... So who's counting???

I was originally going to name this post "One Bad Apple Don't Spoil The Whole Bunch", but I'll get to that later.

As we all know, I've been trying my best to stick to New Year's Resolutions this year.  There have been two that keep haunting my collecting habits.  One is "That for every new doll I add to my collection, a doll must leave."

I was doing very well with this.  This year I have sold eight of my silkstones.  They are getting down to the final favorites who simply refuse to leave:  Dusk to Dawn, High Tea and Savories, Fashion Editor, Muffy Roberts, Lingerie #4, Lingerie #5, Market Day, Tweed Indeed, Ingenue, Highland Fling, and Cappucine.  Still quite an army!

For those of you counting, this year I have added the following dolls to my collection:

1.  Blood Blood Elise
2.  Bodacious Adele
3.  Blue Chip Monogram
4.  Midnight Lace Mini Gene
5.  Carol Roth

I have been accused of carrying my Carol Roth doll to bed with me because I love this doll so much.  Since her arrival, I have received 3 additional dolls.  They were all pre-orders that have finally started arriving.

I feel like my intense happiness with Carol Roth has jaded my expectations on these other dolls.  First up is the Monogram Discreet.   When I got this doll, I was disappointed.  She is similar in coloring to Brilliance, which I already own.  Additionally, I felt like her head was a different color than her body ... but not by much.   Now, the crazy thing is that it doesn't show up in photos taken in my light tent.  I am not going to debox her because she will be going up for sale in the near future.

Next up is the first FR2 doll I've ever owned.  I ordered Flawless Elise.  Never has there been a more ironic name given to a doll.   Integrity had advertised the FR2 line as a return to quality.  Many of these dolls arrived to collectors with chopped up bangs, unbalanced buns, and an obvious color difference between body and head.  You can see the difference in my photo.   I filed a complaint with customer care.  They asked that I mail the head back by heating it and removing it from the body.  When I heated the head, the eyelash came off!  Anyway, I am awaiting the replacement head.  (About 4 - 5 weeks)

I was very excited about this doll because she is quite beautiful and haute couture.  When the initial announcement was posted, I was reluctant but refused to follow my "gut instincts".  I think "gut instincts" will be the topic of another blog.  This is the doll that almost caused the blog title "One Bad Apple ...."   It was not a good doll collecting experience.

The last doll to arrive was Modern Comeback Vero (Noir).   You had to enter a lottery to win the opportunity to purchase either a platinum or raven haired version of this doll.  I won the right to purchase the raven version.  I really LIKE this doll.  She reminds me of Linda Carter.  I even posted on the W Club that I was waiting for someone to put her in the Wonder Woman Costume.  They did and she looks super!  (No pun attended.)  

Unfortunately, she reminds me a great deal of Flame Rouge which is anoter doll I have and LOVE.  I'm not too crazy about Noir's eyes or lack of eyelashes.  HOWEVER, she photographs like a dream.  I need to decide what to do about her.  Does she stay or does she go?  If she stays, she comes out of the box.

Since we are undoubtedly keeping tally at this point, it is obvious that I am tottering on the edge of having to sell more dolls.   I have six out of box (if you include Elise).  If I keep Noir that is seven.  I Love How You Love Me Poppy is due next week.   What a delimma!?

Now ... I am adding this doll as an "after-thought" to my list.  I already owned Age of Oppulence Isha, but I recently purchased a tall Rare Find body for her off the doll boards.  I panicked when Integrity announced that skin tone was discontinued.  I have had AO for many years and have been waiting to up grade her body.  I was glad to find a body at a good price.  She is lovely.  She will reside on my shelf of 2011 acquired dolls, but only because she received an upgrade body.  (Isn't it remarkable how I can justify purchases!  It mesmerizes my husband.)

There's a new girl in town ...

There have been very few dolls that elicited the reaction I've gotten from the Integrity Toys Carol Roth Doll.  I've become cynical as a doll collector.  I've seen too many promotional photos of dolls gone bad.  When I get a package, I hold my breath as I open it, expecting wonky eyes, bad haircuts, stains, or even mold.  I was delighted by this doll.  ABSOLUTELY LOVE HER.  Tore her out of that package.  Haven't felt this strongly about a doll since Going Public Eugenia.

Here is her promotional photo from Integrity Toys.  There was "something" about her.  I thought her hair was a little "too poofy on the crown", her skin maybe a little too pale, her price a little too high for a doll in a basic dress.  But I trusted my instincts.  Something told me this was going to be a stellar doll.

When I got her out of the box, I had to wipe her dress with a wet cloth because there were "white" stains from the product they used on her hair.  The hair needed washing as well.  When I was finished, I took my first close up of that beautiful face.  I love a brunette with big brown eyes.

Anyone who knows me would be surprised by how much I like this doll.  I dislike dolls with side-glancing eyes.  Being a teacher, it drives me crazy when pre-pubescent girls roll their eyes at me.  I just want to walk away screaming.  BUT ... it works on this doll.   Adds to her sex-appeal.  I knew this doll could not stay on the body that she arrived wearing.  She is on a Dynamite Girl torso with NuFace arms and legs.   She is now sporting a "full-figure" body donated by Spring Forward Eugenia.  I think it suits her.  She is now a real sex kitten.

 Someone posted that she looked "fierce".  I agree.  I think she is awesome.  As I have posted before, one of my New Year's Resolutions was that a doll would not stay in a box this year.  This one didn't.  I had recently purchased a Mattel Winter in Montreal outfit from The Doll Page for $15.  I wondered how she would look wearing it.   ... Well she got the spotlight photo on Pink Parlor/Vinyl Lounge. 

 This brings me to a question I received recently about how I store all of my doll's clothes.  I am a real clothes horse when it comes to my girls.  I have asked Chaundra and some of her friends to aid me in showing you what I have done.  Here is Chaundra on a product called "The Clip It Up" carousel.  It can be purchased on e-bay or at scrapbook supply stores.  This is the base unit.  It generally retails for $45 up. 

Chaundra tells us "It twirls, girl! You can invite friends over and go for a ride! Speaking of friends, here is Toni.  She is holding one of the alligator clips to show you."

"Now when you clip this on the dress, make sure you clip it on the back ... otherwise it will leave one ugly mark on the front.  You can't even STEAM it out.  Very unsightly in photos.  But clipped on the back, no one knows!"

 "... And becase these little clips cost money, and we like to watch that stuff around here, you can clip two dresses back to back.  The carousel comes with a package of clips"

 "Let's welcome my friend Steffie ...  She is showing us that you can use the clip it with a plastic dress form.  That way you don't have to worry about damaging your clothing at all.   Hmmm... I didn't know we even had this dress.  Spring's coming!" 

" .. And if you run out of clips, you can buy some more (they are about $7 for a package of 40).  Or you can even use some of the coat hangers you already have.  Most of them work too!"

"If you want to keep complete outfits together, like with their shoes, purses, jewelry, etc., you can put everything in a sandwich bag and clip it!  That's the blue suit I wore in the last blog!"

 "Again, you can use two bags to one clip!  I had to have one of my Amazon neighbors from upstairs come down and hold these.  It was too heavy for us petite girls!"

 "You can get an awful lot of clothing on one of these; however, they take a lot of room.  (I really like this Carol Roth doll and am glad that she got a new body.  This dress fits like a glove.  I love adding it to my collection!"

"If you happen to have been lucky enough to get one of those Integrity rolling racks, the clip-its fit on it too.  See how nice they look?  I keep finding dresses I forgot I owned!"

 "One of the coolest ideas I've found is that you can use those thick plastic clothes hangers for humans.  The clip-its fit, but you have to "snap" them on.  You can put several of these side by side in a closet."

"So that ends our demonstration of how we keep our clothing organized.  Does anyone else have ideas to share?  We'd love to hear.  Next time, we'll look at shoes, props, and other clothing items.  See you later, alligator clip!  Ha!  Ha!  Sometimes I crack myself up."