Check in

[Gabriell]

These are some crazy times.

For those of you who are active on this forum or who lurk but come out from the shadows once in a while we want to hear from you (well I do).

Check in, nothing fancy, just say I am here, a couple lines about where you are how you are doing, what you are working on, how you are feeling. If you have some uplifting words or happy news please share, if you are having a hard time and need some comforting words and a little emotional support let us know.

This forum is all over the place sometimes. It is suppose to just be about this hobby but I think it has become more than that over the years. A lot of friendships have begun here, some of you have known each other for a whole lot of years.

We are from all over this planet, mostly women, we have a couple baby daddy’s here, we all love this art form, we all have a story. Not everyone is collecting or painting, some have softly retired but we still want to know how you are.

I will start:

Gabriell, I am here, California, the weather has been lovely, my family is healthy and safe, I hate covid, but I am grateful for a for a few things that have happened for me because of it, like the time I got to spend with my kids, the garden I put it, cooking outside, fixing stuff around the house. I had to slow down the dolly stuff because of homeschool but it was a good trade (not fun but good). I am working on some alternatives and painting some tiny dolls for an illustration project with a friend I met on You Tube. I gained 26 pounds and I hate it and it won’t come off but I have to say I baked some awesome deserts that made my mouth happy. I wish I had a magic want and could fix the things that hurt, make things better… I know I am blessed and I am grateful everyday. I have a few friends who passed away in the last two years and a friend (you know who you are) who pulled a rabbit out of a hat and beat the stuffing out of intestinal cancer. Life is good, it is a hard thing to remember when it doesn’t feel good, but it is, and it is precious even on the bad days, even when it is a struggle that never seems to end.

We are here.

[kareninflorida]

I’m here in Florida, walking, drinking lots of water, painting babies at a sloth’s pace, enjoying being alive. Big scary scans coming up in the next couple of weeks, trying to keep it together and walk in faith.

I have learned that it’s really true that when you have your health you have everything.

I don’t seem to lose any weight. My fat likes me

Glad you and your family are healthy and doing well. Excited to see what you’re working on, especially those 100 yr old baby gowns you mentioned in another thread.

Stay well!

[jlesser]

Jenni, in Idaho waiting in a parking lot for my oldest daughter to come out from her work.
Painting is slow going these last few weeks. Lots of appointments for the family lately and not much motivation.
I got excepted to be a vendor at Friends of ROSE show, so making idea lists, etc. Filling up virtual shopping carts, then weeding back through them, trying to make final decisions.
I need to get to choosing and painting the kits I want to take. Paint now, think about their hair later… lol.

[anjsmiles]

Angie here from Georgia where we have fickled weather. Cold in the mornings and warm like Spring in the afternoons here lately. I have been painting some lately with Genesis. After years of using air dry paints I got bored with it and decided to go back to Genesis just when things started running out! I found a Citrus thinner that does not burn my throat which was the whole reason I stopped Genesis in the first place. Got myself a NuWave oven too and I love it so much better than my old table top convection oven. Actually sent the old oven to the dump!
I am just recovering with a bad round with my herniated disc so painting is kinda on slow drive for me right now. I can’t sit for long periods of time so have to work standing too. I have several Silicone babies I really need to get started but I am waiting til my back is stronger.

[trilliants]

Paula here from Minnesota. It is really darn cold here. I can hardly wait until spring. I am tired of all the snow. In my driveway I have no where to put it. My youngest son, his fiance, and my grandson just came over. I have been working from home so you would think I would have more time to paint. I have a few sitting in my studio waiting to be finished and a few waiting to be painted. For some reason I have been more focused on my embroidery dolls. In fact I just sold one the other day in my Etsy store. Since I work for my local government I have Monday off and I took tomorrow off so I might have to finish the dolls I started in November.

[RebornReflections]

Hey! I’m Maddie, and I’m in NC. I’ve had more time to paint since finishing all of my college applications over winter break. Now I’m just waiting to hear back from my schools. I’m still wanting to paint more than I have, but we’ll see how that goes.

[ZeldaDawn]

Tiffany here in Western North Carolina. I keep up with all of you on the forum even though I don’t always contribute to the conversation. I’m a pretty quiet person IRL too unless I’m drinking and then you can’t shut me up. Think I’ve got the winter/pandemic doldrums but I’m doing ok. Just withdrawn and supremely unmotivated. I’ve been watching YouTube tutorials on how to sew since I’ve painted elf Flynn and I’d like to dress him as a little spring fairy. We’ll see. He’ll probably be the only baby fairy in the universe wearing Carter’s. Hope I don’t give him a complex. (Oh, and my fat really likes me too )

[Kayla]

Kayla here in Florida, I haven’t been as active as I used to be but I still like to stop by and see everyone’s babies and see what’s new. I don’t reborn but I like to collect, although my collections gotten small. I did recently get to add this sweet girl though, she’s not a reborn but has always been one of my dream babies that I never thought I’d get the chance to have but when I found her on eBay for $30 I couldn’t pass her up! She’s Ciara by Linda Webb, from Ashton Drake galleries, I saw the price and jumped at the chance to get her, and she’s pretty much flawless! She came with original box, clothing and certificates! only thing wrong was some very light shedding but that happens with most Ashton drake dolls.

[jeanhai]

Jean here in California. I was ready for Spring in November. I don’t like Winter. Weather is crazy. Last week in the high 70s up to 80. This week in the 60s, 40s at night, but Spring is right around the corner. Everything’s in bloom here-magnolias, daffodils, cherry trees, miles of yellow mustard. Still praying for more rain. I worry about more fires. I’m working on Sandie, Michelle, Happy Sage, newborn Joseph cuddle baby (sewing body then he’s done). They’re all in different stages but close to completion. I stopped going out to eat because of Covid and I actually lost a substantial amount of weight in the last year and a half. I guess my fat decided it didn’t like me. WOO HOO! It’s about time! I lost 3 friends this year, not from Covid. They were old and it was their time. They were 99, 96, and 94. They were years older than me but they were happy and fun and I miss them all.
I miss @Nikkiroc’s humor and sass. I’m sure she’s busy, but I wish she’d come back. I don’t know if she’s still reborning. @izzy (Zhao) (of The Baby Nook) was on the forum when she was a very young teen. I miss her presence here, too. She now sculpts and sells silicone dolls on Facebook and is very successful. One of her limited editions sold out in 10 minutes.

[Kwinker]

Kathleen here in Illinois. Definitely over winter! Definitely over this pandemic! I’ve been on a hiatus. I really want to start back to painting but lack motivation. Families hanging in there.

[lynn]

Lynn here in Southern California. The weather here has been absolutely incredible. High 80’s for the past week with Santa Ana winds (desert winds) blowing but just gorgeous! Then bam, rain one day, temp. dropped it got kinda cold. Next day or so, temp back up and winds starting up again. You can never tell about So. Cal. Other than that, life is ok. I have lost my mojo to paint, hoping it will return one day soon, I have so many kits. I’m tired of Covid just like everyone else but it will pass one day and we will all look back at a very difficult time and chalk it up to “life experience”. What stories we will all have to tell the youngsters one day who never experienced it. I’m getting old and watch over my 96 year old mom, and daughter with mental health issues, life can have extremely hard days. I Love the forum, it gives me connections to others whom I consider friends, they make me happy and lift my spirits all the time and they don’t even know it. That’s what makes it so great! Thank you for the thread Gina. BTW, waiting on more videos from you, miss them.

[taylorsgirl]

Im here.
My name is Sara. I live in GA.
Ive not been making dolls for the last year. But i am hoping to be back into it soon.
Other than that ive been writing (i write sci fi romance)

And spending time decorating my new house. This week was picking out art and taking it in to be framed…which is surprisingly expensive.

[cherielynn09]

Cherie from southern Ohio…we have had some bad weather…but it’s actually not been TOO bad…dodged a huge ice storm a week or so ago…

Today schools are on 2 hour delay bc of flooding…but…it could have been snow…or ice…sooooo…

We have had more wind than normal…last
night it sounded like my roof was going to come off

So…next nice day will probably be a day to pick up all the sticks and branches that fell off the trees…i swear…we have at least 3 brush burnings a year if not more…you would think i wouldn’t have trees left…only trunks

I am ready for spring…my daffodils are peeking out of the ground…so its TIME!!!

Like everyone else…I’m done with covid…sick of it all…the whole politicization of it…the masks… the mandates…the fear…the division…all of it

On the dolly end…

I have ordered several kits…but none have really hit me in a way that made me say…I’ve GOT to have that one…

I guess I’m still having a hard time finding my old
“get up &go” after covid…

[chatrat]

I’m here!
My name is Desiree and I live in Kansas!
These past 2 years have been tough for everyone, for so many different reasons, and filled with change.
I remember growing up and hearing my parents and grandparents talk about different things thru history - the Depression - the Dust Bowl, and I know our generation and the next, will historically talk about the Covid years. A time when the world stood still - a time of division, and isolation - sickness and death.
This time for me has been about a lot of life changes (hello 20 pounds) Last year before Christmas, my Mom was diagnosed with throat cancer. I cut my hours at work to bare minimum to take her for the multitude of doctors appointments, radiation, scans. Just as we were getting close to the end of her treatment, my Mother in Law, who has had lung cancer for the past 5 years, was coming to the end of her battle. She lives 700 miles from us, so my Husband went to stay and care for her. She lost her battle on Mothers Day 2021. Since my hubby is an only child, that left us with a home and property in another state that we are dealing with trying to sort out, clean, and hopefully sell.
I finally (softly,and quietly) semi retired from my day job. There has just been SO much of so many things that it just made the most sense. I might at some point revisit that decision, but for the moment I am at home just doing dolly stuff.
Winter here has been strange …It’s been warmer than normal, which is great, but severely dry, so I worry about fires this summer if we don’t get moisture. I"m looking so forward to getting my garden in and playing in the sunshine! I hope all of the madness in the world ends peacefully, and that everyone can agree to disagree, and still remain friends~

[yackyquacky]

Kim here, back from sunny warm South Florida vaca!!

NW Pennsylvania, cold and snowy. Winter has been nice, but I’m ready for it to pack up and go (the downside is all the dog doo waiting to be collected from the yard LOL).

I have several babies started, and there they sit, cooing at me to finish

Been a crazy winter of head colds around here. Seems my son and I can’t shake them as easily as my hubby and daughter! Not complaining as it could be worse!

All in all, life is good.

[Marilyn]

Marilyn here in VA for the past 4 years but originally from NY. This is a great thread! Many of your stories sound just like mine. Tired of Covid, snow, you name it ! I haven’t done a lot of painting these last four years . I’ve been busy furnishing a new home and right at this moment I am sequestered in my bedroom while my kitchen and living room are being painted. My granddaughter recently sent me her dolly to be rooted and as much as I hate rooting ( because I’m not good at it) I actually had fun doing it and want to do some more. Maybe once Spring rolls in and I can bake out on the porch I’ll start a new kit…maybe.

[Evee]

Evelyn here in IL. Just survived a blizzard yesterday. I had breast cancer, breast reduction, and radiation in the last year. My husband just had his prostate removed from prostate cancer. My youngest son is in prison for defending himself and his home from multiple assailants. I am hanging in there trying my best to walk by faith. I feel like Job from the bible. God has my back. I am thankful to be here on the forum. I love watching all the creativity. It lifts my spirits. I paint to soothe my soul. “That which doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger.”

[judylane1961]

Judy here I live in central Indiana. I have just been paint when I go to a crafting weekend with some other girls in our town. They meet once a month and do things like scrapbooking, sewing, making crafts and even shirts. We all bring food and is usually Friday night until Sunday afternoon. The proceeds go for things like humane society, the local men’s and women’s shelter and local sports teams. Each month a different thing is picked. The also send stuff to and African school. I am the only one that paints dolls there.
FYI I hate winter

[GrammasLittleDoll]

Faith here, still in New Jersey. We tried to move to Maine, but the real estate market was crazy. We decided that, since we weren’t having any luck buying a house in Maine, we would stay where we already had a home. I’m happy about it, because I will be closer to my granddaughter (first grandchild) who is due in April in NC. When I joined the forum years ago and chose my username, I used the nickname that my grandmother always called me. I have a small collection of reborns, but I have only completed one myself. I painted a boy Blinkin as Baby Jesus, and my husband made a manger. We bring him out every year so young children can play with an unbreakable Baby Jesus. I still live in the magical town of “someday” where I will have time to do it all. Thus, I continue to buy kits, hoping to find time in the future to paint. After trying to pack a house for a move, I realize I have far too much stuff, but I won’t be listing any kits for sale because of PayPal’s new requirements. Someday, some lucky people in NJ will have an opportunity to come to my parking lot kit sale, cash only lol. I am trying to homeschool my seventh-grade son. I am finding that very challenging, but I was reminded that all my children struggled through middle school, so maybe I’m doing okay. We are healthy and enjoying life more, now that things are becoming more normal. I enjoy following the forum, though I don’t post very often. My favorite thing to do is sing. I have been in my church choir since 1999, and I joined an a cappella group in 2018. We managed to sing through covid-19. We sang in our cars with microphones that went to a sound board. Then the sound was transmitted over an available FM channel, and we could hear everyone together on our car radios.

[GrammasLittleDoll]

You are often in my prayers. My older son (who was in the Army) is 25, and I can’t imagine what it would be like to have him falsely imprisoned. I pray that your son won’t become embittered before he is released. I also pray for justice to come quickly, so you can both be reunited.