I love tiny dolls. I love dolls with wispy, painted hair. This one has it all. She stands 3 1/4″ (8.5 cm) tall. I don’t know where or when she was made. The dealer said that she was definitely antique… She is beautiful. She has blue, painted eyes with red lines highlighting her eyelid crease and single stroke brows. Her pale pink lips are accented with a red center line. … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: June 2014
I have a confession. I am old and slow. Not physically slow. Slow to get stuff. I spent many years feeling guilty whenever I was doing something fun just for me. So, I procrastinated and usually did nothing. Work, kids, husband, house, and all that jazz… With limited time, it was all about priorities. Even after the kids moved out 16 years ago, I still had a hard time giving … Continue reading
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Today is Supergirl’s last full day of school. Tomorrow, I pick her up at noon and summer vacation begins. Yesterday afternoon we started a list of things to do this summer. I had a hard time convincing her that I will still have work to do and sometimes she will have to entertain herself. A few weeks ago she came to my house with her dad (my son) to work … Continue reading
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Today’s post is all about the pictures. And a few words. I’ve mentioned before that some dolls are collectors. French fashion dolls are notorious for this. Here are some of the antique accessories my FF’s have collected: Wood, hand-painted fan with orange silk ribbon. Purchased at Paris flea market. I tried to barter, but my shaky french didn’t help. Faux ivory fan with hand-painted silk leaves. Two pairs of doll-sized … Continue reading
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This sweet, tiny poupee spoke to me at a doll show, so I had to own her. She stands only 10 1/2″ (26.5 cm) tall. At first glance, I thought that her fine cotton dress was old/original. But the lady who was selling her told me that a friend of hers made the dress. It is a beautiful reproduction and was both machine and hand sewn. One day, though, I … Continue reading
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Merriam Webster defines provenance as: “the history of ownership of a valued object or work of art or literature.” As doll collectors, we rarely get to know anything about the provenance of a doll we purchase. We have all been told questionable stories of a doll’s history. How often has a dealer told you that a doll is from his or her “private collection”? But who owns the provenance of … Continue reading
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I didn’t take a nap yesterday afternoon. I got started on the 17th century fairy costume for my Bru (see My 17th Century Bru Fairy). This is my inspiration. I will be creating the costume from the inside out, starting with the smock. The smock is like a long-sleeved chemise made out of linen. One of my doll friends found some very fine, antique linen yardage at a flea … Continue reading
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Today, I just can’t get myself going. I stayed up late last night finishing the new Stephen King novel. It is a beautiful hot summer day in my back yard, but last week the mosquitos arrived for their summer stay. They love me. I don’t love them. So, I’ll just tell you about my weekend. I left the doll show last Saturday feeling rather sad. There were loads of empty spaces for … Continue reading
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Not being a fan of rules, I sure seem to have a lot of them when it comes to costuming my dolls. And I have a lot fewer of them than many more stringent historical costumers. The antique doll costume police may not agree with my rules, but I’m okay with that. When I decided to write my list of do’s and don’t’s, it made me rather sad to have so … Continue reading
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Today, I’ll show you how I decorated my doll’s dress, then share some ideas for how to finish yours. I am going to use lace and metallic trim. When I added the lace to the slip I found the right side of the lace. Well, if your lace has a directional pattern like mine, you don’t have to analyze it again each time you use it. Just compare the pattern … Continue reading
