This Old Dollhouse
Dear Diary,
Today my dollhouse came home with me. I found the house on Craig’s List in a town about 80 miles from me. I knew right away it was the perfect dollhouse. It’s huge. Over 5 feet tall. With 4 floors. I had to borrow an SUV to haul the thing home. It’s a hand-made creation, not a kit so there are some quirks and flaws. It’s going to be a project for sure. Before I get too far into the work let me back up a few weeks and describe how I came to be interested in a dollhouse.
I’ve been writing for a website called Squidoo for a while. It’s a creative outlet and I make a little money when people read my work and end up buying something using a link on the site. I’ve always been curious about Blythe Dolls. Why the heck were they so popular and expensive? I started a Squidoo pages about them, knowing I would have to do some research. I never intended to start a doll thing. I’m way past the doll playing age. In fact I have grandkids. They’re boys that play with action figures, but still, I’m too old for dolls, right? Well one thing led to another and pretty soon I had my own Blythe doll. First I bought a new Takara Blythe doll from Japan, and although she was pretty, my real interest was the Kenner dolls from the 1970s. I ended up selling my Japanese doll on eBay. The Kenner dolls were elusive and way out of my price range and I didn’t expect to ever have one. Then one morning very early I was browsing eBay and there was an auction that wasn’t going sky high like most. I decided to try my luck at winning her. Maybe because it was such an odd time of day, or maybe there just weren’t many buyers right then, but whatever the reason I found myself the proud owner of an original Kenner Blythe. I was thrilled.
She arrived a few days later a little dirty and with ratty hair but I washed her down with a q-tip and some mild detergent. Then I carefully shampooed and conditioned her hair, being ever so careful not to get the water inside her head. After brushing her out and giving her a trim she looked pretty good. Her body is in great shape for being 40 years old, and her eyes change color perfectly. The only real flaw she has is that one eye is missing eyelashes. I can live with that. Maybe someday I’ll have her restored. Or maybe I’ll leave her like she is. I love the sound of her eye change clicks. It’s soft and smooth, unlike the newer Blythe I had purchased a few months earlier. I forgot to take a picture of how she looked when I got her but here she is after I cleaned her up and cut her hair. I braided it to keep it from getting messy.
So right away I began looking at all the Blythe collectors photos online and realized she needed clothes, accessories and a place to live. Hence my Craigs List dollhouse search purchase. I hope you will follow along with me as I create a home for Blythe and all of her frriends I probably will end up buying. Yep I’ve got the bug and I’m excited to start my dollhouse journey.
Category: The Dollhouse
About the Author (Author Profile)
Retired Florida CPA who loves playing with and collecting dollhouses and dolls.Subscribe
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That is an awesome dollhouse! All your doll collections can enjoy playing in that gorgeously large home!
Thanks Sally for visiting my new dolly blog. The girls are going to love it.