Latest Doll Family Member - Patti Playpal!

 I have to admit that I find the life sized dolls appealing.  Over the years I've managed to add a few to my collection.  I have accumulated a few Patti and Patti-Wannabes.  Last week I went to an estate sale and "adopted" a Patti Playpal for $25.  That's quite a bargain!  She was in very good condition...just a few tiny marks on the back of her arms that might even come off with further cleaning, but hardly noticeable.  She's the doll behind the doll carriage.  A couple of her new sisters were still dressed from Christmas.

 I have only ever gotten one Patti Wannabe on eBay and never a Patti Playpal.  I found the Wannabe listed among the Vogue Ginny dolls on eBay and no one else bid.  I believe she was $25 too and her shipping was only $50 so I ended up spending $75.  Most of these dolls go way higher than I'll ever go and shipping is usually between $50-$100.  I got the Patti on the right at a doll show and she was $175 which is the most that I've ever spent on a doll and I've only spent that much twice.  I justified the expense because there was no shipping involved.  My thing is looking for the previously loved dolls and fixing them up.  I like to think I'm saving them and saving money at the same time.  :)

I always say "no more dolls" but have to admit that I have a little trouble sticking to my own rule.  Betty

Doll Room Decorating

 I enjoy decorating my doll room with signs that I find on my travels.  Signs that say things I find very appropriate.  Here are a few:

This one isn't really a sign.  It's a coaster that I use as a sign because of what it said.

And this one is technically a button, but it says what I'm usually thinking!

Every so often I come across something online where a parent wonders if their child is too old to play with dolls.  Sometimes the child will be as young as 10 and often older.  Well, I'm here to reassure these parents that your child is never too old to play with dolls.  However, after a certain age it's better to call it "collecting" rather than "playing."  I'm 77 so I call it "collecting" dolls to most people.  I get enough strange looks just saying that I "collect."  Imagine if I said I "played" with dolls.

I do collect dolls but I find it boring when they just sit on a shelf.  I enjoy setting them up in different scenes.  I guess you can call that playing.  Yes, I still play with dolls!

Come out and play!  Betty

Merry Christmas From Ginny Lou Who!

 

 Merry Christmas from Ginny Lou Who!  My favorite Christmas movie is How The Grinch Stole Christmas.  A few years ago I decided to combine my love for the Vogue Ginny doll with my favorite Christmas movie.  Little Ginny Lou Who is a reproduction Vogue Ginny doll.  Merry Christmas...Betty

Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer...

 I haven't had time this year to set up my Ginny dolls in a Christmas scene.  I've set up something every year for a long time, but this year I just haven't gotten around to it.  I'm also running out of new ideas.  So, I thought I'd post a picture taken some years back.  

You know the song..."Grandma got run over by a reindeer walking home from our house Christmas Eve."

GinnyFaith was horrified to see what happened to Grandma.  

GinnyFaith is a modern Vogue Ginny doll and she's my travel doll.  We haven't been on any trips in a long time though.  Grandma is a Richard Simmon's Nana's Family doll.

Merry Christmas!!  Betty

Ann Estelle's Hanukaah

Tonight is the first night of Hanukaah and Ann Estelle is celebrating.  I took these pictures a few years ago and thought I'd share them here on the first night.  Let me tell you how hard it is to light those little candles and quickly take a picture.  They burn down so quickly.  I'm afraid I was only able to light two at one time.  Afterwards someone did tell me to try putting the candles in the freezer first the next time.  It would make them burn slower.   I'll certainly try that if I ever decide to do more Hanukaah pictures.

Some years back I fell in love with this dress when I saw it on eBay.  It was made by a very talented seamstress and I loved the colors.  I immediately decided I'd have Ann Estelle celebrate Hanukaah.

I remember as a child my mother would take us for a ride past the local Jewish Temple so we could count the number of candles that were lit.  It was a yearly ritual and something my sister and I looked forward to every year.  

Happy Hanukaah to all who celebrate!  Betty

A Visit To The Pumpkin Patch

 Growing up in NJ I always loved Fall.  The leaves on the trees would gradually turn into beautiful colors and slowly drop to the ground.  To me there was nothing more fun than jumping into a big pile of raked leaves.  Back then people were allowed to burn their leaves and that smell always said Fall to me.  Now I'm in Houston and the leaves don't turn pretty colors.  Instead they shrivel up and die.  They slowly fall from the trees over the Winter months and in February the new buds push the last remaining leaves off.  So, all winter long we drag dead leaves into the house.  I hate it!  We don't really have a traditional Fall.  Here we basically have two seasons...a long, long Summer and a little bit of Winter.  I miss Fall so much.  I joke that before I die I want to jump into a big pile of leaves one last time.

I'm so envious of my little doll family.  They got to go to the pumpkin patch to pick their very own pumpkins.  It was a beautiful Fall day with just a bit of a chill in the air and the gorgeous colored leaves were falling. 

 Little GinnyFaith seemed more interested in the free candy rather than picking out a pumpkin.

And little Joey just wanted to play in the pile of leaves.  That's my kind of boy.

The rest of the kids headed over to the pumpkin patch to pick out the perfect pumpkin.  There were so many to choose from!

Mr. Jeff kept a close eye on things.

And so did kitty...

 

Needless to say the kids had a great time!  

Happy Fall!  Betty

Back To School

A few weeks ago the Vogue Ginny dolls and their friends headed back to school.  Most of these dolls are from the 1950's so they wore their plaid dresses to school.  I grew up in the 1950's and that's what my sister and I seemed to wear most of the time back then.  I felt it was appropriate for the Ginnys to all wear plaid this year.  Of course, the boys didn't wear plaid.  I guess the plaid rule didn't apply to them.  If you look carefully you'll see a Cosmopolitan Ginger doll already on the bus.  She's wearing her plaid dress too.  I don't think you can see it so you'll have to take my word for it.  I actually had more dolls dressed in plaid but I couldn't fit them in these pictures.  A Vogue Jeff doll is the school bus driver and he made sure to wear his 1950's era plaid shirt.

 

 

 

I do seem to favor the plaid dresses on my dolls.  I'm really not into all the "frilly" clothes although I do have some for my dolls.  I guess it's because back in my childhood I never liked the "frilly" clothes myself.  I hated going to birthday parties because back then everyone got all dressed up.  I guess I've always been a casual type person.

Here I am in a plaid dress posing for a school photo back in 1954.  My mother made sure I wore a plaid dress but what was she thinking when she let me go out in public with that hairdo???  Remind me to tell my kids to burn any of these old B&W photos when I'm gone.

The school bus was given to me by a doll friend 15+ years ago.  As I recall it was sold at Target and was actually an art kit.  The roof opens up and there are sections for supplies.  We were just thrilled that the bus was the right scale for Ginny photos. You can't really see it but I added the name Medford School District on the side of the bus.  The Vogue Ginny Doll Company was located in Medford, MA at one time.  Betty