Nachito's Fishing Outfitters Rental Stand

Yet another of Pop's really cool homemade Christmas presents . . . a Fishing Outfitters Rental Stand for Mom's doll, Nachito (TM #77).

Nachito likes to sit in the Island breezes, read fishing magazines, swap fishing stories and rent fishing equipment to the other inhabitants of Islandshire. His personal favorite is the Cuban Yoyo, but he stocks all sorts of poles, lures and bait.

He's got two sort of crate counters, a pole rack, a bait cooler, a net, magazines and more! The pole rack is removable for easy storage, too, which is really nice!

The hook and lure boxes are all made to look like different vintage boxes that Pop likes. He's quite into fishing (particularly fly fishing), so this set was really up his alley. He's got a few more poles and nets "in the works" already! The bobbers are made of real cork, and he came up with a way to make the Cuban Yoyos out of some plumbing joints, super glue and fishing line.

Nachito's bait cooler is one of the cutest things! To make this, Pop actually took the bottom of an old tea tin, painted it red and stenciled the letters onto the side. The lid is wood, which he custom made to the shape of the tin. The handles are also wood, which I believe he super-glued onto the tin. Inside the bait cooler he used more poly pellets (as in the same type that make the "beans" inside Beanie Babies) for the ice and some real little fake bait fish (you know, the kind that are made of the gummy rubbery stuff).

Each pole is handmade. One of them (I think it's in the middle) is a modified grill lighter from Bass Pro, so it came with its own reel ready made. The other two are totally handmade by Pop. He used all sorts of things of bottle lids to wood to putty to make the reels. Painted everything in the real colours, made the poles, etc. The cane poles are actually wooden dowels that he carved to look like bamboo, since he couldn't get real bamboo in the proper scale.

This is a really fun set, and all the boys on Islandshire are planning on having a lot of fun!

Dad also made a full fly fishing set-up for my doll, Eliot -- stay tuned for photos of that in the near future!

Mina's Island Workshop and Forge

Continuing with photos of the cool Christmas presents that Pop made for us . . . here are photos of his present for Elizabeth's doll, Mina (TM #67). Mina is the Islandshire fix-it girl, and she wants a very rustic Island workshop -- a cross between a Mysterious Island computer game and Gilligan's Island. Elizabeth plans on building a workshop building with painted PVC frame covered in tropical faux leaves.

Well, this is where Pop stepped in, because he made all the stuff for inside the workshop. Everything is meant to look very rustic and rather like it was put together with pieces of island wood and things taken from a shipwreck, etc.

The workbench is filled with all kinds of tools, almost all of which Pop made himself --- and they work! He even made a totally working Bit and Brace (antique hand drill) with three different bits. There are screwdrivers, a hammer, rubber mallet, a chisel, etc.

Mina's tool box holds a bunch of her things and even two miniature saws (she had the OG saw, but Pop got her a real wood and metal mini saw with a brown handle).

The other thing that Mina really needed was a forge and anvil. I mean, how can you be the Island fix-it girl without one, right? This was really amazing, but you have to hold it to really experience it. He made the base of the forge out of wood and carved it to look like block. Then, he plastered it to give it the authentic look (well, I don't know what sparked the idea of the plaster for him, but it makes it look authentic!). The pipe is copper-painted PVC, and the round cover over the coals is a can that he cute in half and painted to match the pipe.

The coals in the forge are actually the PVC pellets you buy for stuffing plush animals (as in the "beans" in a Beanie Baby). He put them on a base, clued them down and then painted it black. The tongs are a pair of medical forceps that he cut down and shaped to fit Mina's hand.

There are two different anvils (small and large) and a hammer. The base is a stained Cyprus knee cut to size. And Mina's project is a scuba tank for Elizabeth's doll, Zale. Pop made the tank out of an aluminum bottle, some hose and a hand-carved top piece.

So, all Mina needs now is the outer building --- which will be a fun Winter project! Meanwhile, she's busy working on all kinds of Islandshire fun.

Nanea's Pearl and Shell Stand

The Girl of the Year thrill has kind of sidetracked me from posting Christmas photos, so let's see if I can get back on track here.

Pop has always enjoyed making stuff for our dolls, and he really outdid himself this year! He made a special set-up for each of us, and mine was something for Nanea! She's been aching for a little stall that could stand by the Rainforest House, because she and Benny want to be able to sell the pearls that they dive for. While we were in Florida, Benny and Nanea got to visit the Hawaiian "Pick-a-Pearl" stand at Disney Springs . . . which seems to have inspired Pop! He made a whole little stand painted in the same color scheme --- and even featuring small side wings to hold Pick-a-Pearl buckets!

The stand is made of wood with a swinging sign (the sign and the frame that holds it are removable for easy storage), a counter and a display case. The display case is open in the back, so Nanea can change her pearls and shells very easily --- plus, there is a shelf back there to store extra stock.

The sign poles needed a little decoration, so I actually had one of those battery-powered LED light strings made in the shape of colored flowers. I just cut the battery pack off and used the string like a garland. It couldn't have fit better if it had been custom made.

For pearls, Nanea has been collecting various pearl beads. Most of them are plastic, but we actually got a few strings of Freshwater Pearl beads, and those will be made into doll-sized necklaces and jewelry that Nanea can sell at her stand.

Her other Christmas present was a really fancy hula costume! This is from Nanea's collection, and she couldn't have been happier, since it really makes the pearl sales look authentically Hawaiian. (As a side note, the headpiece and lei were strung on thick elastic cord. The headpiece was definitely too small, and I didn't care for the stiffness of the lei. To fix both, I actually restrung them on some thinner elastic cord -- allowing the headpiece to fit without damaging her head or hair. And I added a clasp on the Lei, which means she doesn't have to pull it on over her head.)

The stand is a perfect little addition to Nanea and Benny's house. They didn't want a whole store, just something to stock with pearls and shells they find when diving. Come pay a visit to Nanea soon and you might just end up with a free Pick-a-Pearl!

Above is a photo of the stand beside the Rainforest House. This gives an idea for the scale.