Reliving My Childhood

It's a very lazy Sunday here at the Resort.  We skipped church due to my sleeping in (daylight savings time, I hate you!), and so enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of eggs Benedict. That was followed by a relaxing time on the sofa with a good book, followed by, amazingly, a nap!  I told you it's a very lazy Sunday.

Meanwhile, in my last post I said I'd be back in a day or so and here I am.  I'm trying to do better with this poor blog. And so, what do I have to share?  Dolls.  Dolls? Yes, dolls.  I love dolls. Always have. As a girl, I got a new doll every Christmas, with one notable year where I ended up with three. I loved them one and all.  My best friend, Kathy, and I spent many hours of our growing up years playing with dolls.  

Most of my childhood dolls are long gone, but about twenty years ago, I discovered that there were some amazing dolls being made.  The Tonner doll company was making a 14" Betsy McCall doll that was adorable. I still had my original 8" Betsy and some of her clothes, so I felt an immediate need for the new one.  Kind of a big sister, so to speak, for my little one.  And the American Girl dolls!  I needed one of those, too!  I put them on Christmas lists and my sweetheart bought both for me. Over the next few years, several more dolls found their way to our house.  I even bought a stash to share with future granddaughters, but as we have four grandsons, they were eventually shared with a friend.

Over my teaching years my doll collection was sadly ignored, but recently I've been inspired by my longtime dolly buddy Kathy, and I'm again playing.  

I think I'm done adding any dolls to my group (I don't want to have too many to love, like the matchbox car story), but I'm interested in doing some sewing for them.  Not too many outfits, just enough for seasons, special occasions, and fun times as the mood strikes.  

When we bought this house almost eighteen years ago, there were two sets of shelves in the basement family room, complete with glass doors.  My dolls live in one and Dan's collection of Nutcrackers live in the other.   

Here are my girls starting with the top shelf:

They are, left to right, back row,  American Girl Samantha, now being reinvented as me in the fifties, a porcelain doll I bought in Levenworth, Washington, Tonner's 14" Betsy McCall, and Rose, a Magic Attic doll. Front row:  Mary Englebreit's Ann Estelle and her friend Sophie, and my tiny Betsy McCall.

This shelf features dolls I have created to match characters from a book series and a movie.  On the left is a Just Pretend doll I remade into Amelia Peabody, famed egyptologist from the turn of the last century, from the book series by Elizabeth Peters.  On the right is Eve Tozer (another Just Pretend doll), from the Tom Selleck movie, High Road to China.  The wonderful accessories were obtained when the internet doll store, iDolls, went out of business.  

And last, here is the bottom shelf.  The little doll in the desk was purchased in Boise at a toy store. She has a sweet face and one eye that doesn't work quite right.  I just couldn't leave her behind, never to be loved.  The center doll is a Heidi Ott doll I've named Amalia after my Norwegian grandfather's mother.  I had fun making this outfit for her.  The doll on the right is another porcelain one my son and daughter-in-law brought back from Germany.  

So there you have it.  I still play dolls.  Actually, what I really do is dress dolls, with plans to make more clothes to dress them in.  It's fun and it keeps me out of trouble. (However, my love of shoes has carried over to the dolls, and there are many adorable ones just waiting to be purchased!!!)