THINK PINK

As Valentines Day approaches I went back into my archives and found these photos of my first Sasha family who are all "in the pink" and loving it. The variations on a Sailor Suit were created by one of the "dollsandreams" home designers. She made many different versions of the basic sailor suit and they were very popular with the young collectors who gathered every Saturday to see what was new for Sasha that week.

MEMORY LANE - STARS AND BARS

This medal was awarded for the BATTLE OF BRITAIN - 1939 to 1945

This morning Andrea posted a note about the new Help for Heroes medals that are in perfect Sasha scale. This reminded me that back in 1955 I purchased a carded set of British mini-medals from an antique dealer. Apparently these were awarded after WW2.
The collection of STARS AND BARS included 18 medals for various campaigns including Africa, Italy, France, Germany, Burma, and the South Pacific.
Here is a picture of Gregor wearing one of them.

SNOWBOUND BUT SUNNY

The view from the Sasha Room

Cars buried in the parking lot

The birds looking for food in the trees

This is the aftermath of yesterday's blizzard which left Phildelphia buried under 71 inches of snow. Beautiful to look at, but sure to be a shoveling nightmare.

SNOW DAY FUN

This cute hatbox can hold my dolly.

Look at this birdhouse and log cabin.

Isn't this dollhouse cute?

With the snow piling higher by the minute, and all roads closed, there was nothing better to do than have a fun snow day. The Philadelphia area is completely buried and we lost power for several hours here. So I downloaded a few printable minis from JIM'S DOLLHOUSE PAGES. All the minis are free.
Then I enlarged several of them to Sasha scale and now the kids are busy enjoying them.

Here is a link to JIM'S http://www.printmini.com/

HOPEFUL ROMANTIC

My Grandmother, Nana Laura, was what some folks might call a hopeless romantic. But, she described herself as a hopeful romantic.
Laura, and her sister Blanche, met and married two brothers, Theodore and Alfred, the same night they all first met. And they lived happily ever after.
Sadly, my Grandfather died before I was born and Nana Laura came to live with us. Back then my parents were still enjoying their youthful folly so Nana Laura became my mentor and babysitter.
When World War 2 broke out she immediately began knitting sweaters, scarves, and mittens for the soldiers overseas. Every week she would go down to the Red Cross office to deliver her latest creations. She liked to say that she kept the boys warm and helped their morale with little notes.
No one knew exactly what that meant until the war was over and dozens of returning GIs showed up on our doorstep looking for lovely Laura.
It seems that Nana Laura had been boosting their morale with warm and loving notes plus a photo of my young Mother in a bathing suit.

It must have been quite a shock to those eager GIs when Laura turned out to be a Grandmother.

Ah, love and the naughty ways of a hopeful romantic.

MEMORY LANE -- SWEETHEARTS

Here are two of the early 70s blondes from my first family. Gregor is wearing a sailor suit created by one of the talented designers who made outfits for "dollsandreams" and Sasha is wearing a gingham outfit I pulled together from various sources.
As we approach Valentine's Day I thought it might be fun to look back at some of my early couples. Back then I adopted as many boys as girls so my Sashas and Gregors were either siblings or sweethearts.

Ah, love.

Question or Comment -- Write to: SashaStreetUSA@aol.com

MEMORY LANE - SWEETHEART'S DANCE

As Valentines Day approaches I thought a trip down Memory Lane might be in order. Here are dolls from my first collection being a bit romantic. The brunette Sasha is wearing a white organdy gown that was borrowed from an unsuspecting baby. Her blonde Gregor friend is wearing a long military coat from the Madame Alexander Elise collection.
The redhead Sasha is wearing a Woodstock generation lace accented dress from the Ideal Crissy collection. Her brunette Gregor dance partner is wearing a hand-knit sweater from "dollsandreams" and a pair of gray slacks from an unknown source.
Back in the early 70s I began raiding the closets of other dolls for outfits Sasha could wear. It is fun to look back now at my sometimes oddly matched ensembles.

Question or Comment -- Write to: SashaStreetUSA@aol.com

BORROWING FASHIONS - 22

Sasha looks quite like a young lady in this Magic Attic dress from the "Camp Whispering Pines" collection. The dress is fashioned of a jersey type fabric and the red clogs have a soft sueded finish. The whole outfit is topped off with a bright red "scrunchie."
Sasha has had a lot of fun borrowing fashions from the Magic Attic collection and is looking forward to finding more dolls with closets full of fashions she can borrow.

Question or Comment -- Write to: SashaStreetUSA@aol.com

HERE'S SNAPPY BUNNY

Just in time for Easter -- introducing SNAPPY BUNNY!

Last year the Sasha group had lots of fun making a SNAPPY BEAR for their Sasha dolls. This year I thought it might be fun to make a bunny.
Snappy Bunny is 6 inches tall from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet. Her joints are made from industrial snaps. The kit includes everything you need to make a bunny except the stuffing which is available at most craft shops.
The Snappy Bunny kit is $15.00 with free USA shipping. International buyers add $2 for shipping.
You can send payment by PayPal using my PayPal e-mail address tedmenten@aol.com

A complete set of step-by-step instructions with photos will be on my bear making blog http://tedsteddytalk.blogspot.com/ where you can also see last year's project.

I hope you will all join me making this whimsical little bunny in time for Easter hippity-hop.

BORROWING FASHIONS - 21

My Sasha twins have decided to go camping in their Magic Attic fashions and accessories. The inflatable raft and accessories plus the rafting outfit are from the "White Water Rescue" collection. The other outfit is from the "Camp Whispering Pines" collection. After a day of camping and rafting the twins snuggle up in their comfy Tommy Hilfiger sleeping bags.

Question or Comment -- Write to: SashaStreetUSA@aol.com

BORROWING FASHIONS - 20

Here is another really cute Magic Attic outfit from Prilly Charmin. It features a candy stripe halter top with matching knickers. The floral print skirt has a double ruffle at the hemline and the print is used as lining and trim on the denim "Western" jacket.
This outfit fits pretty well with just a few alterations. The halter needed to be tightened in back which just involved moving the snaps. The jacket is a bit large but not too much -- especially if it is worn over a sweater. The skirt is a perfect fit.

Here is the link to Prilly Charmin - http://prillycharmin.com/

BORROWING FASHIONS - 19

Sasha thinks this pink Magic Attic outfit from Prilly Charmin is really cute. It is a near perfect fit. I did take in the sides a bit but it really isn't necessary. The denim has lots of top stitch detailing which makes it more realistic looking.

This is another contemporary fashion that reflects an earlier Sasha style.

Here is the link to Prilly Charmin - http://prillycharmin.com/

BORROWING FASHIONS - 18

Here is another charming outfit from Prilly Charmin. This one is tagged "Cuddly Sisters" and fits Sasha almost perfectly. I altered the sides a bit but even without that change the fit is good. I don't particularly like the little embroidered heart on the bodice so I might eventually remove it or cover it with a pocket. The shirt is a perfect fit.

I like this denim version of a familiar Sasha classic style. And Sasha likes to vary the length of the pant legs depending on her mood.

Here is the link to Prilly Charmin - http://prillycharmin.com/

BORROWING FASHIONS - 17

Sasha is having a Pop Star moment in this Helen Kish outfit from Prilly Charmin. You might recognize my Stubborn Sasha who usually refuses to take a pose. Well, even though these boots are a bit tight they have cute heels that allow Miss Stubborn to assume more poses. I doubt if I will ever persuade her to give up this outfit.

The 16-inch Kish dolls are slimmer than Sasha so I had to open the back seams on the shirt and skirt but it just took a minute to do and the final effect was worth it. While this is hardly the traditional Sasha style I cannot help but wonder if Sasha was still alive today if she would be inspired by the fashions of today's kids. I think she would.

Here is the link to Prilly Charmin - http://prillycharmin.com/