Hello! We are back again on this lovely Saturday morning to welcome you to my painting and sculpting studio, where I will be giving you a guided tour of the Izannah Walker doll house that I created.
You may have noticed that in the videos from this week I am talking to you just as I would if you happened to drop by my studio for a visit. Think of them as a bit of a one sided chat 🙂 None of them is scripted, so I occasionally correct myself, or accidentally mention something twice, as I did in this video… I do that in person too! 🙂 lol
The dolls and I hope you enjoy exploring their home from top to bottom and that you have a lovely weekend ❤
My Izannah Walker Birthday Week Celebration continues tomorrow through Tuesday, October 1st with something new to see here each day ❤
We’ve come to the end of our day. My dolls and I hope you have enjoyed joining in our celebration of Izannah Walker’s birthday. They’ve had a very active day with all of their friends. Now all the dolls are getting sleepy and ready for bed… Isabeau wasn’t quite sure where everyone was going to sleep tonight. Since Cloe was such a big help this morning, she offered to rearrange the beds, so that there was a place for all of the dolls.
Even after Cloe moved all of the beds around, Isabeau still wasn’t sure that there was room for everyone… “maybe we should have gone up to the attic to get Izzybelle’s little old bed” she fretted.
The Annas overheard her and offered to sleep in the kitchen on a pallet… I think I heard them whispering something about a midnight snack…
and now as the sun goes down it is time to kiss all the dolls good night, tell them to sleep tight and dream of tomorrow…
Even More Izannahs…
Just a sneak peek for Marti of her own little Anna. I’ll post more photos of her in the next day or two and then she will be off to her new home…
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays! The dolls and I had such a good time preparing for Izannah’s birthday that we have decided to do a little something special for Halloween too. Please visit us here on www.izannahwalker.com on October 22nd when the dolls will be trick or treating!
Did you miss parts 1 – 5 of today’s birthday posts? Simply scroll down the page to see what you missed. Remember: You still have until midnight Eastern time to enter for a chance to win one of 18 party favors that I am giving away. See part 2 for details.
“Hannah, you and Ismay made a wonderful cake! It’s beautiful!” “Just in time, I hear all of our friends arriving.” “Eliza Jane, you and Ismay can go on up to the parlor. I’ll take off my apron and bring the cake up.”“Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Izannah…”“Make a wish!”
You may enlarge the photos and see the entire image by clicking on individual photographs in the montage.
The recipe for this year’s cake came from American Cake by Anne Byrn.Ismay, Zola and Hannah made an Appalachian Apple Stack Cake, with moist buttermilk layers and spiced apple filling. The story, which I am very fond of, goes like this; each family invited to a wedding would bring one layer of cake, all of the layers were stacked together to form the wedding cake. I’ve also heard this cake called a prairie wedding cake and have seen reference to each family bringing a different flavored cake layer. ❤
At 7:00 p.m. I have a few new dolls who would like to make your acquaintance. I hope you will be able to come back to meet them and then return one final time today at 10:00 p.m. Eastern time for our bedtime post. 🙂
The kitchen is buzzing with activity, as Eliza Jane, Ismay, Zola and Hannah try to finish all their last minute tasks. “Hurry, hurry our company will be coming soon!” “It’s almost time for the party to start!”Eliza Jane has offered to iron all the doll’s party dresses. She is by far the best at ironing, she never scorches the fabric!Hannah has just taken the last layer of cake out of the oven. It smells so good… The entire kitchen is filled with the aromas of cinnamon and spices ❤Zola is turning the cake layers out of the pans to cool. As soon as they aren’t so warm, Ismay is going to spread sweet, tangy apple butter between the layers, then dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar.“Eliza Jane can you see the clock?” “What time is it?” Oh my, we have to hurry up!” “We need to get the cake finished and give Izzybelle her bath!” Eliza Jane, you keep ironing. Zola, you can take the cake out to the table in the yard, and Hannah and I will bathe Izzybelle.” (Ismay can get a bit bossy at times)
IZZYBELLE GETS A BATH
Being a doll maker’s doll is a lot like being a shoemakers child, you always come last… You may remember how terribly bedraggled Izzybelle was when she arrived on my doorstep a couple of years ago. I finally found just a handful of moments to start cleaning her and making her appropriate replacement arms and legs. Once upon a time Izzybelle was a charming, small example of one of Izannah Walker’s dolls. She was loved, played with and almost used up, then sent to the Martha Chase factory for repairs, so that she could be loved and played with some more. I own several dolls, and have seen and restored a handful of others, that were refurbished by the doll makers working for Martha Chase.
Izzybelle has been in desparate need of atention.
Little by little I slowly cleaned years of dirt, grime and what looked like possible smoke damage away from her head and shoulders.
Poor Izzybelle, someone got quite carried aaway with bright red paint! Her lips and both eyes were lined in red.
Little Izzy is looking better, but there are still some very stubborn bits of paint reamaining from when she was re-painted at the Martha Chase factory…
I love Martha Chase dolls, but I have to admit that as I attempted to remove the stubborn Martha Chase factory re-painting from Izzybelle, I was thinking VERY dark thoughts…
Now you can catch a glimpse of what Izzybelle looked like earlier in her life. I still have more restoration work to do, but now she truly looks like a tiny Izannah Walker doll one again ❤
I have made Izzybelle appropriate restoration arms and legs. I still need to color match them to her newly cleaned paint surface, then stuff and attach them.
“Izzybelle, your bath water is almost ready. Hannah is heating the last kettle full on the stove right now.”“Izzybelle, time to hop in the tub!”
“Make sure you scrub behind your ears and between your toes.”
“This bath feels so good! Why didn’t you make me take one sooner???”
Even Splotches, the barn cat is curious to see what the dolls are doing today. If you are too, please come back around 4:00, 7:00 & 10:00 pm to see the rest of their adventures.
Zanna and Isabeau have asked Cloe to help them get ready for today’s party. They may have gotten a bit more “help” than they anticipated…
“I think the rug would look nice outside the kitchen.”
“Is the rug nice and flat?”
“What should we do first to get ready for the party?”
“I could help set the table.”
“Here is Izzybelle’s little cup.”
“How many spoons will we need?”
“Hmmm, the parlor looks clean and ready for company…”
“The table is almost ready.”
“We’ll need to heat the iorn so that we can press our party dresses.”
“Here Isabeau, let me help you get more comfy in your chair.”
“Salt, we’ll need salt for dinner.”
Click on any photo to see it enlarged and to read the caption.
Don’t worry! In spite of the sound effects, no dishes were harmed in the making of this video. As Isabeau always says, “there is a reason that babies only get to use the everyday china”! 🙂
Thank you for coming!!! I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse into some of our party preparations. Here is the schedule for today’s celebration events, I will have additional posts at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 4:00 pm, 7:00 pm, and 10:00 pm Eastern time. My 7:00 pm post will feature several dolls for sale, because what would an Izannah Walker Birthday Celebration be without at least a few new reproduction dolls for sale? 🙂 The dolls will only be posted here on my blog. If one or more of them tugs at your heart strings and you’d like to purchase her, you may email me at paula@asweetremembrance.com. If more than one person is interested in buying the same doll, the email with the earliest time will get preference. ❤
Don’t forget! Only 3 more days until it’s Izannah Walker’s 199th birthday. My dolls and I will be hosting an all day online celebration 🙂 Please come join us! We’ll be sooooooo sad if you can’t come 😦
At 10:00 a.m on Sunday September 25th stop whatever you are doing, run to your pc and come right over to http://www.izannahwalker.com for the beginning of our birthday fun!!! ❤
My own little “Alice” and Lily playing in the doll’s new house.
“The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house. All that cold, cold, wet day.”
― Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat
Today is a cool rainy day, much too wet to garden, with persistent downpours that make the walk out to my studios seem very uninviting. So I’ve decided that it would be an excellent morning to sit next to the fire and share photos of my own adventures in wonderland… On Saturday baby Cloe came to stay with us while her parents went out and about. It was the perfect time to play dress up with the Izannahs and explore a bit of their new house!
“Oh!” “I like this doll!”“She has such a pretty dress.”“Grandma made her little fingers, just like mine!”“Look, she has boots!”“Uh-Oh!” “The dollies fell down!”
Cloe visiting with Isabeau, Lily and my reproduction Lily in the parlor of the doll’s house.“Can Lily #2 come out to play?”“Lily you wait here while I get the table…”
Cloe and Lily #2 whiled away the afternoon playing in the kitchen of the doll house, with a brief intermission for Cloe to change her dress. ❤
“We need to move the chairs!”c. 1830 doll cupboard in original salmon paint and an impatient baby who could not wait to have her dress fastened before she started playing again!
“Lily sit in this chair and wait for me. I’ll come back and play with you another day!”
The rain has stopped, the sun is out and my story has come to an end. Please come back soon to see more photos of Lily #2. She will be ready for sale this week, just as soon as I finish her petticoat and pantalettes. If you just can’t wait for her sale post, you may contact me with questions about her by emailing paula@asweetremembrance.com or calling 860-355-5709 during business hours.
Other upcoming blog posts will feature an in-depth focus on my restorations of two antique Izannah Walker dolls (Lily pictured here and Emmaline), and a complete tour of the doll’s house. I hope you can join us here at http://www.izannahwalker.com for both.
Welcome to our birthday tea party in honor of Izannah Walker, an extraordinary doll maker, who was the first woman to receive a United States Patent for her doll making method!
The dolls and their guests have gathered in the front parlor, while I brew a pot of tea. This afternoon we will be serving a combination of Earl Grey, lavender and ground vanilla beans. I drink mine with a bit of sugar, Isabeau and Zanna prefer lavender honey in theirs and little Izzybelle likes her cup partially filled with warm milk and a heaping spoonful of sugar, then topped up with tea!
A large scoop of Earl Grey tea, lavender flowers and a pinch of ground vanilla beans… total bliss!“Welcome!” “We are so glad you could come!”“Have you met our dear friend Lily? She just moved from Toledo to Michigan and now she has come to pay us a visit.” ” Sharon’s doll is also visiting us. We are so happy she could stay for the party!”“Does everyone have a seat?” “I’m going to go get the tea. I’ll be right back!”“This is Sadie, one of our new kittens.” “Izzybelle, be careful! Don’t let Sadie knock you off of the piano stool!” “Don’t worry Isane, I’m holding on tight!”“Here comes Jack. He follows Sadie everywhere!”Jack very much wants to play with Billie’s doll, who is another one of our party guests.“Would you care for a Honey Tea Cake?”“No Jack, not you!” “Tea cakes aren’t good for kittens.”“Isane don’t let them get the cakes!”“That’s right Jack, go see Anna, she’ll pet you.” “Petting is much better than cake!”” Sadie, I’ll pet you too.”“Now that the kittens have settled down, would anyone like a cup of tea?”“Oh no! Lily did Jack knock your cup out of your hand?”“Don’t worry. Nothing broke and I have a clean cup right here for you.”Too much excitement! The kittens are all worn out and have gone off to take a nap…“I would really like that cup of tea now!” “And I’d like a bit of quiet, civilized conversation!” “Well I LIKE having the kittens come to tea! It makes everything so much more interesting!” “Hush Izzybelle…”“I know what we should do. Have you seen Joy Harrington’s article in Antique Doll Collector magazine? It’s all about the house she had made for her Izannah Walker dolls.” “You can tell Billie all about it when you go home to Kansas.” “I think next year we should ask for a house of our very own as a birthday present!”“Cake? “I don’t know anything about cake.” “Or falling teacups…” “You must be thinking about some other kitten.” “Yawnnnnnnnnn”
See? I told you that the girls loved Joy’s article about her doll house! If you would like to read the article too, it is in the August 2015 issue of Antique Doll Collector magazine on pages 43-48. Not only does it include wonderful pictures and descriptions of the doll house, but it also shows Joy’s fantastic collection of antique Izannah Walker dolls. It is such a treat!
The dolls, kittens and I have so enjoyed having you visit us this afternoon! We hope you will come back tomorrow and Sunday for new posts at 10:00 a.m. & 4:00 p.m. each day, as we party on!
And now, I don’t know about you, but I plan to brew another pot of tea, put my feet up and watch the dolls giggle and play on into the evening…
* Sharon’s and Billie’s dolls are custom orders, who will soon be traveling to their new homes. In the photos they are wearing borrowed finery. They will each be receiving their final dress fittings soon and will both have posts of their very own to show off their new wardrobes before they leave here.
** Lily is an antique Izannah Walker doll that is staying with me while she undergoes a bit of judicious restoration. She will also be featured in a series of upcoming posts that will chronicle her restoration adventures.
A small Izannah love token. I just have one of these, as it was a sample I made as a project idea for my Izannah Walker doll class members. $32 plus free shipping to any U.S. address. ❤
It was quite late last night, when I was writing up the first of this year’s birthday posts, so it totally slipped my mind that I was supposed to put these two items on the “what’s for sale this weekend” post. 🙂 Better late than never!
This is how I have the tiny hand displayed in my studio. The little white drawers are filled with buttons.A different version of love token, framed in a miniature 4 inch square grain painted shadow box. $44, plus free U.S. shipping. OOAKSOLD Other items newly posted for sale include this aged and beloved reproduction doll made from my Anna mold. She is such a wonderful doll! It doesn’t show up well in her photos, but her body is so fantastic. Her arms and legs hang just right! As if they had lived through countless years of play time and naps. She is $1250 and if you buy her this weekend she comes with a tiny miniature antique tintype photograph. Scroll down the page to see many more images of this Anna.NOW SOLD Hannah #1 is one of the dolls I am currently working on and is for sale. At this point you may choose all of her clothing options and her 2nd skin color. $1250 with free U.S. shipping. As a birthday special this weekend only she will include a reproduction quilt top and backing…Hannah #2 Is also for sale with all of the same features as Hannah #1. You may see more photos of the Hannahs in my 1st birthday party post from midnight last night 🙂Lily 2 is the third doll that I’m working on that is still available for sale. If you love early, worn and primitive then Lily may be just the reproduction Izannah you have been longing for… Scroll down for additional photographs and information.Zanna wants me to remind you that she and Izzybelle are still manning the tag sale and that all of the doll furniture will be 10% off through midnight on Sunday!And last, but not least… two Izannah Kits are finished and ready to ship. One with a painted head for $375 and another with a unfinished head for you to paint for $200.
If you have been dreaming about a special reproduction Izannah Walker doll, I would be very happy to help bring your dreams to life. I am currently booking custom order dolls for July 2016 and beyond. You may call or email with questions about custom orders and to discuss all the details. 860-355-5709 during east coast business hours, or paula@asweetremembrance.com anytime.
SOLD Meet Anna. She is available for sale and would be thrilled to come join your doll family.
Welcome to my annual Izannah Walker birthday party! This year the dolls and I have a fun filled three day celebration planned. We are so pleased that you could come join us for the start of the party. I will be posting throughout the day today, with additional posts at 9:00 a.m., noon, and 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. Come back tomorrow and Sunday for new posts at 10:00 a.m. & 4:00 p.m.
1 Finished Doll For Sale – Now SOLD – Thank You so much for looking!
ANNA IS NOW SOLD. I have one doll made from my Anna mold available for sale. She is a very sweet, worn and well loved doll. Just the right size at 17 inches to be a little sister to other Izannahs in your collection. She has short wispy hair framing her face and tickling the nape of her neck. This Anna is dressed in an amazing antique red print fabric that I found in Brimfield in May. The fabric had never been washed until yesterday and even after one gentle washing still retains it’s crisp sizing. All three pieces of her undergarments are trimmed in tatting. Her short black scallop topped painted boots are embellished with a red scallop outline. As a birthday special she comes with a tiny antique tintype image of a young girl. When you imagine the story of Anna’s life, perhaps this little girl will become her original owner…
Anna can be yours for $1250.00, which includes free insured shipping to any U.S. address. Actual shipping charged to other countries. As always you may place Anna, or any of my dolls on lay-away. Call me at 860-355-5709 during normal business hours, or email me anytime at paula@asweetremembrance.com if you have any questions about this doll or would like to purchase her.
Introducing Two New Reproduction Izannah Walker Dolls
I am very happy to tell you that I now have two more molds! I made these molds, just like all of my others, directly from original antique Izannah Walker dolls. This means that I can offer you ten different authentic, all cloth, historically accurate reproduction Izannah Walker dolls!
Pictured below are the four dolls that I will be working on during the next three days as part of my Izannah celebration. After all what better way is there for a doll maker to mark the birthday of her very favorite doll maker than by paying homage to her by reproducing some of her amazing dolls! If you’d like to follow along with my progress you can check in at my facebook page to see the dolls coming to life. Click here to visit A Sweet Remembrance in facebook.
Lily
I am able to offer you reproductions of Lily due to the amazing generosity of my friend Susie, who owns the real Lily. I am currently in the midst of doing restoration on the original Lily and Susie very kindly told me that she wanted me to make a mold from her while she was here. I’ll be chronicling Lily’s restoration journey here in the upcoming weeks. Lily has a very classic Izannah head and at 17 inches is the middle stair step between my Isabeau and Izzybelle.
This first Lily will be going home with her older sister and namesake ❤
A Second Lily
This Lily will be available for sale for $1250.00 when she is completed. She will come with a full four piece wardrobe which includes a chemise, pantalettes, peticoat and a dress, with painted boots.
Lily 2 will be available for sale.Lily 2Lily 2
Hannah
Hannah recently came to join my Izannah family from the collection of another of my dear friends, Edyth. ❤ I’m honored that she has entrusted me with one of her treasures.
Hannah is 18 inches tall and has such a sweet expression. Just like Lily #2, both of these Hannahs will be for sale once I have finished them. Yes, they also cost $1250.00, have painted boots and come with a full set of clothing made from antique fabrics and notions. 🙂
If you have any questions about these dolls, or would like to purchase one of them, please call me (860-355-5709 during east coast business hours) or email me (paula@asweetremembrance.com anytime). As a special birthday treat Isabeau, Zanna, Ismay, Isane, Izzybelle and the original Hannah have been busy piecing together quilt tops to go along with the Lilys and Hannahs that are purchased during this three day weekend. More about their quilting party later on… Just one more reason to keep checking back in through out the next three days 🙂
Feeling Creative?
For anyone who has the urge to try making an Izzy of their own I currently have two of my Izannah Kits ready to go.
A full instruction book + patterns comes with each head. The unpainted head/kit is $200 and the painted head/kit is $375.
Notice all of the paint texture of the original antique doll is captured in this composition head.
Furniture Tag Sale
The girls were all very enamored of the article they read in Antique Doll Collector about an Izannah Doll House. So when I asked them what they would like to include in our birthday weekend they all resoundingly said “Let’s have a tag sale of all of the doll furniture, so other Izannahs can furnish a doll house too!” Consequently all of my antique doll furniture is on sale at 10% off from 9/25 – 9/27. The sale price does include free shipping to U.S. addresses. Click here to shop the furniture sale.
Zanna is in charge of setting up the tag sale & Izzybelle is helping tie on the price tags!
That’s All For Now…
Come back to see us at 9:00 a.m. eastern time for our continuing birthday party adventures.
Izannah Walker Journal 