My Collection

If there is one thing I have learned about doll collectors it’s that everyone has his or her own preferences as to what kind of dolls they like to collect. Some people only collect Barbies or vinyl dolls, others only collect dolls that are babies or toddlers. I tend to favor contemporary dolls that look more mature. I only have two dolls in my collection that are not adults and both of them are young girls not babies. Adult dolls are harder to find and I enjoy the challenge. I also tend to buy fantasy dolls. Sorceresses, fairies, princesses, elves, mermaids, I own them all. I even own a centaur doll! All I need now is a faun doll and my collection will be complete—maybe. I like to have a variety of hair and dress colors so that none of my dolls look too much alike. (Believe it or not, I have dolls with green and pink hair and one with blue skin.) I’ve spent a great deal of time hunting down dolls of different nationalities and skin colors as well. Every time I think my collection is complete, I see a new doll I must have. But then, what is life without a few surprises to look forward to?

Ashton-Drake Dolls

Florence Maranuk Mermaid Doll

Kathleen Hill Dolls

Emerald Fantasy by Brigitte Von Messner

Pat Dezinski Dolls

These dolls are huge! The Kassandra doll (black and white outfit) is about three feet tall. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I ordered her from a catalog. When the box came in the mail I was stunned by it's size. She's a gorgeous doll though. Daisy is two and a half feet tall.

Patricia Rose Dolls

I adore anything made by the doll artist Patricia Rose. I probably own more dolls made by her than any other artist. These days Patricia Rose only makes one of a kind dolls that cost thousands of dollars, but there was a time when she made collectible dolls like the ones in my collection that didn't cost an arm and a leg. Oh for the days before she became famous. I'm glad I got these while I could. If you'd like to see some of the fantastic works of art she is creating these days check out her offical website.

http://www.patriciarosestudio.com/

Patricia Rose Beauty

Patricia Rose Tender Moments Collection

Paradise Galleries dolls all come in similar boxes. Here are some pictures of what these boxes look like. I do not own the dolls in these pictures:

Patricia Rose Victorian Bridal Party

Patricia Rose Victorian Dolls

Patricia Rose Ballerina

Mermaid Dollhouse

Sorry about the blurry photo but this dollhouse is currently in storage so I can't get a better one at the moment. I used aquarium decorations and sea shells as furniture and even made a mermaid teddy bear.

Valentine Dollhouse

This is a Valentine Dollhouse I made from a bookshelf. The wallpaper is made of scrapbook papers.

Halloween Dollhouse

I usually put this dollhouse in the window at the front door so children will see it as they come to the door to Trick or Treat. The problem is getting them to leave afterward. They just want to sit and look at the dollhouse. I use a black light to make the whole thing look spooky.

Franklin Mint Dolls

I've collected quite a few Franklin Mint dolls over the years. These are just a few.

The Dolls That Started It All

When I was a little girl, my sister and I received matching Bradley Dolls as a Christmas present one year. These southern belle dolls with big eyes and hoop skirts were all the rage in the eighties. Anyone who was anyone in elementary school had one. (My doll looked exactly like the one pictured, only she had a yellow dress.)

One night as my sister and I were getting into bed, I noticed that both the dolls were missing from their usual place on our dressers. We madly searched the house and found both of them sitting at our play table having a tea party with our plastic tea cups. There after from time to time, my sister and I would come home from school and find our dolls gone. When we found them again, it was always as if we had caught them in the middle of some fun outing. I remember feeling like those dolls were enchanted or alive. In time I figured out it was my older brother who was moving the dolls around as a way to entertain us--but the magical feeling about dolls never left me.


The doll to the right was the first porcelain doll I ever owned. A dear family friend owned a porcelain doll company. I used to look through her catalog of doll molds and drool over the finished products. I came home one day and found the green ware pieces of my favorite porcelain doll lying on my bed. Step by step this patient woman taught me how to make my own porcelain doll from scratch. As you can see, the final product came out beautifully.

After that, there was no stopping me. My collection of dolls has grown over the years to include some expensive dolls of high quality, but this imperfect first doll still holds a dear place in my heart.

Ball and Joint Dolls

I have only recently discovered Asian ball and joint dolls that you create yourself by ordering all the parts separately. The eyes, the wig, the clothes, the face and body--you can choose for your doll to look any way you want. Their jointed bodies allow them to be posed in almost any position a real person could. These dolls can be quite pricey but for a serious collector they are a must. Just a warning, one is never enough.

I searched for over ten years to find a boy doll I liked. I was extremely excited when I stumbled across ball and joint dolls and found this one. The elf prince is called Aiden His true love is named Aurelia. I only meant to buy the one boy doll and that was it. Well, like I said, you can't stop at just one.

I've included a link to a couple ball and joint doll websites for those who are interested in finding out more about these fabulous dolls.

Luts Dollfies: http://eluts.com/

Souldoll: http://souldoll.com/index.php

Junky Spot: http://junkyspot.com/

And my personal favorite: http://www.dollsoom.com/ This site has the most fantastic fantasy dolls you will never be able to afford! I so want one.