Happy Tuesday!  Just a little picture of the latest custom order I finished.  In my previous post I showed how I was painting a border and here is the reason:

I think she turned out well!  My sweet customer who ordered her is pleased and that makes it all worth it!  This little doll was inspired by Felicity:  An American Girl movie.  Here is a movie still:

Now off to work (and school) and let my creative juices flow!  Have a great week everyone!

Happy Wednesday!  I have to say, this weather just needs to make up it's mind!  This weekend was in the 80's here and now it's gray and drizzly!  Well, I've got my Happy Light on, so things should be ok :)

So Lilli's Littles is gaining momentum and picking up!  I've been meeting the nicest customers from around the world.  I think miniature collectors and artisans are some of the sweetest people!  Maybe it's the childlike wonder we've kept in order to dream and create worlds in small scale?  Most people I know usually look at a well made miniature with awe and wonder.  I think it brings people back to hope and imagination.  It definitely brings me joy!

Here's my latest little creation.  She is a lovely Victorian lady in teal silk with red accents.  I enjoyed creating her beaded motif.  The excess and opulence of that era is fascinating.  I think about the yards and yards of fabric used to make these gowns in real life!  She is currently in my Etsy shop and up on Ebay. (user name:  lillislittles)

I'm working on a custom doll order right now that I am enjoying so much!  The sweet little colonial dress has a beautiful flower pattern that I've hand painted into a trim and it's absolutely beautiful!

  I think of fashion history and it blows me away to think how fluid and changing the styles have been over the centuries; and really, how clothing has played such role in status and character.  I think I will research more fashion history as it really fascinates me.  I've taken a class in fashion history and from it I've come to own a most wonderful compendium:  

It's short and concise, but also gives one a glimpse into the daily life and politics of the particular era.   It's very helpful when researching costume for a particular figure.  

Musings from Lilli :)  Now onto my second cup of coffee....

Kit, Modern Times and Sugar

Good morning Monday :)  I think spring is officially here in the NW.  Blue skies and chilly mornings, but warm afternoons and of course the flowers!  I feel like shining up all the glass in the house, if I had time!

My "Prairie Girl" kit is now up and ready!  I really enjoyed creating it and seeing it develop.  My testers were so helpful!  I think they had fun :)  I'm ready to start the next kit.  I think if I have a variety of kits, that customers will be thrilled, so the next one up will be a modern woman.  I have a lot of requests for modern dolls and it seems miniaturists are welcoming more modernity in their scenes.  I welcome any suggestions for kits.  Feel free to email or respond to this post!  If you like modern minis, check out these blogs:
http://call-small.blogspot.com/
http://modernminihouses.blogspot.com/
http://minimodern.blogspot.com/
https://blog.etsy.com/en/handmade-miniatures-on-etsy/

One of my testers suggested a "sugar skull" lady in full costume and that got me started on researching the Day of the Dead.  What a beautiful holiday, albeit a bit creepy.  It's so lovely to see all of the colors and sparkle involved.  So, that's what's on my dolly brain right now.  Thanks Stephanie!

All finished!

Just a quick post to show my finished wedding couple.  They were really fun to make.  I'm still working on perfecting my male dolls; it's harder than you think!  These two are up on Etsy now!
Etsy

I can see clearly now the flu is gone...

What a beautiful rainy morning!  I'm in such a great mood because I am no longer sick!  Yes, the flu had me down all week last week and it was a doozy.  I'm still breathless and weak; nasty stuff!  So it really made me appreciate my health and normal energy levels.  I'm back to it!  Life is good :)

My test party for the Prairie Girl kit went very well.  Thanks to my gals who tested for me, Jackie and Stephanie.  They really helped me refine the kit and my communication of the directions.  I've decided this kit is an "intermediate" level and I will label it as such.  I do plan on simplifying the patterns and methods and making more of a "beginner" level kit to offer as well.  The only thing I have left on this kit is to format those directions and I should have it up in the shop this week!

My current custom dressed project is a bride and groom.  I think that's pretty iconic yes?  I'll post pictures when they are close to completion.  I'm also still working on molds and so far so good.  It's a time consuming process though, of drying plaster and porcelain and then the refinement of the model.  Right now I am working on a pair of expressive hands and a realistic body.

Until next week my friends!  Enjoy your health, enjoy your families!

I've been working on a couple of things this last week, and one of them being a new product that I hope to carry regularly.  The second one was a labor of love inspired by Dior, one of my favorite fashion designers.

My product idea is a kit.  I made note at the Seattle Show how many people wanted to create dollhouse dolls on their own, but really no knowledge of where to begin.  So I thought why not?  And really how fun is it to share with people a passion of mine?  I hope I can create kits that are easy to understand...so I'm having some family members over next week to be my guinea pigs.  They are crafty ladies, so I'm sure they'll be able to help me fine tune this kit.  Here is a preview of the label:

This would include the porcelain doll, all china painted and assembled, the fabric, notions, wig and instructions.  This doll mold is one of my most favorites, "Kelly" by Doreen Sinnett.  One of the more challenging parts of this kit was my pattern development and then the printing of the scaled fabric to the pattern pieces.  Like this:  

This is the actual fabric.  It seemed to streamline the process and perhaps make it easier for the doll maker to get those tiny pieces ready for assembly.  Hopefully, if this is my final stage of development, I will have these kits available very soon in my Etsy shop (www.etsy.com/shop/lillislittles).

And then, my Dior doll.  So much fun!  I love the New Look era of fashion!  She sold within 15 minutes of my posting her up!  Her jacket is a cream colored silk, tailored to fit, with a peplum.  Her full pleated skirt cascaded down from a fitted waist yoke.  I think she turned out lovely :)

So there you have it.  My last week's labor.  Here's to the miniature biz!  

It's been awhile....

I've neglected you, my little blog!  It's definitely been awhile since I've posted.  Honestly, so much has happened in the last year that has changed things drastically!  I'll try to post this in a nutshell (he he) !

First off, from the previous post I wanted to show a picture of the doll that came from that inspiration. (http://lillislittles.blogspot.com/2015/02/victory-rolls-in-miniature.html)  She's in someone's treasured collection now, but oh what joy to create her!

In this last year, I've gotten engaged!  Yes, my sweet love of 2 years now!  Soulmates are real!  Love is real!!

I now have a little studio in our garage that he has built for me.  I will take pictures soon, but it's adorable.  Painted in blush with white trim and a pained window looking out on a beautiful fir tree.  It's my piece of heaven.  Life is bliss.

I've been working hard on Lilli's Littles and making my online presence and offline presence more real than ever!  My etsy shop is growing and gaining more admirers and I've gotten the chance to meet some wonderful people all over the world.  etsy.com/shop/lillislittles  .

My first show was the 2016 Seattle Miniature Show ( http://www.seattleminiatureshow.com/ ) .  What a blast!  My daughter came with and we giggled all weekend.  So many nice people to meet and chat with.  I plan on going to more shows.  I learned quite a bit from this first show and gained some great advice from fellow dealers.  Look for me at the Portland Miniature Show this fall of 2016!  http://www.portlandminiatureshow.com/

Some of my latest creations:

So that's a quick rundown of the latest events since the last time I wrote.  My life is wonderfully happy and my business is growing and my ideas are ever expanding!  I've many more miniature doll products that I hope to introduce.  Keep watch and thank you for reading!

Lilli