Happy Halloween!

  Happy Halloween!

Ivy is 17 next week, so she helped me hand out candy tonight. it was the first time we have done it, since we either forgot we had to buy candy, or weren't home the last 2 years when Ivy was 'retired' from Trick or Treating.

Last year I ran out of time, but I was going to do a new Halloween picture this year.In the end I spent Saturday with my friend Lori, eating out and painting a stone lighthouse. Sunday it rained all day, so I figured I'd just do it today. Then I got a message from Emma asking me to do something for her. Then it was Trick or Treat time! The day and the day light was gone. I did leave Ivy to hold the fort for a few minutes while I ran inside to make the 'crescent dogs', (crecent rolls with Linkettes vegetarian hot dogs and cheese inside. Ivy just has cheese in hers.), which has been our Halloween tradition since the kids were little and I needed extra last minute time to finish their costumes before Trick or Treating.So, with no time left I am forced to steal Halloween pictures from myself. These are from my 'Worlds at the Pumpkin Patch' story from three years ago. You can see the whole thing HERE. Happy Halloween!Maybe I'll be up on things next year!

More Cool Thrift Store Finds: Miss Ginger and Mattel Modern Furniture

  Happy Halloween!

  It's that time of year again. I'm once more locked in that struggle with the yard waste guys. I have been really good about getting my leaves raked this year. Since my shoulder has been so bad I knew I could never rake them all at once, so I have been raking them a little at a time. That means I have only spent about half an hour every Tuesday while I'm here alone because Ken's at work and Ivy's at play practice and stage crew, instead of a whole day spent breaking my back, (and my shoulder). So of course, I fill three cans with leaves and the branches Ken and I cut this week, and the yard waste guys don't come.I think they only come when they feel like it. I can't have my trash can tied up all winter, plus I still have two more piles of leaves in my yard. (I didn't dare load up all my leaves and fill all my trash cans, because the chance of the yard waste guys not coming was too great.) I didn't want to put all my leaves in the tree line, like they actually tell you you can do, because there have been too many years they never came and sucked them up. Then all my grass there dies, and the rotted leaves make the ground all lumpy and hard to mow with my little non-motorized mower.

  I am still pretty proud of the two Fall/Halloween photo stories I did a couple of years ago, so if you haven't seen them yet you can check them out
HERE

"The  World Family at the Pumpkin Patch"

and HERE

"The Halloween Party"

  I found some cool things at Salvation Army the other day. First was this Miss Ginger doll.

Miss Ginger was made by Cosmopolitan. There were other incarnations of Ginger,including a childlike doll that competed with Vogue's Ginny, a taller version of my doll that competed with Miss Revlon,and an 8" version called Little Miss Ginger, similar to Little Miss Nancy Ann. This version is 10 1/2" tall and premiered in 1957.  She's in pretty nice condition.She could do with restringing because she's a little loose, but at least she's still together.I'm not sure exactly what to do with her hair.Is it supposed to be one of those bun things?

Anybody know? I know there were Miss Ginger's with ponytails. But this isn't supposed to be a ponytail, is it? One thing's for sure: it's not meant to be worn down!

That's not a case of empty plugs. It's rooted that way. By the way, she's marked 'Ginger' on the back of her head, just below her hair.

Her dress is too big for her. I'm not sure if it's homemade.I love the belt. It's sewn on in the front, which is why it didn't get lost.I think these are her original shoes though.When I bought her she was only wearing one shoe. I'll tell you where the other shoe came from in a minute.

I also got a bag containing this Mattel Modern Furniture!

There is supposed to be a cushion in the chair.

This other unidentified piece was in the bag too.

The Mattel Modern Furniture is really hard to find and really expensive.

It was actually made a year before Barbie, in 1958.

It's hard to see, but that's a Mattel logo.

The boxes it originally came in said it was for dolls 10" to 10 1/2" tall, like Miss Ginger and Little Miss Revlon.

Miss Ginger and the Little Miss Revlon I found at Goodwill recently.

And it is perfectly sized for them. People still use it for Barbie though, and it works well for her too. It's popular with collectors, especially now that Mid Century design is having a resurgence.

The other Modern Furniture included a couple of different styles of couch, lamps, a stereo cabinet/credenza, dining table and chairs,a bedroom set with bed, clothes rack,and dresser with mirror.

And where did I get the other shoe for Miss Ginger? It was in the middle drawer of this piece of furniture!

 Along with the little plastic guy, who was obviously originally driving something.

His steering wheel was in the drawer too. Must have been some accident.

  So this must have been Miss Ginger's furniture. I went back yesterday to see if any more of the furniture had shown up. If it had it had sold the day before,when I didn't go back. I'm wondering if the Little Miss Revlon and Barbie and Midge I found at Goodwill the last couple of weeks are another case of someone donating half their stuff to Goodwill and half to Salvation Army. That has very obviously happened before. (Like with the zillion Crissy dolls both had at the same time.)

52 in this Goodwill batch. Salvation Army had 42.

You can read the posts about that HERE and HERE.

  I hope everybody has a safe and fun Halloween.This is the first year I have been in the position of handing out candy on Halloween, with no kids Trick or Treating, and I totally didn't think about it until the Trick or Treaters went by! Now I feel guilty! Next year I'll be ready. It's hard getting out of the idea, 'I won't be home on Halloween. I'll be out taking the kids Trick or Treating.' Sniff!

Halloween Photostories

  Just to remind everyone to check out the photostories I did for last Halloween HERE and HERE. I wanted to do one for this Halloween, but as usual I ran out of time. Happy Halloween!

The Halloween Party, a photostory

  People who know me will tell you that I am almost always late.Well, my Halloween photostory turned out to be a gigantic chore. Too many characters to come up with costumes for and get dressed. So here I am a day late with my Halloween story. Just think of it as a story of what happened last night. Around here we didn't even have trick or treat last night, as it was cancelled due to weather. We are having it Saturday, except there is supposed to be rain then too. (Plus there is a football game, so alot of people will be otherwise occupied.) So here, what none of you have been waiting for....
                                                           The Halloween Party


   The Worlds are having a Halloween party, with family and friends. Most of the grown ups gather near the refreshments. At 13, Vanessa likes to consider herself part of the grown up crowd. Tonight her costume is 'hippy'.She's sitting with Dolly's sisters and some of their kids.

I love this barn! It's a Melissa and Doug barn and is slightly too short, but I think it worked pretty well.

 

 And of course the men stay near the food.That's Kenzie's boyfriend Milo,Dolly's brother in law Ted (married to the sister next to Vanessa), and Dolly and Wally's son in law Roger. Looks like Roger's boots were too tight. He's in his socks.
  And on the other side of the barn, which looks suspiciously like the first side... 

The kids are going to bob for apples.Heidi and Maria set up the tub while Wally watches. Those Planet of the Apes costumes Tammy talked Wally and Dolly into wearing are pretty cool.

 Harry has come as a clown and Emma has come as Dorothy, but that doesn't mean she can't try on the clown mask. Kind of creepy...

My daughter Emma's 'Emma the Doll' in the middle. She went everywhere and did everything we did for years. She's a little scary these days, thus the mask. That's Ivy's doll 'Swingy Legs' (I kid you not!) on the left.

  
  Wally had to go 'check on the refreshments', so Dolly has taken over.

The various Tommy's and a couple of Kelly friends belong to Fuzzy.He hadn't touched them in ages, but when I invited them to the party he even dressed them for me.Well, except for Melody and Emily. He couldn't be bothered because they were never funny.

 Tammy: Mom, where's your ape mask?
Dolly: Oh. Uh,my face was sweaty.
Tammy: Mommmm!

The family that Apes together...

 

That's Maria's little sister Marcie behind Heidi and Tammy.

                                             Anne whispers to Tammy:Who's the weirdo with no shirt?
                                           Tammy, muttering under her mask: He's a friend of Gareth's.He's 'The Unknown Super Hero'.
                                           Anne: Oh kaaay.
                                           Simon: Got the water in. Where are the apples?

I found the little guy on the left at a gas station when I was a kid. He's made in Germany and has a strange lumpy body and one arm. Fuzz took pity on him as a kid and took him in. We named him Heimlich. That's Emma the doll's best friend Susan next to him.Of Emma's favourite dolls, Only Susan made it out looking almost perfect!

                                                       Harry and Anne are the first to try.

 

The kids all cheer them on. Since they're getting on so well Dolly wanders off to talk with the grownups. But pretty soon she hears alot of shouting coming from the apple bobbing area. She comes back, accompanied by Maria's dad, Mr. Campesino.

                                         Dolly: What's the commotion over here?
                                         Kids: Tammy cheated!
                                          
                                           Dolly: All right Tammy. Give them here.

 

Dolly: Dad! I found 'em!

Somehow nobody feels like bobbing for apples anymore...

But they still have a good time.

There are some of everybody's dolls in this picture. I felt like the Worlds couldn't have a party and not invite all their old friends, even if they aren't as 'aesthetically pleasing' as unplayed with dolls. The three Kelly dolls on the left are Ivy's favourites, 'Rose', her sister 'Blue', and their cousin---wait for it---'Meatball', so named for her giant blobs of puffy side ponytails.

  Apparently Vanessa got bored with the adults and has lowered herself to hanging out with the kids. What is The Unknown Super Hero doing with his Magic Pick Ax? Not the pumpkins!Emily tries to
 stop him.

My son Fuzzy's dolls Melody, as a princess, and Emily as a clown,Fuzzy the Doll as The Unknown Super Hero, Little Purple in the orange vest, and Prince Hashka. The names kids come up with! As you can see, Fuzzy the Doll has been well loved.Emily was originally Emma's, but she hung out with Fuzzy the Doll so long Emma finally gave up claim on her.

Ivy's favourite doll, 'Blue' (center). At one point when Ivy was tiny, all her dolls were named Blue.(Years before Beyonce' and Jay Z!)That's Ivy's 'Rose' on the left and 'Meatball' on the right.

My son Fuzzy's Fuzzy the Doll on the left. Fuzz dressed him for the party this way himself. He's 18 now, but he always had Fuzzy looking in similarly weird ways. That's Fuzzy's doll 'Prince Hashka' on the bale of straw. He's being a tourist for Halloween.

                                              Todd: It's going to get you Gareth! Whooo!
                                              Gareth: Forget it!You're not scaring me. That thing is made of plastic!
                                              Todd: Well how about I just twist your nose with one of these wrenches then?
                                              Fuzzy (The Unknown Super Hero): Man, your brother is cool!

Since Gareth can't tilt his head back, I made it look like he was looking up by just showing him from behind and tilting his hat waaay back. Those are The World's daughters Kenzie and Tina on the straw bale.

                                           Wally: Hey Gareth. I see you've rounded up a posse there Pardner.
                                            Gareth: It's not funny!
                                            Dolly: But there are kind of a lot of cowboys,aren't there?
                                            Gareth: These guys are lame! My costume is totally different.
                                            Wally: How do you figure?

                                                                   Gareth: I have a hat!

 

   Mr. Campesino couldn't be talked into wearing a costume,but Mr. and Mrs. Rettop were more than happy to dress as Batman and Catwoman.

Mrs. Campesino has joined them too. Mr. Rettop seems to be telling some kind of story.
                                           Gareth: Where'd all the apples go?

Fuzzy: Forget the apples. I have a better idea!

Later, after everyone is gone, Tammy wanders back in, looking for her mask...

 Tammy: Ahhhhh!!!!
Fuzzy: Heh heh heh. Yeah! Soaking in the tub!

Little Purple: I'm a foreign diplomat.
Gareth:Well, at least you're not a cowboy.

Behind the scenes:

As you can see, Emma the Doll, (the 'Dorothy' in the middle, showing Tammy her Toto-in-a-Basket), has no hair and very little face left. There was no way I could leave her out though.Her best friends Susan, second from the right of Emma, and Daisy (the blonde) are a bit more....presentable!

  The part with Fuzzy in the tub was Ivy's idea.We originally wanted him to pop up out of the water while the kids were bobbing for apples, (As Ivy said, "like Snoopy.") but I couldn't fit him in there low enough! When the kids were little and we were playing, this is totally something either Fuzzy or I would have had him do!
I hope everyone had a safe a happy Halloween!