Carole’s Country Store Blog

We drove to Rehoboth Beach yesterday. Bill is in a golf tournament and we’re meeting with friends afterwards. We left early so we wouldn’t run into traffic around Dover. The car races are there this weekend, viagra and that means tons of traffic.

The weather here is cloudy, hospital but it’s supposed to clear up as the weekend begins. I want to go out today and buy some plants for my deck. I need some nice big ones to make it look more tropical and to help fill in some blank spaces. I went to Lowes last week and bought a piece of indoor outdoor carpet for the deck. I know that sounds yucky, generic but I wanted something that would make it look more cozy and feel nice under my feet, plus I didn’t want to spend a lot of money. Well, guess what, it looks great and it only cost $35.! That’s right, I said $35. It covers the whole length and width of the deck!

I also wanted to tell you that I think we FINALLY sold my mother’s house. I am still holding my breath, and I’m trying not to get too excited, just in case things don’t work out. It’s been a year now since we finished working on it, and this is the first contract we have gotten. If it sells it will be one huge load off my mind. The longer it sits, the more I worry about something going wrong, and more money to dish out. So we’ll see. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Happy day
Carole

Yesterday a package came. I couldn’t wait to open it. Inside were 5 dolls, remedy a horse and rabbit. All made by Teresa Carr, treat and all look very very early. My webmaster has promised me that they will be in the store today. These two are fabulous. Both are 20 inches in length and each one has an early doll body. Teresa has made them a new “old head”, ailment one with stitched facial features and the other with an inked face. The inked face doll was copied from a picture of an early doll in a book I own.

I have taken one of the dolls clothing off so that you can see her old doll body. This one comes with her original black velvet lace up shoes and black stockings. Her bloomers are early as well. The blue calico dress is made from early fabric. Her bonnet is made from an early blue quilt piece, trimmed with early homespun. So charming.

The ink face doll wears an early slip, brown homespun dress of early fabric and a brown bonnet.

I am meeting a friend for lunch today so I better get some work done before it’s time to leave. I want to get back to writing on a more regular basis, so please check back in a couple of days. Until then-
Happy day
Carole

A while back, and I remember mentioning what a great combination wine and chocolate are. Someone left a comment that they enjoyed that too, see and their favorite was Lindt’s Dark Excellence Chili. Lindt is my favorite chocolate, look but chocolate infused with chili? It just didn’t seem to go together. While shopping in the supermarket the other day, guess what was on special, yup, Lindt’s Chili chocolate. I bought it and oh my gosh, I have to tell you that it is just fabulous! A sip of your favorite red wine, and a little bite of this chocolate is a fabulous combination, and a great way to chill out at the end of a stressful day. There is the slightest bit of heat to it, not a lot, just the right amount. I am going back today to buy more while it’s on sale. I hope you will try it, and if you do, let me know what you think. At the end of the day, what a great way to relax. One more thing. I went out to dinner Saturday evening with some good friends. I missed the Preakness, but I saw it on the internet.

Did you know that it’s the first time since 1924 that a filly won! She was so proud of herself. Being a horse lover, I have to say, good for you Rachel Alexandra! You go girl!
HAPPY DAY
Carole

Ooops, levitra my webmaster got ahead of me and put Teresa Carr’s dolls in my store this morning. I wanted to tell you a little about them. Years ago, click I saw some Amish cats in an antique shop. I just thought they were so funny. I thought they looked like a mother had made them for her child, and perhaps they were copied from a drawing that her child gave her. They had no ears and their faces were so funny, so childlike. Even at the time I took the photo, these early cloth cats were very expensive. In my opinion, Teresa Carr makes some of the best early looking dolls that I have ever seen. I own a few, and it’s very hard to tell the difference between her dolls and my early ones. I asked her if she would make me a pair of these early Amish cats and she did. They turned out wonderful and look exactly like the ones that I remember. The larger one is made of early homespun linen and the small one is of early bittersweet calico. They are stuffed with rags and raw cottonseed and are hand and treadle machine stitched. I love the way they look sitting with my dolls. Teresa has agreed to offer a limited edition of 3 sets and they will only be offered in my store. I have 2 other dolls that Teresa also made exclusively for my store.

The one in the early blue calico was fashioned after an early Amish doll I bought over 30 years ago. I always loved the way it was made and asked Teresa to copy the way it was sew together. Again, I wasn’t disappointed. She did a fabulous job and I fell in love with the doll. I kept it for my collection, and asked if she would make me another one like it for my store. What I love about Teresa’s dolls is that they are made with ALL early fabrics. You can see in this photo the way she is put together.

Her shoes are made from wonderful early brown linen. I just love the early blue calico she chose for her dress. The sweet pencil face doll is wearing an early red doll dress that I have owned for many years. Both of these dolls are amazing and I would think that even a dealer of early dolls would have a hard time telling the difference between these dolls and their early dolls. I think you are going to love them and I will find them in my store. All of them will be copies of dolls that I have photographed for many years in antique shops in Chester and Lancaster Counties, and all of them will be just wonderful!
HAPPY DAY
Carole

There is something about early cloth dolls that I have always loved. Over 30 years ago, capsule I remember being in a little antique shop, recipe owned by a sweet elderly woman in Lancaster County, PA. At the time I knew nothing about old dolls, and had no idea people actually collected them. Over in the corner I noticed a large sewing bag, and it had several old Amish dolls and animals inside. This was a big bag, and as I looked further I found several old handmade dolls, doll dresses and even a few Amish animals. These were the real deal, and I had no idea that they had any value. I don’t remember what I paid for all of them, but I am sure it couldn’t have been more then $25. When I think about that bag now, I wish I could relive that day, what a great find that would be!!!!

I kept the 2 Amish dolls and the three Amish animals, a dog, a horse, with clothes pin legs, and a pig. Not long after, I sold the dog and horse to a dealer, but I still have the pig. I don’t know why I did that, and I hate to admit this, but I threw everything else away!! I remember my mother was with me when I bought them, and she was with me when I said I was going to throw the rest away. “why are you going to do that?”, she said. I wish I listened to her and I wish I had them back. Those were the days when primitives were easy to find, and very inexpensive.

For several years, before I started my website, I spent a lot of time photographing the things I love, old houses, stone walls, barns, primitives and old dolls. I couldn’t buy all of them, so the next best thing was having a picture. These are the photos on my website that I offer as note cards and prints. I have lots of pictures of early dolls, and soon there will be some wonderful dolls for sale in Carole’s Country Store. Tomorrow I’ll tell you about them. Until then, here’s a sneak peak.

HAPPY DAY
Carole

Every morning while drinking my coffee and reading the newspaper, site I watch “Morning Joe” on MSNBC. They were talking about a movie that’s being played around the world, called Playing for Change. Mark Johnson, the producer of this video, traveled for ten years, his goal was to connect the world with music. They filmed more than 100 musicians outdoors, in parks and doorways, cobblestone streets and hilltops. It resulted in a mix just regular people, all 100′s of thousands of miles away. It’s peace through music and I thought you might like to see. Can you feel the change?
Happy day
Carole

Before I talk about this metal head doll, tadalafil I want to thank everyone that wrote me and left comments about my mother. Thank you too for sharing your stories with me. I had her here for dinner the other day and I am happy to say that she is still doing much better. When I picked her up she asked what we were having for dinner. She loves mac and cheese, stuff so of course I had to make it for her. She asked what she could do to help, shop so she grated the cheese. Can you believe this! It’s unbelievable. My mother is so much better after coming off that darn medicine! We ate on the porch together. She commented on my flag. “Did you get a new flag?”, she said. She also asked me about my business. “What do you do again?”, she asked. I told her I had a shop on the internet. She remembered and asked me so many questions about how that works. How do the people buy and how do they see what I am selling. She was so fascinated. I got my computer out and showed her how everything worked. It was another wonderful visit. When I took her home, and as we walked down the hall to her room, she was saying hello to everyone she saw. She is so much happier now, and that makes me feel so much better too. Now, I want to show you a doll I bought yesterday. I found her in a little shop in Southern Delaware. She spoke to me, so I couldn’t just leave here there, I just had to bring her home.

She is a metal head doll, with a cloth body stuffed with straw. She has teeth, a tongue and metal eyes that still open and close easily. There are no dents to her head.

She came with clothes, which I will include with her, and I will show them in photos when I put her in the store. Metal head, or tin head dolls were made in the late 1800′s, early 1900′s. Their heads were purchased separately and attached to a doll body, this one is handmade and feels like it is stuffed with straw. She’s a sweet little girl. Won’t you give her a home?
Happy day everyone!
Carole