Bunty Visits the Great Lakes Fiber Show

Saturday was a really fun day here! Bunty loves wool. She likes all natural fiber, but wool is her real passion. In fact, she's so keen on it that she's decided to support Prince Charles' "Campaign for Wool" movement by hosting a doll-sized wool show. The new Islandshire Community Center is now built and ready (aka Blaire's Restaurant), so with the venue reserved, it's time to start planning the show! Attending a fiber show seemed like the best way to get ideas, and this is always a fun show to visit.

We arrived shortly before lunch time, and it was quite hot. Thankfully, Bunty is not affected by the weather and was perfectly comfortable in her hand-knitted sweater. The first building had tables of fleeces displayed (having been judged earlier) and for sale. There were some really nice bags of wool there --- Bunty's favorite was a dark Border Leicester fleece.

The next sale booth we checked out was "Promised Land & Livestock Co." from Ohio. They had all kinds of raw fleeces from Blue Faced Leicester (BFL) and Lincoln sheep. There were a lot of nice things there, so Bunty had a good look . . .

. . . and we decided to bring home a partially felted skirting to wash up and use for some wool stuffing and other projects!

Walking along, we came to another great booth --- the "Bauer Family Farm" in Dauphin, PA. There were a lot of beautiful colored rovings made for spinning, but the really cool stuff were the exotic fibers in some special bins. We just had to buy some things there! Bunty picked out the Fox/Wool blend and a bag of "New Zealand" wool for her friend, Camilla. I picked out some of the Mink Top and a few other things!

At "The Ewenique Boutique" from Belle Vernon, PA, Bunty had a LOT of fun choosing a little lamb charm from bins of fun jewelry makings. As soon as we sit down one of these afternoons, she'll have a really fun necklace.

At one shop along the way, there was a really cute little ram --- just Bunty's size. She certainly loved him, but her own little lamb will be here very soon, so she is getting her small pasture ready for him!

Next along the line was "Briar Rose" --- a shop with some of the most beautiful yarns (dyed in natural and earthy colours) you'll ever see or feel. Bunty had a lot of fun looking around there!

At "Ewnique Fibers" from Alliance, OH, we found some really neat fleece from a Valais Blacknose/Scottish Blackface cross. This will be perfect for . . . something. Right?!

Bunty was able to see a bit of the judging of the hand-dyed and spun yarns. This gave her some great ideas for the upcoming Islandshire Wool Show, where she hopes to have a good turn out in the fleece judging contest!

After a few hours, before heading back to the car, we stopped to take a look at all the purchases. Bunty had brought her special Lamb bag with her and got to admire the new locks and roving for her collection. It was sure nice to sit down and take a short break!

On the trip home, Bunty had some more fun, because Grammy let her drive the car. This is a skill that Eliot has been quite proud of (ever since his trip to the APS Stamp Show last Summer), so Bunty is glad to be able to have done the same thing as her brother.

She drove the car . . .

. . . set the Cruise Control . . .

. . . turned on some music . . .

. . . and checked her hair in the mirror!

All in all, it was a great day, and Bunty looks forward to sharing more news about the Islandshire Wool Show. So, check back later this Summer for more news about that, and be sure to read up on the "Campaign for Wool".

A Birthday Party for Nanea

Yesterday (May 13) was a big day! It was Nanea's birthday --- marking the first anniversary of her arrival here. I can hardly believe that it's already been a year since we picked her out at the American Girl store in Columbus. At the same time, though, it feels like she's been here forever!

A special day like this couldn't pass without doing something fun, so some of the other dolls set up a surprise party! Here they are all in place . . .

Everybody in place, waiting for the birthday girl to arrive!

Mariamne (pronounced "Mary-anne") was there to greet everyone, check the invitations and keep Nanea from seeing anything too soon. When Nanea was finally allowed to turn the corner, she was so surprised that she had to gasp and quiver.

Even Flossie (Nanea's pet chicken) came to the party and donned a festive hat . . .

Flossie wishes Nanea many happy returns of the day.

Everyone sat down, and the group sang "Happy Birthday" (except for Eliot, who can't sing). The guest list included Janie, Johanna, Eliot, Bunty, Leo, Vicki and Harold.

Lots of fun and lots of conversation went on while they all enjoyed some amazing treats -- provided by Eydie and Janie!

Janie and Nanea

Johanna and Eliot

Bunty and Vicki

Harold and Leo

The party went on for quite some time. Poor Benny arrived a little late for his sister's party, but he had been out diving for pearls and couldn't get back on time. No matter! They set up a chair for him near Harold, and the boys decided to share some cake and ice cream.

The food was amazing and included several kinds of birthday cake (including some that were set in a ring of pearls), fudge sundaes, banana splits and cupcakes -- all provided by Eydie's Gourmets, the fanciest eatery on Islandshire. Janie brought a platter of exquisite (and tasty!) handmade chocolate truffles. These are her specialty and include all kinds of cream centers. Special pink lemonades and strawberry limeades were served in beautiful heirloom glasses, lent by Bunty for the special occasion.

 With all of this to eat, everyone sat and talked for a long time. There were all kinds of things to discuss, but the favorite topic is definitely the newest excitement on Islandshire --- Nachito's recent acquisition of a Wind Surfer! This fun vessel will soon be available for rental, and I think there will be a long line to try it out.

Johanna was really thrilled that one of the birthday cakes was actually a Minnie Mouse Strawberry layer cake! Minnie is one of her favorite characters, which you can guess by her fancy dress.

Johanna enjoying her Minnie Mouse cake.

Suddenly, there was a little noise coming from the end of the table. Harold and Benny had spilled one of their lemonades, so it took a few napkins to clean everything up.

Harold cleans up some spilled lemonade.

Even Flossie got to enjoy a treat with her own chicken-sized cupcake . . .

Once everyone was full, having enjoyed lots of cake and ice cream, it was time for Nanea to open her presents. Everyone had brought beautiful things for her -- including a pitcher of pineapple juice, a fresh pineapple, tickets to play carnival games, homemade Cornish pasties, a Hawaiian dollhouse play set and a wrapped surprise!

Nanea admires her gifts.

The play set looks really fun, and the girls decided that they'll all come over to Nanea's house soon to have a play day!

No one could guess what was in the wrapped surprise, so they were all holding their breath . . .

How amazing! It was a doll! And it was a very special doll, because it is a little Hawaiian girl in traditional dress. This was no ordinary little doll -- it was January Lotus from Ma and Pa Kettle in Waikiki! That is Nanea's very favorite movie, and January is her very favorite movie character.

Thanks to Auntie Elizabeth, January has a beautiful homemade dress and scarf. She even has a miniature pearl necklace!

 The remainder of the party was spent in more conversation and play. The boys talked about things like fishing, diving, wind surfers and scooters. The girls planned a meeting of the Islandshire Doll Group to welcome their newest member!

So, a big "thank you" to everyone on Islandshire who made this Nanea's best birthday ever!
And Flossie says . . . cluck, cluck.

 Thanks for reading, and be sure to check back soon for more Islandshire fun!