Children of Japan

Children of Japan
Courtesy, R. John Wright

Hinges and Hearts

Hinges and Hearts
An Exhibit of our Metal Dolls

Tuxedo and Bangles

Tuxedo and Bangles

A History of Metal Dolls

A History of Metal Dolls
Now on Alibris.com and In Print! The First Book of its Kind

Alice, Commemorative Edition

Alice, Commemorative Edition
Courtesy, R. John Wright

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Emma, aka, La Contessa Bathory

Emma, aka, La Contessa Bathory
Her Grace wishes us all a Merry Christmas!

Annabelle

Annabelle

Emma Emmeline

Emma Emmeline
Our New Addition/fond of stuffed toys

Cloth Clown

Cloth Clown

Native American Art

Native American Art

the triplets

the triplets

c. 1969 Greek Plastic Mini Baby

c. 1969 Greek Plastic Mini Baby
Bought Athens on the street

Iron Maiden; Middle Ages

Iron Maiden; Middle Ages

Sand Baby Swirls!

Sand Baby Swirls!
By Glenda Rolle, courtesy, the Artist

Glenda's Logo

Glenda's Logo
Also, a link to her site

Sand Baby Castaway

Sand Baby Castaway
By Glenda Rolle, Courtesy the Artist

A French Friend

A French Friend

Mickey

Mickey
From our friends at The Fennimore Museum

2000+ year old Roman Rag Doll

2000+ year old Roman Rag Doll
British Museum, Child's Tomb

Ancient Egypt Paddle Doll

Ancient Egypt Paddle Doll
Among first "Toys?"

ushabti

ushabti
Egyptian Tomb Doll 18th Dynasty

Ann Parker Doll of Anne Boleyn

Ann Parker Doll of Anne Boleyn

Popular Posts

Tin Head Brother and Sister, a Recent Purchase

Tin Head Brother and Sister, a Recent Purchase
Courtesy, Antique Daughter

Judge Peep

Judge Peep

Hakata Doll Artist at Work

Hakata Doll Artist at Work
From the Museum Collection

Japanese Costume Barbies

Japanese Costume Barbies
Samurai Ken

Etienne

Etienne
A Little Girl

Happy Heart Day

Happy Heart Day

From "Dolls"

From "Dolls"
A Favorite Doll Book

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Jenny Wren

Jenny Wren
Ultimate Doll Restorer

Our Friends at The Fennimore Doll and Toy Museum

Our Friends at The Fennimore Doll and Toy Museum

Baby Boo 1960s

Baby Boo 1960s
Reclaimed and Restored as a childhood Sabrina the Witch with Meow Meow

Dr. E's on Display with sign

Dr. E's on Display with sign

Dolls Restored ad New to the Museum

Dolls Restored ad New to the Museum
L to R: K*R /celluloid head, all bisque Artist Googly, 14 in. vinyl inuit sixties, early celluloid Skookum type.

Two More Rescued Dolls

Two More Rescued Dolls
Late Sixties Vinyl: L to R: Probably Horseman, all vinyl, jointed. New wig. R: Effanbee, probably Muffy, mid sixties. New wig and new clothing on both. About 12 inches high.

Restored Italian Baby Doll

Restored Italian Baby Doll
One of Dr. E's Rescued Residents

Dolls on Display

Dolls on Display
L to R: Nutcrackers, Danish Troll, HItty and her book, Patent Washable, Mechanical Minstrel, Creche figure, M. Alexander Swiss. Center is a German mechanical bear on the piano. Background is a bisque German costume doll.

A Few Friends

A Few Friends
These dolls are Old German and Nutcrackers from Dr. E's Museum. They are on loan to another local museum for the holidays.

Vintage Collage

Vintage Collage
Public Domain Art

The Merry Wanderer

The Merry Wanderer
Courtesy R. John Wright, The Hummel Collection

The Fennimore Doll Museum

The Fennimore Doll Museum

Robert

Robert
A Haunted Doll with a Story

Halloween Dolls Displayed in a Local Library

Halloween Dolls Displayed in a Local Library

The Cody Jumeau

The Cody Jumeau
Long-faced or Jumeau Triste

German Princesses

German Princesses
GAHC 2005

A Little PowerRanger

A Little PowerRanger
Halloween 2004

The Island of the Dolls

The Island of the Dolls
Shrine to Dolls in Mexico

Based on the Nutshell Series of Death

Based on the Nutshell Series of Death
Doll House murder

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A lovely dress

A lovely dress

Raggedy Ann

Raggedy Ann
A few friends in cloth!

Fennimore Doll and Toy Museum, WI

Fennimore Doll and Toy Museum, WI
Pixar Animator's Collection

Little PM sisters

Little PM sisters
Recent eBay finds

Dressed Mexican Fleas

Dressed Mexican Fleas

Really old Dolls!

Really old Dolls!

Monday, October 1, 2012

Doll Repair Tranquility

It dawns on me that I actually have some peace, some tranqility at this early hour. My cat, Emma, aka Lady Gaga de Bathory, is snoozing on her baby blanket, with her dolls and stuffed mousie toys lined up next to her. She has just hopped into the bathtub after my husband showered. She is our mermaid cat. Yesterday is our late dog Killer Lord Byron's anniversary with us; we brought a little black scotty/poodle mix home in a shoe box that he couldn't climb out of, in a terrible storm. I loved him. He came home in 1977, and he was with me till he passed away in my Dad's arms from a stroke.
Killie didn't like dolls; he had his own squeaky toys, buried with him in a quiet patch of woods we own. When my mom and I came back from a doll show and laid out our finds on my bed, he took a peek inside the room, left, and returned with his sqeaky monkey doll, and jumped in the middle of the bed. He had a lamb and black dog he loved, and some knitted toys my mom made. I still have them in his memory. Yet, he hated a lifesized boxer that is a nice plush addition to the collection, and he had Raggedy Ann in a death grip, by her throat one fine day. Repairing and making dolls is something that goes hand in hand with my collecting, though my Mom would say, "Don't make too many; We're running out of room!!"" Little did she know. Over the years, I've repaired my compo dolls, painted blind dolls into visionm again, put together and glued all kinds of dolls, sewed them, made clothes, created them using xeroxed photos of dolls heads and bodies that I built up with clay or play dough and then painted. I used mole fur for hair, a la Dr. Scholls, on the advice of author Catherine Christopher, and I used Q-tips for limbs on tiny dolls. I made Kleenex dolls in imitation of cornhusk dolls, but made soap,c oornhusk, leaf, dirt clay dolls, cookie dolls, marshmallow dolls, twig dolls, apple heads, salt clay dolls, paper dolls by the hundreds if not thousands. Some had patterns, some art projects, like my Milliners Model head. My friend Violet Page showed me how to make bodies for china heads, and my friend Michael Canadas from my California days explained to me how to dress a doll without a pattern and how to make my own patterns. I'm no Mrs. Westfall, who did a great gook on doll repair, or Mrs. Clear, law degree notwithstanding. But, I fis my own. I won't do it for others, though I've dressed a baby now and then, but I will work on mine. I restore, not make over completely. Wear is part of a doll's story. My friend ML just brought me another group of vintage fifties/sixties dolls htat need help. I started cleaning them up yesterday, and put the arm on one using surgical tape, which is a godsend for doll doctors. I will put oup their photos as soona s I can get them back from Walgreens. My mom and I liked knitted outfits, and she was a mster knitter. I will have a whole gallery devoted to the dolls she dressed, knitted and otherwise. Even when she died, she was working on a doll outfit, and I found a whole basket of doll clothes. How I miss her. I nearly gave up on the dolls when she died, but I realized they are what keep me going, and keep her alive for me. We boight baby clothes for them, and little girls dresses, especially antique and vintage. That is what my dolls that are newly fixed are wearing. I just found a pink, smokced dress in a check pattern that fits a companion doll that I had to put back together. Antother is wearing an infant girl pirate Halloween outfit. Like many, I keep stash of doll shoes and wigs, small buttons and trims, doll socks, etc. Children's shoes and booties make good additions to doll costumes as do muffs and small hats and purses. They cheer me up. I recent 90% off find at B. Franklin's helped shoe a lot of customers at my museum. They all look very nice when lined up. I have dolls that our pristine, and antique, and all original, MIB, etc. We value them, too, but I can't help but enjoy working ont hem, and rescuing a doll that was destined for the Landfill, and maybe a watery grave in the River, to be rescued by the LLW Barge!

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