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Friday's Grand Connection Funby Mary May Larmoyeux
When I was a little girl, one of my favorite things to do was play with paper dolls at my grandmother’s house. She would roll out big sheets of brown paper and encourage me to design a special house for the dolls.
My Nana would give me a Sears Catalog and a pair of scissors. I would cut out furniture and decorations for the paper house, and would glue the items in place on the brown paper. I remember this as being so much fun!
Today, you can buy paper dolls at specialty toy stores or print off online patterns. If you google “paper dolls” you’ll be amazed at all of the websites that have paperdoll patters. Here's just one: http://familycrafts.about.com/od/paperdolls/tp/paperdolls.htm .
Even though they don’t print the huge Sears Catalog anymore, the Sunday papers are filled with furniture store inserts that could be transformed into a child’s imaginary house on large sheets of white or brown paper or cardboard.
You may want to make or purchase a felt kit for your grand. The variety of flannel kits today is endless: dollhouse flannel board scenes, flannel board dolls, and kits such as “Trucks, and Trains, and Planes." Mardel's has felt kits for Bible stories like "Jonah and the Whale": http://www.mardel.com/Jonah-and-the-Whale-Precut-Felt-Set-778274.aspx .
If you have older grandchildren, help them show younger brothers and sisters (or younger neighbors, cousins, etc.) how to make a paper doll house or play with a felt kit.
Did you ever play with paper dolls or make them for your grandkids? Have you played with a grad using a flannel board kit?
He is able
Mary
Mary May Larmoyeux
www.marymaywrites.com
www.grandconnection.org
© Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.
Mary, your paper doll feature stirs memories. My sisters and I played paper dolls for hours on end. Our mother had old pattern books and we spent days cutting out dresses with little tabs bending over the shoulder and waist line to fit the paper doll. Wallpaper samples were used to paste (made of flour and water) on the walls of our doll house. It was such a quiet way to spend the afternoon.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the memories. - Rita
What a neat memory, Rita! - Mary
ReplyDeleteDo I ever remember paper dolls. We had old McCall’s and Vogue pattern books that were great. Also, sample wallpaper books that were used to paper walls in the dollhouse. Glued it with flour and water paste. It took hours but what fun. -- Rita
ReplyDeleteMy sisters and I loved playing paper dolls. We cut out clothes from old McCall pattern books and formed little “hangers” to fold over the paper doll’s shoulders and hips securing the clothing in place. We also remodeled a doll house with wallpaper samples from the Franklin’s Paint and Wallpaper store. What fun. Blessings, Rita
ReplyDeleteLOVE THIS! And I will do this! Thanks Mary. You are a TREASURE!
ReplyDeleteThanks for leaving comments, Rita and Linda. So glad that you enjoyed this post!
ReplyDeleteRita, I can only imagine the hours of fun you must have had with paper dolls as a child. Using old pattern books is a great idea.