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| My "oyster"! |
I have received many precious gifts through my lifetime from relatives and friends. Some of the smallest have included a plaster of paris rendition of an oyster shell made by my oldest daughter in pre-school that I still have and a ceramic heart on a string necklace made by my youngest daughter while in either Sunday school or kindergarten which hangs on my bed-side lamp. Both are equally precious to me! I have several other items either painted or drawn or crafted by them and they are all dear to my heart.
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My Valentine necklace! |
And then there are the gifts from my mother – a quilt she made, paintings she did in her 60’s while taking a Bob Ross class, a Japanese style enamel jewelry box with hand painted and inlaid mother of pearl decoration that I received for Christmas in 1957, some family heirlooms and many other items. All are special to me and some come with a specific memory.
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| My 50th birthday gift! |
Tom has given me many gifts through the years that have tugged at my heartstrings because I know he has given much thought to each one and didn’t just grab something off a shelf because it was my birthday and he’d forgotten to pick out a gift. He usually does his purchasing in bulk and then doles the items out to me over the different occasions such as Christmas, Valentines, birthday, etc. Doesn’t make them any less special, but sometimes a little predictable! Like when I get a necklace for Christmas, the matching earrings or bracelet will probably be coming later on!! He’s so cute!
And then there are the God-given gifts of life, circumstance, talents, children, family, heart-mate. No value can ever be placed on these because they are priceless and I am blessed many times over by His grace and love when it comes to these gifts.
All this talk about gifts is leading to my latest ones which came from a dear neighbor last weekend. Jenny and her husband, Dale, have recently returned home after trying out an assisted living facility in Pt. Townsend. It just didn’t fit them and they felt they would be more comfortable in their own home for now. So some friends moved them back. Now you have to understand Jenny is in her late 80’s and Dale is 96! So all this moving around has taken its toll on them, but it has also helped Jenny to come to the realization that she needs to start cleaning out her closets and get rid of a lot of stuff! She has taken me through some of her saved clothes, knickknacks, and other collectibles before. She met her first husband while in the service and they were stationed in the Guam and the Philippines, I believe. She still has the handmade silk suit she wore for her wedding! It’s still beautiful! And tiny!! One day she had me go up into her loft to check out some things she had kept from her childhood – can you imagine?! Well, sitting up there was this gorgeous wicker doll buggy and in it was her 1920’s baby doll!! She asked me if I would like to have them. My heart skipped a beat (what woman’s inner child wouldn’t?!), but I immediately asked her if her daughter wouldn’t like to have it. “No,” she said, “she has so much stuff already, she doesn’t have any use for these.” We discussed that possibility some more, but in the end she told me I could have them later on when she was ready to part with them. Well, last weekend she was ready! I offered to pay for them, but she said she would rather give them to someone who would appreciate them and take care of them than sell them to a stranger. And, if these weren’t enough, she had an old doll bed with another, smaller doll that I could have if I wanted! Well, Tom and I packed the dolls, doll bed and buggy up and carried them home where they are now sitting in a corner of our great room.
That night I got on my Mac and did some research to see what I could find out about the buggy and the dolls. The buggy is in very good shape wicker-wise, but the hood lining is pretty worn and the matching buggy insert is soiled. It still has the original maker’s label on the underside – Lloyd’s Looms – so I was able to find a nearly identical one that sold on E-bay recently for nearly $400.00! It’s a mid 1920’s model! Can you believe it!!?
Both of the dolls are what they call "composition" with a painted enamel glaze. They have molded head and shoulders, arms and legs. The smaller of the dolls has a maker’s mark and model name embossed on its upper back. It’s a 1920’s Effanbee Dainty Baby doll with its original onesie and matching dress! It has a lot of peeling and its little toes are worn through to the composition, but she’s still beautiful. I couldn’t find any markings on the bigger doll and it is in rougher condition with lots of cracking and peeling. It has jointed arms and legs and it has what they call “sleep eyes” and an open mouth with 2 top teeth. They both have speaker boxes in their bodies so they probably cried “Momma” when rocked front to back. The larger doll is dressed in what Jenny thinks is some of her baby clothes – a gown and matching robe. They appear to be made from flour sack muslin and the gown has hand tatting on the neck and hem. Curiously, none of the clothes have button holes or ties to close them up in back. They were fastened with tiny little brass safety pins.
I washed, air-dried and ironed the clothes, vacuumed the buggy (it’s the paper wound wicker type, so no washing!) and put the redressed dolls in the buggy with the crocheted baby afghan that Jenny included. Don’t they look sweet?! So, okay, I know – I’m 60-something!! What am I doing with baby dolls and a buggy!!?? Well, I’ll have you know, I have been wanting one of these buggies for nearly 40 years! I’ve seen a few that were in nearly as nice condition as this one, but way out of my price range for something that wasn’t a necessity. So I just thought I would keep looking through the window knowing I could never attain one of those cute reminders of days gone by. And then, as I got older, I thought, well I really don’t have the space for one or the need, so I was satisfied with what little treasures we could find at estate sales or yard sales. Like the little 50’s Kiddie Kar walker/stroller we found a few years ago.
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| Our bears love their Kiddie Kar!! |
And who wouldn't want these adorable dolls!? I have contacted a doll repair person about repairing the Effanbee doll, but haven’t heard back from them yet. If any of you know of a reputable place I could take her, please let me know. Also, I’m wondering about the buggy hood lining. Should I just leave it the way it is for “value” or go ahead and find some similar material and replace it and the soiled bed liner? Any ideas or suggestions?!
Well, while you’re thinking of that, I’m going to go make a mattress and bedding for the doll bed. I’ll show you how it turns out later!
Thanks for visiting!
Jackie
