When I went to France on a Study Abroad program (ca 1974) I lived in a room above a patisserie and a toy store. I spent many hours looking in the windows of both. I bought many pastries from patisserie but only 2 small winter figurines from the toy store as that was all I could afford. There was a doll in the window that I really wanted and pined for every day as I passed by. The years passed and one day when we were living in California (ca 1978) I happened to look in the toy department at Macy’s. Low and behold, there was a doll just like the one I had pined for. She was quite expensive especially for a struggling young couple. I had no reason to have such a doll. I did have a baby girl but I knew I would never let her play with the doll so I couldn’t justify it in that way. I told Gary about it and how much I had wanted that doll in France. Of course, as young husbands do, he bought her for me for Christmas that year. It was a great gift and I placed her carefully in her box in my closet. I took her out every so often to comb her hair and just look at her. Then back in the box.
Years passed again and Gary and I returned to France (ca 1980). Gary was on a business trip and I was able to go along. I couldn’t help but wander into a toy store one day to see if the doll still existed. There wasn’t one on the shelf anywhere that I could see. So I summoned all my courage and my best college French and asked. I tried my best to describe the doll. I knew the brand. After several attempts, the owner finally found what I was looking for. She was a blonde version of my brunette doll. I loved her instantly and begged to buy her. As you may know, not being very fiscally responsible, we bought her. I got her home and lovingly placed her in the box with her “sister.” Now I had two dolls to look at occasionally and who could live in my closet together.
Many, many years passed. I think I may have shown the dolls to my girls once or twice growing up but none of them remember it. I did get them out a few years ago for Madison to play with. She undressed them and combed their hair. It was the most daylight they had seen in 25 years. I considered giving them away since they only sat in my closet and I was sure someone could get more use out of them than that. I had considered several times making clothes for them. I started a nightgown once but it didn’t fit and I threw it away. About a year ago when Amanda was visiting, I asked her if she would like one. She said yes and took the blonde one home to live in her closet.
Then, something happened. I was putting out my St. Patrick’s Day decorations and found that I needed something more. I have only very few St. Patrick’s Day things and most of them are quite small. I could find nothing in any of the stores I looked in that I liked. So as I thought about it one night in bed, the thought came to me that I could make my doll into an Irish lass and display her. I already had shamrock fabric from a previous craft so I didn’t even need to go to the store. I began the next day and had a ball doing it. Here is the result.
I thought she looked so cute and I was so excited to finally display her that I decided I needed to get her sister back from Amanda so I could make her an Easter dress and display her too. I was able to use an old party favor basket from the American Fork house for her Easter Basket and I made the flower wreath for her head. Here she is. (Sorry I was an Indian giver Amanda. You can have her when I die and her outfits too if you want.)
It has made me very happy to finally be able to display my beloved dolls if only seasonally. I am already planning the Betsy Ross outfit for July. I’m sure the dolls are happy to be out of the box too!
