This week has been a busy one for painting, tweaking designs and working on the side project. There are 3 dolls coming into their final stages and getting ready to tell their stories, very excited to show these ones off. Also it is a few weeks until the next fair and we are stepping up a gear to get lots of Curios to display along side our gorgeous dolls, you are sure to see some show stoppers this time round, from fairies to underwater spirits.

The first week of working through the day was very strange indeed. There was no worrying about the sound of the machines waking anyone up, I could listen to music without headphones and have a coffee while I work!! The home life / work balance is still in the adjustment period and I have sorted out a wee schedule to try and manage my time better, 6 hours slips away so quickly especially when you are trying to clean and work. So for the moment I am still sitting hand sewing and stuffing at night until the routine is established.
I spent yesterday painting a new doll and there are a few tweaks needed before I can allow her to dry fully, there is a very sweet backstory to this doll which has been run by my kids and they love it. The fabric for her outfit should arrive next week and it will take a lot of work to get on par with the design.

I am still working on the next few pages for the website and the artwork to go with it, I have so many ideas that would do well and it is making it very difficult to whittle down to the ones that will work. There have been a few suggestions to have a design for each page and it was found to be a bit busy and off putting when they were given a sneak peak at it, I was expecting it to be honest as I didn't find it visually pleasing but it did spark an idea for a layout. Huge thanks to those who gave me feedback on the mock website, it was literally an eye opener wasn't it. 

I mentioned that I was working on a side project to run along side Pretty Darn Perfect and it has moved into the planning stages! Having looked at the ideas and if the planning goes well I will be able to make it part of Pretty Darn Perfect officially! I am not setting an official time scale for this project as things are busy enough around here just now but everything going well you should all start seeing a few sneak peaks around the middle of September. It is the first time I have been brave enough to move this idea forward and I am really looking forward to revealing it when it is complete.

The hair arrived yesterday and it is gorgeous. Natural colours and fairy colours this time round which could only mean that these curios will have a enchanting twist to them all! 
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The sewing room is quickly being taken over with body parts, bodies and tails. I have 15 dolls/kittens/cats currently in pieces with heads sitting ready to be painted, in all honesty I have been focusing on keeping myself busy while the kids are at out and kind of lost count of what I was making. So once these are all finished I need to figure out how to fit them all on the stall plus a new stand I was given by another lovely stallholder as she had a new one. Fun filled few weeks ahead for me while the kids and other half are all out of the house. 
 
While I was listening to the rain I came up with an idea for a doll, despite having 15 to complete already, have a sneak peak at what is going to be a very mythological mermaid. I have had a vague concept of this doll floating around for a while and the sound of the rain spurred me into making her a reality. She has so many wee fiddly wee bits that I am making and embroidering to give her more of the WOW factor. 

Since taking this photo of the seaweed it has been embroidered and I have a few tweaks to make before I will be happy with it, the fabric for the seaweed is also the colour of her tail and I cannot wait to show her off. I have already picked her hair and am just waiting on my favourite 'Dispatch' email from the lovely Caz, it is the small things that keeps me going. 
I am also working on a special commission for someone who has been a big supporter of Pretty Darn Perfect and the perfect vintage fabric arrived this morning to let me get on with it. So that would bring the body count to 17.
I would like to clarify just in case it has gotten lost in translation, I am a doll artist and it is normal to find a limb while looking for the remote in my house. The kids think it is hilarious where the other half gets creeped out, the ones that freak him out the most is the stitched faces before they are painted and I may leave them facing out into the hall just to really put a puff up his petticoat now and again.

I am working on an events page just now as well and think I have found they layout that works. It may change from time to time until I find the perfect one so stick with me while I work on perfecting it. 
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With the schools going back soon (tomorrow for Scotland) I have a sewing list as long as my arm and some gorgeous new locks arriving soon! The first batch arrived this morning and I am eager to get working with it. I mean look at these gorgeous colours! 

With the schools heading back, my hours will be changing! No more working until the wee hours when the kids are asleep, my machine might pack its bags after the first week.
Our next date at the Kingsgate has been announced and we will be there from the 16th September until the 18th September, there will be an events page to keep everyone up to date on our adventures. The commission page will be added as soon I can, the first attempt was thwarted by gremlins, well not really, I was updating everything via my phone and it wasn't updating when it should or posting things to the website. Not the best. However, I have got a new wee bit of tech to help me keep everything online running smoothly as possible. So keep your eyes peeled and I will check in and update the shop soon!!

These Two beautiful ladies left the stall this weekend alongside War, Gomez, Willa, Vivian and Beatrix. It was a fantastic weekend at the market and we will be back next month! I have some exciting designs coming up so keep your eyes peeled on our facebook page to get sneak peaks of these new projects. There is also another project in the works and fingers crossed it will be announced soon!
For now enjoy these two beautiful ladies and of course commissions are always welcome

We had a fantastic day at the market and we are back tomorrow and Sunday. You can now book commissions online as well, the payment is for deposit only so please read the full description before booking.  We also have new curiosities in the shop so have a look and if you want to avoid postage costs, drop us a message over on Facebook and you can arrange pick up from one of the markets we are at. 
If you follow us on Facebook you will have seen the outstanding Mother Meridian that sold after 2 minutes! If you missed her, her she is in all of her beauty and she is a favourite of mine. 

My daughter’s operation was a success and she has made a full recovery and hasn’t stopped chatting since. It is like her vision has been fully restored and given her a super power. She misses nothing and is a dab hand at hunting through bargain boxes of materials at our suppliers warehouse. My head is somewhat back to normal as well... long may it continue.

Very excited for this event as it is our first with this company. I will have a few new makes with me, aiming to always have at least two new makes with me just to keep my creative flow going. I have also booked in for the rest of the year at Dunfermline and am hoping to make The Yard a regular spot as well but time will tell, hard to assume when I haven’t even had my first event there!


We have released another doll via our Facebook page and she will go live here on Friday. I have another doll nearing completion and she won’t sit long due to her look. Have a look at our new Catriona, she is Catrina’s little sister, for those of you who remember her.
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It has been a busy few weeks since the last market. My youngest has been called for her operation so we have had to bubble and now isolate until Monday. Thankfully her COVID test came back negative so the operation is going ahead!! My Mum nerves are frayed. 
However the extra time at home has allowed me to design more and pack the drying rack full. What I have so far is two large calicos, a kitten, 3 mini calicos and a cloth doll...with 3 pin ponies finished plus 7 more needing stitched. Lost count on the pile of dolls waiting.
I am also preparing to make the leap to sustainable hair for the dolls as well and am already re-using packaging to help reduce waste.
There are a few events coming up soon, our usual spot at the market in Dunfermline where we will be every month up and we will be at The Yard in Perth this month too. More about that event as it develops!
Over on Facebook I am posting the final photos of the 4 horsemen along with their stories. Absolutely loved creating them and so happy that two have already found there forever homes. The other two can be found over in the curiosity shop or on the stall at one of the markets I will be attending, really hope to see some of you guys there!
Also the sunny weather is back and I have dyes arriving soon so brace yourselves for more of our handmade scarves becoming available too!!

I may need an extra pair of hands at some point.
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After last weeks market I have been busy designing new dolls and a new commission only piece. My sewing list is getting bigger and the kids are helping me choose fabrics, to be fair they just like having a good nose about on the sewing room. So far 10 pin ponies, two kittens and a cat are on the stitching pile and two dolls are ready for painting. Still overwhelmed by all the lovely comments and support my work has gotten, it means the world to me. 

Big Blue also left us this week to go off to his forever home and it was sad to see him go, he was a favourite of mine. I have a few cats on sale at a reduced price for those who love a bargain in the shop. I have a few kitchen witches still available, check out the curiosity shop to see if there is a creation there for you. Commissions of course are welcome.