The difference of one year with Yui’s artwork. They even did the origami kimono for the Hina dolls this year. Happy Hinamatsuri! 
Category Archives: doll collection
Yui’s first Hinamatsuri
Yui’s first (beautiful) Hina ningyo set, courtesy of her Obaachan! π
The Emperor and Empress and the Sannin Kanjo (three court ladies) up close.
With the celebrant! Happy first Hinamatsuri Yui! π Everyone is so beautifully round-faced. hehe!
I especially love the sakura designed black lacquer screen and box/stand of this Mataro collectible. .
Setting up was very interesting and enjoyable what with the little parts of the set. We also have to read a bit to know what goes where and to make sure we had the pieces positioned just where they should be (I was particularly proud that I positioned the cherry tree and mandarin orange tree at their right positions without reading first. Teehee). We had to wear gloves while setting it up to avoid leaving marks on the beautiful lacquer.
Much as I want to keep this beautiful Mataro collectible. on display for most of the year, we have to keep with the tradition and store it before March 4 ends. We of course want to wish Yui a family of her own in the far future hence we abide with tradition.
Thankfully, her Obaachan thoughtfully chose a set that comes with a box with which we can store the dolls after the festival and set it aside for next year.
It came with a brush set as well.
I bought these for storing the dolls as well.
Ja, time to store the dolls now!
Hina ningyo!
A year ago, we wondered if we’d be celebrating Hinamatsuri (for girls) this year or hanging a drawn carp during Kodomi no Hi (for boys). Well, we will be celebrating my favourite Hinamatsuri after all! π
I know that from tradition, parents give these doll sets to their little girls, every year. But I have only speculated on how much they cost. I didn’t even know where to buy them. I thought they are bought in museums and the like. I realised that when I was still single, I haven’t been really to any baby/children’s floor in the malls otherwise I would have known that these dolls are usually sold in malls and how MUCH they cost.
Since the first week of January, these dolls have already been on display.
See the details of the dolls? Amazing isn’t it? See also the price though.
If you only have a few thousand to spare, here’s the cheaper version.
There’s also cute Hello Kitty versions. And cheaper too.
Tradition says that these dolls should only be on display at your house up to March 4. Otherwise, the daughter/s of the house will marry late. Since the dolls would have to be stored for most of the year, a good storage place and good manner of storing the dolls must be in effect to preserve the dolls.
This being Yui’s first Hinamatsuri, we want to buy her her set. A cheaper one at least hehe. But it’s already crowded as it is in our library – the only place I can think of where we can store the doll. Or in the tatami room. Hmm let’s see.
pamana
Moirraine loved this bear-on-a-swing on her crib mobile so much that she gets excited when she sees it and that she talks/gurgles at it and laughs at it – for long periods of time.
Hence I thought that it was just about time to introduce her new bear bedmates to her.
This was when Moirraine first explored and touched her bears.
I gave her the Hard Rock bear first (we’re calling him Rocky-kun) and she talked/gurgled to the bear for a long time. She always eye its guitar as well haha.
It’s sort of my early pamana (bequest) to Moirraine since these bears were given to me by two of my best friends. The Bestfriend Care Bear one from Kat given to me back in June 2009 and the Hard Rock London one from Maj that she gave me back in March 2008. Maj had been around the world quite a lot already and has been very thoughtful of me and my doll collection, so much so that I have dolls from her sojourns in the US, UK, Ireland and Taiwan. I hope she remembers me and my collection while she’s in Spain. And also Kat while in Australia. Hehehe!
Anyways, I digress. For safety reasons, I kept Moirraine’s bed as minimal as I can, sans stuffed toys of course. But I thought that if I just let her play with them and sleep with them during nap time with me looking in on her, then I think it’s safe enough. Then I would remove the bears when we sleep at night. She’s now napping with her hand resting on top of her bears.
Somehow, I find Bestfriend care bear as somewhat holding some similarity to Moirraine teehee.
Hubs himself had a bear in his bed when he was a child and he told me of how he slept hugging the bear. Call it “marjorism” again (it’s what my friends and hubs call my sometimes weird assumptions and suppositions) but I think it helped instill in Hubs a sweet nature, one who likes to hug. And so I’m hoping with this, I’m one step to helping Moirraine have that same sweet nature albeit at the moment we think she already has a sweet nature!
I’m one of the bears
Visited the area where Mom and Dad works. π
Irish doll
After nine months, I’ve a new addition to my collection. A porcelain Irish doll! π and it’s a gift/omiyage this time; from a good friend who went for vacation to Ireland recently.
Freckled green-eyed redhead maiden.
Thank you Maha! π