December, 2015
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EIGHT.
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Book number EIGHT of the first 100 numbered books is up on ebay! And has been for almost a week!
Photoshopping tip: Consistency COUNTS. Note the painted fingernail to match the ones in the other picture.
Book number NINE went to Bonnie D. of Sheldon, Iowa. For a relative song! It might very well be worth a fortune some day. Better odds than a chance lottery ticket. That is the hope…
Speaking of hope, I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. We got some miracle snow! And now we’re getting CLOBBERED. Here’s to an excellent New Year!
When Three Legends COLLIDE.
You know how it is. You’re halfway through sewing together a quilt-like coat based on the recent “Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors” TV Movie because you thought it was so sweet, and you decide that your doll needs a little something more. So you ask your sister, who is also The Mayor.
“What do you think I should also make for Shirley, a hat, or a guitar?”
Alyvia Alyn Lind as Dolly Parton
“A HAT,” she immediately responded. She knows me. She knows I’ll toil for hours and hours over something unfamiliar, like a guitar, and that lately I do not have hours to give.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.
Thus begins my description for Shirley Temple as little Dolly. She’s O.L.D. No. 62 and you can see her adoption page HERE.
The main cast.
I truly enjoyed “Coat of Many Colors.” It was such a sweet and wholesome movie, along the lines of Little House on the Prairie, and you just don’t see much of that kind of thing on TV nowadays. I wanted to pay tribute.
Making the guitar was tricky. I only had enough materials to make ONE. So flaws and all, there it is! Fortunately, the guitar in the movie’s a little beat up as well.
Here she is with her hat. It’s hard to tell, but it’s a very pretty dark blue velvet.
When I completed her guitar and put her up for adoption, do you know what that wee Mayor said upon seeing her?
“She needs a hat.”
HMPF!!
“Also,” she continued in her tinkly, fairy-like voice, “the hat should be blue.”
You’re not the boss of me! I silently shouted inside my head (because Santa’s watching especially close this time of year).
But then, all I could think of as I tried to find just the right color for her hat was, Blue. Blue, blue, blue…
I meant to do that all along.
The Legendary Dolly Parton
The Legendary Shirley Temple
So it’s obvious who the first two of the three legends referenced in the title are: Dolly Parton and Shirley Temple! Who’s the third?
The third legend is more literal! It’s the legend created for the map I made to guide me when I sewed together that coat. All 60+ tiny pieces featuring 11 different colors of it! I had to go with the fabrics I have on hand (and lucky for me, I have a LOT (although I’m still always craving more)), and then I had to figure out how to piece it all together so it would be as close as possible to the one in the movie.
I made a map of that coat, numbered all the different sized squares, assigned letters to each color, and then I made a legend for that map. Then it was just a matter of keeping track of each piece and sewing them in order. Good thing I love puzzles!
If you missed Coat of Many Colors the first time, I think it’s showing again Christmas night on NBC. Give it a gander, if you’d like.
Woodland Fairy Shirley Temple was adopted by Linda L. of Portola Valley, California! She also adopted Penelope in the past. Thank you, Linda!
And with that, I leave you!
MERRY CHRISTMAS WITH LOVE! You’re my favorite!
Happy Anniversary! And NINE.
One month ago today, “Hazel Twigg & the Hollyhock Hideaway was released in print. Segue alert! Today is the 18th. Eighteen divided by two is nine. And book #9 is available right now on ebay!
Tom Bergeron’s got nuttin’ on me!
So far so good. Response has been excellent, and there are so many good fairies working hard on my behalf. THANK YOU, fairies!
I heart Tom Bergeron.
By the way, Julie said my hands in the countdown photo appeared a little “masculine.” I made a little change, gussying up my nails. Yer welcome, Julie!
Book #10 was snatched up by…Shawn P. in Loma Linda, California! Shawn also happens to be a cousin of mine. I had no idea he was bidding until it was over. Thank you, cousin! Your book is signed, sealed, and will be delivered soon!
I’m hard at work on O.L.D. #62. She has an intricate, somewhat tricky article of clothing and is based on a recent TV movie I saw. She’ll be up for auction this Sunday at 6:33 Iowa Central time come heck or high water. The LAST O.L.D. of the year!
I am determined to make a musical instrument for her. The Mayor says, “No!” but JUST YOU WAIT. Where there’s a will, there’s a way (hopefully).
And with that, I leave you! Happy last weekend before Christmas. How the time do fly! You’re my favorite!
Blessed To Receive
At first I said no. Of course I did! Nothing breaks my heart more than to look on ebay and see a Shirley Temple wig for sale all by itself. This wouldn’t be a bad thing, if the doll it originally belonged to were beyond repair. But it stabs my heart more than a little to then see a freshly bald little Shirley, for sale by the same seller.
“CANNIBAL!” I will rage.
Granted, this was no wig that was being offered up. But it was a dress! A very special dress. I have two Shirley Temples at my house right now. The one that’s currently up for adoption, and another that still had her original dress. When Shirley Temple 2 saw the troubles I was having with Shirley Temple 1, she offered her dress. Just like that. And her onesie, too.
Here’s the too-big dress she arrived in.
“No!” Shirley 1 and I immediately responded. But I think Shirley 2 saw the brief expression of surprised relief and hope on my face. I had been feeling super badly that Shirley 1 wasn’t getting the launch she deserved. In that split second before “No!” crossed my lips, it occurred to me that this would help even things out for her.
Here’s the iconic original Shirley Temple dress.
So, did I mention this girl now has an original dress?
At first Shirley 1 didn’t even want to put it on. Then she saw that her reluctance was making Shirley 2 feel badly. Now she wears the dress with joy! Sometimes the best gift of all is receiving a gift with gratitude…
Thus begins the description for #61 Shirley Temple as a Woodland Fairy and Holly Bear. She ends tomorrow! And I just barely finished her TODAY. You can see her adoption page HERE.
In addition to her red polka-dot dress so willingly gifted, Shirley comes dressed as a Woodland Fairy, featuring little pine cones I gathered from a friend’s Mom’s house.
The bodice of Shirley’s fairy dress has an interesting tale.
From the description: The cream colored silky bodice of the dress was made with fabric from a beautiful, lovingly made and entirely hand-sewn Christening dress. Not only was the baby dress hand sewn, it had French seams! Twice the work! And gorgeous 
smocking. Alas, the dress was moth-eaten and foxed, but there are still usable parts to it, and I think the love infused into that original gown will seep into all the subsequent dresses that I make from it.
And now, onto the next O.L.D.! Victoria and Parson were adopted by Michelle E. of Colorado! Thank you, Michelle!
And with that, I leave you! Merry Christmas, you’re my favorite.
TEN.
The first 100 copies of Hazel Twigg & the Hollyhock Hideaway were numbered, and now they’re all gone. All EXCEPT the last 10, which we’re auctioning off one by one, a week at a time. You can see number 10’s auction page HERE.
To launch this enterprise, my brothers wanted me to get all gussied up and have a professional photograph taken with each book. Lucky for me, I’m a photo-shopping EXPERT. Maybe they won’t notice. Ahem.
Things are going well! The third batch of books has already been ordered and we’ve been in print less than a month! Step by step…
I hope those of you who are reading are enjoying the story! If you’d like to give a review, please go to the tab above, “Reader’s Write” to share your thoughts. Also! We would love it if you’d take a selfie holding a copy of Hazel Twigg and post it on the Hazel Twigg Facebook page.
It’s such a busy, wonderful time of year. I hope this wee blog post finds you happy and surrounded by those you love. Cheers!
The Snowman’s Tale
Ooh, it’s that time of year: Snow, snow, snow. And Christmas is coming! In strolled Victoria with her very pretty face and rosy cheeks. Why, she looked as if she’d been gallivanting in the meadow next door. And she had!
Meet Victoria! The Girl Who Built A Snowman In the Meadow. You can see her adoption page HERE.
Victoria is yet another Anne Shirley! I love this mold and have used it many times (do a search on this blog for “Anne Shirley” and you’ll see what I mean!). This particular girl – O.L.D. 60 – is of the 18″ variety.
Because it’s the Christmas season and perhaps triggered by Victoria’s name, I decided to create a Victorian-inspired outfit for her. And I wanted her to be doing something…wintery. Well, what’s more wintery than building a snowman? And guess what his name is? PARSON. See what I did there?
In the meadow we can build a snowman, then pretend that he is Parson Brown…
Here’s my inspiration snowman, as you can tell.
And thus begins The Snowman’s Tale: I didn’t want my snowman to be small. I wanted life-sized! Life-sized for an 18″ doll, that is. And I wanted his arms to be jointed, which meant he’d have to be fairly firmly stuffed. Readers, this portly fellow took every bit of batting I had in the house. Also, I ripped open a pillow. THAT kind of determination. I put some brown rice I had on hand at his base to keep him upright.
He’s holding candy canes here, but he also has a twig from my backyard. Options!
The snowman I’d chosen to model Parson was wearing a newspaper hat. Finding just the right newspaper was the very next step.
A friend, we shall call her Jennifer, for that is her name, saw that I’d used old newspapers in a previous O.L.D., and a few months ago she gave me a stack of newspapers from the now defunct Rolfe Arrow.
When I make a paper hat, I want it to be interesting. Plus, this is a happy time of year, so I want no depressing stories. I did several different tries, but you can’t always pick which headlines and articles will land where. Finally, I found the one that I wanted. It was from 1967. Here it is. I bet you can guess why someone saved it:
A happy story! I mean, it doesn’t seem like it at first, but it is in an unusual way! Plus, I love that it mentions Rolfe, which besides being my home is the town that Reliance in Hazel Twigg is based upon.
I was in a rush so didn’t read the article. I did happen to notice that on the inside of the hat there was a picture of the fortunate man’s unfortunate hat:
WHOA. And he LIVED.
Back to the snowman’s tale: the night before last I was at a friends barn with some other friends, including of course The Mayor. This is no ordinary barn. It’s filled with hunting trophies, memorabilia from old Rolfe, and all sorts of nifty things. Everywhere you look, there’s something to see! Except for its size, it’s very un-barnlike. It also had heat, and most importantly for that fine evening, a big screen TV. The Iowa Hawkeye game was on!
We were all talking, as people do, and my current doll came up in the conversation, along with her companion and his unusual hat. Well, guess what: IT WAS THE HOST’S OWN FATHER. Not only that, but framed up on the wall, surrounded by yellowed old newspaper clippings, was that very same hat. In the flesh – or the cloth, as it were.
So our little Parson – who is very big to Victoria – will be coming with a little bit of history of his own. And that is Parson’s Tale.
Raven, who was O.L.D. No. 59, never got her just dues! I had a post written in my head (Everybody Loves Raven) and everything! I just got too far behind to catch up. Luckily, she ended up in good hands: Michelle E. of Colorado! THANK YOU, Michelle!
And with that, I leave you! Happy Monday Eve, you’re my favorite.
D5 Creation