Doll Show Shopping Finds

Hi Doll Friends,

We had a fabulous day at the Bayou Bebe's Doll Show recently. The fun and excitement of going to a doll show is almost indescribable! I took some pictures so that I could try to share a little of that excitement with you.

Imagine walking into a grand hall filled with all kinds of dolls as far as the eye can see...

There really was something for everyone there. Dolls from antique to vintage to modern, and everything in between. 

There were so many bargains at the show, that I couldn't possibly have bought everything that was an amazing deal or even everything that I wanted. If you love bargains, you need to go to a doll show... prices were so low, it's unbelievable.

I realize now that a lot of my pictures are of the wonderful antique dolls that I saw, but there were tables full of brand new dolls too, including Barbie, Monster High, and even whole booths dedicated to reborn dolls. I wish I could have gotten pictures of everything.

There were also lots of accessories at the show, like furniture, miniatures, doll clothes, and shoes. There were also booths with every color and type of fabric that you could possibly want for sewing doll clothes. Fabrics, silk ribbon, tiny trims, and beautiful lace... 

So I guess you're wondering what we brought home. Well, here's a sneak peak of our huge haul...

Now, I went to the doll show with my 3 daughters. When we got there, my oldest and middle daughers wandered off together, while my youngest and I slowly looked at the first table, just trying to take it all in. A few minutes later, they came back with my middle daughter (11 years old) carrying a Giggles doll.  

I've been looking for a Giggles doll for a long time because I grew up with Giggles. I was so excited and completely shocked that they had bought this precious doll for just $10. Giggles is an 18" doll that was made by Ideal from 1967-1969.  She tilts her head from side to side and giggles when you move her arms. She has "flirty eyes", which means her eyes move from side to side when her head tilts. My sister, who was 8 1/2 years old, got a Giggles doll for Chrismas when I was just 5 months old.  This picture is from my first Christmas, and my big sister is holding her new Giggles doll. You can even see the Giggles box on the floor behind me.

Another doll from my childhood was Holly Hobbie. She is a 16" tall ragdoll made by Knickerbocker. I found her at the doll show in clean, excellent condition for just $2.

Not long ago I posted about my new Bleuette doll (see that post here). As I mentioned in that post, a nice antique Bleuette doll could cost around $5,000 or more, and the artist made reproduction Bleuette dolls usually cost around $250 and up. I was so excited to find this little wooden trunk with a beautiful Bleuette head and mohair wig for just $20.  She is a reproduction by doll artist, Laura Kelley from New York.  She is marked SFBJ 247 Paris Laura Kelley 12/05. I have already ordered a wooden Bleuette body, and I can't wait til it arrives to put her together.

I also bought these two adorable Bleuette dresses, so once she's all put together, she'll have something to wear.

I found this adorable shabby chic cabinet that is about 15" tall for just $15. The seller also threw in the china tea set for just $2.

And this miniature metal doll carriage with bedding and doll for $3.

I got this sweet Mammy doll from Gone With The Wind for $5.

  

She even has her rustling red petticoat.

I just fell in love with these two antique China Head dolls, so they came home with me.

My youngest daughter got a My Little Pony Equestria Girl doll.

My two younger daughters are definitely doll collectors already. My oldest daughter, the book-loving school teacher, doesn't collect dolls for herself, but loves to help us look for dolls. But, even she found a doll for herself at the doll show, a book related doll of course, Harry Potter.

The tall doll in the back is a 30" tall walking doll from the 1950's. She is marked AE on the back of her neck, indicating she was made by Allied Eastern. If you hold on to her left arm, she walks with you. One foot on the floor causes the other foot to swing forward. 

Here is a close up of her sweet face. She appears to be wearing her original dress and matching hair bow. One of the vendors gave her to my 11 year old daughter. Doll Show vendors are so generous, and they love to see the younger generation interested in doll collecting. Junior collectors are the future of the hobby after all. 

These two little dolls are 11" Baby Mine dolls made by Ideal from 1951-1954. They have all hard plastic, fully jointed bodies with blue side-glancing sleep eyes.

My younger daughters like Kewpie dolls, and they got these two little vinyl Kewpies and this 1972 Cameo Kewpie Gal doll.

I got this Wee Patsy made by Effanbee. I think she is either Alice in Wonderland or Mary Had a Little Lamb. She is just about 5" tall, and she came with a little lamb. I don't know if the lamb came with her originally or if someone added it. I'm not sure what year this reissue is from, but probably before 2002 when Robert Tonner purchased the Effanbee Company. 

I bought some 100% silk ribbon and a pink flower trim. Did you know that craft and fabric stores don't sell 100% silk ribbon anymore? I was looking for some recently, but I could only find polyester ribbon in stores.

I also picked up some vintage cotton lace.

This little framed 5 x 7 Cream of Wheat dolly picture was just too sweet not to bring it home.

I picked up some back issues of Doll News Magazine for just $1 each. This is the official magazine of the United Federation of Doll Clubs, and is sent out to members only. These wonderful thick magazines are packed with beautiful full color doll photos and informative articles, not ads like other magazines.

Just above the magazines, you can also see a couple of cute dollhouse rugs that a vendor gave to my daughters. Doesn't the braided rug look just perfect in Hitty's house?  ♥ I love it! ♥

I strongly encourage you to search for doll shows in your area. Check the United Federation of Doll Club's Event Calendar to search by location. You can also search online by typing "Doll Show and your state or location" into your search bar to see what comes up.

We are planning a trip to Fairhope, Alabama this Saturday, March 14, 2015 for the Eastern Shore Doll Study Club's Annual Doll Show and Sale. Looking forward to another exciting doll show!!!

Hugs ♥ 
 - Lisa

Meet Ann Estelle, A Tonner Mary Engelbreit Doll

Hi Doll Friends!

I am pleased to introduce you to Ann Estelle, an adorable doll sculpted by Robert Tonner based on Mary Engelbreit's whimsical Ann Estelle character. Since I am such a big fan of all things Mary Engelbreit, a little Ann Estelle doll was destined to live at my house!
And here she is...

Mary Engelbreit is famous for her designs that include cherries, checkerboard, flowers, and of course, Ann Estelle. According to her website, maryengelbreit.com, Ann Estelle was named after Mary's maternal grandmother, and she has been drawing her since she was a little girl. Mary gave Ann Estelle the title "The Queen of Everything".

Ann Estelle dolls were made by Tonner for 10 years, from 1999 - 2009. Over the course of those 10 years, Tonner produced many versions of Ann Estelle and her friends, Sophie, Georgia, Gracie, and Michael, along with many outfits, furniture, and accessories.

Ann Estelle dolls are no longer available from Tonner, but a quick eBay search reveals that they have quite an active following there, with many artists designing custom-made outfits for these little cuties. I was able to purchase my little Ann Estelle from a doll collector friend on Facebook. She sent her to me in the original box.

If you notice, her box says Effanbee Doll Company. In 2002, Robert Tonner purchased the Effanbee Doll Company, which was one of America's oldest doll companies, manufacturing dolls since 1908.

Ann Estelle dolls are 10" tall, making them the same size as Tonner's new Patsy dolls. Patsy dolls have been produced by Effanbee since the 1920's. Since Tonner now owns Effanbee, he has re-imagined Patsy with an adorable new face sculpt. The new Tonner Patsy is currently available from tonnerdoll.com/patsy. Patsy would make a great friend for Ann Estelle since they are the same size.

My doll is known as Birthday Queen from the 2009 release.

Ann Estelle wears the most adorable little wire framed glasses.  These little hinged glasses are very well made too, nice and heavy.

Here is a close up of Ann Estelle's face, without her glasses, so you can see her adorable inset blue eyes. Her sweet smiling face just makes me happy.

Earlier Ann Estelle dolls came with straight legs, but later versions had hinged knees, like my doll.

Here is 10" tall Ann Estelle with my new 11 1/2" tall Bleuette that I recently introduced in my last post.

I love the size of these smaller dolls. They fit perfectly in my doll cabinet, and it's so much fun to look for accessories for them. I found these adorable Mary Engelbreit chairs on eBay.  They are actually pin cushions.

I can't wait to make Ann Estelle some Mary Engelbreit style dresses from these adorable new tiny print ME fabrics from Hancock Fabrics.

I'd like to design a whole Mary Engelbreit theme room for Ann Estelle. There is definitely some Mary Engelbreit style going on in my dollhouse, as you can see here. Don't you think Ann Estelle needs her own Mary Engelbreit style kitchen? :)  The wheels are turning now...

Facebook Group

If you're on Facebook, check out the Mary Engelbreit Collectors & Fans Group. It is a place to chat about Mary Engelbreit products, past and present like Tonner's Ann Estelle dolls and more.

I hope you enjoyed meeting my new little Ann Estelle!

Hugs ♥ 
 - Lisa

Meet Bleuette, A Resin Ball Jointed Doll from Ruby Red Galleria

Hi Doll Friends!

I'm so excited to introduce you to the newest member of my doll family. Please help me welcome Bleuette. She is a new ball jointed doll available from Ruby Red Galleria. She is also available in the US from Denver Doll Emporium. I found her at a bargain price on eBay though.

As you have probably noticed, I have developed a great interest in the history of dolls. In addition to modern dolls, I love searching for antique dolls, learning about them, and adding them to my collection whenever possible. After learning a little about Bleuette, I purchased the book "Bleuette: The Doll and Her Wardrobe" by Barbara Craig Hilliker to study and learn more about the history of Bleuette. This large book is filled with information and hundreds of beautiful color pictures, and I would highly recommend it if you'd like to learn about Bleuette.

Bleuette History

You may have heard of Bleuette dolls before. The original Bleuette dolls were produced from 1905 to 1960, as a premium for the French girls' magazine, La Semaine de Suzette. Little girls who subscribed to the magazine would receive a Bleuette doll, and each magazine contained patterns so that girls could make entire wardrobes for their dolls. Bleuette dolls were designed for interactive play and as a tool to teach girls sewing and homemaking. There were more than 1,000 patterns published for Bleuette during the 55 years that she was produced, in addition to the commercially made outfits that were also available.

Bleuette dolls have a bisque head and a wooden composition body which is fully articulated with joints at the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips and knees. The dolls range in size from 10 5/8" to 11 3/8" and there are several different Bleuette head molds.

After learning about Bleuette's fascinating history, I knew I'd love to have one of these lovely dolls, and maybe even sew, knit and crochet a complete wardrobe for her. So I began to look for an antique Bleuette. I joined a Bleuette group on Facebook, where I learned that most Bleuette collectors buy reproduction Bleuette dolls. The reason is because a nice original antique Bleuette is valued at around $5,000 or more.

My First Bleuette

My Bleuette search quickly turned from searching for an antique to looking for a reproduction. Since there are so many different head molds and different artists, not all Bleuettes look alike. That's not a problem, it just means you search for one you love. During my search, I ran across this new version of Bleuette by Ruby Red Galleria. Her head and body are made completely of resin. I thought the resin would be more durable for play and redressing than bisque. Since I have other resin ball jointed dolls, I took an interest in this new resin BJD version of Bleuette.

She came dressed in her white one piece underwear, which are beautifully detailed with lace trim and two tiny working buttons.

So embarrassing Mom, I'm in my undies.

Since she came only in her underwear, she requested that I start on her wardrobe immediately.  I sewed her first dress from a rose print fabric and added lacy trims.

A fun fact about ball jointed dolls is that they can be so easily customized, and the Ruby Red Bleuette is no exception. Her wig is removable and can be changed for a totally different look. Her eyes can also be changed. In addition, she came with two interchangeable face plates, which Ruby Red calls the Bleuette face and the Charmette face. She also came with two pairs of eyes in blue-gray and brown. You can see the two different face plates with different color eyes side by side below.
She came with pierced ears, so she is already looking forward to starting her own jewelry collection.

Can I have some lovely earrings please?

She is about 11 1/2" tall and is jointed at the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips and knees, just like her bisque and wooden counterparts. Here you can see that even though she is about the same height as Rapunzel, her proportions are very different.

Here she is with Rosalee, my Fairyland Littlefee resin BJD who is a little shorter at just under 10" tall.

Bleuette dolls love to collect lots of accessories, so she immediately started collecting things from around the house.

She decided that the Schoenhut piano and the bowl and pitcher were the perfect size for her house.

She has a great love for animals, especially the sheep and the alpaca.

HELP! She needs a NAME!

I could really use your help with choosing a name. The choices on my list are Maryette, Josette, Juliette, or Ruby. I'd love to hear your thoughts and name suggestions in the comments section below!

Hugs ♥ 
 - Lisa

I'm back & I've missed you!

Just a quick post to let you know that I'm very excited to be back here working on the blog again. I've missed you all very much. I've been away from the computer, taking care of my mom who has been sick. I've made some updates for the new year with a new header and background, so I hope you like the new look. I am currently working on a post about a brand new doll that has just arrived. I'll be revealing who she is very soon.

Hugs ♥ 
 - Lisa

Merry Christmas, Tuesday Morning Shopping Finds & More

Merry Christmas Doll Friends! I am so thankful to be at home with my family this Christmas. Since my last post, I was hospitalized with a blood clot in my leg resulting from falling off a ladder a few months ago. I'm am just so blessed that the clot was found before anything bad happened. I am happy to report that I'm doing better and hopefully on the road to recovery.

A Christmas walk down memory lane...

Looking through some old family pictures, I found lots of pictures to confirm that my love of dolls started at a very early age. This picture was from my very first Christmas.

Christmas 1968
My mom, me, my big sister & our dolls

At just 5 months old, I received a Mattel Tippee-Toes doll for Christmas. She came with a little blue and yellow tricycle that she could ride. My sister, who was 8 years old, received an Ideal Giggles doll. These were among several dolls that I remember so well from my early childhood.

The last picture is of me with a little Goldilocks doll when I was just 8 weeks old.

Pullips & Ai BJD's back in stock at Tuesday Morning

For those of you who wanted to add a Pullip or an Ai Ball Jointed Doll to your collection, I have seen both back in stock at Tuesday Morning this week.  Here are a few of the dolls I've seen.

My local store had Tiger Lily from the Disney Peter Pan collection back in stock. I already have this precious little girl in my collection. The adorable little curly blond Dal, "Colline" wears a Heidi-inspired Swiss outfit.

A new face to me was Yeolume, who is supposed to be Pullip's future daughter. She wears a school girl outfit, and is 10 years old according to her character profile. She is smaller than Pullip, closer to Dal size. The Pullip dolls were $39.99 each, which is a great price for a Pullip.

These tiny Ai Ball Jointed Dolls were found at my local store this week. My daugter also saw other different Ai dolls, while shopping at a couple other Tuesday Morning stores this past week. The Ai BJD's were $29.99 each, which is an incredibly inexpensive way to give ball jointed dolls a try.

English Ivy

Coreopsis

Hybrid Statice

So if you're looking for Pullips or Ai Ball Jointed Dolls, now's the time to run out and check your local Tuesday Morning stores. I have also seen the Mini Pullips at Tuesday Morning this week. A tip for your search, sometimes these dolls are locked in the glass case by the register, and other times I've found them on the toy aisle with the other dolls.

More Christmas...

Christmas is my favorite time of the year! Most important is the Reason for the Season, celebrating the birth of Jesus. I love all of the Christmas time festivities, and all the beautiful lights and decorations. This year, I've had a lot of fun decorating in miniature for my dolls. In my last post, I shared some pictures of my new doll cabinet. Well, it looks a little different now, all decked out for Christmas.

Here's a few closeups of the shelves decorated for Christmas...

And on top, an Annalee Reindeer & Santa, along with an old fashioned looking Snowman ...

My vintage Georgene Raggedy Andy and old fashioned repro Volland Raggedy Ann found a cozy spot on the big tree with their pal, Santa.

The Elf on the Shelf even found his way into the dollhouse and made some new friends.

I hope you all are having a wonderful, blessed, safe, healthy, and merry Christmas.

Hugs ♥ 
 - Lisa