A Lovely Lunch with Friends and Sashas

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On Wednesday, Diane, Judith (who joined us the day before), and I went to Dawn Law’s beautiful home to have lunch and enjoy Sashas. It was a lovely day with lovely ladies that also joined the gathering and of course, lovely Sashas. The dolls are all very special, well loved, and well dressed. It was a real privilege to see them.  The doll photos capture most of the dolls that were brought to share but I am not certain that I photographed them all. So, here is the sampling caught by my camera. 😊

These outstanding dolls were kindly brought by Brenda Walton and they are very, very special as they were painted by Sasha herself.  They were displayed openly for everyone to see and enjoy. My special Morgen, also painted by Sasha, is on the window ledge looking over her sisters.  It was heavenly to see these amazing works of art.  I so admired each of these works of art but I fell in love with Freckles.  ❤️

Beautiful Sashas. ❤️

Among the Very Important Sashas (VIS), were Trendon toddlers at play among friends. ❤️

Gorgeous Sasha dolls. ❤️

Hello Spike! So nice to meet you in person! 😊

I have been an ardent yet remote Archie fan for years and seeing him in person was a real treat. ❤️

Brenda happily greeting Granny Peggy who joined the festivities. 😊

Brenda meeting Helen, a world traveler. 😊

Brenda is introducing Freckles to Granny Peggy. 😊

I think Brenda is introducing the lovely Alice to Granny Peggy.  Sharing Sashas. This is the best of the very best!!! ❤️

Dawn ensured everyone was well fed and welcomed. She was a wonderful hostess.  The food was beautifully laid out in the conservatory and we ate outdoors.  It was delicious and the company was wonderful.  Just a terrific day! Thank you Dawn for a fantastic time with Sasha friends. 😊

Granny Peggy meeting a special Sasha. ❤️

A photo taken by Brenda’s daughter of the group attending the lunch and shown on Facebook.  Rosie missed the photo. It was so nice to spend time with these lovely ladies.  😊

The next photos to share are of the lovely house and grounds. It is was so beautiful and peaceful. 😊

Swans! What a delightful surprise! 😊

The wonderful day ended with happy smiles, friendships renewed, and treasured memories in our hearts. ❤️

On Thursday morning, I took a last look at the restful view that enveloped the kind hospitality bestowed on me by my host and hostess. We packed up and left for Nottingham and the upcoming Sasha Celebration Weekend.  What a wonderful week I had with Diane and her husband, Tony.  They both made me feel so very welcomed. I am thankful and blessed. 😊

A peek photo of Eastwood Hall.  The next post will be memories from the SCW. Thank you for visiting the blog and I hope you have a wonderful rest of the week! 😊 xxx

❤️

 

Beautiful England…Visiting the Cotswolds and Stratford-Upon-Avon

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After reading about the Cotswolds for years, it was a real pleasure to actually visit in person.  On Monday, Diane drove us through the countryside full of gentle, rolling hills leading to Chipping Campden and later on to Broadway. I really enjoyed the entire time and it was a dream come true to be there in person to see the beautiful countryside, the people and also the unique architecture. ❤️

What a nice place to live!

After shopping in several places, we stopped in the local church in Chipping Campden because they kindly offered tea and a place to sit for a while. We met the nicest ladies and they just loved Finn.  One of the ladies kindly allowed her photo to be taken with Fiinn. What a nice respite! 😊

Diane and I climbed the stairs to a small silver craftsmen shop and they encouraged visitors to walk and observe the craftsmen at work making silverware.  It was interesting to watch and observe them making their works of art in silver.

The Chipping Campden Market Hall.

Finn resting in the Market Hall. 😊

So many lovely shops and I took this photo to capture the wonderful bowed window.

Another window photo to capture the Queen.

This inviting door and passageway totally captivated me and I loved how it beckoned for me to enter but the tiny private sign gave me an entirely different message.  😬

Interesting doorways.

We traveled on to Broadway.  A view of the High Street shops in Broadway. 😊

Shops line both sides of the street.

On the upper end of High Street, I saw beautiful horses in a field.

A lovely lunch anyone? 😉

Tuesday, we visited Stratford-Upon-Avon.   Home of the most famous poet and playwright William Shakespeare.  How exciting! 😊

The William Shakespeare monument is very impressive. I loved reading his books as a child and I still do today. I first read a work by Shakespeare at the age of 12 and it was Romeo and Juliet.  Over the years, I became an avid reader of Shakespeare’s works and so visiting the town where he was born and raised and buried was wonderful to do. 😊

Poor Gertie was scooped up by Lady Macbeth. 😬

Help me Mommy!  She has an iron grip on me! 😮

After rescuing Gertie, she then spent time with Falstaff….I’d be careful there sweet Gertie!

Gertie wanted to meet Prince Hamlet but he was feeling quite depressed and did not know what to say to her!

I think Gertie finally felt free and happy with Prince Hal. 😉

The next photos show the amazing Royal Shakespeare and Swan Theatres.

Amazing sculpture created by hanging wires wires suspended in different lengths with stars on the ends.

A very grand area and I was fascinated by the architecture and the dimensional sculpture. So beautiful.

We stopped for tea and I spied a gingerbread man! Yummy!  We sat outdoors along the Avon River. So nice. 😊

This was the first time that I had seen swans in person. They were so beautiful and I learned that all the swans belong to the Queen. They are very special. 😊

The view of the rear of the Theatre.

A whimsical street lamp.

The grand door of the Holy Trinity Church where William Shakespeare was baptized and buried.

A most lovely church. ❤️

We then stopped in several shops and had a wonderful lunch. 😊

We were able to have a second visit with Granny Peggy and it was so enjoyable. Gertie was excited to meet Granny Peggy and Granny Peggy was happy to meet her. 😊

My wonderful hostess made me feel so at home and we rested at the end of the day to enjoy this beautiful view.  There were sheep grazing in the field lying beyond the fence and they move throughout the day. A very relaxing place to be.  ❤️

A beautiful view from my bedroom window and you can see the sheep (white dots) in the distance. I loved this view. ❤️

A most special welcoming committee waiting for me in my room. How sweet they are! 😊

This beautiful Kathe Kruse doll and a Baby Patrick also made me feel so at home.  Diane made my visit so very special in every possible way.  I am grateful for her kindnesses.

Thank you for visiting today and I hope you enjoyed the post. There will be one more post and then we moved onward to the Sasha Celebration Weekend! 😊 xxx

A Most Happy Return to England

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I left the States on May 4th of this year by flying from Charleston, WV to Atlanta, Georgia and from Atlanta to Amsterdam, Netherlands and from there to Birmingham, England. I arrived on Friday, the morning of May 5th, and was cheerfully greeted by Diane Duke. Thankfully, my hostess ensured that the first day was a restful one and then later that evening we walked to the local pub for a most tasty dinner of soup and fish and chips and dessert. I had wanted to eat fish and chips since I left England last year and my expectations were met…yummy! 😊

On Saturday, we visited the grand estate named Althorp, home of the Earl of Spencer and family and steeped in a long and rich family history. I was excited to visit the home where Princess Diana was raised and found myself thinking of what it must have been like to grow up in a grand place such as Althorp. And how Althorp was woven into the tapestry of the person she became.  I still mourn the loss of Princess Diana and I am grateful to have visited her childhood home though its grandeur was hard to take in in its entirety. Diane had our admission tickets ready and we toured the interior rooms of Althorp guided by a most competent tour guide.  The many rooms were beautiful and held ornate furnishings and the walls were graced with artwork accumulated over the passing of time. I was in awe. Outside, it was an overcast and chilly day though we managed to avoid the heavy raindrops.

Upon our arrival we received this handy tote bag and informative flyer.  It was a wonderful event. 😊

Photos of cheerful vendors flanking the front entrance way.

I believe this grand building had been the stables.

Next…meeting a very lovely lady. ❤️

On the top of my wish list of things to do while visiting Diane was to meet Granny Peggy. It was wonderful to finally meet her. What a dear and gracious lady. ❤️

Helen joined us for a group photo. Granny Peggy’s room is bright and cheery. I love her poppy curtains. What a special visit. 😊

Next… on Sunday, after church, we visited the Canons Ashby house.

A beautiful gate at Canons Ashby in Northhamptonshire. You can see the lovely gardens beyond. Canons Ashby is owned by the National Trust.

The walkway leading to the house.

A lovely view from the upstairs windows.

My indoor photos were all taken in the children’s room where evidence of play was clearly seen. It was my favorite room. 😊

A sampler was nice to see.

The Canons Ashby is constructed using beautiful yellow sandstone.  Inside, there was a very impressive art collection and furnishings.

I took most of the photos outdoors because the day was so lovely and the gardens so nice to see. 😊

A special church can be seen in the distance. I love a terraced garden. What a beautiful place and what a fantastic day we had visiting Canons Ashby. ❤️

 

An area where a fire 🔥 would be lit and people can gather around.

Diane capturing photos of a proud and handsome rooster.   😊

A welcoming pathway leading to the church. ❤️

A most beautiful church. ❤️

A beautiful and moving wall monument in memory of John Turner Dryden.

A unusual tree beside the church.

We had a very nice break and enjoyed a pot of tea and scones.  It was a such a special day and I loved visiting this part of England and spending time with Diane, a most gracious hostess. 😊

The next post will be our visits to the Cotswolds and Stratford-upon-Avon. I do enjoy writing these posts that allow me to revisit these happy days. ❤️ xxx

 

 

Exciting Additions Before the Trip to England

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I  want to introduce a few new members of the Sasha family that were adopted before my trip to England and were not shown on the blog. The first is a girl beautifully rerooted by Sarah Williams and her previous Mom was Kendal.  I so wanted a doll that belonged to Kendal and I am thrilled to have her here at Sasha Shangri-La. 😊

She was on Shelly’s site wearing this outfit made by Janet Myhill-Dabbs. So lovely. ❤️

Her hair is so beautiful. I really like the color and it reminded me of my hair when I was young.

Very old photos of me in my teens. The hair color is so close to this girl’s color though my hair was wavy and not straight,

Long, long ago….

Amazing reroot. 😊

Since it is summer, I redressed her in a pretty smocked dress by Molly,  knitted socks, and JJ shoes. Plus a dotted ribbon for her hair. 😊

I was calling her my “mini me” because at the time I adopted her, Janet had introduced on Facebook the idea of Sashas being a “mini me” of ourselves when we were younger. So please meet the most precious Minnie. ❤️

Next………

You might have seen these two photos of a PJ boy for sale on Susanna Lewis’ site earlier this year. These two photos are Susanna’s photos and she was accepting offers for this early, all platinum hair NP boy.  I thought he was fantastic and had seen him in Susanna’s book. I made an offer and happily, I was able to adopt this dear boy. ❤️

I redressed him for the Sasha Festival because he was modeling for Diane Duke’s presentation on her beautiful knitted creations.  His jeans, with the leather knee patches, were made by Pinestreet Studio.

His name is Ferris which means foundation. I thought it was a great name for him since he represents the early NP boys and they were only made in 1967 so he is a foundation boy of all the future Gregors to come.  Finn is so happy Ferris is here! 😊

Redressed again, Ferris is a little shy but Finn offers him a puppy to have for his own. 😊

My sweet platinum NP boys. They are alike but oh, so very different.  I love them!! ❤️

Dreamy. ❤️❤️

Ferris and his pup Fido, along with Finn and Fetch, are all enjoying their day on Cow Creek. 😊

Next……………

Please meet my new studio doll named Anita. I adopted her from Cathy Himmel and she came beautifully dressed in a Ruthsdolls lavender outfit and she also had her original red plaid dress.  I dressed her back in her plaid dress and added the green wool duffle coat which is an original studio coat and tagged. I then plaited her hair and added ribbons. Her head is made of gypsum and she has the “B” body or cloth body that I dearly love. She is an older girl and her painting is nice with her ochre colored eyes. ❤️

The little bear Fergus came along for the ride!  Anita with her hood up! 😊

I found a pair of dark green leather shoes and knitted socks for sweet Anita, a lovely studio girl. ❤️

I hoped you enjoyed meeting Minnie, Ferris, and Anita. I am sorry that my introductions have been delayed especially since I am so happy to have these special Sashas join my Sasha family.  I hope to begin the posts next of the trip overseas and the very happy times I had while traveling.  We all want to  thank you for visiting with us today and wish you a wonderful weekend to come. 😊 xxx

❤️

New Sashas From “A” to “Z”

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A Long Note: Most of you are know that I am very tardy on blog posting and also tardy  with reading/commenting on my dear friend’s blogs. It seems daunting at times about where to start because my normal, logical writings would start with my trip to England.  But these are not normal times.  I have decided to begin with the some recent events and then decide what to post next later on.

Our family is focusing on spending time together and talking about our son Lance. The tears still pour forth even as I write this.💔  I have to say that I am overwhelmed with gratitude by the outpouring of love, kindness, and support from you all. Thank you all so much for caring about me and for caring about us. xxx

The Sasha Festival came up quickly though and I wondered if I had the strength and fortitude to attend…though I knew intellectually it would be fantastic in every way, my heart was here at home with Rick and family and trying to do little things each day to show love to them and some days, help just to get through…

My dear husband, however, encouraged me once again to go and though I cried as I left him and the healing hills of West Virginia, I ventured onward through the Shenandoah Valley, and onto the major concrete artery that led towards Washington DC.  I made my way steadfastly away from home to spend time with dear Sasha friends.  ❤️End of A Long Note ❤️

The 2017 Sasha Festival was held in Washington DC and was titled Forever Young.

A warm welcome from the lovely leaders that organized this most wonderful event.  Thank you so very much Karen, Charla, and Norvell. ❤️

The schedule of events was placed on the back of the book which was brilliant!  No need to search and shuffle pages to know what is next and when it begins …  just pull out the booklet and there it is! 😊

Headings of the booklet’s contents plus there are areas for notes and the attendees directory which is always very helpful. 😊

This post is focusing on two new members to the Sasha Shangri-La family plus the fantastic Festival outfit. I will post other new additions to the family and Festival news soon.

The first new member is Alaine. Alaine means beautiful and I think she is truly a beauty. I adopted her from Laura Ward through a type of doll exchange between us and so my doll Fara is now living with Laura.  It works well. 😊

Please meet Alaine and she is a 1968 fringe girl.  She is wearing the beautiful Festival outfit received at dinner on Saturday evening. It was made entirely by Karen Warnaka and I cannot conceive even making just the socks much less 100 entire outfits! Karen is a most remarkable lady and so very kind too.  The leather shoes were made by the very talented Marti Murphy who was greatly missed at the Festival.  Thank you dear ladies for the dedication of your time and your talent to create such an outfit. ❤️

I took photos of the outfit just out of the box. You can see there were four different styles of outfits and they are shown on the right side of the sheet. I love them all.

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Alaine is wearing the white pants also included and what amazing red socks!

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Socks lovingly tied as a pair.  ❤️

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The beautiful dress that fits perfectly. ❤️

A very fine corduroy material, a gingham trim and the tiniest of buttons. ❤️

Fantastic brown leather shoes by Marti. ❤️

The full outfit on Alaine. I happened to have some red gingham ribbon for her hair. ❤️

The dress secures in the back and is easy to put on and does not mess the hair. 😊

Thank you Alaine for modeling. ❤️

Next is a fantastic Cora reroot with light repainting to her eyes.  A friend kindly brought her to the Festival for me because she knew I was looking for a special Cora.  I have named her Zayna, also meaning beautiful. 😊

Some of you might have seen Zayna on Facebook because people were snapping her photos at the Festival.  I have dressed her in a lovely long white dress with blue embroidery and it was made by Petrana.  Zayna wears blue suede sandals made by Jean Jensen.

Zayna was rerooted and lightly repainted by the very talented Jackie Rydstrom. Her amazing eyes are a deep, smokey blue color and her amazing hair is very wavy, has red highlights, and is very soft. I am smitten with this unique girl. ❤️

A clever and innovative Festival wrist tag was made and gifted to me by the lovely daughter of Julie Wiesler, Emma. I received one last year from Emma in Rochester and it was wonderful to receive one again this year. Thank you Emma! 😊

 

Beautiful hair by Jackie. 😊

 

Zayna and I, along with Alaine, thank you for visiting with us today. We hope you have a blessed day and week to come. 😊 xxx

Post Note: My time spent at the Festival went beyond my expectations and I had the most wonderful and uplifting experiences. I met new people and renewed friendships.  It was so nice to be among friends and so many kindnesses were extended to me.  I am deeply humbled and so grateful for the generosity of spirit and the grace abounding in our Sasha community. ❤️ xxx