My Little Darlings
The Little Darlings have lots of adventures...
Sometimes with their friends, especially the Chris Miller and Robin Woods boys.
And sometimes with other little children, like Gabby....
It's Dolltown after all. And my Little Darlings live with a variety of dolls, from babies to Barbies, from vintage to bjd's.
Blog stories with our Little Darlings below.
For more photos of the Little Darlings, together and alone, go to Little Darlings Gallery...
Like the photos? The stories? Pass the word!
From an early blog post...
It's time to talk about the Little Darlings.
These pretty dolls are sculpted by the oh-so-talented doll designer Dianna Effner. Dianna has sculpted many dolls, in porcelain and cloth, and vinyl. The Little Darlings are a 13" vinyl doll with 5 points of articulation. They have painted eyes and brushed bodies.
Dianna has several artists working with her, or who have trained with her, to paint these dollies for the many doll lovers who have discovered the Little Darlings, and want one. Or more.
The dolls can be ordered from the artists, and with each artist the wait time varies from a few months to about two years (for a Little Darling painted by Dianna herself). (At times, the artists close down their wait lists when they have too many orders to fill)
Also, one can purchase a Little Darling on eBay, from one of the artists themselves occasionally.
Or when an owner decides to pass one along. Or decides they need a little cash for life's many demands.
The Little Darlings come in 3 sculpts, for a little variety. But the eye color and face paint, the hair color and style, and the wonderful clothing made for the Little Darlings provide a lot of variety.
Dolltown is lucky enough to be home to several Little Darlings. They form the core of all the action here. Whether they are in a story (the focus or bit players) or not, our choices for what happens next here revolves in some way around my Little Darlings.
My Chantal, by Dianna herself...
For more photos of the Little Darlings, go to the Little Darlings Gallery. There are links to individual pages, for Eve, Tink, Chantal, Lula, Pearl, Scout, Xennia, Zoey!
And more pages ...Faith, Birdy, Rosa, Conner/Coco, Maggie, and Jiyoon!
And Gossamer needs her own page!
The last Little Darling to arrive in Dolltown. so pretty!
There are also other stories here on Hiya Dolly with my Little Darlings playing smaller parts on The Children page, and other pages like Dolls Talk and the Photo Gallery...
My Little Darlings Blog
More Little Darlings in Spring Outfits!
Spring Celebration in Dolltown!
Some of the Little Darlings have come and gone already.
But no one has found the little birdy Gossamer tucked in the china Easter Egg!
Tink is thrilled with her special Easter Egg dress, and accessorized with the biggest fascinator she could find in the bow basket.
The little robin!
Look, Xennia!
Tink and Xennia share a lot.
And Xennia loves babies.
Is that a baby robin, Xennia?
Tink is happy to free the birdy.
She wants to go tell her friends about her good deed...
Xennia spots a pretty bonnet!
Yes, go ahead Xennia!
You can put the bonnet on!
Xennia loves this bonnet.
She traveled all the way to Dolltown in it!
It has a feather and flowers!
And is very pretty inside...
No, sorry Xennia.
Today you have to put it back on the bonnet stand!
Go see your friends!
Anna Zoey wears a beautiful, classic checkered dress.
And of course, her bff Pearl got one too.
Very stylish!
Love the belt and flower accessories!
Off goes Anna Zoey, but Pearl lingers.
Oh, look what Pearl has spotted! The bonnet!
Yes, Pearl, of course you can try it on.
Hi Lula Star!
You've borrowed bjd clothes and you're wearing FDS's shoes. Too cool.
Showing up natty Easter Bunny!
Lula's best bud Scout is wearing a hair ornament!
Out of her comfort zone!
How do I tell these girls they are the same height?
Who's taller? Depends on your shoes!
Or hmmm, did Scout wear the bow so she would appear taller?
So competitive!
And speaking of competitive, here's the third of this intrepid trio.
Evie, wearing a pair of boots with spats. Someone told her they'd make her run faster!
(Maybe it was me.) Brand new boots, thanks to Maggie!
Ready for action, even in dresses.
See ya, Lula! Going so soon?
I think she heard the call for the Easter Egg hunt.
The what?
You too, Scout?
Just us, Evie?
Scout tells Evie she better go quick...
Thanks, Easter Bunny!
Atta girl, Scout. Gratitude is good!
(That is some head of red you have, Scout!)
Spring Outfits for Little Darlings!
Birdy!
Our Little Darling early bird is ready for her friends to arrive! Easter Bunny is excited to see all the girls in their special spring clothes!
This year they are meeting up at the Picnic Fence. The bushes are leafed and flowers are out. The Easter Bunny has brought some treats in the tins. Little robin has joined the party.
Birdy loves that! An early robin friend!
Who's next?
It's Rosa!
Birdy and bff Rosa
Indira and bff Gossamer
Sweet bonnet, Gossamer!
What are you up to with little robin?
A robin hiding inside a china egg?
Hmmm...
Chantal and bff Fig
Maggie and bff Jiyoon
Okay. That's enough photos for now!
Time to get some more of the girls!
Just as we are leaving, though, Jiyoon thinks she hears a birdy chirping.
(Hmmm yes, that robin is still in the yellow china egg.
Who will find it?)
Stay tuned...
Clothes Designer...Chris Miller
The very-well-known-in-the-doll-world Chris Miller is a creative and accomplished clothes designer. And she collects the fabrics and laces and makes the clothes herself. Beautiful!
I am looking forward to writing about Chris's past in the doll world and my own Chris Miller dolls.
But for now, let's focus on Chris's new clothing creations for a variety of dolls, including our Little Darlings.
We were excited to get these three pretty spring outfits for our girls. Fig and Chantal are on hand for the box opening.
Bees!
We had to get this outfit. This summer we have a bee show, and the girls like to get involved!
And the kitty ensemble? Amazing...
There are so many parts to each!
The girls keep unpacking!
And look!
An outfit for the little girls!
Lucky Vera gets to unpack that one, and try it on...
Chantal shows her kitty dress, with the leggings and adorable soft shoes.
Fig's dress has a scattering of...honey jars!
And fabric shoes with a touch of embroidery...
And each outfit has a pinafore!
Perfect for baking or painting, or gardening...
Or just because they are cute!
And, each has a romper!
Bees, ribbons, stripes, polka dots...so many elements to take delight in!
The Little Darlings help Vera, our sweet Linda McCall.
Then, Chantal and Fig go to show our new Chris Miller outfits to their friends.
And Vera shows off her bloomers!
Leggings and a matching hair bow....
I love getting our Dolltowners such versatile, beautiful, and well made outfits!
Thank you, Chris!
Chris Miller has adorable outfits right now on eBay...crissie3
You're Not Alone...Cards, Candy, and Cookies
Little Darling friends, Tink and Xennia, were first on the scene when a package arrived from a special doll friend.
When times are tough, friends send candy and cookies.
Earlier this month my husband of thirty years passed away, after a long period of compromised health.
So, I am without a great companion by my side. Gordie, a smart guy who entered into discussions of doll collection, doll collectors, doll history, doll stories with the same attention and thought that he brought to other favorite interests- cooking, literature, sports, ethics, humor.
I miss him, and I'll miss his input....
I am very grateful to all my doll friends, my doll groups on social media, my doll contacts over the last 5 years for all the delight and warmth I have received. The doll community is a warm community and restful in its own way. The doll world is a pleasant distraction. Great focus on beauty, fun, curiosity, and creativity.
At the moment, my doll focus gives me enjoyment I need at this time. So, thank you to all my doll people. Thanks for your reach outs to me from all over. I appreciate every virtual hug and kind word.
And thank you April FDS, for keeping my love of dolls, photography, and storytelling alive when I wavered and Dolltown got quiet for a while.
For now we are good.
Especially with a package to open from Auntie April!
Tink and Xennia are all in...
It's a small package, but not to Tink and Xennia!
"It could be an elephant." says Tink.
"What's better than an elephant?" asks Tink.
The girls make quick work of the packaging...
Aw, a card for me!
Yummm. French caramel toffees! Easy to unwrap!
And soft enough to stick on your thumbs! Way to go, Xennia!
Tink wants in to the cookies.
Lula arrives on the scene.
"What are you too doing! Where did you get all the candy?"
"Will you help us open the cookies?" says Tink.
Yes! Of course Lula can do that! She's a whiz at stuff!
But after eating a toffee, Lula goes to alert the other girls. Candy in the house...
Pearl surveys the Tinkless scene.
"What did I tell you." says Lula.
Now, I heard that Tink and Xennia had to go to the First Aid Room for some Eno.
And Pearl and Lula each ate a whole cookie while they cleaned up.
Everyone else got pieces of toffees and crumbs of cookies.
And they still all say, "Thank you Auntie April!"
Birdy Gets a Spring Outfit from Maggie and Kate Create!
Spring? It's January!
But Little Darling Birdy got a wonderful surprise!
A beautiful spring outfit from Maggie and Kate Create, a doll clothes design duo on everybody's wish list. Well, ours anyway!
When Maggie posts that they have new outfits available, I go to check. But the outfits are usually already sold! This time not only was my timing perfect, but the outfit was perfect for Birdy! I did not hesitate...
And here it is. Birdy gets to try it on, even though it's January and there's still snow on the ground outside!
Some of the girls are still wearing their Christmas dresses.
All the decorations are put away.
But there isn't enough snow to get dressed for a Snow Day.
I call Birdy to see the box opened... Exciting!
Boots, too! The girls love boots and look at these colors!
Yellow is Birdy's favorite color...
Yellow boots, yellow flower on the hat, and even yellow tissue!
Birdy unwraps a bright yellow sweater.
And one of Maggie and Kate's iconic layered skirts...
And leggings and a pendant!
Happy girl!
Looking good, Birdy! Don't forget the hat!
A complete outfit from head to toe!
Wait till the other girls see it!
Of course they'll all want to share.
But for now, with Birdy's soft teal eyes, and her love of bright yellow, it's perfect for her...
Thanks, Maggie and Kate! From all of us!
Little Darling Friends...Christmas 2019
Christmas 2019, the Little Darling friends!
Let's get some photos in Lee's Library, all decorated for the festivities!
Aira has brought all the girls to Dolltown Abbey for the parties.
While they are hanging up their coats and putting their party shoes on, Aira has a short rest in Lee's library, all decorated by the other Iple girls, and Vikka.
And ready for photos!
Nice, eh Aira?
Birdy, the early bird, ready first again!
And not far behind, Rosa...
Birdy is so glad she has such a BFF in Rosa!
Let's see some more good Little Darling friends in Dolltown!
And I will take lots of photos while you girls all look so Christmas lovely!
BFF's Lula, Scout, and Evie
Lula Star
Scout
Evie
BFF's Chantal and Fig
Fig
Chantal
BFF's Anna Zoey and Pearl
Pearl
Anna Zoey
BFF's Indira and Gossamer
Indira
Gossamer
BFF's Tink and Xennia
Xennia
Tink
BFF's Jiyoon and Maggie
Jiyoon
Maggie
Dolltown Little Darlings 2019
All friends! Fun!
Now when does the Christmas Party start?
The Little Darlings Are All Christmas Dressed!
Well, we have to get you three out of your Halloween and school clothes.
Jiyoon and Maggie will show you what's available now, after all the choices.
Evie and Scout have found their dresses.
And Lula looks like she's eyeing the pretty red and gold dress at the top of the dress form!
Yes! She's got it!
It's a pretty Erin Green dress that the girls here at Christmas time.
Let's see how it looks!
Splendid, girls!
Lula Star, you look beautiful!
All of you do!
Let's get moving...
Jiyoon looks at the Playroom floor.
Lots to clean up, girls!
I'll call for help so you and Maggie can get ready yourselves. You look like you need a pretty ribbon. Maggie too!
The rest of the girls are waiting!
When the Playroom is cleaned up, and the Library decorated we will almost be ready!
The girls, of course, will have their photos taken before the parties begin!
So, a hair brushing here, a fancy ribbon there...
Still so much to do!
Dolltown at Christmas, fun!
Fig and Chantal Visit the Art Gallery
While the rest of the girls were getting all dolled up in Christmasy dresses, Fig and Chantal slipped out with me to do a shift at our Arts Gallery.
In the satin bag they went and didn't pop their heads out until we were in the festive gallery...
Here's an artsy photo of the girls with our new "portrait" setting on our phone camera.
And you can see why the girls are clamoring to see the Gallery...this year the colors of our special winter show are pink, white and gold!
The girls found bead jewelry, pink trees, quilted winter bags, and paintings of bears.
They found their favorite colors in watercolor paintings and felted scarves!
Look! Birds in tree quilts, and creature angel tree toppers! Fig and Chantal couldn't wait to get back and share what they saw at the gallery!
The girls found the bird basket that Birdy told them about! But instead of little white birds there were red birds, and red and black, and brown! And they were all very noisy!
And look who they found in the felted wool!
Gossamer, standing as still as a doll can!
Where did she come from, and how long has she been here? It's a mystery...
And what a pretty dress she got to wear!
The three little girls shared all their stories about their gallery adventures with Violet when they returned home. But Gossamer wouldn't tell her secret, how she got to the gallery all by herself...
Little Darlings Dress for Christmas
Violet, one of our Iple girls, is setting up the Playroom for the Little Darlings!
Red dresses, green, and snowflake blue, fill the room. Dresses with poinsettias and plaids and tights with polka dots and stripes are ready for the girls on their way to the Playroom.
Good job, Violet! And such a pretty tree! You and the other Iple girls, Aira and Odelle, have done a fine job! All year the three of you have been helping all the little children in Dolltown! From our Easter Party, to beach party, to Christmas party...hey, there's a pattern here! You girls are all about parties, eh?
Well Violet, I think you and your helpful friends will be rewarded...
We have gathered the sweetest collection of Christmas dresses.
The Little Darling world is filled with such talented dress designers!
I don't dare look at Ebay or Etsy at this time of year!
It's all I can do to Love the photos of other pretty LD's in my fav dolly groups.
Something might be for sale! Move along!
Violet is showing me a white sweater she thinks might fit her.
The Iple girls don't have many clothes at all, poor things.
Go ahead, Vi! The little girls won't mind.
You've been so good to them!
And speaking of little girls, here's Maggie and Jiyoon, ready to help all their friends find something that suits them!
And it looks like Violet has found something Christmasy and pretty for you two!
The girls take a minute to explore the Playroom.
Maggie notices the beautiful red Christmas dress with golden bow,
high on the dress form at the back.
They admire the Christmas tree.
And check all the choices Violet has laid out.
Jiyoon and Maggie put on their simple Christmas dresses.
And say thank you to Violet for all her work.
Way to go, girls. Such little darlings!
Get sorted, girls!
Here come your friends!
Indira, Anna Zoey, and Pearl show up...
Anna Zoey dons a pretty Erin Green dress with a red trim.
Pearl gets to wear Nataliya's cream knit dress. Love it!
We'll find a ribbon for you, Pearl!
And those two are gone, leaving Indira, still hunting.
Next it's Chantal and Fig, fresh from the path to the Playroom.
It doesn't take long for them to find their Christmas dresses, and they are gone.
And in come our trio Evie, Scout and Lula!
Still in school clothes, Halloween party clothes!
This should be fun!
Gossamer comes to help her bff Indira, still going through choices on the carpet.
Gossamer, still in her Halloween blacks, has to find something special too!
Okay girls! You are your own for a while!
I have to go, it's time for another Art Gallery shift.
I'll leave these girls to their perusing and choosing.
Come back to see what's next!
It won't be long!
Birdy Visits the Arts Gallery!
Birdy's ready for Christmas!
So our little early bird got to visit our Pop Up Gift Shop at our little local Art Gallery!
While the rest of the girls were meeting up on their way to to get Christmas ready, Birdy was lucky to get popped in our satin dolly travel bag and taken to the old Courthouse.
And there she enjoyed silk flowers, winter photos, a deluxe bird house, shell wreaths, and the best of all...
Little white felt birds!
She doesn't know it, but one of those little birds is coming home to Dolltown!
A Christmas memory gift for Birdy and the girls!
November Little Darling Meet Up!
Fig is waiting for her friends.
They are on their way to Dolltown Abbey and this is a favorite stop near the cozy farmhouse.
We like it as a meet up place because we have Dolltowners staying at the farm, peeking out the window to make sure the children are safe and no one runs off into the snowy woods after a bunny or a fox.
But all the girls are on a mission...
Christmas dresses!
Jiyoon has invited her bff Maggie, and Fig here, Chantal, Pearl, Anna Zoey, and the other Little Darlings to get dressed up for Christmas time.
And this meet up place is half way to the Iples home, Dolltown Abbey, where Jiyoon will lead her friends to her Playroom...
Where is everybody, Fig?
First to meet up are Maggie and Jiyoon!
The girls have been busy at school, studying their dictionaries and atlases, spinning their globes...
And here's Chantal, just finished her singing lessons.
Fig greets her bff...
They all talk about their favorite Christmas songs while they wait.
Joy to the World! Jingle Bells!
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!
Fig and Chantal are going to perform one of the favorites in a Christmas Concert!
Better get those pretty dresses on!
Vikka arrives to hurry up Jiyoon and Maggie,
so they can get the Christmas dresses ready in the Playroom.
Vikka says the Iple girls have laid out the choices!
Exciting!
Fig and bff Chantal wave to their buddies, and wait for who's next.
It's Anna Zoey and Pearl!
They've come straight from school too! Math and music classes...
The girls are all learning to read music at school.
There's lots of chat with music expert Chantal about 4/4 time, quarter notes and half notes.
Anna Zoey is amazed at how mathematical music is!
Who knew, she says!
Fig, Chantal, Anna Zoey, and Pearl wait together for more Little Darlings to join them on the path.
Should we wait too?
Or should we follow Jiyoon and Maggie to the Playroom, to see the Christmas dresses?
Halloween Sleepover in the Big House
These two Little Darlings came back with me from the school classroom party.
In witch hats and spider web dresses!
When it was time to give out Halloween treats at our door, they were there to cheer me on...
Gossamer loves dressing up as a witch. She says she is a wiccan. What?
And Rosa is friendly to spiders, being a little gardener...
Thanks, Gossamer!
Now get some sleep!
Tomorrow is November!
Happy Halloween!
Everyone is arriving!
Time to dim the lights and hand out candy!
Have a safe night, everyone!
Get ready for the Halloween Party! At School!
Oh the excitement!
Clear the schoolroom!
The Little Darlings get to plan a Halloween party for all their friends.
Now what is needed for a good Halloween Party? The girls write it up on the empty classroom chalkboard...
Let the party planning begin!
Here we go! The list...
Decorations, food, costumes, candy, and invite guests!
These girls have the decorating on the go.
Maggie, Chantal, Birdy, and Pearl with our Halloween sparkle tree of course.
And pumpkins, ribbons, hats and fall garlands...
Anna Zoey brings candy baskets and our big spider. Ew, we love him.
And Lula and Scout arrive with Skeleton,
a must for a Halloween party.
Invited guest? Or decoration? Leave him to the decorators!
Lula and Scout leave to find the candy.
And Xennia and Tink show up early, decorated themselves!
Bony down there, Skeleton?
Nothing like a soft dolly lap to cradle a bare skull...
Looks good, girls!
Looks party ready!
For older posts...
go to the My Little Darling Archives 2015
There are stories including the Little Darlings also on The Children page, Doll Talk, and the Photo Gallery.
The Little Darlings show up on the Doll Fashions page and the Doll Dressmakers page.
Also, I have my Little Darlings
in a Flickr Album
on a Pinterest Board
on a new Hiya Dolly Fan Page
and an Instagram page called DolltownInc.
Also! Visit our Lula Star's Instagram page, Lula.Star
My Little Darlings Cool Off...
Ana and Lula Star
I love Little Darlings!
I'm just starting a Hiya Dolly Pinterest page, with the characters of Dolltown,
and pics of Little Darlings...my 15! And others.
Photos and stories are watermarked with hiyadolly.com
Please contact me if you want to use the photos or stories here for any reason. Thanks!
Most photos are Pinterest enabled...
Meme Dreams
One imagines that an original thought, that creates a good vibration, spreads.
Thank you to family, friends, and associates for the inspiration,
the dollies,
and their accoutrements that make this site possible.
Hiya Dolly Stories
Meaningful, educational, or just for fun stories!
Ana's Aphabet Book
Here's our super cute book! Available on Amazon! It has several Dolltown characters, all helping kids to learn the basic sounds of English. A is for Ana...
Invites, etc
Check out my other site:
Meme Dreams ...for random good ideas that I have run across, or people, links, resources
It's currently under construction, but in action!
And...
Go to Lani's Adventures, my venturous photographer daughter's website of her first trip to Australia and Tasmania
Check out Sol's channel on You Tube, for my son's antics on his Limber, and his YT video favs