wheels turning in my head as to how we could get the toilet back out of the truck. By the time we pulled into the driveway, I had a plan. We’d get the ramps and slide the box off the truck and down the ramps onto our dolly. We attached the ramps, got our dolly, after moving the lawn mower, and other assorted stuff, pulled the box onto the tailgate and then to the ramps. Started sliding it down when a couple walking down the street called out asking if we needed any help? It was the same couple that had offered to help me when I had the trashcans in the truck a week or so ago. Deja vu. We really must look pathetic for all of those people to want to help us. Anyway, we declined as we had the box out and onto the dolly which we could easily roll down the driveway to deposit the huge box at the base of “the stairs.” At that point, I suggested that we open the box and take out the two parts separately. I can lift 40 pounds, but 45 is out of my range. So, we easily brought the base and toilet tank up the 13 stairs separately and into the house. Then the real work began. Of course, I got the icky job of cleaning up under the toilet and removing the old wax ring. Why is that always my job? After much effort, we were finally ready to set the tank over the bolts and wax ring on the floor. Picture me holding the back side of the toilet bottom wedged inside a small cubical trying to line up the holes in the heavy toilet with those sticking out of the floor with the thing balanced sort of on my knee. Other person couldn’t fit in there. Finally, we got it seeded correctly. At that point, I gave up and left the attaching of the top tank to other person. That was the easy part I think. Of course, I had to find tools, clean up everything, and haul the old toilet out onto the front porch. It’s still there. We’ll move it down the steps this morning later. But, the toilet is now functioning after I had to mop up water because other person hadn’t tightened the tank on tight enough. No biggie. 🙂 I hope everyone else had a much more exciting Sunday. 🙂
wow… Joy. What a “fun” week-end. Really, I think I would have liked to “assist”. You got your exercise in for the whole week!!
You’re right about the exercise. We’re both kind of sore this morning. 🙂
What a sweet bonnet and dress and such a lovely spring color.
Our weather is going up and down as well, but as my grandfather always liked to say, “If you don’t like Ohio’s weather (insert choice of time of day) wait until (insert another choice of time of day). There have been many times you may experience three seasons in one day.
Very windy this morning, so here’s favorite quote from my childhood poetry book.
” March brings breezes loud and shrill. Stirs the dancing daffodil.” (excerpt from The Garden Year by Sara Coleridge)
Laura, I know that poem by heart, from reading it with my daughter, who is about your age! I loved that poem about each month, and can still recite most of it.
What a perfect Easter bonnet! Your trademark is entire lovely outfits, so I think these 2 cute pieces deserve a complete outfit. Linda’s comment about shoes is certainly true, and shoes require stockings. I’m going to enjoy watching this outfit turn complete.
PS — the lamb sounds like something Ten Ping would like.
Dear Jeanne, wow, I’ve been gone for two whole dresses! I will have to read the former postings to see what is going on with you and the Sofa Sisters. Ten Ping’s dress looks so pretty. It is the perfect outfit to wear while searching for Easter eggs.
We are in the season of Spring now. That means that May is not far way!
Jeanne…the lavender dress with the little bonnet is darling! I don’t have a doll that size but certainly enjoy seeing your progress and the finished straw hats! I have always just purchased little doll straw hats at Hobby Lobby, however they are hard to find now for the Ruby Red size doll heads. And they are always just the yellow straw color. You have peaked my interest in maybe trying to make a straw hat for the RR doll in the future, but have spent the extra time needed to construct shoes for RR outfits, using fabric and shoe patterns found online. And now I have thin faux leather in colors, that my daughter ordered for me and I’m anxious to try making fake leather shoes!
I will need to send you a photo of the Anne of Green Gables outfit I made for a RR doll, using a purchased straw hat! I had watched the entire TV series and liked the plain dress with the apron worn over dresses. I even made a chemise and pantalettes to be worn under the dress, white stockings and fabric boots…but will need to alter the boot pattern some more in the future. But the hat should be ratty-tattered on the edges, in my mind, and I was afraid the straw would fall apart if I tried to alter it!
My daughter and I have been sprucing up the back and front yards for two weeks now…doing the landscaping in increments as funds and time permit. Family and friends came over two weeks ago to help install the black landscape covering on the ground in the back yard, stone blocks along the inside of the fencing to contain everything and then cover that with 2 inches of sand and then pea gravel. We will be adding flat stones yet, for a walking path to the gate and an area for the lounger and patio chairs. We are in a new-build home and the back yard is postage stamp size…the bedrooms are larger than the back yard! Suits us fine since we don’t need children’s play areas or space for a dog to run around! We did add some beautiful tall red leaf plants in big pots, that take full sun, and want to add more potted plants here and there. Daughter is working on adding plant/flower baskets to the three fence hooks we have, and she has a small hot tub that now resides on the edge of the breezeway patio so it has sun, instead of on the spotty grass lawn that used to be there. I wish that house developers would just do xeriscaping for homes in the middle of Texas! The heat can be brutal and hard on lawns….especially if water restrictions are put in place, come summer months.
I am with you on the wardrobe choices for this time of year! We too are wearing warm slacks, socks, light shirt jacket or shawls for a few days and then the temps soar to 80+ degrees and we’re wearing capris and sandals! Temps inside dropped enough some days to turn the heat on and now we’re back to AC! I am going around saying: That’s Texas for you! (And I hail from northern Indiana!)