Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Shopping Finds & Easter Decor Tour

Hi Doll Friends,

I hope you are having a great Easter week. We've been having fun doing a little Easter decorating around the house. Martha just loves to help.


This post is a bit of a combination of our fun shopping finds and a tour of our Easter decor. Starting our tour is this really big pair of Annalee Bunny Dolls from Tuesday Morning. They are happily catching butterflies atop my doll cabinet.


Here is this year's whimsical Easter mantle. Please ignore the electronics. I just decorate around them and pretend they're not there. I purchased the Happy Easter bunting from Target after Easter last year. The letters are embroidered on pastel colored fabric triangles which are strung on jute.


I love decorating with vintage children's storybooks. I found "Home For A Bunny" at the antique mall, but my sweet daughter bought "First Spring" for me from Books A Million yesterday. It is a vintage reproduction version from the Wonder Books line. I found the tiny doll sized Easter basket at a thrift store. It is stamped Japan on the side.


I found the tiny Annalee bunnies at Tuesday Morning and TJ Maxx for around $7 each and the wooden bunny cart at the antique mall for $2.


Also on the mantle is this little clock with dancing dolls inside, they spin in one direction, then back in the other. I picked it up at my favorite antique mall for $12.50.


Another vintage book that fits right in with my Easter decor is "Mrs. Duck's Lovely Day". On the left is a wooden carved duck that is strung with a posable neck and legs. I bought him on eBay, but the seller didn't know who made him. On the right is an Annalee duck from Tuesday Morning.


I found the stacked bunnies for $2 at a thrift store and more tiny baskets and bunnies finish off this side.


More Annalee bunnies and vintage books atop a cabinet in the dining room. My husband bought the big white bunny with the basket for me at Tuesday Morning. The smaller tan sleepy bunny was a flea market find.


My daughter found this big Annalee Patchwork Bunny on eBay. She was so sweet to surprise me with her. The big vintage egg is from an antique store.


Decorating my china cabinet for Easter is this sweet bunny wearing a plaid dress that I found at an antique store for $4. As you can see through the glass, there are dolls in my china cabinet too. :)


My girls love to decorate the french doors with holiday clings. The doors are actually antique white with built in blinds, but the picture came out dark because it's so bright outside. My favorite clings are the big bunnies that look like they are peeking around the sides of the left door.


The bathroom even got a splash of Easter whimsy with this cute bathing Annalee duck from TJ Maxx.


In the dollhouse, everyone is getting ready for Easter to arrive too.


I fell in love with these big vintage eggs that I found at an antique store. My favorite one has Mr. & Mrs. Duck pushing a baby carriage. 


This one has a mother hen and her chicks. I just love these vintage pictures.


The smaller one has a brown bunny in a suit. I need to do some research to find out more about these vintage eggs. Please leave a comment below if you can share any info on them.


Of course, Martha had to come right over to see what I was doing with those big old eggs.


My daughter also brought home this adorable little Annalee mouse to me.  She is wearing a green floral dress with matching bonnet, and she carries her own Easter basket with eggs. 


I found this little jointed bunny at an antique store for just $1.75. The arms and legs are strung, and she is wearing a lace dress.  She has the cutest little face.


Martha loves her too!


I found two sweet kittens made of china at the same antique store for just $2.50 each. The little orange cat has a tag attached to it's neck that says "I'm Merry".  Gotta love that adorable little face!!!


The little white cat wears a blue bow around her neck and has a ladybug crawling up her leg.


It wasn't long before a kitty was in Martha's lap.


And then next thing you know...


While the kitties are entertaining Martha, I'd better tell you about my favorite Antique Mall find. I'm so excited to show you this wonderful little doll that I found in the Primitive booth. I talked to the owner of the booth, and she told me that she has had this little doll in her personal collection for over 35 years and she was very, very old when she got her. 


She is a primitive old clothespin doll with a stuffed head and body. She wears a blue floral dress with ric rac trim and a lace trimmed apron and slip. She also wears a red gingham bandanna on her head. Here you can see her old fashioned clothespin legs and the layers of her dress.


I am amazed that I don't have to worry about trying to balance her, she stands completely stable on her own.


She has a cloth head with a handpainted face. Isn't she just adorable?


I loved her even more once I got her home and realized that she is the perfect size for the dollhouse!



While I was busy at the dollhouse showing you how cute the primitive clothespin doll looks, Martha found another one of my antique store doll purchases.


Martha says, "A wooden dolly, she must be for me Mommy!"


If I can get Martha to put her down for just a minute to show you that she is a peg wooden doll. She is dressed in a tan, grey and red calico dress with lace trim and a matching bonnet. I found her at an antique store for the bargain price of just $5.


Her face and hair are painted on to her wooden head.


She also wears a tan slip and underclothes.


The paper tag under her collar reads Copyright Shackman 1960 Made in Japan.


The fabric tag sewed to the back of her dress reads Copyright Shackman 1962 Japanese Patent No 208916.


At about 8" tall, she's just a bit bigger than my 6 1/2" wooden Hitty Etta.


Speaking of Hitty Etta, I found this little wooden bed for her on eBay.


If you haven't read about Hitty yet, click here to read more about her. Hitty Etta is a carved wooden doll by Robert Raikes. When I saw that this little wooden Hitty bed was also by Robert Raikes, it went on my eBay watch list, and I was able to get it for a good price.


Hitty Etta trying out her new bed.


She likes it and brings it to her room.


The new bed fits snugly in Hitty Etta's room in my china cabinet. She even invited the little peg wooden girl over for a visit, and one of the kittens followed her home.


Another antique mall find was this tiny Raggedy Ann and Andy pair.  They are tagged Knickerbocker. Knickerbocker was licensed to make Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls from 1963-1982.


I found two Little Pullip dolls at Tuesday Morning that I thought would fit right in for Easter. First is this Little Pullip Humpty Dumpty Dal. She comes with a cute egg shell hat.


My other new Little Pullip Dal is dressed as a Rooster. These tiny 4 1/2" tall miniature Little Pullip dolls are such a great bargain at just $9.99 each. They come fully dressed with tons of details and even a stand is included.


Isn't this the funniest little Easter costume?


Here they are together, all ready for Easter.


Both of these Little Pullip dolls have the Dal face sculpt, yet you can see how their face painting and eye color makes them look different. If you'd like to read my earlier post about Little Pullip dolls, click here to check it out.


I think my last fun find to share this time is this cute quilted potholder, embroidered with a Sunbonnet Sue Doll applique. I found it at a thrift store for only 59¢. I have always said if I could find an affordable Sunbonnet Sue quilt, I'd buy it. I didn't find a quilt yet, but this old fashioned Sunbonnet Sue quilted potholder can certainly brighten my kitchen.


I'd love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below! :)


Have a wonderful blessed Easter!

Hugs  
 - Lisa

16 comments:

  1. You have such interesting pieces - it was great fun to see all of them. I love your use of vintage story books as decor items - that's a fantastic idea!

    And Happy Easter! :)

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    1. Thanks jSarie! I'm so glad you enjoyed our little tour and collaboration of shopping finds. You just never know what will strike you when you're out shopping. :) Sometimes I don't find anything, then other times I find something that is so different, yet still think that it will somehow fit perfectly in my collection. :)
      Happy Easter!
      Lisa

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  2. Wow, you are really ready for an Easter celebration! I'm planning on stopping at World Market sometime this week. They always have items that are different from anywhere else, and I've found some really cute holiday things there. Can't wait to see what I find this time!

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    1. Hi Barb! Thanks for the tip about World Market! I'll have to check out what my local store has for Easter too. I found the cutest little plush alpaca there just before Christmas. It looks so precious displayed with the dolls.
      Happy Easter!
      Lisa

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  3. Hello from Spain: fabulous easter decor. Very cutie and lovely. Very pretty doll. .. We keep in touch

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    1. Hi Marta! It's so nice to have you visit my little blog all the way from Spain! Thank you for leaving a sweet comment! Happy Easter!
      Lisa

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  4. I love all your Annalee rabbits! I had the opportunity to purchase a large pair once at a doll show...they were incredibly huge (at least 2 feet tall), and reasonably priced. However, I didn't buy them because at the time, they weren't my "thing". I could kick myself now! Oh well, live and learn. It seems like you have some wonderful thrift/antique stores in your area. Mine are really hit or miss, and the Goodwill is getting so expensive! But I am fortunate to live in an area with awesome and frequent doll shows. I love hearing about all your treasures!

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    1. Hi Angela,
      I'm always kicking myself for not buying something when I had the opportunity, so I know exactly how you feel. The only places that I have found Annalee's to be affordable is at Tuesday Morning and TJMaxx, but they only have a small selection. Every time I see one at an antique store, they are very expensive. My thrift and antique stores are definitely hit or miss too. Most of the time, I don't find anything. I have to hit a lot of antique stores to find a few things. We have a few antique malls around, so that makes it easier. With lots of differnet vendors, I think you're more likely to find a treasure. You are so lucky to live in an area where you have frequent doll shows. We only have one a year in my area. Occasionally there will be one a few hours away that's close enough to drive to. I think the next one is in September in Houston, but that's a 5 hour drive one way. :( I'd love to be able to go to doll shows more often!

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  5. Great Easter decor! I love all of the vintage Easter books, the decorated dollhouse and the clothspin doll! Martha looks like she's having a blast playing with all of the dolls. :)

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    1. Thanks Farrah! I think the vintage books are beginning to be another collection of mine. Whether you're collecting books about dolls or books for dolls, the two collections just kind of go hand and hand. I'm finding that it's fun to have some books sitting out where you can see and enjoy them all of the time too. Maybe I should do some mini book reviews here, it's so much fun to share these neat finds with people who understand. :)
      P.S. Martha is a blast and she loves getting in the middle of everything! :)

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  6. Oh my - lots of cuteness! I love your duck on the mantel! So vintage-cute! Thank you for visiting me today. We are both Ann Estelle Collectors! Yep! Ihave over 40 Ann and Friends! I just fell in love with them 15 years ago and have so many. I plan to sell them some day - to help with granddaughter's college! Happy Easter!!!!!

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    1. Hi Patti! Thanks so much for visiting my blog! Wow, you have a large Ann Estelle collection! I just have one Ann, but I would love to get her a friend, maybe Michael or one of the other friends. I wish they were still available or that I would have started collecting them while they were. By the way, I'm a huge fan of your Paintin-Patti blog!!!
      Happy Easter!!!!!
      Lisa

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  7. Oh my gosh, I love your Annalee's, your dolls and books. I decorate my home in the same things plus bears. Thanks for stopping by Cozy Blanket.

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    1. Thank you Debby! I love your blog! Everyone please check out Debby's blog at http://cozyblanket.blogspot.com

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  8. I forgot to tell you the Annalee duck in the shower is my favorite.

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    1. He he! That duck was just too funny to leave in the store. :)

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Thanks so much for stopping by. I'd love it if you left a comment to let me know you were here. Have a wonderful day!