celebrating one year

It's hard to believe that it has been one year since I sold my very first handmade Waldorf inspired doll!

Here she is...

I had started an Etsy shop a few months previous and had sold a few of my upcycled felted goodies and hand knit and crocheted items. That was a lot of fun...but selling my very first doll...well that was downright AMAZING!!

I will never forget getting her ready to go...making sure all loose threads were trimmed and then carefully packaging her up for her long journey. Handing her over to the lady at the post office was definitely a "letting go" of sorts.

There is a lot of time and attention to detail that goes into making a handmade doll. It's hard not to get attached to him or her in the time spent in stitching, crocheting and knitting. It's like they start to get a personality of sorts...especially when their features are embroidered on their face and their hair is sewn on. As I told my sister, I kind of feel like Geppetto must have felt when he lovingly carved his little puppet Pinocchio!

I have made 56 dolls in total, so far. Each one is unique...one of a kind. I think that is one of the things that makes dollmaking so enjoyable. Hunting down the perfect yarn for hair...picking the fabrics to match...coming up with a name, is all part of the fun.

And creating a little companion that a child will love and treasure hopefully for a lifetime...it doesn't get much better than that. :)

And I have met SO many wonderful people through all of this. To thank all of you supportive and loyal followers and customers, I am offering 15% off everything in my Etsy shop today. Use the coupon code CELEBRATE1 when you get to the checkout!