I got caught red handed today… right in my living room… in front of my hubby… EEK!
It was the UPS man’s fault.
Back in October, we were given the opportunity to pre-order a Ruby Red Fashion Friend doll, that was designed by everyone’s votes… We were allowed to vote on what color and style her hair would be, what color her eyes would be, the sculpt (face mold), her dress, etc… A poll was announced each week or so and everyone could vote and it’s a wonder she turned out as pretty as she did, considering all the variables. But somehow she did. The Ruby Red team did a fantastic job of putting her together and I was very fortunate to be among the ones who were blessed to get her.
Her name is Rose and she came in 4 different dress colors… we had to choose which color we wanted, or we could order one of each color if we so desired. One was enough for me…
The Ruby Red company told us how many dolls were chosen in the different colors… (these numbers are worldwide!)
95 dolls in the brown
105 dolls in the magenta
110 dolls in the yellow and blue
135 dolls in the teal/green
I chose the Rose doll in the teal colored dress… Her certificate of authenticity says she is number 83.
This is how it happened today…
Reuben was barking at something outside… my hubby was sitting in his recliner, reading… I was doing dishes… I walked over to the window and saw the UPS truck.
OH NO! It can’t be Rose today… not right now…
My hubby said, “Who is it?”
I said, “It’s the UPS man…”
I opened the door and there was the box, between the door and the storm door. UGH!
My hubby said, “Who’s it for?”
I said, “Me…”
He said, “That looks like a doll box!”
Oh dear…
“It is a doll; one I pre-ordered back in October, but she is just now being shipped to all the ones who bought her.”
He went back to his reading… HE WENT BACK TO HIS READING!!!
I took her in my sewing room and tried to be nonchalant. Really I was very anxious to open her box… I had seen a few ladies on the Ruby Red doll forums showing pictures of the various dolls they were receiving and many of them were coming today! She was so pretty…
So I decided to share with you what she looked like as I opened the box… obviously, this is the box…
A special thing about this Rose doll is the carrying case that came with her. It’s a faux leather, and a very nice case… Rose was inside.
First glimpse…
I took everything out very carefully…
She comes with a Victorian dress, slip, petticoat, short pantalettes, a bustle, boots, stockings, a hat, a cute purse, earrings, and her wig. I think that was everything. Oh wait, there was a little stand up placque of her being the first anniversary doll…
Here is Rose… she is the Luca sculpt… (if you don’t know about these dolls, that won’t mean anything to you…)
This isn’t a very good picture of her… she looks like she’s about to be executed… sorry about that…
When I bought her back in October, I had plans to sell some of her outfit, so I wasn’t going to open the packages of her dress and slips, but I just HAD to take a peek… but I didn’t unfold them…
My hubby didn’t forget about her and a few hours later he asked to see her… He said she was pretty and he liked her hair!
I AM going to finish Felicity’s outfit before I do anything with Rose… just in case you were wondering…
But here is one more look at her…
I wanted you to see the other girls in their dresses, so I saved a few images to my phone… since I’m not selling these, I hope it’s okay to do…
I will see you tomorrow!
Blessings, Jeanne
Rose has a beautiful sculpt Jeanne! I thought your husband was okay with your dolls and doesn’t get mad when you get a new one? I LOVE that they made them historical clothes! Why don’t they glue down the wigs on the dolls? Felicity’s dress just keeps getting better and better! I love the embroidery at the collar and the ribbons at the sleeves! I can’t wait to see what comes next! I also have another question for you so expect an e-mail from me.
I want to ask Sally from yesterday what Princess/Queen Elizabeth doll were you talking about? I would appreciate any info and websites on that.
Lastly, I am getting 🧵 sewing lessons from a neighbor sometime next week. Then I will keep you updated on my projects!
So glad your sewing lessons are starting soon, Lauren! Do keep us posted, and let me know if you have any questions. I hope you will enjoy sewing as much as I do–I’ve been sewing since 1956!!
Glad you are going to get some sewing lessons. Sounds great. As to the dolls having their wigs glued down, many prefer them removeable so they can switch to different wigs and change the look. However, upon ordering, you can request RRFF to glue the wig if you desire. Many of the core line are glued. Just check on the descriptions. 🙂
Hi, Lauren.
May you do SO much better than I did at sewing. No doubt you will. Have a good time.
Ruby Red Fashion Friends (RubyRedToys) is working on their prototype for the Princess/Queen Elizabeth doll. They announced this right after the Queen died in late September. The company says it generally takes about 4 months to design and produce the prototype, so we are right in that time frame. They are using a photo of Elizabeth from when she was a young child.
To know about dolls coming up, the various pages on FB (I know, ugh!) are very helpful. Go to RubyRedToys to sign up for emails. Rose, above, was created for the official fan club members. You must have at least one limited edition RRFF and submit a picture of the COA to join. Currently, there are about 550+ members. Only members could buy Rose. More than likely, they will do a club doll every year. Rose was the first anniversary doll for the club.
I can let the sisters know when dolls are coming up. As for Elizabeth, I have a sinking feeling she is going to be another mad scramble to purchase and anticipate the site crashing. With dolls coming in April and onward, it is my understanding they will be in larger editions and, hopefully, easier to order like the current Rita. Her last day for ordering is 1/28 at 10 am eastern.
Hope this helps. We are all looking forward to seeing your sewing creations!
Hi Lauren, I am so excited for you to have your lessons from your neighbor. Do you think she might go shopping with you to see if you can get all the odds and ends that I mentioned in my post to you? That would be a fun way to spend time together shopping for those things. What a nice neighbor you have. She sounds so sweet. Can’t wait to hear all about it. Have fun!
As soon as I saw the words “UPS Man”, I thought, I wonder if she ordered Rose!! And you did!! Congratulations. I’ve been reading/looking at pictures from others, too. I decided against Rose because she didn’t appeal to me quite as much as some of the others have. She’s pretty, yes, but seems to need period costumes (in my opinion) and I probably wouldn’t get around to making anything else as complex and gorgeous as the gown she comes in.
I still haven’t decided about Rita, so stay tuned! I agree that her skirt is really too short, but hey, I can make her another one!!
Sally, I will definitely share pictures of my new Leeann (although I will have to give her a different name as my first one is always called LeeAnn) as soon as I get her.
And now, for the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!!
Our first great-grandchild, Skyler, was born tonight (1/16) at 8:40 p.m. He was an incredible 9 pounds 14 ounces, and 22″ long!! Eric (his daddy) called us this morning to say they were in the hospital. I had to wait all day to find out! From the picture, it looks like he has rather sparse light brown hair, but it’s a little hard to tell.
There were some difficulties, unfortunately–labor was hard and long, and after he was born, Sarah (Eric’s wife) started hemorrhaging, so she was getting a blood transfusion when I talked to him about 11 tonight. The baby seems just fine, however, and there’s a wonderful picture of Eric holding him,and Skyler is just LOOKING at his daddy!!! 💖💖💖
Just saw this, Charlotte! A big CONGRATULATIONS is in order! A great-grandchild is quite a special delivery! What a big boy he is too! I hope Sarah recovers quickly and many enjoyable years to the happy young couple!
Omgosh.. he was a big boy! Poor Sarah… fought hard for him☺️🙏🏻
Well now what is Great Grandma going to make him?
Congratulations Charlotte on the birth of your first great grandbaby. What a big one he is too. My son was 8 pounds 14 ounces and that was big enough. I hope his mom is doing okay. My daughter also hemorrhaged after my grandson was born and they nearly didn’t catch it in time. She was doing fine after delivery so was left alone to get some sleep. My son-in-law went to the nursery. When the nurse returned she called for my son-in-law to come immediately and they began transfusing. Thankfully I didn’t know about all that until she was out of harm’s way.
🎉Charlotte, congratulations to you and Ron. This is super news and so, besides seeing a picture of your new Leeann doll, we definitely need one of little Skyler with his mom and dad. I do hope Sarah is recovering.
Congratulations Charlotte on your first Great grandson! I am a new grandmother myself. I have Identical twin grandsons from my only child Timothy and they are soon to be 3 years old in June on the 3rd. They are a bit small for their age because they were one month pre-mature. They also had a huge lump on the backs of both of their heads which caused them not to lay on the back of their heads until it was surgically removed. The poor babies had to where helmets because their heads needed to be shaped properly. Between all of that there is Physical Therapy two times a week and Occupational Therapy two times a week and Miles has an allergy to peanuts and has an Epi-pen in his diaper bag. I can’t wait till all of these specialists are long gone and they grow out of everything and just can be normal. You know what I mean? I hope you will have many happy years with your newest little one!
Looks like my first note didn’t publish. Congrats on the great grand. He’s a biggie. Hope you can make some other things for him as those newborn things probably won’t fit very long. Our youngest was 8lbs14oz, same size as Barbara’s son. The newborn things did not fit for long. You must be thrilled. 🙂
I certainly was surprised to see that you got Rose, while reading the RRFF website! I know you, Jeanne, you never just keep a doll in her outfit, but use the doll for your sewing, so I was sondering why you bought Rose, because 3/4ths of her appeal is her outfit, which I know you wouldn’t keep! But she is such a pretty doll, and I love that she gives off the charm of another era, versus most of the RRFF dolls, who are more of the modern type. With Rose, you can make older fashions and have it look “right” with her hairstyle.
What gets my attention, is that everytime I see a Rose doll, dressed in her finery, it looks like the dress has been ironed right before putting it on! Not a wrinkle in sight! What is her dress made of to have it look so perfect?
I much prefer smiling dolls, and love Sara, but there is the one sculpt that I adore, that is not a smiling one, and I think this is it. Is “Victoria” the doll I am thinking of? She looks very much like this, but has been sold out for quite awhile now.
And now, January is half over! Right now, my dolls are sledding, skating and building snowmen but Valentines Day is on the horizon! I’m anxious to see what you have for Felcity’s outfit!
Hi, Linda.
It comes as NO surpise that your dolls are doing lots of fun activities.They are the BUSIEST kids ever!! You always make me smile with how you are constantly doing things with you dolls.
I managed to get my brown and teal Rose dolls into the house yesterday, too, also undetected, and spent part of the morning dressing them. The outfits are really amazing. The clothes are always gently folded and wrapped softly in tissue. You’re right; they always look unwrinkled.
I didn’t even know about Rose. She’s pretty though. Funny how hubby went back to reading, but came later to see Rose. LOL I just got my first RRFF Sara for Christmas.
A big congrats on Sara. Love her. She was my first as well. 🙂
Thank you!
Good for you, Christine. My first was Stella. I know some sofa sisters prefer the smiling dolls, but I like variety. Have a ball with your Sara; she’s a gem!
Thank you!
A big congrats to Jeanne on her new Rose. Well, just about everyone who ordered received their dolls yesterday I think. And I was also one. My delivery was a bit dicey though. 🙂 I knew from tracking that Rose, had arrived via Louisville, then Oakland, and was out for delivery. I figured that she would arrive in the afternoon as that was the usual UPS delivery time. However, I had not taken into consideration that it was a holiday. Different schedule. I was hurrying other person to get going on our walk, and we were at the top of the driveway when I spotted a UPS truck heading towards us. Ack! I kept up the pace towards the neighbor’s house where we usually stop and toss up milk bones to their pups on the deck. However, today, the gardener was fortunately there blocking the drive with his truck making bone delivery impossible, so we kept walking. I heard the UPS truck park at our house across the street, but kept up the fast pace we do walking fearing if I turned around to check on the truck, other person might see the parked truck. As we reached the corner, I caught a quick glance back and saw the delivery man getting out of the truck. But, other person didn’t hear a thing and rounding the corner, didn’t look back. Whew! So, as we continued our walk, my mind started buzzing. How can I possibly sneak that package inside? It will be in plain site on the porch. By the time we were headed back and rounding the corner towards home, I had a plan. As we arrived at our driveway, I asked other person if he would open the garage door and bring up some cans of tuna, tomatoes, and chicken broth. Fortunately, he didn’t complain as he is a foodie. While he opened the door with his key, we have a separate garage door, I scrambled up the 13 steps to the porch where there on the mat waited my large package. I couldn’t take the box inside as I did not have a key with me. Drat! I quickly slid the box under that so useful porch bench and pulled down the towels I use to cover the plants on frost nights to hide it’s view. Then, I headed back down the steps to meet other person heading back up with the cans. From there, I noticed that the box was slightly visible, but quickly taking the bench side, tried to block the view with my body as we reached the top step and the door. Other person unlocked the door, and we were safely inside. However, poor Rose was still left out on the porch. Other person plopped down on the couch with his phone to check his mail. How long will this last? I suggested that he check Home Depot for the lightbulb size we need for the replacement post light out in front. The old one suffered an accident during one of our recent storms. A branch fell and wiped out the entire light putting a three inch hole through the top. To continue the story, for what seemed an insurmountable amount of time, other person finally headed to the office giving me just the right amount of time to open that squeaky front door and retrieve the box with Rose. Once safely deposited in the secret hiding place, I was in the clear! So sorry, Jeanne, that you were caught. Sometimes it’s just unavoidable isn’t it? But, I was dancing the happy dance. So excited to see Jeanne’s photos because the poor Rose here is still in her box awaiting a private moment for the grand opening. I ordered the brown one. 🙂
And, we just received an email from a friend that they saw a mountain lion on our street yesterday. Now that is scary!
Joy, you need to write a book and self-publish your dolly escapades!! Always so fun to read. Congrats. Now spring your Rose out soon.
I really need to stay more up on RRFF things because I did not know a thing about Rose. She is lovely. Jeanne, I am amazed at your focus. You collect dolls purely to create and sell clothing and don’t have to worry about how and where you are going to store your dolls wardrobes. Someone mentioned yesterday that it would be difficult for them to sell outfits they make. I second that. Maybe if I made something specifically to sell I could do that but usually I am making something specifically for one of my dolls. But I guess it’s all about the modeling for your dolls. And they do get to wear some lovely things, even if just for a little while.
I love Felicity’s dress and capelet. The embellishment of the bows on the sleeves and the flowers around the neckline is pure perfection. I think you should do a tutorial on making those sleeves. They would be great for any era. I love fancy sleeves.
David told me we are supposed to get some pretty cold weather starting tomorrow but the temps he gave me aren’t the ones on my go-to weather forecast. Guess I’ll just have to wait and see what comes our way, but I read yesterday that another Polar Vortex could be on the way. A lot of really cold air (78 degrees below zero) is bottled up in Siberia and ready to let loose. That’s almost as scary as Joy’s mountain lion. Hope she has an escape route for while she and other person take their walks. I sure wouldn’t want to meet a mountain lion face-to-face.
Jeanne, congratulations! Rose is spectacular. I suppose you are going to sell the outfit and case, but how about using these pieces as patterns like you used the old Felicity meet dress? And I had a thought. Maybe George would love seeing Rose or any other new doll dressed up as a nutcracker at Christmas time. Yes, I am being naughty.
Speaking of Christmas, when are Rebecca and Karn coming?
Hugs to you!
I think the nutcracker idea is priceless. Maybe I could dress the Ruby Red’s here seasonally, like bunnies, or turkeys, and put them around. Perhaps, other person wouldn’t even notice? 🙂
Fat chance, Joy! 😆
Ha ha!
Congratulations Jeanne on your newest doll. I love her outfit and her eyes are so beautiful. I don’t collect Ruby Red dolls. I am trying to get more Sasha Dolls made by Sasha Morgenthaler from Switzerland. I love International dolls. I also have just one Blythe Doll with the original body style not the Neo Blythe Doll with the new hands and poses. There is a woman on Youtube that is from S. Korea who does hand sewing tutorials each Friday and it is free to download for the pattern. I copy and print my pattern, comment on her tutorial and drool over the newest outfit for the week. I also have Max Zapf Dolls from W. Germany that are about 25″ and have a head the size of a toddler. I have had these dolls for over 40 years since my early twenties when I was stationed in West Germany in the USAF for 5 active Duty years at one base. I also have 6 Kathie Kruse Dolls. I started out with Kirsten in 1989 because of my Swedish Heritage, and my husband purchased Samantha and her Central Park sleigh and two winter coats for Sam and Nellie. I don’t own a Nellie as of today. I got Molly and Emily from my husband as well. Now I have several Sam’s and several Kirsten’s to make them into other dolls for dioramas one day. I purchased a used Felicity Doll for my daughter in law last year and gave it to her and have not finished her Christmas gown that I am making her not the one from PC. I am using a Keeper Dolly Duds pattern for her doll. For Christmas this year she got Penny Felicity’s horse and loved it. She got a Felicity when she was 9 years old and it got stolen and her mother didn’t help find her doll. She is still traumatized from it. So this is why I had to get her another Felicity Doll. She has been collecting her dolls from when she was a young girl. My son got her last year a Pioneer Barbie, so I thought I would get her Felicity since he did that. I can share my passion with her and sew clothes for her doll as well. I almost died laughing Jeanne when you said your Rose doll looked as though she were getting executed. You crack me up sometimes. You are so funny. I am so glad George did not make a fuss with your newest doll. You deserve her. You work and sell your sewing outfits for these dolls and you should be able to splurge once in a while. Merry Christmas to me kind of thing right? I don’t know about you, but my favorite gifts are from myself most of the time. What about all of you sisters out there? Don’t you agree?
Elaine, this all warms my heart…so much love for dolls in your family and the men giving dolls as gifts. Bravo!
Say, did you get your new dog in the fall?
Hi Jeanne, I just wanted to compliment Felicitys new outfit. The addition of the pelerine is perfect! Some lucky dolly mom is going to be so pleased!
My my, lots going on today. Congrats to to everyone that ordered Rose. She’s a pretty doll and her outfit is very lovely and detailed.
Also what wonderful news! Congratulations Charlotte and congrats to mom and dad too. Babies are such blessings! Prayers for mom that she’s 100% soon.
Joy, it’s always fun to read about your doll adventures. My dolly deliveries aren’t ever that entertaining! Tia was delivered the other day. She went to Miss Charlenes for a face up and mani/pedi, I wasn’t sure when she was coming home so asked hubby to be on the look out for her. Saturday morning hubby walked in, plopped the doll in my lap and said “here’s your doll, I had to sign for it.” LOL pretty boring huh
I wish my doll deliveries could be so sweet! Around here not so much. My Tia from Charlene has also arrived. So cute. I’m debating on Lea, the latest moppet now up for preorder. Tia took so long. Not sure I have the patience.
Bwawaahahaha! All of us collectors are the same! Snorted (really, I did!) reading your accounts…I had a closet that was stuffed with quilting (will 6 yds of puce color be enough?) And doll fabric. Upon hauling out something new, if I was careless, the question “Is that MORE new fabric?” was asked. Then I could truthfully say “This old stuff… have had it for ages!”. P.S. Rose is BEAUTIFUL!!