Wanderlust & Pixie Dust

Vintage Toaster Cover Dolls

 

As a little girl, my mother used to tell me how my nana had these darling toaster cover dolls in the kitchen when she was little.  One day I came across two at a yard sale in San Pedro. I think I paid something like $5 for both.  

 

At that time and age, I knew and cared nothing about the "mammy" image controversy.  I only knew that I had fallen in love with their big soft eyes and kind faces.  I especially loved the fact that once upon a time, my mother grew up with these same types of dolls.  They connected me to my grandma who is no longer with us.

 

Years went by and I continued to pick them up never paying more than a few dollars.  Heck.  One of these ladies only cost me a quarter.  They can still be easily found in antique malls.  Usually they are priced between $20-$40.  Of course now the challenge is on never pay more than a few dollars for one.

Some are missing their curtain hoop earrings.  The kerchief keeps falling off the pretty head of another. One of these days I'll remove all removal parts and give them a warm bath. 

This one with the red dress was one of the first two.  The second one that came home with me is dressed in green.

When you flip them over you can easily see the covered piece of cardboard that enabled them to be propped up over a toaster or bread box.

 

Her face says HUG ME.

 

A couple of them look kinda funky.  This one with the button eyes for example. Oh I love them just the same, maybe even more so because they're funky.
 

One of my most intriguing of the these toaster dolls is buried somewhere in storage.  She was made with a head at opposite ends.  I forget what these dolls were originally called, but you can flip her over and display one head at a time.  Most fascinating about her however is that one pretty little head is covered with curly "blond" yarn meant to mimic hair.  Her eyes are not buttons but instead embroidered in bright blue.  I have never seen another like her.  One of these days she will show up and I promise to share her.

Uh-oh. I'm Going to Get Scolded

I won't have time to post more details about her till later but I couldn't wait to share a photo.  

Check back later tonight to see more.  She's exquisite!

Ok I'm back.  

A little while back I was minding my own business and in the middle of listing a few things on Etsy  Etsy.  Several years ago I used to sell on Ebay and got in the habit of using their shipping calculator.  I need to get unused to it because somehow I got sidetracked and found myself looking up boudoir dolls that appear to be smoking instead.  One thing led to another and next thing y'know I had bid on this beauty here.

Opening bid was so darn low I couldn't resist.  There was no way I could win right?  Well I did. I was both elated and mortified.  Mortified because like most of you I should be trying to make money not spending it.  Ah, such is the life of a vintage-antique-history-everything unique- under-the-sun addict.

Even though I brought her home for such an amazing deal of a price, I know that when the husband spots her, I'm going to get scolded.  She's worth it though.

Once I had paid for my dastardly dead, dread kicked in. Why didn't anyone else bid on her? Did they know something that I didn't?  She is unusual in size, about 14 inches long.  Often these ladies are quite large, the better to display across your bed.

The photo in the listing wasn't the clearest.  Maybe that was it.  

I prepared myself for the worst.  She had to have undisclosed damage.  All her clothes had to have been replaced.  I bet everything original had been stripped away long ago. 

Before you knew it she arrived at my front door.  I carefully unleashed her from her packaging. 

 

She was delightful beyond my wildest dreams!   

My gut instinct tells me that she is as original as can be.  Draped across her shoulders is a  shawl that appears to have been hand embroidered.  

A petticoat equally as beautiful and hand stitched.

Lacy black undies and embellished black stockings.

Get a kick out of her red shoes.

Teeny tiny little hand made heels.

She wears a cross about her neck and clutches her hands to her bosom.  

I must profess a weakness for things overly melodramatic and this beautiful Spanish lady just oozes drama.  I've had several friends comment that these boudoir dolls (or bed dolls) freak them out.   

Oops.  Before I forget, here are two earlier posts that  I did sharing two of my other bed dolls,
Click HERE   And HERE.

Even of these unique beautiful dolls do give you the willies, be sure to take a peek. After all, it is Halloween!

Bald Headed Bebe

Hee-hee.  I crack up whenever I look at her.

I found this sweet, beat up, flapper era hatstand many moons ago.  Back in the day when I could prowl all over the Rose Bowl in Pasadena with wild abandon.   In the middle of cleaning house, I paused to admire her and remembered how I sucked all her hair off with the vacuum cleaner.  You can see a few wispy bits stuck to the rim of her hat but yep, she's bald.  

She was just sooo dusty.  I know that I should have known better and I was mortified when it happened.  Now I think it's funny.  I'm sure she disagrees although she doesn't look too upset. I vowed at the time to replace her locks.  One of these days.  

She poses well though doesn't she?