May 2010 – Izannah Walker Journal

Last Thursday my husband, Brian, and I went to Brimfield, MA for the day. We spent seven and a half hours walking through the fields that border the main street of the town, shopping for antiques.

We managed to unearth some fabulous ‘treasures”. Among our finds were a handful of the painted milk glass buttons that I use on my Izannah dresses. I was able to purchase both brown and purple rimmed buttons for $1 each, but I had to pay $2 for pink ones.

My other sewing and doll related goodies include a vintage velvet pincushion, two wonderful, very early, 19th century samplers, a sweet mid-19th century cloth doll, a small gray doll chair – just the right size for an Izannah , a mohair terrier, and a whole bag full of millinery flowers, ribbons and trims.

I rounded off my shopping by buying a tiny glass vase, a purple transferware plate, an extremely heavy concrete planter in the shape of a woman’s head, a surprise Christmas gift for a dear friend (no I can’t say what it is), and half a dozen vintage aprons.

Obviously if you have a chance you should go to one of Brimfield’s thrice annual antique sales, held in May, July and September each year. Some years I don’t buy much at all, and other times I fill up the van, but it is always enjoyable. Just be sure to wear comfortable shoes!

I just received some excellent news! The following is an excerpt from a letter Early American Life magazine sent me yesterday:

Dear Paula Walton,

Congratulations! Because of your creative talents and dedication to historical accuracy, you have been chosen to join the distinguished group of craftspeople listed in the 2010 Directory of Traditional American Crafts in the category “toys and dolls.”

Now in our 41st year, Early American Life continues to promote traditional craftsmanship, providing our national readership with comprehensive information on early American crafts, their history, their function, and the importance of their preservation. In addition, we are committed to promoting individual craftspeople and their artistry. As a Directory artisan, you rank as one of the most talented of them all.

The Directory issue will begin distribution to subscribers on about June 3rd. (The newsstand date is June 22nd).

I am extremely honored to have been juried into the Directory once again. Even though this will be the 22nd time I have been in the Directory, it’s still every bit as thrilling as the very first time.

The two examples of my work that I submitted for judging were one of my Izannah Walker reproduction dolls and a fully jointed teddy bear made of antique white mohair. I don’t always submit items from the same categories every year, because I make many different things. For 2010 I decided that Toys and Dolls was a very appropriate category, since I started this year finishing my Izannah class and getting it shipped out to my first round of students.

So thank you Early American Life. If you’d like to buy a copy of the 2010 Directory issue, look for it to be on sale June 22nd.