Meet Nixie

My second birthday girl is also jumping the queue. Two self-presents this year seemed a bit extravagant, but I couldn't resist either one. Nixie joins my growing group of no-navels. Ultimately I'm hoping to have at least one each of the 12 possible hair/eye/year combinations - still four to go. :-)

Nixie is from 1969, with the thicker style of eye paint. She replaces Nola, who moved on to a new home when I was in need of dollie funds. Her hair is gorgeous, as is her eye paint.

The no-navel girls look a bit older to me than the early English girls. And often bashful. Or pensive.

Same But Different

I took this picture to share with a friend and felt it was too sweet not to share here as well. Did I really need to buy a second 1970 brown-eyed redhead no-navel? Most decidedly yes! The hair differences are obvious, but I also see such different personalities in these two.

I'll make a formal introduction after I find time and energy for a photo shoot. Hopefully enough time and energy for a double photo shoot... Did I really need to buy two new 1970 brown-eyed no-navels, both a blonde and a redhead? ;-)

Gotz Brunettes in Farmpants

As promised, here are several pictures of my two Gotz brunettes in farmpants. The inspiration for Annett certainly came from the earlier dolls like my Marlena. They are quite a striking duo with their brown hair and blue eyes. Despite their similar size, Marlena looks like an older child to me because of her angular chin and more pronounced nose.

These are probably their last photos together, as Annett has been sent to Shelly in the UK to find a new home. Then again, it's possible that they may be reunited at some point in the future at a yet-to-be determined place. One never knows ...

Meet Marlena

Guess I need to get back to making introductions, as I have quite a few dolls that haven't been introduced yet. All of my no-navels are on the blog except for one, so I'll start with her. Marlena is a blue-eyed brunette from 1970, wearing her original brown farm pants outfit. My other brunette no-navels, Muriel and Miranda, are also from 1970 but have brown eyes.

She is similar to the Later Gotz Annett, except without a duffle coat. I'll include some comparison photos of Marlena and Annett in my next post.

Meet Elke

Elke is a Gotz toddler from 2001. She is my second toddler, joining Sara who is a re-rooted Claudius. I'm seriously considering having Bettina give her mohair hair like Sara, and will post more pictures if I do. I'm not particularly enamored with Elke's original outfit, but have photographed her in it for posterity. Toddlers are notoriously difficult to coax into standing, and Elke's sandals make it even more difficult. The leather seems to have stretched, and given the minimal coverage they want to slide off her feet.

She's a cutie, but I know she'll be even more adorable with a change of clothes (and perhaps a change of hair).

Later Gotz Moderns

I am consolidating my Sasha collection a bit, so that my dolls can have more room (and hence more visibility) in the space available. It was a difficult decision, but I've decided to part with my four pale-skinned Later Gotz girls. I will miss them, as they are lovely dolls with their fair skin, rosy cheeks, and long straight hair. Still, I'd prefer that they be enjoyed elsewhere rather than hidden at the back of a cabinet here.

They will be available at my sales table at the upcoming Sasha Festival in Springfield. Since I'll be packing them for our trip soon (is it really only two weeks away?!), I decided to take some group pictures today. It was a bit of a rush job, but I think these turned out okay.

First the two brunettes together, Stella and Anika:

Next the two blondes together, Carmen and Wibke:

Then the two with braids together, Wibke and Anika:

And finally, a couple of pictures with all four: a close up ...

... and a full-body shot.

Parting is such sweet sorrow.

Gotz Scouts

While the "old" uniform has a few more details (like a shirt pocket, belt loops, stripe-topped socks, and tie-able shoelaces) I think the "new" uniform does a great job of capturing the same feel. Noreen and Alice seem like girls in different age groups, and thus wearing different colored neckerchiefs. Of course they are in different age groups, with one being almost 30 years older than the other.  :-)

I think these two look amazing together ...

... so amazing in fact, that I was second guessing my decision to sell Alice. I had to remind myself that I'm selling some of my later Gotz to make room for my expanded group of early Gotz. She might not have another Scout to hang out with now, but Noreen has seven no-navel friends. And while I no longer own Alice, I still have a later Gotz with blonde braids -- Lilly.

Meet Noreen

Before I packaged Alice up to mail to her new home, I took some pictures of her with my other Gotz scout. She hasn't been introduced yet, so I decided to do that before sharing the comparison pictures. Meet Noreen, an absolutely stunning 1970 no-navel. She's a brown-eyed redhead who came with her complete scout uniform (including the pennant!). The color is a bit off in these pictures thanks to uncooperative  weather, but I didn't want to wait for a sunnier day to create this post.

She is my fourth no-navel from 1970 (with more subtle eye paint than those from 1969), joining Liesel, Muriel, and Miranda in my collection.

Linger

This seems like a fitting song for saying farewell to Alice -- it's what we used to sing around the campfire on the final night of Girl Scout camp. She's heading north to a new home tomorrow, and I must admit that I'm going to miss her.

Mmm Mmm I want to linger,
Mmm Mmm a little longer,
Mmm Mmm a little longer here with you.

Mmm Mmm it's such a perfect night,
Mmm Mmm it doesn't seem quite right,
Mmm Mmm that this should be my last with you.

Mmm Mmm and come September,
Mmm Mmm I will remember,
Mmm Mmm our camping days and friendships true.

Mmm Mmm and as the years go by,
Mmm Mmm I'll think of you and sigh,
Mmm Mmm this is goodnight and not goodbye.

Good night, Alice.

Vive la France!

If only Grand-Pere were here to give these girls a quick French lesson. Yes, Luisa, Laura, and Sarah are off to a new home in France.

Taking their picture together, I realized what a nice trio they make: a brown-eyed brunette, a green-eyed redhead, and a blue-eyed blonde, all with a similar hairstyle. As far as I can tell from their tags, they each come from a different year too: Luisa from 1997, Laura from 1996, and Sarah from 1998.

Part of me hates to see them go, but now there is a bit more room in my doll cabinets for the other girls to spread out and be seen.

Blonde No Navel Trio

Here are my three blonde no-navels, all wearing Check Repro Smocks from Ruths Dolls. Wow!

Lucinda is in fuchsia, Lynde is in mustard, and Liesel is in blue.

The two 1969 girls, with their heavier eye paint:

The blue-eyed sisters (thank you Ellen!):

Meet Lynde

Hard to believe it's been three weeks since my last post. My summer days are anything but lazy, and there just isn't time to get everything done. I took pictures of Lynde a week ago but wasn't satisfied with how they looked, even after editing. I finally found some time to try again today, this time outdoors, and am much happier with the results.

Lynde is my third blonde Gotz no-navel, though they are all slightly different. She is from 1969, and has blue eyes like her younger sister Liesel (both came from the same collector). Their friend Lucinda is also from 1969 but she has brown eyes.

Boo is watching over my shoulder, waiting for me to be off the computer. She says that I should say Lynde is "beautiful". She's right, though I think all of my Sashas are beautiful.

Look for comparison photos of Lynde, Liesel, and Lucinda in my next post.

Two Marinas

There are two distinctly different Sasha dolls known as Marina. The Early English Sasha dolls are often referred to by their original clothing, in this case a sailor or "Marina" outfit. These dolls were produced from 1981 to 1986. The later Gotz dolls were given unique names, and their similarly-dressed girls are named Marina. They were produced in 1999 and 2000.

I call my 1980's brunette Cindy. She was purchased nude, and I have no idea of her history. She may or may not have been a "Marina" as she could also have been a "Red Pinafore" or "Dancing Dress" (the other brunettes from the same time period). I found her an original "Marina" outfit and have dressed her as such for these photos with my Gotz Marina.

The dolls themselves are quite different. Gotz Marina is a green-eyed redhead with freckles, while English "Marina" is a brown-eyed brunette who is considerably taller (as is the case with most of the dolls from the 80's). They both wear navy blue and white sailor outfits, but with the top and skirt colors swapped. Gotz Marina has a tie with long tails attached to her collar and low ankle socks, while English "Marina" has a tie with short tails around her neck and tall knee socks. Their shoes are completely different styles; Gotz Marina wears blue ankle-strap shoes, while English "Marina" wears black laced shoes.

I think they look marvelous together:

Blonde No Navel Duo

I've introduced two blonde no-navels so far, and thought it might be fun to show them together for comparison. Liesel is a blue-eyed blonde from 1970 and Lucinda is a brown-eyed blonde from 1969.


It's lovely spring weather here, so they've changed into jumpers designed and made by Peggy Trauger. I won the embroidered "flying kite" jumper at the 2009 Sasha Festival, while the painted "watering flowers" jumper came from the collection of Audrey Femmer.