Saturday, January 9, 2021

2021 Ctrl-Alt-Delete Reboot

The last of my convention dolls finally arrived (one of them was mailed on December 7 and just arrived on Wednesday, January 6).   It is fair to say that the IT Legendary Convention hit me hard in my countdown and in my budget.  

I felt like I was doing alright with my rules.  42 dolls left my collection in 2020.  Some of my decisions were difficult but necessary.  I'm not sure how, but 59 dolls made their way into my house this year.

I think I will blame the pandemic!  "Sheltering In Place" was difficult.  Not being able to leave your house caused us to spend more time on the internet.  

Some older collections presented great pricing opportunities.  I was able to add three dolls from the Luxe Life Convention at below original retail cost:

#1 of 2020 Prosperous Complexity Kyori Sato:

#55 of 2020 Subtle Affluence Eugenia Frost:

#56 of 2020 Gilded Oligarch Tatyana Alexandrova (originally purchased as a body donor, but wears Sea Devil's ensemble so well):

Integrity Toys has had a substantial influx of younger collectors over the past couple of years.  Since these collectors were attracted by newer collections, many of them have no experience with the older body types, so they aren't invested in wardrobes to fit those dolls.  (Collectors who have been around longer have different body versions in their collections and are able to upgrade bodies as necessary.)  The prices of older dolls have come down.  I was able to add the following dolls at little cost:

#10 Perfect Skin Adele Makeda:

#15 Heat Seeker Natalia Fatale:

#47 Sweet Smell of Success Veronique Perrin:

#55 Heart Stopper Natalia Fatale:

But I didn't stop there.  Since I was at home on the internet so much, good pricing opportunities popped up on dolls that have been on my radar for several years.  Like:

#6 Heiress Erin Salston:

#14 Elyse Jolie Bergdorf Goodman Daywear:

#16 Chameleon Vanessa Perrin:

#17 Sunny Slickers Poppy Parker

#18 Smoke and Mirrors Lilith Blair

#52 Get Graphic Misaki

#53 Snowstopper Poppy Parker

#54 Origami Girl Misaki

I sort of dropped out of blogging existence from July 4 until the Legendary Convention in November.  I got a new puppy which required a lot of my time.   My mother-in-law lives with us and had some serious medical issues and complications (she is on the mend and doing well).  The Covid19 crisis continued to interrupt my normal life as my husband is part of the essential work force and was working 7 days per week for most of this time period.  Teaching in a digital environment required me to take some hefty staff development courses over the summer.  Things only started settling down a little in November.  (Unfortunately, all of these things caused an abrupt halt to listing and selling dolls from my collection.  The last doll that left here happened in early June.  I need to get my organizing back on track!)

I made up for lost time with the Legendary Convention collection.  It's hard to believe but I actually added 15 dolls from that convention to my collection!

Being a Fashion Royalty collector since 2005, I honestly felt nostalgic over the Style Lab dolls this year.   Fortunately, many newer collectors were quite disappointed in the Style Lab's return to original molds to celebrate their characters' 25th Year Anniversary, so I actually got some of them for retail price!  I couldn't resist that, right?!

#38 of 2020 Radiant Soul Kyori Sato (mold 1.0):

Most of the Style Lab dolls looked like younger versions of the original characters to me.  Radiant Soul is wearing the blouse and jacket from NYFW Karolin Stone (2019) and the shorts, boots, and hose from Sensuous Affair Giselle Diefendorf (2014).

#39 of 2020 Violet Obsidian Vanessa Perrin (mold 1.0) One of my favorite dolls from the convention.

She is wearing the 2016 Pure Love Ensemble from the Supermodel Convention with Walking On Clouds Adele Makeda's boots.

#40 of 2020 Flawless Beauty Adele Makeda (mold 1.0):

I corrected her irises myself!  She is wearing the 2014 Gloss Convention Style Lab Ensemble Night Fever.

A few of the Style Lab girls haven't made it to the redress shelf yet.  

#41 of 2020 Cover Story Veronique Perrin (mold 1.0):

#42 of 2020 Acquired Traits Natalia Fatale (mold 1.0):

#43 of 2020 Exotic Interlude Anja Christensen:

#44 of 2020 Red Reign Korinne Dimas:

Personally, I didn't care for Social Standing Mme Margaret Jolie; however, I did acquire the ensemble "Social Behavior".  Although I was able to get the "...And Scene" ensemble at a great price, Body of Work Isha Kalpana Naryanan became a hit and her secondary market price keeps her out of range to add to my collection.

When I looked at the additions, I was surprised to find that 25% of the new dolls were Poppy Parker and 25% were NuFace.   Only about 1/3 of the new dolls were Fashion Royalty with the remaining coming from various other lines (East 59th Street, Misaki, or Meteor).

As I hit the reset button for 2021, I realize I am behind in sales and  need to find homes for 17 dolls to bring my collection back into balance.   Unfortunately, three other dolls are in the mail: Mothership Dania Zarr, Charmed Child Ayumi Nakamura, and Undercover Angel Poppy Parker.  Being so out of balance, I chose to not participate in the W Club lotteries for The Originals Adele Makeda or Veronique Perrin.  I also didn't pursue purchase of the Poppy Parkers, Enlightened in India or Outback Walkabout.  ... At least I'm trying, right?



4 comments:

Phyllis said...

You've got some really great new dolls there. I did not join W club in 2020 so I bought just one IT doll in 2020. It Girl Magic Colette Duranger Dressed Doll. I did get a 2020 doll in 2021 though - Cool Breeze Dolpinder Chowdhury! I am still wondering how they came up with that name!

Julia (wholeeah) said...

You have many wonderful additions to your collection. I always enjoy seeing photos of your new dolls and read your blog posts.

I understand what you mean about more dolls coming in than out. During 2020, I ran into that problem too. For a while I had been keeping my doll collection pretty small, but because I have not been selling dolls to make up for the dolls coming in, I now find myself with too many.

I look at my doll shelf and it is looking crowded to me. I currently own 26 dolls. I was looking through my Flickr photos of my doll shelf, and it seems my shelf looks more 'balanced' at 11-14 dolls. That means I am over by 12 dolls. :: sigh :: And 8 have been preordered! Right now choosing which dolls get sold is proving to be difficult.

Mary C. said...

First off, let me start off by saying I can't remember exactly when I stumbled across your blog, but I am just SO HAPPY I DID!
It was sometime during the last few months of 2020 though, and I have been jumping back and forth between the very beginning of your blog and whenever you post brand new content as well.

I can only imagine how busy you are, especially during all of THIS happening in the world right now, but if I could request one thing....post more often?!?!

Please?!?!

I have NO CLUE if you even read these comments either, but I have been inhaling enough of your blog posts that I simply HAD TO post a huge kudos to you and what you have done over the years here.

I have searched on and off again for a solid, KNOWLEDGEABLE and relatable DOLL blogger for probably....two to three years now, maybe? I enjoy the Fashion Doll Chronicles, but I am NOT a fashionista, nor do I want to be. I would have no clue which designer designed the high-fashion outfit walking towards me, nor honestly would I care all that much. I don't like high-fashion for humans (possibly due to being a full-figured lady and jeans shopping just causes me to buy more dolls instead as retail therapy...for my retail therapy?....) I would much rather enjoy high fashion of the 1/6th scale variety...or even 1/4th scale variety...possibly the 1/3rd scale as well...
(I really like miniatures and dolls of all shapes/sizes/brands :D....if you could't tell already)

I follow many people on Instagram, I am a part of multiple Facebook groups, I joined a local doll club in Michigan at the end of 2019 and I enjoy Etsy and eBay as well. I have also been dipping my toes into Integrity and the WClub and their Forum since 2018. Oh, who am I kidding. I dipped one toe in and then basically fell into the pool headfirst and haven't come up for air since.

But the thing is, I am an AVID reader and I passionately like to research topics that interest me. Which is why I have been on the hunt for a doll blog that knows what they are talking about; doesn't just collect ONE THING; knows how to type coherent sentences; has a sense of humor; has a history of posts so I know they hopefully won't just give up after a few months; can take a photo of smaller scale items; isn't in it ONLY FOR MONEY; and most importantly HAS FUN!

You have done a phenomenal job of describing both play line dolls, high end fashion dolls, and from what I have read so far, everything in between. I love your writing style, both playful and witty at times, but extremely informative about things that TRUE doll collectors genuine want to know. I also am noticing a wonderful progression of your skills as a doll photographer due to my anal-retentive tendencies which requires me to start reading from the beginning of your blog.

Anyways. I truly hope my long rambling post to you comes off in a complimentary manner...and not the opposite. Or worse. I just know that sometimes when we write things like this online....it can feel like no one is reading or listening and what is the point? I wanted to try and put forth just a teeny tiny amount of the effort that you put forth on a regular basis and show you that I truly appreciate your blog and I really hope you continue doing what you do. Especially over the last few months, with the pandemic and shutdowns and high anxiety and and and and.....your blog has been a breath of very much needed fresh and relaxing dolly air.

Thank you so very VERY much.
Mary C.

fabiano mayrink said...

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