StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

OPENING RECEPTION FOR AMERICANA STAMP DOLL EXHIBIT AT HOMEWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY

 

 

 

 


This 2006 Reception opened our exhibit of dolls depicted in the U.S. Doll Stamps (see earlier post for photos of the dolls). Miss Unity (milliner doll in white with blue ribbon trim) is the official doll of UFDC. Brenda Welker, Regional Director of the United Federation of Doll Clubs, was one of the guests (on left in group photo).
Posted by Picasa

Saturday, December 27, 2008

A CHINESE SILK-MAKING FAMILY

 


A member found these antique ceramic heads in an estate sale; they are beautifully sculpted and painted. She made bodies and dressed them as a wealthy Chinese family in the silk trade. They resemble "Door of Hope" Chinese dolls, which are much sought-after. These heads were probably made during the same time period (early 1900's).
Posted by Picasa

RECENT DOLL SHOE WORKSHOP

 

 

 

 


Use a paper towel to determine size for your doll's foot. Here are a few patterns. You must add about 1/4" on the edge for a turn-under seam.
Posted by Picasa

GLUING TOP TO THE SOLE OF THE SHOE

 

 

 

 


After making cuts around edge, glue seam to one of the sole cutouts, which can be cardboard or leather. The second sole is glued to the bottom to cover the seam. Use tacky craft glue for a quick job. My, what concentration!
Posted by Picasa

FINISHED DOLL SHOES FROM WORKSHOP

 

 

 

 


Here are dolls waiting for their shoes to be finished. Also a pair of finished shoes with grommets from the craft store, leather-like shoestrings, and cut from leather-like fabric with a seam in back. Here's a happy finish to the workshop with a pupil, teacher, and a well-shod doll!
Posted by Picasa

Monday, December 22, 2008

SNOWBABIES - HAPPY HOLIDAYS!




A snow baby (sometimes spelled snowbaby) is a small figurine that depicts some aspect of the Christmas holidays or of winter sports such as skiing and ice skating. The traditional snow baby is made of unglazed porcelain (bisque) and shows a child dressed in a snow suit; the suit itself is covered in small pieces of crushed bisque, giving the appearance of fallen snowflakes. However, many other sorts of figures are typically associated with these snowy children: Santas, elves and gnomes, carolers, animals such as penguins and polar bears, adult sledders and skaters, snowmen, and even houses and Disney characters. Collectors in the United States and Europe will sometimes decorate for the holidays using these figures to create winter scenes of varying degrees of complexity.

Although classical snow babies stand under 2 inches high and were often used in England as cake decorations, there are many variations. Some of the oldest types, made in Germany during the decade beginning about 1905, ranged from 4 to 13 inches tall and were carefully painted by master artisans. Other babies created during this early period were crafted with similar attention to detail. With the onset of World War I, production stopped; when it resumed sometime around 1922, the snow babies were more hastily made, less finely detailed in their porcelain and finish. Yet these newer pieces show children, Santas, and elves in remarkably imaginative poses: a child feeds a seal from a baby bottle; Santa drops toys from an airplane; two dwarves dance atop a psychedelic mushroom. The variations are nearly endless: one estimate puts their number at well over 2000.

Just before World War II, Japan began to produce snow babies, though they were generally of a lesser quality than those made in Germany. In the late 20th Century, a company called Department 56 began producing snow babies in Taiwan.

From Wikipedia

Monday, December 15, 2008