I did! Friday was my birthday! My sweet brother and sister-in-law invited us over for enchiladas and Chocolate Rasberry Truffle Cheesecake! Oh yeah!
And then I got a wish come true:
That’s my kids- no doubt about it! It’s been years and years since I had a portrait done. Deb and Jon took them to The Picture People when we went camping. Is there any way to truly express how much this thrills me? Man, I love this photo. It’s here at work with me, reminding me of what I am working for.
The rest of my weekend was spent playing house! I really did spend most of the weekend just re-furbishing my china cabinet. It was so fun! Fresh paint, new knobs and a complete revamp of the contents- all set against the backdrop of my mom’s wedding china.
Here is my favorite part. It was Jenny B. Harris and her Alphabet Banner that inspired everything! I love these letters so much! The whole cabinet became a personal statement about the things and people that give me joy. Don’t Wendy and Cissette look adorable?
The cabinet top, previously known as “The No No Shelf” where we put confiscated balls covered with dog slobber, is now home to many of my old friends. Lots of them were made by me, but some were made by others or were purchased. A lot of these were in rubbermaid storage containers in the shed! That’s just not right!
Dear dollies from swaps I did.
Mom’s wedding veil from 1959. The beads are Austrian crystal and the framework is covered with cream colored velvet. So sweet!
Chubby cheek me way back when:
My earliest character doll, Melissa, rescued from storage!
So many of the things in this case were all over the house, dear to me, but lacking impact. Having them all assembled together just makes it so special. I realized that I could go crazy decorating this cabinet because there is nothing that could mess it up. It’s not a table top that can get cluttered with GameBoys and remote controls and discarded dishes. It’s a self contained unit and it’s covered with glass! Also, it’s in the kitchen where I am so often. Now I have something to enjoy while I’m stirring the risotto.This china head doll is a repro I assembled and dressed for my mom back in the eighties, but she bought the kit in the seventies from HER mother when Grandma worked at Liberty House. The little compote under glass was handpainted by my great grandmother on my dad’s side in the 1920’s. Almost every item in the cabinet has a history that means something to me.
And finally, a sweet old doll head that looked much too serious for a cabinet named Joy. I made her pretty party hat to complete my “Ode to Joy”. (This freaks out Earl so much that he can’t even look at it! Ha!)
The other thing I did this weekend was to finish this very nice Edith Flack Ackley doll. This is Emily and she is available in my shop.
If all birthdays were like this one, they might have a better reputation!
And finally, a sweet old doll head that looked much too serious for a cabinet named Joy. I made her pretty party hat to complete my “Ode to Joy”. (This freaks out Earl so much that he can’t even look at it! Ha!)
The other thing I did this weekend was to finish this very nice Edith Flack Ackley doll. This is Emily and she is available in my shop.
If all birthdays were like this one, they might have a better reputation!