An Interesting Question About A Little Old Doll...

Although I was a dollmaker for many years I've always loved old small and dolls house dolls.  Last week I was looking at a delightful tiny old 'granny' doll - but was she actually what she really appeared to be??

My great mate Celia Thomas of KT Miniatures, partner in crime and workshops for a good few years, recently acquired an important collection of dolls and furniture and asked if I'd like to take a look. OH yes!!
I completely fell in love with a tiny 'granny doll' clearly old, beautifully dressed and full of character. Anyway she generously gave her to me as a gift...or was it a bribe to feed her cats when she is away???

We both poured over her trying to determine her age.  Something, but we didn't know what didn't look quite right.
Porcelain, jointed - clearly of some age. Super distressed and tatty clothing - wonderful hat.

Take a look at the pictures and see if you agree with our final conclusion.  I'll give you some clues:
The small amount of wigging could be modern. The scarf which was knitted not woven fabric seemed to have more 'pull' than cotton or wool. The 'knitted' jacket did not look like any 'old' fabric we recognised..

But the final conclusion was that she was a baby - just take a close look at the face - given a makeover.  Take an even closer look at the legs and their 'baby' appearance and that was the clincher!
What can I say? Full marks to the collector who saw the potential to turn a baby into a little old lady and did it quite brilliantly!! I love her to bits - thank you Celia! It rather backs up the comment sometimes heard that a new born looks like a little old man or lady.

Celia has some delightful and very special items just listed on her website including three early dolls by the late Jill Bennett who was a hero to many of us handcrafting makers in the miniature doll community and her many collectors. I've been lucky enough to see them for real and they are just beautiful, and of course sadly there will never be any more.
To see them go to her website: https://ktminiatures.com

It's pouring with rain again today and my heart goes out to the hundreds of people in U.K. whose homes and lives have been devastated by the floods.  In Thame our homes are dry because the town is surrounded by ancient flood plains that take the overspill from flooded rivers and streams - in fact the 'lakes' are very picturesque and a flock of swans has taken up temporary residence. If there is one message for our planners and politicians it is to please not build on our flood plains any more.  Enough!!

Anyway here's a beautiful Dendrobium Orchid to cheer us all up.

Thank you for looking
Robin

Spring Miniatures in the Garden

I'm not sure that winter has gone yet...it's been very cold and very wet, and we've had a few hard frosts, but perhaps Mother Nature is trying to cheer us all up with a first taste of spring to come.
No snow yet, so the birds are finishing up the last of the berries and feasting on fat balls we hang up for them.

In my garden the golden winter jasmine and fablously scented pink viburnum shrubs are the first to bloom as we put away the Christmas decorations. Yellow forsythia branches are swift to come out indoors and look lovely with a bunch of Cornish daffodils from the local supermarket.
Nearer the ground the first spring miniatures are bursting into flower heralding the bigger flowering bulbs and plants.

While the snowdrops and crocus are late this year and just poking their heads out, in the wild patch under the fruit trees, the first primrose is out which will be followed by many more and then tiny daffodils, cowslips, fritillaries and bluebells.

I love the tiny dwarf daffodills and this sweet 'Petticoat' is flowering in a pot with 'Black Grass' (Ophiopogon).  Later in the year when the daffodils have died down there should be tiny purple flowers, then black berries on the 'grass' so the pot will still look great.  Since I took this photo, all the other buds have come out and this little pot of 'daffs' looks perfect.

I love iris in all the many and varied forms but am especially fond of lttle 'Reticulata'.  This one is happy in one of the planters by the back door, along with miniature cyclamen which are just coming through - all earlier than those in the garden itself.

We have hellebores all over the place - they cross and seed like mad so each year it is exciting to see a 'new' seedling flower for the first time.  They are terribly untidy plants but I can forgive them anything for their glorious presence so early in the year.
This is a favourite a super double white.  They're shy flowers so we have to tip them up to see their faces.

And this somehow seeded and flowered happily into the smallest of cracks between house and paving.

The last pic is of 'Freckles' a delicate winter flowering clematis that clothes one of the rose arches for winter than quietly takes a back seat as the more showy roses take over for the summer.

Thank you for looking
Robin