How Daphne Duckling Comes to Acquire a "Fanny Green"
Daphne Delphinium Duckling is receiving quite the attention! Ribbon has been ordered for her new frock...in fact....quite an assortment of ribbons have been ordered. Upon further perusal of the tiny Mouse Mills Catalogue, Daphne seems quite puzzled by the term Renoir…
...wondering, to what is it referring...
Grammy Christie ascends the stairs to the storage room...where much remains to be packed...and descends, carrying boxes and bags...
A Madame Alexander portrait doll was a Christmas gift to young Christie, ....a Renoir doll.
Grammy explains that Renoir was an extraordinary artist who was well known for his lovely painted portraits of young ladies in fanciful frocks...Daphne is quite intrigued with the history lesson, but mostly by the lovely laces, stockings and pretty pink ruffles..
She especially admires the bonnet and the velvet millinery flowers..
Grammy opens another box, revealing the very first portrait doll she received on Christmas morning in 1970... a Degas girl..
Beautiful blue velvet forget-me-nots are amongst the bouquet of milliners flowers, along with a pink velvet bow to match her feminine sash…
More blue boxes with pink tissue paper are opened, revealing Pinky and Blue Boy....blue boy's satin clothes have faded over time and appear lavender…
(Grammy still recalls the original vibrant shades, the crispness of the bonnets and ruffles, and even the 'new doll fragrance' ...as each doll was unwrapped on each Christmas morn...Santa knew just how much the dolls would be loved and treasured for years to come..)
Daphne Delphinium is such a dear little duckling, so fascinated by the exquisite velvet flowers, Grammy Christie thinks, and ponders.....and thinks a little more...
An assortment of Barbie clothes and accessories are poured from a canvas bag. It is quite a hodgepodge collection from things gathered and cherished from her childhood, along with a few items of daughter Olivia's Barbie friends.
At last, she comes upon a lovely straw hat (from a Mary Poppins doll wardrobe) and it resembles the lovely "Fanny Green" chapeau in the Mouse Mills catalogue…
Duckling dearest thinks a gardening hat would be lovely! and the 'summer foliage' ribbon seems to be a perfect match. How precious it will be attached to the straw and tied neatly 'neath her chin...
She gives it a try ...
The shade of the satin pink fabric swatches is duplicated in the tiny pink flower...what a splendid match!
(the scissors were another Christmas gift, from Christie's childhood, during her 6th grade year, and came inside a bright yellow sewing basket)
Such a colorful wardrobe for our former little 'wallflower' duckling.
Grammy will do her 'magic' and whip a wardrobe into shape.
Photographs to follow soon.