Doll-A-Day 133:The Garden Nymph

Such a warm day today! And very windy! Definitely a day I couldn't dry the extra laundry by hanging it over the basket if I ran out of pins, without risking it blowing away.
  I have really been looking forward to showing today's doll, because I just love her! I wanted to wait until it was green and growing again, because she is (literally!) just made for a garden setting, and because her name is The Garden Nymph.

 I think her little shoes are all leather, with patent uppers and a suede sole. As you can see, our flowering bushes are in bloom. I wish I knew what this bush is called.

"I call it Sam."

  I spotted this doll in a box of other boring dolls at an auction preview. I fell in love and had to have her. I couldn't attend both days of the auction, so all I could do was leave an absentee bid for her and hope. I have said before how I hate to bid on a box at an auction unless there is something I can sell to make back my money to get the thing I really want. Actually, that's a financial necessity. I can't remember if there was anything in this box I was able to make my money back on, but I know I only bid $10 or $15. Luckily I won, because if I hadn't she would have become one of those 'ones that got away' that would linger in my mind forever! (Like the 3-D Alice Through the Looking Glass picture I mentioned last week.)

And I'm sure I would never have run across another one, because she is obviously handmade and one of  a kind.

She had a handwritten tag on her that said only 'Garden Nymph'. (And yes, I kept it, so she can be identified at least that much in the future.)No artist name. I wish I knew who made her.

My iris's are still blooming. I waited all week during 'Alice Week' for them to bloom so that Alice could walk among giant flowers, and they didn't bloom until the day after I did the last Alice doll!

Garden Nymph is surprised by the size of the things!

She's about 12" tall.

She's all cloth, with wired arms.

More of my tiny purple weed-flowers, and the little yellow flowers of the wild strawberries that keep trying to take over my yard.

Her head is really hard.There's obviously something under that cloth that shaped her head.

Her beautiful and whimsical face is hand painted.

Her hair is embroidery floss.

And she even has rooted eyelashes.

She even has a little frog in her hand. His belly is golden coloured cloth.

She has delicate fingers,each one separate.

Her bonnet can be on or off her head, but her clothes are not removeable.

She's wearing thigh high stockings under her gardening overalls.

And what's this she spies?

Baby pears, just starting to grow! Those will be good around August, if the squirrels leave us any!

And the peonies will be opening up soon, thanks to the ants. I was surprised to learn a couple of years ago that it isn't just that the peonies attract ants, they can't open without them.A couple of the little guys travelled inside on Garden Nymph and I had to quickly catch them and take them outside, lest they make their way into the drawer of the computer desk where Ken keeps all his sweets!

Did you say 'sweets'?

That's it for today.See you  again tomorrow.