Love on a Plate

I find hearts in all kinds of places. yes the steak really came out of the pkg just like this, well, it was raw so I broiled it, but hey, you get the drift..... This was last night's dinner.....yummmm. I'll just call this Love on a Plate:
'Nuff said.......

Challenge Done!!

Well, this went better than I thought. I ended up using size 12 perle cotton and a size 11 steel hook with great success. At first I thought the size 12 perle might be too big and that I'd be diving through my stash for my size 80 tatting cotton, but it worked nice. I don't think it looks too bulky on them. I even managed tiny 'diapers' for their bottoms.

No booties this time. no way. not on those microscopic feet! LOL. The little long dresses came out wonderful and I'm very pleased with the lacey bonnets. So, here's the twins all warm and snuggly.

New Challenge

I'm challenging myself again. Anyone that knows me, knows that this is a HUGE challenge to myself. I really don't like teenytiny, miniature stuff. oh, it's awesome as long as someone else has done it. I love to admire stuff and I'm in awe at the gals that love to do miniature. Anyway, someone gave me a set of twin dollhouse babies. Really teenyweenytiney babies. Here's a picture of one of them on a ruler. yup, that's only 1 3/4inches long

teenyweenytiney....
So I have these poor nakey babies that have been that way for almost a year now. I guess it's time to make them some dresses. I really do love a challenge so I've gotten out my size 12 perle cotton and size 12 steel hook.........more to come in a few days.....this will be a good project while I watch it snow....and snow.....and snow....and snow............(that great lake effect snow is just chugging away at full speed)....I'm off to crochet.

More French Fashion Shoes

I've made another pair of shoes. I'm hoping to teach these as a workshop next summer. They fit a 12" French Fashion doll.

The box is just a prototype but I've got it worked out to a perfect fit for the shoes. I'm going to make it in a pretty color with some lovely graphics for the lid.

Gosh I just love making shoes......

Doll shoes

My poor dear PUF(Petite Ultimate Fashion)doll Marie Terese was in desperate need of shoes so I made her a pair today. Cream Silk shoes with leather soles. I pulled the threads from the silk to make the little tassels (yes, I do crazy stuff like that! LOL) and the ribbons and ties are silk ribbon.

I also made a pair of maroon silk shoes for my 12" French Fashion. I needed to get this size down pat because I need to send of samples. I'm pretty happy with them so now I need to make a couple more pairs for samples. Maybe a luscious chocolate pair and pair in cream.....hmmmmm....

Second baby done!

Today I finished the second little baby's crocheted outfit. This doll is a bit bigger at 3 3/4inches head to toe. LOL. Yeah, I know, not much bigger huh? A more traditional baby gown and oh so pretty.

More tiny booties,

a 'diaper' with ruffles on the butt and ties on the sides,

sweet little bonnet and long gown. I must say I've had fun crocheting for these two little darlings. I'll deliver these two in Saturday. I think she'll like them don't you?

.....now I'm going to vacuum and clean my carpets.....

Joey tries a new chair

Ah yes, Deputy Dipshit strikes again..... LOL. Poor Daddy is sick with the flu/cold virus that's going around and is spending lots of time in the recliner (easier to breathe sitting up). After much pacing and I'm sure measuring and sizing things up in his little pea brain, our sweet Not So Little Joey decided that if Daddy was comfortable in the recliner he wanted to see what it was all about. What a hoot. Honestly this dam poodle thinks he's only teacup size. He just climbed right up into Daddy's lap. He looked over at me and stuck his tongue out. Then, quite pathetically he threw himself across Daddy in a super sympathy "pet-me, I love you" pose. He managed to get his butt on the arm of the chair. If you look you can see he even tried stretching those long stinkin legs out to get more comfy. LOL. Just when you think he can't find another way to look more pathetic.......dam dog......

I am NOT 60 pounds!

Keep the voice of the Abominable Snowman cartoon character in your head as you read below.

Joey says: "No. I aM NoT. REally!! I am only 4 lbs big. that IS all. I fiT hEre fiNE. SEE????FRom hERe I can WaTch all the TRaffiC and my SqUirrel buDDies. See DaD??? oooooh Loookie, there is a deer. oh, oh, another one and another one. They keep running aCroSS thE strEEt and OveR heRE to See ME!! Oh DaD can I Go ouT to pLay Tooooo? Please DAd, PuHLease?? oH LoOK, hERe comES aNoTHer sQUirrel!"

Back to me: While watching Deputy Dipshit draped over the back of my couch, he actually tried to get his back legs up to perch his whole body up there! OMG....he certainly earns his nickname!

Joey says: "I aM so Sad....No oNE wiLL Let mE oUT to ChasE thE sQUirreL......

Tiny Baby

Wow, I got hit by the flu this week! I haven't been this sick in a couple of years. Needless to say, everything got put on the back burner as I was stuck in bed. I couldn't even watch junior....sigh...

Last night things took a turn, my fever broke and I finally started feeling better. YEAH!! I actually felt like doing something so I grabbed my thread and hook and the tiny baby.

Baby now has a darling new baby-blue bubble suit, bonnet and itsybitsy, teenytiny booties (they measure about 3/8inch long.

Amazing what you can do with size 30 thread and a size 10 steel hook.

This morning I cleaned the baby up(there was some sort of dark yuk on those little hands), added ribbon to the outfit and bonnet and put the clothes on. Now, isn't this the cutest little doll house baby?!!! Oh, just to give you some idea of size, the baby is 2 3/4inches long without clothes. Go look at a ruler-yup-that's all! LOL.

Here's those little booties.

I think I'll work on the larger baby this afternoon. That bisque baby is a tad larger-3 3/4inches. Maybe I'll do a vintage gown type of outfit.

It was Love at first sight

I delivered Kewpie yesterday and it was Love at first sight! She loved her so much that she commissioned two more outfits. She had two more naked babies with her that need little crocheted outfits.

One in bisque and a little plastic dollhouse type. They need a bit of cleaning first and they're pretty small so I'll have to work in smaller thread. I'm thinking size 30. I'll probably make more of a long crib dress rather than a toddler style since they're very babyish. My project list just keeps growing.

I love Kewpie

Hey there! it's been a while hasn't it? Life took over and my poor blog just got left to collect dust bunnies for a while. I'm back again.
Let's see, Joey is still our lovable Deputy Dipshit (or Jackass Joey depending on what nonsense he's gotten into)LOL! he's so dang spoiled to Daddy it's hard to say who's happier, Joey or Daddy...sigh....see what I mean?

I'm still watching Junior most days and he's just the angel of my eye. What a wonderful child to care for. Last week I was sitting at the kitchen table working on a pattern. He picked up my curve ruler and proceeded to play 'air guitar'. He even called it his "Ittar". now, how does a two year old know about playing air guitar???? isn't he just a cutiepatootie??

so, I suppose you're wondering why I said I love Kewpie for this blog title. I just finished a commission for a friend. She had scored an old kewpie at some flea market or something for an insanely cheap price. Poor thing was butt naked-the doll, not my friend-LOL!!! Anyway, the request was for a frilly little crocheted dress for Kewpie. I thought about it for a couple of weeks and looked for patterns but couldn't find anything I liked. I decided to just crochet off the top of my head so last Sunday I took the doll and thread and hook along while going on a bus trip(to a doll show no less). I really didn't want to just sit and ride with nothing to do. I was able to get the dress, panties and bonnet done on the bus. I finished the little shoes and then did all the final work tonight. I'll be delivering the doll tomorrow. I'm sure she's going to love it. this is a one-of-a-kind outfit as I didn't write down the pattern. I just crocheted. Isn't it adorable?? I even put little ruffles across the back of the panty.

well, I hope to be around a bit more often. I know, I know, you'll believe it when you see it. LOL.......sigh......

The Poodle has taken over....sigh....

Can you say Pampered Poodle?

This was him sleeping last night while I folded laundry.

and this was today while I was in my sewing room. Daddy had to call me out to see his precious poodle:

Yup, he's completely taken over....and we're mush. LOL. Joey has calmed down nicely (gawdamighty getting him fixed was such a good idea). He's only JackassJoey once in a while. He can't quite give up his title yet-today he decided to chew a bunch of twist ties....jackass...see?! Where did he even find them?? not a clue. apparently he can open the kitchen drawer.

So, my BFF made me some fabulous new couch pillows. Awesome pillows- one with a poodle silhouette and one with a poodle face. I love them. They looks so nice on my poor sad couch. They give the couch new life which it dearly needed. And they're just plain comfortable to get cozy with. Joey likes the couch. He reallyreally likes the couch. Joey discovered the pillows. Joey reallyreally likes the pillows now too. He especially likes it when I have them leaned against his kennel at the one end so he can get super cozy. well, I don't put them there for him to get cozy, I put them there for me to get comfy to stretch out and watch TV. Works great for me, and yes, he has discovered how comfy they are at that end. Couch+pillows+joey=doggy heaven. LOL......jackass.......sigh........but daddy thinks it's cute and funny. In Daddy's eyes Joey can do no wrong.....sigh.....I lose.

He was sticking his tongue out at me, I swear he was!

Little Sea Creature

Today I took a left turn. I had a request for a Bleuette sized SeaHorse. This was a fun little venture. I drew a simple little seahorse template in a size that I thought would be appropriate for my little bleu, grabbed some fun cotton fabric and went to work. At first I was overthinking and then I stopped myself and simplified. I sewed, turned and stuffed. Made some ears and glued those in the head. I wanted little purple eyes so I grabbed a pair of clear eyes and painted those and set them aside to dry. Next I grabbed three colors of fine tulle and sewed it together for the little horse mane. After sewing I cut and trimmed and then hand stitched it in place. By the time I finished that the eyes were dry so I trimmed off some of the stem (it was too long for this little tiny head) I made holes and glued them in place. I added a piece of silk ribbon for a pretty little bow to finish off this darling little SeaHorse. My little Claudia was thrilled. Now that I'm happy with the final version I have to make another one to sell. See what Claudia found in the tidal pool by Lake Erie?? It's just the right size for her.

Knitting insanity

Gosh, I just love to be challenged. I'm being challenged now. A friend had made me a pair of tiny knitted socks that I just adored. they are really perfect. They are knitted. Now, I am not a very proficient knitter. I'm self-taught and I dash to the internet for help each time I get 'stuck' or can't remember how to do something. (thank goodness for sites like YouTube and Knittinghelp.com!!) I have been crocheting all my life so I can do that in my sleep. Knitting...well....I really like to knit, I just suck at it. I mean really, how many times do I have to look up how to M1???? you'd think it would stick in my brain at some point. LOL...sigh. so,This is my hand trying to figure out how to juggle 5 long, skinny (size000) knitting needles. It's not pretty! I felt as though I had 7 thumbs that all kept getting in the way but I persevered on. I was determined to figure this out. Once I got the hang of holding the 4 needles and working with the 5th it got a little easier. I finished the first sock. It came out pretty darn cute. My variegated perle cotton striped itself and I was pleasantly surprised by that. It looks mighty cute doesn't it? Now I've got to get the second sock done. Here's the foot done. I even 'turned the heel'! and without any gaping holes along the sides. I'm amazing myself. I wish someone made short needles in this tiny size. I know I'm not the only one knitting doll socks-or any other tiny doll size stuff. It would be so much easier than these long needles. I mean, they're sock needles so they're only 7inches long, but that's like knitting with samurai swords when you're working on a teenytiny doll sock. LOL. So, off I go to finish the second sock...maybe I'll get more adventurous when I tackle another pair and try to do a lacey upper part of the sock.

hugs and smiles everyone!

More Love

Wow, it's been a while. I've been working on lots of stuff and crazy busy but it's all fun. My BFF is coming to visit!!!!!!!!!!! Woohoo!! that can't happen soon enough. It's been way too long since we've gotten to visit so this will be major fun. lots of playtime and going to try out new restaurants. I can't wait.

So today I'm playing with Junior at the park while hubby is waiting for the tax papers to be processed. Junior loved the slide and then wanted to try the swing. Well, that was the bees knees! I couldn't get him out of the dam thing! hahahahaha. he was holding on for dear life (note the white knuckles)because he was scared to death at first but after about 15 minutes he was laughing and really enjoying it. While I was swinging him I looked down and what was laying right there? yup, two lovely little heart shaped pebbles. I scooped 'em up and put them in my pocket. It was love just laying there sending happy thoughts out in the world and we just happened to be the ones that found them. I think it's great finding love in all kinds of places.

How much use can you get from a wedding gown?

I'm well on my way to finding out.

It all started with a wedding 5 years ago. A beautiful gown was purchased and worn on a fairy tale day. It was carefully packed away with few thoughts of what it would become. Three years later, along came a precious baby girl. The search was on for the perfect Christening gown. I asked if mommy had plans for her wedding gown or if I could re-purpose it to baby's Christening gown. She thought about it and called me a month later and asked if it could still be done. Sure! The gown was brought to me and I went to work. I couldn't find a pattern that worked well with the layout of the beaded appliques so I made my own pattern carefully cutting to get the best use of the adornments. In places I carefully removed pearls, glass beads and sequins and undid appliques so they wouldn't be in the way of seams.

I then stitched the appliques back in place and redid the beadwork. When I finished I had a gorgeous long Christening gown and bonnet created from Mommy's wedding gown. Parents were very, very pleased. We talked about making a little boys outfit from the remains of the gown sometime in the future if it was ever needed. This conversation was quickly forgotten by very busy parents.

Two years later along comes little boy. After a short conversation about what the new little one was going to wear for his Baptism out came the remains of the wedding gown. I realized during the conversation that mommy had forgotten that I still had enough gown to make another outfit so I went to work and made a little boy's outfit. This one was a surprise for Mommy and Daddy. I didn't tell them that I was making it. When the came to town the day before the Christening I gave it to them. I was so gratified seeing the look of happiness on their faces.

And now, mommy had some future ideas. During a conversation last evening she asked how much gown, if any, I still had left. I actually still have the entire front bodice and a generous portion of half of the train. She is already thinking about having me use it when it's time for First Communion-thinking bodice from the gown with perhaps a tulle skirt, or some variation there-of.

And maybe a little boy's tie from the gown. Sure wouldn't want any frou-frou for the little boy for First Communion but a plain tie from the silk would be appropriate. Fortunately I have a few years before I need to figure this out. So now, the remains of the gown are tucked safely away and the two Christening sets are being cleaned and put away to wait and see if there are any more babies. The antique doll modeling the outfits used to belong to my Aunt and is now a doll that is a special treasure of mine.

Babies, babies, babies

I just love babies. real or doll, how can you frikkin' resist????
So, this past weekend I took a trip to visit friends and help one to organize her sewing room. Lots of fun for sure. I had two porcelain baby heads that I had to make bodies for to take to her. One was for her, one for her mother. they were supposed to be done for Christmas but in my crazy life that just didn't happen. Thank goodness I have friends that understand and have the patience of Job with me. I set to work Thursday and made the bodies, attached the heads, sculpted ubber-cute little tushies and got the babies finished.