Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls, and Toys

So often these days one hears how important it is to be kind to your "inner child," the little boy or girl you used to be.

Our inner children are still very much alive and in need of nurturing and love.

Well, if my own love of anything miniature helps cater to an inner child, I'd say she's A-okay. 

My love affair with dollhouse miniatures has been going on for decades and there's no end in sight.

Could it possibly be an obsession?  Yeah, probably, but who cares?  Miniatures bring immense happiness and joy and no one can put a price on those, right?

When visiting Denver, Colorado, in November, our hosts asked if there was anything in particular I would like to see.

As soon as he asked the question, my response was rapid fire immediate.

"Yes, I'd love to see the Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls, and Toys," I blurted.

So off we went on a mission.

There's just something terribly thrilling to look into a dollhouse and see the details that went into its furnishing.

It makes a person want to become two inches tall so navigating around the inside corners of a dollhouse would be made possible.  There's no telling what one could discover!

When visiting such a place, I could stay for days.  

I hope you enjoy looking at some of the sights at the museum. It was worth the excursion to visit there. 

This last photo is of the shop at the museum.

Visiting there made both my inner child and me very, very happy!

HAVE YOU EVER VISITED A MUSEUM SPECIALIZING IN DOLLHOUSE MINIATURES? 

IF NOT, WOULD YOU LIKE TO?

From Tragedy to Victory: A Story of Courage and Resilience

This is a story that is chilling, in one sense, but heart-warming in another.

I have a very dear friend who has made dozens of porcelain dolls. Some of them are so real-looking you would swear they are going to get up and walk across the room.

One day, several years ago, her house was broken into.The culprits not only trashed her very beautiful home, they savagely hammered more than two dozen of her dolls' heads.  They left the hammer at the scene.  Only the bodies of the magnificent dolls were left.

My beloved friend was heartbroken. I felt deep compassion for her and enraged  there are people in the world who would cause such wanton destruction on purpose. To me, it seemed like an act of unadulterated evil.

Here comes the best part which shows the stuff my friend is made of. After the tears, she determined she was not going to let the act of vandals weigh heavily on her heart. She started to re-make the heads of her dolls and, little by little,  over time, with great care as well as financial investment, re-created all of the destroyed heads. 

 

Many of the dolls shown in this post are ones that were smashed and remade. Aren't they fabulous? Doesn't my friend sound like one terrific lady?  She truly is one-in-a-million.

                         WHICH DOLL SHOWN, IF ANY, APPEALS THE MOST TO YOU?

"Little Women" Madame Alexander Dolls --- For My Romantic Home's Friday Show and Tell

Madame Alexander dolls have extremely pretty faces with slightly sad looks. They have sweet lips that often look like pouts.  Another given when it comes to these collectors' dolls is they require a deep dip into the wallet.  The little sweethearts are pretty pricey.

                                                                           

                                                                           Here's Jo

                                                                

                                                                                Here's Beth

                                                                     Here's Amy

              Here's Meg

                                                                          

 

                                                       

With that in mind, my ears perked up when I heard two ladies in my swimming group discussing dolls. One said she was selling some collector dolls at a yard sale the next weekend.  I got her address and the time of the sale. Rarely can I pass-up anything to do with dolls.

That next Saturday morning came and I was off to the sale. My friend said she kept the designer dolls inside the house in case I attended the sale. What an honor that was!

There, inside her china hutch was an assortment of Ashton Drake porcelain pint-sized dolls but they didn't appeal to me at all.

Then, on one shelf, four demure little doll babies sat, dressed to the gills in colorful, frilly outfits.

      "Are you selling your Madame Alexander dolls?" I asked. 

     "Oh, absolutely," came the answer.  "For you, they are $5 EACH.

      "What?"  I fairly gasped.  That price seemed painfully low.

Off that shelf came Amy, Beth, Jo, and Meg, dolls representing the four sisters from Louisa May Alcott's beloved "Little Women."  The entire set cost $20.

     

Once home, all their little outfits got a thorough washing. The pinafores, bloomers, and socks got a dunk in hot water, soap, and bleach so they would get whiter.

      The sisters are looking quite stunning these days. They make me smile every time I see

them.

      By the way, on the Madame Alexander website, the four Little Women doll retail for more than $75 each so my tag sale purchase turned out to be nothing short of amazing.

Did you know there was a real Madame Alexander who started the doll company by the same name?  She was the daughter of Russian immigrants. You can read all about her on the company's website.

ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH MADAME ALEXANDER DOLLS?

Be sure to check out Cindy's enchanting blog, My Romantic Home, http://romantichome.blogspot.com/     to see some of the other entries for Show and Tell Friday. Her blog button is in the sidebar to the right. Click on it and, just like a magic carpet, it will take you to Cindy's blog!