A Very Gregor Christmas

All of Boo's dolls were dressed in red and green on Christmas Eve, awaiting the arrival of Santa. Little did they (or she) know what was in store on Christmas morning.

Boo asked if she could decorate a little tree for the dolls, and I agreed (this saved me having to do it myself once she was asleep, because I had a surprise planned). Here is how the tree looked when she went to bed, with a stocking for each of her dolls. The gifts under the tree are empty boxes just for show, but she put a few old items in the stockings: coins, a hat, a toy car... I intentionally rushed her so that she didn't have much time to set out gifts because that was part of my surprise.

Here is how the tree looked when I went to bed, with the addition of two Gregors, two more stockings, and lots of doll-sized wrapped packages.

Boo glanced at the little tree when she woke up, but didn't seem very excited. In fact, she was a bit miffed that I'd removed what she put in the stockings. She thought that the Gregors were mine and that I had created a scene for my blog with empty packages. Boy was she surprised to discover that the boys were hers and the wrapped packages all contained gifts for her dolls! I had labeled the packages with their names, so before she unwrapped her own gifts from under the big tree, Boo helped the dolls unwrap their gifts from under the little tree.

Unwrapping some new clothes for the boys from etsy shop A Passion for Sasha:

Kitty and Kelly helping to unwrap their gifts (with a view of both our trees in the background):

The babies in their new sleepers from etsy shop Nomacustom:

The boys redressed, getting acquainted with the girls:

And yes, the discovery that the boys can also become short-haired girls when desired.  :-)

When she told me she wanted a Gregor "some day", Boo came up with a list of prospective names: Daniel, Ethan, and Trevor. Of course she decided that none of those worked once she had dolls in hand, so names have not yet been determined. The current front runners are James for the brunette and Caleb for the blonde.

She has been playing dolls with a friend from the neighborhood the past few days, and having fun with the added dimension that males add. They can be brothers, boyfriends, husbands, fathers, kings, and even male house servants (apparently the girl dolls love having the boy dolls wait on them).

Dress Up

I brought home lots more things from the festival that I plan to take pictures of and blog about, but we've had no sunshine and/or very busy weekends lately. So ... I am interrupting festival coverage with some quickly taken pictures of Boo's dolls. She played dress up with them today, dividing them into girl-baby pairs each with a theme. She wanted to try other outfits (which she's doing as I type), so she asked if I would take pictures of them for posterity.

First up are Rose and Kelly dressed in "old fashioned" clothing.

Then Calla and Kitty in modern attire.

And finally Poppy and Madden showing their patriotic spirit.

 

I am soooooo happy that my daughter shares my love of Sashas. And I love seeing her creativity.

(12) Live from AZ ...

... End result of gift exchange (no "stealing" gifts this year, but swapping afterwards allowed). Boo is thrilled! Thank you Vivian!

(3) Live from AZ ...

... A bit of free time after breakfast for we early risers.

Muriel and baby Kelly are watching Boo swim. :-)

"Snapshots from Childhood"

Time to finish up with posts related to the 2013 festival since the 2014 festival is almost here...
This was Boo's second Dress-A-Sasha entry (her first was "Little Miss Muffet" at the 2012 festival). The theme was "Snapshots from Childhood", replicating a childhood photo. Boo wanted to use Sara, my rerooted "mini Boo" toddler, for obvious reasons. We looked through old photos and found one of her at around the right age  -- that sweet face! (and those skinny legs).

Luckily we have three of those monkeys in different sizes (daddy, mommy, and baby) so Sara could hold the smallest. And the outfit was easy for her to manage as well since Sashapotamus sells similar onesies. Boo took a picture of our bookshelf and our wooden floor to set the scene, and that was it.

You wouldn't know it from the forced smile in this photo, but she was happy to win first place in the "assembled by" child category.

Return to MY Childhood

I was a table hostess for the Friday luncheon at this year's Sasha Festival. In 2010 I co-hosted with Tina, and we created something in line with the "Return to Switzerland" theme. This time I did a spin on the "Return to Childhood" theme, creating a gift that returned to MY childhood in the late 60's and early 70's.

This was a family project. My mother crocheted ponchos for me, miniaturizing an old pattern and modifying it to fit easily over Sasha's head. My husband made 1:3 scale copies (just covers, no pages) of three favorite books I'd saved from childhood. I found tiny tan teddy bears similar to my own bear Fletcher, discovered miniature Magic 8 balls at a party store, and created daisy headbands -- I remember tying together stems of dandelions to make hair pieces as a child. And Boo served as the model for a big-little photo that I used on cards explaining the story behind the gift. Everything went into a little plastic milk crate, as if it had been stored away in an attic for several decades.

One piece of the gift isn't pictured here because it wasn't finished yet, black cord necklaces with peace sign charms. I did not have a suitable crimping tool for the style I'd planned to make, so my husband offered to bring his home from work for me to use. This didn't happen until the last minute, at which point I was scrambling and decided to postpone them until next year. Simon stepped up and assembled the necklaces for me while I packed on Wednesday evening, making me (and the people who sat at my table) very happy.

Getting Ready

Boo and I picked the dolls and clothing that we're bringing to the festival this morning; the doll's clothing that is, we still have to pack for us. It was hard for Boo not to choose ALL of her dolls - she's just bringing her babies, so I promised we can buy a treat for Calla and Rose so they won't feel left out. And speaking of babies, I gave Boo one of mine this morning (she accompanied us to the 2011 festival as an unnamed baby, but has otherwise not been on the blog). Here are her triplets Madden, Kelly, and Kitty sharing a high chair at dinner.

Boo asked me how I could choose just two dolls from my "hundreds" (okay, not hundreds, more like 60), but that was easy. I'm bringing two dolls I've purchased recently and think their previous owners will enjoy seeing some pictures of them. My blog has been rather neglected recently due to a new job and wonky thyroid, and these two girls need some face time.

There's still a lot to get done before we leave. Boo has been working on her Dress-A-Sasha entry, and I've been crafting away, trying to get table hostess gifts finished. So much to do, so little time ...

Play Dolls

I think one of the things that I love most about Sashas is that they are play dolls. While mine mostly stand on shelves, Boo's can be found in various places and situations around the house. While she treats they with care, she interacts with them rather than just admiring them. This was the scene in her bedroom about a month ago: Rose, Calla, and Madden resting on a makeshift pallet with a stuffed horse and monkey for company. Kitty was sleeping separately due to her "broken arm" - fortunately just imaginary, but wrapped in a handkerchief sling.

I helped Boo dress them in their new togs on her birthday and pose them in the same spot for another group picture. Many days she'd rather play video games, watch tv, ride her bike, or whittle sticks, but it's nice that she has sturdy dolls she can play with when she's in the mood. And such lovely, serene dolls too.

Birthday Girl

Boo's birthday was a couple of weeks ago. One of her gifts was matching tops for her and her Sashas from Jackapotamus/Sashapotamus. I was worried she might declare that nine was too old for dolls, but luckily that didn't happen. Not only did she wear her "pirate bear" shirt to school the next day (with leg bone leggings!), but she brought her babies in their onesies too.

Kitty and Madden traveled to and from school in a basket, then hung out in the kitchen later like the basket was a playpen.

The next week she and Kitty and Calla went to school wearing pink kittens. I custom-ordered the onesie specifically for Kitty, and Boo was thrilled with it.

They also traveled in the basket and hung out in it for several days afterward in Boo's bedroom.

I'm glad that nine still isn't too old to play with (and dress like) dolls.

Sasha Festival 2012 - post 5

Hard to believe that the festival is already over. Usually I have to rush out to catch a flight right after Sunday's brunch, but this year I'm able to hang out for another day. The only event was "brunch", but that always lasts several hours since it includes thank-yous, mention of the contest winners, an invitation to next year's festival, and the helper item and doll raffles. We sat at one of the big round tables, so there was plenty of room for dolls to stand and watch us eat. You can see our fantastic table hostess gift on the left - Calla and Alison couldn't wait to try on the masks.


We received the rest of our festival outfit - embroidered warm-up suits in red, white, or blue, a Union Jack tote bag, and a little gold medal. Now we have a whole uniform for the upcoming London 2012 Olympics! Ours are different colors; Boo's box contained a red warm-up and a red-trimmed bag, while mine contained a white warm-up and blue-trimmed bag.


Anna Doggart brought her Pierrot to brunch, so I was able to get a close look at this fantastic guy. They never really appealed to me in pictures, but wow is he gorgeous in person.


After we finished eating, Dawn passed the figurative baton to Heidi, who spoke briefly about next year's festival. It will be held July 11-14 at the Drawbridge Hotel in Northern Kentucky (as she says, "The Southern Side of Cincinnati"), with the theme "Return to Childhood". Start saving your pennies!


Boo helped run items and pull numbers for the raffles. I didn't win anything, but she won a dog-themed shorts outfit that she plans to put on baby Puppy. Then it was time to start saying goodbyes to new and old friends ... until we meet again. I don't have many photos of myself from the festival, but perhaps people will share some with me later. I did hand my camera to others for a few special pictures with online friends that I was finally meeting in person. Such a fantastic experience.



We lingered in the lobby and said goodbyes to as many people as we could when they departed. Time for one last photo of the baby display, this time with Boo and her babies, before it was all packed up.


We spent the early afternoon in the room, Boo watching TV and me frantically organizing and photographing our loot. I may manage a few more posts before we head home, but won't have a picasa album/slideshow together until then. We did a bit of shopping, picking up bread, cheese, and fruit for dinner, plus three pieces of Liberty fabric for future sewing efforts. And we did a bit of chatting, both while we were out shopping and in the hotel lobby. We're both tired, so we called it an early night. Lots of packing to do in the morning, then we're off to tea at Dawn's house.

Sasha Festival 2012 - post 4

I had tea, toast, and pastries again this morning, but Boo started her day with a full English breakfast.


The "programme" listed on the schedule for the morning turned out to be two more wonderful presentations. First, Marie Morgan talked about Studio Dolls, assisted by her daughter who ran the slide show. She shared lots of great information about Sasha Morgenthaler's background, as well as the face styles and clothing.


The draped table behind her concealed a special surprise, a display of several gorgeous Studio Dolls, including this pair.


After a brief break, Brenda Walton talked about the production dolls, and shared a group of slides taken at the factory (you can see the Studio Doll display behind her in this photo). This was another fascinating presentation.


Here is one of those slides, which shows a doll being strung.


She had a display of dolls to share as well, several gorgeous production dolls whose faces had been painted by Sasha herself. Here is a lovely early redhead.


Raffle/helper tickets were available after the program, so Boo and I tackled the challenge of deciding which canisters to drop tickets into. There are three amazing raffle dolls this year, including a baby that Boo covets. Then it was time for our group luncheon, where we received another part of the festival outfit - shorts and a Union Jack singlet.


Desert was this lovely cake, made up to look like the picture on the cover of the festival booklet.


The Children's Fund Auction was held after lunch. Pat kept things moving right along as auctioneer. Boo helped out as one of the young people who helped parade the item currently up for bid. The auction raised a total of £6580; a big round of applause to everyone involved!


I made up for not winning anything last year - between Boo and I we won seven items! This includes her second baby, who she is currently calling "Puppy" (to go with Kitty, the baby I bought her at last year's festival).


Boo and I grabbed a quick bite during the dinner break, and relaxed in our hotel room. Hard to believe that there was still more excitement (and spending) to come. She and I shopped till we dropped at the sales tables - shoes, dresses, sweaters, props... Good thing I brought a spare suitcase on this trip!


I'm all tuckered out, and ready to join Boo in dreamland. Hmmm, I wonder what she'll be dreaming of tonight?

Sasha Festival 2012 - post 3

Momentary panic when I woke up this morning and realized the hotel forgot our wake-up call, but I was awake on my own early enough that it didn't matter. Breakfast was included with our room, so we had a Continental breakfast in the dining room - tea, toast, pastries, and fruit. Boo set up her Dress-A-Sasha entry, then I mingled, chatted, and started taking pictures of the entries. Our morning activity was listed as "workshops/demonstrations" on the schedule, which turned out to be two wonderful presentations. First up were Chris and Chris Meatyard, with a sideshow and explanation of their methods for Sasha restoration and a brief discussion on repainting.





This was followed by a short break for light refreshments and voting on the contest entries. The second presentation was about making shoes for Sasha and Gregor, led by Rosie Bloomfield and her sister (whose name escapes me now). We received templates and instructions for making two styles of shoes, one for girls and one for boys. Boo asked if we can try making a pair, so I guess I may be tackling this at some point in the future. I doubt mine will ever be as lovely as Rosie's - I own a pair and they are divine.





When the workshops ended, the Dress-A-Sasha contest award medals were placed by the entries, after which people started disassembling their displays (the space was needed to finish setting up the auction items). I took a few frantic final photos, and am hoping I didn't miss any. There were so many lovely entries, and trying to pick favorites wasn't easy. Not sure how the voting actually went, but all four of the youth entries received first place medals. Here's Boo and her "Little Miss Muffet" entry in the Fairy Tale category, with Calla proudly wearing the medal.



We had time for lunch on our own, so Boo and I walked to Marks & Spencer and picked up some sandwiches. Then we were off on a coach tour of the Cotswolds. Fortunately the rain held off until after we stopped to wander around Chipping and Campden, where there was a bit of doll photography by some creative folks.





Afterwards, we took some time to unwind in the room and dress ourselves and our dolls for dinner. The festival is full of long days for young girls (and not-so-young girls too). Boo sat at a special children's table at dinner, while I sat with several first-time festival goers from the UK. Good food and great company! We received the first part of out festival outfits, a paper shopping bag containing Union Jack sneakers and white socks.



After dinner, Ann Chandler spoke about the history of Sasha Festivals; she organized the first one 30 years ago (and several more in the years to follow). She also discussed the new Sasha pattern book that was just released, and showed us a copy. I can't wait to get my hands on one! Mine was already ordered, and should be waiting for me at home when we return.



There was more to the evening program, but by 10:00 Boo was tired enough to want to head to bed. She fell asleep watching a David Bowie special, and I retreated to the bathroom to shower and blog. So much fun packed into one day, and more fun to come tomorrow.

6/23 ETA: I learned that last night's program speakers included Anna Doggart (daughter of John and Sara Doggart, who ran the Sasha factory in Stockport). Sorry to have missed that, but I was able to chat with her today and am grateful for the nuggets of information she shared with me.