Wishing to all of you, my Friends,

a Very Blessed Christmas

and a Happy New Year to come!

I Should Probably Be Baking.....

But I would rather be making dollies. Much less fattening too. So I'm working on some for the new year. This Izzy is about 15". I just love the tiny print fabric. Had so much fun with this one, (eventhough I completely made the dress a second time...just didn't like the fit of the first).. I'm working on some more....


Oh, and BTW, Sally got her legs today. I don't know about other dollmakers... Is it proper to make their underclothes first? I can hardly wait to pick the dress fabrics and design the dress. I thought, the brown flower stripe would make a nice pinafore, the blue in it matching her bonnet... so except for the Izzy up here, I usually make unders last.... more dolly updates to come....



Not sure what style clothing to give this young lad yet...



Just a few house pix here.


Yes, this is a potty chair and it is in my living room...everyone needs a conversation piece ( it probably, originally was in someone's large old, plumbingless bedroom). I actually saw on an old HGTV show, where someone used two just like it at a hutch table in their breakfast room! (It's realy very comfortable!) .... The beautifully carved, claw-foot Chippendale candlestand and the Hepplewhite table were made by my dear, talented husband. Ok, I confess my decor is a mixture of periods and styles, but each piece is very special to me. And, yes, I have to enlarge and paint the boring woodwork and do some more stenciling, but then I wouldn't get in my studio for at least month.....later,

ARTIE'S BOOKS

I do love old lithographed toys and books. These wonderful old books belonged to my husband's great, great grandfather, Artie. I love looking through their delicate pages and seeing the stories and illustrations.



The hand written inscriptions inside the books date from the 1870's.



All we know about Artie, is that he was raised by two spinster aunts in one of the Stone Row houses pictured here. And, since it was very rare for a child to receive so many books as gifts at that time, I'm sure they spoiled him. The books are full of, not only nursery rhymes, but illustrated adventure stories. They must have really fueled his imagination, because it is told, that as a young man he ran off to join the circus that came to town.



The book in this last picture, the Christmas book, was given to Artie in December of 1886.
In my Picturetrail, you will find a photo of the doll that he inspired.