Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone who visits my blog!  I am sorry that it's been such a long time since I last posted on here, but like a lot of people, I've lost interest in my dolls over the last five months or so and the interest is only really coming back now!  I suspect the virus has got a lot to do with it, l suppose you'd say that 'real life' got in the way.  

I would like to apologise for not commenting on any of the blogs that I follow.  Sadly with the loss of dolly interest, along went any interest in dolly blogs.  I hope to rectify that really soon.

Well a fair amount has happened in the last six months since I posted. First of all we moved home and we are now living just five minutes from where we were before, but we have a lot more space and I have a lovely new doll/sewing room, which unfortunately hasn't seen much action recently, but I do have a lot of things planned for the spring.  The house itself though is lovely, we have beautiful views of the sea and two nice terraces which I need to utilise more for dolly photos.  Having said that, I did take a few photos recently, so I will show them here.

Dolly news, I have received two new dolls recently.  The first to arrive was Nora by Irrealdoll here in Spain, she is very cute but I've not taken any photos of her yet because she is waiting on a wig.  So far I have made the wig cap using white glue but am now waiting on the lambswool to arrive from the UK.  What with the virus and Brexit, I suspect it'll be a while before it arrives, so I will have to be patient and poor Nora will have to stay safely in her box.

The second doll to arrive, who also arrived just before Christmas, is Johanna, who is an Wichtel artist doll by Rosemarie Muller.  She is 32cm tall and all vinyl and such a cutie.  She came in this beautiful smocked dress, lacy socks and pretty sandals, and she even has tiny gold studs in her ears.  You might remember that I had three of the Wichtel dolls before but sold them in 2019, and I missed them so decided to add another to my collection.  I decided on this sweet girl with her small smile....and although I don't usually go for smiley dolls, I'm glad I did on this occasion as she is very pretty. 

Isn't she a cutie!  I can't wait to start sewing for her 😊

In the meantime, I finally got to take some photos of my latest Zwergnase Junior doll, Rixte, who arrived here last October.  She is one of the 45cm girls and has such a cheeky face.  I changed her from her default outfit into this super Brownie dress made by Passion for Sasha on Etsy....she is now looking forward to starting Brownies very soon! 😉 ☺️

Apart from that, all is well here.  My mum and brother came over here to stay with us on the 4th November because I was really worried about how things were going, virus-wise, in their area and they are still here some two months later.  I think it was the best thing for them to do, coming here, because not soon afterwards, their borough, just east of London, had the highest numbers of new virus infections in the whole of England.  Scary stuff.  Thankfully they are safe and well here and long may that continue.

I hope you and your families are staying safe and well and that 2021 will be a good year for us all.

Big hugs and thank you for visiting

Love Sharon xxx

February Already! And finally some dolly time :)

Most people complain that January goes by so slowly after the rush of December and Christmas but I must admit, that having been in the UK from the 3rd to the 11th, the month seemed to whizz by!  I was hardly home when the 31st arrived and brought with it my son Brendan who came over for a week's holiday with us.  He mainly comes to see us on his own as he has more holidays than his wife Virginia, so when she comes to Spain she naturally spends the time with her family.  Anyway, it was a great week, we did lots of chatting and laughing and of course shopping, Brendan always wants to buy things here that are apparently much cheaper than the UK, so he keeps us very busy!!

Lucy loves having Brendan home! 

 

On the dolly front I have sold a couple of dolls and done a bit of sewing as well as have taken some photos of different dolls who've had a change of clothes or wig.  The weather has been lovely, very warm and sunny, perfect weather for taking my girls outside to photograph.....

Here is Holly (formerly Wentje, the doll I showed in my last post), she is a Zwergnase Junior and is 55cm tall.  I changed her into this dress that I made ages ago for another doll that has since left for pastures new.  I then added a 'shirt' underneath so that it looked a bit different from when the last doll wore it. When I first got her I wasn't sure about her but since I got back from the UK and have had a chance to 'play' with her, she's really grown on me. 

 Also today I changed the wig on my Little Cosmos Dolls Robin.  I've always thought of her as a dark haired girl but yesterday I received this wig from a group order I'd participated in back in the autumn.  By the time it arrived, I couldn't remember who I'd ordered it for!!!  So Dylan (Robin) tried it and I really think it suits her so she will keep it.  

Who'd have thought she'd look so angelic as a blond!  Funny how looks can be so deceiving though😉

I also changed my little Sienna (Bastian, also by Little Cosmos Dolls) into this cute outfit by the Gorjuss company.  It seems odd to have a coat with short sleeves but it's not cold here now so little Sienna doesn't mind 😉.  This girl's face so appeals to me, she always looks so worried, like she's scared she's about to be told off!!!

 
I made a couple of outfits for my Kaye Wiggs girls, here is Gracie modelling the outfit I made for her....It wasn't quite finished in this photo, I'd forgotten to put the cord through the bottom of the sleeveless hoodie!!

Here we go, the cord is now done and I made another outfit, this time for Hope. 

I have a third outfit cut out and ready to sew for Layla, I'll get to that soon I'm sure!

In the meantime, I am off to the UK again on Thursday to see my mum and brother.  My mum has been doing very well since her fall and is completely on the mend now, thank goodness.  She was recently discharged by the physiotherapists and is now walking well with the aid of a walking stick or a walking frame.  I'm only going for five days but looking forward to it....apart from the weather!!!

I have some dolly purchases to pick up whilst over there so hopefully will have some new arrivals to show you on my return.

Have a great week ahead, and for those of you being affected by Storm Ciara, keep safe and warm.

Big hugs
Sharon in Spain xxx


 






 

Trying outfits for size....

Jo, my new Zwergnase Junior Miriam has been trying on outfits for size as, at 55cm tall she is the biggest of my 'play dolls', excluding my two Himstedt dolls, and so far we haven't got much to wear in her size!  I tried lots of things on her and had intended taking more photos of her in different outfits, but Sods Law the weather today has been dreadful with really, really high winds that have smashed several of our flowerpots and uprooted trees locally, not conducive to taking dolly photos!  So I will just show her in the one outfit I photographed yesterday......

I made these overalls/dungarees for a Super Dollfie sized BJD so they are way too long on Jo but they do fit her quite well elsewhere, so she is wearing them for the time being.  They really could do with an extra snap put on the sides where the gingham pocket backs are, as she is currently showing off her knickers from the side!  I guess she has a bigger tummy than the BJD they were made for!!

Her hat is from another doll who's name escapes me but one of the doll companies here in Spain....

Leoni (Violet) also got a change of outfit this week but hers is new and I didn't make it, I bought it online.....it's nice to have someone else do all the hard work sometimes!  I really like this fine needle cord jacket and skirt with the orange long sleeved top and the striped leggings.  The hat and ankle warmers are from Kidz n Cats.

And finally, just a quick photo of the beach and the sea taken a couple of days ago on my afternoon walk....yes the morning one was missed as I overslept!!!

The afternoons at this time of year are also great for walking except that Lucy and I keep getting caught up by the local goatherds and their hundreds of goats as they walk through the campo as we do!!  Lucy goes berserk and wants to 'help' with rounding them up.....whilst I always seem to get embroiled in conversations about the weather....and we don't get very far very quickly!!!

The goats are very interested in Lucy and not in the least bothered by her mad barking at them!  

Well, thank you for visiting, I hope you've all had a good weekend and that you have a great week ahead!

Big hugs, Sharon xx

Zwergnase Juniors....

Somehow, having always said that I only wanted one Zwergnase Junior, I seem to have ended up with six!!!  Dee (of Sasha Village), herself a fan of these dolls, asked me to show mine altogether, so I've taken some photos today to share....and thought I'd add them on here.

Here are the six girls all in a row: (Left to right: Simona, Avery, Brit (re wigged), Violet, Galina and grumpy little Anuschka.

And here they are by year of release: (L to R: Avery (2017), Galina (2017), Violet (2016), Simona (2013), Anuschka (2006) and Brit (2006).

Of the girls in my group above, all but Simona are wigged and all girls have hand painted eyes and faces. 

The earlier girls are slightly smaller than the later ones, and as far as I can see, this is only due to the necks, which on the girls since 2016 are a little longer.  I don't know if this is because they are actually made longer or because the neck actually sits higher.  Either way it is more noticeable when the dolls are undressed.

Here are some closeups of the girls:

This is Anuschka from 2006.  This used to be my least favourite sculpt until my friend Jenni talked about her girl of the same sculpt.  I kept looking at her and that was it, I was lost and this little lady came here in November.  I love her!  I love her grumpy face and her unruly fluffy hair.  I think I might call her Annie. 

This is Avery who is one of the new sculpts for 2017.  Avery appealed to me as soon as I saw her face, she just looked so bossy!  The set of her chin, her very slight frown and those pursed lips said it all to me!  This outfit is her default one and is very cute on her, not something I would have chosen for her but it does seem to suit her personality!

Next up is Brit who is from 2006.  I have re wigged her with this Tibetan lambswool wig that I made especially for her.  I thought that it was her default wig that I was struggling with but no, I am still struggling with poor Brit.  I think she might soon be looking for a new adventure in another home!  

The next little girl is Galina, she is also from the new 2017 line of Juniors.  She is another that I fell in love with straight away and seeing her in the flesh has just made me love her more.  She has the sweetest little face, quite serene at times but then at others she looks very sad.  I hope she's not sad though!!  This outfit is her default one but soon I will make her something new to wear.

This is Simona who I prefer to call Simone.  Simone is from 2013 and I used to have her red headed sister but decided to re-home her and invite Simone to come and stay here instead.  I love this face.  She is another sculpt that sometimes looks incredibly grumpy but then at other times looks like she is about to laugh.  I think this is what I like about these dolls, the fact that with just the slightest movement of their heads, a tilt this way or that, they come up with a whole new expression on their faces that you just weren't expecting!  Simone is the only one of my girls who has rooted hair.  

And finally here is Violet who I call Leoni, she is from the Spring Collection of 2016 and the moment I saw her so I knew she'd have to come here.  I love her face, she really does have a serene look to her, like she knows all the wonders of nature but hasn't yet shared them!  (Yes, I'm nuts!) I love her curls (although this is her second wig as her original went very dry on the ends and Zwergnase replaced it, although I had to pay for the replacement!).  I have added small freckles and more blush to her face as unfortunately her face paint didn't appear to be sealed and her blush wiped off!  I really should have sent the doll back when the company asked me to but by then I was quite attached to her and decided to just order the new wig instead.  

I hope you have enjoyed seeing my Zwergnase Junior girls and reading a little bit more about them and their 'personalities'.

I wish you all a very happy week ahead and hope wherever you are, you are dressed for the weather and keeping safe.

Big hugs Sharon xx

Sew & Sew....& Sew!

One of my lovely 'customers' who is also a good friend, asked me to make four overall/dungaree sets for her Zwergnase Juniors.  She suggested one for each season, so I've been having fun putting together fabrics and styles for these sets.  So far I have made spring, summer, and autumn, so just have winter to complete.  I thought I'd share what I've done so far as I haven't taken many other photos of my own dolls to share with you......and I don't want to let my blog slide!  I hope to rectify the lack of dolly photos really soon!

My model is Marlie, a Zwergnase Junior Marlene from 2014.  Incidentally, Marlie will be moving to the UK when she has finished modelling these outfits and her cousin is coming to live here.....I will introduce her here when she arrives.

Without further ado, here we have 'spring':

 

Next up we have 'summer' which are my favourites of the three sets I've done so far:

And finally for now, we have 'autumn':

Thanks for visiting!   I hope you've enjoyed seeing the 'fruits of my labour' this week and I also hope you all have a great weekend ahead :)  I guess I'll be making a start on 'winter'!!!