Welcome

Welcome! Sit down, peruse these pages, and indulge in the stories my dolls arouse within your imagination...

Once Upon A Doll began with my own love of dolls, especially hand made. My kids and I collect, play with, and love our dolls, and eventually I began to make dolls of my own. Although my dolls are based upon the principles of Waldorf doll making--natural and sustainably harvested materials (like wool stuffing and cotton interlock), hand spun and dyed wool yarns for hair, hand made doll clothes, 100% wool felt for shoes--my dolls cannot be called strictly Waldorf (more Waldorf-esque), as they have definite personalities, larger & more expressive eyes, and playful mouths. Once Upon A Doll features enchanted dolls made in the Waldorf tradition with a storybook theme for that special child in your life or the discriminating collector of handmade dolls.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Meet Tirian, the last King of Narnia, and his best friend Jewel

King Tirian, a 14 inch Waldorf-esque doll by Once Upon A Doll, is the protagonist of CS Lewis’ The Last Battle, who has to defend his kingdom against subversion and invasion. A skilled swordsman, Tirian is a direct descendant of Prince Caspian and his best friend is a unicorn named Jewel. He leads an assault upon the Calormenes who are lead by a false Aslan, and is rewarded by entering Aslan’s Country where he meets all the other faithful kings of queens of Narnia. Finally, he witnesses the end of Narnia.
Tirian's hair is made of 100% tsunami dreads and periwinkle highlights to suggest the colors of a lion's mane (and I dyed them myself).
Tirian's appearance is based upon the earliest illustration made of him, approved by the author CS Lewis himself. His costume was made especially for him by Molly's Playground.
Tirian has adorable boots that enable him to stand unassisted.

 King Tirian can sit quite easily for feasts and adventuring... His ivy crown has wire in it, and his crest of the royal house of Aslan is a pin, and so Tirian is not meant for younger children....he is intended for an older child who can handle such things or the adult collector.
King Tirian's companion is a needle felted unicorn named Jewel, handmade for him by 13Chestnuts.

Tirian and Jewel will be listed for sale in my Etsy shop on Wed, Oct 23rd, at 6 pm pacific time.


Thanks so much for sharing my doll making journey!
Warmly,
Amy
Once Upon A Doll




Thursday, October 17, 2013

Meet Alice Cullen, Edward's Vampire Sister from Twlight

 Alice Cullen is petite and pixie-like, with dancer-like grace and hair that is dark, short and fashionably spiky. With a predilection for shopping, make-overs, and throwing parties, as well as her special ability to see the future, Alice soon becomes Bella’s greatest advocate and friend as Edward and Bella begin their relationship. The love of her life is Jasper Hale, and in the movies she wore a special choker necklace with the Cullen family crest as its central piece.
Meet Alice Cullen as a Waldorf-esque doll, a petite 12.5 inches, and fashionable vampire. Alice wears an upcycled outfit made especially for her by Nanerjoy, which features the close up of her beloved, Jasper Hale, on the front and says "Jasper--twilight" on the back. Alice also wears her special necklace from the movies--featuring the Cullen family crest as its center stone. Alice is both fashionable and quirky, so of course she sports a jaunty pair of skull and crossbones high tops.

Alice's short and spiky hair is made of 4 hand spun art yarns, with lots of sparkle and pizzaz. One of the yarns is yarn-wrapped wire, enabling her to achieve the unique spiky look that is so characteristically Alice. This wired art yarn is movable and posable, but means that Alice is only appropriate for older children (who play gently and know they could get poked ) or adult collectors. But really, aren't teenage vampire novels really for teens and adults anyway? 
       
 Alice sits and stands unassisted. The different hues of burgundy, black, purple, and black cherry in her hair are gorgeous in the sunshine...they dazzle, in fact.
 See her itty bitty vampire fangs? Alice has decidedly black pixie-like almond eyes, and no blush (vampires are quite pale).
Alice Cullen (the prognosticating Vampire from Twilight) will be available tomorrow (Friday) night in my Etsy shop at 6pm pacific time...here's the link to my shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/OnceUponADoll

Blessings,
Amy
Once Upon A Doll

Monday, October 14, 2013

Meet Birch and Little Tree

 Birch stands 13", and is a tree-hugging nature gal who spends every moment she can outdoors. She both sits and stands, and her favorite snack is apples.
 I TRIED to give Birch some shoes, but she kept kicking them off and absolutely refused to wear them. She says that one of her favorite things is to walk barefoot in the grass...Although Birch insists on going barefoot, if you'd like a pair of shoes, I can include them (although I can't guarantee she'll wear them...)
 Little Tree is Birch's best friend--she saved him not too long ago from an evil wood cutter, and they have been inseparable since. (Little Tree was hand made especially for Birch by HiTree.) 
 Birch has the most luxurious long curly mohair locks by Yarn Rescue...they are heavy, and hang beautifully. These precious locks, however, are better for an older child or adult collector, as they are a bit more fragile than normal wool yarn.
Needless to say, Birch is very playful. Here she is upside down in her lovely dress and bloomers set made especially for her by Molly's Playground. Her dress has wonderful sayings on it, like "Calm every day", "Time of healing", Happy Day", "Handmade", "Garden Life", etc.

Birch and Little Tree will be available for sale in my Etsy shop this Friday, October 18th, at 6pm pacific time. Here's the link to my shop:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/OnceUponADoll

Watch for more little darlings to be finished soon!
Warmly,
Amy
Once Upon A Doll

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Meet Russet and Wolfie

Russet's little friend, Little Wolfie, is a needle-felted critter dressed in sheep's clothing (lol)...he rides in her little basket. Wolfie was handmade especially for Russet by 13Chestnuts.
 Measuring a petite 11.5 inches, Russet loves fall and everything to do with it..she and Wolfie take long autumn walks collecting leaves, which makes sense since her lush hand spun art yarn hair is in the many hues of falling leaves.
Here is little Russet and Wolfie with their entire collection...two Red Riding Hood themed outfits (a dress set and bloomers (with matching bows) by Molly's Playground), a basket for Wolfie to ride in, and 100% russet wool felt shoes with green contrast stitching.
 She sits and stands quite easily, and her butter soft hair is full of many colors and textures purchased from different yarn spinners...
 The deep dark woods (and picking flowers) are some of Russet and Wolfie's favorite past times.
For more photos and more info, check out the Once Upon A Doll FB page at: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.539510789458650.1073741842.331907260219005&type=1

Russet and her friend are up for auction RIGHT NOW (until 10 pm eastern time) tonight, Sunday, October 13th in the Spamalot group on Facebook. Here is the link to join if you aren't already a member:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/380802731980925/

Thanks for looking!
Amy
Once Upon A Doll

Friday, October 4, 2013

Meet Punkie and her little Amigurumi Pumpkin Pie


Punkie is a handmade doll in the Waldorf style by Once Upon A Doll...she loves everything about autumn and especially pumpkin pie! 

Punkie's incredibly lush head of hair is a mix of buttery soft hand spun art yarns by Yarn Rescue and Rainbow Twist Shop in shimmering shades of pinks and orange with whipped cream ivory to accent. She wears an adorable upcycled shirt and skirt by Nanerjoy featuring a smiling slice of pumpkin pie that reads "Cutie Pie". 

Her little friend is a hand crocheted amigurumi pumpkin pie (smiling with safety eyes and whipped cream on top).

Punkie stands 12 inches tall and sits easily...and her pumpkin orange shoes were handmade for her of 100% wool with contrast pink floss stitching. She is intended for children over 3 who no longer put things in their mouths, as her hair and the buttons on her shoes can be choking hazards.

Punkie cannot wait to play with in the fall leaves and celebrate all the autumn celebrations with your children (or you)!
Punkie and her pumpkin pie will be available this coming Monday, October 7th, at 7pm eastern time. Here's the link to her listing:  

http://hyenacart.com/EnchantedToybox/st/6861/92366/Meet-Punkie-and-her-Amigurumi-Pumpkin-Pie-Friend

I'll have a second doll listed with Punkie...stay tuned to see photos of her.
Warmly,
Amy
Once Upon A Doll