Wednesday 28 November 2012

Dollhouses & Dolls - Part 2



Following my recent visit to the the V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green - East London I have been thinking about my dolls and dollhouses with pride and joy, I am not so cooko after all!

And I am not ALONE!

There are so many doll lovers out there, most have grey hair so this makes me feel better in my holy quest to accumulate as many cute dolls as possible ( I am at a stage where I hide them, everywhere, you may spot a leg here and there under my bed!).

The garage is full, as well, so this is a problem I guess! Hum!

My favorite doll is still the beloved Barbie, she was my First Love..... as a child I had just one that did not bend her legs ( I did try however, until she got broken, ups!) and very few clothes, so I was very frustrated ( maybe this early trauma has caused the recent need-urge to grab as many Barbies as I can.... you never recover from this!
Thinking about it, I never heard of a Betty Ford "holiday" to cure doll addiction! I guess it is harmless.


  

Problem...there are too many Barbies out there!!!

But then the problem got bigger as I started to discover other new dolls!

Sindy, for example, such a sweet face...how could one resist!?!


 

 

 

 




And then I saw a picture of Blythe......and it was the end! Lucky for me Blythe dolls were manufactured in 1972 and were not too successful then so disappeared from the Market place! Now they are ever so popular but the originals are hard to find, not many out there and ...very expensive so I collect pictures and books about her instead !


Like the fantastic Photo Art Cards by Zoe Power on Etsy...divine!









     www.zoepower.co.uk


You may also find a Magazine with clothes patterns just to fit your Blythe! Adorable!




Then I came across the Utube video and pictures of this girl's dollhouse and felt sooooo jealous!
( I bet her mum is like me in incognito!)

  
 Melissa Goodsell beautiful dollhouse....I LOVE IT!

 




 
 
What about this Blythe Hive!!! Gorgeous!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
To be continued!
 
xxx

Tuesday 27 November 2012

Old and new Dollhouses.... and dolls! The V&A Museum of Childhood





Last Sunday I went on an jolly expedition to the V & A  Museum of Childhood in East London  with my son! Yes ... a Toy Museum, my kind of place to enjoy and relax...well that is if I was alone, but I wasn't!

I will explain:

It should not have been such a special event but it was in fact a success as my 2 previous attempts had been...failures!

I have to explain: my son in 7 years old and on the Autistic Spectrum, so in the past I have attempted to do all the kind of things you do with your children, but with him it was mostly a challenge as nothing went the way you would expect or wish for!

So the first time we made it there he was maybe 4, by the time we got there on the Underground we were axhausted and all he wanted to do was run around and not look at a single display! Imagine my frustration with all the beautiful Doll houses...

Second attempt, 5 years old, pretty much the same, except that the obsession for lifts was at its highest, so we just kept running after him up and down the 3 flloors (lucky it's only 3!) in the lifts.... Exhaustion!

So you will understand my inner doubts about last Sunday, but I have to say  that it wasn't too bad, I managed to view my beloved dollhouses (somehow together, ish) as well and grab a very nice lunch in the lovely restaurant!

So I can really recommend the place, even with "not so easy" little customers!

The vintage dollhouses are breathtaking, so have a look at some pictures to entice you to a visit!




 
 



 
 

 
 

 
 




 
 
Currently is Punch and Judy Special time, with diplays and shows to enjoy!
 

 
Next time I will search for inspirational current doll houses around the net!
Lots of fun!
 
Cup of tea anyone!!??
 
xxx

Monday 26 November 2012

How to Upcycle a pretty Sewing Machine Cover

 
 
 
Today I "dressed" my new sewing machine with a pretty cover made out of Vintage Upcycled Barckloth fabric, a doily and old buttons!
 
I am happy with the result as I made it in less than half an hour!
 
 
 



I just cut to size a large rectangle out of the fabric, folded each end and used the buttons to seal top and bottom corners.



 
 
I used the machine to sew in between the buttons and added the doily to finish off the design.
 

 
 


Voila'!
 
xxx

Saturday 24 November 2012

Vendor - Craft - Garden Apron

This last Apron Design is a short Upcycled Tea towel great for crafting or gardening.
Also perfect for a vendor!
 
It is short with huge pockets...and I used Vintage Tea Towels to jazz it up!















Hope you liked the aprons, next week I will start new tableware!
xxx