A welcome to spring time

Oh how I love the springtime! The gentle warmth of the sun waking up the first flowers, the little lambs fresh to the world skip in the field across the way and we pinch back a few hours of daylight! It feels so good to throw open the doors for little boys and dollies to go out and play!

Over the last few wintery months I have been working on a special doll, filled with all my hopes and dreams of spring, please meet Odelette.

She is a 16 inch girl of soft pink and fresh greens, 

inspired by some of my favorite flowers - sweet peas

Her hair is soft wefted mohair, hand dyed by myself in gentle pink and hazy purple tones, she quite likes to tie this back with a string of crochet sweet peas.

She has mossy green eyes, embroidered eyebrows and fair skin. Odelette is able to sit easily by herself, has a sculpted bottom, and a tiny belly button too. 

 

 She will come with two full outfits, the first is a cotton/organza dress with secret pocket front, a cotton/silk knit cardigan, woolen wrap lace shoes and glass drop necklace

 ( oh and little pink undies too!)

The second is a liberty sweet pea print dress, with beaded heart lace shawl 

and matching beaded shoes.

Odelette will be searching for a loving new family with her Podling baby. A seven inch bundle of whispy haired cuteness! Wrapped snug in his little knitted pea pod sling Odelette can carry him wherever she goes!

Odelette shows podling baby all the new spring flowers

Oh how she loves her Pea Pod baby

I do hope that wherever they travel these sweet dolls will bring with them the joys of springtime, they will be available to adopt together at the Enchanted toybox on April 7th (shop)

For all of their photos do pop over to my flickr account (gallery)

The Princess and the Pea

What a charming little story! The search for true love, an unlikely princess and that pesky little pea!

It is one I have always enjoyed, and remember my father reading to me and my sisters when we were very small, from a large old volume of Hans Christian Anderson tales.

My husband and I over the last few months have worked together on this project, combining our efforts to create this dear little princess play set.

 I have to admit that my hands did not play much part in the making of the bed, although delicate stitches and attention to detail seam to come naturally to me in my needlework, I am a little heavy handed and lets say over enthusiastic when it comes to woodwork - I was the girl in woodwork class who was happily sawing away whilst the rest of the class listened patiently and planned their projects - I suppose I just get a little carried away!

This little princess has a set of four mattresses, filled with soft squashy wool and tufted with wee wooden buttons. She has a patchwork quilt and a lacy pillow.

But for all this fine bed linen, poor princess can still feel that tiny little pea underneath!

Princess herself is 10 inches tall, has full flowing mohair weft locks, tiny ears, belly button and a sculpted bottom meaning that she can sit unaided. She has two outfits, one to represent the windswept maiden that arrives at the castle door - made from layers of cotton and lace, and another more suited to a true princess, layers of pure silk, hand dyed in her favorite colour - pea green!

I have so enjoyed creating all her additional extras, her little diamante tiara, tiny woolen slippers, but my favorite I must say, is this!

My husband has designed and created our very own version of The Princess and the Pea story book. Professionally printed, this dear little princess is the star of her own story and has had much fun posing to recreate the tale for our photographs! Vincent is a graphic designer by trade and has a real passion for story telling, it has been wonderful to work alongside him on this project, I'm sure the first of many!

The Princess and the Pea play set and book will be available on Saturday 1st of March via short auction on the Dollishop Facebook group.
dollishop link