Well we have just returned from the trip of a lifetime! We delivered 70 dolls while in Uganda, 54 are now residing at Little Angels. We were able to use doll funds to donate some soccer/footballs balls and money for school supplies. Thank you to everyone who bought and decorated dolls!

From the Little Angels website:

Duncan, the founder of Little Angels grew up in a poor family and became a sponsored child at the age of fourteen. Duncan Successfuly completed high school and had ambition of completing further studies to become a doctor. However after high school his sponsor was unable to continue to support him financially ,so his dream of being a doctor could not be achieved as could not afford the tuition costs.
Instead of being disappointed on missing out on his dream,Duncan wanted to show his appreciation to his sponsor by giving back to his local community, Duncan decided to started a project for the children who were from financially disadvantaged background and provide them with an opportunity.

There are currently 200 registered needy children under the care of Little Angels Needy Children & Orphan Project. These children are between the ages of 3 and 8 years old. It is noted that in Uganda the loss of one parent is tantamount to orphanage. The loss of one or both parents typically causes severe limitations on the ability to generate income. In turn this has a significant, negative impact on the well-being and social mobility of the child.

A child that has lost one parent is referred to as a “single orphan’ and a child that has lost both parents is referred to as a ‘double orphan’. Where possible orphans are brought under the care of a relative and this arrangement is facilitated and managed by Little Angels Needy Children & Orphan Project. There are currently 45 single orphans and 61 double orphans under their care.

Please consider supporting this project or sponsoring a child. More info can be found at www.littleangelsuganda.org

More photos are posted at http://www.flickr.com/photos/one_doll/

The first two of many dolls we'll be taking to Joplin, Mo this summer.

We’ll be heading to Joplin in July! If you’d like to decorate dolls for us to deliver please order soon. www.OneDoll.com

Thanks!

If you’d like to join us we’ll be at the charming Bella Notte Unique Gifts in downtown Golden, Colorado.

April 2nd from 5-8pm

May 15th from 10am-4pm

A donation of $20 helps with the cost of dolls, supplies for decorating and soccer balls for the boys. Thanks! See you there!

Bella Notte Unique Gifts is hosting 3 doll parties!  If you are in need of a unique gift for a friend or are looking for children’s toys or clothes this is the place to shop. They have items available from local artists as well. They are located in the heart of cute downtown Golden, Colorado and will be hosting gatherings on the next two ”First Friday’s“  from 5-8pm and  all day on Saturday, May 15th!

We’ll have decorating supplies and ragdolls available so bring your creativity! The cost is $20 per doll, the money will go to cover dolls, decorating supplies and soccer balls for the boys. After the party your doll will be traveling around the world to children living in poverty. The next destination is Egypt and Jordan and some of the dolls will be traveling to Haiti in the fall.

If you’d like to see photos of some of our happy decorators or recipients please visit our Flickr site.

We have a flyer available for download. If you’d like to post one for us we’d appreciate it.

Hope to see you there!

We held a doll decorating party on Jan 31st. Here’s a photo of the dolls we made. We’ll be delivering them to schools and orphanages in April. Our destinations are: Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.  If you have any connections or info on the area we’d love to talk to you!

To host your own doll decorating party please visit our website One Doll.

The Ubuntu Hair Studio just keeps on giving!

Early in December the staff and clients of Ubuntu (meaning: I am because we are) hosted a doll decorating party to benefit children in Mexico and Southern California. By looking at the photos of smiling faces I’d say the event was a success! The dolls not only were lovingly created and decorated but were pampered and given beautiful new hair styles.

The Ubuntu Hair Studio strives to make social and environmental change through the small things that they do. Here are a few ways that your visit changes the world for the better:

*Pay it forward : gratuities, or as we like to call them – gestures of thanks for great service- are passed on to good causes. We donate 100% of gratuities received to diverse charities such as Hope For Hossana Project, Aspire, Kiva, Girls on the Run and Grossman Burn Foundation. A simple “thank you” goes a long way. 

*Waste not, want not : after serving you well for a few seasons, your hair goes on to do more good. After a cut, the clippings are collected and later reincarnated into oil-spill clean- up mats thanks to our participation in the Matter Of Trust Program.

*Nature’s elixirs: we stock retail products made from essential oils and plant extracts because just like a plant in fertile soil, beautiful hair grows from a healthy scalp.

We hope to be the change we want to see in the world and ask you to join us. We do not live alone, but are connected in something much greater. Together we can make a difference.

We’ll let you know when their dolls are delivered. In the mean time if you’d like more information about the Ubuntu Hair Studio in Solana Beach, California go to http://ubuntuhairstudio.com/

Cambodian child "Maly"

stencil of Cambodian child

For some dolls I like to look up faces on google images and make a general outline. Using the drawing as a stencil I poke small holes around the outlines and then put a little talcum powder on the top until it “bleeds” through to the fabric. Then I start painting.

Maly

ideas for eyes using buttons

I love dolls with button eyes! Here are a few of my favorites. If you have any ideas I can share please send them to me!

Miriam likes her doll

(June 2004. Ndola, Zambia)

Our friends Marci and Bill took us around Ndola, Zambia and we met some of their friends. We had the pleasure of meeting this young girl Miriam. Her and her aunt invited us into their home and we presented her with a gift. She loved her new doll! Rachel, from Morrison, Colorado, decorated this doll and wrote a nice letter to go along with her.