Little Dolly update

I've given many of my dolls a companion and this little lady was feeling left out as she didn't have one. And so I made her a tiny Baby Bunting doll to cuddle.

I hope you're enjoying your weekend. We are having continuous wind and rain here in the UK but thankfully it is snug and warm indoors and I'm looking at gardening books!!

Little Dolly

Greetings friends. It's been a while since I fluttered by and I confess not a great deal has been happening here at the 'patch'. As it's horribly dull and wet today, and taking photos would be impossible, I thought I'd show you the dolly I've just finished making. But first, a little verse that I'm rather fond of.

Tabitha Meg has a head like an egg,

And her body is short and squat.

Though her legs are thin and her hair is straight

She's the beautif'lest dolly I've got.

She's a kind-of-a, sort-of-a homemade doll,

And a birthday gift for me,

For my Granny is clever at things like that,

And 'Tab' is her work, you see.

I shall always love my Tabitha Meg,

And when I am old and grey,

I shall keep her safe in a cardboard box,

And give her a cuddle each day.

Whilst creating new characters I like to imagine the many knitters around the world all putting a great deal of love into making little dollies for children.

Inspiration for my latest little girl came from the drawings my daughter did when she was very small, and so I made her with tiny tots in mind. She's very easy to knit and extremely huggable with a 'soft as a pillow' body. Her arms, legs, hat, hair and eyes are all firmly stitched on. Should she enjoy plenty of jammy kisses and falls from the baby buggy then she would be washable (with care) in warm soapy water. The knitting pattern for her is now in my Dollytime Etsy shop.

The very last thing I add to a dolly is cheek colour (in this case done with a beeswax crayon). I thought I'd show you pictures of before and after rosie cheek treatment. Just look at the difference it makes.

Dolly has now taken on her own personality and this little girl is very definitely a rascal. See what happened when she found my box of coloured pencils.

Thank you for dropping by today. Over the past few weeks I've watched on TV the many disasters and weather events that have occurred around the world and I sincerely hope you have not been badly affected by any of them. Wishing you the Very Best for 2011.

Seasons Greetings

Wishing you all a Happy and Peaceful Christmas

Let's play in the snow

Rosy cheeks and tingling toes....... how well I remember that 'snow play' feeling.

This delightful picture is on the front cover of the 1951 Lucie Attwell Annual. Don't you just love it.

Do read this little verse as I think it speaks for children everywhere.

This little tot's wishes have certainly been answered here in Britain as Mr Forecast Man has been warning us all week about imminent 'normous falls of snow. And now the white stuff has well and truly arrived for the second time this month. Children everywhere will be whooping with joy whilst their unfortunate parents are most likely snowbound with no hope of reaching the shops for all those last minute Christmas essentials.

Fortunately I acquired my Christmas tree from a local farm yesterday before this recent snow fall but I won't be bringing it indoors for a couple of days (it's currently staying warm and dry in the garage).

I hope your Christmas preparations are going well whatever your weather.

Until next time.

Images of Christmas by Ferrandiz

In 1960s Britain, Christmas cards depicting scenes by Spanish artist Juan Ferrandiz began to make an appearance and they proved hugely popular. I wonder how many of you remember pictures like this? I found them so appealing that I squirreled away any that I came across and have just rediscovered them in a box in the attic.

My Mum bought this Woman's Own magazine in 1965 and once she'd finished reading it I was allowed to remove the cover.

The picture below appeared in a Sunday Times colour supplement in the late 1960s.

The Ferrandiz style of painting children with softly lit faces is instantly recognisable.

The cards above and below date from the mid 1970s

Juan Ferrandiz was a Spanish illustrator specializing in stories for children and Christmas cards. He was also a sculptor and writer of poems and stories for children. He was born in Barcelona (Spain) in 1918 and died in August 1997 at the age of 79.

To see more Christmas pictures by this artist try searching for Jaun Ferrandiz in Google Images.