On Friday I spent a wonderful day at the home of Peggy Flavin, who is a very talented doll maker and good friend. I got to know Peggy last year when she attended my Izannah retreat and from the very first moment we met I felt like I had known her forever!
Visiting Peggy was such a treat and definitely one of the highlights of my year. This was the perfect season to drive up to Cape Ann, as the leaves are just starting to show their true glory. Autumn deepened the further north I went. However even a fall drive through New England can not compare to the joys of visiting a true kindred spirit. Not only does Peggy make and collect dolls, but she lives in a beautiful 18th century home. Every bit of her house is filled with wonderful treasures, remarkable details, and love.
An added pleasure of my visit to Peggy, was getting to meet and spend time with Edyth O’Neil, extraordinary rug hooker, antique dealer and doll collector. The three of us spent all afternoon talking about dolls, dolls and yet more dolls! Listening to Edyth brought back memories of my mother, aunts and grandmothers, as they all shared her soft Texas drawl and expressions. In the evening we had supper at the remarkably cozy pub that Peggy and her husband Dennis own. Both the food and the company were amazing.
On Saturday morning we were all up early, so that Peggy and Edyth could attend a meeting of the Doll Collectors of America and I could head to Sturbridge to pick up some of my furniture that Angel House has been reupholstering.
I had a splendid visit to Gloucester and can’t thank Peggy and Dennis enough for making me feel so welcome!
** Peggy and Edyth both have wonderful blogs. Peggy is just getting hers set up. What she has so far is excellent. Edyth’s blog is long standing and always an interesting read!
Izannah Walker Journal 
Hi Paula, so wonderful that you had a fun filled weekend with your friends and to spend it playing with dolls is the icing on the cake. Saturday we went to the annual Shaker Doll Sale in Albany. It was a fun day for us as well. I found a few neat little treasures too. Just one tiny doll of 4″ high, but a sweetie of a all bisque Kestner. I have just the right little box to make a doll trunk for her. The boxes are so neat and came from TJ Maxx a couple years ago. I’ve been waiting for just the right size little doll to reside in it.
Thanks for sharing the photos of your weekend with Peggy and Edyth. Anytime you get to spend playing dolls all day just has to be great. Fondly, Mary Goddard.
Mary,
You are so right, any doll time is great time! Sounds like you had a terrific weekend and your tiny doll must be enchanting. I love doll shows 🙂
Hugs,
Paula
Oh, Paula, how I wish I could attend the Doll Collectors, and to have the opportunity to sit down with all of you. I would be in awe all day! Hugs, Susan
Susan,
I think Peggy and Edyth had a good time at the Doll Collectors of America meeting. I know for sure that their drive back to Gloucester was beautiful 🙂
I’ve heard that it is a very interesting group.
I’m not sure that you would find us awe inspiring… but you would probably have been amazed at how much we can talk! 🙂
Hugs to you too!
Paula
Hi Paula – thank you for sharing pictures from your visit to Peggy! I’m so glad that you had such a wonderful time! It is so much fun to see pictures of the beautiful Izannah dolls, both old and new, posing together in such a lovely setting! I especially love the sweet picture of Peggy’s beautiful Lucy Izannah doll sitting for tea with the beautiful Izannah doll you made that will be coming home to me for Christmas! I’m so happy that they were able to enjoy such a lovely afternoon sipping tea and visiting. How fun that you were able to take a look at the Izannah Walker doll at the Wenham Museum. In the latest edition of Tea Time magazine, there is a fun article on a sweet little tea shop in Wenham, called the Wenham Tea House. Apparently it has been a tea shop since 1912! Maybe on your next time to the museum, you could stop there for tea! It must be a charming little town. Thanks again for sharing your visit! Love, Susie
Susie,
Oh, you are welcome, I only wish you could have been there with us! I thought the two dolls looked very happy and contented in front of the fire. They are on their way to being the very best of friends.
The Wenham museum is amazing. I really loved everything I saw there. I wish I’d known about the tea shop. Thank you for telling me about it. It sounds like exactly my type of place. Hopefully I’ll be lucky enough to get to return to Wenham.
Love,
Paula