New Paper Dolls on the Drawing Board...

Rachel: There's a new paper doll on the drawing board in PJ's Paper Doll Factory! Her name is "Janey". She is seven years old and her clothes will be replicas of the clothes her namesake wore as a child. Some of the accessories will be added to match the outfits, however, like with the purse with this outfit, the purse is fashioned after one that was crocheted by Janey's grandmother.

Another paperdoll that is just about ready for purchase is PJ's Little Girl Paper Doll". She has 21 outfits including this Blue & White pinstriped dress with white accessories.

Thank you for sharing your paper doll memories...

Rachel: "My brother, Rueben, and I would like to thank the ladies that shared their paper doll memories for the December 1st Issue of PJ's Paper Doll Memories eNewsletter. These ladies will receive a hard copy of the eNewsletter. We would like to share those paper doll memories with you:

"Your paper dolls always bring back such memories for me, particularly of Betsy McCall. I always looked forward to cutting her outfits out of the magazine." Rosemary, also know as, Dirty Butter maintains not only a Top 100 Site called BLOG VILLAGE, but keeps up with 3 blogs: Plush Memories, Day by Day with Parkinson's Disease and Peripheral Neuropathy, and my favorite...Yesterday's Memories. Comment on PJ's Paper Doll Cut Outs blog.

"I can't even remember the last time I played with paper dolls but I do remember that when I did, I would do so for hours! I would even design my own outfits and use grocery bags, back when we could get paper, and white lunch sacks to cut out the patterns and color on the designs. Sometimes I wish I was still a little girl or at least had one for a child, but I would not trade my son for the world. I guess I will just have to continue to play with paper dolls in my memories." Treva Clark Lewisville, Texas Guestbook comment on PJ's website

"My paper doll memories go back to the fifties and sixties. I haven't thought about paper dolls for years but floods of happy times are coming back to me. If I have time I would like to recollect them for you. Good blog." Jan - The Poodle (and dog) Blog Comment on PJ's Paper Doll Cut Outs blog.

"Thank you for your kind words on my blog. When I was a little girl I loved paper dolls and often made my own, or made clothes for the punch-out ones I had!" JillBeth - The Broken Cup: Christian Poetry blog Comment on PJ's Paper Doll Cut Outs blog.

"My sister Jean was born in 1934 and I was born in 1937. We spent many hours playing with paper dolls. We dressed them up and had them going to parties, etc, but we also made more clothes for them. I don't say they were designer clothes, they were done on the Big Chief 5 cent tablet paper and colored with color crayons. We were not artistic, but we could draw around the paper doll and make the tabs to hold the clothes on, then it generally turned out they had big full skirts, because we could draw them easier than any thing else. I don't remember the names of any of the paper dolls we had, although it seems they might have been named after Movie Stars. When we got paper dolls, they came in a booklet form with light cardboard for the doll, with the picture printed on the cardboard cover of the booklet, and the clothes on the paper pages inside. We tried to take good care of them, because if we didn't, we wouldn't have any. It wasn't something you could throw away and get new ones, you had to wait sometimes a long time to get new ones. Sometimes the tabs that held the clothes would tear off and we would try to tape them on so they would still work. My kids didn't seem to have an interest in paper dolls, and I don't know if my grandkids did. My sister and I spent hours with ours." Karon...keeps us updated with "Karon's Horse Tales". Sign up for the next email by writing karon@yvn.com using "Karon's Horse Tales" as the subject! There is a link in the sidebar.

Thank you ladies for taking some of your precious time to share your paperdoll memories with us! Leave your paper doll memories as a comment to this post or contact Janey Loree via email.

"Twas a Couple of Weeks before Christmas" Poem by Janey Loree

"Twas a Couple of Weeks before Christmas"

‘Twas a couple of weeks before Christmas, when all through the mall,

Not a creature was stirring, not even a paper doll;

Their outfits were drawn by the artist with care,

In hopes that little children soon would be there;

The children were gathered around the computer upstairs,

As visions of paper dolls danced in pairs.

So Momma with her paint brush, and I with my scanner,

Arranged our paper dolls in much the same manner.

When out on the web there arose such a clatter,

I sprang to my desktop to see what was the matter!

Away through Windows, I flew to our paper doll site,

To check out www.pjscornergiftshoppe.com byte by byte.

The snowflakes were falling like new-fallen snow,

As I clicked on the paper doll link on the top row;

When what to my wondering eyes should I see,

But a page full of paper dolls waiting for me.

With a little teddy named Neddy, and International Friends,

More paper animals, Family Friends, Universal kids and twins;

More and more of these paper dolls they came,

As the children personalized and called them by name!

“Now, Rueben! Now, Rachel! Now Janae and Melly!

On, Amber! On, Chrissy! On, Juanita and AnnaBelle(y)!

Now, Gracie! Now, Su-Lang! Now, Natasha and PJ’s Paper Baby Doll,

Now, cut away, cut away, cut away all!”

Now, Fawn! Now, Donnie! Now Andy and Gunny!

On, Tuppy! On, Smitty! On, Neddy and Penny!

Now away to their beds the children they flew,

Leaving the site open, so their parents could see, too.

And then in a twinkling, the parents could see,

How much fun cutting out paper dolls really could be.

As they placed an order and were turning around,

Their order was ready and came with a bound.

The order included a matching paper doll coloring book,

Stickers, cards, stationery and a mark for their favorite book.

A bundle of items were ready to cut and add to the fun,

As hours of excitement and enjoyment had just begun.

Their eyes how they twinkled! Their dimples how cute!

They had dresses and coats, and hats and boots.

There were purses and umbrellas, jewelry and flowers,

Enough to have fun for hours and hours!

They talked all at once, as they started their playing,

Remembering the suggestions for cutting and displaying:

“Start anywhere you like...as you cut to the right,

Staying right of the outer black line.

Poke holes under the arms, and along the dotted lines,

Trimming them up to look just fine!”

And I laughed when I saw them, in spite of myself,

There were paper dolls all dressed and lined up on the shelf!

Then I heard the children exclaim, as they cut with all their might:

“Happy cutting to all, and to all a good night!”

I wrote this poem, adapting it from Clement C. Moore’s “A Visit From St. Nicholas”, more popularly know as “’Twas The Night Before Christmas”. It was published in PJ's Paper Doll Memories eNewlsetter in December of 2005.