Counting My Christmas Blessings

 The holidays can be a hard time for some.  Remembering

those loved ones who are no longer with us. Missing friends

or family we don't get to spend the holidays with.

Speaking for myself, the struggle between appreciating all that

I have, and wanting more for my children often creates

  a little hole in my heart. This year has brought many struggles.

   

 But at the end of the day

I have so many blessings to count.  Life has so many challenges,

but the rewards are abundant.

  

I hope that this Holiday Season brings much love, joy and laughter

to your life. I hope the fun of spending a little time with a friend, or

reading a book to your child, or decorating a ginger bread house,

 reminds you that EACH DAY IS SPECIAL.  

Enjoy the season and remember to count

your Christmas blessings!

*All these beautiful pieces can be found on Etsy. 

Click on the image to learn more.

Last Few Cuties...

Trying to squeeze sewing into my very BUSY, HECTIC, AND 

OFTEN CRAZY schedule has been a bit tough. 

Obviously I've been MIA from my blog since the end of October. 

THESE ARE SOME GIRLS FROM THE LAST MONTH!

It's nearly December now, Christmas is just around the corner.

Today as the clouds cover the sky, I'm taking the opportunity to

work on the last three custom dolls of this holiday season.

I'm going to take a deep breath and count my blessings. 

I hope you can do the same. 

Happy Friday!

-Di

 

Bits and Pieces

As the holidays rapidly approach I've been keeping both

my fingers and sewing machine quite busy.  

Here's a recap of the last few CUSTOM CUTIES that

made their way home. 

I hope your day is filled with sunshine and laughter.

-Di

Snuggle Bugs

Remember this little lady?

Well, this is how my little ladies turned out.

I should've called them SNUGGLE BUGS!

 Wow...I've been a little behind on posting pictures. These 

were some little cuties specially made for a sweet friend

of mine.  I was very happy with the end result.

I've been spending a lot of extra time in the garden these past 

few weeks.  I took a job with a local nursery. It's been a 

wonderful new adventure for me. Lots of twists and turns.

Sadly, it won't leave as much time as I'd like for creating.

I'll do my best to keep up. I'm still taking custom orders for 

the holidays and plugging away.

It's back to the nursery in the morning where I can spy 

on some real ladybugs. 

This Little Lady

 

With the kids back in school (silent cheer), I've had a 

little more time to devote to new and clever projects.

I'm working on some special little ladies right now

inspired by one of nature's sweetest garden protectors. 

You'll have to be the judge on how I do!

So glad it's Friday...aren't you?

Sitting Pretty

Meg and Dottie stopped by the shop for just a bit. Snatched

up and heading home to some very lucky little ladies.

I'm working on a new custom design for a sweet friend.

It will be good to get this brain movin' on some 

new products. I'll show you the end result soon.

Have a wonderful weekend 

-Di

Lets Hit the Books!

Vintage books with vibrant covers

Before the days of white boards and laptops...hand sharpened pencils

Remember the standard for lunches?

Reese and Ivy are ready for back to school too!

It's time to get the kids back to school (sniff sniff). It's always

a bitter sweet time for me. I will miss the lazy days of

summer. I will relish in the opportunity to actually get some 

stuff done!

Here's hoping you and yours had an amazing summer together. 

NOW LETS HIT THE BOOKS!

Feline Friends

Finally got the opportunity to create a few kitties for the shop. 
Chenille is getting harder and harder to find...(sad face). 

I've come across some shops that sell some really fun colors,
although I'm missing the crayon chenille that used to be
readily availablea few years back. 
The new chenille is much 'chunkier' and
more difficult to work with.  I'll continue my quest.

I hope these little feline friends inspire you to make something
cuddly. 

 

Creative time

My daughter and I were going through some of my sketches 

when we came across this cutie.  

She gasped 'ooooh, mom, when you going to make this one?"

I guess now that my custom orders are finally all

shipped out (silent cheer), I'll get working on some new designs.

Stay tuned! Happy Monday! -Di

Some New Faces

Little Ireland

Cuddly Giselle

I just added these cuties to the shop. 

 I've had a bit of a bummer week. I won't

go into all the boring details but it's been challenging. 

The latest riff is that my PC bit the dust 

(which is never a good thing) but to make things

worse, my back up lap-top is now struggling.

It's a good thing these little girls bring so much joy to my day. I woke

 up today with a new appreciation for the simpler things:

 fabric, needle and thread.

Please bear with me while I figure out a solution. 

I hope your week is filled with nothing by healthy, happy moments 

and no technological disasters...heehe 

-Dianne

International Inspiration

Beautiful and picturesque China - it seems a world away

I've always been fascinated by Chinese dress and culture

I found these sweet illustrations on line.

...and then there's my doll.  I think little 'h' turned out pretty cute.

I've been wanting to create more dolls with international flare.  

 I was so  excited when asked to create a little doll for Hadley.

 Modern but still capturing her Chinese heritage.

Little Birdie...How I've Missed You!

My original 'Belle the Blue Bird' design

A new little pillow just for Sweet Emma

All done!

It's been way to long since I've been able to create

a custom pillow.  

It was such a nice reprieve working on this special one

for a dear customer.  She's welcoming a new little girl

into her life. A little sister for Landon. They wanted to 

use the same baby bedding, so she asked me to create

a girly pillow just for her precious little Emma.

I used some of the original fabrics but threw in some

adorable 'girly' prints. 

Big Brother Landon's original custom pillow

Landon's Elephant

Crochet Away!

I'll goo and gaa over anything crochet! 

An art form I'd love to learn.

Check out some of the most amazing 

CROCHET FINDS ON ETSY!

Rose Hip

 Rose Hip has the most dreamy pillow cases. 

I love each and every one!

I could just stare at these all day. 

Who'd want to get out of bed when surrounded by these beauties?

Freya Toys

  Tanya at Freya Toys is astounding.  The details are unbelievable.

ANOTHER MUST HAVE ON YOUR FAVORITES LIST!

Click here to see Herbst Handmade

AMY of Herbst Handmade creates unique and

darling patterns. This is one of my favorites.

I think I'll have to start small, maybe a mini doll blanket and see

how I do...wish me luck!

I hope these beauties inspire you in some small way. 

I know they inspire me!

Happy Friday! - Dianne

Simple Snuggles

Little 'J' seeing her doll for the very first time!

 

 

 

The first hug!

So Precious! These moments never get old. 

Sewing the Blues

 

I never hide the fact that I LOVE AQUA!

It's been my favorite hue for as long

as I can remember. These days I've been on the hunt for

some of the loveliest aqua fabrics.

 It hasn't been easy. I'm pretty picky when

it comes to my precious blue...

Happy Weekend! - D

Pile of Pretties

TGIM! I love Mondays...I know, weird huh? That's ok.  

I love them because my work surface is clean, cleared out

 and ready for another crazy week!

Just a pile of pretties waiting for their details. 

Painting, fluffing and stitching are in my plans today. 

They'll be making their way home very soon.

Happy Monday to you all  -D

Blue Skies

The skies are dark and dreary today. It's been that way all week.

As I took a break from sewing I went outside and could see 

the sun playing peek-a-boo

I miss the Sun. It's been hiding for quite some time now. 

Here's hoping your day is filled with glorious warm sun and sweet laughter.  

Happy Thursday!

-D