Boxing Day 2024 - share any charity!

[Tampa Doll]

These are the outfits I have been working on for Chris' charity.  One is a frilly dress for a 10" baby doll and then a overall outfit for the same doll.  The other is a 50's style dress for an 18" doll including purse.  Now to put them in baggies to be packed away till it is time to ship.

 

[Tampa Doll]

Here is the 50's style dress.

 

[Bailey4]

Those are amazing!!!

Is that one of Michelle Crean's 18 inch patterns?

[Tampa Doll]

30 minutes ago, Bailey4 said:

Those are amazing!!!

Is that one of Michelle Crean's 18 inch patterns?

You are right that is her pattern.  I pulled some patterns from the calendars that I would like to make.  This was pretty easy and it turned out great.

 

 

Edited January 29 by Tampa Doll

[Bailey4]

Our Generation Deep Teal Ombre Flamenco

This is the last of the 18 inch dolls for this pattern this year!!!

On a different note I've gotten several requests for suggestions for the small baby doll patterns where to find, etc. from off Crochetville so I finally put together a blog page with what I found in the paid and free categories for knitting and crochet.  If any of you have suggestions for patterns/designers I've missed please let me know. 

I only listed a few from each designer as I figured people were capable of searching the designers page to see if anything else would work for them and patterns get listed and unlisted frequently so what they offer can change.

However if I've missed a pattern or a designer feel free to message me and I'll add it to the post. 

 Lots to Love 8" dolls and the Lil Cutesies

[Bailey4]

I remade the dress to fit Barbie.  Simple but I remember this kind of thing being pretty common in Barbie world when I was but a child.

Barbie Easy Dress

[babypoohsmom]

Mary Jo….wow. That is all I can say. Those are amazing outfits. The 50’s dress is just perfect. And the detail in the frilly dress is crazy. And I’m back to wow again. 
And Chris, you said you did the last Flamenco dress for the year. That is the pattern I usually do, so does that mean I shouldn’t make that pattern? Which is totally fine because I can focus more on lovies, but I was just wondering if that is what you meant.

I spent the last week crocheting and frogging one last hat with that black/grey/white yarn I had. Nothing worked the way I wanted it to and frogging two strands of yarn at the same time is tedious. So, yeah, I’m glad you guys are here to inspire me. For some reason my left arm between my elbow and wrist are very sore this week. Not sure if it was from crocheting or unwinding! 

[Bailey4]

Please please please make as many as you wish to donate.  You always make such lovely dresses. We really do need them!!!

I'm trying to celebrate my wins this year.  So when I finish a pattern that I make across dolls or a specific item like the snuggle sacks for the baby dolls I'm celebrating.

I'm facing some new health issues this year and my goal is to focus on the wins and manage the challenges as best I can.  Some days it just feels good to know I'm winning at something.

 

[Bailey4]

My Life Hearts and Flowers

As we approach Valentine's I thought it would be fun to get into the season myself by adding some holiday themed items to the donation.

This is one of Darski's.

[Tampa Doll]

I hate to throw a clog into the wheels, but the other day someone ask me if anything is done for the boys?  I did not know.  I said alls I know is about dolls and such.  Maybe there is another group that takes care of the boys.

Nice day today, sun out and now rain.  Hey how about sending us some out.  We can use it.

Have a fun night,

[Bailey4]

Every child referred to the high school program boys and girls gets the requests met to the best of the high school kids abilities to raise the funds and get donations of actual items. 

I got involved because I was looking for a way to keep making doll clothes after my nieces outgrew dolls.  The dolls are part of the gifts given to the girls in the program. 

A few years back I ended up with duplicate toys I bought for my nephews and I sent those along with the donation rather than sending them to Toys for Tots.

I think they'd be thrilled if anyone "adopted the boys" but I honestly have my hands full with the dolls. I've tried finding a few local people who I thought might be interested but so far no takers. While I love the dual aspect of donating to kids while helping high school kids I haven't sold it as well to other locals.  There are lots of holiday charities in the area so everyone has one they favor. 

It's a pretty amazing program.  The business students lead it but they get donations from across all the school adults and students to make the requests happen.  I think one of my favorite stories about the school donations was hearing about the auto body shop students putting together fully assembled bikes for the students so the parents not only wouldn't have to buy them but also don't have to worry about the tools to put them together. It was as if Santa really did arrive with a bike for Christmas.

[babypoohsmom]

Aw Bailey, I’m heartbroken to hear you have new health issues. I hope it is just temporary. But yes, you should take any small win in life and celebrate. 
And Tampa I think late last year I asked about the boys and Chris did some links to some young boy kinds of soft toys. I gotta tell you that when me and my brothers were young my mom bought a huge piece of felt and made a city with streets and houses and stores out of a paint called Artex. Anybody remember that? We’d get a few new match box cars every year and we were set! I sure wish I had a picture of the big play mat she made. I did find a picture on the internet of what the paint looked like….

 

[Bailey4]

I'll see if I can find the links if anyone is interested.  There are all kinds of play sets that appeal to boys that I've made for my nephews over the years.

I just can't commit the time to doing both.

Yeah these are likely long term challenges its just finding the right treatments.  What I thought was going to be a problem has turned into a blessing.  My primary Dr. I've had for years left to start a concierge practice and I found a Dr. much closer to our house with a Nurse Practitioner and they have got right on issues that my primary was ignoring. 

DH was able to get into the practice with a different primary and he got a respiratory infection and they got him in right away and treated him same day no delays yesterday. That would never have happened with his former primary practice.

When I first started looking I was told I wouldn't see a Dr. until May and that meant walk in care until then.  Instead I was blessed to find a really great practice and get DH in when his Dr. left too.

So, while there are challenges, I'm trying to focus on the positive sides. 

Both issues are chronic but thankfully treatable.  My body isn't always crazy about the treatments.  Sometimes the treatments and diets are not always in agreement with each other which means trying to prioritize getting one balanced hoping the other will behave better without causing my main challenge I've had since my 20's to wake up. My goal is not to become my list of chronic conditions.  It can be hard sometimes but I want to focus on what I can do despite all of them.

[Bailey4]

This is the link to the list I started last year for non-doll projects here.

I haven't given up on finding more but DH and I are down with the flu and this is the first day reading has been an option at all.

[Lacycrochet]

On 1/31/2024 at 9:53 PM, babypoohsmom said:

Aw Bailey, I’m heartbroken to hear you have new health issues. I hope it is just temporary. But yes, you should take any small win in life and celebrate. 
And Tampa I think late last year I asked about the boys and Chris did some links to some young boy kinds of soft toys. I gotta tell you that when me and my brothers were young my mom bought a huge piece of felt and made a city with streets and houses and stores out of a paint called Artex. Anybody remember that? We’d get a few new match box cars every year and we were set! I sure wish I had a picture of the big play mat she made. I did find a picture on the internet of what the paint looked like….

 

My Mom use to give Artex art classes.  I started using Artex some 50 years ago.  I still have the carousel full downstairs, not usable anymore because they are all dried up but they remind me of my Mom.  I still have all the tablecloths and everything else that we painted with artex.  Thanks for the memory.

[babypoohsmom]

Tina, I knew I really came to age when my mom got me my own starter set for Christmas. I couldn’t have been more than 9 years old, but my mom was an excellent seamstress and I respected supplies/notions and how they were supposed to be treated. She let me have my own sewing machine at age 12. I still have it.

I was very bad in 2023 and bought way too much yarn on Offer Up, garage sales, Goodwill, etc. So far I’ve only bought 5 skeins this year. The 3 yellow/gold skeins from Michael’s clearance I showed here and a two pack of the Michael’s old store brand (CraftSmart) in white at Goodwill for $4.49. Because…white. 
Anyway, I grabbed some different veriagated yarn today (burned out on the black/grey/white stuff after all of the frogging last week) and went for some fun bright colors. We watched a few episodes of Loki on Disney tonight and made this hat.

And Bailey, I’m so glad you found the right doctor. It’s so hard these days. I think there is going to have to be a medical revolution soon….

Anyway….meet my new hat!

And PS, I got my first shingles vaccine on Thursday night. Needless to say, I missed work yesterday and I’m still not right. But everyone I know that has shingles says it was the worst thing ever, so…I hope the booster in 2 months is kinder to me. 

Edited February 4 by babypoohsmom

[RecycleCindy]

On 1/28/2024 at 4:46 AM, Tampa Doll said:

Here is the 50's style dress.

 

All of your outfits you crocheted are so pretty!

[babypoohsmom]

This hat has to be the squishiest one I’ve made this year. I took pictures of the ball bands. I saw a new pattern on you tube that I might try with the rest of the veriagated grey. If not, I’ll make another one of these for sure. Very soft. 

[babypoohsmom]

This one is some Homespun paired with some “Just Yarn” from the Dollar Tree. It has been rainy this week (which is kind of the norm for early February) so the picture does not show the color that well. 

[Tampa Doll]

Here are the triplets.  They are in the bag and box waiting to be sent to Chris for her charity.

 

[babypoohsmom]

Mary Jo, those are so cute! The raspberry one on the left is my favorite! 

[babypoohsmom]

Tonight we watched “The Marvels” and I made this little lovie. I was at the dollar tree today and saw that the Easter toys were already in. They had those ducks back in stock. I didn’t grab any today but since they were so cute and not too girlie, I’ll probably go back and get some.

I really need to take photos during the day. My kitchen lighting is so bad! 

Edited February 11 by babypoohsmom

[Bailey4]

You find the cutest toys there.  What an adorable bunny.  Love the colors.

[RecycleCindy]

On 2/8/2024 at 3:39 PM, babypoohsmom said:

This one is some Homespun paired with some “Just Yarn” from the Dollar Tree. It has been rainy this week (which is kind of the norm for early February) so the picture does not show the color that well. 

Lovely hats and they are all so bright and cheery!  Your latest lovey is so cute with that adorable bunny!!

Edited February 11 by RecycleCindy

[RecycleCindy]

On 2/9/2024 at 2:02 PM, Tampa Doll said:

Here are the triplets.  They are in the bag and box waiting to be sent to Chris for her charity.

 

Awwww so very cute!!