Danner's Place

iPad stand

2011-11-25T19:45:00.001-05:00

This looks like fun to make

Jen from bettycrockerass shares a tutorial for sewing up a handy iPad stand. The triangular stand holds the iPad at an angle for hands-free reading. This would make an awesome gift!! Get the tutorial.

[photo from bettycrockerass]

A Couple More Skirts

2011-06-17T19:09:00.002-04:00

Update: I was chosen as a finalist for my bicycle skirt. How cool is that?

I made a couple more skirts this afternoon for skirt week. Here they are.....

This one is called "I Want To Ride My Bicycle". I have been meaning to make this skirt for almost a year now (I bought the bicycle fabric last summer while on vacation). I only used a small portion of the fabric so now I have to figure out what to do with the rest.

The bias tape hem was a leftover piece I had after making some pot holders. There was just barely enough to make it around the skirt, but the color was perfect.

I have recently gotten into wearing yoga skirts (man are they comfortable!!!). I haven't made one myself yet, mine were purchased from Old Navy. But I want to try. My daughter picked out this fabric on a recent trip to JoAnn. I thought it might work well for my first attempt.

Thanks for visiting, and don't forget to vote. VOTE for my skirt :)

Bird On A Wire - Skirt Week 2011

2011-06-16T22:53:00.000-04:00

I love to make skirts! I was thinking about making another batch this summer (last summer I made 5 one week). Then I remembered coming across an announcement for an event on Craft Hours - Skirt Week 2010. Unfortunately I saw it after it had passed. Now that I follow them regularly, I was able to catch the announcement and participate. Pictured below is my entry in the contest. I knew I wanted to make it out of a natural colored linen fabric. And I also planned on trimming the hem with linen bias tape that I cut from a coordinating fabric. I am really pumped about how it tuned out! Originally I was going to make the birds sitting in-between two telephone poles, but when I laid it out it just didn't look right. So I opted for just the "wire". I also decided to make the birds colorful (they were going to be plain silhouettes

out of the coordinating brown linen).

Here is collection of photos of some of the skirts I made last summer. The brown skirt with leaves is similar to my bird skirt.

I still have a few more ideas that I would like to try and get to before the summer ends. I may even try and make one tonight so that I will have one more to enter into Skirt Week.

All Done!

2011-05-24T21:28:00.002-04:00

Well, they're finally finished. I started the project back in January and now, 5 months later, I have finished all 100 Little Red Riding Hood dolls. It was a fun project, and I learned a lot about getting consistent results and how to be more efficient. I'm really glad I took this job. But I am also excited that it's finished and I can get started on some other projects I have in mind. And in just a few days I will be on summer break, the timing couldn't be better. Stay tuned for further developments.

Nearing The Finish

2011-05-16T23:10:00.001-04:00

This isn't the best quality picture (it was taken with my phone), but it is a satisfying picture. All 100 dolls are dressed and waiting for their capes. I was hoping to be able to finish this project before the end of May and it's looking like everything is going to work out. Yippie!

It's Not All About The Dolls

2011-04-10T01:21:00.005-04:00

This week I took some time away from doll making to get ready for my daughters birthday party. She chose owls as the theme. So we made personalized mugs with paper cut owls, I sewed up some little purses and tissue covers. And then I jazzed up some candy treats with fun wrappers. I also tried my hand at using fondant to decorate a cake. It's not as easy as it looks on TV, that's for sure. But it's wasn't awful, so I might have to try again someday. The kids had fun playing games inspired by the TV show Minute To Win It, they ate cake and ice cream, and then headed to the wii to Just Dance. A good time was had by all (including me).

Making Progress

2011-03-21T00:12:00.001-04:00

Things are coming along on the big order. I am beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I just hope I don't get side tracked along the way and loose my momentum. If Im lucky I may get this done in a few weeks. Then I can play around with some new ideas I have.

Getting Back Into The Swing Of Things

2011-03-07T22:53:00.004-05:00

It's been almost a year since my last post. Danner's Place is still open for business, and in fact, business is expanding. Which is why I thought I should get back into blogging. I will be starting a new line of clothespin dolls and characters that will be featured as cake toppers for special occasion cakes and other treats. I have contacted a local bakery and hope to see some business from there in the near future. In the meantime, I will be busy finishing up an order for a family in Greece that will be celebrating a christening this summer.

They have requested 100 Little Red Riding Hood dolls. I have the bodies and faces painted. Next up is there hair and the dresses.

I have also added some patterns to my store. The patterns feature basic clothes for the d as well as a kit that includes the pattern, a painted doll, and the supplies for the clothes.

Big Ride

2010-03-14T22:53:00.009-04:00

So I have a big ride to do now - 100 miles. The last time I did a 100 mile ride was 16 years ago when I was going through chemo, It’s about time I did another one!! The ride is from Columbus to Athens. I wanted to participate last year, but just wasn’t that motivated. But now I am, so here we go. Each rider has to raise $1500. To raise the money I will be selling the HOPE dolls through my Etsy store and on Ebay in addition to asking for donations. So please consider making a donation or buying a doll to help find a cure.

My husband took this picture of Lance Armstrong last summer when the Pelotonia ride came to town. Now he will have to take a picture of me, only I will be easier to capture because I won’t be going nearly as fast.

To make a donation go to:

https://www.pelotonia.org/ride/donate.jsp?MemberID=48809

To buy a doll go to my Etsy store

www.dannersplace.etsy.com

Hope Girls

2010-03-14T14:34:00.011-04:00

The dolls are up and listed on Etsy. The next order of business is to get the word out. Below is the "word", spread it however you can.

************************************

HOPE dolls were created to inspire and remind those living with cancer and their loved ones that there is always hope.

With these HOPE dolls, I am launching a "campaign" to raise money for cancer research. Research is what saves lives, including my own. I myself was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease in 1993. I went through 8 months of chemo and have been cancer free for almost 16 years. But more research needs to be done, until we find a cure.

From now until October 2010, 100% of each sale from Danner's Place will be donated to Pelotonia. Every dollar raised by Pelotonia and its riders goes directly to fund cancer research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute.

For more info about the dolls and my Pelotonia experience (a 100 mile bike ride in August) check out these pages:

Make A Donation
My Pelotonia Rider Profile
Danner's Place @ Etsy.com

I hope that you'll consider making a donation to my ride or purchasing a doll in memory of or in support of someone affected by cancer.

Each sale will come with a card telling you how much money you donated to Pelotonia. You will also be able to follow your donation directly to the Pelotonia web site. When you purchase a doll, I will send a link to the Pelotonia donation page where you will find your name listed and the amount of your donation.

Cuteable Feature

2009-10-14T18:18:00.005-04:00

I was featured on Cuteable again today. My halloween dolls were found on Craft Juice and then featured on the Cutable blog. It's always nice to get a little more exposure. You can check it on at cuteable.com

Halloween Friends

2009-09-29T23:21:00.001-04:00

Halloween Friends
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

Well I finally did it. I made some dolls again. They are listed in my Etsy shop. I am getting ready to make another set for thanks giving and then it time for Christmas dolls.

Skirt #3

2009-08-30T14:50:00.002-04:00

Skirt #3
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

This is a skirt I made for myself. It looks exactly like I had hoped. I used a pattern to cut it out, but I cut it a little wider at the bottom for a little loser fit. I was in such a hurry to see if it would fit that I forgot to put the zipper in. Funny thing is, I didn't need it. I can slip the skirt right on. At the top it's a little loose so I added a little elastic to the sides to snug it up. And I put bias tape at the hem for a little added detail. I am very happy with the fit and I hope to make another. Next time I will go a little slower and remember to add the zipper, I think?? It's awfully comfy just the way it is.

Skirt #2

2009-08-30T14:42:00.001-04:00

Skirt #2
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

Another skirt made fro my daughter. She picked this fabric out at the fabric store. It literally took about 45 min. to make the entire thing (including cutting out the fabric). It's just a simple two piece straight skirt with an elastic waist band. The fabrics is a light weight corduroy, perfect for early fall. And she loved the owls!

Skirt #1

2009-08-23T15:43:00.001-04:00

P1040279
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

After making all those dolls for the museum exhibit, I haven't felt to inclined to make dolls lately. Instead I have wanted to sew. It's been a while, but I keep seeing things out in blogland that I would like to try and make. So I started with a skirt for my daughter. The first attempt was a bit too poochy at the waist so I took out the elastic and added a fixed waist band with two pleats in front and elastic in the back. It still has a little pooch, but not as bad. Besides she will probably outgrow it in a month or two, so we won't have to see the pooch for long. Next up is a dress for the first day of school and a skirt for myself. Then it's back to the dolls. I have some fun ideas for the holidays, and I am actually excited to get started on them.

Off to the Museum

2009-08-12T22:57:00.001-04:00

Off to the Museum
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

It's been a while since I posted... We have been taking vacations and playing around the house. As a result, I had made only a few dolls until I received an email congratulating me on my acceptance to be featured in an exhibit of miniature collections. My dolls will be on display at a local museum for the next few months. I will be displaying 26 dolls, some added just for the exhibit.

Stephen Colbert Action Figure - profile

2009-07-20T09:20:00.001-04:00

Stephen Colbert Action Figure - profile
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

Maybe I am going out on a limb making Stephen Colbert, but it was fun. I was going to make Marilyn Monroe but I am not sure what to do about her hair. I will have to get back to that one.

Cuteable Feature

2009-07-17T12:01:00.002-04:00

cutable feature
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

My Elvis doll was featured on Cuteable today. It's a fun and "cute" blog full of good stuff to look at, you should check it out. cuteable.com

Elvis

2009-07-16T00:51:00.001-04:00

Elvis
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

He's finished. I hope he has enough bling. Next up, Marilyn Monroe.

Cinderella's Stepmother and Stepsisters Clothespin Dolls

2009-07-12T17:43:00.001-04:00

Cinderella's Stepmother and Stepsisters Clothespin Dolls
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

These dolls were a custom order for a loyal customer. She has been adding to her girls princess collection. So far I have made Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Beauty and The Beast, Jasmine, Ariel, and Cinderella's Stepsisters and Stepmother. I should make a collage photo of all the dolls together. We have a week to go before we travel again. I hope to get a couple of new characters done in that time. I have some fun ones in mind.

Wizard Friends

2009-06-30T18:57:00.001-04:00

Wizard Friends
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

Can you believe that I forgot Harry's glasses? I made a pair for him last night, but he really looks better without them. So for now I will leave him as is. If I come up with something that looks acceptable I will take some new pictures.

2009-06-16T23:50:00.002-04:00

It looks like I will be able to sell some of my witch dolls at a local art gallery gift shop. It's kind of weird to think about selling the dolls in the real world since it has all been on the internet so far. I am torn though.... I had been working so hard to get my store stocked back up and now it might be wiped out again. It is a good problem to have. But I may have to do another batch to get things full again. And all the while I have been trying to accumulate a stash for a craft fair that I want to participate in in November. What's a doll maker to do? I guess I will just have to get back in the craft room and get busy.

All Done!

2009-06-12T23:42:00.002-04:00

All Done!
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

Finally their done!! I don't know how I feel about large batches of dolls. It might be more efficient, but it's hard to keep interested. Now I am looking forward to making some characters again. I also just finished making a new banner for my Etsy store. Things are coming along nicely in the summer re-do of my Etsy shop.

Waiting

2009-06-11T00:18:00.003-04:00

Waiting
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

These dolls are waiting for hair and accessories. Five more dolls sit
and wait for their clothes, hair, and accessories. I already can't
wait to get back to work.

Progress

2009-06-11T00:18:00.001-04:00

Progress
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

I started around noon today and finally called it quits for the night
around midnight.

to do

2009-06-06T10:37:00.001-04:00

to do
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

Let the summer doll making begin!!!

Ariel and Jasmine

2009-06-06T00:07:00.003-04:00

Ariel and Jasmine
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

Finally, school is out and I am back in the craft room. I love teaching, but I am so excited to have the next few months to play around and see what I can come up with. For starters, I completed a special order, Ariel and Jasmine. Next up is another kitchen witch and then a custom wedding cake topper. In between those requests I have a lot of ideas for the witches. I am having fun already and it's only the first day of summer break.

Kitchen Witch

2009-05-19T22:05:00.001-04:00

Kitchen Witch - close up
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

Finally, I finished a doll. I just can't seem to keep up with the doll production these days. I have a ton of ideas, but not enough time. Isn't that true for most people. Anyway, I did finish this witch and picked up some fabric this weekend for some more witches. I wold like to think that I will get to them this week, but I am sure something will come up. I also want to do an overhaul of my Etsy shop. A new banner, new photo style, new "vibe". I was told today that we only have 16 days of school left. Summer is just around the corner and then I will be able to play in the craft room (and outside all day long). Yippie!!!

Felt Doll Wedding Cake Topper

2009-04-26T15:50:00.001-04:00

Felt Doll Wedding Cake Topper
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

I am pretty excited about this latest project. I had been thinking about it for quite a while and finally finished it this weekend. I have seen so many cake toppers recently and I wanted to participate, but I also wanted to be original. So this is what I came up with. I hope it does well because I would like to make more.

Beauty and The Beast

2009-04-24T11:24:00.001-04:00

Beauty and The Beast
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

I finally finished the beast. He took a lot longer than I expected. Probably because I kept getting distracted. But the order is complete (Snow White, Beauty, and The Beast). I am really happy with how the fur worked out on the beast. I wasn't sure if it would cooperate, but it did, even on the feet. Now that this order is done, what will I do next? Hmmmm......

Belle

2009-04-18T13:04:00.001-04:00

Belle
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

Here is the 2nd doll of three made for a special order. I have to confess that her dress was a little tricky. Getting the chiffon through the beads was no easy task. In general, chiffon, is always tricky to work with even when sewing "real" clothes. It frays so much. But the color and texture were just right for the doll so I had to make it work somehow. Now I will make the Beast (it's a Beauty and The Beast set). I hope to have him done this weekend.

Snow White

2009-04-15T17:43:00.001-04:00

Snow White
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

This is one of the dolls I am making for a custom order. Next up is a Beauty and The Beast pair. I finally took out my paper clay and used it for Snow Whites hair. It is my new favorite thing!!! It was easy to use and finished up so nicely. I want to buy more even though I have only used a small bit, I just like it so much I want to have tons of it.

Jack 's 15 min. of Fame

2009-04-15T09:35:00.002-04:00

Jack The Skater Dude at the skate park,
originally uploaded by Danner's Place.

Jack is being featured on Cuteable today. It's a great blog that I have been following for a while now, I hope you will check it out. http://cuteable.com/

Flying In A Tree - Kitchen Witch Clothespin Doll

2009-04-08T20:06:00.003-04:00

Flying In A Tree - Kitchen Witch Clothespin Doll
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

I finally finished my first Kitchen Witch Clothespin Doll. I had been wanting to make this for about a month now but never found the time. This is pretty much how I imagined she would turn out - that's always nice. I have other ideas for witches. I will wait to see how this one does and then make more if there seems to be some interest. For now, I will hang her in my craft room and enjoy her until she finds another home.

Back In The Game

2009-04-07T11:55:00.004-04:00

Well I am happy to say that last night I finally started another doll. I had to take a break from doll making for a couple of weeks. We took a spring break trip to New York City and then my daughter had a birthday party that involved making 9 fleece hand puppets. As a result I had to set doll making aside for a while. But last night I got to work on a doll that I have been thinking about for several weeks now. I hope to have her done and posted in the next day or two. She is coming together very nicely. Then I will get started on some custom princess dolls for a great new customer that I have been working with. So stay tuned new stuff is on the way.

I think these flowers might make me sneeze

2009-04-06T17:40:00.001-04:00

I think these flowers might make me sneeze
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

These puppets are so much fun to play with because they can make great faces.

Jack The Skater Dude at the skate park

2009-04-06T17:37:00.001-04:00

Jack The Skater Dude at the skate park
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

After making puppets for my daughters birthday, I thought I would include one or two in my Etsy shop and see how they do. They are a lot of fun to make. So if they take off, I will pursue them more seriously. I have a lot of ideas that I would love to try. Half the fun was coming up with a character idea and then taking him out for a photo shoot. We took Jack to our local skate park . It was a beautiful day out and I didn't want to spend the entire day in the craft room. So I killed two birds with one stone by taking him out for his photos.

Mr. Mouse goes to NYC

2009-03-27T00:54:00.001-04:00

Mr. Mouse goes to NYC
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

My daughter made this in the car on our way to New York City during spring break. You can follow the adventures of Mr. Mouse on my Flickr page.

Prototype

2009-03-24T19:03:00.001-04:00

Prototype
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

She turned out better than I could have hoped for.

Progress

2009-03-24T19:02:00.001-04:00

Progress
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

So far so good. Yesterday I was able to figure out how to make the puppet and today I have gotten everything cut out and ready to assemble. This is really fun, I think I have a new favorite thing to make.

Paccu and Garu

2009-03-21T23:35:00.001-04:00

Paccu and Garu
Originally uploaded by Danner's Place

Ok, these were fun!!! I was asked to make them for a custom order for my Etsy store. They turned out great, at least I think so. Now it's time to restock the store and make some puppets.

Time To Get To Work

2009-03-21T14:16:00.006-04:00

Spring break is here and I have a long list of things to take care of in my craft room. My daughter is having a birthday party in two weeks and we are calling it a Muppet Workshop Party. The kids will all make Muppet style puppets that they can take home. So I will be making 6 blank puppets that the kids can then customize. And it looks like my Etsy store is running low on dolls so I will try and get a few made up and posted by the end of the week. I have some new things I am excited to try so check back again.

Crown Close Up

2009-03-21T14:15:00.003-04:00

Crown, originally uploaded by Danner's Place.

Sleeping Beauty

2009-03-21T14:14:00.002-04:00

Sleeping Beauty, originally uploaded by Danner's Place.

This doll was a custom order. The hair was the trickiest part. All of the pictures of Sleeping Beauty have long wavy hair. It's hard to make embroidery floss wavy. I thought about making clay hair, but it would have been hard to make it long enough. But it is long and blonde and adding the crown helped. The rose was fun, it was much easier than I expected. Now Cinderella has a friend.

Clothespin Doll Box II

2009-03-15T22:51:00.001-04:00

Clothespin Doll Box II, originally uploaded by Danner's Place.

This is another doll box that I made for someone at work. HEr granddaughter is also going to be dedicated at church and she wanted a small gift to commemorate the event.

Swimmer

2009-03-15T22:50:00.002-04:00

Swimmer, originally uploaded by Danner's Place.

I made this doll for my daughters swimming teacher. I am pretty happy with the way it turned out. The goggles were fun to make. I knew that I couldn't make a full one piece swim suit (which is what her teacher wears) so I tried wrapping a towel around the waist (which is what her teacher is also wearing a lot of the time). The base/stand for the doll reads "#1 Swimming Teacher". We will give it to her at her next lesson, I hope she likes it.

photo backdrops

2009-03-15T12:06:00.003-04:00

Cinderella Clothespin Doll - scene, originally uploaded by Danner's Place.

I tried a new back ground. I like the idea of having fun backgrounds but something just isn't right. Maybe the lighting or something. I'm not going to give up though. In the meantime, the brown craft paper is working well. It's simple looking and so much easier than changing scrapbook papers all the time.

Clay Baking

2009-03-15T11:56:00.002-04:00

Cinderella Clothespin Doll - bird, originally uploaded by Danner's Place.

I still don't know why I heat up my entire oven to bake a tiny little bird and two mini yellow buckles (seen on the Leprechaun). Go figure.

Cinderella Clothespin Doll

2009-03-15T11:49:00.001-04:00

Cinderella Clothespin Doll, originally uploaded by Danner's Place.

A while back when I was working on Tinkerbel, I wasn't sure how to get the right hairstyle. I wanted a bun on top but wasn't sure how to get it. I started out by trying craft string. It wasn't what I wanted, but I didn't want to throw it out, because it wasn't bad, it just wasn't right. So I set it aside for a while. A few weeks later I looked at it again, and it looked like Cinderella. So there you have it, I bought some blue satin, pulled out the beads and pearls and she was done.

Patrick the Leprechaun - close up

2009-03-15T11:45:00.001-04:00

Patrick the Leprechaun - close up, originally uploaded by Danner's Place.

This guy cam together pretty quickly. The dolls are getting easier to make, and more fun. The crazy thing is, the hardest part of the whole project were the little yellow buckles.

Wizard of Oz Friends

2009-03-15T11:43:00.007-04:00

Wizard of Oz Friends, originally uploaded by Danner's Place.

I forgot to show off the finished product - oops!

Toto

2009-03-15T11:43:00.003-04:00

Toto, originally uploaded by Danner's Place.

I think this is my favorite part of the set.

Clothespin Doll Box

2009-03-15T11:41:00.001-04:00

Clothespin Doll Box, originally uploaded by Danner's Place.

I made this doll for someone at school. Her granddaughter was going to be dedicated to the church and she wanted a gift to commemorate the event. The dress was made to look like the one she would be wearing at the dedication. We had a lot of trouble with the hair. The hair that you see was the first one we tried. She thought it was too light, so I tried a light brown/reddish color. That was too dark, so we went back to the light blond. In all the doll had three hair colors and a pretty beat up scalp. Now a friend of hers would like one for her granddaughters dedication. But she is pretty sure that the light blonde will be OK for her. Time to get to work.

Work in Progress

2009-02-21T21:13:00.001-05:00

2 down, 2 to go.

Peter Pan and Tinkerbell

2009-02-17T10:52:00.001-05:00

Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, originally uploaded by Danner's Place.

Lets begin. Here is a picture of the latest addition to my Etsy shop. I will try to use this blog to keep anyone who follows Danner's Place up to date.