I was going to show you the curtains I made for my newly painted kitchen window, but the paint is still wet from the second coat so I decided I better find something else to share with you…
I think this will bring a smile to your face much more than curtains would have…
Joy sent me 2 pictures of her girls (that’s DOLLS if you’re new to my blog…) The first one is of her A Girl for All Time dolls… Amelia is on the left and Clemmy (I think that’s short for Clementine) is in the middle and Maya is on the right. Amelia is having a welcoming party in honor of the new girls! Aren’t they sweet?
If you click on any picture it will enlarge…
The second picture cracks me up every time I see it… These are her 11″ My Meadow dolls, Patti and Tella on the motorcycle and little 6″ Romey is hanging on for dear life on the back… If you can click on this picture and look at it full screen…it is a riot! Thanks Joy!
Then Linda sent me some pictures she called the Dog Days of Summer… Felicity and Cecile are having a lemonade party…
Susan, Ruthie and Molly are at the ice cream stand… (it looks to me like Betsy is paying! $$$)
…and Ivy and Scarlet are having malts…
The only thing Linda worries about is them fitting into their school clothes in a few weeks… (yikes!)
I thought “maybe” I’d give you a quick look at my curtains after all…I took this picture the other night when I finished them. They’ll look better when the trim around the window is IN the picture and the dishes are OUT! :o)
Have a great Wednesday,
See you soon,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, what Wonderful pictures from Joy and Linda–thanks, girls for sharing those! They are such fun. My poor little girls are feeling very neglected as I have not done much of anything with them in ages. Oops…bad mommy!!
Jeanne, your curtains are lovely, and I know they will just complete the whole “look” when we see them with trim and accessories in place!
HI Charlotte,
My girls are feeling pretty neglected too!!
Since my window sill is right by my faucet, I painted it again to make sure it”s nice and waterproof.
Thanks Charlotte,
Blessings, Jeanne
Here I am, trying to comment again, since the first time didn’t go through!
I love the pretty buffalo checked curtains, Jeanne! Did you find the material online? I don’t see that often in stores that sell fabric. It will look great with the finished trim all painted and there! Best of all, they won’t hide the trim!
Joy’s pictures are so cute! She is very brave to take her dolls outside for pictures, if she has neighbors. I just cannot do that with neighbors all around. I’m sure they think I nuts enough already! The tea party is so cute with all those yummy treats, and the second picture just cracks me up too! I love their adventurous spirit!
And lastly, why do you wash dishes by hand, dear Jeanne, when you have a dishwasher right there?? 😉
How sad that we feel we can’t give our dolly kiddoes some fresh air occasionally, but I totally understand your reticence. I had an aunt once that told me sewing for my dolls was a waste of my time. I should be sewing for myself. I was about 10 or 11. My husband is very accepting of my second childhood, but even he has his limits on how many “children” we adopt, especially given the prices of some of them. But most of my neighbors would think I was daft if I put my dolls outside in their swimming pool and started taking pictures. My son, 35, thinks my dolly people are creepy. He has a six year old daughter who’s not really into dolls as yet, but is getting there. I plan to seriously indulge her burgeoning interest.
HI Linda,
I actually found the “fabric” at Hobby Lobby but I’m waiting to share all about it in another post. It wasn’t on a bolt… :o)
I just keep going back to that picture of the Dumplings on the scooter! It makes me almost laugh out loud every time I look at it.
Thanks for your pictures too…I can’t believe it’s almost time for school… I’ve missed the 4th of July and most likely school dresses. I hope I have things under control by Christmas..
I have been doing my dishes by hand lately because I’m trying to keep up with them instead of letting them pile up too.
I also don’t put my pots and pans or plastic ware or wooden handled knives in the dishwasher so they always get washed by hand.
But I have to admit I do like the looks of my kitchen without that dish drain…maybe I can find a,place to store it except when I need it… :o)
Thanks Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
The curtains are just right, and they fit neatly inside the window so the trim will show. I’ve been wonder how that would work, and it certainly does.
No wonder Linda is worried about the girls fitting into their school clothes — what a lot of treats! And Betsy looks so pleased to be the grown-up with the money. Linda, where did you find Molly’s outfit? I don’t remember that one at all.
The GFATs are perfect, having tea in a proper English manner, with an amazing amount of food. Joints are so useful when dolls need to sit down.
Joy’s My Meadow dolls may be the winning photo of the week — confident Patti, uncertain Tella, and little Romey, just happy to be there. I”m sure they’ll have many more adventures for us to smile about.
No coffee needed, these pictures definitely made me smile.
Marilyn, Molly’s outfit came from a woman who sewed doll clothes, and then sold them on EBay. That was early in my doll collecting years, and I had never heard of Etsy. I just loved that outfit, since my mother made me one almost exactly like it. We didn’t seem to wear tee shirts in the 40’s that I can remember, just things like these two pieced outfits.
Oh how I remember those two pieced outfits. I was born in 1946 and those outfits were popular all through the 1950s and 1960s. I remember making some for myself after I started sewing. When my sisters and I were little we called them “belly sticking out shirts”.
HI Marilyn,
I like that my curtains are sort of “framed” by my window trim. I just painted my sill again…
I’m glad you enjoyed today’s pictures as much as I did…I think if I’m ever feeling blue…I’ll just scroll back to this post and get my daily dose of smiles!! I just love Joys girls!!!
Linda’s girls are dressed in such cute outfits… just like always. She has the best accessories too!!
Thanks Marilyn,
Blessings, Jeanne
I was hoping you would go with the beige buffalo checks. I think you are right using them. That is, if those clips hold well. We have something similar at our cabin, and the curtains are always pulling off. I can be seen regularly up on a chair reattaching them as I can’t stand to see the drooping.
And I’m with Linda on the dishwasher and getting the drainer off of the counter. Aren’t I a pain saying that! Sorry. Because there are just two of us here, we only use the dishwasher every couple of days or so. Don’t want to waste water. But it will certainly give you more counter space without it should you choose to ditch.
Linda’s girls look so elegant and perfectly dressed at their tea party. My AGFAT girls are wearing their only outfits. Definitely have a need here for more clothing like the ice cream and malt outfits which are all perfect.
I think Romey mentioned house hunting today. I wonder what that means?
I just reread this, and I sounded mean. Didn’t want it to sound that way. The kitchen is a masterpiece! If you saw mine, you would cringe. Groupings of vintage glassware/scales/etc. all needing to be washed and packed somewhere. A cast iron muffin pan wrapped up in newspaper that needs to be reseasoned. A pile of miscellaneous papers, articles, to purge. An entire collection of pitchers. Mostly white, all different, and small. As well as the vases I tend to grab and fill with whatever stem I’ve found and then never find a place to put away. I need to get motivated to disperse the clutter in my own space. Your new kitchen is wonderful.
HI Joy,
I wanted to use a buffalo check so badly, but the ones I found were very expensive…when I do my post on the curtains I’ll give you my secrets! I do like them!!!
My clips are pretty tight…I don’t think mine will be falling off.
I’m going to consider taking that dish drain away… I really didn’t want it in the first place.
I just wanted one of those microfiber drain pads…to let the dishes drain off on.
I don’t think you sounded mean in your comments. When I look at my kitchen…I do want it to be clean and neat and streamlined…so if that dish drain needs to go, it will go…
Thanks Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne,
I got one of the microfiber drain pads because I too wash my pots and pans and we have some drink cups that you can’t put in the dishwasher. I love it. It dries quickly and then I just stick in the drawer with my dish towels until I need it again. Before I was just laying the wet things on the countertop and it was always wet.
HI Barbara,
I like the microfiber pads… they do a great job too. I only have a lime green one so I need to pick up a more neutral colored one and see how I like it… I bet I like it better…
Thanks Barbara…
Blessings, Jeanne
I love the pictures of all the girls socializing and having a good time. But where does everyone get those wonderful tiny accessories? I found a baby grand piano for my Tiny Betsy and a harp for one of my Heartstring dolls, but I’ve been looking for things like bicycles of different sizes. A Barbie bicycle works for some of my taller girls, but my smaller girls still have to walk everywhere.
Having had a 1945 kitchen for nearly 26 years (from 1990 to 2016, we’re only the third owners of our home) I know the joy of having a new, modern kitchen. In 2014 I was in a serious auto accident. The settlement paid for my kitchen. I’d probably still have the old if not for that. But it was a huge undertaking. My husband and oldest son did the work, which included taking out all the old cabinets, breaking up the ceramic tile on the countertop (what a mess) taking out all the old drywall and insulating and replacing the drywall, tearing out the ceiling and replacing that and putting in a new floor. I went from a cooking range to a cooktop and oven/microwave combination. Love it! And I got a dishwasher that I hadn’t had for years. The previous countertop was too narrow and a portable would have been in the way. While the bulk of the kitchen walls are papered, I have one wall that needs to be painted. Still working on that.
Barbara, most of the accessories are from American Girl. The ice cream cart had ice cream and popsicles, the malts came with the blender set, and I made Felicity’s lemon ice cream out of a clay like substance called Sculpey, found at craft stores. You can also find doll food on EBay.
Thanks Linda…the queen of accessories for dolls!!!
Thanks Linda. Great idea!
HI Barbara,
Once you get in the habit of looking for “props” for your dolls you’ll have a hard time “not” looking for them when you are out and about. Just always be on the lookout for miniature sized things. You’ll find them at yard sales, thrift shops and craft stores and more.
I’ve been waiting for 14 years to get my dream kitchen, and slowly but surely it’s becoming a reality…just like you were excited about your kitchen, I am very excited about mine.
Thanks Barbara,
Blessings, Jeanne
Thanks Jeanne. I get the American Girl catalogue when it comes out. I look at the dolls but not much else. Have to do better!
Dear Jeanne, I loved the photos. They definitely made me smile!
I liked seeing the little Alexanders waiting for their turn at tea. When our local tearoom had a doll tea, I took my Alexander.
It is difficult to play with dolls outside. People do judge. What is easier, I find, is when there is another doll person along.
Echoing Barbara, my daughter (grown) has never liked dolls. She thinks dolls are creepy. I think it’s her loss.
HI Dorothy,
I know the feeling of wondering what the neighbors are thinking if they see you outside taking pictures with your dolls. We live out of town but one of our neighbors can see if I’m in the yard with my dolls. I have to admit, I kind of hurry up when I’m done…
Just think what those girls are missing by not having dolls in their lives…poor things…
Thanks Dorothy,
Blessings, Jeanne
I have a Build-a-Bear Bunny. I once bravely took her to a Blessing of the Animals at church. I waited till most had left and asked the priest to bless her. Not too long after that my family was going through a difficult time and it seemed that I was on my own emotionally, since no one else wanted to discuss the situation. It was a lot to deal with. I believe my Bunny (her name is Felicity) was there for me through it all. I got her for Mother’s Day in 2004. She’s been there for me for a long time.
The buffalo checked curtains are really nice. They give a real homey touch to your kitchen.
Congratulations on your new girls, Joy. A picnic outside is a wonderful welcome. Your dolls are the motorcycle picture are hilarious. I needed a good laugh, it’s been a pretty bad day.
Linda, your scenes are as cute as ever. Felicity and Cecile look very proper for their tea. Your 1940’s girls are certainly enjoying their frozen treats, so kind of Betsy to pay for everyone.
Hope the furballs got to share. I always gave my Yorkie licks of my vanilla or strawberry ice cream as a child, We never worried about germs. Better world.
HI Laura,
I was looking on Pinterest when I spotted the Buffalo Check fabric. I really liked the looks of it, but I wasn’t sure what they would look like in my kitchen. I also wasn’t sure what color to pick… I’ll share in a post all about them…
I’m glad you got a bit of relief from your “not so good” day from Joy’s girls on the motorcycle. It sure got a laugh out of me…
And who couldn’t smile at Linda’s girls? They always make me smile.
Thanks Laura,
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi Jeanne,
I’m so happy to hear Hubby is feeling well enough to tackle the trim. I know it’s no easy job. We had a very old house years ago. Seemed every job always took twice as long. Nothing was plumb, no easy fixes ever! Anywho you both did an awesome job. The new trim draws your eye up and makes your ceiling look higher. The Buffalo plaid you went with is perfect. I’m excited to see the curtains up with your beautiful new trim. I’m sure it
looks amazing.
I have a dishwasher too but sometimes it’s just easier to do them by hand.
Love all the dolly pics! Thank you for sharing. Joy’s “My Meadow” dolls are adorable! I feel a little tug but I keep reminding myself I have two dolls that I have to pay for soon.
I just received my mini Miki from Kaye Wiggs. She’s sooo cute, when I get around to it I’ll take a photo. If you’d like to share it that is.
Hugs
Ingrid
HI Ingrid,
I’m so grateful that my hubby is able to help me get a little more done each day. It is a challenge working on a 126 year old house but we always knew it would never be perfect…but it’s close enough for me!
Yes, I’d love to share pictures of your Mini Mike when you get around to taking pics of her. There’s alway’s new dolls, aren’t there…it’s hard to not want them all!!!
Thanks Ingrid,
Blessings, Jeanne
I just love your kitchen curtains! The color is perfect and I’m hoping in time you will be able to give us a complete tour of your kitchen when it’s done.
By the way, I have a navy and white shirt also called buffalo…do you know why the large checks are called buffalo?
Linda and Joy’s dolly pictures are great. Love the detail of the little accessories. I think American Girl have the best and most realistic. accessories. Making scenes is so much fun too.
All these adorable girlies….they are all just too cute. So many different personalities and lovely outfits. I can’t and won’t pick a favorite…as I love them all. Someday soon I will post pictures of mine. I don’t have many but love them all.
I love your Buffalo Print curtain and they are perfect for you kitchen. The trim looks wonderful and I love the design you came up with. You and your husband have done a amazing job especially with him being ill and at the same time selling your mother’s home. You deserve a vacation for sure.
I have been looking at props also. I use to have a miniature business and I was always looking for things I could turn into the right size. More than once I would be out on a walk with my girls and spot something on the ground and pick it up. Needless to say they were embarrassed.
What a fun post…and you are right who wouldn’t smile at those adorable pics.
Joy….The patience you have to set up all those darling accessories is amazing. the pics look so realistic. If I had $ to burn I would be on a list for those My Meadow dolls…honestly that motorcycle scene just cracks me up! The girls for all times fit into that scene so well…their sweet faces make you want them to be your BFF.
Linda….I want to go make Lemonade right now after seeing that scene…so detailed so perfect! Head over heels loving that dress on Ruthie..the trim is so cute. Glad you sent Jeanne your pics!
I’ve not heard the term Buffalo Check so I learned something today…you sure got the rows to match perfectly!
When there’s no new post, I go through the last one for extra comments. This one is a winner — it’s like being at the party with that wonderful cake, going from conversation to conversation. I loved hearing about the sympathetic bunny. My youngest sister gave my mom a bear and Mom got out a tiny bunny that she’d had for some time (another gift) to keep it company. During the long hard time when my parents were going downhill, Susan and I would find props for them and the three of us would surprise each other with scenes. One of the earliest and best was the bear, sitting in an upside down summer hat, using a ladle for an oar, and going downstream over pillow rapids.
I’m like all the other people that keep coming back to see the Meadow dolls scooting around on their Vespa. I pinned that one. I’d hate to lose it.
I look at Linda’s pictures and can’t understand why a lot of the clothes look better on her dolls (the gold tea dress is an example) than in the AG photos. Linda outdoes the pros. It’s also fun to look again at her pictures because there’s always more to see, like the Ida Bean doll sitting in the corner, waiting for the amazingly well-groomed Cecile to finish her lemonade.
It’s time for breakfast before the man who works on my lawn to show up and weed while I put up more plant supports for the tomatoes. He mows the front, which is on a slope, and I mow the back, which grows faster and has done it again.
There’s a picture of Queen Victoria’s children at Christmas that I haven’t found yet online, but here’s one http://www.victorian-era.org/queen-victorias-biography-facts.html — 3rd picture down — that might give you some inspiration for a Victorian Christmas dress. Keep scrolling for the famous one of Victoria and Albert and their first 5 children, 4 of whom are wearing the same sort of dress. You could use some of your lace.
My Magalie Dawson Little Darling arrived today. I am over the moon. Especially since I was able to have input on her hair color (chestnut), hairstyle (curly), eyes (green) and her name (Fallon). She has joined her cousin Claire. Claire was my introduction to the wonderful world of Little Darlings. She was painted by Geri Uribe and resembles my granddaughter a lot. I’m chomping at the bit to put a deposit on another Little Darling but hubby thinks two are enough. So I will have to wait awhile till he softens up a little. I always tell him they’re for Christmas, my birthday and Mother’s Day all rolled into one. Saves him a lot of pondering over what to get me. He’s happy about that and it totally works for me.
I have to buy her a stand and I was wondering if any of you have a special place you like to buy your doll stands? I’ve been getting mine different places, but sometimes I haven’t been satisfied with them.