New Year's with the 18 Inch Dolls

The holiday break is almost over and today is New Year's Eve. Some of the members of the "We are 18 Inches and Love Dolls" Doll Club have gathered together for a New Year's party and club meeting.

Julie, new member Melody, and Sadie show off their holiday outfits and dolls. Harmony couldn't make the meeting, since she is on vacation with her family.

Melody has her My Life as a School Girl doll, while Sadie poses with Cecile. It looks like the girls tried to wear outfits that coordinate with their dolls.

Julie poses with her look-a-like and a UFDC Miss Unity doll also has snuck into the photo.

Looks like they are trying to become an official UFDC club. They would need 6 more members. 

They spent the afternoon talking about their dolls, and how to bring new members into the club. Melody had the idea of reaching out to other 18 inch Vinyl-Americans through a blog. "After-all", she said, "We can't be the only 18 inch dolls that collect dolls."

Sadie chimed in, "And I bet some of them live in Maryland, too! That would make meeting in person a lot easier."

(Julie thought these were groovy ideas, but was a little confused about the whole Internet thing.)

Happy New Year!

Doll House Christmas

Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanzaa, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year. I put together a quick Christmas morning scene with my doll house family. This is appropriate, since I received the doll house for Christmas when I was 8 years old in 1979.

I was surprised when I woke up that morning to see a doll house in front of the tree, even though I had received a doll house family from my Aunt and Uncle earlier that week. Inside the empty doll house was a small wrapped box. Inside the box was a Christmas tree, tree skirt, and a present for each member of the doll house family.

All that is missing from this scene is my mini-me of the doll house family. She had a terrible decapitation incident after surviving a foot amputation. The house, too, is gone, but the many memories survive.

Mom, Dad, Tommy, baby Billy, and Peanut Butter the cat celebrate Christmas morning. April must be taking the photo.

Looks like Tommy is happy with his airplane.

Dad is going to start a fire in the fireplace to warm the house up.

Peanut Butter is wondering where his presents are. And it looks like April got two dolls to add to her collection. The dolls were the type that came in plastic Christmas ornament balls with candy and a toy. Many of the toys in the doll house were from those or the Easter Egg equivalent.

Christmas Crafting

The holiday season is here and I have been busy, busy, busy. In between business, I have squeezed in a little crochet time.

Christmas balls,

A mini gnome,

Lots of Christmas balls,

A large gnome,

Another large gnome, 

And a Santa Christmas ornament.

What have you been doing this past month?

Have an Awesome Autumn

Sadly, it was time to put away the Halloween decorations. So put them away I did. And Lo, and behold, I now had room to put up an Autumn display.

This season, I have decided to showcase: Fisher Price My Friend Jenny (1979), Goldie Wilson Bleuette (2018), and Junplanning Isul Vesselle (2011). To complete the scene, I have added a leaf and pumpkin stuffed cornucopia, my crocheted pumpkins, and two sweet, plush kitties.

Can you tell that Autumn is my favorite time of year?

Pumpkins, Pumpkins

I love Autumn and Halloween. For the past two weeks I have been crocheting pumpkins out of left over yarn.

Maudlynne helped me arrange them into a cute Fall display. I think they turned out well.

What is your favorite part of Halloween. 

International Take Your Teddy Bear to Work or School Day

Today is International Take Your Teddy Bear to Work or School Day!

Since school is closed today in my town in honor of Yom Kippur, I decided to share one of my teddy bears with all of you instead.

My first teddy bear was a large pink and white teddy bear filled with sawdust. The kind that may have been a carnival prize. It was a gift to me when I was born. It was way too big to play with much, over two feet, so I didn't get too attached to it.

My second teddy bear was Pot Belly Bear by Daekor. I had first seen this bear at a local store when I was 8 years old. I was obsessed with it. Every time I walked through the toy section I would stop in front of him and memorize everything about him and read the tag and packaging over and over. Luckily my mother had noticed my not so subtle behavior and he was my Christmas present this year.

Over the years (about 40 of them), he was much loved, hugged, and squished by me (and tortured by my younger brother), until I re-stuffed him as well as I could and restitched his worn and torn spots when I was in my early 20s. At that point, due to his fragile state, I retired him from cuddle duty. Instead of comforting me through the night, he became the elder statesman of the other stuffed animals.

Over the years, other Teddy Bears have entered my home and collection, but none of them hold my heart as much as Pot Belly Bear does.

Do you have a special Teddy Bear?

Jakks Pacific Toddler Batgirl

Another doll I purchased from Toys R Us when it was closing is Jakks Pacific's DC Superhero Girls Toddler Batgirl.

15 inches of super heroic adorableness with curls.

Barbara Gordon/Batgirl/Oracle is one of my favorite characters that came from the pages of Batman comics. And seeing her in this form just makes me go "Squeeeeee!" She is too cute.

Her helmet/mask/faceplate has an elastic band to hold it in place, but the factory also put in four, very hard to remove plastic pieces. After much grumbling and light scratching of the vinyl, I finally got them out.

A downside of Batgirl not being removed from her box until now, is that he black tutu had stuck to her pants in the back. I had to gently separate them.

Her hair is matted, from her captivity, but I am sure I can fluff it up.

She is just a smidge shorter than My Friend Mikey who said he would gladly play Bruce Wayne for her.

With 5 points of articulation, she feels like a very sturdy play doll and she can stand on her own, which is always a bonus.

I guess today could be called a superhero Saturday.

Summer is Over, Finally, and Fall is Here

It has been a busy late August and September. 

I: celebrated my birthday and set up a birthday party display;

crocheted Star Wars characters, Yoda and a Stormtrooper, for my Nephews' 5th birthday presents;

have been substitute teaching since school is back in session; caught my first cold of the school year; and have started decorating for Halloween.

3 of the 18" dolls are ready for Trick or Treating.

Melody, the new girl on the block is a sparkly mermaid.

Julie is a black cat.

 And Sadie is Wonder Woman.

I received four Annalee witches for my birthday. 

I have named them: Magrat, Gytha,

Esme,

and Agnes. (After the witches in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels.)

 

Thirstee Walker even has a costume for her first time Trick or Treating. Like Sadie, she is dressed as Wonder Woman.