Rose Cottage Friends

Just a reminder for those who might have missed it, but I now blog over here at Rose Cottage Friends.

New Year, New Blog!

A New Year and changes!

I have decided to amalgamate just my two main blogs for now 'Sewing for Sasha' and this one 'How Many Dolls' into one.  I will eventually be taking these two blogs 'off line' but will at that stage copy all the old posts from both blogs onto the new one. Whether the other two doll blogs 'Holidays with Henry' and 'Hitty at Rose Cottage' eventually merge with the new blog as well, is yet to be decided.

So please do make sure you update your reading list and 'follow' me using the appropriate buttons over on my new blog which is called 'Rose Cottage Friends'  and can be found by clicking here. 

I want this new blog to be primarily my story blog so even though I said 'just one blog' I will be putting all my sewing and knitting posts onto my 'Muriel Makes' blog which will also link to my Etsy page.  My Muriel Makes blog can be found by clicking here.

Teddy Bears Picnic

The last Saturday for 2016!  

Who is gathering today I wonder?

The Red Bow Brigade were seen sitting on the windowsill earlier today, but it appears Elfrid has misplaced his bow, that will not do.

Later on they are  spotted waiting patiently on the settee...why are they so well behaved I wonder?

A ha!  Her Ladyship Miss Alison is on the other side... she is THE ONE IN CHARGE!  

She is also waiting for the arrival of her friend Grace Buderim 

Ladies who lunch...

Quite stern ladies...not much gets past them!

Enjoying their 'picnic'!

New Year's Eve Pyjama Party!

What am I going to do?  Wails Peggy Sue.  There just isn't enough room in my bedroom for a pyjama party!

The girls look at the usually unflappable Peggy Sue.

Why don't we get the quilts down from up there?  Suggests Astrid.  We can then take them to the other room and put them all on the floor for people to sit and lie on.

Peggy turns round to look at the quilts on top of her wardrobe.

That's a good idea!  Stevie says.

Right oh.  Peggy Sue says as she starts to climb on her bed.

Careful Peggy Sue!  Stevie says.

I will be.  I've done this before.  Peggy Sue tells the girls.

She reaches up to the top of her wardrobe.

Let me help you.  Stevie says as she reaches up to help Peggy Sue get the quilts down.

Got them!

They are heavier than they look.  She says as she holds them in her arms.

All the girls take a quilt each and Little Owen folds up the bed quilt, although he is fairly certain he isn't going to be able to carry it!

A little later with some help from her friends and Little Owen...

This should be okay don't you think?  She asks Stevie.

Of course!  Stevie answers.

They go off to get some toys and things.

This should be enough to keep us busy.

Sure looks like plenty. The girls agree.

We've got puppets, books, blocks, dominoes, cards, radio and of course we will need to get some snacks later.

Do you think we need anything else?  Peggy Sue asks.

I am sure that will be fine.  Stevie and Astrid say.

Who is coming? Stevie asks.

Henry is bringing the new boy Donny and Rory.  Chrissy said she will come but she is not sure if any of her friends can come except perhaps Nisha. Peggy Sue answers.

Sounds good!  Astrid says.  Could Edith not make it?
No, she had to stay in as they were having family to visit.  Peggy Sue tells her.

Later on the party starts...

They seem to be in the full swing of things.

Peggy Sue is of course stuffing her face  I mean eating a cake.

Rory is already starting to feel tired. He has brought some of his froggy friends with him.

I wonder if they will still be awake at mid-night?!

A Pyjama Party!

Peggy Sue wakes up this morning very excited.

Guess what?  She asks Little Owen.

What?  Replies Little Owen, knowing this is just what Peggy Sue wants him to say.

We're allowed to have a pyjama party tomorrow night for New Years Eve!!!  Can you believe it?  Being allowed to stay up until past mid-night!!!  Peggy Sue is so excited she can hardly contain herself.

It is going to be SUCH fun!  

Now who shall I invite?  

Little Owen wonders who Peggy Sue will invite.  

Shall I invite some boys as well?  She wonders... I know some of the DO have pyjamas!

What happened to Bramble Downs Common?

I decided to revisit Bramble Downs Common - it has been some years since I have written about them and thought it was about time for an update.  In fact it has been over three years!  A lot has happened in that time and sadly much of their land and houses were appropriated by the government to make way for a horrid new concrete jungle otherwise known as an housing estate.  Most of the families left for pastures new and fortunately found work and homes elsewhere.    All seemed to have worked out....however....or had it?

One morning when Sandra and Connory were out feeding the wild animals in the woods something happened.

All seemed well, the animals were being well fed with food supplemented by Sandra and Connory

Their adopted son Oakleigh has been helping them.

Suddenly he makes an astounding discovery and calls out to Sandra and Connory.

Look!  He cries.  I've found some friends sheltering in the forest.

Sandra also spies something or someone behind the trees where she had been sitting feeding the rabbits.

She has a closer look and Connory turns round and is surprised at what he sees in front of him.

Scooping the bunny up in her arms she spots what has caused Oakleigh to call out in such a way.

It seems the Cavy family have been taking shelter with their four foster children.

They explain they had been made homeless and had been taking shelter in the forest, but it had been getting very cold and they were struggling to keep warm.

Connory  reassures them all that they will take them in until he can build them a new home.

He loads the panda children on the sleigh.

Little Oakleigh stops them from falling off from the back and Clive and Cherry Cavy walk either side.  The twins Clover and Cosmos walk in front of their Dad.

Sandra explains that they don't have too far to go and soon they will be snug and warm.

The Cavy family are so relieved that help came by when it did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Cavy Family:

Dad - Clive

Mum - Cherry

Daugher - Clover

Son - Cosmos

Panda Quintuplets:

Petal, Petunia, Poppy and Primrose

Bunny - currently suffering from amnesia and regressed to childhood - he is really Ronald Rabbit from Ronald Rabbit Realty, but due to the collapse of his neighbourhood it seems he descended into a black hole and has forgotten just who he is.  As such he was quite content to be picked up by Sandra and carried.

The Gnomes are of course  Sandra Bullock and Sean Connory with their adopted elf child Oakleigh.

Nisha - A Girl for All Time and a Comparison with Matilda

Having seen the promotional photographs of Nisha the new 'Modern' A Girl For All Time, I decided to go for her, even though I am hopefully going to reduce the number or shall I say 'refine' my collection next year.  I thought she would make a great model and I just loved her colouring and looks.  (I will be keeping a small core group of dolls especially to model clothes I will be knitting and sewing clothes for my Etsy shop)

She arrived on my Wedding Anniversary which was just perfect.

Her box.

The box is beautifully decorated with flowers.

This I don't like!  I wish more doll manufacturers would get on board with fixing their dolls in boxes a different way - with ribbons for example.  I know they don't want them to move about in the packaging, but I am sure it could be done as I have had a few dolls packaged with just ribbons holding them in place - and it is so much 'kinder' on both the doll and your fingers!

Free from teh box

Back

I do like her outfit.  It is well made, fits well and has no velcro - a big thumbs up! 

She has a very pretty face.

Of course I had to make her a Christmas dress, which was actually waiting for her arrival.

I made her a matching beret.

With her 'sister' Tilly.  

Her Christmas photo.

I promised some friends on Ravelry I would do a comparison of the two dolls.

Of course the most noticeable comparison is the shape of the face and the 'skin' tone.

I do very much prefer Nisha's colouring and face shape to Tillys, and indeed if she had been my first AGAT I wouldn't have got another.

Her eyes are more 'realistic' as well I think, they seem to look at you more, and are less staring than Tilly's eyes, although this is not evident in this photo!

Flexibility wise...although these dolls are jointed, I don't find the flexibility of them that good in comparison with say Peggy Sue who can hold poses.  Sure the hands are much better - but then Peggy Sue is made of wood and 100 years old!

The arms do bend and can hold 'some' poses.  I do like the way they can hold something or scratch their head for example.  But there really isn't a lot else due to the way the joints are designed.

I know quite a few people don't like the way the arm joints look a bit like they are wearing 'industrial elbow length gloves' but this doesn't both me.  I am happy for them to wear both dresses with sleeves and without as shown in these photos.

The leg joints are good in that they can stand in various positions, but apart from that, they can't sit, or hold any other sort of pose with their legs bent which in my mind is rather disappointing.  Perhaps this is something that can be improved on in the future.

However, despite my negative comments I do like these dolls very much, and there are not of dolls out there that can actually hold poses in various positions anyway except perhaps the expensive BJDs which are not really that suitable for children, whereas these dolls are.

They are very nice dolls, well made of good quality materials, as are the clothes.  They have interesting stories - most notably the historical dolls in this collection - and books are available.

I will enjoy knitting and sewing for them.