Thank you

Thank you to all my Twitter followers, and thanks to the over 1250 who have viewed this blog and the over 300 people who have viewed my other blog with living green tips for the common person. You all inspire me to keep writing, and keep on with the museum plans, though I confess life is getting in the way big time. This is a sad, elegiac time of year, and I see the lost faces of those I love in the dolls they have made for me, dressed for me, and given me. My mother and grandmother used to sew Halloween costumes for me, and for my dolls, and they made rag dolls and doll quilts and doll clothes. I still prefer my mothers handmade Barbie clothes, and I marvel the Christmas she made little boots and maxi coats of faux leather, brocade evening gowns, velvet skirts and dotted swiss blouses with bead and ribbon trim, while she taught seven classes every day, came home, cooked, kept me entertained, and graded papers incessantly. Dolls are so much more than just collectibles or investment items to me; they are the symbols of her love. They mean motherhood and family and creativity and even sacrifice of valuable time. When I think of getting rid of the all of them and of the whole museum idea, they seem to reproach me, and the spirits of those who have loved me so well in better times seem to say, "haven't we been through worse than this, and haven't we seathered the storm?"

Now is a good time to look for craft dolls and holiday dolls of all types. Many stores will have Hallwoeen items on sale, some at 40 or 50% off. There are more estate sales, and last of the season yard sales, and of course, the wonderful catalogs that come out. I love Design Toscano and Sadigh Gallery for ancient dolls and replicas of ancient dolls, and miss the old Marshall Fields, Sears, Wards, and Enchanted Doll House catalogs. Mark Farmer used to have a great doll catalog, as did Shopping International. Thse are now colletible items in themselves. American Girl has always had a good catalog, and Harriet Carter, Doll Masters, Standard Doll, and Mangelsen's still have great ones. I also loved Lynne's Miniatures, Shackman, and Federal Smallwares, and there was the wonderful Doll Talk from Kimport.

Online shopping is great; I swear by Etsy, but I miss those in hand catalogs that served as great paper doll sources, and alter, as great research sources.

Thanks to our friends at The Haunted Doll Museuma and site, and to those who loyally follow this blog. Till next time.

Dr. E.

City Wide Yard Sales

Today I attended the first of these in my area. I was surprised at how many were participating. The entire community center was filled with tables, better even than our Antique Show and Holiday Craft Fairs. I did very well; at the end, folks were generously giving things away, and I was able to pick up good prizes for school. I found a wonderful antique wall pocket, many fine pieces of china, vintage dolls in original clothing and shoes, another metal doll house, this an L-shaped ranch with patio graphics, and lots of great furniture to go with it. I found some old paper ephermera, Boyds bears for $2 each, and trains for our special civic project. One of the dealers was a lady who, with her late husband, ran our own Lighthouse Antiques, now defunct over 30 years. My mom and I had great memories of going there and buying bisque Nancy Anns for $.50 and many wonderful old dolls, including pincushions, and composition Shirleys and Shirley twins, Horseman, foreign dolls, you name it. The dealer remembered me; her husband, and my mom, are now gone. It was very bittersweet for me. I remembered how excited my mom and I were when the compo doll with the cute face we turned over had the Shirley Temple mark on the back. We researched and cleand up every doll. My mom lovingly dressed them, and one Shirley twin was a look alike of the doll she had to leave behind in Europe. She often washted them up, and put them on our evergreens to dry in the summer. She and my uncle would laugh and laugh, because I would be playing under the bushes, in their shade, oblivous to the fact that the dolls, often birthday presents, were drying right above me. I guess it is true that hiding something in the open makes the best hiding place.

It was very emotional for me, and I remember my mother having such a good time. She had met this lady herself about ten years ago at another flea market, but once again the dolls bring back family memories. I still have all of the dolls from the LH. the museum is proud to have them.

YouTube and Doll Museums

There are some great museums on YouTube, including Musee de la Poupee, and our Friends at The Fennimore Doll and Toy Museum Surf, use doll musem, names of doll museums, doll collections, Barbie, G.I. Joe, Toy Museums, etc. Have Fun. Here is one link for Musee de la Poupee:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHeWDieibag&feature=related

New Followers and Autumn Blogs

Welcome to our new follower, and thanks to the over 1000 folks who have viewed ups here at the museum. The inhabitants and I are very happy. Too, a trip to one of my favorite rural doll shops over the Spoon River Drive weekend and stocked up on shoes and stockings for Margaret's orphan dolls. They are shaping up quite nicely; they wouldn't recognize themseves! I will somehow get some photos on the blog for everyone to see. Genevieve Angione was right; all dolls really are collectible.

We had a great time at our Pen In Hand research for fiction session, and I brought examnples of research files I put together in accordion files or binders for Tasha Tudor, the metal doll book, examples of doll reader and old toy catalogs I love to use. The whole group was very enthusiastic. I was reading and rereading the Kromholz book on German dolls and her trips to sites and factories. I recommend her work highly; she is very informative and is now self-publishing her book on china dolls. She leaves no stone unturned, which I appreciate.

The outdoor dolls, or garden statutes, are slowly finding their way indoors for the winter, though we are enjoying a late summer. I'm very pleased to be sitting in my favorotie coffee bar, blogging away. I feel very literary, and also thrilled to have The Haunted Doll following us on Twitter.

I saw many new and interesting dolls at Toys R. Us on our pre-Christmas window shopping trip. Monster High is still my favorite, but the various Barbies are excellent. I just read All Dolled Up, and highly recommend it. I will post my poem Fishwife Barbie here; it is not pornographic, but parents, it may be a bit much for young kids. I love Barbie, in all her manifestations. I included Marge Piercy's poem "Barbie Doll" in the bibliography. I hope both my books will soon be out. There were great 20 inch plus sized Alexanders, and a variety of doll clothes. I also have my eye on the different varieties of the Fisher Price doll house, and certain lego and playtmobil sets.

At the Christian book store, Zondermann's, the Life of Faith dolls are gone, but there were still a few God's Girlz. There were great action figures, some representing nativities. All had cloth clothing, but were a little pricey. I also fell in love with a Fisher Price Little People nativity.

Have found some tiny metal dolls of lead and brass that are very interestig, one an old woman sitting in a red metal rocker, separate from her body. She is not Amish. Another is a 5 inch English brass bell, with molded clothing and headdress in the style of Elizabeth I.

At Spriit of Halloween, I saw mechanical and nonmechanical zombie babies; so frightful they are cute. I was able to buy one last year, but the variety is even better. There were also a couple of evil clowns that were intersting, and the usual life-sized Hellraiser and Jason figures.

There are also many more dolls and figures for Thanksgiving, which makes me happy, including some that seem to be inspried by the art of Ellen H. Clapsaddle. She is worth googling if you love Victorian postcards. Her biography as a 19th c. female artist is also very cool and puts her incompany with Rose O'Neill, Maude Humphrey Bogart, Grace Storey Putnam, and others.

Happy autumn dolling. More reports as I get catalogs and get out to view more holiday dolls.

The Museum Curator!

Vampire Dolls

Hereis a poem; I'm going to upload some photos of vampire dolls in honor of the season. The poem is original; I wrote it and will soon publish it. It is inspried by tales of Erzebet Bathory, the Vampire Countess.


Vampyre

Victims, my victims? Or victims of ignorance and gloom?
Amnesty, for me none, family, friends, mother, father, gone
Mountains between me and freedom ,caverns wall me up
Pity, is there none? Promise of justice, of freedom? None?
Youth misspent, mine and others, games and frolics misunderstood
Revenge of old enemies, robbery and mayhem of my father’s castle
Enigma, mystery, shrouds of truth, freedom, honor and justice

Vampire Dolls

Here is a poem; I'm going to upload some photos of vampire dolls in honor of the season. The poem is original; I wrote it and will soon publish it. It is inspried by tales of Erzebet Bathory, the Vampire Countess.


Vampyre

Victims, my victims? Or victims of ignorance and gloom?
Amnesty, for me none, family, friends, mother, father, gone
Mountains between me and freedom ,caverns wall me up
Pity, is there none? Promise of justice, of freedom? None?
Youth misspent, mine and others, games and frolics misunderstood
Revenge of old enemies, robbery and mayhem of my father’s castle
Enigma, mystery, shrouds of truth, freedom, honor and justice

Macabre Musings

We at the Museum love haunted dolls, and spooky dolls, and all kinds of dolls. We are a home and repository for all kindred spirits. We also adore our Dia de Muertos friends. We hope to adopt a haunted doll soon. What is your doll wearing this Halloween?

We also love comments; welcome to the 1000+ doll folk who have viewed us. We hope to have up a web museum of metal dolls first, and other dolls later, very soon.

Don't turn your back; it's Halloween, and the dolls may come alive at night!