Hollyhock dolls

When I was a little girl, I was at my Grandma Hunt's house one summer afternoon, and she took me out to her Hollyhock patch and taught me how to make Hollyhock dolls.

This year I have 8 and 9 foot hollyhocks blooming all over the yard, so I took my girls outside today to show them what my grandma showed me!  If you have Hollyhocks in your yard and want to try it out, this is what you do:

Select an un-opened bloom that would make a good "head".  Find a larger one for the mid-section.  Then pick an open Hollyhock that is the color of the "skirt" you want your doll to wear. Stick a toothpick down through all three:

Add some arms by sticking another toothpick through the mid-section of the doll:

Now all she needs is a face, added with a permanent marker:

At this point, turn your girls loose, letting them add their own embellishments, such as "hair" and "hats":

A lovely bride:

A town busybody -I love the toadstool "parasol":

A flamenco dancer holding a fan:

These dolls were all created by Madeline.  She was really into doll creating.  Isabelle hurriedly made three darling dolls and then ran off to play with them.  She enjoyed them for quite some time, and then came to me wondering what she could do to make them last longer.  We covered them with damp paper towels and are storing them in the refrigerator.  She has big plans to play with these dolls all week- hopefully they last that long:)