You are currently browsing the monthly archive for April 2008.
not from sewing, of course!
Funny story…when I think about it, it cracks me up. So it has been extremely hot in LA…94 degrees yesterday! I decided in the morning that I was going to pull out our inflatable swimming pool for the kids. I knew that it wasn’t going to be an easy task. It is not a small pool (my kids and I can fit inside the pool comfortably)! There was NO WAY that I was going to attempt to blow up this pool with my own air 
so I got out my handy dandy exercise ball pump and started pumping away. It was probably in the 80s when I started pumping and boy was it hot outside! Meanwhile my kids are running around the backyard in their diapers wanting to give the pump a try. I’m working my legs, my arms, dripping with sweat, when my pump decides to tear! I nearly gave up but decided to take a break and have some lunch with the kids. So we all went back inside…just enough time to get some energy back and cool down. Out we go again…I SOOOO needed the pump. So I taped it up and started again. FINALLY, it was ready to go. My kids were so excited and I was so excited for them. Yeah!
And do you know how long they stayed in this pool??? A whole 15 minutes!!!!!!! It was worth all the sweat…to see them all excited and splashing away for 15 minutes.
We were working on some new projects and the brown cat is now in the shop. They are adorable, soft pillows!
What do you think about the black one? Scary? My husband, who is not superstitious, thought that it was a bit scary because of its color. My sis thought so too. Don’t know…I still think it’s cute. Look at that face…how could it be scary?
Introducing…Hanna the #1 lil sprinkles troop leader
Too cute!
Anyways, hope everyone is having a wonderful Tuesday! One birthday down and one to go. I’ll be busy the next week or so planning, shopping, decorating the house for an Elmo themed party.
Big sis
To blog or not to blog…I have been contemplating about this and I think by blogging about it, I’ll feel a bit better.
Guess Etsy is a bit cutthroat afterall 
We received a disheartening “convo” last night. Basically, another Etsy seller insinuated/accused/whatever you want to call it, of “copying” her design. First off, I do not feel like I need to explain anything to anybody. However, her convo brings up a big question. If you can’t find a doll that you like in its entirety but get inspiration from other dolls and create one with everything you like and include your own ideas, why is that considered “stealing” someone else’s design? Every crafter/designer gets inspiration from others and if this seller truly felt like her design/doll was that original, I would think she would have patented it. But then again, how can you patent something that has been around for years???
I could go on and on but really, where will that get me? It was just not a nice convo or feeling.
Sorry for the not-so-happy emotions behind this post but need to get it off my chest. What can you do…you can’t please everybody, right? Thanks for listening
Big sis
I’m pretty proud of myself…I think I read the manual about a dozen times, studied all the parts of the machine, watched the instructional DVD, and figured out how to use the sewing machine. Hooray! Although I was able to sew my first doll with the machine last night, I did consider at one point (when I got frustrated with the machine) to just finish the doll by hand. I’m so excited! Imagine all the things I can do with this machine! Now, if there was only more time in a day.
Here’s a picture of a rabbit I whipped up the other night. It is going to a dear, sweet friend of mine.
If you love to sew by hand, Sock Dolls is a great book to get. They have quick and easy projects and the animals are all made out of socks and gloves. Too cute!
I made some for my kids and they love them!
My sis and I have been busy brainstorming and creating. We finally made a lil sis who will be appearing is in the shop soon. She is Lila’s lil sister.
Lots more dolls to come…
Unfortunately the bulb finally burned out on our big screen tv, and Mr. Best Buy is coming next week to replace the bulb. I was so sad thinking that I would be missing American Idol, American Idol Elimination, America’s Next Top Model, and The Office. However, my hubby reminded me that we have our lil ol 22″ grainy tv in our bedroom. Better than nothing, right?
I’m actually going to use this week to start making the line of the “lil sis” dolls. J and I have been contemplating on whether or not we should incorporate accessories, and I think we finally made up our minds of how we’re going to distinguish the lil ones from the big ones. Just wait and see!
My next personal project is going to be making a sewing machine cover. I found a couple free patterns online, but do you have any suggestions of where to go for a simple and EASY pattern for a cover? Now that my dining area has been turned into a makeshift sewing room, it’s been making me go crazy! I have to figure out a way to clean up the area without having to really “clean up”.
C
I’m sorry it has taken me so long. I’m always looking for more time…too bad my body needs sleep
So Sydney and Karly have finally made their appearance in the shop. And I will be posting 2 more of their friends tomorrow.
Here’s a quick picture of them all bunched up. Too cute! It has been so much fun making them. My sis and I are trying to come up with some ideas for accessories. So if you have any ideas, please leave us a comment.
J
Happy Thursday everyone!!!
I’m so glad Friday is right around the corner. My kids as well as myself caught a cold so we’ve all been a bit fussy
We are working on a few more dolls and I’m hoping that they make an appearance Saturday evening (April 12). But they will definitely be in the shop by Sunday morning at the latest. The girls with the low pigtails seem to be more of a favorite. Wonder why? Do they appear to be a bit more grown up? I wonder…
Other updates…my mother bought me a sewing machine!!! I’m so excited and since I know nothing about them and really did not have much time to research them, I am eternally grateful. Only problem is I’m now going to have to learn how to use it! The one good thing about sewing by hand is that I can be as meticulous as I want to be. And for those of you who know me, you know what that entails. I can be a bit OCD (obsessive compulsive) so even if that means I have to rip out stitches and start all over because they are not lined up…so be it! I also find it to be very accomplishing…that I can create a doll just using my hands and nothing else! I’m sure the machine will speed up the process but I imagine I will still hand sew some of the details.
My kids and I start a class tomorrow and then our busy schedule will resume the following week. BTW, twins are almost 2 and keep my on my toes all day until they go to bed at about 7:30. We are taking an “intro to preschool” class at a nearby college and a reading class at the library. They don’t actually teach you how to read…just don’t know what to call it. The librarian reads stories to them and they get to do a little craft project at the end.
This will be quite a busy month for us. My husband’s birthday is next week and I have been busy planning my kids’ birthday party in May.
Anyways, look out for the shop update. You never know…we may name one of the dolls after your daughter!
J
Hi everyone!
Originally, I put my sis, C, in charge of the blog just because I didn’t know what I would/should/could say. Unfortunately, I’m one of those people who have alot on their mind. You know those people…they love to leave long messages on other’s voicemails…just to ramble. That’s me! So I thought I’d give the blog a shot.
This morning, I put my twins in their highchairs for breakfast and ran to my computer just to check on how our dolls were doing. I was in disbelief…C and I think they are adorable but to get confirmation from a stranger…it was just too much for me to handle! 2 of our dolls SOLD!!! I immediately called C and were so excited…as if we had won the lottery. Too funny! Anyways, thank you so much, Lynda, for being our first buyer and honestly, making us such happy gals! We are a bit sad to let Sophia and Lila go but know that you will keep them safe. Sophia was completely made by me and Lila was made entirely by my sis.
For those of you who are new to the Etsy world, it is quite different compared to Ebay. I have always found Ebay to be quite cutthroat. On Etsy, you can find just about anything handmade. Some of the stuff is kinda scary to me but you could seriously spend hours upon hours just looking at what other people have made. There are some very talented people out there!
C and I will updating the shop soon. Check back in a couple of days and we should have the exact date available. We are thinking of making sisters for the dolls very soon. However, with C and her full time job and my full time job with my twin toddlers AND C living 35 miles away, you can imagine how difficult it will be to squeeze in time.
Anyways, hope everyone is having a great Monday. Kiddos are napping so I should have some time to sew. Can you believe I’ve been doing everything by hand! May need to invest in a sewing machine. If anyone has any recommendations, I’d love to hear about your machine. Talk to you soon!
J
Our dolls are officially listed on Etsy.com! Please visit our shop and tell us what you think.
J and I literally spent the last two Saturdays as well as our week nights to finish our Sprinkles’ creations. Our mission was to finish them by today and get them listed and we succeeded! The twins really helped us out by behaving so well…no throwing the dolls on the ground, no tripping over my sewing machine, etc. They were such good kiddos.
We’re on the lookout for cute fabrics. We absolutely adore Japanese-style fabrics – the quality is wonderful and the designs are always unique. Anyone know of a place to buy these fabrics at a good price?
Bye!
Hello!
J and I decided to start a blog about our craft making hobby. We have our personal blogs on Xanga, but for now, this will be solely dedicated to the wonderful creations of lil sprinkles!
We’re sisters who can talk non-stop about our crazy ideas that usually don’t ever come to fruition. Besides that, we’re sisters who like to craft. The older sis has a knack for learning the “how to’s” by way of common sense, but the baby sis (*me*) learns by sight and with a good ‘ol manual.
Thanks for stopping by!
