Hi everyone,
I used to hear ladies talking about their “grail” doll and how they were constantly searching to find it. I never really knew what that was all about, so I looked it up. A “grail doll” is a collector’s most desired, rare, and valuable doll that they have long sought after. To me, you see a doll you like, if you can afford it, you buy it. If you can’t, you don’t! For me it was that simple.
But… what if your doll was a limited edition, and you somehow missed out on it because you didn’t know it was for sale? What if you missed a pre-order and all of a sudden you see this doll that you REALLY like, but you had no idea she was up for pre-order, and now the pre-order has passed? Have any of you ever been in that predicament? Maybe you found the doll you thought you wanted, but it was damaged or not in the best shape? Did you ever find the doll you wanted or pined for?
I remember when I was pining away for Nyssa, by Kaye Wiggs. I missed the pre-oder because I didn’t even know Nyssa existed. However when I saw the pictures of her, I was like a mad woman trying to find one… some doll, anywhere… and place… any price… (Well, not really ANY price, but maybe something reasonable.) I did find one but it was quite the search.
I thought I’d show you a few pictures of another doll I was crazy about…She’s a Dianna Effner Little Darling and she was painted by Joyce Mathews. The first two pictures are of this doll and I have had her pinned on my Pinterest page for a long time. (I think maybe it was Dorothy in PA who had a picture of her too!) I think she is SO pretty!
These next two dolls are ones that caught my eye too. I think I LOVE brown eyed dolls… and either of these would have worked, but they were already spoken for too.
I thought since Paula shared her new American Girl doll and Barbara succumbed to the Dolly Fever she had, I would share how Dolly Fever affects you. What happened was I was sitting in a chair in the living room talking to my hubby, when I happened upon this picture…
As I was listening to my hubby, all of a sudden, I showed him the picture on my phone and asked, “Do you think she’s cute?” He said, “Yes.” I got up, went to my computer and emailed the lady to find out about her. I was sure she had to have been painted by Joyce Mathews. I saw she had been posted 7 hours earlier and several people had mentioned how adorable she was. I got up my nerve and messaged the seller and she said she was still available. She was half the price of what these Little Darlings normally go for. SO… I bought her. Her name is Natasha and she is very sweet. And yes, she was painted by Joyce Mathews in 2022. I have her certificate. The seller, (Rosemary K.), sent along 2 different wigs and a dress for her.
That’s how I cured my dolly fever. (Actually I didn’t even know I had Dolly Fever until I saw that picture.)
So now that the cat’s out of the bag, I thought I’d show you some pictures of different wigs on Natasha.
The first 2 wigs are the ones Rosemary sent me…
Then I wanted SO badly to find a way to make Natasha have those long braids and bangs like in the first picture I loved so much. I did have a Monique “Bea” synthetic mohair doll wig that came on my Emmie that I really didn’t care for… it was layers and too fluffy for me when it was just hanging down. So, I took it and french braided it as best I could… and this is how it looked on Natasha..
It had some shaggy pieces on the back and I decided to see if I couldn’t make some bangs that could be detachable. I snipped off the bottom 3/4″ or so of the back and used those sprigs to make these bangs…
They were a bit curled so they don’t lay flat like the bangs in that first dolls picture. But the nice thing is the bangs I made can just be slid up under her wig and they stay in place because the glue kind of holds them on her head. So this is what the wig looks like with the addition of the bangs.
I think she’s pretty cute in the wig.
Since I was trying on wigs, I got in my dolly wig drawer and pulled out and tried on a few more… Want to see them? They were put on pretty quickly so I won’t promise that there’s not a hair falling across her face.
She does have a rub spot on her nose and one on her cheek. If I use my Picasa progam, I can get rid of them when I’m showing her in a listing, but I didn’t do it for these pictures.
So that’s my dolly story… I didn’t know last week I had dolly fever, but that’s how it happens… it comes on you suddenly and without any warning.
Hope you enjoyed my story…
Oh, one more thing… Here is another picture of the brooch… this is pretty accurate on my computer as to what it really looks like.
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Congrats on Natsha; she’s gorgeous! There’s just something special about Joyce Matthews” dolls. My Heather is by her, and she has this same “soft” look.
Of all the wigs on Natasha, I think I like the short bobs best, particularly the red and the pale blond.
My big laptop died tonight so have been doing a few emails on my little netbook. But it doesn’t want to take comments on your blog, so I’m doing this on my Kindle Fire, and it doesn’t want to play nice with Facebook or Yahoo mail, either! Grrr…
I think Sissy mentioned a cane for me. I do use one almost all the time when I’m out! Tonight I found that I can wear my old, floppy slippers on both feet, at least at home, so do that sometimes.
Sorry about your laptop. Hope you can find a new one soon. Is your toe/foot any better? Thinking of you.
So sorry to hear about your laptop. Great you can wear your old, floppy slippers. Just wear them safely. We don’t want you falling any more.
Congratulations on your new Little Darling, Jeanne! That is so exciting that you were able to get her =) She is beautiful.
Thanks, ladies, for sharing the ideas about shoes for the plantar fasciitis. I shared them with my sister. She’s going to look into them.
Hope you all have a wonderful day!
Oh Jeanne, what a darling little doll! No wonder they are called “Little Darlings”! However, I am a bit confused?. Is this a brand new doll you are telling js about, or is from sometime ago? I can’t seem to figure that out, but oh my what a cute little girl she is, even if she isn’t smiling! You sure had are are having fun changing her wigs!
I think I like that cute shorter hairstyle that you saw on your phone and showed to George, that has a pink ribbon tied around it the best. Her delicate features look overpowered with long and full hair, I think.
That is really a good picture of the brooch, and I see why you like it.
Dear Jeanne, yes we sometimes have our grail doll searches.
I was searching for a Madame Alexander “April in Paris” 8-inch doll. I saw her at the Madame Alexander Doll Club Convention a few years ago and asked the lady who had her if she was for sale. She wasn’t. I was sad.
The next year, I saw the lady again. She came up to me and said, “oh, you were looking for April in Paris last year.” I said, “yes, is she for sale now?” She said, “no.” I said, “well, why did you remind me then?” I just walked away. I kept looking on ebay and finally I found her.
About the Little Darlings above. The first two photos are of the same doll. And yes, I fell in love with her. I asked Joyce Mathews to make me a doll just like that one. She made me Selah (the nemesis to Charlotte Noelle). I will send a photo so you can see. Selah, unfortunately does not really look like the doll above to me. So the doll above is still a grail of mine.
I think (I hope) I am finished with grails for now. I am working on downsizing my collection.
So glad you were able to find “April in Paris,” elsewhere. People can be so strange.
Congratulations on finding your April in Paris doll. What a weird conversation with the lady who had one but wasn’t selling her. She could have at least ask you if you had any luck in your search and wish you luck if you hadn’t. Love to see Selah. Where did you get her name? The woman that is the accompanist for the Chorale is named Sehoy. Pronounced like Sahoy. It is a Native American name. Her family lived in the south and it always amused her that her mother called her See-hoy. I guess she saw the name somewhere without hearing it. Kind of like a woman I knew once named Deborah. She pronounced it Dee-bore-ah. Or my daughter-in-law named Dionne but pronounced Dee-ah-nee. Names can be interesting. Even Barbara got pronounced Ba-boo when my cousin couldn’t say Barbara.
Glad to hear you eventually found the April in Paris Madame Alexander. It’s such a thrill to find the ones you want.
One of these days I want get the Scottish 9” Madame Alexander. I had quite a few of the 8” MA’s, but over the years I donated some, sold some and now I’m down to just about four. My girlfriend and I used to get each other one 8” MA every Christmas and birthday.
I meant 8 inch Scottish Madame Alexander doll. not the 9 inch doll I mentioned below.
Dear Paula, there are a few MA Scottish dolls on ebay right now. They are the older International dolls. There is one newer one but she is kind of costly. There is also a Mary Queen Scots but she is taller.
I hope you find the doll you are seeking!
She looks adorable in all of the short hair wigs, perhaps it is her face shape. She is a beautiful doll, stunning! I would be hugging her but she is not here. Please Jeanne, give her a hug from me.
I used to have dolly fever, now I have fabric fever, or kitty fever.
the brooch is so pretty I really love it.
Today I should go to my “craft group” this morning. Then perhaps go to the old house and clean up some more of my clutter. I hate throwing stuff away and I do have an enormous pile of stuff for charity
Have you reached into the back of the closet to get your jackets out?
We have chilly weather today but I think the fleecey layers will still work for me
Happy Thursday dear ones.
Dorothy, your story is very funny, what a silly lady to ask you a non-answer question.
Charlotte, I hope you can get a better computer. Find a used macbook pro or an air.
Dear Rosemary, thank you for understanding. I thought that the lady was silly too. I didn’t even remember her until she came up to me. I have a few other grail search stories. I will share them at another time. Luckily they ended in me getting the dolls!
I can control my dolly fever somewhat but that fabric fever consumes me. I can’t seem to turn down a pretty piece of fabric. There is a woman who has a Facebook pager called Junk from the Trunk (I think I got that right). She posts cartoon like pictures about crafting and sewing that are hilarious. One that i remember is a woman saying “When he said friends with benefits, I thought he meant he owned a craft store.”
Dear Barbara, that is a funny joke!
Good for you, Jeanne. I am so happy you got Natasha! She is so sweet but especially in the short bobs, the browns and the red one. My first Little Darling is painted by Joyce. She has painted her again later, as I have had her for years. I see the brooch now, yes it is lovely.
Happy for you, Dorothy, that you got your doll, too!
Yesterday I said I would reveal the Happy thing today. There is a man called “Sean of the South” who writes daily in our email or on FB. He is very talented, too, as he plays the fiddle or banjo, sings, writes books and tells stories, even at the Grand Ole Opry. AND he is coming to Brunswick, GA and we are going tonight. We really love him even though we have never met him! We will take two of his books to be signed, (most of the ones we have are on kindle). He also loves to hug any one who wants it, he is a very loving person. If you haven’t heard of him you are missing out so look him up, “Sean of the South”.
Dear Sissy, thank you. I think she is adorable.
I will definitely be looking up Sean of the South. He sounds interesting.
Great, Barbara! Let me know when you find him. His writing is funny sometimes and well, just different other times. You just never know. I could tell you a lot about him and his growing up if you ever want to know. He writes good books, too.
Have great time !! Glad you get to meet him.
Thank you, Paula, I never thought he would come to near us!
Oh, how fun. A new dolly. 🙂 It wasn’t clear to me if Natasha came with the wig she is wearing with the smocked dress? I like that wig and Natasha too. The other two wigs don’t do much for me. And the make over wig seems very puffy. too full, and unnatural in color. The one I would choose for her is the other braided one with the green/blue ties as the color is nice, although it needs something to eliminate the flyaways and chopped pieces sticking out. Not sure what is used to do that? I actually have been looking for a natural looking braided brown wig as well. I like my dolls to have a wig color that match their brow color in most cases. I can make allowances for a summer bleached blond look and darker brows. 🙂 Wigs are hard to find. A lot are way too dark or have too many red tones instead of true brown. I’m sure that you have looked at Zazou on Etsy. I really haven’t looked for LD wigs there. I wonder if the Effner group store has wigs available? It is good to know that you can eliminate the shines with your camera. I suppose to get rid of them completely, Nat would have to go in for a makeover to one of the Effner artists. Probably expensive. Don’t know. Can’t wait to see her all dressed up and wearing her first Jeanne Marie outfit. She’ a winner for sure. Will she be the next fashion girl?
Since we had a lot of rain yesterday, we went to Costco. Always a fun trip. So, I spent some time afterwards looking on Etsy for another pattern. Didn’t find anything that would work for a simple coat/jacket that was sized for a Ruby Red. Coats can be difficult, I’ve found, in resizing. But, I’ve put a few in my basket on Etsy. It seems like every pattern that I find has something that I don’t like and would have to change. A lot of the patterns do not actually look like they fit well at all in the ad photos. I don’t think that I would ever publish a photo like that when I’m trying to sell a pattern. Anyway, I’ll look more if the sun doesn’t come out. 🙂
And my latest RR is still sitting at the HK airport. I hope that they have lots of entertainment there and snacks. 🙂
Hope your RR comes soon. It’s not fun waiting when they’re held up somewhere.
The Dianna Effner website has wigs for both the Little Darlings and L’il Dreamers. I have never made a doll coat. I would have for my granddaughter’s dolls but she didn’t play with dolls much. For me I tend to leave my dolls in the same outfits for weeks/months on end so changing them in and out of coats wouldn’t happen. But some of the doll coats I’ve seen are beautiful. About wigs, Zazou has tons of them but in the past they didn’t get very good reviews. People were saying what arrived was not what they ordered. It’s possible things have gotten better, but the previous comments left me a little gun shy.
I’ve bought a ton of wigs from Zazou and have never had a problem. One vote for them. 🙂 I was thinking that the Effner site would have wigs for LD’s, so that would be a good source as well if someone is looking. TKS. 🙂
Thanks, Joy. They do have wonderful wigs. But this reminds me of the popcorn we got from Jaiden’s fundraiser. It is amazing. We all love it but when I went to leave a review on their website I saw where someone said it was so awful the dog wouldn’t even eat it, so they threw it away. Sometimes I think people troll sites and leave reviews without ever even trying the product. I bought several bags of different flavors and they are all wonderful so I don’t even think it’s a matter of taste.
My answer to the question in the title is Dumpling Bailey. She will always be the one that got away. I’ve looked but most who have her in any size are not about to give her up. And probably if they did I wouldn’t be able to afford her. But I also have a wig that is my grail wig. I saw it on a Little Darling in a picture once. It was a Monique wig but I can’t remember the name now. The one in the picture was a pretty brown with two braids that went over the top of the head. When I did find it once it was only in a blonde color I wasn’t interested in. Now I can’t even find the picture I saw previously. I fear I’m doomed to live a life of frustration over these two things.
Natasha is very beautiful and I love the wig she has on in the first picture. I’m not fond of mohair wigs. I bought one for my L’il Dreamer Jovi and she didn’t like it so I had to buy something else. Thankfully she did like that one. Can’t wait to see what you make for this lovely doll to wear.
I love it that there’s a name for the quest of a certain doll we’ve fallen in love with. Grail! Your Natasha is a very beautiful doll, and I’m glad that you found one of your very own. I like and prefer the shorter hairdos on Natasha, and I’m not sure at all about the black wig with the pigtails. I’m sure there will be fun planning an outfit for her.
I was looking for my American girl number 21 for months and months. I had been eyeing the one that was mint in the box and could not wait any longer, so I went ahead and got her.
It’s nice to know other doll lovers go through the same thing once in awhile!
It’s nice to see a close-up of the pin for Rebecca’s dress. It’s really very pretty.
Natasha is so gorgeous. I didn’t have a ‘grail’ doll but I do now!!! I love the first wig she is in (wearing the smocked dress). Of the other wigs I only really liked the white, blonde short one but not so keen on the colour. I think I am doomed to be disappointed though, since the postage to the other side of the world is usually more than the cost of the doll and they aren’t cheap!
Charlotte, I am glad you can use a slipper now. Hopefully you will be up and about soon. Just be careful
Have a great day everyone
Well, after looking at the wigs once again, would it be possible to use the first slightly longer than the other brown wig that the seller sent you? And put it into little short braids? That might look a lot like the wig your dream girl is wearing. Jeanne has the talent to do that I think. 🙂 Natasha is so cute. 🙂