Navajo bowguard. |
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Thursday, July 18, 2024
Silver and Turquoise: A Story of Navajo Jewelry
Friday, January 12, 2024
School Desks for 18" Dolls
As I acquire more examples of desks for doll school, I will include photographs of them in our posting here. I have yet to find the chair that goes with the first desk by Battat. All of the other classroom furnishings are very popular and easily found online. I purchased all of mine at resale for a few dollars each.
- See an Upcycled Toy Desk for The Doll's Office
- See clip art of vintage student desks here and ink bottles once kept on school desk tops inside the well (hole) along with a quill-pen when such tools were still used.
- DIY Office Supply for A Doll's Desk - Crafts for pencils, pink erasers, journals, paper weights and tape dispenser!
Monday, December 4, 2023
Fashionable Handbags for Dolls!
These plaid, coin purses will compliment any doll Chanel suit or 70s inspired shift dress... The leather straps and nickel plated clasps make them look like miniature versions of real handbags! |
Groovy, Op designs for all sorts of dolls will blend in nicely with leisure suits, hip mini skirts and Go-go boots. |
- a wallet with printed cash and credit cards
- makeup, mini lipsticks
- keys to the dollhouse, toy car etc...
- personal hygiene products
- a novel
- tissues or kerchiefs to blow the nose
- over-the-counter medicines like cough drops and Asprin for headaches
- an inhaler for a doll with asthma or reading glassed for a near-sighted doll
- a comb or a brush
- a compact with mirror or eye shadow compacts for makeup
- a pair of gloves or mittens
- a cell phone
- a writing tool and notepad
- nail file or nail clippers
- breath mints or chewing gum
Leopard print handbags with sequin backgrounds come in pale pink, grey, turquoise and hot pink. |
Glitter bags with circle patterns in purple, orange, hot pink and Kelly green. |
Traditional modern bags with square and circular pink, black and purple prints. |
Left, coin purses in hot pink, red, orange and white polka dots. Right, purple and silver zebra stripes decorate this doll purse. |
Pastel and grey, black and white ribbon rosettes decorated these second-hand doll bags. |
Thursday, November 30, 2023
Turquoise, Symbol of Prosperity
A fine turquoise specimen from Los Cerrillos, New Mexico, US, at the Smithsonian Museum. Cerrillos turquoise was widely used by Native Americans prior to the Spanish conquest. |
Centuries before the dawn of the Christian Era, the turquoise was regarded as a gem of the highest value in Persia and Egypt. It was the gift of kings, and, because its color suggested the blue of the heavens, it was the holy gem, the gem of the gods. For the same reason it was also the religious gem of the Aztecs, ranking in importance with the emerald, the gem dedicated to their rain-goddess.
The turquoise became known to the Greeks by its occurence in spoils brought home by Macedonian soldiers from the Persian campaigns. Goblets, dishes, and armor were commonly inlaid with precious stones in that age. The extent to which such decoration was resorted to is shown by one example from antiquity - The sheath of the sword of Mithridates (when his corpse in its royal attire was sent to Sylla (63 B. C.) was valued at 400 talents ($400,000).
Turquoise of Madan-e Olya of Nishapur |
Sunday, November 12, 2023
Lapis, Symbol of Truth and Virture
Lapis Lazuli uncut |
THE SAPPHIRE OF THE ANCIENTS
That the sapphire of the ancients was our lapis lazuli is evident. Theophrastus and Pliny describe the Sapphirus as a stone with golden spots, and Epiphanius, writing about 400 A. D., states -
"The stone Sapphirus is purple in color like that of a dark blue beetle. Of this there are many kinds, for there is the Royal, spotted with gold, yet this is not so much esteemed as the sort that is altogether blue. And this is reported to be found in India and Ethiopia, wherefore they pretend that the sacred place of Bacchus among the Indians has a flight of three hundred sixty five steps made out of the Sapphirus, - though most people think this story incredible."
Lapis lazuli through a microscope |
Lapis lazuli, known as chesbet by the Egyptians, was regarded from the earliest times as an object Scarabs and seals taken from Egyptian tombs of religious veneration for the same reason that the turquoise was thus esteemed. Its color suggested the heavens with their myriad stars. Lapis lazuli often appears as an important item in the lists of tribute paid to Egypt and among the gifts sent by Babylonia to the Egyptian monarchs. The Egyptian high-priest is said to have worn, suspended from his neck, an image of Mat (goddess of Truth), made from lapis lazuli.
In Egypt it appears to have been the rule to engrave certain chapters of the Book of the Dead upon particular stones. For this reason the twenty-sixth chapter is often found engraved upon the very old specimens of lapis lazuli which have come into our hands from Egyptian sources. These specimens are generally in the forms of amulets, often scarabs, which were placed upon the mummy to afford protection from the malign influence of evil spirits, or perhaps, by some strange occult powers, to guard the soul of the departed in the under or upper world whither it had journeyed.
MEDICINAL LORE
One who is interested in the various medicinal virtues which were supposed to be possessed by stones, soon discovers that there was, from an early period, a tendency to attribute the virtues of one gem to another. This was probably due to the commercial instinct which urged the dealer to praise his wares in every possible way so that no part of his stock should fail to find a purchaser.
We learn, however, that lapis lazuli was supposed to exert a tonic influence, and to counteract the
wiles of the spirits of darkness and procure the aid of the spirits of light and wisdom. It was looked upon as an emblem of chastity. We also discover that it was given internally as a cure for certain ills, such as melancholy, and the 'quartern fever', an intermittent fever returning each third day, or each fourth day counting in the previous attack.
AN UNUSUAL SPECIMEN
One of the finest specimens of lapis lazuli extant is found in the figure of an owl, eight inches high and exquisitely carved, which has descended to us from ancient Grecian times. This, no doubt, originally accompanied a statue of Athena.
LAPIS LAZULI TODAY
Lapis lazuli is today an inexpensive gem, but one which is constantly growing rarer and more valuable. It lends itself beautifully to use in many modern gem-pieces, particularly harmonizing with gold. It has always been held in high esteem, and in recent years it has fully regained the rightful favor with which it was regarded in the days of old Egypt. It is the most popular, opaque, semi-precious stone.
Wednesday, December 8, 2021
What Are Birthstones?
Examples of gems and precious stones. |
Origins of birthstones may be traced back to the Bible and also a book called Josephus. Josephus was a Jewish historian living during the first century of the Christian Era, who found a connection between the twelve stones of the high priest's breastplate (See Exodus) and the yearly circle of months. Yet the custom of wearing birthstones is comparatively modern. The modern tradition of wearing one's birthstone in a pendant or ring dates back to eighteenth century Poland.
The list of birthstones given below was adopted by the American National Retail Jewelers' Association at their convention held in August, 1913. A comparison of this list with the gems mentioned in the adornment of the high priest's breastplate will suggest the changes that the centuries have produced in the popular marketplace about birthstones:
- January - Garnet
- February - Amethyst or Jade
- March - Bloodstone or Aquamarine
- April - Diamond
- May - Emerald
- June - Pearl or Moonstone
- July - Ruby
- August - Sardonyx or Peridot
- September - Sapphire
- October - Opal or Tourmaline
- November - Topaz
- December - Turquoise or Lapis-Lazuli
Wednesday, June 16, 2021
Navajo Rag Dolls
Navajo dolls - rag dolls from the 1940s |
Sunday, November 15, 2020
Ceremonial Colors Of The Navajos
The five ceremonial colors of the Navajos are blue, white, yellow, black, and red. They are found in nearly all sandpaintings and sandpainting blankets. Red, which is used less often than the other colors, represents rainbows and sun rays. White symbolizes Early Dawn, yellow the Yellow Twilight, blue the Blue Twilight, and black the Darkness of the North. These colors are also associated with certain sacred things: red for the sun, white for white shell, yellow for abalone shell, black for cannel coal, and blue for turquoise.
The turquoise is especially sacred to the Navajos because it is associated with the story of their origin. The Navajos say that their clans were created by Turquoise Woman after she became the bride of the Sun and went to live with him in the Western Ocean. He laid a rainbow across a sunbeam and took her through the sky to her new home. Turquoise Woman was lonesome there and so she created people, who became the founders of the various Navajo clans and tribes.
There never was a time that the Navajos did not have white shells (clam shells), abalone shells, turquoise beads, and cannel coal, they say. These objects were used in all tribal ceremonies and were offered to the gods as sacrifices. They were brought up from the Underworld at the time of creation, Navajo legends tell us.
The Navajos taught that after their people came to this world, they found turquoise and coal in the ground. When this tribe lived near the Big Waters of the West, they also had white shells and yellow abalone shells. After they moved to the desert country they traded the shells from Jemez, where they had been resettled by the early Spaniards from the western coast of Mexico. Today the Navajos obtain the shells through the wholesale market but they used to trade for these. They find the cannel coal on La Plata Mountain and elsewhere in their land.
The Navajos get their turquoise in many ways. A mine at Los Cerillos, near Santa Fe, is one of the sources. Formerly the mine was worked by the Pueblos, who sold the turquoise to the Navajos. The mine was taken away from the Pueblos by the Spaniards long ago, but even today the Pueblos still are able to obtain turquoise there in some way and they still find a ready market for it among the Navajos.
Near the Los Cerillos mine there is a hot-spring geyser, called by the Navajos "Bead Spring." When the Navajos visit Bead Spring, they drop small chips of turquoise into it and then pray to their gods. The natives of the past believed that this would bring good luck in their trading.
The making of silver and turquoise jewelry provided the Navajos with a good income in the past. Formerly the stones were used unmounted for religious purposes. The silversmith's art had its beginnings around the middle of the nineteenth century when the natives began to learn how to work metal from the Mexican silversmiths who lived along the upper Rio Grande valley. Their first sources of silver probably were Mexican pesos and United States silver coins but they now use bar silver. Some of the young Navajo people today still work in silver and make many beautiful pieces of jewelry in which they also set turquoise stones. Caldwell.
Sunday, September 27, 2020
Barbie's Bohemian Patchwork Sofa
Little Chelsea and Friends Dolls romp on the sofa with their pet dog, Beanie. Next to them is a bolster pillow with added floral tatting applied to each end. I used tatting scraps from an old recycled sweater for this decorative application. But you can find many free tatting pattern |
- fabric scraps cut up into small squares
- needle and threads
- lace and lacy needlework scraps
- cotton batting - both a sheet and stuffing
- solid colored fabric for sofa's seat
- cardboard box
- hot glue and hot glue gun
- masking tape
- decorative buttons
- four beads for sofa feet or a smaller box
- tacky white glue
- faux wood grain paper
- Wrap a small box of your own choice with a sheet of cotton batting. Use a bit of hot glue to hold the sheet in place so that it doesn't move while you are folding and tucking fabric around the box on top of the batting.
- After wrapping the bottom of the "couch" with fabric and tacking it down with hot glue, use a threaded needle with matching thread to neatly sew the sides and corners together around the box. I used an invisible stitch to hide my stitches.
- To make the upper cushion of our sofa, cut 1"x1" squares of fabric and sew these back together, matching up the sides and corners to create an overall pleasing checkered, patchwork rectangle measuring the length and two sides of your wrapped box.
- Fold and sew the right sides together down the length of the fabric and across one shorter end.
- Turn the fabric inside out and stuff with cotton batting.
- Turn inside 1/4" of the remaining short end and sew the last opening closed using a whip stitch.
- You may add details to the patchwork sofa cushion such as buttons or embroidery stitching.
- Now hot glue the patchwork pillow top to the top of the upholstered sofa box in a "C" shape around the two shorter ends and along one long side of the box.
- I then attached a smaller cardboard box to the bottom of the doll sofa to act as the footed section of upholstered sofa.
- I glued a wood grained paper to the outside edge of the box. You may choose to glue on beads for the feet of the sofa instead. The box sofa may not need the added height given by gluing on "feet"; this is a matter of preference.
- You can make additional small, decorative pillows using scrap fabrics and laces. I used a velvety purple fabric scrap for one pillow adding a turquoise colored button and a bit of lace for accents.
- Then I cut a tiny rectangular piece of green faux fur and sew together the two shorter ends. Turning this inside out, stuffing and sewing two coin shaped ends to either side of this tiny tube, in order to finish the tiny, doll sized bolster pillow.
Left patchwork squares, Center, quilt blocks hand sewn together, Right the backside of patchwork. |
Patchwork details, buttons and stitching. |
The doll sized bolster pillow in progressive steps. |
Left the front of the sofa with pillows, Center, the backside of the couch, Right without pillows. |
Our dolls have fun playing on their new quilted doll sofa. |
More Doll Sofas:
Thursday, October 18, 2018
Turn A Bookcase Into a Changing Table
A bookcase for a doll may be transformed into a very nice diaper changing table. |
- corrugated cardboard
- toothpicks
- acrylic paints
- clear acrylic varnish
- Mod Podge
- tacky white glue
- felt square
- printed fabric
- sandpaper (light weight)
- typing paper
- hot glue gun and hot glue
- masking tape
- Clean your resale item with soap and water and set it in the sunshine to dry thoroughly.
- Lightly sand the surfaces so that the paint will adhere to the item.
- I choose to paint my changing table with four colors: black, yellow, blue and green. These colors match flowers in the fabric print I selected for decoupage portion of the project. I first painted the top shelf yellow, then the middle shelf a turquoise blue, and the bottom shelf a hunter's green.
- Then using a tiny brush, I painted the changing table's decorative trim black. You may find that you need to repeat these steps several times to get good coverage.
- I used a ruler and typing paper to make patterns of the changing table sides and back pieces. Then I traced around these patterns on top of my fabric with a white piece of chalk.
- Cut the pieces out of the fabric and hold them up to the parts of the furniture you wish to decoupage to see if these are the correct size and shape.
- Brush on the Mod Podge and firmly press the fabric cuttings onto the sides and back of the changing table. Layer more Mod Podge on top of the fabric and then let the changing table dry overnight.
- Now measure the length of the shelves and cut two pieces of corrugated cardboard to fit the length that measure approximately 1/2 inch wide.
- Cut toothpicks down to half inch pieces. Make sure these are all the same length before assembling the railing for the top of the changing table.
- Using a tacky glue, squeeze a dot of glue on the end of each cut toothpick and nestle these inside every other hole of the corrugated cardboard interior. Let the glue harden before fitting the second piece of cut cardboard on top of the railing. This is tedious work but simple once you get used to it.
- Now let this small railing harden prior to painting it a color of your own choosing. I painted my railing bright yellow to match the top shelf.
- Glue the dry railing into place using a hot glue gun.
- Measure the inside of the top shelf to make a cardboard cut out for the changing pad.
- Cover the top of this cardboard with a piece of felt of the same size. Glue the felt into place with a small amount of tacky glue.
- Now lay this cardboard shelf on top of the decorative fabric and cut around the cardboard, leaving enough fabric to wrap it around the corners and a bit of the bottom. Secure the wrap with masking tape. (see photo below)
- Hot glue the upholstered changing pad onto the top of the changing table.
- Now you can fill the shelves with all kinds of items your Barbie's baby may need: diapers, wipes, toys, a bathtub etc...
Different views of my finished doll changing table. See the matching cradle for our Barbie's nursery. |
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Refinish A Doll's Rocking Chair
Left, this fashion doll mamma rocks her small baby to sleep in a coordinating cradle. (see how it was upcycled here) Right, the finished rocking chair with an upholstered cushion neatly glued to it's seat is ready for play. |
The finished, painted rocker is ready for a new upholstered cushion. |
- a rocking chair, playscale size
- acrylic paints, multiple colors
- sandpaper
- cotton batting or similar materials
- fabric for the seat cushion
- hot glue and hot glue gun
- clear acrylic varnish
- light weight cardboard
- pencil and paper for tracing
- Thoroughly sand the surfaces of the rocking chair so that new paint will adhere to the parts.
- Using a small paint brush, color select parts of the rocker in different bright colors. I chose to paint mine in turquoise, hot pink, Kelly green and black.
- Seal these surfaces with clear acrylic varnish and let the rocker cure/dry over night.
- Trace the hole shape in the middle of the seat using a pencil and paper.
- Cut out the circular shape and trace around this on top of the cardboard. Draw a second line around this traced circle 1/4" larger than the first. Cut along this outside line.
- Take this cardboard circle and fit it to the opening in the rocker's seat. It should be a bit larger and cover the hole sufficiently.
- Now trace around this cardboard seat onto the decorative fabric that you have chosen to upholster it with. While cutting this fabric out, cut approximately 1/2" larger than the size of the cardboard seat. You will need the excess fabric to stretch around the edges of the cardboard as you go.
- Take a small bit of cotton and glue this to the center of the cardboard seat.
- Center the decorative fabric on top of this cotton and gently pull it around the underside of the cardboard seat. You can use a bit of masking tape to secure the fabric while you pull it around all of the seat.
- Now take a hot glue gun and secure the fabric to the underside of the seat cushion neatly. Trim the excess fabric as you proceed.
- After you are satisfied with this cushion, hot glue it to the seat of your rocking chair.
Above you can see how this little rocker was once used as a strange, decorative planter. |