Day 2 of #MarchMeetTheMaker is HANDS AT WORK. This the last step of making a doll and the most nerve-wracking... I embroider my dolls faces by hand AFTER I’ve sewn them up and only get one chance to get it right! My dolls really come alive when their faces are finished and it’s almost as if they have their own personalities. 🥰 

#handsatwork #handmadedoll#dollsofinstagram #textiledoll #embroidery #dressupdoll #designerdoll#littlesugarplums

March Meet the Maker - Day 1

Hello! I have wanted to do a March Meet the Maker for a few years now but I usually remember about half way through the month! So I’m going to give it a go and hopefully I’ll get past day 5 (we’ll skim over the fact that I’m already a day late 😉)! I’ll try not to repeat the same back story for those who have been following my journey for a while, but I will try to fill in those of you who recently joined my page and would like to know a little bit about me. 

My name is Aimie. I’m about to celebrate the last year of my 30’s (eeek!) and I’m the face behind Little Sugar Plums. I design and create CE certified dress-up dolls in my basement sewing room in Northampton. 

I was never very good at textiles  when I was younger and kind of winged it throughout school. I failed my textiles GSCE when it came to doing my exams! 😩

However after the birth of my daughter, Amelia in 2010, I was determined to make clothes for her and bought myself a sewing machine, some patterns and books and haven't stopped sewing since! 

The dolls came completely by accident. I was given a sewing book as a birthday present and decided to make one of the doll patterns in it from one of Amelia’s old cot sheets. I really enjoyed making it, and after I made a few more and started to get better, I soon started receiving orders from friends and family. I wasn't happy with any of the patterns on the market that I tried, so I designed my own.  I then took the daunting route of CE testing and in 2012, Little Sugar Plums was born! I almost feel embarrassed to put this photo online as it's just awful!  But it makes me realise just how much my skills  have improved (look at me now Mrs Cook!!).

Don't laugh! 

So proud of how my skills have improved since then!

 My Facebook page was thriving and in 2014, I became so busy that I gave up my job as a self employed childminder, started making dolls and children’s clothing full time and never looked back! Due to the social media algorithms in recent years, I have had to slow down a bit. I still have a lot of repeat customers who keep coming back to me year after year which I am eternally grateful for. But getting seen by new customers is proving difficult. I have decided this year that I will take a new approach with my business and will do more local fairs in my area to expand my customer base. 

I am currently working on some new products which I hope will be more affordable.  Watch this space for further updates!

Once Upon a Time Goldilocks Gift Set

I was recently approached by the lovely Kim of Dear Little Darlings, who asked me to be a guest seller in her online shopping event on 1st February.  The theme was 'Into the Forest' which is one of my favourite themes as it reminds me of autumn, my favourite season.

Whilst researching fabrics for my submissions, I came across Riley Blake's 'Goldilocks' by Jill Howarth and I just knew I had to use it.  I had a special set in mind, but no one could prepare me for how well it actually came together. Don't you just love it when something you make turns out better than you actually envisioned it?

I have submitted four items.  The first was, of course, a Goldilocks inspired doll. She has beautiful blonde plush hair and blue eyes.  I gave her a twirly skirt with a cute apron and a baby pink tutu to make her extra special.  I also made a flutter-sleeve dress in the coordinating fabric which looks so sweet on.

Next, using my daughter's DUKTIG bed from Ikea as a size guide, I made this cute dolly duvet set, comprising of a reversible quilt and coordinating pillow with pom-pom detail... 

And to complete the set, a coordinating hoop which I machine embroidered with 'Once upon a time...'

I love how this turned out, and it's something I wouldn't usually make, but I'm so pleased I went with it.  I've had these buttons for ages, which I can't use in doll making for safety reasons, so it was nice to be able to put them to use. 

I am just so in love with the whole set.  The fabric was beautiful to work with and I love how well they coordinate. I am really going to be sad to see them go.  I have just bought another metre of fabrics to make another set though!

All of the items shown here will be available to purchase at the Into the Woods Market night over on Dear Little Darlings facebook page, this Friday, 1st February (how is January over already?!) at 8pm. 

I am taking part in another showcase next Sunday and will be making a similar set in a different combination of fabrics, so watch this space!

F.A.Q's

I have received several messages this week and I thought it was about time I updated my frequently asked questions page so you can find everything in one place.

Are your order books open?

Unfortunately my diary is full for 2017 so I am not taking on any more custom orders at present.

How can I get my hands on a Little Sugar Plum doll?

As well as custom orders, I also make around 10 dolls and dolly dress-up clothes each month which I sell at market nights. These cannot be personalised, but are ready to post. Ideal if you have a birthday coming up, or you just want to add to your collection. I have a designated website just for market nights. www.littlesugarplums.bigcartel.com. Market nights are held on the last Friday of every month at 9pm.

What is a Market night?

For full details, please see my previous blog post, What are Market Nights?

I really want a personalised doll. Do you have a waiting list?

Yes I do! If I ever have a cancellation, or realise I can squeeze in an extra custom order, I contact the next person in line on my waiting list. Please note that once I have emailed the person at the top of my waiting list, I will give 48 hours for that person to reply and make payment.  If I do not receive a reply to my email in that time, I will go ahead and contact the next person in line. If you receive an email and have changed your mind and no longer wish to place an order, please let me know.  I won't be offended.  My time is precious and it will speed up my admin time by not having to wait 48 hours before contacting the next person, allowing me more time to get on with other orders and spend time with my family.

To add your name to the list, please fill out the form by clicking HERE.

How much are your dolls?

The price of my dolls depends on the outfit they are wearing and how detailed he/she is. For example, a doll wearing a dress or twirly skirt will use twice the amount of fabric as a regular skirt (and will take longer to make) so will therefore cost a little bit more.  For my list of prices, please visit my website HERE.

I am looking to CE mark my dolls. Can you tell me where you buy your fabrics?

In a word, no.  I buy my fabrics from a wide variety of places and have spent many hours of my time researching them. Each fabric has to have a certificate to confirm it's safe for using in toy making and I have had to pay for many of the certificates, so I am a little protective over sharing my resources!  If you would like to find out more regarding CE certification, including purchasing EN71-3 certificates, I recommend visiting the CE Soft Toy Support Network group on Facebook.


What sewing machine do you use?

I currently use two sewing machines;  A Brother SE-400, which is the USA equivalent to the Brother Innovis 950/955, and a basic Janome 2032. The Brother is a sewing and embroidery machine. If you would like more details on the Brother, I wrote a blog post about importing mine a few years ago. The post can be found here.

Do you recommend your sewing machine?

Yes!  I love them both.  They do exactly what I need them for, so I'm more than happy to recommend them.

What app do you use to edit your photos?

I use a variety of different apps including Pic Monkey, Instagram and A Beautiful Mess.

How long are your lead times?

I usually advertise lead times at 4-5 weeks, although I aim to post orders out sooner than this where possible. As soon as you have paid the balance for your custom order in full, I then order in your fabrics.  This part is beyond my control and can take up to a week depending on the company I purchase from, especially if ordered on a friday/weekend. Most of my suppliers are pretty good and post out within a couple of days. I then need to cut out all the pattern pieces which takes a few hours, before sewing up and stuffing (another 2-3 hours).  Then her clothes need to be made and her face needs to be embroidered by hand before photographs are taken for my records (and to show you before posting) which can only be taken in good light during the day.  Every doll I make must have a declaration on conformity for CE certification, so then it's over to the laptop to write that up. Then I have to package up your doll and take her to the post office. I usually try to visit the post office on a Monday/Tuesday once I have several dolls to post at once. It's simply not feasible to  visit the post office every day.  It is quite a distance, and although I do give each order my individual attention, remember all this is happening alongside other orders also, as well as looking after my home and family. Lead times may also take slightly longer during the school holidays when my children are at home. I never rush orders and take my time to ensure they are perfect for you.

What are Market Nights?

A market night is kind of like a virtual craft fair. I run them on my designated market night website at 9pm on the last friday of each month to allow customers who may not be able to get a custom slot to purchase a ready made doll. Most items are ready to post.  If a particular product is marked as "made to order", a time frame will be given in the product description. I usually make around 10  ready made dolls as well as dress-up outfits are available for customers to purchase, so you can build on your dolly's wardrobe too!

Market nights are advertised a few weeks in advance on the Events tab at the top of my facebook page.  Please feel free to invite your friends and family to join :)  and if there's a particular item of dolly clothing, or a type of doll you are wanting to buy, hair or eye colour, etc, please post it on the event wall and I'll see what I can do!  I will post sneak peeks of the dolls that will be available on the event wall too... sort of like an exclusive access VIP room for all you market nighters!

RULES / HOW IT WORKS

MARKET NIGHTS ON BIG CARTEL 

Unlike Facebook market nights, there will be no magic word given. On the days leading up to the market night, you will be able to go over to the website and see the dolls, prices and descriptions. They will be marked as "COMING SOON" and therefore will not be able to be purchased until the market night evening.  On the night, at around 8:45pm, I will put the website in maintenance mode.This will allow me to work on the website behind the scenes, and set all the dollies as AVAILABLE. At 9pm, I will take the website out of maintenance mode and the website will go live, allowing you to add the products you want to your basket. If you're online just before 9pm, keep refreshing your page until the dolls are "live" and available to purchase. 

Since I can't schedule a post like on Facebook, I will be going by my watch which may or may not be out of sync with some of you by a few seconds. All purchases can be paid for with PayPal and all major credit/debit cards are also accepted.  PLEASE NOTE that putting things in your basket DOES NOT make them 'safe'. Someone else can still buy them, so be sure to check out quick!

POSTAGE & PACKING

Ready made dolls will usually be posted out in the next 2-3 business days providing payment has been completed. The cost of postage by Royal Mail recorded delivery is £4.95 (within the UK).  If you prefer to use Royal mail's special delivery service this costs £8.00. This service will be charged if purchasing two or more dolls for maximum insurance.  Please let me know when you send me your email address before I send your invoice if this method is preferred. If you are outside of the UK, please also inform me of your location when sending your email address so that I can adjust the postage charge. A quote will be obtained from the Royal Mail website. Postage for smaller items such as dolls clothing costs £1.95 and will combined for two or more items. If you are not happy with the prices I charge for postage then please do not purchase. P&P is more than a price of the stamp... It's my mailing envelopes, cellowrap, printer ink for labels, care instructions, etc plus fuel to the post office and back. You are welcome to collect if you're local to Northampton - NN1).

If you're new to my market nights this probably sounds very daunting but they are super exciting and very popular with my customers. Good luck and Happy shopping!

2017 MARKET NIGHTS

This years market nights are scheduled for the following dates:

27th January

24th February

31st March

28th April

26th May

30th June

28th July

25th August

22nd September - BIG ELF MARKET NIGHT

27th October

24th November

15th December (TO BE CONFIRMED)

FACEBOOK MARKET NIGHTS

It is rare now that I will do a market night on Facebook, as the admin side takes ten times longer. But I will leave this here just in case.  A few customers prefer this method, but most prefer the website avenue.

First of all you will go over to my Facebook page. I will post a 'secret word' on my timeline at the advertised time.  This is usually around 9pm when the kiddie winks are all tucked up in bed sound asleep so you can shop in the comfort of your living room with no distractions!  After I have made the announcement, the first person to comment with the secret word under a photo will win that item.  Any  comments posted before I have made the announcement will be deleted. This includes edited posts.  I always set a scheduled post so that it runs on Facebook time to avoid any disagreements regarding time.

If two or more comments are submitted at the same time on the same item, the winning buyer will be the person who's comment notification comes through to me first. These are emailed to me and will have the time on them. The final decision of the purchaser will be determined by Little Sugar Plums and the decision is final.

An email address must be PMed to complete the transaction straight away along with your postal address.

Once the market night has calmed down (you will be surprised how incredibly busy it gets my end with PM's and comments flying here there and everywhere!), I will send out invoices.  Payments MUST be made on the night. If the invoice is not paid within 24 hours of the market night (unless agreed with me prior to the market night), I reserve the right to offer the doll to the next comment. Invoices are usually sent out within 1 hour (by 10pm), but please bear with me if it takes longer. I am only one person! :)

PLEASE NOTE:

I DO NOT take responsibility for your news feeds not showing you my posts. If you really want to purchase something from my market night then I suggest following the steps below to maximise your chances of getting the doll you want. I will not accept rudeness on my page from people when they don't get the doll they want. Anybody who does so will be promptly blocked from my page.

1) Use a PC or laptop to access my Facebook page rather than a mobile device. They're far more reliable. But have your mobile next to you too.

2) Sign up for notifications. Just hover your mouse over the 'LIKE' button on my page and select "Get Notifications" and "see first". When I post the secret word, this should come through to all of your devices straight away.

3) Pick out the item(s) you want to buy from my preview album and keep it up on your screen in the minutes leading up to the start time. As soon as the notification comes through to your phone, you'll be ready to type the secret word in on your PC. Hit enter and then refresh your screen to see if you're the first to comment. If you are, congratulations! You've won! Please send me your email address as soon as possible so I can send your invoice over. This must be done ASAP.

Please ensure the address registered on your Paypal account is correct as this will be the address I will be posting you doll(s) to.

Happy New Year!

It's been sooooo long since I wrote a blog post!  I know I say it every year, but I really am determined to post more regularly this year!  Last year was manic with orders and I'm determined to keep my head above water this year and throw myself into my work and grow as a business in 2017.  I have lots of exciting things planned for this year and hope that you will follow me along the way.

I'll start by saying Happy 2017! I know, I know, we're already two weeks in. It's been so hectic here at LSP HQ and I haven't been able to start back as quickly as I wanted to as Amelia was only at school two days last week, and the weekend just passed,  I had planned to work through, but this was scuppered when I went up to Bolton for the weekend for a family party. But now I am back and happy to be sewing up some absolutely beautiful custom dollies.  My customers have wonderful taste in fabrics!  I also managed to give my sewing room a big clean and put up some new pictures on the wall; One of which I was very lucky to receive from Emma Vallis over at My Tiny Gallery as part of the Secret Santa I took part in with the wonderful ladies of Sparkle Showcases over Christmas.

My first Little Sugar Plum of 2017 was this gorgeous Melody Mermaid.  I haven't made any mermaids for a while, and this one caught the attention of lots of you over on my Facebook page and I have received lots of requests for them, so I will be adding a few to my market night on 27th January (put the date in your diaries ladies!)

This was made for a gorgeous little girl's 2nd Birthday and is her third Little Sugar Plum doll.  

I think she likes her!

I'll be back soon to show you some more pretties.

Wishing you a healthy, prosperous new year.

Aimie. x

COMPETITION TIME!

WIN a FREE 16" doll from Little Sugar Plums!

 

 

 

To celebrate the re-launch of my new website, I have decided to do a giveaway!  The lucky winner will receive a custom made Little Sugar Plum Doll™ OR a Rosie Ribbon Doll™.

The prize includes:

• ONE 16" doll (this may be a girl or a boy doll) in your choice of fabrics (body and clothing)
• Your choice of skin tone*
• Your choice of felt hair colour and style OR ribbon hair and colour
• Hair clip/bow/hair band in your choice of colour
• Your choice of eye - open or closed and colour if applicable
• Shoes/socks if required

*Please state whether you would like your dolly to have spotty/stripy 'tights' to coordinate with your dolls outfit or flesh coloured legs.

Plus ONE outfit - please choose from the following:

Removable skirt
Peasant dress
Trousers & peasant top
Shorts and peasant top
Summer pillowcase dress
Dungarees & peasant top.

 

You will also receive a dolly birth certificate. 

PLEASE NOTE: the competition winner is liable for all postage costs.  Please see terms and conditions here.

How to Enter:

To be in with a chance of winning, you must follow these four simple steps:

1. Subscribe to the Little Sugar Plums blog.
2. Comment below the reasons why you would like to win the doll in no more than 50 words. 
3. Pop over to our Facebook page and LIKE us!
4. Share the competition photo (pinned to the top of my Facebook page) to your own  page or personal profile.
I will be checking all entries so make sure you follow all four steps!

Good Luck!

In entering this competition you are agreeing to the terms and conditions as set out on www.littlesugarplums.com .  

Busy Busy Busy!

This month has been a very busy one for me.  I was busy CE marking my new doll which is made from a pattern I developed myself.  She is slightly bigger at 16" tall and is more cuddly.  I am pleased to say she passed and I made up my first three Sugar Plum fairies with my pattern.  Here's my first one with no clothes..

And this is her complete with tutu..

I then went to make a custom order, Jersey Beau; another Sugar Plum fairy for a little girl's second birthday....  I think she's my favourite so far!

And this fairy is leaving me today to go on sale at Cloggies Toys... More about that below...

You may have read on my Facebook page about the toy shop, Cloggies, I visited recently; well I went back there on Saturday and dropped off my dolls which are going to be sold in the shop. Rory, Bluebell and Gweneth are now for sale there.  I'm not sure if they will be available to purchase on their website,but I will find out.

Cloggies is such a lovely shop; Full of traditional and unique toys that you won't find in regular toy shops.  I'm so proud to have my dolls for sale there. :)

Also last week was the Easter showcase that I participated in over at Purkilicious. My Easter doll sold within 10 minutes of the showcase opening which I was very pleased about! This doll has also been entered into the March Challenge over at Creative Connections. The theme was Occassions (Easter, Birthdays, Parties) and I think my Rosie Ribbon doll fits in quite well to that category!

Tomorrow evening is my Easter market night, so I will be spending this afternoon finshing up one last dolly and some little outfits before cracking on with custom orders.  I have 19 to complete over the next couple of weeks!  I think  am in for a few more late nights!

Have a good week everyone and happy crafting!

Princess Portraits Photo Shoot

I received a very special order a couple of weeks ago from the lovely Charlotte over at Fairy Dust Pictures.  For her new range of photography sessions, Princess Portraits, she asked me to make her a Rosie Ribbon doll to be used in the photo shoots with the little girls.  I jumped at the chance!  I mean, what a fantastic opportunity! 

So this is Princess Tamara in her first photo shoot...  Charlotte even made her a little tiara!  How cute!

 

I am incredibly proud that my dolly will be featured in so many photos of little Princesses.  My own Little Sugar Plum went for her photo shoot yesterday with Princess Portraits... Doesn't she look beautiful?

 

 

 

 

My First Craft Fair

It's been a while since I last did a blog post.  In fact I've just realised I haven't done a post on my first craft fair which I promised myself I would do.  I can't believe a whole month has passed and Christmas has already been and gone :(

 

Anyway, my mum and I set off at 8am and arrived in a somewhat flooded car park at Delapre Abbey.  The weather had been awful and had been raining non-stop for days.  Luckily it stopped long enough for us to unload the car. One of the organisers told us where our table was located.  We were in one of the three small rooms in the Abbey.  The floors were pretty muddy with everyone coming in and out.  I was careful how to get out the white sheet which we used as a table cover.

 

We set out our table with my dolls and bags and my Mum's iPad cushions, bags and keyrings, etc which she sells on her page, Nina's Nicecties.  My dad made me a gorgeous clothes stand and some miniature hangers for me to hang my doll's dress-up clothes on.  I was so pleased with my little display.  The only downside was that the walls were solid concrete and I couldn't push a drawing pin into it, so I couldn't put up my Little Sugar Plums banner that I had printed, so the wall behind us looked a bit sparse. The bunting I made for the front of our stall looked lovely though.

 

 

Me on my stall with Craft Seller magazine!

DOLLS!

 

 

 

 



The lovely Clothing rail my Dad made me

 

Our bags



Pincushions

 

Mum's accessories from Nina's Niceties (find her on Facebook)

 

The fair started at 10am to the public and finished at 4pm and it was non-stop the whole day!  There wasn't a quiet moment.  I met quite a few people who are fans on my facebook page and lots of friends and family came out to offer their support.  It was a great day. We did really well and I sold quite a few dolls and took some orders.  A lot of Mum's little accessories and bags sold well too.  One lady asked me if I could embroider her Daughter's name on the back of the dolly, which I did and delivered it to her house that evening...

 

 

 

It did take me a few days to recover.  Nobody told me how exhausting doing a craft fair would be!

 

I don't have any more fairs lined up for the New Year but it is certainly something I will consider.



 

 

Little Sugar Plums - Now CE Marked

 

I spent a few minutes yesterday playing around on my laptop and came up with this sign for my little business.

 

I'm hoping it will get me some more likes on facebook if I post it around in the right places, which potentially could get me some more customers.  I will have to see how it goes!

 

 

 

If you are not yet subscribed to my Little Sugar Plums facebook page, click on the link on the right which will redirect you there. You will then be able to stay updated  with my new release dolls, offers, market nights, custom slots and more!

Children's brooches

Well I have been a busy bee!  With only 12 weeks until the christmas craft fair, I spent all weekend making little tote bags, and this afternoon I've been making some little brooches.  Here's a sneeky peek....

London inspired busy bag

 

Strawberry brooch

 

 

I've made some strawberries, owls, cats and frogs so far.   Ohhh, and check out my little tags I've made to display them on!  I'm really pleased with how they turned out.

 

I have a busy few weeks ahead of me and am trying to get as organised  as possible.  I know it's early but I have some paper bags all made up with my logo on and I have added a little leaflet and business card to each bag which will save hassle on the day.

 

 

 

They will also have "Find us on Facebook" printed on the bottom, although I am still waiting for the stamp to arrive in the post.

 

I am so excited to be doing my first fair (can you tell?).

 

Right, I'm off to make a few more brooches while the hubby gets the kids reasdy for bed and then I shall be having a well deserved restful evening.  I have some X factor to catch up on!