IN PRAISE OF FRANCES.....

Now since I have been collecting my family of Sasha's and Gregor's and looking on ebay for clothes for them I have been buying clothes from Frances who sells under the ebay name egdonbooks.

If you have never bought any of Frances's clothes you have been missing out. She uses the very best of fabrics and makes the most beautiful clothes, with detailing second to none. When I first started to acquire her work, I did not have to pay too much and got some of her outfits for much to cheap a price!

This I believe was due to her still building her reputation with purchasers. I am pleased to say that her last offerings on ebay when for a lot more now that people know the quality of her work, which is lovely for her but will make it harder to obtain one of her beautifully made out fits.

Below is some of her work that I have been lucky enough to acquire.

This lovely satin dress in mid blue with matching pants.

Satin and a peach floaty overskirt.

A nice pink with patterned top and a pale green sailor drop waist style dress.

Three more outfits showing the lovely detailing that is a sign of Frances work.

This pink dress was the first one I bought from Frances and I could not believe the detailing and quality of fabric.

This close up picture shows the perfectly matched colour ribbon flower detail.

This outfit is one of my favourites by Frances, a beautiful patterned dress with matching pants, a short jacket in grey with black detailing and a bow on the back and a sweet pillbox hat.

Back view of jacket.

A selection of the pants that come with the different outfits.

My most recent purchase from Frances this beautiful Purple velvet coat.

In my earlier post about Paris finally getting a name, she is wearing a Frances dress and pant set that I found for sale on Shelly's site , I recognised it straight away as one of hers, the detail stands out.

Well now I have let the cat out of the bag re the quality of Frances's work no doubt I'll have to pay more for anything else I want but thats fine by me, its time she reaps the rewards her work deserves.


I have done two blogs today, the second one after this is also about Frances but in another way.

SIX BALLERINA'S TAKE THEIR BOW...

Last year I bought a beautiful ballet outfit from Frances and it got me thinking about doing a ballet for my blog, so I asked Frances to make me several more dress sets in different colours. Which she very kindly did over the next few months.
I had planned to do the blog around christmas but was side tracked and what with one thing and another I have still not done it. One of the main problems being all the props I would need to be able to take the pictures.

So why I decide whether I'll ever actually do the Ballet I planned or change it so I can use more natural surrounding I have decided to show you some pictures of the beautiful outfits that Frances made and as been waiting to see in a group photo ever since!

Here is Miriam in the dress that set me off on my ballet idea.

It came with this lovely handmade headband.

Here is a beautiful red dress with a black undernet to keep colour of the red nice and deep, worn by Claudia.

Then we have Violet in a lovely blue set.

Evie is wearing the beautiful white set which really suits her.

I do love Evie's face and of course she is a red haired Sasha which as an extra appeal.

Sophie Elizabeth is wearing the black which I wanted for the bad dancer's outfit.

And here we have Sapphire pretty in pink.

Here are the twins together in their outfits.

Sophie Elizabeth and Evie showing you their Black and white look.

Miriam and Claudia in their dresses.

The girls begin to gather together.

Finally all six girls are together awaiting their call to dance.

Evie in the lead.

Sophie Elizabeth takes the lead.

It took ages to dress and photograph each outfit but everyone was beautiful to see and each sasha looked great in their outfit. I would dress one set her up then take a couple of pictures then leave her in place to admire as I dressed the next one. Evie was about the third one I dressed and as I sat dressing the next one I looked over at Evie and she looked so serious as if she was waiting in the wings of the theatre preparing herself to make her entrance! I took a couple of photo's of her hopefully the one below shows you this.

I hope you have enjoyed looking at all these beautiful dresses by Frances I cannot believe that it as taken me since last november to finally put these dresses on my girls! But now they will be Ballerina's in waiting on more.

W.A.I.F

There have been lots of discussions lately about waif,s and what makes a waif. People all have their own opinions but whatever they may be there are Sasha's and Gregors out there who despite their 'faults' are waiting to be taken in and loved by someone.

Children look beyond the gloss of a doll, they are not impressed if it is crisply dressed or perfectly clean and freshly new, they are only interested in playing with a doll and its appeal is in what they can do with her/him, take them to have a cup of pretend tea or tuck them snug in a bed or strip them naked and dunk them in the bath,puddle or mud ! or cut their hair into a more ' fashionable style' but however these dolls have been treated in their adventurous past they are now around for us to take in and love.

I think the word Waif should stand for Wonderfully And Impertfectly Fabulous...Because thats what they are!
They allow us to restyle or remove that old and 'stylish cut' given in the past, to disguise those scrapes and marks or repair a broken or twisted limb or just carry on giving them the love they had in the past which got them in their well worn condition.

I have two, what I call  W.A.I.F'S.

The first is the incorrigible Hattie who at sometime in the past was given a hair cut and when she arrived with me  I had my Hairdresser, Gill's daughter Zoe , give her hair a trim and she now has a lovely fashionale cut that is her trademark and she is a Sasha who demands attention, she is a fan of Helena Bonham Carter and likes to dress now and then like her Idol.

She has become a sasha who is a keeper.

My second W.A.I.F is Mitzi , now she was the very first waif I bought. I was going to buy her for my sister and I told my sister to look at her on Shelly's site. Well my sister emailed me to say that her daughter thought that the doll looked scary! and my sister did not like her look either, so under no circumstances was I to send her to them!!!

Well their loss was my gain! Shelly had said that Mitzi's eyes had some pink to them, which in truth I cannot see and she said that if I was not happy I could return her.
She arrived and I was smitten, she is a lovely petite 70's blonde, who again some young hairdresser had used for practice but not as short as Hattie, a very small tidy by me and she was fine. I loaned her to my friend Gill before she had her own Sasha and Mitzi had barely been in her home before she had worked her magic with Gill and she was buying a Sasha! The first of many!!

And Gill made me promise that if ever Mitzi was in need of a new home, she was to have first refusal!

look at her sweet little face ! Whats not to love?

When seen together Mitzi makes Hattie look like a giant.The seventies dolls are so lovely and small, which adds to their charm.

Both of these girls did not cost the going rate for a ' Perfect' Sasha but I would say that they have a little something extra that makes them more valuable in a non monetary sense.

So next time you are looking for a Sasha or Gregor to add to your family, dont rush past that doll thats looking a bit battered and worn , pause and spend a few minutes to truely look and see if you can see the character that is hidden beneath the surface, you never know what you may find!

Psst....

" Pssst Esme are you there?"

" Quick she's not there! lets get in position"
" Whose not there?"
" Esme"
" Esme?"
" Yes "
"Oh Ok"

" Come on everyone, get moving we have not got all day you know! "
" Hey Giggles, Look at all our treasure"
" Yes look at our treasure"
" Yes Its from mums knitting bag"
" Whats That white thing you are holding?"
" It's an E"
"that dont look like an E?"
"How would you know! " Argues Giggles
" Because look at the words under this picture and every time you say E LOOK LOOK see It goes like that not like That" says Cassie Camel pointing at the wooden letter.
" This things attacking me!!, Ow Ouch ouch " Harry Hog says as the letter digs into his chin

" Is that better?" asks Giggles having turned the letter round the right way
" Oh much better " says Harry Hog " its not digging in me any more" he sighs with relief
Giggles rolls his eyes and looks at Cassie Camel
" Yes that is the same as the word under the picture now"
" Good"

" What are you all doing! You are in the way of the letter!! "

"We want to be in the picture too!"
" yes and the treasure"
" Yes Treasure," " treasure" " I seem to be stuck in this treasure" they are all talking at once again

" Hello what is happening here? " asks Kirsty coming across all the blue noses together.

" Oh" "Humm" " Nothing" " Just resting" " Playing" " Thinking" they are again all talking at the same time!

" Well Its a surprise" says Giggles

" For who? " asks Kirsty
" Esme"

" Look we have her Letter E "

" Very good that is an E for Esme but why do you have it now ?" asks Kirsty

" Because its her Birthday on 23rd"

" Yes It WAS her birthday on the 23rd of January not February"
" who be  ary?"
" January not February, now is February" states Kirsty helpfully

" OH NO we got the wrong ARY!! " says Giggles " everyone clear up "
All the blue noses start moving everything to be put away.

"Well Who knew what an ary was anyway " they grumbled as they cleared up all their treasure and letters.

" Why have you got a letter P?" asked Kirsty
" Whose got a letter P?"
" Yes whose gota P"
" Thats rude! "
" what rude?"
" Having a P"
" Whose Having a P "
" You said you were "
"No I did NOT"
" Yes you did too"
"He had two P's?"
Kirsty heard all this as they carried away their treasure.

" Excuse me Kirsty "

" Yes Bubba?"

" What is a January? "
" It's a month"
" And what is a month?"
" Well its part of a year, you have twelve you know"
" Do I?"
" Do you what?"
" Have twelve?"
" no a year as twelve, twelve months " stated Kirsty " It starts in January and ends in December"
" Really"
" Yes"

" Well if it starts in January and ends in December, where does February come from?"

" Its the second one "
" What year? theres another one?"

" Look Kirsty is telling Bubba a story lets listen"

Kirsty looks down to realise that all the blue noses have returned and are sitting listening.

They start calling out once they see she's seen them
" Tell us more about the Ary story" " Yes we want to know about decembers and years and 23rds!!"



" we want a story ,we wanta story"

" It's not a story it's a facT"
" whats a FacT??"
"Fat whose Fat?"
" She did not say Fat she said FacT with a BIG T"
" Well she had better not have said Fat or mum will tell her off!"
" She did not say F....A....T"

" what's this story about then? Does it have pirates? if it as pirates we'd better call Toby, he loves a pirate story!"

" It is NOT A STORY" says Kirsty begining to lose her patience

" Well why not" " yeh why not" " all sounds like a story to me, january , february ,fairy fairy Ha Ha its a fairy story ..why did you not say it was a fairy story...we love fairy stories" thay all start talking together as Kirsty closes her eyes in disbelief.

" Psst Esme........HAPPY BIRTHDAY .......even if its not january...."

A LITTLE BIT OF SASHA EYE CANDY...

Today is lovely and clear with a crispness to the air, makes one believe that spring is some where out there biding her time so I thought I would put on another of Ellen Church's wonderful pictures of her Sasha's.

They look lovely and fresh in spring colours, they look like they are queuing for something?

Maybe they are waiting to go back into class? or to catch a bus for a trip out to the seaside or woods? or maybe they are waiting to have their photo taken by Ellen?

HATTIE RECEIVES A PACKET.......

Today Hattie received a packet in the post from her friend Lottie, she was very excited and could barely wait for the postman to leave before she was opening it.

Mmmm Hattie its a very big packet!

She has wrapped it up well so it does not get damaged.

Oh Its one of them big trendy handbags in a nice blue. That was very kind of Lottie to send you one.

It looks quite big? Oh I see its supposed to! Yes  its true I do not know much about Fashion and trends etc, I leave that up to you Hattie.
Where are you going? Your off to phone Lottie for a chat! Well dont be on there long it costs a fortune! Your going to what her? Skype? that sounds a bit painful!  No thats true I'm way behind the times and have no idea whats what or whos whos, just make sure you dont hurt her when you skype her, I'm off for a sit down and a cuppa all this technical talk has given me a headache.

LOTTIE WAITS FOR HATTIE.................

Gill sent a picture of Lottie who waited in all day for Hattie to arrive!

She kept going to the door and looking out to see if Hattie was walking up the path...but she never arrived....

That evening two young misses took over the computers in their homes and emails were flying back and forth........what are they up to?.........

HATTIE DRESSES FOR THE SNOW!

Hattie decided that she would go and visit her friend Lottie at Gill's today, how she thought she would get there in the snow that had fallen overnight I have no idea!

Also we had a disagreement about the correct clothes to wear for snowy weather!

"I think you need to put on some trousers and a coat and hat Harriet"

" Mum! My tights are really thick and toasty warm" explains Hattie

" Good, then they'll be really warm under a nice pair of trousers"

" But then you wont see my boots!"

" Then put on a different pair and a coat!"

" I cannot stand out here all day argueing about it mum! I'm going back indoors" states Hattie in a huff " dont you know its freezing out here!"