New Year, new luck!

Happy 2014 everyone!

 I wish you love, joy and happiness and may all your wishes come true!

I am getting my finishing touches on this little girl here...

 

 

 

There's no better start!

 

xox

Christmas is almost there and I just wanted to take the chance to say

THANK YOU.

It's been an amazing year for my little label and it makes me happy to know that my dolls are being loved all over the world already. I haven't listed any RTG dolls recently because I was busy with a few customs

but the next one will be up in January for sure.

Have a wonderful Christmas and enjoy this precious time with your loved ones!

xox

 

The giveaway

Those of you who follow me on facebook might have noticed that I made two dolls to give away. It takes me many, many hours to make my dolls and I do everything myself – all the sewing and stuffing and eye-felting, I make my own wefts and crochet wigs and it always surprises me how much time I need to place eyes, nose and mouth until it feels right. So I invested a lot of my time in those two girls here....

Why? 

I was really impressed when I read that post on Esther’s page. She is an excellent doll maker from the Netherlands and a lovely person – no wonder she got over 1000 facebook-likes within a few months. She started a giveaway project on her page to say thanks and asked other doll makers to join her - so I did. I didn’t really think about it, it just felt right and I watched myself texting her about me joining her project. I ended up making two dolls because I got so many messages on my own page on top that really touched my heart and I wanted to make dolls for everyone…so at least two.

While I worked on the two girls I thought a lot about giving away. Do we ever really give away? I remembered something my dad told me when I was a child. He is a scientist so he tends to explain life in scientific terms and he told me something about the law of conservation of energy – difficult topic for an 8-year-old. But he narrowed it down to a very simple bottom line: energy never disappears – it just transforms! So it’s never lost – you might not see or smell it but it’s still there.  

Well, I believe that this is actually really related to the idea of Karma in some way. Everything we do has an impact and it’ll come back to you for sure. So the energy we put in our actions is not lost or given away – just transformed.

I heard from my winners that these two girls will be madly loved and cherished by two young ladies and that puts a big smile on my face – like I said: it comes back, always!

xox

Ready to play: Hannah

Honestly, I don't know why Hannah's hair is purple now...all my dolls just come out and I can never tell how the next one is going to look (except customs of course). One of the things I enjoy most while working with my hands is that my brain finally shuts up.

Here's the result...Hannah

 

 

Hannah is a 46cm ready-to-play-doll with brown eyes, apricot skin and purple/blackberry/lilac hair made of Wendsleydale locks (surprise...they are my favorite these days...isn't this an amazing color?).

 

 

 

She wears undies (not visible on the pics), frottee pants, a jersey shirt and a cotton dress as well as woolen shoes.

 

Hannah is available in my etsy shop on Saturday, Nov 9th, 8am CET. http://www.etsy.com/shop/vivirosalie?ref=search_shop_redirect

 

xox

 

 

opening update

The shop opening this morning was overwhelming -

all dolls were sold within minutes!

Thanks to all of you...

 

PS: If you are interested in ordering a custom doll please send a message to

vivi-rosalie@web.de.

Have a wonderful weekend!

xox

Ida

...and finally Ida

 

 

she is about 46cm toll and her skin is apricot like the others. She has very long blonde hair and light brown felted eyes. Her clothes are kind of colourful - she wears undies (not shown on the picture), a white/blue dress and pink pants, blue shoes and a very warm pink woolen coat with an ornamental design.

She will be available tomorrow for 260€.

xox

 

CAUTION: this item is not suitable for children under age 3! Choking hazard!

Mia

Here is MIA

she is about 47cm tall and her skin is apricot. Her hair is mid-long, dark-brown and kind of tousled and she also has brown felted eyes.

She leaves my studio completely dresses - she wears undies (not shown on the picture), a Jersey shirt and pants, a pink flowery dress, pink shoes and a knitted cardigan.

She will be available tomorrow for 260€

xox

 

CAUTION: this item is not suitable for children under age! Choking hazard!

Paula

Before the opening tomorrow I'd like to introduce the three little girls to you.

 

Here is PAULA

she is about 45cm tall and has apricot-coloured skin. Her hair is made of Wendsleydale locks crocheted into a wig and her eyes are brown and felted.

She travels to her new home fully dressed - she wears undies (not shown on the picture), a Jersey shirt and pants, a pale rose/beige dress and woolen shoes.

She will be available tomorrow for 240€.

 

xox

 

CAUTION: this item is not suitable for children under age 3! Choking hazard!

 

...4...3...2...

It's almost done!

I am most excited to announce that my shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/vivirosalie 

will finally open tomorrow on Saturday, 26.10. at 8am CET.

 

 

 

See you on etsy...

xox

...7...6...5...

All the bits and pieces for my shop opening are coming together here in my little studio and it's all about hair and dresses at the moment. I finally made up my mind and will prepare three 40cm dolls for you which will be available on October, 26th. You already know Paula the curly girl from my last post  - she will be accompanied by two other girls named Ida and Mia. Ida is a brown-eyed blonde wearing the pinky pink coat that can be seen on the picture below. (I am so loving the color...)

 

Mia's eyes are also light or mid-brown and match her haircolor which is a little darker. I am still making up my mind what she will wear...All my dolls leave my studio fully dressed which means shirt, undies, pants, dress or coat and shoes by the way.

 

The curls on the picture here are soooo beautiful and a bit angel-like but are giving me a hard time to make them into a wig at the moment...I hope they will finally end up being Ida's hair...

 

You'll see more pictures of Ida, Paula and Mia shortly before my opening.

I can't wait to see them all sitting on my virtual shelves.

xox

 

10..9..8..

Back in October last year I made my first doll for my little daughter and it is not exaggerated to say that this has changed my life. I’ve been loving to work with fabrics and wool basically all my life - probably some kind of heritage since this passion is very common in my family. Many years ago I even started to study fashion design but it turned out to be not the right thing at that time…Nevertheless the love for craft always stayed with me and I wondered if I’ll ever find a way to exploit this to the full. I tried many things and ideas but it just wasn’t right. And then I ordered this book by Karin Neuschütz, made my first doll and  fell in love with it (to my own total surprise). I think the reason why is that doll making and running this blog involves so many different things that I never get bored.

So basically a whole new world opened up for me and my etsy shop opening on October, 26^th  

will be my next step on this journey.

 

Paula on the picture here (you might notice her from my post about her hair some weeks ago) is one of three 45cm dolls which will be available online then. The other two are not really ready and dressed yet and I am still wondering what they will wear …Regarding this question I got some inspiration from Garance (one of my favorite bloggers – she’s brilliant and I love her) who found her perfect red very recently. Her post reminded me of this amazing dark red knitted fabric I bought the other day (you see, sometimes I get a little lost in my own stash…you can never have enough fabric, can you???). So you’ll certainly see some red around here but for Paula it's a pastel rose/beige...

Sneak peak on Paula's dress…

You’ll see a lot more pictures of her and the other two very soon.

I gotta go and finish some dresses, wigs and all the rest that needs to be prepared...

xox

Berlin, Berlin

3 days, 16 subway rides, about 25 km by foot, a two-day doll making course and dawn in Prenzlauer Berg - Berlin in a nutshell last weekend. I always enjoy being there: the city is buzzing and has its special charm (tough on the outside but soft on the inside) - means for example the subway is one of the most disgusting ones I’ve ever seen and  locals can be quite rude but I’ve never seen better playgrounds and so many kids in a city center– ever. (I mean one walk in Prenzlauer Berg and you know the real meaning of “adventure playground”). Anyway – the purpose of my travel was to attend a doll making course by Maria Ribbeck from mariengold. I’ve been following Maria’s blog for quite a while and adore her work as a professional doll maker and business woman so I was more than happy that she had me even though I am on my way to become a professional in that area myself. Maria has started her business in 2007 and has grown it steadily and successfully since then. She has sold more than 4000 items on etsy and dawanda and recently published her second e-book.

The course was scheduled for two days, Saturday and Sunday so I spent most of my Friday in various craft supply stores. The two I can recommend are Siebenblau and FrauTulpe. Siebenblau is a GOTS-certified fabric store run by Maren Bartz. It was so nice to have a look around knowing that everything I see can be used for my doll’s clothes (normally I have to search for the GOTS-area first and most of the time the prettier prints are not in that corner…). The store is perfect for all kinds of Jersey in all shapes and colors and a bit of popeline, the look is rather pastel with exquisite prints and designs.

Frau Tulpe on the other hand is a splash of bright colors which I love – I am a color person, really. The whole shop basically screamed “buy me” - I saw tons of prints I immediately fell in love with…maybe next time for something else than doll clothes. They don’t have that much certified stuff but spending a bit of time in this fabric candy shop made my day.

But back to my doll making course: honestly, I had a blast with Maria and the other girls during those two days.  We rolled heads (literally), stuffed arms and legs, stitched eyes (and sometimes pricked our fingers…) and time was flying. I really tried to erase all I know about doll making from my memory and open myself to the mariengold way of things to learn something new – and I did. Maybe you know how difficult it is sometimes to overcome your own routine…but Maria is such a lovely person who allows you to just be yourself and do your thing.  Of course she shows a lot of techniques but still gives you the freedom to create your own personal style. It was amazing how different our dolls looked at the end even though we all used the same pattern.  I did enjoy myself and also learned a lot not only in terms of doll making. For those of you who tend to be somewhat hypercritical about your work (like me) here is my lesson learned:

 

Nothing needs to be perfect - and this totally applies to life and dolls. Something to remember next time you hate yourself because you’ll never be the perfect mother, wife or daughter…just relax and don’t bother….

This is the little cutie I took home with me - very mariengold, I think.

 

If you are interested in participating in one of Maria’s doll making courses yourself–check out here.

I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I did.

xox

 

the hill

Little redhead Maya is enjoying the last moments of summer and a hill view piknik...

 

 

Whenever I feel the need to breathe and see some green I escape to a small village called Worpswede in the surroundings. It became quite famous in the 18^th century when a handful urban artists turned their back on city life and made it their new home. I used to live there and still feel kind of at home once I pass the town sign. Besides lots of other special features Worpswede is also the place with the only hill far and wide called Weyerberg. I absolutely love the view which is the reason why I chose this place for taking these pics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 My little shoot there was really magical since I found a beautiful summery landscape in front of but an autumnally, vermilion field behind me.  It was looking like burning flames and fitted the hair of Maya so perfectly well….

 

 

 

 

Maja is a 40cm custom doll I made for little Mathilda – the goddaughter of a friend of mine. Her dress is made of vintage fabric and a bit of lace and since autumn is knocking on our door she brought her woolen coat and shoes.

Enjoy the colors of summer and autumn…

xox

studio buzz

 

 

It’s all about hair and eyes these days here in my little studio.

I spend a lot of time playing around with a variety of materials, shapes, lengths, methods and so on. This process leaded me to felting the eyes of my dolls - it combines a soft but also three-dimensional look which I was aiming for. Finding a proper hair-do on the other hand normally evolves while the doll is shaped up. The source of material is rather small due to  strict toy safety regulations in Europe so I was glad to have found the Wendsleydale locks shown on the picture. It takes quite a lot of preparation before the wefted hair is ready to be made into a wig but I think it’s worth it….

Wendsleydale locks already sorted and sized 

wefted locks (locks have been sewn together at the top into a continuous strip)

 

Paula with curls ....

 

 

 

Thanks to Gabi from FairyWoolDolls who has shared a wig tutorial which can be found on her blog. This is more or less the method I use and I really apprechiate she’s sharing her knowledge with us.

xox

Coming up next:

 

Paula's picnic

and

A little redhead for Mathilda

 



 

green escapes

 

Summer has finally arrived and it is boiling hot here but luckily we have a lot of green escapes around. 

So I took this little girl with me to my favorite spot right around the corner – a nice little park with a pond, plants, trees and – most important – shadow. We found some beautiful little flowers on the way and took a rest under a big tree covered with ivy.

What a perfect summer day…

 

Meanwhile the little blonde headed to an even sunnier place in Spain and I heard she can see the city lights of Barcelona through the window. Her new mommy Lulu recently moved there with her parents and is now enjoying the pleasures of the Catalan summer together with her new mate.

For those of us living in northern regions the number of hot and sunny days is limited  - so enjoy yourself...

xox