Unicorns...

A serious love for Unicorns...

I have been head over heels in love with unicorns since I was a young girl. In fact, at the age of seven I could have sworn that I saw one at a small creak in a forest. I still believe to this day in magic, fairies and unicorns as crazy as that may sound. I'd rather believe in magic than not.

I have been wanting to work on my own unicorn pattern for a long, long time. Unfortunately sometimes there is very little time to work on the patterns and ideas I have for new exciting dolls. But, since my daughters birthday party was approaching and the theme was rainbows and unicorns I knew that now was the time to work on it. 

After six prototypes I found the right shape and size and away I went. I adored adding the embroidered details and developing a faux fur cape pattern. I do so love unicorns, what a perfect way to spend ones time, stitching unicorns and making them tiny capes. 

Best Wishes, and may you dream of sunny days and unicorns.

Review of Entangled Forest Luna Dolls #3

Review of Entangled Forest Luna Dolls #3 
Reviewed By- Nora Ryals

Shop Name-Entangled Forest

How many Dolls do you have in your collection (roughly)... 

-Over 100

How did you find Entangled Forest- on Etsy, Instagram, Pinterest or from a friend?

-On Instagram, also a friend recommended.

How did you come to own an Entangled Forest doll?

- I was following on Instagram and then a friend of mine highly recommended so I decided to buy one. (Petitbutton)

Description of your doll- what size is it? Full Sized Luna, half moon, crescent moon, mermaid or tiny doll? What did it come with?

-We have 2 full moons, 1 half moon and 1 tiny doll. The full moon dolls came with extra outfits.

Does it look the same in person as it did online? Was the product description accurate?

- Very accurate, they looked even lovelier in person.

Cost- On a scale of 1- Being very cheap to 10- “excuse me while I sell a kidney on the black market” Where do you think the EntangledForest Dolls fit?

-About 6

Would you say the cost matches the product?

-Definitely worth it

Initial Impression of Product and Packaging? Was it wrapped well, was the experience of opening the package pleasant? What was included? How do you feel about the doll? How well is it made?

- I just can't remember the packaging, really sorry I think we receive too many packages and my memory is fuzzy. But the dolls are very well made and I was always amazed seeing them the first time.

What level of skill is displayed by the artist? 

- One of the best!!! the dolls are very unique and very well made, I think they're very different from what is out there. 

Display or Play? Is this doll best suited for display only or is it suited for young child play?

-Both. Nice for display but very well made and they are safe for the little ones.

Originality. Would you say these dolls are original? Have you seen some like them online? Do you think they could be more unique?

- I think they are very unique. I normally buy only animal dolls, not that big fan of human dolls but bought 4 Entangled Forest ones, I just love how different they are from other dolls and especially love their eyes!

What are your favourite things about the doll?
- How well they are made and how unique they are.

What are your least favourite things about the doll?
Are there any areas or things that could use improvement?

-I have nothing negative to say about these dolls.

Would you buy it again after seeing it in real life? Would you recommend this shop and it’s products?

- I already have, 3 more times:-) I would definitely recommend this shop to a friend.

Final Rating of the doll- On a scale of 1-10 1- Not at all Impressed

2- Not great quality 3- Some minor flaws

4- Ok, maybe not perfect but good. 5- Pretty Happy!

6- Very Happy! 7- I Love it !!!

8- Oh. My. Gosh.
9- I want at least ten more

10- I can't even. 

-My final rating would be 10. If I didn't like them this much I wouldn't have bought 4 of them:-)

Here are some of the dolls in Nora's Collection...

The last doll pictured is a custom.

Entangled Forest Luna Doll Review #2

Review #2 
Shop- Entangled Forest Reviewed by Mel Straka

So, to be fair to my audience here I decided to reach out to several of my customers to get reviews done of my dolls as well. I thought it would be good to be well rounded and subject myself to the same standards as everyone else. So I just adjusted some of the questions to make it applicable and sent them out. None of these answers have been coerced in any way. I asked the participants to be completely honest.

How did you find Entangled Forest- on Etsy, Instagram, Pinterest or from a friend? 

I am pretty sure it was on Instagram.

Roughly how many dolls do you have in your collection?
- Over 50

How did you come to own an Entangled Forest doll?

Purchased both through Etsy and Big Cartel.

Description of your doll- what size is it? Full Sized Luna, half moon, crescent moon, mermaid or tiny doll? What did it come with? 

Ah I think we have most of them, my daughters fav size is the size of the witch doll. (A crescent Moon)

Does it look the same in person as it did online? Was the product description accurate? 

Yes I think description and images are accurate

Cost- On a scale of 1- Being very cheap to 10- “excuse me while I sell a kidney on the black market” Where do you think the Entangled Forest Dolls fit? 

My original one was quite expensive but you have altered prices and I think your current pricing range is competitive.

Would you say the cost matches the product?  

Yes I think there is good skill used in making these, if only closer so postage didn’t add so much more to the doll cost.

Initial Impression of Product and Packaging? Was it wrapped well, was the experience of opening the package pleasant? What was included? How do you feel about the doll? 

Very nicely packaged.

How well is it made? 

Well made with good skill, my mother used to work as a hat maker and seamstress and she always comments on handmade dolls we get and she also said they are very well made.

What level of skill is displayed by the artist? 

I would say high, love the eyes.

Display or Play? Is this doll best suited for display only or is it suited for young child play?

I think the dolls with shorter hair are more play friendly, our first doll had very long hair that I had to braid and fix so it didn’t get ruined or caught in other toys.

 

Originality. Would you say these dolls are original? Have you seen some like them online? Do you think they could be more unique? 

I think fairly original, all doll makers take some inspiration of books, etc .

What are your favourite things about the doll? 

Favourite thing is the eyes.

What are your least favourite things about the doll? 

 Least favourite hmmmmmm don’t think there is one, some dolls I have seen I don’t like as much because the neck seems too long, or the face is quite wide.

Are there any areas or things that could use improvement? 

N/A

Would you buy it again after seeing it in real life?  

Ha ha yes clearly in our case since we have quite a few.

Would you recommend this shop and it’s products? 

Yes I recommended to my friend Nora @tondton and she has a few now I believe.

Final Rating of the doll- 

On a scale of 1-10 

1- Not at all Impressed

 2- Not great quality 

3- Some minor flaws

4- Pretty Good, maybe not perfect but good.  

5- Pretty Happy!

 6- Very Happy! 

7- I Love it !!! 

8- Oh. My. Gosh. 

9- I want at least ten more 

10- I can't even.

9

Here are a few of my dolls in Mel's collection...

Doll Review of Blossom and Friday Dolls

Doll Review- Blossom and Friday

How I found the doll/ shop and how I came to own one.

I found Blossom and Friday through Instagram when I started getting into the doll making (and then doll collecting) world. I adore the fabric combinations and serene look of the dolls faces and the fantastic photography of Lucy, the shop owner. 

My First Blossom and Friday doll was a gift for my Birthday last September and I just received my second in the mail today which was acquired through a trade with another doll collector. I will be reviewing both together in this review. 

Description-

My first Blossom doll is between 17-18”, she has a felt bathing cap, a sewn on swim suit and a rubber ducky floaty. My second is the same size- between 17-18’’, she came with a skirt and dress that are removable. She also has a flower in her hair. 

Does it look the same in person as it did online? Was the product description accurate?

Yes-Ish. I feel that colours and fabrics are properly represented. Perhaps sturdiness is slightly less than pictured. 

Cost- On a scale of 1- Being very cheap to 10- “excuse me while I sell a kidney on the black market” 

These dolls are in the higher mid range price wise. They are about 80 Pounds which is about $140 Canadian which is in the higher end considering their size and accessories. 

Would you say the cost matches the product? 

Not exactly, I do believe with these dolls that the cost should be a tiny bit lower. I think they are a bit overpriced. BUT, that is also because of the state of the Canadian dollar, they are much more reasonable to those in the UK and USA. 

Initial Impression of Product and Packaging?

Both of the dolls I received have been previously owned. So although they were only displayed they didn’t arrive from the doll maker herself so I cannot attest to the packaging. As for my initial impressions, the dolls are cute, the fabric is nice and compliments the other fabric choices. The problem I have is that the heads are floppy. They are not firmly supported so when you hold her upright her head flops forward or back. Her clothes are well made. Her seams and embroidery are good. 

How well is it made?

She is sewn well for the most part. Her arms and legs are attached firmly, her dress is sewn well. There are some visible stitches in her hair that are not as neat as they could be as well as some of the embroidery on her face (on the hearts, eyes and eyebrows). 

Level of skill displayed by the artist…

The level of skill when it comes to the dress and the body are good. She is not coming apart anywhere by any means. As I mentioned before the only real issue I have with the doll is the floppiness of her head. She’s fine propped up against a wall but does’t sit nicely unsupported. I also think this might be an issue for imaginative play with children but we’ll see about that when I get my daughter to do a test drive. There is definite room for improvement with the hand stitching but that is kind of the way in the crafting world. Practise makes perfect and it even says in her listings that her dolls are “perfectly imperfect”. 

Display or Play? Is this doll best suited for display only or is it suited for young child play? 

I would think that *these* dolls are more suited for display as opposed to play. I think the can be used in gentle play by older children but I would not suggest *these* dolls for young children. 

The Child Says... Interview with my six year old about the doll after playing with it a few times...

Questions- Do you like this Doll? 

Yes, she’s very pretty with her flower in her hair.

What do you like most about her? 

I like the flower in her hair and the hearts on her cheeks.

What don’t you like about her? 

Ummmm….nothing.

Was she fun to play with? 

Yes, she is, very fun. I like her floppy head it’s like she’s saying yes to everything. 

What else do you want to say about her?

She has a very wobbly head. It’s kind of cool she has pockets on her dress and her hands can go in them. I like her clothes and she is very beautiful and I like her hair. 

Originality

These dolls are definitely pretty unique, especially the mouth. Some others have done the heart cheeks and the sleepy eyes but there are only so many ways to do eyes on dolls. And the cheeks- there may be others with heart cheeks but that doesn’t mean that hers aren’t unique either. There is a certain feeling or quality to them that is very pleasing to the eye. 

Doll Makers history on Instagram- how long they have been making dolls/ toys?

The Blossom and Friday Instagram account was started on March 14th 2016 so she has been going at this for over a year now and with nearly 4,000 followers she's doing pretty darn well. Her photography is absolutely amazing, her feed is bright, cheerful and engaging to say the least. She has definite skills when it comes to staging, colour combinations and creating texture and sensation in her photos. 

She has been on etsy since 2015- this is where you can find her shop- and she has had 35 sales of her darling dolls including her earlier doll remakes/ refurbished plastic dolls. 

Her shop has a fair amount of reviews (18/35) and all of them are 5 star. 

Would I buy it again after seeing it in real life? 

I am not 100% sure on this one, I'd say 75%. I do like the dolls, I think the fabrics are lovely and the maker has a unique take on combinations and style. I would consider getting another if the heads/ necks are stuffed firmly in the future to avoid the droopy head issue. I do really like her new style of open eyes. Blossom and Friday is still rather new despite the large number of followers she has. We are all always on our way to improvement with each new creation. *(please see the star at the end- this issue has been addressed with her newer dolls)

Would I recommend this shop and it’s products?

Yes. Even though I may be hesitant to acquire more at the present moment I think Blossom and Friday Dolls are unique, calming and rather lovely. They would be great decor for a baby/ kids room or sewing nook. * (please see the star at the end- this issue has been addressed with her newer dolls)

Final Rating of the doll- On a scale of 1-10

1- Not at all Impressed

2- Not great quality

3- Some minor flaws

4- Pretty good, maybe not perfect but good. 

5- Pretty Happy!

6- Very Happy!

7- I Love it !!!

8- Oh. My. Gosh.

9- I want at least ten more

10- I can't even. 

I would give these two dolls each a rating of 5 (if the neck was better supported I'd give them a 6.5). I am pretty happy with them.* 

*(Please note- I have recently conferred with others that own some of her newer dolls and they say the floppy head issue has been addressed so that does affect the issues I have with the two I own. Although I cannot personally attest to these newer dolls others have assured me that they are better than these earlier ones in terms of the neck stability. Like I have mentioned before we are all on our own journey to improve our techniques).*

Reviews of Entangled Forest Luna Dolls

So, to be fair to my audience here I decided to reach out to several of my customers to get reviews done of my dolls as well. I thought it would be good to be well rounded and subject myself to the same standards as everyone else. So I just adjusted some of the questions to make it applicable and sent them out. None of these answers have been coerced in any way. I asked the participants to be completely honest.

Review #1 

Shop Name-Entangled Forest Reviewed by Renee Cleary 

How did you find Entangled Forest- on Etsy, Instagram, Pinterest or from a friend?

I found Entangled Forest on Instagram 

How did you come to own an Entangled Forest doll?

I purchased thru the Entangled Forest Etsy store.

Description of your doll- what size is it? Full Sized Luna, half moon, crescent moon, mermaid or tiny doll? What did it come with?

I own all sizes of Luna dolls including mermaids of various sizes.

Does it look the same in person as it did online? Was the product description accurate?

Dolls are identical to what I see online when they arrive.

Cost- On a scale of 1- Being very cheap to 10- “excuse me while I sell a kidney on the black market” Where do you think the Entangled Forest Dolls fit?

On a scale of 1-10 regarding pricing - I say a 5. They are priced good considering all the time and material it takes to create these dolls.  They are very detailed, even clothing & accessories! 

Would you say the cost matches the product? 

Yes- cost matches product for sure.  

Initial Impression of Product and Packaging? Was it wrapped well, was the experience of opening the package pleasant? What was included? How do you feel about the doll?

Dolls are always packaged neatly with a card and usually with additional gift items. Always wrapped and protected for traveling to US.

How well is it made?

Dolls are extremely well made.  Very detailed down to the little shoes and accessories! Embroidered with perfection. Never a thread or mark showing that shouldn't be!

What level of skill is displayed by the artist?

Skills displayed are off the charts. Maker is always coming up with new ideas, patterns and additions to her line of products !  Color combinations are amazing. Love the dolls for each holiday! 

Display or Play? Is this doll best suited for display only or is it suited for young child play? 

My purchases are for display only but they could be enjoyed by children over age 8 only because they need to appreciate the "art" aspect of the doll.

Originality. Would you say these dolls are original? Have you seen some like them online? Do you think they could be more unique?

-These dolls are very original. The eyes are very distinct along with the embroidery! I have not seen anything close to these in style or workmanship! 

What are your favourite things about the doll?

My favorite things would be the Luna markings (phases of the moon) and how they relate to femininity and empowerment of women !  I also love the eyes. They draw you in and give each doll a personality of their own!

What are your least favourite things about the doll?

My least favorite thing would be waiting for them to get here. I am in the US and it takes a while to get them here.

Are there any areas or things that could use improvement?

I can not think of anything I would improve on. These are my absolute favorite dolls.  I own 19 of them.

Would you buy it again after seeing it in real life? 

Yes, I love these dolls.

Would you recommend this shop and it’s products?

Yes! I recommend these dolls to friends and family ! I share my love of them ! 

Final Rating of the doll- On a scale of 1-10

1- Not at all Impressed

2- Not great quality

3- Some minor flaws

4- Ok, maybe not perfect but good. 

5- Pretty Happy!

6- Very Happy!

7- I Love it !!!

8- Oh. My. Gosh.

9- I want at least ten more

10- I can't even. 

FINAL RATING IS 10. Only because the scale doesn't go any higher.

Here are some of the dolls in Renee's collection...

Em's 6th Birthday Party

A Rainbow Unicorn Party to Remember

So, I go a little over board every year with the planning and decor for my daughters birthday parties. I am a bit of an over achiever when it comes to these things. I just have to do it to the best of my ability but this year I decided to dial back the work/ decor for myself so that I don't fall behind in my orders and doll making. I also cut back on the amount of people that were coming. The past two years we have held Em's birthday party over the Easter long weekend, so we've had our family come and stay with us (13 people including kids) and we would have Em's birthday party and then tear everything down and set up for Easter dinner (all the while making Easter dinner). Suffice it to say it was a bit overwhelming and kind of stressful- not to mention exhausting. This year Easter is much later so I split them up and only had four guests staying (my mom, sister, niece and nephew) and it was so much less crazy!

Ok, so now onto the decor and food. Every year I start planning my daughters birthday party as soon as Christmas is over, even though her birthday isn't until the beginning of April I start early to get the ball rolling. The first thing to to is pick a theme. You have to know the direction you're going before you start driving right? Well, at least if you want to go somewhere in particular. This year I really wanted to do rainbows and unicorns because, well, I LOVE them! I actually had to sell my daughter on the idea, imagine that, lol.

After I choose the theme what comes next? The Pinterest board!!! Pinterest is my immediate go to for party ideas, themes and DIY decor ideas. I am the Queen of DIY, if I can save a few bucks by making it myself I am so down. We are not wealthy by any means so I need to cut corners where I can to make what I want. Pinterest is one of my most utilized tools, there is an extreme wealth of resources and tutorials. So, I got a few ideas for food and decor such as the rainbow fruit and veggie plates.

Let's start with decor. It just so happens that Rainbows and Unicorns are kind of "In" at the moment which made it SO much easier to find decor items. I bought a DIY party decor package from Michaels and I just so happened to go to pick them up when they were 30% off (I seem to have really good luck with things like this). The kit came with a rainbow tissue paper tassel garland, three paper fans, a paper fan rainbow with two gold clouds, two tissue pom poms, gold stars and two gold unicorns. I also bought a rainbow and unicorn garland/ banner with gold accents that matched. 

Other decorations that I bought were a rainbow pack of balloons and a paper flag banner which was also from Michaels. I made a few of the other decor items such as a set of hand dyed rainbow play silks. 
I bought the play silks a long time ago when I used to sell them in my etsy shop so I had those on hand. I also have a selection of acid reactive protein dyed for dyeing wool and silk roving, fleece and silk laps, etc. Dyeing silks is super easy, mixing the dyes safely takes time, a proper small particle face mask, gloves and vessels to mix the dyes that aren’t used for food. Acid dyes are toxic when ingested or breathed in so you have to be very careful. The actual dyeing is super easy. I use freezer zip lock bags, you soak the silks in a water and vinegar solution (this is where the acid comes from in “acid dyes” but you can also use citric acid although it is much more expensive than vinegar) for thirty minutes and then ring them out, place them in the bag individually and then add the dye colour. Close the bag, and toss it in the microwave for thirty seconds at a time for a total of 90- 120 seconds. You want steam to build up in the bag and you want the water remaining to be mostly clear. Then you let the bag cool and rinse the play silk once it’s cool enough. Then you just have to let them dry and iron them on the highest setting. Bam, you’ve got a set of rainbow play silks- you can buy the silks from Dharma Trading Company. I stopped making/ selling them when the Canadian Dollar started to drop pretty low. Between the conversion rate, the expensive shipping and customs charges it’s just too costly. 

The other banner that I got, the rainbow heart one, was handmade by Natalie from Enchanted Paisley on Instagram. She makes THE best unicorn horn headbands and rainbow garlands on the market. Even though her shop was technically closed she was able to take on the task of making this garland for me and making a unicorn headband to go along with it. She whipped them up in record time and sent them out asap and they arrived in about a week. I was super pleased with them, they were perfect! I bought my daughter a play teepee for her birthday and I am going to use the rainbow heart garland to decorate the top of it once I take it down which may be in a while as I am still loving the rainbows everywhere and I may keep them up for a few weeks. I mean why not, right?

As for the table decor, I used two wooden crates to add some height to the display. I already had them on hand for my vending displays so they weren’t an added cost but you can pick them up at Michaels or Walmart (Walmart has them for nearly half the price BTW). The cloud pillows I also made but not just for the party. I sell them at a local store and I had a few lying around the house so I threw a few on the table for decor. I also already had the two rainbow crochet doilies, I made them a few years ago and found them in a box in the basement when I was cleaning a few days before the party and I was like “hey! these are perfect”. I also already had the sparkly gold plate for the centre piece (which I picked up at Walmart after Christmas as it was on clearance for like $0.75) as well as the the gold and white unicorn doll which I received via trade from the person that bought her and she is from the ever so talented Mini Boheme (on Insta and Big Cartel). 

The number six I bought from our local dollar store and I painted it metallic gold. I actually have the numbers 0-6 painted in the colours of my daughter's bedroom and I am going to hang them up over her window. I have been hand painting a number for her birthday party decor every year since she was 2. The orchid I already had as well (I actually have three orchids but this one fit the decor the best). 

The rainbow of bubble wands came in a pack from Walmart and I bought two- a pack of six was $5, it was a happy coincidence that I found them, they worked perfectly. The rainbow candy skewers I made myself, I bought the skewers from the dollar store, the plastic treat bags are from Bulk Barn and the candy I bought at both Bulk Barn and Walmart. I tried a few different ways to display them when I decided to try the mason jars. We actually use mason jars of all sizes as glasses, we only have a handful of conventional glasses/ cups so they were easy to grab and I had the plastic gems I put in the jars from Em's last birthday party which was Frozen themed. They helped to weigh down the jars as well as prop up the candy skewers. They were so cute displayed like this! The Pegasus pony in the crate next to the cloud is from Endemade on Instagram (she also has an etsy shop) I already had her on hand too ;) 

Now, the Ice Cream Sundae bar....best idea ever and it came from my sister. I was talking about what I should do for treats, cake and cupcakes aren't a kids first choice most of the time, I find they are more likely to dig the icing than the cake itself AND I wanted to cut down on the treats as the year before I had chocolate dipped marshmallows in four colours, chocolate drizzled pretzels and rice crispy squares along with cupcakes and cake....like whoa, and also gummy hearts and Hershey's kisses. Too much sugar!!! So, the ice cream bar was the perfect idea. I had an entire rainbow of sprinkles including stars and rainbow candy covered chocolate drops. Plus we had coconut whipped cream (topping made from coconut milk), regular whipped cream, chocolate and caramel syrup, and maraschino cherries as well as three kinds of ice cream- chocolate with oreos, chocolate swirl with smarties and french vanilla and we had waffle cone bowls to boot. The kids went nuts when it was time for dessert, they lined up super quick and were so excited while they created the perfect sundae. It was a huge hit. 

As for the other food I kept it simple and colourful. I did a rainbow of fruits including strawberries, mandarine oranges, bananas and green and purple grapes. If it wasn't still winter up here and fruit was in season I would have opted for cantaloupe for the orange, pineapple with the bananas and blueberries. The blueberries were $5 for a half pint at the time so, nope. That coconut milk whipped cream was also for the fruit and it was AMAZING! For veggies we had red peppers, baby carrots, yellow peppers, cucumbers and broccoli. We also had blue corn chips and hummus, plain chips and onion dip, some crackers and pita chips, party mix and a plate of cheese for the kiddos. 

I kept it pretty straight forward and kid friendly. 

As for the cake, it was for the adults, that's right! I made it for the grown ups and it was delish. It was a lemon blueberry cake, I made the cake and my mom did the icing. I love baking and I can make things that taste great but when it comes to making baked goods look good, well, I frankly suck. So, I enlisted the help of my mum to make it much prettier and it turned out exactly like I wanted it to. I got her to use the juice and peel of one lemon in the icing and we used just a bit of grated peel on top as a garnish and then I added some blue berries to the top for decoration. Two of my friends that attended with their little ones (that are my daughter's friends and school mates) are pregnant and they really really loved that cake. Well, I think everyone did. It was bright and cheerful and spring like, as was the whole party which was needed as we still have snow up here. 

Isn't it beautiful? It turned out perfectly and looked great displayed on my grandmother's crystal cake stand. It tasted even better than it looks. 

I cheated and used a boxed lemon cake mix which I just tinkered with a bit. Normally I would make it from scratch but I like to test out recipes before I make them for an event and there was no time so I went with a boxed mix. I cut down on some of the oil and substituted apple sauce and I added blueberries. I also whipped the mix longer to make sure it was fluffy and I added extra lemon juice and peel to the mix. The icing was all my mom though, she's old school when it comes to this stuff, she starts out small and adds more of this or that to get the right stiffness and texture, she's basically magic. 

That's pretty much it for the decor/ food. I will make a separate post to follow which will feature all of my daughters handmade presents, some from me and a bunch from other awesome makers and doll artists. She was completely spoiled. 

Until next time, much love, Athena