That Special Bond between Children and Pets

There’s just something so special about the bond between children and pets. It’s beautiful to witness, and I’m sure many of us can think back to many a childhood hour spent in the company with our four-legged best friends of our youth.

One of my lovely customers recognised this special bond between her granddaughter and her dog, and having read my information about having custom peg dolls made, she got in touch.

girl and her dog, bond between children and pets, peg doll gift,

I loved the sassiness of the little girl that I felt from her photos! Her fabulous outfit was to consist of denim dungarees, a stripey tee, leggings and trainers. I want to dress like this kid when I’m a grown up! With her hair in that classic “half up, half down” style, I loved every second of recreating her spirit in tiny wooden doll form.

peg doll girl, dungarees

I love creating stripey clothes on my peg dolls. It take a bit of a patience and very stead hand, but I find it very therapeutic. It always gives a striking result too! I hope stripes don’t go out of fashion!

And the dog was a pretty cool canine too, sporting a pretty little floral bandana! The bandana fabric was blue, dotted with little pink roses with yellow leaves. So very pretty indeed.

girl and her dog, bond between children and pets, peg doll, gifts for animal lovers

Is there a cool kid and his cat, or a little person and their parrot or a friend and their fish that you’d like immortalised forever?!

My peg dolls are ornaments, not toys, they make a perfect record of this unique and special bond between children and pets, serving as a beautiful memory of their friendship in years to come. Drop me a line using the contact form, and we can chat about your ideas!

doli dwt, peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, peg doll, peg doll family, cake topper, wedding cake topper, personalised wedding gift

Peg Dolls – A Happy Little Family

A request popped into my inbox last year asking if I could make a set of peg dolls as a wedding gift. Heck yes!

I was sent gorgeous pictures to work from of a beautiful family, including the furry four-legged members.

peg dolls, peg dolls uk, peg doll family, personalised gift, personalised peg dolls, custom peg dolls

The adults had very different styles which was fun to recreate. One is wearing a beautiful dress, while the other has a far more casual look of jeans and a sports hoodie. I loved this contrast between the two dolls.

peg dolls, peg dolls uk, peg doll couple, personalised peg doll couple, peg doll family, personalised gift, personalised peg dolls, custom peg dolls

The lady in the dress certainly provided a few challenges! The dress is black, with quite intricate, delicate but really bright (almost neon) butterflies. We all know I’m allergic to black on peg dolls (!!) but this really was tricky. Finally, I decided that paint would be the best medium to create the right look; the opacity of the paint meant the colours are rich and bold against the black background.

peg doll lady, mum peg doll, peg dolls, peg dolls uk, peg doll family, personalised gift, personalised peg dolls, custom peg dolls

The couple’s son is an avid Newcastle United fan, so I was asked about recreating their strip. It was challenging to get those minuscule badge details on the tiny 6cm tall doll, but I got there!

football fan gift, football fans, newcastle united,  peg doll family, personalised gift, personalised peg dolls,

The little daughter clearly has a confident and individual sense of fashion, as little ones often do! I loved copying her outfit from her photographs. Her purplish leggings really are setting off her gorgeous top with the swallow motifs.

child peg doll, girl peg doll, peg dolls, peg dolls uk, peg doll family, personalised gift, personalised peg dolls, custom peg dolls

Obviously, the dog and cat are adorable too. It’s always a pleasure to add animals to family sets of peg dolls. They are such little characters!

pet peg dolls, animal lover gift, cat lover gift, dog lover gift, personalised gift, personalised peg dolls, custom peg dolls

They are such a colourful set altogether. I hope that they represent the vibrancy and fun that comes with family life for this gorgeous lot!
My customer was thrilled to give them as a wedding gift.

peg dolls, peg dolls uk, peg doll family, personalised gift, personalised peg dolls, custom peg dolls

As always, you can find out how orders for my personalised peg dolls work right here. I love creating peg dolls for people just like you!

Lastly – remember to keep up to date with us over on our Facebook page. If you’re not already following, please go and give us a like!

doli dwt, peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, peg doll, peg doll family, cake topper, wedding cake topper, personalised wedding gift

Animal Lover Gifts (Cat and Chicken Lovers)!

cat, cat lovers, cat peg doll, pet lovers gift

It’s no secret that I’m a cat lover. I’m an animal lover in general, but cats are my true loves. You may have seen the evidence in this post previously. I’m an out and proud, bone-fide, card carrying member of the Crazy Cat Lady Club. I’ve always loved cats, but it was this little addition to our family that pushed me over the edge into that crazy “I just want to talk about cats all day” mentality. She came into my life when I really needed to have someone to love and care for. As a completely deaf kitten, she needed an indoor home, time, patience and love to train her in alternative ways. We were the perfect fit for each other. We needed each other.

We’re the apple of each others eyes! Of course I love our other two cats too, but Pearl is constantly by my side (or on my lap!). She does’t even let my husband so much as stroke her. She’s my girl. I hate leaving her, and if I’m not at home, she sits on my side of the bed until I come back – pining for me while I’m gone!

cat, cat lovers, cat peg doll, pet lovers gift

When we had her, the rescue shelter had already named her Pearl and it suited her perfectly. But we soon began calling her Pearl Bowie, due to her multicoloured eyes. I often sing “She’s got David Bowie Eyes,” to her to the tune of that Kim Carnes Bettie Davis Eyes song (wouldn’t you just love to be a fly on the way in our bonkers house?!). Mr T says it’s just as well she can’t hear me!

So imagine my reaction when I saw my IG friend Sharon of Daisy Lions was creating a “Bowie Cat” character! A Ziggy Stardust-inspired little white cat! I just had to have him when he was finished! A Bowie Cat for my own Bowie-eyed cat!

cat lover, peg doll, cat gift
cat, cat lovers, cat peg doll, pet lovers gift

Pearl gave it a good inspection on arrival and gave it a massive paws-up and a purr of approval!

cat, cat lovers, cat peg doll, pet lovers gift

We both love it very much!

Being the good egg that she is, Sharon suggested a craft swap – so I created a personalised peg doll in return for the cat.

Sharon is an animal lover too. Her dog Daisy inspired the name of her business, and she spends her days dreaming up all sorts of cute and crazy animal characters that she brings to life through textiles and watercolour. Sharon described the clothes she’d love to see on her doll. However, I couldn’t resist adding a cheeky little extra character based on her beautiful little crazy chicks!

chicken, chicken lovers, pet lover, animal lover, gift for animal lover, peg doll

Here she is all pyrographed and sanded before I set to colouring her:

chicken, chicken lovers, pet lover, animal lover, gift for animal lover, peg doll

I loved the bright colours Sharon requested! So lovely to work with and really eye catching on the finished peg doll.

chicken, chicken lovers, pet lover, animal lover, gift for animal lover, peg doll

Instagram can be such a wonderful community, and it was a pleasure to create a personalised peg doll for someone who has become such a supportive and lovely friend over the past few years through this particular form of social media.

You can see Sharon’s amazing creations and funky chicks, foxes, owls, bees and other colourful characters here in her beautiful Folksy Shop!

If you’re looking for a gift for an animal lover, Sharon and I would both love to help you out!

doli dwt, peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, peg doll, peg doll family, cake topper, wedding cake topper, personalised wedding gift

Personalised Peg Doll Family – H&N Part One

Earlier this year, I was asked to make a personalised peg doll couple and their pet dogs as a special gift for a lovely pair of in-laws. As always, I was excited by the new commission and couldn’t wait to get started on their peg dolls.

personalised peg doll, peg doll family, peg doll couple, pet peg dolls, handmade gifts, personalised gift

The couple had great outfits which were bright and distinct. This is always really important as it makes each personalised peg doll immediately recognisable to the recipients when they get them!

personalised peg doll, peg doll family, peg doll couple, personalised peg doll family, doli dwt, peg dolls uk

The lady doll had a really vibrant jumper and I loved adding the cute necklace detail too!

personalised peg doll, peg doll family, peg doll couple, personalised peg doll family, doli dwt, peg dolls uk

The gentleman had a jumper with really distinctive coloured stripes and a  heavily-cabled pattern. I’d only drawn a cabled pattern once before, here, on a very dark cardigan. There was nowhere to hide or room for error this time though! With the bright colours involved, the cabling pattern would be very clear. But you know me and how much I enjoy a challenge. I loved creating the pattern on the jumper and was pleased with the finished result.

personalised peg doll, peg doll family, peg doll couple, personalised peg doll family, doli dwt, peg dolls uk

As well as the humans, I also had 3 dogs to add to the peg doll family. It was a lot of fun catching the individual details and characters of each one!

doli dwt, personalised peg doll, peg dolls, uk

It is amazing how they come into their own once you start adding the colour.

personalised peg doll, peg doll family, peg doll couple, personalised peg doll family, doli dwt, peg dolls uk

It’s always great to hear back from my customers that the peg dolls went down as a great success! It’s even better when their recipients get in touch themselves too!  H was so pleased with the gift from her daughter in law that she asked if I could possibly create her three sons too, to complete their set. Brilliant!

 

personalised peg doll, peg doll family, peg doll couple, personalised peg doll family, doli dwt, peg dolls uk

Pop back next week for Part II, where I will share the rest of this gorgeous peg doll family with you. I’m looking forward to introducing three young men with three very different styles!

Until then, as always,

Cwtch ♥ Mawr

peg doll family, personalised peg doll, peg dolls, doli dwt

Family of Peg Dolls – Stars, Scarves and Bow Ties

I am always excited when I get a new commission for a family of peg dolls. Usually it means a whole lot of bright and colourful clothing to work with.  This group was certainly no exception!
Family of peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, peg doll, family gift

All of the outfits for this family were full of the patterned details that I love to work with.

personalised peg dolls, uk peg dolls, peg doll family, wooden dolls, wedding cake topper

Here is the first of the couples within the group:

Family of peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, peg doll, family gift, peg doll couple

This amazing silk scarf was a dream to recreate! I loved the challenge of working the patterns across the folds and drapes in the material.

The second couple are just as bold and beautiful!

The lady has her sunglasses on her head and I loved her shooting star jersey!

Family of peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, peg doll, family gift, peg doll couple

And what about this shirt! Isn’t it amazing? I love recreating check shirts anyway, but the addition of the tiny music notes and cheeky lady sat io a guitar knocks this one out of the ball park!

The sweet children don’t disappoint either. The cool dude on the left has a funky rocket jumper, and a cape with his name on the back! The little baby is decorated in a blanket inspired by his big brothers’ space jumper!peg doll family, peg doll children

This commission also includes two much-loved dogs. as both have passed away, I was asked to include wings on their backs in remembrance.

peg doll dog, french bull dog pet memorial. memorial peg doll, dog peg doll, peg doll angel

Family of peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, peg doll, family gift

Another amazing family of peg dolls for me to have created! I love every commission I get the honour of working on – will my next one be for you?

Take a look at the gallery to see other families I’ve created and then drop me a line for a chat about your ideas!

Until then,
Cwtch ♥ Mawr

peg doll family, personalised peg doll