Playful Furniture



An interesting thrift store find, about the right size for 17" Playmate dolls. Yeah,Yeah, I didn't notice her bare feet until I had finished the post.  It reminded me of an item in aunt Irene's collection, albet on a smaller scale.
 
I recall reading about itinerant artists who earned their living decorating furniture. Otherwise ordinary furniture (often built by local carpenters) became fanciful works of art.

 

 



 

Aunt Irene and Me

                             Me and Aunt Irene



Irene turned 86 last week, and I'll be 69 next week.  She lives in Noank, Connecticut and not only has several doll houses, but a doll room!

These photos show only a few pieces of Irene's doll furniture.  The decorative art on some of her doll furniture is a real inspiration.   If anyone is interested I'll post more later.
 
I found the the Battat doll at one of the local thrift stores in Mystic (which is only about 5 minutes up the road) and put her in as an 18" reference.  She turned out to be one of our Grandaughter Alexis' favorite dolls.

 

 

 

Obviously she's been collecting a lot longer than I have.

Playmate Furniture

This is one of my Playmates with a Thrift Store find too cute to resist.  That is a mirror, by the way.  It's a bit confusing because it's reflecting the curtains on the opposite side of the room.

I've collected Playmate dolls for quite a few years (all second-hand, pieced together from the best parts).  The photo below shows as many as would fit in one of my bookcases (There are quite a few more). 

I have as many as four variations of the same costume for individual characters and lots of extra tights, socks, and undies. Of course shoes are always scarce 

A Loving Greeting

I wonder which navy has green trim on their uniforms . . . I like it.

Piano Lodeon

I never shop Antique Stores, but . . .

I purchased the Piano Lodeon below for $25.  It's a miniature Player Piano manufactured by the J. Chein Co. in the late 1950's and early 1960's.

Below is from Wickipedia:

One of the final original Chein toy products, and one of its most complicated, was the electromechanical "Piano Lodeon", a child-sized player piano.  It utilized a combination of plastic and tin, and a mechanism that used spooled rolls of punched paper with well-known songs programmed onto them. A total of approximately 50 tunes were available.  The piano's keyboard was actuated by a vacuum produced by an electric fan, with a rubber tube connecting each key with a corresponding hole in the front of the piano's housing.  When a hole punched in the paper passed over one of these holes, it caused the correct key to strike tuned tines inside the case, producing the desired tune.  The keyboard could also be played manually.  The device was never financially successful for Chein due to its complexity, high price and the rise to dominance of purely electronic musical instruments.

They were also manufactured in a dark maroon color.  It's in good condition with a few minor problems, but I've restored several player pianos and even a vintage Ampeco reproducing grand.

The rolls in the photograph are: No. D-3 'The Old Piano Roll Blues'; No. P-1 'Alexander's Ragtime Band'; and No. P-3 'Frosty the Snowman'.

I find it interesting that there's no number on J. Chein's street address.

I've found old post cards with nothing more than the intersection of two streets as an address.

Thrifty Chinese

Everything in these photos is from thrift stores except the pajamas.  Apparently, I purchased the last set 'Lovebug' had in stock.  They're really beautiful (Are guys allowed to say 'cute'?).

School Days

You've already seen one of these desks (from an outdoor flea market) in another post. I found the second one in a thrift store ($5). At first I thought they would be identical . . . not so.

Wicker Reunion

Well, I'm back.  I'll start with a post about thrift store finds. 

The two identical wicker chairs were purchased (cheap) a month apart at two different stores. The cushion on the second chair has a small tag that reads 'Made in China / PLEASANT COMPANY / 2008'. The couch is a separate find. I'm going to attempt coordinated cushion(s).

I imagine these as furnishing a porch or sun-room.

All of the dolls are 18", but I'll let you guess who they are.
Two of the dolls are wearing dresses from 'china' dolls.

The Saddle Club

My 4-year-old grand-daughter is a fan of the 'Saddle Club', a video originally made for television.  She and I were in the basement (the 'Doll Cave') introducing her to my extended family of dolls.  She wanted to play and take photographs.  She picked out a Battat horse and two dolls.  The choice of clothing was hers, but I had to show her how to dress them. 

"I can do it myself!" (sigh) "Help me Papa John!".  I prefer to let her try first, with a bit of 'complementry' instruction.  The boot zippers were a special, if minor, challenge.

She only weighs 28 pounds, so when the horse fell on it's side, I had to help her stand it upright (but only after she asked).

We alternated taking photos.  The best results are shown below.

This Riding Bareback scene appears in the video, but I have to apologize for the absence of riding helmets (Kids, don't try this at home!).

It was fun listening to her create stories about her two new friends and their horse.

The Pleasant Sailor

I visited my favorite thrift store last week and discovered two more 18" Pleasant Co. dolls.  You'll notice on the soles of their feet, the current price is $2.50!  The tags on their bodies read 'American Girl'.  One doll has 'Pleasant Company' in large letters on her neck, the other has small letters.  The strings are uncut.

Their rather short hair is two different shades of blond, but they share the same freckles and deep blue eyes.

 



The dolls' faces are not alike.  Notice the width and shape of their heads.  The doll on the right has upper eyelids.  Plus their eyes, noses, lips, and chin are shaped differently.

One doll was wearing a 'sailor suit' with an 'American Girl' tag.  I added the red turtleneck and shoes.

I looked up the three alphabet flags in my father's old (1940) 'Bluejackets' Manual'.  What a Surprise!

Int

Love

Unit

Pleasant Surprise

Everything in the two photographs below is from thrift stores and flea markets.  The desk was a jewelery box and the bust of George Washington originally held Avon men's after-shave.

The doll was an exciting find!  Saturday morning, Gail and I had dental appointments (just cleaning) on the north side of Columbus.  As we were leaving I asked Gail if we could stop by my three favorite thrift stores on the way home.  This was her first time 'round and she wasn't all that excited.  I promised her lunch at her favorite resturant. 

We entered a large independent store and I walked to the rear to check out the dolls.  The 18" dolls sell for $3 (The price is always written on the bottom of one foot . . . with a black permanent marker).  I usually find a Battat doll, although I once found an Alexander.  I removed a doll from the shelf and began my inspection . . . hummm . . . excellent face and hair . . . a rather nice dress too.

Then I turned her over, lifted her hair, and read "PLEASANT COMPANY" molded into the back of her neck!

I didn't explain my find to Gail until we were back in the car.  She said, "You enjoy the search and discovery, don't you."  Well, she understands a bit more about me and my dolls.  What is more difficult for someone else to understand is why I feel so happy when I'm working with my 'girls'.

Anyway, the tights and shoes are from Dori's Doll Boutique, my favorite place to shop for AG.

Cast Iron Providance

I recently visited an outdoor flea market and found a vendor with two items of interest that, together, cost a bit more than my 'budget' for the day ($20).  I continued touring the market until it suddenly started raining.  I immediately turned around and walked back to the vendor's table (so long, budget).  When I arrived, he was busy packing up.  The rain was getting stronger and I could hear thunder in the distance.  He turned around, looked at me and said, "I'll take $20 for both". 

I gave him $20 and got soaked walking back to my car!  The two items are pictured below.

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A cast iron and wood school desk.

The doll below is a BFC 'Noelle', but her hair is more black than brown.  I must confess that I did some photo editing and eliminated her wrist joints. 

It didn't take me long to realize that the BFC dolls represent an older child than AG, OC, MA dolls.  I would guess about 12 years old.  The slender figure and long neck are obvious features . . . others are not so obvious.  The torso is a bit more . . . mature . . .

The dress is recycled from a $3 thrift store 'fashon doll'.  She's wearing white lace stockings over pink tights.

The shoes are from one of the BFC 'Fashon Packs' and were originally hot pink with thick white soles.  The BFC shoes are . . . unattractive . . .  I spray painted them with white acrylic paint.  I then glued silk flowers, previously dipped in clear acrylic medium, to the fronts. 

Does anyone know of a source for well-made shoes that fit BFC dolls?

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A cast Iron and wood park bench.

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Arranging Flowers

About three weeks ago, my wife Gail and I spent a quiet weekend in Charleston, West Virginia (an easy 4-hour drive from Columbus, Ohio).  Of course I had to check out at least one Flea Market. 

Our son-in-law Mike grew up in Charleston.  When we returned and I told him about my fleas, his first comment was, "But you missed the big market."

Oh well, I foresee another road trip in my future.

Serenity

An OG Jenny with two Thrift Store finds.  The Jewelery Box is in really good condition.

The clock is in perfect condition.  Instead of the usual four brass balls that rotate back and forth, it has four small pink Roses in green pots.  The clock face and base are glazed ceramic.  The Serenity prayer is printed on the base.

Lamps and Flowers

Everything in this photograph is from Thrift Stores except the doll's tights and shoes (Dori's).  The oil lamp is functional, but I have to work up the courage to light it.

Post Card Dolls

These are restored post cards with images that remind me of our 18 inch dolls.



Early 1900's Costume Ideas

This is a photograph of my grandmother as a young girl (about 1915). Notice the hat and the heels on her shoes (Boots?).








Mommy Doll

Another Flea Market find from about three years ago (in the original box).  I had to dig deep into the attic to find her. 

We've all heard of baby dolls.  Well, this is an 19 inch Tootsietoy 'The Original Mommy Doll' (emphasis mine).   Taken out of context, 'Original Mommy' is an odd turn of phrase.  Names are not mentioned for the mother or baby (a girl, of course). 

Notice the wedding ring, but there's no mention of 'The Original Daddy Doll'.  At least Midge has Alan (Remember, they're all part of the 'Happy Family').

Strange, but I remembered her as being a larger doll (Her hands and feet seem a bit large for a 19 inch doll).   She has a stuffed fabric bag body similar to many of our 18 inch dolls, but she has a large . . . bosom and a relatively small waist.  I remember my little cousin  Michelle (at the time 3 years old) commenting that one of her mommy's lady friends had a large 'bazoom'.

Mommy seems to be just another 'Bottle Blond' (like my mother)?  Yeah, I have a problem  with all the BLOND dolls.  My mother was born blond, but she (we) worked hard so she could stay blond (I was always recruited to do the hair roots around back). 

Anyway, I promised another Blogger I would post a photograph.

Something Old, Something New

This is a new Battat Katheryn with a BATTAT denim outfit from an older flea market battat doll.  The 'Shearling' boot shoes are from Dori's Doll Boutique (ebay) and the neckerchief is from a thrift store teddy bear.

Has anyone else noticed that the Battat dolls seem to have 'mommy' hips and bums.

Flowers

I really enjoy creatimg 'scenery' for my dolls. These are 'silk' flowers scavenged from thrift store floral arrangements. A few samples are shown below.

I choose the arrangements with a variety of flower sizes, mostly small to medium, but as you can see, the big ones come along for the ride. Be sure to 'air dust' and decontaminate thrift store stuff.

The flowers on the left center are 'rubbery' plastic, similiar to those on the early Mattel 'Dream Houses'.

The yellow, orange, and red flowers on the right center were purchased from a craft store 90 percent off 'Fall Colors' sale. Ordinarily, craft store silk flowers are priced way beyond my budget.

Sometimes, I just buy to decorate.