September Newsletter

It’s That time again… my Autumn Newsletter is going out today ❤

A Sweet Remembrance September 2017 Newsletter

Greetings All!

I have lots of exciting news to share in this newsletter!  So I’m just going to jump right in…

1. In just 2 weeks I’ll be having my annual online celebration of Izannah Walker’s birthday. This is an extra-special year because it marks the 200^th anniversary of the day she was born, September 25^th, 1817. I’ll be posting off and on all day on the 25^th at www.izannahwalker.com. There will be some new dolls available for sale that day, which will be posted at noon eastern time. Come visit the blog, join in the virtual party and celebrate with us!
2. Izannah Walker Birthday Greetings Project. As a fun way to celebrate Izannah Walker’s birthday I would like to invite you all to email me a short birthday message along with a photograph of your Izannah Walker doll, whether it is an antique original, a reproduction doll that I have made for you, or a doll that you have made yourself in tribute to Izannah’s dolls! Please send your photo and birthday greeting to paula@asweetremembrance.com no later than September 18th. I will post all of the photos and their accompanying messages on http://www.izannahwalker.com as part of my annual Izannah Walker birthday celebration. Everyone who sends in a birthday greeting will be entered in a drawing to win a special birthday surprise package!!!

https://izannahwalker.com/2017/09/06/remember-to-write-to-absent-friends-izannah-walker-birthday-greetings-project/

3. You may already know that I wrote a twelve page article about Izannah Walker for the September issue of Antique Doll Collector. The issue has sold out. The magazine has no more copies, and will not be printing any more. If you are looking for a copy, try Barnes & Nobel.  Many of their stores still had some this past week, although in very limited quantities.
4. Another thing that you might be aware of is that I am the co-chairman for my doll club’s annual doll show, which is coming up on October 29^th in Southbury, CT. This is the 30^th year for the show, so in honor of both the club’s 30^th show and Izannah Walker’s 200^th birthday, I am curating a special educational exhibit of Izannah Walker dolls at the show.  Admission to the exhibit is included with your paid entrance ($7) to the show.  It is going to be a wonderful show and a fantastic exhibit, with a very large group of antique Izannah Walker dolls belonging to Jenny Lind Doll Club members and friends! To find out more about the show visit the show blog https://jennylinddollshow.wordpress.com/ and the show facebook page www.facebook.com/jennylinddollshow/  you can get discount admission coupons there too. If you are interested in selling at the show, I do still have a little space left!!! Email me ASAP at jennylinddollshow@gmail.com for a contract!!!
5. In case you missed them, my new Third Thursdays are going strong! Because of Izannah Walker’s birthday celebration there is no “3^rd Thursday” in September. There isn’t going to be one in October either, because any dolls I get finished in October will be going to the doll show with me. I want to have some there at the exhibit for people to hold and examine up close. Obviously all of the antique Izannah Walker dolls will be roped off, but I would like to make the exhibit a bit interactive, so I will have some of my reproduction dolls on hand for those who would like to give them a gentle hug and get a good sense of their size and weight.  For more information on 3^rd Thursday’s click on this link: https://izannahwalker.com/2017/07/15/third-thursdays-start-this-month-mark-your-calendar-then-come-back-on-thursday-to-see-this-months-new-dolls-for-sale/ .
6. I have a new article in the upcoming Christmas issue of Early American Life magazine. It is a project article on how to make cotton batting candy containers. Also included in the Christmas issue is the Holiday Directory of Traditional American Craftsmen. I’m very honored to have been included in the Holiday Directory again this year. To see a bit more about my candy container article click here: https://spuncottonornaments.wordpress.com/2017/09/10/look-for-me-in-the-christmas-2017-issue-of-early-american-life/ .
7. The class support sites for both my Izannah Walker Reproduction Doll Making Class and my Spun Cotton Ornament Class have moved to private facebook pages. No one has been using the Ning sites, so I have switched over to facebook. Both Ning sites are still available at this time, so please go save whatever information you would like to keep from the Ning sites. I will NOT be moving all of the previously posted information over to facebook. We are starting out fresh! The spun cotton ornament how-to videos are posted on the facebook site.  If you are already a member of either class and would like to come join us on facebook, please email me at paula@asweetremembrance.com and tell me the email address that you use for your facebook account. I will then check to make sure you are a class member, and send you an invitation to the class page.  At this time I have NOT moved the Alabama Baby Class over to facebook, it is still only on Ning.
8. Sometimes when I post new dolls for sale, they sell very quickly. I do realize that ideally people would like to take their time looking at my latest doll offerings, and then if any of my dolls tugged at their heart, decide if they would like to welcome that special reproduction Izannah Walker doll into their home. I’m sorry that you do not always have the opportunity to do that. Because I am a doll maker, selling my dolls is different than selling antique dolls. If you are selling antique dolls you already have the doll in your possession, so it is possible for you to announce exactly what you are selling ahead of time in the case of doll auctions, or before shows. Which gives people time to make up their minds about a doll in advance. As a doll maker, I spend around 100 hours creating each doll I sell. This is 100 working hours, not elapsed time.  I have to spend quite a bit of time waiting for paint to dry and washing and drying antique fabric… Generally my dolls are not finished until right before I post them.  Even when I do  shows, I have a tendency to be working on dolls right up until the very last second. In my world there is never enough time! So please forgive me for not being able to give you advance photos and lists of the dolls that I will have for sale on Izannah Walker’s birthday, at shows, or on Third Thursdays. Surprises and spontaneity can be good things! I’m always overly optimistic about how many dolls I want to make, so there is the perpetual question of exactly which dolls I will be able to get finished in time. 🙂

Fondly,

Paula

post script: If you like to receive my newsletters in your inbox, email me at paula@asweetremembrance.com and let me know you’d like to be on my mailing list. You can be removed from the list whenever you choose, simply by asking…

A Sweet Remembrance Is Open – Thank You for Your Sympathy and Understanding

Thank you to everyone for all of your sweet messages.  I am back at work now, so please feel free to call or email with any questions about your orders and classes.

Due To A Death In The Family A Sweet Remembrance Is Closed At This Time

I will return emails (paula@asweetremembrance.com) and telephone messages (860-355-5709) next week.  Thank you for your understanding.

Paula

Getting in touch with me this week…

It was a very sad occasion last night when my faithful, ailing little laptop finally succumbed to the ravages of old age and died, somewhat peacefully.  After a lengthy autopsy, my two IT authorities have declared that my laptop is in no danger of becoming a zombie and returning from the dead.  I’ve ordered a new laptop that will be arriving late next week.  In the mean time it will take me longer to answer emails and reply to comments, as I am having to beg, borrow and steal online time from some fiercely protective computer lovers who are almost constantly connected to their keyboards.  If you should need to reach me with immediate questions about a purchase or class, please call me at 860-355-5709 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time.

How-To Instructional Videos and Reproduction Ornament Directions are now up on my Spun Cotton Class Member Site

Merry Christmas to all of my spun cotton ornament students!  As my present to you all this year, I have purchased two months of video capability for the class site and posted three instructional videos; Making a Human Wire Armature, Basic Spun Cotton Instructions, and Another Method For Spinning Cotton and How to Fix Trouble Spots.  These are a great refresher for those of you who have taken a “live” class from me here at my studio or at the Brookfield Craft Center, and a chance to see spinning in action for all of you who have taken my Class by Mail.

Pop in at the class site soon!  The videos are only available for viewing through February 5th, 2012.  While you are at the Ning site, be sure to take advantage of the newly added directions for making a reproduction of the antique spun cotton boy in this previous post.

If you are one of my students  who has not already signed up for the class member only site, I strongly urge you to do so.  You are missing out on lots of great information and best of all it’s entirely free for all class members.

Email me at paula@asweetremembrance.com if you are a student who needs an invitation to the class site.  Be sure to include the approximate date that you took/purchased the class so that it will be easier for me to look you up in my records.  Also for those who have already signed-up for the Ning site but can’t remember how to get there, I am happy to send you a reminder 🙂

If you haven’t taken my class yet, this is a great time to do so!  Click here to visit my website A Sweet Remembrance, where you can purchase my Class by Mail. There is still time to receive your class before Christmas if you buy it in the next few days.  Don’t miss out on this opportunity to watch the video instructions (which will be unavailable after 2/5/12).

Pssst – Sign-up For My Mailing List

Want to be the first to know about new ornaments, specials sales and what is happening  in  my studio???  Sign-up for my mailing list.  I only send out a few newsletters each year, but each is filled with snippets of fun, creativity and treats.

Complete Email Address Please!!!

This afternoon I received an email from Margo who lives in Amersfoort, Netherlands.   She asked several questions about purchasing a Spun Cotton Ornament Class by Mail, which I would love to answer, but I can’t because I do not have her complete email address.

So please, if you visit my website and click on the contact us button, make sure that you fill in the contact form with your entire email address.  Otherwise I have no way to answer you.  Thanks! 🙂

The answer to one of Margo’s questions is yes, I do ship to the Netherlands.  There is a charge for international postage ( only items shipped to a US address are mailed for free).  First Class postage to the Netherlands is $24 and I’m told that the length of time it takes packages to be delivered varies.  International Priority Mail postage would be $42 and delivery time is 6 – 10 days.