A Year in Review: 2020

Summing up the year...

It has been a strange year in so many ways, and I have been less involved with the dolls for a number of reasons. Most of which I won't go into on here.

There have been a few 'departures' and there will be more in the New Year as I refine my collection and focus.  I have had a lot of time to think about what direction I want to go in, and have a few ideas brewing.  I will be cutting down/stopping  posting on the social media platforms I am on and just posting on my blogs, this one and my Sasha blog: Sasha Haven   

I had a couple of creative periods where I made bears and tiny rag dolls, but in between those I have not had much creative mojo happening at all.  The bears and TRDs can be seen on previous posts.

I had four new dolls this year - one of which will be leaving.  The newbies are:

December saw the arrival of Sam just before Christmas - a gift to myself after seeing her on Ebay brand new in box for less than half the usual price.  I have wanted her for a long time, I think it is the orange tights! and so couldn't pass up the chance to get her.  I was a bit worried about whether I would like her or not as I have been quite 'off' dolls this year, and didn't like the boy doll Max when he arrived earlier in the year (shown below, and I am selling him).  

I got this sweet little Kathe Kruse doll in December as well and really like him.  I used to have three of these little dolls but sold them all a few years ago.  

A boy was added to the Gregor family in July, and has settled in well.

This is Max,  I thought I would really like him as I like boy dolls, and I should have sent him straight back without opening him, but I did open him, took a few photos and then put him straight back in the box where he has remained ever since.  For some reason I just don't like him, so he is looking for a new home.

Interestingly looking back on my first post of the year:

The Year of Twenty 

I didn't do too bad in sticking to my thoughts...I certainly created twenty items - more in fact.
I kept pretty much to the twenty dolls I had out at the beginning of the year, which was an interesting experiment.  Although I know I could never get down to just the twenty dolls.  I definitely like my Sasha and Schoenhut dolls too much to cut down on them, although will be cutting down on a lot of the other smaller vintage type dolls.  'Lockdown' put paid to visiting a lot of places with Henry, although he did visit a few places which was fun, and I hope to continue that more in the New Year.  I haven't felt much like taking travel companions out and about with me this year, but perhaps that will change.

I never finished my Carve a Hitty nor made her twenty items of clothing.  Getting ready for a move put paid to that, and she has sat on my shelf by my computer ever since...just waiting to be finished.

So that was pretty much my year really.  

I hope everyone has a good New Year's Eve.

The New Year - The Year of Twenty!

The Year of Twenty!

Last year was a Creative Year...this year I want to somehow have the focus on 'twenty'.  I have had various ideas so far... some good and probably some impossible...so currently in the thinking process.  

Perhaps I could see if I can focus on twenty dolls (insert manic laughing here!) ...  with a view to eventually refining my collection significantly.  Of course this could be doomed to failure, especially knowing how sentimental I am!  There is a big part of me that would like to do this however, as I often feel very overwhelmed by my doll and prop collection and find it difficult to focus on just where I want to be headed and what I want to do. Jack of All Trades (or Collections!) springs to mind.

Of course I could use 'Twenty' in other ways...perhaps creatively....make twenty dresses, knit twenty items, animals, etc...  who knows the ideas could be endless?

I could sort out some groups of dolls with a maximum of twenty per group - which seems a lot, but if you think about my Sasha & Gregor doll family for example, it would be very easy to have twenty in the group as I am sure other Sasha collectors could relate to.

At the moment a lot of my dolls are still packed away, and probably will be for a while yet...so in a way it will be easier to focus on the few dolls I have out...I wonder just how many that is?

These are the dolls and two bears who are currently not packed away.  They conveniently add up to twenty! Although Romeo and Romeo Jr (my two monkeys) and Hilda Lawrence (Howard's wife) are not in the group and they are out.  

Some creative ideas are...

Finish carving my Hitty doll (who I think will be my 10th) and make twenty items of clothing for her.  I am optimistically hoping to finish carving her this month as there is a 'Carve a Hitty in January' Challenge on at the moment...and then to slowly work on her wardrobe of twenty items.

Make some Tiny Rag Dolls for my Etsy Shop - I know this probably won't happen until later on, perhaps March time... If I do, I think the maximum I will probably make will be twenty, and I don't suppose I will manage that in one year...but it is food for thought.

Visit twenty different places with Henry or my other travel companions and blog about those places.

I'd love to know what my friends and readers of this blog are doing this year with their dolls, collections etc...  so please feel free to share.