Tea Cup Babies

There truly is nothing quite like a good brew is there? Enjoying the ritual of preparing tea and savouring its delicate taste is something that connects people from all over the world, 

and whats more it is good for your health! 

For me, the day really doesn't truly begin until I have a cup of tea in hand, the hazy mist of sleep lifts as I breath in the sweet steam rising from my favorite tortoise mug! 

Afternoon tea has become a very British thing, with careful consideration needed in the selection of teas and cakes; here in the south west of the country the proper way is naturally to have a "cream tea" with warm currant scones, thick homemade strawberry jam ( or raspberry if you are a rebel like me!) and a generous spoonful of clotted cream, all finished off with a fresh pot of delicate Darjeeling. For anyone who has not had this pleasure, I assure you it is simply heavenly - and if you are in the region it would be rude not to try it! There is a little controversy over the correct layering of jam and cream upon your scone - but if you ask me - as long as you have plenty of both, you can't go far wrong!

Anyway - as usual I am rambling! It was daydreaming over a cuppa that I first thought about making a range of tea cup babies, wee babes so small they could nestle inside a teacup, fresh and vibrant with the colours of an English garden in summertime. It's cheery thought kept me warm all through the bleak winter months, and it has been thoroughly enjoyable to have finally found a little time in which to bring these sweet poppets into being!

 Each tea cup baby is around 8 inches tall, sewn from de witte cotton and stuffed firmly with fluffy devonshire lambswool. They have lightly sculpted faces, tiny stitched eyebrows, ears, peachy bottoms and swirly bellybuttons. Their hair is crocheted from various shades of dollymo mohair yarn.

As summer ( as wet as it's been) is still with us, the girls have requested light cotton dress skirts, with slightly cosier wool knit bodices which have a tie fastening to the back, and also wear a matching nappy lined with buttery soft cotton velour, and a tiny brass teacup necklace.

Many hours have been spent exploring the treasure troves of our local antique and collectables shops, the girls were quite particular about what they were looking for, but I think each eventually found something that was just her cup of tea!

Though Tippy has found a new home already with a wishlist family, Camille, Jasmine and Pekoe will be looking for homes this evening at 6pm est ( which is 11pm here in the UK ) in my shop:

http://hyenacart.com/stores/ladybirddollstudio

 Lots of love, Scarlett and the Teacup Babies xx

Alice in the secret garden

Custom dolls are always a intensive labour of love for me, 

I dearly enjoy getting to know the family that my dolls will journey to, and feel honoured that they share their interests and special memories with me in order to bring a new little soul to life. 

Conversations spanning many months, with little parcels of pretty finds exchanged, mood boards of inspiration and no end of tales and anecdotes go into each and every custom doll, and as I give each doll one last squeeze before carefully nestling her into her box to travel, 

I know it could never really be goodby!

Alice is firey. Don't get me wrong, she is a dear sweet thing, adventurous and  inquisitive, but her desire to know and explore is like a burning flame, forever hungry! Her new mama will surely be in for many many questions from this talkative girl!

She is 15 or so inches tall, with green eyes, freckles and golden red hair, she has a peachy plump bottom, little knobbly freckled knees, swirly bellybutton, tiny ears and stitched eyebrows.

Alice's outfit includes a floral dress trimmed with cotton lace,

 hand knit pure wool cardigan with mismatch buttons, moss green velvet bloomers, 

undies, alpaca/wool knit boots with button rose decoration, matching rose hair pin 

and a little brass key necklace - for when she discovers her secret garden!

Agnes

Now you knew I couldn't really stay away didn't you! In all the topsy turvyness of my life right now, there is a still, calm place, a little oasis, in which I dream of dollies! Over the passed few weeks one such little soul kept coming to mind, persistently pulling at my sleave, until I really had no choice but to dig through all my boxes in storage, to find the meens to bring her to life!

Agnes has been patient, and I have enjoyed the freedom to take my time creating her, using a colour palate which has always called to me - I love these warm vintage tones - like an old photograph of happy times gone by! So often I find myself harking back to the colours of my comfort zone, breezy cool blues and mossy greens will never be far from my first choices, but Agnes has encouraged me to be a little bolder, and I dearly love her for that! 

After all, colours have always been of great significance to me, I meen with a name like Scarlett it's hard for it not to feel a big part of who I am, infact a big part of our family - 

as my brother and sisters have colours in their names too, did you know that?

But I digress, I'm sure you are all keen to meet Agnes...

This little girl loves the romance and mystery of days gone by. Take her to the book shop or library and she will spend many a happy hour smoothing the spines of the books with her fingers as she walks along, head tilted reading the titles aloud. She tells me how she loves the smell of the paper, and the old illustrations drawn with ink, especially the old nature journals - how she wishes she had been to the lands afar, discovering exotic birds and butterflies, never before seen!

I tell her there is so much world out there to discover still, and I know this heart strong girl will venture out and find her own lost land.

Agnes has chosen rich vintage tones of dandelion yellow and sky blue which bring to mind all the happiness of chidhood summers. She wears bird print cotton bloomers, a floral mini dress, hand knit linen cardigan, crochet sandals and matching hair tie.

At a mere 11 inchestall , Agnes, though small, assures me this height gives 

her a very unique point of view! ( did I say she was funny too!? ) 

She is sewn from organic cotton interlock in a dreamy chocolate brown tone and her hair is a needle felted crop of natural wensleydale curls. She features all the details you would expect of a larger doll, including ears, stitched eyebrows, a swirly belly button, sculpted bottom and dimpled knees.

Agnes dreams of travel, and would dearly love to find a home where she will get to go on exciting adventures and days out exploring! if you would like to welcome her into your family, please do visit the Enchanted Toybox this friday evening from 7pm est where she will be available comment style.