Refinement

I didn't post last week because we were in Virginia putting a contract on land.  (Positive movements toward retirement!!)   Some of the most beautiful fifteen acres we've come across.  It has a private wooded setting with meadows and a brisk creek, 400 feet of road frontage, and very close to shopping and medical facilities.  Our offer was accepted, so we are on our way!

So, this week will be somewhat of a "catch up".

First up, I want to post a photo of a couple $1.97 outfits I found at Walmart a couple weeks ago.  There has been some buzz on the internet about the "Sparkle Girlz" line.

The outfits are trendy and a little snug but fit Poppy and Mattel dolls quite nicely.  There's a great deal of play value in these!

The top is actually a bodysuit.  It's a shame these outfits use velcro closing, but for $2, you really can't find too much fault!

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I was recently reading another blog on line and felt a shared angst with the author.  They were voicing their disappointment with this year's IT offerings.  The author wrote that he had to ask himself, when looking at Natalia, why he hadn't spent his money on an earlier version.  The earlier version had a better face up and hair and could be purchased secondary market for what he had paid for Elusive Creature.

That was a startling revelation!   But I have to agree with this.   Am I, as a collector, caught up with having to buy the newest simply because it is the most current?  

I decided that maybe it was time to "refine" my collection by focusing on some of the earlier releases that I had missed.  With this in mind, I was able to find Future Bound Luchia Z from 2009.  She has been on my radar for a very long time.   Someone offered her head, in perfect condition, for $50.

I've seen her with repainted lips, but, for me, the lips are one of the things I like.  It's different and unlike anything else in my collection.   I had purchased a handspeak body this past summer that had a white manicure, so it was a no-brainer.  She is wearing the jacket from 2006's True Royalty Vanessa, the skirt from 2003's Fashion Plate Veronique, and the hat from Mattel's A Day At The Races.

I think she actually may have elevated my collection a little.  I hate to admit it, but I had more fun redressing her than any new doll I've received in the past few months.