I did something recently that I haven’t done since 1975. I bought myself a new doll. What??? I can see all those puzzled looks on your faces. You are thinking, “Is this woman nuts? She’s a doll collector. She buys dolls all the time. What the heck is she talking about?” It’s very true that I do buy quite a few dolls, but they are all old dolls and the operative word here is new.
The last time I bought a new doll for myself was when I was first married and saw two tiny dolls dressed as infants, which came with a frilly baby carriage and cradle. I could just see those little dolls sitting on a nursery shelf!
The dolls never made it out of their boxes. I stored them in a closet, patiently waiting for a baby girl. Instead I had three boys whose nurseries had primary rainbows, brown teddy bears, and Peter Rabbit (separate nurseries and different themes). Eventually I sold the tiny frilly dolls on eBay, where they found a good home. After all, by then they were over 25 years old and collectibles!
This time around I bought the new doll just for me. She is a replica of a Queen Anne style wooden doll. I love Queen Anne woodens, and I’ve gone so far as to price antique ones. If you have done that too, then you know why I haven’t purchased one yet. To be honest, I pretty much love most things carved from wood. I have a real soft spot for carousel animals, Noah’s Arks, ships figure heads and of course wooden dolls. I already have numerous carousel animals and arks, so wooden dolls just had to be next.
I bought this doll from Kathy Patterson. Her reproduction Queen Anne dolls are the most authentic ones that I have seen. If you would like to be amazed, go visit her blog babesfromthewoods.com. Caution: only do this when you are completely alone, as drooling may occur!
To top it all off, not only is Kathy extremely talented, she’s a genuinely nice person too, and I hear that she has a great studio to work in! Kind of makes all your little green envy monsters stir, doesn’t it????
Izannah Walker Journal 