Collection Cycle 2023 - Numbers 16, 17, and 18

I apologize for the long lapse between blog entries.   My husband was in a terrible car accident this past summer and has some chronic medical problems.  He has been requiring more personal attention from me and I've had less time for doll play.

Before his accident we had decided to move forward with our plan to sell our home in an effort to "down size".  Since the passing of my mother-in-law, we realized we didn't need so much house to maintain for just the two of us (and almost 1000 dolls).  I've packed up my dolls' rooms, so that has also prevented redress opportunity.  It's also seriously affected my sales since those came to an abrupt halt!

So ... on with the show.

If you collect Poppy Parker, you know how difficult it is to obtain them at retail price.   Scalpers have aggravated the situation and the prices on some of these dolls are just ridiculous.  I try to keep to my Collecting Guidelines and avoid purchasing Poppy Parker on secondary market when at all possible.  Unfortunately, a Poppy sometimes sneaks up on me.  This was the case with Golden Glow Poppy Parker from the Palm Springs Collection.  I didn't think I needed this doll with so much hair.  Then collector photos started showing up.  I tried my best to resist ... but, in the end, I wound up getting one at close to retail price.  Here is a full length photo.  

Even though she had to be packed away for my move, I do not regret ordering her.  Her hair is such a beautiful shade of blonde and her eyes are just the palest of blues.  Golden Glow Poppy Parker is gorgeous and represents Number 16 added to my collection in 2023.

One of the reasons to join the W Club is that there are always at least two versions of Poppy Parker made available to W Club members only.  There is the upgrade doll and they guarantee that one of the exclusives will also be a version of Poppy Parker.   

Another exclusive of the W Club this past year was Primary Subject Giselle Diefendorf.  I have a weak spot for Giselle.  I really do love her mold and the fact that she is a relative of Agnes Von Weiss.

I was on the fence with the purchase of Primary Subject, but that cute little jacket lined in the dress fabric pushed me over the edge.  I'm not crazy about how small her eyes look.  I have several other fantastic brunette versions of Giselle:  Glam Addict, AKA Gigi, and Wanderlust.   I'm not sure if Primary Subject will be staying (I may sell her nude), but she's here for now.

Number 17 of my 2023 collecting cycle is Primary Subject Giselle Diefendorf.

In the world of Poppy Parker, Poppy is considered to be a retro doll living in the 1960's - 1970's.  Integrity toys tied The Industry line of dolls with Tulabelle True and now it represents current fashion trends with Tulabelle True being Poppy Parker's granddaughter.   Another doll offered to W Club members as an Integrity Direct purchase was Trending Tulabelle True.  The Industry/Tulabelle True dolls can share much of the same clothes with Poppy Parker (and even some NuFace dolls).   I really like the Tulabelle True sculpt and own the first two versions (both brunettes).   Trending Tulabelle True with blonde locks was a no-brainer for me.

I really like this version quite a bit.  She has this snobbish look to her which I find somehow very appealing.   Arriving in 2023 and becoming Number 18 in my 2023 collection is Trending Tulabelle True.

It's Easy as 1, 2, 3 ... 4, 5

I had thought that this year would be another year of total refinement for my collection.  I set out with really good intentions.  I wanted to make my collection exactly what I wanted.

As we all realize, doll collecting is truly a case of "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."  What one collector may consider a "Holy Grail" another collector may think to be just a regular doll.   My personal tastes are rather eclectic.   I have sold many dolls from my collection that make other collectors gasp, "How were you ever able to let her go!"

One example of this was my sale of Optic Verve Agnes Von Weiss last year.   I have been collecting IT dolls since 2005.  I was fortunate to win the right to buy this doll in the W Club lottery, so I actually paid retail price for her.   My "stray hair phobia" kept her in the box until she achieved status as the #1 Fashion Royalty "Holy Grail" of all time.  I have dolls whose eyelashes have fallen off.  I've had dolls that have yellowed over time.  Since I wasn't enjoying this doll and had all these fears about the possibilities of her future condition, I decided to let her go.  I sold her for more than what I paid for my first car (or even my second car for that matter)!

I know this will sound crazy to many of you out there, but the thing that made this choice easier was Luxe Life Optic Illusion Giselle Diefendorf.  For some reason I am more drawn to Optic Illusion than Optic Verve (and I am an Agnes fanatic, having owned every version of Agnes except the Saks Fifth Avenue doll).   I patiently waited until my e-bay bucks became available and then watched for "that perfect doll" to show up.

My #1 doll added to my collection in 2019 is Optic Illusion Giselle Diefendorf.  Unfortunately, the weather here, combined with my hectic schedule this winter, has prevented me deboxing her.  I am waiting for a time when I can spend hours redressing and fussing over this doll!  I think she is phenomenal and I wish I had purchased her in 2018, so she could've been added to my Best of 2018 list.

Even though I rarely replace a doll that leaves my collection, sometimes I experience regrets!  A couple years ago I sold Intoxicating Mix Vanessa Perrin to a dolly friend.  She even warned me that I may miss her in my collection.  She was right, especially after seeing her rerooted as a blonde on flickr (Do yourself a favor and check out this flickr link Blonde Intoxicating Mix Vanessa Perrin).   I got this doll at an incredible price NRFB.  NRFB is difficult since this doll is from the 2005 Royaltini Convention and was produced in an edition size of only 300.

 My #2 doll returning to my collection in 2019 is Intoxicating Mix Vanessa Perrin.

In my first blog entry of 2019, I mentioned that I was hoping to "fine tune" my Ellowyne Wilde collection a little more.  Last year, I sold off all the male friends of Ellowyne.  One that I regretted letting go was Just Relax Penn.  He was NRFB, so he wasn't getting any attention.  He is my favorite version of this mold, so I bought him back recently.  Another collector on a doll board had him "displayed without original packaging" for less than half what I sold him for last year.  He has rejoined the ranks!  #3 of 2019 is Just Relax Penn.

An Ellowyne that seems to always elude me is A Case of the Blues.   This version of Ellowyne actually has bright blue hair!   She is one of the more sought after versions of Ellowyne Wilde.  Being in the right place at the right time paid off again!  #4 of 2019 is A Case of the Blues Ellowyne Wilde.

This brings me to my #5 doll of 2019.  Again, being in the right place at the right time brought me the fortune of seeing Miss Behave Poppy Parker's head being sold at a really good price.  Apparently, the collector had purchased the Miss Behave ensemble and did not collect Poppy Parker.  This version of Poppy looks more mature and modern than most, so I wanted to put her on a NuFace body anyway.  This is the only Poppy to be produced in the cream skin tone.  She looks great as a NuFace girl.  (Many of the production dolls had a high forehead, I am so relieved this one does not!   I braided one side of her hair to achieve this look.)

That's five dolls who arrived this year that were produced previous to 2019.  There are still a couple Ellowyne Wilde dolls I would add to my collection if the price was right.  There are only a couple FR dolls that I would be interested in purchasing.

Unfortunately, I haven't listed any dolls for sale yet this year.  I better get on the ball!

Sister Moguls - Agnes and Giselle

I have gotten very behind with deboxing dolls this year.  Apparently, my rules have all been thrown out the window.  I've been blaming too many things:  my accident in December, my damaged knee, the cancer diagnosis of my little dog and the subsequent loss.  It's time to get back on track.

The very first doll(s) to arrive this year were the Sister Moguls giftset.  This giftset was a W Club Exclusive from 2016.  All W Club members were able to purchase this set, and it was produced based on the preorder - edition size 1250.  Cost $200.

This is a full length photo in the box.

The dolls are actually quite similar.  They were originally supposed to have two different skin tones, but a decision was made during production to give them the same Japan skin tone.

Here is a closeup of Agnes Von Weiss.

I love her screening.  Her eyes are gorgeous.

And here is Giselle Diefendorf.

Another beautiful face.

Here are the accessories.

(Sorry about the fuzzy photo on the right.)  There are two pair of earrings, four rings, two magnetic pins, a veil, an extra set of hands for each doll, a set of photos and pencil for autographing them, and a pair of shoes for each doll.

Here is a photo of the dolls out of box.

My only concerns (and they are minor) are that the dress is a little short in the front and the sleeves aren't long enough.  When sewing stretchable lace, the seamstress needs to allow for the fabric drawing up.  I really like the black "leather" pants and Giselle's top.

Another closeup of Agnes.  She is truly drool-worthy.

And her sister, Giselle.

I wanted to see how Giselle would look redressed.  I have her wearing In Rouge from the 2015 Integrity Convention.

I couldn't stop photographing this girl.

She is wonderful.

I hate that it took 11 months to open this giftset.  I could've been redressing these girls all year!

NuFace Models

It has been over a year since NuFace admirers have received a new collection.   With no NuFace dolls on the horizon, I decided to get out my girls and take some photos.  There are other versions of these molds available, but my blog is devoted to only those that are in my collection.

NuFace was introduced in 2006 with two models - Erin Salston and Nadja Rhymes.   Unfortunately, I only have one version of each of these girls in my collection.  They both come from 2007.  The first is Urban Outfitting Nadja:

And the second is Making A Scene Erin.  This doll has never been redressed.  I love her in stock.

Erin received a makeover in 2012 with a W Club Exclusive called High End Envy (right).  She also showed up at the 2012 Convention as Lady in Red (left).  I really like what they did to this mold.

Introduced in 2007 was Colette Duranger.  She came in a gift set with Erin called Painted Black.  I instantly fell in love with this hazel-eyed doll.  She was my entry in Pink Parlor's Next Top Doll Model.  I named her KiKi.  She has been re-bodied and will always hold a special place in my collection.  She is on the far left (and reminds me of Shakira).  The Colette in the middle is from 2010 and is called Perk.  Collectors often remark that she looks Native American.  The doll on the right is All White Now and was a 2012 Convention Exclusive.

Two other characters released in 2007 were Ayumi Nakamura - I only have the 2008 version of this mold London By Night:

And Giselle Diefendorf as Costume Drama (top left).  Giselle is a very popular mold.   Masterpiece Theater (top right) showed up at the 2008 Convention.  She is my favorite strawberry blonde.  She was the actual Convention Doll for 2010 as Dark Romance (bottom left).   The final Giselle in my collection is from 2012 and is Glam Addict (bottom right).  I have owned other Giselles, but, in an attempt to manage my collection, they have gone to other homes.  These four would be difficult to let go.

In 2008, Integrity Toys wowed us with our first set of twins - two dolls that share the same mold but have separate characters.   Some collectors feel like they have to keep "sets" in their collection of Lilith and Eden.  Somehow I wound up with three Lilith (2010 Great Pretender top left, 2011 Rocking Ever After top right, and 2013 Hard Metal bottom left) and only one Eden (2012 Sweet Nothings Gretel).   Because Great Pretender looks more like Eden, I don't obsess too much over it.

In 2009, another new character, Dominque Makeda, was introduced.  She moved on to become part of the FR2 line.  The 2009 Evening Glow was the only NuFace version ever produced.  Although Vaughn used her mold for his pale caucasian workshop doll that is fondly referred to as Lady Gaga.  

Three new characters were released in 2011.  I do not own any version of Annik.  Her secondary market price prevents me from adding her to my collection.  I hope we see a good version this year.  I am fortunate to own all three versions of Rayna.  At the Fashion Royalty Convention we got High Toned (far left) who looks fantastic with her hair taken down.  She showed up at the IFDC as Go Home Dorothy (middle), and again at the 2012 IFDC as Rock Me Baby (far right).  I have placed Rock Me Baby on a FR2 body.  For some reason, Rock Me Baby looks more mature than the other NuFace dolls in my collection.

The last character of 2011 was Imogen.  I own Mission Control which was a 2011 Convention doll (left) and the 2012 Convention doll Fame by Frame (right) which is one of my very favorite dolls.

There are some very beautiful NuFace molds.  I always thought of them as the "models" for the Integrity story lines.  The Fashion Royalty dolls were the executives and the "professional working women" while these girls were the ones in front of the cameras.  I am eager to see what Integrity gives us this year!