Text by Rhissanna Ephemera by Plush Possum Studio Antique Egyptian Postcard Download Digi PNG Version HERE Download For Print Version HERE The bank note with the Arabic writing provoked a good deal of discussion on the hotel veranda that evening. Lavinia smoked her favourite cheroots, which kept away the mosquitoes, and the ladies clustered around Dr Crupper as he translated the text. "Well," he said, "The message seems to be asking someone to 'Sail at once to the Colonnades and be ready, because the door for Isis has been found.' It comes with a warning. 'Tell no one.' How odd. Well, I'm sure this message wasn't meant for Hortensia. I wonder who it was intended for?" The Hangar Club spread out their maps and guide books on the table and decided, though a process of elimination, that the most likely set of colonnades were the ones on Philae, where there was a temple to Isis. There was urgent discussion about how to travel. Dr Crupper thumbed through his notes and pointed out that Philae was pretty much submerged and the Club's submarine boat was at dry dock in Mysore. However, the Hangar Club's Nile Houseboat was moored in Cairo, just waiting for the ladies should they decide on a pleasure cruise upstream. A pleasure cruise was all very well, but the Hangar Club were much delighted by the prospect of an adventure. They unpacked their pith helmets, stout walking boots and other paraphernalia of sub-tropical expeditions and took up residence on the Amelia B. (They had christened their craft thus after Amelia B. Edwards, the famed Victorian Egyptologist) Setting Sail Aboard the Amelia B. Download DIgi PNG Version HERE Download For Print Version HERE The houseboat was a darling thing, the ladies declared, with all modern conveniences. There was, of course, a Chef and a minimal crew and there was just enough room for them all. They sailed along the Nile, refreshed by a delightful breeze somewhat augmented by Lavinia's smoke. The ladies sketched the scene and Dr Crupper took photographs of the feluccas bobbing on the river's pale green waters. They disembarked at some minor ruins beside a village, where the children pointed at them and laughed and a goat tried to eat Dr Crupper's hat. They were met by a very personable young American gentleman whom Dr Crupper introduced as his assistant, Will Johnson. Will, he told them, would be accompanying the ladies to Philae. He'd sailed upstream in the Hangar Club's skiff to met up with them all. Our Houseboat On the Nile Download Digi PNG HERE Download For Print Version HERE Will Johnson was tall, a little lean and with a slow drawl that made all the ladies take out fans and begin fluttering them. He handed Dr Crupper a sheaf of paper, with sketches of the local ruins. In his other hand he held a brace of ducks. The new assistant delighted all the ladies, shaking their hands and making the most fascinating small talk. He gave poor Hortensia the vapours by insisting he'd seen her the evening before looking at the village's ruins. Then he made a presentation of his day's hunting; he'd shot quite a quantity of plump little ducks. They were all piled up on the deck of the Club's sleek, fast skiff. The prospect of roasted duck galvanised the ladies into action and they rather crowded the poor Chef in the houseboat's tiny galley. After much discussion and an investigation of the stores, they decided on Duck à l'Orange, with the oranges they'd bought in Lisbon and a convenient jar of Keiller's Dundee Marmalade. And, of course, Master Will must be invited to dinner, as he had provided it. The Hangar Club's Houseboat Menu Download Digi PNG Version HERE Download For Print Version HERE Menu Bouillabaisse avec des poissons du Nil Salade Almondine Canard à l'Orange Crêpes Suzette Fruits du Saison Limonade Pinot Gris Tokay d'Alsace Café àla Turque Crêpes Suzette Tutorial (Recipe Accessible Via Web) It was very pleasant and the ladies forgot this was supposed to be an adventure, and became rather caught up in the delights of a houseboat on the Nile. They stopped at the villages and bought trinkets and fresh dates and happily submitted themselves to the gaze of curious children. Dr Crupper had more free time for his photography and note-taking as the new assistant was never left unaccompanied for one minute. In fact, you could hardly see Will for the cluster of ladies around him, hanging on his every word. The only woman who did not seem entranced by the new arrival was Lavinia. Our Adventures Continue Download Digi PNG Version HERE Download For Print Version HERE On such a stop, Dr Crupper was hunched under the cloth of his camera. Suddenly he stood up, a questioning frown on his face. He looked again through the lens and yes, pulling the image into focus, there was Hortensia, no mistake, dressed in a brown skirt and spats and wearing goggles on her head. Dr Crupper beckoned Lavina over and she peered through the camera. "Well, Crupper, that is most definitely Horty. I'd know the old girl anywhere. But I happen to know Hortensia is wearing a rather flimsy muslin gown, not spats and a waistcoat. This is a rum show and no mistake. We'd best be on our guard." The houseboat reached the sunken ruins of Philae in the late evening, as the sun sank and the reeds were full of noisy frogs. A crocodile slipped through the water in a sinister fashion, reminding the ladies that this could be a dangerous enterprise. Will had his Winchester and Dr Crupper his steam pistol. Lavina carried a stout stick, as always. She declared, to anyone who asked, that she was prepared for any kind of emergency. What they were not prepared for was the spectacle of Dr Crupper, tearing off his boots and hat and diving into the opaque waters of the Nile. He swam with surprising grace towards a neat rectangle of paper which floated through some papyrus reeds. Catching it up, he held it aloft and made his way back to the boat where Lavinia heaved him in with one arm. "I saw my name," he gasped, to everyone standing around him, as one of the ladies covered his shoulders with a dry towel, "See? My name and...what the dickens? A date. 1767? 10:00 am March 13th 1767. It seems someone has an appointment with me and I'm rather late for it. Ladies, Master Johnson, I need your help to calibrate the Time Machine! At once!" To be continued......

[…]

from the illustrated magazine Kodomo no kuni (“Children’s Land”), 1922–30 previously posted on Feb. 5, 2015 on 50 Watts

… this time at the Mother Goose Theatre, ready to be cut out and constructed and complete with a character sheet containing Mary Mary, Tom the piper’s son, Bobby Shaftoe, Miss Mu…

Ravi Zupa It Is Inexhaustible Art Print

While searching through my vintage French fashion plates I came across a nice selection that displayed shorter skirts and the showing of a ladies ankle. I discovered that for a period of time starting in 1778 and extending into the 1780's "showing a bit of ankle" was quite fashionable, especially in dresses of the "Polonaise" style. The Polonaise style involved the swagging or ruching back of the over-skirt using a variety of methods such as hidden tapes or loops to achieve the desired effect. This trend toward "shorter under-skirts" could also be found in other styles through the 1780's. c 1778 French Polonaise Style with shorter skirts and showing the ankle Pre-Revolutionary France was quite daring with their fashion trends. This post is all about the raising of the hem while my previous post Naughty French Fashions concentrated on the lowering of the bodice and extreme décolletage. Yes, you will see a combination of both extremes by looking at that prior post since several of the low bodice creations also sport the shorter hemline. Here is an assortment of ankle exposing fashions from 1778-1787 in the Polonaise Style Shorter skirt with a more "flounce" inspired look This one has more of a "robe a l'anglaise" style with the shorter underskirt Polonaise Style with a very low bodice Polonaise Style Shorter skirt with a bit of the "robe a la francaise" feel due to the draped back Polonaise Style Polonaise Style Polonaise Style Polonaise Style Polonaise Style possibly French Casaquin in style Polonaise Style Polonaise Style? possibly French Casaquin in style Polonaise Style with a "robe a l'anglaise" feel I love altering fashion plate colors digitally just because it's fun but at the same time if calls to mind that back when these fashions were created a lady did not usually have a dress made to look exactly as shown in a fashion plate. Instead she might alter any number of things to make a gown suit her or the occasion it would be worn. Colors and fabric choices were just one of many alterations that would be decided in making an ensemble to please that patron. It's fun to see how a dress changes as you alter just the colors alone and since I'm not fond of the original color pallet used I thought this would be a fun one to play around with. Here are the variations I came up with. (I can't decide between the first and the last one as to my favorite color combo) Next time I've got an interesting "leggy" fashion plate to share and a bit about stockings during this period of time. Thanks for joining me on my continuing journey into fashion plates from the time of Marie Antoinette. till next time...

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I've chosen "Adelina Patti" as the next beauty to present in this series of L&B "Littauer & Boysen" late 1800's Victorian articulated paper dolls. I purchased the original doll back in 2011 and posted about her at that time. Click HERE to see that paper doll post. I've now given her a brand new look and a variety of color choices to play with. I hope you like the results as much as I do - grins. My digitally altered version of Adelina Patti base on an original late 1800's paper doll in my collection. I purchased my Adelina Patti paper doll with mismatched parts and since she was originally created to be a ballerina doll; I've matched her up with the correct limbs, added in a vintage doll torso and given her a new hair style; which I believe makes her more feminine and attractive. Judge for yourself by comparing the below before and after image. Before and after comparison of the Adelina Patti paper doll head The original doll head is sweet but the hairstyle just did not seem to do the image justice. For some reason L&B gave the dolls "stubby" hairdos when the ladies would have looked so much nicer with fancy updos to complement their pretty faces. Well, I figured if I was going to be making digital adjustments I could give the hairstyle a try too and I like the end result. It's not radically different from the original yet it softens up her strong features. Now for those who are wondering why I call this doll Adelina Patti... L&B created this line of jointed paper dolls in the late 1800's to represent famous divas of the day. The collector who previously owned this doll stated she was Adelina Patti. I believe her identification to be correct, considering the amazing resemblance with the opera star and Adelina's immense popularity at the time period this doll was originally produced. Opera Singer - Adelina Patti This photo and others of Adelina Patti can be found online at the Victoria & Albert Museum Adelina Patti (1843-1919) was a famous Opera soprano throughout the late 1800's. Her first public singing performance was in 1851 at the tender age of 8 and her last audience performance was at the age of 71 in 1914. In her prime she was paid $5000 a night in gold before her performance. Learn more about this international diva - HERE As I've stated in previous L&B posts, collecting these dolls can be fascinating and frustrating all at the same time. I'm thrilled to add a new face or set of limbs when ever I can find them; however many times the dolls are damaged, do not have all their parts or come with incorrect parts. In the case of Adelina - she came with yellow prima donna, bloomered legs and gloved arms instead of the ballerina parts she was originally created to have. Adilina Patti and the limbs she was purchased with. Most of the L&B paper doll parts for the ballerinas and prima donnas are interchangeable, so it's an easy fix to add in the correct parts if you have them in your collection. Originally she would have been sold as a ballerina with green toe shoes and ballerina arms. I love making digital alterations to vintage images so I have a nice assortment to craft with. Naturally I wanted to see what combinations I could come up with in regards to my collection of original L&B paper dolls and was pleasantly surprised when I was finished. I can't say that this doll was one of my favorites in the collection to craft with; however after making these digital adjustments I have to say I love her new look; especially the goth bride look I've given her for Halloween. (sorry, but you'll have to check back in at the end of the month to see it). These are the lovely new altered versions of Adelina Patti for your crafting pleasure. Enjoy! Adelina jointed paper doll with new hairstyle and Green ballet parts Adelina jointed paper doll with new hairstyle and Pink ballet parts Adelina jointed paper doll with new hairstyle and Prima Donna doll parts - Pink Adelina jointed paper doll with new hairstyle and Prima Donna doll parts -Yellow Adelina jointed paper doll with new hairstyle and Prima Donna doll parts - Blue Adelina jointed paper doll with new hairstyle and Prima Donna doll parts -White Adelina jointed paper doll with new hairstyle and Prima Donna doll parts -Green I have a blast seeing how different the same paper doll looks depending on the limbs and color combination she wears; however, I loved her new hairstyle so much I made similar alterations to some of my other L&B beauties. I hope you guys like the changes as much as I do. Don't forget to check back and see the other dolls in the collection. Till Next Time...

Hi all, I'm back with two more French Pantin - Jumping Jack - Paper Dolls by d'Epinal from the late 1800's. This time it's two of my favorite figures - The Chinese Dancers. And to add a bit more fun to the restoration process, I've created several new color versions of both dolls for your crafting pleasure. The original colors for the dolls as you see them below are nice but these are such fun characters that I thought they could take a bit of jazzing up just for the fun of it - so you'll have to tell me what you think after seeing them all. These are my restored version of the original characters. Pantin is the French word for Jumping-Jack Puppet and these type of dolls were popular in Europe from the 1700's till the early 1900's. Originally such dolls were made of wood or a pressboard material then later they were made simply of paper. The "Jumping-Jack part of the dolls comes from how they are assembled and the strings used to help the puppets: move, jump, dance... The great thing about these dolls is you can simply put them together with adhesive if you want a stationary doll or if you want a bit of poseable movement, brads or eyelets work great. An example of a large "Jumping-Jack" with string can be seen - HERE See more about Jumping-Jacks HERE and on string assembly HERE My Pantin paper doll assembly instruction sheet on how to make them dance can be found HERE There are several nice sized images of vintage Pantin paper dolls on the web, however you have to remember that when they were originally made many of the mass produced figures were extremely inexpensive and not of the greatest print quality. One of my projects over the past several months has been to see if I could "perk" some of these old treasures up for use in several upcoming projects I wanted to undertake. I have to say that so far they are cleaning up quite nicely. I'll let you be the judge as to weather you would be more inclined to use these dolls in their original state with all their antique charm or the updated versions I've created. Either way I hope you enjoy these Chinese Dancers and the other d'Epinal paper dolls I've posted before them. This is my restored version of the China Lady Doll This is the original Antique image I started with - from pilllpat at flickr Even in her vintage stat you can see this dolls charm and why I was drawn to give her a makeover. She just begged to be played with but the drabness of her face and the faded/splotched ink blemishes cried out for attention before that could happen. The above original doll can be found - HERE The same went for her partner who originally started looking much the same. This is the original vintage image of the China Man paper doll from - pilllpat on flickr I am ever so grateful to generous contributors who place lovely vintage images like these on the web so us crafty types have the opportunity to digitally own them and alter them as needed for our projects. I hope you will take the opportunity to discover all the wonderful vintage treasures pilllpat has placed on her flickr account for your viewing and crafting pleasure. The original of the China Man can be found - HERE *** Hours of digital work in Photoshop was required for me to change my little China man from his original vintage state to the new man he is today, or at least one of my versions of him - giggles. My updated version based on the original French Pantin bu d'Epinal I believe his outlines are sharper, his coloring while still retaining some of the antique charm are now brighter, the coverage is improved and his face has perked up a bit. I pretty much stayed at restoring the dolls in my other "Pantin" conversions and maybe adding in a few additional limbs for variety. I wanted to somthing a bit different with this set of characters and decided to create several color versions as their variety factor - since the are just too fun for words, in my opinion. I've even taken a few of them and created png dolls so you can see them in a few poses or to be used in digital or handmade crafts should you wish to do that. png versions of two of my re-colorized dolls in fun poses - these two coordinate but don't match exactly. The above figures required an additional arm for each of them to create these poses. To create the same in paper you would need to print the man twice so you could get a duplicate of his left arm, allowing him to have one arme pointing up and one behind his back. For the lady you would need to print one normally and one in reverse so you have well matched arms to place behind her hips. png versions of two of my re-colorized dolls in fun poses - these two are a matching set. Here are two more that work well with the set above yet are in slightly different poses. This time the figures are a matched set color wise. I've digitally cut away the extra "draping" fabric so you can see another way to easily alter their appearance, should you choose to do so when creating these as paper dolls. Only one image of the man or lady would be needed to create these poses. The New Paper Doll Collection - Colors!!!! I hope you enjoy hours of crafting pleasure with this selection of Dancing China paper dolls as did those who originally played with them in 1800's France. The best part is we now have color options they never did. Tip - for durability I suggest mounting your printed sheets to heavy cardstock or light chipboard (recycled cereal boxes are great for this) before cutting out your figures, especially if you will be constructing them with mini brads or eyelets. Also, for variety you can print multiple image in regular and reverse so you can create more options for posing your figures, it's just fun to play and see what combinations you can come up with. I like the idea of printing one regular and one reverse. Mounting them on chipboard and cutting them out then assembling each doll back-to-back using eyelets so that no matter how you flip the doll you see the pretty side and not a plain back. I've made matching set so you would have figures that worked well together at all times; however many of them mix and match well together so you figures don't always have to be matchy-matchy. There are 10 sets of dolls total so hopefully you will find a few you like - grins. Aubergine version 1 Remember to click on each image to pull up the larger version of it before saving. This way you will be saving the larger image and not the smaller thumbnail you see here. Aubergine Version 2 Blue Version Blue-Green Version Brick & Slate Version Green & Grape Version Plum and Raspberry Version Teal Version Wine Version And one last time my version of the original color scheme from the vintage set. My version of the original d'Epinal doll set Again - Remember to click on each image to pull up the larger version before saving it. This way you will be saving the larger image and not the smaller thumbnail you see here. This will make a huge difference when you finally try to use the image later on. Please visit my previous post to learn more about French Pantin Paper Dolls and to see the other vintage doll images I've given a makeover. "Pantin" Post #1 - About French "Pantin" Dolls - click HERE "Pantin" Post #2 - Mr & Mrs Polichinelle Dolls - click HERE "Pantin" Post #3 - Gypsy Lady and Man Dolls - click HERE "Pantin" Post #4 - Scottish Lass & Gypsy Pirate - click HERE "Pantin" Post #5 - Harlequin, Pierrette, Polichinelle - click HERE "Pantin" Post #6 - China Doll Dancing Dolls - Currently Viewing The French were not the only ones to produce these types of puppet dolls. They were made in a variety of countries and called by various names. "Pantins" are what they were named by the French maker d'Epinal on his printed sheets. Originals of these types of dolls are still available if you search hard and are willing to pay the price, luckily there are very generous people who do not mind posting images of originals so the rest of us get to drool over their collections and occasionally find images in a high enough resolution to play with; as I've been able to do for these posts. (you can even find them in animal form like these d'Epinals - also from pilllipat at flickr) The Show Pony/Circus Horse and Donkey paper dolls by d'Epinal make an interesting twist to a jointed paper doll collection and these are in great printing condition, so I hope add them to your collection too. The Pony can be found - HERE and the Donkey can be found - HERE ***** Personally I am not actively searching to add originals of these dolls to my collection; however there are a few exceptions of that rule as always. Here are a few elusive sheets I hope to one day own and post for your playful enjoyment, so wish me luck as I search for the following d'Epinal sheets. Top on my list is this set of Chinese and Turkish dolls - arn't they great? d'Epinal Pantin Sheet #1 - Pantins Danseurs Chinois et Turcs- Dancers Chinese and Turks I discovered this sheet - HERE and am able to purchase a reproduction print at places like - HERE but then I can't share them on my blog. I love this set so much that I may one day break down and buy it to frame and hang on my wall. We shall see. d'Epinal Pantin sheet No.845 I would like to get the lady Spanish Dancer, the Cavalier next to her and the uniformed man above her - who knows it could one day happen and I'll post them for you if it ever does. d"Epinal Pantins sheet No. 844 I'd like to get the two lovely ladies from this sheet as well so if I'm ever fortunate enough to get these or any other vintage "dancing" dolls like them I'll do my best to share them with you. - grins. Vintage Pantin from the - Spielzeugmuseum Nurmburg So far this is the best quality image of the Fairy Dancer "Sylphide" I've been able to locate; but at least it lets me know that she was available individually and not just on a group sheet. I believe that wraps up my French d'Epinal digital collection for "Pantins" at this time; but I do have some other vintage "Dancing" dolls and some interesting modern ones to share with you on upcoming post. Please let me know if you are enjoying this series or if you know of any resources out there there with vintage pantins out on the web that I may have missed, and so others can find them too. Till Next Time...

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Dear RG, I have tried to email you, but my message has been returned as “undeliverable”. In answer to your questions – Yes, you may. No, I don’t mind you asking – if you don’t ask, you will n…

Claire Messud is completely drawn into a tale of magic and illusion

matchboxes, matchbox, matcbooks, matchbook, labels

Manual Portable Typewriter collection called Typewriter Heaven. Some type casting

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The world that I thought that I’d always known, is changing. I’m not quite sure where it’s headed. But I feel that it isn’t such a great place. I read recently that Ringling…

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Hi all, I'm back with two more French Pantin - Jumping Jack - Paper Dolls by d'Epinal from the late 1800's. This time it's two of my favorite figures - The Chinese Dancers. And to add a bit more fun to the restoration process, I've created several new color versions of both dolls for your crafting pleasure. The original colors for the dolls as you see them below are nice but these are such fun characters that I thought they could take a bit of jazzing up just for the fun of it - so you'll have to tell me what you think after seeing them all. These are my restored version of the original characters. Pantin is the French word for Jumping-Jack Puppet and these type of dolls were popular in Europe from the 1700's till the early 1900's. Originally such dolls were made of wood or a pressboard material then later they were made simply of paper. The "Jumping-Jack part of the dolls comes from how they are assembled and the strings used to help the puppets: move, jump, dance... The great thing about these dolls is you can simply put them together with adhesive if you want a stationary doll or if you want a bit of poseable movement, brads or eyelets work great. An example of a large "Jumping-Jack" with string can be seen - HERE See more about Jumping-Jacks HERE and on string assembly HERE My Pantin paper doll assembly instruction sheet on how to make them dance can be found HERE There are several nice sized images of vintage Pantin paper dolls on the web, however you have to remember that when they were originally made many of the mass produced figures were extremely inexpensive and not of the greatest print quality. One of my projects over the past several months has been to see if I could "perk" some of these old treasures up for use in several upcoming projects I wanted to undertake. I have to say that so far they are cleaning up quite nicely. I'll let you be the judge as to weather you would be more inclined to use these dolls in their original state with all their antique charm or the updated versions I've created. Either way I hope you enjoy these Chinese Dancers and the other d'Epinal paper dolls I've posted before them. This is my restored version of the China Lady Doll This is the original Antique image I started with - from pilllpat at flickr Even in her vintage stat you can see this dolls charm and why I was drawn to give her a makeover. She just begged to be played with but the drabness of her face and the faded/splotched ink blemishes cried out for attention before that could happen. The above original doll can be found - HERE The same went for her partner who originally started looking much the same. This is the original vintage image of the China Man paper doll from - pilllpat on flickr I am ever so grateful to generous contributors who place lovely vintage images like these on the web so us crafty types have the opportunity to digitally own them and alter them as needed for our projects. I hope you will take the opportunity to discover all the wonderful vintage treasures pilllpat has placed on her flickr account for your viewing and crafting pleasure. The original of the China Man can be found - HERE *** Hours of digital work in Photoshop was required for me to change my little China man from his original vintage state to the new man he is today, or at least one of my versions of him - giggles. My updated version based on the original French Pantin bu d'Epinal I believe his outlines are sharper, his coloring while still retaining some of the antique charm are now brighter, the coverage is improved and his face has perked up a bit. I pretty much stayed at restoring the dolls in my other "Pantin" conversions and maybe adding in a few additional limbs for variety. I wanted to somthing a bit different with this set of characters and decided to create several color versions as their variety factor - since the are just too fun for words, in my opinion. I've even taken a few of them and created png dolls so you can see them in a few poses or to be used in digital or handmade crafts should you wish to do that. png versions of two of my re-colorized dolls in fun poses - these two coordinate but don't match exactly. The above figures required an additional arm for each of them to create these poses. To create the same in paper you would need to print the man twice so you could get a duplicate of his left arm, allowing him to have one arme pointing up and one behind his back. For the lady you would need to print one normally and one in reverse so you have well matched arms to place behind her hips. png versions of two of my re-colorized dolls in fun poses - these two are a matching set. Here are two more that work well with the set above yet are in slightly different poses. This time the figures are a matched set color wise. I've digitally cut away the extra "draping" fabric so you can see another way to easily alter their appearance, should you choose to do so when creating these as paper dolls. Only one image of the man or lady would be needed to create these poses. The New Paper Doll Collection - Colors!!!! I hope you enjoy hours of crafting pleasure with this selection of Dancing China paper dolls as did those who originally played with them in 1800's France. The best part is we now have color options they never did. Tip - for durability I suggest mounting your printed sheets to heavy cardstock or light chipboard (recycled cereal boxes are great for this) before cutting out your figures, especially if you will be constructing them with mini brads or eyelets. Also, for variety you can print multiple image in regular and reverse so you can create more options for posing your figures, it's just fun to play and see what combinations you can come up with. I like the idea of printing one regular and one reverse. Mounting them on chipboard and cutting them out then assembling each doll back-to-back using eyelets so that no matter how you flip the doll you see the pretty side and not a plain back. I've made matching set so you would have figures that worked well together at all times; however many of them mix and match well together so you figures don't always have to be matchy-matchy. There are 10 sets of dolls total so hopefully you will find a few you like - grins. Aubergine version 1 Remember to click on each image to pull up the larger version of it before saving. This way you will be saving the larger image and not the smaller thumbnail you see here. Aubergine Version 2 Blue Version Blue-Green Version Brick & Slate Version Green & Grape Version Plum and Raspberry Version Teal Version Wine Version And one last time my version of the original color scheme from the vintage set. My version of the original d'Epinal doll set Again - Remember to click on each image to pull up the larger version before saving it. This way you will be saving the larger image and not the smaller thumbnail you see here. This will make a huge difference when you finally try to use the image later on. Please visit my previous post to learn more about French Pantin Paper Dolls and to see the other vintage doll images I've given a makeover. "Pantin" Post #1 - About French "Pantin" Dolls - click HERE "Pantin" Post #2 - Mr & Mrs Polichinelle Dolls - click HERE "Pantin" Post #3 - Gypsy Lady and Man Dolls - click HERE "Pantin" Post #4 - Scottish Lass & Gypsy Pirate - click HERE "Pantin" Post #5 - Harlequin, Pierrette, Polichinelle - click HERE "Pantin" Post #6 - China Doll Dancing Dolls - Currently Viewing The French were not the only ones to produce these types of puppet dolls. They were made in a variety of countries and called by various names. "Pantins" are what they were named by the French maker d'Epinal on his printed sheets. Originals of these types of dolls are still available if you search hard and are willing to pay the price, luckily there are very generous people who do not mind posting images of originals so the rest of us get to drool over their collections and occasionally find images in a high enough resolution to play with; as I've been able to do for these posts. (you can even find them in animal form like these d'Epinals - also from pilllipat at flickr) The Show Pony/Circus Horse and Donkey paper dolls by d'Epinal make an interesting twist to a jointed paper doll collection and these are in great printing condition, so I hope add them to your collection too. The Pony can be found - HERE and the Donkey can be found - HERE ***** Personally I am not actively searching to add originals of these dolls to my collection; however there are a few exceptions of that rule as always. Here are a few elusive sheets I hope to one day own and post for your playful enjoyment, so wish me luck as I search for the following d'Epinal sheets. Top on my list is this set of Chinese and Turkish dolls - arn't they great? d'Epinal Pantin Sheet #1 - Pantins Danseurs Chinois et Turcs- Dancers Chinese and Turks I discovered this sheet - HERE and am able to purchase a reproduction print at places like - HERE but then I can't share them on my blog. I love this set so much that I may one day break down and buy it to frame and hang on my wall. We shall see. d'Epinal Pantin sheet No.845 I would like to get the lady Spanish Dancer, the Cavalier next to her and the uniformed man above her - who knows it could one day happen and I'll post them for you if it ever does. d"Epinal Pantins sheet No. 844 I'd like to get the two lovely ladies from this sheet as well so if I'm ever fortunate enough to get these or any other vintage "dancing" dolls like them I'll do my best to share them with you. - grins. Vintage Pantin from the - Spielzeugmuseum Nurmburg So far this is the best quality image of the Fairy Dancer "Sylphide" I've been able to locate; but at least it lets me know that she was available individually and not just on a group sheet. I believe that wraps up my French d'Epinal digital collection for "Pantins" at this time; but I do have some other vintage "Dancing" dolls and some interesting modern ones to share with you on upcoming post. Please let me know if you are enjoying this series or if you know of any resources out there there with vintage pantins out on the web that I may have missed, and so others can find them too. Till Next Time...

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Click here to learn about the history and meaning of antique lover's eye jewelry. Popular in England in the late 1700s the eye miniatures were typically watercolor painted on ivory. See more of the lover's eyes here.

Miniature books are simply captivating… they are tiny versions of the real thing, but equally full of secrets and magic! Medieval relics are beautiful, interesting, forgotten objects that (more often…

Hi all, I'm back with two more French Pantin - Jumping Jack - Paper Dolls by d'Epinal from the late 1800's. This time it's two of my favorite figures - The Chinese Dancers. And to add a bit more fun to the restoration process, I've created several new color versions of both dolls for your crafting pleasure. The original colors for the dolls as you see them below are nice but these are such fun characters that I thought they could take a bit of jazzing up just for the fun of it - so you'll have to tell me what you think after seeing them all. These are my restored version of the original characters. Pantin is the French word for Jumping-Jack Puppet and these type of dolls were popular in Europe from the 1700's till the early 1900's. Originally such dolls were made of wood or a pressboard material then later they were made simply of paper. The "Jumping-Jack part of the dolls comes from how they are assembled and the strings used to help the puppets: move, jump, dance... The great thing about these dolls is you can simply put them together with adhesive if you want a stationary doll or if you want a bit of poseable movement, brads or eyelets work great. An example of a large "Jumping-Jack" with string can be seen - HERE See more about Jumping-Jacks HERE and on string assembly HERE My Pantin paper doll assembly instruction sheet on how to make them dance can be found HERE There are several nice sized images of vintage Pantin paper dolls on the web, however you have to remember that when they were originally made many of the mass produced figures were extremely inexpensive and not of the greatest print quality. One of my projects over the past several months has been to see if I could "perk" some of these old treasures up for use in several upcoming projects I wanted to undertake. I have to say that so far they are cleaning up quite nicely. I'll let you be the judge as to weather you would be more inclined to use these dolls in their original state with all their antique charm or the updated versions I've created. Either way I hope you enjoy these Chinese Dancers and the other d'Epinal paper dolls I've posted before them. This is my restored version of the China Lady Doll This is the original Antique image I started with - from pilllpat at flickr Even in her vintage stat you can see this dolls charm and why I was drawn to give her a makeover. She just begged to be played with but the drabness of her face and the faded/splotched ink blemishes cried out for attention before that could happen. The above original doll can be found - HERE The same went for her partner who originally started looking much the same. This is the original vintage image of the China Man paper doll from - pilllpat on flickr I am ever so grateful to generous contributors who place lovely vintage images like these on the web so us crafty types have the opportunity to digitally own them and alter them as needed for our projects. I hope you will take the opportunity to discover all the wonderful vintage treasures pilllpat has placed on her flickr account for your viewing and crafting pleasure. The original of the China Man can be found - HERE *** Hours of digital work in Photoshop was required for me to change my little China man from his original vintage state to the new man he is today, or at least one of my versions of him - giggles. My updated version based on the original French Pantin bu d'Epinal I believe his outlines are sharper, his coloring while still retaining some of the antique charm are now brighter, the coverage is improved and his face has perked up a bit. I pretty much stayed at restoring the dolls in my other "Pantin" conversions and maybe adding in a few additional limbs for variety. I wanted to somthing a bit different with this set of characters and decided to create several color versions as their variety factor - since the are just too fun for words, in my opinion. I've even taken a few of them and created png dolls so you can see them in a few poses or to be used in digital or handmade crafts should you wish to do that. png versions of two of my re-colorized dolls in fun poses - these two coordinate but don't match exactly. The above figures required an additional arm for each of them to create these poses. To create the same in paper you would need to print the man twice so you could get a duplicate of his left arm, allowing him to have one arme pointing up and one behind his back. For the lady you would need to print one normally and one in reverse so you have well matched arms to place behind her hips. png versions of two of my re-colorized dolls in fun poses - these two are a matching set. Here are two more that work well with the set above yet are in slightly different poses. This time the figures are a matched set color wise. I've digitally cut away the extra "draping" fabric so you can see another way to easily alter their appearance, should you choose to do so when creating these as paper dolls. Only one image of the man or lady would be needed to create these poses. The New Paper Doll Collection - Colors!!!! I hope you enjoy hours of crafting pleasure with this selection of Dancing China paper dolls as did those who originally played with them in 1800's France. The best part is we now have color options they never did. Tip - for durability I suggest mounting your printed sheets to heavy cardstock or light chipboard (recycled cereal boxes are great for this) before cutting out your figures, especially if you will be constructing them with mini brads or eyelets. Also, for variety you can print multiple image in regular and reverse so you can create more options for posing your figures, it's just fun to play and see what combinations you can come up with. I like the idea of printing one regular and one reverse. Mounting them on chipboard and cutting them out then assembling each doll back-to-back using eyelets so that no matter how you flip the doll you see the pretty side and not a plain back. I've made matching set so you would have figures that worked well together at all times; however many of them mix and match well together so you figures don't always have to be matchy-matchy. There are 10 sets of dolls total so hopefully you will find a few you like - grins. Aubergine version 1 Remember to click on each image to pull up the larger version of it before saving. This way you will be saving the larger image and not the smaller thumbnail you see here. Aubergine Version 2 Blue Version Blue-Green Version Brick & Slate Version Green & Grape Version Plum and Raspberry Version Teal Version Wine Version And one last time my version of the original color scheme from the vintage set. My version of the original d'Epinal doll set Again - Remember to click on each image to pull up the larger version before saving it. This way you will be saving the larger image and not the smaller thumbnail you see here. This will make a huge difference when you finally try to use the image later on. Please visit my previous post to learn more about French Pantin Paper Dolls and to see the other vintage doll images I've given a makeover. "Pantin" Post #1 - About French "Pantin" Dolls - click HERE "Pantin" Post #2 - Mr & Mrs Polichinelle Dolls - click HERE "Pantin" Post #3 - Gypsy Lady and Man Dolls - click HERE "Pantin" Post #4 - Scottish Lass & Gypsy Pirate - click HERE "Pantin" Post #5 - Harlequin, Pierrette, Polichinelle - click HERE "Pantin" Post #6 - China Doll Dancing Dolls - Currently Viewing The French were not the only ones to produce these types of puppet dolls. They were made in a variety of countries and called by various names. "Pantins" are what they were named by the French maker d'Epinal on his printed sheets. Originals of these types of dolls are still available if you search hard and are willing to pay the price, luckily there are very generous people who do not mind posting images of originals so the rest of us get to drool over their collections and occasionally find images in a high enough resolution to play with; as I've been able to do for these posts. (you can even find them in animal form like these d'Epinals - also from pilllipat at flickr) The Show Pony/Circus Horse and Donkey paper dolls by d'Epinal make an interesting twist to a jointed paper doll collection and these are in great printing condition, so I hope add them to your collection too. The Pony can be found - HERE and the Donkey can be found - HERE ***** Personally I am not actively searching to add originals of these dolls to my collection; however there are a few exceptions of that rule as always. Here are a few elusive sheets I hope to one day own and post for your playful enjoyment, so wish me luck as I search for the following d'Epinal sheets. Top on my list is this set of Chinese and Turkish dolls - arn't they great? d'Epinal Pantin Sheet #1 - Pantins Danseurs Chinois et Turcs- Dancers Chinese and Turks I discovered this sheet - HERE and am able to purchase a reproduction print at places like - HERE but then I can't share them on my blog. I love this set so much that I may one day break down and buy it to frame and hang on my wall. We shall see. d'Epinal Pantin sheet No.845 I would like to get the lady Spanish Dancer, the Cavalier next to her and the uniformed man above her - who knows it could one day happen and I'll post them for you if it ever does. d"Epinal Pantins sheet No. 844 I'd like to get the two lovely ladies from this sheet as well so if I'm ever fortunate enough to get these or any other vintage "dancing" dolls like them I'll do my best to share them with you. - grins. Vintage Pantin from the - Spielzeugmuseum Nurmburg So far this is the best quality image of the Fairy Dancer "Sylphide" I've been able to locate; but at least it lets me know that she was available individually and not just on a group sheet. I believe that wraps up my French d'Epinal digital collection for "Pantins" at this time; but I do have some other vintage "Dancing" dolls and some interesting modern ones to share with you on upcoming post. Please let me know if you are enjoying this series or if you know of any resources out there there with vintage pantins out on the web that I may have missed, and so others can find them too. Till Next Time...

Hey all it's Evelyn once again and this time I'd love to share with you one of my big quests for 2013... Paper Theater parts and fun items related to Toy Theaters. The joys of Paper Theaters / Toy Theaters are going to play a major roll in my posts for 2013; so I chose to redesign my blog background to represent this. Here is my "New" look. New 2013 "Toy Theater" background and banner for my blog I wanted my background image to have a muted or faded look but the original creation is actually a lot more vibrant in color and not "stretched" out as much. Digitally composed Toy Theater Background by EKDuncan I used an assortment of vintage Toy Theater parts to create my background. It comprises of a portion of an assembled vintage theater and two different paper theater curtains in my collection. The assortment of vintage Toy Theater - Paper Theater items used to create my background. My fascination with paper theaters has caused me to acquire an unusual mix of vintage parts and pieces; as well as, photos of items on my "wish list". So, I thought I'd combine a bit of all these elements into making my blog page background and banner. For the background I used a portion of an assembled vintage toy theater that I had a photo of. (Sorry but for the life of me I can't locate where I downloaded the larger image from - I'll update the info here if I later find the link.) I believe the Theater (Proscenium) is German c1880 by Adolf Engel and is called Agyptischer Temple (Egyptian Temple) There is one on display at the Bruce Museum - HERE I did some slight digital alterations to square it up, remove the curtain and a bit of color correction. Next I added in a different paper curtain element and overlayed another altered vintage paper curtain composition I created back in 2011. A selection of my altered vintage paper theater curtains can be seen HERE on my deviantArt account. I also used this teal curtain creation in my "Queen of the Castle" digital artpiece back in 2012. Queen of the Castle digital artpiece by EKDuncan in 2012 You might have noticed the background "Gothic Castle" in the above piece was also used in my blog banner. It's a vintage piece by Winckelmann & Söhne. My Banner using vintage images by Winckelmann & Söhne I used 2 separate Winckelmann & Söhne images to create the banner. Both of which needed to be "stretched" a bit digitally but they worked well. First was the castle image seen behind the ladies above and to top it off is a curtain I altered a while back. I believe the curtain is a Winckelmann but if this is not correct and you know who made it, please let me know - grins. Two vintage paper theater curtains - I believe them to be by Winckelmann & Söhne The curtain on the left is similar to the one I started with but mine is a bit more "tattered" looking so I thought you'd like to see a better example of it. This one can be seen HERE at www.geheugenvannederland.nl They have a great assortment of paper theater related images which can be seen - HERE I believe the first curtain to be a Winckelmann & Söhne since the one on the right is listed as such and is too similar to the left curtain to be a coincidence; however I'm not 100% positive. The curtain on the right is part of the SKD (Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden) Museum Collection and can be found HERE. This site takes a bit more to find images related to paper theaters but they have some great reference images if you are trying to identify one or want to see what types were made through the years - it's worth "hunting" around. For my application for the blog banner required an Aqua version of the curtain. I had made a similar alteration back in 2011 and just needed to create the aqua version. Original vintage curtain and some of my altered versions for digital projects I started with a vintage paper curtain (mine was missing most of the inserted scene portion) and did some digital restoration so I had a pretty red curtain. Then in 2011 I created a variety of jewel colored curtains from the original restoration. For my 2013 blog banner I needed a new color, so I started with the sapphire blue version made a few adjustments and voilà I had my aqua curtain. Larger download versions of the curtains can be found on my deviantART account - HERE Layering, stretching/squishing and adding in some text allowed me to create my new blog banner. My Banner using vintage images by Winckelmann & Söhne I love the magic of digitally working with vintage images. It allows the original to remain intact or without further damage and lets us alter and create away to our hearts content. That's my bit about my new blog look and how I created it. ***** So as you can see Toy Theaters are one of my passions and I intend to dedicate quite a bit of time sharing with you as I continue to grow my collection, learn more about them and assemble a few along the way. Back in Feb 2011 - I posted a bit about Toy Theaters and my interest in them - HERE. It gives you a bit of an idea about them, just in case you've never seen one or are wondering what I'm talking about. You can also see some of my favorite Toy Theater finds on my Pinterest board - HERE I'm sure you'll catch the paper theater bug too after seeing some of those beauties. Over the course of 2011 and 2012 I explored my "digital" side by creating a variety of art projects on the computer that had a "toy theater" look about them. Those posts can be seen by clicking HERE or you can select the "Toy Theater" label in the right hand blog column under "Labels" . For 2013 - I launch off on a Grand Quest into the Paper Theater world. I hope to add many vintage originals paper sheets to my collection, purchase a vintage theater of my very own, create some miniature theaters based on images from my collection and I want to create at least one original EKDuncan paper theater sheet set. It's a tall order for 2013, let's see if I can accomplish it all by the end of the year. Wish me luck! And I hope you like the new look for the page.

Pin It Hello. My name is Rhonda, I blog at Mrs. Greene, and I am a dollhouseaholic. Okay, so there isn't a 12-step program for it, but seriously, I'm completely hooked! It's a

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