So, I've arrived at a giveaway decision.

I see all of you are just as good at making final decisions as I am. Hurray for us!

I suppose that's not really fair to say. Some of you are quite good at making decisions. It's just that we kind of failed to reach a consensus. We did, however, eliminate the sheep as an option - that's progress, I suppose.

With only three choices, I was able to arrive at a final decision. Would you like to know what I've decided? You'll have to keep an eye on this blog! Unveil will be either tomorrow or Friday.

Avaleigh & Alice

Sometimes, people ask me to make things that aren't in my normal repertoire. Sometimes those requests work out REALLY well.
A while back, I was asked to make a bunny from Cutest Creations' Waldorf Wabbit pattern.

I did. This was the result:

Alice. Made with shaggy minky, stuffed with wool, weighted with glass pellets. Her ears and foot soles were made from a "Guess How Much I Love You" knit that the momma who ordered Alice sent me. It was sent in the form of a dress that the little girl getting Alice was close to outgrowing. Momma wanted to keep the dress around forever and ever. Now she can, in a way.

Alice was so lovely that I was soon asked to make another, smaller bunny for a different customer. I just finished Avaleigh  yesterday. She shipped this morning.

OMG for cute. Love the big eyes! And her popsicles and ice cream cones dress? Squee!!
Initially Avaleigh was meant to be made from a very shaggy minky. Unfortunately, the pile was overwhelming and it just couldn't work. Thank goodness for flexibility - this final look is something I can really be proud of!

Firm decision making time!

For the Making Friends Giveaway 2013, the choices are as follows:

A doll. In fact, this doll right here:

This is Becky, who has been waiting for a home, and a child to love for a long, long time now. If her winner wants her to be a boy, I can change her hair and clothes out.

A dragon. It will probably be different colours, but from this pattern:

A lamb. Again, different colours, but here's a visual reminder:

Or, a bunny. Not this exact bunny, but one like it.

Help me out. Choose just one (I know it's hard) and leave your choice in the comments. I'll be eternally grateful.

Oops.

I have definitely been falling behind in the blogging world. Sorry! Life is crazy and hectic, and I'm doing my best just to stay on top of things, and above all to hang out with, and really appreciate my littles. Sweet Pea has just 5 days of school left this year. It's so hard to believe! She's very nearly reading, she can ALMOST tie her shoes, and (worst of all!!) she has four loose teeth!! She'll be five years old in just under a month. She is astonishing, and beautiful, and capable, and so very tall! Boober is 2.5. He is toilet trained (well, day trained, anyway), he makes sentences with lots of words, he tries very hard to do 24 piece puzzles but can't quite get there, and is convinced that he is a big boy, and can do everything his own self!! He is determined, so skinny his pants won't stay up (no matter what size I try!), fearless, and his smile is the brightest thing I've ever seen. I love knowing these little individuals.

 But we're not here to catch up on my littles, now are we? No. We are here to prepare for the third annual Making Friends giveaway!
I haven't made any final decisions just yet.
I was thinking perhaps a doll? But then maybe a dragon? Or the sheep are pretty cute too . . . . Maybe some doll clothes? Or a gift certificate for the shop?

What do you think? What would you like to see for the giveaway this year?

More Dolls!

Check this pretty lady out!

A 14" custom order - mixed rainbow hair which looks awesome with her sunshine-themed top!

This was my 62nd Waldorf doll. Every so often I count them all up. She's arrived at her new home, and is hanging out, waiting for a birthday.

And then this little one happened -- a 10" custom order.

Her pink and purple outfit is just adorable!

I'm just about done with the queued dolls for the spring -- soon I'm hoping to put some lambs, monkeys and mermaids in the shop!

Sisters!

Have I ever told you how much I love my work? Sure it can be demanding and challenging, but that's a great big part of the fun. The best part, though, is working closely with some really awesome people to bring dream dolls to life. I recently had the opportunity to work very closely with an Alaskan mom to bring her two daughters some really fantastic dolls.

First, we came up with Milly.

Milly's dress just slays me. The bugs! So cute! Milly has (I believe) just met her little girl this week. I hope they're fast friends!

After Milly, we turned our collective attention to doll #2 -- Teagan.

Teagan is going to a bigger girl, so she's actually got TWO outfits. One is her rainbow dress,

and the other . . . .

. . . is this great mermaid costume! I think there will be many happy hours of play ahead for Teagan and Milly and their girls.

Things kind of blew up there!

Mid-January, something very exciting happened. Making Friends was mentioned, and linked in an online article about natural toys. 

Super! It took less than three days for my queue to fill to mid-April. I actually had to suspend custom orders of 10" jointed dolls, because the wait was getting out of hand. I like to aim for 8 weeks of waiting, maximum.

With these orders, there has been a touch of drama (why is all the red hair coloured yarn in the world suddenly synthetic? I shouldn't have to look so long and hard for this!), and a whole lot of fun and excitement. Just last night, I finished a really adorable little girl doll. I think she's absolutely perfect. This is Bea:

Bea is short for Beatrix. It means bringer of happiness. I couldn't imagine a better name!

Bea will be joining her new family soon. I'm sure she and her little girl will be great friends. And I bet Bea gets to have the most exciting adventures ever!

Heading out with Bea is this little baby dragon.

He's stuffed with wool, making him an all-natural playmate for a very special little boy. And there's something special about this dragon, too! He has a heart.
Little C has a heart murmur. His dragon has a heart in his chest too. They are both brave and strong fellows with big hearts. I've been really honoured to make these 2 incredibly personal, meaningful toys for 2 really amazing littles. Thanks for making me part of that, K!