Reblog: Life and All That's In It

Originally published on November 22, 2012, this is a reshare.

Now I lay me down to sleep

I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

If I should die before I wake

I pray the Lord my soul to take.

As a child this was my bedtime prayer.  I'd add, God bless Mama, Daddy (siblings by name) and me.  I'd throw in specialized thanks for things that occurred during the day, and of course, occasionally ask for something for myself or for someone else.  Sometimes it would be for household peace, particularly on weekends, but this prayer often went unanswered.  Most days of the week were uneventful, but I hated to see Fridays come.  They were filled with uncertainty.

Hallmark image

A few years back, one of my favorite writers collaborated with Hallmark's Mahogany division.  I loved reading, buying, and sharing electronic Mahogany greetings written by Maya Angelou.  One of my favorite thank you greetings written by her is:

I want to thank you, Lord, for life and all that’s in it. Thank you for the day and for the hour, and the minute. -- Maya Angelou

These two lines of prose cover everything I could ever give thanks for -- life and all that's in it -- what could possibly be omitted from that statement?  In spite of a few minor hurdles, trials, and tribulations in my early life, my blessings have been so great they are beyond measure!  My cup has truly run over with needs that are always met.  I have experienced a life filled with peace more often than not.  Yet I am stronger as a result of the tribulations.  They served to teach lessons of how not to be, what not to accept, things to avoid, etc.

So on this day that America has set aside as Thanksgiving, as-I-do-daily, I give thanks to God for life and all [the good] that's in it.  (That's what Maya left out -- the good.)  I thank Him for the day and for the hour, and the minute (and the ability to now love Fridays and every other day of the week I am blessed to live and give.) 

Happy Thanksgiving!

dbg


There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
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It Was Her Grandmother's Doll

Circa 1970s black cloth doll has facial features made of felt.

Without seeing a picture, I was asked if I knew of anyone who would like an "antique cloth souvenir doll that needed some repairs."  Having become a doll rescuer of late, I told the woman who contacted me, that I would accept the doll.

Most of the doll's right eye was missing upon arrival.  Her felt nose and mouth remain intact.

The doll arrived and the only thing in disrepair was one eye.  Made of felt, I knew it would be an easy fix to replace the eye.  I took several before-photos before the repair ensued and documented the doll in a spreadsheet entry as follows:

A gift from DS, this 18-inch black cloth doll with mature bosom possibly made from a pattern, belonged to D's grandmother who died in 1980. Doll has black yarn hair and a black knit curlicue crocheted ponytail. Arrived with one eye missing. I replaced that eye, removed the other and made a new one using white felt for the sclerae and a black circle of felt for the pupil. Black felt and red felt nose and mouth are original. Wears gold chain drop earrings, a double-stranded pearl necklace, a red polka dot dress with lace trim at bodice, waist, sleeves, and hem. Dress has crinoline and white heavy gauze petticoat. She wears white cotton panties and red satin flat pumps that have gold tagboard soles.

The Before Pictures

This full-length photo illustrates the doll's appearance upon arrival.

Her black yarn curlicue ponytail can be seen in this photo taken from the back.

This is a better look at the crocheted ponytail.  This type of curlicue crocheting was used to make hair ties during the 1970s for girls' ponytails.  This leads me to believe the doll was made during the 1970s or possibly a few years earlier if the ponytail was added later.

The petticoat is one layer of crinoline that covers a layer of heavy gauze.

The heavy gauze underskirt, panties, and red satin shoes are shown here.

Close-up of red satin shoes

The soles of the shoes are gold tagboard.

She carries a red knit purse.

The Eye Repair and Final Photos

A white felt square was placed over the "good" eye to trace the necessary almond-shaped size needed for the missing eye.

Because the felt used for the original eye had yellowed, I decided to replace both eyes with these two cut-out felt pieces.

The original eye was removed.

The new "whites" were glued to the areas where the original eyes had been.

Black felt pupils were added to complete the eye repair.

With the new eyes in place and the ribbon at the waist of her dress re-tied, she is almost as good as I imagine she was when first made.

dbg


There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
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Spotlight on LAtheSewist

At only 12-years-old, she still loves dolls but most of all, according to her mother, "LAtheSewist" loves to sew for them!  This young seamstress has been sewing since age 4.  She was taught to sew by her mother, Hope, who is very proud of her daughter and wanted to share pictures with me and the readers of this blog.

Some of LAtheSewist's doll clothing designs are illustrated in this collage.

LAtheSewist sews for Barbie-sized dolls and 18-inch dolls from patterns she creates.  She makes life-sized clothing and quilts, too.  Take a look at the individual photos she shared below.


Barbie-sized Clothing

A Curvy Barbie wears an open shoulder dress that hugs her curves.

These two wear mermaid designs.

A fashionable crop top and pants are a perfect fit for this girl.

Bib overalls, tops, and a skirt are modeled by these two.

This girl wears an LAtheSewist original tie-dye top and flared-leg pants.

What every girl-doll needs is lacy lingerie.  LAtheSewist even used a hook and eye closure for the bra!

18-inch Doll Clothes

This full-length dress has a halter bodice.

This gingham check two-piece top and skirt fits this girl nicely.

A purple tank top and a full-length skirt are modeled by this doll who holds a cloth shoulder bag sewn by LAtheSewist.

Life-Sized Clothing

LAtheSewist designed and sewed this two-piece prom dress.

In this final photo, LAtheSewist models a Harriet Tubman Halloween costume she designed and sewed.

Priced from $7 to $25, her doll clothing sells through Etsy and eBay.

Find LAtheSewist online at the following links:
eBay:  https://www.ebay.com/usr/la.lox-51
Etsy:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/LAtheSEWIST
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Sewing-chatting-and-tea-time-2336022146640635/
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/golden_doll_creations/

Thank you, Hope, for sharing your "golden child's" love and talent for sewing.  Best wishes for all her continued creative endeavors!

dbg


There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
Thank you for following, commenting, and sharing using the share button below.

Check out what I am selling here. 
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
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Shindana Toy Company: Changing the American Doll Industry

The images in this post are from the KCET.org website to announce Season 4, Episode 6 of their Lost LA series of documentaries that explore historical areas and information about Los Angeles, California.  Episode 6 is described below:

Times are listed in Pacific Standard Time.

Season 4, Episode 6 of Lost LA, as described, highlights the contributions Operation Bootstrap made to the LA community in the aftermath of the 1965 Watts riots.  Shindana Toys, the manufacturer of America's first mass-produced Black dolls with ethnically-correct facial features (not a white doll with Black skin), was one of several Operation Bootstrap businesses designed to create jobs in the LA community to help stimulate economic growth for the residents.

Updated 9:15 p.m. 11/19/19
The Shindana documentary can be viewed from the KCET.org website at this link https://www.kcet.org/shows/lost-la.

Dolls from my collection are included in this documentary. The photos are now part of USC Libraries archives.

dbg


There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
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Check out what I am selling here. 
Check out my eBay listings here.
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Herstory Doll Video and Photos

Herstory doll

This lovely doll arrived from Canada.  She is fully described in the video, photos, and in the written description below.

Photos

This close-up provides a better look at her adorable face and big brown inset eyes.

Her string jointing is illustrated in this photo.  She is tightly strung.

This photo captures her pedicure and her dark pink sandals.

In this photo, she wears a pulled up, side ponytail.  Finger combing is all her hair needs.  Combing or brushing her hair will cause it to frizz.

In the video, I omitted that she is articulated under the breast area.

 Height Comparison Photos

She and A Girl of All Time Bex are about the same height.

They can wear each other's clothes, but they do not wear the same size shoes.  The Herstory doll's feet are smaller.  Bex's shoulders are broader than the Herstory doll's.

In another height comparison photograph, the Herstory doll is shown with Journey Girls Taryn who is a full inch taller.  Taryn appears to be more than an inch taller than the Herstory doll because her sandals have a thick sole.

An entry in my Excel workbook for this doll reads as follows:

17-inch multi-articulated doll has dark brown natural-textured hair, brown stationary eyes with applied upper eyelashes, and a medium-brown complexion.  She wears a white tunic-length top made of a dark pink floral-print fabric, and white Capri pants with bows at the lower sides that match the fabric of the top.  The top has four buttons in the back, two of which are functional (no Velcro closure).  She wears dark pink sandals.  Her extra articulation is under the breast area, at the elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles.  She can sit or stand. 

Sitting Pretty

As mentioned in the video, the Herstory dolls are on sale for the entire month of November 2019 for $74.99 plus shipping.  No code is necessary.  The discount will be automatically applied after the doll is placed in your cart.

Here is a link to their Shopify store.

dbg


There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
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Actual Photos of My BMR1959 Dolls

Barbie BMR1959 dolls have been deboxed.

I did not have time to photograph the Barbie BMR1959 dolls I purchased when they arrived to include the photos with my video post.  This is a more detailed description of each doll with some comparisons made.

GHT91

She poses alongside her shoebox-style box that contains her illustration.

A close-up of her lovely face illustrates her brown eyes, honey blonde braids, dark red lip color, and the beauty mark above her lip on her left.

The Made-to-Move body has interesting jointing.

She strikes an additional pose in front of her box.

I recorded the following description for this doll in my doll inventory Excel workbook.

Tan complexioned girl with honey blonde braids and top-knot of braids has painted-on baby hair, brown painted eyes, dark red lip color, and green fingernails; wears a yellow BMR1959 logo long-sleeve crop top with mesh sleeves, one-piece biker shorts with a racetrack checkered pattern on the sides and the back, royal blue plastic fanny pack, and pink low-top sneakers.  Jewelry: Silver drop earrings, two silver rings on the right hand, BMR1959 logo ring on the left hand.  Has a beauty mark above the lip on her left.  

GHT94

This lovely doll was photographed while still attached to her purple box liner.  She has brown painted eyes, eggplant lip color, and painted-on baby hair.

This full-view photo was taken prior to removing her from the box.

Free to move, she poses in front of her box.

She is happy to be free!

Lovely!

Striking a pose

The vinyl on the back of these dolls' legs is uneven caused by the molding process.  This doll's vinyl is also discolored in this area.

Here she poses from the back wearing the hood of her dress with her jacket removed.

Her description reads as follows:
Doll uses the Curvy Barbie made-to-move body, has black hair styled in a ponytail with painted-on baby hair, brown painted eyes, dark lip color, and off-white nail polish; wears nylon floral-print dress, clear plastic jacket with Barbie BMR1959 logo in white stamped throughout, gold booties, silver earrings with BMR 1959 logo, and yellow sunglasses attached to her head.

GHT96

Like the girls, the guy poses in front of his illustrated box.

He's very photogenic.

He shows the BMR1959 logo that is on the pocket of his overalls.

All three have knees that look similar to his.

He and the doll with braids have the same uneven vinyl on the back of their legs that the darker-skinned doll has; hers is more apparent.

He, too, poses without his jacket.

His description reads as follows:

Dark tan complexioned male with made-to-move body has bright green flocked hair, brown painted eyes with mauve eyeshadow, and mauve lip color; wears a purple sleeveless shirt, bright green overalls with BMR1959 on bib pocket, huge white plastic chain necklace, royal blue bubble-style jacket, and orange high-top boots with platform soles. His fingernails are painted dark pink. 

Each doll's certificate of authenticity is attached to the back of the box liner.

All three dolls have a black BMR1959 logo doll stand (not shown) and certificate of authenticity, which is shown above.  The clothing worn by all three is 1990s inspired.

The Trio

With jacket, coat, and blouse on, respectively, they were photographed; and again...

...not wearing their jacket, coat, and blouse, respectively.

Complexion Comparisons

Because colors will differ from device to device, I decided to add the following complexion comparison photos for each doll to provide a better idea of their true skin tones.

Biker Girl's complexion is compared with Barbie Fashionista #123, whose complexion is slightly darker than Biker Girl's.

Guy '59's complexion is compared to Barbie Basics Model #17, who is just a shade darker than Guy '59.

Lovely's complexion is compared with Fashionista #5.  Their heads are about the same complexion with #5's body a shade lighter, maybe than Lovely's body.  By the way, Lovely's head and body are the same color.

I haven't actually named the BMR1959 dolls.  The names used with the comparison photos were randomly selected as I typed the captions.

dbg


There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
Thank you for following, commenting, and sharing using the share button below.

Check out what I am selling here. 
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!