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.

Meet Josephine

I haven't posted much recently so there are several dolls still waiting to be introduced. This girl is jumping the queue -- a birthday present to myself that is too special to wait.  She is a 1966 np with the developmental eye style whose brows have silvered. She makes my heart flutter. I have decided to call her Josephine, Jo for short.

Apologies for the lack of posts the past year or so, but work, kids, and pets are keeping me busy. I don't have much free time, let alone free time when there is good light for taking pictures. These are rushed photographs with overcast skies, but I was too excited to wait to share. More/better pictures will come eventually (please don't hold your breath waiting though), including hopefully some with Jessica.

Meet Kelly

Boo got Madden at the 2012 Sasha Festival and was hoping to get another baby at the 2013 festival. I had a baby that I'd bought for myself but not even named ... and so I gifted her to Boo before the festival (that way no worries about finding the perfect baby there). Thus Kelly was born, another sexed little girl to be a twin for Kitty. Its easy to tell them apart since Kitty has "poofy" hair. I think Kelly may have replaced Kitty as favorite baby. Here is how I found her today when I went to take pictures, apparently recovering from some sort of serious accident. Still a little princess though.

Meet Madden

Here is another of Boo's babies who has been shown on the blog but not formally introduced, a sexed boy from the 70's. Madden was won in the Childrens' Fund Auction at the 2012 Sasha festival. Boo was a bit miffed to discover that while he was all in pink, he was actually male. I offered to sell him and buy a genderless blonde baby, but she was too attached to part with him. His subtle genitals aren't visible when dressed, so she decided to view him as a girl. S/he was dubbed "Puppy" to go with Kitty. I suggested Madden, which is an Irish name meaning "little dog" - technically a male name, but sometimes used for females as well. Perfect! 

Meet Kitty

You met Kitty when she was purchased at Boo's first festival in 2011, but she hasn't had a proper introduction post. Here is Boo's beloved baby Kitty, a sexed girl from the 70's.  She is wearing her Sashapotamus onesie, a special request to match Boo's (and Calla's).

Meet Emma Katherine

Everyone who has read my blog since the early days knows that the first Sasha dolls I ever saw (and loved) belonged to my childhood friends - sisters who owned a blonde and a brunette. I found a 1971 brunette that matched my memories and named her Esme. I already had a 1970 blonde named Enid, and while they were great friends, not quite the pair I remembered from childhood. Petite Enid with her full center part was just a bit off the mark. She has since traveled off to a new home, and I now have a 1971 blonde I call Emma Katherine.

Emma is a much better match to my memories. Her bangs are a bit wonky, but I think they can be sorted out and made at least a bit more even. The end pieces on the far right here come from behind the first row of hair, and searching through the pieces on the other side I see some short strands mixed in. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to coax them back where they belong.

I love her dark blue eyes, and even the pale color of her lips that this era often fades too. I think that she and Esme Elizabeth are going to be fantastic sisters.

Meet Jessica (before)

Mother Nature isn't cooperating with my picture taking efforts. These pictures were taken last weekend when the weather was cloudy due to Hurricane Sandy. I was hoping to retake them this weekend but there's still no sunshine. My biggest complaint is that the colors are off from having to turn on lights, so perhaps it's time to invest in some "natural light" lightbulbs.

This lovely lady is a 1966 np with the developmental eye style. Her brows have silvered, but I think that just adds to her striking appearance. She is in desperate need of a cleaning and restringing (she's leaning against the wall here so she doesn't topple over) which will hopefully happen soon. I figured I'd share a few pictures first, and showcase a new outfit at the same time. Marti Murphy made the dress and coordinating shoes (and undergarments too, which you can't see). It is similar to the ribbon dress that I won in the Childrens' Fund Auction, but the fabric has been dyed.

I probably should have ironed the dress or at least made sure it hung nicely in all the photos, but I was preoccupied with keeping Jessica upright and trying to avoid bad shadows. This was one of the better shots otherwise though, so I decided to include it.

Even with sketchy lighting she's a very pretty doll in a very pretty dress.

Meet Erik

As promised in my last post ...
Erik is my most-recent Sasha doll, arriving here from England two weeks ago. He is a (sexed) Baby Woolly, which were only made in 1970. He is wearing his full original outfit as well as his gold wrist tag. He'd been described as "in gently played with condition with plenty of sand falling from his joints", and I was surprised by just how much sand when I took these pictures. I don't think his clothes have ever been changed.

So much to love about this sweet little guy, and his hair has a similar shape to baby Elin. While her eyes are greening slightly and her lips have whitened, his face paint is nice and vibrant.

They make a nice pair, but I'll save showing them together for my next post. Gotta spread out the pictures from last weekend's photo session, since who knows when I'll find time (and cooperative weather - today is rainy and dark) to take more.

Meet Elin

I used some (rare) free time over the weekend to play with my Sasha dolls. I changed clothes on a few of the girls and photographed a couple of the babies. Since I now have pictures, I can make another introduction. This is the second of my Sasha babies, a sexed brunette from the early 1970's who I call Elin. She retains her original nightdress, diaper, and blanket, as well as her large silver wrist tag.

I know I'm biased, but I think she's one of the most adorable Sasha babies I've ever seen. I love her full head of nicely-shaped hair (which is a bit dry/delicate but doesn't seem to be falling) and her wide face.

Up next, her male counterpart ...

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 Allegra

The eBay situation with Annabel left me feeling unhappy, but I cheered up when I found a 1968 blonde fringe girl for sale on Shelly's site. Since her descriptions are always accurate, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed again. Allegra is just as described, and oh so much nicer than Annabel. And she's a blue cord, like most of my other early English blondes.

The weather wasn't great for picture taking today and I didn't have time to mess with lighting, but I managed to find a spot of light coming through a south-facing window. It was so bright that I was having problems with shadows, but I like how this picture turned out.

Luckily I also wound up with a decent shot of Allegra's spectacular pale blue eyes. If you're curious, she's standing in front of Boo's doll armoire.

Meet Juliette

I can't believe it's almost time for the 2011 Sasha Festival. My how time flies! Even more unbelievable is that I still haven't formally introduced the doll that I bought at last year's festival. I gave a couple of sneak peeks here and here, but haven't made the time since then to take photos and write up a blog post.

Nancy Miller of Let's Play Dolls wrote this description of her: "Early rare no-philtrum girl, 1966, beautifully hand painted and extremely rare dark navy eyes with dark liner and white eye shadow, pretty pink lips, near flawless complexion, beautiful blonde hair has just a hint of dryness, but this is not obvious, no missing hair plugs, complete original blue cord dress outfit, panty elastic has stretched, clothes are otherwise excellent, navy leather Mary Jane shoes are absolutely mint except for a bit of paint missing from one snap, I don’t remember if I added the vintage hair ribbon or if it is original, doll has been re-strung to the correct tension, original striped elastic is tucked inside, doll is in excellent to near mint condition. She was reluctantly taken from my personal collection; she is gorgeous!"

She is indeed gorgeous. And her eyes are absolutely amazing! She is the Jewel of my collection - often referred to as Jules as a nickname for Juliette. Not the best light for photography today, but it will suffice.

Meet Opal

I know I said I was going to introduce my Sasha Saris in alphabetical order, but I decided to save the one I'm keeping for last. The other three will be sold, but Opal is going to become one of my "Amigos" -- an assortment of late 80's girls who I dress and display.

It wasn't easy to choose, and there isn't a solid reason why she is my choice. I like the rose pattern on her red, white, and blue sari, yet I think the color is the least flattering of the four. I like the shape of her bangs, yet they all have nice hair now that it's been washed. Perhaps it's that she appears to be more petite than the others, though appears is the operative word here. I even hesitate to say she is my "favorite". They all call to me in different ways, yet she spoke to me the loudest.

While my Sasha Saris are all quite photogenic, Opal seems the most reserved.

Meet Ruby

Since I'm introducing my Sasha Saris in alphabetical order, third up is Ruby.

Ruby wears a red sari with a black, white, and blue pattern that looks somewhat Oriental (both the color and the pattern). I think she has the straightest bangs/fringe of the four, though she also has a piece in the center that wants to stick up.

While my Sasha Saris are all quite photogenic, Ruby seems the most serene.

Meet Iris

Since I'm introducing my Sasha Saris in alphabetical order, second up is Iris.

Iris wears a purple sari with a black and grey floral pattern. I love this vivid shade of purple, and think it looks lovely with her black hair. Speaking of her hair, it looks slightly longer than the others, though that may be because it has slightly less curl.

While my Sasha Saris are all quite photogenic, Iris seems the most aloof.

Meet Beryl

It has been so long since I bought my Sasha Saris that I don't recall the order in which they were purchased. I've decide to introduce them in alphabetical order, so first up is Beryl.

Beryl wears a blue sari with a pink and white floral pattern. I think she has the thickest bangs/fringe of the four, and also appears to be slightly taller than the others. Her sari is damaged, with a piece missing along one edge, but it isn't particularly noticeable when wrapped.

While my Sasha Saris are all quite photogenic, Beryl seems the most feminine.

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.

Meet Annabel

Since my last few posts have been about dolls that I don't own anymore, I decided to introduce another doll that is no longer part of my collection. She was purchased in a very negative eBay experience, but enough time has passed that it's not particularly upsetting now. Plus I learned two valuable lessons: early blondes can have major hair problems, and avoid sellers who appear mentally unstable. Since my 1968 blondes all have names starting with A, I thought it would be fitting to call her Annabel.

This poor girl's hair was very stiff and matted, and started falling out and/or breaking off before I was able to shampoo it. My assumption is that the hair was damaged by some sort of hair styling product which was used on it years ago (hence the stiffness). Her eyes were lovely, but it's my opinion that a fringe girl has lost most of her cachet if she's balding. I had to get Customer Support involved, but fortunately I was able to return the doll for a full refund.

These pictures were taken after her hair had been wet, so it looks quite smooth and silky here. But if you look closely it's broken off in places, especially a big chunk of her bangs.

You can see lots of shorter hairs from this angle, and also a ding on her hand.

Her face is quite lovely, though also quite grubby.

The cost was too high (both financially and emotionally) for me to regard her as a waif and fix her up. Alas, I can't save every doll. She was sold again on eBay for a lower price, so hopefully someone else did/will save her.