So many ideas for kids activities from books by Julia Donaldson such as Stick Men trails, paper dolls chains, arts & crafts, and free activity sheets.

Have you ever heard of The Ginghams Paper Dolls? They were very popular many years ago and women have fond memories of playing with them as a girl.

I had to say goodbye to a dear friend today. So this is for Midnight, one very loving cat. We'll miss her very much.

I hope everyone who joined me for my series on Vintage French "Pantin" Paper Dolls made by d'Epinal, enjoyed the fun images and the updated versions I've created. For this post, I wanted to show some other vintage paper dolls of a similar fashion as well as some more modern versions so you can get a sampling of what other treasures are out there for you crafting pleasure. I actually started my blog due to my fascination with articulated paper dolls and my new found love of collecting vintage ones. I had a driving passion to share some of my great finds and to find a creative outlet for creativity and thus EKDuncan - My Fanciful Muse was born. My very fist post "New Quest" showed a few of my vintage jointed dolls and then a few I created. So I begin today's post with the vintage paper doll that inspired me to start a blog. Late 1800's Articulated Embossed Paper Doll from Germany - L&B (Littauer & Boysen) I've been told she represents Alexandra of Denmark who became Queen-Consort of England by marriage to King Edward VII. Alexandra was known for her trademark tall collar of pearls she always wore, presumed to conceal a scar she had on her neck due to a childhood operation. *** Some also list this doll as actress Lillie Langtry*** Ironically Lillie Langtry was King Edward VII's Mistress So is this doll the King wife or his Mistress???? I believe her to be Alexandra since I have another doll in the series who I believe is Lillie; either way she is a very pretty paper doll. L&B (Littauer & Boysen) was a German company who produce high quality embossed, lithography dolls and "paper scraps". They sold products under their L&B logo as well producing items for sale for distributors such as the Dennison Co here in the USA. These dolls are beautiful in person due to their glossy and slightly embossed surface. Sadly the material they are made of is a heavy pressed paper that possibly contains a clay like product in it; and over time these pieces become very fragile, brittle and crumbly so you have to handle them with care and be careful as to how they are stored to reduce the chance of damage. I'm going to do a new series on my L&B collection in the near future since I've purchased some new dolls recently and I've gotten a bit creative with my existing collection. There are lots of Victorian articulated paper dolls out there and from time to time you can find them on web auctions or posted in places like flickr or Pinterest. Several of my older posts show other L&B or similar articulated dolls. To re-visit those posts click - HERE ************ Pantins were the French "Jumping-Jack" puppet dolls that were the rave in Europe during the 1700-1800's and they are probably the base design for all articulated paper dolls that followed. You could purchase very nice quality versions of many of the dolls from print shops however the images that seem to have survived in greatest quantity were the ones of lesser quality that were mass produced on a newsprint type paper and looked like the image below. French Pantin paper dolls from the late 1800's You can see a variety of other Pantins by re-visiting my French Paper Doll "Pantin" series showing vintage and reworked versions of d'Epinal jointed dolls - HERE d'Epinal may have been one of the major producers of French "Pantins" but not the only ones. Here is an example of a beautiful doll produced by Poupee Modele in the 1800's Late 1800's Paper Doll from the Doll Magazine Poupee Modele Poupee Modele was a well known 1800's French Publication dedicated to dolls. They had all kinds of clothing patterns for real dolls and then there were lots of paper doll related items as well. This corset doll is such a sweet lady and I currently only have the web version of the image you see here. If I'm a luck girl I'll one day own an original or a very good resolution version of her; but for now I at least know how pretty she is and that I want one. ******* A Fun Variety of Vintage Dolls Below are a selection of interesting Vintage jointed paper dolls that I've spotted over the years while doing web searches. Sadly in most cases I do not know where they were originally found and the resolution on them is low. I used these images only as reference while searching out vintage articulated dolls to purchase. These will help give you some idea of the variety of vintage paper doll sheets that were made and may still be available to collectors. C1880 Germany - from http://www.thestrong.org/online-collections/nmop/2/3/77.4168 1896 The Boston Sunday Globe from http://www.thestrong.org/online-collections/nmop/2/3/78.42 Two assembled from the above sheet - http://www.thestrong.org/online-collections/nmop/2/3/78.6799 ***** The Assembled American Acrobat below was added to this post on 01/02/2013 American Acrobat - I just won it on eBay!!!! update 01/02/2013 - I just won this doll on eBay and I'm thrilled!!!! I still hope to one day get the full uncut sheet but for now I'll have this great original doll in my collection. Just in case you are wondering why this acrobat looks a bit odd??? The person that originally assembled him a long time ago, has his thighs upside down. When I get him in I'll post about him. I'll probably disassemble him, scan his parts and then re-assemble him correctly. I'll also post the parts for you so you guys can create one of your very own. If I'm lucky, I'll one day have a full set of assembled acrobats and an original uncut sheet but so far I've had a very nice start to 2013!!! ***** 1950 Denmark from - http://www.thestrong.org/online-collections/nmop/2/3/77.6968 ******************** The Modern Approach Jointed Paper Dolls still being made today; however for the most part they are part of the "Art Doll" world being made by artists and given/sold directly by them on the Internet. You can even find free templates and ideas on how to make jointed dolls of your own. I also own several rubber stamp versions of jointed dolls for some added interest in my collection. You can create your own jointed doll by using a variety of templates, stamps and images. This is an "Art Doll" I created using a jointed doll plastic template I had in my stash of stuff and various rubber stamp images from 100 Proof Press Rubber Stamps. I love to make skirts from odd items and her skirt is made from 7 images of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I've done the same with all sorts of images from buildings to fans to even butterfly wings Jointed Art Doll created using a digital copy of vintage L&B doll parts and butterfly wings For a while I was creating a nice collection of folding ATC cards using jointed paper dolls and other items to dress them up. The above folding doll was made with digitally printed items and the doll assembled with brads so that she could be easily stored in the ATC background she was attached to. This ATC folding Art Doll was created using the doll template I posted a few images up and then multiple rubber stamps from Blockhead Rubber Stamps. Mad Rat Rubber has great doll part rubber stamp images and accessories. They have converted several vintage Pantins into rubber stamp form so you can stamp and color them any way you want. below is a link to one of the rubber stamps they make that I own. The Enchanted Gallery has several free doll templates available for download and a variety of rubber stamp images to help give your new creation character. These can be found on their site at www.theenchantedgallery.com/paperdolls.html Now if stamping is not your thing there are thousands of images you can find on the Internet. It does require a bit of effort to find them and size them correctly for your project; however, you can be assured of a truly one of a kind creation when you are finished. It is also very nice to have some ready to go supplies to augment you collection of doll parts for variety and ease of use. Some of my favorite finds have come off Etsy and the great artists and crafters who post there creations for reasonable prices. The best part is that many of the items are available for instant download to your computer. I love a well put together set of doll parts - grins I purchased this set from Cemerony a while back and loved it so much that I went back and purchased several other of her sheets. These types of doll sheets allow you a bit of variety in how you build your doll like the two different examples seen on the right. *************** Then there are other jointed doll download sheets that can be purchased so that you get a very exact looking doll. AlteredArtifacts has some fun dolls like the Marie Antoinette and Louis dolls on the left or the Witchy version of Marie Antoinette on the right - She can be found on Etsy by clicking HERE should you decide you just have to have her. YourPaperEphemera offers the doll on the left and RhondasOriginals the one on the right I have way to many favorites to post here but if you want to see more... go to my Pinterest boards at the following links to see them all. Interesting Projects (includes many jointed paper dolls) Cool Image Downloads (paper doll and fun paper projects from downloads) Victorian Paper Scraps (vintage paper dolls and other vintage paper downloads) **** And if you are just not the crafty type or want a doll that has a high end quality look... Then there are other jointed dolls that can be purchased assembled, many of which are so amazingly wonderful that you don't mind paying a bit more to own one of your very own. In many cases they are limited editions and or signed by the artist. FreakyLittleThings offers a Vamp line or dolls while CrankBunny has a set of Tattoo dolls JDavidMcKenny offers his fantastical mermaids and CathyandtheCat her Grand Ladies There are just so many great artist offering spectacular Art Dolls that are quite affordable, you just have to browse around a bit to discover all the treasures that are available. I never tire of looking for articulated paper dolls and look forward to adding some of the above shown beauties to my growing collection in the near future. I hope you have enjoyed seeing just a sampling of articulated doll styles; and if you have a favorite leave a comment. I'd love to know which is your favorite pick. Till Next Time...

This mystery author is having a virtual love affair with Norway. Here's why.

I hope everyone who joined me for my series on Vintage French "Pantin" Paper Dolls made by d'Epinal, enjoyed the fun images and the updated versions I've created. For this post, I wanted to show some other vintage paper dolls of a similar fashion as well as some more modern versions so you can get a sampling of what other treasures are out there for you crafting pleasure. I actually started my blog due to my fascination with articulated paper dolls and my new found love of collecting vintage ones. I had a driving passion to share some of my great finds and to find a creative outlet for creativity and thus EKDuncan - My Fanciful Muse was born. My very fist post "New Quest" showed a few of my vintage jointed dolls and then a few I created. So I begin today's post with the vintage paper doll that inspired me to start a blog. Late 1800's Articulated Embossed Paper Doll from Germany - L&B (Littauer & Boysen) I've been told she represents Alexandra of Denmark who became Queen-Consort of England by marriage to King Edward VII. Alexandra was known for her trademark tall collar of pearls she always wore, presumed to conceal a scar she had on her neck due to a childhood operation. *** Some also list this doll as actress Lillie Langtry*** Ironically Lillie Langtry was King Edward VII's Mistress So is this doll the King wife or his Mistress???? I believe her to be Alexandra since I have another doll in the series who I believe is Lillie; either way she is a very pretty paper doll. L&B (Littauer & Boysen) was a German company who produce high quality embossed, lithography dolls and "paper scraps". They sold products under their L&B logo as well producing items for sale for distributors such as the Dennison Co here in the USA. These dolls are beautiful in person due to their glossy and slightly embossed surface. Sadly the material they are made of is a heavy pressed paper that possibly contains a clay like product in it; and over time these pieces become very fragile, brittle and crumbly so you have to handle them with care and be careful as to how they are stored to reduce the chance of damage. I'm going to do a new series on my L&B collection in the near future since I've purchased some new dolls recently and I've gotten a bit creative with my existing collection. There are lots of Victorian articulated paper dolls out there and from time to time you can find them on web auctions or posted in places like flickr or Pinterest. Several of my older posts show other L&B or similar articulated dolls. To re-visit those posts click - HERE ************ Pantins were the French "Jumping-Jack" puppet dolls that were the rave in Europe during the 1700-1800's and they are probably the base design for all articulated paper dolls that followed. You could purchase very nice quality versions of many of the dolls from print shops however the images that seem to have survived in greatest quantity were the ones of lesser quality that were mass produced on a newsprint type paper and looked like the image below. French Pantin paper dolls from the late 1800's You can see a variety of other Pantins by re-visiting my French Paper Doll "Pantin" series showing vintage and reworked versions of d'Epinal jointed dolls - HERE d'Epinal may have been one of the major producers of French "Pantins" but not the only ones. Here is an example of a beautiful doll produced by Poupee Modele in the 1800's Late 1800's Paper Doll from the Doll Magazine Poupee Modele Poupee Modele was a well known 1800's French Publication dedicated to dolls. They had all kinds of clothing patterns for real dolls and then there were lots of paper doll related items as well. This corset doll is such a sweet lady and I currently only have the web version of the image you see here. If I'm a luck girl I'll one day own an original or a very good resolution version of her; but for now I at least know how pretty she is and that I want one. ******* A Fun Variety of Vintage Dolls Below are a selection of interesting Vintage jointed paper dolls that I've spotted over the years while doing web searches. Sadly in most cases I do not know where they were originally found and the resolution on them is low. I used these images only as reference while searching out vintage articulated dolls to purchase. These will help give you some idea of the variety of vintage paper doll sheets that were made and may still be available to collectors. C1880 Germany - from http://www.thestrong.org/online-collections/nmop/2/3/77.4168 1896 The Boston Sunday Globe from http://www.thestrong.org/online-collections/nmop/2/3/78.42 Two assembled from the above sheet - http://www.thestrong.org/online-collections/nmop/2/3/78.6799 ***** The Assembled American Acrobat below was added to this post on 01/02/2013 American Acrobat - I just won it on eBay!!!! update 01/02/2013 - I just won this doll on eBay and I'm thrilled!!!! I still hope to one day get the full uncut sheet but for now I'll have this great original doll in my collection. Just in case you are wondering why this acrobat looks a bit odd??? The person that originally assembled him a long time ago, has his thighs upside down. When I get him in I'll post about him. I'll probably disassemble him, scan his parts and then re-assemble him correctly. I'll also post the parts for you so you guys can create one of your very own. If I'm lucky, I'll one day have a full set of assembled acrobats and an original uncut sheet but so far I've had a very nice start to 2013!!! ***** 1950 Denmark from - http://www.thestrong.org/online-collections/nmop/2/3/77.6968 ******************** The Modern Approach Jointed Paper Dolls still being made today; however for the most part they are part of the "Art Doll" world being made by artists and given/sold directly by them on the Internet. You can even find free templates and ideas on how to make jointed dolls of your own. I also own several rubber stamp versions of jointed dolls for some added interest in my collection. You can create your own jointed doll by using a variety of templates, stamps and images. This is an "Art Doll" I created using a jointed doll plastic template I had in my stash of stuff and various rubber stamp images from 100 Proof Press Rubber Stamps. I love to make skirts from odd items and her skirt is made from 7 images of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I've done the same with all sorts of images from buildings to fans to even butterfly wings Jointed Art Doll created using a digital copy of vintage L&B doll parts and butterfly wings For a while I was creating a nice collection of folding ATC cards using jointed paper dolls and other items to dress them up. The above folding doll was made with digitally printed items and the doll assembled with brads so that she could be easily stored in the ATC background she was attached to. This ATC folding Art Doll was created using the doll template I posted a few images up and then multiple rubber stamps from Blockhead Rubber Stamps. Mad Rat Rubber has great doll part rubber stamp images and accessories. They have converted several vintage Pantins into rubber stamp form so you can stamp and color them any way you want. below is a link to one of the rubber stamps they make that I own. The Enchanted Gallery has several free doll templates available for download and a variety of rubber stamp images to help give your new creation character. These can be found on their site at www.theenchantedgallery.com/paperdolls.html Now if stamping is not your thing there are thousands of images you can find on the Internet. It does require a bit of effort to find them and size them correctly for your project; however, you can be assured of a truly one of a kind creation when you are finished. It is also very nice to have some ready to go supplies to augment you collection of doll parts for variety and ease of use. Some of my favorite finds have come off Etsy and the great artists and crafters who post there creations for reasonable prices. The best part is that many of the items are available for instant download to your computer. I love a well put together set of doll parts - grins I purchased this set from Cemerony a while back and loved it so much that I went back and purchased several other of her sheets. These types of doll sheets allow you a bit of variety in how you build your doll like the two different examples seen on the right. *************** Then there are other jointed doll download sheets that can be purchased so that you get a very exact looking doll. AlteredArtifacts has some fun dolls like the Marie Antoinette and Louis dolls on the left or the Witchy version of Marie Antoinette on the right - She can be found on Etsy by clicking HERE should you decide you just have to have her. YourPaperEphemera offers the doll on the left and RhondasOriginals the one on the right I have way to many favorites to post here but if you want to see more... go to my Pinterest boards at the following links to see them all. Interesting Projects (includes many jointed paper dolls) Cool Image Downloads (paper doll and fun paper projects from downloads) Victorian Paper Scraps (vintage paper dolls and other vintage paper downloads) **** And if you are just not the crafty type or want a doll that has a high end quality look... Then there are other jointed dolls that can be purchased assembled, many of which are so amazingly wonderful that you don't mind paying a bit more to own one of your very own. In many cases they are limited editions and or signed by the artist. FreakyLittleThings offers a Vamp line or dolls while CrankBunny has a set of Tattoo dolls JDavidMcKenny offers his fantastical mermaids and CathyandtheCat her Grand Ladies There are just so many great artist offering spectacular Art Dolls that are quite affordable, you just have to browse around a bit to discover all the treasures that are available. I never tire of looking for articulated paper dolls and look forward to adding some of the above shown beauties to my growing collection in the near future. I hope you have enjoyed seeing just a sampling of articulated doll styles; and if you have a favorite leave a comment. I'd love to know which is your favorite pick. Till Next Time...

One of my absolute favorite crafters, Merrilee of Mer Mag, will be crafting for Handmade Charlotte this summer. Yay! Without further adieu...

Visit the post for more.

I hope everyone who joined me for my series on Vintage French "Pantin" Paper Dolls made by d'Epinal, enjoyed the fun images and the updated versions I've created. For this post, I wanted to show some other vintage paper dolls of a similar fashion as well as some more modern versions so you can get a sampling of what other treasures are out there for you crafting pleasure. I actually started my blog due to my fascination with articulated paper dolls and my new found love of collecting vintage ones. I had a driving passion to share some of my great finds and to find a creative outlet for creativity and thus EKDuncan - My Fanciful Muse was born. My very fist post "New Quest" showed a few of my vintage jointed dolls and then a few I created. So I begin today's post with the vintage paper doll that inspired me to start a blog. Late 1800's Articulated Embossed Paper Doll from Germany - L&B (Littauer & Boysen) I've been told she represents Alexandra of Denmark who became Queen-Consort of England by marriage to King Edward VII. Alexandra was known for her trademark tall collar of pearls she always wore, presumed to conceal a scar she had on her neck due to a childhood operation. *** Some also list this doll as actress Lillie Langtry*** Ironically Lillie Langtry was King Edward VII's Mistress So is this doll the King wife or his Mistress???? I believe her to be Alexandra since I have another doll in the series who I believe is Lillie; either way she is a very pretty paper doll. L&B (Littauer & Boysen) was a German company who produce high quality embossed, lithography dolls and "paper scraps". They sold products under their L&B logo as well producing items for sale for distributors such as the Dennison Co here in the USA. These dolls are beautiful in person due to their glossy and slightly embossed surface. Sadly the material they are made of is a heavy pressed paper that possibly contains a clay like product in it; and over time these pieces become very fragile, brittle and crumbly so you have to handle them with care and be careful as to how they are stored to reduce the chance of damage. I'm going to do a new series on my L&B collection in the near future since I've purchased some new dolls recently and I've gotten a bit creative with my existing collection. There are lots of Victorian articulated paper dolls out there and from time to time you can find them on web auctions or posted in places like flickr or Pinterest. Several of my older posts show other L&B or similar articulated dolls. To re-visit those posts click - HERE ************ Pantins were the French "Jumping-Jack" puppet dolls that were the rave in Europe during the 1700-1800's and they are probably the base design for all articulated paper dolls that followed. You could purchase very nice quality versions of many of the dolls from print shops however the images that seem to have survived in greatest quantity were the ones of lesser quality that were mass produced on a newsprint type paper and looked like the image below. French Pantin paper dolls from the late 1800's You can see a variety of other Pantins by re-visiting my French Paper Doll "Pantin" series showing vintage and reworked versions of d'Epinal jointed dolls - HERE d'Epinal may have been one of the major producers of French "Pantins" but not the only ones. Here is an example of a beautiful doll produced by Poupee Modele in the 1800's Late 1800's Paper Doll from the Doll Magazine Poupee Modele Poupee Modele was a well known 1800's French Publication dedicated to dolls. They had all kinds of clothing patterns for real dolls and then there were lots of paper doll related items as well. This corset doll is such a sweet lady and I currently only have the web version of the image you see here. If I'm a luck girl I'll one day own an original or a very good resolution version of her; but for now I at least know how pretty she is and that I want one. ******* A Fun Variety of Vintage Dolls Below are a selection of interesting Vintage jointed paper dolls that I've spotted over the years while doing web searches. Sadly in most cases I do not know where they were originally found and the resolution on them is low. I used these images only as reference while searching out vintage articulated dolls to purchase. These will help give you some idea of the variety of vintage paper doll sheets that were made and may still be available to collectors. C1880 Germany - from http://www.thestrong.org/online-collections/nmop/2/3/77.4168 1896 The Boston Sunday Globe from http://www.thestrong.org/online-collections/nmop/2/3/78.42 Two assembled from the above sheet - http://www.thestrong.org/online-collections/nmop/2/3/78.6799 ***** The Assembled American Acrobat below was added to this post on 01/02/2013 American Acrobat - I just won it on eBay!!!! update 01/02/2013 - I just won this doll on eBay and I'm thrilled!!!! I still hope to one day get the full uncut sheet but for now I'll have this great original doll in my collection. Just in case you are wondering why this acrobat looks a bit odd??? The person that originally assembled him a long time ago, has his thighs upside down. When I get him in I'll post about him. I'll probably disassemble him, scan his parts and then re-assemble him correctly. I'll also post the parts for you so you guys can create one of your very own. If I'm lucky, I'll one day have a full set of assembled acrobats and an original uncut sheet but so far I've had a very nice start to 2013!!! ***** 1950 Denmark from - http://www.thestrong.org/online-collections/nmop/2/3/77.6968 ******************** The Modern Approach Jointed Paper Dolls still being made today; however for the most part they are part of the "Art Doll" world being made by artists and given/sold directly by them on the Internet. You can even find free templates and ideas on how to make jointed dolls of your own. I also own several rubber stamp versions of jointed dolls for some added interest in my collection. You can create your own jointed doll by using a variety of templates, stamps and images. This is an "Art Doll" I created using a jointed doll plastic template I had in my stash of stuff and various rubber stamp images from 100 Proof Press Rubber Stamps. I love to make skirts from odd items and her skirt is made from 7 images of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I've done the same with all sorts of images from buildings to fans to even butterfly wings Jointed Art Doll created using a digital copy of vintage L&B doll parts and butterfly wings For a while I was creating a nice collection of folding ATC cards using jointed paper dolls and other items to dress them up. The above folding doll was made with digitally printed items and the doll assembled with brads so that she could be easily stored in the ATC background she was attached to. This ATC folding Art Doll was created using the doll template I posted a few images up and then multiple rubber stamps from Blockhead Rubber Stamps. Mad Rat Rubber has great doll part rubber stamp images and accessories. They have converted several vintage Pantins into rubber stamp form so you can stamp and color them any way you want. below is a link to one of the rubber stamps they make that I own. The Enchanted Gallery has several free doll templates available for download and a variety of rubber stamp images to help give your new creation character. These can be found on their site at www.theenchantedgallery.com/paperdolls.html Now if stamping is not your thing there are thousands of images you can find on the Internet. It does require a bit of effort to find them and size them correctly for your project; however, you can be assured of a truly one of a kind creation when you are finished. It is also very nice to have some ready to go supplies to augment you collection of doll parts for variety and ease of use. Some of my favorite finds have come off Etsy and the great artists and crafters who post there creations for reasonable prices. The best part is that many of the items are available for instant download to your computer. I love a well put together set of doll parts - grins I purchased this set from Cemerony a while back and loved it so much that I went back and purchased several other of her sheets. These types of doll sheets allow you a bit of variety in how you build your doll like the two different examples seen on the right. *************** Then there are other jointed doll download sheets that can be purchased so that you get a very exact looking doll. AlteredArtifacts has some fun dolls like the Marie Antoinette and Louis dolls on the left or the Witchy version of Marie Antoinette on the right - She can be found on Etsy by clicking HERE should you decide you just have to have her. YourPaperEphemera offers the doll on the left and RhondasOriginals the one on the right I have way to many favorites to post here but if you want to see more... go to my Pinterest boards at the following links to see them all. Interesting Projects (includes many jointed paper dolls) Cool Image Downloads (paper doll and fun paper projects from downloads) Victorian Paper Scraps (vintage paper dolls and other vintage paper downloads) **** And if you are just not the crafty type or want a doll that has a high end quality look... Then there are other jointed dolls that can be purchased assembled, many of which are so amazingly wonderful that you don't mind paying a bit more to own one of your very own. In many cases they are limited editions and or signed by the artist. FreakyLittleThings offers a Vamp line or dolls while CrankBunny has a set of Tattoo dolls JDavidMcKenny offers his fantastical mermaids and CathyandtheCat her Grand Ladies There are just so many great artist offering spectacular Art Dolls that are quite affordable, you just have to browse around a bit to discover all the treasures that are available. I never tire of looking for articulated paper dolls and look forward to adding some of the above shown beauties to my growing collection in the near future. I hope you have enjoyed seeing just a sampling of articulated doll styles; and if you have a favorite leave a comment. I'd love to know which is your favorite pick. Till Next Time...

Explore sonobugiardo's 29060 photos on Flickr!

This was printed in Germany, ca 1830 This is a lovely set – what a thrill it must have been to see her dance. This came from “The United Federation of Doll Clubs” spring 2012 iss…

Here's Mark Woodcock on these fabulous animal paper dolls: Here are a few uncut advertising paper dolls. They're 4.5"x7". Four of the...

From Cathy71, Australia :-)

A toy to download, print and make, every day

An ode to Alexander Calder, these sculptures are so colorful and fun!

Incomplete; each adult had a costume and hat, each child had two costumes and hats. These were affixed to card stock that shows foxing, so it might have been done by the original owner. And yes, the bottom lady is missing her bottom half! But for $2.25 plus shipping, not a bad deal.

Kids will have fun making this easy paper model of Shakespeare's Globe Theater. Print this model of the inside and outside of the Globe Theater onto legal sized paper (two-sided). Students will color and/or label the parts of the theater, then cut it out and tape it together. (This activity was inspired by an illustration in a book by Aliki.) This Globe Theater Model is part of a larger lesson bundle: An Introduction to the Globe Theater. Click here to view several Shakespeare-themed materials in my TpT store. They include bundles, games, graphic organizers, and scripts of scenes. Topics include the Globe Theater, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, The Comedy of Errors, The Tempest, Henry V, Macbeth, and Shakespearean insults.

Mike from the Monkees, The Osmonds, John Travolta, The Fonz, Tootsie, Eliza Doolittle, Abba, The Kennedy's, Wonder Woman, Twiggy, Anthony Perkins - from a massive pinterest board here

I hope everyone who joined me for my series on Vintage French "Pantin" Paper Dolls made by d'Epinal, enjoyed the fun images and the updated versions I've created. For this post, I wanted to show some other vintage paper dolls of a similar fashion as well as some more modern versions so you can get a sampling of what other treasures are out there for you crafting pleasure. I actually started my blog due to my fascination with articulated paper dolls and my new found love of collecting vintage ones. I had a driving passion to share some of my great finds and to find a creative outlet for creativity and thus EKDuncan - My Fanciful Muse was born. My very fist post "New Quest" showed a few of my vintage jointed dolls and then a few I created. So I begin today's post with the vintage paper doll that inspired me to start a blog. Late 1800's Articulated Embossed Paper Doll from Germany - L&B (Littauer & Boysen) I've been told she represents Alexandra of Denmark who became Queen-Consort of England by marriage to King Edward VII. Alexandra was known for her trademark tall collar of pearls she always wore, presumed to conceal a scar she had on her neck due to a childhood operation. *** Some also list this doll as actress Lillie Langtry*** Ironically Lillie Langtry was King Edward VII's Mistress So is this doll the King wife or his Mistress???? I believe her to be Alexandra since I have another doll in the series who I believe is Lillie; either way she is a very pretty paper doll. L&B (Littauer & Boysen) was a German company who produce high quality embossed, lithography dolls and "paper scraps". They sold products under their L&B logo as well producing items for sale for distributors such as the Dennison Co here in the USA. These dolls are beautiful in person due to their glossy and slightly embossed surface. Sadly the material they are made of is a heavy pressed paper that possibly contains a clay like product in it; and over time these pieces become very fragile, brittle and crumbly so you have to handle them with care and be careful as to how they are stored to reduce the chance of damage. I'm going to do a new series on my L&B collection in the near future since I've purchased some new dolls recently and I've gotten a bit creative with my existing collection. There are lots of Victorian articulated paper dolls out there and from time to time you can find them on web auctions or posted in places like flickr or Pinterest. Several of my older posts show other L&B or similar articulated dolls. To re-visit those posts click - HERE ************ Pantins were the French "Jumping-Jack" puppet dolls that were the rave in Europe during the 1700-1800's and they are probably the base design for all articulated paper dolls that followed. You could purchase very nice quality versions of many of the dolls from print shops however the images that seem to have survived in greatest quantity were the ones of lesser quality that were mass produced on a newsprint type paper and looked like the image below. French Pantin paper dolls from the late 1800's You can see a variety of other Pantins by re-visiting my French Paper Doll "Pantin" series showing vintage and reworked versions of d'Epinal jointed dolls - HERE d'Epinal may have been one of the major producers of French "Pantins" but not the only ones. Here is an example of a beautiful doll produced by Poupee Modele in the 1800's Late 1800's Paper Doll from the Doll Magazine Poupee Modele Poupee Modele was a well known 1800's French Publication dedicated to dolls. They had all kinds of clothing patterns for real dolls and then there were lots of paper doll related items as well. This corset doll is such a sweet lady and I currently only have the web version of the image you see here. If I'm a luck girl I'll one day own an original or a very good resolution version of her; but for now I at least know how pretty she is and that I want one. ******* A Fun Variety of Vintage Dolls Below are a selection of interesting Vintage jointed paper dolls that I've spotted over the years while doing web searches. Sadly in most cases I do not know where they were originally found and the resolution on them is low. I used these images only as reference while searching out vintage articulated dolls to purchase. These will help give you some idea of the variety of vintage paper doll sheets that were made and may still be available to collectors. C1880 Germany - from http://www.thestrong.org/online-collections/nmop/2/3/77.4168 1896 The Boston Sunday Globe from http://www.thestrong.org/online-collections/nmop/2/3/78.42 Two assembled from the above sheet - http://www.thestrong.org/online-collections/nmop/2/3/78.6799 ***** The Assembled American Acrobat below was added to this post on 01/02/2013 American Acrobat - I just won it on eBay!!!! update 01/02/2013 - I just won this doll on eBay and I'm thrilled!!!! I still hope to one day get the full uncut sheet but for now I'll have this great original doll in my collection. Just in case you are wondering why this acrobat looks a bit odd??? The person that originally assembled him a long time ago, has his thighs upside down. When I get him in I'll post about him. I'll probably disassemble him, scan his parts and then re-assemble him correctly. I'll also post the parts for you so you guys can create one of your very own. If I'm lucky, I'll one day have a full set of assembled acrobats and an original uncut sheet but so far I've had a very nice start to 2013!!! ***** 1950 Denmark from - http://www.thestrong.org/online-collections/nmop/2/3/77.6968 ******************** The Modern Approach Jointed Paper Dolls still being made today; however for the most part they are part of the "Art Doll" world being made by artists and given/sold directly by them on the Internet. You can even find free templates and ideas on how to make jointed dolls of your own. I also own several rubber stamp versions of jointed dolls for some added interest in my collection. You can create your own jointed doll by using a variety of templates, stamps and images. This is an "Art Doll" I created using a jointed doll plastic template I had in my stash of stuff and various rubber stamp images from 100 Proof Press Rubber Stamps. I love to make skirts from odd items and her skirt is made from 7 images of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I've done the same with all sorts of images from buildings to fans to even butterfly wings Jointed Art Doll created using a digital copy of vintage L&B doll parts and butterfly wings For a while I was creating a nice collection of folding ATC cards using jointed paper dolls and other items to dress them up. The above folding doll was made with digitally printed items and the doll assembled with brads so that she could be easily stored in the ATC background she was attached to. This ATC folding Art Doll was created using the doll template I posted a few images up and then multiple rubber stamps from Blockhead Rubber Stamps. Mad Rat Rubber has great doll part rubber stamp images and accessories. They have converted several vintage Pantins into rubber stamp form so you can stamp and color them any way you want. below is a link to one of the rubber stamps they make that I own. The Enchanted Gallery has several free doll templates available for download and a variety of rubber stamp images to help give your new creation character. These can be found on their site at www.theenchantedgallery.com/paperdolls.html Now if stamping is not your thing there are thousands of images you can find on the Internet. It does require a bit of effort to find them and size them correctly for your project; however, you can be assured of a truly one of a kind creation when you are finished. It is also very nice to have some ready to go supplies to augment you collection of doll parts for variety and ease of use. Some of my favorite finds have come off Etsy and the great artists and crafters who post there creations for reasonable prices. The best part is that many of the items are available for instant download to your computer. I love a well put together set of doll parts - grins I purchased this set from Cemerony a while back and loved it so much that I went back and purchased several other of her sheets. These types of doll sheets allow you a bit of variety in how you build your doll like the two different examples seen on the right. *************** Then there are other jointed doll download sheets that can be purchased so that you get a very exact looking doll. AlteredArtifacts has some fun dolls like the Marie Antoinette and Louis dolls on the left or the Witchy version of Marie Antoinette on the right - She can be found on Etsy by clicking HERE should you decide you just have to have her. YourPaperEphemera offers the doll on the left and RhondasOriginals the one on the right I have way to many favorites to post here but if you want to see more... go to my Pinterest boards at the following links to see them all. Interesting Projects (includes many jointed paper dolls) Cool Image Downloads (paper doll and fun paper projects from downloads) Victorian Paper Scraps (vintage paper dolls and other vintage paper downloads) **** And if you are just not the crafty type or want a doll that has a high end quality look... Then there are other jointed dolls that can be purchased assembled, many of which are so amazingly wonderful that you don't mind paying a bit more to own one of your very own. In many cases they are limited editions and or signed by the artist. FreakyLittleThings offers a Vamp line or dolls while CrankBunny has a set of Tattoo dolls JDavidMcKenny offers his fantastical mermaids and CathyandtheCat her Grand Ladies There are just so many great artist offering spectacular Art Dolls that are quite affordable, you just have to browse around a bit to discover all the treasures that are available. I never tire of looking for articulated paper dolls and look forward to adding some of the above shown beauties to my growing collection in the near future. I hope you have enjoyed seeing just a sampling of articulated doll styles; and if you have a favorite leave a comment. I'd love to know which is your favorite pick. Till Next Time...

One of our viewers, Jackie in California sent this in. It is so cute, but you might have to make her some new clothes to fit. Thank you Jackie, I love this type of item.

From the Disney Channel Magazine. Thanks mom.

I think I might be a little obsessed with paper dolls lately. Here's another one! This is a fairy I painted with watercolors and egg tempera on paper. I love how they can be posed! Azalea and I played with her for awhile, rearranging her petals and leaves, placing her in front of different backdrops and coming up with ideas for her name. She thought of 'Lyra', while I said 'Grunty' or even better, 'Wingding'. I find it amusing to come up with really weird names and see Azalea's face. Its so cute how she tries to be nice about my horrible choice of names. Here are a few samples I made before finishing the doll. The one on the left is the first draft that I used to make the pattern. The strangely colored version is one I printed on our printer (the black ran out) to use as a test to make sure the limbs looked natural when assembled. This is the finished painting, with the pencil lines still on it. I like this girl. Her palette was inspired by Jack-in-the-Pulpits (a bizarre woodland flower that grows in our backyard) and a lovely butterfly called a Blue Pansy. I have to admit I find making these pretty relaxing. I work on them between projects, or when I start getting stressed out. Of course, I am getting pretty frazzled with Art Fest just a couple of weeks away! I'm not worried about teaching, or having enough materials, or if folks will get their monies worth - I know the projects and am not stingy with information, so I think it will be good. I worry about things like sending the materials, which are sensitive, that could leak, or be ruined by some over enthusiastic person checking packages. I just need to have faith that things will arrive safely. Anyway, I've been working non-stop on the classes to make sure they are amazing.

If you've got scissors, paper and a pencil, making paper people cut outs is as easy as fold, draw and cut. Have fun experimenting with various silhouettes, sizes and paper color.

From Cathy71, Australia :-)

Find great deals on 'Little Tramp Articulated Puppet' Art at AllPosters.com, with fast shipping, easy returns, and custom framing options you'll love!

Happy Halloween! Since we are never too old to play dress up for Halloween I thought I'd have some fun with my Victorian paper doll that I've given a Gothic makeover to. Goth Girl Glam for Halloween The doll on the right is from my Vampire Bride set of dolls posted - HERE and I've created another slightly different version of her for this post. Goth Girl dressed in Black For this version my Goth Girl is dressed in black rather than white. And I've created a fun costume sheet so she can play dress up. Mix and match wardrobe accessories so she can dress up for Halloween - Party! This goth girl paper doll is based on a vintage Victorian L&B paper doll from my personal collection. I altered her digitally to get this fun Gothic, vampire look for Halloween so I decided to do something similar with her wardrobe as well. Many of the items in the dress-up sheet are real Victorian fashions from 1900 others are in keeping with the style. Vintage Victorian Accessories tailored to fit the Victorian Gothic Paper Doll - Slate Blue I think it can be such fun to dress up these vintage jointed L&B paper dolls and it's more fun to scan the Internet looking for items to dress them up in. Since the original paper dolls are from Victorian times I went to one of my favorite costume sites www.metmuseum.org to locate some wickedly fun Victorian garb for my gal. c1900 Fetish thigh high Victorian Boots from the Metropolitan Museum Top of the list is this amazing pair of thigh high leather fetish boots c1900. Yup, that's right ladies - we are not the only naughty society in history. There were some pretty interesting fetish garments available in the 1800 and 1900's that would have made your grandmother blush and these boots were probably top of the list. I love this pair of boots and had to include them as part of Goth Girls wardrobe. You can see them at the museums website - HERE I think to date I've located 4 different pair of Victorian fetish thigh high boots that are in museums. I love posting great vintage clothing to my Museum Fashion board over at Pinterest so if you would like to see some other great fashions including more fetish boots from the past - click HERE 1891 French Silk Corset from the Metropolitan Museum I adore corsets and this is one of my favorite vintage finds. The colors, pattern and shape are so yummy that I had to make this part of goth girls collection as well. You can see this beautiful piece at the museums website - HERE c1908 Negligee - Dressing Gown from the Metropolitan Museum I thought this great Edwardian dressing gown had a Sgt. Peppers, frock coat look to it that would work really well with the tall boots and goth theme. I made a few alterations and had just what I wanted for my doll's ensemble. You can see item at the museums website - HERE The remainder of the items in the wardrobe were Internet finds that had that Gothic Victorian feel to them, which I altered to fit this particular Gothic paper doll. The wardrobe sheets come in several color choices so you can go with the color scheme that works best for you. It's fun to mix and match the items to get a new look. Two slightly different dolls - Two different looks The left doll was created from parts in yesterdays post. She is a multi-jointed doll and only wears the corset and mini-skirt from the Peach sheet posted below. The right doll has been glued together in a permanent pose and has not joints. She wears the tall boots, black lace corset and silk jacket. Add caption And here again is a variety of looks you can get from that one sheet depending on how you mix and match the items from it. The web is a treasure trove of items you can use to dress up a jointed paper doll, many of which you can adjusted to fit your doll with a pair of scissors or in this case if you have a good digital editing program you can custom fit items to a specific doll like I did with this one. You might be able to get some of the clothing items from these sheets to work with other of the L&B vintage paper dolls I've previously posted; but these items were created specifically to fit this particular jointed paper doll and the torso that comes with her. Here is the Goth Girl Dress-Up sheet in several other color choices. Enjoy! Vintage Victorian Accessories tailored to fit the Victorian Gothic Paper Doll -Silver Blue Vintage Victorian Accessories tailored to fit the Victorian Gothic Paper Doll -Peach Vintage Victorian Accessories tailored to fit the Victorian Gothic Paper Doll -Periwinkle Vintage Victorian Accessories tailored to fit the Victorian Gothic Paper Doll -Pewter Vintage Victorian Accessories tailored to fit the Victorian Gothic Paper Doll -Pink Vintage Victorian Accessories tailored to fit the Victorian Gothic Paper Doll -Plum Vintage Victorian Accessories tailored to fit the Victorian Gothic Paper Doll -Rose Vintage Victorian Accessories tailored to fit the Victorian Gothic Paper Doll -Shimmer A different look for the boots can be acquired by printing the sheet in reverse, by doing this you can create a new look for the boots by having a mirror effect of each boot so when combined you have a new pose for the legs. Here is what the pair of boots looks like when you do that. Trio of Fetish c1900 boots in different configurations The left pair is the original look for the boots. The middle pair is what the far left boot looks like when you use it and create one in reverse. The last pair is what the other boot looks like when matched with it's mirror image. c1900 Fetish Boots - Left and Right pointing pairs You can even get another look by taking the your boots and having two of the same pointed in the same direction. Well as you can see I had a bit of fun dressing up my L&B jointed paper doll and I hope you enjoyed seeing how I did it as well as some of the fun Victorian Fashions items I used to do so. I also hope you spend some time browsing the Metropolitan Museums website and other Museum websites for vintage fashions. It's amazing to see what our forefathers and naughty predecessors wore. Have a Happy and Safe Halloween! ***** This post is in loving memory of Sherlock my mischievous and loving kitty who will be greatly missed. (Sherlock: April 2000 - October 2012) Sherlock and me Halloween 2011

This daisy puppet is so excited for summer that she can't stop dancing about it!

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I'm happy to present to you: Oscar, the blooming bear; Peppo, the flying rabbit; Ernesto, the diving monkey. This is a set of 3 articulated puppets to assemble by yourself. Cut the pieces out, punch and frame them or play with them. They are printed on 300 gr paper. You will get also a selection of small brads to put them together, 3 wood sticks and some extra pieces ( the little and more breakable ones). Sent in waterproof, sturdy packaging. Size uncut is A4. © Annalisa Bollini All copyright and reproduction rights are retained by the artist. Artwork may not be reproduced by any process without the express written permission of the artist.

I bought this painted porcelain cameo a few months ago from Lindsey Carr's Little Robot Etsy Shop. I love it and immediately made it into a simple pendant to wear as a necklace. Lindsey also has a wonderful BLOG where...