I recently got the most fun order from a fellow who wanted to order some Jane Austen Art Dolls for his wife for their wedding anniversary. Their favorite Jane Austen book/movie is Persuasion, the 1995 version with Amanda Root as Anne Elliot and Ciaran Hinds as Captain Fredrick Wentworth. This is my favorite version, too! It is always really fun to work with people who have the same level of enthusiasm that I do for a particular subject.

I've made Jane Austen lady character dolls before, but not a Regency era gentleman, so I was a little nervous. But I had done an Edgar Allan Poe doll before, and I knew that would be a good starting point.

When I told my sister about the order (she is a huge Jane Austen fan as well), she insisted that I make Captain Wentworth's cool hat. I knew I had to attempt it, but I wasn't quite sure how to pull it off. But after a great success with the jacket, I had the confidence I needed to try my hand at millinery once more. I was pleased with the results.

Here are some in-progress shots of the process.

I used a vintage hankie for Anne's shawl. Also some of the trim I used for Wentworth's coat was antique trim that I bought at an estate sale.

Thanks for taking a look! What favorite book or movie character would you love to receive in doll form as a special gift?

With just a few hours until we ring in the new year, I wanted to look back on this year in my blog. Here are the top posts of the year by reader page views!

1. My Living Room Redo (top center)- It was so fun to document the transformation of my living room!

2. Decorating On A Dime (middle right)- Where I shared my tips for thrifting great home decor.

3. 4 Reasons a Custom Doll Might Be a Perfect Grad Gift (top right)- A fresh new idea for the ever-difficult-to-shop for Graduate.

4. Vintage Sewing Notions (top left)- It was a joy to take the time to photograph the pretty packaging of the vintage trims I've collected.

5. Mary Poppins Doll (middle center)- A childhood favorite comes to life!

6. Vintage Flower Brooches (middle left)- Another fun thrifted collection that I shared this year! (Many more to come in 2014!)

7. Hen and Chick Patterns (bottom center)- A new venture for me, I now have 10 different PDF sewing patterns in my shop! It was fun to look back at this post, the first two.

8. Halloween Dolls (bottom left)- I was thrilled by the support these stripey legged beauties received!

Thank you to all of my readers who have made it a joy to write this blog this year! I look forward to sharing lots more with you in 2014, from my latest dolls, to my latest vintage collection, to the state of my garden, it's going to be a great year, and I'm looking forward to enjoying it with you! Happy New Year!

When I start to make something new, I'm usually so excited, in such a hurry to see the end result, that I leave things strewn around instead of putting my supplies away neatly as I go. It leaves quite a jumble behind, let me tell you.

I'm mentioning this as a metaphor for this blog. I hope you stick with me as I find out my stride here. And in return, I'll do my best to give you pretty things to look at and glimpses into my creative process, even if they are less than polished.