Monday, December 29, 2008

Cloth Diapers For the Doll That Wets.


For Christmas my girls EACH got a Baby Alive that WETS. For Real.


The DISPOSABLE diapers for these cost about $8 or $9 for six diapers. Not that I would ever purchase them anyway. My daughters didn't wear them, neither will their dolls.


I don't want to deny them any play time with their new dolls, so I've sewn together some cloth diapers that will hold the water. About 14 layers of diaper flannel between the dolls and the furniture. The flannel is soft and washable (although if it's only water being soaked up,they'll only need to be air dried.)


After fartin' around with the pattern for a bit, I've got something that works. Ofcourse, I'm now making them for my etsy store. A set of 2 will let your daughters play with thier dollies and learn a good lesson about disposable diapers, money, and patience.


If you are interested in getting a few for your little ones, see my etsy store!


Monday, December 22, 2008

I Had This DREAM...

So, I'm hanging out with people I have admired, for thier quiet success. The couple who own the Rye (my fav coffee shop.) a couple who used to own their own food biz, but now manage at jobs. And, a girl who used to be a stripper, but isn't anymore and is happy.

We're all hanging out in my kitchen, laughing and teasing each other. It's all very friendly.Then, my tooth falls out, it's the lower "eye" tooth. I keep trying to put it back in, and everyone says that I shouldn't fight it and just let if fall out. The ex-stripper is spitting her own teeth out, too. I look in my mouth, and I'm missing molars, and now this tooth, and I know if I just let this one go, the rest are going to follow.

She says something like I'm hanging out with her too much. I realize that hanging out with these people for some reason is making me lose my teeth.

I wake up, and have a think. My own interpretation of losing teeth equals Losing Personality. I think of the people in the dream... and how I sometimes wish that I were doing what they were doing... but then I think about how none of what THEY are doing has anything to do with ME. And that's where the losing of my own personality comes in. Trying to be someone else, in order to make money, will kill me.

I rolled over, and there was a book I"ve been skimming through the last 24 hours. About building your crafting business. I realized, that I really haven't completely let myself be comfortable in being called "Artist." I never introduce myself as such.

And then I thought, I have always just BEEN an artist. Drawing and writing books, creating. I had a portfolio when I was 10 that I would show off all the time to relatives when they would visit. (Filled with disproportionate heads and stringy legs and copies of Archie characters, but a portfolio non-the-less!)

And so, It's really TIME. The only thing I'm conscious of, painfully, is getting imbalanced. I need to run my business as a business, and not the basement hobby it could slip into (and maybe has the last few months.)

The funny thing is, just after this realization hit me, I made a couple of sales online (who sells this close to Christmas? hehe.) So, new chapter.

I'm scared.

I'm excited.

I'm going to need help with marketing.

L

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Has Trouble With Authority.

Busy!!! Too busy to write!

Busy creating, and busy dreaming, and busy THINKING of where the heck it is that I'm going!

I'm having such a blast making dolls and puppets, and all the little things that go with them... I'm quickly discovering, however, that I dont' like following patterns. (I've always had a problem with anyone telling me what to do and how to do it...) It's sort of a bizarre thing to say : "I can't wait until all this Christmas/Yule stuff is over, so I can start creating for Little Scotia again."

Really, it seems wrong, doesn't it?

Anywho, the DAY is looming closer, and I've got finishing touches to do on 3 different projects. None of which I can do while the kids are around. So, it'll be a couple of late nights for me coming up. I'm good with that. There's no school to get up for, now that they are on holidays, so I just might get to sleep in a bit.

If I leave cereal on the table, or something... hehe.

That Is All!

Monday, December 15, 2008

Makin' It Work...

Yesterday I sewed up a four footed hand puppet from one of the delicious 70's craft magazines I have stacked around here. It's supposed to be a cat... but I think it looks like a very long tailed chuhaha. (Is that how you spell that?) anyway, it's green fleece (like, jogging suit material) with felt face,eyes, inner ears, and paws. He is so freaky lookin', that I"m going to make another and give them to the girls. (although the girls saw me working on him, they always think I"m working on stuff for my etsy store.. ehhehe.)

Today, I made a huge stuffed bear. When I bought the pattern, I thought it read on the back that the animals would be 32cm tall... I'm not sure WHY I thought that. Today when I opened it up, I was SHOCKED to see that they would be more like double that. (After he was sewn, he got to about 50cm tall... and ate up a huge amount of polyester fiber fill...) I'm not sure who will be gifted with him yet, but possibly my girlfriends little daughter.

There is still an enormous amount to whip up in the next few days, and I"m almost in panic mode.. almost... There's always the "all-nighter" option.

Because Wal Mart is NOT an option...

L

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Close, But No Cigar.

So.... I'm DYING to tell everyone what I'm crafting up, but then I'm sure the recipients of some of those gifties will READ this and the surprise will be spoiled. GAH.

I can tell you what I"m doing for the pixies, though!

Every year Santa gets them one new toy each, plus the stockings. Stockings are easy, thanks to the dollar store! Every thing that's coming from "me" is handmade. Mattresses and bedding for the wood doll beds my dad made them a few years ago. (You should see the pillow cases, so cute!) These beds are for dolls that are about 18" tall. So, Every piece is going to have thier initial embroidered in it, by me ofcourse, so there will be no fighting about who's blanket or sheet or pillow is who's. I'm working on some hand made puppets for them, too...

I was completely stumped about what to get them for thier santa present. It's LEAN around these parts, and thier lists were completely unreasonable. (Who's idea was it to CREATE a $300 horse that neighs and eats and what not, and advertise it all over the damn place. Just Not Fair, I say...)

Anywho, I was searching in The Crows Nest in downtown Midland for doll parts (which they said they had, but would not sell to me... just bastardly, I tell you. The actual conversation went something like this. "I remember from when I worked here that there are random doll parts for dollmaking in the basement, I'm looking for those" "They're down there, but NO." I swear, that's all the explination I got. ...I hated working there, too..) I had already had the purchases I was going to make at the counter before having the conversation with The Manager... That place has SUCH a crappy vibe..Really oppressive and heavy. I digress again...

So, while browsing for doll parts, I see two porcelain dolls. (face, hands, and feet.. soft body.) About 18" tall. Dressed to the nines. Frilly dresses and hats, little leather boots, stockings, hair, and each had a teddy bear. Really flashy looking... for $11.95 each. BARGAIN. Although they LOOK rather expensive. The girls can play with them with thier doll bedding, and IF anything should go wrong it won't be the end of the world. (Someone loses a shoe or gets a hair cut.. that sort of thing.) However, I"m going to really play up the "ooooh, Santa brought you a FANCY doll this year." and hope that it makes up for all the commercial stuff I DIDNT' BUY.

Although my mother and brother and sister have purchased commercial stuff for them, so I'm sure it's not going to be the end of the world.

I can't WAIT for Christmas/Yule... because I'm DYING to show you the cool stuff I've made for the boys.

Ok, that is the update. I haven't added anything new to http://www.littlescotia.com in the last few weeks, just letting the things I've made already be there for the offerin'..