Workshop Change: Arabella Grayson

h, the best laid plans...

Due to a scheduling conflict, we have had to move Arabella Grayson's presentation, "200 Years of Black Paper Dolls" to Friday, August 8 in Ballroom A, from 4:45-5:30 p.m.

It was originally scheduled for Thursday, August 7, at 2 p.m. in Ballroom B.

We will post reminders at the hotel and in your registration folders.

We thank Ms. Grayson for her understanding and willingness to take on this new time slot.

The new day and time was selected because it posed the least conflict with other events going on that day. We are grateful that Ms. Grayson, who is travelling from California, was able to amend her schedule on our behalf.

We ask that those of you who have signed up for this presentation make sure you enter the room by 4:40 so that Ms. Grayson can start and end on time.

For First-Timers Only

ew to the world of paper doll conventions? Let me know!

We want to make sure you have a great experience in every way.

E-mail me at linda(at)geb(dot)net.

Registration Folders

egistration folders with name badges will be distributed at the hotel's front desk starting Wednesday, when you pick up your room key.

For those arriving earlier, I'll be at the Manager's Reception on Tuesday evening and I'll have a stack of folders with me.

Selling from your room?

mbassy Suites in Piscataway is going all out to accommodate our special needs.

If you're planning on selling from your room, they want to know. They're going to do their best to place you near one another, so buyers don't have to run from floor to floor looking for you.

Send me your name, and I'll make sure Adriana Garzon has it as she makes room assignments.

Antique Dolls by Karen Reilly

A note from Karen Reilly, the paper doll illustrator for Doll Reader Magazine:
"I can't attend the paperdoll convention but I thought I might add something to
your freebie table. Would you be interested in a stack of printouts of my paperdolls of antique dolls for a giveaway?"

Would we! And thank you Karen for allowing us to use these images on the blog.

Jane Powell by Gregg Nystrom

Another fabulous Gregg Nystrom paper doll, capturing the likeness of one of our convention celebrity guests. Gregg said he'll have 30 copies of the Jane Powell p.d. for sale--and the original will go to Miss Powell.

For Baseball Fans

Korey Schaffer has a ticket to a Mets game at Shea Stadium that he cannot use . It's a 1:10 p.m. game on Sunday, Aug. 10.

Our convention ends at 11 a.m. Sunday, so if you're planning on staying around for a few days, and are interested in the ticket, contact me and I'll put you in touch with Korey. The ticket has a face value of $30, but that's negotiable, says Korey.

It's an e-ticket -- so it will be e-mailed to you in time.

Oh, and the Mets are in first place in the National League East division right now--could be an exciting, pivotal game on Aug. 10!

Where's the Freebie Table?

reebies! Who doesn't love a freebie?

The Freebie Tables will be set up outside Ballrooms C&D on Friday, August 8 from 1-5 p.m.

Don't forget that Paula Sherrick will be accepting your freebie donations. Her room number will be posted in the lobby so you can drop off your freebie items.

Some things we love to find on the freebie table: cut paper dolls, uncut paper dolls, complete sets (perhaps a duplicate in your collection?) or incomplete sets, colorful scrap paper or wallpaper, paper toys, etc.

And after you've picked out an item or two from the freebie tables, make sure you check out the Competition display in C&D, which will be open for viewing only from 1-3:30 p.m.

Raffle Preview: Kis Eg

Kis Eg from Denmark sent this preview of her donations to the Raffle Room:

"Each gift: 1 booklet with the story about the artist, 2 paper dolls in diffrent size and 1 t-shirt and a shopping bag with the doll.


Top: "Birthe Wilke is a singer from the early '50s."

Bottom: "Elly-50 is a paper doll drawn in 1950 but produced in 2006 because of the meeting in Esbjerg were we got the license for production of the doll."

Thank you, Kis!

Sabrina by Gregg Nystrom

Flapper Dresses by Martha Davis

Martha Davis will be selling original paper dolls from her room at the convention. It's her first convention, so welcome, Martha!

Here's a sample of her work. She used crepe paper for these flapper dresses, a wonderful update of those vintage Dennison paper doll sets that came with rolls of crepe paper to make your own outfits. The doll is peeking out from behind one of the blue dresses -- we'll just have to stop by and visit Martha to see the whole deal.

We will post room numbers of those selling from their rooms--and anyone else who wants old and new friends to find them.

A Midsummer Night's Dream by Tom Tierney

Convention Dress Up

No you don't HAVE to, but if you're of a mind to dress up for our themed banquets, it can be a lot of fun!

Thursday, August 7, is our Fashion banquet. Be inspired by your favorite designer, or come up with your own runway-ready outfit. This is the night that Jane Powell and Dick Moore will join us, so it's fitting that we're all looking our best.

Friday, August 8 is our NYC on TV banquet. So many shows were filmed in New York, or in the New York created on a Hollywood sound stage. Think: The Honeymooners, That Girl, or wasn't there a more recent show that spotlighted fashion and NYC...hmmm, it'll come to me.

Saturday, August 9 is our Broadway Banquet. You're either a first nighter at the premiere, or the star of the show--a great opportunity for a grand entrance, whatever you choose.

This 50's beauty queen was the doll of choice for a recent round-robin of the NYC group. Since I can't draw very well, I was thrilled to find the Coldwater Creek catalog dresses fit the doll to a T -- with a little "tailoring" here and there. The shift with purse attached was a magazine ad with an interesting pattern.

The Kid Sister, 1935

Hotel Convention Rate Deadline

oday is the last day to get our special convention hotel rate of $110 for a single or double room.

If you haven't secured your hotel room yet, you must do so today.

Suellen

Doll aficionados never tire of Gone With the Wind -- the story and costumes have inspired dollmakers who work in paper and porcelain and every other kind of material.

Suellen, one of Scarlett O'Hara's sisters, was played by Evelyn Keyes, who died at the age of 91 on July 4.

Careen O'Hara, the youngest sister, was played by Ann Rutherford, who attended the 2005 paper doll convention in L.A.

I acquired this well-played with doll as part of a larger cut set; I believe it dates from 1940.

UPDATE: Did anyone catch the outfit that doesn't belong with this doll? I didn't see it until I clicked on the outfits, and saw a name on a tab belonging to another doll in this set.

Artists Gallery: Tracy Williams

Just received an email and picture of this fab yellow suit from Tracy this morning.

"It is a set in process, based on a friend of mine who rides motorcycle leathers all the time. Think about that in terms of July in south Mississippi!

I hope to have the art on display on at the Artist's Gallery and the prints of the set for sale in the sales room. This is new territory for me, as it is a real MAN set, but I'm having a good time painting, as usual.

Cheers,
Tracy"

I love this outfit, Tracy! Look forward to seeing you and your latest work in a few weeks.

Katy Keene by Miki Gross # 1 & 2

Miki Gross can't make the convention, but she did send along information about her latest paper doll--her version of Katy Keene. When ordering, let Miki know you saw Katy on the convention blog.

You can see a lot more of Miki's work at www.cartoondollemporium.com. Search for "Miki" and you'll find her dolls.

UPDATE: Just received an e-mail from Miki showing book #2 (at left).

Convention Update: More on Shipping to the Hotel

driana Garzon of the Piscataway Embassy Suites had more advice about delivering packages to the hotel:

There is no charge for holding the package at the hotel until you arrive. However, it's best if you mail your package so that it arrives AFTER you are already checked in to your room. For example, if you're arriving at the hotel on Tuesday, mail the package so that it arrives Tuesday or later at the hotel.

If your package arrives Monday, the hotel can have it sent to your room (if it is not occuppied) or the hotel will hold it in a back office. But Adriana pointed out that the hotel does not have a lot of storage space, so play it safe and mail your package so that its delivery is timed with your arrival.

Sample:
Embassy Suites-Piscataway
ATTN: JANE DOE/PAPER DOLL CONVENTION
121 Centennial Ave.
Piscataway, NJ 08854


Remember: there are no Saturday deliveries to the hotel, so plan accordingly.

You can reach Adriana at 732-885-0338 or Adriana (dot)Garzon(at)hilton(dot)com

News from NIADA

The National Institute of American Doll Artists is holding a supper event at the Imperial Palace Hotel in Las Vegas, directly after their conference:

UFDC/NIADA Supper
Sunday, July 27, 5:30-7:00pm

"NIADA conference registrants, UFDC visitors and paper doll enthusiasts are cordially invited to attend a supper event, featuring a program about NIADA artist dolls from the birth of the organization in 1963 to the present, where you will receive as a souvenir a special edition 11” by 17” folio of paper dolls by 16 NIADA artists. Printed on heavyweight archival paper, each artist’s unique paper doll print will be perfect for either cut-out play or framing and display. This will be the first time a collection such as this is created, and we are pleased to offer it to our UFDC and paper doll collecting friends as a souvenir of their visit to NIADA. Please join us to get acquainted with some of the most beautiful art dolls in the world and their creators."

Find out about NIADA at www.niada.org

Event ticket price: $60 (includes dinner, program and souvenir)
NIADA conference registrants: $45
Please purchase tickets before July 22, 2008 from:
Shelley Thornton
artist(at)shelleythornton(dot)com
1600 South 22nd Street
Lincoln, NE 68502 (to pay by check)
or at: www.accessniada.com (to pay by credit card)

Shelley Thornton has generously donated this special edition NIADA Paper Doll Portfolio for our convention Raffle.

Thank you, Shelley!

Golf Magazine, May 2008

My husband found this one in the pages of his favorite magazine. Advertising art directors and page designers know that adding tabs adds interest, and gets the "buy-this" message across in a very succinct way--even for products aimed at men (although the ads may also be aimed at the women who buy for them).

Sometimes, however, that message is more important than the exact fit of clothing on the "doll"--this guy's arms may be a little far apart for the sleeves on the shirt, and some of the accessories may have to be tabbed awkwardly on an arm or hand!

Love the little scissor along the dotted line on his leg.


UPDATE: My husband says this ad is running again in the August issue of Golf.

Jerry and Joan, Whitman 1935

From the collection of Carol Carey, a well-played with but still charming set. Love the way a little girl long ago spelled out "J-o-a-n" on the tabs of the dress.

La Poupee Modele

Samy Odin, director of La Musee de Poupee in Paris, will be attending our convention and has generously offered an exhibit for our Wednesday evening opening reception: a selection of paper dolls from La Poupee Modele, a French magazine that included paper doll sheets from 1863-1925.


Above are samples from Sheryl Jaeger's archive; she will also have some Poupee Modeles for sale at the convention. The first image of flower-themed ladies (cut-out) is c.1890s; the second is an intact sheet from 1885.

Convention Update: Shipping to the Hotel

The Embassy Suites in Piscataway has provided some guidelines to make sure your boxes and packages arrive in a safe and timely manner.

Adriana Garzon of Embassy has the following advice:

"The best thing to do is to make sure that all packaging has our address, function name and name of guest who the package is for. Hope this helps, if not, just have them contact me directly and I’ll explain in detail."

Here's how I would do it:

Embassy Suites-Piscataway
ATTN: JANE DOE/PAPER DOLL CONVENTION
121 Centennial Ave.
Piscataway, NJ 08854


Remember: there are no Saturday deliveries to the hotel, so plan accordingly.

You can reach Adriana at 732-885-0338 or Adriana (dot)Garzon(at)hilton(dot)com

The image above is taken from the Theriaults online catalog for the Shirley Fischer auction of 2006: an abundance of Woolworth paper dolls, circa 1915.

Independence Day

Little Alice Busy Bee by American Colortype, c. 1915.

The Artists Gallery: Kwei-lin Lum

Kwei-lin's work is always a revelation: she takes familiar stories, shapes and colors and creates something fresh, unique and provocative. Whether it's Fortune Cookies, the Day of the Dead, West Side Story or Pop Art, I'm always eager to see her take on it and add it to my collection.

Her latest work is "Pangea: United Continents," and here is how she describes it:

"This is a mix-and-match set with an international theme. There are 18 separate pages. The purpose is to cut everything out and mix heads with bodies and mix outfits. The pieces can also be altered, cut into parts, and combined. All 12 figures are the same shape, and there are 101 heads. Copying pages for personal use is OK because 12 figures may not be enough. The end result is a cut set of hybridized paper dolls and clothing. Hopefully the user will find some surprises and humor in the combinations. I've been cutting the set out to see how it worked, and I find it very fun to play with. Then again, we all like our own 'babies.'

"On a less technical level, I wanted to create an activity that amounted to freeing things from their familiar environments. When the playset elements are no longer held to their past places, they have the potential to morph into something else, by interacting with things from different realms. The mix and match also achieves a degree of connectedness among all of the parts. (And yes, I've imposed a unity by using compatible colors and flat stylization.)"

Wow, thank you, Kwei-lin! What a beautiful meditation on the fluidity of identity and boundaries, geographic and otherwise. Below, the cover of Pangea:

Janet Leigh 1957

I get a kick out of paper doll sets that show real clothing, not necessarily the most exotic or glamorous, but a time capsule of fashion of a particular era.

Janet Leigh apparently designed her own clothing (for sale in shops? I don't know). This set is a great window on the 1950s: great fit and flair, streamlined and bouyant skirts, too. The influence of Claire McCardell is apparent.

The blue-striped dress looks a lot like the dress Sylvia Kleindinst blogged about earlier this year. Janet Leigh wore a dress in a movie that was fitted on top, but exploded in fabric right below the hip. Sylvia says she made it years ago, and it required yards of fabric. She recently found the Photoplay pattern for it on eBay, and plans to recreate the dress.

Lana Turner by Gregg Nystrom

Just checked my inbox and found this from Gregg:

"Hi Linda! Thought I would send this along to you...my Lana Turner PD in one of her outfits. Can't believe the convention is just a little more than a month away! See you soon!"

I can't believe it myself, Gregg!

And by the way, your Lana is gorgeous.

Toy Theaters

At the end of May I visited the 8th International Toy Theater Festival at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn. It was magical, a visual delight. I attended the exhibit portion of the festival; there are also scheduled performances at the toy theaters, which sell out quickly, but I hope to make at least one next year.

As you can see from the photos, there were vintage Pellerin theaters on display as well as new ones; I especially like the dollar bill construction! Remember to click on each picture to enlarge.

Check out www.greatsmallworks.org for more information about the festival and other toy theater events.

And who knows: maybe a paper doll collector out there has a toy theater in his or her own collection to enter in the convention competition (paper toy category).