DECISIONS, DECISIONS...

Hanna is getting ready for the day. Now, which one should I wear? 

I entered this photo in Theresa’s competition. No luck, I’m afraid, but the winner was a cracker of a Sasha!

Versatile Blogger Award

Thank you, Theresa, for awarding me the ‘Versatile Blogger Award'!
Quite an honour!  I shall try to find 7 interesting things to say about myself! 

1.     I was born in a small town in Austria virtually in the middle of WWII. I lived mainly with my aunt, as my mother was working and was also looking after my grandmother who was very ill with cancer at the time. Despite all that, I seem to have had quite a normal, happy childhood, not really aware of what was actually going on around me. I do however remember a couple of things which stand out from those days.

2.    We lived in a large townhouse which had a bakery on the ground floor and two stories above. Whenever there was an air raid warning, we all had to go down into a very deep cellar for shelter. I wasn’t that worried about the bombs, but I was seriously concerned about the rats that inhabited the cellar. I am happy to say, I never actually saw one.

3.    The other wartime memory I have is when the British, who occupied our part of Austria, left at the end of the war.  The column of army vehicles rolling slowly through our city seemed endless. It was quite a sight and all of us children were fascinated to see this. But what I remember most is that the soldiers threw their chocolate rations to us kids as they drove by. I have loved the British ever since, never realizing that I would one day be a British citizen myself. Life is strange.

4.    Austria was left devastated and poor after the war and life was hard for most people. There was a program by which children from Austria were sent to Switzerland for a few months to recover from the ordeal. I was lucky to be picked and ended up with the Mayor of Basel and his family. It was a magical time. My stay included the Christmas period and the immensely kind and generous people I stayed with made me a present of a wonderful Schildkröt doll with a complete wardrobe, hand-sewn by one of the aunts. My love of dolls stems from that time, I am sure.  I still have the doll, Hedi. She is in a box in the attic and she needs a new leg. I mean to have her fixed, but I don’t know where I can find a doll hospital which deals with these particular dolls.

Example of Schildkroet Celluloid doll ca 1946

5.    I love the Austrian Christmas traditions. The Christmas tree is decorated in secret on Christmas Eve. That means that one room in the house is locked until a bell is rung. Then the door is opened and a beautifully decorated Christmas Tree ablaze with candles is standing there in the darkened room with the presents lying underneath the tree. In our house my aunt would play Silent Night, Holy Night on the piano as we entered, which completed the magic. At midnight we all used to go to the carol concert.  More often than not the snow really did lie deep and crisp and even. Magical.  

6.    I enjoyed school and after my ‘Matura’ I started a degree course in Philology at Vienna University. To ‘perfect’ my French, I studied a year at the Faculté des Lettres at  Bordeaux University. I so enjoyed my time away from Austria that I tagged on another year in England to get a better grip on the English language.

7.    In London I met my husband who was doing his PhD in Physics at the time. After our son was born we went to Pakistan for a year to meet his family. At the end of that year he re-joined his college in London. Three years later we had a daughter. It was for her that I  bought a Sasha doll when she was four years old and a baby Sasha boy the following Christmas. Those two Sashas remained well cared for, draped in linen, in our attic until 4 years ago, when I took them down to show them to Hanna, my granddaughter. It was like kissing Sleeping Beauty awake, and now it is I who is under a spell. 

Yasmin's Sasha

Georgie!

Who would have thought it! Gregor turns out to be a girl!

 Her name is Georgie!

Here with Aliyah in a ‘Vintage Sasha’ outfit and Georgie is wearing ‘A Passion for Sasha’ Dungarees and Blouse. I always thought he was too pretty to be a boy and after a re-styling of his hair, I think he makes a very cute girl!

THE SASHA QUESTIONNAIRE!

The idea for the questionnaire came from Sharon (Sharon from Spain).  A good exercise in Shasha stock taking! I hope the question of how many outfits one has collected for the Sashas never comes up.  It would take a great chunk out of one’s life to get to grips with that one.

KARIN’S SASHA FAMILY

1.      How long have you been in the Sasha hobby?

The first Sashas I bought were in 1974: A blonde girl and a blonde baby boy. They were for my daughter, Yasmin, who was then 5 years old. I started collecting them for myself just before Christmas 1999, when I retrieved Yasmin’s Sashas from the attic.

2.      How many Sasha dolls do you have at home?

Too many! 17 girls, 8 boys and 5 babies.

3.      What are their names and type?

GIRLS:

TRENDON:

1.      Yasmin – 1972 – Gingham - Blonde

2.      Iona – 1970 – Gingham - Blonde

3.      Natasha – 1969 – Gingham - Wide-faced Blonde

4.      Rebecca – 1980 – Sailor Suit - Blonde

5.      Imogen – 1976 – Gingham – Blonde

6.      Molly – 1972 – Gingham – Blonde (hair bobbed)

7.      Phoebe 1981 – Silkdress – Honeyblonde

8.      Zoe – 1981 – White Dress – Redhead

9.      Tagan – (limited edition Kiltie) wigged – Red real hair

10.  Sophie – 1969 – Dungarees

11.  Hanna – 1971 – Gingham – Brunette

12.  Lissi – 1981 (limited edition Velvet) wigged – Light-brown hair

13.  Aliyah – 1970 – Gingham – Brunette (bobbed hair)

14.  Tabatha – 1981 – Marina

15.  Aysha – 1980 – Cora, flowered dress

GÖTZ:

16.  Lara – 1995 – Angela – Red hair

17.  Poppy – mid 60s – Slate-eyed Blonde

BOYS:

TRENDON:

1.      Romy – 101 – 1969 – Denims – Brown hair (falling)

2.      Benjamin – 1970 - Caleb – Black

3.      Raffay – 302 – 1975 – Denim Blue Suit – Blonde

4.      Teddy – 304 – 1979 – Jumpsuit – Blonde

5.      Toby – 312 – 1982 – Cord – Redhead

6.      Peter – 1976 – Brunette

7.      Sebastian – 1980 – Brunette

GÖTZ:

1.      Lucas – Boyscout Michel

BABIES:

1.      Peter – 1970 – ‘Woolly’ - sexed Blond baby boy

2.      Yasmin – 1972 – ‘Nightdress’ sexed Brunette baby girl

3.      Rosie – 1983 – Honeyblonde baby girl ‘Rosie’

4.      Tabatha – 1975 – Brunette baby girl ‘White Bird’

5.      Harry – 1976 – Blonde baby boy ‘Nightdress’

Some of the above dates are approximate dates arrived at through research and statements made by sellers.

4.      Which doll have you had the longest? How long has it been?

That would be Yasmin and Baby Peter. Bought in 1974

5.      Which doll is your favourite?

I have two: Iona and Hanna. Not special dolls in any way, but just serious bonding for some reason.

6.      Are you waiting on any dolls now? If yes, which one(s)?

No. But I should like to have Aliyah re-rooted. She is a beautiful early Trendon with a short bob (which is quite sweet) but I think she could be rather special with a good real hair re-root.

7.      What is your grail doll?

Oh, an early No Philtrum Blonde Trendon. This would be something!

8.      Did you learn something new because of this hobby?

Lots! Above all I learned a lot more about the Sashas and their history and therefore to really appreciate their qualities. The other thing, I suppose, is how many talented people there are out there creating clothing etc. for Sashas.

9.      Have you made any friends you might otherwise not have because of this hobby?

Yes indeed. I have got to know a number of really special people through the Sashas and I have made one particular friend, whose friendship I value very highly. The experience has been entirely positive, so far!!!

10.  What are your doll plans for this coming year?

To try and enjoy the Sashas without feeling too guilty about spending so much time with them (not to mention money!!!); To keep up with other people’s Sasha blogs, which are a great delight;  Maybe sell one or two of them – it seems ridiculous to have that many – and to have at least one of them re-rooted with real hair. Maybe add a NN to the list. They seem rather nice and would make the line-up a little more varied. 

Here they are in no particular order

JUST TO KEEP MY HAND IN!

Father Christmas has been very good to the Sasha kids. No one was forgotten. The babies received a very nice swing (made by Ken and Doreen Illington). There were squeals of delight when they saw it and they all wanted to have a go at once. This is a picture of Yasmin in her ‘Jadzia’ jacket. (I have a picture of my daughter Yasmin in exactly this jacket on such a swing when she was a baby. When I find it again, I shall post it!)

The girls finally got the pram they have always wanted! A delightful addition to the Sasha props!!! Also made by Ken and Doreen.

Hanna is wearing a VS outfit and Phoebe her A Passion For Sasha dress with that sweet little pocket!

As for the boys... well, that’s for another day!

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS!

 

To all my Sasha Friends!

 

A Very Happy Christmas full of Sasha Magic and a Wonderful New Year!

 

My Sashas and I hope that all your wishes will be fulfilled and that that longed for, special Sasha will appear under your tree! 

We are going to spend Christmas with the grand children,
so see you in the New Year! 

 



HERE COME THE BOYS

A Passion for Dollydoodles! 

I don’t know how it happened, but I now have 8 boys! All very cute, none of them very special, and clearly one or two of them de trops! So there weren’t enough Dollydoodles outfits to go around and the same goes for Passion for Sasha, so we mixed and matched! Also, the light in the room is still not too good, but one gets the general idea.

 

 

I had to put them in my blog. There were complaints that it's all about the girls! Now; which one of you would like to go to a new home, I wonder...