Sasha Celebration Weekend 2017 - part 7

We brought several babies (with Miranda to supervise them) to the Sasha Celebration dinner on Saturday night.  Also joining us was the Makie doll Isabel, who still doesn't have a new outfit (something is on the knitting needs for her).  In addition to Edmund in his new outfit, my girl brought her new baby Theo in the turquoise Dollydoodles romper suit along with my Leo who changed into his new Dollydoodles outfit and baby Daisy her raffle win from last year, wearing a Marilyn H smocked dress and hat set. Miranda changed into the Petrana outfit which my girl had chosen on the raffle and we discovered Laura's doll was wearing the same dress!

Our dolls at dinner

Leo, Theo and Daisy with Edmund behind them

Laura's girl, Miranda and Edmund

Jocelyn's lovely red head in her favourite outfit, and baby Daisy

Laura had brought along her mini Kids 'n Kats boy doll Fredy and her Heather Maciak Emily.  She had bought new cardigans for them from Jane W's stall that afternoon which they wore to dinner.

Laura's dolls

Isabel gets comfortable in a teacup!

The shweshwe outfit I had made and donated to the raffle was won by Jane W, whose baby was wearing it to dinner.

Jane's baby in shweshwe

After dinner Janet gave out gifts to those who had hosted overseas Sasha visitors, those of us who had run workshops, helped her run the event and announced the prizes for the International costumes. First prize was the Persian/Iranian costume by Peggy, second prize was the Zulu warrier by Vicky and third prize was the Pearly King by Theresa.  Trisha gave Janet some plants as a thank you gift from all of us.

Janet gave out various prizes and gifts

My Heather Maciak girls had come to dinner too and were very pleased to meet Fredy and Emily.

Laura's Emily, Jenny, Laura's Fredy, Annie, Lexie and Annie

Raffle baby (the first prize), Leo, Daisy and Theo

Two lucky girls with their raffle babies - my girl was holding Theo and Daisy (from last year's raffle) and her new friend was holding one of the two babies she won on this year's raffle (photo Laura H)

After dinner some of us gathered in a sitting area looking at various BJDs brought along by Teddy and other Sasha collectors.  The girls were fascinated by them.

Teddy introduces his BJD to the girls and Paula

Admiring some other dolls

Evening doll conversations

Admiring Teddy's BJDs

It was hard to leave the chat, however we both needed our beds after a long, very enjoyable day.

The next morning I took my Ponfa pram to breakfast along with Nicholas James and Trendon Elliott who had not been out of the room all weekend. I knew some people there hadn't seen my pram before.  It seems to have been the only pram at the celebration weekend this year and several people asked about it.  

Then we all gathered outside for a photo under a big tree before some people reluctantly dashed off to catch trains, planes or taxis home.  There was a photo studio set up with a variety of backdrops so our dolls who had been on display had their photos taken by Alan.  It was also the last chance to photograph the wonderful Maypole.

Two happy young Sasha collectors with the Maypole

Three raffle babies with the Maypole

Peggy and Janet with the winning costume doll - Peggy had made the whole costume and Janet had painted the doll's eyes

Reuben, Nina and Melanie in their African costumes in the photo studio

Then it was time to pack up and sadly say goodbye to all our Sasha collector friends.  Thank you Janet and Trisha for a brilliant weekend - once again they put on a very memorable celebration of Sasha dolls and I am so pleased we were able to participate and contribute to the fun.

However there is one more post to come for the celebration weekend, as I shall explain all about the outfits I made for the competition.

Practice for the Summer Music Festival

A Summer Music Festival was being planned so the young musicians were practicing hard. Trendon Elliott got out his trumpet and music while Melanie started tuning up her violin.

Trendon Elliott found the right page of music for his trumpet

He had to remember the correct fingering to use on his trumpet 

Soon he was playing the trumpet with Melanie sight reading the piece on her violin, an easy duet for Trumpet and Violin by Mozart.

Melanie was careful to hold her bow properly with a nice soft wrist to make the sound better

While trumpet and violin practice was going on, baby Nina was playing with the blocks

Nina was briefly distracted by baby Leo having fun on the rocking horse

Soon Jakob arrived with his flute

Jakob waited patiently while the trumpet and violin duet continued and Nina played on the floor

In the kitchen Miranda was frying breakfast for hungry musicians

"Breakfast is ready" called Miranda as the duet came to an end

"I definitely need some more violin practice" said Melanie

"I bet you're hungry though" said Trendon Elliott as he held his trumpet

"Playing the trumpet certainly makes me hungry" said Trendon Elliott

"Yes, lets put our instruments away and have breakfast, then do some more practice later" said Melanie.  

Jakob came and put his flute music on the bigger music stand as Melanie watched

Soon Jakob was running up and down his scales on the flute, making them sound like rippling rivers.

"Yummy, a banana" said Trendon Elliott holding it up for Melanie to see as Miranda approached with a frying pan filled with eggs

"Who would like some fried eggs?" asked Miranda.  "No thanks" said Melanie while Trendon Elliott was only too pleased to have both eggs on his plate

Miranda went to get some more food from the fridge as Jakob would need breakfast too.

Melanie and Trendon Elliott made short work of their breakfast ...

... while Jakob continued his flute practice

"I wonder if our friend Henry will be happy to play the piano part to accompany me during the Summer Music Festival - he played the piano at the Sasha Festival in the USA - I'll ask him" said Jakob.

Leo joined Nina on the floor

The babies played happily with the colourful blocks as they enjoyed the music practice for the Summer Music Festival

Music practice will continue, there is lots to do in preparation for some Summertime fun.

Chat 'n Snap 2014 - part 2

For Part 1 of the Chat 'n Snap 2014 see http://dollmum.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/chat-n-snap-2014-part-1.html

These are the photos I took of the amazing fairground which Dee and Paul had created for the Chat 'n Snap.

Hattie supervises the babies and clown in the Tea Cup ride

Sian (from Spain) has her hand read by Mystic Meggie

Sian looks a little unsure about having her fortune told

Sian is a lovely repainted and rewigged Kids 'n Cats doll who received her makeover by Sharon in Spain who had travelled to England specially for the CnS. You can read about how Sharon made Sian look so different from the KnC Grace doll she was originally on Sharon's blog at http://dambuster-sharoninspain.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/please-welcome-kidz-n-cats-grace.html 

Laura comes to meet her friend Hattie in the Tea Cup ride

Hattie tells Laura that it isn't really safe to wear ice skates on a fairground ride!

I think Hattie is quite right!  I wonder if Laura was hoping that there would be an ice rink at the fairground as well.

Paul's amazing carousel for Sasha
with one of Theresa's clowns alongside it

The carousel had some fair organ music playing on a recording (in the background).

Hook the Duck and Coconut Shy
(my photo of the Hoopla stall, using DollMum's quoits, was blurred)

Dee looks at her amazing fairground set for Sasha
as some boys enjoy refreshments

The various stalls are easy to pack away and reuse (just like in a real fairground), I later saw Paul carefully dismantling the Carousel which took more effort.  This reminded me of watching the Gallopers being pulled down at the end of the Great Dorset Steam fair and moved to St Giles Fair in Oxford in the same night: it is hard, heavy work especially if the horses are made of real wood rather than the more modern fibreglass versions.  The horses are usually carried on the shoulders with their heads looking down the person's back as the person holds the front hooves, fortunately Paul didn't have to do that with the Sasha Carousel.