Ah, my beloved Ethel-Maud ~ one of my favourite dolly companions 💖 She is named after both my Grandmothers and was one of the first dolls I bought for myself as an adult. I came across her whilst I was whiling away some time on Ebay ~ oh, it must be getting on for perhaps 12 years ago now, possibly even longer than that! I know that she wouldn't have appealed to most folk ~ especially my more dolly-phobic friends 😉 ~ but I thought she had such a sweet little face, and looked so sad to find herself up for sale, that I decided to put in a bid for her. Actually, if I'm honest, after all this time I can't really remember if I did bid for her or if she was a "buy it now" sale. Either way I know she wouldn't have cost much at all.
When she first came to live with me, Ethel-Maud initially spent her days with all the other dolls in my collection, in the house, so she had lots of company with the baby dolls, fashion dolls and plushies. It seemed to me, though, that she was a little shy and didn't feel that she really fitted in with any of them. So she started to spend more time with me and seemed much happier. I confess that she quickly became my sweet little mascot 😍
Before we moved I knew that I would have to drastically downsize my doll collection, as there just wouldn't be enough space to display them here at St Abbs. Those that now live in my craft room are all that I allowed myself to keep (apart from a handful that lounge around in the bedrooms) and for some time little Ethel-Maud was out there with them, too. Now, though, she is back in the house with me and we both couldn't be happier.....oh dear, you don't think that makes me seem a little weird do you 😲
Well, weird or not, I've been thinking that it would be rather lovely for you all to get to know my sweet Ethel-Maud a little better so I'm hoping to include lots more posts about her over the coming year. To stretch my limited creative capabilities, I have plans to expand her somewhat meagre wardrobe and have already made a start on that. It would also be nice to take her out-and-about (adhering to whatever Covid restrictions are in place, of course 😉) for some photo-opportunities ~ even being out in the garden would make a welcome change for Ethel-Maud, I'm sure!
Let's hope that 2021 turns out to be a very much better year than 2020 ~ and despite the fact that we don't intend to do anything terribly exciting or adventurous, Ethel-Maud and I are both rather looking forward to sharing this little project with you 😊
I originally published this post about my lovely Ethel-Maud on 1st January last year. Well, we all know that 2021 turned out to be a pretty duff 'ole year so far as I was concerned and I did nothing with poor little EM at all! She simply spent the year lounging about on my craft table by my armchair, patiently waiting for me to actually do something with her ~ alas, to no avail 😩
This year, though, I am determined to make a proper effort both with expanding her wardrobe and taking her out-and-about for some photo shoots. So if you should come across a late middle-aged woman (yes, I am still considered middle-aged at 60.5 years old, apparently 😄) who appears to be playing with/talking to a cloth doll.....that'll most likely be moi! Don't worry, no need to call the authorities ~ I'm perfectly sane and perfectly harmless, too.....but probably best not to let my kids know you've seen me out with Ethel-Maud, let's just keep it between ourselves, eh 😉
No comments:
Post a Comment