In the works....

Little cloth dolls...I haven't made any of these in years..... She still needs hair and some clothes!

Making Dollies

Lola has never really payed much attention to stuffed animals or dolls. She hugs them and then drops them.(I'm the one who LOVES them!) She spends all her time here reading books and making beautiful pictures with her new crayons. But lately she has really liked playing with little wooden animals i have found for her at the local craft stores. While shopping there i found these little peg doll shapes and decided to make her some dollies to go with her block set. I think she will like these two little sisters...

And this is Lenny, an old fashioned clothespin doll i made for her...

Lenny and his buddy Sam are already well played with, and live in Lola's crayon box..

This is Clarice, a little kitty glove doll i made for a customer at The Paper Sparrow. When i finished her i wasn't sure if i liked the way she came out but her new owner loved her and took her home for her little girl...

She loved her fancy tail! I love making dolls. I am so glad we can continue to offer them at The Paper Sparrow. More to come!

The Gifts She Gave

Earlier this week i went for a ride with my daughter Kate to Argyle, New York, to pick up some fresh, organic honey for her shop, at Moseskill Marketplace. The Moseskill Marketplace is a little shop where local artists can show and sell their wares. The shop wasn't officially open for business, but we were allowed to look around and make a few purchases!

As you may know, i LOVE dolls, especially rag and folk dolls. So i fell in love with this terry cloth towel dolly. I think i might embroider some eyes and a mouth on her face.

And here is a close up of the "BooBoo Bunny" (one of a pair) i bought just because i couldn't leave without them! It is made out of a washcloth, and there is a little pocket in the back so that you can slip an ice cube into it and use the bunny to take the sting out of those booboos on little knees and elbows. SO cute!
And i found these lovely little sachets made out of vintage fabric and filled with sweet smelling lavender buds. I had three but gifted my Mother with the nicest one! She loves lavender too!

While we were there we got to visit with Katie's in laws Ken and Diana. We stopped by their home out in the country and had a wonderful time looking at their gardens. Here are a few gifts we came home with....

Fresh snap peas we picked right from the vines. They are so sweet, crisp and delicious, we almost ate the whole bag full once we got into the car! They are so good, i won't even bother to cook them! I'll eat them just as they are.... And Diana's fresh cut lavender...I wish you could smell how wonderful this little bouquet smells...Just like heaven! My Grandmother just loved the scent of fresh lavender....Thank you dear friends for gracing our table and brightening our day!

A Very Busy Day

Today was one of those days that when i open my eyes i tell myself "Tomorrow morning you will wake up and it will be all over!" It's a strange coping mechanism i have developed over the years. We have been in the process of remodeling our home now, for the last three years. We are almost done, and the worst of it is behind us. However, the longer it goes, the less i can tolerate it! Today we had the siding guys pull up before seven am, and the guys from the gas stove company come in right behind them. I had done all the prep work i could last night. As the stove guys had to get down into the basement(especially in the room where i keep my doves and my two guinea pig sows) I made sure to move their cages out of the way and to give them extra treats and cover them with sheets so they wouldn't be too upset by strangers walking in and out of their space. My parrot, Safou (who has pretty much the run of the house during daylight hours) was locked in his cage and covered too. He is a little fearful of tall men and squares-boxes, packages, etc...Since there would be both tall men and boxes going by his cage, i thought he's be more comfortable not knowing that. The dogs were happy to be out in the yard barking at the neighbors and sitting in the sun as it was a very nice Spring day today. After i was sure everyone was ok and settled, i slipped upstairs into my studio to do some straightening and maybe even get a little work done. I made a few more "Lollidollies" and nestled them in the basket for a photo. I started another sock doll, but got called away before i got very far with that project. I did take a few more pictures. Here is a picture of the first glove dolls i made, and used the suggested patterns in the book "Sock and Glove" by Miyako Kanamori.

The white dog was the first glove doll i made and i named him "Archie". The little pig i named "Willem" My granddaughter Lola likes him a lot. After i learned the basic steps to make the glove dolls i started making my own little creatures. The little black bunny below is named "Bunnita" and the tiny pink striped mouse is named "Fiona" Fi needs a nose. I just haven't found the right button yet....

I took some pictures of some of my old dolls too. The big dolls sitting on my bed are almost as old as my children. I made these old girls when my children were very small, using my own pattern. The teddies sitting with them were mine when i was a child. The big bear i got when i had my tonsils out when i was two, and the little bear we named "Hunny", was given to me when i was born. Now that is an old bear! Both bears were loved so much their fur was rubbed off, and the little bear, Hunny had to be re stuffed.

And then there is my favorite doll of all...My Raggedy Ann.

My Grandmother Mary Stopera, gave me this doll right after i turned 19, as a Christmas gift. As you can see, Annie has the same problem as the old teddies. She has been with me a long time- 34 years this past Christmas. She has been chewed on by a few puppies (long gone now) and age has hardened her stuffing and made her body fabric very fragile. (I can relate!) So part of what i did today was make new leggings for her out of a piece of material i had here, and i will whip stitch them onto her legs soon. I just hope there is some sturdy material left to stitch them to! So tho the day was hectic, i did accomplish some things.

The siding is almost complete, and

we have a lovely cast iron stove too! Zinnia especially appreciates the extra heat. It was a busy day. I'm glad it's over....