Snow Day

We don't get a lot of snow,

so a snow day is a special occasion!

Ella put on her winter wear, and went out to play

with Chile the Snowman.

She was delighted to see real snow!

Chile, who usually lives on top of the refrigerator,

just smiled and smiled to be outside in the snow again.

Ella fulfilled her winter-long dream to make a snow angel.

This particular snow storm occurred during temperatures near

and just above freezing. The snow has been wet, and we are expecting rain.

The snow had accumulated in patches,

but much of the property has spotty to no snow accumulation.

Ella was happy that she is small enough to enjoy patches of snow!

Storage Unit Finds

The "A Doll a Day" theme for 1/27 was "challenge".

I found it to be a challenge to come up with an idea.

I started thinking about cameras, and stumbled upon the idea

that using any kind of film camera could be a challenge

for a child used to digital cameras.

ADAD 27: 1/27/15

Challenge

How do you work this old Brownie camera?

I received a few comments about where the camera was from.

It is from American Girl.

It was made for Molly as an accessory to the book

Molly's Route 66 Adventure.

It occurred to me that I have the camera,

Grand Canyon piggy bank, and Route 66 flag at home,

but my non-Josefina AG books were in storage.

I took advantage of the nice weather, and cleaned out

my storage unit.
One benefit was retrieving my Molly books,

including Molly's Route 66 Adventure.

The real gem in cleaning out my storage unit

was finding and retrieving my Tree Blocks.

They were in a box that was in the back of my storage unit,

in the bottom middle section.

I was glad that I was persistent and kept looking for them! 

ADAD 28: 1/28/15

A Personality Trait

We are builders! We are creative!

And I am remembering that, although my storage unit

needs more work in discarding or selling old items,

I have some pretty cool stuff!!!!

Of Dragons and Books and Trees

A few weeks ago,

I discovered an eBay seller who sells miniature books

in both 1:12 dollhouse size and 1:6 play scale.

I ordered Dragonology: The Complete Book of Dragons

in 1:12. I was so interested, that I purchased the full size person copy.

I loved it so much, that I purchased the 1:6 size as well.

I love how the pages are a tactile experience!

There are sections to touch and little cards or small pages

to read within the book.

Ella's 1:16 copy arrived on Friday afternoon

along with more packages for Amaya.

Saturday morning, our ADAD topic was "shiny".

Ella and I were looking through my version of Dragonology.

Ella loved the shiny sample of dragon scales on this page!

Sunday morning, our ADAD topic was "simple".

Amaya wanted to get in on the theme.

It is simple to find a book when you only have one book

with words and pictures in it!

She chose her copy of Dragonology.

Another topic of creative interest in my house

has been the topic of how to make a tree house for dolls.

I have wondered for years how to make one,

and who to make one for (which size dolls should it fit).

This morning, I discovered resin trees, tree stumps, and structures

meant for aquarium fish or reptiles in a terrarium.

They could make a good base for a small tree house.

Amaya gathered up her similar size friends to vote on purchasing

this aquarium tree trunk.

The dimensions read 9.8 x 9.8 x 14.4 inches,

so it should be about 14 inches tall.
That means that if Amaya stands in the hole in the middle,

I will be lucky if she is tall enough to see over the bottom edge,

especially at the taller edges.

So, either they will get a GIANT tree,

or it will end up being shared among the 4-8 inch dolls,

depending on who fits with the tree and how it works.

But, it could end up being a fun photo prop.

If I end up making a tree house to go on top of it,

I just may need to find a pet dragon to live in the hole in the trunk!

Dragons and Books and Trees,

Oh My!

Walk Outside

Today was definitely not a snow day,

but recent snows have provided enough moisture

to turn the grass patches of green.

Ella found shade under a cottonwood tree.

Amaya wanted to stand right next to Ella,

but the tree roots were on a hill.

She found her own place to stand on a root.

Maybe she could hold Ella's hand if she came a little closer.

No, being downhill made her too short to reach

Ella's hand.

What can she do now?

It is okay.
Ella knows that she is there.

Maybe we can play a game inside?

Playing "Snow Day"

Today is Martin Luther King Day,

which I consider to be a time of reflection on the

freedoms that we have and the work that needs to be done

in all beings seeing each other as equals and treating each other as such.

It is also a day off from work,

and my two Fairyland companions decided

to pretend that it was a snow day.

Today's ADAD theme is "Ice".

Amaya decided to be the subject of this photo,

seeking "ice" when there is none outside.

ADAD 19: 1/19/15 Ice

Would you like some ice cream?

Ice Cream on Acrylic Ice Cubes

Meanwhile, Jenifer of "Spampy Stuff"

called it a "snow day" and asked for photos

to be shared on her Facebook group.

Ella grabbed an Ann Estelle outfit

and Chile the Snowman to join in on the game.

Snow, rain, or shine, 

we wish you all a time of play

and a time of reflection.

Indoor Activities

January is a good month for indoor activities and craft projects.
Yesterday, I wallpapered the dollhouse kitchen.

ADAD 17: 1/17/15: In My House

"I found some eggs in the refrigerator. Um...you know there is no stove?"

The dollhouse is coming along.

I love that it looks like a house

and is no longer a box of wooden pieces!

Ella sat on the edge of the upper floor as the morning sun passed.

Beautiful winter portrait!

When I was at the hardware store for painter's tape,
I looked for a metal base to use in posing Amaya.

I found a round door pull among the hinges

and handles for cabinets.

It isn't as strong as I'd like, but it works!

I found these wonderful 1:6 scale books on eBay.

They are well done, illustrated, and include text. 

They are quite expensive, but I love them!

I cut wood strips down to the desired size, glued them,

and painted them.

These are bookends for Ella's collection of these books.

I am open to finding something to put on the edges of the bookends,

but the brilliant thing about them is that I used museum wax to hold them 

to her dresser. The wax holds the bookends down so that the book

doesn't open up and push them away.

ADAD 18: 1/18/15: Exercise

Ella practiced beginning yoga positions.       

While I looked for something to use as a possible yoga mat,

I found my Lati Yellow Special dolls.

I found that, at 8 inches, they were very big

compared to my 4.5 inch Fairyland PukiPuki.

Then, I realized that I had not done a family portrait since her arrival.

We wish you all a time of love with your family

and friends, and the creativity to fill those inside

winter days!

Alamo Farms Wildlife Preserve

Honestly, I needed to take the check in for my rental storage unit

and really didn't want to leave the house.
I wanted to be with Ella, so I talked myself into taking

the check in for an additional photo opportunity with Ella.

The Alamo Farms Wildlife Preserve is at the end of the road

where my storage unit is located.

I dressed Ella in her new Spampy dark blue jeans,

purchased to go with her Becky Colvin shirt and hat.

I find this space to be a bit confusing.

There are parking spaces along the fence,

but there are no gates to get in.

Visitors have hours restricted to the daytime.

Except no trespassing is allowed.

So, I stick with fence post photos

that show the different seasons.

Yeah, I know Ella.

Let's just go for a drive and look at houses.