Hi everyone,
I received some pictures from Joy showing a new Ruby Red Fashion Friends doll and is she ever adorable! I’ll let Joy tell you about her.
So, this is a new Russian Ruby Red, Polina, you may have seen. Anyway, she sold out in minutes in Russia, and everyone here wants a similar one to be created for here. The dress is so cute. It looks like she is wearing a little t-shirt under it, but on the close up, the ruffle is sewn to it. This outfit would be so cute to make something similar that could be for any of the Sara mold dolls. 🙂 Pics from the RR Official site.
Joy
Then I asked Joy “why” she was ONLY for sale in Russia and she explained it to me. I never understood why certain dolls were ONLY for sale in certain countries.
As for the Russian girl Polina, she is the Sara mold by Effner. The way it works is a dealer, say in Russia, or France, or here like Happily etc. come up with a doll idea. Hair, wig style, eyes, mold, coloring, etc. Then, they work with Ruby Red and they do the finishing touches. Such as helping with designs for outfits and details as to just what their sewers in China can do. Then, the doll is exclusive to that dealer and country. Such as the French shop. However, the French shop and the one in Spain, will sell to the U.S. Russia at this time cannot. And we’re not accepting things from them either as far as I know mail wise. I have bought dolls from a Russian dealer in the past. Ruby Red honors the dealer and their design and will not make the same doll to sell to us. We’ve been trying for years to get Ruby Red to make dolls more like those from Russia rather than those with the red eye make up and chopped hair etc. Maybe now, they are getting the idea after the swift sell out in Russia. Ruby Red is listening and seems responsive. 🙂
Now here are a few pictures of Polina!
Isn’t she just darling? Of course I’m a bit partial to red heads! *wink* *wink*
Well, my day was busy again and I only have one other thing to share… then I have to get to bed.
When I worked at the Food Pantry on Friday, we had an over abundance of (mystery filling) frozen ravioli and were allowed to take a zip lock bag of it home if we wanted. It seemed like something I could use, so several of us took a bag. Then on Sunday, when it was time for dinner, I remembered my bag in the freezer and decided I could use some leftover chicken I had, boil the ravioli and make some of Kristoffer’s Alfredo sauce to pull it all together. I was looking forward to it.
I made Kristoffer’s sauce, but only had coffee creamer which had a little bit of sugar in it that I thought wouldn’t matter too much.
Well, the leftover chicken was cubed up, the ravioli floated to the top of the boiling water and was drained, the alfredo sauce was done, so I began stirring them together, gently, so as not to tear open the ravioli squares. It did seem a bit thick as I was blending it together, but I thought it would be okay as it cooled.
We began eating it and my hubby, who NEVER says anything bad about what I make, asked a few questions about how I had made it and what had I used…and why did it taste sweet… I told him and sort of apologized for not having whipping cream, which was what I was “supposed” to use in Kristoffer’s recipe. Turns out the ravioli was cream cheese and chives. At first we both kind of ate in silence… took a few more bites and then my hubby said he just couldn’t eat anymore. He said it was too thick and sticky and sweet. We got to laughing and couldn’t stop. Then we got to thinking about what we could do with it. We stopped all the guessing when he said, “I think I could fill all the holes in the yard with this stuff!” :o)
I threw it in the trash can. Oh well, I tried. Here is what it looked like.
I do have some of the ravioli left in my zip lock bag, but think next time I’ll just boil it and serve it on the side, or toast it! :o)
Well, I’ll see you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Polina is just beautiful, and I would LOVE to have a doll just like that! Even though I’ve been sort of on a “dolly diet” at the moment, I would buy her. Thanks, Joy, for explaining about the doll exclusives (I sort of figured that was it), and sharing the pictures. I hadn’t seen the one of her swinging before, and it certainly is wonderful.
Well, Jeanne, I guess Every meal can’t be a winner!! It goes to show how important the exact ingredients are. Did you ever figure out what the filling was in that ravioli?
Daniel is getting better every day, and is ready to be OUT of there! He’s still using a little oxygen, though, so it will be another day, maybe two.
Marilyn, thanks for sending those links to the various Hitty sites. I just got done looking at them. It seems no matter what she’s made of, Hitty is just a cute little doll!
It’s starting to cool off, for which I’m thankful. Having it 89 INSIDE your house is not much fun. It is down to 78 in here now, and I think I might be able to sleep tonight, as there is even a little breeze now and then.
thankyou for the updates Charlotte. Good news all around!!
I do hope you have electric fans.
would a window air conditioner be helpful?
In SE Texas when the A/C goes out you can open the windows and turn on fans but it’s useless. All it does is blow hot, humid air around. One thing we dread is having a bad storm or hurricane and losing power. That can last for days.
David and I lived in an apartment the first year we were married. In the middle of summer the A/C went out. We informed the office but after a couple days of no response we walked into the office and told them again. They acted like they’d get around to it whenever. We told them what the temp was in the apartment and asked them if they’d like to join us for dinner. We had no takers but the A/C was fixed the next day. Having a son in the A/C business these days has given me a definite feeling of security during the Texas summer.
Tell Daniel to be patient because he doesn’t want to leave the hospital too soon. My friend’s son-in-law had pneumonia and did that and had it come back.
Thanks Barbara! That’s what I’ve been telling him!!
Polina is a beautiful doll Jeanne, and I am very impartial to the Sara mold, so would have no problem getting her if she was available and fit my pocketbook! What a darling hairstyle, love the curls around her face and the sweet braids! She looks like such a joyful little girl, which is how I love my dolls to look. None of that pouting look for me! I love that darling dress she is wearing, and have one similar to it for Cecile, although not quite as fancy.
Thank you, Joy for explaining why some dolls are only made for certain countries and not others.
Oh, the ravioli dish! Why don’t you just toast it, Jeanne, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on it ,and dip it in calamari sauce, St. Louis .Style? I get mine already baked and boxed up (Louisa brand) and pop it in the oven for a few minutes. I sprinkle it with Parmesan cheese, but don’t care for the calamari sauce, so do without it.
You are so lucky to have a husband who eats almost everything! Mine isn’t anything like that, so fixing food here is quite the challenge. No casseroles, no pasta, no rice, no Mexican food, no Chinese food, no fish, except shrimp, and he doesn’t eat fruit, what’s left??
Whoops! I said calamari sauce when I meant MARINARA sauce!
Glad you cleared that up. 🙂 Marinara would work for me, but not Calamari. 🙂
hmmm, hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken breasts, vegetables??
One could stay healthy on that diet. Eggs?
Yes, pretty much all of that, plus pork anything! But still, there is so much that he doesn’t like and that I do like!
I guess I should ask, what is your husband’s favorite food? And I thought I was picky. 🙂
He’s a steak and potatoes man, rolls chocolate cake or pie. Nothing fancy or exotic! Plain, plain,plain!
My hubby will eat most anything, except seafood other than shrimp, but he is mostly a steak and potatoes man. Hence I don’t spend much time doing more than preparing a meal. One time I decided to surprise him with asparagus in a vinaigrette sauce. He promptly ask me to please leave the sauce off his asparagus in the future. It ruined the taste.
Ha, ha! That would happen here too! No sauces of any kind on anything! However, he will not eat asparagus,or broccoli either, and both are favorites of mine. More for me!
Sounds like my dad, who lived with 500 chickens in the backyard during the depression. So, we ate a lot of meat in my childhood as he wasn’t a fan of chicken much. And, I like all of the above too. 🙂
Linda, my Peyton had become a bit picky the last couple of years. He and I like a lot of the same things but has started liking some things I don’t and not crazy about some things I like. So, when he wants something I don’t like I always have small containers of foods I like that I made and I eat that. It works very well. Or there is alway grilled cheese sandwich with soup, I am always happy with that.
Yes, Sissy, you have to do what you have to do! I also have small containers with the things I like that he doesn’t, and I will say he never gets upset if I make something he doesn’t care for. He just stays quiet about it and doesn’t eat it. He does love toasted cheese sandwiches and would eat that everyday without complaining! Of course, I prefer that he eats a balanced meal, so I try to make that for him.
Cette poupée est une vraie merveille ! Si ce n’est pas possible de l’acheter,débrouillons nous autrement…Nous avons souvent une Sara dans notre collection de RRFF,il est possible de reproduire la robe,de faire quelques taches de rousseur. Ensuite trouver une perruque…Il manquera juste les jolies chaussures! C’est vrai ,que pour acheter une exclusivité ,c’est le parcours du combattant. J’ai acheté,Evelyne,”la diseuse de bonne aventure “et cela a été très très compliqué…Heureusement,chez happily,ils ont été charmants. D’ailleurs,si l’une d’entre vous désire une poupée française;je veux bien vous aider. Pour les raviolis,essayez avec un filet d’huile d’olives et du parmesan… Belle journée à vous toutes. Georgina.
That is so nice of you to offer help with buying a French doll. I have had excellent service from the French doll shop and bought quite a few. 🙂
I buy a lot of my doll clothes patterns from Les Cheries de Vaniline. They are written in French and the translations are not often very good, but they have good pictures. Their patterns have the cutest styles. I also buy a lot of my accessories from shops in France especially shoes from Toutpourmapoupee on Etsy. They’ve got the cutest croc-style shoes including the “charm” inserts for Paola Reina dolls
Good morning dear ladies. Happy Wednesday. It is gloomy here in Northern Virginia.
Jeannie, this adorable Polina is so sweet. Thanks for the information on
these dolls, Joy. I sure did not know that, but I guess it makes sense, the planet is huge. A lot of things are “regional” I suppose 😊
I like ravioli but do not like cream cheese and chives- even with yummy chicken or marinara sauce. I do not know if hubbs would like it, but if I do not like it we do not eat it. Fortunately my hubbs is very agreeable and easy.
Well, those cream cheese and chive ravioli sound great, but I agree with others that a little parmesan would be a nice addition. They might even stand in for an h’orderve, but probably not a whole dishfull. Way too rich for my taste. Good try though, Jeanne.
I agree with Georgina and Linda, that reproducing our own Polina, is an option. I think that it would be fun to take any Sara mold doll and see what a wig change and a similar outfit would look like. Might be fun.
Here, things are kind of turning into a nightmare. Or a daymare as all I see from the dining room this morning are missing boards and the deck littered with objects nearby warning to not walk there. And of course below, we still have a couple of test holes where we were trying to find the sewer pipe connection. That has now turned into my job, but with other person working right overhead, well 10 ft up, I haven’t returned to work on that yet. It looks like we will have cool weather, so I won’t have an excuse to not get back to those holes today. I have been keeping up with the blackberry and other weeds though. For some reason, after I cut/dig them, they are back in a week. My neighbor and I, each on one side of the fence are always comparing the growth. We’re both organic, so I guess we need to find something that can do the job without getting into the soil. Hand sanitizer worked pretty well on some crabgrass I had coming up between bricks. 🙂 I know that isn’t organic, but I was desperate. Anyway, lots to do around here. Dolls have taken second place. Unless you can count that I am rereading my Hitty book. After I was looking at it yesterday, I started from the beginning to refresh. 🙂
Dear Joy, Polina is adorable! She definitely has one of the lovely Diana Effner faces. I wonder if she arrived as your latest (and easiest I think you wrote) caper – smile.
All organic here as well, Joy. For weeds we do the vinegar treatment in the weed sprayer pump.1 gallon vinegar, 1 tablespoon of dish soap,1 cup salt (optional). We go sparing on the salt and only use that for sidewalk cracks and it alters soil Ph in the garden beds. Use on a hot and sunny day.
Well, thank you Laura. I think I will give it a try. 🙂
Dear Jeanne, oh my goodness, that was a funny story!
What did you do for diner then? I would have jumped in my car and driven to the nearest diner. Oh wait, says the non-cook, I probably would have done that first (laugh). There are three diners within easy driving distance of my house and they are essential for my survival (smile).
Too bad we don’t live closer to each other, Dorothy. I love to cook and bake from scratch. I think it’s because my mom and grandmother also made almost everything from scratch including some breads, rolls, pasta sauce etc. that you typically buy. I’ve never made a boxed cake or cookies in my my life.
I could make you dinner and you could take me out for tea. Sounds like a good deal. 🙂
Dear Laura, oh my goodness, I would love that! We will have to find a way to make that happen virtually or something (smile).
If I weren’t expected to make a meal at least a few days a week my life would emulate yours. I’ve never liked cooking. I’d rather be sewing.
Yes, Polina was a wow the minute I saw her on FB. She would have been an instant buy as fast as I could have gotten her into my cart and I’ve never instantly bought any of my RRFFs. I’m definitely partial to the Sara mold as my favorite. Those freckles and blush are perfect. Love the enlargement of her on the swing. That was one I especially loved in the listing.
Wow, that ravioli must have been rich. I like the plain ricotta cheese best topped with sauteed garlic, sauteed mushrooms, olive oil, parmesan, and a sprinkling of chives.
Your ravioli topping sounds delicious.
Things around here have been a bit crazy lately so most of my comments will be about yesterday’s blog since I didn’t get to read it till this morning.
First I want to say that the two new swimsuits are too cute. I love them both.
Sara’s purple swimsuit looks lovely on her and I know Linda is over the moon at winning the swimsuit.
Susette’s girls look so ready for the beach. Jeanne’s first swimsuit effort looks great on Sara and the rest of the girls all look so pretty.
Elizabeth did such a beautiful job of cleaning up Kimberly. I wasn’t aware of this lovely doll at all. Her new outfit is vey nice. I have the book from Martha Pullen but have never made anything from it – so far.
I never heard of the Hitty doll until someone once mentioned her on the Blog. I planned to look up more about her but never did so I’ll try again.
I really appreciate all the wonderful links that are being posted here and will be checking them all out.
Polina is an absolutely stunning doll. Thanks, Joy, for the pictures and all the interesting information.
Sorry about your ravioli meal, Jeanne. Sounds like something that would happen to me. I remember a friend of mine, who was a great cook, once talking about a fish dish she prepared. She worked at it all day. When she and her husband sat down to dinner they took a couple bites and both agreed it was a disaster. They went to a nearby restaurant for dinner that night.
Beautiful dolly, Jeanne! Yay, I’m getting your emails – thank you!!! 😘
Thanks Jan,
I was wondering if you were! YAY!
Loved visiting with you!
Love you, Jeanne
Well, Jeanne, that you for the fun laugh! I can just imagine the looks on your faces when you tried to eat it!!
I LOVE the Russian doll! I do hope you are able to het one. Joy. I am getting a Ruby Red doll tomorrow. She is named Savannah because that is where the convention is and is dressed in a long dress. I will send photos when I get back.
I am having fun and seeing old friends. I don’t know if I will be able to go next year. It is Indianapolis, and we were there 2 years ago and it was a great place. We will see how my back goes. I am taking photos to show Jeanne to send y’all.
Well, Sissy, there isn’t a way for me to buy the Russian doll unless someone from Russia, decides to put one on Ebay. Not sure how it could even be sent here. But, congrats on being able to get Savannah. Can’t wait to see her photos. 🙂
Just saw where Hotel Bethlehem in Bethlehem, PA, my hometown , won No. 1 as Best Historic Hotel for the fifth year in a row. Sure wish I could be there for the big celebration.
Polina is a doll. I’m glad you were able to get her. The background for local exclusives is interesting. Happily needs one of its own.
Joy mentioned Hitty. I tried sending more links yesterday, twice, but the emails disappeared. It would be wonderful to see what Jeanne would sew for Hitty — she does sew for dolls of the same height and would make some lovely bonnets.
Gail, who made Nikki’s doll and outfits, has an Etsy shop
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheHittyShop?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1704105307&from_page=listing
Wendi has a Hitty website
https://ataleoftwohittys.com/the-antique-shop/?fbclid=IwY2xjawL_VklleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFRRUtJN1Nua1pueDVBemZuAR4IQL7XVZZFeBP-1kHOiGqljA6gorm8cIeu9F_wrxx3hsUsm0yHpa58O_LdtA_aem_1ATrLZMFVPbBSSjQ9LrhvA
If you go to the website and look under “Hitty Fun,” you will find directions for making a Hitty sized paper version that can be used as a travel doll. I think the idea was inspired by Flat Stanley.