Sasha Celebration weekend 2016 - part 4

After a fun day of crafts, raffle, sales tables and doll conversations we all gathered for dinner.  This time we had a dedicated room for our Sasha Celebration group, rather than tables in the main restaurant.  Just before dinner, two Makie dolls met for the first time.  At last year's Sasha Celebration, my daughter playing with Lorraine's Wren had inspired me to buy a Makie doll for my daughter, I had used the 'design your own' option and she had come out similar but not the same as Wren.  The dolls are 3D printed and are very pose-able.

Wren and Isabel are amazed to meet each other

"Wow, we look so similar" cried Isabel

"Look, same colour hair" said Wren

Wren and Isabel shook hands

Meanwhile two other non Sasha girls were meeting up again.  Last year I bought Betsy from Lorraine, she is a wooden Schoenhut doll. I gave her a new wig.  Peggy Sue was wearing her new outfit won that afternoon on the raffle including pearls (I think she fancies herself as Lady Penelope), Betsy was wearing an outfit my daughter received during last year's raffle.

Peggy Sue and Betsy saying hello again

Betsy was telling Peggy Sue about her favourite rocking chair at her new home

Wren and Isabel gave each other a hug - they were pleased to meet at last

On the dining table Isabel was hoping the wine glass would be filled soon - Wren was a bit shocked

Lorraine's baby wearing his mask joined Laura, Mabel and new baby Daisy on the dining table

Isabel tried some of the wine despite Wren's warnings

The wine made Isabel feel very dizzy, Wren caught her just in time

"Sit down" said Wren as Isabel held her head

"That was silly" said Isabel, "I didn't expect it to make me feel that odd"

"I did warn you" said Wren

"Hopefully you will feel better soon" Wren reassured her new friend

Once we had eaten our delicious 3 course dinner, it was time for the face mask competition.

The Sasha and Gregor dolls wearing their masks line up for the competition

The Sasha and Gregor dolls in their face masks disguising their identities

Laura and Mabel were beside Lorraine's dolls and Alice's doll

A pair of mischievous toddlers had found their way into the lineup even though they were not wearing masks

Some more elegantly dressed Sasha and Gregor children in their masks

Alice was thrilled to win the face mask competition with her green/forest themed mask

Wren was pleased to greet baby Daisy, who was wearing a new outfit for the evening, though would not part with her hat

Jonny's wonderful NiNi doll sat at our table

Jonny is a very talented doll maker.  The NiNi doll eye painting was beautiful

Isabel, who had recovered from her great wine escapade, went to meet the NiNi doll

There were various thank you presentations - Janet gave gifts to her helpers Tricia and Theresa and to all of us who had run a craft workshops.

Tricia and Janet during gift presentations

My gift from Janet was a lovely little wooden doll with a Sasha themed felt outfit.  Betsy was pleased to open the box to reveal this delightful surprise.

The little wooden doll with Betsy

Janet was presented with a bouquet of flowers to thank her for doing such a fantastic job of organising the Sasha Celebration again

Theresa presented Kendal with a specially engraved trophy and a card we had all signed to thank her for bringing her entire amazing collection of 68 Sasha and Gregor dolls to be the main feature of the Celebration

Kendal and Theresa with the trophy

Isabel sensibly drank water for the rest of the evening

Laura H with a doll wearing one of Emma F's lovely sweater outfits

Laura H appreciates good knitting - she does plenty of it herself

Baby Daisy with the NiNi girl

Betsy, Peggy Sue and NiNi girl

We had a thoroughly enjoyable evening, chatting to several friends, meeting people we hadn't spoken with before and posing the dolls for photographs.

Sasha Celebration weekend 2016 - part 3

... or Daisy, Daisy and a bicycle made for two!

During lunchtime once I'd tidied up my workshop table, I took some photos of the Robin Hood display. Nicholas James had joined the display during the morning wearing his outfit which my girl had sewn (with a bit of help from me).

Nicholas James in the Robin Hood display standing just behind the log next to the valiant knight

The wonderful outfits on the dolls in the Robin Hood display were all unique and special, I could not imagine how they would choose a winner

Three beautiful medieval ladies gathered under the Greenwood tree

Some of the face masks which were made during the morning workshops - the black and sequinned mask on the left just below the green mask was made for Kendal by my girl

The face mask my girl made for Kendal

Laura was wearing her new face mask while standing on the table alongside the Robin Hood display

Back in the other room where I had spent most of the morning I took a few more photos of Kendal's Sasha Brood.

Kendal's only todder, Bea, was naturally the doll welcoming everyone to the display

Bea the toddler and her big brother, a 1960s Gotz boy looked after the Brood sign

After the delicious lunch we all settled down to the fun of the raffle.  We all crowded into the room with the raffle table and Robin Hood display.

Janet explained about the silent auction for the wonderful paper dolls of the Princess Elizabeth, kindly donated by Ann Chandler

Our raffle tickets laid out on the floor awaiting the start

Raffle tickets laid out on a table as Janet explained about the raffle

Janet announced that there was a first prize and a final prize - each of them a special doll

The first prize was donated by Gayle R and Rosie S (who had made his wonderful clothes).

Theresa's granddaughter drew the first ticket

And the lucky winner of Mikey the spikey haired boy with his Radio Flyer trolley was Liss

Just a few tickets later and our lucky number came up.  We looked at the heap of prizes on the table and suddenly my girl realised that there was a baby doll in a basket which had not yet been claimed by another winner. She could not believe her luck!

My girl and baby Daisy (who had been donated to the raffle by Petrana)

We won a few more prizes including a lovely smocked dress donated by Ginger and the tandem bicycle.  It was when we picked up the bicycle that I joked about Daisy and the bicycle made for two. This made my girl decide that Daisy suited her new baby doll.  After more than an hour of raffle draws, with people nominating others who hadn't won anything (my girl nominated Iris who had said to us in the morning that she never won raffles), the final prize was reached.  Jocelyn, who had won the second last prize, drew the winning ticket.

Jocelyn, who had won the second last prize, drew the winning ticket.

Jonny was thrilled to win the girl with the eyes repainted by Janet

It was an epic raffle and we were extremely lucky - a big thank you to everyone who donated prizes (I think each of us must have donated at least two) and to Tricia and Janet for ensuring that it was run with such humour.

While the sales tables were being set up those of us not selling anything congregated in the refreshments area for plenty of doll chatting.  I didn't take photos of the sales tables however I took the opportunity of taking photos of the dolls on display, spotting those who were proudly holding their new marionettes.

Janet's marionette being held by this Gotz girl

Lorraine's Henry and baby with a girl in tartan holding a marionette with green feet

A Gotz girl holding a marionette with pink an purple feathers

Two girls and marionettes

More of the dolls who had joined Janet's lovely collection on the table

Four children with their marionettes - Florence with the duck, Reuben with the ostrich, Ginger's girl with her ostrich and Finn with his ostrich

Nicholas James between Robin Hood and a princely looking knight

Nicholas James as Robin Hood in the outfit my girl made.  I made the bow and arrows, though she made the flights for the arrows

We bought a few things during the sales which I'll feature in a future post.  It was a good opportunity for more doll chatting with friends.  Once the sales tables were packed away again there was enough time to take our raffle wins and purchases back to our rooms and get ready for dinner.