Child's Play

When Dottie was a wee lass she would spend endless happy hours, playing with her dolls.. dolls of every size, shape, material, character...any doll basically as Dottie was besotted with dolls..full stop.
Several years on.. and we won't say how many.. far too scary.. she still has a passion for dolls, but alas, not so much time to play with them these days.

Dottie's first love affair began with her first doll which was a Russian Doll otherwise known as Matryoshka Dolls bought by her mother, from the Ideal Home Exhibition in 1960. Not just one doll but a whole family of them to play with ...



The mother doll has lost most of her vibrancy... but then so has Dottie!

Milly remembers, shamefacedly, cutting the hair of her dolls and daubing them in felt tip pens, giving them one of her own special makeovers. How many dolls have suffered the same fate we wonder?

Dolls come in all guises and are a constant fascination..

These charming little bisque dolls are known by several names such as Frozen Charlottes, Penny Dolls and Dime Store Dolls. They were made in between the years of 1800 and the 1930's and were made from one single piece of bisque china to be sold cheaply.



Small but perfectly formed ..




There were many different characters made at that time before an alternative material such as celluloid was used to create inexpensive toys and dolls like this motley selection .. Not sure about the poor lass who looks like she has been under the sun bed for too long!



This lovely little nurse is made from composition, widely used in the manufacture of dolls heads and limbs.. she is reputed to have a good bedside manner.



Milly & Dottie's share many amusing and happy memories of playing with their dolls.. the washing of clothes in a Chad Valley washing machine, Barbie's first and last boyfriend aka Ken, Sindy's extensive collection of matching accessories and her annoying little sister Patch. Tressy and her amazing flowing locks of real nylon hair, Tiny Tears and her incontinence problems and then there were those disturbing Cabbage Patch Dolls.
I wonder where they are now and how many stories they could tell about having biro tattoos and skinhead hairstyles!

It's Official

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Oh dear. Our suspicions have proved to be grounded - all those mutterings from Milly and sighs of despair from Dottie. There it is, if proof were needed, in black and white so it must be true. It's official - Milly's only gone and lost her marbles!
If amongst your brown papered parcels you stumble across a slightly depleted, motley bunch of coloured spheres, please would you return them c/o The Stockroom. We appreciate your help...

Father Dear Father

One of our favourite old movies is "Father Of The Bride", the original starring Spencer Tracy and the stunningly beautiful Elizabeth Taylor. Not only is it a very funny film but at times incredibly moving. We remember watching this when we were younger, laughing out loud as the arrangements and bills became ever more fantastic. Now watching it as an adult, it's hard not to empathise with "Stan" the father, how he seems so marginalised and surplus to requirements... and how very hard it is for him to come to terms with the fact that his little girl, his princess, is now a woman who will be leaving home. Oh we love it!

One of Milly's all time favourites is "Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House" starring the very gorgeous Cary Grant.

An all too familiar scene is the breakfast scene in the cramped apartment where the family sits down to start the day - Mr B tries to explain his job in advertising to his daughters who seem very nonplussed and keep quoting from their teacher. He then turns to his newspaper to find that most of it has been cut out by the daughters for their school work...
One of Dottie's favs is "The Railway Children", who can fail to be moved by the achingly moving scene at the end of the film when Jenny Agutter runs along the railway platform towards her father, calling out.. 'Daddy, my daddy' as he slowly emerges from the mist. Brings tears to Dottie's eyes every time ..

Do you have a favourite "Father" film? There are so many to choose from. If you could choose one film to give your father for Father's Day what would it be?

If films aren't your thing, or, more importantly, your father's, we have lots of lovely gift ideas in our Emporium.

If the idea of a kick around takes your fancy, we have a wonderful vintage game of football in our Nursery...


What could be better than this book in our Library - the original hobby book for "boys of all ages".


Perhaps your Sunday could be taken up watching a tie press being constructed, making helicopters or making a Union Jack - the instructions are all here!

Talking of Union Jacks, in our Attic, there's a lovely vintage one waiting to be waved.

If he likes nothing more than a potter in the garden shed we have some lovely 1930s gardening cards and hints here...

or for the man who has everything..but surely not a brace of gnomes.. these two cheeky chaps can be found in the attic..

If motoring is his thing, what about a Vintage Ladybird to explain the finer details... Or a vintage motoring guide?


Finally.. maybe your father was a big Biggles Fan.. and had aspirations to become a hero of the skies..

Whatever his fancy or persuasion.. you will be sure to find something to warm his heart on Father's Day, on the shelves of Milly & Dottie's Emporium.

Roses and Ribbons

Oh we've just peeped out from the Dovecote and the sun is shining! We're planning to sneak out from the stockroom and do a spot of gardening. Maybe some jaunty red geraniums like the one in the picture, but then we'd have to dig out our matching jaunty red watering can, fork and trowel... not to mention our yellow sun hats with jaunty red ribbon to match our sunflower yellow dress with red trim... sounds like a good idea, as long as our aprons stay nice and starched.

Our knees would get awfully muddy in a dress that short, just as well there would be nobody around to see us. What's your favourite? Geraniums and gingham? Daisies and dungarees? Tulips and tunics? Poppies and paisleys or sunflowers and smocks?