Ok, I had to find this post to your other dolls to see the one with the matching hair 
May I just say, I'm thirding lovesclutter's request for the storybook?
I'm loving the fabric of Giggles' dress. Anything with maps = <3
I can't wait to see more!

You did such a great job modding the pattern. I actually love the stitching detail. He's beautiful

Such beautiful winter clothes! The kitty pj's are too freaking cute.

Thanks you guys!

Ghilie: you rock lady. Thank you.

papilionette & SpeakGeekAndEnter: Little Marf definitely became the house favorite. Both my boys want one now. I'm thinking of making really big ones so they double as pillows for them.

meleriffic: don't feel bad. This success marks my 3rd attempt on dolls lol. I was going to make them originally for both girls' first Christmases, but time just never allowed. 3rd time's a charm!

Sharalee: Thank you!

lovesclutter: the certificate was something I remembered so many of my friends being so proud of with their Cabbage Patch dolls (I never had one, but I remember the craze well) when we were kids, so I thought, "These dollies need one of those!" I'm in love with the idea really, and I think it adds something special for the little ones. Your name, btw, speaks right from my own soul lol. I love my clutter... or it loves me... probably a little of both

Lhiannan: omg isn't it just the most beautiful, squooshy yarn? That's so cool you used it for a cupcake doll too! It's such a nice texture for hair or clothes. I just love it.

Holy smokes, I'm blown away by the face detail! It's amazing! I'm seriously in awe here.

OMG LOVE!!!!! He's perfect! I'm so jealous! Great job on him!

Yay for dollies! Well, yay for dollies being finished. For a while there, I didn't think I was going to get them done in time for Christmas, but I finished the last one this afternoon, and they are on their ways to their new happy forever homes!

I want to give mad props to ghilie and her fabulous Cupcake doll pattern. It's a wonderful pattern and very forgiving of mistakes (which I made aplenty, but let's not worry about that. They are ridiculously cute still!)

The first doll has been dubbed "Mara" who is made of baby pink fleece and has a gorgeous multi-toned purplish yarn hairpiece using Crafty.Canadian's tute on using plastic netting to make a wig.
Her dress is just a freehand crocheted piece using the same yarn as Kayla's hair.

Hi!


I can almost stand up by myself!


I even have a birth certificate! (I made one for each doll, but this is the only picture of one. I had already sealed the box when I remembered to get a picture of the other two... cuz I'm cool like that )

Yes, you aren't seeing things. Her arms are two different types. I was originally going to make both of them with a sewn joint, but I decided to make one a stiff-crooked arm so she could pose. My sweet girl (longtime friend's daughter, not mine) is a fashionable little princess, so I wanted Mara to be able to Vogue.



Then we have Kayla. She features hot pink fleece and a fuchsia fusion yarn for her hair using this tute:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8542954@N07/sets/72157606651877346/

It worked really well, and I'm planning on sticking with this method for the dolls I make for the kids. It's extremely secure, and with both the girls only being 2 years old, it's important it can weather some rough play.
Her dress is a halter-type with neck ties made from a piece of blue flannel.

Seasons Greetings!


Look! I can sit up! This will make it a lot easier to not fall off things like shelves. I'm afraid of heights... I blame Val. She is too.

And lastly, this is Marf (my boys named him. They're geniuses - I think it fits perfectly)
Marf is a glowworm style doll of my own pattern, and created from a green striped baby-knit fabric and a little green camo yarn detailing.
He is meant for a 1 year old, so in order to make sure nothing could be pulled off (or chewed off) easily, he has no hair or accessories except for his chibi eyes and a sewn mouth and "hair" covering the closing stitches.
I tried to pull the eyes off and couldn't, so I think he'll be secure for when he does get teethed on.

Hi. I'm cute.


Detail of the head covering.


I am squooshy and soft!

So there you have it.
Sorry for the overload of pictures, but I'm so proud of them
I hope they like them. I wrote in the letters that I sent along that I plan on making more clothes for the cupcake dolls later, and that I'll be making sister dolls for the girls. When the boy is older, I'm planning on making him a boy-style cupcake doll to go with his sister's.

Hope you guys like!

Regarding shampoo bars and colored hair (mine is partially bleached and purple/plum/gold) I can tell you that they are SUPERIOR to any shampoo made for colored hair on the market, and they are for 2 big reasons:

1) Commercial shampoo all have detergents designed to strip your hair, and that causes color loss as well as damage which causes easy fading. Shampoo bars are gentle and do not strip your hair of the natural oils which protect it. You get clean hair without damage.

2) Commercial shampoos are far more acidic than your hair and scalp appreciate, and high acidity will fade any hair color faster, especially semi-permanent colors because those are usually veg based dyes. Ever give yourself an apple cider vinegar hair rinse with colored hair? It just runs like crazy. Shampoo bars are, by their very makeup, more alkaline which helps your color to stay put.

If it means anything, I colored my hair 4 months ago, and the color is still vibrant and beautiful, and only marginally faded.
I should add though, I only wash my hair once, sometimes twice a week with either a cleansing conditioner (not Wen, but might as well be) or with the occasional shampoo bar, and I gave up normal shampoo a couple years ago. My hair is the absolute healthiest it's ever been in my life, it smells wonderful all throughout, no breakage EVEN with regular bleaching, and my hair doesn't turn into straw haybales after bleaching and coloring. Seriously, after I had been no-poo for about 8 months was the first time I had bleached and dyed it again, and I was floored after washing out the bleach that my hair was soft and shiny. It's a lot tougher than it used to be.

Also, when you start using shampoo bars, you just have to be prepared for a few weeks of very unruly, greasy hair because your hair has to detox from what it's used to, and you have to be prepared and accepting of the difference in feel with the bar. It doesn't lather up like regular shampoo (depending on the recipe, it won't lather at all), and your first inclination is to use more and more and more, and then you'll feel as though your hair didn't really get clean. Add in the first part about the unruly, greasy look of the hair during detox, and this is why a lot of women who attempt to stop using normal shampoo go right back to it.

I can't say enough good things about how good the bars are for colored hair. If you're not making your own, just make sure you pay attention to the ingredients list. I've come across a couple homemade bars that used some really stupid ingredients (we're trying to get away from commercial detergents and soaps here... making a "homemade" shampoo bar using Dial soap as a base is just freaking stupid).

By all means, don't be afraid of soap-making! It just looks intimidating at first, but it's really too much fun and lets you create something personally tailored to your tastes. The hardest part is the initial setup and making sure you have a good space in which to make it. Once you have your supplies in order, it's easy as baking a cake. Then the hardest part is the waiting time for while the soap cures lol. They usually smell so good you just want to cut them up and use them right away!

Hope what I've said here has helped put some of your fears to rest

You are made of awesome.

What she said.

P.S. your "OH NO!" pic on your blog = perfect lol. You rock.

That's too freaking cool