LAST SUNDAY IN FEB

 

Yes, that is correct, this is the last Sunday of February , although there is still six more days to go. The weather in the UK has been awful, grey and raining every day. Yes we have had the odd glimmer of sun fighting it's way through but only now and then. Today after a wet start it is at least now dry and although plenty of cloud, it looks much brighter than it's been.

So this week it's been a fair bit about getting in the wardrobes , then filling them with our clothes. We both still need to be hard and throw things out but for now we are just glad they are in. By putting in the second set of wardrobes opposite the first, we now no longer need to have the chest of drawers in the room, as each wardrobe has drawers inside.  

Naturally now we have changed the layout , the plans of what we were doing have had to be changed.

My 'old lady' wallpaper is now really not going to suit. So a search is on for another more suitable one. Samples have been sent for, so hopefully one will be right. Mind you, not that we are any where near being ready to paper any walls, but we need to pick a wallpaper in order to then, pick what paint colour we want to go with it. 

We did have a good result in that I sold one of our chest of drawers within a few hours of it going on eBay, so at least one set has a new home and will soon be out the way. I sometimes feel like I could do with a garage sale to try and get rid of loads of bits and pieces in one go , rather than a bit here and there! I may think about having one in the Spring if there are still things without homes and needing to go.

Being half term, we went to see our grandchildren and had a lovely time with them and their parents. We were lucky in that it was just a fine misty rain at first, so the two hour journey there was okay, the nearly three hour journey back due to traffic build up was not quite so good !

So still working on house things at present although I did start knitting for one of the dolls.

My swap doll arrived safely and I am so happy I did the swap. It's nice to get a 'new' doll which actually having to sell others to pay for it.

I'm looking forward to changing her outfit and including her in my doll photos.

I also cleared a load of photos off my phone onto the laptop, does anyone else save pictures of items they think would be worth making for their dolls etc. I am very good at saving the photos but actually putting the ideas into use is another matter entirely ! 

Although I did used to pull pages out of magazines and would on occasion land up buying the item shown for the house. I need to find that mojo and start making/trying out these ideas! 

Today's headliner is Paige, my first ever dungaree's girl, who I had for a long time but foolishly sold a few years back , yes another mistake , she was such a sweet dungaree's girl who had a very young look about her. 

I've been talking to a friend and she said we should stop buying fine and only buy wow ! dolls. which is true, we should only try to buy the dolls that are truly beautiful, at least to us, as we all have different tastes as to what is wow and what is just fine. 

There are a couple of dolls I would love to add to my Sasha collection and only time and available funds will tell, and of course them coming up for adoption ! Luckily I have never had a big NP need. I love some of them and a few have actually managed to make their way here but usually they then make their way off again within a few months! So at least that's not on my list ! 

On the doll front. I did sell a baby Sasha boy this week, so he's gone off to a new home. My layaway is nearly paid for, so she also should turn up this week. So a one in , one out week. 

Then I need to stop buying and start selling , something I seem to have trouble with lol.

On that note I'm off to redress a few of my poor Gregors, who are still wearing shorts !!

Have a lovely happy healthy week ahead 

Dee

DRAWERING ON

 

So while I was taking photos for St Valentine's day and using the drawer, due to be put into the new wardrobe, I took a few more photo's. 

I started with any dolls to hand that were wearing red, for the Valentine's day theme.

Valentine was happy to help Cleo with her dancing.

It's a shame I could not keep one out for future photo shoots but then I'd need to store it somewhere , so probably for the best.

I thought it would be a good opportunity to take a couple of photos of all my no navels together.

 From the left, Sienna , Madeleine, Willow and Ashley

From the left Ginny, Martha, Saffron and Cilla 

Just need a couple, at least , brunettes . . . . . . . . :)

SUNDAY SUNDAY , YES IT IS SUNDAY !

 

 

Well what a week that turned out to be ! For starters, we could not get the largest middle section of the wardrobe out the bedroom door ! No matter how or which was it was turned it was not happening ! We could also not remember how we got it in! 

So Paul said I'd best go cancel the sale, which I did and he and the girls, had a rest and our eldest who had stayed to help went off home . Then Paul decided to try taking it apart but feared it could be glued along with the screws and could get damaged. So it turned out it was not glued and therefore he must have taken it apart before , when it went in ! I'd still got the man's number, so gave him a call and asked if he'd still like it and did he want the middle section left in pieces to put together himself? He said yes and yes so Paul did not have to put it back together and then find somewhere for it to stay overnight !

Which meant the wardrobe was off by Monday afternoon and the internals for the new ones , ordered and  arrived Friday.

So as I type Paul is putting them up and in. Which means the bedroom re do is finally under way after only about twenty years of waiting  . . . . . .

On another matters, three times I started knitting a jacket exactly like the red one, only to go wrong and have to start again ! Once it happened a third time I gave up, deciding I'd find another pattern to use as that one would have needed tweaking, but since that was late at night and the patterns were out in the doll studio, I decided to make up some more small squares, since I already had about ten sitting around.

I made up a small Sasha/ Gregor sized blanket for a bed or just for picnic's. So at least something got make.

Yesterday when I needed to take some photo's for a Valentines day post, I required a nice white backdrop! 

My daughter Lindsey's coming upon me while I was at 'work' said " You use everything don't you ! "

What can I say ? If there is the drawers to the new wardrobe standing about and it turns out they are the perfect size for Sasha's well. . . . . . .

Today's headline is an oldie but goodie, a row of no navel's wearing vintage Sasha ( Sarah W ) dungarees two of my most favourite things. 

So on the doll front, my swap should be arriving this week, the doll I sent has arrived safely and the new mum is very happy. My doll is in the country and through customs and on her way to a local hub to be then be delivered.

My layaway should also arrive soon, by the end of the month.

 Since the weather is still cold and wet, no interest in going into the studio to start getting that sorted, so at present concentrating on the bedroom. Today so far it's not stopped raining for more than a few minutes and is very cold , so looking forward to when Spring gets here and hopefully it starts to warm up a bit.

On that note I will wish you all a lovely happy healthy doll filled week ahead.

Dee

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

 Roses are red

Violets are blue

I could dance all night long

But only with you 

Wishing you all a happy Valentines day and also our lad here , Valentine, a happy birthday.

AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR /EIGHT

 

So I was just saving Madelaine from the adoption list when I happened upon a no navel for sale on ebay.  I had no intention of buying another blonde, since it's brunette's that I am lacking but apart from a wayward fringe her hair looked lovely.

But unlike my other three blonde girls , her eyes are the half painted and in her case very well done.

So as you can see I placed a bid and much to my surprise no one else bid on her.

I have named her Sienna and she's been dressed in a new Petrana dress and Rosie Bloom shoes.

While Sienna was getting changed , Madelaine asked if she could get changed too. So she is also dressed in a Petrana dress and Rosie Bloom shoes.

A close up 

Sienna is a little smaller than Madelaine which is sweet. 

So then there were four ! Well four blondes and also four red heads, so now do I need four brunettes ! I'll be lucky to find one , so we'll have to see how that works out ! 

SUNDAY SO SOON

 

Well what a wet old week it's been here ! I am getting fed up of all this rain and grey sky. It would appear that the sun has lost that hat that it likes to put on and it's not coming out to play any time soon !

Some parts of the country are getting a months rain in a day on top of previous rain that's already soaked the ground. So not a good time for some people in area's where they get flooding. So a change to some nice cold but bright sunny days would be good for everyone.   

On Tuesday we had lunch with our friends and talk of decorating occurred that made me decide it was time, once back home, to get on with our bedroom before Spring arrives and Paul's back outside wanting to deal with the garden. So I finally took the photos of our large pine wardrobe and put it on ebay and much to my delight it was sold in a couple of hours and due to be collected on Monday.

So now it's going , next week I will order the parts for the fitted wardrobe that will take it's place and then the refitting and decorating of our bedroom will finally get underway. 

At last it seems everyone's waking back up from the aftermath of Christmas and the January slump, where we are all recovering from all the spending around Christmas and the sales, although they even they were said to be quite quiet this year.

so my knitting has turned into a jacket !

The finished jacket shown on a Roche doll. I'm pleased with how it turned out and will tweak the pattern to make a slightly altered style. The next thing to knit.

If you read yesterday's blog post , you will have seen that I almost sold one of my newer to me, no navel dolls. But I really didn't want to part with her, so pulled her off and found another way to get the doll I was after and did a swap with another doll, so sorted.

Today's headliner is a pot of Sasha babies from years back all of who were sold a long time back when I did a big cull of my babies and went down to just Elton Ron. However last year I went of a spending spree on , of all things, babies !! Going from one to double figures in no time.

Naturally once I had all those babies I was wondering if I'd been hit on the head ! So I did sell a few off to reduce them down to a more reasonable figure.

So on the sales front, I have sold a wardrobe plus two dolls, one big Sasha and one baby. These two dolls were sales towards my small layaway of a Sasha.  Finally I can have a rest from selling until the spring when I can go look out all the props etc that I could really sell as they are not being used. Which would give me some space and some doll money for the summer.

I don't know how many of you are still selling on ebay but I am constantly finding people making offers on dolls that are not only a big drop but they include me 'paying the buyers insurance! So I'd get even less ! When I put items on to sell I usually have dropped the price already by taking into account how much the overall price will be once they have added the 'buyer's Insurance ' which means when people come along and want a doll for next to nothing and want me to pay the buyers insurance on top , I get mightily annoyed. 

Well that's me moan for the month and with that I will wish you all a lovely healthy fun filled week ahead.

Dee

OH NO! WHERE DID THEY ALL GO !

 

So yet again one sees the error of their ways ! That one being me and the error being my chasing of another doll over the years.

When I see the photos of the no navel dolls that lived here in the village and that I have foolishly moved on, no doubt in order to buy some other doll that's taken my fancy or when I have had my almost yearly cull when I think there are too many dolls just standing about ! 

I did at one stage have around twelve no navel girls all together living here. But if I was to be able to count them up I would expect I have owned around twenty or even a few more ! 

It's probably lucky I cannot remember who bought most of them or I would be sending emails asking if they'd like to sell some of them back to me !

I cannot quite believe what gems I actually owned and sold on !!

Winter and Raven standing either side of the middle girl, were my first brunettes .

Three brunette's in this photo and at present I do even own one !! That will be on my radar to add back into my collection this year.

At least Martha and Ashley are still with me, but then Ashley was my first ever blonde NN and Martha was my Holy Grail doll, a red haired full blue eyed lass. While others searched for NP's I searched for her.

Seven of the ten dolls above are no navels.

 x

Even a no navel boy, extreme rare , came to stay but just for a while. Why only a while you ask ? Because he was too rare and too perfect ! But it was nice to have him come and stay for a while before going off to a new home.

Still here is Ginny , my first ever no navel, who is a waif and was the doll that made be fall in love with the no navel sculpt.

Still here is Ashley , my second ever no navel doll , who totally confirmed what beautiful dolls they are.

Of course Martha, the HG is still here 

Here is the lovely Saffron, a beautiful re root who came to live here a long time back now.

A new arrival last year, arrived to help increase the no navel numbers. I do love the dolls with short hair.

Now this little NN arrival used to belong to Gill but she then went off to the US for a few years, then when I saw her , I was good and pointed her out to Gill but Gill is much batter than me at being good. So she said she'd love her but was being good, so I bought her.

The last in at present is this waif with a short fringe. She had a bad arm, which we fixed with a new arm hook. I did put her up for sale towards another doll but then realised what I was doing, so pulled her off and found another way to get the doll I was after , a non Sasha, by doing a swap instead.

So at present I have three blondes and four red heads. 

Which means I will be on the look out for a lovely brunette or two and maybe another brown eyed blonde later in the year.