some little girls
love dolls.
and then there
are those
who really
prefer stuffed
animals
{aka softies}...
although
i loved to act out
dramatic
stories
with strawberry shortcakes
in my sister's
doll house,
my heart was really
with my stuffed animals.
i took them
everywhere.
lined them up
on my bed
and directed
them to do things
{i was quite bossy
i hear}
and
treated
them like
my dear friends.
i particularly
loved penguins
so i had a whole
hoard
of penguins
a few bears,
and an
enormous
cougar.
eventually this
evolved into
my deciding
i wanted
to be a zoo vet.
so my dad
helped me
set up
the medical center
for people & pets
on our porch.
i would operate
on the animals
when
they got
holes or needed
new stuffing.
my dad gave me
old lab equipment
so my operating room
could look
very...umm
"official"
{glass jars
with cotton
or tongue depressors,
hyperdermic needles
{with needles removed}
and
lots of bottles
my dad filled
water dyed
different
colors.
those animals
are now
in a blue trunk
in my parents
basement storage
waiting
to be taken out
again for
my nephew.
none of
my childhood
stuffed
animals
were
handmade
but my love
for them
was true.
the blogger world
has introduced me
to the joys
of softies
and over
the past year
my collection
has grown
through swaps
and purchases.
so i thought
i'd share
with you...
my collection collective:
of
handmade softies
from many of my
favorite
blogger artists:
{for softie
artist info
go here}
these softies
occupy
many corners of my home
here:
and here too.
see more collections
here
and
here.
14 comments:
gwen, i am loving your nostalgic posts (being a sentimental "woman in love with the past" as well). i can very much relate to your stuffed animal post (though i was never that scientific about mine) and about your xmas tree post. (my dad celebrated on the 25th and my mom on the 24th and we've always done the 24th evening celebration with a very swedish tree.)
your dad was so sweet helping you with your vet clinic.
oh and as for all the terrible manufacuring stuff. i know i don't know the half of it. isn't it terrible how everything is "antibacterial" now too though? from pillows to soap. it's so depressing.
i have a strong memory that i think you would like gwen. i remember playing on the porch one summer day and thinking to myself, maybe today when dad comes home he will have a surprise for me. a few hours later my dad drove down the driveway, parked and called me over to the car. he said "i have something to show you" and opened the trunk to reveal a stuffed blue dolphin about the size of my four year old self. i loved that thing until almost every last one of the styrofoam pellets came out years later. the power of positive thinking i say.
hi gwen,
i love your softies collection. i have a few myself: a robot and a penguin from wendy, an owl from gracia and louise, two birds from paula and a pig from tracy. i love them. :)
when i was little i had tons of stuffed animals too and played school with them. i also wanted to be a zoo vet or a zoologist. my mom ordered those animal cards seen on tv and i pretended to be a scientist. i think that's why i know so many random animal facts now.
xoxo shari
i had a hush puppy (a mini one of course) that was more precious than any of my cabbage patch kids. i was constantly cuting holes in him and sewing him up. i would pretend that he had been in dog fights and then would take him to the "hospital". i hope this doesn't mean i am going to be a bad mother someday!
i am envious of you camilla creation. thanks for bringing back some good memories.
btw-your xmas post made me cry!
i LOVE how your dad did that....
and all your adorable softies... hmmm.... i have an idea... [but it will have to wait for a spell]
xoxoxoxo
love this story, how cool that your dad helped you with making your dreamworld reality!
and i love your collection :-)
My fav: the 1st photo.
I love the tonal sympatico of Moomintroll, phone and kidney dish.
Lovely.
the sweetest softies, the sweetest post :)
Those softies... so wonderful... and quite the army!
Thanks also for reminding me of Raspberry Tart with Rhubarb Monkey, amongst others.
take care, grache
oh your collection is wonderful!! Theres nothing like handmade softies!! And your Dad is a great Dad!!
What a GREAT collection of Softies you have!
what a great collection you have, and your story is wonderful. a beautiful, cherished memory you have.
wow, i am so honored to be part of a collection collective today. hooray for softies! my favorite part of the story about your dad is how he put the colored water into jars. also how official the clinic name sounded. i can picture it all quite clearly!
so honored to be in your collection and i just love this post!
i, too, was obsessed with stuffed animals as a child. my best friend and i even threw an elaborate wedding for our bears.
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