Wednesday, December 9, 2009

I Have Always Loved Making Baby Dolls........


I have always loved making baby dolls, My name is Joann Bevan and having 3 daughters was the perfect excuse..They had to have baby dolls of their own to hug and cuddle. My son even liked them..
I lost my job of 9 years, the catalog company I was working for sold the business, relocated to South Dakota. I was living in Bluffton, SC and no way was I going to move that far away to keep my job..
Then I was diagnosed with colon cancer, I was home bound. I did a lot of searching on the internet for something to keep me busy, when I found soft sculpture dolls, I wanted to start my own online business of handmade crafts and when I came across Vicki's DinkyBaby Ebay site, I fell in love with those fatty cheeks. I emailed Vicki with my interests, I was really excited when she emailed me back with the Distributor information..my first pattern arrived I had to stop everything and make her that same day, boy was I in love and  hooked on them, I wanted to have every pattern she had to offer..Then I made Danny G, what a adorable monkey, Everytime I make a Dinky Baby Doll or one of her Dinky animals, My grandchildren grab them and find some reason why they should be able to keep them for themselves.
I do like to donate them to unfortuneate children, It is so rewarding to know that a handmade DinkyBaby doll that I have made makes a special little person put a smile on their face and very happy. I have donated babies to the SC HUGS program with Nora and the March of Dimes Preemie organizations with Lynne.
Happy Sewing
 
Joann Bevan

How I got Started.......


How I got started in making Dinky Babies….. Well one day I went to Hancock Fabrics in Greenwood, SC. I saw a sign there with the cutest little babies offering a class on how to make them. I don’t like taking classes like that but I fell in love with the babies so I had to learn more. I got home and looked them up. I found Vicki’s web site and I ordered my first doll pattern. It wasn’t long before I was hooked on them. It wasn’t until this year that I started selling them and now I am really in love with them all.  By the way, that sign was posted by Nora Stockman and we have become good friends.

Twila Creech
South Carolina

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Daphne's Room


My love for Dinky Baby all started after I had my daughter in 2006.  Daphne is my first and only girl after having two boys.  And while I love my boys, I couldn't share my love of dolls with them.  I don't think I ever truly outgrew dolls!  When Daphne was born, I remembered the fantastic dolls my mom and aunt made for me when I was young and couldn't wait to make something like that for her.  I decided to tackle sewing and started searching for patterns.  I happened upon Dinky Baby's website and fell in love.  The dolls I saw there were so cute, cuter than I could imagine.  I decided on a pattern and some fabric and clicked in my order.  I couldn't wait for it to arrive!  It did and I've been a hopeless Dinky Baby addict ever since.  My first dolls were something short of perfect ;) but I thought they were wonderful and making them gave me something to be passionate about.  And Daphne loves them too.  She thinks they are all for her and has adopted many of them simply because she can't/won't let them go.  Sometimes they just disappear from my sewing alcove.  I'll find them in her room, tucked into her dolly beds, taking their naps.  I decided to call my business Daphne's Room

I've made Dinky Babies for gifts and to sell and to swap, but I make them mostly because I love the process of seeing that little face appear in what was just a piece of fabric.  
Rhonda Wiederstein
Texas, USA




Friday, November 20, 2009

I Met Them By Chance On Walks in the Net.....


My name is Ariane Pedrosa and I live in a tourist town called Figueira da Foz, located in the center of the Country, Portugal.
I Love the DinkyBabies!
I met them by chance on my walks in the net.  I was amazed and immediately sought more information and I went to the site.  Of course I did not rest until I did one of these babies.  I just love the newborn.  I think that appeals to our maternal instinct.  I find myself dressing and treat them like real babies!
Congratulations to Vicky who managed to convey sensitivity to rag dolls.
I know them relatively little time and maybe so may not be a very interesting story to tell.  I am making known DinkyBabies around here, Portugal.
But, I'm a fan with pride!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

South Carolina Spread Hugs with DinkyBaby!


My name is Nora Stockman and I have been a Distributor for Vicki for around 4 years, I have always made dolls but I searched the internet one lucky day and found Dinky Baby. Sometimes it is a miracle what a small thing can do, or even an unexpected turn in life. HUGS was one of these small things that made a difference.

The HUGS Project for my daughter started in such an unselfish way, and due to a chronic illness of her own. It helped her come to realize that sometimes it’s the small things that comfort the most.
In May of 2008 she had started feeling badly, her side hurt; she had no appetite as before and felt tired all the time. Yes, she was working at Self Regional Hospital thirty two hours a week and going to Lander University part time to get a degree in Psychology and raising a 10 year old little girl as a divorced parent, but when I noticed her skin looking sallow and the whites of her eyes were yellowed I knew she was going to the hospital on her own two feet or whatever way it took, her best friend Ann agreed, who was a Nursing student at the same University.

That week after tests she was diagnosed and hospitalized with Hepatitis C which not many people get. We had now the challenge to find out where she contracted it, by blood, it could have been at a Restaurant she had eaten and an employee cut themselves and it got into her food, a big chance it wasn’t the cause…a needle, which dictates you are a drug user, she doesn’t do that so it was ruled out, the boyfriend she had at the time was checked and he was negative also. So now what other events took place to put her in a situation to contract this? She had gone to Wal-Mart for a quick run in Pedicure and it had been done with tools she says were already on a table when she went in, most likely the culprit. So this was the most likely way but the food industry wasn’t ruled out.

Needless to say she was on Chemo medications administered by shots each week by her, along with tablets for six months that made her deathly sick but if she could overcome this she was a survivor.

During this time she thought of how children must feel to be as sick as she was and scared. Knowing that hospitals take care of a child’s physical needs she thought that a baby doll or a bear would help a child emotionally to have a new best friend there at the time they were sick…to hold when they were sad or to help dry the tears. She asked me about the Dinky Baby Dolls by Vicki since she had come to my summer show and saw how wonderfully children and grownups reacted to these cute babies.
As sick as she was, she needed this unselfish act to bring her through this hard time by giving to others and not feeling sorry for herself and she asked if I would help her make HUGS happen for the children at our local hospital. I put out an SOS to Vicki and the ladies on our group that make the dolls and got some volunteers that were willing to make and send the babies and bears, Vicki, Joann, Sandy, Lynne and Louise made Chloe’s and Dinky Bears and Jingles along with hats, booties and blankets from some other willing ladies to be handed out to our children. We ended up giving 70 combined dolls out in 2008 for the month of December at Self Regional Hospital in Greenwood, South Carolina as a result of all our combined hard work.

My daughter Haven saw the project through and delivered the babies each week as needed. She feels that this was a kindness her 10 year old daughter, Marissa needed to be a part of to know that it is sometimes better to give than receive. She has many requests to take on other places that need a service like this and hopes HUGS will grow in the future. These sweet babies and bears have made an impact on many little lives as well as parents of these children in our community and Haven was so proud when a parent walked up to her this summer at my doll show and asked “Are you the lady that gave my child that wonderful gift in the hospital?” and went on to tell her how much it was appreciated.

She has since had tests and her tests came back wonderful. HUGS was her strength in this tragic illness and will continue to be strength to as many children as we can reach.

Haven as well as the ladies that helped make this dream come true for her, are all my Heroines. I will be your biggest Fan Club because many of you like Haven, struggle with health issues and still find time to give freely to others in need. She is a strong young woman and has made something wonderful happen through her HUGS project and made these babies the “Star of the Show” here in South Carolina. You may go to this link to see the newspaper article and read more.
http://www.myspace.com/hugsnow2008 is one of her ways of getting this out to the public, please go here and read about her and this wonderful cause and how Dinky Babies are a blessing for our community.

Nora Stockman
South Carolina, USA
norastockman@yahoo.com

Why I Love Diky Babies


When I was a little girl my great grandma made me and my sisters all a doll that looked just like us. But when I was old enough to sew my G-grandma move to a different state.L She was never able to teach me to make dolls.

It was just a couple years ago when I was at the craft show in Ca when I saw these adorable dinky babies . That’s when I desisted to try and follow in my G-grandma foot steps. I bought the starters kit and got to work. I fell in loveJ .I started out with just making them for my two kids. I then thought that if I was so attached to the dolls that I made; it would be incredible to make one for my G-grandma. Her 93 birthday was just a few months ago and I gave her my doll. It was one of the greatest days of my life, sharing doll making secrets with her.

I have also made dolls for the little kids that are in foster care. These little children are tossed from family to family and they have such a hard and scary life. It just breaks my heart. So I make them friends that no one can take from them. Now when they are scared they have a friend. (Dinky babies). It was so exciting; I was able to make a little girl a doll that looked like her. She now has a forever home (she got adopted). To God be the glory forever. I hope to one day take these dolls to the ambulances so when the EMT’s have little ones that are scared they can give them a gift, (a dinky baby).It has been such a blessing for me to get to make these dolls and share them. The greats gift you could ever get is sharing theses dolls and seeing these little kids smile as they hold there new friends.
by Lynette Vermillion

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

We Love DinkyBabies!!!

We are putting together a blog of stories about DinkyBabies! We would love to include each and every one of you and we will post it online for all to see. Send us a short story telling how you found DinkyBabies, why you make them or love them and what they have meant to you. If you donate or do any good will with your babies, please let us know that also. All entries must be submitted with an email address and full name as well as your location – not address but area of the world you live in – such as state/province/country. This is required in order to be included. Also, please include a picture – one of you and a baby you have made or purchased would be wonderful, but we will accept any picture including a DinkyBaby you would like to send. This is a big project and we are very excited about this – please do participate – the only requirement is that you love DinkyBabies! Let me know if you have any questions. All submissions should be sent to linniepies@yahoo.com. The deadline for receiving these will be December 1, 2009! The prize for the best submission will be announced soon – you won’t be disappointed!!