Flea Market Doll & Mini Finds

It's time again to share some fun flea market finds. I love going to flea markets, thrift stores, garage sales and antique stores, even when I don't find anything that I love enough to bring home. Most of the time, I just have fun looking. These items were not found all in one day, but represent many visits to lots of different places. I don't find something awesome every time, so I just want to encourage you to keep going and enjoy the hunt.

Bonnie Chyle Babies

At a flea market last week, I found a Beautiful Babies doll by Bonnie Chyle. I fell in love with the adorable realistic expression on her happy little face.

I didn't know anything about Bonnie Chyle dolls, so I did a little research after I got home. Sadly, I found out that Bonnie Chyle had passed away on January 17, 2012. I read that she was an artist from North Dakota who had an amazing gift for sculpting life-like babies and toddlers with many different expressions.

This is Danity. The level of details in her face sculpt alone are amazing to look at. She looks like porcelain, but she is actually made of silicone. She has a weighted body, which when combined with her silicone skin makes her feel incredibly real to hold.

She came in her original box with her Certificate of Authenticy and hang tag. She is a limited edition, number 17 out of 1000.

Little Danity came wearing her original white crochet with pink trim dress, bonnet, bloomers, and booties. She can sit perfectly on her own.

Here's her dress and bonnet from the back...

... and her booties.

According to the tag on her back seam, she is from 2005.

If there is one thing I can say about my doll collection, it's that "it is eclectic". I really don't have any other babies in my doll collection, but I don't mind adding something different when it catches my eye.

Danity is a tiny little thing at just about 8".  Here she is playing with a Calico Critters Mama Cat for size comparison.

She looks adorable sitting in American Girl Josefina's lap.

I just can't resist a face that makes me smile. :)

Matryoshka Dolls

My oldest daughter was so sweet to buy this cute set of Matryoshka or Russian Nesting Dolls for me. I have always loved these dolls and I even have some Matryoshka doll fabric in my stash. She saw me admiring them at a flea market, and went back to buy them for me while I was at the next booth.

Matryoshka dolls are made of wood and come in nesting sets. Most have around five dolls in one set, but can have up to several dozen. The first Russian Nesting Dolls were carved in 1890, but they are still being produced today. Each doll opens so that the next smaller doll can nest inside. The smallest doll is made of a solid piece of wood and does not open. Traditionally, the largest doll is a woman dressed in sarafan (a long traditional Russian peasant jumper dress). The dolls inside are painted differently and may be of either gender with the smallest doll usually being a baby.

Also included with this set was an extra solid wood doll. The bonus doll on the right is the same size as the doll next to it from the set, but it does not open since it is solid wood like the smallest doll.

Toy Story Bo Peep

Little Bo Peep from Toy Story was another flea market find.

Bo Peep has a molded bonnet and hair. Her head seems to be made of a softer, hollow vinyl. She is wearing an adorable dress with puffy pink sleeves and a blue bodice with white lace overlay. The attached skirt of the dress is white with pink polka dots and white lace trim. The dress closes in the back with velcro.

The dress has an attached white tulle petticoat. She is wearing long pants style bloomers under her dress, in the same color blue as the dress bodice.

She was originally from Walt Disney's World On Ice, according to her hang tag.

She is jointed at the neck, shoulders, and hips. She has bent elbows. Her knees can bend with a click similar to Barbie. Here she is with Liv Doll Hayden for size comparison.

Disney Miniatures

While we're on the subject of Disney, another flea market find was a miniature Mickey and Minnie.  These were Hallmark Ornaments.

Next to a quarter, you can see how tiny they are. They will make perfect toys for dolls and would look great in a dollhouse. They are made of wood, twine and felt. I love that they have a vintage look to them.

Another miniature flea market find was a tiny Lucky from Disney's 101 Dalmatians.  Little Lucky with his colorful ball is about the size of a quarter. I think he is made of porcelain or resin.

Department 56 Miniatures

At Goodwill, I found this adorable miniature Department 56 Set of 5 tiny figurines. I think these are also made of either porcelain or resin.

The set is called Seasons Bay "A Stroll in the Park".  A mother pushing her baby in a Victorian carriage while baby clutches her dolly.

These tiny pieces have so much detail.

I may be able to use these somewhere in the dollhouse.

Doll Furniture

I love looking for doll scale furniture too.  This little natural wicker chair was $1.99 at Goodwill.  I may decide to paint this one.

Once home, all the dolls want to try it out.  New baby Danity likes it.

China Girl from "Oz, The Great and Powerful" poses to have her picture taken. She thinks it's comfy, although a little small.

Liv Doll Hayden thinks it's just right, but wants me to make a cushion for the seat.

This little white wooden Adirondack was another $1.99 Goodwill find. It was actually a picture frame.

Another good fit for Liv Doll Hayden.

But little Destiny likes this one too much to give it to Hayden. Destiny is a Tonner Kickits "Up To Something".  She was also a flea market find from last year. You can read more about her here.

Antique Dolls

The last doll that I wanted to share with you today didn't actually come home with me. I found her at an antique store for $175. Since I don't know enough about antique dolls, I didn't know if she was actually a good deal or not. She had a bisque head and a wooden ball jointed body. The shopkeeper said that her floral taffeta dress was probably original.

It is my dream to someday have an antique doll in my collection, but for now I will continue to research and learn more about them.

Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts about my finds, and tell us about your flea market finds too!

Hugs,

Lisa

Bargain Hunting at Target, Wal-Mart, Disney, and More

I love bargain hunting.  Shopping is always fun, but it's so much more fun when you find a great deal.  I thought it was about time for another bargain hunting post so I could tell you about the bargains I've found recently. I'd like to pass along the word about bargain finds to everyone so they can look for them in their local stores.

Disney Animators' Collection Dolls

You can't find a better bargain than free!  That's right, I got two Disney Animator's Collector Dolls from Disney for FREE!  Have you heard of Disney Movie Rewards?  In case you haven't, this information is definitely worth sharing.  Inside every Disney DVD or Blu-Ray movie, you'll find a little slip of paper with a code on it.  Sign up for an account at disneymovierewards.go.com/ and put in the code for each Disney movie you buy.  These codes are in every Disney DVD or Blu-Ray that you buy anywhere.  You can also get points for movie theater tickets, surveys, etc.  Your points will be automatically saved in your account, and when you have enough points, you can order FREE stuff from Disney.  We recently ordered with our rewards points and were able to get both Jasmine and Mulan 16" Animator Dolls.  Disney sends out your rewards totally free, you don't even have to pay for the shipping. Here are our adorable new girls, Mulan and Jasmine.

Disney must have had some leftover Mulan and Jasmine dolls from the old series of the Animators' collection, which they have now put into the movie rewards program. Even though we just received them, they are the older style with their little pets. The newer Animator dolls' outfits are a little different and they no longer come with a pet.

The back of Mulan and Jasmine's boxes.

Disney Princess & Me Merida

We found Merida on clearance at Target.  She was originally $39.99 at Target, but they had her marked down to $19.98.  Half price seemed like a really good deal, too good to pass up. Merida is bigger than Mulan and Jasmine, and she has a more mature look too.  I haven't opened her yet, but from what I read she is an 18" doll, although she appears to be thinner than an American Girl.

She has a cute face.  I love her freckles.

Life in the Dreamhouse Barbie

We found this adorable new "Life in the Dreamhouse" Barbie set at Ross for just $14.99. The set includes both Barbie and Midge.  I think the price at Ross for the two pack is closer to what one single doll sells for elsewhere. The Life in the Dreamhouse Barbie dolls are modeled after the new series of "Life in the Dreamhouse" webisodes that you can watch online at barbie.com/dreamhouse. They look different than the average Barbie and Midge dolls, and they have more posability.

The back of the box shows artwork from the Life in the Dreamhouse webisodes.  

These Barbie and Midge dolls are adorable. They both have rooted eyelashes, which I love! I think this version of Midge is especially cute.

Kawaii Crush

Target also had several of the Kawaii Crush tiny dolls on clearance. The sets that were originally $5.99 were clearance priced at $1.78. We got Chilly Millie Yip Yip.

We also got Sunny Bunny Hop Hop.

We found another Kawaii Crush bargain at Ross for just $6.99. Betty Teddy Zoom Zoom is a cute little set that includes a tiny doll, a car, and some other accessories.

Mini Lalaloopsy

Browsing the toy aisle at Wal-Mart, I spotted two of the cutest Mini Lalaloopsy sets I had ever seen.  Both sets included the most adorable kitchen furniture.  I put both sets in my cart and took them to the scanner, thinking they would be a lot.  I was thrilled when both sets scanned for just $5 each.

Berry's Kitchen

Crumbs' Tea Party

I don't know if these sets are old or new, but I know they are new to this Wal-Mart because I've never seen them there before.  The furniture has lots of details like plates shaped like buttons, a safety pin stove handle, spools of thread for the table leg, and chairs shaped like cookies.

Here is a closeup of the table and chairs that comes with Crumbs' Tea Party.  The chair legs are a little fiddly and sometimes fall out.  I will definitely glue them in as soon as I can find out what kind of glue to use.

Here's a closeup of Berry's Kitchen stove and sink.

Here's a picture of everything together that is included in these two sets.

These kitchen sets can be fun to use for other dolls too.  Twinkle wanted to give it a try.

Hallmark Kitchenette

The local Hallmark store has all their Hallmark ornaments on sale for 75% off. I got the Kitchenette for just $3.75.

The oven and cabinet doors open and close.

This would make a perfect size kitchen for mini dolls.  Here it is with Twinkle for size comparison.

Li'l Woodzeez

Li'l Woodzeez are very similar to Calico Critters.  I'm a fan of Calico Critters, but I've never purchased any of the Li'l Woodzeez.  I've only seen Li'l Woodzeez at Target, so I was very surprised to find two Li'l Woodzeez families at Wal-Mart on the clearance aisle for just $4.00 per set.  That comes out to just $1 per animal, which is a good deal for these cute little animals with clothes.  I didn't know Wal-Mart carried Li'l Woodzeez, since I'd never seen them in the store before.  Oddly enough, Li'l Woodzeez are not even available on Walmart.com.

Bushytails Squirrel Family

Waterwaggles Beaver Family

Target carries Li'l Woodzeez both in the store and online at Target.com.  I was also surprised to see that not only does Target.com sell Li'l Woodzeez, but they also have Calico Critters on their website.  Calico Critters are only available online at Target.com though, not in Target stores.

So check your local Wal-Mart's clearance aisle if you're looking for a bargain on a Li'l Woodzeez set.

Dollhouse Shelf

We found this adorable little house shaped display shelf at Target for just $10.99.  It comes with hangers on the back, so the shelf can be mounted directly on a wall.  It would be so simple and cute to set it up as a little dollhouse room diorama.

Here it is with the mini Lalaloopsy sets.  This would also work well for dolls that are just a little larger. It would be so cute to decorate the walls with scrapbook paper to make it look like a decorated little room.

Hair Accessories

We found the cutest doll sized hair accessories at Wal-Mart in the baby clothes department.  These tiny ribbons, bows and clippies were on clearance for $1 per set.  I think they are a bargain even at the regular price of $2.50 per set for some adorable hair accessories, perfectly sized for dolls.  The tiniest ones are the sets on the round cards (these must be designed for the youngest babies).  Some come with one clip of each color per round card, so you may want to get two sets if you want a matching pair.

We had fun trying all these new hair accessories on our dolls.

Kit

Rosalee

Rapunzel

I hope you are finding lots of great bargains where you live.  I'd love to hear about them. Please leave a comment below to tell us about your latest and greatest finds.