Variety is the spice of life

  So my back is on the mend and I feel less stiff and I can do normal every day things without screaming! I don't think I want to try bending and lifting much yet though, so I'm still putting off the post on my childhood dolls. To fill in, so you don't forget me, I am posting some random pictures of SOME of my doll and toy collection which I took last week. There isn't much of a theme to my collecting,other than my Skippers and Tuttis. I have a little of everything.So, here is a look at my glass case and those who dwell on top of it.

  This is obviously on top of the case.While it is heavy on the 60's, which is my childhood era, there are some more recent dolls.Seen here (Top row,left to right): Effanbee's Dorothy,and a couple of dolls from Russia,middle row: Baby First Step,Crissy,Shopping Sheryl,Tessie Talk,and a  Babysitter's Club doll,Bottom row: Effanbee Georgina?Georgette?,another Russian doll,a 60's doll whose name escapes me at the moment,a Ratti doll,Baby Small Talk Goldilocks,Baby Cheryl,and Baby See N Say. In the background you can see my 1/6 dollhouse, which will be renovated when I get the chance.

  Another case of 'a little of everything'.Playin' Jane and a vintage Valentine on the left,a Chatty Baby a couple of compo dolls,a couple of Tonner Elves,a couple of pressed felt faced dolls,Dianna Effner's Goldilocks,a Nancy Ann Storybook doll with a Patsy wanna be behind her, and a vintage Old Maid card game in front of Goldilocks. Oh, and an Ideal Shirley Temple behind her.

Another Chatty,Cathy this time. Another Shirley, Gene, Willow,Casper,Buffy and Mrs. Beasley,Moxie Girls Alice in Wonderland, some German dolls,etc.

  More of the same, plus Sister Belle(without her apron. It's here somewhere.)Matty Mattel,(His clothes are somewhere too. My son had Matty and his clothes in his room when he was younger and he can't find them!)  Drowsy,Cindy Lou Who, some corn husk dolls,and more.And yes, my glass case is WAY over crowded!

  Here is a small portion of my Skipper,(and Ricky and Scooter), and Tutti collections,(including Ivy's naked European Chris, awaiting clothes, and a Soapy Siddle Kiddle head on a Tutti body, and a Sizzly Friddle head on a tutti body.),Night Night Seep Tight Tutti is holding a cute little yarn doll. On the left is the Paul McCartney I talked about in a previous post,my two nice Larry the Lions are on the right, (New Larry is borrowing the Barbie Suzy Goose vanity bench to prop his head up.)Plus Betsy McCall, (She has a story you'll be hearing soon.),a couple of Penny Brite dolls,a wonderful handmade doll whose artist I don't know,unfortunately.She's called The Garden Nymph. Also some German dollhouse dolls, some really cute vintage doll gloves,(One red one, and a pair of white ones.), and a couple of vintage dolls made from sea shells and pipe cleaners.You also get a better view of a doll from the previous picture that I didn't mention before. She's a giant rag doll with a pressed cloth face,red yarn hair, and sort of a bobble head.Her neck is on some kind of mechanism. It's hard to explain, but if it sounds familiar to anybody I'd love to know what she is. She's on the lower shelf next to Cindy Lou Who. In the plastic bags are a red haired Tiny Town girl and an old cloth dollhouse doll. The bags were due to fear of moths, but I have lavender in the case now.Next to Paul there is a tiny old fashioned couple made of thread and cloth.
   I love the little tricycle.I wanted it very badly and Ken bought it for me for some occasion...then forgot to give it to me for ages.The same goes for the little German guy in the brown shorts. He tends to do that.
  So there you are. Something to look at while I'm gone.

Yay! Deluxe Reading Dream Kitchen at last!

  Today I got something I have wanted for ages! Connie,a doll loving friend of mine was offered a Deluxe Reading kitchen by the maintenance man in her apartment building when he came in to do some work and spotted all her dolls. Connie doesn't collect Barbie (She has a few, but her love lies with Nancy Ann Storybook dolls and Mary Hoyers.),so she called me  to see if I was interested. When she started to describe it I knew exactly what she was talking about! The Deluxe Reading Dream Kitchen! I have wanted one of these for years. In the early 90's, when we were doing doll and toy shows, we did the first Barbie show by the Paducah, Kentucky Barbie club. After the show all of the dealers were invited to go to one of the members home to see her Barbie collection. I can't remember her name at the moment, (I'm thinking her first name was Rosella.),and as she was pretty old at the time she is probably no longer with us. But she was known as The Barbie Lady, and there was even an article about her in Barbie Bazaar Magazine once. Her house was literally wall to wall Barbie dolls. She had a finished basement where they obviously hung out and relaxed, and that's where she kept her vintage Barbies. Her husband had made her an enormous doll house, in which she had a Deluxe Reading Dream Kitchen. I fell in love with it then and have wanted one ever since. It isn't really my favourite era, (1930's and 40's.),but it's totally 1960's, which is when I grew up, so I do have a soft spot for it. Well, good things come to those who wait. Yesterday I had a look at the kitchen and made the guy an offer. This morning Connie called me to tell me he had turned me down, but this afternoon she called back to say he had changed his mind!

 
  The kitchen looks pretty good, and will will improve with a little cleaning up. 

That's not exactly what I had in mind. Get busy guys.

  

That's more like it.

 

Skooter wipes down a chair...

  ...while Fluff gathers up the dishes for washing.

 

 
Sample Skipper scrubs out the freezer.

  Fashion Queen tries to get those yellow marks off the table.

 
Color Magic Skipper has a strange idea of 'helping clean up'.

Ok, everybody, you've earned a break. Stop and have a drink.

 Any suggestion of food or drink of course, attracts guys. Typically, Allan and Ricky show up to scope out the fridge. It's a little early. No food has arrived yet. There is milk and pop though. And ice.

  Conscientious Sample Skipper and Fashion Queen continue to work and get those dishes done.

The Dream Kitchen isn't in perfect shape, but it's not too bad, other than the dishwasher having a broken counter top.(All the pieces are here, so I may be able to repair it somewhat.)

  It also came with loads of dishes and stuff, including the the dish draining rack,salt and pepper shakers,the fridge shelves and a crisper drawer, and both cute little ice cube trays WITH the ice!  There were also some actual Mattel Barbie utensils to a couple of vintage sets.

  I stopped at  Goodwill quickly today to get change to pay for the Dream Kitchen and found a brand new roll of black and white checked Contact paper that makes a perfect kitchen floor. (And another Moxie Girl...with feet this time!)
   There are a couple of 70's pieces I'll get rid of to help defray the cost of the Dream Kitchen, because without doing that I couldn't really afford to spend money on myself right now.  Now that I think about it, with all the bad things that have been happening to me and around me, (My best friend has been having heart trouble lately, and my son cut his face and had to have stitches, and today I sliced my finger open on some broken glass.), this has been plopped in my lap to remind me that,while it doesn't make up for the heart problems or the facial scar, it at least means that not everything coming my way is bad. At this point a little hope means a lot!