Years ago, (well, probably about 20) as a Christmas present I received a little dolls supermarket- cash register, weighing scales, desk, conveyer belt, and fruit and vegetables to go in my “shop”.
Oh the hours and hours of delight we had- being second eldest of nine there was always someone to play with you, and the younger ones would be so excited as us older ones would construct houses, palaces and shops (apart from the supermarket, we also had a milliners, where we made all the hats, and a haberdashery that sold tiny balls of yarn and miniature needles-all handmade by ourselves) I often tell my children these stories (I had to stop them from phrasing their asking for stories from “long, long, long ago”) and delight in the detail as much as they do!
A year or so ago, my younger sister gave me a box of different bits and pieces, but as they were predominantly Barbie-pink, our boys shunned them, and our small girl wasn’t old enough to be interested.
But that all changed this week when we re-found the box…
With utter excitement our smallest emptied the box “Look! Bawbie kitchen!!!”, and at the bottom, lay my supermarket. I’m not quite sure who was more excited to be honest…
So under the cover of darkness, and staying up waaaay to late, Fergal and I made some fruit and vegetables to stock a little shop (oh, the memories of making playdough cabbages!!!) We made them from Stockmar wax sheets (so gorgeous to use) and set up shop to be discovered by our little ones in the morning.
(note that our dollies only drive convertibles and helicopters, we are a very opulent neighbourhood)…
They spent all morning playing, buying their shopping and restocking the shop, with great plans for entire shopping centres!!! Ooh, I feel about nine again!!
Oh wow Em! That is so exciting!!! You used to make me surprise doll shops all the time! SO lovely. I have some tiny paper shopping bags here too, I may give you them for the shopping. 🙂 xx
Oh that would be great, a lot better than plastic remedy-dispensing bags!!!!!!
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Great idea, and so sweet! Thank you so much for sharing!
Remember we made swiss rolls from bits of carpet? Oh, them’s were the days …
I have packed away Eoin’s toys that he’s outgrown and after moving house twice in a short time, I’ve wondered if I’m mad to be lugging these boxes around. But after reading this, I know in 20 years time it will be so worth it, when we rediscover them for his children and I start telling long, long ago stories!!
Found your blog through Lineanongrata. Really enjoyed reading your tales. Brought back lovely memories of my sister and I creating doll houses out of boxes and bits of fabric. The things we used to gather to make elaborate furnishings! Thanks for your stories.
Wow! This post really makes me nostalgic. I used to have a supermarket/grocery store to myself too.
Hello from Singapore! I came across your blog from One World One Heart
Elle, thank you for popping by, I’ll be over to “see your place” shortly!! I think I’m more in love with this supermarket than our small ones!!!!
Hi Coleen, Thanks for stopping by! We used to have a little wooden toy shop, and when we were closing the toy part (we are hoping to stock our shop with our own handmade stuff) we were having a sale and I had a beautiful dolls house in my head to keep for our children, but before I could put it aside, it was sold… and for a second I thought “ohhh NOOOOOO!!!!”, and then I thought, that the best bit of playing with our dolls houses when we were small was in the making… like you and your sister- out of boxes, fabric, bits and discarded bobs… so that’s what I’m working towards, it’s so lovely to see our kiddies play like we did, and enjoy the process! X