Thursday 3 June 2010

Dolly Mixture and Other Bits and Pieces

Beautiful buttercup which I don't need to find out whether I like butter or not. I do. Oh butter you are my downfall!
This past week I have been doodling doll faces in my journal.
This is the result of a secret trip to Paris that Clarice and Pamela went on this week. They didn't even tell me! They visited some Parisian flea market, and came back with a job lot of furniture which is, frankly, too small for them. They also made a new friend, Lena. Lena feels the cold, hence the woolly hat on such a hot day.
This is a doll I have had for a long time. I have quite a collection of dolls, mainly hidden away as I don't have the display room. I love the details of their costumes and this is one of my favourites. I love to find out information about things I have, but when they are not labelled this is not easy. So this doll has remained a mystery. Until yesterday when I chanced upon a similar style of doll on Ebay (which I have ended up buying as I just couldn't resist). She caught my eye as I was looking through the pages of dolls, because she was so obviously the same type as my doll. They are Roldan dolls. A similar type of doll is a Klumpe doll. They were made in the 1950s and 60s in Barcelona for the tourist market. This is a really well made doll. I am jealous of the way they have made her stand up in such an interesting pose, but perfectly balanced. I can't do that! She has pointy toed ballet feet-another thing I really like. I like to draw those kind of feet and have incorporated them in a couple of my dolls.

This is my other WIP doll. She is legless and needs her arms attaching to her too. The dress and waistcoat are both vintage fabric. The hair is not fixed-not sure how to do her hair yet.
This is the book doll appearing in a ghostly way in front of a rainy Rochester castle.
I went to Whitstable with a friend today, and just outside the little information shop, some lovely ladies were sitting enjoying the sun and knitting. If anyone knows the book 'Traction Man', by Mini Grey, the action men remind me of it just a little!
On the main street in Whitstable I spotted these chairs-and lovely table. The chairs are exactly the same as the ones in our kitchen-German pub chairs according to the lady I bought them from. They are surprisingly comfortable.
A fun illustration on a bookshop's sale pile.
And I finished my reports! More or less, apart from adding photos and a few things I need to check! I am so happy to have done them. Millstone, neck, separated at last!

16 comments:

Sam said...

Such a fun post! I love that little outdoor table and chair set - that green is so pretty! Your Spanish dolly is gorgeous - such a character! But I like your doll faces best - they would make a very nice print!

Unknown said...

Oh I love all of this..Doll is very cool. Love the bookstore wall..so cute...Love the photo trips.

xoxoxox

rochambeau said...

J'adore your dollies! Tres magnifique!
Like your renderings too!

xox
Constance

Rattling On said...

I like the doll you've shown us as well, especially the shoes...I want some like that!!

Unknown said...

Your post is awesome as usual. I love the Spanish doll, she looks poised to dance with a very Spanish look.

Thank you for your Happy Birthday wishes, I have had a wonderful day.

Bimbimbie said...

Hola! This is a fun international post. Loved the idea of the girls falling in love with their too small Parisian flea market furniture. And your journal faces made me think of Aunt Sally in Worzel Gummidge, I used to love that show*!*

Relyn Lawson said...

Your doll face drawings - oh my! And the bookshop image. Grinning and happy over here. Your world is filled with such whimsy. I love that.

Tracy said...

Your dolls collections are wonderful, Sarah! And I really love the doll face drawings. Even on paper they have so much life! I really like that whimsical bookshop illustration. This is such a fun post! Happy Weekend :o) ((HUGS))

Anairam said...

Your house must be a treasure trove for children of all ages, Sarah - all those dolls! I think you should have a special day when you take them all out and display them all around the house - a Festival of the Dolls! Oh dear, I love butter too. I kind of stopped eating it for a while (a year), as my cholesterol is a little on the high side, but I am slowly & very naughtily falling back into my old eating patterns. Today I bought some butter cookies - they were really delicious, and I must admit that I ate all six of them. But I think I can still fit in a piece of Weird Cake, thank you!
PS I also laughed at the bad hair - I sometimes feel like that picture when I wake up. Hell, I probably look like it too. EXcept I don't have make-up on when I wake up - but for the rest ... the hair .. the slightly terrified look ... well, it could be me. Congratulations on getting rid of that millstone - I am hoping to separate myself from mine soon - although in my case it feels more like six heavy dictionaries hanging around my neck!

Anonymous said...

Glad you have finished your reports - now you can relax and enjoy the weekend!! I love all your doll-related stuff - I wish I still had my childhood dolls - Sally, who was a 24inch doll (very desirable when you are four!) and Tracy, whom I got for my tenth birthday - a 12inch doll with hair which could be combed!!

Linda Sue said...

OMG Sarah- You are SO me! I have a cupboard full of dolls, I am slightly embarrassed about because everyone thinks they are creepy...I LOVE them. We should have a blog doll party someday! Love yours!

Anonymous said...

Very fun. How fun the trip sounds. Too bad they didn't tell you! Thanks for stopping by, I do appreciate it. I'm looking for tutorials on backgrounds right now so if you do see any, be sure to let me know.

BonnyBadger said...

cool post - love your face doodles - the regency doll face (i think - it looks a bit Jane Austeny!) is good. The Spanish doll is great. Perhaps your spare room could be a doll museum! or you could move house!!!!!! you need loads more space for your art!

aimee said...

oh i am crazy about those painted faces! the first looks like a flapper, the second an artiste, the third a dancer, and the fourth the belle of the ball...

xxx said...

I've had a loveley time here visiting posts that I've missed in recent weeks.

Love the dolls :)

Anonymous said...

I'm so grateful to have found your page as I, too, have a doll from Spain whose maker has been a mystery but one look at your picture of the Roldan doll and I had the answer! My 2 sisters & I each received one in 1965 from our grandmother (I'm sure of the date because she complained bitterly in her travel diary about the cost) & one of my sister's nearly matched yours. While it's long gone, mine is still in excellent condition, although the costume is quite different, as if for a festival. But the pointed toes, face, even the pearl-&-paillettes decorations falling from her hair all match. Thank you!