A New Camera!

After much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth over the demise of my FujiFilm FinePix camera, which abruptly stopped working, I saw a Kodak EasyShare at work. Eagerly I purchased it (it was half price--only $15), rushed home, tried it, and discovered it Didn't Work. There was a newer model of the EasyShare and I thought I would return the bad one and get it. Meanwhile, I was looking for a foot pedal and controller for a Riccar sewing machine that my HLP had found. Mrs. Smith, who does home health care, wanted to go to Savers too, so she and her dementia lady and I all went to my store on a shopping expedition. Little did I realize what I would find.

The Riccar--from the 1970s, I think, made in Japan

I exchanged the bad camera for the new one, got the foot pedal, and then found, buried beneath the stuffed animals in a bin, a hard plastic dolly!

Her wig was coming loose and at first I thought I didn't really want her because she has teeth and she looks much younger than my other dolls of that era. She was with the toys and should have been in the Collectibles section, so I thought I would take her with me as we traveled through the store and put her in her rightful place. Of course by the time I got there, I wanted her. She was marked $9.99 and I got 30% off. When we got home I had to sneak her inside and hope HLP didn't notice her.

Penny and Joanie helped me hide her.

Then I had to find her different clothes, because I'm sure she was tired of the same outfit she'd had for who knows how long.

This dress fit her quite well.

She is a Baby Barry doll and since my last name is Barry, it was obviously preordained! Here she is at the Doll Reference site (4th one down): Baby Barry

This is a little fuzzy but it shows her teeth.

I don't know if I will get her a new wig or try to comb out her hair. Maybe I just need to glue some of it down.

Then there's another new doll I haven't mentioned yet. I got her a few weeks ago. Again, I saw her at work and knew immediately she was an MGA doll. They have a distinctive Look about them.

She had no clothes when I got her

She is 18 inches tall. I thought she would make a good big sister for Veronica. She is an MGA Best Friends Club doll.

"And I'm going to get a pony or a bike!" Veronica tells her new sister.

That same day I found a composition doll in our Collectibles section. I have three similar dolls and had no intention of getting another one. She looked just like Mamie only she was wearing a Marie Antoinette dress.

She is a Dream World doll, 11 inches tall with stapled-on clothes. Dream World

Mamie and Elnora and Glinda were happy to see her.

The four compo girls, with Peggy and Sydney in the background.

I'm not even going to say I'll never get any more dolls again. There are just too many wonderful ones out there.

A windowful of dolls

If windowful is not a real word, it should be! The ghost lamp on the left is from the Salvation Army. I simply couldn't resist it.

I've Been Off My Dolly

I really have no excuses, other than laziness, and now that I want to blog again, my camera isn't working! But I had already taken some pictures, so here we go.

A while back I had an MGA Best Friends 4Ever doll that I named Jade.

I liked her but when I decided to cut down on my dolls, I got rid of her. Then a couple of months ago realized I missed her and I wanted to do a Goth version of her. I saw another one of her at my store and got her.

She was dressed in this nifty pink outfit, which of course wasn't what I wanted. I made her a black Morticia sock dress to get her started. Her name is Jinx.

"This is more my style (I think)."

I got the idea from Auntie Berman, who turned her Pottery Barn doll into a Goth girl named Jett. Then we both decided they needed brothers and I found a footless Bratz Boy at one of the thrift shops and named him Jax. Then we found a Boy for Auntie Berman and she named him Blaze. Then she misplaced Blaze and when I saw a bag with a Boy and a Girl in it at work (and the Boyz are not as easy to find as the Girlz), I got it. I know I have said I don't like Bratz Girlz, but I felt very sorry for this girl because she had had her eyes worked over.

Before

I thought I would like experimenting with her. I tried using peanut butter, which works quite well for ballpoint pen ink, but it had no effect on what was apparently Magic Marker ink. Then Auntie Berman gave me a Mr. Clean Magic Sponge. It worked like a charm and didn't hurt her eye paint.

After

Fixing her up made me like her, so I decided to keep her. I named her Seraphina. Meanwhile, Auntie Berman found Blaze. He was in her shed and since he had no feet at that time, we think he must have hopped all the way across the yard to get there. (We have since found lots of feet for everyone.)

The rest of this story must wait until I have a working camera. I will just say that I now have four boys and four girls of this size and I don't know quite how it happened.

I also decided I will not refer to them as Goth, because now I find the term embarrassing. Last week three overtly Goth young people came in the store. Two were merely dressed in black (although they were purchasing a white dress) and the third was wearing clunky high-heeded boots, had long hair in a pony tail, and had purplish-red lipstick. After they left, the supervisor turned to me and said "Was that a guy or a girl?" and I had to tell her sadly it was a guy.

My inspiration for these dolls is the Addams Family and Edward Gorey pictures. They have much more class than Goth.

Motor Scooter Samantha

I saw her at work and was intrigued because she was quite a bit different from any other doll I have seen. I found out she is a Motor Scooter Samantha from MGA and she originally came with a motor scooter which could be remotely controlled. I named her Veronica.

Veronica gets acquainted with Sydney and Glinda, while Mamie looks the other way.

I told Veronica she cannot have another scooter but that I will keep my eye out for a pony or a bicycle for her. She is articulated and her hands are in a permanent grip, so I have to get her something to hold onto.

Odd Little Plastic Doll

Our dumpster diving friends Nino and Deena brought me this 11 inch baby doll, made in Hong Kong.

She appears to be a drink & wet doll, until you realize there's no hole in her mouth. However, there is a hole in the back of her head!

We think maybe there was an Accident on the assembly line and her head got turned the wrong way. I'm not fond of baby dolls but she is cute. She is now wearing a little onesie and a jacket that says Beagle Scouts on it. Since I won't have to feed her or change her diapers, she won't be any trouble and the 14" girls can babysit her. I haven't told them yet.

Joanie is Here!

She arrived on Monday, February 13, but I had already left for work so I couldn't get her until Tuesday. I know we thought of naming her Valentine but she just didn't look like a Valentine in person. And I was surprised to find she is 17 inches tall. On the back of her neck is it says 17VW and according to dollreference, that is a Valentine doll marking! Everything I've read about Valentine dolls suggests they are ballerina-type dolls, with bendable knees and arched feet. Joanie has flat feet and her knees do not bend. Her head is vinyl with rooted hair but her body is hard plastic.

First thing was to try on clothes. Joanie came with panda slippers which were too big for her, but they fit Lorraine perfectly.

The dress is too big and the slippers are too big, so let's try something else.

"I don't mind if you wear my tee-shirt since I have your slippers," said Lorraine.

"My sun dress is way too big for you."

Meanwhile, also on Tuesday, I received from my sister MollyK a package of patterns and Saucy Walker clothes.

"I don't think this is really me."

So I let Penny try it on.

"I love it!" said Penny.

And another present for Lorraine, a babydoll nightie.

"For my next slumber party."

A sweet old-fashioned dress was perfect for Sydney. I will need to take the sleeves up a little.

"I feel very sweet and demure in this."

Then I asked Lorraine if she would mind posing outside in the snow to show off our one and only real snowfall of the season. It's not very impressive and most of it has melted away already.

"The things I have to suffer!"

I really like this next dress. It needs a few adjustments but it is kind of a flapper style dress.

"At least I'm getting most of the clothes."

When I saw this next dress my first thought was that it was a definite "baby" type dress and no one (meaning Lorraine) would want it. Then I looked again and realized it was a ballerina/princess dress!

"Now I need ballet slippers."

Penny offered to let Joanie try on her green and white dress. It's a bit skimpy in the skirt but it fits so now I know I can use the same pattern for Joanie's next dress.

"I just love my sailor dress," said Penny.

"Look, girls," said Lorraine. "I'm a princess and you're not!"

Oops, I Did It Again!

I accidentally found another doll that was really cheap and looked like a Mary Hoyer doll.

That's a Mary Hoyer face if ever I saw one.

Very little was written in the description but I decided to take a chance. Auntie Berman aided and abetted me--Last week when she was sitting at my computer she logged into eBay and didn't log out, so now when I go there, eBay thinks I'm her and I tell her I'm bidding on all kinds of dollies.

I am assuming she is 14 inches tall, but even if she's not, I will love her. Mary Hoyer didn't make a lot of walker dolls but she sold her face molds to various companies. According to dollreference.com, Mary Hoyer doll molds were also sold to the Richwood company, who then redressed and sold them as their Cindy Lou walker doll. 

She is coming from Colorado and will be here around February 14. So Auntie Berman wants to name her Valentine.

Meanwhile, we found a lovely dress for Lorraine at Goodwill Bargain Bin. It's from a company called Dollie & Me. I'm sure it was designed for an 18 inch doll but it fits Lorraine.

"As long as I get new clothes and shoes, I don't care how many little sisters I have."

Boots for Lorraine

I came across a pair of shoes that I thought might fit Lorraine, and by cutting the straps off and using a small spoon as a shoehorn, I was able to get her feet into them.

She was quite pleased and wanted more. Then I had to have a little talk with her about how she and I are Special. We have Big Feet and we can't just go into a shoe store and buy shoes like normal common people. She said she understood, but I don't think she does.

Then I found a wonderful pattern for making doll boots here and since I had some spare fur on my hands I decided to try it.

Here is a closeup.

I had to enlarge the pattern, since Lorraine is bigger than American Girls. They were very easy to make, but I advise making a practice boot first out of felt (make two and your doll can have house slippers). Also, read the directions! I glanced at them and then thought I knew what I was doing but soon realized I didn't.

Now Lorraine wants to know if there's enough fur left over to make her a coat. I suppose there is. 

Sydney's Here!

Sydney arrived Saturday morning. I thought sure she would have to go to Sacramento and then back to Reno, but apparently she came straight to Reno, was processed early in the morning, and then sent out for delivery and we got her around 10 a.m. Because we were going out thrifting, she got to see a little of her new city. Then I was afraid someone would steal her if she was visible in the car, so I wrapped her in a sweater and put her behind the seat. She spent last night getting acquainted with her sisters. This morning I took pictures of the girls.

"We all got new dresses," said Sally. "Maybe you will too."

I already had Sydney's dress cut out, so all I had to do was sew it up.

"I love our sailor hats."

Last night Auntie Berman and I restrung Penny, following the directions of dollstringing.com/. It was very easy and painless (I hope) and Penny is a whole new girl.

"I feel like dancing."

"I heard we're going to get hoodies next!"

They are going to get hoodies next (but not today.

We had an incredible find at Salvation Army Warehouse. I've often wondered when Monster High dolls would show up in thrift shops and then thought "never," but I saw something in a bin, reached in and pulled her out, and Auntie Berman recognized her as a Lagoona Monster High doll. She was missing her forearms. We searched the bins but didn't find them. You can actually buy replacement forearms and hands from Mattel for $3 a pair! We also thought of making them out of Barbie arms. In the meantime, Lorelei, as Auntie Berman named her, relaxes at home with her camel (Auntie Berman collects camels, among other things).

"I thought I was going to die in the landfill. I'd rather be buried at sea, if I must go."

Auntie Berman has two other Monster High dolls.

I think they're whispering together about the New Girl.

Auntie Berman has many eclectic collections. She is going to start her own blog soon.

One New (Last) Dolly is on her Way

I've always loved the look of Mary Hoyer dolls but never thought I could afford one. Then I found out her face molds were often used by other doll makers. So I kept my eyes open and found her on eBay. Thanks to Auntie Berman, we won her for only $23.50. I will owe Auntie Berman for the rest of my life, as usual. The eBay seller, itsalways4sale, said I could use her listing pictures on my blog, so here she is:

We have named her Sydney.

She already has a dress but of course I am making her a new one.

The seller sent her out promptly and Sydney left Kansas City Thursday afternoon. I don't have much hope that she will get here Saturday and Monday is a holiday, so she probably won't be here until Tuesday. I wrote a little poem about her:

Oh Sydney, dear Sydney

Your mama awaits

Your arrival in Reno

Across many states.

Then another one this morning (not nearly as good but I'm not at my best in the morning):

Oh Sydney, dear Sydney

I'm glad you're not an Aborigine.

You are so very pretty

They don't appreciate you in Kansas City.

So then Auntie Berman had to write one:

A doll from the Midwest

Wanted to cover her chest

So she’d look her best –

She chose a vest.

Now looking her best,

She goes on her quest

(this is NO jest,

She is NOT a pest)

To find her nest;

She’ll live in the West.

Sure, she picked the easiest word to rhyme, while I picked Sydney, which is extremely difficult to find rhymes for (I refused to use "kidney).

Meanwhile, I've been sewing. (And we've renamed Marley Peggy, because we thought it was more in keeping with the times.)

Noelle, Peggy, and Sally enjoy the wintery sunshine.

Penny had a little accident. Her leg fell off when the elastic broke. She was originally a walking Sweet Sue but her walker mechanism had been removed and she had been restrung without it. I want to restring her properly so I invested $3 to learn how here. I saw that the main problem was whoever restrung her didn't use S-hooks. I only have two of them right now but will get some and fix her up. I made her a dress and Peggy is modeling it for her.

She wants to keep it for herself.

I used the fabric Ann sent me a while ago to make an American jumper (as opposed to an English jumper which, you may remember, led to some problems between Kyle and G.I. Joe and ended up as the fight). I need to make a better blouse to go with it and I have some nice honey colored silk (from a tie) that should work.

Auntie Berman painted Penny's lips, which really brightened up her face.

Penny will soon be a whole new girl!

Now I must get to work on Sydney's dress, which is a yellow-with-cherries cotton print from Mary Engelbreit. It will be nice to have a dark haired girl to dress.