My How Time Flies!

 I've been MIA as of late because of many things... One of them being the reason I became a collector, and then a seller. It has always been a joy to find amazing vintage dolls and toys, but I must admit, there are times when I just want to stop, sell everything and move on to the next adventure! And a few times as you've probably read, I have come so very close to doing just that! 

But then, I find myself falling right back into it, mostly because of a new interest, new find or just the joy of finding things, that I found in myself to be very therapeutic in some ways. But, sometimes there are moments, when you get that feeling of WTH, and oh my gosh, it just makes me cringe. I have heard a recent fellow collector having to talk about "Bullying" in the Squeak Toy community. So she did an IG video about it. It never fails, and for those of us who are avid collectors, it's like a drill and we go through it often so we just have to ride the wave until that person or persons get with the program. 

I've even resorted to creating a blog post about the way we collect and what rules one can expect when collecting and dealing with other collectors. The post was done back in 2018. Read more here... 

Now this brings me to one of those kinds of experiences... I was recently asked by a fellow collector via IG, if I could buy him something? Generally, if most buyers ask me to buy them something, it is after we've found something they've wanted and then send me the money to help them get it, etc. So, it could be a miscommunication thing or a language barrier, But this person seemed to speak very good English, or so I thought. But, at the time, I felt a bit insulted. It wasn't anything expensive, but the way he went about asking me, seemed awkward. He then said, he'd pay me back. As a seller, I'm sorry, I don't do credit or loans for my services or I'd be broke, and we had only been talking about our collection via IG for the last 2 months or so. I felt like he must think I'm some rich old broad. LOL Nope, I've just learned to be very careful in the way I spend my money and how I save. So, this recent experience, had me stop for a bit. I've gotten some oddballs in my time, but it felt like this person assumed I was a millionaire! Nope, far from it dear!

Okay, just had to vent on that and move on... I haven't shared this lovely vintage Rushton Happy Bear, I've had for several months now... Mostly, because, I was hoping to use him to adopt the Happy Bear I've long wanted. Sadly, that was not the case... So many are holding onto theirs and I don't blame them. This vintage multi-colored Rushton, I gave in to buying is from Japan. He is missing his tag, but there is the Rushton Co. markings under his chin. So he's authentic for sure. He is also quite rare because we've never seen him in a tri-color edition.

He has blue, pink, a purple tummy, ears, and tail. He is about 9 inches tall and is filled with foam and cotton batting, I believe. Some of the foam pellets fall out, because while I hold him and look him over, sometimes I find small foam pellets in his fur. He doesn't have any odors and he's quite clean and lovely actually. His face paint is a bit worn, but nothing major.

I have been told I was crazy to let him go and have thought maybe I shouldn't. But, he is not the one I actually want. I want a large size Happy Bear. One day, I hope too! Next, are a few of the items I've acquired since my last post. Yes, it looks like a lot of stuff, but these are purchases that have accumulated for the past 3 weeks of finds and a few I bought last month. This lovely vintage ceramic 'Soft Cream' coin bank. I've always been wanting a ceramic ice cream cone, and this one was at a reasonable price, so I got it through Yahoo Japan. When it arrived via DHL, it smelled of heavy cigarettes, yuck! Quick solution, wash it in dish soap. Ta-Da! Smell is gone. Whew!

I also got another 2 boxes of Charmy-chan doll miniatures to sell. They had to be on back order sadly, and now, they are sold out in most places. I also found this lovely My Toy plush Rooster, mostly to sell in my shop. He is listed there already. A grouping of vintage Saila dolls for a commission of a friend. She won each of them and at auction start price! I'm so happy for her too! In early January, I began sewing this cute Fuzcow in being. He has a squeak in his right hoove, and a tingaling sounder inside. I didn't share this one too much as I am having a hard time letting him go...LOL I didn't realize I would like the cow plush, but now I'm finding I do! Haha!

These Geo deers above, are listed in my shop now. Finds from Yahoo Japan as well. I had to get myself a set of these gold and silver tone Charmy-chan's. They don't come in the boxes we buy from shops. But, I was told they do? I've opened 5 boxes so far and never found one in them. So, I believe these special boxes are sold only to shops. I could be wrong. The Sekiguchi Bunka, nice and minty and still in her original packaging. She 'Coo's' too! In my Etsy shop!

Oh my gosh! This Chocoholic retro shelf, I found online in Japan, is the bees knees!!! I was very happy to find this one! The brand is a part of Swimmer Japan. Sadly, no longer open. But, from time to time you can find their items on Yahoo Japan. I was searching for some plates I could display in my GE cabinet, and I found these lovely Starburst tin plates for children, about 1950s. Sadly, they are too large to fit inside the cabinet with the sliding doors. But, I love the design, and they came with silver spoons, forks, and knives.

I also bought from a fellow collector and friend's shop on Etsy, Feerique. This lovely vintage Lotte Licca chan flat vinyl paper doll. She had to go to my sister in WA, then mailed back to Guam to me. LOL Especially since, EMS doesn't ship to Guam still, ugh. Below that, still trying to find a set that would work lovely in the cabinet, this set of aqua Akro Agate tea set, missing a few pieces. I was surprised they made children version of these milk style glass tea sets. So adorable and small, but still too large for my GE. Ugh! At some point, I hope I find something?!

Found this lovely Gund bunny with wired ears came in her original box too!! I was so surprised and she is so minty too. I did have her washed as she smelled a bit like moth balls. Otherwise gorgeous and her box graphics too!! I may sell her... These lovely odd plastic bunny rabbit craft faces are creepy cool to me! I will have to think of what I can make them into! I also found this lovely oil cloth vintage clown via ebay! I had him on my watch list for a week, and finally caved and bought him! He's another creepy cute keeper!!

Last, is this blue straw plush Easter bunny, made in Japan. Just adorable and will go great with my other bunnies! A lovely addition to my little collection! From the last post of my Lady Baltimore suitcase, I was able to find a replacement key via Ebay and it works too! So now, I am able to lock the suitcase. I still need to clean it down. Been too busy. We also finally had a guest booking for our Tonggan Garden Studio. It was a staycation and not tourists from off island. Still, it was nice to have someone enjoy the place! Back to the grind...

Have a great rest of the month! Stay safe and well!

Thank you for reading! ~ ggsdolls

Updates on GE Cabinet and More...

Okay, I started to work on the sliding doors for my Little Miss GE cabinet. Posted here. I basically, decided that I couldn't wait to find, and order online, a set of reeded glass sliding doors, to match the styling of the same era. So, I took an old plastic accordion folder that my hubby didn't want any more, and cut out the front flap that had holes on it. Perfect for the hand held sliding door look. It was frosted, had a pattern on the plastic, and its look was just right for what I wanted. As you can see below. Now, to place some tiny little plates inside it! LOL I am very happy with how it turned out too!

 

 

Next, I received, this lovely vintage Rushton yellow and white plush kitty!!! She arrived from Japan. I was able to get my friend to help me acquire her, and ship via DHL. She got to me so fast too, it was like two days tops!! This Rushton kitty still has her original tag, and satin bow with forget me knots. I was amazed by her beauty and her face is a lot softer, then the other cats I've found, like Smiley here. She has happy eyes, just like 'Happy Bear' also by Rushton Co. I have thought of trading her, and if I do, it would have to be a large 'Happy Bear'!! But, for now, she will live with me and the rest of my Rushton family.

I also received this lovely vintage rubber face Bunka doll from Japan. Another item I got my friend to help me acquire. So lovely and unique she is already listed in my shop! I was surprised by her condition too! She is made like my other Bunka here, with straw in her body and a sound maker. Which sadly, doesn't work any more. Her arms are celluloid, not rubber. She kind of looks more like a Kewpie doll instead.

Last, this lovely vintage 1950s Lady Baltimore suitcase in salmon. A small train case, this is one of the versions I was hoping to find. I don't collect too many suitcases, but this one, just beaconed me to buy it! Haha! Sadly, no keys, it still is lovely inside and out. I will need to see if I can cleaned it up a bit more. It will also be great for scenic shoots with other vintage goodies, and my toys too!

It has been a crazy week as shown from the Capitol, and I am left with no words...

Stay safe everyone.

Thank you for looking. ~ ggsdolls

VTG GE Little Miss Kitchen Cabinet Find!!

 I recently found this lovely vintage 1950s General Electric replica pink tin Little Miss Structo kitchen cabinet up for grabs. Shipping was free to USA, so I bought it. I was imagining it to arrive a month later... 

But, in fact, it arrived only a week later!! I had to meet my postal person, because the box wouldn't fit. I thought the cabinet would be more like 2 feet tall or something, but it wasn't. Instead, it was merely 12 inches tall. Whew, I was glad it wasn't the larger or I would not be able to keep it. Haha! 

From what I could find online, GE, basically created a miniature replica version of their 1950s style kitchen set up, into a set for little girls to play with. There are a total of 9 pieces in the set. All in pink with gray countertops, and those lovely reeded glass sliding doors, on those with cabinets. You can see an example here on Pinterest. 

Mine is just a cabinet with drawers and sadly, the reeded sliding doors are missing. There is some rust on the inside of the shelves, and some areas on the sides. I wiped down my cabinet, and thought about repainting it. Nah, I decided it gave the cabinet, some patina. LOL Besides, being too lazy to do it. After, cleaning it up. I decided I wanted to add some vintage Meyercord decals to it... 

I decided to use a set, that was already opened. So, I used the cute blue bear, and blue sheep. I cut them as close as possible, and trimmed off the excess. I set them on top of the cabinet doors I wanted to place them on. Having a slight visual of what they may look like helps a lot. I warmed up some tap water and one by one, I set the decal onto the cabinet doors. First, the bear, and then the sheep. On wood, these vintage decals set fast, but on tin, they took a lot more time to set, and I was able to adjust them.

In the end, I also added some stickers with the same style Meyercord decals of bunnies on the drawers. I used some scrap booking cards that comickitsch gave me last time, as temporary sliding doors on the upper cabinet. Just for now, until I can get either reeded glass or frosted panels to put in. What do you think?

I just love how it turned out, and it will be a great piece to hold or display some cute things on! I'll update you all, when I get the sliding doors in or figure out what else I could use to replace them with...

It was fun to just add a bit of cuteness to this piece and make it unique.

Thank you for looking! ~ ggsdolls

Before You Pray...

 Forgive. Before you quit, Try." - WW

The last line of the poem, I have been using the past few posts, hits a major cord. Well, At least for me. Praying may not seem like a good answer to some. But, speaking for myself and from experience, life does throw a few curve balls, from time to time. So, when in doubt, prayer, is... Well, sometimes the only thing we can do.

I haven't posted since before Christmas day. It has been busy here and a roller coaster of things happening as well. I have been receiving some cute vintage goods and most have already listed in my Etsy shop and sold. So, I'll just quickly go through what they were.

I won a lot on Ebay of two Takara Chichan dolls, Chichan and her friend. Can't remember her name at the moment though. I already sold the white dressed Chichan, but will keep her friend for now. Sweet dolls and I was surprised to find them at such a good price on Ebay too! I also won, this lovely vintage nursery planter with Giraffe. Looks familiar right?!! Yup, this is the same planter, container that Rement made a miniature of for one of their sets, that has those cute animal cups too! Now, if only I could find my miniature. Next time I'll show them side by side. Haha!

Below, I helped a friend acquire these next two dolls from Yahoo Japan. They are already on their way to her now. Adorable tan cuties that are often popular still, even in Japan. One has color change hair. Because when I was washing her hair, it changed to a bright purple! Amazing after all these years, it still works! I also was able to win this lovely JAL PAK Disney "It's a Small World" Holland doll. She was listing in my Etsy shop and sold quickly after. Now, I know where my 'pear-shaped' body dolls by Perfekta came from. They were by Epoch for JAL PAK.

I was also able to purchase two more retro handmade bears, like the previous one I got. Both are listed in my shop! I had many inquiries about them, so I brought in more!

I used Buy It Now, for this well loved My Toy aqua bunny plush. He arrived needing a lot of TLC. I restuffed him and sewn the areas where there were openings, even his satin ears. I even added a little Tingaling sounder and some wires in his ears to hold shape. Along with the satin pink bow. He will live with me for now. The yellow and white bunny after, is by Regal. I also got him off Ebay. He had some marking on his forehead and needed a good washing. I added a pink pompom tail and the blue satin bow. To cover the markings I couldn't completely remove I added some paper flowers. He is now listed and available in my Etsy shop.

They were having fun in the yard the other day!!

I also won two lots from Yahoo Japan, one with a mixture of ceramics and dolls and the other with a plush. First, the lot with ceramics, in it are these two Rune or Ado style bunnies. Both which are now listed in my shop already. There is also a cute Ado white and orange cat planter, and a set of hot pink bunnies in perhaps Chalkware with felt ears. I will keep for now. The dolls were three tan dolls, one already sold, and one to be adopted. The third is already listed in my shop.

Not to forget the cute little Ado baby below too! It was a great lot of cute vintage goodies! The next lot as mentioned earlier are mostly dolls and a plush bear purse... The mod terrycloth plush bear purse is my favorite, and the reason I bidded on the lot. I have a bear purse in pink and white, this one in a mod striped colors of purple, red, and pink is just adorable and so unique. The tag on him says, "M&D". It doesn't say Japan, but most of these types of plush purses are made in Japan. The dolls are already listed in my shop!

An adorable lot of cuties too! Last, for today is that my preorder of Charmy-chan or Woodland dolls arrived by DHL just before New Year's day!! I was so happy. I already listed the extra sets and overnight they sold out fast!! I got many inquiries for if I will sell more, if I can get my hands on them I hope to list them again soon. Okay, so Ken Elephant the company that made these cute miniatures, announced that they'd be having a preorder period back in August, I believe it was. I ordered the most one household can get and that was it. When I got notice via email that they were ready to ship. I immediately hit the pay button and they shipped it quite fast too! Inside, are blind boxes, so it doesn't always mean you will get the whole set. So, I opened each one and only listed the ones that I had available, whew. I kept one set for myself.

Mostly, because I heard they are selling out in most places. But, I am sure you can still get your hands on a set. The set includes, the Charmy-Chan or in the UK Lapin & Me, called them Woodland Dolls, in red/yellow, green/pink, and in metallic blue/pink. There is also a rare set!! I believe only sold to major stores, and that is in silver/gold. They also include the set of bear, elephant, and bunny, and the giraffe and deer. This will come with a little plastic bag with tag and tie wire, to resemble the actual human size version sold. Oh my, too cute! Last, is the pull along Panda bear. Sadly, the wheels do come loose, so just make sure to just push it back in place. All of the panda's, unfortunately have this issue.

Well, this New Year is off to a 'good' busy start! Stay safe and well my friends!!

Thank you for reading! ~ ggsdolls