If you've browsed my website or been a follower of my socials you will have seen my scented ladies. If you haven't then let me tell you all about them.
My scented ladies may look like dolls but they are not dolls and have no play value to them. They are simply a scented decoration.
I offer 4 different types, lavender ladies, rosies posies, spice sister and satin sweethearts. But where did the idea for them come from? Well let me explain.
I love making vintage inspired items and especially ones that can give you a sense of nostalgia. I also love to create items that are truly unique.
I'd started to change the products I made and had started making yoyo/suffolk puff gathered fabric circles and using them to make hair clips. I'd also started to make mini lavender pillows/bags to add to drawers and wardrobes but I really wanted to make something different.
I went to visit a family friend who said they had found an item that may be of interest to me. It was a doll like decoration that her daughter had bought around 40 years ago. It had a puffy bottom and looked like a Victorian style lady with lace all over. It had been purchased from a church fayre and had been scented with lavender originally but over the years the scent had gone. I looked at it and loved the idea and concept but couldn't work out how it had been made. I came home and started looking online for anything that looked similar, but there was nothing.
This gave me the push to experiment and create my own unique item. I decided I didn't want to use the lace but I wanted that Victorian inspired look about them. So I used the yoyo/suffolk puff circles and started to hand sew them in different sizes to create the pieces I needed.
After looking online I sourced beads with faces on and started to put all the elements together.
The first one I made came out exactly the way I wanted it too! It used 2 different fabrics that contrasted, a button, ribbon, beaded face and was stuffed inside with soft toy filling and of course dried lavender.
I made a few more and then realised they needed a name. They looked like Victorian style ladies, they were scented with lavender so Lavender Ladies it was and to make them even more unique I decided that each one would be a one off make AND have a name.
I spent ages researching name meanings and using them to match fabric colours/designs or what I thought fitted the best.
Olivia was one of the first I made and the first I sold!
After launching them on my social media people really loved the idea of them and it gave me a boost to look at making more.
I then expanded the range for Christmas adding the Spice Sisters. They were made using the same concept and all their names related to Christmas or their fabric design. I chose the mix of cinnamon, star anise and cloves to create the spice mixture as these are popular Christmas scents and the scents are strong and last a long time too!
The Spice Sisters proved a hit and still are over 6 years since I started making them.
I then introduced the Rosie Posies for those who said they weren't a lavender fan. Again they were made as one offs and all named too.
My Satin Sweethearts though were brought in as a different type of gift. None of them are named and the initial idea was that I would make them over and over again in the same colours so they could be gifted for weddings, communions, christenings, etc and the difference being is you added a name onto the gift tag depending on who you were gifting them too. I also gave the option of a choice of lavender or rose scented. Sadly they didn't sell the way I wanted them to and I've made the choice not to remake them once I've sold what's in stock. The other 3 though will carry on for now.
The faces have slightly changed over the past few years. This is because I was unable to get the pre-made faces in the size I needed so I instead asked another small business to cut vinyl faces for me to add to the beads instead. So it makes them even more unique.
So if you fancy a scented decoration that oozes vintage or nostalgia then I highly recommend checking the scented ladies out. Why not do a search to see if I have your name or a friend/family members name or maybe grab a satin sweetheart at a reduce price in my sale and add your own name to it!