Sunday, June 25, 2023

Repost

00 Dr. E's Doll Museum in Greek This is for a family friendly blog for those who love dolls and toys. The blog is a forum for all aspects of doll history. post-87405646351475665482022-11-10T07:40:00.001-08:002022-11-10T07:40:21.298-08:00Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Pinocchio MovieDr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Pinocchio Movie:  Here'sa quick post on a new film about the most famous puppet in history.  Pinocchio by Guillermo de Toro is done in animation that ma...




Ellen M. Tsagarishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371709590550209896noreply@blogger.comAn Apologia for Countess Erzebet Bathory: some commentsAn Apologia for Countess Erzebet Bathory: some comments: The bathory.org site has an art gallery and store and is very comprehensive. He is the composer of an opera bout her, and a distant relative...< /p>

 

  1. M' like; If I don't, of course, I don't lose it.
  2. Is the price correct? I have limits on what I will pay at a thrift store, yard sale, estate sale, flea market, or doll show. I do a few auctions, mostly online. In general, I don't enjoy them. My husband does, so sometimes I go with him.
  3. Holiday decoration, especially Christmas ornaments:
    1. Can I use it in the museum?
    2. I follow trends as I like my collectibles to tell a story. Over the past couple of years, I have been getting animals, especially sloths, that have become popular. Looking for licensed characters popular over the years. we also like Dr Who, Star Wars and Star Trek. I once let someone else have a Han Solo Hallmark ornament I was buying, and I've regretted it ever since. I can't find the exact one. So now, I'll keep it if I found it first. I don't give up on my stuff, nor do I let others beat me to my findings.

 


Also, don't pass up the physatarian glass ornaments, especially the vintage balls and figurines. Mickey Mouse, Peanuts, Cruel Ann, are great bets. So are Italian blown glass figures, and late figures that use the technique but are made elsewhere.

 

I love the little 60s/70s embellished bags. I like to decorate trees with them or make other works of art. I also like to give them as gifts to my other collector friends.

 

    1. Halloween? I love Halloween, and I love the unusual decorations, especially the Scarecrows. I found one recently made by a Shaker community, very neat. I choose handmade items like a recent family of stitched pumpkins because they are beautiful and reflect what can become a lost art. She also crochets, but not like this!

 


  1. Dolls and toys: I try to fill spaces that we don't have in the museum. Ditto comics and pop culture stuff. I'm still looking for beans, Precious Moments figurines, Hummels and other collectibles that were once hot but are fading in popularity. I document the history of these things in our museum.
  2. My next point is that we are a Museum, not a retail store. I'm fine with it, but I'm pissed off when people take things off the display shelves, and then I bump them up in price. I'm not sure what people don't understand about my sign, "American Doll and Toy Museum", or my greeting, "Welcome to American Doll and Toy Museum, we are a 501c" non-profit organization. Next grumbler, and I'll try to stop, we need the donation we're asking for to get in and enjoy unlimited screen time. Thanks to those who contributed. A big blackberry to those who waltz in, basically freeload, then make snide comments about dolls coming to life and what a shame the library became a museum. Y.G. we have over 4000 books on display and in our archives for public viewing. Also, we do not ask for donations from those who return to us. though they always have a free will donation jar. It's for the museum, not me. we need to continue building.
  3. Despite paragraph 5, we have a small gift shop, and proceeds go to the museum. We sell small toys, jewelry, holiday items, books, including the ones I write, some doll clothes and doll sized baby clothes, holiday sweaters, hats, some extra large and fancy knit scarves, small cars, fancy playing cards, coloring books, some antiques. Not from my collection. I'm looking for things I can sell reasonably. Most things are a dollar or two, nothing is over fifty dollars. When not on display, I show items on request, and I take them to puppet shows to benefit the museum and spread the word that we are here.
  4. When I look for jewelry, I look for real silver and gold. I also enjoy small sterling pieces such as spoons, coasters, figurines, jugs and butter chips. Vintage rhinestone jewelry and holiday pins are on my list, as well as broken jewelry that I use for my own creations.
  5. I like furniture, especially Victorian or arts and crafts. I am excited when I can get a curio, small shelf, shadow box, or accent chair.
  6. I was recently given a wonderful antique pump organ. I'm learning to play it, and I play piano, so sheet music, music books, and other small instruments are on my list.
  7. I think the categories, and I'm looking for things to fill the gap. There is a method to my collector madness, which makes the thrill of the hunt even more fun.
Original
American Doll and Toy Museum: Our History - American Doll and Toy MuseumAmerican Doll and Toy Museum: Our History - American Doll and Toy Museum : American Doll and Toy Museum was established in 2019. We moved to our permanent location in 2020. We opened to the public in 2021. ...

More Greek posts, soon. . . 




 Easter Memories 2022

 Easter Memories 2022

 

 


My memories of Easter become more painful the more family members I lose. My mother made it special. She made Easter baskets, yes at my request, when I was 30 and in graduate school. Mom and Dad would go to Carbondale, and we would eat at the Easter buffet at the Holiday Inn. One year, we found an estate sale going on in their boardroom. We also found a flea market open, with a hardcover Mills &boon (Harlequin) novel that I could use in my thesis.

 

Mom and I made cookies together, and we had turkey or duck, occasionally pheasant, if we ate at home. We usually hit the road. Ten years ago we visited the grave of my great-grandmother Clara (Aglaia). Mom fell into the bumpy lap. it was getting cloudy, and it was scary. All we heard was her voice, "Sweetie!" and Dad had a brief moment where though Yaya was calling him. We would also go to St Louis, great times at Union Station and the Italian restaurant we loved on Lindbergh drive. My parents met through people they both knew in St. Louis, or as my Grandmother, Sandy Lully, called it, and we often explored there, or in St. Charles. 'next year we went to Hannibal, Mark Twain's house.

 

Once, we turned around and went home. we got to the old Skewer Inn outside of Peoria, and had to go home because the temperature dropped drastically and the snow was on the road. Our little scottie/poodle puppy, Killer, was in the car. We ran to him bringing peace from sis kebob, still warm. He was trembling, he was afraid. We wrapped him in Blankie's red jersey, and he sat on my lap and ate his snack while we drove the hour and a half home.< /p>

 

A monumental year, I flew to Edmonton, riding the plane with the Edmonton Riders. We went to the Mall of America, ate amazing food, saw snow, first time in over a year for me. Shop, check out museums, art galleries and antique shops. I didn't want to go back to California, but I went back.

 

In San Jose, Jim, Connie, and I sometimes had visits from my cousins, Steve and Katie. We ate out, but we ate better at home. We also had turkey there, and Jim, who was a great baker, made Greek cookies, baklava, Connie made butter cookies, I got my recipes from home.

 

My Easter baskets were legendary. Connie could take a ready-made basket and add wonderful things, wrapping it all in cellophane and ribbons. Mom was looking for candy diorama eggs, or I painted eggs, taking ideas from Tasha Tudor's holiday books. We also collected Pysanky eggs, marble eggs, egg dioramas, Victorian glass eggs, chenille bunnies and chicks, all kinds of things. In kindergarten, Ms. Moser had us make an Easter tree. We sprayed a branch white, and made it into a fine pot. We hung all kinds of ornaments that we made from eggshells and bits of cotton. I have a whole collection of them now, many of which were added by my friend Bev C. in San Jose, who created a wonderful Easter Tree in her office . We all worked with law firms in Proneyard in those days.

 

My favorite Easter book was Miss Flora McFlimsey's Easter Hat by Marianna. Beautiful illustrations about the little doll who didn't have an Easter hat, but with the help of friends, she got a fantastic chapeau to win her contest.

 

We went on trips to New Salem, to see the Lincoln sites, we cooked, we dyed a million eggs. Uncle Tom used to come to us when we lived in Peoria, and we often took trips to Chicago to shop and eat at Andy's Steak House or Henrique's in Oak Brook. It didn't matter what we did, just that we were together.

 

For Greek Easter we went to church all week, and I sang in the choir. Jim took me into his arms when he visited me in the early '70s, and we went all over to visit his friends. We went to visit other relatives near Champaign, and one year, unfortunately we went to visit the graves of Aunt Leo and Cousin Clara Mae, who were killed in a car accident . They also visited their family.

 

My husband went with me to church services and sang along on Good Friday. We went to Anastasia, held at midnight on Easter Saturday. We had snacks and drank chamgapne later and brought flowers home.

 

Now, Easter really is my husband and I, and another trip to the cemetery. We still love our Easter decorations, and I made a tree with bunnies and eggs this year. They skipped buying Eier or Egg of his year. too tired to do too much. But, I will have an Easter egg to give this Saturday to the museum.

 

I have so many great memories because of my family, and sometimes, I can still taste the jelly beans, wrapped in plastic eggs that Aunt Connie would decorate with wet paper.

 

Blessed Easter and Easter to all, and Blessed Greek Easter April 24. It will be Easter in Ukraine on April 24, and I hope everyone there has peace.

 

Sending you a chocolate rabbit and some wishes.

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American Doll and Toy Museum: Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: eBay is Destroying the d...American Doll and Toy Museum: Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: eBay is Destroying the d...: Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: eBay is Destroying the doll collectors market! Sa... :  Here is the link to Rachel Hoffman's YouTube chan...




Ellen M. Tsagarishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371709590550209896 noreply@blogger.com



0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980366032010375102.post-2934631055837130410< published>2020-11-15T10:42:00.002-08:002020-11-15T10:42:22.710-08:00American Doll and Toy Museum: Progress Update on my latest book and our MuseumAmerican Doll and Toy Museum: Progress Update on my latest book and our Museum:   Polly Mann, Las Meninas, inspired by Velasquez's Painting of the Same name Greetings from a cold, blustery November Day. Had I not s...





 Mechanical Thoughts; Early Automata and Mechanical Dolls

 Mechanical Considerations; Early Automata and Mechanical Dolls

 

When I Wrote With Love from Tin Lizzie: A History of Metal Dolls . . . I said the history of mechanical dolls went as far back as Ancient Egypt. However, the history of all things mechanical, including dolls, toys and robots, really dates back to around 3.3 million years. That's how old the first tools are. Fire, discovered later, led to better, stronger tools. Somewhere along the line However, the history of all things mechanical, including dolls, toys and robots, really dates back to around 3.3 million years. That's how old the first tools are. Fire, discovered later, led to better, stronger tools. Somewhere along the line However, the history of all things mechanical, including dolls, toys and robots, really dates back to around 3.3 million years. That's how old the first tools are. Fire, discovered later, led to better, stronger tools. Somewhere along the line That's how old the first tools are. Fire, discovered later, led to better, stronger tools. Somewhere along the line That's how old the first tools are. Fire, discovered later, led to better, stronger tools. Somewhere along the linehowever, the invention of the wheel made it possible to invent even better tools and machines. Our automatons, robots, Mamma dolls and mechanical babies share this Stone Age heritage.

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This thought came to me while I was working on our new, permanent museum building. Many of the objects in the museum's collection are mechanical. The thing about hard, physical work is that it takes a thought. I felt like an automaton myself most of this week, driving carloads of dolls, toys, books, and seasonal items to the new museum. We had a terrible storm last Monday with 100 mph winds leading to power outages, some are still happening.

 

I spent most of the week working in the dark in the new building, no AC, either. We had power and air conditioning in the old museum. It was quite cool, and there was enough light coming through the windows. The important work of moving and sorting takes precedence over all others. Today there was a break, and we went to the nearest university town, my husband at work, and I to wander.

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We hope to be open by Halloween in our new, final location. Besides, I am going for another small business On Saturday Grand Opening.

 

An important item is a shadow box from a miniature doll museum, a box meant to make our wish come true. Margaret Grace faces tradition in one of her miniature murder series, great reads one and all. I hope there will be many more in the series.

 

So on we go. If you haven't heard from me, it's because I'm working very hard at the museum, and at my aunt's estate. We lost her suddenly in June, and nothing has been easy since.

 

Stay safe, and to those affected by last week's storms, I hope you are out, your property is intact, tree limbs are cleared, and your power and cell phones are working again.

 

 

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We are not snob doll< ;div class="MsoNormal" lang="en" len="19"> We're not snobs doll

As we all continue to face the challenges of Covid19 and the challenges of life in general, we are finding ways to move forward. For us at American Doll & Toy Museum, this means literally moving to our new building, the former 30/31 Library Branch.

I admit I have my hands full. Nothing moves as fast as we would like. I pay more rent for the current building than I thought, but I don't mind because I have great owners and a good location. The challenge is packaging, and they have nowhere to stack boxes that are packed. I'm trying to work them into the doll landscape, so to speak, but I'm only open by appointment now, until late summer or early fall, when we will be opening our new largest location.







Dolls and toys seem to creep out of the woodwork at home, but it's a nice problem to have. All this gives me time to look at the dolls and the toys, and to think.

It seems to me that we represent games from prehistory to now. We've got everything from the sublime to the ridiculous, and while we're probably not the biggest doll collection in the world, we come close. Dolls are humanities historians, as are the toys that inhabit them. We have examples representing Neanderthal goddess figures, the current dolls on the market. Many of our residents are museum pieces,

We have had wonderful people donate their treasures to us for safekeeping. We don't sell our donations, by the way. What I sell in my Etsy shop and in our little gift shop are items I've made, or bought specifically for the museum. Selling them helps keep us going.

We have kept the faith and a light in our dollhouse windows, although we were forced to close almost four months after we opened. We will continue. This has been my dream and my passion since the age of 4, can't give up now.

I enjoy all kinds of dolls and toys. I have always been eclectic in my taste, and the same goes for my collection. Every agony tells a story. a museum should represent all these stories, not just one. We enjoy our French bisques and German characters, our 1860 rubber doll, our London liberty henry VIII and his wives, but we also love our Barbies, vintage current, our frozen Charlottes, our penny
shop plastic dolls from the sixties, homemade wrecks, well loved plush, and even Living Dead Dolls and Little Pony my friends.

Too many diva doll arias spoil the hobby. It's bad enough that we have this creepy doll junk floating around. We don't have to do it to ourselves. I get turned off from hearing once too often that someone who collects dolls doesn't care about other people's collections because they don't collect that type of doll. I don't mean mastering it to educate yourself in the hobby, or being aware of what others like.

You don't need to disrespect what someone else is enjoying. This is tough. If someone wants midcentury mass produced bisque dolls in frilly clothes, this is his/her call. If another collector likes Gene, or bean bag plush, or played with Barbies dressed in homemade clothes, that also his / her call. If I had to specialize, I would have focused on antiques, especially French fashion, metal heads, and international costume dolls, but it would be a tough choice.

If I had too much of one type of doll or toy, I would get bored. I would have what Ellen Young, noted writer and artist would call, an accumulation. My dolls never tire of me. My games and the books associated with them intrigue me.

So, as we move forward, we hope to stir up happy childhood memories, and share our collection with children "from one to ninety-two." We hope to teach about the cultures in our community, and the cultures of all the people of the world. We hope to inspire others to study and collect, and we invite everyone to use many of our books for their research, too.< /div>

Our introduction will be moderate, and will be set aside for some breaks. We will also host programs and classes on dolls and toys open to the public. We will also work with other businesses and non-profit organizations. So stay tuned, we are ready to wrap our music box up, and we plan to play a really great tune!
post-65292065779424577062020-06-20T08:50:00.001-07:002020-06-20T08:50:57.585-07:00American Doll and Toy Museum: The Dolls are Moving soon to their Forever Home!American Doll and Toy Museum: The Dolls are Moving soon to their Forever Home!: The Dolls are Moving soon to their Forever Home! Is it happening? the citizens of American Doll & Toy Museum are moving to thei...American Doll and Toy Museum: The Dolls are Moving soon to their Forever Home!: The Dolls are Moving soon to their Forever Home! Is it happening? the citizens of American Doll & Toy Museum are moving to thei...0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980366032010375102.post-20284413269405054482020-06-13T19 :38:00.001-07:002020-06-13T19:38:23.472-07:00Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: World Doll Day!Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: World Doll Day!: Once again we celebrate this notable day in doll collecting. How did you spend your day? I checked on American Doll & Toy Museum? we a...Ellen M. Tsagarishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371709590550209896 noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com, 1999:blog-2980366032010375102.post-88664842487029718352020-04-17T18: 26:00.003-07:002020-04-17T18:26:52.050-07:00Well, still in cat' house arrest/ siege
Well, still in kat' house arrest/ siege. It's hard to be optimistic, although it could be much, much worse. How do you all, dear readers, keep busy with all this madness? Here is a link from Healthline, for anyone who cares. SARS and other things seem to have higher death rates, although I don't understand what the article means SARS killed more people, but Corona Virus has a higher death rate. What? https://www.healthline.com/health-news/how-deadly-is-the-coronavirus-compared-to-past-outbreaks< /div>

As for me, I'm always busy, but it was nice to have places to go. Even the option to have places to go when I couldn't get somewhere. I drag the shattered dolls and assemble them. I'm becoming a super glue expert. I design elaborate doll costumes, and make doll hats, rearrange the museum and clean. We're still working to get our biggest building, and that will require monumental moving and packing.

Money worries us all. There is no incentive this way, and I am a small, brand new non-profit business. Oh well.

It has snowed twice this week, then it gets up to over 60. It was 80 degrees last week . It is good to write the weather, and I try. Mostly short stories and a novel I would like to finish in all of them.

Simple doll hat I made

A peaceful corner

Easter Week.  Hristos Anesti

A Fairy Garden

Antique Evzon

Our Holocaust Memorial Window.  Never Forget.

View of the doll museum

One of our doll houses

html' title='Well, still in cat' house arrest/ siege'/>Ellen M. Tsagarishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371709590550209896noreply@blogger.com< /email> entry>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980366032010375102. post-33315760197801351522020-03-24T07:56:00.001-07:002020-03-24T07:56:45.693-07:00American Doll and Toy Museum: Ancient GreeceAmerican Doll and Toy Museum: Ancient Greece: From "Dolls of Ancient Greece" http://www.fjkluth.com/doll.html: Dolls and the Art of Ancient Greece "Although dolls are ...Frozen and American Girl Dolls Home Tour Coming to Virtual Doll ConventionDr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Museum CategoriesDr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Museum Categories: Enjoy! Below are the categories I would like to set up for the museum. Happy Weekend! Museum Categories of Dolls and Collections *Denot...Ellen M. Tsagarishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371709590550209896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980366032010375102.post-10651465529872993322020-02-02T07:55:00.001-08:002020-02-02T07:55:55.738-08:00 Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: For Valentine's DayDr. E's Doll Museum Blog: For Valentine's Day: May you enjoy a peaceful, Happy Valentine's Day, filled with glad memories of The Valentine's Box, conversation hearts , and loving m...Ellen M. Tsagarishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371709590550209896< /uri>noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980366032010375102.post-34972124650919963012020-01-12T21:19:00.001 -08:002020-01-12T21:19:24.622-08:00Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Doll Bytes and Character Assassination by an NPR H...Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Doll Bytes and Character Assassination by an NPR H...: What a year so far!  Dolls are indeed where you find them, as my friend Mary Hillier used to say. A corn dolly one the bread challenge in l... blogspot.com/2020/01/dr-es-doll-museum-blog-doll-bytes-and.html' title='Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Doll Bytes and Character Assassination by an NPR H...'/>Ellen M. Tsagarishttp://www.blogger.com /profile/17371709590550209896noreply@blogger.com0
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