The Beauty of Handcrafted

Just look at this quilt! I was privliged enough to have Berrie from Moondchild Studio make this glorious creation for me. I am so happy with it. I have such admiration for quilters, it's always been something that I've wanted to do, just at the moment there just isn't enough time. Handcrafted goods hold a different feel to them. I always treat them a little better and they give me such pleasure one can feel the amount of love and care that goes into something handmade.

On the work front, I'm trying to get back at it. I had Jasper in the sling while I was sewing today, I think the noise helped him sleep longer. I'm making 2 dolls for a potentially large promotion, I can't talk about it because it's not a sure thing yet, but it's very exciting! So tonight is a night of breastfeeding, Nip/Tuck and John making heads..lol.

What a Week!

I feel as though I'm coming out of the abyss of birth. It's been a crazy, sleep deprived, love drunk, time warp of a week. My little Jasper is such an angel - I think I have chapped lips from kissing him so much! Thanks so much for all the emails, calls and pressies - we all feel really loved right now. I owe a huge thanks to my wonderful midwife Jane from Cowichan Midwifery Group, she went above and beyond for us. She's a Super Trouper ( I'm listening to Abba right now).

On the work frount (well, there is no work for a while..until I figure out how to sew while holding a baby, which I will, just give me time ;) ) Natural Pod had a legnthy segment on Breakfast Television on CityTV this morning. Bridgitte was a *star*, she was so great on TV, a total natural! Bamboletta got a great plug. I had my Baby doll, Mermaid, Large Bamboletta and blanket doll talked about..very exciting! Bridgitte even mentioned my Nonna (who does all my knitting). My parents taped the segment and are showing Nonna tonight. She'll be so excited.

Jasper has Arrived

He's finally here! I can't write much as I am very, very tired... but, here is Jasper, born July 31st. I'll write back soon it's been a crazy few days.

Meet 'Tofu'

So this is my son's new doll. I made him last night and put him on the bed for my little guy to wake up with this morning. I thought we were going to name him 'Toby' but Ben decided this morning that his name is 'Tofu'. Tofu went everywhere with us today, to the midwife, grocery shopping and played with Ben in the backyard. It was so sweet to see this little bond grow between them. As a dollmaker, I make the dolls for children but I don't get to see the interaction later on. Occasionally a parent and child will come by an event that I'm at with a previously purchaced doll and I get to see my dolls a few months ,perhaps a year later, loved and worn in. These times were always my favorite parts of the day. But to see Ben playing with and interacting with tofu was really something special.

Tomorrow I will post a pic of the fruits of my work 'week'. I have one more doll to sew a half a head of hair on and then I'm done..and on to my next 'week'.

Still no bebe. Midwife Jane says this baby is already measuring 8 pounds (give or take).

My Little Secret

I've never made Ben a doll. He has a few dolls, but they are ones that just didn't turn out quite right, never sold at markets or are an older style that I'm not wanting to sell. He's never taken to any of them prefering to play with his trucks or trains, playing farm, kitchen or store..but never, ever with his dolls. I used to think that boys played trucks and girls played dolls due to social conditioning and I was convinced that my son would play with dolls and his trucks..ha, ha..how many of us thought that?

Anyways, the past few weeks I've noticed an increase in his imaginative play. He's making voices for his different trains and using some of his gnomes to retell stories that I've told him. I asked him today if he'd like me to make him a doll and rather then the 'no mama, it's okay' he responded with an enthusiastic 'YES!'. My heart sang, it is the right time for Benjamin to have a doll. His name will be Toby, he has tan skin, brown eyes and red hair (interesting combo..but he picked it) I already had the body made so Ben's doll will be made for when my sweetheart wakes up, I will work hard tonight to get the hair sewn on and face embroidered.

I'll post a pic tomorrow.

Still no baby, but I guess you probably figured that out by now :)

New Style Doll

I've made a new style of doll. Well, it's not really a new style, it's my large baby doll. I took the body and made a doll that , what I think, look like a toddler. Her limbs are all jointed which means they all move independently. I just posted her on www.naturalpod.com for sale. I love this tan skin tone with the brown hair.

I had such a lovely evening last night with a few good friends at this wonderful restaurant in Shawnigan Lake called Steeples (it used to be a church). It was so nice to have a long conversation not interupted with children. Sitting on the deck in the evening sun, I felt like just me..not a mom or a wife, but me - it was long overdue. This is one thing that I really miss about Vancouver. It was so easy to just meet up for coffee or grab a bite to eat with a pal. Here, you tend to stay home (really because it is such a nice place to be!). Anyways with my great new friends I've made and some more old friends moving to the 'hood - I think evening teas will become more frequent.

Still no baby. I'm thinking it's not coming until Christmas now. I had an acupuncture treatment yesterday to try to speed things along. No luck today.

About Half Way Through...

I made some great progress yesterday. John was off work and took care of Ben yesterday for long periods of time. I'll get the same today, the boys are headed to the trains for the afternoon.

I got 4 bodies assembled, 1 complete and I'm starting the large Babies hair. I'm going to try to post the doll that Ben is holding today on www.naturalpod.com . I'm going to try something a tad different with my large baby doll and dress him/her in clothing rather then a sleeper, so like a little toddler and not so much a baby. I've done this for customers before and I've always got feedback when I've done it.

I've always wanted to document how my dolls progress. What a better way then with a blog! So this is 2 days worth of work. It's quite a bit this time because I've done NO housework in 2 days and we haven't gone out much due to the gloomy rain. I'm making 3 babies and all their limbs are done and assembled to the bodies, the heads are made and it's all ready for assembly. Last night I actually finished a doll..I'll take a picture and post her tomorrow. John was in my workshop on the computer entranced by You Tube (he's only just discovered it) while I sew. It's a nice way to spend an evening..lol, aside from being interrupted every 10 minutes with "Hey, love, look at this goal that Liverpool scored - this was back in '84.. I remember this goal, whoa what a cracker that was, blah, blah, blah".

How I start my week..

This is how my work 'week' usually starts. My work week goes for 7 to 10 days depending on what I have to do. This one that I'm in right now is for 2 small babies, 2 14" Bambolettas and a large baby. I break my schedual down by day and try to follow it as best I can. Everything goes in the basket, thread, scissors, fabrics, tubing..you name it. This way I have a portable work station to take with me everywhere.

No new baby news. Just ready for him/her to make it's appearance ;)

This little gnome is a special order for Robert at www.mahardrygoods.com . He requested this months ago but with the move and general craziness I wasn't able make him until now. He really is one of my most favorite dolls that I've ever made. I sculpted in a chin and larger gnome-esque nose then sewn in some white boucle mohair. His hat is attached and I made a basic outfit using velour. His limbs are articulated so he can b posed in many different ways. I jointed them using my new, spiffy doll joints. They take a bit longer then jointing using the button method but the doll is SO much sturdier. I also made 2 new babies and a mermaid for him, all should be on his site in a few weeks.

I'm working on 2 custom dolls next week and then just 'stocking' up untill the baby makes an appearence. I've entered the stage of pregnancy where fear of labour has been replaces with a mix of really, really wanting to meet my our new baby and wanting my body to be somewhat normal again.

I've been trying to keep on the blog consistently, but have failed miserably! Over 10 days since my last entry..tsk, tsk.

We've been having lots of fun exploring our surroundings this week. There are so may great place to go to with little ones. This week we found a great place called Bright Angel Park, it's so beautiful there. It's a river that is perfect for little ones because it's calm and doesn't go past the knees. Very good place to be on these recent hot days.

I'm redesigning my website right now. I'm trying to streamline it and make it a source of information for my customers. I'll be adding a newsletter and another blog site among other things. I found a really great illustrator to work with, we are in the works to design an illustration for the site/ price tags/ business cards. I'm not sure that this is the best timing to be doing something like this, I can tell that this baby of mine wants out. It's moving around like a little acrobat.

I just finished up this breastfeeding doll for a customer of mine. I don't do these very often. It was a wonderful doll to make in my 'state' :)

These are my newest dolls. They are off to their new home in Toronto. I love that the mom got a mix of ethnicities for her kids. This was a really fun order to do. I just love doing custom orders for kids, working with parents to really make something special for their child.

This week Natural Pod will be at the Island Organics Festival in Victoria. So, this weeks work for myself is as many organic blanket dolls as I can possibly make. Every week until the baby is born is now 'booked' with orders or trying to build up my stock. I've already got my Christmas orders booking up. I'm taking a limited amount of custom work for Christmas time, I need to keep my time open to work on stuff for all the different shows and events.

My parents and sister came over for the long weekend. It was so great to see them all. Something about having your mom come to your home and just basically 'take over' is very comforting when you are pregnant.

Off to finish 'Lost' season 2 and make some heads. I'm happy and sad that it's over, I know that there is another season, but it's not on DVD so we are going to have to wait. I've never been into a show this much..well except for 'Melrose Place', but that was a long time ago.

Good news today. I found out that 'Shared Vision' ( BC Mag on holistic living) is doing an article on Bamboletta. I'm not sure of the scope or size, but it's exciting none the less. It's funny, I'm ring to slow things down with the 'biz' and interest is just growing and growing. Isn't that always the way?

Next week I am working on an order for mahardrygoods.com. I've created a gnome doll for the site that I'm eager to see posted, I'll put up a pic when I'm done him. There are also a few babies and a mermaid in the mix.

Good Lord, could this baby be ANY bigger? Everything is such an ordeal right now..going up the stairs, picking things up off the floor, you name it it's an event.

BTW my good friend Devon, who I have mentioned before is now officially blogging...http://talltreephotography.blogspot.com/ it's pretty new, but it will be a good one, I promise!

I've posted up 2 new dolls for sale on Natural Pod www.naturalpod.com. I also posted a cozy sherpa banket doll. I'll try to get some more blanket dolls done in the next few weeks. I've decided to only make the blanket dolls in organic fabric since they are for babies.

Nothing else exciting to report. I've spent most the day recovering from staying awake until 4AM! I've been wondering around like a bit of a zombie. Thankfully John was home so I could have a good nap this morning. I'm such a lucky lady.

This is a picture that my friend Devon from http://www.talltreephotography.ca took last week. I think my mom would be horrified I am showing this in public as everyone can see my underwear.

It's 1AM and I can't sleep. The irony of pregnancy, I can't sleep yet I am so, so tired.

Today we went to the Mill Bay Family fair. It was cute. A few of those bouncy castle types of rides and some stalls. The *big* event though was the fire truck..that had it's ladder fully extended! Ben was awe struck. It was hilarious to see all the teenage girls just hanging around all the hunky young firefighters. Lol, I'm glad I'm not 18.

I'm working on 3 large dolls for a customers order right now. It's wonderful, I'm doing an African American, an Asian doll and one to look like their Filipino nanny. Lots of fun with the different types of hair I can do. I've got 2 other 14" in the works as well for sale up on Natural Pod. John was busy tonight making all the heads. He is a master headmaker, ther is no way I have the stregnth to make them that tight. I honestly think that my dolls really progressed once he started making the heads for me. He's even mentioned a few times that he may be up for 'machining'..haha this is his man term for sewing. I am using some scraps of organic fabrics to make the new baby's washclothes and I think I'm going to ask him to serge the ends. Nice and easy and a simple square, just to get him used to the machine. I took a sewing class years ago that a man was one of my classmates. He loved the serger because it was 'like, the power tool of sewing'. I think this will be a good intro for John.

Still obsessing on Lost. We are almost through Season 2, thank God! I just can't stop watching it. I have to admit though, before I came online and blogged, I went and read about 5 episodes worth of spoilers ahead of where we currently are. I'm so lame! I just have to know about the 'Others'!

We headed down to the Farmers Market early this morning for first dibs on some yummy, fresh. local strawberries. Ben and I then spent the morning cleaning and freezing them for the winter. The market here is fantastic, there is everything you could want and more. I found a wonderful lady that sells fresh poultry and veggies from her farm every week. I've learned a lot about organic farming and eating from her the past few weeks. Her products are fantastic.

Those two Babies are my latest venture in jointing with doll joints. Little gal on the left has no hair, I'm waiting to hear back from a customer about what kind of hair she'd like on her. The other little gal will be up for sale either today or tomorrow on Naural Pod ( www.naturalpod.com ) . I'm working on a fairy next, inspired by the srawberry season! Im going to go to the 'Loom' yarn shop and see what kind of strawberry fairy hair I can find for her. I love making the fairies so much, you can just go crazy with them. When I was little I used to be obsessed with them, my mom says that when I was around 4 or 5 I used to think that dragonflies were fairies.

Well, gotta go and wake up Ben from his nap..

This is my new little guy Samson. He's one of the 12" dolls that I just made up. I'm trying to make up more of these smaller dolls, they are such a nice size for little ones. Benji has a 12" doll , Emily, that is just perfect for him. Most of my customers are buying dolls for their 2 and 3 year olds and the 17" dolls are just a tad overwhelming. When I was checking back on the Natural Pod site though I noticed I have a lot of Caucasian dolls..well, they are all Caucasian. I hadn't noticed everything had sold off. So, next week I'm going to work on adding a tad more 'colour' :)

So today we bought a minivan. It's a 2000 Toyota one and it's a pretty goldy/pearl colour. I NEVER thought I'd ever get a minivan..ever, but they really are practical. With the new baby coming and next summer's Farmers Markets, I think I'll get some good use out of it. It just seems like such a mom thing, you know? I should just come to grips with the fact that I am a mom..ha, ha!

I'll get some pics up of the new and improved Baby dolls tomorrow. One will be posted on Natural Pod tomorrow for sale. Her name is Stella and she has the most fantastic hair. One of the yarns I used on her is handspun by Lorna, the owner of Westcott Farms where I am getting my wool from. She has these beautiful dark brown sheep that she got the wool for this doll from. So, it hasn't been dyed..just carded and spun..beautiful! It's a bit of a yucky day outside and I can't get a good shot of her so I'll wait until tomorrow.

We've become obsessed with the show 'Lost'. We've been renting the series on DVD and it has taken over my life. Anyone else obsessed with this show?

I can't believe I'm having a baby in a few weeks, it all seems so surreal. This pregnancy has been so much easier then my last one, I keep foorgetting that I'm pregnant. I guess running after a 3 year old all day takes your mind off things. I feel pretty prepared though. I have a doula lined up and I *love* my midwife Jane. We are going to try for a homebirth but I'm open to whatever happens.

I'm tring to finish up some orders and get as much stuff on at Natural Pod as possible. I'm not sure how well new baby and dollmaking will go together. John is going to try to get 3 months off paternity leave which would be just dreamy. I'm fielding wholesale requests weekly and had a huge American company enquiring about the dolls a few weeks ago, but at this moment my focus is to be a mom. After baby is born, I'm going to really look at Bamboletta and where I want it to go. There are a few crafty mamas that I met in Cobble Hill that I think I can get to make my smaller dolls like my Pouchy, Blanket, Toddler and Lavender Cuddlies. Then I can make the Babies and various sized Bamboletta's.

Speaking of my Babies (the cloth kind), I've redone how I joint them. I love the button jointing, but it isn't the most sturdy if you have a rambuntious young child. Kids love to spin the arms round and round and round (because they can!) and the previous jointing would snap. Anyhow, I started looking at how teddy bears were constructed, ones with articulated limbs and wanted to construct the Babies the same way. I ordered in some joints and through some trial and error am really pleased with the results. I dislike that they are plastic, I hate for anything plastic to be in my dolls, but, I figure it's better then a child playing with a doll and it's arm falling off! Not a good scene!

I have to say a big THANKS to my good pal Devon, who gently reminded me of how lame a blog that is updated monthy is.. she is starting a blog soon about her photography and we have decided to become blog buddies and make sure that each other posts regularly. More on her when she get's up and running....

I love where I live! This is what we did this morning.

I can't believe it's been over a month! Spring is defintely here in Cobble Hill. John, Ben and I have been working hard in the garden - planting beds, putting in a veggie patch and endlessly mowing the lawn. John and I were talking today about how absolutely content we feel out here. Our only regret is that we didn't moveout here sooner. We've met some really great people and are starting to feel part of the community. I'm such a 'putter' person and living on some land, in the country raising litle ones is my putter heaven!

The dolls are doing well. I just finished up 6 new dolls for Natural Pod. They aren't posted yet, Bridgitte is at a confrence this weekend and I thought it'd be better to post them after it's done. I go and pick up 20 pounds of wool on Saturday from Westcott Farms. It's a local farm that raises their sheep organically. These sheep have a great life, they are so loved. If I ever come back as a sheep, I want to live here! Anyways, I am happy to have found this place. I am really trying to make a product that is sustainable, natural and local. I've also decided to only make my baby blanket dolls using organic materials. I always thought I was fairly aware and holistic, but living here just amplifies my decisions to be as environmentally consious as possible. The surrounds here are so beautiful, the people here are so aware and having all these farms around, many of which grow organic food really puts awarness in your face. All this and maybe because I'm pregnant, that always seems to put things in perspective.

My parents are coming to visit this weekend. We are all looking forward to seeing them. I'm taking them to something called 'Kids and Apple Pie', it's a fair in Cobble Hill. I'll keep you posted on how that goes, apparently there is a good silent auction.