Summer Vacation Day 14

With the IFDC going on in Las Vegas this weekend, I looked back over my collection to see which IFDC dolls live here.   Three posts ago, I spotlighted my favorite IFDC from last year, Bloodlines Tatyana.  To my surprise, I have spotlighted Day 57: Diamond Dusted Veronique/2004, Day 19: Born To Gamble Kyori/2005, Day 49: Dress Me Luchia/2007, Day 42: Go West Natalia/2011, and Day 56: Shake It Up Korrine/2012.   In addition, I have Long Cool Woman Kesenia/2012 on a NuFace body.  I also have two IFDC still NRFB:  Go Home Rayna/2011 and Checkmate - The Red Queen Tatyana/2010.    That makes ten IFDC exclusive dolls living here, including the subject of today's spotlight, Rock Me Baby Rayna.

Rock Me Baby Rayna is wearing a blouse and slacks created by Clear Lan.  I have broken my rule about only featuring FR dolls again.  Rock Me Baby Rayna was released on a Brides of Dracula body. It just didn't suit her at all.  I tried her on a NuFace body, a regular FR body, and a FR2 body.  As you can see the FR2 body suits this doll!

There have only been three issues of Rayna, and all three have been convention exclusives.   Go Home Rayna (a modern fashion interpretation of Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz) is a serious collector favorite and often fetches $400+ on the secondary market.   She is a NuFace doll.

I recently sold my 2011 High Toned Rayna from the 2011 Jet Set Covention.  She was the first Rayna issued and had a tan skin tone.  The photos of her on secondary market are amazing where collectors have taken her hair down and relaxed it, but there was something about her face up that bothered me.

Rock Me Baby Rayna is probably my favorite of the three.  She loves the camera!

Summer Vacation Day 15

Since I started my countdown, I have sold 25 dolls on The Doll Page.  It's hard to believe.  Most of my silkstones have moved on to new homes and several FR dolls - many NRFB.  I still have quite a few listed. 

Redressing and posting pictures of my dolls has either renewed my love for a doll or helped me realize the doll should be sold, so she be appreciated by another collector.  I have been surprised by some of my decisions. 

One problem with photographing a doll to sell is you always take the chance of deciding to keep her.  That's what happened with today's subject.  She is one of the newer dolls, having just been added to my collection this year.  She is Gold Glam Adele Makeda.  I won the opportunity to purchase her from a W Club lottery.  There were only 300 of her produced and she cost $75.  

The minute this doll arrived, I compared her to Beyonce.  I have tried redressing her in chic clothing, in modern street clothing, in gowns.  I hadn't put her in anything truly casual.  I love her in jeans and a t-shirt.  I think I like her better casual than dressed up!   She was on the block, but now I can't bring myself to let her go.  Gold Glam Adele will be staying around.

Summer Vacation Day 16

Since I focused my blog on Lily Munster yesterday, it made me think about Frankenstein's monster, which lead me to the entry today.   There is a term in the doll collecting community for dolls whose heads have been put on a body different than the one with which they were manufactured.  Collectors call those dolls "frankendolly".   I have a few Mattel dolls on IT doll bodies.  I also have some IT dolls who have switched to a different style body.  This is the case with the Funny Face Jo Stockton Take The Picture doll living here.

She is the original Vanessa 1.0 face mold which made her desirable to Vanessa 1.0 collectors.  She arrived on a shorter Poppy Parker body with the kitten heel/foot.   (The kitten heel/foot was designed without an ankle joint or arch in the foot so Poppy Parker dolls could wear "flats" and "kitten heel" shoes.) For some reason, she looked sad to me;  she needed to be with my other tall Vanessa girls.   Take the Picture is a very unique face up for Vanessa because her eyes were painted to look like Audrey Hepburn's big brown doe eyes.  This uniqueness makes her quite special in my collection, and I really enjoy her on the tall FR body.

Summer Vacation Day 17

Today is the first day of the International Federation of Doll Collectors Convention.   In honor of this, I decided to spotlight my favorite IFDC doll from last year.  She was a companion doll, was released in an edition size of 300, and cost $150 retail.   Her name is Bloodlines Tatyana.

This doll is very special to me because she reminds me of home.  When we were young, The Munsters was syndicated and came on television right after we got home from school.  My mom would have a snack waiting for us, and we would sit in front of the TV and watch Lily Munster's family every afternoon.  It was a time to relax after a hard day of learning and be with our family laughing, resting, and enjoying a simple country life.  I miss it but feel very blessed to have experienced it.  Bloodlines Tatyana is one of the dolls here who has never been redressed.  Her place of esteem can never be contested.

Summer Vacation Day 18

I have been trying to vary the subjects of the blog, but I only have one of several FR molds/characters that are on display.  There is only one Elise, Korinne, Anja, Kesenia, Luchia, Tatyana, Jordan, and Isha.   My favorite characters, in order, would be Eugenia, Agnes, Vanessa 1.0, and Adele 2.0.  Since I have so many versions of these dolls, their photos keep repeating.  Today's focus is Fine Romance Eugenia Frost.  She was an exclusive to the 2010 Convention and was released in an edition size of 425.  Her retail price was $150.

I have her modeling the dress from 2007 Dark Narcissus Kyori.   Fine Romance is probably the most "severe" of the Eugenia dolls who live here.   I think even Agnes stands clear of this icy stare!

Summer Vacation Day 19

Usually I photograph the next doll when I'm photographing the A Fashionable Life Vanessa girls.  I always lump her in with them.  Maybe it is because they were all produced in 2005 (which was a VERY good year for Integrity Toys).   She is Born to Gamble Kyori Sato.

Another good reason to include Born to Gamble Kyori with the AFL Vanessas is that she also has a very elaborate undo.   She was an IFDC exclusive, was produced in an edition size of 600 and cost $150.   I have upgraded her to a tall handspeak body as I have all my favorite girls.

This doll came with some "cool toys" including a bottle of Karen Walker liquor and a deck of miniature playing cards. I love the reference to Karen Walker from the Will & Grace comedy series.   I definitely see the resemblance to Miss Anastasia Beaverhausen.

Summer Vacation Day 20

I remember when I received the next doll.  At first, her pale skin tone and light hair were a bit disconcerting.  Then she grew on me in a big way.  Although she wasn't the first Agnes Von Weiss released, for some reason, she is always the doll that comes to mind when I think of the character.   Here she is the second W Club exclusive ever released, Dressing the Part Agnes Von Weiss.

Dressing the Part was released in 2006 in an edition size of 750 and cost W Club members $130.  I have her dressed in Barbie's Kentucky Derby outfit.   It has been so hot lately here in the south, she needed a light and airy sundress.   Although Firefly is my favorite doll from this mold, Dressing the Part will always be Agnes Von Weiss to me.