Did you have a doll you loved to pieces when you were little? Or one you bought as an adult? Read these stories of much-loved toys of yesteryear...
Cathy says:
This rag doll is made from felt and has embroidered features and yarn hair. She is dressed in the traditional costume of the nomadic Sami people, the Laplanders, who follow the reindeer herds across the north of Scandinavia and parts of Russia. I have a thing for reindeer, and I could not resist this vintage doll when I spotted her in a junk shop a few years ago… she's a 'rescue' doll, not one from my childhood, but she is very special to me. She stands on a shelf in my writing room amongst my collection of vintage children's books, but I like to think she has known different times and different places. Perhaps once, long ago, she was the much-loved toy of a Sami child in Lapland? I'll never know for sure; she is keeping her secrets close.
Maureen says:
This is Conchita… she's a beautiful black doll from my childhood, and she squeaks! I loved Conchita, and when I moved out to settle in Australia as an adult she had to come with me. Here she is in a crocheted dress I made for her when I was about eight, sitting beside the laptop I use for my writing. After all these years together, I parted company with her in early 2015. I gave her as a birthday gift to a little African girl who was living at a local Women's Shelter (a safe place for women and children whose husbands/ partners are violent or abusive.) I had a feeling Conchita would make a difference to that little girl's life… I hope my hunch was right!
Margaret says:
This is my Holly Hobbie doll... she's about thirty-six years old now! I got her when I was about five and she came with her own house... it was a one-up/one-down which came with a carry handle and when you opened the front of the house, the wall became a garden. Very hi-tech back then! I no longer have the house as my mother had a tendency to pass my toys on to cousins, despite my pleading. I must have hidden the doll, though, because she escaped and has survived! She has her original dress and there are traces of a rubber band in her hair... her little white shoes and bonnet are missing, though. My own kids have never shown an interest in her, but my youngest foster child, who's seven, took her to school for a project on parents' old toys. The doll was the oldest one there and made me feel a bit teary-eyed!
Cathy says:
These stories are so lovely! Have YOU ever had a doll that meant the world to you? COMMENT BELOW and tell us more!
This rag doll is made from felt and has embroidered features and yarn hair. She is dressed in the traditional costume of the nomadic Sami people, the Laplanders, who follow the reindeer herds across the north of Scandinavia and parts of Russia. I have a thing for reindeer, and I could not resist this vintage doll when I spotted her in a junk shop a few years ago… she's a 'rescue' doll, not one from my childhood, but she is very special to me. She stands on a shelf in my writing room amongst my collection of vintage children's books, but I like to think she has known different times and different places. Perhaps once, long ago, she was the much-loved toy of a Sami child in Lapland? I'll never know for sure; she is keeping her secrets close.
This is Conchita… she's a beautiful black doll from my childhood, and she squeaks! I loved Conchita, and when I moved out to settle in Australia as an adult she had to come with me. Here she is in a crocheted dress I made for her when I was about eight, sitting beside the laptop I use for my writing. After all these years together, I parted company with her in early 2015. I gave her as a birthday gift to a little African girl who was living at a local Women's Shelter (a safe place for women and children whose husbands/ partners are violent or abusive.) I had a feeling Conchita would make a difference to that little girl's life… I hope my hunch was right!
This is my Holly Hobbie doll... she's about thirty-six years old now! I got her when I was about five and she came with her own house... it was a one-up/one-down which came with a carry handle and when you opened the front of the house, the wall became a garden. Very hi-tech back then! I no longer have the house as my mother had a tendency to pass my toys on to cousins, despite my pleading. I must have hidden the doll, though, because she escaped and has survived! She has her original dress and there are traces of a rubber band in her hair... her little white shoes and bonnet are missing, though. My own kids have never shown an interest in her, but my youngest foster child, who's seven, took her to school for a project on parents' old toys. The doll was the oldest one there and made me feel a bit teary-eyed!
Cathy says:
These stories are so lovely! Have YOU ever had a doll that meant the world to you? COMMENT BELOW and tell us more!
I do! I still have her but she has a shameful history - a lady in our village made rag dolls, and my little sister was due one fro Christmas but the lady got behind and the doll was delivered on the 17th January. MY BIRTHDAY. I ws outraged. My sister had a better present than me on my birthday...and instead of telling me off for being a spoilt brat, my mum had me made one too and I've loved her ever since...she's lost an eye and is a tad grubby now but hey...we all age!
ReplyDeleteOoh… send me a pic Kathryn, would love to feature her in a future post! xxx
DeleteI have a doll thats gone through the girls in my family so it's super old.It started out as a birthday gift from my great aunties best friend .She gave it to her little sister,my grannyand she gave it to my mum who gave it to my eldest cousin who gave it to her little sisters(their twins) who gave it to my big sister who in turn eventually passed it down to me! I don't think i'll pass her on quite yet even though it's family tradition
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