January 14, 2014

Hitty Celebrates Christmas at Pumpkin House!

Christmas in the Parlour!
 Nanny Nettie-Kin sits by the parlour fire in "Pumpkin House" with little St. Nicholas on her lap.

We wanted to wait until Christmas to show the parlour because we were acquiring some wonderful upholstered chairs from Gail Wilson. We also got several Hitty kits from Gail Wilson for making a bonnet, a rug, and a little doll with a bed and chair.



"Little Dear One" is just thrilled to have friends to share "Pumpkin House" with! Sweet Hitty Sue stands by the warm fire while "Little Dear One" sits snugly in the chair, holding little Hitty.

Everyone sang Christmas Carols and Nanny Nettie-Kin recited "'Twas The Night Before Christmas". What fun they all had!

The delightful Hittys and other carved wooden dolls were made by talented Judy Brown.


Ima, a friend of Hitty, stands admiring the Christmas tree with her little baby sister Lilibet on the rocking horse.
The sweet little rocking horse and the tea cupboard were made by Roy Bubbenmoyer.


The front door of "Pumpkin House",
an old New England House.
"Pumpkin House" is the large golden dollhouse that Susan Branch featured on her blog after she saw it at an antique shop.


With a fire in the fireplace on Christmas Eve, Nanny Nettie-Kin has made "Pumpkin House" so cozy!


The parlour of "Pumpkin House" before cleaning the dusty floors and before adding those little touches of home.

In "It's a Wonderful Life", Mary (Hatch) Bailey wanted the run down old Granville house. She knew she could make it into a cozy home for her family!

Under all the dust we found a marble hearth in front of the fireplace.
The floors look so shiny and nice after cleaning!




The newel post is decorated with greenery.


Tillie Tinkham, the seamstress mouse for the dolls at Corgyncombe, working on a warm flannel frock for one of the Hittys who is sitting in an old sewing bag. The old sewing bag has inside pockets going round for keeping spools of thread, thimble, and other sewing necessaries. The old spools of lustrous silken thread gleam softly in the old lamp light.


863 Park Avenue, the smaller apartment dollhouse that we found after reading about it on Susan Branch's blog. The dollhouse, with its two large opening doors, reminds us of Beatrix Potter's doll's house at Hill Top.


Tillie Tinkham has a shop "Tillie Tinkham's Frocks and Fashions" and Tea Room at 863 Park Avenue.
Ima is visiting Tillie at teatime with her baby sister Lilibet.
Tillie is clapping her mouse paws in delight to see the little baby!
Lilibet was named after Queen Elizabeth II.


Christmas cards that I am still working on!


Sweet Hitty Sue is our first Hitty. She came to Corgyncombe before Easter last year. Hitty Sue reminds us of the picture Susan Branch has on her blog of herself as a little girl when she was Brownie.

Sweet Hitty Sue loves to write! Here she sits at her desk using a quill from Phidelia Finch to write with. Phidelia Finch is the Postmistress of Finch Post at Corgyncombe. We were inspired by Tasha Tudor's Sparrow Post to have our own post for the dolls.




Trilly Tweet Sweet flies and delivers for Finch Post.


Hitty is settling in to read to little Hitty, "Hitty, Her First Hundred Years" written by Rachel Field. The book "Hitty" was inspired by an old wooden doll found in an antique shop. The doll was named Mehitabel, "Hitty" for short and the book is about her many adventures. In the book "Hitty" by Rachel Field, Hitty is carved one winter by an old peddler in the old Preble House in Maine.


Nanny Nettie-Kin


Lilibet loves her rocking horse!


When I was six and at home sick in bed with the flu I called my Daddy at work and told him how bad I felt. He asked if there was anything he could bring me and I said "Yes". At Newberry's store there was a toy section and I remembered a little red dress that I wanted for one of my dolls. I tried to describe it to him as best I could, alas the dress was no longer there, but he brought me home a little round suitcase to put my doll clothes in. I still have that little round suitcase!

When I received this Hitty at Christmas time I opened the box and gasped "It's the red dress"! I was six years old again! What a delightful surprise it was to see Hitty in the red dress!!!


This is the suitcase that my Daddy brought me home when I had the flu. It is packed to the brim with some of my doll clothes (and yes, it can shut!).
Perhaps I should pack it with Hitty clothes and go on a Hitty adventure...


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copyright © 2014 Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson
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