Rose's Titanic Tea gown

Today I worked on a historic/period dress for a period Titanic tea I am attending for my Va. Fashion doll club celebration on April 14th at the Hanover Tavern on Sunday, April 15th.  The Hanover Historic Tea can be read about HERE

I am really excited about it, as I already have my 'costume' ready. Believe it or not, I was able to pull items out of my closet and jewelry box. I only purchased two items- a Vintage Hat on Ebay and a hair accessory to get my hair period correct to wear the hat correctly.  So I also have my purse, fan, pearls, brooch, and even period correct shoes and dress already. 

We also have to bring a doll dressed in period dress , during the era of the Titanic. I was going to use my Victorian Avon spring Barbie, but I thought, someone might bring someone like her. Or the same exact doll. Then my eyes lighted on my red headed Moods Poppy with the hair done in a bun, similar to Rose's hair. I looked through the gowns of the Titanic quickly on google images and came up with the tea gown where she pulls out the cigarette and her fiancee takes it out of her hand, then she gets up to go out on the deck for air and that is when Jack first sees her and talks to her, and teaches her to spit, and gets invited to dinner that evening. 

I did not have yellow satin, but I did have a peach satin, with the lace like Rose had on her dress, with green to use as a sash. My dress is slightly different since it is a peach chiffon. I also made Rose a cigarette in a holder. 

Rose is having a long slow drag and calming her nerves with some tea and pastries before having to face her mother and fiancee....

Enjoy!

Furniture placement...

I did some furniture placement, to see how well and how much room Annabelle and Marie Terese would have. I had to go to the storage unit to pick up my iron cookstove for Annabelle. Her kitchen will be cramped. She also has a cream seperator that I cannot locate in my stash. 

Right now this is the kitchen with the handmade wood table and chair, I am missing the other chair! The cookstove looks well in this room but is cramped with the table and chair in there. With Annabelle in there cooking , it would be even more cramped. I wanted to put a shelf /cupboard in there for dishes, but I don't think it would fit. 

Here is a photo of my round Bespaq tea table in what would be the dining room. I would just need two chairs for it or three chairs and some pictures on the walls . I like the gold color of the wallpaper, a nice carpet underneath and it would be complete. It will be cramped with chairs in here if I use this house for the french fashion dolls. It is hard to believe these rooms are about 18 1/2 inches wide, and 16 1/2 inches deep. I think the problem is the ceilings are barely 14 inches high. They need to be taller. 

I have a nice fireplace that would go well in the parlor, by Jim Coates and would match the wallpaper.  I might have to purchase a Victorian style era settee or chair for this room and I do not have beds that are suitable for either doll. Luckily the bedrooms are nice and big to accomodate beds that will fit them. I have been looking on ebay and other places for vintage style beds. 

I have been thinking of naming this Pumpkin House in honor of the dolls' house from the book The Dolls Christmas by Tasha Tudor . In it, the dolls Sethany Ann and Nicey Melinda live in a huge dolls' house called Pumpkin House. The book was written and illustrated by Tasha Tudor and based on her own dollhouse she called Pumpkin House created by her mother and was considered magical, because of Cinderalla, and all things are magical when pumpkins are involved. 

I want to incorporate alot of unusual fairytale things with these two dolls that are reminiscent of Tasha's magical world. I have an artisan Finch bird that is in charge of our own 'Finch Express' mail with the dolls named Marigold, (named after the sparrow Marigold from Stuart Little) and a mouse I sculpted from clay that I also want to use as a very proper postal carrier. I haven't figured out a name for him but Sir Tom Thumb may be a good one. I will get photos of these two characters soon. 

I have been attempting to sew for Marie Terese but real life has got in the way so I may work on finishing her dress today and starting another one. I am not completely satisfied with it, hence the starting over again! lol. Annabelle is sadly lacking in the clothing department too. With projects I find it hard to settle down and finish when I am distracted as I like to remain focused, which is hard to do, and once I am interrupted, it is hard to pick back up. But that is the fun of working on doll projects, it is never ending. 

My Vintage Playscale dollhouse find!

I went to one of my favorite thrift stores today, and found the most wonderful 'finds'- but I found this homemade wooden vintage Barbie playscale dollhouse. 

The whopping price tag said $19.75!  (Maybe that was the year it was made? Judging from the wallpaper....☺😃

It measures 35 inches high, 16 1/2 inches deep, and 48 1/2 inches wide. The doors are 12 inches high and 4 inches wide. Rooms are 13 1/2 inches high and 18 1/2 inches wide. It is large and roomy for Poppy and Barbie, so I think that is what /who it was meant for. 

Below is the interior rooms-

parlor

Gold dining room? Vintage fruit papered kitchen?

flowered papered bedroom

upstairs green hallway

fruit papered kitchen

plain walls, white in bedroom- only room

with no wallpaper

Attic on third floor

Now, with dolls. I could not decide if this house is to be for Poppy and Barbie and her friends- possibly Poppy and Ryan, or perhaps for the Ingalls family- OR for my Annabelle French Fashion doll and her sister, Marie Terese, my Alice Leverette UFDC french fashion dolls. Here are some photos. 

The house is so vintage and old fashioned looking, I am very tempted to make it their home, since they do not have a home. 

Poppy fits beside the doors and in the rooms, quite well. So do Barbie dolls.

Also, since these are slim bodied dolls, she doesn't look crowded. 

Though my french fashion dolls look slightly cramped, I think they would work OK in here. The flowered papered room could be Marie Terese' room and the larger white room could be Annabelle's with a little re-decorating. The hard part would be finding them beds and suitable furniture, to fit. I already have suitable kitchen furniture and dining room furniture as well as parlor furniture. I could always change this house over if I find a more suitable house for the dolls. I have been meaning to find Annabelle a beau for a long time. I will not be able to work on this house until weather clears up, and is warmer. 

Enjoy the photos, more to come on this soon! I may do some furniture placement to get some ideas. 
Lisa

More Easter photos...

I have had some time to blog today...and thought I would share dolls of a larger scale. I had restored my Patti Playpal clone doll with a wig and found a dress and adorable vintage Easter bonnet and matching purse. This doll measures 36 inches high and is a walker doll. I had one like it when I was about 4 years old and loved her. Her hair is a mess, which I have not shaved off but covered with a wig cap and a long wig. I cleaned up her face and limbs. 

She's all dressed up for Easter. 

She is shown with a small collection of my vintage Rabbits. I have more , finding them was the problem.  I thought her dress was adorable and went well with this little bonnet. I knew I wanted her to be dressed in yellow for Easter, but finding a yellow dress was extremely hard- especially in the vintage 1950 and 1960's Polly Flinders style smocked dresses we wore way back when. Little girls do not dress like that anymore. This little sateen dress with tulle underskirt I found in a thrift store for $2 in a size 4T for her. Part of the problem finding dresses for her to fit is her body size is that of a small three- to four year old or toddler. So you don't want her to look to old or too young. My husband loves this doll as he likes having her stand in the window and 'freak' people out,as a joke,  since people are freaked out by the realistic looking eyes. LOL.

Hope everyone had a happy Easter. Lisa 

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone has a Safe and Happy Easter. 

Shown are my Moods Poppy Parker dolls and a couple of my Stacey and Kelly dolls with their bunnies, lambs and chicks , all ready for the Easter bunny. 

A Little Doll Sale...

It is time to clean out the herd again, and have a little spring cleaning of the dolls! I have three dolls up for sale, with their links in my Ebay store. 

First up is Fashion Royalty NuFace Integrity Smoke & Mirrors Eden NRFB Doll

$259 Buy it Now or make me a Best offer 

She comes with her Accessories, and certificate of authenticity- she is 361 of 1761 . I do not have her original shipper box. she will be shipped in a sturdy box with plenty of bubblewrap. 

Next up- Fashion Royalty NuFace W Club TROUBLE Eden NRFB

$490 BUY IT NOW or send me a Best offer. 
She was a Lottery doll through the W Club, available only to W club members. 
She comes with all her accessories and Certificate of authenticity which is 
161 of 700 

I do not have her shipper box, but will wrap her in plenty of bubblewrap and ship in a sturdy box for safe shipping 

Next up, for the finale , is
 Fashion Royalty Seduisante 2017 La Femme Elyse Jolie NUDE Doll

$199 on Buy it now or best offer

Comes nude with extra hands, interchangeable legs with flat feet, stand, and certificate of authenticity she is 1258 out of 1265

She also comes with her original shipper box

Thank you for browsing my listings. Lisa