I Couldn't Help Myself

We went up Valley Road to the Salvation Army warehouse. We didn't have much time and I really didn't expect to find much, but when I saw this dolly, there was just something about her. I think it's her relentlessly cheery smile.

"Nothing gets me down!"

She was naked, of course, but I picked up this camouflage dress, along with a pink with butterflies dress, which I think are probably bear dresses. But it was better than nothing.

She had TOMY written across her lower back and I found out she's a Kimberly doll, made in the early 1980s. One seller on Bonanza said "She came out during the Cabbage Patch rage in the early 80s and was ignored. But she shows up these days and is very collectible. A very workable doll if you like to sew doll clothes. First issue face.

At 17" tall, she has gorgeous painted features (look at those eyelashes above her painted blue eyes), beautiful long nylon blond hair and a serene face with cute upturn nose. She is strung."

I noticed she was strung, too, which makes her arms and legs a little loose but not drastically. The serene face is referring to the closed-mouth version (you can see both here dollinfo). I made her a skirt and panties to wear with a T-shirt I had (also a bear's).

I don't think she realizes she was headed for the landfill if I hadn't rescued her.

I introduced her to Lorraine. For some reason I keep thinking Lorraine is 18 inches but actually she's 21. That's why I can't find any shoes to fit her.

"I don't know if I can stand such a relentlessly cheery sister."

Then I had a brilliant idea! I have them frequently. Most of them don't turn out this well. Ann at smallsewing had sent me a dress she crocheted. It was supposed to fit a Barbie but was a bit big for them. What if that dress fit my new doll?

"I love this dress. I don't know why Ann's Francine didn't like it."

"Now if only something can be done about my hair."

Here is how Sabra looked in it.

"She might have changed my boots for slippers before she took the picture, but she's all wrapped up in that huge new doll. This is more Bobbie's color than mine, anyway."

I was going to find shoes for the new doll, but when I opened Auntie Berman's shed door I saw it was stuffed to the gills with--stuff, and I couldn't get over to the small corner she has allotted me where I keep my extra dolly things.

"I think I'm going to like it here."

I'm thinking of naming her Pollyanna.

A New New House for the Graysons

The large doll/birdhouse has gone to be the new Wayfarers Inn. That's because at work I found a Greenleaf doll house that is a better size for the Graysons.

Interesting choice of colors. I like it.

Here is what it looks like on the Greenleaf site. The porch is missing and the front door is not attached. The house was priced at $12.99. I had a little talk with my supervisor and said how it wasn't very well made and seemed to be falling apart. When she accidentally knocked the door out, she obligingly reduced it to $2.99.

Whoever put it together left the opening for the stairway against the outside wall. The Greenleaf picture shows it in the center of the house. Auntie Berman says she is looking forward to fixing up this house. She doesn't believe in dollies having staircases, because she says they don't need them. And because this is a rather small house, I think it would be okay not to have one.

I took Dr. and Mrs. Grayson to see it.

"Welcome to our new house, Mrs. Grayson," said Dr. Grayson.

I took along a piece of furniture to see how it looked.

"It's lovely, Dr. Grayson," said Mrs. Grayson. "I think we shall be very happy here."

"We can divide this into two rooms."

Dr. Grayson is going to have a separate building for his laboratory. Auntie Berman is thinking a tower made from an oatmeal box would be nice. Mrs. Grayson is thinking it will be nice not to have to worry about the house being blown up due to one of her husband's experiments.