Even your collections have collections within them.
The collection I am going to share with you today I blame on Ellen Church ! Yes Ellen you ! It's no good shaking your head and looking elsewhere... it was down to you that this collection started.... it's down to me in how far it's come on ! but it was seeing the following photo's of Ellen's that set me on my path....
and this is one of the photo's that set me on my quest
Gorgeous Sasha's in Gorgeous Coats and Dresses.
Then I bought my Dungaree's girl Paige from Shelly and Paige had belonged to Ellen who very kindly sent along a couple of Paige's outfits so that she'd feel more at home.
And one was this beautiful smocked dress by Karen Warnaka . Well then Ellen showed off her No navel's in Karen's coats and dresses and well I was hooked!
So over the last few years I have been slowing building up my Collection of dresses and coats by Karen.
When I was sorting out some of the things from my Sasha room, I decided to share my collection with you.
Like any good collector I have a variety of colours in these hooded coats.
I also have one in white which is as usual not in the box!
Believe it or not , I have even bought some for friends as presents and I confess It was VERY hard to give them away!
I set about getting some coats with dresses to match. I managed to get a lemon coat to match the first dress that belongs to Paige.
I wanted them for my No Navel girls. However I now have a lot more No Navels than when I first started.
Look so good outside in the garden, so full of colour.
Naturally while looking on Karen's Etsy site I would be lucky enough to find she had put some dresses or coats in her shop and would quickly send a request to buy if one took my fancy and funds were available.
So over the years have acquired a lovely selection of smocked dresses is gorgeous floral fabrics.
I also have one in an Alice in wonderland print and one with long sleeves.
This was one of the first I managed to buy. I love this design which was first worn by Ginny.
The long sleeved dress in a lovely blue.
A closer look at these gorgeous fabrics that Karen uses.
These two still have their tags and you can just see some packing in the sleeve on the right.They are still to be used.
Each with wonderful smocking.
Some of the first summer jackets that I managed to buy off Karen's site.
And now Karen has designed a new Jacket style which I love! I was lucky to get hold of this plum one.
I see another addition to this collection coming on.... oh no........ I love it!!
So this is the first of my collections in a collection that I am going to show you.Now before you all or only a few of you rush off in search of Karen, please remember she is just one woman , a very talented craftswoman who like us all lives a life outside of Sasha, and therefore produces a limited amount of goods monthly, so you will need to bide your time and wait for something to appear that strikes your fancy and hope you are the person who secures it. Also if you are not living in the US you will need to be willing to pay customs charges if your packet goes through customs. Some of mine have and it's added a pretty penny but quite a few have not.
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Look so good outside in the garden, so full of colour.
Naturally while looking on Karen's Etsy site I would be lucky enough to find she had put some dresses or coats in her shop and would quickly send a request to buy if one took my fancy and funds were available.
So over the years have acquired a lovely selection of smocked dresses is gorgeous floral fabrics.
I also have one in an Alice in wonderland print and one with long sleeves.
A closer look at these gorgeous fabrics that Karen uses.
These two still have their tags and you can just see some packing in the sleeve on the right.They are still to be used.
Each with wonderful smocking.
Some of the first summer jackets that I managed to buy off Karen's site.
And now Karen has designed a new Jacket style which I love! I was lucky to get hold of this plum one.
I see another addition to this collection coming on.... oh no........ I love it!!
So this is the first of my collections in a collection that I am going to show you.Now before you all or only a few of you rush off in search of Karen, please remember she is just one woman , a very talented craftswoman who like us all lives a life outside of Sasha, and therefore produces a limited amount of goods monthly, so you will need to bide your time and wait for something to appear that strikes your fancy and hope you are the person who secures it. Also if you are not living in the US you will need to be willing to pay customs charges if your packet goes through customs. Some of mine have and it's added a pretty penny but quite a few have not.
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GROAN -Dee you are impossible!
ReplyDeleteJust when I forget about the beauty of work such as Karen's,. you pop up and remind me and, more importantly, my girls. They only have two Karen jackets between them and I can hear raised voices as discussion now rages as to who need them most this autumn. What's a Sasha mummy to do?????
What can I say Jenni ? It''s a skill! :) One should never forget about the beauty of Karen's work shame on you! :)
DeleteI'm sure your girls will come to an agreement or maybe blows! Just hope they don't pull them apart while make an informed decision ;) :)xxx
They bloomin' well better not tear them apart!
DeleteI've worked out that, including items for the wedding, I've only spent one third as much on my clothing as I spent on their clothes over the last 3 years! I mean, there should be a limit and VANDALISM is my limit - so those girls have been warned.....not so much as a pair of knickers for them ever again if they tear up the lovely things they already share.......
Mind you, as Sharon might testify, knickers are one of the least comon garments in the dolly wardrobe round here..out of sight, out of mind. No cartwheels allowed girls!!
Forgot to mention ..... HOW DARE YOU SHOW THOSE FAB SMOCKED DRESSES TO MY GIRLS! Don't you know I have an army of demanding little misses who now all want one of them each? ARE YOU TRYING TO BANKRUPT US AT BRYN DERW!!!!!
DeleteAnd then to have the cheek to blame poor, innocent Ellen, who is so kind as to allow you to live out your smocking dreams vicariously through the Sashas! If I were Lindsey, I'd be running for the hills. Rretty as they are on little girls, at her age, I'm sure she fears waking up bedecked in a smocked dress a la 9 year old because of her mother's obsession.
Maybe we all need to start collection Knickers! so these more mites don't suffer from frost bite in the coming Winter!
DeleteEvery Sasha deserves at least one smocked dress be it by Karen or another talented seamstress and should that bankrupt you , well please don't take up the whole bench as I will need somewhere to sit too! ;) x
So that's why Lindsey's gone to live at Lauren's for the next fortnight! She said it was to house sit while Lauren's on holiday and nothing to do with me holding pretty floral fabric up to her chin and talking stitching designs... I'll just pop round with my fabric and make sure it's the right size... I mean she's all right!
Dee you have an addictive personality, thank goodness you never got into illegal stuff LOL.
ReplyDeleteThe dresses, jackets and coats are beautiful, such a lovely array of colours and fabrics. You were lucky to secure these wonderful outfits!
I look forward to seeing the rest of your collections within collections! :)
xxx
Moi! :) I have a collector personality , totally different :) Plus a Love of Colour, beauty and style all of which are represented in Karen's and my I say Your work.
DeleteI just cannot do dreary or sacks or blah ! I tell Lauren , if she ever puts me in a home, I will need my own things about me , I don't do magnolia!!! lol xxx
Wow wee Dee!!! What a fantastic post!!! Though I can see you pointing a finger at poor Ellen and then Karen.....but at least you did acknowledge your part in acquiring such an amazing collection of Karen's dresses and coats not to mention your amazing collection of no navel girls. :)
ReplyDeleteI also fell more in love with Sasha dolls and Karen's outfits after seeing Ellen's posts!!! I was in total awe of her amazing ability to put all of the Sashas together perfectly in pastel harmony and that is pure joy to see! But, my finger pointing for falling for Sasha dolls is also directed to Kendal and her wonderful blog and her photos of amazing Sasha dolls and outfits. Between Kendal and Ellen, I was and still am a goner for Sashas and their outfits!!
Karen's smocking is so very wonderful and I feel very lucky if I get one of her dresses or coats because they sell out very fast. I first met Karen at the Cincinnati Festival in 2013 and was able to buy my first dresses and jackets from her. Lately, I was lucky to nab a few of Karen's outfits on Shelly's site. I love the way you have displayed your dresses and coats. They look so beautiful on your nice wooden rack and special hangers too. You might have to invest in more wooden racks and more hangers too with Karen's lovely new jacket looking kind of lonely! A very wonderful post and thank you! :) xxx
:)) I am nothing if not honest Ginger I know that Ellen may have introduced me to the talents of Karen but it was me who jumped in feet first to acquire a small selection of her garments :)
DeleteYou can see the artistry in both Ellen's and Kendal's Sasha's , their clothes and photos. I see them as two sides of the same coin, Ellen for the US and Kendal for the UK. In fact the pair of them have a lot to answer for! lol :))
I wish I could have walked up to a sales table full of Karen's work ! But then again I would have probably had to come home and sell a couple of Sasha's to pay the bill for all the outfits I would have wanted!
I need another clothes rack from K&D but they are pretending to be retired and not making any more at present and I so wanted to get one of these in blue. I must confess Karen's new jacket will not be alone for long..... :)xxx
Wow wow wow - what a collection. Now I see why when I find a new outfit by Karen it's already sold!
ReplyDeleteI must say they look so good together in all the lovely colours. Do all your girls have an outfit or are you collecting a full set?
It's taken a few years to gather all these in! But well worth the effort I believe. I think almost all the girls have a dress now or I could be wrong as I don't actually count my dolls and they tend to come and go at certain times, so not sure.
DeleteNow I tend to buy if I see one I love and that's not already sold! :)
What glorious photos, both Ellen's and yours alike, serious eye candy in this blog! Absolute heaven :) keep going back to drool some more :) x
ReplyDeleteThank you Louise :) Ellen does have some wonderful Sasha's in wonderful clothes and I must say that I was pleased with the photo's showing them all together, warms my colour loving heart! :)xx
DeleteKeep coming back to have another look, one of my favourite blogs ever x
DeleteWhat a truly stunning and enviable post! Such beautiful garments and colours for us to enjoy and admire. I certainly wasn't aware of just how many of Karen's beautiful coats, dresses and jackets you had until now seeing them here in all their glory.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to mention that Denise gave my one of these fabulous hooded coats in pale blue for my birthday, last year but one and Ellen herself sent me a delightfully embroidered lilac jacket as a thank you for my Sasha blog which she said that she enjoyed viewing.
An extra thank you again to both of you for such wonderful gifts.
Am I thinking right that Karen used to be selling under the name of 'Karensyarn'? If so, then I must have been one of her very first customers many years ago.
PS. I'm pleased to see that there are twelve of the wooden hangers featured here on your wooden K&D clothes rack as you once mentioned that you thought that you had lost one after your first 'Shop Fronts' Chat n' Snap.
Thank you Kendal. I have to confess I did not quite realise just how many I had until I did the photo's for this post!
DeleteIt's hard to give them as presents but they are always appreciated as they rightly should be. At least five have passed through my hands on to others, I must have more strength than I realised!! lol
Yes Karenyarn is correct, that's her etsy shop name.
And yes I could not believe that I had found my missing hanger! but I did say I had probably lost it somewhere... the somewhere turned out to be amongst all my Sasha bits and pieces, I really must be more tidy!!:)xx
Wow! What a collection. You definitely need another clothes rail - maybe you need a wardrobe with lots of clothes rails in your studio for all your Sasha outfits rather than storing them in boxes. I am lucky enough to have my grandfather's tallboy as a clothes storage space for our collection of dolls clothes, but it only has one handing rail, not enough hangers so a lot of outfits are stored in boxes below those which use the hangers.
ReplyDeleteYes another clothes rail would be nice. I did have a hanging rail in my Sasha cupboard but that's now out in the studio and I won't keep any clothes out side encase any mice turn up!!
DeleteIf I can get another rail I may put them out on display in a glass cupboard , where they would be able to be admired when not in use!