Alice Plays Croquet, a one-of-a-kind soft doll by Cimmerii Mills. Soft yarn hair, embroidered face, cotton dress, felt flamingo accessory.

It’s been years since I’ve cuddled a rag doll of my own in my hands. And as an Alice in Wonderland enthusiast, the ad for the Go Ask Alice show in Santa Barbara caught my attention.

The Go Ask Alice show was advertised for the same weekend as my first ball-jointed doll convention, so I couldn’t attend in person. But I was delighted by the eye candy: soft rag dolls, plushies, and other lovely items displayed for the promos for the show’s opening.

The show hostess, doll artist Cimmi Cumes, is a graphic designer by training, and started her own line of soft dolls, plushies and accessories (Cimmerii : California) in 2007. She sells her items in a brick and mortar gallery which she shares with her husband, Paul Cumes Fine Art, in Santa Barbara, California. You can also find her on the web, where she has her own blog, Etsy shop, and doll and plushie blog, the Doll Head.

I emailed Cimmi, and was delighted to find that not all the gorgeous dolls had sold out. I’m thrilled to have added Alice Plays Croquet to my collection, who arrived today. She has the softest yarn hair, sparkling blue eyes, striped stocking legs–and 100% one-of-a-kind Alice personality of her own. Plus, she’s holding a felt pink flamingo for croquet.

When I unpacked Alice from the box, both my girls exclaimed in pure joy.

They both wanted to know, “Who gets to sleep with her first?” Kate, my older (almost nine year-old) daughter, suggested diplomatically, since Alice is technically my doll, I should have the honor.

Oh, the generosity that the holiday season brings to my children is simply delightful. I do wonder what my husband will say!