Thursday, October 28, 2010

Thrift stores, Ebay and me


I am beginning to think I am a compulsive buyer. I have been looking on Ebay and I am finding all kinds of dolls that I want and of course I have been buying. Plus I have now hit all the thrift stores in town and bought dolls in some of them. Even my hubby is getting into looking at the dolls and having me buy some that I would probably not get.


I am trying to get a good varity of dolls both vintage and newer dolls plus all the different sizes. I forgot that when I started making bears and dolls of all the things that I needed to buy to make the stuff to have a decent showing. In the long run, I am probably spending less now because I have all the fabric that I need to make the clothing and I don't need to buy doll joints, doll eyes, bear noses and stuffing which adds up quickly.


Today I started another new thing for me and that is listing dolls on Ebay. I have a bunch of small dolls that I thought maybe I could get buyers on Ebay. I also need to be known on Ebay so that I can get a good rating and that way Ebay won't hold my money back. Any way, another new adventure for me and we will see if it works.


I thought I would show you one of the newest babies that I got at the Goodwill store the other day. This poor thing was so dirty that you could not tell what color she dress was. It is a very nice cotton pale pink with white lace trim. I washed her and her dress up and fixed all the loose elastic on the outfit and redressed her. It looks like it was the original outfit. She is a 18 inch porcelain doll with a weighted cloth body. She is heavy. She is a pretty little thing. She is listed at present on a antique and collectible site and will be listed today on my website.
Hope you are enjoying my newest adventure as much as I am. I really think all the excitement had gone out of me on making bears and this finding dolls and reviving them into a like new condition has brought back the excitement in my life.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Has it been a week since I posted? WOW!

This last week I think is a blur. I was getting ready for a 3 day craft show that ended yesterday. It was a profitable show for me and the crowds were there and they were buying. This is unusal for this area with the snowbirds not being back in town yet but I am happy.

After 30 years of mainly designing and making teddy bears, I am changing. The last two shows plus the traffic on my website says it is a time for change. I am sad about this as I really enjoy making the bears but the public doesn't seem to be going in that direction. So I will leave the teddy bears go for a while and concentrate on the dolls.

I like designing and making dolls and I always get lots of compliments and sales on the dolls. I will continue doing this with a new design every year or two and keep the dolls in my line that are my top sellers.

Now my big surprise is the traffic I am getting on the recycled and vintage dolls. This is right now, the way that I will be going. I enjoy finding a doll that has been played with and now has been discarded for something new and then cleaning it up and making new clothes and finding a new buyer for the doll. People are excited about seeing the doll they played with as a child and no longer have. They want the doll back. I am not sure why but it may be just the idea of a easier time in their life or they are at the age where they are now collecting the older dolls. Even the kids are wanting the dolls that may not be that old but are all redressed. This I was kind of surprised about because I thought maybe kids are not playing with dolls that much, but I guess they are.

So now from me you will see more and more dolls and I will enjoy the hunt in all the thrift stores, yard sales and anywhere else I can look and then bringing them home and making them all pretty again. Then I will probably be doing more doll and collectible shows and not as many craft shows but that is okay as then I will meet a whole new group of people.

Stay tuned as my newest adventure begins. I am excited and I hope others will be too.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Some more dolls finished up.

Yep, more dolls done. I thought I had all my dolls finished on Saturday and then today I walked into the sewing room and what did I find but this poor little baby wrapped in a blanket because she didn't have any thing on. This is a 13 or 14 inch Tiny Tears doll made by the Ideal Toy Company in 1971. She has a one piece body that is hard plastic. This is one of the first Tiny Tears doll before they came out with the ones with moveable limbs and head. She is a drink/wet doll. She does have pretty eyes that are permanently open with long lashes.

I have had her for some time as I had got her in a group of dolls. I really didn't know what to put on her and today was the day to finish her up. Because she is so old even though she is in excellent condition, that hard body was difficult for me to decide what to make for her. I dug through my stash of fabric...now this takes a while as I as a fabricholic lol........I pulled several fabric and then found this vintage yellow fabric and decided that would be the one. I custom made panties, an open back dress and a hat and put cotton dark beige lace on it all. I think the hat sets off her cute little face perfectly.

Now as a side note....
I don't like the color yellow. I don't have any yellow in my personal wardrobe or any where in my house. It is very hard for me to make anything in yellow but I know it is some people's favorite color so a do have a couple of yellow fabrics in my stash. I am sure that someone is just going to love this doll, not only because she is a Tiny Tears doll, but because she is dressed in yellow.

She is now available on my website for $24.95. http://www.ejcrafts.com I checked other websites and she is listed for $35 and I thought that was just too much to charge for her. I do try to keep my prices down. Some of the dolls I have had to pay more to get so they are a little higher but I have dolls available from $4 to $135 on my site. I want everyone to be able to afford to buy the doll they want. I will even nogotiate the pricing if more than one doll is needed.

I hope you will all take a look to see what you want and if you need a lay-a-way I can do that too. I am in the middle of my craft show season and some of these dolls will be sold at the shows. I have a big show this coming weekend.

Enjoy your week and will try to get more posted before the end of the week.











Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Beautiful Day Today

We were sunny, and 98 degrees today with wind. That is fall in the desert. Cool morning with the windows in the house all open and the breeze coming through and then afternoon with everything closed up and the air conditioning on. They are saying that by this weekend we will get back to the 80's. I prefer the 80's but then by the time it gets down below that I have a sweater on. Thin blood, I guess, from living in the desert for 30+ years.

Today was a very productive day for me. After two days of being tired and down in the dumps, today my energy came back and I got quite a bit done. A weekend show of 9 to 9 for two days is just too much for this "little old" lady. Thank goodness, I don't have any more like that this year. I do have three more shows scheduled and will probably still pick up one more for the first part of December.

I finally got my bears, that have been sitting here for a week, stuffed. I still have the hand sewing and the trimming to do but with any luck, I will get them done tomorrow. Then today, I picked up another doll that is in desperate need of a new hairdo and clothing. I will have to see if I can't get her done before my show next weekend. I think she will be a good one to sell at that show.

Now if I could just get someone to do all my house work, I would be on top of the world. Any takers?

Monday, October 11, 2010

Is it Monday?

I think I have lost some days somewhere. Does any one know what happened to my weekend? I have to admit, I worked the whole thing from 9 to 9 every day doing a show but today has been a blur.

The show was not the best or the worst show I ever did. At least I made a little profit. The promoters were super nice as were the vendors. None of us did really well but we did all enjoy each other company and took turns watching each other's booth while we walked into the casino and played for a while or as some of the guys did, sit at the bar and watch football. Traffic was extremely slow and we could sit an hour and not see one customer.

That show is not one I will do again. You never know when doing shows if the are going to be a bust or a huge profit. The life of a vendor is always maybe, maybe not on what shows to do and what shows are better left to someone else.

I had lots of interest in my vintage dolls and sold some of the more expensive ones and then I sold some of the dolls that I design and make. Bears were hardly even looked at so after this season of shows, I will have to decide if I will continue to do bears. I love doing them and have for the last thirty years but they are just not in vogue anymore.

I do have an online bear show to do in November and maybe then what I am making now for that show will sell. I sure hope they do.

Well seeing that today has been one of those days where not much got done, I think it is time to go watch a little television and go to bed early.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

It's Craft Show season!

Yes, this is the time of the year when I do most of my craft shows. Holidays are coming and people are more willing to buy that child safe bear or doll. I am now in full gear mode to get my shows going.

I have a show this weekend, then another in two weeks and then another two weeks after that. I use to be able to do a show every weekend but age has caught up with me and it takes a week to recover from a show. My mind thinks I can still do all the shows but my body just says stop you can't. Boy old age stinks sometimes!

So today is getting all my displays ready and all the table covers washed and ready and see what else has to be done with products I am taking to this show. Tomorrow will be packing everything into containers and packing the van.

Even with all this, I still am sewing today. I got a couple cute dolls at the Goodwill store yesterday and so I did one doll up yesterday and today will try to finish up the other one. Then the lady at one of the other thrift stores says she will have some other dolls ready for me to look at today so will probably make a quick trip down there is see what she has. I have to remember to take a couple of the dolls with me that I got from her when I go down there and show her what I have done with them. She wanted to see them.

So the next two days are busy and then the weekend will be lots of sitting and standing and talking to people. Hope for lots of good sales so I don't have to bring so much stuff home.

Happy Crafting everyone and for you who do shows, I hope you have great sales.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

American Craft Week

This week is American Craft Week and I hope everyone is thinking about what they will be buying this year for the holidays and think about buying handcrafted items to give. The local crafter who works so hard to produce their product and never gets paid for all the love and hours they put into the product and then pay to show it at the local craft show really do need your business.

Go to http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/community/HandmadePledge.aspx
and pledge to buy handmade this year. We all need to help our fellow crafters.

There is a press release that the Handmade Toy Alliance put out too.

http://www,oressrekeaseoiubt,cin.bide.507012


I am a crafter and have been for most of my life. My grandmother, who raised me, taught me to crochet, knit and sew and for that I am very grateful. Today, I don't see enough of the younger people learning to do these things. Even all the craft shows I do, I very seldom see a person under 40 who is a vendor. This is sad. Crafting should not be a dying art. We are true artists, each in our own venue. I know I wouldn't know what to do with all my time and it sure releaves the stress of every day living.

On another note, I am doing a craft show this weekend. Maybe that isn't another note because it is to sell all my products that I have worked so hard on all year. My original designed teddy bears and soft dolls. Then with the new recycled and vintage dolls that I have been having so much fun working on the last couple of months. Now I get to let others enjoy what I make.

The show is at the EdgeWater Hotel and Casino in Laughlin, Nevada on Saturday and Sunday November 9 and 10 so if anyone is in the area, please stop by and see what I have. Everyone I make is child safe and oh so cute, if I do say so myself.

Remember BUY AMERICAN AND FROM YOUR LOCAL CRAFT MAKER.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Sunday has been a different type of day for us.

Yep, Sunday has been different. It rained off and on all morning with lots of thunder and lightening and some beautiful double rainbows. This afternoon we had some thunder but the storms all past us and just went over the mountains. Living in the desert, we love a rainy day as we only get about 6 inches of rain a year so this was wonderful. It also made the temperatures lower. We were in the low 80's and it was nice until the sun came out in the afternoon and the humidity got to us and we had to turn on the a/c. The weather people are saying we could have the same type of weather the next three days. I think our fall has finally arrived!

Today was a bear making day. I know all you have been reading about from me is dolls, dolls and more dolls. I love doing the dolls and I have a couple more that I still need to dress but I also have a online show in November and the bears have to get done first. Wish I could show you what they look like but you will all have to wait until they go online on November 21 and 22. At this moment I have two completely ready and three more partly done.

Now I know that I will make my rounds at the thrift stores on Wednesday so you will probably see more dolls. The funny thing is that for years, I have been making and selling bears and they have always been my passion. Over the years I added rabbits, cows, pigs, mice and dogs to the mix that I made of craft shows. Most of these have now gone away from my stock. I also added soft dolls which I designed and they have always sold well. People like to buy handmade dolls. It has only been a couple of months with the recycled dolls and this is now my new passion.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Second one done.



I was good today and got the second of my two 32 inch walking dolls done. My hubby thinks this one is the best one. I like them both and I am hoping that others like them too.


The weather gave us clouds, thunder, lightening and some rain today. Started about 2:30am and was all over by 6am. It was nice to see something besides sun. The only thing is, it did make it hot and humid for the day. Now they are saying we possibly could get more for the next three days. I only hope that the air is not so hot but they are saying we are suppose to be cooling off to normal temperatures by the middle of next week. I sure hope so!

Our normals are in the upper 80's to low 90's and that is good weather. Anything below 80 and I am cold. I know, all you people love the cold and snow and all the other things that come with that type of weather but I had all that when I was younger. Now that I am "old", and we won't say how old, I do enjoy my desert living. Okay, maybe not all of it because I do complain about the 110 degree weather but with a/c, I just stay inside and sew.

The one thing I really love about the fall....no I am not talking about the weather now...is craft shows. I love to get out and show all the teddy bears and soft dolls that I make plus this year with the vintage and recycled dolls it is really going to be interesting to see the reactions of the people to what I do. Now if they will just take their hands out of their pockets and buy, I know I will be one happy camper.