Wednesday, September 4, 2019

The Life of A Wooden Doll by Lewis Saxby, 1903

To Maud, whose enthusiastic love of dolls
and things diminutive, awoke these fancies in
and suggested this series to the Author.

This series of photographs attempts, merely, a set of poses such as busy little imitators of their elders are fond of making with their accumulated doll properties. It is neither story illustrated nor illustration storied, and is marked by natural and necessary limitations which, the author trusts, will but add charm.

MRS. Dolly of Dolltown is not one of those
Who, when laid on their backs for a moment's repose,
Move a pair of big eyes that are lidless yet close.

Neither will she say "Ma-Ma" when squeezed at the waist.
In her strong wooden talk-box no squeaker is placed.
Besides, squeaking, with ladies, is not in good taste.

Though her neat little body is made out of wood,
And her hair of black paint is made smooth like a hood,
See her face ! How much better than pretty! - it's good.

No baby is Dolly, though little in size:
She's a genuine woman with motherly eyes,
And, as shortly you'll learn, she's both loving and wise.

On each day of the week she has something to do.
To her household and friends she is always so true,
And she keeps them so happy they never feel blue.


MONDAY
MRS. Dolly is happy the day
after Sunday;
All the terrors of washing can't make it
Blue Monday:
Though tubbing and scrubbing, to her
it is fun-day.


MONDAY
Out to dry on the line, in the brisk
morning air.
She is hanging the washing, so sweet
and so fair:
Heavy garments, lace collars and hose
by the pair.


MONDAY
SEE our dear little wash-lady,
happy and free;
She is cheerfully giving a Blue
Monday tea:
So real ladies do washing, as here
you may see.


TUESDAY
VERY early on Tuesday she goes,
with a will,
At the warm work of ironing clothing,
until
Nearly -  No, she is one of the sort
you can't kill.


TUESDAY
BEFORE noon all the ironing's out
of the way,
Such a wonder is Dolly, work seems
to her play:
For she bakes a large stack of fine bread
the same day.


WEDNESDAY
OH that bric-a-brac cat! he gets
tangled in wool;
Often out of the cradle the baby
he'll pull:
Dolly christened him "Mischief"
of which he is full.


WEDNESDAY
FOR her trim little body, a trim
little waist
Mrs. Dolly is making with exquisite
taste;
And in daintiest style all the trimmings
are placed.


WEDNESDAY
TO the musical hum of her
sewing machine,
Dolly pedals with vigor, and,
singing between
All the long run of stitches, her work
is serene.


THURSDAY
TO a week that is full of hard work
Dolly lends
This one day of relief, when all
Dollytown wends
To her cottage; for then she's "at home"
to her friends.


THURSDAY
IN the mid-winter season, when
evenings are long,
Mrs. Dolly gives parties, for dancing
and song:
She's the recognized leader of
Dolltown's "bong tong."


FRIDAY
THEN on Friday she turns to her
every-day cares.
All the carpets, the pictures, the sofas,
the chairs,
Free from dust Dolly cleanses;
her broom nothing spares.


FRIDAY
BUT the sweeping and cleaning
are very soon done.
For our Dolly has lunched, and at
thirty past one,
She is off in an auto, to take
a long run.


FRIDAY
FRIDAY must be unlucky, for,
what do you think?
Baby fell with a crash which made
every one blink:
But they mended his spindle
as quick as a wink.


SATURDAY
INTO Saturday's market our
housekeeper drops
Just to order some beefsteaks, some
dainty lamb chops
And a dozen frogs' legs safely trimmed
of their hops.


SATURDAY
NOW, to cook on good Sunday
is not Dolly's way:
So the food must be cooked and then
all put away
In the ice box and cupboard, for
serving next day.


SUNDAY
AFTER dinner on Sunday, she
lectures her pets
On their morals and manners, but
Dolly regrets
That old "Mischief," the cat, to be
solemn forgets.


SUNDAY
AS the churches of Dolltown are
built very small,
And the doll folk can hardly get
in them at all,
Mrs. Dolly holds service at home
in the hall.


DOLLY'S BOUDOIR
THIS is Dolly's own room where
she makes herself prim.
It is here she prepares to go into
the swim:
So she keeps her boudoir in the
finest of trim.


DOLLY'S GREENHOUSE
IN a pretty glass house, Mrs. Dolly
keeps flowers.
Which daily she waters with gentlest
of showers,
Letting in the fresh air in the bright
sunny hours.


BABY'S OUTING
EVERY day, in fine weather, she
takes baby out
In his new silver carriage, and wheels
him about;
Which makes him both healthy and
happy, no doubt.


SHOPPING
WHEN our Dolly goes shopping
she buys so much stuff
That it makes the express porter
stagger and puff
To deliver her packages, more than
enough.


PING PONG
MRS. Dolly has carried the prizes
along,
For her skill at the popular game of
Ping Pong;
She is, surely, the smartest of all the
smart throng.


DINNER PARTY
MRS. Dolly serves something
much better than wine
To the notable dollies invited to dine.
What is it? Just water, clear, sparkling
and fine.


POULTRY YARD
DOLLY'S favorite pets are the
ducks and the chicks
Who know perfectly well when it's
quarter to six;
Then, they cluster around and
"cut-up" many tricks.


HORSE SHOW
DOLLY loves the fine horses; but
then, as you know,
The most beautiful horses have very
small show
Where such beautiful dollies and
donkeys do go.


PICNIC
THERE'S nothing which gives
Mrs. Dolly delight
Quite so much as a picnic. Just see,
what a sight!
Old "Mischief" enjoys it; indeed,
well he might.


CAMPING
WHEN Dolly is camping,
excitement comes double.
Dear me! What has happened, to
cause such a bubble?
Oh, that match-holder baby! He's.
always in trouble!


THE GLORIOUS FOURTH
DOLLY'S patriot family heads
the parade,
In the Red-White-and-Blue very
gaily arrayed:
For to show her true colors she's
never afraid.


LOOK PLEASANT
HERE, a souvenir photograph
Dolly is taking
Of all the doll people and things
that are making
Her life, like this book, such a sweet
undertaking.

Make a Halloween Sticker Wreath for Your Doll House

This simple Halloween wreath project takes only a few seconds 
to put together and costs only two dollars to make if you purchase 
your supplies from a dollar store!
Supply List:
  • small Halloween stickers 
  • wire garland, orange and black for Halloween
  • small wire hook (Christmas ornament hooks)
Step-by-Step Directions:
  1. If you purchase your wire garland from the dollar store like me, you may need to trim this back a bit in order to get a uniform looking garland that is small enough for a doll sized door or wall. Whether you do this or not has much to do with where you wish to hang it.
  2. Twist the garland into a round shape and wire it in place with a few Christmas ornament hooks.
  3. Choose tiny stickers with a Halloween theme to decorate the wreath with. I just stuck mine in place without adding any extra glue. However, you may wish to add extra glue if you think the stickers might fall off.
  4. Now you can twist on an extra wire hook, in order to hang your doll's wreath on your dollhouse wall or front door.
More Dollhouse Wreaths to Craft:

How to Cut Paper Spider Webs...

Above spider webs are cut from white typing paper
using an old paper cutting technique. This fold is the
 same for cutting Christmas snowflakes.
      You can cut paper spider webs for Halloween the same way that snowflakes are cut for Christmas decorating! 
       Simply measure and cut a perfect square of any size (four equal sides) from white typing paper. Then fold it into a triangle three times. Every time you make a fold be sure to flatten the crease in your paper out with a bonefolder so that your design will be cut clean and neat. 
       Then draw a web pattern onto one side just as I have done in the photo below and cut it out. 
       Unfold the paper cut carefully. You don't want to snag it or the web might tear. 
       Now you have a lovely web to decorate your doll's house with!
       You can pin these to the walls of your doll house or lay them on top of a doll buffet table or dining room table for decoration. I decoupaged a couple of lids with my webs to make Halloween cookie platters after painting them black. Use Mod Podge for this craft idea pictured below.

Left, are the steps used to make paper spider webs.
Right is a drawing of how the web cuts should look.


Left you can see my cookie platter with the white paper web Mod Podged on top of a black
painted lid. On the right, are some doll sized eye-ball, sugar cookies that I
made using Sculpey sitting on a spider web platter.


Chasing Shadows

It's fun to chase my shadow
Out in the warm bright sun.
I never yet have caught it
But I like to make it run.

It's just a little different
When Hallowe'en comes 'round,
Then shadows seem to lengthen
And I cannot hear a sound.

Then's the time for creepy feelings,
Not for sport and jolly play,
So instead of shadow chasing
I just want to run away.

Paint a Miniature Black Cat Planter for A Doll's Garden

       Make your doll's garden festive this year with a black, Halloween feline planter. I purchased the faux flowers for this craft at a dollar store. The terracotta pots come in sets from both dollar stores and Targets, but you can also find these at local hobby shops everywhere.

A black cat pot with large blue eyes and fuzzy tail.
Supply List:
  • miniature terracotta pot(s)
  • acrylic paints: black, blue, pink, white
  • black yarn
  • one cotton ball
  • black construction paper
  • hot glue and hot glue gun
  • artificial flowers from 
  • aluminum foil
  • green felt
Step-by-Step Directions:
  1. First paint the outside of your miniature terracotta pot with black acrylic paint. Let it dry.
  2. Crush aluminum foil to fill the inside of the miniature pot. Poke holes into this foil in order to support the faux, flowers.
  3. Remove the flowers after determining where these will go.
  4. Next, cut up small pieces of green felt to cover the foil showing at the top of the pot. Hot glue this felt around the holes made for the flowers.
  5. Cut two, small black triangles from the black construction paper. Glue these onto the pot for cat's ears. (see picture above)
  6. Paint a smaller white furry triangle inside the black ears to mimic a cat's ear.
  7. Paint a cat's face onto your Halloween planter using white, blue and pink acrylic paints. (see photo)
  8. Hot glue a piece of black yarn directly onto the surface of the pot and curl it around the side to look like a tail.
  9. I wrapped a small piece of cotton on the end of my cat's tail with a bit of glue.
  10. Now poke the artificial flowers back inside the pot's holes at the top of the planter. Now you can display a cut Halloween cat in your doll's garden!
The Ghost of a Flower.

"You're what?" asked the common or garden spook
Of a stranger at midnight's hour.
And the shade replied with a graceful glide,
"Why, I'm the ghost of a flower."

"The ghost of a flower?" said the old-time spook;
"That's a brand-new one on me;
I never supposed a flower had a ghost,
Though I've seen the shade of a tree."

DIY Doll Sized Candied Apples

These faux candied apples are approximately one inch in diameter; perfectly sized for our 18" American Girl dolls.
       Every doll lover should have a sweet, candied apple selection for her dolls to enjoy during the holidays. Ours are made from small, turned wooden apples and popsicle sticks. Just cut the sticks to the length you prefer and glue them into the centers of each apple. Let the glue dry and stiffen over night before painting the apples with red, gold or green acrylic paints. Then dip your apples into your choice of caramel, white or brown chocolate colored paints. 
       Place the wet apples on top of wax paper and let the dipped paints settle and dry so that the apples are supported by a small amount of paint pooled beneath them. This is how real caramel or candied apples are allowed to dry too! It should take several days for the paint to dry. Carefully peel away the wax paper after the paint on the apples has hardened. 
       Give the apples even more decorative surfaces with colored puff paints, glitter glue and beads that look like small hard candies, if you'd like.
Left, small 1" diameter wooden apples with flat bamboo skewers glued into the top where stems would
originate from. Right, I've painted half of my apples green and the other half red.
Left, apples drying upside down inside of a plastic egg carton. Right, apples dry on top of brown paper.
Left, Caramel Candied Apples. See a real recipe here.
Right, Jolly Rancher or Red Hots Candied Apples. See a real recipe here.
Left, White Chocolate Dipped Apples with Drizzle. See a real recipe here. 
Right, Chocolate Dipped Apples. See a real recipe here.
More Candy Apple Crafts:

Craft Cute Bottle Cap Puddings for Halloween

Top, Spider Puddin' Pies for the doll's Halloween Fun!
Bottom, Jack-O-Lantern Puddin' Pies the size of a nickel.
    These tiny Halloween puddings are sure to be popular with any dolls this coming October! You will need to collect bottle caps for the project, so be on the look out for them. Ask your older family members to save the bottle caps that have the fewest amount of dents. Sometimes these can get too bent up to use twice if they are removed forcibly from the bottle.

Supply List:
  • discarded, clean bottle caps
  • puff paints: black, white
  • orange glitter glue
  • Sculpey or any oven bake clay
  • tan acrylic paint (for the pie crusts)
  • tiny paint brushes
Step-by-Step Directions:
  1. First, remove the sticky plastic liners from the under side of the bottle caps. This can be difficult to do if you are very young. Ask an adult to help you.
  2. Take a small bit of oven-bake clay and press it into the lip of the bottle cap and bake at 275 degree oven for five to seven minutes. (see photo below)
  3. Let the bottle caps cool completely and then squeeze black and/or orange puffy paints into the middle of the caps. This will be your doll's pudding.
  4. It may take several days for the puffy paints to dry depending upon the weather or where you live. After this paint has hardened, use a small amount of tan acrylic paint to cover the edges of your pie crusts.
  5. If you wish to paint the spider webs, use two colors of puffy paints to make these tiny marks. I chose a transparent sparkly white and a regular white for my painted webs. Be careful about squeezing the paints out of their bottles; work slowly. (see photo above)
  6. Use black puffy paint to make the faces on top of the pumpkin puddings.
The oven-bake clay should be worked tightly into the corners of the
bottle caps, so that the clay looks like tiny shaped pie crusts. Remove
the plastic coating inside the bottle cap before baking the clay at
 275 degrees.
Left, tiny doll sized puddings for a Halloween feast: a spider web pudding and glittery,
shimmery pumpkin puddings painted like Jack-O-Lanterns. Right, a few of the supplies
needed for this cute craft.
Make Similar Halloween Deserts for Yourself:

Hallowe'en.
The night wind whispers--Ghosts!
They are waiting for their hosts;
The waning moon is weary and will not be up till late;
Already there are shadows at the gate.
A word, half heard, that is whispered in your ear,
And a presence that is felt when no one else is near.
Have you been along the corridors alone - all alone -
And listened to the wind up yonder making moan?
Have you thought about it all,
The footfall in the hall
That comes and goes - comes and goes -
With the measure of a heartbeat of a life that ebbs and flows?

Nun Dolls Dressed in Habits

A Nun doll collection represented the Cloistered Order Of St. Bridget from River Michigan Shrine.
        A religious habit is a distinctive set of religious clothing worn by members of a religious order. Traditionally some plain garb recognizable as a religious habit has also been worn by those leading the religious eremitic and anchoritic life, although in their case without conformity to a particular uniform style.
       In the typical Roman Catholic or Anglican orders, the habit consists of a tunic covered by a scapular and cowl, with a hood for monks or friars and a veil for nuns; in other orders it may be a distinctive form of cassock for men, or a distinctive habit and veil for women. Modern habits are sometimes eschewed in favor of a simple business suit. Catholic Canon Law requires only that it be in some way identifiable so that the person may serve as a witness of Gospel values. This requires flexibility and creativity. For instance in Turkey, a Franciscan might wear street clothes.
       In many orders, the conclusion of postulancy and the beginning of the novitiate is marked by a ceremony, during which the new novice is accepted then clothed in the community's habit by the superior. In some cases the novice's habit will be somewhat different from the customary habit: for instance, in certain orders of women that use the veil, it is common for novices to wear a white veil while professed members wear black, or if the order generally wears white, the novice wears a grey veil. Among some Franciscan communities of men, novices wear a sort of overshirt over their tunic; Carthusian novices wear a black cloak over their white habit.
75 nun dolls from the Archdiocese of Atlanta Archives.

Chicago magazine advertisement for "Our Little Sister" dolls from 1938.

Upper Left, "Nun Doll. 13 inches tall. Composition head; painted features. Full composition body, moving arms and legs. Dressed in black cotton regulation Nun outfit. Complete with beads. Each in box.  N. 36N136. Per dozen .....8.50."

Upper Center, "Our Little Sister Doll. This doll has a distinctive quality which endows it with universal sales appeal. Actually the vestments symbolize the real-life Sister Orders. Crucifixes, Rosary Beads, and a handsomely bound Miniature Prayer book are included with each doll. This doll will add prestige to any dealer's line and will offer continuous profit possibilities. These dolls are 13 inches high, all composition, with jointed arms and legs. They have painted eyes and beautiful facial colorings. Packed each in box. No. 36N139. Per dozen ......16.50 Each...1.50"

Upper Right, "Our Little Sister" Doll. 17 1/2 inches high. All composition, and have moving eyes with beautiful long lashes. Lips are parted showing tiny white teeth. Stately in appearance, they are realistically garbed in neatly tailored robes of the finest materials. The miniature prayer book which is included, is completely printed and beautifully bound in simulated black leather. No 36N140. Per dozen.....40.00 Each......3.50"


Saturday, August 24, 2019

Glamorous Figure Skating Attire from 1921

       "There has been a remarkable development of interest in the fine sport of figure skating in the United States and Canada. Some have called this a. revival or renaissance. To the writer it seems to be much more than a revival. The history of skating on this continent shows no time when there was any such interest in the serious study of the principles and theory of the sport as there is at this time. Never has there been a time when so many were seeking in skating not merely a pastime for outdoors but the right form and practise of that pastime. The difference between knocking a bit of wood around the ice with a stick and the modern highly developed game of hockey is not greater than the difference between "skating'' as our fathers knew it, and the recent scientific analysis of skating strokes and balances." Spalding, 1921
       The following glamorous figure skaters, in black and white photos, are dressed in: fur trims, velvet brocades, heavy stockings, and warm winter hats. Students may use them in their journals, lapbooks etc... However, the clip art on this blog is not to be redistributed on the web.