It seems like most mornings lately have been foggy. That makes me happy because I love a foggy morning.
We had some rain last night and tomorrow will bring lots of rain as Ida passes by us on its way out to see. There are already flood advisories posted. I will admit, I’m more than a little tired of all the rain, but there’s nothing I can do about it!
Several of you mentioned Tiny Tears in your comments on yesterday’s post. My sadness at losing mine fueled an unofficial search for one. I never found one to replace mine, but I did find a doll that reminded me very much of Tiny Tears. Several years ago – it has to be at least 11 years ago – I was in an antique shop in Hyde Park. I saw a little doll sitting on a child’s rocking chair. She was very tiny, her legs and arms were made of composition, so she was quite old. She wore a beautiful dress and matching bonnet, which I suspect were handmade. And she had the sweetest face. Several months went by. I revisited the shop right before I was due to leave for 10 weeks of coaching in San Diego.
She was still there. No one had rescued her. We were in one of those periods where our budget was very tight and that’s putting it mildly. So I couldn’t buy her.
Off I went to San Diego. I plunged into work. I started getting a paycheck. And I couldn’t get that little girl out of my head. She wasn’t perfect, she was well worn, but she had been loved at one time. I worried about her sitting in that chair, all alone. (Can’t help it, that’s the way I am.) Finally, I called the shop and asked if they remembered this little doll which was in a booth just to the right of the entrance. Amazingly, the man I spoke with remembered her right away. He put me on hold to make sure she was still there. She was. I explained that I was away, that I couldn’t get there for several weeks, but if I paid for her now, could they hold her until I got back home? Yes, he said. So I paid for her, gave him my phone number and email address and said I’d be there as soon as I could.
A couple of days after returning home, Don and I drove to the Antique Center and picked her up.
Here she is. Her name is Emma. The composition has cracked, and in some places, it’s missing. Her hair is sculpted and reminds me of the very first Tiny Tears dolls.
This photo gives you a better indication of just how tiny she is. She has bloomers!
She needed to be rescued, just like my doll with two left legs needed to be rescued, just like my putz sheep and my antique dollhouses needed to be rescued. Just like all three of our dogs needed to be rescued. And because she reminds me of a Tiny Tears doll, I don’t feel the need to search for one any longer.
She is perfect.
Stay safe.
Happy Tuesday.
Emma is beautiful! She brings back a memory of an old doll I fell in love with.
My dad used to visit his aunt and I often went along. She had a beautiful china doll that I fell in love with. My great aunt was quite a character…very funny and loved a good joke. She was also rather flamboyant, at least compared to my reserved mom. She would send my dad to the store to buy her Mogen David wine “for medicinal purposes don’t ya know.” She wore lots of jewelry and a pair of gold metallic house slippers. After she passed my mom was given some of her jewelry (which she never wore). I have no idea what happened to the china doll.
I hadn’t thought about that doll or Aunt Tillie in years. Thinking of it now I realize how good my dad was to her-what a kind caring person he was. Good memories!
Stay safe
Oh what a lovely memory, Marilyn! Your great aunt sounds fascinating and how lovely of your father to be so devoted to her.
Thanks for sharing that with us.
Stay safe!
Same with my Teddy Bears and Steiff animals and of course dollhouses. We are looking for the perfect world or the perfect childhood, which unfortunately does not exist.
Stay safe, Claudia!
But it does in our imaginations and in our dollhouses!
Stay safe, Helga.
My granddaughter, Elli, will turn 2 in September and I found a sweet babydoll for her to cuddle with lovely green eyes (like Elli!). I have a stroller and blanket to give with the doll and I hope Elli will cherish her as you cherished yours!
What a good grandma you are, Ellen! I’m sure she’ll love it!
Stay safe.
I read yesterday’s post late last night, and read all the comments. I was pleasantly surprised at all the doll lovers out there. While I had dolls, I don’t have the connection that you and so many of your readers have. I was more of stuffed animal lover…and still have my original Steiff teddy bears.
Emma is lovely. I looked up Blythe dolls last night….and I’m anxious to see yours. A few I saw looked downright scary.
You have gotten an awful lot of rain this year…we are still 10 inches down for the year here in precipitation. Hope you don’t have any flooding….stay dry! ;)
Lucky you! Steiff teddy bears!
Some Blythe dolls – especially the ones that haven’t been modified and have shiny skin, can look very creepy. The ones I’m drawn to are Custom Blythes. There’s a whole group of people out there who take the shine off the skin, modify features, and paint the cheeks, etc. Some of these customizers are incredibly talented. Some even change the facial features, making the dolls Asian, or Black. I have no idea how they do it. There are also creators who design clothes for them. The pieces are such fun!
I’ll try to post the photo from the listing tomorrow so you can get an idea what mine looks like. She has long blonde hair and freckles – and I’m a sucker for freckles.
Stay safe.
That would be great…looking forward to seeing a pic. ;)
xo
I mentioned another doll I had many many years ago, and thought it was Betsy…. but last night it came to me, it was a Ginny doll. She had many accessories, and I did love her so!
I know how days of rain can wear one out, but as Donna said, we are about 10 inches below what is normal here. Hauling hose has been a daily event to keep the flowers and veggies going here. We are being rewarded with bushels of tomatoes right now. The farmers say we are incredibly lucky that when we have received rain this summer, it has come right at the time it was needed, so the crops do look good at this point. Hopefully we won’t get the 10 inches when it is their harvest time.
We have a cloudy day here, but no rain forecast. But yesterday the humidity and 90* temps finally broke after about 10 days in a row. So happy to have the windows open again. Hope you are enjoying your day! Take care.
I sort of remember Ginny dolls.
I just had to close the windows. It’s been humid for most of August, with high temperatures and lots of rain and wind. In other words, I can’t wait to start a new month!
Stay safe, Chris.
Loved my Ginny doll, too. Lots of clothes and fun accessories.
Weren’t they fun!!? I think I had the bed and a high chair for her if I remember correctly.
Hope things are going well, Shanna. I think of you often and always send good thoughts.
Emma is adorable. Is she a composition doll? My daughter has some Effanbee composition dolls that are antiques. She loves them and names them as well.
Take care!
Mo
Yes, she is a composition doll. I have 3 composition dolls.
Thanks Mo.
Stay safe!
The George Bernard Shaw quote is perfect!!! I still wonder about a doll I gave to a neighborhood child years ago prior to her family leaving the country. I loved that doll as a child and I hope all went well for all of them.
Sweet Emma has found a good home.
You were so kind to give that doll to a child, Grace.
Stay safe!
I too had a Tiny Tears doll that I loved. We lost everything in a wildfire along with my dolls I had grown up with. Many years went by and I found one on eBay. I got it and had a beautiful dress made for her. Years go by and she starts to get sticky. Yes, there is a thing called “Sticky Doll Disease”. The plastic and rubber in the doll start to break down and become toxic. Oh you can wash with dawn or use baby power but it comes back and they shouldn’t be played with. I saved the dress but threw away the doll because I didn’t want my granddaughters playing with her. I did take many pictures of her, so that warms my heart. A few years go by and I find a Porcelain and composite doll in a dollar box at a garage sale. She talked to me and she now wears the beautiful dress that my Tiny Tears Doll had. Happy Ending
Yes, a couple of commenters have mentioned their dolls ‘coming down’ with that condition. All my vintage dolls are composition dolls so they’re okay. And this Blythe doll will outlive me, I think!
I love that the doll you found is now wearing the dress originally worn by Tiny Tears. A perfect ending, Janet!
Stay safe.
She is exquisite and I can see why you wanted her so very much. (I remember my Tiny Tears, too. I have a wonderful photo of me with that doll!)
Thanks so much, Jeanie.
Stay safe!