The Dollie Storage Room

I Just Love It!

2009-09-01T06:11:00.000-07:00

YoVille Linda was so happy she could hardly contain her enthusiasm. She had been working double shifts at the factory to save enough money to buy a house. And, she had finally done just that. She had bought her first house. A ranch style home just like the type Linda herself had lived in when she was growing up.

She was so excited and as proud as a peacock. She could hardly wait to show everyone her new home. She had decorated her living room, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen in her favorite "girly girl" style and "retro kitchen" style.

She had a garage that she was using for now as a craft/hobby and den. After all she didn't have a driver's license - let alone a car. And, she always wanted a craft and hobby room. Why not use the garage?

And, best of all, she had a yard. Well, a front yard anyway. She was sure there was a backyard, but, she wasn't at a high enough level in the YoVille game to see that just yet. In time - she'd get there in time. For now she could sit on her front lawn. And, she could have her flower garden. Her fingers were just itching to do some gardening.

But, for now she was happy that she had finally moved in and could show off her new abode. So, what do you think? How do you like YoVille Linda's new house?

Posted by Linda Walsh Originals- "Doll Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns - "Instant Download E-Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
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What Is Wrong With Her? You Can't Move In A Fancy Dress!

2009-08-28T06:53:00.000-07:00

Patience was pacing back and forth, back and forth. Wringing her hands and muttering, "What is wrong with her? Doesn't she know you can't move in a fancy dress? She can't do that. It'll get all dirty. And, then what would she wear for her date? Doesn't she know you can't move in a fancy dress? What is wrong with her?"

"Calm down Patience. Just calm down and tell me what the matter is," Doris Marie said.

"Oh, Doris Marie. This time Linda has really gone too far. Too far indeed!"

"What, Patience. What are you talking about?" Doris responded.

"It's Linda, Doris Marie." She's making YoVille Linda move into her new house today. She can't do that. She's still wearing her fancy dress. She can't move all her stuff while wearing her fancy dress. It'll get ruined. Then, what will she wear for her date?" Patience replied.

"Well, Patience," Doris Marie responded. "I'm sure Linda will have her change into her jeans so she doesn't get her fancy dress ruined. Either that or Linda has hired movers to move YoVille Linda into her new house. I'm sure that's it. She's hired movers."

Doris Marie really didn't think Linda would let YoVille Linda move all her stuff in her beautiful new dress. Or, would she? Hmmmm......

"Come on Patience. Just calm down." Doris Marie said. "Let's go congratulate YoVille Linda on the purchase of her new home. After all, she worked double shifts at the factory in order to save enough money to buy her new home. Let's go congratulate her. Okay, Patience?"

"Alright, Doris Marie. Let's go congratulate her. You're probably right. Linda probably did hire movers to help YoVille Linda." Patience replied. "Let's go congratulate her. Should we bring a house warming gift?"

"Well, you're right about that, Patience. I guess we should bring her a house warming gift. What do you think YoVille Linda would like?" Doris asked.

So, off they went - hand in paw - to the gift store to buy YoVille Linda something nice for her new home.

Posted by Linda Walsh Originals- "Doll Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns - "Instant Download E-Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals Dolls - "Handmade Dolls & Crafts for Grown-up Girls!"

Well, Have You Seen Her? Have You Seen YoVille Linda's New Outfit?

2009-08-22T05:54:00.000-07:00

"Oh, My!" "Doesn't she look lovely, Doris?" Patience asked Doris.

"Well, yes she does, Patience," Doris Marie replied. "She looks lovely indeed! What is she all dressed up for?"

"Well, I'm not sure, Doris Marie, but I think she's got a date."

"A date?" Doris Marie responded. "Hmmmmm..... But, she doesn't have any male friends in YoVille. Where would she meet someone?"

"Well, I'm not sure," Patience said. "Maybe, one of her YoVille friends set her up on a blind date."

"Well, that's possible, Patience. Maybe she did."

Well, what Doris Marie and Patience didn't know was that YoVille Linda had been secretly been using Linda's computer late at night and had become a member of one of the more popular website dating services. She had taped her video and had given them her profile information and was waiting to see who they would hook her up with. In the meantime she had bought a few new outfits and was trying each of them on to see which one she liked best as she was anticipating that she'd have a match soon.

She was hoping that she'd be matched with someone nice. Well mannered, intelligent, and with a good sense of humor. And, secretly she was hoping that he would be good looking. Not that looks were all that important, but, they certainly would sweeten the pot.

YoVille Linda just didn't want Linda to know that she was hoping for a good looking guy. Linda would tell her that looks were not important. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What counts is what's on the inside and whether or not he was a good person. Looks were secondary. Yada, yada, yada....

YoVille Linda knew that. It was just that she was going to have to look at this person from a flat dimension forever so she might as well enjoy the view. What's so wrong with that? After all his image on the computer screen had no dimension. Just a flat front and flat back image. If that's what she had to look at all day, she'd at least like it to be attractive. So, she secretly had her fingers crossed that he'd be good looking. Just don't tell anyone that - especially Linda.

In the meantime she was trying out her teal blue dress and shoes. So, what do you think - do you like her new outfit?

Posted by Linda Walsh Originals - "Doll Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns - "Instant Download E-Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals Dolls - "Handmade Dolls & Crafts for Grown-up Girls!"

It's Just Not Fair! She's Just an Avatar!

2009-06-25T07:26:00.000-07:00

"Everyone is just so hurt by this, Elmer. She's just an avatar. Why would an avatar need furniture? And, Linda is spending way too much time with her," Patience exclaimed. "The "dollies" are really hurt by this. I don't know what to do!"

"She has a living room, bedroom, kitchen, and even a bathroom. Why does an avatar need with any of this? And, why would she need a bathroom? She's not human, like we are, " Patience exclaimed.

"What should I do Elmer?"

"Well, Patience," Elmer replied "I think you should tell Doris Marie or Helena. They know exactly how to handle Linda and will get to the bottom of this. There has to be a good explanation for this. We all know Linda loves us and wouldn't do anything to hurt our feelings. Certainly not intentionally."

"Yes, I think you should show Doris Marie and Helena the pictures. But, before you do let me see them again."

In looking at the pictures "Elmer's Little Boy" couldn't help but admire Linda's lovely taste in decorating. Her "girlie girl" selection for Linda's YoVille apartment was quite pretty. So, he could understand how the other "dollies" would get hurt by this. After all, "The Dollie Storage Room" hadn't been touched in years. In fact, it wasn't even finished - no decorations at all. Just the bare wood walls of a storage room."

"I do have to say, Patience, that Linda did a nice job with the Linda's YoVille apartment decorations. They really are very pretty, "Elmer exclaimed. "Plus, truth be told, the Linda avatar really is a cutie pie."

"Yes, Elmer the decorations are really pretty. And, I, too love how "girlie girl" they are and know the other "dollies" would love to live in such a place. It's just that Linda has never decorated "The Dollie Storage Room" and the other "dollies" think she's spending way too much time with the Linda avatar in YoVille," Patience replied. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Well, I guess I would have to agree," Elmer responded.

It really had been a long time since Linda has turned her attention to "The Dollie Storage Room. In fact, he was surprised that the "dollies" hadn't revolted already. They were on the verge of it last year and Linda managed to calm them down. But, this might just be the catalyst for a new revolt and Linda may not be able to prevent it.

"Yes, Patience. Definitely show the pictures to Doris Marie and Helena. They will know what to do," Elmer responded as he handed the pretty pictures back to Patience.

Posted by Linda Walsh Originals - "Doll Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns - "Instant Download E-Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals Dolls - "Handmade Dolls & Crafts for Grown-up Girls!"

I Can Hardly Wait To Tell Everyone!

2009-04-25T06:28:00.000-07:00

"Patience Is A Virtue" could hardly control herself. She just had to run back to "The Dollie Storage Room" and tell everyone. Linda had finally done a YouTube video. Albeit it was about Linda Walsh Originals and not about each of them individually, but it was a start.

Maybe now Linda would consider doing some video's about life in "The Dollie Storage Room" or, better yet, letting the "dollies" develop their own video's.

"Patience" knew for sure that Linda would do the former, but wasn't too sure that Linda would go for the latter.

Oh, well" she explained, "we'll just have to wait and see."

In the meantime she could hardly wait to get home.

She had such exciting news.

Posted by Linda Walsh Originals - "Doll Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns - "Instant Download E-Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"

The "Dollies" Just Love To Play!

2008-02-22T06:12:00.000-08:00

The "dollies" just LOVE to play! Whether it's games, "dress-up", or even a tea party - they like to have fun.

And, they love to draw, paint, and create. Especially if they are drawing pictures of themselves or painting pictures of themselves. Let's not even go into creating "clones" of themselves. YIKES!

So, they decided while I was playing with WIDGETS and BLIDGETS that they should add some FUN drawing and painting widgets to their blog for all of you to enjoy.

Here's one of the WIDGETS they wanted me to add to the sidebar:

DOODLE SKETCH - this works like an old fashioned etch-a-sketch (you remember those - don't you?). It's an interactive doodling and sketching widget to entertain you.

I added this widget to the sidebar of "The Dollie Storage Room" blog so you can return and play anytime you want to.

Have FUN drawing and painting! I know the "dollies" will be having a blast. I swear, if you get any paint anywhere.........

Posted by Linda Walsh Originals - "Doll Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns - "Instant Download E-Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"

Have You Seen Yours? Have You Seen Yours, Yet? Well, Have Ya?

2007-08-06T03:56:00.000-07:00

Linda couldn't believe her eyes when she opened the door to "The Dollie Storage Room."

The house was shaking and it was being caused by all 1,496 dolls jumping up and down. Even "Helena" and "Doris Marie" were jumping up and down, up and down, going round and round. Now that was sight. Two old "biddies" holding hands and jumping up and down.

She rubbed her eyes. Maybe she wasn't seeing what she thought she was. No, they were laughing and holding hands and going round and round. Skipping and hopping like two little girls playing "ring around the rosy" and repeating "Have you seen yours? Have you seen yours? Well, have ya?"

"What is going on in HERE! Linda yelled. "What on earth are you doing Helena and Doris Marie?"

With that all 1,496 dolls stopped moving and looked at each other with "YIKES! We've been caught expressions." You know - the looks little children give their parents when they've been caught doing something they shouldn't. Well, to see 1,496 expressions like that almost made Linda laugh. Especially seeing Doris Marie and Helena with the same expression. She tried not to laugh and said, "This better be good!"

"Now Linda, dear. Don't get yourself all in a tither. The dollies are all so happy with something you did that they just couldn't control themselves. You have made them SO HAPPY. They wanted to all go and hug you, but I thought you might be smothered by that so we told them to expel all that HAPPY energy by jumping up and down. Too bad we couldn't bottle it and sell it. In any event, they LOVE you for what you did for them." Helena responded.

Well, this was a FIRST. The dolls were in love with Linda and happy about something she did. Maybe she ought to call the Guinness Book of World records for this was surely a first. The dolls were happy with Linda.

Well, she was not happy with them shaking the house so she said," I'm so happy that you like what I just finished and I LOVE all of you, too. But, you can't all jump up and down. You're shaking the house and the foundation can't support that. And, YOU KNOW WHO isn't going to tolerate this shaking much longer. He's threatening to move and you all know what that means - STORAGE FACILITY. "

"Linda, tell him to calm down. At his age he'll have a heart attack," Doris Marie responded. "Okay, everyone back to you respective areas. Linda's here now and we can all thank you properly."

With that statement Doris Marie went over and gave Linda a kiss on the cheek and handed her a dozen red roses. "We love you Linda and wanted to thank you for what you did. Each and everyone of us is thrilled! You couldn't have made us any happier."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you Linda for all you did. We LOVE you. You're the best CREATOR in the world!" all 1,496 dollies said in unison.

Linda blushed and thanked Doris Marie and all 1,496 dollies and said," Oh, my! I am so touched by this. I didn't realize how much this would mean to all of you. They came out wonderful and you all look FABULOUS. I can hardly wait to post them all. Thank you, thank you, thank you all."

"You needn't worry about the house shaking any more, Linda," Doris Marie responded. "The dollies have gotten that out of their system and really just wanted to thank you from the bottoms of their hearts - which they just did. They'll behave now so you can tell hubby to calm himself. No sense getting riled up at his age. "

"I will, Doris Marie. Everyone - THANK YOU for the roses and your warm affection. It means a LOT to me to hear that," Linda responded. With that statement she turned and left "The Dollie Storage Room." But, as she did she thought she heard the sounds of muffled laughter. Or was that muffled chatter. Psst.... Have you seen yours? Have you seen yours? Well, have ya? Hmmm....

Posted by Linda Walsh Originals - "Doll Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns - "Instant Download E-Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"

WOW! WOW! Have You Seen Yours, Yet?

2007-08-07T06:57:00.000-07:00

"Everyone, everyone! Gather around. Wait until you see these." "They're FANTASTIC! Just like Linda said they would be."
"Why, we look FABULOUS!"

" Just look at some of the group shots from the NEW pictures that Linda took. Aren't they wonderful?" Rag-doll Anthony asked.

"Rag-doll Anthony where did you get those?" Helena barked.

"Why, from Linda's study. They were just lying on her desk," Rag-doll Anthony responded. "I didn't think she'd mind if we took a look at a few of the group shots. She took thousands of NEW pictures. What could it hurt to take a peek at a few? "

"Well, that wasn't a smart idea Anthony. Linda will mind. We shouldn't be looking at the NEW pictures until she's ready to show us and post them. She won't like this a bit," Helena replied.

"Okay, Okay. Hold on to your girdle Helena. I'll get them back asap," Rag-doll Anthony responded. "But, first DON'T we look FANTASTIC?"

Helena had to admit they did, but Linda wouldn't like them looking at the NEW pictures.

"WOW, we all look FANTASTIC!" she quietly whispered.

"Hey, everyone gather around real quickly and take a look at these....."

I want one! I want one! Where's mine? Did Linda do one for me? Hey, stop shoving me! Cut it out! I want to see my picture! Where's mine? Did you see me? Stop pushing me. Hey, stop it. There's not enough room for all of us here. Quit shoving..............

Posted by: Linda Walsh Originals - "Doll Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns - "Instant Download E-Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"

The "Gray's" Have a Gray Is Beautiful Products Gallery

2008-01-23T06:37:00.000-08:00

The "Gray's" have all been huddled in the library for several months now and all the rest of the "dollies" in "The Dollie Storage Room" were starting to get concerned.

They thought something terrible must be wrong.

Why would they all be huddled together for so long and whispering? Definitely something had to be wrong. Senior citizens huddled and whispering.

It must be something they didn't want anyone else to know. So, they decided they would talk to Linda.

Well, to their surprise Linda told them that nothing was wrong.

In fact, The "Gray Is Beautiful" dolls had FABULOUS NEWS! They had been working for months on their "Gray Is Beautiful Products" gallery and had already added three of Helena's products lines.

They each have 21 product lines so with 5 dolls in the "Gray Is Beautiful" series so once their "Gray Is Beautiful Products" gallery is fully loaded it would have 106 product lines. How great is that?

The other "dollies" thought that was FABULOUS NEWS, but what exactly would they be selling?

Well, the "Gray's" reminded them that Linda had commissioned graphic images of themselves to be created last Fall from Neenee (AKA Denise Bailey of KKL Kreations, KKL Primitives, KKL Graphics Blog, KKL Kreations Blog, and the The Krazy Kraft Lady Blog). Neenee had done a fabulous job and all the "Gray's" were thrilled with their graphic images.

So, they decided to enhance their graphics with some wonderful "Baby Boomer", "Senior-Citizen", and "Gray-Haired" sayings - all along the lines of being "PROUD TO BE GRAY!" Plus, they added some colorful touches here and there.

They're right PROUD of themselves, their gray and white hair, and being senior citizens. They're PROUD of their age. Proud to be Grandmothers, Nana's, and Grannies. Why, not use all of that to create a wonderful product line displaying their graphics? So, they did just that.

Here's what their "Gray Is Beautiful Products" gallery screenshot looks like:

The paint is still drying on their "Gray Is Beautiful Products" gallery, but if you want to take a look at what's there so far please CLICK HERE or on the banner or screenshot above.

They will be unveiling Helena's 3 new product lines over the next few days so stay tuned for a FABULOUS collection of "Gray Is Beautiful" products.

Each product line will have: Bumper Stickers, Greeting Cards, Note Cards, Mousepads, Buttons, Keychains, Magnets, Tote Bags, Aprons, Several Different Kinds of Mugs, Postage, Stickers, Different Styles of T-Shirts, and Postcards.

Maybe you'll be inspired to buy some for yourselves, your friends, your Grandmother. The "dollies" are going to buy some. Of course, they're going to use theirs as "joke" presents for their "baby boomer dolly", "senior-citizen dolly", and "granny dolly" friends.

Posted by Linda Walsh Originals - "Doll Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns - "Instant Download E-Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"

The Dollie Storage Room Blidget

2008-02-20T06:35:00.000-08:00

I've been playing again. This time it's with WIDGETS.

WIDGETS that you can add to your websites and blogs. Well, in my case it's WIDGETS and BLIDGETS.

Now you might just be wondering what a WIDGET is or certainly what a BLIDGET is. Well, a widget is a box that holds data that a user can interface with. It can be a game, a calendar, news, pictures, or just about anything you can think of.

And, here's the best part - it can also be a blog. Which means it's a BLIDGET.

That's right - it can be a blog. Your blog, in fact, turned into a widget.

That means that I can create a BLIDGET of my Linda's Blog and add it to any of my other websites or blogs.

And, if I make it a public blidget - guess what - you can add it to your website or blog.

How fantastic is that?

So, of course I created public BLIDGETS for all my blogs except my "I Love Crafts and Craft Blogs" and "The Best FREE Craft Articles" blogs. I didn't create public widgets for those two as they contain copyrighted materials from other bloggers and that is a violation of the Widgetbox.com terms of use.

You might be wondering exactly how I did this, what my blidgets look like, and where you can get one for your blog. Here's the where-with-all.

Here's what my "The Dollie Storage Room" blog blidget looks like:

If you want to get my "The Dollie Storage Room" blog as a BLIDGET for your website or blog all you need to do is CLICK on the little "Get Widget" button and follow the prompts. How much fun is this? Think of all the possibilities?

So, of course, the "dollies" noticed how much fun I was having and decided that they wanted their own BLIDGETS for their respective blogs. Only, they didn't want just my blogs they also wanted to have some FUN, some games, things relating to dolls. They wanted some WIDGETS, too.

Given that I hardly ever refuse them anything (well, hardly ever) I decided to add some fun WIDGETS to their blogs. That should keep them happy for about 2 minutes! LOL LOL

I'm going to add my blog BLIDGETS to the sidebars of my different blogs so if you're a reader of that blog and want to add it as a widget to your own blog or website all you need to do is click on the "Get Widget" button.

So, where can you get a WIDGET or BLIDGET for your own blog? Just go to WIDGETBOX.COM and open an account to get your very own blidget (which is your blog turned into a widget) or get some of the other widgets that are there.

I just love it when I'm playing. Have fun!

Posted by Linda Walsh Originals - "Doll Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns - "Instant Download E-Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"

Of Course - A Doll House Widget For "Dollies! - I Should Have Known!

2008-02-24T06:06:00.000-08:00

This next widget that the "dollies" wanted me to add to their sidebar is a "no-brainer!"

It's a "dollhouse" widget! A "dollhouse" for "dollies" - how appropriate! An "Itty Bitty Doll House." In other words, an interactive dollhouse.

Have FUN playing "dolls" with the "dollies!"

However, it was a little too big to add to the sidebar of their "The Dollie Storage Room" blog the way it was. So, I had to shrink it a little. That's okay. At least they can't say I didn't add it to their blog.

Have FUN!

Posted by Linda Walsh Originals - "Doll Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns - "Instant Download E-Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"

Check Out Our New Drop Down Menu's For Linda's Doll Bookstore

2008-08-30T05:09:00.000-07:00

Along with all the changes to our Linda's Doll Bookstore we decided to add drop down menu's for our two bookstores to the sidebars of all our blogs, including The Book Review Corner blog.

Now if you want to shop for doll books you love from any of our blogs it's easier than ever. Just go to the sidebars and look for our bookstore buttons and bookstore module and then click on the drop down menu arrows for the bookstore category you want. Then click on the category and you'll be brought to the page that category is on in our Linda's Doll Bookstore. How great is that?

Please visit my Linda's Doll Bookstore for Books on dolls and doll making!

To see all the categories in my "Linda's Doll Bookstore" just click on the link in the drop-down menu below for the category you would like:

Posted by Linda Walsh Originals - "Doll Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns - "Instant Download E-Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"

The Story Behind My "Anna" and "James" Dolls

2006-03-15T06:02:00.000-08:00

This is the story behind my "James" and "Anna" graduation doll patterns and involves my Dad, my niece, and my twin granddaughters.

When both my twin granddaughters and my niece were graduating from high school and college, respectively I wanted to give them something special. For me, that usually involves something crafty that I'd made or, and this may come as a surprise to all of you, a doll. So, I decided on a doll. But, I didn't want just any graduation doll. I thought how about if I take their graduation picture and transpose that onto a doll's head using iron on transfer paper. Nice idea. Bad application from the start.

So, I set about to design a stand alone graduation doll that would have each of their respective graduation gown colors. I knew I wanted the doll to be stand alone and wanted the body bottoms to be made out of denim. I decided that I would use popcorn kernels to weight the bodies down. So, I began by scanning in their respective graduation pictures and then setting about to crop the images and adjust the image size until their faces would fit on my graduation doll patterns head. I should have known right from the start that this was going to be a disaster. I just couldn't seem to get the right size face with the right size head. In any event, I finally had something I could work with and transferred the face to my cloth head piece.

Then I put the three dolls together using my rough draft pattern pieces. The doll's bodies and graduation gowns came out wonderful. Their faces were an entirely different story almost bordering on scary. See for yourself. What do you think? Scary, frightening, yuck?

The first person to receive her doll was my niece. Well, the graduation doll was the talk of the graduation barbecue until my niece arrived and I gave it to her. Everyone thought the doll was creative and unique. My niece loved it but thought it was "CREEPY!" She wasn't sure whether she should thank me and keep it or thank me and hide it at the back of her closet. I have to admit it was pretty "creepy" and pretty scary looking. I suppose having ones face on a doll is "creepy" and just the looks of the doll was pretty scary. Not that her face is scary or anything. It's just the flat dimensions on what's supposed to be a three dimensional face just didn't work. Flat faces look great on pillows. On dolls, that's another story.

My twin granddaughters were the next group to receive their graduation dolls. Once, again, everyone thought they were unique, exceptional, and downright scary. My grandsons wouldn't even look at them. They were too scared. My granddaughters just laughed and got a kick out of showing all their friends their "frightening" graduation dolls.

So, I decided I had to make something positive out of this disaster and decided to design the graduation doll with an embroidered face. After all I already had the rough draft pattern. All I needed was a face. Instead of doing just one doll pattern I decided to do two: a male graduation doll pattern and a female graduation doll pattern. I could easily alter the clothes underneath the gown to suit either a male or female.

Since all of my dolls are named after relatives or ancestors I decided to name my male graduate after my Father, who graduated from college on the GI bill after WWII. That seemed appropriate and a nice way to honor him and his accomplishment which, I'm sure, at the time was difficult to do. After all, WWII had just ended and he had fought in the battle of Iwo Jima. To suddenly be going to college in an idealist setting had to be an adjustment for him.

I then decided to name my girl graduation doll after my oldest niece,Anna, who had graduated from college with a BA in Geology and was going on to pursue her Masters and then her PHD. She definitely had a long road ahead of her so it seemed appropriate to name my female graduation doll after her as well.

My Anna graduation doll pattern is for a 20" girl doll. She is a free-standing cloth doll with a square bottom denim base. She has a long tunic shirt with fringed 3/4 gathered sleeves and square-bottomed denim pants. Her face is embroidered and she has round black button eyes. She is wearing a white satin graduation gown with 3/4 sleeves and is holding a bouquet of silk ribbon flowers with streamers and diploma in her right hand and her commencement exercise booklet in her left hand. She has long flowing red hair framing her face and has a white graduation cap on her head. A string of pearls and ribbon bow decorate her outfit.

My James graduation doll pattern is for a 20" boy doll. He is also a free-standing cloth doll with a square bottom denim base. He sports a long cotton shirt with rolled sleeves and square-bottomed denim pants. His face is embroidered and he has round black button eyes. He is wearing a black satin graduation gown with 3/4 sleeves and is holding his diploma in his right hand and his commencement exercise booklet in his left hand. He has wild curly brown hair framing his face and has a black graduation cap on his head.

Both the "Anna" graduation doll pattern and "James" graduation doll pattern are on my Linda Walsh Originals Graduation page and are available as either print patterns or E-Patterns on my Linda Walsh Originals website.

Well, this story had several phases. It was a nice idea whose application was downright frightening and was rescued by creative embroidering. Hopefully, you'll agree. If you'd like to try your hand at transferring the face of a graduate you know please do so. Maybe you'll have better luck then I did. If not, the embroidered faces in my "Anna" and "James" graduation doll patterns are just adorable. At least, they won't cause nightmares.

Posted by Linda Walsh Originals - "Doll Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns - "Instant Download E-Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"

The Dollie Storage Room Stitcheries

2008-01-31T06:28:00.000-08:00

The "dollies" are very creative and just love needlecrafts. They thought you might like "E-stitcheries" of them so you could create needlecraft pictures, stitcheries, and pillows of your favorite dolls.

Linda is busy working on the "Dollies" E-Stitcheries and hopes to have them available soon.

Posted by Linda Walsh Originals - "Doll Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns - "Instant Download E-Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"

Come See The Changes At Our Doll Bookstore

2008-08-28T05:55:00.000-07:00

As you know the "dollies" and I just love dolls and love checking out all the NEW books about dolls and doll making. Well, in doing so we or I should say the "dollies" decided to update our Linda's Doll Bookstore.

We gave it a whole NEW look, added tons and tons of NEW books, and added tons of NEW categories. Of course, they did all the ordering about and I did all the work.

We also added several new sections: Beaded Dolls, Doll History, Doll Houses-Miniature, Doll Patterns, Doll Posters, Fairies Gnomes & Trolls, Paper Mache Dolls, Santa Claus Dolls, Toy Soldiers/Action Figures, and Winnie The Pooh.

We hope you like all the new sections and the updates to all our other sections. If you'd like to see what we've done please just click on any of the sections below for the category you'd like to see:

Linda's Doll Bookstore
African American Dolls
American Girl
Altered Art & Mixed Media
Art Dolls
Barbie Dolls
Beaded Dolls
Bears and Animal Dolls
Blythe Dolls
Books Linda Bought-2008
Books Linda Bought-2007
Build A Bear Workshop
Cloth Dolls
Clothespin Dolls
Colonial Dolls
Crocheted & Knitted Dolls
Cultural and Other Dolls
Doll Clothes
Doll Collecting
Doll Furniture
Doll History
Doll Houses - Miniature
Doll Magazines
Doll Making
Doll Patterns
Doll Posters
Fairies,Gnomes & Trolls
Hopi Kachina Dolls
Japanese Dolls
Linda's Books Reviewed
Miniature Quilts
Needle Felted and Felt
New Releases/Pre-Orders
Paper Dolls
Paper Mache Dolls
Plush Dolls
Porcelain & Clay Dolls
Puppets & Marionettes
Raggedy Ann & Andy Dolls
Reborn Babies
Santa Claus Dolls
Shirley Temple
Tasha Tudor Books
Toy Soldiers/Action Figures
The "Dollies" Favorites
Victorian Dolls
Wood Dolls

Besides all the above we've added tons and tons of new books on dolls and doll making. We hope you enjoy the newly updated Linda's Doll Bookstore and hope you find it even easier to shop for everything and anything about dolls.

Posted by Linda Walsh Originals - "Doll Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns - "Instant Download E-Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"

The "Dollies" and I Updated Our Linda's Doll Bookstore

2008-05-17T05:25:00.000-07:00

We finally had a chance to update our Linda's Doll Bookstore.

As you know the "dollies" and I just love dolls. So, it is only natural that we would love collecting books about dolls, doll making, doll stories, doll history, paper dolls, cloth dolls, Victorian dolls, colonial dolls, porcelain dolls, clay dolls, doll collecting, doll clothes, miniature doll houses, fashion dolls, cultural dolls, clothespin dolls, Japanese dolls, Hopi Kachina dolls, needle felted dolls, "Raggedies", bears, animals, reborn babies, Shirley Temple dolls, wood dolls, plush dolls, paper dolls, puppets, crocheted dolls, altered art dolls, mixed media dolls, art dolls, African American dolls, Barbie dolls, Webkinz, and more. In essence, anything and everything relating to dolls.

We've selected many, many books that we think you will enjoy. Many of them we have bought for our collection of books about dolls. Sometimes we add other products about dolls that we think you might like, too.

We added all the new releases and pre-releases of dolls and doll making books between January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2008. There are 40 new books there that we hope you will enjoy.

We also added several new sections: African American dolls, Altered Art & Mixed Media dolls, Crocheted & Knitted Dolls, Doll Furniture, Plush Dolls, and Wood Dolls.

We hope you like the new sections and the updates to all our other sections. If you'd like to see what we've done please just click on any of the sections below that you'd like to see.

Linda's Doll Bookstore
African American Dolls
American Girl
Altered Art & Mixed Media Dolls
Art Dolls
Barbie
Bears and Animal Crafts
Blythe
Books Linda Bought-2008
Books Linda Bought-2007
Build A Bear Workshop
Cloth Dolls
Clothespin Dolls
Colonial Dolls
Crocheted & Knitted Dolls
Cultural and Other Dolls
Doll Clothes
Doll Collecting
Doll Furniture
Doll Making
Doll Magazines
Doll History
Hopi Kachina Dolls
Japanese Dolls
Linda's Book Review Books
Linda's Wishlist of Books
Miniature Doll Houses
Miniature Quilts
Needle Felted Dolls
New Releases & Pre-Releases
Paper Dolls
Plush Dolls
Porcelain & Clay Dolls
Puppets
Raggedy Ann & Andy Dolls
Reborn Babies
Shirley Temple
Tasha Tudor Books
The "Dollies" Favorite Books
Victorian Dolls
Wood Dolls
Webkinz

Happy reading and happy book store shopping.

The Story Behind My Brian Snow Buddy

2008-01-27T07:01:00.000-08:00

I posted this story on my Linda's Blog but thought you might enjoy reading it here. Here's the story:

The snowguy to the left is called "Brian Snow Buddy" and is named after one of my grandsons.

I named him that because he is just so adorable, as is my grandson.

He's my buddy, as is my grandson.

He's my pal, as is my grandson.

He's so squeezable, as is my grandson.

He's just so huggable, as is my grandson.

He's just so lovable, as is my grandson.

He's so......Stop it, Nana. You're embarrassing me.

Who said that? "Brian Snow Buddy" or my grandson Brian? Both.

Nah! They both love compliments.

"Brian Snow Buddy" is a 5" snowman doll and doll pattern and is actually the first doll pattern in my "stout" doll pattern series. Brian has many more "cousins" from the "stout" family series that are being created as we speak and will be making their debut in the next few weeks.

Brian is a free-standing snowman with a warm & natural cloth body, embroidered face with black eyes, flannel vest, fringed scarf, snow cap with bell , and carries a small I (heart) snow sign. Small bows decorate his vest.

His pattern is very easy to make and is on my Linda Walsh Originals Winter page. He is available as an E-pattern snowman doll pattern or print snowman doll pattern. His E-Pattern is available on his page of our Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns website where his E-Pattern can be downloaded instantly.

When I was designing this doll he kept telling me "make me like Brian." I know, you think I'm crazy that the dolls talk to me. It's bad enough that they talk to me after they're created but before too. Well, yah.

Anyway, I had to make something that was as adorable, squeezable, lovable and excitable as Brian was as a little boy. Still is for that matter. He had the cutest fiery red cheeks. Talk about excitable. At Christmas time he could barely control himself.

Back to the story. So, "Brian Snow Buddy" became the most adorable lovable, excitable, and squeezable snowman around. Go on, give him a squeeze or a hug. He'll love it. So will you.

Brian Snow Buddy just loves the snow, as does my grandson.

"Brian Snow Buddy" is strong in body, as is my grandson.

He's determined, bold and brave, as is my grandson.

He's stubborn, staunch and firm, as is my grandson.

He's powerful and forceful, as is my grandson.

He's bulky in figure, thick set and corpulent, as is.......OOPS! That's not my grandson.

He's a lean, mean fighting machine and I LOVE HIM.

Stop it, Nana! You're embarrassing me.

Who said that? My grandson or "Brian Snow Buddy?"

Posted by Linda Walsh Originals - "Doll Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns - "Instant Download E-Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"

Meet The Dollies - Brian Snow Buddy

2008-02-03T06:18:00.000-08:00

“Brian Snow Buddy” is a 5” Snowman from our Winter Series and was one of the first shelf-sitters Linda designed.

Brian Snow Buddy just loves the snow and is a very adventurous snowman. He loves to snowboard and is always looking for a challenge. He looks for the toughest and steepest hill he can find. The steeper and rockier the better. He is a bit of a dare devil and, so far, has broken any bones.

He is also a bit of a flirt. All you have to do is look at his "MySpace" page to attest to that.

"And, he LOVES jokes which is why he was the first "dollie" to post in our jokes module. In fact, he loves jokes so much and is so good at playing jokes on everyone that Linda assigned him the task of always making sure the jokes module was up to date. She figured that might keep him out of trouble for awhile.

Well, knowing "Brian Snow Buddy" and his love of jokes, his love of flirting, and his love for adventure - I doubt that will be true for very long.

Posted by Linda Walsh Originals - "Doll Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns - "Instant Download E-Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"

But, We Want A Dog!

2008-02-26T06:08:00.000-08:00

"Come on Linda!"

"PLEASE! PRETTY, PLEASE!"

"Absolutely, Not!"

"But, we want a dog. We promise to take good care of it!"

"Yeah, right! Like I haven't heard that before."

I knew better and knew that there was no way I was going to get the "dollies" a dog. A living, breathing mammal that had real needs being taken care of by a group of inanimate "dollies." I don't think so. No matter how much they beg me I will not give in to this demand.

"PLEASE!"

"NO! Now leave me alone. I'm busy!"

"Aw.........!"

"That means you, too, Doris Marie."

"Okay, Linda. I'll be on my way," Doris responded. "I just thought I'd mention something I saw the other day while surfing the Internet. It might be the solution to giving the "dollies" a pet without really having to worry about it being taken care of."

"Hmmm...," Linda responded. "What exactly is your idea?"

I was intrigued and knew that if Doris Marie was suggesting it that it probably was a well thought out idea. She was smart as a whip, practical, and very logical in everything she did. So, it had to be good. Right?

So, I responded, "Okay, Doris Marie. Let's hear it."

"Well, I found out the other day that they actually have widgets for interactive pets. That is - computerized pets. You can play with them and take care of them on the computer."

"Sound interesting, Doris Marie, " Linda responded. "Go on."

"Well, given how the "dollies" can never decide on anything amongst themselves I thought that selecting either an interactive dog or interactive cat would be a problem. The girls would all want the kitten and the boys would all want the dog. They'd never agree," Doris said.

She continued, "Then I found this. The World's Smallest Aquarium. They could keep it on the blog and take turns feeding the fish every day. No disputing. No complaining about not having a pet. No "which pet" choices to make. Is that wonderful or what?"

"That's a brilliant idea, Doris Marie," Linda responded. "I Love it. Yes, yes - an interactive aquarium. I'm going to get it right now."

So, I did and here it is. I hope you and all the "dollies" love it.

How cute is that!

Posted by Linda Walsh Originals - "Doll Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns - "Instant Download E-Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"

The Story Behind My "Elmer's Little Boy"

2006-03-26T06:01:00.000-08:00

One of the first posts in my Linda's Blog was "The Story Behind Elmers Little Boy." I thought it would be fun to post it again in my Dolls Blog as it's such a nice story. So, here's the post:

In thinking about what to write next for my blog I thought it might be a good idea to tell the story behind some of the dolls I have created. I'd like to begin with the story behind Elmers Little Boy. So here goes..... My sister-in-laws parents who are in their 80's recently had a yardsale because they were moving into a much smaller house. Elmer (my sister-in-laws father) had an old plastic kewpie doll that had previously belonged to his deceased sister that he had kept I think in his toolbox (I might have that wrong).

In any event, he had held on to this doll for over many, many years. The only problem with the doll was that it had no clothes. He was going to throw it away but decided instead to give it to me. I was touched as I got the sense that this doll had a lot of sentimental value for him. In any event, I decided to take it home and design some clothes for it. I wanted an early american little boy look so I decided on pantaloons, a vest, shirt, and scully cap. Since I had already designed the clothes for his kewpie I decided to design a cloth doll as well. A little while later I took the plastic kewpie doll (with his new clothes) back to Elmer. Elmer was thrilled. It touched my heart to see how happy he was with my gift. Elmer's kewpie doll now sits proudly on the top of his bureau (I think).

I named my cloth pattern Elmer's Little Boy after Elmer's plastic kewpie doll. Elmers Original Kewpie is shown above and my Elmers Little Boy cloth version is shown below. The clothes for both dolls were made from some of Elmer's old clothes that I had gotten from his yard sale. I hope you like both dolls.

The pattern for "Elmers Little Boy" is available on my Linda Walsh Originals website. CLICK here if you're interested.

Posted by Linda Walsh Originals - "Doll Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns - "Instant Download E-Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"

Take A Walk On The Wild Side - The Twin Series

2008-10-17T05:32:00.000-07:00

Care to take a walk on the wild side or should we say "wilder" side with the Wilder twins?

If you do, stay tuned. The Wilder twins are going to have some fantastic adventures.

Curious?

Sorry, I can't tell. I promised Dev or was it Rye Rye? Or did I promise Manda or was it Mish?

I'm so confused. I just can't tell them apart and they won't tell me who is who!

Posted by Linda Walsh Originals - "Doll Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns - "Instant Download E-Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"

Hey, Have You Noticed The JOKES!

2008-01-26T06:06:00.000-08:00

"I'm not sure they've noticed!"

"Why, of course they have, Brian Snow Buddy!"

"Are you sure, Jael?"

"Are you sure?"

Are Your really SURE, Jael?"

"Absolutely, 100% sure," Jael replied.

"100% sure. Really?"

"Yes, Brian Snow Buddy. I am VERY, VERY, VERY sure that The Dollie Storage Room Blog readers have noticed the new "Jokes for the Kids" module on the sidebar of the blog," Jael responded. "Why are you so concerned?"

"Well," Brian Snow Buddy responded, "I worked so hard on finding the snowman jokes that I wanted to make sure everyone liked them. That they make all the kids laugh. Do you think they laughed, Jael?"

"Of course they did, Brian Snow Buddy. Why, you and I both laughed - didn't we? Who can resist snowman jokes?"

"Okay, Jael - if you're sure. I just want to make sure they noticed," Brian Snow Buddy replied.

"They did, Brian Snow Buddy. They did, "Jael responded. "Now let's go read them again and then start working on the "bunny" jokes for the Spring."

"Yes, let's. I love "bunny" jokes, too," Brian Snow Buddy cried.

"In fact, let's go find "Patience Is A Virtue." I'm sure she'd want to help us with the bunny jokes. She must have a bunch up her sleeve, or pouch, or wherever she might hide them."

"Do you think she'd want to help?"

"Do you?"

"Do you thinks so, Jael?"

"Yes, Brian Snow Buddy, I'm sure she'd like to help."

"Are you sure, Jael?"

"Are you sure?"

"Brian....... I'M SURE," Jael responded. She didn't mean to snap at Brian Snow Buddy. It's just at times......."

Posted by Linda Walsh Originals - "Doll Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns - "Instant Download E-Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"

Against My Better Judgement - Here's The Bunny Slideshow!

2008-03-14T06:22:00.000-07:00

There are just too many of them hopping around all over "The Dollie Storage" room that I had to give in. The house kept jumping every time they would jump and with that many bunnies jumping who knows what kind of damage they could do to the house.

Plus, I had caught a break. Hubby was out and didn't know what was going on. If he need, well, let's just say it wouldn't be pretty. There would be a LOT fewer "dollies" in "The Dollie Storage Room!"

So, I decided to give in to all their enthusiasm and agree to show their slideshow here on their "The Dollie Storage Room" blog.

So, here's the "Hey, What About Us Series! Hop, Hop The Bunny Trail!" slideshow:

I also agreed to add the slideshows to the sidebar with one playing for each season or event. We have 42 different slideshows so there will ALWAYS be one playing.

The lengths I have to go to keep the "dollies" amused. It's okay as long as they just stop jumping.

Enjoy the show.

Posted by Linda Walsh Originals - "Doll Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns - "Instant Download E-Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"

Okay! Enough Is Enough!

2008-08-16T08:08:00.000-07:00

Well I got another ultimatum from the "dollies" the other day. All it said was was "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! AND, WE HAVE BEEN PATIENT ENOUGH!"

After I read it I thought, "I guess I have been a little amiss in working on The Dollie Storage Room Blog."

I've just been so busy with all the new patterns and new handmade dolls that I've kind of neglected all the other "dollies" and their blog. And, for sure, they weren't going to let me get away with that!

So, to appease them I told them that I would post some of their wonderful slideshows starting with the scarecrows I have designed and scarecrows I have made based upon other designers patterns.

Hopefully, that should keep them happy for just a little while. We'll see.....

Posted by Linda Walsh Originals - "Doll Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns - "Instant Download E-Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"

There Are Scarecrows Everywhere!

2008-08-17T01:13:00.000-07:00

I have made so many wonderful scarecrow dolls over the years and wanted to show some of them to you.

So, I thought the easiest way to show them all to you was with my slideshows. I created two separate slideshows. The first is all of my Linda Walsh Originals scarecrow designs and the second is all the other scarecrows I have made based on other designers patterns. Each of the other designers has been credited for their design on the respective page of my website that the handmade doll is for sale on.

Shown below are all the scarecrows that I designed. I hope you enjoy the slideshow of my designs.

Shown below are all the scarecrows that I have made based on other designers patterns. I hope you enjoy the slideshow of the other designers dolls.

If you'd like to make any of my scarecrow designs their e-patterns are available on my Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns website. Just CLICK HERE for the Scarecrows.

Posted by Linda Walsh Originals - "Doll Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"
Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns - "Instant Download E-Patterns for Grown-up Girls!"