DON’T FORGET:
Ten Ping’s will have to get undressed from her pink coat and silver dress soon. The auction for the set is ending tonight (Friday) on Ebay! If you missed it, you can see it by clicking the picture at the right side bar or you can click HERE.
I promised you some Valentine dolly pictures and we certainly have them today! These first pictures are from Linda… I KNOW you will enjoy them… Look at all the details in how she sets them up! This is what Linda told me about them…
Jeanne, here are some pictures of my dolls celebrating Valentine’s Day. They are scattered in two different rooms, so I don’t have them all in one picture. I’m kind of bummed at my camera, since on a lot of the pictures the right side of the picture is a bit fuzzy. Not sure what the problem is.
I start out with Felicity getting ready for her party first. Then Kirsten and Cecile are together, and I think you can see that Cecile is not in focus very well. I can’t edit half a picture!
Then the 40’s girls decorating for their party, then in their kitchen with their table full of sweets, and notice Betsy just had to be there too! Then a close up of the treat table. Most everything is from AG, except the ice cream sundaes, which are actually lip balm inside, from Tuesday Morning!
Then the modern girls, with Betsy back up there with Scarlett and ivy.Coconut is wearing her Valentine outfit too, playing Cupid. Everything in all the pictures are from AG except Susan’s Valentine dress and Betsy’s dress.
Yes, we love looking at your little areas you have for each group of your girls… Thank you SO MUCH for sharing them! They look so, so, so, “Valentine-ish!” :o)
So, now, it’s Joy’s turn to show us some of her girls dressed for Valentine’s Day! This is what Joy had to say…
So here are a few of my dark haired girls. Left to right: Hanna wearing a dress I made that is going to grand’s Sara, Hanalei, in her Valentine meet dress, Phanie in another dress I made carrying some Valentine’s in a felt heart, and Maya also in her meet outfit. Minnie in her meet outfit is sitting with her pup. The other photo is of Hanalei’s dress from the back. I love the cut out heart design. 🙂
In other news from Joy…
Looks like Dianna Effner’s family has a preorder for a new 11″ doll. Not so sure about her painted eyes though. She reminds me a lot of the RRFF dolls.
Dianna Effner new Li’l Dreamer doll
Something just for fun from Susette…
Does anyone know or want to guess what the full-size tool this miniature represents?
The bowl is filled with chalk and the string is drawn through it and it’s used to make a chalk line on a surface. It was part of the tool chest 40 years ago and probably still is.
My hubby has the “modern” version of this plumb line in his tool box. I wonder what he’d do if he had to mark a line with this? :o)
Here’s something from Theresa… I thought I had shown this, but I don’t think I did…
Hi Jeanne,
Thought I would send you a couple of photos regarding a couple of things that have been discussed recently on your blog. First, I got a new wig for RRFF Jennifer from ZaZou Custom Dolls on Etsy. It is very soft, and I love the style and the color! She’s such a pretty girl, and like Freida, pink really suits her!
The second is the snow we got here in northcentral Indiana. 10 to 12 inches, per my hubby, who does a lot of snow plowing for several people, and a couple of churches, around town. And since he’s hardly been home the last few days due to snow plowing, now would be a good time for me to sneak in some new dolls… but unfortunately, I don’t have any new ones coming right now. 🙂
My best boy, Linus, loves the snow and wants to go out and play in it all the time!
I look forward to your blog every day – it’s the first thing I read when I get up in the morning. Even when you are busy with other things, I enjoy the comments and conversations by your readers. So thank you for keeping us entertained! 🙂
Theresa
Thank YOU, Theresa… I’m glad you enjoy the blog and I loved the pictures. We used to have a chocolate lab named Abby and that picture reminded me SO much of her…
Well, I better save a few pictures for some Saturday viewing pleasures! :o)
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
What a fun post to end my evening!!
Linda, your settings and girls area all just wonderful. At first glance, I thought two of your 40s girls had identical dresses, but they’re not. Just almost exactly the same red! I love the dress that Felicity is wearing; so pretty! And those “ice cream sundaes”–fabulous!
BTW, Linda, do you think perhaps your camera lens might have a little smudge that could be causing that bit of blurriness? That would be my first thought, and it wouldn’t take much of a smudge to make a “big” impression on your photo!
Joy, your girls look so sweet in their Valentine finery! I especially love the dress you made for your granddaughter’s Sara. I love to play with striped fabrics that way, and you found the perfect figured stripe for that dress! Thanks for showing the cut-out back of Hanalei’s dress, too–lovely detail!
Theresa, you certainly changed the look of your Jennifer with that wig! That pixie style is just perfect for her! The snow picture of your Linus is terrific, too. We rarely get that much snow at once out here in the Seattle area. My little dog, Molly, used to love being out in the snow, too.
Thanks, everyone, for sharing your pictures!
Hi Charlotte – I think the pink wig is just super cute on Jennifer. Linus and I both love the snow. I think I love it more now that I’m retired and don’t have to drive in it if I don’t want.to. 🙂
I love the snow, too, Theresa! I have lived in the Seattle area since Oct. 1960, and we don’t see it very often, but I do enjoy it when we get it! (I was born in Jan. and grew up in the midwest, though, so I guess I was born to love snow!)
HI Charlotte,
Wasn’t this a fun post to look at… nothing but pretty dolls and other fun stuff!
Blessings, Jeanne
Thank you for the compliments, Charlotte! I have fun trying to do things a bit differently each year, and adding things to the scenes. I think the dolls have fun too! I have no idea why the right side of the pictures look out of focus, but I have cleaned off the leans, and still there! I think I dropped the camera one time, and that could be it.
Joy, it is always fun to see your dolls hanging out on your deck! I sure couldn’t do that here now, with the cold weather, but your dolls seem very comfortable! I love Hanalei’s new dress! That cut-out in the back is darling! As always, your dolls have quite the personality that shows through! Hanna’s dress is something I would love for my 40’s girls!
Theresa’s Jennifer looks so grown up in her new wig! It must be fun to change them out and she looks like a snow queen princess! My goodness Theresa, you certainly have a lot of snow, and Linus looks like the happiest pup in the world!
Hi Linda – I don’t have any American Girl dolls, but I love seeing the way you dress and pose them for all occasions. I would probably do the same with my dolls if I had a huge house and room to play, but I don’t, so my girls pretty much just stand around in one place all the time.
As cute as Jennifer’s original wig is, I though she needed something a little less heavy, and came up with the pink pixie. 🙂
Linus is a happy dog! Not much of a pup anymore, though I still call him that – he’ll be 14 in May.
HI Linda,
I’m sure your dolls have their very own calendars and know what holidays are coming up and know they’ll be getting to change into pretty new dresses and show the whole world. You do a great job of making them all so adorable!
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, I forgot to mention Susette’s tool! It certainly is a beautiful, well kept tool, nothing like my hubby’s tools here! Is this a Japanese tool, Susette? Making tools must have been an art in itself!
Well, I’ll certainly be spending the day looking at all of the delightful details in the photos by talented Linda. I don’t even notice the blurs.
I always start looking at tea sets when I see Felicity’s so well set table. That little hobnail vase with the tulips is lovely too.
There’s something about red and white I love and Kirsten and Cecil display it so well. That white apron worn over Kirsten’s dress is beautiful. Love the design.
The 40’s girls look like fun is about to begin. I see Molly even made a quick clothes change too. Great pets and the party food display is so fun. So glad you included little Betsy. I know she doesn’t like to be left out. 🙂
The red dresses Scarlet and Ivy are wearing are such winners. So festive and Coconut wins the pet costume contest. Thanks so much for putting together all of the fun scenes, Linda. Really enjoyed them.
Very interesting and decorative chalk line snapper that belongs to Susette. We too have the regular metal one, but this one is so unique. Fun.
Theresa’s snow is beautiful. Love seeing it. Jennifer rocks the Zazou pink wig. Definitely the snow queen this year. And what a fantastic picture of pup Linus. I’ll bet your husband has a lot of friends who are thrilled to see him and the plow show up. Hope a new dolly comes your way soon. 🙂
Thanks Jeanne for sharing all of the fun photos. And on to the weekend. 🙂
Hi Joy – We love the snow. Great part of living in Indiana – we get to enjoy all four seasons. At almost 14 years old, Linus still acts like a pup, especially when it comes to snow! My husband enjoys snow plowing, and loves to help people out. He doesn’t even mind when they pay him with cookies! 🙂
HI Joy,
Yes, isn’t it fun looking at details on dolly pictures? You can almost get lost in all the little accessories and extra touches Linda adds!
Tomorrow will be fun with some new and different things… I hope you enjoy them just as much!
Blessings, Jeanne
It was really fun to see all the pictures sent in. So thank you Jeanne, Linda, Joy, Susette and Theresa!
It is always neat to enlarge the photos sent in just to see the pretty outfits and all the fun props and accessories!
Linda, your girls are fabulous! You always do a great job staging them with their party decorations, pets and dressing them all for the appropriate celebrations. Love the table items. Betsy is just too cute standing in with the other girls. All their outfits are really pretty! Love the one Susan and Betsy are wearing. And the doggie wearing the cute Valentine decorations, how precious!
Joy, it was so neat to see some of your RR girls. Love Hanna and Phanie’s dresses. Since I’m a late RR lover, I sure wish I had gotten Phanie. I never knew about some of the earlier ones. Hanalei’s dress is not only pretty but RR’s heart on the back is so clever.
Susette’s, I’ll have to show that tool to my husband. As a home builder, it’ll test his ability to recognize what it is.
Theresa, actually Freida looks great in her pink wig! Did you have trouble getting her wig off? I recently took Siblie Sydney’s wig off and it took hours and hours and I nearly broke my hands!
Great picture of Linus playing in the snow! I think snow regenerates their playfulness. At least
for most of the larger doggies. He sure looks happy.
What fun photos! Thank you everyone!
Hi Paula – The Siblies, I assume, have glued-on wigs. I’ve never tried to take a glued wig off of a doll. I’m glad some of these new RRFFs have wigs that can be changed – it can totally change their look and personality! 🙂
Linus is quite playful for his almost 14 years. Yesterday we were outside, and he started to roll around on top of the frozen snow, then he laid down and flopped over on his side and just stayed that way, like “Ahhhhh, that feels so good!” Silly boy!
HI Paula,
It’s always fun for me to see what everyone is doing in all parts of the world… Linda is the closest person to me, about 2 hours away, but I’ve never seen her house in person… but some day, I’d like to visit her dolly kingdom! :o)
I haven’t tried taking off any of the RRFF doll wigs, and from the sounds of your experience, I’m not sure I will… sounds awful…
Whenever Reuben comes in from the snow, he runs around the house, rubbing on the front of the couch and racing back to the sitting room and then back to the living room. George calls him “wet activated!” :o)
Thanks Paula,
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Jeanne,
The Kirsten set is going to be another sensation. That blue fabric is gorgeous and wonderful match with the blouse. Good luck tonight on the Ten Ping auction. One of these days, I am going to nab one of those little girls to go with my Girls of the Orient and Dawn, but, it looks like Princess Josefine is grabbing my attention this weekend.
Linda, you obviously have the BEST time setting up your themed scenes. Your attention to details is extraordinary and so fun for the rest of us to see. Beautiful outfits and girls and pets, too. Seeing your Felicity with her dining set reminded me I have two of those sets and an extra chair. Why? I thought when I moved out here I would have room for wonderful displays. That is not the reality, alas, but that dining set is my favorite followed by Molly’s which I don’t have. So a huge thank you, once again. Brava!
Joy, always fun to see what you have been up to, and you should have shared the darling picture of your lovely granddaughter with her Sara doll wearing that dynamite dress. Well done.
Theresa, Jennifer rocks with that pink pixie wig. Isn’t it nice to use some shorter hair wigs some times? So many long wigs, straight, wavy, or crazy curly. ZaZou has lots of wonderful wigs and Danielle is a most attentive, helpful seller. And oh, sweet old boy Linus with his jubilance in the snow. Yup, for me, about the best things in life are dolls and dogs. 😁
Susette, I appreciate your photo of that tool. A utilitarian work of art.
Hope everyone is fine and dandy today. Thanks for the wonderful pictures to all of you and dear Jeanne.
Hi Sally – I just love the pink pixie on Jennifer. I also bought a long brown one, but this one just suits her. Linus definitely is a sweet ol’ snow-crazy boy! I agree that dolls and dogs are the best – they keep us smiling, which keeps us young! 🙂
HI Sally,
I’m almost a bit sad to see Ten Ping’s little pink have to go… I’ve enjoyed seeing her sitting in her sled, all bundled up! :o)
I looked at Princess Josefine and she does nothing for me… I think her eyes are too pointed and I think her chin is too big… as soon as I saw her, it was a no from me… but I’ve seen lots who commented that they liked her… it’s okay, I’m good on RRFF dolls right now…
When you get moved back out east, will you have a dolly room that’s big enough for displays? Just wondering, I’m not sure if you ever mentioned that before…
Well, my dinner is calling me… I better hurry and get something going…
Blessings, Jeanne
Sorry Theresa, I thought your RR was Frieda. Jennifer looks a lot like Frieda.
What a wonderful array of pictures today! Thanks Jeanne for allowing us to share your blog. It’s fun to do the photo set-ups but much more when we can share them with others. Best of luck with the auction this evening. I have a friend whose daughter adopted a Chinese baby. She is now a lovely young lady of 12. My friend has a picture of her granddaughter when she first arrived. She was wearing a pink bunting. The picture reminded me so much of Ten Ping that I told her to check out your auction. She thought Ten Ping was adorable and did look a lot like her granddaughter.
Linda, your pictures are always fabulous. Your lovely young ladies always look so perfectly dressed and your props are the best. And I always love seeing what Betsy is wearing but it does put a lot of pressure on me. My Betsy always wants what your Betsy is wearing. I’m way behind on keeping her happy on that one. I love all the little pets in the pictures. I really didn’t notice any blurriness. It definitely didn’t detract from the beautiful pictures.
Joy, your pictures are wonderful. Hanna was my third choice of the RRFFs but she has fast become my favorite to dress. Her coloring is perfect for just about any color I put on her. Your Hanalei is my Kayla. I love their dresses, especially the back. And I can’t say enough about the shoes. Just lovely. The dress you made for Hanna is very nice. I like sewing with stripes and plaids and you did a great job with them. The fabric is really pretty. Minnie is adorable. I don’t know about her. Cute animals.
I loved seeing the picture of the tool from Susette. My stepfather’s family were contractors. He had so many of the tools they used in the early days and actually preferred them to their more modern equivalents. David went to an auction a few years ago and bought several early tools. He doesn’t use them but he loves having them to show people.
Theresa, I love your picture of Jennifer. I’m not much for colored wigs but I love this one and her whole ensemble. The new LD I ordered from Magalie will have a short haircut and I think I’m going to re-wig a few of my smaller girls. Sometimes it seems to me they have too much hair. What a sweet picture of Linus in the snow. We don’t usually get snow here but when we have my Cocker does not handle it well. She absolutely does not like getting her feet wet and I think snow is too much like that.
I have already ordered my Li’l Dreamer Evianna. I didn’t have a problem with her eyes in the picture and I may be disappointed when she arrives in person. But believe it or not one of the main selling points for me was costuming by Magalie. I’m hoping she will add patterns for her clothing to her pattern collection. She has so many for different dolls and they are all so different from the usual. I have a few and haven’t made them up yet but hope to soon. They are so detailed.
Beautiful weather here these days. It’s most likely we are over our freeze concerns. We may get some cold fronts and wind in March, but usually by the end of February winter here is pretty much gone. I haven’t seen any Red Bud trees blooming yet but that will probably happen soon.
Hi Barbara – I never cared for colored wigs, either, until I saw this one. I loved the style, and pink is my favorite color, so I went for it. 🙂 I agree about wigs sometimes having too much hair. I have a couple of small iplehouse bjds, and I was just thinking I need to go through my wig stash and see if I can find some wigs for them that don’t look so overwhelming. I think they might just be a size too big, but I’m not sure what I might have that will fit.
I still haven’t hit the “buy” button yet for Evianna. Like you, a big selling point is the fashions by Magalie. If I do buy her, it’ll be the pink and grey ensemble for me. She does do some very exquisite work!
HI Theresa,
I just decided to pick the comments you left for Barbara and add mine to yours… I have been thinking about a little pink wig for one of my dolls and seeing yours on Jennifer made me want it even more… She looks adorable in it.
Thanks for your sweet pictures… I hope your snow has melted some but if not, just stay inside and play dolls some more!
Blessings, Jeanne
HI Barbara,
It’s always fun to have a post like today, where there is something for everyone!
Awww…what a sweet story from your friend… now I’ll have to relay that story to Ten Ping! :o)
My favorite line in your comments on Linda’s pictures was “My Betsy always wants what your Betsy is wearing!” I loved that! I think of lots of dolls who see Linda’s girls in their pretty dresses feel the same way! :o)
My hubby likes to look at antique and vintage tools… some he even uses… especially the snippers we use when cutting the floor planks… they are super heavy duty and work SO WELL!
It’s supposed to get down to 20 tonight… and 16 tomorrow night… I’m wanting Spring to make it’s arrival… guess not this week! :o(
Thanks Barbara,
Blessings, Jeanne
Always so much fun to see your pictures, Linda. Thanks so much for sharing them.
You really go all out with so many wonderful details. Everyone looks just darling. I especially love Kirsten’s outfit. Pairing her school dress with Addy’s Plaid summer set apron is super cute. The apron is the reason I had to have that set as well, although I love all the ruffles on the dress also. Your ’40s girls are certainly having a wonderful party.
Now my eye went immediately to Cecile’s shoes and I had to enlarge and look carefully. I simple must know where you found kitty cat maryjanes. Some doll(s) of mine absolutely NEED(S) them!
What lovely dresses you made, Joy, and I loved seeing your RRFFs dressed up. Sara’s dress is very sweet and Ilke the heart design Hanalei came in. If that doll had had blue eyes rimmed in violet I might have caved. How sweet they have little pets.
What a neat plumb line tool, Susette. Beautifully kept.Have a few of my grandfather’s tools I really appreciate the craftsmanship.
Jennifer looks beautiful in her new wig, Theresa and I love you snow puppy, Linus. Our Collie mix adored the snow as well. She would have loved the eight inches we have.
Pets and dolls, yep, we’ve got it covered!
Laura, Kitty Cat Mary Janes? I had to look at those shoes to see what you meant, since they aren’t that at all! They are ivory and black patent shoes, with bows in front and rhinestones in the center of the bows. You probably saw the bows as kitty ears. I have had them for years, and can’t remember where I got them, but off Ebay. They used to be featured quite a bit by various Ebay sellers. They are more Victorian than anything. So sorry I could not help you more, and thank you for the compliments!
Hi Laura – Thank you for the compliments on Jennifer, and Linus. So fun to watch dogs in the snow. 🙂
HI Laura,
Linda’s pictures are always a treat for everyone…and now I see you have spied something in them you like… I hope you find them…
Being the pet lover you are, I KNEW you’d love the picture of Linus… isn’t that the greatest picture? I just love it!
Thanks Laura,
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi Jeanne,
Thank you for sharing my photos – I’m glad the others enjoyed them.
My Linus is a miniature (though more like medium} chocolate labradoodle. I keep his coat trimmed short, though, so he looks like a small labrador more than a poodle. Unlike a labrador, he has a bit of a beard, but you can’t see it in the photo as it was full of snow. I think he likes to see how far he can stick his head into the snow! He’s such a great dog, I can’t believe he will be 14 at the end of May this year. Though he has developed a bit of a limp due to spinal stenosis which pinches some nerves, you’d never know it by the way he runs and plays like a puppy! He’s just a happy boy. 🙂
So, any chance you picked the Linus name from the Charles Schulz character? Love all of the Peanuts characters. Curious as Charles Schulz lived here in Santa Rosa until his death. An all around great guy. 🙂
And my maybe 4th great greats settled in Indiana in Daviess County about 1820, after coming from N. Carolina and into Kentucky. Lots of open land there at that time. 🙂