Sugar Cookie Dolls & Jewels

Memorial Day Sale

2011-05-27T19:43:00.003-04:00

Happy Memorial day weekend everyone! I'm having a sale in my etsy shop. Just go to http://www.sugarcookiedolls.etsy.com/ and when you are ready to check out, use the coupon code: holiday to recieve a 40% off discount.

This offer expires on 6/1

Thanks! toni

BIGSALE

2011-04-27T19:12:00.002-04:00

I'm having a big sale in my etsy shop!!!

Use the coupon code: bigsale to recieve a 50% off discount

This offer will expire on 5/10/11

Check it out! http://www.sugarcookiedolls.etsy.com/

SALE!!!

2011-01-23T18:15:00.002-05:00

Hey everbody! I'm having a sale in my etsy shop. I'm offering 35% off. Just visit my shop at www.sugarcookiedolls.etsy.com and use sugar1 for the coupon code.

Thanks! Have a great day, toni

A BIG FAT SALE!!!!

2010-11-20T12:21:00.004-05:00

I'm having a BIG FAT SALE!

Want to learn more?
Read these instructions... IT IS SO EASY!!!

STEP 1: click on over to my etsy shop - http://www.sugarcookiedolls.etsy.com/
STEP 2: shop your butt off
STEP 3: shop a little more because you just remembered someone else that you need to buy a gift for
STEP 4: when you check out, there will be a place for you to enter a coupon code...ssshhhhhh - it's a major secret...ok, here it is: sugarsale1
STEP 5: save 40% off of your entire purchase (except for shipping, sorry)

This offer is for a one time use only and it expires Thursday night 11-25-10

THANK YOU so much for all of my supporters... I am truely thankful for each and every purchase. I wouldn't have a business if it weren't for all you nice people!

Have a wonderful week and happy shopping! xoxoxo toni

BOGO SALE!!!

2010-07-13T08:47:00.003-04:00

I'm having my first ever BOGO Sale in my etsy shop. If you buy one of my whimsical creations, you will get to select what your free gift will be; for equal or lesser value.
This is a limited time offer, so hurry!!!
After you paypal purchase from my shop, just convo me to tell me what you want for free.

I need to make some room for lots of new and fun Halloween and Christmas creations.
Check it out http://www.sugarcookiedolls.etsy.com/

Thanks! xoxotoni

Making jewelry

2010-05-19T08:03:00.003-04:00

I have been making jewelry again lately. I sell my jewelry to the SC State Museum gift shop, to Joyfilled Garden and Gifts in Georgetown, SC, to The Willows in Lexington, SC and I sell quite a lot of it when I'm a vendor at various festivals and bizarres and of course, to friends and family that drop by my house for a peek. So, I've always thought of my jewelry as something that just sells itself.

I thought I would see what would happen if I posted some in my etsy shop. I spent lots of time photographing, editing the pictures and then posting... I'm really curious to see if it will sell. I don't really have much faith in it happening, for some reason... but we will see. I don't really know how to go about photographing it.

party's over

2010-05-07T12:54:00.002-04:00

In April, my sales were VERY slow. That worked out ok though, because my girl's had their Spring break and my husband, let's just call him Pookie Bear, was off of work for the whole month. He likes to save all his vacation days and then take a month off.

uuummm... I wouldn't trade him for all the money in the world, BUT, these month long vacations that he takes really THROW OFF MY GROOVE!!! thoroughly

I'm posting a picture of my girl's... the comedic duo

Nice Surprise

2010-05-07T12:43:00.003-04:00

After Christmas, my business didn't slow down. I guess people were spending their Christmas money and that was fine with me! I started posting Valentine dolls and snowmen and they would sell as fast as I would get them on etsy.

Then, I posted an Irish snowman and it sold within minutes!!! It was so amazing and it just made me want to keep trying to make as many dolls as I could. The nice customer that bought him asked me if I would think about trying to make some Irish dolls... I had never even thought about doing that, which is funny - because I am partly Irish! So, I got busy making some Irish dolls and they all sold really fast. Again, because a customer gave me the idea.

Happy New Year!!!

2010-05-07T12:35:00.002-04:00

This is my sweet little baby girl, her name is McRuby Sue O'Kelly... we just call her wooby.

then there was December...

2010-05-07T12:09:00.004-04:00

In December, I was slammed as usual! I was selling my ornaments as fast as I could make them. This happens to me every year and every year I could kick myself for not making them all year long so that I would be prepared. It is so hard to be in the mood to make Christmas ornaments when it is no where near Christmas time. I was excited because I had contacted a really WONDERFUL store called STUFF, in Kansas City MO - I asked them if they would be interested in featuring my whimsical creations in their shop - and they DID!!! I REALLY wanted to get my dolls in that store and it happed! yay

So, I sent them 50 ornaments... they sold so well that they have asked me to send 75 of them this time. The thought of making 75 Christmas ornaments right now is a little over whelming... but I know I'll get it done.

The girl that bought my first snowman wanted me to create some Mardi Gras dolls for her and her mom... what?! I had no idea how to do that - but she loved them!

So much has happened!

2010-05-07T11:34:00.002-04:00

It has been a long time since my last post... I have been busy!

I have wanted to add a new post for several weeks now and haven't because I'm usually on my little laptop that doesn't have very many pictures stored in it and I knew I would want to post pictures too... so, I'm using my husband's computer today and remembered that I need to catch up on my blog.

I want to pick up where I left off, which was in October - I think. So, in November... I was selling my Sugar Cookie Doll Christmas ornaments at the Columbia Museum of arts Artisans fair. A nice lady walked up to me and asked if I made snowmen. I, of course, said "yes" eventhough, it had been years since I attempted that and from what I could remember about them - they were really primitive and not something I would be interested making. So, I thought I would try it again, in a different way.

I was so excited about my finished product... I listed it on etsy and it sold very quickly...which led to me making many others, all different, all selling quick. After Christmas, I made some Valentine related snowmen, the I made St. Patrick's day snowmen. I think it is so great when a customer gives me an idea like that. It pushes me to step out of my box and then I grow as an artist... Thanks nice lady! I will surely be fully stocked with some happy, whimsical snowmen next November when I sell there!

The snowman in the picture was the first one that I made. The base of her is a vintage, silver glass ornament that had belonged to my grandma Cookie. I attached a pink ribbon sash around her as a mamogram reminder.

I do love the moon!

2009-11-11T09:52:00.004-05:00

People are always asking me why I always add a moon charm to the jewelry that I make. Well, I guess I have just always loved the moon for some reason. Maybe it's because the first book I ever had has a picture of the moon on every page. Or maybe it's because my dad has this little tattoo of a half moon on his arm that he said he got while serving in the airforce; of course he thinks it's rediculous now and regrets doing it. This will sound completely sappy, but maybe it's because I think that my husband "hung the moon". Yes, it's true - I am THAT much in love with that boy! Anyway, I guess the moon charm just really represents all of those things.

whimsical santa doll

2009-10-02T08:52:00.005-04:00

I'm so excited to have finally made my first Santa Clause doll! I've been wanting to make one ever since I got a santa head off the clearance rack this past January - I just didn't quite know what to use for his body. Then, I finally figured it out and wah-la!

I'm looking forward to making more whimsical santas

Paperdolls

2009-09-16T15:01:00.002-04:00

I've always loved paperdolls and have dabbled a little in embellishing them; usually just keeping them their original size. I decided to try something different so I made them bigger and dressed them up for Halloween. I love the way they turned out! It feels good to try something new every now and then.

Holidays Are Coming!!!

2009-09-06T10:27:00.005-04:00

I do love Fall! I'm ready for cooler weather and all of the fun upcoming events. I've recently discovered a new design for Christmas ornaments. This is just one example of the many ways to use a simple ball ornament for the base.

Happy Fall Y'all!!!

Party Pixies are getting ready for fall!

2009-08-23T14:10:00.004-04:00

I've been busy coming up with some new designs for Fall & Halloween. I'm definitely NOT big on anything scary or morbid - I like to keep things Happy & Glittery! I've been making my usual party pixie dolls, but have been adding a Halloween twist.

Summer time creating!

2009-07-15T17:37:00.005-04:00

Don't ya just love summer? To me, there's just something nostalgic about it. I get to reconnect with my children and they remind me that I don't have to be on a schedule all the time.

I have always been fascinated with the ocean. When I was a little girl, I loved to play in the ocean; Now, I'm terrified of the water - I know what lives in it!

I absolutely adore seashells of all kinds and create with them as often as I can. I ordered an assortment of shell coin purses a few years ago, not really knowing what I would do with them. Then, one day I had an idea. I started turning them into shell pixies! This last one that I made is my favorite, so far. The front of her shell says "Celebrate Life" and there is a pink ribbon bead in the middle of it. I hope that she will inspire you to celebrate your life and also to remember how important a mammogram is. It can save your life!

Have a great day and enjoy this beautiful summer!

WOW...A BLOG AWARD!!!

2009-07-06T10:29:00.002-04:00

Oh how wonderful! Sugar Cooke Dolls has recieved this blog award from Trendy Bindi's Boutique! Thanks ladies, I think your blog is FABULOUS too!

2009-07-03T15:25:00.002-04:00

JEWELRY.....YAY!!!!!

2009-07-03T15:18:00.007-04:00

I have been designing and creating unique, one of a kind jewelry for 3 years now. Much to my surprise, I have sold an unimaginable amount of it and have had many people ask me if I have my jewelry posted on my website http://www.sugarcookiedolls.com/ I didn't because I would sell it so fast that it wouldn't have been worth the trouble I would go to - to get it posted. So, I finally decided to take the plunge, and just see what happens. What do I have to lose? Thanks to my hardworking website girl at http://www.pegweb.com/ I finally have added jewelry to my website and am anxious to see what will happen.

Party Pixie girl

2009-06-21T15:18:00.006-04:00

What is a Party Pixie? To me, a party pixie girl represents someone that celebrates life. This type of doll is so special to me - I guess she is the epitome of my personality. They are made specifically to make people feel happy and to remind people to celebrate life. I use a wool bead (ordered from http://www.artgirlz.com/) It is fun experimenting with different color combos.

Icecream Sundae Party Pixie

2009-06-17T11:01:00.004-04:00

I'm having the best time making party pixies! I love using fake desserts for the base of their bodies - this is a very realistic looking vanilla icecream scoop, complete with chocolate syrup, whipped cream and of course - a cherry on the top.

Thank you Trendy Bindi's Boutique!

2009-06-12T09:07:00.004-04:00

What a nice surprise to see that Sugar Cookie Dolls & Jewels had been awarded the "One Lovely Blog" award. Thanks ladies! You can check out their lovely blog at http://www.trendybindis.blogspot.com/

Cake Fairy

2009-06-12T09:00:00.003-04:00

This is a cake fairy that I was asked to make for a customer in California. This was the first time that I added the crepe paper to a party hat - I'm so glad I put in the extra time and effort because I love the way it turned out.

Whimsical Marie Antoinette inspired doll

2009-05-25T17:35:00.005-04:00

This is my latest creation - a Marie Antoinette inspired doll. Her fancy hat is made up of snowflakes, feathers, glittery leaves a birds nest and two white love birds.

2009-05-24T12:24:00.000-04:00

Fun with mosaics!

2009-05-14T11:17:00.002-04:00

I just made this on my new favorite site: picnik.com

Fun*Fun!

Happy Duck!

2009-05-13T20:06:00.003-04:00

I made this duck a few weeks ago, just to see if I could do it. It's just been sitting around on my desk and everytime I look at it, I feel happy! So, I'm sharing this picture in hopes that it will make you feel happy too.

Have a great day!XOXOtk...happygirl

Whimsical Evening Bag Doll Creation

2009-05-05T09:50:00.009-04:00

This is the 2ND evening bag doll that I created; the bag belonged to my grandma Cookie. I found the high-heeled shoes in the Christmas ornament department. Her hat is an animal print powder puff. This is one of the few dolls that I used doll hair on; it isn't very easy to work with. Anyway, I like the way she holds her hand up to her mouth, like she's flirting and laughing. I used my Cookie's black beaded hair scrunchy for the doll's collar and she has a little champagne glass next to her hand that has letter beads that say "Capture some magic". xoxoxotoni kelly*happy girl

Create something fabulous with a treasured object

2009-05-04T16:26:00.005-04:00

After my grandma Cookie passed away, I ended up with her evening bag collection. There is this one bag that I thought was so interesting because it's red and in the shape of a star. This was the last bag I remember seeing her carry. I made a "Cookie" doll out of it. This was a few years ago, so when I look at it now, of course I would have done some things differently. My little girl's let me have one of their toy crowns, I attached her rhinestone anklet to it - it says "Cookie" on the front of it. The metal in the middle belonged to her husband, he had gotten it from serving in a war. I found that old looking phone in her Christmas ornaments. She had been a Southern Bell phone operator for much of her life, so I thought it would be fitting to have that sit next to her. Red was her signature color and she always wore heels, luckily - I found some really cute doll shoes at the dollar store, so cute!

happyhappy girlie...toni kelly

Mammogram reminder boxes

2009-05-04T15:39:00.007-04:00

After I had shouted from the roof tops for every girl I know to get a mammogram and after I had attached a pink ribbon to everything I was making and everything that I had already made, I knew it wasn't going to be enough. I thought that it would be such a great idea for me to sell them at the upcoming Breast Cancer Walk that would be taking place downtown a few weeks from that time, so I made an appointment to see the person that is in charge of that event. I showed her my pink ribbon creations and told her my story and how I would love the opportunity to sell them and donate half of the proceeds to the event. She loved what I had made, but that vendor's at that event have to pay a minimum of $1,000.00 - so, sorry... we won't be able to accommodate you and your pitiful little 50% donation - we only take BIG money. Ok, she didn't say that last part, but that it what it sounded like to me. Oh, and by the way, she asked if she could have one of them. Of course, I smiled quite politely and said that of course she could have one. It just doesn't make sense to me that they could be raising more money if they wanted to - it made me feel like my donation wouldn't have been good enough, like it would be too small to make a difference.

I left there that day feeling frustrated. I went to my friend's house to tell her what had happened and she said that I could just pass the pink ribbon fairey dolls out to my friends as a mammogram reminder. I thought that sounded great. So, I gathered up some boxes, include my story and a journal for them to sign, if they want to, and I made up a poem...
Here's a little message from the mammogram reminder fairey:

I'm here to deliver some cheer, it's true - but, mostly I'm here as a reminder to you. It's crucial that you don't delay! "Get a mammogram" is what I say. Please don't become too attached to me, I have a very important job, you see. I must keep moving or my work will never get done. I'll keep on going 'til the war on cancer is won! So, please pass me on, I hope you won't wait. Joining this life saving crusade, will make you feel great!

So, I give a friend a box, it hopefully reminds them to get a mammogram, they sign the journal and pass it to a friend, then so on until the journal gets filled up. Then I'm supposed to get the journal back and I would send out a new journal so that the fairey can continue her journey.

Have you had a mammogram recently???
xoxo *Toni Kelly*happy happy girl

Sugar Cookie Dolls gets a new focus

2009-05-04T08:31:00.006-04:00

By 2005, My little cottage industry was going pretty good. I felt so happy to have finally found something I loved to do and I could actually make a little money doing it. I was selling at a few craft shows, sold to a few stores and I had finally gotten a website. An article on my business was featured in THE STATE newspaper, then, in a local magazine, then my business was featured on an "In your town" on WACH Fox57 news. People just seem to like the story behind my business.

In the summer of 2005, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Was I shocked?...not really. I had mentally prepared myself as a safety precaution, just in case. My main concern, at that point, was making sure that my little girls wouldn't worry about it - I knew I would have to keep everything as normal as possible. It was especially bad timing because I had just had to explain to them the week before my diagnoses, that my aunt (that we were close to) was going to die - because she had cancer.

From the moment I found out, I wanted to tell everyone I know to get a mammogram. I started making pink ribbom fairies and attaching pink ribbons to dolls that I had already made. That experience gave my creations a new focus. I knew I couldn't remind everyone to get a mammogram, but having a pink ribbon on something I made just made me feel like I was at least helping a little bit. I donate $5.00 to the Susan G. Komen for the cure organization when someone purchases a pink ribbon item from my website.

Get a mammogram... it will save your life!
Have a great day! *Toni Kelly*happy girl!!!

The story behind Sugar Cookie Dolls

2009-05-03T08:29:00.008-04:00

It all started in 2002. I was a busy stay at home mom with two little girl's, just desperately needing some "me-time". So, I struck up a friendship with a glue gun and * Bah-dah- boom...Bah-dah Bing!... A Fairey Was Born!

Sadly, my grandmother passed away right around this time. As I was helping my mom clean out my grandmother's closet, I had an "Ah-Ha!' moment. You see, my grandma was anything but typical, she was foxy! She always had her hair beauty shop perfect, make-up flawlessly applied, wearing something fancy and due to a height complex - she ALWAYS wore heels. Of course, she would have on all the right accessories and would be carrying the perfect handbag. So, when I was standing there, looking into her closet at all of her belongings all together like that, I started to think about how she would treat everyday as if she were expecting something wonderful would happen. I'm definitely a positive thinker, but - I just don't think I could fathom that level of optimism. It is hard to explain it exactly, but I left my grandmother's house that day feeling somehow inspired.

I ended up inheriting a vast collection of costume jewelry, handbags, high-heeled shoes, craft supplies, etc... She apparently NEVER threw anything away in her 70 years of life. It definitely had something to do with her generation. Anyway, with my new found inspiration, I began incorporating those new items into my glue gun creations. I was able to make such beautiful things, beyond anything I would have ever imagined. It was like the levy broke and an endless flow of creativity just poured out of me and hasn't stopped.

The reaction that I recieved from my family and friends was just the encouragement that I needed to start my own business that I named Sugar Cookie Dolls. I named it that in honor of my lovely grandma: Margaret Cooke Milam aka: Cookie - you can see what she looked like in the picture above.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!
* Toni Kelly *