Holiday Decorating With Dolls
(deck the halls with boughs of dollies..)

Doll collectors tend by definition, to have lots of clutter--dolls everywhere!  Dollmakers not only have dolls to contend with, but also fabric, laces buttons and trims used for costuming their dolls.  This can be a problem when the holiday season rolls around and you need to make way for your holiday decorating items.

Instead of stuffing all of your dolls into closets to prepare for the holidays, why not incorporate your dolls and doll themes into your holiday decorating?  Whether you collect antique dolls, modern Barbies® or something in between, there is a way to use your dolls for holiday decor. This series will explore decorating with Antique Dolls, Doll Christmas Ornaments, and Decorating with Barbie®, Gene® and friends.

Antique Dolls

There are myriad ways to use your Antique Dolls in your holiday display.  For starters, antique dolls look wonderful around a Victorian Christmas tree!  They are especially lovely when displayed using vintage and antique doll props such as old doll chairs, doll buggies, rocking horses and doll-size sleds.   Just arrange your dolls in these display pieces at the base of a tree, as I did with the two antique bisque dolls in the vintage doll buggy pictured above.    Another display idea for around the tree is a small doll tea party; doll size-table and chairs and antique dolls and teddy bears with a doll-sized tea set looks incredibly charming.

For smaller antique dolls, all-bisque dolls look lovely peeking out of Christmas stockings (make sure you don't have overly inquisitive little ones that will be visiting for the holidays who might grab the little dolls out of the stockings).  And, small dolls can also be hung with string from trees. And, certain modern glass ornaments depict old-fashioned dolls that are quite complementary to antique doll displays (see the green glass ornament in photo, above).  Small old teddy bears look great in trees as well.

Antique Costuming Material Craft Ideas

If you have old laces, fabrics, and buttons that you use for costuming dolls, your Christmas decorating possibilities increase exponentially!   One of my favorite things is to use scraps of rich silks, velvets and cottons and scraps of lace and individual antique buttons to make crazy quilt ornaments with a Victorian look.  Small Christmas stockings for the tree, as well as heart shapes and wreath shapes are easy to crazy quilt and make wonderful, rich looking ornaments which go well with a Victorian/dolls decorating theme.

Vintage buttons also make great ornaments, sewn onto fabrics of all sorts.  Take a handful of mother of pearl buttons and sew onto nearly any holiday fabric shape (such as a wreath) for another vintage-looking ornament.

Next page > So Many Doll Ornaments, So Little Space!  > Page 1, 2, 3,

and don't miss. Holiday Decorating with Barbie, Gene and friends

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Photos and article by Denise Van Patten, © 1999.  All rights reserved.