Monday, February 18, 2008

Cuteness, Critters, Crochet & World Peace!

Hello, friends! Once again, long time no post as things have been quite hectic around here so I shall make up for my absence by making this an extra lengthy one. Here's what's been happening since we spoke last:
These little critters are off to our dear friends, Linda, Molli, and Zelda. Goodbye Owl and Bunny! Have a safe trip to your wonderful, new home where I know you'll get lots and lots of love. Thank you, Molli, for adopting them! (Update: They arrived safely!)

I've been lucky enough to come into all manner of cuteness lately. Some adorable barrettes for Loovee, which include a set of pink Hello Kitty clips; a kawaii notebook with a sweet teddy bear softie on the cover; the teensiest bunny stickers; and the pièce de résistance -- the cutest Gachapin keychain ever!

These are the first commercially made Blythe outfits I've ever purchased -- Sugarmag and Par Avion. I prefer to make my own Blythe outfits or to get them from fellow crafty folks. I just appreciate the personal handiwork so much. However, Gina Garan had a great clearance sale at her TIB shop, so I decided to give it a go. The neat thing about ordering from her shop is she gives you a free signed Blythe postcard. Hooray for freebies!

Notice that there's not a single bit of pink or blue in it, which are Loovee's favorite colors. So who could this outfit possibly be for? Hmmmmm . . . . The plot thickens.


Although, I have crocheted a simple tank top for Loovee in the past, I've been apprehensive of crocheting a whole dress for her. The problem is every time I think "crochet doll dress" my head immediately gets filled with visions of those awful toilet paper cozy dolls my grandma used to have in her bathroom. You know those plastic lady dolls with their crochet dresses that discreetly hide a fresh roll of T.P. underneath their skirts. Thankfully, I came across some beautiful crochet dresses on Flickr that completely changed my mind and have obliterated my notion that crochet doll dress = a special kind of ugly.

Look at this lovely Blythe dress from Godesia. She has a great Etsy store that sells her crochet creations, too.

This sweet dress is by TeenyWeeny Designs and is for a Pocket Fairy doll. She also has an Etsy store. Love her Blythe hats!

This Blythe schoolgirl dress by Jojoling is incredible! Last I checked she still had a few at her Etsy shop.

I adore this mod Blythe minidress by Dolluxe. Her stuff sells out super fast at her Etsy shop so visit often if you want to snag one of her amazing pieces.

Anyway, I want to thank the above for inspiring me. Here is my very first crochet dolly dress! Not too bad, eh? It still needs a bit of tweaking, but overall I think it came out okay for my first try.

Notice the pretty heart barrette on Loovee's noggin? It came all the way from Holland from Tizzalicious. She makes the cutest accessories (for Blythe and people alike) in lots and lots of pink, which makes them all very painful for me to resist. She has a great Etsy shop and a blog dedicated to her craftiness, too. Thank you, Tizz!

Last, but not least I've been tagged by the talented Zari at justZHM to do a meme! How thrilling! I have never been tagged before. The theme for her meme is Love and Peace and that is her beautiful dove illustration above. It is a very timely subject for me as this summer my brother-in-law will be shipping off to Iraq. It is my hope that this new year brings less strife and more peace to our world.

Much aloha to you all!

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is such a wonderful dress you've made! Loovee is well on her way to having quite the unique clothing line by "WNW". She must be so happy to be spoiled with such cute accessories as well.

Hmm...mystery clothes for a mystery...it's such a mystery. I can't wait to see what's in store. I'll say it was gachapin, in the playroom, with a marshmallow peep.

Those are great links for some of the most adorable dresses. I can see how they would be quite an inspiration. If you remember sugarbucket...she's got a few things that i've been dying to have, but i haven't had much luck trying to contact her.

I hope the hectic-ness dies down a bit to allow your creativeness to flourish. It's good to see that no matter what situation happens, you still find a way to channel your creative will. I look forward to more adventures in cute.

Tizzalicious said...

So much cuteness!

Thanks for writing about my clip! I'm glad you like it, and it looks SO cute on your girl!

I also love the picture with my business card! :D

And I want your doll!

Unknown said...

Thanks so much for stopping by! I recognized your owl and bunny on Mollie's site and they are amazing!!! I must check out your store. Your blog is so wonderful and informative! I'll definitely keep you in my links. Speaking of Blythe clothing, I made 3 Blythe dresses tonight- for the first time!!I will post them later. Thought I would also mention that my sister lived in Oahu for 5 years and I would visit every year! It is my second home..lol! Have a great week..Sandy:O)

Megumi said...

Everything is so cute(>-<)!!

I love your crocheted dress!!(and your plushies as well!!) You're so telented(^-^)!!

Milkberry said...

wow loovee is so kawaii!

and once again i am amazed because i found another person who can knit (yes i am easily amused, mostly because i can't knit to save my life). i can't knit but i do enjoy sewing dolly cloths so i guess i'm not a total lost cause hehe.

loovee is very much loved! on and nice tutorial, too. i will definitely visit your blog often!

mushroommeadows said...

The commercially bought blythe doll clothes is not nearly as cute as your stuff, but it's definitely cute. :)

Gina M Smith said...

So glad to see a new post! Heard all about the softies for Molli! Do tell more about Mr. Owl? Does he have siblings? Love the Dove illustration from your tagger.

Anonymous said...

Hi Rima, Loovee, and Gachapin!

Thank you so much for letting us adopt Professor Owly and Pinky Bun Bun! They have been chatting with Mr. Norbert and Butterbear nonstop since they arrived. Good old friends!

Ooooooh... Will Loovee be getting a new sister? Can't wait to see her.

What a fantastic dress you made for Loovee! Cute!!!

I just love Japanese craft books. They are the ultimate in cute! I just wish I could read them. :D

Hugs,
Linda, Molli, and Zelda

Zari said...

oh! your blog is definitely so full of cuteness...lovely!

thank you so much for helping my little peace dove with her mission! i'll pray your brother-in-law returns from Iraq sound and safe!

lots of hugs!

6060 said...

WOW!! WOW!! WOW!!

The dress is so lovely and cute! I think it is really beautiful. You must be using a very small crochet hook, the dress looks so details.

The headband I made it's just so so.. I hope I can make it better next time, it's just I don't have enough time to do it, my kids keep bugging me! :P

I can't believe your bunny and owl are so details and adorable. It's good that they will have a good home to stay! :) Their owners are so lucky. :)

Clara

Milkberry said...

Hi I hope you don't mind but...

Here are the rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs.

zakkalife said...

adorable dress

Anonymous said...

Hello! I know what you mean about crochet dresses and toilet rolls. I have just made a couple myself (flissy666 on flickr), and was soooo worried about this effect! I think I managed to avoid it, despite the copious amounts of ruffles I included (it's a vintage style sun dress). I think that what you made is fabulous and so spring-like! I love your blog too - I will defo pop by again to see you and Loovee :D

Morgan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Morgan said...

I would really love to try your amigurumi bunny pattern...would you consider selling the pattern??

willynillywaterlily said...

Aloha Morgan,

Thank you so much for your interest in my ami bunnies. Unfortunately, the pattern is not for sale . . . actually, I do not even have a written pattern as I do it all by sight.

I actually started learning amigurumi myself about a year ago and I initially got some great PDF patterns from Etsy to try out. I suggest you take a peek there as there's lots of amazing amigurumi patterns to choose from. Thanks again!

--Rima

Morgan said...

Yes - I've tried a few patterns... but I'm not smart enough to hack one of my own! I just love your bunnies! Thanks for the info!