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
Hello Sharon and good to see you here on the blog again. I can understand that the interest can be very low at times. I have been there too, on the edge to sell them all. But a good break and doing something else can be a good trick! Glad to hear that you are doing well too, the virus is a really scary thingy. Good that your mum and brother are safe too. It has gotten worse up here in the northern parts and new rules and regulations are rolling in. We do as much as we can from home, so far so good.
ReplyDeleteYour Johanna is adorable! I love the photos you have taken, especially the second one. And Rixte looks like she is ready! Like in scout's honour! Look forward to meeting Nora, your Irrealdoll soon!
May 2021 be good to you!
Hugs!
Thank you so much Niina. Yes, I think a lot of people have either gone one way or the other, some people really got stuck into their crafts and hobbies whilst others like me, sort of 'vegetated'!!! Actually I didn't really do nothing, I actually read loads of books, but the weird thing is, the books I sought out to read, were all books that had awful story lines, it was as if I were looking for people who had terrible things happening in their lives, to bring my own not so bad life into perspective! I'm obviously really very weird!!!
DeleteI'm glad that you like the new girl and little Rixte. Hopefully you'll meet Nora soon, she's still bald at the moment, moor girl!!
Big hugs xxx
Welcome back Sharon, I've missed you! I love your new dolls, Wichtel's are such happy little souls and lets face it, we could all do with seeing some smiles (can't see any behind those masks) so Johanna is a perfect choice. Miss Rixte really suits her Brownie clothes, I can see this cheeky gal giving her Brown Owl the right ol' run around. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm also relieved to read your Mum and brother are with you and that you are all keeping well. 2020 was a bummer of a year for most, but we continued to get by reasonably well here and my doll flow didn't stop at all.
Big hugs,
X
Aww thanks Sandi, I have missed you too. I really must set aside the time and try to catch up on everyone's blogs, I love to read what everyone is doing, but finding the time right now has been difficult with my family here.
DeleteBig hugs xxx
Happy New Year, Sharon!
ReplyDeleteYour new dolls are oh-so-pretty and you must be very happy to be in your new home.
I think this virus has driven all of us to different corners, and different behaviour patterns. When the pandemic properly started last year, I had intentions of diarising it on my blog. Very soon however, I felt overwhelmed with Covid-information and besides that just carrying on with life became a challenge in many ways so I dropped out from blog writing and reading. I redirected all my energy into making things with my hands, quietly in my studio while the world became scarier and crazy out there. Lately, I've started wondering what everyone is up to. For the last three weeks or so, I'm all caught up with my blog reading. I'm taking this as a hopeful sign and I'm even thinking about getting back to writing a regular blog. I got a ton of work done during my 'retreat' so I don't feel that the time was wasted at all. In these times I think it's important that we listen to our inner voice and do what is best for our physical and mental health. I look forward to seeing what you make this year!
Thank you Megan, I'm glad you like them. Yes I'm really happy to be in my new home, I felt very quickly 'at home and relaxed' here which is good. I can understand how you felt so overwhelmed with the covid information, it's a bit like driving past a car accident, you know that you shouldn't look but you can't help yourself. I've found myself scouring the BBC news on the internet then on the TV, it really is quite overwhelming. i'm glad to hear that you were really creative though, that sounds lovely to just be there in the quiet doing your own thing.
DeleteBig hugs xxx
Hi Sharon, I will agree with you, 2020 was nasty year of difficulties and axiety for most of us. It's kinda good to know that others had their interest in some hobbies cut out to a minimum since mine did too. I still did some stuff with my dolls during the spring and summer, but mostly have been on Instagram with my hobbies. It was great to hear from you since this time, good that you have your mum and brother with you. I hope you're all safe there.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations for your new home and dolls, what a cutie smiley little girl is Johanna. ^__^ I like the name becouse that's my second name too. Hehee. The dress and the monkey are super cute too! I think I've seen some Zwergnase Junior dolls around sometimes, Rixte is cute in this outfit. Does she have a girls scout outfit on?
I hope you'll get the fiber soon so we can see your Irrealdoll Nora. ^-^ Exiting to see new dolls. <3
Thanks so much Xaya! It's good to be back blogging again and hopefully soon I will get back to my dolls and can have something to blog about.
DeleteI just quickly glanced at your blog and saw your beautiful Narae, I haven't read the post yet but hopefully soon!
Isn't Johanna a lovely name! I wouldn't have thought to put the 'h' in there as in the UK most Joanna's are spelt without it, but I like this spelling and think that will remain her name.
The outfit on Rixte is a British style Brownie Guide uniform from maybe the 70s, I'm not sure how long we had that style but I was a browning in the late 60s or early 70s, and it was like this except that we wore a brown felt type beret if I remember rightly. The current uniforms are quite different I think, with yellow polo shirts and I think they have the knitted beanies now too.
Big hugs xxx
So good to hear from you! I went through a non-dolly period from 2019 to mid 2020 so I'm certain it will all come back. It's nice to know you safe and not attacked by the virus, though.
ReplyDeleteAaaah the Zwergnase girl is such a sweetie - love her attitude!
Thank you Ursula, it's nice to be back and I hope I can keep up the posts now as I haven't got much to tell you and don't want people to be bored and not come back.
DeleteGlad you like Rixte and yes, she sure does seem to have attitude!!!
Big hugs xxx
Happy New Year and welcome back :)! Your new dolls looks great (I simply love Johanna's smile) and the views in the background of your photos are stunning. Oh, how I miss such clear, blue sky and sea...
ReplyDeleteI hope you and your family will stay healthy and safe in this new year, and may 2021 be a bit more normal!
Thank you Chiriann, I feel very 'welcomed' after reading all these comments!
DeleteI'm glad you like Johanna, it was her little cheeky smile that drew me to her in the first place, and I'm not really into smiling dolls usually! I think she'll look very cute when she gets out of her 'best' clothes and into some dungarees so that she can play in the garden and climb trees (well, if we had any trees that is!!!).
Big hugs xxx
Happy New Year Sharon. Lovely to see your interest in your dolls slowly returning.
ReplyDeleteI agree I think this virus has changed life for all of us. We no longer think or live our lives in the same way as
before the virus arrived.
Hopefully once most of the worlds been given the vaccine things will start improve and we will be able to carry on , if not completely back to normal, at least in a slightly more social and freer way.
Your new wichtel is sweet, I sold all but one of mine last year , I just had to keep one 😀 I also have that Zwergnase girl , she looks great in the brownie uniform , it’s so good that size can share with the Sasha clothes.
The glimpses of the beautiful blue sea behind your dolls shows you are still very close to the coast and it looks so lovely and dare I say warm ! Lol
Stay safe ,glad your mum and brother are still with you
Dee
Thanks very much Dee! I hope that the interest is returning, now I just need the time!
DeleteI agree with what you're saying, we're seeing things differently now.
I wondered if you still had any of your Wichtels, but who did you keep?
Yes the sea is still very close and we can see it from all the windows, I love to watch the little fishing boats going by and the changes to the sea. We've been very lucky this winter in that until the last week, we'd had beautiful weather but then at the weekend it really changed and it was so cold, (well for us anyway!) and then of course the centre and north of Spain had horrendous snow. Thankfully we just had storms and heavy rain. But it's sunny again now, thank goodness.
Big hugs xxx
It sounds like you are very busy! So glad you know your brother and mother are safe. I’m thankful I have my daughter living with us attending online university. Your new girls are very pretty. The Brownie outfit is divine. Hope you are able to sew soon, it is always a joy to see what you create.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Julie. Yes a bit busy but not 'productively so' if that makes sense, it's all washing, cleaning, cooking, washing up....that sort of busy!!! Oh well! But as you say, at least my family are safe. I'm glad that your daughter is with you too, as universities are not really the place to be right now I guess :(
DeleteBig hugs xxx
How happy I am to finally read you after such long months! I have been following you for several years, you have such beautiful dolls! And you have a lot of talent to dress them up, transform them and take them in pictures! I can understand your silence but I am delighted to see that the love for dolls has returned.
ReplyDeleteDo you well!
Ciska
Thank you very much Ciska, it really has been a whole lot of long months, hasn't it!!
DeleteI'm glad that you like my dolls, thank you for following me, I appreciate all the comments and followers that I have :)
Big hugs xxx
Welcome back! I do understand that we sometimes need a break from our hobbies and negative things going on in real life don't help to keep us motivated. A couple of years ago I disappeared for almost a year after going through a rough patch at the job I had back then. I was so tired and frustrated that I couldn't find joy in my hobbies. I guess that, for many people, the pandemic might be having the same effect. I'm glad to see that you're feeling more motivated now.
ReplyDeleteDespite your motivation being down, I'm glad to see that you have new girls in your dolly family. Your new dolls look lovely. I love Johanna, she has some sort of cheeky expression in your second pic. And the unifom Rixte is wearing looks lovely. You have some beautiful views in your new house you're so lucky to have such a lovely space to take photos.
It must be relieving to have your mom and brother here, specialy with the situation in the UK. I hope you all stay safe and healthy. Take care.
Hola MC, thank you so much for your lovely comment, I hope you're keeping warm up where you are. I can understand that a miserable job would cause you to not blog, none of these things makes us feel exactly 'sociable' do they!
DeleteYes I couldn't resist Johanna, her little smile really appealed to me.
Big hugs xxx
Hi Linda, thank you very much! I'm glad that you like the new girl and Rixte all ready to go to Brownies! Yes do check out a Passion for Sasha as she is a really nice lady as well as being a good sewer, and her prices are not too expensive either.
ReplyDeleteBig hugs xxx
It's nice to see a new post from you! And congrats, your new additions look very cute. Good to know you are well :)
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, I'm well and hope you are too :)
Deletexxx
Hi Sharon! Not having a computer any more, I go for long periods of not being online, and generally just catch up on all the basics when I do. That's why it took me a while to read your post. It's nice your mom and brother can stay with you. Our family in England is enduring another lock down, and we feel bad for Ken's oldest sister, who lives alone. She's been very lonely during the virus! I like the Witchel doll. I was going to say she reminded me of a less unusual looking Zwergnase. Then you sprung the Zwergnase on us! I really like her too. I recently got a Zwergnase myself, after wanting one for ages. I've just been waiting for nice weather to photograph her. I like her Brownie uniform too. Anyway, welcome back!
ReplyDeleteOh no Tam, no computer is a blooming nightmare!
DeleteWe have just gone into another lockdown here, as of last Monday night. We can only meet up in groups of 4 people, so we're not meeting with anyone (not that we were really!) as there are already the four of us...although it's safer this way anyway. All the non essential shops are now closed again and we still have our curfew in place from 10pm till 6am...although there was talk of it being brought forward to 8pm, but as far as I know that hasn't happened yet.
I can imagine that Ken's sister is indeed very lonely, I cannot imagine being on my own for almost a year, I'd be climbing the walls.
I'm glad you like the new girl, and glad to hear that you finally got a Zwergnase, they are lovely dolls. I look forward to seeing her when you get the chance.
I've not been able to go and catch up on any of the blogs still, but maybe soon.
Big hugs xxx
Dear Sharon, I am so happy to see this post. I have been missing as a doll blogger reader for a bit also.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cutie new doll. I love getting new dolls! I love the Brownie outfit on the other doll.
Are you living by the sea again? That is so wonderful.
Hi Dorothy, I'm glad to read that you liked this post!
DeleteI'm also happy that you like the new girlie, I love getting new dolls too. That brownie outfit is very cute, isn't it!
Yes we are still by the sea, we can see it from all of our windows, which is lovely. It's just a short walk downhill....and not so short on the way up!!!!
Big hugs xxx