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Nordic Winter Wishes: The February Printable Paper Doll
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For those of you who have been following along in my newsletter, you’ll likely notice there’s a few extra pieces on this set (specifcally the winter coat and one pair of the shoes). I went back and forth about what to do with that coat. I’m not 100% sure it will layer over all the sweaters and I didn’t feel right giving just one of the dolls a coat (what if the other dolls get cold?). So, I thought- I’ll just keep it as a fun extra for folks when they get the whole set.
Another little detail I didn’t talk about in the newsletters was the coffee cups. I don’t know why I thought it was a fun idea to draw a mug for every paper doll with a different motif, but I did and so I drew one. To give a secret look at my process- I actually did all this layout and design work before I split it up for the newsletters. I’m very happy with how it turned out.
A few differences in these dolls and my usual stuff- I gave the dolls permanent shoes. I go back and forth on this a lot. I used to be strictly anti-attached shoes. But then I spoke with my 5 year old niece and she was deeply bothered by my paper dolls that didn’t have shoes.
So, I realized that shoes were more important than I had often thought. If you’re an attached shoes fan, you can thank her for showing me the error of my ways (though I still think I’m a bit ambivalent on the subject.) And I tend to think it depends on the paper doll- like mermaids SHOULD not have attached shoes.
That’s just silly.
Speaking of shoes- largely thanks to the shoes, there’s over 85 outfit combinations- well over 100 if you add in the scarf or the coat into the mix. So, that’s super fun!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this collection of paper dolls as much I enjoyed drawing and sharing them all with you!
The 2022 Jewels and Gemstones Round Up!
Every year for the last few years, I’ve done a round up of all the Jewels and Gemstones Paper Dolls and I thought I would continue that tradition this year. It’s always fun to see everything! One of my goals for 2023 was to get up to 100 paper dolls in the Jewels and Gemstones series and I am so happy to say we did it!
As some of you may know from my Monday post, things are going to be looking pretty different around here for 2023. I don’t know exactly what this means for Jewels and Gemstones, yet, but I do know anything new I made for the series will be compatible. I am not resizing the series again! I promise.
Jewels and Gemstones in Historical Clothing
Over this year, I did 11 different historical dolls (one was a Patron exclusive and she’s down at the bottom in that section). I explored the 1980s, the 1950s, the Italian Renaissance and the 14th century. All fun eras! My favorite, I think, was my 1980s aerobics paper doll set.
Jewels & Gemstones in Modern Clothing
My modern paper dolls this year focused on a lot of trends like coastal grandmother and regencycore. I also did a Purim paper doll which I am super happy with. There aren’t enough purim paper dolls in this world.
Jewels & Gemstones in Fantasy & Sci-fi Costumes
My fantasy and sci-fi paper dolls are some of my favorites and based on your feedback- you’re all big fans too! My favorite fantasy paper dolls from this year I think were my regency fantasy set, my circus set and my mermaids (both Opal and Citrine got to be mermaids this year!).
Jewels and Gemstones just for my Patrons!
I debated how to share my Patron paper dolls for this year. I wanted to both show off what I’ve made for my amazing supporters and maybe entice a few of you who aren’t supporters yet to consider joining us here! As always, thank you so much to those of you who support PTP. It really does make a difference.
And that’s it folks!
The most popular post on PTP this year was Gallant Ladies! I was surprised, I confess.
Did you have a favorite? Let me know in a comment!
Ruby Dressing Up in the Mid-1950s
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I mentioned in my last 1950s printable paper doll about how important I thought it was to have some 1950s fashions for these paper dolls that include pants and Ruby is getting two pairs of them. She has what was known as a “playsuit”- basically, a romper. There’s something very infantilizing about the terms “playsuit” and “romper”, though I’m not sure I have the energy to really dive into how infantilizing the 1950s was towards women. I mean women couldn’t get mortgages on their own until the 1970s, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.
I digress.
The point is that women wore pants in the 1950s and I wanted to illustrate some of those styles for this paper doll.
As usual, my references were mostly catalogs- Sears and Montgomery Ward. I went through do many catalog pages and I did not do the best job of documenting what I used. However, you can see the romper from 1954 here and the camisole and Bermuda shorts worn together from 1955 here. You can see some of the hats here from 1956 and one of the dresses here also from 1956.
As November wraps up, we are stumbling into December which is always a hit and miss month for me. I have an idea that I hope I’ll get finished. Then January will come which may be a month off, I’m still debating, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Hope everyone has been having a lovely end of Fall and beginning of winter (though given that it was -27 here yesterday, I think winter is already here in Alaska.)
Citrine Wearing Some 1950s Styles
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This week is going to be quiet. It is Thanksgiving week here in the states and I am on pie duty. Personally, I love to bake, so it’s no trouble to dive into the world of pie. The only thing I don’t like is the crowds at the grocery store this time of year. I really dislike grocery shopping in general. Grocery pick-up might be the one good thing to come out of the pandemic.
Anyway, today’s 1950s vintage fashion paper doll is the first in large collection of 1950s dolls that I’ll be sharing. Citrine has a wide range of 1950s fashions from a pair of jeans with a casual blouse to a smart wool suit from Vogue. Her underwear is from 1955, but since the dolls all need to share clothing it doesn’t quite give the pointy boob effect that was popular in the era. Maidenform being the big name in that genre. Anyway, I don’t feel like linking every single source image. You can find many of them on my 1950s Pinterest Board.
Coloring these pieces are always a challenge for me, because my modern eye does not seen the same things in a black and white image as people at the time might see. So, I try to base the colors on the catalog descriptions as much as possible, especially because the catalogs are mostly produced in black and white. It’s tough for me, because I love color.
One thing I really wanted was to be sure to draw some trousers for these paper dolls. I tend to like drawing dresses more than trousers, but they were popular in the 1950s. I did some for my 1940s Jewels and Gemstones, but they never made it onto the blog’s version (they are included in the Etsy set). Trousers were still pretty strictly a casual garment in the 1950s. Never the less, I wanted to be sure to include jeans, shorts, and a playsuit. Stay tuned for more 1950s clothing over the next few weeks as I finish up the other sets.
Don’t forget, there’s an older Sapphire 1950s set which fits right in with the aesthetic.
Autumn Looks: Printable Paper Doll
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Very similar color scheme here to my November Vivian Gown. I really like purple, orange, and green together. Also, I realized I hadn’t done a doll with glasses in a long long time, so I wanted to fix that.
One thing I’ve noticed this year is a lot of maxi-skirts and a lot of cropped tops, so I tried to use both of those in this set. The other thing I’ve noticed is that pants are starting to veer away from the skinny jean to more of a straight leg style which I think is great, because I much prefer it. Sort of sad to see tunics being less popular as I also tend to prefer those.
Oh well, can’t have everything.
Meanwhile, I wanted try to do something seasonal. Though it was -3 outside this morning and I had to plug my car in (I live just below the arctic circle), so the battery would survive my work day and all I could think was, “Why do I live here?”
Also, it’s only November, she whined.
Still, I love Alaska and 90% of the time, I don’t mind the cold so much.
So, two little things:
- If you’re a patron, there’s a poll on last Friday’s post about the future of Vivian. Please vote. Thanks!
- If you want to get in on some Newsletter paper doll goodness, be sure to sign up for the newsletter. Next issue comes out Friday! And I am super excited.