Collectibles - A Better Everything Blog

Collectibles

A Better Everything Blog

Shop for Toni Doll Dresses at JoAnn Morgan.com

Toni Doll Dress in Pink Check

Toni Doll Dress in Pink Check is available for purchase at JoAnnMorgan.com

Why? Because these are the absolutely BEST Toni doll dresses currently available. This artist actually uses material that is appropriate for the era the doll is from as well as choosing prints that are appropriate for the doll’s size.

This artist makes all of her own patterns. As I read her site I found it is because the “original” patterns that were available for making doll clothes, back when these were play dolls and not necessarily collectible dolls, were designed to fit too many types of dolls. Thus, the resulting outfits didn’t fit any of the dolls the patter was made for well.

Check it out!

Silkstone Barbies and other Fashion Dolls

I love fashion dolls and I just found a site that carries lots of them. Among which you can find Barbie Silkstone dolls, Delilah Noir, Ellowyne Wilde dolls, Vita dolls by Horsman, Gene Marshall, Momoko and many small fashion dolls like Vogue Ginny Dolls, Tiny Betsy and many more. I loved just browsing from category to category. This site has older retired dolls and some hard to find items.  You may like to take a look see.        http://stellastreasures.com/

 

Momoko dolls are now for sale at our favorite doll shop!

Momoko dolls from Japan

We just discovered that Stella is offering this hot new fashion doll “Momoko Doll” from Japan.

The Momoko Doll is a 1/6 scale (27 cm, 10.6 inch) Japanese fashion doll, similar in size to Robert Tonner’s Tiny Kitty Collier, the Momoko doll is a wonderful addition to any fashion doll collection.

Momoko was created in 2001 as a side project by a Japanese software company called Petworks. (The creator was Namie Manabe the art director.)
In 2004, Petworks handed production of Momoko to  doll-making firm Sekiguchi. Sekiguchi made some changes to the doll and turned it into a mass-market item competitively priced with other fashion dolls, while keeping the idea of an “everyday” modern woman one might find walking down the street in Japan.

We found Momoko for sale at our favorite online doll shop Stella’s Treasures (http://stellastreasures.com).

How to choose doll shops in San Francisco…

Isn’t it great when you can walk in to doll shops in San Francisco CA and find nothing but dolls?  And, even better, when those dolls are collectible dolls.  For me, there is a sense of excitement, seeing all those collectible dolls in doll shops in San Francisco CA.  The only trouble is, which doll shop?

Searching for doll shops in San Francisco CA can be a little tricky even after you have narrowed it down to those doll shops without toys, too, and to those doll shops with collectible dolls.  Many collectible doll enthusiasts have turned to the Internet for their virtual collectible doll shops in San Francisco CA and elsewhere.

A great virtual doll shop is Stella’s Treasures.  Stella understands both the actual, street address collectible doll store as well as the virtual collectible doll shop online.  And, with years in the collectible doll business, developing significant relationships with major doll manufacturers and artists, attending shows, Stella’s Treasures is the perfect place to visit for any of your doll needs and desires.

Stella’s Treasures is a wonderful experience from deciding which doll to choose to answering questions about how to clothe and accessorize your doll, repair and restoration, and more.  Stella loves to share her wealth of information.  It’s great to know, when you are searching doll shops in San Francisco, CA or elsewhere, there is an excellent collectible doll shop right there at your fingertips.

About ball jointed dolls and other collectible dolls in San Francisco CA.

Of all the collectible dolls in San Francisco CA, or wherever you are at, one of my favorites is the ball jointed doll.  For these collectible dolls in San Francisco CA, there is such a great variety, so I can go back to the 1920s German bisque-headed, composition bodied doll or to the modern polyurethane resin bodies.

When searching for collectible dolls in San Francisco, CA, I’ve found a great resource and can recommend it if you are searching for expertise in doll collecting, repair, and restoration as well as accessories, furniture, clothing or patterns, or magazines.  Stella’s Treasures is quite the site and perfect for easy online shopping for collectible dolls in San Francisco CA or wherever you are located.

As for my favorite, I love its history.  A ball-jointed doll is any doll that is articulated with ball and socket joints.  To me, they seem more realistic.  The variety of ball-jointed collectible dolls is great, from the larger 40-inch collectible dolls to the mini 4-inch collectible dolls that have the ball joints.

For the older ball-jointed dolls, Europe and Egyptian articulated dolls were made of wood and other materials dating back hundreds of years.  The modern era ball-jointed doll began in Western Europe in the late 1800s.  French and German manufacturers made bisque dolls with strung bodies articulated with ball-joints made of composition (a mix of pulp, sawdust, glue mostly).

In the 1930s, some German dolls were used in surrealistic photography made most famous by Hans Bellmer.  Soon after, Japanese ball-jointed dolls were used in art, some standing four feet tall.

The first American company to produce a ball-jointed collectible doll (or BJD) with more of an American aesthetic influence was Goodreau Doll in 2007.

Most modern ball-jointed collectible dolls are anatomically correct and have proportionally large heads, big eyes and comparatively large feel allowing them to stand on their own – just one more reason why I enjoy this collectible doll.  While I don’t do this, there is a huge doll enthusiast group that customizes their ball-jointed dolls since they are readily customizable. Wigs and eyes are easy to remove and replace, as well as heads, hands, and feet. A doll may even be a hybrid of parts from different companies. Some BJD owners or customizers even re-shape existing parts by sanding them or applying epoxy putty to them.

The resin material is easier to paint than the softer and more slick vinyl often used for other types of dolls.  Their face paint is referred to as a faceup, to note that it’s not just make-up, but all the facial features that are painted and customized, including eyebrows, lips and blushing to enhance features.  Faceups and body blushing are most often done with acrylic paint — applied with a regular brush or an airbrush — or soft pastels, and coated with a sprayed-on layer of clear matte sealant for protection.  Faceups, even from large companies, are always painted by hand, and it takes considerable skill to do detailed, professional faceups.  That’s why so many like the Volks line of Dollfie dolls started in 1999 in the Asian market.

Another reason why I like the ball-jointed dolls for collectible dolls in San Francisco CA, is because the modern dolls can range from fantasy (including anime, gothic, punk, vampire and elfin) to realistic baby, toddler or teen, or historical figure dolls.  Doll collecting is so varied, it is wonder and, using the right online store makes it a wonderful experience in doll collecting.

A win-win situation for collectible doll enthusiasts searching for doll shops in San Francisco, CA

There are some doll shops in San Francisco CA and elsewhere that have given up their street address, going virtual with an Internet address instead.  Some of these doll shops in San Francisco CA and beyond have made an easy transition to the Net.

We are familiar with one such success story.  One collectible doll shop – San Francisco CA is Stella’s Treasures.  Stella’s Treasures, with its thriving store in Beaverton Oregon, began dabbling on the Internet.  With her local dedicated clientele and the growing number of virtual customers, successfully made the transition, maintaining the service only a local doll shop could provide and still serve more collectible doll enthusiasts.  Going global, from San Francisco CA to Paris, Stella can now devote more time to her passions, to the benefit of all.

Customers of Stella’s Treasures have told Stella that their online store makes it seem like they still have a doll shop right in their own home town.  So, it’s the best of both worlds; a win-win situation for collectible doll enthusiasts searching for doll shops in San Francisco, CA or Paris, France because each customer can benefit from Stella’s expertise, recommendations, great selections and more.

Shopping at virtual doll shops for San Francisco CA or beyond at your convenience is a definite advantage.  And, with the customer friendliness hard to find nowadays, deep appreciation and knowledge of collectible dolls and doll-related items, well, your search for perfect doll shops in San Francisco CA is at your fingertips, especially when you shop at the recommended online store.

Collectible dolls in San Francisco or anywhere else are more than a great investment

Collectible dolls in San Francisco CA, well, anywhere really, are worth the investment.  Of course, there are different strategies when choosing which collectible dolls in San Francisco CA.  You can focus on collecting more clothes and accessories for the dolls you have, assembling a wardrobe.  Or you can focus on collectible dolls in San Francisco CA that are antique that you stumble on for a great deal or that are modern with the expectation that they will increase in value.  Or you can buy collectible dolls in San Francisco CA just for the pure enchantment.

Here are some tips for collectible dolls in San Francisco, CA.  Collectible dolls still sell well at shows and on the Internet, but there seems to be an increased interest in clothes and accessories.  For the last decade, prices of old and new trunks continue to rise and the price of clothing in good condition has been rising, too.  Accessories like glasses, earrings, watches, gloves, socks and shoes are a great find.  Even when the doll manufacturer doesn’t make additional clothing for your collectible dolls, you can find clothing specially made through great websites.  One of those sites we, here at Better Everything, recommend.  You can purchase specialty clothing at Stella’s Treasures and even clothing patterns to sew your own.

Since dolls have been around, people have collected them.  So, when you stumble on those antique doll collections in mint condition, they are usually a considerable investment, but potentially worth it.  Buying modern dolls can be considered tomorrow’s investment, too.  Some modern collectible dolls do maintain or rise in value.  The more you collect, the more the value increases is a theory to combat those modern dolls for sale on e-bay or at near wholesale prices – both of which effects collectible doll values more than anything.

That’s where buying dolls for the pure enchantment is so important.  When you can walk into your room and enjoy your collectible dolls regardless of the value, you can be satisfied—whether you are transported back to your childhood or you can simply appreciate the beauty and quality of the modern collectible dolls with which you’ve surrounded yourself.

Again, we can recommend Stella’s Treasures where you can purchase some older and miscellaneous dolls, or a wide variety of modern dolls.  The modern dolls available include those from popular artists and doll manufacturers, whether you are looking for baby, theme, movie character, fantasy, paper, or other collectible dolls.

So, even if your budget is more restricted than it has been, you can enjoy the collection you already have, or add to it.  While you are adding to your doll collection in small ways, you can purchase a few well-thought out additions to round out or expand your collection.  That’s where Stella, at Stella’s Treasures, comes through once again.  With her expertise, she can guide you to a collectible doll that will fit it with your plans, whether you are searching for collectible dolls in San Francisco CA or those accessories or clothing.

A little history and a lot of fun when you think about doll shops in San Francisco CA

It is great to find doll shops in San Francisco CA that can provide a little history to the collectible dolls you find.  Some doll shops in San Francisco CA include so many other types of merchandise, like toys, that they don’t know the history to any of the dolls or doll manufacturers.  That’s when some virtual, online stores are a good substitute for doll shops in San Francisco CA and elsewhere.

For instance, Better Everything can recommend Stella’s Treasures as a great virtual doll shop for San Francisco CA.  At Stella’s Treasures, she offers a little bit of history under most of her doll manufacturer categories – and, always adding to her site, she includes more details and selections, so her customers come back again and again whether they are interested in collectible dolls, accessories, clothes, parts, books, expertise, referrals,…or history.

Take the Ginny doll.  Her roots actually go back to 1922 when Jennie Adler Graves established her Ye Olde Vogue Doll Shoppe in Somerville Massachusetts, making doll clothes, dressing, and selling imported German dolls to a well known Boston department store, Jordan Marsh.  In 1948, Jennie introduced an 8 inch plastic doll, the forerunner to her Ginny doll.  Due to the popularity of this new doll, Ginny was officially born in 1951.  Ginny got her name from Jennie’s daughter, Virginia. Ginny by Vogue - a little history for doll shops in San Francisco CA and elsewhereBy 1953, Ginny was so popular, Vogue employed well over 50 regular workers in their 15,000 square foot warehouse with over 200 part time people employed to sew.  Within a decade, revenue went from $250,000 to over $5,000,000 annually and everyone was trying to emulate the 8 inch Ginny, who had now become a staple in American households.

In 1972, the Vogue name was sold to the Tonka Corporation, in 1977, the Lesney Products Corporation owned the name, in 1984, Meritus Industries owned it, then in 1986, R. Dakin and Company owned it.  Finally, since 1995, the new Vogue Doll Company has worked to restore Ginny’s rightful place in the modern doll era, still preserving her “well-loved image, love of fashion, and fun attitude”.

Ginny by the New Vogue - find a little history for doll shops in San Francisco CA and elsewhere.And that’s a brief story about Vogue’s Ginny doll.  Quite the collectible little doll with all her clothes and dolls through the ages.  Of course, you can find Ginny dolls at Stella’s – along with many other great collectible dolls and doll-related things.  So, for doll shops in San Francisco, CA, when you are interested in a great selection along with a little history, whether written or from Stella herself, check out our recommended online doll shop, Stella’s Treasures.

Make it a “treasure” hunt when you are looking for collectible dolls in San Francisco, CA

When you find collectible dolls in San Francisco CA, it’s like finding a treasure.  And some times, finding collectible dolls in San Francisco CA is as difficult as a treasure hunt.  That hunt can be fun or frustrating.  That’s why searching online for collectible dolls in San Francisco CA may be just as exciting.

When I was young, I can remember going in to a doll hospital and there I stood amazed at the doll parts and doll wigs – and repaired dolls for sale that were left by their owners.  Dark and crowded, smelling of old, there were antique porcelain and bisque dolls, cloth dolls, and old Miss Muffie dolls…it was a treasure chest of dolls.

I didn’t know at the time, but the Miss Muffie dolls I so adored were made by the Nancy Ann Story Book Doll Company (1936-1964), founded by Nancy Ann Abbott in our very own San Francisco, CA.  The first Miss Muffie dolls were small, 8 inch, made of bisque, later they were made of hard plastic.  Now years later, in my search for collectible dolls in San Francisco, CA, every time I run across a Miss Muffie doll or her clothes, accessories or furniture I find myself going back to those many dolls tucked away, all but abandoned in that doll hospital frequented by my grandmother and I.

So, when searching for collectible dolls in San Francisco CA, it’s okay to start with a doll that has special meaning from your childhood.  You will then be surrounded by wonderful dolls that take you on a journey to cherished memories – and when they increase in value, well, that is just an added bonus.

Better Everything knows that it can be difficult to find collectible dolls in San Francisco CA and elsewhere, so recommend the perfect online collectible dolls shop, Stella’s Treasures.  Stella sure got it right:  collectible dolls are treasures indeed – and she has a wide variety you will enjoy and surely find one treasure that tugs on your heart strings like Miss Muffie does for me.  Stella’s Treasures even has Nancy Ann Story Book Dolls and an Encyclopedia of Nancy Ann Story Book Dolls to help identify the collectible dolls and their values – or to simply have to reminisce.

Collectible dolls in San Francisco CA or any other city is special no matter your reason for collecting.

 

It’s a great time to buy dolls in doll shops in San Francisco, CA or anywhere else if you know about this little treasure…

Why search for doll shops in San Francisco CA?  Well, collecting dolls is satisfying in so many ways:  doll collecting can be nostalgic, comforting and otherwise pleasurable, for the love of the hobby, or even an investment.  With this hobby, you can choose to collect dolls by composition, type of material, artist, age of dolls, doll manufacturer, or style – the sky is the limit.

Whether you are searching for doll shops in San Francisco CA or elsewhere, it is a great time to buy dolls, especially the composition dolls or dolls from the late 1800s.  For the older dolls, those made of china, papier-mâché or wax-overs are probably of best value.  Other things to look for are great condition with original bodies and period clothing.  With the state of the current economy, it is expected there will be a resurgence in doll values with five to seven years, so now is the time.

You can walk in to doll shops in San Francisco CA or you can frequent estate sales or dolls shows, or the Internet instead for doll shops in San Francisco CA.  Sometimes it is difficult to find a doll shop with a wide selection and estate sales are hit or miss.  The problem with doll shows is that they are getting smaller and, with fewer buyers, doll values there are affected.  The Internet has really become a great place to shop for collectible dolls, being more and more popular – especially when you find an expert who will take the time to share her expertise.

If you are searching for doll shops in San Francisco CA, there is a doll show in San Jose, CA April 2nd.  Another option is to follow our recommendation here at Better Everything and do your virtual shopping at Stella’s Treasures where Stella has a great selection of dolls of varying composition, age, doll manufacturers and style and a selection of books, magazines, parts, accessories, clothing and furniture.  Stella not only offers links to restoration, clothes and patterns, repair, but also offers her expertise to assist you in your selection and search for that perfect collectible doll that will touch your heart strings so you will have no regrets, leaving an increase in value an added bonus to your cherished collectible doll treasure.

Calendar

March 2024
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031

Copyright © 2012. All Rights Reserved.