Saturday, May 31, 2008

Bamboletta Dolls



Have I mentioned that Bamboletta Dolls are the absolute, most wonderful dolls in the world?

Arielle agrees. Here she is cuddling with her "Lizzie".



And, here is Linnea napping with "Baby".

The day that "Baby" arrived, I had just unwrapped the doll when Linnea woke up from her nap. She was so happy. The doll was custom made to look quite a bit like Linnea, and was the sweetest doll I'd ever seen. She went everywhere with us that day and for the first time in her life, Linnea slept cuddling a toy.



The only problem (which was totally unexpected) is that Arielle was completely jealous. So, I spent my WAHM savings and let her pick out her own doll at Natural Pod. In the past few months, Lizzie and Baby have become well-loved companions.

I don't think there are words to describe how wonderfully detailed these dolls are. The dolls are all handmade during nap times by work-at-home mom, Christina in Cobble Hill, BC -- located on the west coast of Canada. The name ‘Bamboletta’ means ‘little doll’ in Italian and is a term of endearment that Italian parents use for their children. This was Christina's father’s nickname for her throughout her childhood.

Christina uses only high quality, natural fabrics to make the dolls. She uses a thick cotton interlock from the Netherlands for their ’skin’. It hardly pills, it retains its shape and it is extremely soft. She stuffs the dolls using a wool from a farm about 10 minutes from where she lives. The hair is also made of wool. Christina describes herself as a yarn addict who loves nothing better then to rummage through yarn shops to find new and interesting yarns for her dolls' hair. She has her own source of gorgeous hand spun, hand dyed yarn that she uses in some of the dolls create a unique and special look, and she often mixes several types of yarns together to create a natural and funky look, that is also extra durable. I love the hair.



I wanted to show a few more of my favorite details, like Lizzie's belly button and underpants. But, Linnea ran off with the dolls. I did get a quick picture of Baby's sweet little felt shoe, Lizzie's sweater and some action shots.












The chocolate on Baby's shirt is courtesy of Linnea, and isn't included. But, the shirt is machine washable.

Bamboletta Dolls are available at Natural Pod (Canada), Mahar Dry Goods , and through Christina's Etsy store. Extra clothing is available here and at Natural Pod.

4 comments:

Monica said...

We love our Bamboletta doll too. Both your girls appear to be fantastic mommies! ;)

Melissa said...

I love the cardigan sweater, I want to knit some for my girls dolls. Do you know if she sells the pattern for the sweater? thanks, melissa

Sara said...

Melissa - I love them, too. I wish I had one for me :-)
I don't know the answer, but I forwarded your email to Christina.

Sara said...

Melissa,
I wrote to Christina. Here's her reply:

"Hmm, my Nonna makes the sweaters without a pattern, so no there is not pattern. this woman (http://hyenacart.com/PatchyPants) is making some knitted doll outfit patterns which she hopes to have online in October- you could refer her to this site maybe?"

Good luck!