Here Comes the Bride - Saalfield #1320/1967

Today's post is a bit of a mish-mash.  I wanted to include this book straight after last week's Whitman Bridal Cut Outs - although they are very different in style both are wedding paper dolls from the same era and I have always associated them very closely together. 

As yet I don't have a replacement for my original set which has a few rather noticeable deficiencies - most obvious is that the groom seems to have wandered off which is rather unfortunate.  The wedding dress is a bit moth eaten and I'm missing most of the accessories for the cake as well as two hats and one yellow top.

There is a laser repro of this book available for sale at Nutz4paperdollz which can be viewed on this link to their eBay site. I think it is just a little bit pricey for a reproduction.  I found an original for sale at Madslucky13 that I wanted to buy but there is no postal option for Ireland.  (I assume you have to live in the USA.)  The four pictures advertising it contain most of the elements I am missing so on this occasion I am deviating from my usual policy and am 'borrowing' them:    

What follows are the remnants of my original book.  As with all my other paper dolls it was extensively and lovingly played with.  The only thing about this set that I found slightly unusual as a child is that there is only a bride and groom - I was always looking for a big retinue of bridesmaids and flower girls.
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I just adore the fashions on show here - especially this white dress with its diamante neckline peeking out from an opulent red coat.

I was very interested to discover that the original artwork from this set was recently sold on the American auction site Heritage. I have sourced and bought original illustrations for myself before (I count amongst my most prized possession four original paintings by Ron Embleton - two from 'The Secret of the Trolls, one from 'The Magic Apples' and one from 'Snow White'.)   I've never though of looking for original paper doll art though and so was very intrigued to find a reference to this.  The artist was Jeanne Voelz and this work realised $126.50 at auction.      

A House in the Park

To finish today a mixture of photos taken in town.  This pretty little Queen Anne style house is at one of the side entrances to St Stephen's Green park.  It is the home of the park superintendent.  A lovely place to live but a bit like a goldfish bowl - no privacy at all! 

Iveagh Gardens has a similar house at its main entrance.  I'm not sure if this is a also a home as well but I have heard the sounds of a radio playing inside when I walk past.

Trinity College

The early morning light on these autumn mornings can be beautiful.  I took this photo of the campanile at Trinity College on the way to work this week.  I love the luminous colour against the pure blue sky.

Cryptic Messages

These cryptic messages appeared a little while ago on Dublin's streets.  The middle photo is in Iveagh Gardens, the other two in the vicinity of my work.  I'm sure there must be more if you know where to look.  I have no idea what they mean but they are both curious and intriguing.

Hidden Dublin - Lower Baggot Street

I have no idea why this art installation is placed on the outside of a building in Baggot Street opposite the old Huguenot Cemetery.  It does remind me of a funeral mask but it is one in miniature as the casting is quite small.   

Whitman Bridal Cut-Outs #1966 - 1965

If the Heavenly Blue Wedding (posted 24 Feb 2011) represented my Sunday Best, Whitman Bridal Cut-Outs were my Work-a-Day wedding set.  Even as a very young child I recognised that the HBW belonged to another era.  It had the unattainable remote glamour of a Hollywood movie.   The dolls in the Whitman book by comparison were completely part of my world.  They were as familiar as the people in my neighbourhood and the set is a classic from the decade.

Strangely enough the dress that I have always found most appealing in this set is not one of the wedding outfits and does not even belong to the bride.  It is this simple shift dress worn by the Bridesmaid with its pretty scalloped edging and lovely creamy colour.

I also love this mauve dress belonging to the flower girl.  She is the about the same age I would have been when I was first given this book.  This dress is so similar to some I used to own - I had a pink one almost identical to this.      

What saves this set from being unremarkable for me are the slightly unusual poses of the female figures.   They have a definite sense of movement and fit perfectly into the Swinging 60's.  They look like models posing for a photo shoot.

   

Cross Stitch Project

My cross stitch is progressing steadily.  I was worried when I went back to work after starting it on holiday that I would end up having no time to do it, but I fit in a bit here and there while watching TV in the evenings.

I was going to leave working with the beads for last but I would curious to see how difficult they would be to thread as they are so tiny.  My fears were well founded - with my failing eyesight it took me ages just to attach these few - I think it will be a good idea if I do some now and then while I am working on the basic stitching so that I don't end up with an overwhelming number of them to attach at the end!
    

Granny Ika's Banana Bread

I have very few memories of my father's mother (Iris Munro) who died when I was very young.  I do know that this recipe was hers - she gave it to my mom who in turn passed it on to me.  I've always loved this recipe - it is the real old fashioned type - easy to make with simple basic ingredients and it always turns out well.  I make it whenever I have bananas that are starting to become over-ripe as they produce the best results.

This is a recipe that HAS to be made by hand.  It benefits from a light touch and the bananas roughly mashed.  Once I was feeling lazy - I blitzed the bananas and used an electric mixer for the rest - the result was like a shop-bought clone rather than the lovely rustic farmhouse loaf I've always enjoyed.  When I make this I use my oldest most unpretentious utensils and pretend I'm living back in the 1940's!
 

The Recipe

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

4-6 bananas

1 tablespoon milk      

Cream the butter and add the sugar gradually beating in.  Add the unbeaten eggs in well.  Mix in the vanilla and banana pulp.  Sift in the flour and add the baking powder.  Mix the soda and salt with the milk.  Add this to the banana mixture. 

Pour into the loaf pan

Bake for 1 hour in an oven pre heated to 180C

  

Special tip - I always line the pan with tinfoil before I pour in the mixture. (Up end the loaf tin, mould the foil around it and then pop it inside.)  Use non-stick cooking spray and you don't need to grease the pan.  After baking the pan is still spotlessly clean and the foil can be kept wrapped around the loaf to keep it moist!

Ron Embleton's Comic Cooks

The Land Without Sugar

In two earlier posts More Ron Embleton Magic and Wonderful Weddings I mentioned the wonderful humour Ron Embleton sometimes brought to his illustrations and that the motif of Comic Cooks was one he often used to brilliant effect.

I thought it might be fun to dedicate this week's entry to the topic, especially as previous posts depicting Ron Embleton's work have proved to be amongst the most popular in my blog.

Below are a selection of illustrations from some of the best loved stories that Ron Embleton brought to life, showing his skill at depicting both human and animal characterisation. 

The Land Without Sugar

The Magic Apples includes some of Ron Embleton's better known work.  It is also one of my favourites but I've always thought the cook in this story seems out of place.  She belongs to the wrong era altogether for a story with a Nordic theme placed in a medieval setting.  That is the beauty of fairy stories though - they can jumble up reality and still keep us entertained.

  

The Magic Apples

The Magic Apples

The King and the Potato Crisps

 The following illustrations are not of cartoon style characters but they are still humorous and perfectly pitched, conveying the essence of the stories they depict wonderfully.
 

The Secret of the Trolls

The Tinder Box

The Tin Soldier

These are the two pictures I included in the earlier posts that made me think of combining these illustrations together for this particular theme.  I'm repeating them again here: 

Beauty and the Beast

Sleeping Beauty

And to finish - not a comic cook but a beautiful princess who is elegant and competent, bringing sweetness to her kingdom for the first time.

The Land Without Sugar