Tour of the Doll Room

Good morning, everyone! Well, this has taken me much longer than I anticipated but I have finally made my way all around the doll room with my cleaning, dusting, vacuuming, and reorganizing! Oh, what a job, but so satisfying to have done! This was something I had wanted to do for the last year and finally decided, no better time than now. As you all know, it all started because I wanted to put my pink Christmas tree back in the room that had been in storage for 5 or 6 years. In order to do that, it required a major move around. One thing I have learned in this process, is no more hanging doll plates on the walls at 3:30 am! My neighbor called me last night (we have an entire lot in between us, house is not close) to let me know, he heard pounding the other night, thought it was someone knockng on his door, got out of bed to answer it, no one there, looked up to my second floor, to find me standing by the window pounding nails in the wall, hanging doll plates! Go figure, I didn't know I was making that much noise!
Well, let's get this tour started.

These pictures give you an overall view of the room. Next,  I will post some pictures of the small vignettes around the room. When the doll room was built in 1993, we had the sloped sides of the roof to deal with, so we decided to make the corners of the room to look like small individual rooms. There are three along the south side and two along the north side of the room with lighting built in above. The overall dimensions of the room (it is an L shape) is 28 ft. wide, with the length on one side being about 27 ft. and the other side about 24 ft. Here are some pictures a little closer up, of some of the vignettes around the room.

Well, I thank you all, for taking the time, to join me on my tour. I hope many of you someday will be able to visit in person. The shop is open by appointment only, but sure would love to see you if you ever get in this direction.

My next post will be some more of my Valentine's Bleuettes. There are now a total of seven at the Valentine's party!

 I also have some exciting news to share! I will be hosting a "Frenchette Retreat" here this year, August 17th, 18th, and 19th, 2012. Next year for 2013 will be a "Bleuette Retreat" on June 21st, 22nd, 23rd, and 24th. More details will be posted as soon as I can get all the info together. Both "Retreats" will include a souvenir doll, workshops, banquet dinner and activities such as field trips to antique malls, gift shops, and restaurants.

I also have one or two seats left for the "Viva La Valentine Sweet Retreat" weekend coming up February 18th and 19th. It will be a get together for the "Googly Mirror Project" and just a time to get together with doll friends and work on unfinished projects whether it is painting or sewing. For more details please call me 815-565-0024.



Googly Mirror Project

Well, again thanks for joining me, and have a great "Dolly Day"!!
Oh, I forgot to mention. On the right hand side of the blog, just under the live feed there is a place where you can sign up for the email subscription to my blog. If you put your email address in the box, you will then receive an email from Feedblitz needing you to confirm the subscription, and then you will receive an email of the blog post whenever one is posted.
"Dolly Hugs"
Connie

Who is Lettie Lane???

Good evening everyone, tonight I would like to tell you a little about "Lettie Lane". Today, I finished a Bleuette sized "Lettie Lane", I won't get to play with her for very long as she will be going to live with Melissa at "House of Missy Mouse". Melissa called me several months ago and wanted me to make her a "Lettie Lane" to be a companion to her 18" "Daisy".
Before I show you my two "Lettie Lane" dolls, let me see if I can explain a little bit to you as to who exactly is "Lettie Lane"?

Sheila Young was the original creator of the "Lettie Lane" paper doll series that ran in the "Ladies Home Journal" magazine. "Lettie Lane" was the fictional little girl that was introduced in paper doll form in the "Ladies Home Journal" magazine in October of 1908. Every month, there were new installments to the "Lettie Lane" series. The "Lettie Lane" series was published through December of 1912. In March of 1911 is when "Daisy" was introduced to "Ladies Home Journal". She was "Lettie Lane's" doll in the paper doll series. She was also produced as an actual 18" Kestner and the 18" Handwerck doll as we all know of them. 
At no time, was there ever a "Lettie Lane" doll that was produced, she was only a paper doll of the fictional little girl, so any doll can be interpretted as a "Lettie Lane" doll. It is left entirely, up to your imagination. The original "Lettie Lane" paper doll is shown with blonde hair. Melissa's 18" Kestner 174 that I made for her is taken from another paper doll page "Lettie Lane's Around-the-World Party In Which Her Married Sister Sends Her Pictures of a Little American Girl". She is the one with the brown hair.  I will be posting these pages of the paper doll series also. The Bleuette sized "Lettie" that I am just posting is also my interpretation of "Lettie". It was made from the Kestner 171 "Daisyette" mold. I also am planning on using a couple other German doll heads that will fit on the Bleuette JN wooden body that could also be used as a Bleuette sized "Lettie". My 18" "Lettie Lane's" will be made using the Kestner 174 mold and can have either Blonde or Light Brown hair. My next endeavor will be an 8" Kestner 174 that I will be using for one of "Lettie's Dolls". (See paper doll page shown below) "Lettie Lane" has a wealth of possibilities as there were many costumes shown in this paper doll series over the 4 years she was produced. Then to add to the excitemnet, "Lettie Lane" introduced her best friend "Betty Bonnet" in March of 1915. ( I will show her paper doll page in another post) "Betty Bonnet" ran successfully through 1918. So to sum it up, there wasn't an actual "Lettie Lane" doll only paper dolls of a fictional little girl who owned "Daisy" "The Doll That Came to Life".



Here is the original Miss Lettie Lane Paper Doll Page



11" Bleuette Sized Lettie Lane Using the Kestner 171 Mold














She will soon be going to live with Melissa



18" Kestner 174 that I made for Melissa from a "Little American Girl "



Melissa "House of Missy Mouse" made the under clothes for her doll and will soon be gracing her with many costumes from her paper doll wardrobe.

I would like to show you one last paper doll page and that is for one of "Lettie's" Dolls. I will be trying to re-create this doll using the 8" Kestner 174. I hope to have pictures of her posted in the next week or so. She will be the perfect size doll for the 18" "Lettie" doll.

So until next time "Happy Dolling" and have a "Dolly Good" week.

The Bleuette's Get Ready For Valentines Day and "Viva La Valentine" "A Sweet Dolling Retreat"

Good morning everyone, it is Saturday morning and I have been up since 4:30 am! Dennis had to go to work today so I decided I might as well get up and accomplish something also. I spent most of the day yesterday doing a photo shoot with my little 12" Bleuettes. They were anxious to get ready for Valentine's Day and our "Dolly Retreat Weekend"!! They are also anxiously awaiting the arrival of four new sisters! ( I only have eyelashes to paint and then they would have more friends joining their Valentine's party! If I got really busy painting, they would also have a big sister "Rosette" joining in the festivities. Let me share some pictures of the gathering with you before I move on to announcing my "Viva La Valentine" "A Sweet Dolling Retreat Weekend" here at Land of Oz Dolls.

Now, let me tell you about "Viva La Valentine!!!" "A Sweet Dolling Retreat Weekend". Join us Feb 18th and 19th for a fun-filled weekend with your doll-making friends! Starting Saturday morning at 9:00 am we will be doing a group project, a wonderful "Googly" Hand Mirror!

             

Kits will be provided with painted "Googly" heads with eyes already inset, ready for assembly. Several kit colors and head styles will be available. All supplies to complete the mirror (fabric, laces, trims, hand mirror, batting, pate, instructions, etc.) will be included in the kit price of $50.00 except for the wig. Wigs will be available for purchase or you may bring a wig to use. The wig will be cut in half to fit to the mirror. The mirror workshop will be from 9:00 am - 12:00 noon. We will then have a break for lunch at "Sweet Life Bakery and Cafe". Upon returning in the afternoon we will then begin our "Sweet Dolling Retreat" weekend. Have you ever just wanted to spend the weekend trying to catch up on some of the "dolly projects" you have started but never got back to, be it a painting project or a sewing project??? Well, now is your chance to spend a "Dolly Weekend" with all your "Dolly Friends". I will be on hand for advice, for all of your unfinished painting projects and Pam Willits will be here to help with all those "Dolly Dresses" that were never completed and were stashed away in those dresser drawers!!! Cost for the Saturday afternoon, Saturday evening, and all day Sunday retreat is $50.00. This cost will include any china paint firing fees for the weekend. (Sorry but bisque firing will not be available). Please make sure everything you want to work on is ready to china paint. Bring your sewing machine and your own personal sewing tools (iron and ironing board will be provided) if you would like to work on a sewing project. The cost for the "Googly" Mirror and the "Retreat Weekend" are priced separately, you do not have to attend both to participate. Come and join Pam and I for a fun-filled "Dolly" Weekend with some special "Sweet Treats"! For overnight accommodations please contact me for info. Call Connie at 815-565-0024. Until next time "Dolly Hugs" and "Have a Great Dolly Weekend"

Connie



Organizing My Classroom, What Started It All

Good evening everyone, tonight I want to share with you some pictures of my classroom. This is where the whole idea of reorganizing started. I had to find a place for all the magazines and books that I had in the cubbyhole in the back of the classroom. As I had told you earlier the shelves had fell down several times creating an avalanche as they fell. Here is some pictures of them in their new home, the base cabinets. They can only fall through the floor now, which I guess could be possible some day as I am on the second floor.

 

After moving all the magazines to their new home that left me all these empty shelves which gave me a chance to move some of my painting supplies, softfire greenware and misc. supplies out of the way.

The next task that took me all day, was moving all my modern doll samples into the classroom. Most of my modern dolls were already in here but I had some to move in from the doll room. They all needed to be together, plus my new plans for the doll room consist of antique reproductions only. So here is my wall of modern dolls that make up one side of my classroom.

Here are some more views from the classroom.

Some of my Heubachs still grace the cabinets in the classroom but they will have a new home in one of the vignettes in the doll room soon I hope.

Well, that is the end of my tour of the classroom. I was suppose to be having class tomorrow ( I have a weekly class one day a week) but we are suppose to have our first snowstorm of the season so I think I will end up spending the day alone. That gives me some time to tear apart another section here on my quest of having my entire shop organized at the same time!

Since the classroom is done now, I have decided to celebrate! February 18th and 19th I will be hosting "Viva La Valentine!" A Sweet Dolling Retreat Weekend" Details will be posted soon. For those of you close enough to come, weather permitting I will be having a retreat weekend where everyone can come and work on some of their unfinished projects be it painting or sewing. I will be on hand to help with painting questions and my friend Pam Willits will be available for sewing questions. Saturday morning will be a special workshop for "The Googly Mirror"! I will post pictures tomorrow night for the Mirror Project. The rest of Saturday and all day Sunday will be a time to work on some of those projects that you have never gotten around to finishing. More details forthcoming!!

Well, time to get to bed so have a great Thursday and I hope you can all find some time to play with those dolly's! Dolly Hugs, Connie