Happy, Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone the best New Year's ever.

Santa Clauses Are Comin'

This delightful collection of resin Santa Clauses belongs to my mother. Two years ago she had 47 of them. I haven't counted them this year, but I'm sure there are several more. They reside in a beautiful antique corner cabinet, along with many other delightful miniature objects. She found these St. Nicks at flea markets, thrift stores and dollar stores. Said she never paid more than a dollar for any of 'em.

This being The Season, let's take a look. 
Be sure to turn up the volume too!
(please be patient) 

Happy Holidays!                                 Happy Hanukkah!
* * * * * * * * * *

Merry Christmas!                            Joyous Kwanzaa!

Silhouettes on the Wall

Recently I decided to hang up this darling antique silhouette of children watching a puppet show. I remember it on the wall when I was growing up. The figures are faded now and curling slightly off background paper, but it is delightful nonetheless.

 

 Called Scherenschnitte in German, which means "scissor cuts," silhouettes are featureless images in solid shapes, cut from paper, usually black, and are placed on a lighter background for contrast.

 reevpapercuts

 They used to be called cutting portraits and require quite a steady hand, as well as a love for the intricate. 

 PatchworkPosies

Traditionally they were black on white, but may be done in any contrasting colors.

yellowcabvintage 

 

 Silhouettes are also done in various mediums, like this crosstitch stocking.

twinpinesstudios

It is difficult to find authentic handmade portraits to purchase. Most modern ones are done digitally, or are rubber stamps. 

 Here is a modern one that is authentic and rather magical.

SugarplumSilhouettes

Recently I decided to hang up this darling antique silhouette of children watching a puppet show. I remember it on the wall when I was growing up. The figures are faded now and curling slightly off background paper, but it is delightful nonetheless.

 

 Called Scherenschnitte in German, which means "scissor cuts," silhouettes are featureless images in solid shapes, cut from paper, usually black, and are placed on a lighter background for contrast.

 reevpapercuts

 They used to be called cutting portraits and require quite a steady hand, as well as a love for the intricate. 

 PatchworkPosies

Traditionally they were black on white, but may be done in any contrasting colors.

yellowcabvintage 

 

 Silhouettes are also done in various mediums, like this crosstitch stocking.

twinpinesstudios

It is difficult to find authentic handmade portraits to purchase. Most modern ones are done digitally, or are rubber stamps. 

 Here is a modern one that is authentic and rather magical.

 SugarplumSilhouettes

 

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday... Rest in Peace

 
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night

 Sailed off in a wooden shoe—

Sailed on a river of crystal light,
Into a sea of dew.
"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"
The old moon asked the three.
"We have come to fish for the herring fish
That live in this beautiful sea;
Nets of silver and gold have we!" 

                                                                     Illustration by Minnie Dibdin Spooner
                                                                        "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod" by Eugene Field

Old Toys and Dolls Are the Best

I had lunch a few days ago at the Taft Museum in Cincinnati, a beautiful art museum with a rich, interesting  history.  The food, I must say, was so-so, but afterwards we went upstairs to see the Antique Christmas exhibit, which includes antique ornaments. toys, and cards. 

As a lover of old dolls, toys, and miniatures, I was in my element browsing throughout the richly decorated rooms to see the various displays.

I found a lovely blog, written by a man who donated many toys to be displayed. 

It is called A Home for Dolly and it shows other photos of what was there. 

What a sweetheart!

This gives you an idea of how richly decorated the rooms are at the museum.

A tree decorated with paper fruit!

 

These dolls had the most wonderful, lifelike expressions on their faces.

A patriotic Christmas.

Another cutie...

A huge thank you to FOX19.com for posting these photos on their website. 

Wordless Wednesday...Fog at Dawn

From Where?

Isn't this doll cute and so colorful?

My sister found it at a local thrift shop for me to sell. Before I put anything up for sale, I research it on the Internet, so I know what I am listing.  After 2 1/2 years on Etsy, I'm not an expert on anything--you could say I know a little about a lot!

Anyhow, we speculated as to where this cutie was from, as it had no markings on it (or if it did, they were covered by the clothing that could not be removed.

Eventually we narrowed it down to a cold climate, judging by the fleece cap and (pointy) boots.

That ruled out lots of places.

On to a Web image search for international folk costumes, as I presumed this might not be everyday wear. At first I thought perhaps Russia, but figured the colors might be too bright. However this is not so. I found many colorful outfits in the photos, as you can see:

As bright as they are, they do not resemble our doll. So on I go to look. Next stop was Mongolia--close to Russia, but with their own costumes. At this point, I decided to search for children's costumes, as they may be different from those of adults and this was for a toy, after all.

 Darn cute, but not quite right...

Okay, so maybe Iceland 

or Greenland?

Um, no.

On to the Nordic or Scandinavian countries. At this point, it felt like I was heading in the right direction.  I was beginning to think that a suggestion my brother had made was correct, but saved it for the last.

Looked at Norway 

 and Sweden.

But I knew I was getting very close, when I glanced at THIS!

Oh yes, this could be it. Where is it from? Lappland (or Lapland, the Anglicized spelling).

Now where is Lappland, you ask. Well, here:

It is actually part of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia (where I started my search, you'll recall).

So I investigated further. Hmmm, looks right to me.

This photo courtesy of folklorefashion

It is the national costume of the Sami, an indigenous culture, who live in the far north, or Arctic, area of  the above-mentioned countries.

I decided this doll must be a boy, as women and girls wear similar tops, but they are skirt length, as far as I could tell.

What a fun outcome. I love to learn new things, plus I could finally list this adorable doll.

P.S. My brother was pretty much correct, (he's a librarian and they know a little about a lot too), but don't tell him I said so, okay?

Wordless Wednesday...How Much is That Buddha in the Window?

Denmark, Copenhagen shop window, 

with reflection of the building across the street.