Thursday 24 April 2014

A diversion - some doll finds!

Okay, it was my intention that the next thing I posted was going to be about my Teen Skipper dolls, but a decision to go out and get some fresh air yesterday changed that.

There is a lot of interesting retail in the vicinity of my workplace, and by interesting, I mean places that cater to my varied likes (such as the tea shop, the fabric store, the second hand shops).  My brief trip out found me going to the closest second hand store, as I had not been there for a while.  The target of this trip was the toy section.....because you never know what interesting dolls might turn up (see this post from my other blog as an example)!  As an aside, it's also a great place to find playscale accessories like furniture, but those are usually unintentional finds for me.

Anyway, they had loads of new stock.  It appears that someone is clearing out their collection of late 1970's and 1980's Barbies, because there were a slew to choose from.  There were also a lot of Hannah Montana and My Scene dolls.  It looked like a great day to find something interesting!

So what did I find?  Well, two Monster High dolls (one I recognize as Cleo de Nile, but the other, I'm not sure); a Liv Sophie with wig, clothes and shoes; some Barbie Mini Kingdom dolls; four mystery dolls and an original Skipper doll (1963 head mold).  I also snagged some clothes and shoes, and will have to go through them to determine what dolls they are for.

I'm really happy about finding Sophie, as Liv dolls are my favourite fashion dolls, and second hand shops are the best way for me to find them.  I'm also excited about the Skipper doll, not only because she's a vintage doll that appears to be in pretty good shape, but because she's not like the typical Skipper of that period.

I will have to go through all of my finds and will start to share as I get them sorted.  Until then, I'll get back to work on the Teen Skipper post.

Tuesday 22 April 2014

An Introduction

I'm not a regular blogger.  I just don't have time.  I thought I would give it a try with my other page, Ramblings on the Run, but I'm running more than I'm rambling.

I am, however, trying to make more time for my hobbies, which include baking, sewing, dolls and photography.  Not easy, seeing as I work outside my home and have children.  So, posts to either blog may be spotty at best.

The idea for this blog came from a discovery while starting the spring cleaning.  My fabric inventory needs to be (better) organized, and while doing that, I remembered my collection of Teen Skipper dolls.  I started buying them as I had purchased one as a gift for the daughter of a friend, and discovered that there was little available in the way of clothing for this doll and practically no commercial patterns to be found anywhere (please keep in mind that this was before so many crafty people started sharing online).  My first Teen Skipper was bought so that I could make clothing for this friend.  In fact, that doll started my now, er, large collection of fashion dolls, which is, in itself, a post for another day.

Anyway, I found the box where I have my Teen Skippers and spent some time with them, marvelling over their hair, faces, clothing and accessories.  Mattel doesn't make this particular doll any more - Skipper has been modified and modernized with a new head mold, body and hair colour.

Spending time with Teen Skipper made me think I should find a way to document my collection, hence this blog.  It is my hope to be able to post information about the various dolls I've collected, and hopefully learn more about them.

So that is my introduction.  How long it will be before I can make my next post is a mystery to me, but I'll try to make it soon.