i've been reading a lot of comments about this story (actually the event of her death occurred in 2010, and the original story is in the Telegraph) ....a lot of 'no way, this picture must be stage' to 'where's the dust'? (i see dust) but generally speaking people are flabbergasted she kept the apt. and apparently never returned... some of the items (stuffed ostrich?) are truly fascinating, some are totally exquisite! that mirror! and the crown moulding..the vanity is just incredible....the painting is what i find most intriguing....this was a portrait of her grandmother by a FAMOUS artist, yet she never returned to get it? wonder what fascinating story is behind that! i keep studying the apt. pics....-gg of course the mickey mouse doll (and is that porky the pig?) seem SO out of place, yet just adds to the charm of it all

My mom LOVES babies. I mean LOVES babies. At family gatherings we tell young mothers "Don't let Aunt Scarlet get the baby or you won't see it for the rest of the night" LOL. She also SNEAKS them things. Her favourites are chocolate icing and whipped cream. Or giving them a rib bone (cleaned, and not chokeable size) to gum. Once I found DD happily sucking on the outside of a crab leg. I was about to get upset, then my mom looks at me in wide eyed innocence and says "Well, it's not a PICKY one!" - like that explains it all LOL. My mother was a nurse, so we often had dinner conversation that was not for the faint hearted or weak stomached. One of the first times DH ate with my family, he almost spit out his food when she told a story about a friend at work that does those parties, with the "novelty" items. She was driving a jeep with no top and got into an accident, flipping several times. At the same time, these "novelty" items were flinging all over the road. After the accident the police were trying to gather up her things, and they kept walking up to her and saying "Ma'am? Is this your (expletive)?" and the girl didn't know whether to say yes or no ROFLMAO! Of course, my mom used the actual words. MIL won't even say the word "ovary" in mixed company. Poor DH nearly had a heart attack LOL.

ttodd, I wanted to share my experiences with you. My mom and her husband (only grandfather my kids knew) built each child a dollhouse. And let me tell you these were not your ordinary dollhouses. They started out as a kit, and as in real life, there were lots of upgrades. He absolutely loved woking on them. There is copper flashing, shaker roofs, gutters,etc. My mom decorated the interiors, and they were incredible. Each girl got one (different years), and then they made my son a horse barn. Everything was electrified (I highly recommend that for the lights!) Here is the only downside. They are huge. They are a pain to store when they get older. My kids are 23,21,and 19. They are not in homes of their own yet, so we are storing them, but they will take them eventually. They are on rolling platforms, so the kids could push them up against a wall, and then roll them out when they wanted to play. I have quite a love/hate relationship with the dollhouses. Of course the love far outweighs the hate. My mom passed away about 11 years ago, so it is really special to see what she did. Oh, and both of the girls had a box of Christmas decorations (including lights) to put up on the outside of the house as well as the inside. Also had a Spring collection of things too, to decorate with flowers, etc. btw, while we are getting the house ready to be sold, they have all been removed to a friend's house. I think my house looks bigger now without them in there!!!

Aunt Jen, I proudly display my collection of dolls....always have. I'm almost 65, so that tells you the age of my dolls. AND, many of my dolls belonged to my mother, who is 87 years old. I have a Madame Alexander baby doll in her christening gown...She's just lovely. I was given her when I was about 7 or 8 years old...so early - mid 1950s. And some "character" or "story book" dolls from the late 1940s/early 1950s. What's really unique about my collection is that most of my dolls are from foreign countries. Uncles serving overseas in WWII or the Korean War, brought me dolls when they came home. So these are very old dolls, made in their native countries. I have dolls from all over the world that arrived in my home from the late 1940s - mid 1970s. When I was growing up in Denver, I occasionally lent my dolls collection to the local library for them to put on display and it always received rave reviews because people loved seeing the native clothes of people from around the world. When I remodeled this home in 2005, I had the carpenter build a custom case to show my dolls...with proper over head lighting and everything. They're still crammed in the case, but are much more easily viewed than in any other cabinet. I'll take some photos and attach them here soon. I love my dolls, and I proudly display them....even though the rest of my house tends toward formal/traditional/Oriental decor. Free your dolls from their boxes and proudly display them! :)