Category Archives: Uncategorized

Packing Up My Dolls and For England

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Before departing for England, we began preparations at home to install carpeting upstairs where my doll room is located. Rick was planning to host Navy buddies from his Navy days while I was to be away and the house needed an update plus cleaning. I emptied every cabinet to pack and protect the dolls while all the furniture was moved to allow the old carpet to be removed and the new carpet to be installed (one of the 10 boxes packed).

I began packing for the trip overseas two days before I left. I was not able to blog before leaving as all my time was either packing dolls or working to make the house more presentable for guests.  It was a marathon event!

The flight over was very nice though it was delayed over 5 hours which was unfortunate. Finally I arrived at the Newcastle airport and Tricia brought Janet there to pick me up. It was a very happy reunion after a long separation. 😊

One of the travel bags I packed held a precious pale faced studio doll to bring to Janet Myhill-Dabbs who is her new Mum.  Her name is Lilith. ❤️

Also, Tricia had decided to let me adopt her very lovely Martha who is seated next to Lilith. ❤️

Tricia provided information about Martha’s history and she was called Martina at one time so I decided to restore her name. Martina is a BI studio doll expected to have been made in the late 40’s to early 50’s timeframe.

This photo was taken in Janet’s living room.

We visited Riley’s Fish Shack for a tasty breakfast.

Located right on the shore of the North Sea.

A yummy poached egg and fish cake breakfast.

We observed people enjoying the beach with their dogs and brave people swimming in the chilly waters!

After Mass on Sunday, we went to the Tynemouth Market which was such fun.

I was happy to find this colorful and warm knitted hat in grownup size!

Janet and I walked her dog Bouncer along the sea.

Lovely sea shells in this intertidal zone.

Hannah spent a lot of time with Janet’s doll James Norton. She is smitten as we all are! 😊

A sunny walk with Bouncer.

We had a fantastic lunch at the local restaurant called the Boatyard.

We met one day with Tricia and Peggy to play dolls st Janet’s house and then to have an afternoon tea at Spanish City. It was a very nice day!  ❤️

A close up photo of the beautiful Martina. Her dress came from Switzerland on a course doll and is perfect for her.

We realized that Martina and Janet’s Catherine had been photographed before in a poster above showing the four face molds.

So we took their photo together once again.  They are redressed but their lovely faces are the same. They so enjoyed their reunion.

The evening before we left, we went to a fantastic play called “Legally Blonde “.  It was a musical version of the original movie and was so very entertaining. I laughed and laughed and thoroughly enjoyed every minute!

A final photo of Janet’s garden before we departed for Nottingham and the Sasha Celebration Weekend. A favorite bird from previous visits is called Fancy Pigeon and was there!  I had the pleasure of setting out seed for the pretty bird. A most wonderful visit with Janet and I am very grateful for her warm hospitality.  It is such a joy to see this part of England again with special friends.  Sasha friends are the very best friends. ❤️

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! ☘️☘️☘️

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1. It is March 17th and everyone at Sasha Shangri-La wishes you a Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! ☘️☘️☘️

We have searched the archives and are sharing today 17 photos of family members wearing at least a bit of green to celebrate the day.  Gracie is number one wearing a knitted dress by Diane Duke.

2. The second photo is Finn in his camo shirt and blending in nicely with his surroundings. I hope you can see him! 😉

3. Gwennie in her green smocked dress.

4.  Max, a Cassie Rogers repaint, in his green Sashapotamus top and hat. Plus he has very green eyes!

5.  Val wearing a pretty print dress with lovely green leaves.

6. Diana, an ochre eyed Gotz girl, wearing her beautiful Ruthsdolls outfit and nice knitted bolero.

7. Chloe wearing a wonderful cardigan knitted by Linda Simpson and she is eyeing Mommy’s passport which will be used again very soon!

8.  Sudie, a Kelly Wernarsky repaint, wearing a Diane Duke cardigan and corduroy slacks by Michelle Sharpe.

9.  Eastwood, a repaint by Janet Myhill-Dabbs wearing a green knitted sweater also made by Janet. 

10.  Pearl is wearing a beautiful dress made by Petrana and smart leather shoes by Marti.

11. Audrey wearing beautiful a print dress trimmed in green and made by Ruthsdolls.

12.  Erin, a course doll, wearing a vintage green checked dress.

13. Verity, a repaint by Janet Myhill-Dabbs, wearing her green gingham dress made by Janet.

14. Cleo wearing a pretty green dress made by Ginny, A Passion for Sasha.

15. Cathy, a1965 Gotz girl, wearing a lovely print dress with green leaves by Mary Anne Getchell on Etsy (nomacustom)

16. Briana wearing her beautiful green printed dress made by Vicky Chapman.

17. Lastly, Bea wearing her lovely Ruthsdolls green printed dress and scarab pin.

i hope you enjoyed this Saint Patrick’s Day post.  We tried to select a good cross section of photos showing family members and outfits and made by a variety of very talented Sasha enthusiasts.  Thank you for visiting and have a blessed day and week to come. 😊 xxx

Please Allow Me to Introduce “Lea”

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This beautiful young lady just arrived a few days ago. Her name is Lea and she is a BIII studio doll.  

Lea’s previous owner lives in Switzerland. I am thrilled to be her new Mommy. ❤️

Lea came in this beautiful dress that fits her perfectly. Her red leather shoes are probably her original shoes. Her dress is not a studio dress but it is just perfect for her. 

I added a red ribbon. She has an off center/side parting and I love her wig color.

Her bloomers are so sweet with the top stitching. She came without socks and so I added this pair of vintage stripy socks.  I like this look, do you?

A close up view of her dress’s trimming.

Sweet Lea up close.

A lovely Swiss girl.

A close up view of Lea.

An even closer view. ❤️

Lea and I thank you for visiting with us today.  We hope you enjoyed this post.  We are sending you hugs and happy wishes for the week to come. 😊 xxx

A few Waterlogue images for you to see.

 

Results are in! Please allow me to introduce…

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Last week I asked for friends to suggest names for the newest boy here at Sasha Shangri-La.  This shy boy is a redheaded 1967 NP shorts boy. We received many excellent name suggestions and we want to thank each of you for taking the time to write to us to share names.  We thought about each one over the weekend and Finn took the lead to help narrow down the names to two possible choices. He reviewed each name with his new brother and asked him what name he liked best.

Finn says the two finalist names are Bryn and Harry (William was third).  Again, many thanks to you all that helped us so much with great suggestions.

Finn is wearing a Diane Duke sweater, britches by luvzone7 on eBay, knitted socks maker unknown, and wonderful leather saddle oxfords made by Betty Jean Densford. Fetch is staying close to Finn as always.

Finn will now make the name announcement.  Drum roll please ……..

“My new brother’s name is Bryn!  I hope you love Bryn as I do.”

The 1967 boys club are gathered around to play with Bryn and to give him a puppy to keep him company and ensure that he feels part of the family. Bryn loves his new puppy.  The boys from left to right are Bronson, Bryn, Finn, and Ferris. ❤️

Ferris is wearing a knitted sweater, maker unknown and Ruthsdolls denim dungarees.

Ferris likes his comfortable outfit and boots by Lisa Hartley.  He is staying warm today since it is pretty chilly at 38 degrees at noon time.

A most handsome boy.  Ferris says hello to you. ❤️

Bronson also says hello to you!

Bronson is wearing a sweater by Rosie Laird, a Dollydoodles gillet, jeans by Sashapotamus and red leather boots by Jean Jensen.

Bronson is happy to have a new brother!  He and Brynn are best buddies already!

Bryn is wearing his Diane Duke  sweater, Dollydoodles jeans, and Noreen Walters made leather boots.  He looks right at home with his puppy in tow.

Bryn thanks you for visiting with us today. We wish you a very happy day and wonderful week to come. ❤️ xxx

Bryn sends hugs to you!

A Waterlogue image of Bryn to enjoy. ❤️

A November Arrival to Sasha Shangri-La … Yes, November…

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This amazing boy arrived here last November. I was so lucky to see him on Shelly’s site in time to adopt him. I have wanted a redheaded NP boy for years and finally found one.  He came in his shorts boy outfit which is now safely stored away for another day.  He was not happy being inside a box for a little over a week.

So, I put a fantastic sweater on him that was knitted by Diane Duke and he perked up immediately.

A close up of the new boy. He is very sweet and very, very shy.

This boy’s name has been so elusive.  Actually, he still has not shared it with me which is why I have not introduced him on the blog.  Finally, I decided to show him and ask for help to name this boy.  Please help!   Mr. No Name does not suit him.

Jeepers, I love this boy’s peepers!

I hope you like our new boy. Thank you for stopping by and visiting with us.  If you have some ideas for a name, please let me know.

We are sending you hugs and happy wishes for a great week to come.

 

Waterlogue images for you to enjoy. ❤️ xxx

 

 

Please Welcome Bea 🐝

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I would like to introduce the first arrival and newest addition to the Sasha Shangri-La family for 2019.  Her name is Beatrice and we call her Bea.  Bea is a BII Sasha studio doll.  B means her body is made of cloth and II is her face mold number.  Bea had been redressed when she arrived and so I dressed her in this beautiful Ruth’s dolls outfit and added a childhood, scarab bar pin.

She loves this dear little troll doll which is my sole remaining childhood doll and this sweet Steiff lamb just happily follows her around.  🐑

Bea has very unique and special eye painting.

Please take a closer look at Bea’s eyes.  Sasha has used sgraffito but differently than just the tip of her brush. It looks like she used a stiff piece of fabric that created a textured pattern in her eyes. You can also see that she used the tip of her brush too.   Amazing!

 

A closer view.

This is another photo showing better her painting in both eyes. Please look at Bea’s eyes up close to see the textured background.  I think it gives her eyes depth and interest.

Bea has really won my heart.  I love everything about her.

Look, Suzanne has come over to welcome her new sister Bea.

“Hello Bea! I am so happy to see you. My name is Suzanne. I think we look a lot each other. Just like sisters.”

“Hi Suzanne. It is wonderful to see you. I was hoping my new family would be nice like you. I am a little nervous.”

“Don’t you worry Bea. I will take care of you and introduce you to your new family and show you around the farm when the weather improves.”

“Oh thank you Suzanne. I feel so much better with you by my side.”

It looks like the two girls have quickly forged a sisterly bond. I love seeing them together.

Suzanne and Bea. ❤️

Loving sisters together.

Bea is a very happy little girl. 😊

I hope you have enjoyed meeting Bea and thank you for visiting with us today.

Bea, Suzanne, and I are sending you hugs and happy wishes for the weekend ahead.

I am hoping we have some sunny days soon.  The photos are so nice when taken outdoors.

❤️❤️❤️ Cow Creek hugs coming your way ❤️❤️❤️

 

 

A Very Merry Sasha Christmas

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Our lovely daughter-in-law Mollie came straight to us this happy Christmas morning after her work shift ended. She is a nurse and cares for elderly patients throughout the night. Here you can see her unwrapping her Christmas gift in this photo. 😊🎅🏻😊🎁

Oh look! Santa has brought Mollie a beautiful brunette gingham girl.   Mollie is so happy to have her first Sasha child doll. She had two Sasha babies in her doll family and now she will add a sweet brunette girl. 😊

Look! Santa also brought a special box for me! 🎅🏻😊

Oh my, a very interesting box! What could it be? 😊

 

Oh my!!  A Creative Playthings box. This is getting better and better! 😍

Look! A beautiful blonde, ochre eyed Gotz Sasha doll!  I feel like I am 10 years old again. What a fantastic gift and a Christmas I will always remember.  This special girl was adopted from the original owner and her name was and is Sasha! How perfect is that?  ❤️🎄❤️🎅🏻❤️🎁❤️

Thank you for visiting with us here at Sasha Shangri-La today and throughout the past year. I am thankful and feel very blessed to be a part of our Sasha community which is full of kind, generous, and caring people. ❤️

Merry Christmas to you and your family.  I hope you have a very blessed holiday season and a most Happy and Healthy New Year in 2019!!!  ❤️🎄😊❤️🎉

 

 

An “A” Number One Addition

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Some of you may remember this painting of my Mom that was painted from a black and white photograph during WWII.  My great uncle had it painted while he was stationed in England.  He had brown eyes so I think the artist thought my Mom did too. However, my Mom and my Grandmother both had blue eyes.  Other than the eye color, the painting is very accurate and resembles Mom, Mary Adeline.  My Grandmother’s name was Adeline Pearl.  Please let me introduce a new Sasha studio doll who is named Addy after my Mom and Grandmother.

 

Addy is an AI studio doll and I love her beautiful face and painting.  She reminds me of my Mom as a young girl.

Addy came wearing this sweet outfit.

Addy is a tall girl of 20 inches.

Addy’s wig is wool yarn and styled into nice full plaits.

A few close up photos of Addy.

I have loved cloth dolls all of my life and finding this beautiful girl feels like finding a treasure!

Addy is standing next to her sister Abby, an AI studio doll that has lived here at Sasha Shangri-La for several years now.  They are both about the same height.  It is so nice to see them together.

I dressed Addy in a pair of blue corduroy overalls made by Thu Cuc Faes but kept her shirt and duffle coat.

Recently, Ruth of Ruth’s dolls listed several beautiful studio doll outfits for sale. I bought this pretty plaid dress with red leather belt for Addy.  She is looking festive with her ornament in hand.

Hello pretty Addy.  I hope you have a wonderful Christmas season.

Ruth included this beautiful pinafore too.  What a beautiful outfit!

With Sasha’s birthday just a few days ago on November 30th, I want to thank her once again for bringing such beauty into our lives.

Brigitte came over to say hello to Addy and she brought her Santa ornament with her. They both want to thank you for visiting us today and for helping Addy to feel welcomed.

We are sending you hugs and happy wishes for the week to come. xxx

A couple of Waterlogue images for you to see.

New Dresses Grace a Fall Day

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Finally, a beautiful, sunny day!  Our first girl is Morgen, a 1960’s Gotz factory ponytail girl that was repainted by Sasha Morgenthaler herself. Morgen is wearing a new beautiful dress made for her by Fanny Boiten.  I love the fabrics that Fanny used and the generous fullness of the dress.

Morgen feels very pretty in her dress and velvet ribbon.

Morgen against a Sasha Shangri-La blue, autumnal sky.

We took these photos in front of a different and very old barn on the farm. It is about to fall down and I will miss its formidable presence on our landscape.

My Morgen.  I never tire of looking at her.

Next we have Penny also wearing a new outfit made by Fanny.  Her lovely leather boots were made by Betty Jean Densford.

The sun was very bright and it was the first sunny day we have had in a while.  Please excuse the shiny spots on the girl’s faces.  Penny is a very early 1965 Gotz girl with a no mold line torso.  She always looks fantastic in Fanny’s dresses.

Pretty Penny in a her new dress.

Penny up close. I love her eyes and her brows.

Next is Mae also wearing a beautiful new dress made by Fanny.  Her shoes were made by Jean Jensen.

Mae is an earlier Gotz girl with ochre eyes. She was made in 1966.  I found her on Shelly’s site where she stayed for a very long time since she is a waif.  I love her and don’t think of her as a waif at all now.

The beautiful Mae.

Mae up close. You can see a scratch in her right eye and I think it adds to her expression.

 

A couple more photos of Mae and I think I was and am a bit carried away by her.

 

Thank you Mae for being so patient with your Mom.

Last for today is Briana wearing a  very pretty dress made by Vicky Chapman and leather shoes by Sashapotamus.

Briana is a 1966 Gotz girl with ochre eyes and beautiful brunette hair.

Briana up close.  I love her eye painting and her brows especially her high arching right brow.

I really like the fabric in this dress and the sweet little buttons.

Briana against the deep blue sky.

I took a photo of the girls Mae and Briana together.

 

Pretty maidens all in a row.

I am so glad that I took these photos yesterday while the sun was out and shining. We had our first snow flakes the day before that and it was 20 degrees earlier in the morning I took the photos. The next day, today, it rained again.

A pretty pair of Gotz girls.

Morgen, Briana, and little dolly are waving goodbye and they thank you for visiting with us.

Penny and Mae also thank you for visiting and we hope you enjoyed this post.  We all are sending you big Sasha hugs.  Have a great week to come!