Happy Easter!

We had birthday celebrations and a guest pup over the weekend, but mostly rested. This is Hazel. She's a mix but has some Husky there and is a very high-energy girl at 1 year old. And then we still have our 14 year old Zoey, who is a very low energy girl that doesn't care…

Knitting doll sweaters

This is a 1967 Ideal Giggles doll. She's a great doll to knit for and her flirty eyes make for adorable photos. She's very popular in doll groups and some people have a dozen. The hair often looks slightly different or she's wigged. If you move her arms out and in, she giggles. I found…

Marcia! Marcia! Marcia!

You know what I mean. Here we have 1970 Velvet channeling her inner Jan, but in a good way. Can you believe she's 50+ years old? These folks were made so well that she not only looks great, but she still works. Her hair mechanism still goes short or long easily, and her eyes sleep…

Zoey’s adventure

While we were away, Zoey went off to Doggie Daycare and had such a great time. They shared photos each day, which we appreciated. She has a heart condition, and at 14 years old, we just want her happy. On the final day, she got her chance to tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas.…

Vintage child’s rocker completed

I love it. I hope the kids do. It's in their guest room by my childhood books. Hope they enjoy it! Here's the before... And the after... All done, I think it's a great improvement and more cheerful too! ...

Viking Christmas Market River Cruise

This was a fun Viking trip down the Danube, which included at least one Christmas market in each city. We tried the gluhwein (gross) and market foods and enjoyed the markets in the big cities, like Regensburg and Vienna. Even though the weather could have been better, and I've had pneumonia chronically for 3 months,…

Ideal Crissy, Velvet and Mia get much needed salon day

All of these dolls were washed and had their hair detangled, washed, and conditioned. Then a dress was knit for each from this pattern I found on Ravelry and Etsy. Lovely pattern. The wool is Madelinetosh, Tosh DK. Beautiful colorways, but you know. First up is Crissy's before photo: Matted braids Picture perfect. Then Velvet,…

Vintage child’s rocker

Found this rocker at a vintage store. It's been glued in weird places, so it's not able to be taken apart without possibly needing to cut new wood. But we're going to keep this simple. Here we go... Looks great, from a distance. The seat tapestry was mounted crooked, and it's faded and gross, too.…

Sewing doll storage bags

Made some storage bags for these Ideal Crissy family dolls. I found the fabrics at Joanns. The photos... Measuring the tallest doll, Crissy. She's 18 inches. I wanted a clear panel to see what was in the bags at a glance. Planning pressing, cutting. Sadly, my iron no longer steams, boo. The wadding was secured…

1969 Ideal Crissy doll makeover

One Christmas in 1972, I received a Velvet doll, and my older sister got a Crissy. My doll was played with and loved, and I still have her. Always wanting a Crissy of my own, I found one in an antique mall for $8 last weekend. She was in rough shape, but I couldn't leave…