Kavi Appreciation Day

 Today is Kavi Appreciation Day.

I think that Lila is cute and I hope that she does well for AG. I hope that releasing the GOTY early is a good financial decision for AG. AG has been struggling financially as a company lately, and I want them to do well.

The fact remains, though, that Kavi is getting a little bit cheated by releasing Lila early. So let's show her some love!

I took all of these pictures during a recent trip to Old World Wisconsin.

I would have loved to see Kavi's collection be a little less trendy, and a little more everyday. I think she looks better when dressed in clothes that are not part of her collection.

I also like her better without the painted eyelashes, but I am an old curmudgeon.

I would have loved to see the outfit that Kavi wore to see Wicked, and maybe some Indian food like samosas and dal.

What would you like to see for Kavi?

Apple picking

 Felicity and Kirsten are celebrating autumn by picking apples!

Thrift Store Find: Samantha's Ice Cream Parlor

 I went to the thrift store on Saturday, and I found an amazing haul!

They had the back wall of Samantha's Ice Cream Parlor.

It was marked as $12, but it had been there for thee weeks, and no one bought it, so it was marked down to $6.

$6 for this amazing piece, made of wood, with the gorgeous mirror and fake marbling!

It's my first Big Ticket Item, and it was definitely not something that I was looking for or that I had dreamed of owning.

It is amazing, though, and I am so happy to have it!

The thrift store did not have any other pieces from the set, as far as I could tell. I went around the store three times, looking for any of the pieces.

One drawback is that it is hard to take pictures of it without getting in the shot myself, due to the mirror.

I have been joking that this wouldn't be a problem if I was a vampire.

I didn't have much luck getting Samantha and Nellie to look the same way for a picture, either. 

What do you think, is it my best thrift store find yet? It might well be!

I know that finding any of the original pieces that belong to this set will probably be pricey, so that is not high on my list.

I may get the retro Our Generation milkshake maker to go with it for now, since the price is right.

Making Mini Books

 While I was in recovery from COVID, I was making a lot of mini books.

Sitting up was about all I could do, and making something gave me a sense of satisfaction. 

I made over 50 books. I am not sure how many, probably around 70. I stopped counting at 50.

I made the entire series of Phryne Fisher books! These are obviously under copyright, so they are just for me to enjoy.

These books are the right size for AG dolls, although they can be slightly oversized books for fashion dolls.

If you are interested in making mini books, I suggest checking out Jinjia Mixed Goods on Pixie Faire!

Here is a link to their shop.

Custom Tasha Doll from GBBO

 I was so excited when I saw that the Great British Bake Off has a Deaf baker this season.

Tasha looks like a very sweet and talented baker. I am very hearing impaired, so I love seeing the representation.

I decided impulsively that I wanted to make a custom doll of her. I wanted a blue eyed Joss mold with dark blonde hair.

I was really lucky. I was able to find a blue eyed Joss mold for sale.

This is the doll that I used as a base for Tasha. She has a straightened Caroline wig. I think she has modern Rapunzel vibes in this picture!

I found the perfect wig available at Zazou wigs. It was the last wig in this color.

Here's my first picture of Tasha the doll! With a picture of real Tasha next to her for comparison.

I need to make her a beige apron.

I look forward to watching this season of GBBO and cheering the real-life Tasha on.

I also look forward to spending time with my adorable new doll!

One thing to be aware of is that Tasha speaks British Sign Language. It is a totally different language than American Sign Language. I think it's sad that different English-speaking countries have different sign languages, which further isolates their Deaf speakers. 

Pattern review: Eden Ava Couture Hawaiian Sundress

 I bought an embroidered top at the thrift store, and I could immediately envision the doll dress that I wanted to make with it.

I used the Eden Ava Couture Hawaiian Sundress pattern. It matched very closely to the dress that I had in my head, and it was easy to use.

The difference is that I made the bodice an inch longer, in order to utilize more of the beautiful embroidery. I also made the neckline a V to echo the embroidery.

The material of the blouse was difficult to work with as it was thin. It turned out very well, though.

I love this dress! I wish that I had finished it before summer ended. I had a very busy summer, however, and I ended up getting COVID at the beginning of September.

This dress cost me very little because I bought the blouse at the thrift store that sells clothes by the pound. It probably cost me less than a dollar. If only all my doll clothes were so cheap!

Caddie Woodlawn

 I recently re-read the Caddie Woodlawn books by Carol Ryrie Brink.

I also got to visit the Caddie Woodlawn House in Wisconsin! It was amazing!

It's a real house, it's free, and there is free admission. It's 35 minutes from the Laura Ingalls Wilder Wayside Cabin in Pepin. I highly recommend it!

I am itching to make Caddie's white Fourth of July dress with a  red, white and blue sash.

The book illustration shows the dress looking a lot like Meg's Ball Gown By Keeper Dolly Duds.

Caddie is in the center. The dress on the left looks more 1850s to me.

I bet that the real dress was much simpler, especially since Caddie's mother knew that there was a good dress that the dress would be ruined.

I think that I might make more than one version of the dress. A book illustration one and a more practical one.

I am itching for a day to sew!

I also want to make a a 1830s doll wardrobe like Mrs. Nightingale's doll Adelaide.