I’ve been meaning to share all the holiday goodies I created for Ellie and for others. December was a heavy making month. I was making peg dolls late into the night for custom orders and then would get an idea that I needed to make a doll or I needed to paint something RIGHT Then! It was a lot of work, but so much fun. I loved making all the peg dolls I sold this year. The custom family dolls may be my favorite. I even did a whole extended family of peg dolls for a friend of mine.

This is my best friend and her family. So much fun posing these pegs for pictures.
(photo above by WildWhimPhotography)

I made Ellie little tiny Charlotte and Linus peg dolls for Christmas. They are played with a lot. Especially since they fit in her new peg people cars and the airplane she got for her birthday.

I’m not sure if I shared this or not, but something I made and gave to Ellie before Christmas was this Snowman peg doll set. The book was one of her favorite winter reads and I thought it would be fun to make her a set she could use with her winter play mat. She’s still enjoying incorporating these guys into her play.

I also made Ellie a set of nesting dolls. I had bought the blank set here, and thoroughly enjoyed painting them. They were quite the hit on Christmas and are played with regularly even now.

I did a lot of watercolor and ink pieces over the holidays. Here are a few…

And then I finished two more dolls. One baby doll for a friend’s daughter and one for my grandmother.

Made from felt and cotton and all upcycled materials. Her cowl was a thrifted tube scarf and her dress was a thrifted adult skirt.

I had to add a little peg doll pocket too! I love how she turned out. I’m learning a lot about hand sewing with each doll that I make.

The last thing I made before Christmas, was an art doll for my grandmother (Ellie’s Great Grandmother). I had been wanting to create something special for her for Christmas. She’s been such an amazing inspiration to me for many, many years and she’s also been my cheerleader for many, many years. I thought a special art doll would be perfect.

I used denim and linen and wool roving for her hair. Little bits and colors that reminded me of her style.

Because she’s a painter, I made little wooden paintbrushes from popsicle sticks for the doll. I was thrilled with how she turned out and I think it warmed my grandmother’s heart, which is precisely what I wanted to do.

So there’s pretty much everything I wanted to share with you. I can’t believe I got all of this done and more, in less than a month. I don’t think I slept throughout the month of December, but oh, it was worth it. Making things for the people I love and even making things for myself, it’s the creative work for my soul.