Young Victorian Girl Die Cuts

        These antique "die cuts'' or scraps of young girls from the Victorian era come from one of my older blogs that is being discontinued this week. However, I will keep and upload those scraps that I feel students would enjoy using for their own personal paper doll crafts.

Girl in apron and ruffled hat.

Girl with bouquet of roses.

Girl with lace and ribbon collar.

Girl biting her nails and fidgeting.

Just a few cat Victorian scraps for crafting...

        I have fewer cats and kitten scraps than dogs, but perhaps I will find some more on my next trip the "flee market?" Not real ones though, there are many folks in my home who are allergic to these little beauties. How will you finish dressing them up for your paper doll collection? If you prefer, you could dress them in something like velveteen and hang them on a Christmas tree, just like the Victorian's did.

A tabby with pale green eyes and red ribbon collar.

A blue ribbon collar around this cats' neck.

Here is a little Victorian miss dressed in blue.
She carries a basket full of kittens.

Dog Scraps for Creating Unique Paper Dolls

        The following pet dogs are for students to scrap their own paper dolls. Why not make your own unique collection? I will eventually acquire more than the four depicted below. Perhaps I will find a breed that is just like the pet you have at home.

A Bull dog with toothy grin.

 

A black labrador holding a duck for dinner.

A black and tan terrier with collar.

A mixed breed looks wears
 a man's bowler hat.

Victorian die cut of a girl cradling her pet cat and dog in her arms.

Bird Scrap Heads for Making Paper Dolls

       The Victorians manufactured many die cuts for paper doll making, in fact, countless variations of them. Some of these were of humans and some of animals. I will compile a small number of these on this post as I find them. The first two scraps below are of birds wearing dressy hats with feathers and flowers. At the bottom is a Victorian child dressed in winter costume, holding a morning dove in her gloved hands. Student may print them out, cut and paste them onto cardboard to create some unusual paper dolls . . . 

Bird scrap head wearing a straw hat.

Bird scrap head wearing a bonnet.

A child in blue cape holds her pet bird.

Sew a doll sized yo-yo lap quilt . . .

The yo-yos above are first attached together at
both the top and bottom and from side to side.
Then the yo-yos are whipped stitched on top of
a bottom layer of fabric that is the size of our
doll's blanket.

       Fabric yo-yos or Suffolk puffs are fabric circles, that can be made any size, and are gathered around the entire circular edge, pulled taunt and tied into a ''cookie-like'' shape. Multiple yo-yos may be tacked one to another in order to shape a decorative blanket, pillow, table runner etc... Sometimes these yo-yos have buttons or bows tacked to their centers to further emphasize their folk-like charm.

       The term "yo-yo" was coined at some unknown time in America about 100 years ago. However, the earliest origins of these textile puffs originated in England during the 1600s and were called "Suffolk puffs". 

       For as long as I can recall, yo-yos have been primarily made by little children when first learning to sew. This is because only a simple straight stitch is used when constructing them and many of these little embellishments are needed to make a blanket, thus, requiring a young sewer to repeat the steps over and over in order to have enough to finish a project. By the time a student finishes enough of these, he or she has mastered the straight stitch.

       Many children make stuffed dolls and animals from their yo-yos. I will link to a few ideas below for these too.

• Here is a doll constructed from yo-yos . . . 
• Simplicity pattern 8225 shows how to assemble yo-yos into a dog, inch worm or an owl

Both ends of the thread used to do this are tied together forming a "puff" pillow shape.
Sometimes the puffs are stuffed with woolen batting in order to assemble a heavier,
warmer quilt but most of the time, this is not done.

Above are many sizes of yo-yos stitched and collected over time by a young child.
I chose the smallest ones to link together for our doll's quilt.
Some people do not bother to sew the yo-yos onto additional fabric but
 leaving them with open spaces between will cause
 the textile to tear and wear faster.

Yo-Yo Sewing Projects:

• Sew a vintage yoyo clown to give as a gift
• How to make Suffolk puff flowers, these are called yoyos in the states

Color a Japanese Paper Doll with Two Outfits...

       Here is a lovely, simple Japanese paper doll. She comes with two traditional fashions you can print, color and cut-out. The perfect activity for a rainy day when little ones have nothing to do! These printables are for personal craft projects only. Enjoy.

This paper doll is slender and sweet.
Color her clothing with brilliant markers

Your doll can wear a Kimono for a special occasion;
 she also has a wig with flowers.

A Lullaby by I. Bacheler

 A Lullaby

Sing a tiny lullaby tune
Of a little baby's silver spoon
That mama bit when she was small,
And that's the end and that is all-
Sleep, sleep, sleep,
Your mama once was a baby.

Sing a sleepy hushaby song
Of a little shoe about so long
That papa wore when he was small,
And that's the end an that is all-
Sleep, sleep, sleep,
Your papa once was a baby.

Dream my darling pretty dreams
As light and happy as the moon's beams
Of your fluffy dog and your new blue ball,
And that's the end and that is all-
Sleep, sleep, sleep,
Oh, you are my darling baby.

Craft a few decorative, heart-shaped pillows for St. Valentine's Day

       To make a selection of festive pillows like mine, you will first need to cut out a small variety of heart shaped templates from cardboard. Cut these to the sizes you think will look nice on the doll's sofa inside of your dollhouse.  

       The first set of pillows photographed below were made by wrapping both pink and lavender chenille yarn around a couple of cardboard heart shaped templates. There was no sewing involved in the process at all. I simple wound the chenille yarn around and around each shape until all of the surface under the yarn was completely covered. Plus I added a bit more yarn to make our doll-sized pillows nicely plump and cushy. When you feel your pillows are wrapped just right, clip the end of the yarn and tuck this end piece neatly under a few of the strands. You can squeeze out a bit of glue between the fibers at this place in the wrap to hold the end in place if you prefer.

Two finished and wrapped hearts in pastel pink and purple on our 18 inch, tweed doll couch.

Finished pillow arranged on a doll sofa.

       The smaller decorative pillows shown above were made by sewing together two identical felt hearts together. Sew around the edges using a blanket stitch, stuffing with cotton fiber through a whole at the edge, and then sew shut that hole with a few more blanket stitches. Tack on a ribbon, a flower and a bit of lace for further embellishment and soon you will have a playful cluster of pillows to liven' up any dollhouse for this charming February holiday.

• Crochet pattern heart pillow for a dollhouse
• DIY Heart Pillows for Dollhouse 
  

How to braid a heart-shaped rug for valentine decor . . .

A finished heart shaped rug.

       You will need only a few supplies to make this lovely heart shaped rug: a small scrap of felt for the backing of finished rug, yarn in your favorite colors, at least three colors are best. In addition to these supplies you will also need a needle and thread, one skein of embroidery floss and scissors, of course.

       This rug may become as large as you wish or be made as tiny as is needed for a dollhouse. I made my version to lay in front of the sink in our large 18 inch dollhouse, so it measures five inches across.

       To make a "heart" shaped rug you will first need to braid many strands of yarn together and sew or knot them end to end. This will take as much length of braid as you need to sew any size of rug from side to side with a whip stitch this is called "lacing" by rug makers. The thickness of the yarn used greatly determines just how much braid you will need. If you sew it together and it seems too small, simply lace in more rows to increase the size.

       The difference between the crafting of an oval or circle shaped rug compared to a heart is dependent upon the shape you start with. 

       For a traditional looking rag/yarn rug you simply stitch together the sides of the braid as you roll it into a flat circle or oval shape. For a heart rug you begin by sewing the sides of the braid into a boomerang shape or a slightly bent right angle. Then you sew the braid around and around this shape until you have made it into a heart.

• An example of a large round rug here - how to braid art video.
• Use the same technique for braiding miniature fruity potholders: strawberry and watermelon
• Watch a professional craft a miniature yarn rug for a dollhouse at Nasus Miniatures

Doll-sized yarn rug in front of the kitchen sink.
See the post about our family's restored kitchen set.

Valentine Clipart for Cards and Letters...

        Below is the Valentine printable made available for young students to craft their letters and Valentines with. There are hearts, flowers, cupids, heart-shaped harps, cupids with arrows and tiny rose motifs.

• Tiny Cherubim Printable Papers
• Old-Fashioned Valentines, cupids with arrows and treat box lids...
  

Print, cut and paste these sweet valentines onto cards, candy boxes and letters.

Waiting

 Waiting

In the woods I walked to-day;

The snow was deep and white,

It covered all the tiny flowers,

It hid the ferns from sight.

I hunted for the little brook

That sang in summer days,

But not an echo of its song

Rang through the woodland ways.

At last I found the fettered stream

And broke the ice so clear,

And heard the tinkling water say, 

"I'm hidden, but I'm here."

Fairies Tea

 Fairies' Tea

Five little fairies went out to take tea,

Under the shade of a juniper treee.

Each had a cup from an acorn cut,

And a plate from the rind of a hickory-nut

The table was spread with a cloth all of lace,

Woven by spiders the banquet to grace.

Oh, what good things they all had to eat!-

Slices of strawberry, - my, what a treat!

Honey the sweetest the wild bee could hive,

And a humming-bird's egg for each of the five.

Then they drank their host's health in their favorite drink,

Which was, - now, what was it? Can anyone think?

Why the dew-drop that comes from the heart of the rose

Is the drink of the fairies, as anyone knows.

Printable Primrose Doll Quilt

   Two very traditional quilt blocks: the basket and primrose, alternated here in brown, beige, yellow and green solids for a doll's bedroom comforts. 

       It can be enlarged to cover a 12 inch doll's twin or double sized bed in a dollhouse or shrunk for a miniature bed covering inside of a smaller dollhouse. 

• Watch Riley Blake Designs make a mini nine patch quilt just for fun!
• Gorgeous hexagon quilts make lovely doll blankets too! by Rita Streimer

Printable Palm Lily Quilt for Dolls

      The palm lily or cordyline fruiticosa depicted in this quilt block is highly stylized. It illustrates the bud version of the flower and the leaves have fewer toothed tips than the majority of palm lily blocks.  I think these attributes give this printable version a modern flavor. However, if the design elements were printed calico, I might think it more primitive. 

       There is much symbolism attached to palm lilies in southeast Asian culture. However, I am unaware of this particular quilt block being developed by anyone who grew up there and claiming to have based it's design on the plant life grown there.

       Lily symbolism in Christian culture represents victory over evil and there have been dozens of varied designs using all kinds of lilies in the western quilting traditions in the recent past. 

       This pattern can be made to look very different depending upon the placement of colors and in some instances the lily pattern might be lost altogether if one did not emphasize the motif carefully through contrasting fabrics.

• See these tropical palms quilted into designs by AccQuilt... - Their die quilt block would look lovely in a cradle quilt or you could use four blocks with boarders to make a doll cradle quilt.
• Brenda shares the same free palm pattern excluding flowers. This version could be constructed from four blocks, rotated to sew one large palm for the center of a doll blanket. Enlarge it by adding multiple borders or keep it smaller by binding after sewing only one narrow boarder to it's edges. She demonstrates a paper piecing method on a machine up close.

Miss Columbia Doll from the Chicago World Fair of 1892

Miss Columbia has traveled the world!

       In 1892, at Oswego Centre, a quiet little town in New York state, Miss Emma Adams originated the idea of making dolls with soft durable bodies, made of cloth, with hair and features painted on. Dressed in the fashion of their time, the dolls proved to be practical for children, and although started by Miss Emma for her own pleasure as a novelty, she and her sister Marietta, soon found that they had prospered and developed a growing business with their doll making.

       In 1893 these dolls were given a 'diploma of merit' at the Chicago World Fair, and at that time received the name by which they were always to be known, the Columbia Dolls. Miss Emma Adams painted the faces on the dolls herself, but after her death in 1900, the dolls were painted by artists who were engaged for the task. The faces of the dolls are very pretty. They were well made as to body, stuffed with cotton and excelsior, and so carefully costumed in clothes that could be taken off that they were dearly loved by the children who were fortunate to possess a doll from the skillful and painstaking hands of Miss Emma and Miss Marietta Adams.
       After Miss Emma passed on, Marietta continued the business. In 1907 she married and as her parents were no longer living, the doll business was not continued on so large a scale. A few dolls were made but gradually this stopped too. Although the Columbia Dolls were never patented, this doll is now in the Doll Museum at Wenham, Massachusetts. She received splendid publicity from the Press, and as a messenger of good will, as well as a very American doll in manufacture and clothing, has won her place of fame in the world of dolls.
       It is not too difficult to tell a Columbia doll. The sizes of these dolls varied from fifteen inches to twenty nine inches and costuming ranged from a pink or blue gingham dress to a plain pink or blue dress, a 'gown', a boys suit and a baby dress of white. The smallest doll sold for $1.50, and the largest for $5.00. There were a dozen dolls, numbered from one to twelve, according to size and orders were by number, and not by a description of the doll itself.

       Mrs. Gustav Mox reports a Columbian doll in the collection of Bonnie Jean Mox which bears the earlier label.

A FEW NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS:

       "Among the interesting dolls on exhibition at the International Collection of dolls in Boston last week was one named "Columbia,'' which was shown by Miss Emma E. Adams, of Oswego Center.
       Miss Adams, the originator of the doll, has a widespread reputation as a maker of cloth dolls which she sells to retailers in every part of the country.
       Miss Adams has several assistants at her Oswego home and persons who have visited the house have been enthusiastic over the many handsome dolls. - Oswego Times.

       '' This doll is distinctly American for every thing in her wardrobe is of American manufacture.'' - Boston Globe.       

       "Mrs. E. R. Horton, of Boston, is going to send "Columbia," a sweet little lady, around the world without a chaperon or guide book. However, the gem will be carefully watched over by express messengers, and every precaution will be taken to insure her comfort and safety. Little Columbia is a full grown domesticated doll. She was the star at the recent doll show. Now she is to be sent as a contribution to other exhibitions given in the interests of charity." - Boston Post.

       "Doll traveling around the world for charity is queen of them all. This beautiful doll arrived in Philadelphia yesterday from Boston in the first stages of her journey around the world. She is the queen of the International Doll Collection and destined to become the most famous doll in all the world.
       Miss Columbia" is pretty and well dressed, as well as good and famous. When she returns to her native shores she will have a story to tell.'' The North American, Philadelphia.

       "Columbia,' the gem of the International Doll Collection, is to travel around the world without chaperon or escort except baggage-men.'' Boston Journal.

        Columbia" is a pretty little girl doll, and has a tag pinned on to her which says she is not a bit afraid of the long journey. And she is proud of herself, for she is to be exhibited when she returns, and the money that people pay to see her will be devoted to charity.'' - The Pittsburg Dispatch.

       "Columbia,' America's doll, the one that is making a trip around the world alone and unchaperoned, after true American fashion, reached Denver this morning. Her face has been washed, her ulster brushed and she is ready to be admired, and it is quite possible her stay in this city will be marked by numerous functions in her honor. "Columbia has created something of a furore in the East.'' -The Denver Evening Post..

• Read more about Miss Columbia Doll here.

Return to the Doll Guide Index Page

Dear Valentine, Part 2

Lucy at her school desk.

    Monday morning Lucy could hardly wait to finish her breakfast before starting for school. She didn't even waste a minute talking to her friends in the hall. She went straight into the fifth grade classroom, looking for Miss Chase. The teacher was working at her desk.

   "I have a perfect idea for our school assembly," Lucy called out to her.

   ''That's fine, Lucy," Miss Chase said. ''I'm going to ask for everybody's ideas in a little while. You'll keep your suggestion for later, won't you?"

   Disappointed for the moment, Lucy nodded and went to her seat. Carefully she tried to copy the graceful script she remembered from the valentines. Slowly and lovingly she wrote:

"How fine, how full of sweet delight

Our lives will be when our hearts unite."

   It didn't look much like the script on the valentines, she decided. So she started to write it again when the bell rang and the school day began.

   It wasn't until late in the morning that Miss Chase brought up the subject Lucy was waiting for the assembly program.

   "February is a short month," Miss Chase said, ''but it's full of holidays: Lincoln's Birthday, Washington's Birthday and St. Valentine's Day. Our class, as you know, has been assigned to prepare the assembly program, and I hope you've all been working on ideas. Who has a program to suggest?"

   Lucy stretched her hand up as high as she could get it, but she didn't catch Miss Chase's attention.       

   "Yes, Robin," Miss Chase said to a stout, red-headed boy.

   Robin stood up. "I have a valentine play I want to suggest," he said.

    Lucy sighed. Why did he have to choose a valentine idea too? But she listened attentively as he told about his play.

   "The scene is in ancient Rome," Robin said, "and you would have to have a big urn for this play. Every February 14th there was a spring festival and the Romans filled the urn with the names of great men and heroes, written on slips of paper. On St. Valentine's Day, every youth at the festival had to draw a name out of the urn and pretend to be that great man. We could do the same thing!"

   As Robin talked, Lucy pictured herself dressed as a Roman goddess moving across the stage in graceful flowing robes. It sounded like lots of fun. Still, she liked her own idea better.

   "Thank you, Robin," Miss Chase said when Robin sat down. "That's a fine idea. You will be the leader of your group if we choose your play for the assembly."

    She wrote "ROBIN'S PLAY" on the black- board. "We are going to hear all the assembly suggestions," she told the class. 

Again, Lucy put her hand up.

   "Then I am going to ask all of you to vote for the one you like best."

   Miss Chase looked around the room. Again Lucy put her hand up, and this time she even waved it a bit. But Miss Chase did not seem to see her, and called on Peter.

   "I want to give a valentine play too," Peter said. "Mine would be about St. Valentine him- self. I read that he was put in prison for not believing in the Roman gods. When he sent a message to a little girl he had cured of blind- ness, he signed it 'From your Valentine.' That was supposed to be the beginning of valentines, although hundreds of years went by before any more were sent." 

   "That's another good idea," Miss Chase said, and she wrote "PETER'S PLAY" on the black- board right under "ROBIN'S PLAY." Lucy thought about the two plays, and about her own idea too, and suddenly a new plan occurred to her which was so exciting she forgot to raise her hand at all! She heard Miss Chase saying, ''All right, Susan, you're next."

   "Mine is a valentine play, too," Susan said.

   "Another valentine play!" Miss Chase looked surprised. Susan grinned. "It's about birds," she said. "The story comes from a poem by Geoffrey Chaucer. We'd have to fix the stage to look like a garden. "Mother Nature stands at the top of a high flight of steps. Beside her is a beautiful lady eagle. Suddenly, birds of every size, kind and color come flocking around. Mother Nature speaks to all of them. 'You have come here, oh birds, as you do every Valentine's Day, to choose your mates and fly away. Eagles, you may choose first, since you are King of Birds.'

   "The biggest eagle begins to talk. 'Mother Nature, beside you is the most beautiful eagle in all the world. She should be my wife because I am the biggest and bravest eagle here.'

   "No! No!' screams another eagle, ''she should be my wife. I am the best-looking eagle here. I deserve the most beautiful wife.'

   "A plain little eagle cries out, 'Mother Nature, hear me. Hear me! I am the plainest little eagle, but I have the warmest heart. Let her be mine.'

   "Mother Nature asks all the flocks to choose between the eagles. But before they can choose, the wise old owl says that the lady eagle should choose her own mate. Mother Nature asks the lady eagle, and she, of course, wants the mate with the warmest heart.

   "So I'll be his, if he'll be mine

   And take him for my valentine.'

she says. . .  ''I'd like to act out that play."

   Susan sat down to the sound of loud applause.

   Quick as a wink, Lucy's hand went up and, finally, Miss Chase called on her.

   "I have two ideas," Lucy announced.

   "Two ideas!" Miss Chase looked amazed.

   "I think we should give Susan's play and Peter's play - they're both short. Then we can give Robin's play, but the names on the slips in the urn should be Washington and Lincoln and Betsy Ross, people we all know. Then we'll pick children to draw these slips from the urn and act out something from the life of the person they've drawn. The audience will have to guess who they are pretending to be, like playing charades," she said.

   "Yes, yes!" shouted the fifth graders, and, "That will be lots of fun.''

   "Children!" Miss Chase called. "Lucy hasn't finished!"

Mrs. Holly's valentine collection.

   "Well," Lucy said, "I know a lady named Mrs. Holly who has a collection of old, old valentines. Some are from Washington's and Lincoln's times and some are Victorian. They're all beautiful and she promised to bring them to school if Miss Chase gives her permission."

   "I'd like to tell about her collection and introduce her to the audience. Then we could end the assembly by having the children all come up on the stage to see the beautiful valentines."

   Everybody applauded Lucy as she settled happily back in her seat. There was no need to vote.

   "Well," Miss Chase said, "Lucy has certainly worked out our program for us, hasn't she? That's just fine, Lucy. I'm very proud of you. Please ask Mrs. Holly to come, Lucy, and I'll extend my invitation too, just to make it official."

   As soon as school was out, Lucy ran all the way to Mrs. Holly's house, and told her the good news.

   "Lucy," Mrs. Holly said, "of course I'd like to come, but wouldn't you prefer to show the valentines to the school all by yourself?"

   "Oh, I'd love to!" Lucy shouted, jumping up and down. "But I didn't think you'd let me."

   Mrs. Holly laughed her merry little laugh. "I'll let you," she said. ''And Lucy, I have a dress for a Victorian ball here in the house. My mother cut it down for me when I was about your age. Would you like to wear it? It will go well with showing valentines.''

   Would Lucy! She was almost too happy to breathe.

Mrs. Holly suggests Lucy where a Victorian ball gown.

Lucy gives a valentine presentation.

   The day of the program, she glided onto the school stage in the heavy brocaded gown and stood in front of a small table holding the valentine album. She showed the audience the comic valentines with eyes that moved and hats that lifted. She showed them the quaintly simple valentines from Washington's day, and the gloriously colorful ones from Lincoln's time. She pointed out how very romantic the Victorian valentines were. And then she gave her speech, which ended:

   "St. Valentine, Washington and Lincoln, and all great people belong in our February program. February should belong to everyone who loves his fellow man. As the valentines tell us:

   "How fine, how full of sweet delight

   Our lives will be when our hearts unite."

   Then all the children and teachers and many of the parents came in a long line up to the stage to get a closer look at the valentines. They told Lucy how much they had liked the program.

   Last of all came a surprise a surprise‚ ''Mrs. Holly!'' Lucy had no idea she was there.

   "Lucy," she said, "it was a beautiful speech. Because I enjoyed it so much, I want to give you this Victorian valentine as a present."

   She handed Lucy a frilly lacy valentine covered with hearts and flowers. A glass dew- drop clung to the stem of soft, blue forget-me-nots. What a dear valentine!

   As Lucy fingered it, she knew she would always remember this day. She knew too that this would be the start of a valentine collection. all her own.

Lucy begins her collection.

• Dear Valentine, Part 1: Lucy visits the antique shop and falls in love with old-fashioned things

Dear Valentine, Part 1

The intro illustration.

    Lucy Ross beamed with pleasure as she came into the Antiques Show. Lucy loved old things. She always enjoyed going "antique-ing" with her mother, wandering through all the antique shops in town. But this show was like a hundred wonderful stores all rolled into one!

   "Lucy," her mother said, "this is a perfect place for your game of pretending."

   But Lucy was already in a dream world, imagining herself dressed in a hoop skirt and bonnet. As she walked along beside her mother, her eyes lit on a large four-poster bed with a bright yellow canopy. Tossed across it was a blue and red and yellow patchwork quilt. Lucy pretended that she was living in olden days and that this was her bedroom.

   She hardly heard her mother saying, ‚''I wish I could walk around with you. But I promised I'd take care of the refreshment stand this afternoon."

   "That's all right," Lucy said dreamily. ''I'll see everything." Suddenly her eyes lit up. "I might even find an idea for the class assembly program."

   "That would be wonderful," her mother said as she gave Lucy a big kiss. "My stand is right by the door if you need me."Goodby," Lucy smiled, returning the kiss.

   She floated on by herself, past a series of small booths. They were like little rooms with one wall missing. In one booth, gold bracelets, pins and rings sparkled on top of a long counter.

   Lucy did not stop.

A glass case filled with very old things.

   Farther down the hall she spied a real old-fashioned horse-carriage, painted shiny red and black. Only the horses were missing. Lucy hurried toward it, already imagining herself climbing up onto the seat. 

The old-fashioned horse-carriage.

The doll's tea party.

   "I wonder if anyone would mind," she thought.

   But, before she even reached the carriage, something else caught her eye! She stopped short and drew in her breath. "Oh, how lovely!" she gasped, looking into a charming little room.

   The booth was perfectly arranged to look like a small parlor. There was a little sofa and even a real piano. Best of all was the tea table, beautifully set with fine china and linens. Around the table sat almost life-sized dolls dressed in romantic old-fashioned costumes with big skirts and high waists.

   Lucy stared and stared, and suddenly her game of "pretending" brought them to life!

   "Do come in, Lucy," the hostess seemed to be saying. ''I'm so glad you've come to our our tea party."

   Enchanted, Lucy slid forward across the thick rug to the handsome mahogany tea table. Just as she was reaching toward a delicate china cup, a real voice sounded close to her ear. The proprietor of the booth appeared at her side.

   "I wouldn't touch that, if I were you," he said gently, pointing to a sign: "WHAT YOU BREAK YOU'VE BOUGHT"

    Lucy looked so sheepish, the man felt sorry for her. "Have you seen what's in here?" he asked, pointing to a gilt and glass curio cabinet in a corner of the room. Lucy scurried over to look.

   "What's this?" she asked, pointing to a lacy card in the cabinet.

   "That," the man said, solemnly lowering his voice, "is a very old valentine-very old." He got it out and held it importantly on the palm of his hand.

   It was a tiny, hand-painted religious picture surrounded by lace. "The nuns made it," he told her, putting it back in the cabinet.

   "Isn't it sweet?" Lucy said. "I do love valentines. I wonder when people started sending them?"

   The man rubbed his hands together. He seemed pleased that he knew the answer. "The custom began about five hundred years ago when the Duke of Orleans was captured in war and sent the first modern valentines from his prison cell."

   Lucy nodded, half listening, and squealed, "Isn't this one beautiful!" Carefully she lifted up a large glittering valentine from a lower shelf of the cabinet. She fingered its soft blue cloth forget-me-nots. They almost covered a red silk heart set in the center of silver-painted paper lace. When she opened the valentine she saw herself in a tiny mirror. Aloud, she read the poem below the mirror:

"Here's the face I'm glad I met

For you I never can forget.

How fine, how full of sweet delight

Our lives will be when our hearts unite."

   "That valentine is almost a hundred years old," the man said. "It's part of Mrs. Holly's collection."

   "Oh," asked Lucy, "who is she?"

Lucy reads the valentines.

   "Why, she collects valentines. That's her exhibit over there, near the grandfather clock." He pointed across the hall.

   Lucy thanked him and started eagerly down the aisle. She made a bee-line for Mrs. Holly's booth, at first, but it wasn't easy. There were too many attractive things to see. First a spinning wheel caught her eye, next a tinkling music box, and then a battered rocking horse. Of course, she had to get a closer look at each.   

   Without realizing it, Lucy had changed the direction in which she was headed. Suddenly she found she was in the wrong aisle. Nobody here had heard of the valentine exhibit. Lucy tried a different aisle. It seemed very crowded with people, but suddenly a merry peal of laughter made her turn around. Behind a long table stood a tall and lively lady with perky white bangs. She had a big lavender bow under her chin. A great many people were standing around her table, looking through albums of some sort, and at that moment one of them called the lady by name. She was none other than Mrs. Holly!

   Lucy edged in towards the table, and Mrs. Holly soon noticed her. ''Are you interested in valentines, little girl?" she asked. 

   "Oh, yes, Mrs. Holly," Lucy answered. To her delight, Mrs. Holly pushed a large album across the table to where Lucy stood.

   The album was open to a page headed, "VALENTINES FROM THE DAYS OF GEORGE WASHINGTON." The valentines were very simple, hand painted on yellowing paper. Tiny hearts and birds caught Lucy's eye. A rhymed note on one valentine asked for a lady's hand in marriage.

   Lucy turned the page, and here the valentines were very different. The colors were many and varied, and they were printed on pretty paper which itself had a raised design. There were even little embossed envelopes to match. Each of the small pictures was surrounded by white or gold lace. "VALENTINES FROM ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S DAY," read the typed heading.

   Suddenly Lucy was caught up in a marvelous new dream, a dream she felt could really come true. She imagined herself standing on the audi- torium platform with all her schoolmates in the audience. She was making a poetic speech about valentines and the whole school applauded her. Then she introduced Mrs. Holly and her collection! Wouldn't it be wonderful if Mrs. Holly would really come to the next school assembly?

More antiques in the shop... a spinning wheel, an old clock and a rocking horse.

   Right then and there she decided to ask her. Mrs. Holly was still busy chatting with several grownups, but Lucy decided that as soon as she could get Mrs. Holly's attention, she would invite her. Meantime, she turned to another page in the album marked LATE VICTORIAN."

   "Oh," she exclaimed, "these are the best!" These valentines were very fancy and very lacy. Lucy pulled a string on a paper rose and the paper sprang up like a spider web. She opened a paper door on another valentine to see what was behind it. As the door swung open, it revealed another, even lovelier valentine, covered with hearts and flowers.

   Just then Lucy looked up and, for a wonder, Mrs. Holly wasn't busy. She smiled at Lucy and walked over when Lucy called her.

   "Well, sweetheart, what can I do for you?" Mrs. Holly asked cheerfully.

   "I just love your valentines," Lucy said, ''and I was wondering if you could possibly come to my school and show your collection for the February assembly? Our class has to give the program," she added.

   Mrs. Holly beamed with pride. "Why, that might be fun," she said. "How would your teacher feel about it?"

   "I know Miss Chase would like it," Lucy assured her.

   "Well, I'd love to come and show my collection, but you'd better ask Miss Chase first." She fished in the pocket of her dress and came up with a small card. "Here's my address,'' she said, "And what's your name?"

   Lucy told her and thanked her and altogether was so excited that she hardly remembered to say goodby. 

Valentines from when President Washington lived.

Late Victorian Valentines.

• Dear Valentine, Part 2: Lucy goes to school and shares what she has learned...

A paper stage and paper doll performers to color, cut and assemble...

Fit the theater printable to measure 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper. See explanation here.

       As usual you will need to enlarge the stage to fit a standard 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheet of typing paper inside of a Word Document before printing it out. The small paper doll performers, however, should print out the correct size without any enlargement at all.

       These performers are from Shakespeare's "Midsummer Nights Dream." They include: Nick Bottom, Helena, Lysander, Puck, Demetrius, Oberon, Hermia and Titania. Color them as you like and enjoy this miniature paper theatre!

• Color more pages related to William Shakespeare here
• A Midsummer Night's Dream - a kid's version
• A Midsummer Night's Dream by Bedtime Stories Collection

Paper doll characters from
"A Midsummer Nights Dream"

DIY a couple of lovely Autumn cakes!

An Orange Spice, Pound Cake topped
with red berries.

        On the left, is our doll's orange spice pound cake. I recycled a vintage JELLO, mold to make the body of this cake. The oldest molds are made of metal and not so easy to unmold contents from so, I felt no guilt when using the tin for a doll cake ultimately. I sanded the outside of it's surface lightly and then painted it a warm, spicy brown color that looks very close to the real thing. 

       In order to mimic vanilla icing, I layered several coats of white puffy paint wherever I thought most aesthetically pleasing. While the puffy paint had not yet dried, I pushed some tiny artificial, red berries into the faux icing. 

       To make a nice sized plate for the cake use a recycled tin bottom from a can or you could use a plastic lid if these are easier for you to come by. Cover whichever recycled item you have with tacky white craft glue and decorative paper. 

       I glued my spice cake directly on top of the platter and then pasted additional red berries around the faux Autumnal cake for display in our large dollhouse during the Fall season. A cake like this also makes a lovely Thanksgiving dessert display. 

       Our second Autumn themed cake is two tiered, with white vanilla icing and fondant shaped fall colored leaves. Each leaf is painted in brilliant reddish-orange colors. The top edges are accented with Styrofoam beads. 

       This cakes two tears are two bottle caps stacked on top of each other, held in place with tacky craft glue. 

       Layer on Mod Podge to seal both desserts so that these will remain cleaner and stronger longer.

This classic, two tier, vanilla cake is decorated
with tumbling fall leaves.

See how other doll crafters make Fall cakes:

• Autumn cakes by Always Dolls
• Froggy makes miniature bundt cakes for her doll displays

Color in these Mardi-Gras printable masks for your dolls...

        I've drawn these domino doll-sized masks for students to color, cut and paste onto cardboard for their dolls. Use an embroidery needle to thread twine or ribbon through opposite sides of the mask nearest to the eye-holes on both sides.  Knot one end of each tie on both sides to prevent the twine from slipping out of the hole. Tie the mask around the doll's head to secure it for play. Oh, and don't forget to cut out the eye-hole from each mask.
       There are more child-size masks similar to these at the Crayon Palace here. You and your doll can dress alike for a parade!

Students may also attach a toothpick to one side of domino masks so that their dolls can carry them.