WIP Wednesday...sort of

I know it's actually Thursday not Wednesday ... sometimes life gets in the way of the best laid plans. But here at last are the preview pictures of my new Little Red Riding Hood...


I delved into my stock of vintage laces for this one...so much fun! Her apron is going to be made from the large piece on the left which dates back to Victorian times and is an amazing piece of needlework. The lace on her underwear is from the 50's and the tiny cobwebby stuff which will go on her dress, is French but I'm not sure about the time period. I love working with these beautiful old remnants, they're all small with damaged spots so would be unusable for most projects, but can be recycled beautifully into doll clothes and appreciated anew! I'm always on the lookout for old lace so if you find a good piece keep me in mind! :)

Give Away!

Hi Folks! Just a quick message to let you all know that I'm giving away these 2 lavender babies over at the Natural Kids Blog . So go on over and enter!

And If you're wondering who the NaturalKids are, click on the box on the right ---->

I'm working on a Larger art doll version of Little Red that I can't wait to share but she needs to be a bit further along. Hopefully I'll have some WIP pictures up on Wednesday. Have a great weekend!

A Tiny Bunny

I haven't made one of these little dolls in ages so I thought I'd share her with you all...

...Just added her to the shop yesterday! And Etsy just implemented their new wider shop pages so check out my new banner too, I'd love to know what you think.

I'll be giving away a couple of lavender babies over on the NaturalKids blog soon, so please stay tuned for more info on that as soon as I get it.

A Summer Tart

I have been busy busy busy making dolls that unfortunately I can’t show to the world just yet...bummer.... So instead I’m going to share a fabulously yummy tart recipe that I invented this summer. After all as I’ve stated before, I am the Queen of Tarts! The garden and CSA bag have been full of squash and lovely heirloom tomatoes lately...not to mention that my basil plants have become bushy beasts...so with that in mind I went to work. Since it’s so hot, I went with a frozen puff pastry crust which makes things really easy. Here’s a picture to whet your appetite...


and here’s the recipe...

Squash and Tomato Tart
1/3 cup room temperature basil pesto ( I make mine without cheese but you can go either way here)
2Tablespoons olive oil
1 sliced Vidalia or yellow onion
2-3 minced garlic cloves
2 lbs halved & sliced yellow squash
A splash of dry white wine
1/2 package of frozen puff pastry thawed
extra flour for dusting
2-3 sliced heirloom tomatoes (different colors is really lovely here)
A handful of sliced black olives (kalamata or oil cured preferably)
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts


In a large skillet heat the olive oil and saute the onions and garlic until softened slightly. Then add the squash and season with salt and pepper. (I sometimes toss in some thyme too.) Saute for a couple of minutes more and then add the wine. Cook until all the veggies are softened and most of the moisture has evaporated. Transfer to a strainer and let the mixture drain and cool. It needs to be completely cool before you go to the next step.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Sprinkle a little flour where you’ll roll out the pastry and roll the dough out slightly larger then it comes from the package. Be careful, work quickly and don’t use excessive pressure. Then place on a baking sheet and fold up all four sides. Prick the bottom all over with a fork.

Spread your pesto over the bottom of the tart, then layer in the squash mixture. Next arrange the tomato slices over the top. Scatter the olive slices over the toms and pop the whole thing in the oven for about 45 mins. Sprinkle with pine nuts when it comes out.

Cut into slices, a pizza cutter works best, and enjoy summer’s bounty!

Flutters in the Flowers

My flower garden has been just filled with butterflies and bees lately, sometimes to the point that the flowers vibrate with bees! Now I love to garden but I have to admit that I'm not extremely diligent about the watering and weeding when the weather is hot, so over the years my garden has slowly become full of flowers that will grow no matter how neglected. Luckily this means that its main components are also plants that attract lots of insects of the fluttering and buzzing persuasion; phlox, lantana, salvia, Russian sage, and Rudbeckias. Here's some photos I took one morning out there...

And with all the blooming, I've been using the garden for doll shoots frequently. Here's another gnome-lette...

And a Gnomeling...

Both hanging out with the black-eyed Susans!

Tiny and Then More Tiny

There is something in me that loves tiny. I'm not sure what exactly in my history leads me to be drawn to the minuscule but it never fails to attract me. I have a collection of tiny German paper mache animals that I just love, I also have a thing for teeny little tea sets, and then of course there are dolls. I have always loved dollhouse sized dolls and I'm pretty sure that's why I love to make them ...duh right? But also, every time I design a new doll , I get it finished and start thinking of ways I can make it smaller. And that's what I've done with my gnomeling dolls. So let me introduce you to my newest creation...a tiny Gnomeling...a Gnomelette!

And here's the Gnomelette with a Gnomeling for comparison...

You can find the new doll in my shop ... more soon!

A Vacation State of Mind...

There were no blog posts from the Nest last week because I was away on Vacation! This is a practically unheard of occurrence for me, we rarely go away for more then a weekend, but this was an entire week away without TV, internet, offspring, or even pets! My husband and I went to a lovely cabin in the beautiful mountains of Floyd, VA and had a wonderful relaxing time. So today I thought I'd share a few photos...

Of course there were fabulous views...

I have never seen so many butterflies!

And Blackberries everywhere! We brought home a bunch...jam making will commence...

If you see a magical path through the woods, of course you should see where it goes!

It may lead to a quiet spot for resting.

And with all that free time, I even finished my sock!