Lost & Found

Hello everyone,

Hard to believe I lost track of time and haven't visited with you here in months.

Maybe you know how it is.

It's been two weeks now and we are still looking for five pairs of missing fabric scissors. That's right, 5 individual pairs, not a set.

And don't get me started about pens. I think there is a black hole where pens are sucked into when we turn off the lights in the studio each night.

Oh, if I mailed you that plastic pattern template for the 18-inch DRD Baby Doll by mistake, just let me know, would you? Then I can quit looking behind all the bookshelves and finding only dust bunnies large enough to eat Seattle.

So, we lost a few months but now we are glad to have found our way back to our blog where we can share thoughts on life here at the Dancing Rain Dolls Studio.

I thought I would sort through your mail (thank heavens for email in-boxes) and then share the answers to the top ten questions DRD received while I was crawling around on the floor looking for missing studio supplies.  And while I pull together the results I hope you are having fun kicking fall leaves, taking a 10-second mom nap while stopped  behind a school bus, or just resting in your bathroom with the door shut, dreaming about that next Dancing Rain Doll project you would lke to make before the holidays.

Stay tuned!

A JAR OF JOY

Who doesn't need more joy in their lives?!

I was grazing through the book The Creative Family: simple projects and activities for you and your children by one of my favorite craft bloggers, Amanda Blade Soule.

It is one of those books that makes you happy you are mom...even when the kids run off with your good scissors, play "build a sandcastle" with all the dirt from your seedling pots, lose your wallet somewhere in the house along with all the checks you needed to deposit four months ago, and you can't for the life of you figure out how to make a meal ALL your children will eat, let alone actually like.

The four sections Gathering, Playing, Living and Connecting are chock full of great ideas for fun family activities and easy crafts like family drawing time, a no-pressure pick-up-the-crayons gathering. Or how about her idea of holding informal yet productive meetings in bed---now that's MY idea of a good meeting. And I love the pattern for cute yet practical bedtime bags that store pj's and your child's favorite bedtime story.

One project I thought was so sweet and simple is her Joy Jars. All you need is a recycled jar and slips of paper. You can work with your child to decorate it with whatnots and crafting scraps with your kid to make it special. Brainstorm together as a family and think of different messages to write that will make the person you're gifting smile. A couple examples she shared were: "I love it when you call me angel"; "You have so many fun shoes, Grammie!", and "You make the best toast ever!" There you have it! A Joy Jar. What a thoughtful, easy way to teach gratitude and share love.

Amanda goes beyond showing us how to encourage imagination and nurture creativity. Her book, just like her SouleMama blog, gives so many no cost and low cost ways for us to spend quality time with our families. There is no need to run ourselves ragged transporting our kids here and there to keep them happy. Amanda's book reminds us that there are plenty of heart satisfying traditions we can start now at home with our families. Hoorah for summer and a little time to do them!

INDEPENDENCE DAY

1. 

First off, I hope all of you have a wonderful Fourth of July celebration with family and friends.

Independence Day....picnics, watermelon, sparkers, fireworks, friends and family.

It also makes me stop to think of what that means to me as a mother of young children. I look at my kids and see how much they've grown up over the last year and yet they are still my babies. At 10 my daughter is quickly becoming a lovely, considerate young woman, a best friend and confidante. I love our moments chatting or just sitting together in the studio working on stuff together. And my identical twins! It seems like it was just yesterday that I had to color code their little socks to tell them apart quickly after they were first born.

Some days as a mother with young children, a business owner, a Waldorf handworks instructor and teacher-in-training taking classes, a house cleaner, a cook, a chauffeur, a gardener and a wife to my loving husband, I sometimes can feel a bit overwhelmed. Independence to take a peaceful nap seems a long lost luxury.

Yet, today as I sit reflect, I feel so blessed. I know that time goes by fast and soon my children will want their own independence, will want to fly the coop like our chickens here in the backyard. For now, I want to just sit quietly for a moment and cherish the freedom I have to love and be loved, the joys of sharing Dancing Rain Dolls with all of you around the world, the happiness of my life right now.

And just to help me remember these special days, I have a Mother's Memory book you can pick up used on Amazon for a penny (plus shipping)! Below is a nice page from it.

Many blessings,

Amy

PRIVATE THOUGHTS

Here is my recipe for a happy life; the ingredients are simple. First know yourself; you'll always know what to do next when difficulties arise. Second, live in the present; savor every minute because time is what we have least of. Third, never stop learning. One of the surprises of growing older is that the mind doesn't. Fourth, stay as wonderful as you are.

MY DREAMS FOR YOU:

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HOW YOU HAVE CHANGED MY LIFE:

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WHAT YOU'VE TAUGHT ME:

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WHAT I'VE LEARNED FROM LIFE:

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All Dolled Up

June is here in all its glory! We have had 30 days without rain here in the Northwest...an all-time record. With all this sunshine it is hard to sit inside at a sewing machine. Now  is the perfect time to go outdoors with some handwork, a hunk of good blue cheese, and some tasty crackers!

You can crochet a doll wig while relaxing at a campsite. (Check out our videos here on our blog if you need some pointers first!)

Or if you like to hand sew, grab a needle and thread, a pair of Gingher scissors and throw some fabric scraps in a basket and head outside to work on an outfit or two for the Dancing Rain Doll in your family.

I took a peek at my bookshelf which is overflowing and managed to unearth a few doll clothes books here in my ... umhum..rather large collection.  I always find some tidbit of inspiration in craft books, even "The Dolls Dressmaker" which has a lot of antique vintage clothes.

Here are a few titles I own:

BABY DOLLS AND THEIR CLOTHES - Valeria Ferrari

THE DOLLS DRESSMAKER - Venus A. Dodge

TWO-HOUR DOLLS' CLOTHES - Anita Louise Crane (she must sew a lot faster than the rest of us!)

SEW BABY DOLL CLOTHES - Joan Hinds

SEW THE STORYBOOK WARDROBE FOR 18" DOLLS - Joan Hinds & Jean Becker

SEW INTERNATIONAL WARDROBE FOR 18" DOLLS - Joan Hinds

And here's one I don't own but just saw on Amazon and couldn't resist including after reading the title :)

Not exactly Waldorf-esque but it may be worth checking out...

DOLL FASHIONISTAS - Ellen Lumpkin Brown

What if you would rather be holding a glass of wine instead of a needle and thread when you have that picnic outdoors? You can always go shopping online to buy doll clothes before heading outside to enjoy the summer sun!

I always steer people to the online store Etsy, a great site where you can buy and sell handmade stuff.

Here is just one of the many cute doll outfits on Etsy I found when doing a search for a "16" Waldorf doll dress". This pink set for $15 is made by the vendor Dragonfly.

                           

Happy days in the  sun,

Amy

Doll Wig Tutorial - Lesson 3

Here is the last installment in our MAKING A DOLL WIG tutorial series!

Watch Lesson 3 : MAKING & ATTACHING HAIR to learn how to create a more natural head of hair using yarn mixes, how to add the hair strands, and tips to make bangs and parts, and more.

I can't wait to see your pics of your doll's beautiful locks posted on our Flickr page!  

We would love to hear your comments on our first video lessons. Do you find them helpful? And if you have ideas for future instructional videos, we look forward to hearing from you.

Dancing Rain Dolls MAKING A DOLL WIG: Lesson 3 from Amy Prentice on Vimeo.