A bassinet, bassinette, or cradle is a bed specifically for babies
from birth to about four months. Bassinets are generally designed to
work with fixed legs or casters, while cradles are generally designed to
provide a rocking or gliding motion. Bassinets and cradles are
distinguished from Moses baskets and carry cots, which are
designed to be carried and sit directly on the floor or furniture.
After four months, babies are often transferred to a crib (North American usage) or cot (UK usage). In the United States, however, the bedside sleeper is the prevalent option, since they are generally bigger, recommended up to 6 months, and often used up to a year. Read more...
In some places the slant top desk is known as a "bureau" desk, and in
others it goes under the name of slope-front desk. In the United States, the slant top desk is sometimes called a Governor Winthrop desk, in memory of John Winthrop, the 17th century governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
As Winthrop died in 1647, he had no actual connection to this style of
desk, which originated in the 18th century and is especially associated
with Chippendale. The name "Winthrop" was attached to this kind of desk
by the Winthrop Furniture Co. of Boston, Massachusetts, who offered
their "Gov. Winthrop" desk in 1924, during the colonial revival period. Read more...
"I dedicate this book to all Children--may it bring to them many hours of happiness in their world of play."
"No this is not real furniture, nor a real room. It looks inviting for
dolly, does it not?" Klenke
Foreword
Although this book is intended primarily for use in the grammar grades of schools, it is hoped that many older children and parents too, will find much interest and pleasure in making these models and that much valuable information will be found within its covers.
Designs of furniture for the living room, hall, dining room, bedrooms and kitchen are included in this complete set of doll house furniture. The entire group has been drawn to scale, giving to each article the correct proportions and the correct relation to the other articles shown. Many of these pieces are simplified models, made to a smaller scale of furniture the author has designed and constructed in full size.
The simplest type of construction has been shown in each instance and only a few of the commonly used and inexpensive tools, equipment and lumber are required to carry on this work.
To make sure that each article is practical and substantially constructed and to enable him to bring out in the directions any and all special points that should be emphasized, the author has himself made each of the articles shown in this book.
By making these pieces the child will not only have the opportunity of acquiring manual skill but he will become familiar with the correct proportions, graceful lines and good designs found in better furniture.
The finished pieces were photographed by the author in miniature rooms especially constructed for this purpose, in order to give to this Doll's Furniture, the realistic feeling and at the same time, to show pleasing grouping of furniture as used in our American homes of today. A careful study of these pictures will help the child to more fully understand what the completed article is to look like.
In most instances full size patterns have been included, to simplify matters, and the numbers needed of each piece are clearly indicated.
Since it takes so little wood to make any of the pieces shown in this book, it will be advisable to use only 3 ply laminated bass wood of about the thicknesses shown on the drawings, in order to give the added and much needed strength to some of the delicate outlines.This material cuts very easily, holds glue well (on any edges) and does not split under ordinary conditions when being nailed. Being laminated, little or no attentions need be given to the directions of the grain when transferring the patterns to the wood (except when extra strength is required). Laminated bass wood panels can be purchased from many local hardware and lumber dealers ad by mail from leading plywood and veneer firms throughout the country, at nominal cost. There is no waste when using this material--I strongly recommend it for the work.
How to make a drawer and assemble it.
Laying Out the Work:
In most instances, full size patterns have been given. Make tracings from these on transparent paper such as draftsmen use; cut these patterns out with scissors, then transfer them to a thin cardboard (the thickness of a recycled cereal box) and again cut them out so as to make permanent patterns. If you can obtain a very heavy tracing paper, this last pattern can be eliminated. Transfer this patterns to the wood by drawing around the edges with a sharp soft lead pencil, about a No. 2 or B grade. To avoid slipping of the pattern, hold it in place with a few pins or thumb tacks.
The thickness of material and the number of pieces required of each kind, are carefully marked on the drawing. In a few instances, where the pieces to be cut are of simple outline (such as a rectangle), no pattern will be given. Use the ordinary common woodworking tools for cutting our the making this miniature furniture. Many of the pieces can be cut out with a little hand fret saw. All cutting should be done from the top surface. Where tow or more pieces of one kind are desired, this can easily and quickly be accomplished by nailing the pieces together with small brads and cutting them at one time. When two pieces of the same pattern are to be cut, be sure to make a right and left piece; in other words, make certain to turn the pattern over when laying out one of the pieces.
Sawing Out:
The thin pieces can easily and quickly be cut to shape with a hand fret saw or better still, by using an electric power driven jig saw. These little machines are very efficient, inexpensive and are as easy to operate as an ordinary sewing machine. There is very little danger of a child injuring himself, since these little machines are built with every improvement and safety device. Simple complete directions on how to operate the jig saw come with each machine.
When the hand saw is used, the saw table should be securely fastened in a vise or screwed to a table or bench. The height of the table should be such as to permit the child to work conveniently in a standing position, with the top of the table about six inches below the child's chin.
Hold the saw perpendicular--that is, square to the table; the teeth of the saw must face downward, handle at the bottom. Now start to saw, working the frame up and down and never stop working up and down when making a turn, otherwise, the blade will stick and break. To cut inside designs, first bore a small hole; take the blade partly from the frame and then insert the blade through the wood and fasten it in the frame again. Do not use a blade that is too coarse as it will then be difficult to cut sharp corners. On the other hand, too fine a blade will cut too slowly and break easily. The sawing is done in the open part of the saw table; move the wood to that place.
A simple way to remove the blade, is to take the frame in the left hand and hold the blade with the right; now gently press the frame against a bench or table and the blade can easily be taken out or a new one inserted.
Assembly:
Glue and nail the various pieces together, using a prepared liquid glue or better still, a hot glue. Care must be exercised not to split the thin pieces when nailing. Wherever the drawing calls for gluing a thin piece to a heavier piece, it will be best to first glue a piece somewhat thicker than required to the other pieces wand when the glue has set, plant the top piece to the desired thickness.It will be well to hold such pieces together under pressure. In many instances, it will be advisable to do all gluing first; then when the glue has set, drive in a few brads where needed, for extra strength. However, if laminated wood is used and good tight fitting joints are made, this nailing will not be necessary in most cases, as a good glued joint will hold stronger then the wood itself.
After all parts have been put together, clean off the excess glue; when when the glue has set, sandpaper smooth with a No. 0 or No. 00 sandpaper. Small smooth cutting files will help to trim up many of the intricate curved parts.
Finishing:
Stain the furniture with an oil stain in the color you desire, to imitate mahogany or it can be painted or finished with lacquer or colored shellac. The staining operation can be simplified by dipping the entire piece in a can containing the stain; then wipe off all surplus stain with a rag. After staining apply a coat or two of then shellac to the job, rubbing down each coat lightly when dry, with No. 00 sandpaper or steel wool.
Miscellaneous:
A few of the chairs are covered with upholstery; this can easily be done by cutting out a piece of cardboard to the proper shape, use cotton for padding to obtain the correct form and any light weight material for covering. Glue it in place on the under side of the cardboard which has been covered with the material. Ask a parent to aid you when making the cushions, mattress, etc., so that you may have a neat job.
When making chests of drawers, it will be well to follow the method shown on plate page 8, that is using blocks of scrap wood as fillers to keep the partitions dividing the drawers parallel, while gluing.
The drawers are constructed of thin cardboard or heavy detail drawing paper as shown.
Use a very then glass or heavy plastic when needed.
In place of real metal hinges, you can use a canvas or heavy cloth, which is glued in position 1/4 inch No. 1 Round head screws, either brass or blued are used for door and drawer knobs.
Thomas Chippendale was the first designer to so impress his personality
on his work that the particular style that he helped develop has borne
his name ever since. He was a carver by trade, but later started in
business in St. Martins Lane, London. His book, the "Gentleman's and
Cabinetmakers' Directory," was published in 1754 and a later edition in
1762. Read more...
"Isn't this cozy for dolly? The comfortable overstuffed chair, end table
with books to read, the footstool, Chippendale mirror and
Grandfather's clock make is most inviting." Klenke
Grandfather Clock, Standing Book Shelves and a Chippendale
Mirror Plans, Instructions included by Klenke.
These colorful comic book paper dolls were originally designed by Bill Woggon. Katy and K.O. in Bermuda shorts, penny loafers, plaid vests, and sailor themed outfits.
Katy and K.O. in Kitchen Kut-outs. Black and white paper dolls for coloring in.
This chocolate Yule log cake isn't really a cake! It's a candy container made to order for our family's play room.
Above you can see that the painted, plastic lid is on the tray and the peppermint candies are falling out from the
inside of my candy container on the right.
When my children were little, we often baked a special Christmas birthday cake for Jesus. Sometimes it would be fashioned into a tree or a yule log. One year, the birthday cake even resembled an entire forest of pines, dusted with powdered sugar.
Parents and/or Teachers can help their young ones shape a candy container made to look like a chocolate yule log cake with the following supplies. Stuff it with candy treats and scriptures from the Nativity story if you'd like to start a new family tradition similar to our own.
Natalie, my eldest, will be posting a lesson plan and contest giving away a lovely set of Christmas books about Jesus' birthday celebration, for little ones, in a few days. I will link to her here as soon as she publishes it. Below is the first of the two books she is giving away, read aloud at YouTube.
Run your fingertips across the ends of a toothbrush dipped in
white paint to create a snowy mist of powdered sugar on the
surface of your faux, chocolate yule log cake.
recycled cylindrical oatmeal can and potato chip can
masking tape
paper mache pulp
plastic fork, scissors
nail for poking holes and hammer
acrylic paints in brown and white
transparent glitter
white school glue
paint brushes
old, clean toothbrush (no longer in use)
wooden tooth picks
markers to color the printable pictures
dollar store silver cake platter
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Select a large recycled oatmeal can to be the primary yule log shape. Cut a second smaller potato chip can or juice can to cut down and tape to the larger part of the faux log as a cut branch.
Glue and tape the cut branches into place.
Cover the entire outside of the faux yule log with masking tape.
Leave the opening and plastic lid for the larger oatmeal can in tact so that the yule log may be used as a box for surprise presents/candy.
Mix together the paper mache pulp according to the directions on the package.
Apply the paper pulp to every outside surface approximately 1/2 inch in thickness.
Drag the prongs of a plastic fork through the covered surface to create a ''ribbed'' rough looking chocolate icing.
Let the paper pulp application dry. Depending on the weather this could take two days or a week.
Cover the entire outside surface of the dried yule log candy container with brown paint and let it dry.
Mix a bit of white into the brown paint and brush another layer on the raised surfaces only. Let the log dry.
Add the inside swirl of white vanilla cream to the ends of the log where it would normally show after someone would cut the jelly role cake in half. (see photos)
Now water down a bit of white paint in a separate dish.
Dip the toothbrush into thick white paint and thin dip it into the watery white paint.
Face the tips of the toothbrush away from yourself, pointing to the areas of the faux Yule log cake where you wish to lightly apply white sprinkles of paint. Move your fingers up and down the bristles of the toothbrush in order to wisp on a white mist of light paint. This should look just like the powdered sugar that is normally applied through a sifter onto the surface of a chocolate yule cake to mimic snow. Let the paint dry.
Apply a bit of white school glue to the areas of the faux cake that you want to sprinkle the transparent glitter.
Let the cake dry completely before gently pressing a nail or the sharp end tip of a pair of scissors through the top of the yule log. These tiny holes will be where you can insert the decorative picks after you have colored them.
I've included a sheet of tiny pictures below for children to color, cut out, and glue toothpicks to the backside of in order to decorate the top of their yule log cake, candy container. (see photos)
Don't forget to paint the lid of the candy container as well. Paint it to match the other ends of the yule log, with a vanilla swirl in the middle.
Left, select a large recycled oatmeal can to be the primary yule log shape. Center, cover the
entire outside of the faux yule log with masking tape. Right, drag the prongs of a plastic fork through the
covered surface to create a ''ribbed'' rough looking chocolate icing.
Left, cover the entire outside surface of the dried yule log candy container with brown paint
and let it dry. Center, Add the inside swirl of white vanilla cream to the ends of the log where
it would normally show after someone would cut the jelly role cake in
half. I also glued on
a real pine cone for detail. Right, the paper mache pulp texture looks like chocolate icing to me!
Left, Move your fingers up and down the bristles of the toothbrush in order to
wisp on a
white mist of light paint. This should look just like the
powdered sugar. Center, I also painted
white snow on my faux chocolate pine cone. Right, the glitter gives the log even
more snowy appeal.
left, let the cake dry completely before gently pressing a nail or the sharp
end tip of a pair of
scissors through the top of the yule log. These
tiny holes will be where you can insert the
decorative picks after you
have colored them. Center, The decorative picks are made from
the printable below and toothpicks. Right, now it's time to fill the Yule log candy container
up with Christmas candy!
Don't forget to paint the lid of the candy container as well. Paint it
to match the other ends of the
yule log, with a vanilla swirl in the
middle.
Above is a sheet of Christmas Clip Art for you to decorate a Yule Log Cake with.
Mount the pictures to the tips of wooden toothpicks with school glue. Poke them
through either a faux cake like ours or a real cake top to decorate for the holidays.
The piano is an acoustic, stringed musical instrument invented in Italy by Bartolomeo Cristofori around the year 1700 (the exact year is uncertain), in which the strings are struck by hammers. It is played using a keyboard,
which is a row of keys (small levers) that the performer presses down
or strikes with the fingers and thumbs of both hands to cause the
hammers to strike the strings. The word piano is a shortened form of pianoforte, the Italian term for the early 1700s versions of the instrument, which in turn derives from gravicembalo col piano e forte and fortepiano. The Italian musical terms piano and forte indicate "soft" and "loud" respectively,
in this context referring to the variations in volume (i.e., loudness)
produced in response to a pianist's touch or pressure on the keys: the
greater the velocity of a key press, the greater the force of the hammer
hitting the strings, and the louder the sound of the note produced and
the stronger the attack. The name was created as a contrast to harpsichord,
a musical instrument that doesn't allow variation in volume. The first
forte pianos in the 1700s had a quieter sound and smaller dynamic range. Read more...
Click directly on the image to download the largest available size.
These are the color versions of Jessie Louise Taylor's Dutch Twins Paper Friends.
Directions For Making Fold-A-Way Dolls:
Mount the dolls on an old magazine cover, letterhead or perhaps even
discarded clean cereal boxes. Any stiff, clean cardboard will due.
When thoroughly dry, cut out all around the dark outlines and cut
into lines on base to make th e locks, also cut slits in bodies where
the dress tabs fit.
Fold over directly on the dotted lines at the top of the heads and
the dotted lines at the feet, but in the opposite directions, as shown
on the tiny figures.
Bring haves together and slide locks from one side into the slats on the opposite side. Doll will then stand alone.
The clothes need not be mounted, but will last longer if mounted on light weight paper before cutting out.
Cut into the slits and fold directly on the dotted lines, clothes will then go on and off almost like your own garments.
The hats should be folded, cut out and tipped with paste so that the back will stick to the front part below the slits.
In cutting out the goose follow same method as for the dolls.
This little paper doll named Dell made her debut in 1921 with a set of Winter clothes for school, play, parties, outdoor occasions and for pajamas for sleeping in.
"Dell is a very lucky little paper doll. Do you remember all the nice
new clothes she had in the Winter? Well, above are some more new ones
that her mother has just mad for her from the latest Butterick designs."
These Fashionistas carry white leather, couture bags made from recycled materials.
I picked up a few worn leather handbags for a dollar each at resale, intending to use them again in a craft or two. The couture bags shown here were made from a recycled white leather purse that was too damaged to do much with.
Your discarded and broken costume jewelry can be reused to trim couture
purses for a fashion doll.
Supply List:
recycled leather bag or purse
hot glue and hot glue gun
tacky crafter's glue
discarded chains
gold bead for clasp
extra leather trim
cotton fabric scraps for bag bottom and interior
embroidery floss
cotton balls
thin cardboard
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Cut the recycled leather, faux or real into a length measuring approximately 2"x3".
Hot glue the side edges together to make a cylinder shape. You can use a bit of cardboard tubing to help hold the shape of your bags until the glue has dried.
Trim off the excess glue with a tiny pair of scissors once it has dried.
Measure and cut cardboard circles to fit the bottom end of each bag.
Using tack glue, attach the cardboard circle to a piece of coordinating scrap fabric, leaving 1/4 inch of excess material to turn over the edges and paste in place. Making a neat finished edge for the bottom of your bag once you've glued it into place.
Stuff the miniature bag with a cotton ball after removing any cardboard you have put into the purse to hold it into place while the hot glue sets up.
At this point I finished the top edges of my leather with an embroidery stitch.
Then I folded a small rectangle over twice and thread this through a small jump ring attached to a chain for the purse and glued it inside one end of the purse opening. Repeat the same step for the opposite side of the purse as well.
I then glued the bag shut with hot glue. However, if the leather had been in better shape I would have chosen to line the bag so Barbie could actually put thins inside it.
Next I cut a strip of leather to hot glue on top of my back seam and then to wrap over the top of the purse "opening" and down just a bit for the fake clasp of the bag.
Then I glued a tiny brass bead to this brown strap to mimic a clasp on the doll's bag.
Far left, Hot glue the side edges together to make a cylinder shape. You can use a
bit of cardboard tubing to help hold the shape of your bags until the
glue has dried. Left center, Using tack glue, attach the cardboard circle to a piece of coordinating
scrap fabric, leaving 1/4 inch of excess material to turn over the edges
and paste in place. Right center, Making a neat finished edge for the bottom of your bag once you've glued it into place. Far right, Then I folded a small rectangle over twice and thread this through a
small jump ring attached to a chain for the purse and glued it inside
one end of the purse opening.
These paper dolls have costumes to wear to a ball! Cut along dotted lines, and slip doll's head
into slits thus
made. To make the dolls stand...paste a narrow strip of cardboard
at
waist line, which will form an easel stand.
Description of Coloring Page: masquerade costumes for a ball, pirate costumes, boots, sword, gypsy costume, coin edging, masks, hats, feathers, tambourine, policeman, lady with a fan
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.
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 1889 – 25 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. Chaplin became a worldwide icon through his screen persona "the Tramp" and is considered one of the most important figures in the history of the film industry. His career spanned more than 75 years, from childhood in the Victorian era until a year before his death in 1977, and encompassed both adulation and controversy. Read more...
Directions for Assembly:
Paste the page upon cardboard and cut out the circles.
Place the one with the cut-out piece on the side over the other one and push a brass fastener through the button on Charley's vest and the small circle in the center of the piece containing the heads.
Turn the under circle by means of it's paper handle.
Charlie is drawn having several nationalities.
The original pattern is by Harvey Peake, restored by kathy grimm.
"Pinocchio, the wistful puppet created by Geppetto, the wood carver, in Walt Disney's second full-length production, is an inviting subject for either a homemade puppet or an amusing and companionable little doll. The accompanying illustrations show how to go about making one patterned after the original, which was created by the Disney model department as an inspiration to the animators drawing Pinocchio.
If you are an expert wood carver yourself, the head might be fashioned from a solid block of soft white pine and the nose inserted (Fig. 1), but a surer way to achieve a fair likeness is first to make a clay model. From this a plaster-of-Paris mold is taken, and the head is cast in plastic composition wood (Figs. 2, 3, and 4). The hat is made in the same way as the head and glued on.
The casting process will be found simple if the steps are carefully carried out as illustrated. Note, however, in the step marked Fig. 4E it is not necessary to fill the mold with watery plaster. Just pour a little inside and swish it around to form a coating and prevent the wood composition from drying and shrinking. The joint where the two halves of the head come together should be filled and the whole sandpapered before painting.
The torso is carved from a solid block of soft white pine (Fig.
5), and holes are drilled as indicated for the thongs to which arms and
legs are attached, and for the elastic in the neck. The latter is a sort
of ball-and-socket joint so that it may be turned and twisted within
reasonable limits.
The Casting Process for Pinocchio.
String the marionette.
Legs and arms are of maple, although if they are to be painted flesh color, white pine will do. These pieces are slotted and jointed as in Fig. 6. For a doll, make the slots fit snugly so they will remain in any desired position, but for a marionette the joints should be very loose.
Hands and feet are cast in the plastic composition like the head, and the shapes are given in Fig. 7.
The assembly is illustrated in Fig. 8. Rawhide thongs are driven into holes in the upper arms and thighs, and fastened with glue or thin wedges. Costume and coloring are shown in Fig. 10.
There are various methods of attaching strings to a figure of this kind if it is to be used as a marionette, but one of the simplest is shown in Fig. 11. The wire extensions for the shoulder cords have the advantage of giving better control and hold the strings clear of the stiff white collar.
Geppetto, the indefatigable wood carver who made Pinocchio,
filled his shop with all manner of unique cuckoo clocks. This one can be
adapted to serve as a desk ornament. A hand-carved background of rushes
supports a dollar watch, and in the foreground is a painted pool with a
pair of ducks, one of them ‚"headin' south." Jig-saw the back wall from
white pine and carve in the design. The watch is set in a circular
opening, being held in place by a brass spring. If a lathe is available,
turn the retaining ring of hardwood; otherwise carve it out. The ducks
are whittled from white pine." Modern Mechanix
Douglas Fairbanks (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro but spent the early part of his career making comedies.
Fairbanks was a founding member of United Artists. He was also a founding member of The Motion Picture Academy and hosted the first Oscars Ceremony in 1929. With his marriage to Mary Pickford in 1920, the couple became Hollywood royalty and Fairbanks was referred to as "The King of Hollywood", a nickname later passed on to actor Clark Gable.
Though widely considered as one of the biggest stars in Hollywood
during the 1910s and 1920s, Fairbanks' career rapidly declined with the
advent of the "talkies". His final film was The Private Life of Don Juan (1934). Read more...
First cut out the page so that you can handle it conveniently. Then cut out the figures carefully on the outlines,
with scissors. Use a sharp knife point to cut along the dotted lines. Letters indicate which figures may
be used together.
Elsie Louise Ferguson (August 19, 1883 – November 15, 1961) was an American stage and film actress.
Born in New York City, Elsie Ferguson was the only child of Hiram and Amelia Ferguson. Her father was a successful attorney. Raised and educated in Manhattan,
she became interested in the theater at a young age and made her stage
debut at 17 as a chorus girl in a musical comedy. For almost two years,
from 1903 to 1905, she was a cast member in The Girl from Kays. In 1908, she was leading lady to Edgar Selwyn in Pierre of the Plains. By 1909, after several years apprenticeship under several producers, including Charles Frohman, Klaw & Erlanger, Charles Dillingham and Henry B. Harris, she was a major Broadway star, starring in Such a Little Queen. In 1910, she spent time on the stage in London. Actresses Evelyn Nesbit and Ethel Barrymore were friends of hers. Read more...
First cut out the page so that you can handle it conveniently. Then cut out the figures carefully on the outlines,
with scissors. Use a sharp knife point to cut along the dotted lines. Letters indicate which figures may
be used together.
The original by Dan Rudolph, restored for coloring by Kathy Grimm.
Description of Coloring Page: text "Oscar the Owl", tuxedo, top hat, large eyes, moving parts,
This is a mechanical paper doll and requires tiny brass fasteners,
brads or paper fasteners for it's assembly.
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.
The original by Dan Rudolph, restored for coloring by Kathy Grimm.
Description of Coloring Page: text "Tommy Tiger" checkered pants, bow tie, striped tiger, moving parts,
This is a mechanical paper doll and requires tiny brass fasteners,
brads or paper fasteners for it's assembly.
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.
The original by Dan Rudolph, restored for coloring by Kathy Grimm.
Description of Coloring Page: text "Tom & Jerry" cat and dog, moving parts,
This is a mechanical paper doll and requires tiny brass fasteners,
brads or paper fasteners for it's assembly.
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.
Click directly on the image to download the largest available size.
These are the color versions of Jessie Louise Taylor's Eskimo Twins Paper Friends.
Directions For Making Fold-A-Way Dolls:
Mount the dolls on an old magazine cover, letterhead or perhaps even
discarded clean cereal boxes. Any stiff, clean cardboard will due.
When thoroughly dry, cut out all around the dark outlines and cut
into lines on base to make th e locks, also cut slits in bodies where
the dress tabs fit.
Fold over directly on the dotted lines at the top of the heads and
the dotted lines at the feet, but in the opposite directions, as shown
on the tiny figures.
Bring haves together and slide locks from one side into the slats on the opposite side. Doll will then stand alone.
The clothes need not be mounted, but will last longer if mounted on light weight paper before cutting out.
Cut into the slits and fold directly on the dotted lines, clothes will then go on and off almost like your own garments.
The clothing should be folded, cut out and tipped with paste so that the back will stick to the front part below the slits.
In cutting out the puppies follow same method as for the dolls.
Click directly on the image to download the largest available size.
These are the color versions of Jessie Louise Taylor's Puritan (Pilgrim) Twins.
Directions For Making Fold-A-Way Dolls:
Mount the dolls on an old magazine cover, letterhead or perhaps even discarded clean cereal boxes. Any stiff, clean cardboard will due.
When thoroughly dry, cut out all around the dark outlines and cut into lines on base to make th e locks, also cut slits in bodies where the dress tabs fit.
Fold over directly on the dotted lines at the top of the heads and the dotted lines at the feet, but in the opposite directions, as shown on the tiny figures.
Bring haves together and slide locks from one side into the slats on the opposite side. Doll will then stand alone.
The clothes need not be mounted, but will last longer if mounted on light weight paper before cutting out.
Cut into the slits and fold directly on the dotted lines, clothes will then go on and off almost like your own garments.
The hats should be folded, cut out and tipped with paste so that the back will stick to the front part below the slits.
In cutting out the lobster follow same method as for the dolls.
The fact that children make living things out of their toy horses, dogs and the rest is known to every observer of their ways. To the natural unsceptical eye the boy on his rudely carved "gee-gee" slashing the dull flank with all a boy's glee, looks as if he were possessed with the fancy that the rigid inert-looking block which he bestraddles is a very horse.
This breathing of life into playthings is seen in all its magic force in play with dolls. A doll, broadly conceived, is anything which a child carries about and makes a pet of. The toy horse, dog or what not that a little boy nurses, feeds and takes to bed with him has much of the dignity of a true doll. But adopting conventional distinctions we shall confine the word to those things which are more or less endowed by childish fancy with human form and character.
I read somewhere recently that the doll is a plaything for girls only: but young boys, though they often prefer india-rubber horses and other animals, not infrequently go through a stage of doll-love also, and are hardly less devoted than girls.
Endless is the variety of role assigned to the doll. It is the all-important comrade in that solitude a deux of which the child, like the adult, is so fond. Mrs. Burnett tells us that when nursing her doll in the armchair of the parlor she would sail across enchanted seas to enchanted islands having all sorts of thrilling adventures.
Very tenderly, on the whole, is the little doll-lover wont to use her pet, doing her best to keep it clean and tidy, feeding it, putting it to bed, amusing it, for example, by showing it her pictures, tending it with fidelity during bouts of sickness, and giving it the honors of a funeral when, from the attack of a dog set on by an unfeeling brother or other cause, it comes to "die"; or when, as in the case of little Jane Welsh (afterwards Mrs. Carlyle), the time has come for the young lady to cast aside her dolls.
The doll-interest implies a deep mysterious sympathy. Children wish their dolls to share in their things, to be kissed when they are kissed, and so to come close to them in experience and feeling. Not only so, they look for sympathy from their doll-companions, taking to them all their childish troubles. So far is this feeling of oneness carried in some cases that the passion for dolls has actually rendered the child indifferent to child-companions. It is not every little girl who like little Maggie Tulliver has only "occasional fits of fondness " for her nursling when the brother is absent.
Not only in this lavishing of tenderness and of sympathy on the doll, but in the occasional discharge on it of a fit of anger, children show how near it comes to a human companion. The punishment of the doll is an important element in nursery-life. It is apt to be carried out with formal solemnity and often with something of brutal emphasis. Yet tenderness being the strongest part of the doll-attachment, the little disciplinarians are apt to suffer afterwards for their cruelty, one little girl showing remorse after such a chastisement of her pet for several days.
I have talked here of " dolls," but I must not be supposed to be speaking merely of the lovely creatures with blue eyes and yellow hair with which the well-to-do child is wont to be supplied. Nothing is more strange and curious in child-life than its art of manufacturing dolls out of the most unpromising materials. The creative child can find something to nurse and fondle and take to bed with it in a bundle of hay tied round with a string, in a shawl, a pillow, a stick, a clothes-pin, or a clay-pipe. Victor Hugo, with a true touch, makes the little outcast Cosette, who has never had a "real doll," fashion one out of a tiny leaden sword and a rag or two, putting it to sleep in her arms with a soft lullaby.
Do any of us really understand the child's attitude of mind towards its doll? Although gifted writers like George Sand have tried to take us back to the feeling of childhood, it may be doubted whether they have made it intelligible to us. And certainly the answers to questions collected in America have done little, if anything, towards making it clear. The truth is that the perfect child's faith in dolldom passes away early, in most cases it would appear about the age of thirteen or fourteen. It is then that the young people begin clearly to realize the shocking fact that dolls have no "inner life". Occasionally girls will go on playing with dolls much later than this, but not surely with the old sincerity.
That many children have a genuine delusion about their dolls seems evident. That is to say when they talk to them and otherwise treat them as human they imaginatively realize that they can understand and feel. The force of the illusion, blotting out from the child's view the naked reality before its eyes, is a striking illustration of the vividness of early fancy. Perhaps, too, this intensity of faith comes in part of the strength of the impulses which commonly sustain the doll-passion. Of these the instinct of companionship, of sympathy, is the strongest. A lady tells me she remembers that when a child she had a passionate longing for a big, big doll, which would give her the full sweetness of cuddling. The imitative impulse, too, prompting the child to carry out on the doll actions similar to those carried out on itself by mother and nurse, is a strong support of the delusion. A doll, as the odd varieties selected show, seems to be, more than anything else, something to be dressed. Children's reasons for preferring one doll to another, as that it can have its face washed, or that it has real hair which can be combed, show how the impulse to carry out nursery operations sustains the feeling of attachment. A girl (the same that wanted the big doll to cuddle) had dolls of the proper sort; yet she preferred to make one out of a little wooden stool, because she could more realistically act out with this odd substitute the experience of taking her pet out for a walk, making it stand, for example, when she met a friend.
Of course, the child's faith, like other faith, is not always up to the height of perfect ardor. A child of six or seven, when the passion for dolls is apt to be strong, will have moments of coolness, leaving "poor dolly" lying in the most humiliating posture on the floor, or throwing it away in a sudden fit of disenchantment and disgust. Scepticism will intrude, especially when the hidden inside comes to view as mere emptiness, or at best as nothing but sawdust.
Children seem, as George Sand says, to oscillate between the real and the impossible. Yet the intrusion of doubt does not, in many cases at least, interfere with an enduring trust. Dr. Stanley Hall tells us that "long after it is known that they are wood, wax, etc, it is felt that they are of skin, flesh, etc.". Yes, that is it; the child, seized with the genuine play-mood, dreams its doll into a living child, or living adult. How oddly the player's faith goes on living side by side with a measure of doubt is illustrated in the following story. A little girl begged her mother not to make remarks about her doll in her (the doll's) presence, as she had been trying all her life to keep that doll from knowing that she was not alive.
The treating of the doll and images of animals, such as the wooden or india-rubber horse, as living things is the outcome of the play-impulse. All the imaginative play of children seems, so far as we can understand it, to have about it something of illusion. This fact of the full sincere acceptance of the play-world as for the moment the real one, is illustrated in the child's jealous insistence that everything shall for the time pass over from the everyday world into the new one. " About the age of four," writes M. Egger of his boys, "Felix is playing at being coachman; Emile happens to return home at the moment. In announcing his brother, Felix does not say, 'Emile is come;' he says, 'The brother of the coachman is come '." It is illustrated further in the keen resentment of any act on the part of the mother or other person which seems to contradict the facts of the new world. A boy of two who was playing one morning in his mother's bed at drinking up the cat's milk from an imaginary saucer on the pillow, said a little crossly to his mother, who was getting into bed after fetching his toys: "Don't lie on de saucer, mommy!" The pain inflicted on the little player by such a contradictory action is sometimes intense. A little girl of four was playing "shops" with her younger sister. "The elder one (writes the mother) was shopman at the time I came into her room and kissed her. She broke out into piteous sobs, I could not understand why. At last she sobbed out: "Mother, you never kiss the man in the shop." I had with my kiss quite spoilt her illusion."
But there is still another, and some will think a more conclusive way of satisfying ourselves of the reality of the play-illusion. The child finds himself confronted by the unbeliever who questions what he says about the dolls crying and so forth, and in this case he will often stoutly defend his creed. "Discussions with sceptical brothers (writes Dr. Stanley Hall), who assert that the doll is nothing but wood, rubber, wax, etc., are often met with a resentment as keen as that vented upon missionaries who declare that idols are but stocks and stones." It is the same with the toy-horse. "When (writes a mother of her boy) he was just over two years old L. began to speak of a favorite wooden horse (Dobbin) as if it were a real living creature. "No tarpenter (carpenter) made Dobbin,' he would say, 'he is not wooden but kin (skin) and bones and Dod (God) made him.' If any one said ' it ' in speaking of the horse his wrath was instantly aroused, and he would shout indignantly: 'It! You mut'ent tay it, you mut tay he.' "
While play in its absorbing moments, and even afterwards, may thus produce a genuine illusion, the state of perfect realization is of course apt to be broken by intervals of scepticism. This has already been illustrated in the case of the doll. The same little boy that played with the imaginary mice was sitting on his stool pretending to smoke like his grandpapa out of a bit of bent cardboard. Suddenly his face clouded over; he stroked his chin, and remarked in a disappointed tone, "I have not got any whiskers ". The dream of full manhood was here rudely dispelled by a recall to reality.
A measure of the same fanciful transformation of things that has been illustrated in make-believe play, a measure, too, of the illusion which frequently accompanies it, enters, I believe, into all children's pastimes. Whence comes the perennial charm, the undying popularity, of the hoop? Is not the interest here due to the circumstance that the child controls a thing which in the freedom of its movements suggests that it has a will of its own? This seems borne out by the following story. A little girl of five once stopped trundling her hoop and said to her mother she thought that her hoop must be alive, because "it is so sensible; it goes where I want it to." Perhaps the same thing may be said of other toys, as the kite and the sailing boat.
Nothing says welcome to our home like a cheerful, festive wreath wired to the front door of your dollhouse! Wreaths are so simple to make, you'll want to make more than one.
Take time and care to attach a tiny hook permanently to your dollhouse door so that you can change out the decorations according to the seasonor holiday.
Supply List:
furry chenille stems in green or red
Mardi-Gras beads or any beads
ribbon
wire for a hook attachment
hot glue gun and hot glue
Step-by-Step Directions:
Twist the chenille stem into a wreath shape. Hold the initial shape up to the door or wall that you would like to decorate it with. Then you can reshape the wreath larger or smaller if need be.
Twist the Mardi-Gras beads around the wreaths and hot glue these to the chenille stems as needed.
Shape the ribbons into bows and hot glue these onto the top of each wreath.
Shape and hook a small wire to the back of the ribbon for hanging.
More Ways To Craft Christmas Wreaths for Your Doll's House:
