DIY Doll Stringing

Here is another of my mom's dolls that we are listing for sale, on this site and at the upcoming doll show: an early Effanbee Honey, strung and 16 inches tall. Honey is in excellent condition, redressed in a vintage outfit that we believe to be appropriate, but with an odor that we can't seem to rid her of. The doll itself is in excellent condition, with light play wear, such as the tiny rub on the end of her nose. Her face is lovely, with light blush on the cheeks, ruby lips, clear eyes, and that sweet Honey expression. Honey also has a beautiful honey-blond saran wig, still in the original set. It is a wig and style that is very similar to that worn by my Winnie Walker — a style I haven't seen on Honey before, but I don't see any signs of the wig being replaced, so I think it might be original. In any case, it is beautiful, vintage, and suits her sweet expression perfectly. Honey has been redressed in a completely vintage outfit. The dress is made of polished cotton a

We have a new doll for sale! This doll is a strung hard plastic doll from the early 1950s: a Madame Alexander Maggie. She is 17 inches tall, has the desireable "suntanned" complexion, and is in played-with condition. Her outfit is not original but is all Madame Alexander or vintage replacements, as you will see. Maggie has the normal play wear — scuffs and rubs through the flesh-colored paint at the joints, tips of her fingers, etc. She has pretty green eyes with a little bit of minor yellowing from age. They open and close smoothly and are missing no lashes. Her hair is beautiful and all original, if a little wild. The pale yellow-blond wig is not in the original set but retains some curl. Here are some pictures of a mint Maggie with the same wig, so that you can see how the hair was styled originally. This is not the doll for sale, just a model to show how the hair should be styled. Maggie is wearing a tagged Madame Alexander dress. This dress came in two colors, blue and p

A couple of days ago I blogged about my Winnie Walker project doll . I realized I never mentioned anything about her year or value in my blog post. Since Winnie Walker and Binnie Walker are often confused, I decided a separate post was justified. Both Winnie and Binnie were Cissy-faced walker dolls, but Winnie was made first, starting in 1953. They both had different outfits and there were other subtle differences — for instance, some later Binnie Walkers had vinyl arms that were jointed at the elbow. Also, I've never seen the wig and hairstyle that my Winnie wears on a Binnie Walker, so I think it was just Winnie who wore it. According to Linda Crowsey's 2008 price guide, Winnie was made in 1953 and 1954, and Binnie was made in 1954 and 1955. I think Binnie was also used in 1956 for some specific dolls, such as the non-walker 1956 Wendy Bride that I have (and am actually considering selling). Really, the best way to learn to distinguish between Winnie and Binnie is to do

I had completely forgotten about my 15-inch Winnie Walker project doll, until my mom and I started going through our collections this week, looking for dolls we no longer want. Of course, this being one of my project dolls, I put a lot of love into completing her, so she's not a candidate for our downsizing efforts. However, I decided that her status as a nearly-completed project doll meant she deserved her 15 minutes of fame on my blog. I bought Winnie right after Christmas in 2001. I remember because there was hardly anyone bidding right after Christmas, and as a result I got a really good deal. When I bought her she was wearing a white dress that was possibly factory-made but nothing that I recognized. However, she was also wearing red centersnap shoes with fuzzy bottoms — shoes I was pretty sure were Madame Alexander. After some research, her shoes and her hairstyle convinced me that she had originally worn the red dress with a navy sailor coat over it — a popular Winnie outfit

Most collectors go through cycles of adding to collections, and downsizing collections. I think it's triggered by an instinct for self-preservation — my dolls would take over my home if I didn't downsize periodically! Besides, selling dolls I am tired of means more money for my current interests. I have recently started thinking of downsizing. It's hard to decide what dolls to part with, especially in an economy where I know I won't always get what I paid for them, but I've chosen a few to start with. My mom is thinking of downsizing, too, so we're going to rent a table at a doll show next month and try our hand at selling. I will post pictures and descriptions of all the dolls we're selling on my For Sale page over the next few weeks. Any dolls that haven't sold by then will go to the show with us. I'll post more information as the time for the show draws nearer.

I'm not usually into the modern Madame Alexander dolls — I prefer the early strung hard plastic dolls, from the late 1940s and early 1950s. However, the other day on Craigslist I saw this modern strung doll, an 8-inch Melanie from the 1992 Scarlett Series. She was only $15, and she looked awfully pretty in the picture, so I decided I had to get her even if she wasn't the kind I normally collect. One of my complaints with the newer dolls is that their faces aren't as cute. This isn't the case with this little doll — I think her face is just darling: Her clothing also seems to be well made from higher quality fabrics, unlike the Madame Alexander dolls of the 1970s and 1980s. And I just love that hat! Isn't she a cutie? I'm thinking of finding a Scarlett to go with her, although I'll have to go with a different year because I don't like the 1992 Scarlett!

I am back from my long hiatus! I'm sorry it's been so long since I've updated my blog, but I had an extraordinarily busy summer. All that is over now, though, and I'm back to my old work schedule — complete with plenty of time to blog. Starting tomorrow, I'll have all-new blog posts about my dolls and doll stringing stories. Stay tuned for: 1) Pictures, descriptions, and stories of several new dolls I've gotten — as well as why my tastes have changed 2) Doll stringing stories of dolls I've had that I just hadn't gotten around to tell you about yet (I've got well over a hundred dolls, so really this blog has only just scratched the surface) 3) Pictures and descriptions of several dolls and related items that my mom and I are offering for sale