Last Minute Christmas Baking

Getting some last minute Christmas baking done...

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

(I only recently noticed that you can see a reflection of the photographer and his big camera in the background.)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

 

Christmas Is Coming...

'Tis the season for a doll post. 

Christmas will be here before you know it and my doll family headed out to the Christmas Tree Farm to cut their own tree.

They picked a big one and it wasn't easy getting that tree in the truck.

Everyone pitched in and helped.

Before you knew it they had it secured.

Mr. Jeff gave a generous tip and said, "Merry Christmas!"

Everyone in the Vogue Doll Family (and Muffie) has the Christmas spirit.  It's easy to catch this time of year.

Rest In Peace

Rest In Peace to the 20 first graders and six educators that were the victims of gun violence at Sandy Hook Elementary School four years ago today.  I will never forget.

Sandy Hook Promise

Merry Christmas???

What happened to Thanksgiving?

I would have sworn it came sometime after Halloween and before Christmas.

Two weeks ago I saw this at the mall while mall walking.  He waved at me.

He probably wasn't busy because most people weren't expecting to see him yet.  I know I was surprised!  This past Friday I actually saw a couple of children sitting on his lap, so I guess the word got out.

Right behind Santa's backdrop is a huge candy display.  Lots of candy for sale.  I thought to myself..."thank goodness my kids are grown."  They would have been waiting to see Santa and begging for candy.  Clever marketing.

I wasn't quite sure if this was appropriate.  You can click on the pictures to enlarge them. 

I guess most kids have never seen Schweddy Balls on Saturday Night Live.

Happy Poo Year?  When I think about you I touch my elf? Toro Balls?

I guess I'm showing my age.  When my kids were little they never would have had a candy display like this next to Santa!

I guess nothing should really surprise me anymore.

Maybe next year Santa will appear before Halloween!  I guess it's only a matter of time.

I worked at Gimbel's Department Store when I was in high school.  Back then Santa didn't appear until AFTER Thanksgiving.  Of course, back then there was no such thing as Black Friday and stores DID NOT OPEN on Thanksgiving Day either.

Thank you Marshall's, TJ Maxx, and Home Goods for running ads on television this year announcing that you will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.  Sounds like a good idea to me!

This past weekend I went to the Christmas Home Tour in Friendswood.  The Friendswood Garden Club has been having this tour the weekend before Thanksgiving for 50 years.

It's fun going through the different homes and seeing how they're decorated.  I took a few pictures outside.  This house had a snow machine, but you can't see the snow in this picture.  It was a nice touch.  Fortunately, it cooled off this weekend and we're now wearing long pants and light jackets.  Snow didn't seem that out of place at all!  Last week it was summer and now it's practically winter.  Winter to us anyway.

At one home the husband had a couple of old cars on display.  There were presents in the back of this car, but I didn't get a picture.

 Another house had an old car out front with packages in the trunk.

And Santa driving!

I've been trying to get some things done and I haven't been online much lately.  After Thanksgiving I'll have to get busy decorating and Christmas shopping.  I plan to do most of my shopping online.

Happy Thanksgiving!  Stay home and enjoy the day with family and friends.

Trick Or Treat...Smell My Feet...Give Me Something Good To Eat!

It's time for my dolls to go Trick Or Treating.  Yes, I've been playing again!

This year I had a little help from Ms. Jill (a modern Vogue Jill doll) and her new Polaroid Camera.  She took most of the photographs for me.  (Click on them to enlarge.)

 They went Trick Or Treating in the trailer park.  Ms. Jan (a vintage Vogue Jan doll) dressed as a cowgirl handed out the treats.  The kids waited patiently in line.

While waiting they could have their fortunes told.

At times the line was pretty long.

There were lots of different costumes.  (Don't worry about the Hawaiian Ginny and her bare feet.  It's warm here!)

They waited for Ms. Jan to give them a treat from the big bowl of candy.

I got the vintage Vogue Ginny in the clown costume at a doll show in Austin earlier this year.

The rest of the dolls are Vogue vintage reproduction Ginnys, modern Ginnys, and a Madame Alexander doll.

I found Ms. Jill's Polaroid Camera at the Go Store in the Mall.  It's a seasonal store for the holidays.  In the past it was just an area out in the mall, but this year it's a store and there's a bigger selection.  For anyone looking for 1:6 scale accessories for their dolls they also have some Fisher Price toys and an Etch A Sketch.  I know in the past Hallmark had some of these as ornaments, but I actually like these better for the dolls.  I bought the last Polaroid Camera and they didn't know if they'd get any more in.  If interested check for a Go Store in your mall.

Have a safe Halloween!

My Vogue Ginny Wee Imp...before and after

I always wanted a Vogue Ginny Wee Imp doll.  I never had one as a child.  Wee Imp came out in 1960 and by then I thought I was much "too old" to be interested in dolls.  Little did I realize that at age 70 I would consider myself just the right age for dolls!

Anyway, a few months ago I finally found a Wee Imp on eBay for a price I was willing to pay.  I didn't have any of the Wee Imp outfits that are shown on page 303 of The Collector's Encyclopedia of Vogue Dolls-Second Edition, but I dressed her in a Christmas Elf outfit that I already had and thought suited her personality.  Here she is on the shelf with some friends.  She's in the first row on the right.

The Wee Imp was different from other Vogue Ginny dolls of that time.  She came with bright orange hair that was kind of chopped, freckles, and green eyes.  She was sold undressed or dressed in one of the four special Wee Imp outfits.  She was only made in 1960, so collectors consider her a little rare.

I've been watching for a while for a Wee Imp outfit at the right price.  I finally saw one on eBay.  It had a starting bid of $9.99 with free shipping.  However, the dress was stained and I wasn't sure if it was rust or what on the front.  Finally, I decided to take a chance and I bid.  No one else bid and I got the dress for $9.99.  This is the picture of the dress from eBay.

 When it arrived I got to work.  I pre-treated the dress with a little Oxy spray and then washed it in Perk.  This was the end result.  It's almost like new.

I've had good success with Perk in the past.  I've used it on doll clothes and for washing doll wigs.  In fact, I need to order another bottle.  Now if I can just find the other three Wee Imp outfits at the right price!

Dolls, dolls, dolls again!

I had hoped to go to the Austin Doll Show yesterday, but it's a 3 1/2 hour ride each way and I needed to get some things done around here.  I missed the Houston Doll Show last month because it conflicted with a Houston Texans' football game, so it's been a while since I've been to a show.

I remember back in the late 90's through the early 2000's when the doll shows were big events, but in recent years they've been scaled back.  Dolls just aren't as popular anymore.  Many doll prices took a nose dive on eBay too.  There are still certain Vogue Ginny dolls that command a high price, but things just aren't the same.  When I first started collecting I'd be thrilled when I won a beat up Ginny for $45.  Now when they're listed for less they often don't even get bids.

I recently bought a Hitty Doll at an antique show.  The seller told me that people just don't buy dolls anymore.  I told him that I still buy them!  Although I stick mostly with Ginny and the Vogue family of dolls this Hitty seemed like too good a buy to pass up.  She's hand carved and was only $20.  I really don't know much about Hitty, but there are lots of Hitty pictures on Pinterest.  This isn't the greatest picture, but you'll get the idea.  I found a spot on the bookshelf for her.

A while back I bought two Ginnys at a doll show.  The one was a strung Ginny with beautiful facial coloring, but she needed to be rewigged.  I think I showed these pictures once before.

 

Although it was a nice full Ginny wig it was full of fly away ends.  She always had hair sticking out all over the place and in her face.  You can see what I mean in this picture.  She came in the Cathy dress from 1953.  For collectors it's #61 of the Debutante series.  She's really a beautiful Ginny and I think I paid around $35 for her, but the replaced wig needed improvement.

My friend Diane reminded me of the Armor All treatment.  Yes, Armor All is for cars, but it actually helps tame wig hair.  Diane told me that she wets paper towels with Armor All and presses the wet towels on Ginny's hair.  That's what I did and her hair is greatly improved.  Not perfect, but so much better.  I used the Original Armor All. 

 

Note:  If you try this treatment do not get the Armor All on her face or body.  I wrapped Ginny in Press N Seal to protect her.

Maybe someday I'll find the hat that goes with the Cathy outfit.

I also worked on this molded lash walker Ginny.  I bought her at the same doll show for $25 dressed in the Tiny Miss Clown outfit #6041 from 1956.  Often the clown outfit is very faded, but this one wasn't.  Her hair was a frizzy mess and the wig needed some gluing to keep it on her head.

I braided her hair and then gave her the Armor All treatment too.  She's greatly improved.  I've been slowly working on a Halloween scene and I just stuck her on the shelf for a quick picture.  She'll be a part of the actual scene when I get it completed.

It's hard to tell in this picture, but her hair is so much better.  You'll get a better view when I get my scene done and take the final pictures.  I'll be posting them sometime before Halloween.

My friend Linda calls the fixer uppers "previously loved"  Ginnys.  I really like that term.  I remember how much I enjoyed playing with my Ginnys back in the 1950's.  To know that most of my current collection were "previously loved" makes them that much more special to me.  I don't buy the expensive mint dolls.  I know that's what some collectors look for and they like them even better if they're still in the box.  Since I like to "play" with my dolls by redressing them and setting them up in scenes I feel like the mint dolls belong to someone that will preserve and take care of them.  That's just not me.  Besides, I enjoy the challenge of trying to restore my Ginnys.  I also enjoy not paying hundreds of dollars.  :)