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Wednesday

Bear Tales from a Baby Panda

I wrote this back in March 2011 on one of my old blogs, and I thought it might bring a little happiness to my current readers, so I am publishing it here, after all, who doesn't like bears???

-oOo-

Hello there, I want to tell you a little story about a friend of mine. He's quite different to me, he looks white and lives in an extremely cold climate.

My friend is a polar bear and he is so furry and cute . . . well, at least he was cute when he was little.



When he was very small he loved to climb and run around in the snow, but he had the most dreadful fear of water.


Now for a polar bear this was very distressing and what's more, it was so embarrassing. He tried so hard to push his fear aside, but every time he went into the water he would shiver and shake all over.


Time and again, his mummy would go with him in the the water to try and help him overcome this fear, but it didn't matter what she tried to do, nothing helped build his confidence.


His fear was so great, all she could do was hold him in her arms to stop him shaking every time they returned from a swim.


Then one day when he had grown into a big BIG bear he said to himself "I can do this, I must do this" and he pushed all those terrible haunting fears aside and jumped straight into the icy water.


However, it had been so long since he had taken a swim with his mummy, he couldn't remember how to swim! He yelled for help, but no-one heard him, he yelled even louder, but no-one came.


In the end he managed to climb up on and passing iceberg, albeit a very tiny one . . . and there he waited clinging on for dear life until his mummy rescued him once more.


Funnily enough, by taking this dip all on his own he soon realised that the water really wasn't so scary as he had first thought and with a few more lessons from his mummy he was back in the water in no time at all.


They were both so happy and overjoyed at the outcome that they danced.


The End


Click HERE if you would like to read more about The World of the Polar Bear. It's a beautiful book full of stunning photos by Norbert Rosing, and one I'm sure you will enjoy.

Saturday

Knitting Frenzy

I've been kind of busy knitting lately, I hope you like them. :)


I used the "Susan" pattern from Jacknitss by Jacqueline Gibb (available on Ravelry). However, the pattern was designed for 18/19" dolls, and called for UK double knit yarn with 3.25mm needles. As I needed it to be smaller, I used 4ply yarn and 2.75mm needles which gave me the perfect fit for my Disney Animator dolls.


I managed to find matching shoes on eBay and had most of the buttons on hand.


Though I still need turquoise green shoes to match the cardi below and buttons for the blue cardi are on their way from Etsy.


These are part of optional outfits (dresses need to be sewn yet) that my girls will wear from time to time, when they are not in costume.

Tuesday

Unannounced Arrival

Remember this post? Well without a word from Fairyland, my full set Toki arrived along with his sleeping plate with face-up.

Although I loved Toki as he was, I really needed someone to become Linaria, so with a quick change of lower body and the addition of a few items that had been waiting especially for her, here she is!



Li (Linaria) ~ Charming, delicate and graceful best describe this one. Although she is quite tall, Li looks a little fragile, but don't be misled, she comes from hardy stock. Li spends a lot of time in the sunshine and enjoys wearing bright, strong colours, her favourite colour being pink!

Li is also the senior fairy and as such, makes all the decisions regarding the other two, (Wi and Pi).

Friday

Another Arrival


She arrived on 2nd August, and as I already have a Hannah sculpt (with red center parted hair) I have renamed this little one Hope. 


She is another Gotz doll (Hannah Princess), who is 18 inches tall, with beautiful deep blue eyes and pretty mocha/pink lips.


Hope is my third Gotz doll with blonde hair, having previously purchased Kitty with green eyes and a left side part, and Emma with grey/brown eyes and a center part (no fringe).

This doll now completes my blonde Gotz collection.

Monday

Merida's New Outfit

I thought I'd show you what Merida's outfit looks like on her before her re-paint. I doubt if she will look much different when she's finished as I love her expression and only want her eyes to be slightly smaller.

I used the Bloomer Buddies "Oh Sew Kat!" pattern which is available from Pixie Faire to make the dress, though I wish I had added more fullness to the dress below the yoke, as it falls too straight for my liking . . . which of course means I will probably make her another dress to wear before too long.

The beret, scarf, fingerless gloves and leg warmers were adaptions I made from a Kiltie Combo Accessories knitting pattern to fit 18 inch American Girl Dolls by Jacqueline Gibb on Ravelry.

As Merida is a 16 inch doll, I simply used size 2.75mm needles instead of the 3.25mm and knitted it in one colour throughout. The scarf was knitted horizontally in garter stitch, rather than vertically like the pattern suggested.


The brooch on the side of the hat I made myself and the Joyce Nicholson boots she is wearing I had in my stash. These soft real leather boots were originally purchased at a bargain price from a doll fair long ago . . . always knew they would come in handy some day. :)

Thursday

Animator Madness

After finding myself in the mood to play around with face-ups and re-styling dolls, I went a little crazy last month and purchased these four 16" Disney Animator dolls.


I have great plans for Anna, she will be dressed in a nautical outfit, not unlike Sailor Moon, but not the exactly the same either . . . she just doesn't have the figure or the long legs that SM has. I shall keep her red hair, as it's quite cute tied in pony tails, and simply repaint her face.


I can easily see Elsa dressed elegantly in black and white, with long blond tresses, wide brim hat and black sunglasses . . . a little like Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, but with a slight twist. Her hair was really fine, so it has already been replaced with a wig. Elsa's face will be completely repainted and her eyes given a cheeky wink.


Mulan's still in limbo and I'm not sure where she is headed, as she hasn't "spoken" to me yet and is still cosy in her box. Perhaps she will keep her Asian heritage, or maybe she will undergo a complete transformation, only time will tell . . . I'm waiting for some inspiration.


Merida on the other hand, is well on her way to being finished. I have knitted her a pair of fingerless gloves, hat, scarf and leg warmers and sewn her a dress. I have kept her gorgeous red curls, but the face will be repainted. She was the only doll that was pre-loved, and came without a box, though in very good condition. The other three were all mint . . . NRFB.

Upgraded shoes were a slight problem for all of them, as these dolls have a rather unusual foot size, however, the shoes have finally been ordered and should be arriving soon.