Waldorf Doll for Sale

So one of my dolls sold at the Silent Auction for my son's school, but the other did not.  I was a little surprised that "Caryn" did not even get one bid.   I did notice that when they packaged everything up in plastic, the doll was hard to see.  So I am now going to try and sell the doll myself.

There are so many options: Ebay, Big Cartel, Etsy, my local green store, or my blog.  I have no idea where I start.  If I start a Big Cartel shop or an Etsy Shop, I feel like I should really try and make more to make it worth it (since they are shops).  If I sell on Ebay I guess I can just sell only the one doll and I don't have to sell others.

I think Waldorf dolls have a very specific market, and I don't know if I live in that market. I think I'll try on my blog first.  You can see pictures on my Flickr site.  The doll comes with clothes, info, care card, and birth certificate.

Caryn $150 Sale $100+ shipping (US only)
SOLD

My Silent Auction Babies

My son's school is having a silent auction to raise money for their enrichment, arts, and traditional programs that LAUSD has cut.  We are so lucky to be a part of a school that each year finds a way, by donations and the Colfax World Fair, to keep these amazing programs going.  I decided to try and do my part.  We don't have much in way of extra money, so I am using my craftiness to hopefully raise some money for the school.  Every bit helps.

I named them Caryn and Portia and made birth certificates and care cards.  This has been a real labor of love, especially since I couldn't move my neck to sew for over 6 weeks.  After making the first doll, I took a break to do other stuff.  But then I woke up a few weeks later with a bulging disc.  I was in so much pain- unable to move or sew.  Physical therapy helped and I was able to finish the second.  I still have pain (and now have pulled something in my lower back), but I have passed off the dolls to the silent auction coordinators. 

I feel like I have learned so much with these two, but I still have a lot more to learn.  I can't wait to try them out!

New Years Resolutions?

This year I vowed that I would do a few things.  First, I would exercise and second, I would get my house organized.  I have started getting organized...or at least getting rid of things that have not been worn, played with, or touched in over a year.  The exercise part still eludes me.  Well instead of exercising today, I made delicious baked goods.   So, so far I've done the exact opposite of what I've set out to do.  I had a couple of zucchini and a sweet potato that I needed to use.  Zucchini bread was a no brainer.  I use a pretty standard recipe from All Recipes.  Sometimes I add apples, but this time I just added them to the top.   

Yummy Play Dough

I have been searching for a good playdoh recipe for a while now.  I have scoured sites looking for the perfect one.  I ended up finding a great one from one of the teachers in my daughter's mommy and me class, but now that the holidays are upon us...I started looking again. 

I thought that playdoh would be a great gift for lots of "little friends" at school and the neighborhood--plus it's pretty thrifty too.   I stumbled upon a great one over at The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle, that costs only a few cents to make.  Gingerbread playdoh!!! Why didn't I think of that?

I've tried adding different smelling oils in the past, but they didn't turn out great.  This one smells good enough to eat and adding dry spices doesn't change the texture of the dough.  I made some for birthday presents, and my kids were begging me to make some for them.  I found some containers at the 99 cent store and voila... instant gift. .  I think these will be a real hit in the neighborhood this year.  If you are looking for a fun and quick project...give it a try!

A Boy for My Boy

My son decided that he wanted a doll of his own.  I think he was a little jealous that I was working out a lot of kinks by making girl dolls.  Well I finally made him one of his own, and I have to say that I think it's the best one.  I really stuffed this one tight and I was able to give him good neck support with the wool.  I've been using old holey jeans to make the jeans for the dolls and whatever scrap fabric I have for t-shirts and dresses.  I'm going to be working on making flannel pajama sets out of old flannel receiving blankets that I got when my son was a baby.  We have probably 25 of those blankets... and never used a single one (except when I made a cloth diaper out of one). 

Well, I think this is my last one for a while.  My husband says we don't need another doll in the house. Ha ha!  I'd still like to perfect some of the techniques, but I guess I'll wait for a very special birthday.

I've Got the Bug!

I have now made 2 Waldorf inspired dolls and I am working on my third.  My son now wants a boy doll, but I have no idea how to do the hair.  I found a really good tutorial of how to put the hair on girls (after I made my second doll), but no really good hair tutorial for boy dolls.  I don't know if I want to sew directly into the head or make a crochet cap and wig.  It uses way more yard when you make a wig cap.  I used one for my first doll and she has A LOT of hair.  Too much I think, but it makes my daughter laugh.

So I have to finish my son's doll, and I think I want to try another girl to get the hair just right.

I've become obsessed, but now I have to cloth them.  So I'm working on creating patterns for clothes, which has now got my mind wondering if I can make clothes for my daughter and dresses for myself.  I really need a craft room, but we don't have the space.  Oh well, one day when I get my dream home.

A Labor of Love

This whole project started, because I had been trying for over 2 years to buy a beautiful doll from Bamboletta.  They are very popular, handmade by a wonderful group of ladies, and pretty darn cute too.  She makes several a week and puts them on her bigcartel shop and within minutes they are gone.  My internet is not fast enough at work or at home.  I've never been able to add one to a cart!

So, I decided to make my own doll for my daughter.  I watched several tutorials from different sources and bought my supplies from Weir and Stitch Cafe.  It took me about a week to make -at night after the kids were asleep.  The hardest part (at least for my hands) was making the head.  Now I see why so many mamas who make dolls enlist their husbands to make the heads!

Well, I'm happy that this labor of love came out looking pretty good.  I'm actually thinking of making another one to see if I can improve on the first.  I made a crocheted cap to hook all the hair on, and boy does she have a lot of hair.  Next time, I'm going to try and sew hair on the head instead and see how that looks.  I still think it's amazing that the ladies at Bamboletta make so many dolls each week by hand, but I'm happy that I finally have a a baby for my little girl.

Doll Clothes

I had been looking for a "baby" for my son when I was pregnant with my daughter to help him with the transition.  I was looking at Bamboletta Dolls but was unable to get one for him - due to the popularity.  That was almost 2 years ago.  I ended up getting this sweet sleeping baby that was handmade by a woman on Ebay.

Cut to 2 years later and now my daughter wants her own baby.  She shares this one with my son, but he is very animate that everyone knows "Joe" is his.  So, now I'm back to trying to get a Bamboletta for my girl.  I've been trying for a while to no avail, but I have started knitting for the new doll.

I found this great pattern on the Bamboletta website.  Someone told me "if you knit it, she will come".  I'm having a lot of fun knitting some great items for the new doll.  Good thing they also fit "Joe".

Ready for Winter?

I've been trying to get ready for our trip to Michigan this winter.  Since we live in California, there isn't much need for super warm pants.  But, that being said, in my house there is always a need for cute wool pants that can double as a cover for cloth diapers.  Well, here they are.  I am so happy with how they turned out.  I got the pattern from Itchy Fingers.  It is a pretty long pattern, but she really gives a great initial sheet to figure out how many stitches are needed for each section.  I had trouble with the short rows in the back, but on the last short row I discovered a post for Japanese short rows that worked perfectly with no hiccup.  I've included the link for the short rows here.  

I love the colors in these pants.  These are the same pants I made for my son a while back except longer (I made my son shorts).  Well, we'll see how they work in a day.  We're off to the snow.  I hope the wool will keep her warm and dry!  Happy holidays everyone.

Dress to "Impress"

I am so excited about this dress from Pickles.  It is called the Impress dress and I am definitely impressed with how it looks.  I did not use the suggested yarn.  I ended up using a yarn called "Corntastic" that was on sale at my local yarn store.  It's made out of 100% corn, which is excellent since it is eco-friendly and vegan.  It's a great alternative to wool and organic cotton yarns. Plus you can machine wash and dry it!

It feels so soft.  The one thing I will say is that it is a little thicker weight yarn than suggested in the pattern.  So, the size of the dress seems a little bit smaller.  My daughter is 9 months old and on the smaller size anyway (she's about 17 lbs), but it seems like it should fit her for a little while before I pass it down to a friend.

It took me a total of 4 nights in front of the television to knit it.  I like to knit small things for kids, because it takes me less time to finish.  Knitting is also a test for me to relinquish control.  I messed up the pattern at the beginning by over thinking it.  When they say do the same for the next side, you just do the SAME THING in the SAME ORDER.  I reversed it.  But was I going to pull out what I'd done.  NOOOO WAY!

One thing I didn't like was that they did not give you the knit and decrease numbers for the neck....but I figured it out - enough.  It is definitely not perfect, but if you're counting my stitches..... well :(

I can't wait for my daughter to wear it.  I guess I'll have to stop putting her in brother's hand me downs!

Sandwich Time

I have been continuing to make food for my son's kitchen.  My latest venture has been the Lilly Bean Market sandwich and chips.  I bought the pattern for the sandwich, but eye-balled the bag of chips.  I think they came out nicely.  We gave one for a Christmas present this year and my son started asking for his.  The most tedious part of the project in the bread crusts.  Other than that...it's pretty easy.  Delicious.

Knitted Summer Top

So I decided to knit again.  I have been taking a class online to become a lactation educator, and I needed an outlet on days in which the kids were not sleeping well.  It is easier to stop and start a knitting project than it is to stop and start an online assignment.

I found this cute top on Pickles.   It was super easy.  All knit stitches!  I used yarn I already had, which I think made for the smaller size.  I planned on knitting it for my daughter, but when it came out (ta dah) it was too small for her.  I was definitely disappointed since the pattern said fits 6-9 months, but it was my fault that I didn't use their yarn suggestion.  Oh well.  With this economy you gotta use yarn from the stash!

The great thing now is that it's an awesome handmade gift for a friend's baby.  It just so happened that my husband's friend had a baby in February.  So, there should be no fit problem there.  I'm sure it can start as a little dress and then be the top it was supposed to be.  I'm planning on knitting one for my little one soon.  I'll have to find some stash yarn that might be closer to the one in the pattern, or just add some stitches to the beginning. 

Felt Obcession

We are coming close to the holidays so I am working on gifts for the kids in my life. I loved making the little donut I made a few months back, so I have made more some with different frosting and some with different sprinkles. I also made peanut butter cookies with chocolate and butterscotch kisses on top, as well as a big sandwich cookie. I am currently using the Lilly Bean Market patterns, but I am working on figuring out some patterns of my own. I thought I wouldn't have time, but if I plan out what I am going to do in stages, I am having good luck finishing projects.

I figure that homemade goods will be mostly what I'm giving this year. We really have to save as much as we can this year, especially since we now have 2 kids. But that being said, I have become a bit obcessed with making this felt food. I scour the internet looking for patterns and tutorials. I have gone to JoAnn fabrics to buy more felt even though have haven't finished the projects I am currently doing. Plus they had the cutest box of thread in so may colors on sale, that I had to buy that too. So, my idea to save money this year is slowly slipping away. Ooops!

Wool Shorts

So I have finally finished knitting a pair of wool shorts for my son. And not too soon! He is fighting a cold and drinking lots of liquids, which means he is having accients at night and during nap-time.

The last pair of soakers I knit for him were shrunk by my mother when I was giving birth to my daughter. He was wearing them the night I went into labor, and my mother being the helpful person she is, did laundry and tossed them in. Needless to say, when I got home I was so happy to be greeted to a clean and laundered house, but the poor soakers that I had made will now fit my baby.

These soaker shorts I made out of wool I found really cheap. They didn't have 2 of the same color, so I decided to make them 2 toned. I knit them in the round (a first for me) and grafted the legs together (also a first). There were a lot of firsts on this pattern. I also added in short rows in the tush for added room. When working in the round it seems that my right side of the short rows came out great, but the left side is a little wonky. I'm sure it will not be noticeable when they are washed several times. I'll have to visit my local knit shop to see what I did wrong for the next time. I can't wait to start on some new longies for my daughter, but I think I might try and make little ruffled soakers first - as a smaller project.

Wool Longies

I have finally knit some wool longies. I wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. It took me about 3 days (only knitting at night in front of the TV), because there is no way I can knit during the day when the kids are up.

I think they turned out super cute, and I am ready to knit some shorts for my son and another pair of longies (with a different pattern). These were knit with the Tiny Birds Organics Longies pattern. It was really easy and she has everything written out for you.

Right now, I am looking at knitting in the round (no seams to sew) but I am a little intimidated. They use words like grafting legs, short rows, double pointed needles, and magic loop! I have no idea how to do any of that, so I'm going to head over to my favorite knitting store ( The Stitch Cafe in Valley Village www.stitchcafe.com) and ask for some help. I'll have to figure out when I can do that, since it's probably not good to bring a baby and a 3 year old into a shop full of yarn balls. The baby I'm sure would not be the problem, but the other one... It would be like a play day for a giant cat!

When I finish, I'll have to post pictures. I'm also trying to get ready for the holidays, so I'll be making a lot of felt foods and toys, along with soaps and knitted washcloths. I even have a cute neck scarf to knit for someone special. Well here's to happy crafting!

Wool Knit Soakers

So I made my first pair of wool soakers. It took me about 2 days. I worked on them primarily when I put my son to bed at night or naps. I'm happy with how they look and fit. I did mess up on the waistband in the back. I forgot that I used size 9 needles to make the band, and when I got to the back just used the size 5 needles I was knitting the body with. Since knitted wool stretches, I am not concerned. I might try and make a newborn size, which should take me less time than these did. It would be a good cover for some of my non-waterproof diapers.

All in all I'm excited to try them out tonight. I should be able to let them air out in the mornings and use them again at night. I hear that they shouldn't need to be washed for about 2 weeks since wool is naturally anti-microbial and wicking.

I might try knitting a square next, felting it, and cutting a soaker pattern out to sew. We'll see how much time I have.

Night-Time Trainers

My son is finally sleeping for 10 hour stretches at night at 2 1/2 years old. I am so happy, but the issue now is that he is peeing through his pull ups. I tried waking him up in the middle of the night, which worked a couple of times, but ultimately made him want to get back into bed with me! I was happy to have my bed back, especially since I'm pregnant again, and I was unwilling to give in. This made for a lot of crying and me trying to get him back to sleep in his bed for hours in the middle of the night!

So, I have tried to make some night-time covers. The first pair ended up being too small. I'll just use it for a cover for the new baby. The second, was a little tight. It worked, but was hard for my son to get on and off by himself. Then I decided to use some wool fabric that I had for the third. Well, it wicks wonderfully - but because it is woven fabric, the pee just rolled off and on to his clothes. I'll have to use it for the day maybe. Now the forth is PUL fabric, 4 layers of fleece, and micro-fleece lining. He should be able to wear these alone as waterproof pull-ups.

Most everything I use is re-purposed fabric. All the flannel comes from old receiving blankets. The fleece comes from a variety of places. The PUL is new.

Next, I'm going to try my had at knitting some wool ones. We'll see what happens.

New Diaper Fabric

I just got some new fabric today. It is a PUL so the diaper that I made will be waterproof. I like to have a variety of diapers. I know that wool, bamboo, and cotton is better for the environment, but there are times that I want the convenience of something waterproof. Plus, wool does require a bit more care. You don't want to dry wool in the dryer. You should hand wash it and lay it flat to dry. No wringing for wool! And it does have to lanolized now and again. That takes more time than I think I will have with a toddler and a baby.

So here it is! My new diaper with cool new PUL fabric. I'm pretty excited. I would love to put snaps on them to make the one size a bit easier to deal with, but I do not have a snap press. The money it would cost to get a snap press is probably not worth it, since I'm only making diapers for me. Oh well.

Obsessed with Diapers

Now that I am pregnant once again, I find that I am becoming obsessed with finding things for the new baby. Right now it's diapers. I cloth diapered with my first, but had so many problems with my Bum Genius elastic failing that I wanted to search for something new. Bum Genius replaced 2 of my diapers, but the other 2 that failed (after a year) they would not. I primarily hand wash and line dry and use Allen's Naturally as a soap.

But now, because of the economy, I am looking for something cheap and that works. I have ordered a bunch of different types, but they have not arrived- and either has the baby. I have about 18 more weeks to go.

I have decided to use scrap flannel to make my own diapers to supplement my stash. It's cheap. I've made them out of receiving blankets that I never used on my first. I have so many blankets that I could not possibly use them all. So I am proud to say that it wasn't too hard (it took me 20 minutes from start to finish) and I spent no money. If it works, then it was worth it.

Felt Sweets

So, I attempted to make a felt donut today. It came out pretty good for my first one, but it was definitely more difficult than the fortune cookies. I think I will try and make some potato chips next- to add some color to the plate, and maybe a cherry pie. The chips in a bag seem pretty easy. My son is enjoying all the food, and wants to be a part of the process. He's become a good circle tracer, and I just do the sewing when he's asleep.

My plan is to try and figure out which items come out best (who am I kidding- I mean the easiest and least time consuming), so I can start preparing for the holidays since I won't have any time when the baby comes. Since the economy is so bad, I'm going back to homemade gifts. Now that the sewing machine is out more, my son has requests! He says he wants a cake and some shoes for his doll Joe. I'm almost done with the shoes, but don't think I'll be attempting a cake anytime soon. As for my requirements...a cake seems pretty time consuming. At least longer than nap-time.