Turquoise, Symbol of Prosperity

       Turquoise, its cold blue aptly suggesting the snows of December, is one of the most ancient gems of which we have record. It has been highly prized throughout the ages, and indeed, is the only opaque semi-precious stone of today which can aspire to rank as a precious gem.

       Turquoise is not of a crystalline structure. It is found in small masses, generally surrounded by a brown, flinty matrix. As pieces of the gem suitable for cutting are seldom procured in large size, big turquoises are almost unknown.

       ''Turquoise matrix'' is often used in medium-priced modern jewelry. The gem and the matrix being cut together, form a very happy color combination which harmonizes perfectly with gold settings.

       The name turquoise, meaning Turkish stone, was derived from the fact that the gem was first introduced into Europe through Turkey. The stone is, however, of Persian origin. Today it is found in Asia Minor, Turkestan, Egypt, Arabia, Australia, and western United States, but Persia still produces the finest gems.

       Turquoise of an azure or robin's egg blue is most highly prized, but the gem is also found in apple-green and green-gray tints. It is almost invariably cut without facets, round, oval, pear-shape, or en cabochon (dome-shape) for use in rings. Occasionally it is cut with figures or designs.

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.

A GEM OF HIGHEST VALUE

       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.

RELIGIOUS USES

       In the tombs and sarcophagi of old Egypt, turquoise is often found in the forms of amulets and talismans. It was used extensively by the Aztecs for the same purpose and for the decoration of objects of religious veneration. While the methods of gem-cutting which were employed by the Aztecs were crude, some of the examples of workmanship by these natives ably attest their skill and their keen artistic perception.

• Ceremonial Colors of The Navajos
• Silver and Turquoise: A Story of Navajo Jewelry
  

KNOWN TO GREEKS

       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).

VALUE UNKNOWN TO SPANIARDS

 

       While the turquoise was well-known and highly esteemed throughout Europe during the middle ages, knowledge of its value does not seem to have been current in Spain at as late a date as the sixteenth century. Had the Spanish been familiar with the gem, it would have been as much of an object for exploration during the Conquests as were the emerald and gold.

LORE AND TRADITION

       Few gems were invested with more wonderful properties than the turquoise by the credulity of the medieval naturalists. Like most of the blue stones, it was supposed to cure blindness and other infirmities of the eyes, and it was thought to possess many other virtues that were peculiar to it alone. To render its wearer happy and optimistic, to protect him from broken bones that might be incurred in falls, taking the damage unto itself, were qualities that were attributed to this gem. If mounted in the trappings of a horse, it was believed to make the animal surefooted and immune to distempers. It was said that the stone would prophesy the illness or death of its wearer by growing pale or losing its color.

       Such superstitions in regard to the various gems were widely believed. To quote Dr. George Frederick Kunz, (The Curious Lore of Precious Stones). From the Middle Ages and even down to the seventeenth century, the talismanic virtues of precious stones were believed in by high and low, by princes and peasants, by the learned as well as by the ignorant. Here and there, however, a note of scepticism was sometimes apparent, as in the famous reply of the court jester of Emperor Charles V, to the question, "What is the property of the turquoise?" "Why," replied he, "if you should happen to fall from a high tower whilst you were wearing a turquoise on your finger, the turquoise would remain unbroken."

Turquoise of Madan-e Olya of Nishapur

USE IN THE ENGAGEMENT RING

       During the Middle Ages the turquoise was the gem most widely used in bethrothal rings, for the permanency of its color was thought to be dependent upon the steadfastness of the wearer's affection. We may believe, however, that the gem was by no means limited to this use, for one medieval writer states that no gentleman in his day (ladies for obvious reasons eschewing its use) thought his hand becomingly decorated or his elegance complete without the adjunct of a handsome turquoise. The practice of using this gem in the engagement ring still prevails in certain parts of Germany, and it is evident that the custom was known in Shakespeare's time for Shylock had a turquoise which he would not have lost "for a whole wilderness of monkeys'' for he ''had it of Leah when he was a bachelor.''

       Today, fine turquoise of pure color and waxy luster is in popular demand, and is found in many of the most beautiful modern rings and gem-pieces. The owner of a turquoise of first quality will derive no little pleasure from the gem's distinctive beauty.

• Back to "What Are Birthstones?" 

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.

The meaning of the color turquoise from 

Museum of Indian Arts and Culture.

Silver and Turquoise: A Story of Navajo Jewelry

Navajo bowguard.

       A Navajo native silversmith sat in the shade of a gnarled juniper tree, fashioning a bowguard for his son. He had bought silver and a fine piece of sky blue turquoise from the white man at the trader's store. For many days he had thought about the shape and design of the ''gato."

       With his chisel and awl the smith carved the design in a flat piece of sandstone. He took another flat piece and made a hole in the middle of it, and, after greasing the stones with some mutton fat, tied them firmly together.

       He melted the silver in an old tomato can over a hot fire of juniper charcoal and, grasping the edge of the can with a pair of tongs, slowly poured the liquid into the hole at the top of the mold. After several hours, when the metal had hardened, he carefully separated the two stones and lifted out the bowguard. The work was well done. Now he had only to file the rough edges and polish the silver to satiny smoothness with sand and ashes. With a tiny strip of silver he fastened the turquoise in the center of the bowguard. The father smiled. His son would be proud to wear such a fine gato when he went rabbit hunting on the desert. The boy would wear it on his left wrist, strapped on with a piece of leather, so that when he shot an arrow from his bow the bowstring would twang against the hard metal and not cut his arm.

       The man's own bowguard was worn thin from many years of use but it still gleamed against his brown skin. He had watched his father make it long ago, and he had learned how to use the tools and work the silver.

       He had made beautiful bracelets and rings and earrings for his wife and children and for himself, and little flat buttons to decorate the bright-colored velveteen shirts that they wore. He had also made belts with round flat pieces of silver, called ''conchas," fastened to them, and fine necklaces of hollow round beads with a crescent-shaped pendant, the ''naja," hanging from the bottom. Between the beads hung silver ornaments shaped like tiny flowers.

       He did not often cast the silver in molds as he had done in making the bowguard. Usually he hammered the soft metal into the shapes he wanted and carved or stamped designs on them. In some of the jewelry he set pieces of turquoise. Turquoise was a sacred stone and every Navajo wore a piece for protection from evil. Their ancestors had made necklaces and earrings and other ornaments from turquoise hundreds of years ago.

       The man's grandfather used to tell him stories of the time when the Navajos did not wear silver jewelry. That was before the year 1850 when Atsidi sani, ''The Old Smith,'' had learned how to forge iron and silver from a Mexican metalworker. After he had mastered the craft he had taught others.

       Many Mexican people lived in the southwestern United States at that time and the Navajos copied the silver ornaments that the Mexicans wore, the buttons and tiny ornaments shaped like pomegranate fruits worn on the outsides of the trouser legs, and the flashing bridles on the horses. The Navajos did not wear trousers, so they strung the buttons and pomegranate fruits on strings and wore them as necklaces.

       From their neighbors the Plains peoples, who lived on the grasslands farther east, the Navajos got bracelets and rings and belts made of silver, copper, or brass. The Plains Indians did not know how to make these things themselves, but got them from the American traders in exchange for furs. The white men knew that the natives liked these shiny ornaments, and in the big cities of the eastern United States there were metalworkers who made them especially for trade with them. At first the Navajo silversmiths copied the white man's jewelry, but soon they began to create their own shapes and designs.

       Besides being lovely ornaments the jewelry was useful as money. In fact, most of the early pieces were made from Mexican and American silver dollars, melted or hammered into the desired shapes. The traders would accept a ring or a bracelet in exchange for food. And if sometime later a Navajo wanted his ring back, he would bring a sheep or a fine blanket woven by his wife and exchange it for his piece of jewelry. Even nowadays the Navajos pawn their jewelry this way when they are poor and buy it back when they can afford to.  Hambleton 

• Who are the Navajo?
• See another the bow guard at the Nelson Atkins Museum and even another at Utah State University here
  

Lapis, Symbol of Truth and Virture

Lapis Lazuli uncut

       Lapis Lazuli is a rich blue stone which sometimes shows sparkling, golden flecks of iron pyrites. It is opaque and in composition and structure is very similar to the turquoise. Like the turquoise it is one of the most ancient gems, references to it dating back prior to 4500 B. C.

       As lapis lazuli is comparatively soft it was easily worked into many forms by the ancients. For this reason it held the highest place in their estimation, being considered a gem of greatest value by the Babylonians and the Egyptians. It abundantly occurs in their jewelry that has come into our hands, worked into signets, tablets, pendants, and charms. Lapis lazuli was also particularly valued by the ancients for the fine dye that it yielded when ground to a powder, and indeed, many of the beautiful, permanent blues which are seen in the canvasses of the old masters, owe their beauty to the use of this material.

       Originally coming from Afghanistan and Egypt alone, lapis lazuli is now found in several other localities, very good specimens being produced by Siberia and certain parts of South America. The varieties coming from Egypt are not of the best, being pale or chalky in color. It is of interest to note in this connection that the finest gems still come from the first known mines (visited by Marco Polo in 1271), which are over 6500 years old.

• Lapis lazuli: what is it made of and how to identify it
• Making the bluest blue, lapis lazuli paints...

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.

• Back to "What Are Birthstones?" 
  

Barbie's Bohemian Patchwork Sofa

       This is probably the simplest method I have ever used to make a doll sofa. Essentially, this style of sofa is made by  upholstering a box and attaching one large stuffed pillow to the top with hot glue. Depending upon the materials used, this doll seating can be made to look formal or informal. In this example, I used a patchwork quilt top for the back and sides of the sofa and covered the bottom with a soft navy wool. I would describe this look to be kind of a"Bohemian Patchwork Design."

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 

on the web and learn to knit details like these on your own.

Supply List:

• 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
  

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. 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. 
2. 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.
3. 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. 
4. Fold and sew the right sides together down the length of the fabric and across one shorter end.
5. Turn the fabric inside out and stuff with cotton batting.
6. Turn inside 1/4" of the remaining short end and sew the last opening closed using a whip stitch.
7. You may add details to the patchwork sofa cushion such as buttons or embroidery stitching. 
8. 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.
9. I then attached a smaller cardboard box to the bottom of the doll sofa to act as the footed section of upholstered sofa. 
10. 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.
11. 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. 
12. 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:

• Make doll sofa from a tissue box for Barbie and Blythe
• How to make a Barbie couch by A Girl and a Glue Gun
• Easy DIY Barbie Couch

Craft Barbie Sized Chairs:

• DIY an Upholstered Tweed Armchair
• How to make a faux leather club chair...

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.

Left, Our Generation by Battat home room school desk is made of durable plastic. The desktop is
 brilliant cobalt blue and the lower half is tan. Right the front of the desk is made to be simple and
 sleek; I had a desk like this with a bright orange, modern chair when I was in fourth through
6th grade. This desk is sold in a playset still at Target for $29.99.

Left, The American Girl Truly Me 18" doll flip-top school desk retails for $65.00 and includes
 school items with it. It has the distinctive star logo cut-out on the back of the chair. Center, see the
 desk from the side. Although the entire desk is manufactured from durable plastic, the legs are
painted to look like real bent metal. Right, the desk comes with a flip-up top and has a clip board
 on the inside. There is also an attached bookcase beneath the desk top. My set is coral, white
and tan. It is also sold with a blue chair and turquoise shelf unit with a white desk top.

Left, an original Pleasant Company school desk for the Molly McIntire Doll. Next, it too has a
desktop that opens for papers, books and school supply storage. Center, the chair swivels and its
legs and rigid chair support are made of metal. Right, the desktop also has an ink well and groove
 for writing instruments. Molly's desk first sold in 1990 for $60.00 and was then retired in 2011.

Left, the Pleasant Company Victorian school desk for Samantha Parkington is original. Center, it
has a cast iron base with a scroll-work pattern. The desktop and seat are wooden. Right, there is
 a groove at the top for chalk and pencils and an ink well (hole) on the right. Samantha's desk first
sold for $68.00 in 1990 and was then retired in 2008.

• 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!

Navajo Rag Dolls

Navajo dolls - rag dolls from the 1940s

        Navajo Dolls describe a style of clothing that Navajo women copied from east coast American society in the 1860s. Women of that era wore full dresses made out of satin. President Lincoln's wife and friends wore full dresses made of satin. Navajo women copied the patterns but substituted velvet for the satin and made buttons out of nickels and dimes. These stylish skirts are still fashionable today, for Navajos and non-Navajos alike.

       The dolls shown right, also wear simpler copies of Navajo jewelry. Their silver colored belts mimic their native silversmithing.  

       Atsidi Sani is considered to be the first Navajo silversmith. He learned silversmithing from a Mexican man called Nakai Tsosi, "Thin Mexican", around 1878 and began teaching other Navajos how to work with silver. By 1880, Navajo silversmiths were creating handmade jewelry including bracelets, tobacco flasks, necklaces and bracers. Later, they added silver earrings, buckles, bolos, hair ornaments, pins and squash blossom necklaces for tribal use, and to sell to tourists as a way to supplement their income.

       Tiny seed beed necklaces in turquoise colors mimic "squash blossom' jewelry. This necklace first appeared in the 1880s. The term "squash blossom" was apparently attached to the name of the Navajo necklace at an early date, although its bud-shaped beads are thought to derive from Spanish-Mexican pomegranate designs. 

• Navajo Dolls Owned by Sandra James
• Sample Navajo Rag Doll at J. Compton Gallery
• A Vintage Pair of Navajo Dolls in Traditional Dress

  Return to the Doll Guide Index Page 

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.

       I found a very strange, decorative faux planter at resale. However strange it's parts, it will be charming in our family's doll house! The rocker fits the Barbie dolls perfectly. I gave it a modern paint application, two-toned, and glued together a tiny upholstered cushion to replace the potted plant. Now it looks like something our dolls need in their nursery!

The finished, painted rocker is ready
for a new upholstered cushion.

Supply List:

• 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

Step-by-Step Directions:

1. Thoroughly sand the surfaces of the rocking chair so that new paint will adhere to the parts.
2. 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.
3. Seal these surfaces with clear acrylic varnish and let the rocker cure/dry over night.
4. Trace the hole shape in the middle of the seat using a pencil and paper.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Take a small bit of cotton and glue this to the center of the cardboard seat.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. After you are satisfied with this cushion, hot glue it to the seat of your rocking chair.
    

Left, the hole where a artificial plant once was inserted will need to be covered with an upholstered cushion.
Right, the surface areas are in excellent condition. All these need is a bit of sanding before I paint them.

Above you can see how this little rocker was once used as a strange, decorative planter.

More About Rocking Chairs:

• The Rocking Chair by Chris
• Rocking Rainbow Toy Chair
• The Helinox Rocker for Campers

What Are Birthstones?

Examples of gems and precious stones.

       Birthstones are certain precious gems that through custom, history and sentiment are associated with the twelve months of the year, each month having dedicated to it a special stone. Thus the stone of any month is the birthstone of every person whose birthday falls in that month.
       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:

Listing and Read More...

1. January - Garnet
2. February - Amethyst or Jade
   
3. March - Bloodstone or Aquamarine
   
4. April - Diamond
5. May - Emerald
6. June - Pearl or Moonstone
7. July - Ruby
8. August - Sardonyx or Peridot
9. September - Sapphire
10. October - Opal or Tourmaline
11. November - Topaz
12. December - Turquoise or Lapis-Lazuli

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.

       Originally, these small novelty purses were intended to protect lipsticks or hold coins inside of ladies handbags. However, I think they are better suited to fashionable 18" doll outfits. Accessories like these will also look adorable inside of our doll's boutique!

       Why not fill your doll's purse with the kinds of things any well-prepared fashionista would carry?

• 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.

Craft a Pow-wow drum and mallet

The Kaya doll also has a 
similar jingle dress. It has a
pow-wow drum and mallet
to go with it.

        You can include the authentic Native American designs below on the top of your Kaya doll's ceremonial Pow-wow drum. Host drums at a pow-wow are responsible for singing the songs at the beginning and end of a pow-wow session, generally a starting song, the grand entry song, a flag song, and veterans or victory song to start the pow-wow, and a flag song, retreat song, and closing song to end the pow wow. Additionally, if a pow-wow has gourd dancing, the Southern Host Drum is often the drum that sings all the gourd songs, though another drum can perform them. The host drums are often called upon to sing special songs during the modern pow-wow.

        The Kaya American Girl Doll comes with both the traditional deer skin clothing and the modern ceremonial pow-wow clothing that many Native Americans girls only wear during special occasions. 

• The pink jingle dress with drum and mallet from 2014
• The turquoise pow-wow dress from 2011

Native Americans Share More Online:

• Beat Your Drum from glor Ennis
• Bele Bele - Bumbada women drumming groups Fanga
• Here is  Lakota Tribe Powwow drum circle
• From hand drum championship 2018

hand held pow-wow drums

Supply list for all 3 crafts:

• a recycled masking tape holder (cardboard tube)
• recycled salt boxes and oatmeal cans too!
• large lids, recycled for hand-held drums
• extra cardboard
• brown paper bag
• faux wood printed paper (optional)
• driftwood cuts from a dollar store
• white school glue
• masking tape
• natural colored string or twine
• permanent black ink pen
• design ideas (First Nation Symbol Figures) (animal symbolism)
• acrylic paints: browns and tans
• a cotton tip applicator (for mallet(s)
• gold or tan felt and matching thread
• toothpicks and wooden skewers
• Mod Podge
• hot glue and hot glue gun

Step-by-Step Instructions: hand-held drums

1. Cover a lid with brown paper and white glue. Let it dry.
2. Tape and glue a string 'web' weave design over the open end of the covered jar lid. see photos
3. Using a pencil, draw a decorative symbol from those shown below or from one of the many websites linked to on this post, onto the top of the paper covered lit. Retrace the design with a permanent black ink marker.
4. Modge Podge the surfaces to help keep these clean and durable.

Large, free-standing pow-wow drums and drumsticks

The drumsticks before covered with
brown paper and feathers.

Step-by-Step Instructions: free-standing, large Pow-wow drums

1. To make the larger Pow-wow drums, cut saltbox cans or oatmeal cans to your preferred size, I made two,  one of these 3 1/2 inches tall and another 2 inches tall. Leave on end on every drum you make covered with cardboard. These will be the shells of each drum. Face the covered ends up while crafting. The open ends will not be seen.
2. Cover these with masking tape, then white glue and brown paper. I covered the edges of these toy drums using woodgrain paper as well, but this step is completely optional. The paper covering represents the drumhead or skin, this is what native people stretched over the shell to strike with their drum sticks or beaters. The shell was made of stretched skins and these were stretched with sinew thongs, but you will use twine or string to represent these in this craft project.
3. Glue on natural looking twine, in a "X" shape pattern all around the edges of each drum. 
4. Finish the edges by using masking tape to cover the tips of the twine. 
5. Layer on a final finished looking application of clean brown paper across the top of the drums. 
6. I painted these tops with brown. Mod Podge the surfaces.
7. Hot glue on the driftwood supports to make the drums a bit taller and more finished, if you prefer. Native drums this large are usually kept from contacting the ground on a platform of some kind.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Beaters or Drumsticks

1. Making the beaters is easy! Cut skewers to the length you prefer.
2. Using white glue, wrap white cotton fluff around each end or one till it looks like a beater. 
3. Paint the surfaces of the beater as you like or cover these with brown paper. See photos above.
4. Glue on feathers for decoration.
5. Mod Podge every surface in the end.
6. An even easier way to make drumsticks is to paint Q-tips and then seal with Mod Podge! 

Read more about First Nations Symbolism pdf. and
Check out our collection of native symbolism here.

 

How to Pow-wow dance for kids.

Turn A Bookcase Into a Changing Table

       I discovered a doll sized bookcase at resale. It was a bit too wide and heavy for a fashion doll bookcase and too small for an American Girl Doll's bookcase. So, I decided to convert it into a changing table for our Barbie's nursery.

A bookcase for a doll may be transformed into a
very nice diaper changing table.

Supply List:

• 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
  

Step-by-Step Directions:

1. Clean your resale item with soap and water and set it in the sunshine to dry thoroughly.
2. Lightly sand the surfaces so that the paint will adhere to the item. 
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. Glue the dry railing into place using a hot glue gun.
13. Measure the inside of the top shelf to make a cardboard cut out for the changing pad.
14. 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.
15. 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)
16. Hot glue the upholstered changing pad onto the top of the changing table.
17. Now you can fill the shelves with all kinds of items your Barbie's baby may need: diapers, wipes, toys, a bathtub etc...

Left, the safety railing made from toothpicks and corrugated cardboard and the changing pad/mattress.
Center, the finished table. Right, the backside of the changing table's pad. You can see the masking tape
used to secure the wrapped ends of the fabric prior to gluing the pad down to the top of the changing table.

Different views of my finished doll changing table. See the matching cradle for our Barbie's nursery.

More Diaper Changing Tables:

• Lena Wiese builds a diaper changing table from wood and here she builds one from foam core.
• Use a dollar tree dresser for a diaper changing table
• Froggy crafts baby room furniture using craft sticks and cardboard