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.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Halloween Delights!



Two little dolls finished just in time for the festivities celebrating when the veil is thinnest between our world and the world of the spirits...

 First is little Skelly and her friend ghost...she is all ready for Halloween with her upcycled pink skeleton pajama costume (made by Nanerjoy) and her adorable little ghost friend who actually sparkles!

Skelly is already on her way to her new home...to trick or treat and haunt houses to her heart's content!

And now for our second little doll, maybe her bracelet of howlite skulls and swarovski crystals gives you a clue as to her identity?
She LOVES Dias de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)...
She even has a Sugar Skull mask that she wears to celebrate it (secured by a red sequined skull clippy)...
 Meet little Muertita wearing her sugar skull mask!
She wears a festive sugar skull dress (made by Molly's Playground), and her adorable shoes coordinate with her Sugar Skull mask...

Muertita was just listed in my etsy shop--buy her by Sunday evening for guaranteed shipping by Day of the Dead (November 1st)!!

Happy haunting,
Amy
Once Upon A Doll


Thursday, October 18, 2012

Little Boo and her pet yeti, Herbert

I'm actually working on three somewhat October themed dolls right now, one of which I was able to finish tonight...meet "BOO", and her little yeti friend, Herbert.

She was inspired by my daughter, who proclaimed that she LOVES monsters and Halloween, but that monsters DON'T have to be "scary"!
Boo wears a lovely dress made of imported Japanese Kawaii fabric called "Thriller Restaurant" featuring an array of cute little monsters...
Her hand spun art yarn hair was especially spun JUST for her, to match her gorgeous dress!
She has a little monster pet yeti named "Herbert"--he has two large fangs, but he doesn't bite!
They really are the BEST of friends...
Boo and Herbert were just listed in my etsy shop, still plenty of time for Halloween delivery for a very special child's gift.
Two more October dolls coming...stay tuned!
Amy
Once Upon A Doll

 


Monday, October 15, 2012

Meet Bella...a custom doll

After making Renesmee (from Breaking Dawn and Twilight fame), a friend approached me about making a custom Bella doll. I was SO excited!
I began with a Bella bracelet with the crystal heart (for Edward) and the wolf (for Jacob).
Since this Bella would be post Breaking Dawn, she needed vampire red eyes and itty bitty vampire fangs, too!
I added a custom upcycled outfit by Nanerjoy--with Edward on the front (of course) and a very special skirt and cap sleeves featuring fabric by Smoking Lily. Also, I needed to create a new type of shoe for this doll...Bella would never willingly wear bows on her shoes :)...


Bella needed her "classic" brown hoodie from the movies, and so Maddie Bean agreed to make this!

 Bella's hair is her classic chocolate brown, but I added a touch of vermillion to match her vampire eyes and a bit of the curly boucle I used in Renesmee's hair...


 Bella was BORN to be a vampire, don't you think?


 

Voila! Hello, Isabella Cullen (Swan) !

What a beauty!
Thanks so much for meeting Bella with me,
Amy
Once Upon A Doll

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Meet Alexia...the Steam Punk Doll

 Meet Alexia, a little doll made especially for lovers of all things Steam Punk!
 Alexia comes with:
*A Victorian hat with real watch works, a working compass and telescope...even dirigibles (balloons)
*Victorian dress with lace up corset (both velcro in the back for easy on/off)
*Matching "mommy and me" steam punk necklaces (with working red panic button) made especially for Alexia by Steam Punk jewelry artist SleeplessStoryteller.
*Black scarf
*Lace up knee high wool felt boots
*Frilly bloomers
*Pose-able glassicals (steam punk glasses) also by artist SleeplessStoryteller.

 She is a handmade doll, crafted lovingly in the Waldorf tradition. 13 inches from the top of her head to the tip of her toes (taller with her hair gathered on top of her head and her hat on), she wears a Victorian dress and corset made by Molly's Playground. Her lush, long hair is made of hand spun merino wool--black, white, silver, and zebra...incredibly soft and with LOTS of various hues and texture! She is stuffed with clean carded local wool and her “skin” fabric is cotton interlock imported from Europe. Her grey eyes and red mouth are hand embroidered—notice those lovely eyelashes—and her wool felt boots have contrast stitching.
Alexia is intended for the older child or doll collector, as she has little pointy parts on her hat and throughout her ensemble that require extra care (and might poke a smaller child or even pose a choking hazard)!

~Matching Mommy and Me Steam Punk Necklaces~

Alexia was a JOY to make--thanks so much for enjoying her with me!
Amy
Once Upon A Doll