Wow! Under Rainbows has reached 500 likes. To celebrate I am going to have a giveaway. I am so excited because I have thought of a really fun way of doing it :-)
Some of the sweetest dolls I have made have had themes like this wee hedgehog girl for example:
or they have had job descriptions...
like Pete the Pirate here.
Or they have been favourite characters like,
Alice in Wonderland
Max from Where the Wild Things Are
and Peter Pan and Tinkerbell.
Or they came with a really lovely story:
Or they have been special for quite another reason...
This doll was made for a lady going through a particularly traumatic experience. She wanted a doll to hold, to give her comfort without upsetting anyone else.
So because I enjoy making them so much I thought I would give one of my facebook fans a way to win their very own custom order waldorf doll.
To enter all you have to do is 'like' me on facebook and then leave a comment telling me what doll you would like me to make.
(ETA: This competition is now closed and the winner has been chosen. Thanks for all the wonderful ideas and inspiration!)
Would it be a character? Would it have a theme for example an animal, job or interest? Would there be a story you would like to tell?
I can't wait to hear what ideas people have :-)
Don't worry if someone else has the same idea as you still enter all entries will be included
On the last day of July Rebe and I will choose our 10 favourite ideas, we will put all of these in a hat and get Joa or Benny to pick one and I will make that doll for the lucky winner :-)
So get your thinking caps on.
hugs :-)
What a lovely giveaway - If I won I would like a doll that resembles my son as he is now. He has blond curly hair that I am sure when he is older he will want to cut. But everyone we talk to including people we don't know say what beautiful hair he has and I would love both him and myself to remember visually all the kind comments people make about him.
ReplyDeleteMorag x
Sarah TaylorDunn I would love to see a fire faerie doll, both boys and girls as you rarely find or see faeries as boys. Both children are obsessed with these little people and we make up little tales all the time about fire faeries that are born from the fire, they are seen briefly as sparks that fly up from the fire :
ReplyDeleteLeonie Menear My daughter Francescas first word was Cat & i'd love a doll which looks like her with huge Blue eyes & with Cat ears, a tail etc ♥
ReplyDeleteThanx for a fab comp btw xx
Bree Scott My son would LOVE a "shaggy" doll from the Scooby Doo series :)
ReplyDeleteFreespirit Freedom Le Mon A feelings doll. My boys struggle to share there feelings. The doll would have a book bag that you could put letters or pictures in showing your feelings. Or just talk and cuddle him if you wish. He would be very soft :D
ReplyDeleteAmy Cullen Cillian would love an RNLI doll! Having renewed his membership this year after your lovely gift last year he is really into the whole lifeboat thing. He draws pictures of lifeboats with the men on board all the time and I am hoping he will have one of his pictures published in the magazine soon. x
ReplyDeleteSam Lee-Watson Theakston and Nyah both love birds. Our new favourite film is Rio and they are both big 3rd and bird fans. When we go to the pet shop they both love watching the budgies too. I think a doll with cockatoo hair or a toucan beaked hood would look awesome with a winged cape or outfit
ReplyDeleteSally Graddon My little girl was a bridesmaid for my brother a couple of weeks ago and had the most amazing time. She would love a doll dressed like she was on the day :)
ReplyDeleteMiriam Abigail Flower I think my sweet Emily would like a doll that looks like a flower fairy, we have been reading all about fairies and root children and I love how it inspires her imagination. We have a beautiful storybook passed down to us from when my grandmother was a little girl, and the little fairies in it wear skirts made of petals and leaves, I think it's so wonderful! Thank you for such a lovely giveaway and for the chance to win!
ReplyDeleteEmi Ralph I'd like a little girl who LOVES cats! She'd be dressed in greens and browns (the colours our home is decorated in). We have four cats, so she has to be a cat lover! Her name would be Fidelis, as our family motto is 'Fidelis in Parvo'... Faith in Small Things
ReplyDeleteLucy Pinnington My daughter would love a doll that looks like My Naughty Little Sister. She is a very anxious easily scared child and the naughty little sister books are so cosy for her at bedtime
ReplyDeleteCornish Lowen Hi there , we live in Cornwall and I tell my boys a made up story about a little girl called Merryn who can be seen walking along the beaches in winter looking for sea glass , she is wrapped up against the cold winter wind , but if you look very closely you will see that she is indeed a mermaid who grows her land legs to come looking for treasures to take back to her underwater home :-)
ReplyDeleteStéphanie Delacroix a butterfly doll :
ReplyDeleteBronwen Howley I would love a doll that looks like the paper bag princess . I love the story and think every child should know the story .
ReplyDeleteMy son Jonah is really into doing magic at the moment and loves dressing up as a frog , so I know he'd love another doll to play with that he could magic to dress up like a frog like him
Bec Bart My little boy LOVES rainbows! I would love a doll with rainbows that still maintains a mildly masculine personality. He's also obsessed with dragons and How To Train Your Dragon, Toothless being his favourite! The challenges are endless ;
ReplyDeleteKirsty Lucas A dream doll for my daughter would be Rapunzel with that Under Rainbows touch : ) Many Thanks for the chance xx
ReplyDeleteClaire Davies Congratulations on reaching 500, and thank you such a generous giveaway. A doll wearing replica clothes of some of Sophie's favourite clothes that she is now growing out of would be amazing, a real keepsake.
ReplyDeleteKate Willis I would love a doll that looks like a little girl but with wings because my 2.5 year old thinks she is a fairy and twirls and twirls around shouting "me fairy me fairy" but all the fairy dolls I can find have pinks tutus or suchlike which can't be right because fairies live outside and they would get cold dressed like that!!!!
ReplyDeleteTammie Hamed I grew up loving Rainbow Brite and would love for one of my little girls to have a special doll like her:
ReplyDeleteSamantha McDonald I would LOVE a doll like Alice in Wonerland.. or Merida from Brave! :) or I suppose my DD would, haha!
ReplyDeleteWhile we are ordering a peter pan doll for Christmas, we would love an Emily doll from Maurice Sendak's little bear stories. They are beloved here and the kids like to act the stories out a lot, but we have no doll similar to Emily!
ReplyDeleteWell aside from the already sugested 10* mullet doll (why that wouldn't be a winner I don't know). What about a huckleberry fin doll complete with fishing rod.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your 500 likes! What a fab idea for a giveaway, I love it!
ReplyDeleteIf we were to think of a perfect doll theme, it would have to be Aestas. We read a book together recently called "The Winter of Enchantment". In it, the little boy meets the four seasons. Aestas is Spring, and is dressed in a long green dress and robe, covered in flowers. She has long blonde hair covered in daisies, and radiates warmth and happiness.
She would make our perfect doll, as Spring is our favourite season.
Thankyou for running such a great giveaway, and have lots of fun reading everyone's ideas!
Hi Laura
ReplyDeleteThank you for this chance to win one of your gorgeous dolls. If we were to win we would choose a doll who looks like Lucie from the Tale of Mrs Tiggy Winkle by Beatrix Potter.
What a great idea for a giveaway, an Anne of Green Gables doll would be my dream. And when I welcomed my own daughter into the world last year I was thrilled that she has red hair. Ever since watching Anne during the summer when I was about 9 I have loved her, and have been reading about her every year since :-)
ReplyDeleteohhh what a great idea I'm a big fan too!!
DeleteDid you read the book called Before Greene Gables?? It's about Anne's life from before she was born up until her waiting at the train station for Mathew.
Erin Darcy oh i tried entering mine in today on the blog, but i don't have any acceptable accounts to comment with- wordpress, google account, AIM, typepad etc.. any way to include name/url users?
ReplyDeletewe would adore a little gnome boy or girl
what an incredibly generous offer of you! you're amazing. ♥
What a wonderful giveaway! My four year old son, Thorin, is really in need of a new doll. His first little 9" doll has seen a lot of life, and I'm afraid he really needs to be kept in Thorin's room to avoid further "aging" ;) Right now he is pretty fanatical about Peter Pan - we read some part of the story nearly every day, and he's requested a "Neverland" birthday party this year. ;) We have admired your Peter doll for some time, but limited funds have not allowed us to request that our own be brought to life. Here's to hoping!! :D
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your 500 likes!
ReplyDeletePersonally I'd love a Jane Austen inspired doll. With the empire waist gown, shawl, and curly updo. While my middle son, the Imp, would be happy with her my oldest would likely prefer something more piratical. Or a soldier - something old like the American revolution. Oh! Or a Roman general.
Thanks for the chance! (:
We love Your Waldorf dolls - Ellie loves George Ezra, who at times is called by a few other names, but he still remains the doll who made his way across the ocean and waited under her Christmas tree for her to find him Christmas morning. She has all the Winnie-the-Pooh characters except one - they never made a Christopher Robin doll - and I think Christopher Robin holding a Pooh Bear would be a perfect gift - packaged along with a vintage Pooh book, it would be the perfect Christmas morning gift and would carry on the "tradition" of a Waldorf on Christmas morning. Christopher would also be able to "pal around" with George Ezra, who attends all "the girls" tea parties, is pushed around in the pink dolly stroller and sits outside on the porch to watch the thunder storms in the mountains. Yes this group needs another boy.
ReplyDeleteSent with happy memories of waiting for George Ezra to be "born" and "back pack it" to New York.
Patricia Byron
I think your dolls are simply amazing and would love to welcome one into our home!! My 5 year old is consumed with horses lately. Between reading Black Beauty and watching the three Flicka movies as a family, she is definitely all about horses lately.... she even just learned to ride a bike and I will hear her talking to it as if it is a horse!! So... I think a doll with a horse theme would be just wonderful for her! Thankyou so much for the chance!!!
ReplyDeletewpooh_9 at hotmail dot com
Jenny Newell Any doll would be lovely! My daughter loves the Madeline books and trucks, so a truck driving Madeline might be fun
ReplyDeleteHi, Laura
ReplyDeleteJust popped by your blog, and saw your splendid competition. What a lovely idea - some fantastic ideas there already.
I am very taken with the idea of a seasonal theme - Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter - possibly mixed with a floral or fairy theme? Think of the possibilities! Or - have you ever made a preemie baby doll? Or - how about an Indian doll, in a saree? Or a mountie (think Due South, Benton Fraser and Diefenbaker)...
What fun!
Hugs,
Claire S
My little boy would love a superhero doll that looks just like him. He loves Batman and the flash.
ReplyDeleteYour dolls are so lovely! Choosing one is very difficult. i just love fall and winter and old timey things such as from the 1800's so any doll like that would be so loved!
ReplyDeleteI would love to win a doll for a friend(70)who is all broken up from a car accident - broken ribs, both legs, punctured lung, head problems, hands broken, and her husband is dying of cancer (6 months left). She's an artist with clay and loves riding horses and is a very kind and generous person. A Sally artist doll would be wonderful to keep her company in her long-expected recovery. Thank you so much. Your dolls are wonderful. :)
ReplyDeleteMy daughter plays a lot with dolls - she really likes to take care of them and is particularly interested in dressing them at the moment. Her first word was up and she adores climbing to get somewhere high. She also loves animals. I would like a doll that in some way encompasses all of my daughters faavourite things at the moment!
ReplyDeleteThanks
Hi. What a wonderful thing to make such wonderful dolls. I would like an Alice in Wonderland doll. She reminds me of my granddaughter, Maddie.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely competition, and so many beautiful ideas. Far more creative than my idea. Joe would love a doll, and he LOVES and adores bunny rabbits. I am not too sure how you could make one inspired by bunny rabbits but I am sure you would and it would be beautiful. He very much loves soft cuddly fabrics. Emlyn (the doll you made for Giles) would love to have a friend to play with.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a lovely giveaway. T would love an Alice in Wonderland doll. She adores the story and recorded the ballet version when it was on tv and dances round the living room to it.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteYou could do a whole range of dolls based on children's literary characters. T would adore a Moonface doll from the magic faraway tree. She loves those books and you can't buy anything of those characters now (if you ever could)
DeleteDonna Johnson I would like to have a boy doll. I have 3 children, 2 girls and 1 boy. When my son was little, everyone use to tell me not to let him play with dolls, because I didn't want him to grow up to be a sissy. He loved playing with all of his boy toys. At times he would want to play dolls with his sisters, so I bought him a boy doll. He treated that doll like it was a real baby. Today he is 26 years old and has a son of his own. He is the most loving and caring father I know. He takes wonderful care of his baby boy. I can see the love my son has for this son in the way he cares for him. I know he learned some of this from having a baby doll of his own. I would love to give a boy doll to my grandson so he can have the same experience my son had with his baby doll and hope and pray he grows up to be the same loving and caring father my son is. Baby dolls do not make boys sissys. Dolls help nurture little boys into wonderful fathers. Thanks for the chance. :) donnalj5@aol.com
ReplyDeleteDonna such a sweet post...I have to agree with you!! My son is 8 and he still loves and plays with his dolls and stuffed animals.
DeleteI don't how anyone can possibly choose! If I had to pick, Id pick a little blonde doll with overalls and braids (pigtails) like the one you have to advertise your etsy shop. But they are all so cute.
ReplyDelete(via email) Hi Laura,
ReplyDeleteWow what an amazing opportunity! I have loved and admired your dolls for a very long time. My favorite doll would be from the book "Children of the Forest" by Elsa Beskow. The children all have little red toadstools as hats and lovely handknit sweaters, they would be just precious as one of your dolls. Thank you for the chance to win!
Cheryl
Mary Margaret My three year old sister loves Repunzel from Tangled (new disney movie). Ooooh, all that lovely natural hair woven in her big thick floor length braid--that would be so awesome! :D Thank you for the opportunity! (from fb)
ReplyDeleteErin Darcy oh i tried entering mine in today on the blog, but i don't have any acceptable accounts to comment with- wordpress, google account, AIM, typepad etc.. any way to include name/url users?
ReplyDeletewe would adore a little gnome boy or girl
what an incredibly generous offer of you! you're amazing. ♥
Anita Sacco - what a lovely gesture. Your dolls are beautiful. I would love anyone of them. If I had to choose - gnome boy or girl. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteYour dolls are beautiful! Found you through The magic onions. I love ladybugs so a ladybug doll would be my choice. I also think a garden fairy would be pretty too. I love how you "theme" your dolls, it gives them even more character!
ReplyDeletexoxo
~ joey ~
Even though I am an Oma (German grandma) I still tear up when I hear one of my favorite childhood songs Puff the Magic Dragon....Even as a little girl I remember thinking that I'd never let Puff go (& losing my imagination) I even have my old LP of the song framed in my craft room for inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this opportunity...your dolls are such a work of art!
My daughter Julia is wayyyyy into dolls. I'd love her to have a little "Laura" doll inspired by the "little house on the prairie" series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. If you are not familiar, this is the mostly true life story of an adventuresome girl raised during the westward expansion of the 1800s in america. She has brown hair in braids, a prairie-style dress and no end to the adventures in her life! The series is one I will begin reading to her soon and I'm quite sure she'll love it as much as I did as a girl. thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteohh that a good idea too heck I would like a Laura doll for myself..lol
DeleteDear Laura,
ReplyDeleteMy son loves super heros. I would like to be able to combine the mainstream and the Waldorf, a beautiful boy doll with green hornet or superman outfit.
Thanks so much!
Theresa (email)
Isaac is writing a story about a boy who gets an Owl mask and a cloak with some feathers on it in the post from an Old great Aunt he has never met, when the boy (who looks remarkably like Isaac) puts on the Owl Mask and cloak on he starts to feel strange, his hearing becomes as good as an owls and he realises he can fly, while flying he discovers he can see the bottom line of an eye chart from a mile away........... (tigger via email)
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful dolls- I've wanted one for my 3 kids for such a long time! I was thinking an Anne of Green Gables doll or a Laura Ingalls -Wilder doll would be lovely. Two favourites from my childhood! :)
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Jen Jones (email)
My biggest little girl has, as she puts it "A Special Heart"...a doll that had its own special heart, in a locket round her neck perhaps, would be just wonderful, and someone to keep her company on her hospital visits. :) Lorna x
ReplyDeleteI would LOVE something 50s inspired, and straight out of 'I Love Lucy'!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this chance, my oldest daughter who just turned 12 is changing her room into a Native American theme and she has been in search of the perfect Indian Girl doll to hug at night. She is starting to read books on Indians and Horses since Horses are her favorite Animal. I would love to see her get her perfect Indian Princess. Congratulations on your fan base growth. Your dolls are extremely sweet (my personal favorite is your Alice in Wonderland Doll <3 <3 <3)
ReplyDeleteNikky E
Ivannalottadolls@rocketmail.com
Hello
ReplyDeleteMy daughter, Suni, is English, Spanish and Japanese. We live in London and out of those backgrounds, it's her Spanish heritage which is her 'secret' identity. Naturally, I would love a doll which would help in my efforts to reinforce a positive impression of her Spanish side. Only thing is, our part of Spain is not known for flamenco dancing and castanets, our traditional costume is rather different to this. Here is a link to a photo showing Suni in a dress that represents Alicante, it was taken last month http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=408433205874582&I=d4bb6fad9e
My dream doll would be a reminder to my daughter of the time she spent in Spain this summer, the costume is lovely and I'm sure she would have warm memories of Alicante and a sense of the richness of her culture every day by playing with this doll.
I wish you all the best and hope that your business grows ever stronger. Thank you for letting me share my aspirations with you.
Loretta
Jennine Rohrbaugh I had the same problem. "Grandma's Angel" is my theme (via fb)
ReplyDeleteMy baby daughter loves the pictures of babies in the Helen Oxenbury series. I like them too, because the babies are chubby and bald and simply divine, just like my special little girl. If I were to win the giveaway, I would like a doll who looks like the baby in the Helen Oxenbury book 'Dressing' with matching clothes, so that my daughter and I can dress and undress her as we read her favourite book.
ReplyDeleteLove Rowan and Elsie Bean (via email)
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI would love a doll inspired by my favorite painting, Klimt's Mother and Child from the Three Stages of Woman. It reminds me of the all too brief period where mother and child are a world onto themselves and the colors are so beautiful. Thank you for the chance. In case you aren't familiar with the painting.
http://www.wayfair.com/Amanti-Art-Three-Ages-of-Woman-Mother-and-Child-1905-by-Gustav-Klimt-Framed-Print-Art-37.66-x-25.66-DSW01614-XAQ1241.html?refid=GX10021778100-XAQ1241&gclid=CLHigbWonLECFQFx4AodDnFBeA (via email)
Congratulations on 500 likes! My second son is coming up to his first birthday and he is our little ray of sunshine. If I won I would request a little boy doll with a sunshine theme to commemorate all the light my baby boy has brought into our lives.
ReplyDeleteJay Jolley: Laura that is really awesome that you got 500 likes, I hope you reach a 1000 or more!! Thanks for this opportunity. I am thinking of a doll for my wife who loves Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Jo March her favorite character with her long wavy hair, and 1800's inspired attire. Thank you again for this chance for the giveaway. God Bless
ReplyDeleteYour dolls are just wonderful. I think a wonderful theme would be historical clothing, like 14th century or Tudor, but from the working class so it would be rugged enough to go on adventures with a child. Thanks for the giveaway and congrats on making it to 500 likes.
ReplyDeleteohh I just "liked" you on facebook!!! Thank you so much for such a wonderful giveaway...I know a lot goes into making these dolls. If I won I would like some kind of rainbow doll maybe similar to "rainbow brite"...or I would like a "David the gnome" doll another childhood favorite show I used to watch.
ReplyDeleteI have to say I think my favorite out of your collection is still max from Where the wild things are.
Thanks so much again and congratulations on reaching 500 and still climbing:)
Love your dolls and 'liked' you on Facebook. My daughter would love a doll. She has an imaginary friend called 'Toady', I'd definitely get a doll made in his image (even though I've personally never seen him!).
ReplyDeleteYour dolls are so lovely. I didn't even realize you were on FB...liked you there too.
ReplyDeleteWell...my daughter is into ninjas at the moment, and I know it sounds silly to make a "ninja" Waldorf doll, (a bit contradictory, perhaps?) it might be interesting to make one that is clearly of Eastern origin.
Dear Laura
ReplyDeleteI've been reading your blog (for about 1.5 years) and simply love how passionate you describe your life and crafting. Your dolls are amazing and they bring so much joy to their owners. I particularly loved the photos of Rebe clutching Peter Pan.
I lived/studied in Scotland until last year and had a friend from Africa whom I miss dearly. I told my godchild, she will be 7 in September, about my friend and told her how children live in Africa. Since she is going to start school in a couple of weeks, I've planned to buy her a book about an African child but would love to get her a small native African Waldorf doll for her birthday. I'd love if she got the chance to love one of your dolls as much as your children and all those who were given one of your dolls love their little friends.
I wish you and your family a lovely summer and hope you can show your children Germany one day.
Lots of love from Germany,
Bianca
I loved Rainbow Brite growing up and had a doll that got lost in a move. I would love to be able to give my girls a doll just like her to cherish and love:)
ReplyDeleteTammie Hamed
Good day,
ReplyDeleteFor the giveaway, my 4th baby is named Margot (in french) in honour of my grandmother Marguerite whom I love dearly. We call the baby Margot the snail ( Margot l'escagot in french!!). So for a doll, the perfect one would have red curly hair, green eyes, would have a dress covered in daisies (they are marguerites in french!) and would be holding a snail... The would be a perfect doll for my 4th and my grandmother!!!
Thanks,
Ariane st-jean
Helen Douglas I think a mermaid would be really cool, with a rainbow tail. Don't think the boys would play with it somehow :
ReplyDeleteWe have one of your dolls Beautiful Baby Rose, I think she would like a sibling from you. Perhaps a beautiful girl with sandy blond hair, who loves dresses, but loves adventure and getting muddy!
ReplyDeleteKimberly
pktsullivan@aol.com
My 5yr old son is really in love with playing with his sisters (all 3 of them), but often when they get to playing with their dolls, he stops playing and sits alone. I have been looking at doll ideas for him, but as of yet have not found anything suitable, until now! I love your dolls, and think my son would love an adventurer doll. I'm thinking with shorts, and a vest with a rope for climbing and a hat, sort of a mix between Indiana Jones and Diego? Thanks for the giveaway opportunity. I am hitting the like button now....
ReplyDeleterainonwater at gmail dot com
Another idea that Joe would really like is an inventor. I haven't a clue what an inventor would look like but that is what he wants to be when he grows up.
ReplyDeleteSome really lovely ideas, I don't know how you are going to choose.
These are so cute. I'd love one for my niece. She turns one in October and I could see one of these dolls becoming the stuffed animal she'd have forever. My mom still has the stuffed animals of me and my sister when we were children.
ReplyDeleteOr, for a doll with a story, a little Wonder Woman doll would be adorable. Any time she was scared or nervous, she could remember how strong Wonder Woman is and draw strength from that.
mluckw@gmail.com