Vintage Finds...

It is a new year and I have written nothing about my new dolls. In December 2018 I attended an auction and had the chance to bid on a huge lot of Barbies with 2 cases, clothing and assorted dolls plus other items like vintage games and some other items; it was what we call in the auction estate sales as a table lot. I scored at $30 and have been sorting ever since. 

In the lot were Tuesday Taylors, a Kenner Dusty doll, some Mego Charlie's Angels dolls , a Dinah-Mite DOll with her clothing, and some wonderful Barbies and accessories and clothing. 

I found a Free Moving 1974 PJ, who I was able to get some help identifying and I cleaned up her hair and restored her ponytails. Though they are not as sleek as I would like, they are pretty. I found her tennis suit on ebay since it was not in the lot of clothing and finding her skirt is a little harder. 

There was also a very nice Malibu Ken, in good condition also. As well as a Francie, who had an issue with her foot. I cannot tell which Francie she is, still working on that but I decided to keep her and dress her. There were alot of Francie clothes in this lot. 

So here are my 'finds' all dressed up, and hanging out in my Town and Country foldup MOD dollhouse with my other vintage dolls. 

Here are Francie, dressed in Long in Leather, Free Moving PJ, and Malibu Ken. All are dressed in clothing from the estate lot. 

Free Moving PJ needed a spa treatment as her hair was a mess. Ken however, came exactly like he looks in the photo, all tan and dashing looking in his velour sweat pants outfit. 

My two Francies together. Malibu Francie I purchased at the doll show in November of last year nude, to complete my Malibu family to display with my country camper. Now I have Malibu Barbie, Ken, PJ, Skipper and Francie. I do not have the African American dolls in this Malibu set so I need to look for them to add them to display with my country camper . I am slowly looking things up in my reference books so I can figure out what dolls/ outfits I want to pursue collecting first and then go from there. 

Ken and Francie in the living room with my Walk Lively Barbie. One of my most treasured dolls from my childhood. She came with a stand that you moved /rolled across the surface and she 'walked' . I took very good care of her and rarely used the stand with her as a kid because I was afraid it would damage her legs. My mother I think impressed on me how much she cost and NOT to try to make her ride a HORSE! LOL. I had two Breyer horses my Grandfather had given me that resembled ponies and horses of the cabin down at the river he and my grandmother rented where I learned to ride from their landlord and I was always trying to make my dolls learn to ride the horses, hence, their legs were always breaking. I guess to this day that is why I love my articulated Fashion Royalty and poppy Parker dolls. 

In the kitchen...this is my favorite room of this particular dollhouse. I remember with my original house I spent hours making Barbie and PJ cook. I adored the table and chairs. I guess my frustration as a child is we didn't have REAL plates, forks knives and spoons, just paper renditions on the table and that was not good enough for me. My mother bought me teasets at the dime store for my dolls. I used acorns and a bunch of things that resembled food for my dolls until I got older and began making food for my dolls. Yes, the cookies and cake were made by me. lol. 

Skipper has been in my collection for a while now and so has Buffy. I love Buffy from Family Affair, it was one of my favorite shows. 

Hopefully I will have some more photos of more vintage for you soon. All for now. 
Lisa

My French Fashion doll Annabelle...

I belong to a French Fashion doll group that has its own message board 
French Fashion Doll Sewing Club and it is hosted on the IOS message boards. Many groups, like the Hitty Girls   (for those that collect Hitty Dolls) are also hosted here on the IOS boards because they find it easier than Facebook to control as not everyone does Facebook nowadays and more and more people are moving away from that brand of social media. Can't say I blame them. 

Recently, the group decided to do something called Sparrow Post, based on Tasha Tudor's Sparrow Post where the dolls will write to their dolly pen pal. The group is a group of people who collect French Fashion dolls, both antique and reproduction, and sew for them. Mostly 16 inch, 18- 21 inch - sometimes larger, and smaller ones like Mignonettes and Bluettes- there is a seperate group for those dolls. Mostly French fashion and some German ladies. Many share their latest sewing projects and the patterns that go around in the Antique Doll Collector, Doll News and at the latest workshops at the conventions. 

Annabelle, my 12 inch French Fashion doll which is a reproduction Francois Gaultier , is currently corresponding with Arlette, a French Fashion lady Barrois. 

Here is the diorama I set up for Annabelle to write her correspondence in, like a proper lady should. Her writing / or the room that will hold her desk at the Hilltop Cottage dollhouse is still under construction . 

Shown here are Marigold Finch, of Finch Express. Marigold delivers all of the correspondence amongst the dolls to and fro, and she is a very busy bird! She will take Annabelle's letters to Arlette to the other Sparrows to deliver to Sparrow post, post -haste. Dolls have a much more efficient delivery system than we humans. (Marigold is named after the Sparrow in the novel, Stuart Little) 

I hope you have enjoyed the diorama.

Now for the props and credits-
Walls- scrapbook paper on top from Michael's- bottom is spray painted with grey spray paint.
Wood stripwood stained with stain and glued onto foamcore walls. 
Windows cut out of foamcore and window panes made out of thin stripwood painted white
Curtains made out of Halloween cheesecloth available at dollar store or Michael's
Furniture- desk, chair and table- Bespaq, discontinued
Statues- purchased at local auction 
birdcage- purchased in jewelry findings at Michael's
Postal box- bank 
Bird- artisan item created by Patricia Cabrerea of Woolytales Miniatures 
Rug & poodle- dollhouse miniature item
Pugdog- Barbie scale dog 
Plants- Michael's 
teapot and teacup- Ruetters porcelain Peter Bunny rabbit purchased at Tuesday Morning
Picture- Souvenir framed picture purchased at Museum store in Williamsburg at the Visitor center bookstore 

It's National World Doll Day!

Did you know that June 11, 2016 is the 30th anniversary of World Doll Day?

Here is the link to when it started. Click World Doll Day

I decided to use a photo from the archives, of the Poppies playing with the Barbie dreamhouse with the Kellys, as National World Doll Day has a 

logo with a doll, holding a doll. Mildred Seely began World Doll day by

giving a doll, sharing dolls, with a letter on June 14, 1986. It was meant to spread a universal message of happiness and love. 

So share your story of dolls, or pics of dolls, and get your happy on!

Custom doll- the young Marie Antoinette

As one or two of my previous posts showed, I was working on some custom furniture for an 18th century project. I call this my 'Chateau' project right now. While working on this to take my mind off of my mother's illness and her passing in December 2013, I sketched this out in my sketchbook with ideas I came up with. Like all of my dioramas, it began with so many ideas that it became quite indepth. The original plan was to just do a custom Marie Antoinette doll- but what is she without Louis XVl, the Dauphin and her daughter Marie Therese, as well as her faithful friends of her Court?
Right now I have finished Marie Antoinette's gown and her initial look. I will be making some other gowns for her, but this material I had on hand and so fits the inspirational photo from the Marie Antoinette/Kirsten Dunst movie.

The lit du polannaise divan/settee is all handmade by me - the drapes, tassels, pillows, curtains , cushions. I finished Marie's dress today. She is a Lilac Frost Poppy Parker withher hair washed and restyled into a tall Pompadour style using gel and alot of patience!
Marie Antoinette really did have a pug dog that she brought with her from Austria to France named Mops(Mops is a birthstone beauty Barbie accessory I customized by taking off his crown and making his silk ribbon rhinestone embellished collar- just like the Mops int eh movie) but it was sent back to Austria at the hand-over when the Queen was not allowed to keep anything Austrian. She later sent for her dog Mops to be brought back to her by Courier from her mother the Empress. 
The gown was redrafted from an old MSD sized Arcadia dolls pattern from an old issue of Haute Doll, I customized the skirt a bit because of the fabric. 
This project will be ongoing, and Louis is now in the works, but will probably not be done until late June. I am going to work on the Dauphin and Marie Therese next as well as the finishing touches to the lit du polannaise as well as working on the actual room for this scene. More later!