Do you remember paper dolls from your childhood?
They were printed on thin card . . . and came with paper clothes. . . with those cute little tabs.
Paper dolls have been around for over 200 years and even though I had a bedroom full of baby dolls and assorted Barbies when I was growing up, I still liked those pretty paper dolls too.
I was one of those arty craft kind of kids. . . so I liked to make my own paper outfits for my paper dolls to wear. I could spend a whole afternoon of creative and imaginative play, designing, colouring, cutting and making my own line of designer clothes.
By the time I had my own children, paper dolls had become a thing of the past.
The modern world had given us ugly Bratz dolls with outrageously large heads and thin bodies, Barbies with like a gazillion wardrobe changes and Baby Born’s that mimicked all of our bodily functions.
There was little likelihood that a simple paper doll would excite the Generation Y’s.
But, I fondly remember those ‘good old days’. . .
When a child could spend a whole afternoon playing with a simple paper doll.
And. . . maybe even as a grown-up, the little girl in me can revisit this simple past time in a new guise.
Meet Pearl . . . a sweet little doll cut-out made from a vintage paper doll graphic.
I think she if the perfect addition to my button collection in the studio.
Pearl will be hanging out at this week’s link parties and with these friends: Inspiration Exchange, Live Laugh Rowe, The DIY Dreamer, Tutorials, Tips & Tidbits, Blissful White Wednesday, Transformation Thursday, French Country Cottage, The Vintage Farmhouse, 36th Avenue, Be Inspired Friday at Common Ground.
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Paper dolls were great to play with and it was such fun to make extra outfits. I think your little miss is lovely and a perfect ‘keeper of the buttons’.
Toni xx
cutest button keeper ever! have a great week!
Hey Kerryanne! I LOVED playing wiht paper dolls as a kid! I remember spending hours dressing them and designing new outfits for them. Your little button keeper is sure a cutie. :0) Happy playing – Bear Hugs! KRIS
Love your Pearl with the string of pearl buttons, I have been showing my granddaughter paper dolls, she doesn’t even play with dolls, 4 yrs old, so I am hoping this is something special we can do together,
Oh Kerryanne, Pearl is so adorable. I love how sweet she looks holding her garland of buttons.
I miss paper dolls, too! They were so fun to play with.
Pearl is just adorable…I remember those days of spending hours playing with my paper doll collection!
I love your wooden “Paper Doll”! I have some of my paper dolls still and our daughter, who also loved paper dolls, has shown her four year old how much fun they can be. Our youngest Daughter who is 17, still loves to color and draw on her paperdoll design book she found in Germany last year! I don’t think paper dolls are gone completely…at least they seem to be staying around our house! I am going to make a doll like yours…I LOVE Pearl!
hearts,
Betsy
She is gorgeous! I used to play with paper dolls for hours and like you made up my own dolls and clothes. It’s a pity that the new generation missed that creative play time.
~C
Well this brings back some good memories. What about Besty McCall? She that had clothes in each McCalls Magazine. every month. We couldn’t wait for our moms to buy the newest magazine. Boy were those fun. She always had the newest styles. A couple of years ago I found some Disney Princesss paper dolls and bought them on a whim. Still have them somewhere. Will be collectors items some day most likely. Thanks for the awesome memories tonight.
Oh MY! She is so charming and adorable! Although my girls never really took to paper dolls , my youngest has been on a doll-making adventure for the last several months. She is 11, and I am thankful that she still has a level of sweet innocence in her play that has nothing to do with Gothic dolls!
I am visiting for the first time from Keren’s blog and link-up! You have a lovely blog!
Hi Kerryanne,
Oh this post brings back such warm memories of my childhood!! like you my sister an I would play for hours!!
The good old days 🙂
I have always loved paper dolls. I still have a very few of the ones I played with as a child. Pearl is the perfect companion to your button collection. She has an adorable face. I’m sharing her on my Once Upon a Firefly FB page.
This paper doll is so cute !!! very lovely !!!
She IS just a bit cute Christiane. Every time I see her on my desk with the button bottles she makes me smile.
Is there a way to print her? She’s beautiful
You’ll find this image (which is out of copyright) on the internet Jo 🙂
can you give any more specific info on how to find her??
Hi Linda, this is a free graphic I found online a long time ago. It pops up on Pinterest if you search paper dolls. I made the graphic into a wooden doll for my own use 🙂