STORYBOOK DOLLS

When I was a little girl living in Salt Lake City, on special occasions my mother would buy me a Storybook Doll by Nancy Ann. They were pricey and I would usually only get them for a birthday or Christmas. I treasured those dolls and only had a 3 or 4. 

Carol Jane - -taken just before we moved to Phoenix

Age 6. My mother smocked this dress and it was one of my favorites. I'm wearing a gold locket that my sister Betty gave me. It was kept in my mother's jewelry box because it was real gold. It was stolen, along with my dad's beautiful cameo ring and most of my mother's jewelry when someone robbed our house in Phoenix.

I also had two other dolls that I remember. One was a baby doll, life size, with "magic" skin, - - some kind of plastic or rubber that felt real. Mary Ann got one also, and we got buggies to push our babies! Quite a Christmas. 

Another year I got a Sonja Henie doll, with a blue skating outfit trimmed with gold sequins and best of all, little gold ice skates. 

That same year Mary Ann got a Scarlett O'Hara doll with the dress with the big green hooped skirt. My mother took that outfit apart and used it for a pattern and made a bride's dress for each of the dolls, each with a hooped skirt. She sewed tiny lace and little pearls on the outfits and made a beautiful veil.Then she resewed the Scarlet outfit back together. They were very special dolls and her outfits made them unique.

We moved during WWII to Phoenix. Everything was rationed and luxuries were hard to come by. Certainly no dolls to be bought. 

When we got to Phoenix, the box holding my dolls was missing - - never to be located. We suspected the moving men, but could not prove it. BTW Ann's dolls were safe!

Somehow I've kept hold of my 3 Nancy Ann dolls, but they were broken in the move. I always intended to fix them, and have drug them around for years. Now was the time. No more dragging. Do or die!

 Here's what I had saved. Three dolls (the 3rd body is under a dress.

 Her head is much worse looking than shown. I've spent 3 days trying to glue it back together. The arms all needed restringing. One had a broken leg. I finally gave up on piecing her head. The bride was in the best condition, just needed her arms re-attached, but I wanted "Autumn", so I decided to canabalize them. 

I took the wig from Autumn, the body from the bride, and reattached the arms (Ruth where were you when I needed help to restring - I ended up doing it with wire and a very so-so job!) I pressed her dress and shall enjoy looking at her and remembering my youth!