High Brow Center Part 1860's China Doll, 24"

Here is a wonderful old high brow china doll with original body and leather arms.  She has the old orange lips, red eye liner, white center part with side curls - and a wonderfully pleasant expression.  She probably needs some help with her wardrobe.

Free Lecture and Reception - Japanese Friendship Doll

Double left click to enlarge flyer.

You are invited to a free Lecture and Reception concerning Birmingham's own Japanese Friendship Doll.

Happy Birthday, Julie!

Happy Birthday, Julie!  Here is a Simon Halbig 1329 bisque head doll for you.

Happy Birthday, Jill!

Here is a very old cloth doll for you.  Don't you think it is "Mama-made"?  Have a Happy Birthday!

Small Dolls on my Dresser

These are dolls and stuffed animals that I enjoy looking at every day on my dresser:  From L to R:  Reproduction Kestner by Pat Boldt (bought at Convention in New Orleans), unmarked German bisque head doll, and stone bisque with lovely bare feet and plait in back with colored flowers (also unmarked, but probably German).  I found the tiny crocheted dresses and bonnet also at Convention; I believe the sellers were from New Zealand.  And the tiny handmade stuffed bears and cat were also in the sales room at the UFDC Convention.

An Evening With Miss Iwate - Save the Date

This beautiful Friendship Doll sent in 1927 from Japan to the children of the U.S., along with 56 others, has been kept in the Birmingham Public Library in a storage room.  Please join us for a reception and talk by Alan Pate, Asian doll specialist, on Feb. 21 at 6:00 p.m. at the main Birmingham Public Library.  We plan to help raise funds for a proper display case so she can be admired and appreciated.  See similar post below on this blog for more information.

Compositions, Stuffed Animals, Cloth and Wooden Dolls

Double left click to enlarge photos for your enjoyment.

A wonderful Raggedy display.

 Lots of beautiful, cuddly stuffed animals.

 A great case full of composition dolls.

 Here are Effanbee Patsy dolls of various sizes.

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 On this bench are 4 Schoenhut wooden dolls on the left,  and on the right are 2 cloth Chase dolls.

 Here are Grumpy, Coquette, Baby Daity type, and Lambikin.

 Georgene Raggedy Ann's sit atop books.

Nippon Dolls - Jill's January Program

Nippon is synonymous with the word Japan. From 1891-1921 all exports from Japan had to have Nippon on them. Thus, dolls and toys from the Nippon era are easy to date. Nippon era all bisque dolls are still afforable and fairly collectable. Nippon era all bisque dolls are generally 3-7" tall, are jointed at the arms and hips, and came in hundreds of different styles. Baby Bud, Kewpie, and the Happifats were copied from the German dolls, especially during WWI when imports from Germany were frowned upon. Some Nippon dolls are beautifully painted while others are very average. The Nippon era dolls are an interesting part of history.

 The 1st 3 photos are all sweet Nippons.  In the 3rd photo, the second from the left won a 1st Place at the recent UFDC Convention in New Orleans.  She wears her original crepe paper costume. The 4th photo is of a Morimura Bros. (Japanese company) copy of the German Hilda, along with some Made in Japan dolls.  The one on the right has her original crepe paper and tinsel dress.  The 5th photo shows 2 Morimura boy dolls and some small Made in Japan dolls (after 1921).  The last photo is of Nippons; the one on the left has a blue bow painted on either side of her head, and the one on the right has a blue ribbon around her head (or perhaps her head was smoothed to look like a cap). She wears the remains of a ribbon costume.

Remember to double left click on photos to enlarge.

Some Christmas Goodies

Japanese all bisque, an SFBJ gypsy girl, and a 3 1/2 inch repro mignonette.

Sharon Dressman Artist Bear - Clown

So happy to see him under the tree!  He is a sparse mohair "one off" named Picadilly Panda, made in 1998.  Sharon Dressman is an American bear artist.

Sharon Kirby's Carved Articulated Hitty

Our own member Sharon Kirby's (barbiesr@mindspring.com) hand-carved articulated Hitty doll.  She is carved from bass wood and oil painted.  I bought this smocked handkerchief dress for her at convention.  The dress is by Honey Bee (nancy@gmail2.pvco.net).

Secret Santa Gifts, Christmas 2012

Don't forget to double click on photos to enlarge.  Enjoy!

 Michelle's felt Annalees

 Doll chair for Billye

 A cat for Jill

 Little Genius for Debra

 Hand Painted Carolers (on goose eggs) for Dorothy

 A wax bowl with butterflies for Sharon

 A 1940's composition baby doll by Arranbee for Lydia

Barbara's Maude Bogart (mother of Humphrey Bogart) lady fashion doll 

 Beverly's mohair Whisper Bear made by a bear artist

JoAnn's pretty red handmade scarf with teddy bear wearing similar scarf

"An Evening with Miss Iwate & Alan Pate"

SAVE THE DATE!

"An Evening with Miss Iwate & Alan Pate"

2/21/2013

6:00 PM

Miss Iwate – Alabama’s Japanese Friendship Doll

She was a gift along with 57 other dolls from the Emperor of Japan in 1927 as a good will gesture between Japan and the United States. Since her arrival from Japan, she has been kept in the Birmingham Public Library. Unfortunately, she is not on display and can only be seen by appointment.  During the UFDC Convention this past July, some of the Birmingham Doll Club members became interested in Japanese Friendship Dolls and began research. We were pleasantly surprised to find that we had our very own doll right here in Birmingham.

We made an appointment and went to see her, and as you can see from her picture, she is quite beautiful. However, she needs some renovation and a display case so that all visitors to the library can meet and enjoy her.

We began discussing the situation with the librarians and with their help are beginning a campaign to raise funds to help Miss Iwate become an active part of our community.

We began discussing the situation with the librarians and with their help are beginning a campaign to raise funds to help Miss Iwate become an active part of our community.

As a result, well-known Asian doll specialist, Alan Pate will be coming to Birmingham, AL, on the evening of February 21^st to speak about Miss Iwate and all of the Japanese Friendship Dolls. We are hoping to raise awareness of her plight and also to begin fund raising. The evening will begin at 6:00 PM at the Main Library for light refreshments and at 6:30, Alan Pate will make a presentation and entertain questions and discussion at the end.

The public is welcome to join us for the evening

How to Display your Small Collectibles

You can find hanging display pieces like this at antique shops, flea markets, or Hobby Lobby.  It is fun to fill them with tiny treasures and hang them on the wall.  You can use gallery putty to hold them in place or if you can't run a wire through the back, you can wire the items to a push pin pushed into the wall of the house or display case.

Parian with Fancy Hairdo and Lustre Ribbon and Molded Necklace

Here is a 20" parian with fancy hairdo I found on ebay.  She is unusual in that she has a blue bow in her hair with gold lustre trim, and having molded jewelry on the shoulder piece is unusual.  She has a cloth body, red leather sewn on boots, and brown leather arms (patched with darker brown leather).  Her underclothes are correct - pantaloons and petticoat with lace trim, and an all lace bustle petticoat; she wears a wonderful silk dress with rusching trim and tie-on panniers, stuffed with tissue paper and cotton.  This word is from the French word paniers, which means wicker baskets placed on the back of pack animals, hanging from both sides.  There is a tag sewn to her pantaloons that says, "Charlotte Annette Cheney 1840," which could be the former owner or the person who dressed her.  These dolls were popular in the 1860's and 1870's.

Christmas Ornament Workshop for November

 Dorothy had faces of Santas and Elves already made for us using  molds she made from antique ornaments.  She baked the Fimo clay faces in the oven and painted them with sharpies after dipping in flesh colored acrylic.

Dorothy explaining where to glue the pom pom

Antique Santas that Dorothy made face molds from with Fema clay.

 Mary concentrating on a Santa relaxing his long legs.

Beverly is proud of her pine cone Santa.

Below are the finished products our members made - Santas and Elves:  We used painted pine cones, metallic paper, chenille and regular pipe cleaners, miniature trees, bells, etc., all applied with hot glue.

Double click on photos to enlarge.