Fashion Dolls 101

The holidays have landed at Michael’s stores! Employees have been busy decking the aisles with holiday goodies since the last week of September. Finally, some of the holiday figures are on display! These cute reindeer and Santa table decor figures are $24.99 and the sweet little sugar plum Christmas trees are $19.99.  The first nutcrackers, priced at $24.99, have been unloaded and some cute gingerbread pillow figures for $29.99 are out, with more cute Christmas goodies yet to come!  Check out a Michael’s near you to see what’s in store!  Related : Miniature Christmas Doll Accessories at Michaels

~ It’s  time to Celebrate Dia de los Muertos at Michael’s! ~   The Dia de Los Muertos figure are on display at Michael’s stores.  Dressed in colorful fabrics in festive turquoise, fuchsia, yellow, and black, the skeletal figures are ready to liven up your October decorating.  The large figures are $21.99 each, and the smaller dancing couple is $29.99. The larger couple has especially nice detail in both their costume and their face paint   So celebrate your eternal love with Dia de Los Muertos figures from Michael’s. 

~ Ashland Pumpkin Patch squirrels add a pop of fall color to autumn decorating ~ New at Michael’s is a cute collection of fall figures in the Pumpkin Patch collection from Ashland for $19.99.  Dressed in their autumn finery, the colorful cloth-doll squirrels wear fall plaids— the girls in plaid skirts and the boys in plaid shirts, all wearing fur-trimmed “lace-up” shoes. With their sewn on faces and bushy tails, these little seasonal squirrels are on cuteness overload. If your fall decorating requires something cute and whimsical, consider the Pumpkin Patch squirrels. They will add a touch of cuteness and autumn color to your decorating.  Related Articles:  Halloween & Fall Figures at Michael’s for 2924 Season Handcrafted Rajasthani Puppet Doll from Indian Vintage House of Hatten Cloth Dolls More Doll-Sized Furniture at Michael’s

 Michael’s is decked out for fall and Halloween! The displays went up the last week of June so items are not picked over yet.  Setting the stage for Halloween are these cute little pumpkin shelf sitters and charming little ghosts. Both collections are the perfect combination of cute, colorful and whimsical   Also adorning the shelves at Michael’s are these adorable sisel animals in their festive fall attire.  Whether you like piggies, or foxes, or squirrels or other woodland creatures, you will find them all dresses up in their fall finest just waiting to go home with you  

    Kathputli Puppet Doll from Rajasthan Indian Recently I came across this beautiful Rajasthani  Kathputli puppet doll from India dressed in silk and playing a golden wind instrument.   Kathputli  is a type of string puppet theatre, native to  Rajasthan ,  India .  This string  marionette  performance  art is  the most popular form of Indian puppetry.    Putli  means a doll made of wood, and indeed, the head appears to be carved of wood and painted   The doll is slightly over two feet tall, dressed in green silk with a metallic pattern and trim. He wears a red silk turban and plays a golden instrument.  This  Rajasthani  Kathputli puppet doll is quite elegant and an example of a cloth doll with a wooden head    

Haunting thrift stores and yard sales can yield unexpected treasures. Today I found this whimsical 10 1/4 inch tall vintage cloth doll from House of Hatton.   This cute rag doll is a country girl dressed in calico overalls, an off-white blouse with red trim, cloth hat, boots with two pearl buttons, and has auburn yarn hair  her face is printed on. The doll was made in the Philippines and has a bit of a Holly Hobby vibe. She may have been part of a pair with a matching boy doll. There is no date on the doll, but House of Hatten was founded in 1892  and appears to have announced their closing the end of 2005 , so this doll would probably have been made sometime prior to 2005.   I hope to find out more about this doll and will post updates here when I learn more. Related Articles: Irish Rag Doll Annie a Cute Thrift Store Find Everyone Loves Holly Hobbie Dolls--a Piece of Americana The Intriguing History of the Holly Hobbie Doll Why Rag Dolls Are Fun and Historic to Collect