2 days of doll time!

Sorry I am late but a belated Happy Fourth of July here.....this week has been busy- with new Ebay Auctions being listed every day, as well as orders going out and also catching up on business email & invoicing with my husband's company LeoPaul & Associates , I have been run ragged. Doll time is scarce so this week I had two whole days of nothing but dolly time! Yesterday I began work on a project I have been turning over in my head and I got to work on it all day........my dream project is being able to work uninterrupted without answering email , phone calls or having to be at someone's beck and call. Though I and my husband love our businesses, it is a never ending thing and can sometimes be all consuming, leaving little time for anything else. 
Besides yesterday, I had a totally awesome Sunday with my Virginia Fashion Doll club. Our President, Vice President and other officers go all out each meeting they hold, everyone brings food, dolls for the theme/presentation & show and tell as well. Our meetings last from 1-5 pm- and they are a blast!
I forgot my camera so these pictures were taken with my phone. Our theme was Western- Wild West, country and western, and it was fun and unusual the displays everyone came up with. Our central presentation was on Midge, who turns 50 this year! 
First pictures of the Western theme- Linda's theme was Alan and Midge at the saloon

Jodie's was a teepee, totem pole, and she made the teepee from a grocery bag and sticks!

Mine was Little House, here I brought Pa, Ma, Mary and Laura 

                            Marina's was unusual, she had purchased most of her props at diorama heaven- Hobby Lobby!

Nita's display was a Johnny west Geronimo that had belonged to her husband-

Debbie, our President of the club, did a take on Mad Men back in time. she had not yet finished setting up her display but Don and other Mad Men dolls were in this.

Janet's was two little ones daydreaming by the campfire

Scarlet's doll was a cowgirl with a lasso rope made from wire-

            Karon's display was a Grand Old Opry barbie giftset

After eating, we had a grand tour of Linda's doll room. She had just moved to a new home so this was the first Barbie club meeting she was having and it was a lovely new place she had. Her Barbie room was on the first floor and had her desk and all of her dolls displayed.

In the corner of the room, near the two windows Linda had a seating area upholstered in zebra black and white fabric, with touches of pink. the curtain swags matched and the tables were black too.

I have to admit, this one was my favorite! Linda is one of the members who mainly collects vintage, reproductions and Silkstones. 
As I said before, our presentation was on Midge. There were two whole tables of vintage and reproduction Midge, most of our club collects vintage/repro dolls. There are only a few of us into the W club like Karon, Sandra and I.

                                      

Debbi, Lori (shown above) and Janet did our presentation and they covered what Mattel did to 'cushion' the fact of Barbie being 'too glamorous & sexy' for little girls to play with. Remember, it was 1959- 54 years ago and mothers were concerned about this doll. So Mattel came up with Barbie's friend Midge- the girl next door who was more 'demure' or rather safe. Midge could wear Barbie's clothes. We also watched a vintage commercial on Youtube on the computer how Mattel advertised Midge with Barbie. Midge was represented in her three hair colors- blonde , brunette and Titain. They also had pictures and references to how Midge got married later- and how Midge disappeared from the scene in the 70's since she didn't seem to fit in with Mattel's dolls or the look of the 70's, so Mattel came up with Casey, Stacey, and PJ.

i LOVE these vintage presentations that the members take so much time, the ladies in my doll club are so very knowledgeable about vintage dolls and fashions and are a wonderful resource. We have a facebook page as well, the group is private. It made me pull out my own vintage Midge that was my aunt's doll and who I used to play with = she would come home from high school and since I got home from school first, (my aunt was 11 years older than I) we would play dolls after watching TV and eating chips and dip! By dinner time my mother would pick me up after work- (my father died young in 1969 of a brain anorism so I was about four) and my Grandmother sometimes picked me up from school so Mom could finish work.

But my aunt and I would play Barbies! and she taught me how to carefully dress the dolls, open and fold up neatly the dream house made of cardboard . (this vitnage house as well as the barbie fashion shop is on my bucket list to collect!) I think my love of miniatures and dolls was born because by the time I was playing Barbie with my aunt, she was about 17 and I was six and I had Malibu barbie but even then I knew I loved her Barbies and their clothing better- more elegant , more sophisticated- or so I thought as a little girl. 'Groovy ' Baribe and Hippie Barbie were not that much fun to play with as there were no tuxedos, just swimsuits and surfboards. Though I still have all of my Malibu Barbies, I understand why little girls are attracted to the evening wear, and so on. 

More on my new diorama display I worked on yesterday when it is farther along- but it will be quite dramatic, I promise!