Forever Family TaDollie and her Sisters

Now that she has arrived (you can read about it here), I can share with you the other little treats I tucked inside Sunshine's box. ;)

That's right!  Her box had not just one, but three dollies in it for the soon to be three Cooper sisters. I keep thinking about how fun that must be for Jenn as she is one of three sisters and now she will have three daughters.

Jenn knew that Sunshine's doll was coming. As soon as she announced that they were adopting again I told her that I wanted to make another one. When the time got closer, we planned it out a bit togehter. But she had no idea I was making her older daughters dolls too.

I knew right away I just had to do it. I kept thinking about how much fun it would be for all the girls to have similar dolls to play with together. My hope was that these dollies might play even a teeny tiny role in the excitement leading up to  a new sister and aid the three little ladies in their bonding together as sisters once she arrived.

So I got down to business and planned out all the little details. I have always loved the sweet bob haircut that Jenn's "Miss Middle" has sported for years. I think I first saw her in photos when she was two and that's how I'll always think of her. I know that Jenn adored that cut on her too. So even though she is growing her hair out I thought it would be fitting for her doll to have her "signature" look.

And if you know Jenn's girls, you know they can usually be seen with flowers in their hair so of course everyone got a sweet flower with vintage button embellishment. I love that along with the matching fabric to the quilt Jenn made, she also sent some vintage trim that I added to their bodices and Miss Middle's waist.  Aren't those little pink hearts just the sweetest? I was thrilled when I saw that my Moda Dream On fabrics would be the perfect addition to her vintage sheets for the knee socks and hood.

Anna has her own room with a growing pre-teen style all her own. And though I didn't own a single purple print, instead of going shopping I knew I could rock the aqua, lime and black just fine.  Check out her room {here}. I think her dollie will fit in perfectly, don't you? I also figured, with that growing style of hers, she might be a bit over the "ric rac" look. So when I added a little to the hem of her dollie's dress I made it as subtle as ric ras can be. You probably realize by now that I'm obsessed with the stuff and back in the day Jenn's clothing designs used her fair share of ric rac too. So I figured Jenn would enjoy seeing it on all of the dolls too.

I also added a felt embrodired sun to the bottom of Sunshine's dress but never did take a photo of it because I wanted to keep at least that much about her doll a surprise for Jenn since I was showing photos before she arrived. You can get a peek of it over {here} in Jenn's photos. Pinking shears made the cute little sunrays.

And yes, I even looked through photos on her blog to see what side her girls parted their hair on. Can you say OCD? As a mom of twins that's just something I think about. And wouldn't you know, just like my girls, hers part their hair on opposite sides from each other too...teehee...

I also enjoyed picking out different verses for each of their dolls. Jenn picked Sunshine's, but I got to pick the other two. I think these are verses that every young lady should have tucked inside her heart for life.

Anna's doll

 

Philippians 4:8
"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

 

Julia's doll

 Galatians 5:22

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

 

And a great big shout out again to Nicole Owens for creating such a fun softie doll pattern that my dolls are based on. I've tweaked it a bit over the years but the bones are still hers. Without that pattern I don't think I would have been bitten by the dollie bug. Together Amy and I made a ton and at last count I've given away 20 of the some 60 that have been made. I love that I have been able to bless some 20 prescious children through my love of crafting.  A lot of joy comes from giving of your talents and these have been no exception.

Thank you Jenn for allowing me to be even a small part of your journey to your "Sunshine."

 

Matthew 25:40

"The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'"

 

Proverbs 31:13

"She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands."

 

Support Small Businesses Saturday {25% off in the Shop!}

The final two TaDollies of 2012 are on sale!

 

25% off today only. 

 

Prices go back up tomorrow.

 

Find them {here}.

Final TaDollies of 2012 {New in the Shop}

Gnome Girl
 

Miss Meadowsweet

 

Find them {here}.

 

 

TaDollies in the shop for a limited time!

Get a jump-start on your Christmas shopping!

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Sewing with History

My mom just returned from CA, and brought back a HUGE bag of vintage buttons from her sister. I am so excited to have these. And to think I didn't have to scour antique shops to get them.  Not that that wouldn't be fun, but this was much quicker. ;) 

If you have a moment, please say a little prayer for my aunt. My uncle Dave passed away two weeks ago. Though he had recently been diagnosed with ALS, this was still a sudden loss for his family as they thought they had much more time with him. I'm thankful that they didn't have to witness his slow departure, but no matter what it's still never easy to say good-bye. I'm also thankful that my mom could fly to her side right away and that my aunt will be here visiting next week as had been previously planned. 

Thank you Aunt Cathy for thinking of me and these buttons even in the midst of all you are going through. 

Love you tons!

As I was sorting these I couldn't help but wonder what the story was behind each different style.  What had they been used for? I know I can look through my button box and tell you what I bought each type for. Call me strange, but I just love details and like to hear the history of how things came to be.

These little red and white ones are my faves.

Some sweet ladybugs.

Love this color green.

Look at the sweet pink lambs!

*swoon*

I love these floral ones in the middle.

Lots of different shades of pink. A girl can never have too many right?

Love those big orange buttons. They will be cute this fall with some of my leftover Meadowsweet.

These light blue ones are just as sweet as can be. Oh and I'm envious of those old prices too. Aren't you?  Buttons can be so expensive these days.

Love those white flowers and the half-balls are so mod and the hearts just make me think 70's like I'm looking back at my own childhood. *sigh*

Does anyone have a use for these black and white kitties? There are twelve. I can't think of what I'd use them for so I'd love to send them off to a fun home.  First to leave me their e-mail address gets them.

A few months ago David's mom gave me her mother's sewing machine and table.  I love how she calls it her mom's "new" one. More on that in a little bit. I set it up last week right between my sewing desk and cutting table. It fits perfectly there. It's all plugged in and ready to try, but instead of actually turning it on, I organized my desk drawers first. I think I'm procrastinating because I don't want to find out that it doesn't work. Silly, I know.

Ever since my first machine's motor died and I replaced it with my fancy BabyLock I haven't been able to shir with it. I can't get it to work with elastic thread in the bobbin. So I'm really hoping that this older machine will do it.  Unfortunately it doesn't have a drop in bobbin, it's vertical in the front of the machine. So that's why I'm nervous to try it out. Thankfully I do have the original manual so I should be able to figure it out. Wish me luck!  I'd really love to make my girls some shirred blouses again.

The best part about this machine is that inside the manual (you can see it sticking out ^) Grandma Sophie also kept a log of every single time she used her machine.  Wow! Seriously wow, let me show you what a treasure this is. Reading it was like walking back into history and I seriously had tears in my eyes when I showed it to David.

She bought her first machine in 1964 and then replaced it with this "new" one in 1974.  

In 1964 her youngest daughter made an outfit for the Sadie Hawkins dance. Isn't that just precious?

There are more notes of  her daughters (our Aunt Dee and Aunt Mari) sewing on this machine.  And later there is mention of my mother-in-law, Phyllis, practicing on it too.

Then, the summer just before David was born, in 1974, she bought the Pfaff that I now have.
Her new machine.  :)

These were the most sad entries for me to find. Her youngest, Mark, was about 18 that summer and here she is mending his t-shirt, patching his jeans and trying to make his shorts bigger by adding to the sides. You didn't just run out and buy new clothes, you mended what you had and made it work. Shortly after these entries Mark drowned tragically in the lake behind Sophie's sister's house. He and his best friend took the canoe out on a hot day during harvest, to cool off.  They were goofing around and both jumped in the water fully clothed and the boat got away from them. By the time the adults knew they were in trouble and David's Grandpa swam out there to save the boys, he could only find the friend. Gives me a big lump in my throat every time I think about it, which is often.

David and his cousin Adam were born a month later. I think it's only by the grace of God that you can get out of bed every morning after something like that. Sophie and Ederald had a strong faith and a tight community that carried them and their other four children through that dark time.

Probably my favorite entry...On April, 6th 1978 she mended a dozen feed (grainsacks). They had a farm near the Edge of the Wilderness, along the Chippewa National Forest in Northern MN, in a little town called Effie. Sophie grew up in a home that only spoke Norwegian and she didn't learn English until she went to school. She was a quick learner and later became a school teacher herself. She was a wonderful woman, and I'm so thankful for the chance I had to know her. She is greatly missed by all who loved her and it was wonderful to hear stories from people in her town when we traveled north for part of her funeral last spring. Stories from women who were in Bible studies with her and mentored by her. Of people that knew her at the Villa apartment. I think my favorite story was from a gentleman that got and told why the Weisert's always had the most help during harvest time.  It was because "they had all the daughters." 

Two days before Christmas, David's aunt was making ornaments for David, Adam and their older cousin Sparkie (Lloyd Jr.). She broke the presser foot lever and Grandpa fixed it 5 days later. I wonder if she remembers this?

I'm impressed with how many fitted sheet corners and pillow cases she mended over the years.  I think of how the tendency these days is to throw those things out. In 1979 she was also mending the pocket on her mother's housedress, shortened her undershirts for her and shortened the Christmas robe she and her sister gave their mother. Man, I miss her sister Corrine too. She was such a sweet, sweet lady. I remember how excited she was when we brought our twin babies up to meet them 6 years ago. They both had fun showing them off at the Villa.

In 1984 she was making jammies for her youngest granddaughters. Including David's littlest sister Diane who will be 30 this fall. She writes Diane's name the way her own daughter Dianne was spelled though.  I think that's cute. For Christmas she made doll clothes for granddaughters Lindsay, Diane and Rachel's preemie cabbage patch dolls. She did one set a month, I like her planning.  Reminds me that I should get a jump start on my Christmas sewing. 

Oh and earlier in the year she made a vinyl tractor seat cover. She could do anything! I'm sure she didn't have a tutorial on how to make a tractor seat cover, she just figured it out. I love that about sewing. You can do anything you set your mind to. As with so many things in life. Yes, there are many lessons to be learned in these frail pages. She's still teaching us.

After they sold the farm and moved to an independent living apartment connected to Big Fork's nursing home and hospital, she was sewing valances for the Villa. And soon after with Grandpa's diagnosis of Parkinson's, he moved into the nursing home end and she was sewing his name into his clothing.

She was still mending his clothes the summer of 1998. He didn't make it down for our wedding August 14 that year (yep, we just celebrated 14 years). But he was here the Christmas before that. I'm glad we could visit him up north a couple of times before he went home to the Lord.

Six years ago was the last time she used this machine. It was to mend pillow cases.

Grandma Sophie, my plan is to continue this list for you, in my own journal.  We'll see how far it takes us...

Just listed...a Mary little dress.

Hand embroidered apron dress, flower pin and matching pants.  

Size 3T. 

Ready to ship!

Find the set {here}.

Sorry, it's already sold!  

I Spy Two TaDa! Creations Resells

One of my all time favorite dresses (and headscarf) is available, in mint condition, size 3/4/5 over on {Jessica's resale blog}. Just $45!!!

Be still my heart, that's a 2-1/2 year old Emily up there ^. Where did the last 4 years go?

It can be worn 8 ways because of the removable straps. I had a lot of fun designing this one and the applique  was quite labor intense.

She's also got a one-of-a-kind, made just for Grace, Little Red Riding Hood decoupage jean set too.  Same size and a steal at just $30.  Eeeek! Go take a peek {here}.

I believe these are the first of Jessica's TaDa! pieces she is parting with.  *sniff*sniff*

You can see all of her resales {here}.

The Pirate and the Pardon

Here is what's been consuming my time for the past month.





I was the Costume Coordinator for my church's VBS play this year. It was an amzing experience.  I loved being in the thick of it and seeing it all come togther.  I was especially touched by all the 6th grade and up kids that put so much time and effort into their roles (whether it was in the classrooms, on the praise team or as part of the drama production) so the little kids would have a meaningful week.


Here is the dress I made from scratch. My first "adult" piece. It was perfect for "Lark" with a vecro closure up the back for her quick change. Her brother "Jimmy" found his own wardrobe and I just tea-stained the shirt and spray painted the pants to look dirty.  He was a pirate wannabe which got him in a little trouble and soon they both found themselves on a pirate ship called the Sea Wolf.





One of my favorite pictures after having read the comments on facebook is now this one. Specifically the young man praying over the nearly drowned Butterknife Bill.  Luke said that he wasn't just acting here, he took this time to actually pray for the kids in the audience, that they would get the message. I'm so proud of the young people in our church. They really get it and do everything for the glory of God.




I have to give a hand to our director, set designers and techs. This picture is just all kinds of awesome because of their hard work. Josh did a good job too. ;)



There was singing and dancing... 


 

(I didn't know pirates had such perfect teeth)

and a very clear message about God's Grace.  





We show about 20 minutes of the play each of the 5 days and then the play in it's entirety Friday night. Seeing it all as one production was very moving. I found myself wiping away tears when Lark tells Butterknife about God's act of Grace and at the end when her father (Commodore Bunting) extends grace to him as well.


I snapped 1200 pictures throughout the week and here are just a few more of my favorites.





Aboard the Sea Wolf. Mr. Pigeon, in the middle, his costume came completely from the women's section at a thrift store. I added buttons and some bands around his cuffs to make it more nautical looking. His sash is a sari that I shorted down the middle and spray painted. I added elastic to his cuffs so they could be hiked up to his knees and bloused out.



Nelly NoBeard, our MC for the week and captain of the J.Crew praise team.





Our fearless leader, Dara, the writer and director of the play.  She is crazy talented. Growing up I always thought of her as a Julie Andrews and that still holds true today.  





Dara found all the pieces for the sailor's outfits.  I just shortened and tapered the pants with buttons, made vests from basic tees, kerchief and sash from pillow cases and dirtied it all with black spray paint and tea-stained the shirts I cut the collar and sleeves off of. Dara made all the tri-corn hats from simple ladies felt hats she found at Penny's. The buttons down the vests aren't actually buttons, they are flatbacks and I used a sharpie to draw the button-holes on the other side. For this sewing perfectionist, it was a departure for me to make everything "costume" quality. ;)





I think all but two of these kids go to the same school my girls do. Love that they have so many good role models to look up to. Ahem...when they aren't being pirates that is. 





I was blessed to be at every dress-rehearsal the whole week so I could move about the sanctuary freely and capture all the shots I wanted. This is definitely a fave.





Poor Jimmy got a little seasick. And yes, that's a butternife instead of a hook. There were so many clever touches to this play.  Like all the character names were from birds giving homage to Jack Sparrow (Finch, the Longspur, Lark, Bunting, Mr, Pigeon, Shearwater, Thrush, Plover, Sixpense, Junco, Crowe, I'm missing 3 more I think).




The crew of the Sea Wolf






A little fun with dry ice after the performance.





Praying over Pastor Josh before he gave his message that day.





Pastor Mac announced how much the kids raised each day for their missions project. He's wearing a rented costume.  All of the colonial period outfits you see were rented. They were a ton of fun to pick out. If you ever get a chance to hang out in a serious costume rental place do it.  It's a hoot!





Every year, the kids have a special project that they raise money for throughout the week. Though VBS is free, kids are encouraged to bring an offering. They usually raise about $4000. This year our church partnered with a ministry in the Philippines. It's an orphanage for older children. The kids their make friendship bracelets to sell which makes them enough money to keep them off the streets and from being sold into the sex trade. We then sold the bracelets here and our profits went to an orphanage in India that was started by a man that grew up in an orphanage there.  He will be coming to our church this year to speak. I can't wait to meet him.  Our kids raised $22,000 last week!!!  We also had an anonymous donor who gave $10,000 once we hit $20,000.  It was quite amazing to hear about! I especially loved that kids in the Philippines, by way of kids in America, helped kids in India. Don't you just love how God works?

My kiddos held a lemonade/cookie/bracelet stand and personally raised $90 for the effort.



Their Auntie Julie stopped by on her way home from work to support their efforts.  Love that!



My sister in law had her baby boy two weeks early so we'll be watching Bella for the next week or so to help her recover. I'm off to take some newborn photos right now.