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.
Ismay will draw 18 winner’s email addresses out of the hat tomorrow 9/26/16.
Just like any birthday party, we have a few party favors for our guests, as a remembrance of the day! If you would like a chance to win one of our tiny gifts, just email paula@asweetremembrance.com – today 9/25/16, & make sure the subject line of your email says “PARTY FAVOR”. Tomorrow, after everyone has had a chance to enter, Ismay and I will place your email addresses into a hat and draw out the 18 winners! ❤
If your name and address are drawn you will receive either a magnet with Eliza Jane’s photograph, or a set of two canning jars so that you and your own dolls can preserve a bit of autumn’s harvest. The canning jars also make charming vases for tiny wild flowers and herbs. I have 9 sets of canning jars and 9 magnets to give away!
Enter for a chance to win a large 4×6 magnet of Eliza Jane ❤
Super easy, and very fun! Totally free 🙂 The only rules are:
You must have a United States mailing address. So, so sorry, but international postage rates are really high and much more work! I’ll ask for your mailing address when I contact you to say you’ve won.
You must get your email in to me by midnight Eastern Time on 9/25/16 and you must email, replies to this post do not count.
If you are not already on my email mailing list and you enter the contest, I will add you to my mailing list. I don’t send out many emails and I NEVER share my mailing list.Naturally later on if you decide you don’t want to be on my mailing list you may ask me to remove you with no questions asked and no hassles or hard feelings. 🙂
Only one entry per person.
Good Luck!!! Ismay and I hope you win!
“Isabeau I’ll get the canning jars for you.”
“Two different sizes!”
“I think we should put the tomatoes in this big jar.”
“and this little jar would be just the right size for jam.”
Cloe was very taken with Isabeau and Zanna’s canning jars. Enter the contest to have a chance at winning one of nine sets that I am giving away as party favors! Click on any photo to see it enlarged and read the caption.
Zola and Hannah canning tomatoes. The girl’s don’t often use the electric stove, but they make an exception for canning!
Hannah and Zola have been out picking the last of the tomatoes from the garden. They are planning to make Oven Dried Tomatoes and Canned Roasted Tomatoes. Zola is my doll’s newest friend, a c. 1880-1890 “Beecher-type” cloth doll with a stockinette covered facemask. Hannah & Zola are happy to share their canning recipes with you:
Oven Dried Tomatoes
Wash and slice cherry or small paste tomatoes in half lengthwise. Place tomatoes on parchment paper-covered cookie sheets, skin side down. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake in your oven on the lowest temperature setting available (150 – 200 degrees), until the tomatoes reach the consistency of raisins. If you start them in the late afternoon or early evening, then they will usually be done first thing in the morning, however the amount of time will vary with the size of the tomatoes and your oven temperature. I would suggest trying this the first time during the day, when you can check their progress every few hours.
After the tomatoes have dried, remove them from the cookie sheet and pack them in clean sterilized canning jars. Heat olive oil to just below boiling. Pour the hot oil over the tomatoes, leaving ½ inch headspace at the top of the jar. Place a clean sterilized canning lid and ring on the jar, tighten, then turn the jar upside down. The heat from the oil should cause the jar to seal. After you hear the lid make a popping noise – which means that it has sealed – you can turn the jars right side up. Once opened, store in the refrigerator.
– These dried tomatoes make a wonderful addition to sandwiches, pastas, and pizza
– Use the olive oil the dried tomatoes are canned in for cooking and salad dressings
– Put dried tomatoes and a bit of the olive oil in a blender and blend until smooth, serve with baguette slices for a fantastic appetizer
– Blend dried tomatoes with mayonnaise for a great treat on a BLT
Canned Roasted Tomatoes
After picking tomatoes of any size and variety, wash, cut off stem and blossom ends, as well as any blemishes and roughly chop. Place tomatoes in the largest enamelware pot that will fit in your oven. Fill the pot to the top with tomatoes. Place the uncovered pot in your oven and bake at the lowest temperature setting (150 – 200 degrees) until the tomatoes are reduced by half. Depending on the size of your pot, this can take up to 24 hours. Stir the tomatoes once or twice as they roast. You may add sea salt to taste if you so desire. Once the tomatoes have cooked down, but are still hot, ladle them into clean sterilized canning jars, cap with lids and rings and process in a water bath canner for 15 minutes.
Clearly I should have said the the additional posting times for today were approximate! The dolls are all just as excited as Cloe was to be running around in my studio and working in their doll house! So much exuberance is hard to contain and it is very difficult for little dolls to stay still for photographs. 🙂 So please come back and join us later today at approximately 1:00 pm, 4:00 pm, 7:00 pm, and 10:00 pm Eastern time. ❤
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!!! ❤
Attention Izannah Walker Class By Mail students and Alabama Baby Class Members, Ning just let me know that they are definitely shutting down my Spun Cotton class site on 10/1/16. I have not received notices for my Izannah class or Alabama Baby class yet, but I am sure I will. There isn’t going to be any reprieve this time around. If there is information on the class site you want to save, you should do it now! Also if you are interested in joining a private facebook group for class members only please go to the appropriate Ning class site and click on the discussion about the site closing and post your response. If you are a member of BOTH classes, please post on both sites. The posts on the class sites are how I am keeping track of who votes yes and also who is eligible for inclusion in a private facebook group. Only current class members can access http://www.izannahwalker.ning.com and http://www.alabamababy.ning.com.
Every weekend during the spring, summer and fall I search flea markets and antique sales for the antique fabrics that I use to make and dress my dolls. Today was a good day! I found a Civil War era quilt that is too far gone to restore, but still has usable fabric that I can make into wonderful dresses for my Izannahs. ❤
Lovely large c. 1840’s papier-mache doll that I brought home from New Hampshire. She has a child’s pocket tied around her waist and came with a late 18th century child’s chair with it’s original splint seat.
Last week I got to do something that I’ve been wanting to do for over 20 years! We drove up to New Hampshire for Antiques Week and a visit to Strawbery Banke museum. I’m sure you aren’t surprised that I came back a few things for the dolls, including two new friends. 🙂
Lovely library steps from NH! Now I’ll be able to reach the bedroom and attic of the doll’s house in style!
Home from NH with antique library stairs ❤
A tiny tin candle holder and silk flags from NH, along with an ironstone plate, tin spoons, a cast iron iron, and a tiny old basket from our stop in Sturbridge, MA.
A girl can never have too many spoons in her kitchen! And who could do without an ironstone plate and a gathering basket for trips out to the gardens?
Silk flags to bedeck the doll’s house for Flag Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day! Plus an iron to keep all the linens well pressed and a tin candle holder to keep the dark at bay.
Two antique braided rugs found in Sturbridge will help keep the dolls feet warm when they are running around their house this winter.
Antique petticoats, pantalettes, and stockings for the dolls.
Assorted antique thread, lace, trim, ribbons and fabric from our stop in Sturbridge at one of my favorite antique shops.
BIGGEST spools of thread in the world 🙂 OK, probably not, but still huge. The smaller spool is normal size.
Just a bit of whimsy for my new studio. A piece of zinc ridge pole from one of the NH antique shows. Just imagine having the entire crest of your rook bedecked in these hearts ❤
Another view of the antique zinc ridge pole.
❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤
Close-up of the 1840’s papier-mache doll I bought in NH.
She has the most wonderfully detailed hairstyle.
A beautiful profile and iconic 1840’s styling.
I love this black stockinette doll, often referred to as a “Beecher-type” doll because people think it has a resemblance to the dolls made by Julia Beecher.
This doll is in amazing condition.
All of my dolls are over joyed that they have new family members! ❤
Oven Dried Tomatoes
Canned Roasted Tomatoes
Izannah Walker Journal 