Pocket Fairies

From as far back as I can remember, I've always loved playing with dolls.  When I was little, my Nan would turn plastic margarine tubs into the most wonderful little doll bassinets, complete with tiny hand sewn pillows and blankets made from scraps of wool.  Back then, the tubs were rectangular in shape which was perfect for making into dolls' beds.  She would poke holes all around the top rim and then attach colourful little skirts which she'd crocheted to hide the outside of the container.  Oh what fun we had putting our little babies to sleep in them!!

 I had an idea of creating a teensy baby doll to fit inside a little tin.  Well, as the doll progressed, she had a bit of a mind of her own and she ended up becoming a tiny fairy instead.  And once she was made, she told me that she needed a little friend who could come for sleepovers.... 

  So, I made two tiny fairies, each just big enough to fit snuggly into an Altoids tin bed which I decorated with pretty papers.  Each wee bed contains an embroidered pillow and a colourful patched quilt which keep the fairies snug and warm on chilly nights.

 Don't they look cozy in their little beds??

I wanted to create a pretty little bed, reminiscent of the ones my Nan used to make, so I chose papers with tiny patterns and prints in soft colours to decorate each tin.

The pillows are embroidered with tiny lazy daisy flowers and the quilts are reversible - cute, tiny patches on one side and a solid colour on the other.

These tiny girls measure just over 3 inches tall and their dresses and wings are removable.  I've used a tiny press stud closure to connect their wings directly onto their backs, so they can easily be removed for dressing.  Their hair is made from Tussah Silk roving, so it can be gently styled or tied back with narrow ribbon.

The pattern for the little fairies will include instructions and pattern pieces to make the doll, her little dress and wings, the bedding and the templates needed for decorating the tin.  And it should be available soon!!

Wishing you a wonderful week :)
~Shelly xo

Li'l Sweetheart Bear Winners

 Hello dear friends!!  Thank you very much to everyone who entered my giveaway here on my blog and on my Facebook page!!  Your wonderful comments are such a delight to read and I'm really glad you love the new little bears!  I've done a random drawing for the winners through Random.Org and the two lucky ladies are Cheryl Crawford Sanders and Joanna Simpson!!  Congrats to you both!!
Patterns for the Li'l Sweetheart Bear are now available in my shop! 

Have a lovely weekend!

~Shelly xo

Li'l Sweetheart Bear Giveaway!

Hello there!  I have a wonderful surprise today - I'm having a giveaway!!  I've just finished working on a new little bear pattern which should be ready and available in my shop within the next few days.  They were so much fun to make!  Because I made five of them, I've decided that two of them will need new homes...

Aren't they sweet?  I just love how plump their little tummies are!

So, here's the little boy up for adoption,

And this is the little girl.
If you'd like to enter to win one of them, please leave your name and email address in the comments section below, or on the Facebook posts that I'll have up.  To help reduce the risk of  spamming, please don't leave your email address in its proper format, but use this example instead:  md1911(at)shaw(dot)ca.

The draw will be held on Friday, January 30th, and I will contact the winners via email to let them know and also to get their addresses for mailing the bears.  Each winner will receive a dear little bear that will be a complete surprise until they open their package!

Best of luck to you all!
hugs and kisses,
~Shelly xo

Happy Holidays - 12 Days of Gifts

Season's Greetings dear friends!! 

To celebrate this special time of year, I'm having a 12 Days of Gifts Special in my Etsy Shop!  Each day for the next twelve days, one pattern or pattern set will be on sale for 50% off the regular price!  Each morning I'll post an announcement on my Facebook page with the special gift. 

 So, if there's a particular pattern you've been wanting, please be sure to visit my page every morning as this special will only last for a limited time!

  Sweetest Wishes,
~Shelly xo

Black Friday Sale

Hey there!  I'll be having a sale today only in my Etsy shop with 20% off your entire order!!  Please use coupon code THANKYOUSALE at the checkout for the discount.  I just want you all to know how very thankful I am for your support!

 Happy Black Friday!
~Shelly  xo

Scrappy Bunny and Bear

Hello there!  Been working on a new pattern and it's finally ready to share with you all!  This darling pair, a tiny bunny and bear are designed to look like they've been loved and cuddled to bits! Each is missing an eye - possibly due to too many tugs and twists or sharp little teeth ...  and each is slightly creepy, but awfully cute!

  I've used left over scraps of my favourite hand woven wool felt to make these little characters which I think adds a lovely soft, plushy look.  A tiny, glittery felt crown adds a bit of sparkle and is a delightful accessory to add if you're making a little girl bear or bunny princess!

Don't you just want to squeeze her??

And he looks like he could use a big hug!

Measuring between 3 and 4 inches, I also think they'd be perfect as a toy for a bigger doll like Blythe - here's my little Peony holding the little bear.

Pattern is now available in my shop :)
Love and hugs,
~Shelly  xo

New Pattern!

Hi dear friends!  Hope you've all been well :)  As most of you know, I've been working on a book project for the last few months and have not had much time to post very often here on my blog or work on any new patterns for my shop.  The second batch of dolls is now complete and they've been sent to the publishers house for the next step of the process. 

Before I start on the third batch, I thought I'd take a couple of days to work on a little animal hat pattern that I've been envisioning in my mind!  The hat is designed to fit Blythe dolls and includes four pairs of animal ears to choose from - from left to right, a lamb, kitty, mouse and panda (or bear).

These darling little hats are super easy and quick too! 

I'll be working on writing up the pattern and it should be ready for my shop withing the next few days:)

Sweetest regards,
~Shelly xo

A Wonderful Holiday!

Hola amigos - hello friends!  We've just arrived home from a wonderful time in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico!  The weather was nice and hot each day and we got to experience some amazing thunder and lightning storms almost every night.  I love how friendly the people of Mexico are and would highly recommend going there if you're able!  Here's some pics of our trip..

John and I on the beach in front of the resort - Royal Decameron

The view from our suite - facing right

Facing left

Two for the road:)  Wandering outside of the resort grounds..  we found a path which led to the next resort.  On the way, we met an old Mexican man who was stationed at a little hut just beyond the trees behind my shoulder to the right of the photo.  He was the security guard and was just starting a little fire to keep the bugs away.  We stopped to say hello, but couldn't understand a word he was saying and he couldn't understand us either, but we seemed to have an entire conversation with him before moving on to explore the rest of the trail!

Two of the dozens of iguanas that live at the resort.

We booked a horseback riding tour:  http://www.bestofbucerias.com/product_horseback_riding_rancho_capomo_335 - what a fun day!  Oh my goodness, we had a blast!  Our tour guide picked us up early one morning along with a 5 other couples and drove us to a ranch in the mountains of Las Palmas about an hour away from the bustling city.  Along the way, he showed and told us interesting facts about the surrounding areas.  After a 3 hour horseback ride through the jungle which included a stop at a beautiful waterfall, we headed back to the ranch to learn how to make pico de gallo which is a super tasty Mexican salsa.

Basically a mix of chopped tomato, onion, cilantro and jalapeno peppers, salt and lime juice.  Here's a link to a recipe for anyone who'd like to make it:  http://www.food.com/recipe/pico-de-gallo-83371

Oh yum!  We also watched how they made tortillas and got to eat them for lunch.

 Yay!  We made it to the waterfall! 

We had such an amazing time and I can't wait to visit again!  I ❤ Mexico!!

~Shelly xo

New Stuff!

Hello!  Thanks so much to all who popped in for my End of Summer Sale!  It was a great success and I'm sure you'll have lots to keep you busy for the  next while!  I've taken a little break in-between deadlines for my book project and have created three new Pocket Poppet doll kits and three new Poppet outfit kits.  The doll kits are ready and available in my shop and the outfit kits will be available within the next few days.

 I forgot how much I love making poppets!  Each pattern kit will include the pattern booklet to make the doll, the wool blend felt to make the body of the poppet and her shoes, the gorgeous wool yarn for her hair and the pretty polka dot felt for her little sundress.

For the outfit pattern kits, I used the Summer outfit pattern and created three different choices.  Each kit will include the pattern booklet to make the outfit, the wool blend felts to make her sweet little hat, shoes and flower accessory and the polka dot felt to make her pretty, flutter sleeved dress and matching hat band.  This pattern kit will not include the pattern to make the doll.

Also, I've added felting needles to my ever growing section of Supplies.  These are perfect for needle felting the hair of many of the dolls made from my patterns such as the Poppets, Pixies, Mermaid Girl, Mini Moppets, Tag-Along doll, Woodland Elf and Pony.

Have a great week :)
~Shelly xo

End of Summer Sale!

Oh yes, it's finally here - the End of Summer Sale!!  Time to stock up on patterns and supplies and get busy making for the holidays which are just around the corner!

All patterns and select supplies will be on sale Saturday and Sunday, Sept 6-7 in my Etsy shop and will start tonight at 12:00am Eastern Time.  Please use coupon code ENDOFSUMMER to receive 20% off your entire order.  Hurry, don't miss it!

See you there!
~Shelly  ｡◕‿◕｡

An Exciting New Project!

Oh my goodness, it's been a while, hasn't it!?  I hope you've all been enjoying your summer or winter - wherever you may be in this wonderful world of ours!  My summer has gone by in the blink of an eye!  True's Bob, the older I get, the quicker it goes!  Do you find that too??  Anyway, I'm not complaining as I still get to do what I love everyday - make dollies!

My two latest projects have been shrouded in secrecy and it's been terribly hard to keep everything to myself!  Firstly, I've collaborated with the wonderful Australian Homespun magazine again and they will be featuring a doll pattern that I designed exclusively for them in the January 2015 edition.  The second project is extremely exciting for me, but it's enormous and will keep me busy into the New Year!  I'm working on a book of felt dolls, each with a different theme.  There will be between 12 - 15 themes in total and will include a ballerina, princess, fairy, amongst others.  As you know, I love sharing 'work-in-progress' pics, but due to the nature of both these projects, I've not been able to even give sneak peeks of anything till now...

This is the first batch of dolls for the book, all wrapped and ready to go to the publisher's.  I know it's a bit of a tease, but it's all I can show.

Here's what I can show - teeny tiny felt undies for the the dolls :)

Please know that I will try my best to keep in touch.  I've had almost no time at all to check my Facebook page over the last few weeks, but please keep posting photos of your Gingermelon makes on my wall - they are such an inspiration to others and I love seeing how they turn out!

Sweetest regards,
~Shelly xo

PS  Watch out for an End of Summer Sale coming soon!