Hi everyone,
I hope you can all come back tomorrow to help my sister, Cindy, identify a couple of dolls that were her Mother-in-Laws. I have several pictures from her and just know you’ll be able to help her out… :o)
Well, you’ve been reading about Joy and all the bits and baubles she’s been trying to round up for the scene she wanted to make for her dolls. She finally found all the things she wanted and today it’s picture time with a bit of narration from Joy herself…
Hello Jeanne,
Well, not here, but it was snowing on the couch this afternoon. I was finally able to get some pics of the kids at their snow party. It was cold, but no one seemed to mind and the blankets helped those who wanted to keep warm. We did have a campfire and lots of things to eat.
Joy
(Just a quick warning… for some reason if you click on the pictures to see them larger, and then click back to see more pictures you’ll be fine, but if you click to enlarge and try to start writing your comments and then try to go back, it will wipe out your comments! Sorry, but I don’t know why that happens… it’s best to just save all your comments until the end..)
I love it Joy! There is SO much to look at! No wonder it took you a while to collect and set up everything! I even see your little radio! Did you set it all up while you were alone or was “someone” there in the house with you… watching your every move? Just wondering!
Thanks for all the fun pictures!
See everyone tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Joy, this is the most darling scene that I have seen in a long time! Oh my gosh, so much to look at, and the way you have photographed it, well, it looks so professional ! This is on your couch?? How did you get everything to stand up so perfectly without tumbling over on a couch?
First, I wonder did you really make those beautiful snowflakes? They add such a whimsical touch! I immediately was drawn to the lovely white Aran sweater that one of the dolls is wearing! Could that be from Anne?
I love the boys flannel shirts, and the girls jackets! I do know how much work that is to dress each doll appropriately and to still have a cohesive look.
All those colorful blankets and wraps! The little trees and fawn on the table top! And the food! The salad looks so real, is that real lettuce? And those tongs!
Where did you ever find those? Even the plates have a “wintery” theme! And yes, i see your radio too! I also see the AG campfire lit up!
The cart filled with goodies is darling and the pup nearby looks like he wants a bit of something good to eat! I believe I have the same towels on the table, and they work perfectly with the theme! Did you make those napkins all rolled up, or did they come that way? I’ll have to try that, and I certainly got some good ideas for a scene from this delightful one! My only problem in setting up scenes, is lack of space and the fact that my scenes stay up until the next one, so the couch would never do for a scene for me. We need the couch for sitting on!
Thank you so much for giving us a wonderful scene that is perfect for the cold weather times we are having,…. well, some of are! Thank you Jeanne for showing this!
I looked this over 3 times for mistakes, since my last few comments have had them, and to think I was certified to teach English!!! LOL
Thank you so much Linda for your responses. You are so kind.
Yes, the scene was done on the couch. I did have to prop up a table leg underneath the snow with a roll of ribbon, but otherwise, everything managed to stay in one place.
Yes, I did make the snowflakes. It brought back memories of January when I was teaching as I always taught my third graders how to make them. Then we strung them with paper clips from the ceiling. They had so much fun. Me too. 🙂
Yes, the beautiful white sweater was made by our wonderful Anne. I absolutely love the sweater. 🙂
The boys thank you for the compliments on their flannel. 🙂 Fortunately, I didn’t have to button those tiny little buttons as they were over another shirt.
I’m trying to remember about the salad and tongs, but I think it was from AG Blair’s family restaurant? Not sure.
How fun that you have the same towels. Mine from Kohl’s. I did make the napkins. Well, I made the napkin rings from some Xmas wrap and the napkins were paper. Guess they should have been linen. 🙂
I wish that I had a space to do scenes inside, but since it was one of the couches or the dining table, the couch won out. If I had a nice sized table without any other necessary use, I too would probably leave up the scene for a bit, but we don’t have a space. So after pics, it was taken apart and all returned to where ever there was a spot in the doll room. Bad me. Thanks so much for your wonderful comments. 🙂
Joy, I so enjoyed your winter scene pictures with your RRFF kids! You had so many accessories and things to look at! What a variety of foods to choose from, too! Do tell Russell, though, that it’s not a good idea to put his feet Quite so close to the fire. He could end up with scorched shoes!!
Marilyn, your description of the sweater Anne sent you is wonderful–I can just see it in my mind’s eye! I hope you’ll be able to take a picture or two and send to Jeanne. I did send her pictures of my Frieda in the sweater that Anne sent, so hopefully those will show up on the blog one of these days!
Linda asked what lutefisk is (“fisk” is Swedish for “fish”), and the video that Joy shared did give you some information, but I wanted to add that the lutefisk starts out as air-dried cod (way up north in Norway and Sweden, where there are never any bugs, the fish is caught and dried in the open air, then put away to be “reconstituted”, if you will, later). The first step, when you are getting ready to cook it, is to soak it in the lye solution; after that, it is soaked in clear water, which is changed frequently over the course of a few days, and this gets all the lye OUT of the fish. Then it is cooked. Back in the 1950s, mom put the lutefisk in a cloth bag and it was plunged into boiling water. It doesn’t take too long to cook that way, but does kind of stink up the house!! Baking it is much better, and your house doesn’t smell like fish for three days afterwards, either.
The key with lutefisk is to cook it until it’s white and flaky. If it starts to look gelatinous, that is not a good sign! It’s edible, but not as delicious or pleasant.
Anyway, in our house (and I should add, we are SWEDISH, not Norwegian, so some things are different from the video) lutefisk was served with boiled potatoes, melted butter, and cream gravy. Today, Paul and Jill added mashed peas and also bacon bits (though theirs were purchased cooked bits, and from the fridge, not in drippings/butter), as they had seen it served that way at places like The Swedish Club (Seattle). No mustard at all. (I am glad!) No brown cheese, either. Because we are Swedish, we don’t have lefse with our lutefisk. Lefse is Norwegian. (I do like it, though!)
I am going to send the link to the video to my sister-in-law, as I don’t think she salts it ahead of time to draw out liquid, and that might be something she would want to try. Also the way they do the bacon bits is a little different, so she might enjoy seeing that, too.
Anyway, my lunch was very nice, and there was even a small birthday cake for me! They took a few pictures (I forgot my camera), and after I get them, I will try to remember to send them to Jeanne, so you all can see what our meal looked like, as well as my cake. It was really a nice day.
By the time you all read this, I will be 80! Time flies.
A big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you, Charlotte! Welcome to the “80” Club!
Charlotte, I am so happy that you had just the birthday you wanted. 80 is a big one! I remember mine 6 years ago. My younger son came from Seattle with his 2 daughters, and we all went to my older brothers place on St. Simon’s Island. Several other family came and we had steak and a wonderful cake. The girls and my grand niece had fun in the ocean. Great memories and I know you will think of your good memories, too.
🎉🎀🎈🎏Happy Snappy Birthday Charlotte🎈🎉❤️🩵🔆
This is a great day to be born! Amazing Charlotte. I hope you have the best day ever, and a lot of delight and happiness this year!!
Happy Happy Birthday to you, Charlotte! I think you are a very young 80. 🙂
Happy Birthday Charlotte! I hope you enjoy your lute fish meal and a big piece of cake! Best wishes for a happy 80th year!
A big happy birthday to Charlotte. Yay!
Tks on my winter snow scene. You’re right, Russell did have his feet a bit too close to the campfire, but it was also holding him from falling over. 🙂
I forgot, thanks for the added info on the “fish”. Maybe if the peas were fresh and not canned like I was forced to eat as a child, they would taste more reasonable? 🙂
How funny Joy, but I loved and still love those canned peas. Sometimes my mother made the frozen ones and I didn’t like them at all. I never heard them called mushy peas until just recently. I just always called them canned peas.
Interesting, but neither other person nor I like peas to this day. However, my special pup Snooky, loved them. 🙂
Happy Birthday to the youngest 80yr old out there!! Sounds like so far it’s a wonderful day for you.
A big Happy Birthday to you. I still have a year before the big 8-0. David (1/6) and I (12/26) will be 80 at the same time Dionne is 40 (1/21). Maybe we can make a big celebration out of it. Not sure she’ll want to share though and she already has her restaurant picked out. Wishing you many, many more great years.
Dear Charlotte, Happy Birthday!
I told your namesake, little Miss Charlotte Noelle, that today was your birthday. After she asked if you would have cake and ice cream (I told her I was sure that you would) she went on to bring up her “main idea.”
“Mama,” said she, “people should really get the number of gifts as what their age is.” I am sure that she was thinking of her birthday and how many gifts she would like. You know for that girl, it’s always about her (laugh).
I replied, “you know Charlotte Noelle, I think you are correct.” Astonishment shown on her face. She doesn’t usually hear me say those words.
I continued, “grown-ups have lived many years and done many things to help others and make the world a better place.” I could see that she was not liking where this was going.
“So,” I added, “when you are a grown up, I am sure that you will receive just as many gifts as is your age.”
Usually she has a “come back” but this time she didn’t. I declared it a victory for me and hurriedly went to put on the teapot.
In keeping with Charlotte Noelle’s idea, she and I and all of her siblings are sending you 80 virtual hugs! Happy, Happy Birthday!
A very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you, Charlotte! 🎂🎁🎈🎉💐🥳😹😻 It sounds like you had an absolutely wonderful day. Remember, you are really just 18 with 62 years of experience. 😁
Oh I like this statement. Got to remember that.
Happy Birthday from me too! I think sewing and loving on our dolls keeps us all young!! So I say, “Bring on the birthdays!!”
Happy birthday Charlotte. I had my trip to UK for my 80th birthday. No cake because I am the one who makes and decorates cakes lol.
Oh, Wow, Joy, you must have been working hours getting all that so perfectly together! Thank you and Jeanne for sharing it with us. So much to see, I had to look it over 3 times! The food looks so real and the dolls are so beautifully dressed. It makes me want to go sit with them at their party. It is nice you have extra blankets for them and even a little fire. They look so happy.
Thanks Sissy! I’ve always wanted to have an outdoor snow party, but this is the closest I’ll ever get. 🙂
Jeanne, I hope you are feeling good and getting some rest.
I hope the days ahead are all improvement days.
Happy Birthday Charlotte, I hope your day is exceptionally fun.
Right this minute I am singing 🎶🎻🎹🎵Happy Birthday to Charlotte 🎀🎊💎🎶
WOW JOY! your dolly gathering is so so adorable. Wow, I love all of the photos so I can look at each one and biggify it. Just beautifical
I do not have these dolls, but I love them! Each of them are so cute and I love how small they are, so easy to play with. Oh my. Their clothes are really cute. I love that you have boy dolls too. That is so fun. I can’t stop looking at these pictures.
every detail is amazing. Now I think all of us are dying to know how you set this up without other person entering and being shocked and fainting.
Do you have your own play room? (I do here in the new house, it is the entire upstairs hahaha, I happily share it with Kitty Princess and she loves it)
This is so fun. I would be playing with these dollies all day! and making tiny clothes.
I love their faces! and their hair. They look like happy Pixies! Thank you sooo much for putting this together and sharing exceptional photos. I want to come over and play!
Jeanne, thanks for sharing Joy’s beautiful dolly winter party scenery.
I am looking forward to looking at your sister’s MIL’s dolls. I hope I can recognise at least one.
Yesterday I did a lot of unsewing… kind of a change of plan. I do not mind unsewing but yesterday was just a lot.
Stay toasty today dear ones.
Thanks so much Rosemary. No, play room here unfortunately. I do have a stuffed doll room, but there isn’t a place to do scenes there. Too much stuff. 🙂
Oh, Joy, this is amazing! That’s a lot of work, and patience! Like Linda, I wondered if you made all the snowflakes. I remember when my siblings and I would make snowflakes when we were kids. Take a piece of paper, fold it every which way, and just start cutting. We actually made some pretty cool snowflakes this way, and also some duds. 🙂 I love your bottle brush trees, too. I have all kinds of little trees I decorate with every year – made of metal, glass, wood, resin, plastic, etc. – and since they aren’t necessarily Christmas trees, I leave them around all winter, along with my snowmen.
Thank you Theresa! I always loved January, when teaching, as I brought out lots of donated paper and showed the kids how to fold to make snowflakes. Most had never made them before, and they were in third grade. I hung them from paper clips linked down from the ceiling. It was so much fun. I’ll bet your bottle brush trees are lovely. 🙂
I was so happy to see your winter display Joy! Your gathering is a real treat, from the treats on the table to outfits on the dolls. I do recognize all but one of the attendees – the smiling brunette in the white dress – who is that beauty? The campfire, puppies, and tartans – just perfect for a winter campfire.
Just when I was planning spring outfits for the dolls, winter came with a blast. The coldest temperatures in NC since 2018 and messy frozen stuff that canceled our birthday lunch in the city last weekend. We have rescheduled with our family for the upcoming Saturday but mother nature may have other plans again – sixty percent chance of snow! We do have plans to travel to the NC Museum of Dolls for my birthday tomorrow. More photos to share soon.
Glad you liked the party. TKS! The Ruby Red in the white dress is fairly new, Christmas, and is Carol. I put on a new wig as I didn’t like the one she came with that had beads and removed the decorations that were on the dress. 🙂
She is a stunner with your modifications, 🥰
Debbie, What a great place to go for your birthday, I know it will be a happy day! I am looking forward to your photos for sure!!
Such sweet pictures, Joy! Thanks so much for sharing them, Jeanne and Joy! It’s so neat how people can make their tiny clothes look so realistic. It’s amazing. We have a little deer similar to that one. That pizza makes me want to eat some 🙂 Who is the beautiful doll on the left in the last picture? Is she a Ruby Red Fashion Friend, too?
Glad Jeanne was able to get some rest and stop coughing the other day. We got a lot of snow, but I don’t know the number of inches. We missed Mass on Sunday because the road didn’t look very safe and the other one would have been even more dangerous. It helped us to decide when there was a firetruck with its sirens on going slowly past our house. The kids had Monday and Tuesday off but today they had to go back. Really cold out. Hopefully recess is inside.
Happy Birthday Dear Charlotte! Tomorrow my Grandpa would have turned 104. Avila turned 7 on the 22nd. Hope you all have a great day!
Tks Karen. How fun that you have a little deer too. The pizza would be a little chewy, I think, because it is some erasers. 🙂 The doll in the white dress on the left in the last pic is also a Ruby Red. She is from Christmas this year and is Carol with a different wig and the trim removed from her outfit. I do like her smile too. 🙂
Thanks everyone for the wonderful comments and thank you Jeanne for sharing my photography attempts today.
I did do the scene on the couch as I wanted to put up the velvet background, so the back of the couch worked.
I want to thank Anne, for the most lovely sweater ever. You can see it in the last photo worn by one of my girls on the right. She is wearing the pleated skirt I made with it. All of the dolls love that sweater, and she was the lucky one who got to wear it. Now, any guesses on the name of the doll in the sweater? 🙂
Joy, is that Charming Dorothy in the sweater?😊
Good guess, but no. 🙂
Can’t be, Linda. I have Charming Dorothy. I know Joy does as well. 😻 She’s my Marsaili, little Scottish/Irish/Welsh girl. She has red curls and green eyes.
Dear Joy, thank you for inviting us to the party!
I am guessing that you sent Other Person on a mission of his own (smile).
I love seeing all of the little touches that you added for the children’s enjoyment.
Thanks Dorothy. Please see below about other person. 🙂
Replying up here as well,Joy. It’s Eliana in the sweater.
Yes!! It is Eliana. I knew that you would get it. 🙂
😻😻😻
I forgot to add that while I was bringing out box lids with props and trying to set up, other person would wander out from the office and stop and then roll his eyes and go away, fortunately. It’s hard to figure these things out with someone staring at you as you work. But, he did seem relieved when I started taking everything apart and moving it back to the doll room. Maybe he thought it was going to be around for awhile. Don’t know. 🙂
Dear Joy, thanks for sharing this with us. It made me smile.
I am happy that this wasn’t a caper because I could not imagine the amount of time you would need to put this all together and then take it apart.
I haven’t done dolly photo shoots for a while but I remember when I did that they took way more time than I expected.
Wonderful snow party for the dolls! Great “outdoor” setting and perfect accessories.
Happy Birthday, Charlotte! Sounds like you had a special day!
Thanks Elizabeth on my scene. 🙂
Dear Jeanne, I am looking forward to seeing Cindy’s dolls. I will alert some of my doll friends to the posting as I am not usually good at identifying older dolls.
I left you a little something to think about on yesterday’s comment somewhere down the page. You may have to scroll a bit. You will probably chuckle when you read it.
What an absolutely darling scene, Joy! I love all the details. The paper snowflakes are lovely. We used to make those in school and I also made some each year to decorate the windows.
All your dolls look warm and cozy. I really like Liberty Joy (wish I had known the Sara sculpt and skin tone would become non existent), Harlow in that gorgeous sweater from Anne, and super happy Carol. All the tartan is beautiful and that sweet pup and cute radio. Thanks so much for sharing your snow picnic.
No, not Harlow, one of the French dolls. I can’t think of her name right now as they are out of consideration for me.due to higher cost.
Bingo, Eliana, from the Spain store. Still not ones I can have.
Yep, she is my girl from Spain. Love Eliana. 🙂
Thank you for your kind comments on the scene. I know that they still have Sara as a core dolls, but I guess that she isn’t the same coloring. I think my original Sara may have developed the dreaded pink eyes. Really don’t want to look though. You are so good at remembering all of the dolls. I have found that I actually have to go back and look up a few to remember names. Bad dolly mom. 🙂
Joy it was a pleasure seeing all your lovely dolly photos. Like you, I don’t have anywhere any more to set up my dolls, especially not on the sofa, that is Echo’s domain! Eliana looks lovely in the sweater, it really is a lovely pattern though it is 37 pages of printing. Most patterns are three or four sides of printing and one of those is the photograph! That was in the days before the internet though.
Sam and I are sorting out the workroom and garage. She says (I am taking it with a pinch of salt) her aim is to be able to get my car in the garage next week. However, she is being very good and getting rid of a lot of stuff that she hung on to for years because ‘she had an idea’.
I hope your weather is improving (ours is), stay warm everyone
Thanks on the pics. That sweater is a masterpiece. I so love it. And please tell Sam, that I could use her here to help weed things out. It really is a jumble of things for ideas of old around here too. Good for you two and hope you have success in getting your car into the garage. We haven’t had a car in ours in probably 40 years, maybe. 🙂
Ann that little sweater is absolutely stunning. And it fits so well. I crochet but don’t knit and knitting really is the best for little things I’m just all thumbs when I try to knit.
I hope there are some that read my comments today, especially Joy, because I’m late in commenting. I had a busy morning and this afternoon was my chiro appointment so I’m just now getting to it. But I had to let Joy know I love, love, love her Snow Party pictures. When I lived in PA we would go to the lake for ice skating parties and sit around outside eating the burgers and hotdogs from the concession stand. We never thought a thing about the fact it was cold. We were dressed for it and skating does warm you up. The snowflakes are beautiful. We used to love making them when I was growing up but I don’t think I ever made any quite so lovely. All your dolls look so cozy and warm in their cold weather attire and what wonderful food. Love the plates. And how nice there are extra blankets available. Great job Joy and I know well how long it can take to set up one of these photo shoots and get everyone dressed, not to mention keeping them all in place.
Oh, thank you so much, Barbara, for the lovely comments. I like doing scenes, but it seems that it is getting harder and always takes longer to do than I think it will. Your skating parties sounded so fun. We used to skate here on Friday night in junior high. But, at the indoor rink. Not the same though. And years ago, I skated at the Squaw Valley Olympic rink. After the Olympics, they had it open for years for the community to enjoy. I loved the big rink.
Hope you have gotten some rain. We had a few sprinkles last night.