Ok Friends, I need some help. A few years back I inherited something very special from my Grandma (besides my beloved sewing machine of course) It was a vintage collection of Little Women paper dolls. All delicately cut out by my Grandma. I was touched that they would go to me. I remember the first set of paper dolls my Grandma ever gave me, it was from the American Girls collection, and I loved them, I was NOT careful with them as I was a kid and they did as paper does, rip, tear, and get wet (so ruined) My Grandma was much more careful with her things. So now I have a collection of very old very beautiful paper dolls and I don't know what to do with them.
The dolls are printed on a thicker card stock and are in near mint condition.
The detailed outfits however are printed on paper and the paper is starting to break down...
I have been storing them in the manilla envelopes they came to me in. Then over the past years I have pulled them out from time to time to drool over the fancy styles and extensive accessories.
Then I smile when I see the sweet little notes my Grandma wrote on some of them. I imagine how long it must have taken her to cut out each piece and then how she cared for them all of those years.
Every perfect little piece.
So now that I have a daughter, the question I can't seem to answer is what to do with them. So if it were you what would you do?
I have thought about framing them somehow to showcase them.
I have thought about turning them into magnets so my daughter could play with them
Or I could leave them in the manilla envelope and just look at them every now and then....
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
i would probably scan and reprint them for my daughter and frame the originals. such a cool inheritance!
ReplyDeleteI like Jessica's suggestion to scan and reprint then frame the originals. I definitely wouldn't change the originals or hand them over to your daughter but scanning them means you get the best of both worlds.
ReplyDeleteJessica's suggestion is good. You could also get them laminated so that they wouldn't tear.
ReplyDeleteDang that Jessica she stole my idea. I think they would be adorable framed. I would not let my children touch them, after all the care they recieved over the years they deserve to be protected behind glass and never touched again.
ReplyDeleteHow about scan/copy the old ones, & frame the originals up in a good acid/lignen/sun bleach safe frame. I love the magnet idea, but I would first laminate them and then stick magnets on the back. You wouldn't want to to through the work of cutting and adding the magnets for the paper to get ruined over time. With scanning you could do all sorts of things...print them on shrinky dink plastic (they make printable kind) and make a charm bracelet out of them. The possibilities are endless!
ReplyDeleteI was coming to say you should make color copies & laminate them for your daughter to play with. I was beat to the punch though.
ReplyDeletethose are gorgeous! lucky you. I would probably frame them too, for the sewing room maybe
ReplyDeleteWell, it sounds like you're getting the same advice I was going to give. I would take mine into the copy shop and have them make a few high quality copies. The quality copies I'd let my daughter use (perhaps even add magnets to the back) Then I'd have the originals laminated and then put a little velcro on the back of each so I could put the originals in an open frame and with the velcro I could rearrange the dolls from time to time. I imagine that your Grandma remembers how you took care of the first paper dolls and that she passed these down to you because she wanted them to be used and loved.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I read some of the prior comments. Scanning them for your daughter is a great idea. I like the idea of somehow framing the originals in a shadow box or something. You're very lucky to have such a sweet grandma.
ReplyDeleteSo funny everyone is suggesting the same thing. I guess I'm jumping on the band wagon too ... scan them for your daughter and frame the originals in a shadow box!
ReplyDeletePS can I say you are so lucky!
I would do all of the above, BUT not laminate the originals, because they would lose value. Perhaps frame them, or store them carefully and look at them like the treasures they are every now and then.......
ReplyDeleteJessica has the right idea and frame them as Woman of Many Thoughts suggested.
ReplyDeleteHOW BOUT SOMETHING DIFFERENT - SPOONFLOWER (www.spoonflower.com) THEM
ReplyDeleteturn them into Fabric work of arts - they can be turned into fabric dolls, fabric mobiles, dresses, pillow, bedding..... keep going - this way you can touch and play with them as often as you - sorry your daughter (wink wink - we all have been there> not everything in life needs a value - would your grandmother want them used or want them treasured aka value added?
All of these are great ideas. I also wanted to say that you should make sure to copy your grandma's handwritten notes so you don't loose the wonderfulness of that too. My mom is actually going to be here next weekend as is giving my daughters all of her mom's old Little Women dolls. She apparently has the whole set. I'm not sure if I will be able to allow my 2 and 5 year olds to play with these heirlooms. My mom is all for it (funny. I was NEVER allowed to even touch these dolls).
ReplyDelete