Friday, 28 June 2013
Life's a Beach...for Alex!
Alex enjoyed his time at the beach and just wanted to share some more photos of himself playing in the sand....
Just chillin'...!
I'm just sitting on the beach with my son and Alex! It's 4.30pm, it's about 30c and I'm happy to be alive!
Thursday, 27 June 2013
Bring on The Girls!!! Introducing the newbies!
Yesterday my son Brendan came down to join us here at the coast for a few days and kindly brought my two new girls with him! They'd both arrived early last week and so I've been patiently waiting to 'meet' them.....finally last night I got the chance.
My first girl to introduce to you is a 1971 wider faced Brunette Sasha which I got from Shelly in the UK, Sasha Doll UK and she is just as I expected, a little sweetie! I gently washed and conditioned her hair because it felt a bit 'sticky' as doll hair often does, and my goodness she is losing her hair badly....but I was aware of this already, so no nasty surprises! I think she's lovely and if she goes bald....well, I'll either get her rerooted or buy her a wig!
I had made this outfit for her in advance of her arrival, but I'm not sure that the colour is good on her, maybe it is a bit too strong. I will have to try here with some other outfits that I've made or make her something else. She came wearing a lovely dress, socks and shoes by Ruthsdoll, which I will take photos of soon.
My photos don't do her justice as it was so bright out!
Now my second girl to arrive was much more of an unknown to me! A Blue Gingham girl, I bought her from the US and the seller described her as being from the 60's and having only been removed from the box for photos. Well, although I'm no expert, I could see from her photos of the box that the doll was NOT from the 60s, but I liked her all the same, so decided to bid for her. I got her for a very good price and the added bonus that she came through Spanish customs without any charges.
However, the doll is a complete surprise to me. Firstly, as I already said, the seller said that she had bought the doll, new, for her daughter back in the 60s and had put her away in her box because her daughter was "too young" to play with her. She said that the doll had 'box hair' from being in storage. I really am not sure of her age though. Her stringing is brown in the legs and white in the arms, so she is definitely older than 1971, her box puts her at between 1972 and 1974 but, having looked in Dorisanne Osborn's book, "Sasha Through the Years", I can see that the box is actually a mix of not one, but TWO box types!!! Her neck has the ring neck assembly which weren't used until 1974. However, her gingham dress has Velcro on both the back and cuffs, which was done circa 1978!!!
She has a slightly 'concave' look to her face and when I look at her in profile and compare her to my 1971 Blond, I see that there is a definite difference across the bridge of their noses, but only from the side. From the front they look quite similar.
The only disappointment is her fringe. If this fringe is her default one then all I can say is the factory worker should have been sacked as she/he really must have been having a bad day! LOL. It is really not good, there are about three different lengths to it and even a few plugs underneath that look like they've 'broken off' or 'singed' ...... I have washed and conditioned it and although the rest of her hair is really nice and soft and silky, the fringe will not lay well, even after 24 hours wearing a sock on her head!!! I can only assume that the seller is mistaken and the doll was indeed played with at some point by a budding hairdresser!!!!
The Blue Gingham outfit is all complete and in very good condition except that the elastic has gone in the shorts. It just needs a wash to freshen it all up.
In conclusion, I have to say that I'm really delighted with both dolls and really have been bitten by the Sasha Bug!!!!
My first girl to introduce to you is a 1971 wider faced Brunette Sasha which I got from Shelly in the UK, Sasha Doll UK and she is just as I expected, a little sweetie! I gently washed and conditioned her hair because it felt a bit 'sticky' as doll hair often does, and my goodness she is losing her hair badly....but I was aware of this already, so no nasty surprises! I think she's lovely and if she goes bald....well, I'll either get her rerooted or buy her a wig!
I had made this outfit for her in advance of her arrival, but I'm not sure that the colour is good on her, maybe it is a bit too strong. I will have to try here with some other outfits that I've made or make her something else. She came wearing a lovely dress, socks and shoes by Ruthsdoll, which I will take photos of soon.
My photos don't do her justice as it was so bright out!
Now my second girl to arrive was much more of an unknown to me! A Blue Gingham girl, I bought her from the US and the seller described her as being from the 60's and having only been removed from the box for photos. Well, although I'm no expert, I could see from her photos of the box that the doll was NOT from the 60s, but I liked her all the same, so decided to bid for her. I got her for a very good price and the added bonus that she came through Spanish customs without any charges.
However, the doll is a complete surprise to me. Firstly, as I already said, the seller said that she had bought the doll, new, for her daughter back in the 60s and had put her away in her box because her daughter was "too young" to play with her. She said that the doll had 'box hair' from being in storage. I really am not sure of her age though. Her stringing is brown in the legs and white in the arms, so she is definitely older than 1971, her box puts her at between 1972 and 1974 but, having looked in Dorisanne Osborn's book, "Sasha Through the Years", I can see that the box is actually a mix of not one, but TWO box types!!! Her neck has the ring neck assembly which weren't used until 1974. However, her gingham dress has Velcro on both the back and cuffs, which was done circa 1978!!!
She has a slightly 'concave' look to her face and when I look at her in profile and compare her to my 1971 Blond, I see that there is a definite difference across the bridge of their noses, but only from the side. From the front they look quite similar.
The only disappointment is her fringe. If this fringe is her default one then all I can say is the factory worker should have been sacked as she/he really must have been having a bad day! LOL. It is really not good, there are about three different lengths to it and even a few plugs underneath that look like they've 'broken off' or 'singed' ...... I have washed and conditioned it and although the rest of her hair is really nice and soft and silky, the fringe will not lay well, even after 24 hours wearing a sock on her head!!! I can only assume that the seller is mistaken and the doll was indeed played with at some point by a budding hairdresser!!!!
The Blue Gingham outfit is all complete and in very good condition except that the elastic has gone in the shorts. It just needs a wash to freshen it all up.
In conclusion, I have to say that I'm really delighted with both dolls and really have been bitten by the Sasha Bug!!!!
Friday, 21 June 2013
Summer Sashas...and Gregor too of course!
Since my family went back to the UK, I've had a little bit of dolly play time and decided that it was time that my Sasha girls and Alex, my brunette Gregor, got some summer play clothes.
I've already shown Ellory, my redhead, in her new summer dress but I crocheted a hat to go with it because being a redhead she has to be careful not to burn her scalp!!
Maggie, my shy little brunette puddle eyed girl from 1973/4, got a new pair of loose cotton shorts and a tee shirt to match. I can't recall where I got this fabric, but it has modern flowers and Russian dolls scattered over it, so I cut out one of the dolls and used it as an applique for the tee shirt. Maggie has falling hair but as long as I'm careful not to brush it through, it seems to be fine at the moment. I think I might make her a head scarf so that when there is a sea breeze she'll not need to worry about her hair!
Alex, my brunette puddle eyed boy, also from 1973/4, has a new shirt which I made from quilters cotton. I got the fabric in a fat quarter bundle recently and Alex chose this for his shirt because he likes the little boats all over it. He is wearing it with his grey Dolly Doodles knit shorts and blue denim sneakers....and he finally got his denim baseball cap back after first Ellory, then Millie, borrowed it from him!
Finally, Millie my blond girl from 1971, has a new pinafore in stripes with polkadot trim. She wanted to wear the lime green Boneka sandals with her outfit but they'd already been claimed by Maggie....who may be shy but she's not slow in getting what she wants!!!
You will notice that there is someone missing from the current line up! Gabrielle, my later brunette in Pink Dress from about 1979, is currently on her way to visit Shelly in the UK...well actually her head is travelling on it's own to save on postage!!! Shelly is going to paint her some beautiful new eyes as her default/original eyes are particularly flat. As my blog followers might remember, I did do a bit of work on them myself but because I used artist pastels and didn't seal them, they soon started to fade back to how they were before. So Shelly will hopefully work her magic on her and she'll be perfect!
I do have two new girls at home who are waiting to make their debut but because they are there and I am here (at the coast) they will have to wait their turn!!!! I'm excited to see both of them in the flesh and can't wait to share their photos on here!
I've already shown Ellory, my redhead, in her new summer dress but I crocheted a hat to go with it because being a redhead she has to be careful not to burn her scalp!!
Maggie, my shy little brunette puddle eyed girl from 1973/4, got a new pair of loose cotton shorts and a tee shirt to match. I can't recall where I got this fabric, but it has modern flowers and Russian dolls scattered over it, so I cut out one of the dolls and used it as an applique for the tee shirt. Maggie has falling hair but as long as I'm careful not to brush it through, it seems to be fine at the moment. I think I might make her a head scarf so that when there is a sea breeze she'll not need to worry about her hair!
Alex, my brunette puddle eyed boy, also from 1973/4, has a new shirt which I made from quilters cotton. I got the fabric in a fat quarter bundle recently and Alex chose this for his shirt because he likes the little boats all over it. He is wearing it with his grey Dolly Doodles knit shorts and blue denim sneakers....and he finally got his denim baseball cap back after first Ellory, then Millie, borrowed it from him!
Finally, Millie my blond girl from 1971, has a new pinafore in stripes with polkadot trim. She wanted to wear the lime green Boneka sandals with her outfit but they'd already been claimed by Maggie....who may be shy but she's not slow in getting what she wants!!!
Left to right: Maggie, Alex, Millie and Ellory
You will notice that there is someone missing from the current line up! Gabrielle, my later brunette in Pink Dress from about 1979, is currently on her way to visit Shelly in the UK...well actually her head is travelling on it's own to save on postage!!! Shelly is going to paint her some beautiful new eyes as her default/original eyes are particularly flat. As my blog followers might remember, I did do a bit of work on them myself but because I used artist pastels and didn't seal them, they soon started to fade back to how they were before. So Shelly will hopefully work her magic on her and she'll be perfect!
I do have two new girls at home who are waiting to make their debut but because they are there and I am here (at the coast) they will have to wait their turn!!!! I'm excited to see both of them in the flesh and can't wait to share their photos on here!
Thursday, 13 June 2013
Millie visits the Bioparc in Fuengirola...
On Tuesday, as it was my birthday, we went to the Bioparc in Fuengirola. Some years ago when it first opened, the 'zoo' was a dismal looking place with horrible cages and not a pleasant environment to visit, but nowadays it is lovely, very child friendly with attractive 'enclosures'.
I'm not really a 'zoo' type of person, I admit that I don't really enjoy seeing 'wild' animals in captivity, but the Bioparc really appeals to me. It describes itself as "a different concept of a zoo" and I have to say that it really is the nicest zoo I've ever visited. I took the following from their website:
Bioparc Fuengirola stands out, among other aspects, for its architectural design as an “immersion zoo”, plunging visitors into the animals’ native environment. The whole centre is intended as a stroll through an all-surrounding recreation of the creatures’ original habitat, providing a solution of continuity between the physical space occupied by the public and by the animals, with the aim of expressing some of the magic involved in walking through the woodlands and discovering their inhabitants.
Anyway, I took my little Millie (blond 1971) with me and actually took some photos of her enjoying her visit! They are not great photos because as usual with other people around, I tended to rush them, shoving her back into my bag as quick as possible. But I did end up taking quite a few photos, so I'm getting better at photographing my dolls in public!!!!
Millie really liked seeing the Flamingoes, particularly as there are some sitting on eggs at the moment!
Here she is reading about the African Crocodiles....actually called Nile Crocodiles
And here they are, basking in the sunshine....luckily for Millie, they're behind thick glass in this viewing area...
She also enjoyed looking up at the very large Flying Foxes hanging from the roof...
A bit of respite from the sun, with an old Budha statue...
It was so hot that Millie had to wear her baseball cap to protect her scalp from burning....
There are some lovely waterfalls throughout the parc and Millie enjoyed standing near them as the air was a little cooler...
I like this photo of Millie, although we can't see her eyes, her expression looks pensive. I wonder what she's thinking!
And finally, although she would kill me for this, here is a photo of my mum holding Millie!!
I'm not really a 'zoo' type of person, I admit that I don't really enjoy seeing 'wild' animals in captivity, but the Bioparc really appeals to me. It describes itself as "a different concept of a zoo" and I have to say that it really is the nicest zoo I've ever visited. I took the following from their website:
Bioparc Fuengirola stands out, among other aspects, for its architectural design as an “immersion zoo”, plunging visitors into the animals’ native environment. The whole centre is intended as a stroll through an all-surrounding recreation of the creatures’ original habitat, providing a solution of continuity between the physical space occupied by the public and by the animals, with the aim of expressing some of the magic involved in walking through the woodlands and discovering their inhabitants.
Anyway, I took my little Millie (blond 1971) with me and actually took some photos of her enjoying her visit! They are not great photos because as usual with other people around, I tended to rush them, shoving her back into my bag as quick as possible. But I did end up taking quite a few photos, so I'm getting better at photographing my dolls in public!!!!
Millie really liked seeing the Flamingoes, particularly as there are some sitting on eggs at the moment!
Here she is reading about the African Crocodiles....actually called Nile Crocodiles
And here they are, basking in the sunshine....luckily for Millie, they're behind thick glass in this viewing area...
She also enjoyed looking up at the very large Flying Foxes hanging from the roof...
A bit of respite from the sun, with an old Budha statue...
It was so hot that Millie had to wear her baseball cap to protect her scalp from burning....
There are some lovely waterfalls throughout the parc and Millie enjoyed standing near them as the air was a little cooler...
"Hello!"
I like this photo of Millie, although we can't see her eyes, her expression looks pensive. I wonder what she's thinking!
And finally, although she would kill me for this, here is a photo of my mum holding Millie!!
All in all, a lovely way to spend my birthday!!!
Tuesday, 11 June 2013
A Present for Me....from Me!!!
Today is my birthday and as some of my blog followers will know, I have been on the lookout for a wider faced Brunette Sasha for a little while now!
Lo and behold, today Shelly of Sasha Dolls UK posted two for sale on her website!!! Absolutely perfect timing and surely meant to be!!!! So I was lucky enough to snap up my favourite of the two, a gorgeous little girl from 1971 who's facepaint is very vibrant and pretty and although she does have falling hair, it is still lovely and thick! She has her original stringing and comes wearing a cute Ruthsdolls outfit too, which is exactly to my taste! I'm really happy to say that she is coming to live here in Spain and that she is my birthday present to me .... from me!!
In other news, today we spent a few hours at the Bioparc/zoo in Fuengirola and I took Millie, my blond Sasha from 1971, with me. Although I'm still not particularly comfortable taking doll photos in public, I was quite brave (!) and took several photos of her whilst we were there! I haven't checked them yet, but hope that there are at least a few that are good enough to share on another post later! Watch this space!!!! ;-)
Saturday, 8 June 2013
Birthday blow-out!!!
My son Brendan and his girlfriend Virginia came down to the coast last night to join us for the weekend.
My husbands birthday was on the 30th May and mine is on the 11th June, so Brendan, who is training to be a Pastelero, (a patisserie chef), made us a surprise birthday cake!
One half of the cake in the photo below, the half decorated with chopped almonds, is chocolate sponge, turron (a liquid nougart mixed with whipped fresh cream), whilst the other half, is the same chocolate sponge but layered with more fresh cream. Then the whole lot is drizzled with caramel.
We all just had a slice.....it was very nice indeed!!!!
Thursday, 6 June 2013
A little dress for Ellory...
I had a little bit of dolly time the other day and decided to make a new summer dress for Ellory my red headed girl. She last had something new at Easter, so I thought it was about time that she had something else. Anyway, I used a pattern that I'd found on-line and decided that it would be the perfect 'beach' dress for little Ellory. I wanted it to be shorter than the pattern so took a couple of centimetres off the bottom, added a fake 'placket' down the front and lined it to about the waist. It didn't take long to make and she's happy with it, but I have already redrawn the pattern as I think the armholes are a little too big and the neckline is a little too low and wide. The next one I make will hopefully fit better on her. The fabric was some I'd had for ages and I thought it would suit the style of the dress, sort of 70s inspired I suppose...but not quite!!
Whilst my mum and brother have been here, we've been out and about most days, hence my lack of posting and any dolly stuff, but I spotted this restaurant's advertising board on the promenade at Torrox Costa. Is this what our Sasha's do when we're not around? Open their own restaurants and bars???? ;-)
We also had a walk around Nerja, which as I've mentioned several times on my blog, is one of my favourite places. It was really hot and so a nice stroll along the Balcon d'Europa, was order of the day, because it usually has a nice sea breeze. This is one of my favourite views, looking through the archways towards the mountains and the sea. I love the different shapes and the contrast of light and shadow, and of course the pots of mainly geraniums hanging on the wall.
Whilst my mum and brother have been here, we've been out and about most days, hence my lack of posting and any dolly stuff, but I spotted this restaurant's advertising board on the promenade at Torrox Costa. Is this what our Sasha's do when we're not around? Open their own restaurants and bars???? ;-)
We also had a walk around Nerja, which as I've mentioned several times on my blog, is one of my favourite places. It was really hot and so a nice stroll along the Balcon d'Europa, was order of the day, because it usually has a nice sea breeze. This is one of my favourite views, looking through the archways towards the mountains and the sea. I love the different shapes and the contrast of light and shadow, and of course the pots of mainly geraniums hanging on the wall.
