Busy, Busy, Busy

Whew. It has been a very busy fall for me so far! I have had the privilege of listing and selling some very unique dolls for a sweet lady from California. The dolls belonged to her fiance's mother and they were exquisite.

The owner was a little girl during the 1930-1940's and her dolls were so beautiful. As I was researching the dolls, it dawned on me that this little girl must have been from a wealthy family. It also made me think of my grandparents and how poor they were in contrast to this little girl who was probably their same age.

The little girl's father was one of the original architects of the Golden Gate Bridge, which I felt was fascinating. Among them were some pretty nice Nancy Ann's but most were dolls I had never seen before. Dolls by Efanbee, Madame Alexander, R&B, etc... I learned so much about them in this process.

Here are some pictures:

In addition to that I have stayed busy keeping up with school starting and Jonathan being in college.

Karsen turned 26 months old yesterday and that is hard to believe. And my second son, Justin is a high school senior! I had their portraits taken and they turned out really nice.

 

 I miss writing on my blog!

Before meets After

As I have blogged about before, one of the greatest joys I receive from collecting Nancy Ann's is being able to fix them up.

I am self taught and love learning new techniques. It's like I have discovered a hobby within a hobby.

Restoring these dollies to a better state is not easy and patience is key. But for the most part, what the dolls need most is a light cleaning.

I like to use a Magic Eraser for the skin. It doesn't disturb the paint and it really gets into the grooves of the dolls nicely.

Restringing is quite simple and I have begun using elastic cords you can buy online. I use a tweezer to pull one end through and connect it to the other side. I can string a doll in less than 5 minutes now! lol

The mohair wigs and dresses are the hardest part of the repair process. 

The dresses are so amazing but the fabrics are so delicate. I have found the best way to clean them is to use Dawn dish sink soap or any Dove Shampoo. Both products clean well and do not harm the garment.

Always air dry your dresses. I hang mine on upside down glasses so the skirts fill out nicely.

The wigs are another story! You cannot brush them at all or they will fall apart. i simply wipe clean with a damp cloth and reset the curls using tiny doll curlers.

It brings me so much satisfaction to take a broken, dirty doll and restore her to the beauty that she is.

Don't be afraid to look for the worn down dollies. They are almost always easy to bring back to life!~

Here are some of my recent redo's:

This is a Goldylocks doll I purchased from Goodwill. The picture in pink is where I restored her and the last picture of her was from the lady who bought her from me and made her look even prettier!

This pretty girl had a missing limb and her hair was flying away! I used a rubber band to flatten it. Took several days but turned out nicely!

A rare Judy Ann Black Eye Susan that I sold for way too cheap.
This was a fun doll. Her dress was filthy and had very delicate tulle which was already torn. I gently soaked it and the beautiful yellow emerged. The wig was toast so I kept it off. Her beautiful molded hair was perfect.





English rose needed a bath badly. Her hair was so dusty but I was able to save it. She did have minor pant loss on her forehead but I do not feel comfortable re painting at this point.

Bridesmaid needed a new wig and her dress was so dingy.

This doll was unrecognizable as a very rare Flower Girl Series "Marguerite". I think that is why I was able to get her for so little.

Her dress took several soaks but came out so nicely. She is perhaps, maybe my favorite makeover and now has a happy new home with a delighted collector.

This Mary Had a Little Lamb just needed arms, a bath and her attached skirt to be bleached.

I think I have more fun buying the misfits and bringing them back to life than I do buying the ones who are already shelf ready!

Little One Turns TWO!!!

Two?!?! Two years old? How can this be Little One?

It seems like only yesterday that I was taking that pregnancy test. Scared to death if it was going to be positive. And when it turned positive, I cried. It was scary to be pregnant again after so many years. 

But after a phone call to Mama Jo--she relieved my stress when she said, "You are a good mother, what are you worried about?". And then I calculated the months and realized you would be due around the one year mark of Papa's death.

I knew at that second, at that very second, you were sent for a purpose (as all babies are) but yours was to heal my heart and I knew that exactly at that moment.

This 24th month finds you entering the terrible two's! But you are not so terrible. Although your favorite word is "NO, I DO IT!"

So stubborn! 

You are little miss independent.

I love that and I dread that!

You make me smile. I loved watching you interact with Nanny and Moma Jo this last trip home. You LOVED Mama Jo. You called her everyday we were there and kept her on the phone! And watching kiss your fingers and touch Nannies made me weep.

They love you so much and despite the terrible distance between us, I hope you will always know how much they love you!

Here are some pictures of you this last month and your birthday party!

dropping off Jonathan to college

 

 

Beach Trip

My little sister and mom surprised me and the kids with a quick 3 day trip to the beach. They knew that money was extra tight with Jonathan heading to the University of Charleston. So they graciously paid for our hotel room and gas.

We spent 3 glorious days at Holden Beach. We laughed, played in the sun and made wonderful memories. It was the first time we had all been to the beach together in over 10 years!

My mom even surprised me with  a Sea Shell book my Papa Bud had given me over 30 years ago. I was determined to find a Sand Dollar. Something Papa Bud and I enjoyed looking together for. I searched, dug holes and walked endlessly searching for a Sand Dollar to no avail. On our way off the beach to head home, my mom looked down and found a dollar bill stuck in the sand. We figured that was Papa's funny way of showing us a sand dollar. That was his sense of humor. It made us smile.

Karsen and my mom

Larry, my hero

Last week we traveled home for a quick mini vacation. I will blog about that later.

The week was going great until I received a phone call.

"Larry Brown died this morning of a heart attack", my mom told me.

I was in shock. Instantly saddened. Tears instantly flowing.
I had just spoke to him on facebook last week for my birthday. He had told me "Happy Birthday Baby Girl".

Larry was our former town mayor in Kernersville. He was also a member of the NC House of Representatives. He gave over 30 years of his life to being a public servant.

He was perhaps, the most influential person I had ever known. I called him "pops'. We had a inside joke that we shared that he was secretly my father and my  mom had kicked him to the curb. Of course, this was not true. Just light hearted fun but I loved him as though he was Pops. My mom and sister were also very close to him.

In 1997, my first husband abandoned me with a 3 year old Jonathan and 2 year old Justin --just 7 weeks before Christmas. Larry quietly gave me $100 dollars and refused a payback. He wanted my boys to have a nice Christmas. He would never let me tell anyone about this charitable donation because he didn't want people to think he did it for attention or for the wrong reasons.

He was always there ready to dispense sound advice to me. Whether it was about state funding for Jonathan's college or when I needed help writing letters to Senators about the housing crisis, I always knew I could turn to Larry for the best advice.

He was fiscally sound and despised wasted money. You could guarantee that if Larry was in charge of something, it would be done correctly and on budget.  Even if you disagreed with him, he was a true southern gentleman. He worked tirelessly to improve the state of NC and the city of Kernersville.

He was up for re-election this May but lost on a 3 person primary ballot. It didn't help his district had been eliminated. I wrote to him and told him that God must have something bigger in store for him. I didn't know it would be Heaven. But that is where I am sure he is now.

I will miss you Larry. You were so much more than just a friend to me. You were family. you were "pops". My mom should have never kicked you to the curb because you were the finest person to grace our lives. We will miss you so much!

 

He's Off to College

Saturday was a bittersweet day for me. A mixture of pride and sadness. Pride that my baby boy was headed to a private University. The recipient of a prestigious scholarship. All the hard work had paid off. Despite several moves, two of them to different states, he stayed the course.

Leaving him was hard. But leaving him in good hands makes it easier.

I am very proud. He was born to a teen mom. I was only 19 when he was born. My first marriage was rocky and at the age of 4, his father abandoned us for another woman who immediately became pregnant. A few years later that same man would have his parental rights terminated.

By all means this little boy should not have excelled but he did. And continues to do amazing things.

What I am most proud of his his conviction and sense of spirit. He does what is right most of the time and prides himself on having a strong character.

If he holds true to those traits, I have no doubt he will continue to be blessed by God in his amazing journey.

I love you Jon Jon! I will miss you but I know this is the right journey!

 

Black Eyed Susan

Isn't she beautiful? Her name is #4 Black Eyed Susan from the NASB Flower Series.
She is missing her hair ribbon, and her wig is a wreck. She also needs her sunflower retied to her gown. But her big, sweet beautiful brown eyes are so precious. And she is a rare "Judy Ann" version. I heart her.