Monday, January 27, 2014

Let's pretend



Mmmmm.....another fun-filled day
brimming with adventurous play!
Whatever will I wear?
What character will I pretend to be?


Perhaps I’ll be a policeman.
Perhaps I’ll fight a robber....or two!

 Perhaps I’ll don my fireman’s helmet
and bravely climb tall ladders and
swoosh away fires with my fire hose!


  

Perhaps I will be a famous soccer player
and kick the winning goal in the World Cup.


Perhaps I will wear my special outfit
for my friend’s birthday party.....
and eat lots and lots of yummy birthday cake!


 Perhaps I will put on my old blue jeans and
and go to the park, hang out with my friends
and play with my bright, red car!



OR........perhaps I will be a pirate
and hoist the jolly roger and sail the seven seas;
swashbuckling my way through the day!!



But for now, after an exhausting day of ‘let’s pretend’
 I'm a little tired (yawn).
So I'd best put on my jarmies,
climb into bed,
and hugging my teddy ever so tightly;
drift off to faraway lands 
that only exist in the Land of Nod!






I found this wooden doll, hiding in a hidey hole of my home a little while ago, forgetting it's existence! My husband and I made this a few years ago to sell at a market. Pete cut out my designs with a jigsaw and I painted each piece. The doll is made out of 1/2" thick pine and the interchangeable clothes, hair and toys are made from thin MDF. The doll stands about 9" high and the clothes are attached by velcro which have been glued with a super glue. Each article has many, many layers of non toxic, folk art paint, which I sanded after each coat. These dolls take an age to fashion!! Hence, the reason why we haven't made any for a while and perhaps, why  I have filed this idea away in the dark recesses of my brainpan stamped 'file closed'!!

These dolls are reminiscent of the paper dolls that I adored playing with as a wee girl, providing me with many a fun-filled, imaginative day. I loved my paper dolls, styling their homes and playing with them all the time. When out and about shopping with my mum, I was always on the lookout for the next paper doll book that had been published.

The idea for these wooden dolls originated when my daughter was a very little girl, thinking that I would make her a special keepsake for Christmas. I must admit that we have made a few since which have gone to live with other children, hopefully, providing them with many hours of fun-filled play. After the child has finished visiting the land of make believe and playing with their doll, it can then be hung on the wall, sitting ever so attractively in a shadow-like box/frame (which my clever husband fashioned)  becoming a wonderful piece of art! Very versatile if you ask me!!

Here is the girl doll which is very similar to the one that we fashioned for our daughter. Mmmmm....me thinks a very pretty wardrobe, filled with many a delightful outfit, in readiness for a fun-filled hour or two of play in a child's fictive world!
   

A child can have oodles of fun playing with these wooden dolls. They can enter into the land of make believe, dreaming up many an imaginative story; changing the disguises in an instant. 'Tis a wee bit of a shame that we all grow up......one day......is it not??

10 comments:

  1. Oh my heavens...these are just adorable!!! That Pete of yours is very handy with the jig saw. You my dear are a great artist and creator. This was a throwback to childhood memories for sure. Thank you for reminding me of good times and a younger me!

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  2. They are amazing, you are both very clever! I used to love playing with paper dolls when I was younger , thanks for reminding me. Julie x

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  3. How fun! A wonderful memoir of childhood - I loved paper dolls too. Cutting and painting these pretties must have be quite a task, but oh so lovely of a project and a keepsake forever too.

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  4. Wow - they are amazing!! So many beautiful details (and the frame to 'store' it is ingenious!). Each one must take an absolute AGE to make!!

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  5. Beautiful dolls. While I am well into "grammyhood" I still love paper dolls, dolls and doll houses and have quite a few of each. I don't exactly play with them but when I am in a mood to haul them out.... watch out! I love your heading picture of all the quilty things as I am also VERY fond of quilty things. I thank you for visiting my blog. Yes, aren't flea markets and thrift shops FUN!!!

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  6. These are so adorable! There is such lovely detail in each piece! I, too, loved playing with paper dolls. These are sure a sweet treasure.

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  7. Good Morning Sarah! Thank you for visiting my blog, and I thought I'd stop by for a visit ... which turned into quite a long stay ;) I've enjoyed reading through your posts and you have such beautiful photos of your makes & your home. This wooden doll is wonderful idea. I've been seeing this exact sort of doll popping up lately (made by "Melissa & Doug", don't know if you have that co. in Australia). I have picked up a few for gifts as I too used to have paper dolls and loved playing with them (just hated all those little tabs for clothing). I'll now be following along with you as I can't wait to see more :) Wendy x

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  8. Thanks for stopping by my tea post. I wish we'd had studier dolls like these when I was young and played with paper dolls. There was a magnetic cling board I remember as well. The doll shapes were on the board and you adhered the clothes to them there, of course after awhile the clothes wouldn't stick any more.

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  9. I've not seen wooden dolls like these but am familiar with paper dolls and similar cut outs. Such fun to be had for the young at heart.

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  10. These are so cute. They remind me of the paper ones my sister and I used to cut out from her Bunty magazine when we were children. Philippa xx

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