Little Lady, Redux

Little Lady Doll

I can't believe Spring Break is already more than halfway over! The break has just flown by. Of course, so much of it is eaten up by the pets' and kids' appointments. I try to get the kids in while they are out of school and it's easier for me to handle the dogs at the vet's when I have some help. Tomorrow we will have our fourth orthodontist appointment in three weeks, with one kid about to go into braces and another having his taken off, and our youngest having to check in as his bone graft surgery draws closer. The dogs' appointment revealed the puppy has a double ear infection and a staph infection and the 15 year old Spitz has a loose knee cap, so both are on medication.

Besides all the doctor's appointments, we fit in a trip home over Easter, and I got a large part of the garden planted with transplants. I still need to put out the summer seeds and pick up some plants I was unable to find. No one had the eggplant varieties I prefer, and I want to get some more tarragon. Today I finished a custom piece made with one of my vinyl decals, started a Toni doll restoration, and finished the rare Little Lady Doll I'm featuring in this post.

The costume and hair are almost all original.

The dress is tagged.

The slip and pantaloons are replacements from Madame Alexander.

The pinafore has some yellowing.

I gave the doll a mirror and perfume.

Her hair is perfect and original.

The doll can sit, stand, and walk.

You might recognize this doll's face. This is the Maggie face for the 8 inch dolls, beloved for its "watermelon" smile, so named because her mouth is shaped like a slice of watermelon. Maggie-faced dolls are rare enough, but this particular doll was made for one year only, in 1960, so she's especially hard to find. I got her with her hair in perfect condition, so that is how I recognized her. She arrived with her original hair ribbon, socks, and flocked side-snap shoes. I originally had her dressed in a different Madame Alexander dress. Then, over the Easter holiday I was amazed to find her original dress and pinafore. As hard as this doll is to find, her dress is even harder to find if it isn't on the doll, so I snapped it right up! Except for some yellowing to the pinafore from age both pieces are in really great condition. So, Little Lady Doll is now almost completely original. I replaced her slip and pantaloons with other Alexander pieces from the same era. Her shoe gaiters are missing. The gaiters would have made the shoes look like high-button boots. Little Lady came in a picture frame box filled with toiletries. The box is missing but I gave her a miniature mirror and perfume to hold as a nod to her origins.

Little Lady Doll is a wonderful addition to your collection. She can "walk", stand, and sit, and her knees bend. When on display she looks unused. I'm so happy I was able to find her original dress! You can find Little Lady and many other dolls in my eBay, Facebook, and Etsy shops. Link from my website to all my shops.

I started one more project over the break: another shop. I have a friend who has been encouraging me for some time to open a Ruby Lane shop. I set it up a few days ago, but I don't have anything listed yet. It's rather exhausting to deal with all these different storefronts. I know, however, I am not well-known enough to reach all the shoppers I need without several selling sites. Keep watch on my website and Facebook page and I will make sure to announce when the newest store opens!