Handmade Holiday Doll Ornaments Feature a Skater and a Sledding Boy

Two miniature dolls chosen for their future owners became the finished holiday projects: a skating girl for Emma and a boy on a sled for Ivy. The ornaments came together just in time for Christmas, though the finishing choices brought a few surprises. Most notably, Ivy liked her sled boy but would have rather had the skater Emma received.

The maker had hoped to complete several projects over the holidays. A couple were set aside for another occasion, another remained unfinished, and these two ornaments made it across the finish line. Their designs grew from dolls Emma and Ivy had already said they liked, giving each ornament a personal starting point rather than a new character made just for the season.

Turning familiar dolls into ornaments

Emma had named the ice skating girl, Sonia, as her favorite of the maker’s miniature dolls years earlier. Sonia’s name refers to Sonja Henie, the skating film star of the 1930s and 1940s. Sonia had previously appeared in a Doll-A-Day post, which can be seen here.

Ivy had helped make tiny newspapers for a miniature newsboy, and had also shown interest in a little boy on a sled. Both dolls had appeared in earlier Doll-A-Day posts: the sled boy is here, and the newsboy is here. Since the newsboy didn’t have a winter or Christmas theme, the sled boy seemed the better fit for an ornament. The maker expected Ivy might have wished for the newsboy instead.

A skating scene with a moving figure

The skating ornament needed a convincing strip of ice that would curve along the bottom of the display bubble without taking up too much of Sonia’s space. Ken suggested clear contact paper that was already on hand for another, unfinished project. It worked for the curved surface and let the skater fit inside.

A small tree was added near the front because the scene looked too bare without it. In practice, the tree proved bushier than the design needed: Sonia’s leg catches on its branches, and she can end up stuck sideways. The original idea was to suspend her from the top on fishing line so she would shift when someone moved the ornament, suggesting a skating motion. The tree gets in the way of that movement.

The fishing line passes through Sonia’s hat, leaving the doll itself unchanged and removable. The maker also confirmed that Sonia’s second skate was attached before the ornament was sealed. That small detail answers a question raised by the earlier Doll-A-Day post.

The sled boy and the ornament size

The sled boy’s scene came closer to the maker’s original plan. Miniature trees found while searching for other supplies were cut down to serve as distant trees behind him. Larger empty ornament bubbles would have offered more room, but the ones available could not be opened. Their small top openings were intended for loose filler such as tinsel or glitter, so they couldn’t accommodate a doll and assembled scene.

Both ornaments were assembled so the dolls could be removed later. The sled boy is sewn to his sled, and the sled is sewn to the snow; those pieces can be taken out and separated. That construction leaves the original doll available to display on its own if the ornament is damaged or the girls would rather keep the figures outside the bubbles.

An unexpected favorite

Emma and Ivy opened their ornaments at the same time. Ivy liked the sled boy, but told the maker she preferred Sonia’s skating scene. Emma offered to trade, and Ivy declined: she was content with the sled boy, even though the other ornament was her favorite. The reaction wasn’t the one the maker had anticipated, but it gave the gift exchange a memorable ending.

The ornaments weren’t exactly as imagined: the skating girl’s tree interferes with her movement, and the sled scene had to fit a smaller bubble than preferred. Still, both were completed for Christmas, kept removable, and built around dolls the girls already knew. The next post is expected to feature the October doll show, which is ready to share.