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Just kidding…but I still feel way behind. How many dolls can actually fit on a 6 foot table???
The whole family has been grossly sick for the past 2 weeks! …in 90 degree weather!!! My son got sick and we thought my daughter was safe but then she got sick, then me, and my husband…let’s just say he’s been sick for the last month! I’m finally starting to feel better and can think straight.
Here are some completed dolls. I’ve been trying so hard to take better pictures but with limited time, lighting and knowledge on how to take better pictures, this is what you all get stuck with. Sorry is all I can say.
Chloe is holding a four leaf clover that matches her dress and on the clover, I embroidered “luck” in Chinese characters. It took some researching but I’m happy with the result.
This Chloe is in the shop. But if she does not get purchased by July 11, she will be at the fair 
Big sis/lil sis with reversible capelets! Curdoroy, nonetheless! Let me tell you that this material is quite difficult to work with for a beginner sewer like myself.
And I’m starting to knit again. It’s like riding a bike…you never forget! Well…if you were to ask my husband, he’d probably say that I did forget. all because of one incident! he fails to remember all the important details of our lives (alot of details) but remembers the stupidest thing about how terrified I was about riding down a steep hill (on a rented bike, near mountains and a body of water) so I opted to walk myself AND the bike down! To this day, he likes to make fun of that ONE incident!
Stay tuned! Lil sis just went in for her 4D ultrasound. I’ll let her be the one to make the announcement…is it a BOY or a GIRL???
Big sis
Busy, Busy, Busy!
Can this week get any crazier? I’ve been packing non-stop, working on 3 custom paperweights, and also trying to adjust to my changing body! I’ve only lived with my hubby for three years, but it’s quite amazing how much crap we have accumulated in such a short amount of time. I’m moving this Sunday, so wish me luck!
I have to talk about my latest obession - buying clothes from Target. Target has to be one of my top favorite stores to buy nonsense things, but I’ve never actually bought clothes until this week. Their maternity shorts and dresses are pretty cute and super affordable. I’ve gone three times this week and I really shouldn’t be spending time there since I haven’t even finished packing.
I bought this dress but in pink with a halter string around the neck:
I’m a bit of a celebrity tabloid girl, so I had to get in on the maxi dress craze that all the pregnant celebrities have been sporting around town. Unfortunately I’m not going to drop hundreds on a dress, so I’ve resorted to go bargain shopping for one…Target! Big sis and I need a break from fabric shopping, so we’re making a pit stop to the Ella Moss/Splendid Sample Sale this weekend! I can’t wait because their clothes are so comfy and perfect for my big ol belly!
Now, to the dolls…here are some of the custom dolls I made –
The Cal decal was provided by the buyer, and I just loved the idea. We might continue with making boy paperweights with college decals and maybe a Lakers one too even though they completely choked this year. Ho hum…next year. I still <3 Kobe!
The next one was a personalized doll for a lil one named Malia. PLEASE EXCUSE the trash bag behind her. I honestly didn’t have any place to take this picture and the trash bag is not for trash but for my clothes. I’m terrible at taking pictures and it’s mainly due to my camera…it’s so confusing to use. My hubby is planning to buy a fancy smancy camera before the lil one arrives. I’m so bummed cause it’s one that won’t fit in my purse but will have to be carried around in a mini backpack!
The 3rd paperweight is yet to be posted because my camera ran out of batteries, and I’ve already packed the battery pack. Till next time…
-lil sis
Sis and I are finally meeting up tomorrow to work on the details of our craft fair adventure! After numerous discussions via phone calls, emails, etc…we are going to do a mock set up of our table. I’m half way done with the dolls. I’ve been spending alot of time and attention to their accessories, however. We’ll have to see if all my ideas come to fruition. Here are the completed dolls…waiting for their friends to join them
I know…it looks a bit scary in there huh? This is the only way I know how to keep them all together and separated from the girls who are nearing completion. Plus…my kids would be ALL OVER them if they saw them just hanging around the office/craft room. Here are the girls who are begging to join them…
They have invaded my scrapbooking table! Will I ever be able to finish the twins’ albums??? …another blog…another day…
And the last custom doll until after the fair…
Lil sis has been super busy with trying to finish up some custom orders and packing her stuff away. Hoping she can post some pictures of the dolls she’s completed.
I have stopped watching TV in the evening for the past week or so because I’ve been so busy sewing my life away but I happened to catch something on my Tivo just the other day…FLIPPING OUT!!! OMG! I am absolutely in love with the show and the guy. What is his name? Anyways, I don’t know what it is about him but I just love all of him! His neurosis! his OCD! his sensitivity masked by his evilness! Zoila! his worker bees (esp his Elaine (Seinfield) look alike)! I really can’t get enough. I think it’s one of my fav shows bc I get him. I have never been that OCD and when the kids came along, alot of my OCD behaviors had to be put aside The fact that he can live that way…so meticulous about everything and just perfect, it’s jaw dropping.
Big sis
We have been accepted to be a vendor at our first indie craft fair!!!
The Handmade Brigade will take place on July 12 from 11:00 to 5:00 at the Tall Mouse in Cerritos.
We are super excited! There will be about 20 vendors there and they are going to give out goody bags and raffle off some of our dolls that never made it to the shop.
I had planned on surprising my sis but with so much going on, I had to fill her in at the last minute! Plus, I needed her to get working on the dolls. We don’t know if we’ll sell anything…although we are crossing our fingers that at least a few dolls will find homes…we know that this will be a great way to get our name out there. So PLEASE, if you are in the neighborhood, stop by and say “hi”! Well…even if you are not in the neighborhood, make the drive
Unfortunately, because we are going to be so busy getting ready for the fair, my sis and I will not be posting any more new dolls in the shop. We still have a few custom orders to complete AND we really got to get busy. We plan on making as many dolls as humanly possible!
We will keep you posted on our progress. And of course, we will be posting pictures of our creations.
Big sis
OK…so I have not gotten much encouragement about my venture to SD Zoo by myself so I am reconsidering my little outing with the kids. Normally, this would make me even more determined to go but I’m feeling very anti about having to sit in 3 hours of traffic…and that would just be ONE WAY!!! So I’m going to do the next best thing…take them to the LA Zoo. I hear that it’s not as nice but hubby promised to take a day off some time next year so that we could take them to the one in SD. I’m kidding! He just works so darn much
My in-laws are in Chicago right about now which means I may lose my mind by the end of this week. Didn’t realize how much I depend on them to take the edge off! Although they don’t babysit the kids for long periods of time, having them over or taking them over for an hour or 2 helps me gather myself. We shall see how I hold up.
The funniest thing happened right now…my son just woke up from his nap and I usually have to rock him so that he’ll sleep for another hour. Well, his eyes were clearly open but he could have been in a daze or in one of those sleep cycles…anyways, he started to crack up! Not just a giggle. Laughing hysterically! I looked down at him and he’s looking right at me! At this point, I’m trying so hard not to laugh b/c I really do want him to go back to sleep but I know that if I engage, he’ll want to get up. But I couldn’t stop myself. I started to laugh which only made him laugh harder! Haven’t you ever had those moments with your friends…when one laughs uncontrollably for no apparent reason and it just causes a chain reaction? The sound of his laughter, pure and innocent…it is the best sound.
Lil sis and I have decided to hold off on posting more dolls in our shop. We have both been so busy and have so many things going on right now. So busy that we haven’t seen each other in almost a month. I can’t wait to see how big her belly has gotten!
Have a wonderful week everyone!!!
Big sis
the good kind. I had a few custom orders to complete this week. For some reason, doing custom orders is a bit anxiety provoking, i must say. I put this enormous amt of pressure on myself to make the dolls perfect! Of course, every doll I make, I try to make perfect but knowing that these dolls were going to specific people just added a bit of pressure to the whole doll making process. From start to finish, it takes me about 3 sessions By sessions, I mean, free time. There’s a lot of thinking that needs to be done prior to the start of the doll. For example, what will she wear? Will this top match her skirt? Will she wear tights? What color will her boots be? How should she wear her hair? You know…all the things we girls think about. My husband likes to say “it’s not a fashion show” but sometimes it is!!!
After all that is figured out, then I can get started on the cutting, sewing, stuffing, etc. And you would think I’d be done but there’s still more thinking/contemplating involved. What color should her bag be? What kind of bag should she carry? Barrettes? Flowers? well…you get the picture. And then…the most scary part about it all. PAINTING HER FACE! The concentration it takes! And then you look at the finished product and smile b/c she turned out so cute! and you hope that someone else (besides your daughter and lil sis) will find her to be cute as well.
So here are some pictures of the dolls that I made this week.
These cuties will be flying to Chicago to my nieces. They are a big sis/lil sis duo!
And here’s one that is going to a mommy-to-be.
I think I deserve an evening to rest
Big sis
So you already heard from my sis, but I’m preggers! I’m so excited, happy, nervous…basically a big ball of emotions. I’ll be having a winter baby which is good news especially since it can get terribly hot here year round. However, my pregnancy has been a tough one. I assumed I was going to have horrible morning sickness because my mom and sis had it pretty bad, but I’m just wondering if it’s ever going to end for me. I heard that some moms get sick throughout their 2nd and 3rd! Yikes! I keep reminding myself that this is all temporary and the lil miracle is going to be all worth it. Positive thoughts! Thanks to big sis and some mommy friends from church, I have a great support system and advice-givers which I’m so grateful for.
The Exciting News #2 is that we sold our place, and we are moving by the end of this month! It’s all happening so fast. We found a couple apartments to move into, and they’re all located deeper in the valley. The city we’re thinking about moving to is exactly half the distance between my work and W’s work. It’s also known as the “Armpit of the Valley”. Sound hot? W and I enjoy the heat and don’t mind it especially when there’s a nice pool to lounge around in, but I’m wondering if the heat is going to bother me when I’m a big ol preg lady. Once again, I have to think positively and remind myself it’s only temporary. Who knows where I’ll end up in 2009?!
As for my doll making, it’s slowed down a bit because I’ve had to keep my place spic and span while potential buyers came in and out to visit. I showcased all the dolls on my bookshelf though with our lil sprinkles sign in case they liked what they saw! Haha I imagined that someone would offer to purchase all the dolls rather than purchase my house! Silly me. Thank goodness the opposite occurred.
Big sis and I might have more exciting news in the coming days, so stay tuned for #3!
lil sis
that when the going gets tough, the men just fold????????
I bet you know how our mini-vaca went. Let’s just say it became an overnight trip. It was a disappointing one but we still managed to take the kids to Sea World. They LOVED Shamu, so in the end, it was worth it. My kids both came down with something some time during the overnight trip. Was it the stress of being away from home? the “travel mode” my husband gets into when we are out of our comfort zone? the ocean breeze? the lack of sleep? Maybe it was all things combined. I still feel bad that we weren’t able to take them to the zoo so my plan is take them by myself! I don’t know if I will be able to handle it on my own but if I mentally prepare myself to do something, I always do it. What will this solo trip entail?
1. Packing our snack bag the night before, packing the backpack with enough diapers for 2, a change of clothes, hats, sunscreen, toys for the car ride, directions to the zoo (I always seem to get lost), map of the zoo, itinerary for the day, and my sanity!
2. Getting them both dressed by 7:00am
3. Leaving the house no later than 7:15am with breakfast in their hands
4. Driving for 2 hours…hopefully not in traffic but you know how horrible traffic is here!
5. Being the first one there Pushing their double stroller around. Hopefully my handy dandy map will eliminate wasting precious time. And then push them to the point of meltdowns, fussiness due to missing their scheduled nap, and then drive 2 hours back in mad traffic!
Will I survive the outing? We shall see. Anyways, I have a week to fully prepare myself for the madness. I always wonder…would it be this difficult with just one kid? Granted…my kids are not the type to adjust easily to new/different situations. It always takes them a bit. I always tell my husband “what do you expect…they have a dragon as a mother and a tiger as a father (our Chinese signs)”. When you have such strong personalities, how can we expect to have mellow, super easy kids, right?
I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather myself, which means I’ve been pushing aside all my projects. There is one thing I have really really wanted to do, which is learn how to quilt. I use to think that it was very grandma-ma-ish but perhaps it is with getting older that I can really appreciate all the hard work and attention to details a quilt takes. Don’t think that I can add that to my plate right about now but it will definitely be on my list of things to do in the future. I did manage to make a sock doll (again from that book I mentioned before) for my dear friend who is expecting. She’s not on the computer much so I’m sure I’ll be safe to post a picture. She is actually getting 2 dolls, one for the new baby and one for her current baby (who is 2 also). The penguin is a new line that my sis and I are planning on including in our shop…someday
Oh! and here’s our new tag!!! Very simple but cute, I think. Thanks lil sis for doing the research and design.
Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!
Big sis
Photos of the day
June 26, 2008 in dolls, lil sis | Tags: comments, custom paperweight dolls, Etsian | Leave a comment
A fellow Etsian was so sweet enough to forward some adorable photos of her niece receiving one of our custom paperweight dolls. Emailgraceyoo said, “She loved her!” and we’re just so happy to see such a cutie hugging one of our handmade dolls.
Thank you for sharing! By the way, you have to check out her jewelry. She’s a newbie to Etsy but not new to the jewelry-making field. Her new line is about to debut soon, and I hope to blog about that when it does. Check out her cluster of pearl earrings – so adorable and feminine!
It all makes this worthwhile to receive comments and pictures of how our dolls can put a smile on a lil one’s face. Yay!
-lil sis