Van's Doll Treasures primarily features Barbie and other fashion dolls her size. I make and sell 1/6 scale doll furniture for Barbie and Ken. The link to my Etsy shop is available on the right hand side. I prepare dioramas and videos that feature my doll families.
Coming soon to an Etsy store near you.... decorative words! These are just my prototypes. The ones I sell will be stained, or painted. I can do any word or phrase, so I will be offering customization.
When I first thought about all the wood projects I wanted to do, this was near the top of the list. I have several of these signs in full size around my house. I have one that says OFFICE and one that says DOLLS. I am still drawn to them when I go to TJ Maxx. I thought, "wouldn't it be cool to have these in 1/6 scale"? Well here they are. For my first time, I'm pretty happy with them.
I learned a valuable lesson shooting these pictures. Clean your camera lens! My apologies for the cloudy spot on the pictures.
Jason had promised Jada a trip to the zoo and he delivered. They have been at the zoo most of the day and the last animals for them to see are the gorillas. Paul and Bridget are there with their two kids. They've just spent time with the gorillas and decided to take a little rest before moving on to the giraffes.
The zoo has two adult gorillas. They've named them Desi and Lucy because of their comedic antics. This is Desi.
Lucy is perched on a ledge in the corner.
"Look how big they are Jada." (Jason)
Jada is fascinated, but keeping her distance.
Jada gets a little brave and takes a couple of steps forward. She is quickly stopped in her tracks as Desi moves closer to the front.
"Jada, honey, I don't think you should get any closer." (Lynn)
Charlotte is telling her dad a little about some of the animals they just saw. She loves animals and has more than once voiced her desire to be a vet one day.
"Garrett, come over here, please." (Bridget)
She might as well have said, "Garrett turn and run towards the gorillas", because that's exactly what he did.
"Mommy, monkeys." (Garrett)
"They are gorillas, and we just saw them. We're going to see the giraffes. Don't you want to see the giraffes?" (Bridget)
Jason is trying to get Jada a little closer to the gorillas.
"Honey, you are making me real nervous." (Lynn)
Off in the distance, one of the zookeepers is approaching with a monkey.
"Hello. Are you enjoying Lucy and Desi?" (Zookeeper)
"Daddy, daddy, look it's a monkey!" (Jada)
"Yes, I see honey." (Jason)
"This is George. We named him after our favorite TV monkey, Curious George." (Zookeeper)
"We know Curious George very well. We watch him all the time." (Jason)
They talk a little more and then the zookeeper takes George to see the other family.
"Hello. George wanted to say hello to you." (Zookeeper)
"Look Garrett. A monkey. Isn't he adorable." (Bridget)
"Oh my! I've never seen a real live monkey so close. Can I pet him?" (Charlotte)
"George is a very friendly monkey, but we have strict rules at the zoo against the public petting the animals. I'm sorry." (Zookeeper)
George, of course, is eating up the attention. He is just like a little kid and loves being around real people.
"Honey, I can't get over how cute he is." (Lynn)
"I've never known you to be so fond of animals." (Jason)
"I know. But I've never seen a monkey up close and personal." (Lynn)
The zookeeper spends a little more time there, then moves on to see other zoo guests.
"Okay, well we really need to get a move on it now, if we are going to finish." (Bridget)
"I agree. Not to mention it looks like the rain will be here soon. I'll take Garrett." (Paul)
"I can't believe I got to see a real monkey." (Charlotte, still in awe)
"So first the giraffes and then the elephants. That will put us closer to the front gate." (Bridget)
Charlotte has snapped out of her state of monkey bliss.
"Lead the way." (Paul)
"Mommy, can we stop and get some cotton candy?" (Charlotte)
Lynn and Jason are taking a little rest before heading to the car. It's also a chance for Jada to eat her cheese sandwich they brought with them.
"Well this was a fun day. I don't remember the last time I came to the zoo." (Lynn)
"It was fun. I guess we need to thank Jada for insisting we come." (Jason)
"Jada, why aren't you eating your sandwich? Here, take a bite." (Jason)
"Awww, honey, look at Lucy and Desi." (Lynn)
Epilogue
1. I found Lucy and Desi at a thrift store for $2 each.
2. This bird cage has been a decoration in my living room for many years.
3. I finally got to use the little green bird fountain I found at TJMaxx a few months ago.
4. The little monkey was purchased from Hobby Lobby about a month ago. He has magnets in his hands and feet.
5. I have many other zoo animals that hopefully we will see another day.
Adele and Mike are due back soon. They just recently closed on their house in Chicago. They should be arriving in town within the next two weeks. In the midst of packing and house closing, Adele squeezed in a little shopping. She needed a few more items for her teacher job.
The Insomnia line is growing. Throughout the night, I managed to sew Adele a three piece outfit.
I am not calling it a suit because I made the jacket bigger than a suit jacket. I will make another suit jacket and use this jacket with some jeans. For now, it will work just fine with her skirt.
I made a cute little wrap blouse. The sleeves are 3/4 length on Adele because I used my fashionista doll to measure the sleeves. Ooops. It still works.
If you recall, I made a skirt from this fabric a couple of months ago. I thought about using it with the jacket and shirt, but decided to whip up a new skirt instead. Shocked me, too. I like the design of this skirt better than the other one.
I'm thinking about adding a belt to this jacket.
I'm feeling like my sewing mojo is slowly coming back.
I finished the wooden rocker a little while ago and listed it in the store yesterday. It is made of oak and has a light mahogany finish. It fits just about every toddler doll Mattel has made. I am working on a new crib which I hope to have done by the weekend.
The girls really want Shay to get out of the rocker so they can ride.
It's Friday night and The Den is the place to be. Kara and Chris are performing tonight, and the place is filling up already. Kara has built quite a reputation for herself since performing regularly at The Den. At the moment, DJ Rohan is filling The Den with smooth jazz sounds. (If you would like to hear the sultry sounds of Phyllis Hyman while reading the photostory, click on the video.)
Tonight is Leslie and David's date night. Ever since the wedding, they have a regular date night every two weeks. Leslie convinced Danielle to come out and relax. Dealing with Melanie, Rod's ex-wife, has really gotten her down a bit.
"Will you be having dinner with us, tonight?" (Waitress)
"No, we will just stick to the drinks for now. Thanks." (Rod)
Harrison, the owner of The Den, has stopped by to say hi to his lady friend, psychiatrist, Tina.
"And how is my lady doing? Can I get you something?" (Harrison)
"No, honey. I am just fine. The glass of wine you sent over will hold me for a little bit." (Tina)
Shantavia is there with her new man, Bruce. This is the first time her mom is meeting him.
"Mr. Harrison, this is my friend, Bruce." (Shantavia)
"Hello young man. Nice to meet you, and welcome to The Den." (Harrison)
"Thanks. Nice to meet you, too." (Bruce)
"If I don't see a smile soon, I will be forced to take drastic measures." (Rod)
"I told you I am fine." (Danielle)
"I know what you told me, but I know you well enough to know better." (Rod)
"Are you kidding me?" (Leslie)
"I wish I were. But no more talk about work. I just want to relax and have a good time tonight. I will deal with that fiasco on Monday." (David)
Racquel, Terrance, Nikki, and Darius are chilling in the VIP section. They were sent a complimentary bottle of wine. I say complimentary, but for what they paid to sit in the VIP section, that bottle of wine was more than paid for.
"Did I tell you how nice you look tonight:?" (Terrance)
"You did earlier, but you can tell me again." (Racquel)
"That's just like you. Always fishing for more compliments. Well I have something for you that's better than a compliment." (Terrance)
"Well bring it on." (Racquel)
"Will I get to see some of those moves on the dance floor tonight?" (Nikki)
"Most definitely. We haven't danced since the New Year's party." (Darius)
Chris and Kara are saying hello to his sisters, Marisa and Payton, who came to see them sing.
"Thanks so much for coming out to support us, guys." (Chris)
Payton, is Chris' younger sister.
"I can't wait to hear you sing, Kara. The last time I saw you guys perform was at Mom and Dad's anniversary last year." (Payton)
"By the way, Rick sends his apologies. He hasn't been feeling well since we returned from Florida. So he's home nursing a cold." (Marisa)
"No problem." (Chris)
"So Payton are you in town for good?" (Kara)
"I like it here. If I can find a good job, I would love to stay." (Payton)
"Well, let me know if you need help. I have a few connections around town." (Kara)
Oh, look who's here. It's Halle. Yes, she is here with her man, Diego.
"Isn't that your friend, Racquel over there in VIP?" (Diego)
"Yes. I need to go say hello, but not right now." (Halle)
"So Bruce, tell me a little more about yourself." (Tina)
Shantavia shoots her mother a look. Tina promised to be on her best behavior and Shantavia is just trying to remind her of this. Tina has a way of getting a little carried away. Shantavia has never been married, and Tina is anxious to see her daughter walk down the aisle one day.
Well the time has come for the main event.
"Welcome to The Den. Hope you all are enjoying yourselves, tonight. If you haven't been, you will after hearing our next group. Please welcome to the stage, Kara, who is accompanied by her husband, Chris, on the guitar." (Harrison)
"Thank you. Tonight, I will do a tribute to one of my favorite singers, Phyllis Hyman." (Kara)
"May I have this dance?" (Bruce)
"But of course." (Shantavia)
"I'm sorry about the 50 million questions my mother is asking." (Shantavia)
"It's okay. I sort of expected that." (Bruce)
"She's just concerned about you. I get it. A beautiful, intelligent, young lady, such as yourself, deserves the best." (Bruce)
David and Leslie have made their way to the dance floor. Leslie is feeling a little giddy. Must be the wine.
Meanwhile, Danielle is finally relaxing a little bit, as Rod is whispering sweet nothings in her ear.
We'll come back to The Den for Part II. We need to see Darius on the dance floor. Will Halle really go over to say hello to Racquel in the VIP section? Will she take Diego or go alone? Will she acknowledge Darius at all? Oh my! So many unanswered questions.
