A new kid on the block ...

Lately a lot of over-made-up dolls are getting a younger, fresher look. I decided to have a go myself. I can paint, I just wasn't sure about having a steady enough hand! But I found this Alice Moxie Girlz doll for 50p and she came home with me ...

With a few pieces of magic eraser, and a lot of nail varnish remover her make up and fat lips disappeared! Well ok, those lips still looked pumped. Some careful painting would take care of that. 

With white acrylic I shaped new eyes. And with a gentle pink and some 12-year-olds front teeth those lips have changed!

After that point I was on a roll. I do believe she needs some hint at eye lashes, but I'm really pleased with my first attempt to create a doll that looks like a real person!

Simple clothes next, but in the meantime, I found a hat for her to wear. 

What do you think her name should be?

Sock elephant for a baby girl ....

A snuggly pair of grey walking socks becomes a rather sweet elephant with some lemon cotton fabric for his ears and feet ...

Try curving the trunk as you stuff for a bit of movement! The tails curve come from being cut from the shaped toe-tip. 

Cute Sock Elephant!

Pippn-Papillon! Pet Pawtrait!

The basic outline - pippin's eye were flashed-orange in the photograph, so i quickly fill the pupils in black, with an added white highlight ...

Putting in the mail colours, building up depth gently as I go ...

Looking very hard to pick out all the colours I can see, traces of strong pink and even blue for some of the shadows!

Our Sofa ....

I have been using my camera today to take some photographs I can work from, for my children's book ... well maybe not this one!

I think my vintage sofa (left at my request from the previous owner) is a great setting for many of our family adventures, especially those involving books or just talking together ... Come on Mum, sit down!

and I have also been working in something for the sofa - so take a good look at these 'before' pics! And take a peak at the sewing project, below -

On thumb sucking ...

So what's that on Mary's thumb? I have two thumb sucking addicts among my daughters, and Mary had it bad, that it until I took some sock scraps and ribbon and created a means to inhibit this little habit!

meet froglet! He is tied on with ribbon, but is only at best a good deterrent, as he can actual stretch off if the addict is finding the day a bit tough! Also, the addition of some nice fruity hand-cream, lovingly applied by mummy for those sucking blisters, can also help with that, esp at bed time. A bonus if you little one likes the smell!

And Daisy liked the idea of frogglet too,so that she asked for one, and wears hers at night!

Goat Doll - finished!

We completely know how to look after guinea pigs!

yes, I probably have watched too much Charlie and Lola!

Cute !

Another Hammy-Ham-Ham!

I made a rat at the upwey pottery!

Guessing game!

Pattern cutting, for Easter! But what is it?

We made a center parcs zip wire re-inactment video!

Lavender petite mouse!

another cute 3inch long pocket-pet made from tactile Sassy mini bear fabric and some hand-dyed wool-felt ears and tail!



Her Beady eyes are glass, and I twisted a strip of the wool felt to make a yarn-like tail!



She would like to meet Blue mouse, so is off to find him!

a long time ago ...

In the olden days (according my one of my 5 year olds) i.e. the mid 1990s, I was given an awesome wool cardigan by a friend, and I tell you, living in a cold Edinburgh flat I never had the thing off! And here is it in 2004 at ferret-bath-time!



and again in the garden on a fresh spring day in 2008, just before Mary came to join our tribe. That's her, in that amazing belly! The girls and I seem to be making a massive mud-pie!



But the cardigan got a nibble from a moth at one point, and the sleeves wore at the ends, and I did a bit of stitching and wore it some more. Once when it was looking very tired and stretched across the shoulders, it was washed at 40' instead of 30', which tightened it up again beautifully.

This Christmas though I bought a new woollen cardigan with money from my Mum, and felted old cardi in the machine at 65' with craft projects in mind. Flat-Cat was born from the sleeves, and looks great sat on my sofa. The tummy and muzzle are made from pieces of linen curtain off-cuts from a neighbour!



Yes, Old Cardigan is BACK!

We love our big sister!

Old Bear, well loved, seeks carer!

Here i am carefully stripping a dear old gent of a bear ... beloved companion to 2 generations, whos clothes are holding him together, and who could do with a bit of a rest!



I covered him in scrap fabric to form a pattern to create his twin, who actually might well make a nice girl friend for Andrew panda!



The same but different? I am sure they wont mind the age gap, and I hope my friends daughter enjoys unwrapping her on Christmas day! (I might sneak in to see her face!)

Putting the Cute into Balaclavas!

WE were recently blessed with a set of patterns for balaclavas, many of them jester style, and Daisy was very taken with them and of course then the other girls were too!

Here is Daisy, modelling the hat that Matty chose ... Mary chose the pink fabric and so we used t hat for embellishments to make each one unique!



Mary wears her own, and Matty wears Daisy's, all featuring ribbing made from a recycled T-shirts that was getting small for mary!


And we were warmer on bonfire night too!

Himmy-marked Ross-Rat ...

Rather pleased with this cuddly little chap ... One of my dearest rats was a Himmy marked boy, called Rufus, and he looked just like this! He used to travel Intercity trains with me during my student days, perhaps i ought to share some of our adventures with you sometime?

what's in a name?

really enjoyed creating this little girl's name!

Fairies to Go!

Flower Fairy dolls in a handmade basket they can rest in!

these are basically dressed sock dolls, and were good fun to make!