“Hello! Come in, we are so happy that you could come to the party!”
The dolls are all rushing around with last minute party preparations, Isane and Ismay are in the kitchen, along with their dearest friend Prudence, who came early to help. Isane is arranging all of the freshly cut garden flowers, and Ismay is making the Sage Tea while the Birthday Puddings cool. The tea is from their grandmother’s receipt book and one of their favorite teas. Prudence has volunteered to read them some poetry to keep them amused while they work. ❤
“Now that you have had the chance to stop by the kitchen and say “hello”, let’s go on up to the parlor.” “Please watch your step, the stairs are rather steep and worn in this old house.” “The parlor is quite crowded, but we will find you a cozy seat somewhere!”
You may click on any of the photos to enlarge them ❤
“Happy 203rd Birthday Izannah Walker! You have bought such joy into the lives of countless children and doll lovers throughout all these many years since your birth. Your creations and artistry have made our lives so much richer .” ❤
Thank you all for coming to our Birthday Party for Izannah Walker! The dolls are going to tidy up the parlor and kitchen, then spend a little time enjoying their new birthday presents. ❤ Please come back tonight for our slumber party!
Here is the schedule for our Birthday Celebration, all the events and posts are being held right here on http://www.izannahwalker.com. All times are Eastern Daylight Saving Time.
This morning at 8:00 a.m. the first post of the celebration went up. It is an hour long video about Izannah Walker’s life and dolls, plus a fun look at the fashions that Izannah Walker’s dolls were dressed in and a bit of history about mid 19th century children’s clothing.
At Noon Eastern time, today September 25th, the dolls and I took a fun look back at the past ten years of our Izannah Walker birthday celebrations!
To close out Izannah’s 203rd birthday, the dolls invite you to a Sleep over, this evening September 25th, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. Change into your nightgown, make a cup of cocoa, and come visit with us for a bit… We promise you sweet dreams of little cloth Izannahs
Tomorrow morning, September 26th at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time, you can get a Behind the Scenes peek at a bit of what goes on in preparation for all of my birthday party posts.
We will finish our 203rd Birthday Celebration tomorrow night, September 26th at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, with the unveiling of my first reproductions of Sarah Alice. She is the newest addition to my antique Izannah Walker doll family and dearly beloved by all of her sisters. ❤
Once upon a time, in January 2009 to be exact, I started a blog about my dolls… fast forward to September 2010, when on a spur of the moment whim I decided that it would be fun to write a post about Izannah Walker’s 193rd birthday. That was the very beginning of what has now become an annual tradition here on my Izannah Walker Journal! I hope you enjoy this look back at all the parties that the dolls and I have thrown to celebrate the anniversary of Izannah’s birthday on September 25th, 1817.
… and let’s not forget the year I hosted a doll making retreat here at the studio, just after Izannah’s birthday, which continued the party as we made new dolls and wonderful new friends!
In just a short while our 2020 party will commence, as we wish Izannah a very happy 203rd birthday!
While you wait for the party to start at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time this afternoon you may want to explore some of these previous birthday posts:
Links to Izannah Walker Birthday Celebration Posts
Happy Birthday Izannah Walker! We are starting this year’s birthday celebration with a video that I filmed this spring for Beyond All Limits March 2020 Virtual Doll Convention. I hope you enjoy learning a bit more about Izannah Walker’s life, her dolls and the clothing they wear. ❤
Please come back at Noon Eastern time, today September 25th, as the dolls and I take a fun look back at the past ten years of our Izannah Walker birthday celebrations!
At 4:00 p.m. Eastern time you are cordially invited to attend this year’s Izannah Walker Birthday Party, here on http://www.izannahwalker.com ❤
To close out Izannah’s 203rd birthday, the dolls invite you to a Sleep over, this evening September 25th, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. Change into your nightgown, make a cup of cocoa, and come visit with us for a bit… We promise you sweet dreams of little cloth Izannahs ❤
Tomorrow morning, September 26th at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time, you can get a Behind the Scenes peek at a bit of what goes on in preparation for all of my birthday party posts.
We will finish our 203rd Birthday Celebration tomorrow night, September 26th at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, with the unveiling of my first reproductions of Sarah Alice. ❤ She is the newest addition to my antique Izannah Walker doll family and dearly beloved by all of her sisters. ❤
The sisters are firm belivers of farm to table, after all that is how they were raised when they were young. They usually do all their marketing at a “Pick Your Own” Farm Stand here at Thyme Forgotten Farm… I am the farmer and they are my very best customers
Monday – Washing.
Tuesday – Ironing.
Wednesday – Mending.
Thursday – Marketing.
Friday – Baking and Partying!
Saturday – Cleaning.
Sunday – Day of Rest.
Now that the dolls have finished their marketing it is time for them to decorate the house for tomorrow’s birthday celebration! We hope you will be able to come join us throughout the day as we celebrate Izannah Walker’s 203rd Birthday!
The first birthday post will be live at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time tomorrow, Friday September 25th, 2020. There will be many more posts throughout the day…
One Saturday, September 26th, 2020 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time this year’s special edition birthday dolls will be posted for sale HERE! All dolls sold on a first come basis ❤
Preparations are still under way for Izannah Walker’s 203rd Birthday party here on my Izannah Walker Journal. The celebration starts on Friday, September 25th, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern time.
The chore for today is Ironing! Eliza Jane has taken charge, as the eldest she sometimes has a tendency to be just a little bit bossy… but the other little cloth girls don’t mind that at all today, since it means that Eliza Jane is willing to do all the ironing! She doesn’t trust the others not to scorch the clothes.
The little Izzys are up early to get their chores done so that they can play this afternoon… Today is wash day! Monday – Washing. Tuesday – Ironing. Wednesday – Mending. Thursday – Marketing. Friday – Baking. Saturday – Cleaning. Sunday – Day of Rest.
The dolls are washing their party dresses today, so that they will be all ready for our 10th annual Izannah Walker Birthday Celebration this Friday, September 25th, 2020 beginning at 8:00 a.m. Eastern time. ❤ Have you decided what you are wearing to the party???
While Tilly Lamb is busy in the parlor making dolls, the rest of the sisters are working as hard as can be getting ready for the big Birthday Party here on September 25th!
Monday – Washing.
Tuesday – Ironing.
Wednesday – Mending.
Thursday – Marketing.
Friday – Baking.
Saturday – Cleaning.
Sunday – Day of Rest.
Today is Baking Day!
Friday’s chore is Baking
You may have noticed that my Izannahs spend a fair amount of time in the kitchen. Over the years you have seen them baking a variety of wonderful baked goods.What have they been baking? Birthday Pudding, Apple Pie, Raspberry Tart, Apple Cake, Rhubarb Pie, Gingerbread, Apple Butter Cake, both savory sundried tomato scones and sweet dried currant scones, Rose Geranium Pound Cake, Lavender Honey Cake, and so much more…
Tilly J. Lamb and I are both spending our days making dolls in preparation for our annual Izannah Walker Birthday Celebration on September 25th & 26th, 2020
I haven’t sent out a newsletter in quite some time… the one overwhelming thing I most want to say is that I hope you, your families and loved ones are safe and healthy. This has been such a very sad and difficult year for our world.
I debated with myself about whether or not to write my annual Autumn Newsletter, but in the midst of such very unsettled and stressful times I find that I need a few happy, fanciful things to think about. Tiny bright spots that make life feel a bit more normal and remind me of better days. So I decided to go ahead and write, hoping that you might feel the same and be interested in a bit of studio news and upcoming events.
The dolls and I are busy making plans to celebrate Izannah Walker’s 203rd birthday on September 25th. I started writing my Izannah Walker Journal ~ Paula Walton’s Doll-Making Notes blog in January, 2009. The little Izzy’s and I have been celebrating the anniversary of Izannah Walker’s birth on my blog for ten years! Since my first birthday post on September 25th, 2010!
I’m getting a rather late start on preparations this year. I have to admit that since March I have been feeling much too antsy to make dolls… I have needed to do more physical, less detailed work. To be up and moving all the time rather than sitting… I have been throwing myself into taking care of my little remnant of an 18th century farm. My life is going through a lot of changes at the moment and one of the things I am exploring is the feasibility of farming on a very small scale, so I have been growing a few experimental crops and trying out new plants. I’m not at all sure that farming is in my future, but it has made for an interesting, busy, exhausting spring and summer. I have also been concentrating on taking care of my family and making things for them. I have made masks, masks, and more masks. Not nearly as many as some people I know, who have been donating them on a large scale, but I have still made a fair number ~ about 75 so far, with more requested and on my to do list. My concentration on family has included making toys with my granddaughter and sewing clothes for her first year of school.
Now, just finally, I am feeling as if I can return to making dolls, creating spun cotton fancies, and all the other art and handwork that I love. Apparently I am not alone in this, as I have recently been seeing comments and posts from other artists and craftspeople remarking that they too have not been able to work on their art and creations for months…
I am very, very honored to once again have been selected by Early American Life as one of their top traditional craftsmen in 2020. This marks the 41st time I have been juried into their prestigious Directory of Traditional Craftpersons. One of my dolls was featured in their August 2020 issue.
Reminder
Both the Spun Cotton Ornament Class and Izannah Walker Doll Making Class member help sites have moved to private facebook groups. If you are a member of either class and would like an invitation to the group please email me. You must be a member of facebook to use the private facebook group.
In Closing Thank you all for your interest in my work for all these years. I have enjoyed getting to talk or correspond with so many of you! Knowing you has enriched my life. I hope that I have been able to add just a bit of fun, whimsy and knowledge to yours!
I’d like to leave you with this recipe for Birth-day Pudding. It is the recipe that the dolls and I baked for our first Izannah Walker Birthday Party in 2010, and what we will be making again to celebrate this year. It is very easy and quite delicious! You don’t even have to be a doll lover to enjoy it ~ lol!
Butter a deep dish, and lay in slices of bread and butter, wet with milk, and upon these sliced tart apples, sweetened and spiced. Then lay on another layer of bread and butter and apples, and continue thus till the dish is filled. Let the top layer be bread and butter, and dip it in milk, turning the buttered side down. Any other kind of fruit will answer as well. Put a plate on the top, and bake two hours, then take it off and bake another hour.
This receipt (aka recipe) is from Miss Beecher’s Domestic Receipt-Book by Catherine E. Beecher. Catherine Esther Beecher was born in 1800 in East Hampton, Long Island. She founded the Hartford Female Seminary in 1823 as well as other schools for young women in Ohio, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. She wrote A Treatise on Domestic Economy (1841) and Miss Beecher’s Domestic Receipt-Book (1846).
Notes:
After buttering my dishes I dusted them with sugar, before layering in the bread and butter.
I cut the crusts off my bread, as the pudding was for a special occasion, but you certainly don’t have to. I saved the crusts as a treat for the wild birds in my yard. You may also save them to make stuffings, bread crumbs, or croutons.
I chose cinnamon, mace and nutmeg as my spices.
I baked my doll sized pudding in a custard cup, which would also be nice if you want to bake yours in individual portions.
I preheated my oven to 350 degrees and baked my puddings for 15 minutes, then I reduced the oven temperature to 250 degrees and continued baking for the remaining 2 hours and 45 minutes. I removed my doll size pudding from the oven after 30 minutes of total baking time. Your baking time is going to depend a lot on the size of your dishes and the thickness of your pudding, so check your oven fairly frequently. It’s also a good idea to put a cookie sheet under your dish, because my pudding bubbled over as it was baking.
We’ve come to the very last day of my Izannah Walker Birthday Celebration ❤ What I had originally planned for today was to introduce you to the finished dolls I’ve been making especially for this birthday week. It seems that the dolls and life in general have other plans. That happens sometimes, so instead today is going to be another look at work in progress. 🙂
You’ll be able to look back at my earlier WIP post, from a few days ago, and see how the dolls have changed as more layers of paint and additional features and details have been added. Once all that troublesome wet paint finally dries, I’ll be able to stitch all their body parts together, add their 2nd skins and move on to getting them dressed. ❤
At this point you are probably asking yourself “so when are they going to be finished?” Good question! I’ve decided that I’m really very bad at estimating that ~ lol! I honestly thought that they would be finished this week… Silly me!
If you received a copy of my Autumn Newsletter, then you know that I’m switching from “Third Thursdays” to all “Pop-Up Shops” for the foreseeable future. I do love the niceness and neatness of having a consistent day each month where you can expect to see new things for sale, but I also love the spontaneity of surprise Pop-Up Shops ❤ . So… this just means that I can start the new round of Pop-Up Shop days in a big way, with all of these sweet boys & girls!!!
If you are on my “New Dolls” email list, I will always send you a little notification to let you know when the dolls are being posted for sale. If you aren’t on the list and want to be, send me an email at paula@asweetremembrance.com and I’ll add you. This is a separate list from my Newsletter address list. I also post an announcement on facebook whenever I have dolls for sale and I’ll start adding Pop-Up Shop notices on Instagram and Pinterest as well. Obviously if you subscribe to this blog you’ll get a notification, and my blog posts are supposed to automatically generate a tweet on twitter, though I haven’t checked on that for a while… if I can remember what my twitter password is I’ll go take a look and see if that is still working 🙂
In the meantime, if one of these dolls is tugging at your heart and saying “I am yours…”, you can contact me, paula@asweetremembrnace.com. At this point they are all $1250, which includes free shipping within the US. Once I have them dressed the price might be slightly higher on some of them if I decide to do very elaborate clothing or add extras, such as aprons. The twins, Peter & Paul, are only going to be offered as a set ~ so the pair will be $2500.
Making Dreams Come True…
Izannah Walker dolls have been my dream for a bit more than 30 years… the dream started when I happened to see an Izannah Walker doll pictured in a country decorating magazine. She was sitting next to a Christmas tree amongst an armful of other antique dolls… I just thought “THAT Doll!!!” There was just something about the way that doll looked. I could not stop thinking about her! To start with I didn’t even know that she was an Izannah Walker doll, since the photo caption didn’t include that information. Eventually I would see another Izannah Walker doll pictured in a room setting in Early American Life. Thankfully this time the doll was identified.
My dream had a very tiny beginning and has been oh so slow in the making. It took me a very long time in the beginning to even learn anything at all about Izannah’s dolls. At that point I never thought I would even be able to see one in person, much less own one.
Slowly my dream shifted and I began working towards making enough money to buy an Izannah Walker doll. Once I finally accomplished that goal, my dream changed a bit more and I passionately wanted to learn how Izannah made her dolls and to try making a similar doll myself! It’s a good thing that I am stubborn! Stubbornness helps! Especially during the ten years it took me to finally figure out how Izannah had made her dolls and to eventually be able to make a close approximation! Since then I’ve continued to work on and refine that process, until I can now make historically accurate reproductions.
There are times in our lives when I think we need to be our own fairy Godmothers! ❤ We can’t wait for someone else to make our dreams come true. So if you have a dream, doll related or not, I want to encourage you to try to make it happen!!! Working towards your dream will be a rewarding, though sometimes frustrating experience! Your dream might wind up changing along the way, and that’s OK too. Sometimes I settle for smaller, tinier versions of my original dreams, and you know what? Those little bitty bits of my original dream make me incredibly happy! Occasionally, with dreams like my Izannah Walker dream, I surprise myself & my dream becomes so much more than I ever thought it could be… ❤
I can’t help you with all of your dreams, but if you too have an Izannah dream, then I would be happy to try to help you make it come true!
Thank You!
My Izannah dreams have been helped along the way by so many people. I have wonderful friends who support, encourage and inspire me! I obviously have the best customers in the world, I’ve met so many fantastic people while selling dolls and teaching classes, and made some lovely friendships. I also have a very tolerant family, my three sons are no doubt very tired of hearing so much about dolls, but they don’t complain and are willing to listen to me prattle on about this doll thing and that… which is just one of the things I love about them. I even have one little family member, who for the moment at least, appears to love dolls as much as I do! She told me the other day that my Izannahs “need a daddy and a brother”. A kindred spirit, as I was already in the midst of making a big bunch of boys!
So thank you for being you! Thank you for your interest in my work and dolls! I hope I can inspire you like you inspire me!
Post Script…
Just a note about two little things that happened after I had written the draft of this post….
The first is that I saw a wonderful documentary film the other night, The Biggest Little Farm. It is beautiful, fascinating, and oh so very inspiring! The dream the film maker had of being able to farm the way farming used to be and the story of how they created their farm is incredible! If you need a huge dose of inspiration, this is a great movie to watch. ❤
The other little thing is a comment I received early this morning on one of the videos I posted this week on YouTube. ” Just delightful! Just “discovered” your site! Now a subscriber, anxious for future videos! You inspire me. I repair vintage bisque and composition dolls and have hit a wall with dolls stacking up to repair and redress. I think I have got the bug again thanks to you!” ❤ So I guess this inspiration thing is working. 🙂 We are all inspiring each other! I think that is wonderful!!!
We’ve come to the very last day of my Izannah Walker Birthday Celebration 
Izannah Walker Journal 
