It's Winter, get out those Frozen Charlottes!!

Beating the Winter Blahs with Dolls

 

We all know the feeling; it is near the end of winter; March is a crocus blossom away.  Everyone has cabin fever, and everyone has had it with snow, ice, snowplows, and sniffles.  So, how do we make it to the homestretch without going snow-mad?  Dolls are the answer!  Below are my tips for beating the winter blahs with dolls:

1. Joint Pinterest and start a Board.  There are terrific boards on dolls and doll-related items.  Mine are Doll Collection, Women’s Apparel and Holidays.
2. Surf eBay for collector’s guides.  When you watch an item, there is a new feature that reads “add to collection” where you can save pictures and information for items you like, similar to Pinterest, above.
3. Join Facebook; there are terrific pages for dolls and doll stores.  Ask to join the group, and if it is not closed, and administrator who invites people in will include you. 
4. Explore other social media like Twitter, Tumblr, and Flickr  or doll related photos and images. You can also set up albums of your own doll photos on Google and on the social media discussed above.
5. Visit The Library of Congress online at loc.gov and explore resources for dolls, including thousands of photos and other images.  You can also explore titles for doll books, and then visit your own library to “read more about it.”  As a fledgling doll maker, I loved the library for its copy machine which allowed me to make paper dolls and to add to my research files.  Also, check out any library cafes [we have to eat] and book sales.
6. Dust and rearrange your doll displays.  Facebook and Pinterest are great places to get ideas, as is our own About.com Doll Collecting site.
7. Check out the new dolls available at the big box stores, department stores, and doll shops.  Look online if you do not live near shopping centers,  Again, libraries are a good place to use computers, as are your Smartphones, iPods, Tablets, and other hand held devices.
8. Look for clearances sales, and think outside the doll house.  Craft stores, hobby shops, fabric s stores, and gift shops are great sources for dolls, books, related items, and supplies for doll making, doll clothes, repairs, and miniature projects.
9. Make a doll, visit places described in 8, or go to Etsy for inspiration.  You can favorite certain stores and sellers and get newsletters.  If nothing else, make a snowman; technically, they are dolls.
10. Watch movies about dolls and toys: Toy Story, Child of Glass, Dolls, Dollie Dearest, Shirleymania
    Barbie Nation, Barbie Films, Raggedy Ann Films, Documentaries, etc.
11. Check out films on YouTube about dolls; good searches are Doll Collection, Doll Museum, Dolls History, names of dolls like Monster High, Barbie Collection, Names of stores and specific museums.
12. Find a doll blog, like American Doll & Toy Museum or Dr. E’s Doll Museum Blog, and post something nice.

1. Take a walk
2. Start a doll club
3. Get on the Speakers’ Bureau to talk about dolls, do a doll talk, hold a class, and take a class, e.g., how to photograph dolls. Look at Tom Kelley’s shots of Marilyn and dolls, and Tom Kelley, Jr.’s work, too.