Bailey Survives 'The Cull'....

It has been a very busy month and my blog, as well as my dolls and my sewing machine, have been seriously neglected.  However, having finally made a good start on my selling, I feel a lot less 'overwhelmed' and there does seem to be some light at the end of the tunnel...even if it's only a tiny glimmer, it's definitely there!!!

In the last week I've listed quite a few dolls on Ebay and as a result, I've sold a small Schildkrot Wichtel boy, my one and only Sasha baby, and my little Toddler Erik.  I wasn't too concerned about the Wichtel boy or the Sasha baby as neither of them have had much attention here, but I was a little sad about Teddy, my Toddler, because he was a real cutie, but he will be going to live with a nice Sasha collector in the US so I'm sure he'll be well cared for and have a lot of fun in his new loving home.

Bye bye boys!!!  Enjoy your new homes!

I will be continuing to add dolls and other items to Ebay, so if you're interested in seeing what I'm selling or who needs a new home, please click on the link below:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/dambuster01/m.html?item=233147670425&ssPageName=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

I hope to be adding more items at the weekend, if not before!!!  

I also had a lot of dolls here that I'd bought on impulse over the last few years.  There were several Barbies, a Fashionista Ken, a Santori Gorjuss doll, some Spanish dolls by Asi and Paola Reina, a couple of Disney Animator dolls, as well as, four Journey Girls that I bought from Toys R Us.  Most of the dolls were either brand new in their boxes or had been removed and undressed and then put away.  I didn't want to put them on Ebay as I felt the postage for them would be more than the individual value of each doll.  So what to do?  I made some enquiries and found out that a local group of ladies collect donated dolls for a great cause that really did appeal to me!!!  So I gathered the dolls, there were around 25 or so in total and met with a very nice lady who told me all about their work.  Some of the women sew, others knit or crochet clothes for the dolls and then they're donated to a charity, Ángeles Malagueños de la Noche, a non-profit organisation, based in Malaga.  The dolls and their wardrobes will eventually go to children who's circumstances mean that they don't get much, if anything, from The Three Kings on the night of the 5th January.  I was invited to attend the next meeting of dolly outfit makers so I may go and see if I can help by sewing some clothing.  Wish me luck!

So now that I'm getting a little more organised on The Dolly Cull, as I've started to call it, and can actually get into my doll room properly, I decided to take one of my girls, Bailey, out with me today when we went to visit Lake Viñuela.  Bailey is my rewigged Brunette Sasha from 1971, and is one of my favourites of my Sashas.  So I thought I'd share some photos.  She is wearing her lovely Ruthdolls dress with brown leather boots also by Ruth and brown socks by me.  Sorry if the photos are a bit repetitive, I just think she looks cute from every angle!!!

 

Well I hope you enjoyed my little update and photos of sweet little Bailey.  I will try to keep my blog updated more regularly now that I'm feeling a bit more positive about my dolls.

Thanks so much for visiting, I hope you all enjoy the rest of your week ahead!!

Big hugs Sharon xx

A doll for sale, sewing and more morning walking.....

I am having another small clear out to make way for a new doll....or three!  And so the following girl is looking for a new home.  She is a Fairyland Mini Fee Chloe in tanned skin, with a beautiful custom faceup by Caroline of Viridian House in Scotland.  She is resin, fully jointed, 40cm tall, slim ball jointed doll.  She has the 'cutie' legs and medium sized bust.   I am asking what I paid for her $600 plus postage, but am open to offers!  She is lovely but I admit that I prefer really young looking girl BJDs. Chloe will travel nude and bald to her new home but I will include random eyes.  Please excuse the dusty eyes in this photo!!  The shame!!!!

You might recognise her dressed:

Also on the dolly front, I did a bit of sewing last week and Brodie, my Iplehouse BID Bordy, was happy to be the recipient of the dress.  I used an old Sasha smocked dress pattern and reduced it by mega amounts...(goodness knows how much, I've slept since then! ;) ).  I used a thick cotton fabric for the main body of the smock and used a 'shabby chic' design quilters cotton for the collar and cuffs.  Unfortunately the sleeves are a bit too long but I'll adjust the pattern next time.  I'm sure Brodie will grow into it!!! 

Finally for today, a few photos from this mornings walk.  We found another new route which took us even higher up into the olive groves and then walked back down and then along the beach which was deserted except for a neighbour swimming with her two dogs. 

Someone has been busy making a circle of stones in what are actually the abandoned 'footings' of an apartment block facing the beach.....

And finally, a small little house in ruins, which is located in a field nearby.  The 'house' is tiny, made up of just two rooms, one is approx 2m by 2m, with a small archway into an even tinier room.  At the back (which is the front in this photo) is a largish stone horse trough.   And the wall on the right of the photo is part of a water depository.  At one point there was obviously electricity and running water to the property, but it has all gone now.

I hope everyone has a lovely week ahead and thank you for stopping by!

Hugs Sharon x

The 'in' and 'out' s of my dolly world in 2015....

As Dee has been honest with us about her dolly purchases this year, and Kendal has posted on a similar vein about hers, (except her post is more about the 'outs'), and even Jenni has made a start on sharing hers with us,  I thought I'd have a look at who came and went this year in my dolly collection.  Of course my blog is not just about Sasha, it's about all types of dolls that I collect, so mine is more of a mixed bunch.

My first Sasha purchase this year didn't come until March, and that was a sweet brunette baby which I purchased from Ebay.  The seller said that the doll was a very early one and had raised eyelids and good hair.  As I'd been saying that I didn't do anything with my one existing baby, and everyone said "you need more than one, they look better in 'groups'" I thought I'd go for this one.  She arrived and yes, she's very sweet, but she didn't have raised eyelids, so not so old as I was told.  Having said that, old or not, my interest in babies hasn't been affected in the least.....I still find them incredibly boring although I enjoy seeing other peoples photos of theirs!  And in the 6 months I've had her I've taken one set of photos, took her clothes off then left her at home when we came to the coast!!!  And Bertie my other baby is only here because I had to sew an outfit for a baby! No, I have to say that babies are NOT for me!

Here she is on the left with Bertie:

And on her own:

Next, in the same month, came a Gotz No Navel with blond hair.  She was really pretty but again not for me!  I wondered if I was in 'dolly dolldrums' at the time because two dolls had arrived in quick succession and I'd not liked either of them much.......luckily though, we all have different taste and she was traded with Jenni for her lovely little Gotz Toddler Erik, who was already known as Teddy, and came to live here later the same month!!

Here he is at the Bioparc in Fuengirola, I LOVEs him to bits!!! :)

 
In April, I spotted this sweet girl on Shelly's website and decided she was definitely for me.  I made an offer on her and luckily it was accepted and she came to live here in sunny Spain.  Her hair was quite dry on the ends and I decided to cut it into a longish bob.....she's such a pretty little thing, she is from 1969 and her name is Skye.

My last Sasha purchase this year was a gorgeous Cora who I bought from Renate in Germany.  I have been looking at Cora's for a while but it had to be just the right one.  As soon as I saw her photos on Facebook, I decided she was the one for me!  She has a wider face and lovely eye paint,  and I'm told is an early girl, she's so sweet.  She hasn't changed her name, she is currently still called Cora! :)

This photo was taken by Renate, she looks very cute in pigtails, doesn't she!

And here she is with Teddy, who loves her to bits! :)

Then there were the other dolly purchases, I sold some BJDs but I also bought some!  I added four ball jointed dolls to my dolly family this year.  The first, purchased in February, was Reira who is sculpted by the Spanish artist Lola Palacios, who sells under the name Atelier Momoni.   The doll is a Reira in 'toffee' resin, which is a nice creamy tan.  Reira came to me nude, bald and blank, which basically means her face was unpainted, and without eyes, so I gave her a 'faceup', wig and nice glass eyes.  I named her Sarah after a certain Sasha friend who, like my Sarah, likes to wear vintage outfits and big black boots!!  After a few months I did her face again as I wasn't happy with the first one:

I've always wanted a tan Little Fee Ante by the South Korean ball jointed doll company Fairyland, so when I spotted one for sale in June on the Denver Doll Emporium website, I was sorely tempted but didn't quite have enough money in my paypal account.  However, as luck would have it, my dear hubby asked me what I would like for my birthday....so this little sweetie came winging her way over from the US!  I was not disappointed, she's such a lovely little thing.  So far she hasn't told me her name, but I think we're getting close to finding it out as she settles in more and more!

The next girl I bought was another that I'd wanted for along time.  You'll probably notice that I really like tanned dolls and so in June when I saw this little Secretdoll Person #21 up for sale I quickly contacted the seller to find out her 'adoption fee'.  The seller was a lovely lady in France who was selling off a lot of her BJDs, and as luck would have it, she was just off on her holiday and was happy to take a layaway.  So I paid my deposit and then when the seller came back from her holiday in early July, I paid the balance and Valentine was on her way home to Spain.  Valentine was the name given to her by her first owner, so I decided to keep that name for her.  She is from the 'Person of the Past' release and is 19cm of 'attitude' and I love her to bits!!! 

Finally in the 'BJD Section' came Bordy.  Bordy is from Iplehouse in South Korea and is a BID which basically means 'Baby Iplehouse Doll'!  She is 26cm tall and 'Special Real Skin' which is another lovely tan!  I actually ordered Bordy mid June, even before I bought Valentine, but Spanish Customs (booo, hisssss) kept her for a month and charged me a hefty ransom for her release, so she didn't arrive her until early August.  I have named her Brodie! 

One little girl who came here quite unexpectedly is Ten Ping by Ruby Red Galleria.  A lovely dolly friend of mine in the US bought two of these little plastic and vinyl jointed girls and asked me if I would like to trade some of my dolly sewing for a brand new Ten Ping!  As those of you who know me well will remember, I love a trade!  So Ten Ping came to live here at the end of April.  She is called Pipsqueak or Pip for short!

Also back in April I received another lovely vinyl girl who was quite an unexpected purchase.  Another dolly friend of mine in the US contacted me out of the blue to ask if I was interested in adopting her last Little Darling, a gorgeous #2 sculpt painted by Dianna Effner herself.  How could I refuse!!!  Apart from the fact that I love the Little Darlings, to have a second girl painted by Dianna herself is just, well just perfect!!!  So Gem came to live here with my other Little Darling girls!

Justifying myself like mad here, but I have wanted a little 10 inch Boneka girl for ages...and ages....I thought she'd make the perfect baby sister for my Little Darlings.  I didn't want to risk customs yet again by buying on Ebay, so I decided to wait it out in the hope that one of my favourite doll shops in France would, as promised, receive a special order of them sometime this summer.  As luck would have it, when the shop sent out their newsletter to say that the dolls had arrived, I had some money in my paypal account so at the end of July I was able to purchase this sweet little girl.  She is a Tuesdays Child Daniela and is sculpted by Dianna Effner.  I have kept the name Daniela as I think it suits her, but around here she is just called Dani  :)

Finally, I've made a few dolly purchases that were bargains that I couldn't resist.....a couple came from the secondhand market in Fuengirola, a large felt doll of unknown origin.....

The same day as the felt doll came home with me, so too did an 18 inch (approx) doll with 3 quarter vinyl limbs and cloth body....I bought her purely because I felt sorry for her, she just looked like she needed to go home with someone.....I don't even like cloth body dolls but her sweet freckled face won me over and, an always an added bonus, she was really cheap!!  She is from Zapf Creations and marked on the back of her neck "B.Paetsch"....

And last but not least (I think!) is this young lady who I introduced recently on my blog, an approx 18 inch vinyl doll by the Spanish doll company, Juan Antonio.  I mentioned that I bought her to customise and this is still the plan, although I don't think she needs much doing to her, she's very sweet as she is!

I do have two new girlies winging their way to me as I type....but as they're not here yet I won't include them and will blog about them when they arrive.

I don't think I've left anyone out!  And there are a couple that haven't quite settled here so may well be looking to move on later in the autumn!!!!  Watch this space!!

In the meantime quite a few dolls have also left (justifying like mad here!!!!) ......  so I don't feel so guilty, in fact I don't feel guilty at all really :) (the lady doth protest too much perhaps?!)

Thanks for looking, and have a lovely week!