Restoring An 18inch Doll's Desk

       Many of you may recognize this popular doll's desk once sold by Walmart. I believe it is still available online at Amazon. I discovered it at resale for $2.99. All that was left of the doll desk can be seen below on the far left. The desk is was not terribly expensive to begin with, however, I enjoy restoring most of what I can get my hands on, irregardless of monetary value.

Left, the My Generation Doll Desk purchased from resale. The drawers are missing as well as all the accessories
 and chair. Center, my restored version of this desk. I've added drawers, wall paper, memo board, desk set, a tape
 dispenser, journals, paper weight, pencils, paint brushes, wooden chair and tiny erasers. Far Right, you can see that
 the chair fits neatly beneath the desk with plenty of room for a doll to sit on it.

       The original fourteen pieces that came with this desk set included: one white plastic desk, a battery operated lamp, one fashion magazine, calendar, map, paper journal, lap top computer, wall paper, birthday card, sleepover invitation, two sticker sheets, a fuzzy fur covered desk chair and a small fluffy pink rug.

Construct a cardboard box for each opening. Test these for correct size by moving them in and out before finishing
them with white paper and glue. I used masking tape during this process so that I could get an accurate fit for
each drawer.

I covered these panels with decorative
scrapbook papers and Mod Podged
the outside surfaces to keep them clean.

Supply List: Drawer Repair, Faux Leather Desk Set and Ribbon Memo Board:

1. cardboard (medium weight)
2. masking tape
3. coordinating decorative papers
4. white tacky glue
5. hot glue and hot glue gun
6. faux leather (recycled purse)
7. blue spray paint (for the chair)
8. one toilet paper tube
9. white typing paper
10. thin red ribbon (2 yds. at least)
11. ruler 
12. Mod Podge

Steps for Restoring the Missing Drawers:

1. Measure to fit a new set of drawers into the interior drawer spaces left open in the desk.
2. Construct a cardboard box for each opening. Test these for correct size by moving them in and out before finishing them with white paper and glue. 
3. I used masking tape during this process so that I could get an accurate fit for each drawer. (see photo above)
4. The outside panel of my drawers is a bit larger in it's profile in order to cover the openings for the drawers to match the profile of the desk cabinet. 
5. After covering the drawers with white glue and white typing paper. I added secondary panels to the front of the drawers with pulls. I made the pulls from cardboard but you could use beads alternatively. 
6. I covered these panels with decorative scrapbook papers and Mod Podged the outside surfaces to keep them clean.
   

Left, Measure to fit a new set of drawers into the interior drawer spaces left open in the desk. Center, I
measured and fit a cardboard rectangle for: the back wall paper for the desk interior, the ribbon memo board,
 and the desk blotter. I taped these up to make sure they would fit and look nice together before covering
them with decorative scrapbooking papers. Right, although the drawers looked like they were the same size,
I soon discovered that each needed to be cut and fitted to their own openings. The drawer on the bottom needed
an additional sheet of cardboard applied to it's bottom in order for it to fit properly inside the cavity.

This doll's ribbon board is not tufted, however the ribbons are interwoven and tacked on top of a bright
stripped, decorative scrapbooking paper. On the left, you can see that I have secured the ribbons to the back
 side of the cardboard memo board with masking tape. On the right is the finished ribbon memo board. I glued
 the memo board directly to the new wall paper that I cut and pasted to an additional cardboard piece. Both wall
 mounted decorations: the background and memo board, may be removed from the backing of the desk if desired.
 These fit snug against the inside wall of our doll's desk but are not permanently attached.

Doll faux leather desk set.

Steps For Making The Ribbon Memo Board:

1. For the ribbon memo board, cut a piece of cardboard 6 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches.
2. Cover the front side with a decorative scrapbook paper. 
3. I chose to lay my ribbons in a square woven pattern across the front of the memo board. Most memo boards have ribbons that weave together in a diamond pattern but, I felt the square pattern better suited my stripped paper. You can choose to weave in squares or diamonds it makes no difference in the end. 
4. Make sure that there is 1/2inch ribbon to wrap around the edges of your cardboard so that you can glue these down neatly with hot glue as you go.
5. When you have finished weaving the ribbon, use masking tape to seal the back side of the cardboard. 
6. Use a bit of white glue to tack down the ribbons in the front at the places where the ribbons cross over each other.
7. Now you can attach your memo board to the back wallpaper in the interior of the desk with glue or sticky tape.
   

Steps To Make The Faux Leather Desk Set: office desk caddy, blotter and box for holding paper

1. For the desk caddy, you will need one toilet paper funnel. Cut this in half length wise. 
2. Now cut the half piece in three sections. Make each section a different length.
3. Roll the sections into tiny funnels and tape each one together. 
4. Now cover each funnel with faux leather and/or decorative paper. Use white glue to stick the papers and fabrics together neatly. Set these aside to dry.
5. Print out the template below. And cut the oval base out for the caddy. 
6. Trace around it onto cardboard and cut out the shape. 
7. Cover this oval with paper on one side and faux leather on the other using hot glue. 
8. Hot glue the funnel shapes directly onto the oval base. 
9. Now cut out the two templates for the covered paper box holder. Below are photographs of how this box is lined on the inside with paper and on it's outside with the faux leather. Use hot glue to assemble the box.
10. Cut white typing paper to fill it up.
11. Now cut a piece of cardboard 5 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches.
12. Cover this on one side with decorative paper.
13. Then cut long narrow 3/4" strips of faux leather to wrap the corner with. Trim the leather off at the back as you go. 
14. Cut a backing for the blotter from the faux leather and hot glue this to the backside of the blotter to create a finished looking piece.

Step-by-Step photos for how the box for writing papers is assembled.

Click directly on the image to download the largest file size.
 Drag the png. into a Word Doc software program and use your
cursor to drag the image right until you see the templates
measure approximately 6 inches across, then select print. If
you want to make a set for a Barbie shrink all the measure-
ments by half. (50%)

The faux leather desk set is finished. There is one large blotter, a box for paper and a caddy
for paint brushes, pens, pencils, erasers etc...

Above you can see that I spray painted the desk chair blue. I found this 18inch doll's chair at resale for only
a few dollars. It is made out of wood and very detailed. I prefer wooden chairs like this one because it will
 hold the doll's weight without toppling over.

See More Doll's Desk Reviews and Crafts:

• DIY Office Supply for A Doll's Desk - Crafts for pencils, pink erasers, journals, paper weights and tape dispenser!
• My Life As A Doll's Desk Review by Cupcaketastic Queen

Craft a Watering Can For Your Doll's Garden

A finished sample of a paper mache watering can for our
American Girl Dolls to add to their garden supplies.

    You can craft your own watering can from recycled materials found at home. This one, however, is just for show, not for actual use!

 Supply List:

• green spray paint or green acrylic paint
• decorative floral or veggie themed paper (optional)
• Mod Podge
• frozen juice can 
• plastic funnel shape
• paper toilet role tube
• masking tape
• paper wrapped wire from coffee bean bag
• permanent black ink pen or black acrylic paint
• cardboard from a discarded cereal box 
• hot glue gun and hot glue

Step-by-Step Directions:

1. Cut a frozen juice can down to 2 1/2 inches. Cover it with masking tape.
2. Cut from a piece of cardboard cereal box the top opening of your watering can and attach it to the recycled juice container with masking tape. While you do this, you might wish to bend this flimsy material in a slight arc. Many watering cans com with this dome shape. (see photos below)
3. Now cut the toilet paper tube in half lengthwise and tape it into a funnel form. Cut and clip it down to the approximate size you would like for the watering can's spout. Mine measures three inches. 
4. Attach the spout with masking tape.
5. Use hot to attach the plastic funnel to the tip of the spout.
6. Cut out a piece of circular cardboard to close the spout's end. Attach this with hot glue.
7. Use you glue gun again to attach the handle to the backside of the watering can. I used a covered wire found ordinarily on coffee bean bags. These make sturdy handles for doll mache projects.
8. Cover your doll's watering can with masking tape. See below.
9. I then chose to spray paint the watering can. You could paint this using whatever paint you have on hand.
10. Then I cut out some decorative scrap paper to decoupage on top of the painted can.
11. I also used the tip end of a toothpick to add tiny black dots to my watering can's spout. 
12. Make sure to use Mod Podge or similar clear drying glue to then seal all the surfaces of your doll's new garden tool.

The watering can is assembled from recycled pieces of plastic caps and paper tubes.

Big Clothing Haul for Our Dolls!

       This past weekend I made a trip to resale to see if I could purchase used doll clothing. I was very pleased with what I found there! Take a peek below to see if you can recognize some of the clothing your doll may have been originally sold with. 

       Much of what I was able to purchase was intended for Bratz dolls, baby dolls and American Girl Dolls. I discarded very little of it; so I imagine you will see some of these clothing separates worked over for our dolls on this blog in the near future.

Bag number one, full of Bratz Doll clothes.

       Take a look into the first bag of doll clothing above and see if you can see what I see? Why do you think this may be a good bag to purchase? You can turn the bags over and move some of the clothes around a bit through the plastic, however, shopkeepers do not allow anyone to open the bags before purchasing them. In order to save your cash, it is very important to become a discerning customer!
      What I see are clothes that are well made. The brown doll slacks are made from some kind of swede fabric and these have fancy top stitching as well. The clothes are small but I have many sizes of dolls that need dressing so I am unconcerned with the sizes for now. I think this is a good buy, how about you? Now look below to see what was in bag number one.

The contents of bag one impressed.

Bag number two mostly full of Bratz Doll clothes, there are few Barbie things, plus what I call "filler."

        Now bag number two has a bit of "filler." This is a word I've made up to refer to the things that resale companies try to get rid of by concealing them inside grab bags. This filler usually serves little purpose other than to make the bag heavier or make the items in the bag look colorful to the eyes of a child. The hot pink filler in this bag turned out to be just random fabric scraps that had no relation to the rest of the doll clothes. Sometimes I can make use of filler but in this case I threw it away.
       As you can see below, the quality of the clothing below was excellent, so I was quite unconcerned with the filler.

Bag number two had many valuable clothing items for tiny Bratz dolls.

Bag number three is full of doll clothes and crochet filler.

        Bag number three was more expensive but not necessarily more valuable. However, there are two items made by American Girl Doll company included and one piece of Build-a-Bear workshop clothing. Build-a-Bear clothing is easy to alter to fit 18inch dolls and I love the details included on it.
        I tossed the old crochet. In leaner years I would have unraveled it all for the yarn but I no longer knit and my hands have grown old and tired.

I tossed the knit items and plastic cording. This bag would not have tempted me but it just so happened,
I needed pink  18inch doll shirts.

Bag number four contains some difficult to find items. Little girls frequently loose fashionable handbags long
before their dolls are broken or doll body parts go missing. I was lucky that this bag contained several.

          I spied the doll shoulder bags, a pink fur coat, a silk ball gown and tiny skirts. This bag was all good before I even bothered to open it up.

Ha! there is even a tiny camouflage canteen!

Bag number 5 stuffed with the doll clothes little girls dream of from American Girl Doll company.

        Bag number five had just the items I was looking for, so I snatched it up without a second glance. What do you think I saw? American Girl Doll labels and I spied a set of matching shoes! I knew that the items inside would exceed $3.99 if purchased new.

       I also felt the dog food bowl and a kitchen item through the plastic bag and the horse saddle bags were in excellent condition as well. 

I was pleased as punch with the American Girl Doll riding hat and the additional baby doll things too!
The Build-a-Bear shorts will alter easily for our 18inch boy dolls and thankfully the stains in the hot pink,
peace sign shirt washed right out!

Bag number 6 stuffed with filler mostly and 18inch doll clothes.

       Although there was much filler in this bag, I noticed there were also 18inch doll clothes so I decided to take a chance on the bag anyway, plus I can usually find a craft or two to use the flannel for. The bonnet at the top is a real infant bonnet. I'll probably cut it down for a baby doll. The pajamas are for a baby doll not an 18inch. Fortunately, I have so many undressed dolls that anything will come in handy at this time.

The pink doll corduroy pants, purple footed pajamas and hot pink, long sleeved tee made this purchase worthwhile.

Bag number 7 stuffed with American Girl Doll clothes and Build-a-Bear workshop clothing.

       Bag number seven was by far one of the nicest collections of doll clothes to be discovered on this outing! It contained a lovely Bitty Baby dress with pink ruffles and grey slippers to match it. The penguin night gown and additional pants/shorts were also very nice. Two of the shorts on the lower left hand corner are from Build-a-Bear workshop.

       There were four shoes without matching pairs! I never purchase these bags for shoes unless I can clearly see a set. Most children toss doll shoes because they do not have matching pairs. The plastic diapers and mangled faux fur, I tossed.

I will need to alter the glittery shorts and the jeans shorts because they were designed for teddy bears.
Each have a whole in the backside for a furry little tail to stick through and the hips are too generous
 for our 18inch dolls.

Bag number 8 filled with Build-a-Bear clothing and American Girl Doll Clothes.

       This bag contained some strange filler, a very large velvet-like pirate's hat of some sort. I could see some nicely made American Girl Doll clothes through the plastic bag so I took a chance.

In this package, I found a very nice 18inch doll trench coat. You can see it, upper right corner. It's blue.
The black and white checkered blouse is American Girl Doll. The Build-a-Bear shirts will alter nicely for the
18inch dolls. The baby toy will be relegated to a doll cradle in the nursery; I'm sure.

Bag number 9 packed with Bratz Doll clothes and accessories.

       You are probably wondering by now why I chose to purchase yet another bag of Bratz doll clothing. The reasoning is simple really.
        I began to suspect that these doll clothes were not from a child's collection but from a shop where the packages had been opened, therefore making them difficult to sale. I noticed that so many of the pieces actually had transparent packaging still attached to them. "Like new" doll clothes are better than used. 

      I also thought that sets or outfits might be found divided into different bags given the circumstances and after opening the bags I found this to be true as well.

"Like new" doll clothing, still very clean and perfect for our photo shoots.

       After everything was laundered and pressed with an iron, I counted 17 pieces of American Girl Doll clothes for the entire purchase of $27 that included a discount at the register.  I paid less than two dollars for each item made for American Girl Dolls. . . what a deal. Of course, the other pieces of doll clothing are a big bonus, given their excellent condition.

• Huge American Girl Doll Clothing Haul - opening Etsy clothes from Elite Doll World
• Huge Etsy Haul for American Girl Dolls!
• Etsy Doll Clothing Haul for my American Girl Dolls

Craft a Knitting Basket for A Doll

       This easy doll craft is perfect for displaying in your doll's home, especially if that doll is a character doll from earlier times such as the Pioneer Era. For hundreds of years all sorts of people have knit or woven their own clothing instead of purchasing it from a store. 

       Today many modern people keep knitting baskets in their homes because they enjoy crafting their own sweaters. A basket of homespun knitting looks cozy and is comforting for those of us who love this traditional occupation.

       This knitting basket is just the right size for our 18inch dolls. You will need the following materials to make one similar to the one shown in the photos above: white cotton balls, toothpicks, wooden beads, multiple colors of yarn, white school glue, matching threads, a needle, grey paint, and a small basket, suitable for a doll to carry or display in her doll house.
       To make the miniature balls of yarn, start by wrapping any length of yarn around a ball of cotton. Wrap the yarn in all directions until you have covered the white cotton ball completely. Now clip of the yarn and tuck the end of it inside the ball. Thread a needle with a color of thread similar to the yarn and neatly sew through the ball of yarn over and over with tiny stitches. This will prevent your yarn from unraveling.
       To make the knitting needles, simply paint a pair of toothpicks grey and glue on a pair of beads to the flat end of each toothpick.

Gwen Handler creates a scarf from her flock of

Leicester Longwool sheep.

More About Knitting:

• Jolena and Mandy knit on the front porch and talk about "Reading Things"
• How to teach your 4 and 5 year old to knit
• Finger knitting with children by Sunday with Sarah
• DIY knitting doll

Papier-Mâché a Doll Blow Dryer

The finished doll blow drier is perfect for our American Girl Doll Salon!

       This little hair drier for a doll may be crafted for a doll's bathroom or a American Girl Doll Salon if you'd like. It is made using a simple paper mache technique and once you've mastered this process, you will find yourself capable of crafting a great many things!

The doll blow dryer is masked with tape and ready for a layer of white
typing paper and Mod Podge. 

 Supply List:

• white typing paper
• Mod Podge
• purple acrylic paint
• purple and black
• craft foam sheet
• two tooth picks
• hot glue and hot glue gun
• black puff paint
• covered black wire
• two beads, one red and one green
• baking foil
• masking tape 
• old pop bottle caps 
• old pen cap
• funnel shaped cap or lid
• thin cardboard

Step-by-Step Directions:

1. Look up pictures of blow driers online if you do not have one to look at from your home. It is very helpful to observe the thing that you wish to reproduce closely before attempting to make it. Note the shapes and how these relate to one another. Observe the sizes of attachments. Collect recyclable items from around your home like: bottle caps, old pens, cardboard shapes that you can glue together in order to mimic a hair blow drier. 
2. I glued together a couple of pop bottle caps and a small funnel shape made of plastic to form the upper part of my doll's blow drier.
3. Then I hot glued a discarded pen cap to the base of the blow dryer to act as a handle. 
4. I also wrapped  baking foil around the handle to give it a smooth surface in and around the handle. 
5. After this, use masking tape to wrap the entire surface, making it one solid object visually.
6. Take a small nail and push it into the bottom of the handle to create a cavity for a wire. Insert both the glue and wire into this cavity. This will make the blow drier look as though it even has and electrical cord. 
7. I clipped off the ends of two toothpicks, glue them side-by-side and attached these to the end of the wire with glue. Then I wrapped a small piece of black craft foam around their ends to mimic a two prong plug, securing this to the wire. (see photos above)
8. Be sure to paint the wooden toothpick points black so that the electrical cord looks realistic.
9. Use white school glue or Mod Podge to cover surface areas of the blow drier that look a bit lumpy. Let all the surfaces dry before painting the doll appliance.
10. Use masking tape to cover the cord temporarily while spray painting the blow drier purple. You don't need to use spray paint. Layer the blow drier with acrylic paints if that is what you have on hand.
11. I hot glued some purple craft foam to the doll hair drier to give it added dimension and used black puff paint to add some grill details to the back end of the blow drier. My real blow drier at home has this feature too.
12. Now you can hot glue a green bead for "on" and a red one for "off" onto the handle of your doll's blow drier if you would like it to look more like the sample craft above.
13. Once you get the hang of it, you can make all kinds of salon supplies for your dolls from this simple paper mache technique!  

Make More Blow Driers for Your Dolls:

• Skymagenta makes miniature doll hair dryers from beads

Printable Blinds and Shutters for Doll Houses

Single Blinds and Shutters.

        Select from three different types of blinds and shutters for your next doll house project. Print them out on colored papers for professional looking results.

Double Blinds and Shutters.

Four Folds Blinds and Shutters.

More Retro Kitchens from The 1950s

Above is a kitchen perfect for those dolls who love blue.

        More retro kitchens for the doll house printables from the 1950s, mostly primary color palettes. Print out bright, playful and fun kitchens for your tiny dolls or paper dolls. Paste these inside on the walls of a shoe box or onto an accordion shaped doll house. Click directly on each png. to download the largest available file.

A cheerful yellow kitchen from the 1950s. This one comes with
a yellow linoleum floor and gingerbread trim around the ceiling.

A red, white and blue contemporary retro kitchen for dolls.

This white kitchen trimmed out with a red canary
 motif for that unique paper doll kitchen!

Printable Clock Faces

Free clock faces with either Roman Numerals or regular number symbols.

       These printable clock faces may be used for clocks and watches, depending upon the crafts you are making. You will need to mark the center of the face and poke a hole through each print to insert clock hands or you can just draw these on if you prefer.

The Doll Wedding

THE DOLL WEDDING

by Lena Miller.

       When school was out on Friday afternoon and Auntie said she would take me to Uncle's farm in the mountains for my vacation during institute week, I was a happy little girl, for I knew what a jolly time I would have gathering wild flowers and playing in the creek. Aunt Ruth said I might invite my little chum and schoolmate to go along, and I could hardly wait for morning to come to ask her. I arose bright and early, all smiles and happiness, and ran to tell her she might go. My little chum's name is Vada and mine is Ada. Isn't it funny that we should have names so near alike?

Our creek.

       Aunt Ruth dressed me in a pretty red dress and black slippers, red stockings, and fluffed my long, beautiful blond hair, which reached almost to my waist, and tied it with a big red bow. She almost always fixes it that way. So here I was, with my red sweater on my arm, waiting for my chum. She came all dressed up in her pretty brown dress, brown stockings and brown velvet shoes, a great big green bow in her hair, and a green sweater on her arm.

       "Hurrah, hurrah! Here comes Aunt Ellen and Uncle John with their big automobile." We all rushed for our traps and bundles and you should have seen the automobile. We had so many goodies along. You see, we were going to stay a week, and Uncle Paul's farm was a stock farm, so we had to take fruit and vegetables, butter and eggs, and small barrels of ginger snaps. We had some nice egg sandwiches, a jar of milk which Aunt Ruth put up for our lunch, three grips and so many coats and sweaters that we could hardly find room for ourselves to sit down. When we were ready to start, there was a crowd of our little friends calling out, "Goodbye Ada, goodbye Aunt Ruth, Wedding goodbye Uncle John, goodbye Vada, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye. I wish we were going along."

       At last we started, and, oh! what a beautiful morning it was. All the wild flowers were in bloom and the air was fresh and the birds were singing at the top of their voices. It was a lovely trip over the level plains to the beautiful San Joaquin river. We crossed a long bridge and then went for miles through the beautiful grain fields.

       At last we came to Uncle Paul's farm, but we had to cross a creek first, and the water was so deep that our automobile got stuck in the sand. I had to run to the house and call Uncle Paul to help get us out. We all had to get out of the machine, and Uncle Paul waded into the creek with his shoes and stockings on and pushed from the back, while Aunt Ruth was at the wheel, and we were out in a jiffy. I shall tell you how much fun we had in the creek later on.

       When we got to the farm that evening twilight had fallen and in the neighboring oak tree a mocking bird was singing. We had supper and made our beds on the porch which was all covered with beautiful red roses. When we lay down to sleep, it sounded so sweet to hear the sheep bleating in the brush corral on the top of the hill, and in the far distance we could hear faintly the cowbells ringing. We could not go to sleep for hours thinking of what we were going to do the next day. Then we began counting the stars until we fell asleep.

       The next morning, as the sun was peeping over the hill tops, we were awakened by the singing of the orioles and bee-martins. We hurried and dressed ourselves, and made a rush for the fields, which were covered with bluebells and sweet white forget-me-nots, and there were so many cowslips along the road we didn't know which to pick first.

       The first few days we ran over the hills and through the fields gathering wild flowers. We had so many boquets gathered that all the glasses we could find were filled. Then Vada said, "Just think what a jolly time we could have sliding down the steep hill back of the barn, over the slippery grass, if we only had a sled." I clapped my hands for joy and ran for Uncle John. "Oh, Uncle John, we want you to make us a sled." So we hunted some boards, a hammer and a saw, and in a little while Uncle John had made a very good one. We made a rush for the hill where the old oaks spread their shade, and had sleigh-riding to our heart's content.

       We asked permission to go wading in the creek, but were afraid to go alone, for Auntie had told me so many stories about the Indians, so we asked Aunt Ruth to go with us. We had great fun bathing and splashing in the water. Auntie let us take our shoes and stockings off, and we waded in with our Wedding clothes on. It was lots of fun. The plank that lay across the creek gave us great sport. We jumped up and down on it, and then jumped into the water and tried to swim. We would lie on the plank and let it float as far as the wire fence that was stretched across the creek from the pasture. We kept this fun up for about an hour. Then Aunty said, "Enough, my little girls; come now."

       On our way home Auntie exclaimed, "Oh, my! Look, look, what's that? And there lay a big gopher snake across the road about fifty yards from where we were playing. "Oh, my! Oh, my!" we exclaimed, and jumped with fright. It lay there for a few minutes, and when it saw us it hurriedly slipped on the other side of the road and was lost to our sight in the tar weeds. I guess it was about as much frightened as we were. I tell you it did not take us long to get home.

       I had a dear little china doll with pretty blue eyes and yellow hair and cheeks like pink roses. She had blue stockings and black slippers. She was seven inches tall and could stand all alone. I live over a lot of fun every time I look at my doll. Vada's doll looked like a boy and was two inches taller than mine. It had short hair and "google" eyes, and was fat and chunky.

       We asked Aunt Ruth if she would go with us once more to the creek because we wanted to christen our dolls. When the cool of the evening came around, we walked down the lovely lane of oak trees to the creek. The plank was still across it. We waded into the middle of the stream in our bare feet with our dresses tucked up so we would not get them wet, then we stood the two dolls on the plank and performed the ceremony. I named my doll Maria White, and Vada named hers Charles De Gray, and we sprinkled water on their little heads.

       Then the idea came to us, why not have a doll wedding? We had a box of doll scraps which we had brought along. Vada's mamma was a milliner, so we had some beautiful scraps of goods and laces in our box. When we got back to the house, we got a blanket and spread it out on one end of the porch. The first thing we did was to write invitations to our uncles and aunts and to a neighbor friend that was visiting Uncle Paul. This was the invitation:

You are invited to attend

the wedding of my daughter

Maria

to

Charles De Gray

at 12:30 p. m.

       Then we got out our doll scraps. Vada was very original and very deft in putting her ideas together. In a little while she had the prettiest little white duck suit made for her boy doll. She punched holes in the little duck coat and ran a blue baby ribbon through.

       Now we did not know what to do about Charles De Gray. He had such short hair and looked so much like a baby, so Vada said, "I will make him a hat" and she made it out of a piece of pasteboard and covered it with gray silk and sewed it with the tiniest little stitches, and put a piece of black velvet ribbon around the crown. We had a dear little stovepipe hat for him which you can see for yourself in the bridal picture. Then we made the bride a beautiful, dainty white satin dress and found a piece of white veiling in the scrap box for a bridal veil.

       We went out and gathered some wild white forget-me-nots and ran down to the pear tree in the orchard and got some blossoms which were just opening, and the sweet white buds looked just like orange blossoms. The pear blossoms were so white and beautiful that I trimmed the bottom of the dress with them. I made a wreath out of the forget-me-nots and placed it on her head over the veil. "Isn't she a darling?" said Vada. Every few minutes we would run to my aunties and show them how sweet the dolls looked. "Auntie, dear, look. Isn't she a darling and doesn't he look sweet? Isn't this the sweetest little dress? Oh, you little darlings!"

       I made a pretty little pink silk sachet bag and put the tiniest little white handkerchief in it and hung it on her arm. In the other arm she carried a shower bouquet of pear blossoms which reached almost to the bottom of her dress. We made her a pink silk night dress for a wedding present, and the groom a pajama suit of pink silk for his present. We wrapped them up in neat little packages and tied them with white baby ribbon and laid them at the foot of their bridal box. Then Aunt Ellen gave us each a dime and we called them ten dollars each, and gave them for wedding presents also.

       The groom was dressed in his white duck suit and stovepipe hat, and his little socks were yellow and his slippers black, and he wore a pear blossom pinned on his coat.

The doll bride and groom.

       As the day of the wedding dawned we were very busy arranging things. We got a box from Uncle Paul and a piece of wire and made an arch out of it. We then got a big bunch of pear blossoms and fastened them on the wire, and that made the bridal arch. The walk was strewn with dainty pink peach blossoms and wild forget-me-nots. It looked quite real. Aunt Ellen said it was just like when she got married.

       I found a Bible and held it in my hand and said, "Charles De Gray, will you take Maria White for your wife?" And Vada said, "Yes, I will," for him. Then I asked Maria, "Will you take Charles De Grey for your husband?" and Vada answered, "Yes, I will," for her. Then I said, "I pronounce you married."

       Auntie then turned on the phonograph and played the wedding march, Here Comes the Bride, and we ran to the cupboard and got some rice and threw it on them for good luck.

       Then we sat down and ate our dinner and they had to look on. After we were through with our dinner we asked Uncle Paul to please take their pictures. You know all brides like to have their pictures taken, and we thought it would be lovely, as doll weddings don't happen very often, especially such a beautiful wedding; the handsome bride in her lovely white satin dress and the white forget-me-nots in her wreath drooping over her veil and forehead, and the groom looked so proud at her with his googly eyes and with his swell silk hat on his head. They looked just as though they could walk away to the strains of the wedding march. We changed their wedding clothes for their going-away clothes. Maria had a traveling dress made of Scotch plaid, bright red and blue with tiny black and white and yellow stripes through it, and a hat to match. Charles was dressed in black velvet pants with white satin waist, and we found a piece of cream velvet and made him a long cape which reached to the ground, and with the stovepipe hat on his head he looked quite swell.

       We started for home the next morning and took the bride and groom along.
(This is a true story.)
One week after the honeymoon, I am in tears, the bride is broken.
(The End)

• Visit Our family vintage bride blog - just a bit of fashion history for brides

How To Recycle a Hammock for A Doll

My 18inch doll relaxing in the warm sunshine with her pet, under the trees.

       My doll's hammock is recycled from a pet hammock. (see below) After removing the ties and fabric, I sanded down the wooden arches and spray painted them red. Then I measured the original hammock and cut part of a quilt top to the same size. 

       The log cabin quilt scraps were saved from an earlier project and I thought the pattern would look cozy on the hammock. I lined the inside of the hammock with heavy canvas and then stitched everything together by hand. I then used the rods and ties from the former cat hammock to finish my dolly version of this quick project.

• Liberty Jane Doll Hammock Craft - made from tongue depressors
• Hammock Stand from Read Creations - made using PVC pipe

Left, the hammock is cut from an older log cabin quilt project and then lined with canvas to make it sturdy.
 I've set up the hammock on the patio.

The original small hammock was designed for a cat. I found this one at resale and worked it over for our
 family, 18 inch dolls.

Color Pom Poms On Her Slippers

 

Description of Coloring Page: pom-poms, bonnet, toddler doll, baby face, curly hair, Toddler Dolls

Don't forget to drag the png. or jpg into a Word Document and enlarge the image as much as possible before printing it folks. If you have a question about this coloring page, just type into the comment box located directly below this post and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can.

A Fairy Necklace

A Fairy Necklace

by Enid Blyton

The rain had rained all morning,

And then the sun shone fair,

And all the garden glittered

With raindrops every where!

There were raindrops on the grasses

And raindrops on the trees,

And how they shook and shivered,

Like diamonds, in the breeze!

And oh, I saw a fairy

Come flying right by me;

She shook a score of raindrops,

From off the hazel tree.

She slung them on a spider's thread,

A necklace made of rain!

She clasped them round her little neck,

And off she flew again!

More Fairy Poems and Coloring for Kids:

The Fairy School by Marjorie Barrows

The Land of Fairy Tales by F. O'Neill Gallagher

"Snapdragon" fairy coloring page

Color fairy folk flying