Elizabeth Taylor Barbie doll White Diamonds

Today would have been my mother's 81st birthday. She passed away in 2013. She was fun, bubbly , and loved Elizabeth Taylor. 

This particular doll is both lovely and poignant to me, as I gave it to my mom in the year she passed away, and it was one of the few she de-boxed. I do not have the original one I gave her-that is a painful story I do not wish to recall here, but one of the same persons who took most of her collection - a 'friend' also gave me this doll, the same doll, when her own mother died, who also collected dolls. So life makes circles. But back to my mom, who this story is about. 

Mom loved Elizabeth Taylor, her life, her movies, and her style. She had sold Avon in the heydey of the 1980s when Elizabeth Taylor was doing a line of fabulous jewelry and had some pieces which I regret having to sell now. She adored the perfume "White Diamonds" and I have to say it is one of my favorite perfumes as well. 

Today, in honor of my mom, I have waited until this anniversary of her birthday and the tenth year of her passing, to de-box this lovely doll.

Enjoy your dolls. As well as those passed onto you. 

 

Raggedy Ann and Andy Collection items

This is a post that has been in the making for a while, as I am interested in all kinds of dolls. I have recently become enthralled with the charm of Raggedy Ann & Andy dolls and their stories. I have acquired two vintage books and I have had the Mattel Tommy & Kelly storybook Raggedy Ann  & Andy doll set, as well as the Applause 12 inch doll that both belonged to my mother, seen below. 

I got even more interested after watching some of Rachel Hoffmans' Videos on her Youtube channel. Large Raggedy Ann and Andy Doll History with Jonathan Green VIDEO

and My Childhood Raggedy Ann Dolls | A Happy and Positive Program with Jonathan Green |VDC video

These videos and Rachels channel have helped me look at these charming dolls in a different way and understand why my mother loved them, for their silliness and charm. 

The stories of Johnny Gruelle are whimsical and fun, and take me back to when as a child a box became a house, a tree became a fort, and so on. Marcella is like any little girl who sees her toys as friends. I hope you will embark on embracing Raggedy Ann and Andy in a small way and read their stories. 

 

Vintage 1995 Happy Holidays Barbie

I have been catching up on my collection of Happy Holidays (Christmas) Barbie dolls. I have some of them, but not all, so looking for deals on the dolls has been part of the fun of the 'hunt' of the dolls, especially the ones from the 80s and the 1990s  - the years when they had the most beautiful dolls, in my opinion. 

My first acquisition this month was 1995 Happy Holidays Barbie off of Mercari selling platform. I have found some great deals on this platform and the shipping cost was not that bad. She did not come with a box but she came with her stand, shoes, brush, and the cardboard photo from the back of her box. She is one of the extravagantly gowned dolls with makeup and her hair is very soft. Very lovely. 

Here she is with 2000 and 2007 Happy Holidays Barbies

Enjoy!

 

Vintage 1988 Happy Holidays Barbie

Vintage 1988 Happy Holidays (Christmas) Barbie- she arrived today! 

I had this doll and 1989 long ago, my mother purchased them for me each Christmas. I would have been 23 years old in 1988 and probably just displayed her in the box, but at some point, like the de-boxer I am, I took her and the next years doll out of their boxes to display near a tabletop tree, and probably put them back in their boxes for some reason. At some point the boxes and the dolls, were lost but I still have the gowns. Go figure. Who knew that the 80s would be vintage or antique?? lol. 

But I scored her at a great price- she was listed at 29.99 but her shipped was 11.00plus and I could not see whether or not she had her complete stand. She had her shoes, which was the most important item to me, and also- that cut out photo on the back of the box! I could piece together a stand if I had to. I made an offer of $24 and she was mine. Some sellers have her listed for $100!

She will need her elastic hairband replaced as it looks like it is dry-rotted, but I can do that on another day. I have been working on her on and off all afternoon with these photos. I had her stand but not the stand base- so I had to use Scarlett OHara's base which fit. These photos show her in the box, out of it and with her photo cut out of the back. I am now on my way to creating my Christmas Card photo draft for this year! 35 years of Happy Holidays Barbie! 

 

Richmond Doll & Teddy Bear Show October 21st, 2023

I attended the Richmond Doll & Teddy Bear show yesterday, on October 21st, 2023. It was at a different venue instead of the Richmond Raceway Complex, where it is usually held. This year it was held at the American Legion Post 175, 8700 Bell Creek Road, Mechanicsville, Va. The show usually runs 9:30 am to 3:00 pm 

I arrived later than usual at about 9:45 am and my buddy Karon and her son Mike were already there. The place was packed and to say it was small was putting it mildly. The aisles were very small to walk through, customers were crammed and attempting to get by each other, and those that were physically challenged with walkers, wheelchairs were even more so. But the dealers had some great stuff! I purchased two Gene outfits from my usual dealer for great prices- $15 each, they were incomplete, missing shoes. I also purchased Caroling Fun Barbie for $5 from a fellow club member who is going to re-string my Madame Alexander dolls for me. 

 I purchased Home for the Holidays and Ransom in Red for my Gene dolls and the Doll Castle News I got for free when paying my entrance fee along with the doll auction news flyer. 

I did not take photos of the show 1- because the promoters of the show had a large sign of things you could not do , one of them being taking photos, amongst other things( which is stupid! since many people were taking photos!) 2- it was simply overwhelming just wading through the sea of people grabbing dolls, dolls behind you, in front of you , on all sides of you! 3- the room was the size of a small church fellowship hall, and crammed with dealers and customers and tables with shelves and dolls and other items. After an hour in there, both Karon and I had seen and purchased enough and needed fresh air as it was stuffy and overwhelmed the senses. 

Though I enjoyed the show, I was not able to go out to lunch with my doll friends- they felt the same way I did- overwhelmed of the sensory system and had other things to do. I continued my fun by stopping at two of my favorite thrift stores before going home. 

Have more dolly posts coming up soon! Lisa