"If You Are Always Trying To Be Normal...

 ... You will never know how amazing you can be. " - Maya Angelou

I recall a former teacher telling me normal is boring, and that idea has always stuck with me. Hmmm, nice to visit old ideas perhaps...

I recently, found this love vtg dollhouse wooden closet, and it looked a lot like a closet I had purchased from MerryBee in Japan. Sure enough, it is the very same. Merrybee had upcycled the one I bought, and I decided I would do the same with this one!!

I repainted the doors on both closets, even the one I got from Merrybee. I changed the Happy Birthday decal that it had and decided to place these adorable small meyercord stickers onto them. A lovely choice of bears or fawn and lamb. I will keep the pink one and the blue closet is already listed in my Etsy shop! They each have working doors and drawer. Too cute and great for a mini nursery themed bedroom!

Then, I found this adorable vtg Ganz Bros. Toy Co. plush doggy with bone. He arrived to me safely from Canada. I almost didn't get him, because the seller had put the wrong box number. He was listed on my Etsy shop yesterday and was adopted fast! Just too cute and he just needed a good wash and I added the satin blue bow to him. I also found this box of Zany Zooful miniature plushies made for Montgomery Wards. They are sawdust mini felt animals, made in Japan. Sadly, four of them are missing, since the previous owner must have kept them. The hard part is deciding to resell them. LOL The box even has its original price sticker. I love NOS finds and can imagine when they were on toy shelves...

Next, this lovely vtg new baby greeting card, I found. Features a lovely Gund lamb. I sold one very similar to this one. Love vtg cards with toys and plushies in it!! A great addition to my collection! Then, I finally was able to snag this awesome Rushton pink Happy Bear brooch made by the famously talented and funny KewtKitsch on Etsy. Heather is so down to Earth and always makes me laugh. Thank you so much dear for the lovely note, I will treasure the brooch and message. You inspire me dear and now, I have something to remind me of your inspiration!! Love you!! Be sure to visit her shop on Etsy! She has many cute creations to add to your collection too!!

Alice won't give me the brooch back!! LOL 

Have a well rested 3 day weekend for those in the USA!! Around the world, I hope you all have a great weekend too!!

Thank you for visiting! ~ ggsdolls

Life Is...

 ...What you make of it." And to that note, it is so true. If you choose to be bitter, then life, seems bitter. If you choose to be angry, well then, Life seems more angry. Just live and make the most of what you have, then life will be content. That is what we can all hope for... Right!

Enough of the boring stuff, here's what I've been up to the past week!

First, this absolutely amazing antique piece I found!! All the way from France, arrived to me safely. It is quite heavy and made of bronze, I believe. From the late 1800s to early 1900s, these gilded jewelry boxes have lovely silk tufted interiors with tiny buttons, and lovely accents to them. This one has a heart-shape. I first saw it while doing my usual searches, and was stunned by the pale pink silk. These amazing pieces are very much sought after, even in France. I will try my best not to begin a new collection, as they can run from $200 to $1000 even in the secondary markets. Darn! But, this will look so lovely atop my dresser. Shabby Chic ain't got nothing on this one!! Sadly, no key, but that is okay, and the back hinge will need fixing.

I'm amazed that the inside is still in this condition!! Whoa! A quick break, with this fun photo of my Chubby Cherub outside with Lulu playing with this adorable ring toss game! The game is already listed in my Etsy shop! Quite fun too, from what I can tell with Lulu and friend!! Haha. I found this lovely vtg dolly with bear brooch in gold tone. A great addition to my dolly pins. Next, I am in awe of this lovely Holiday Fair Ballerina Pose doll, I adopted from my soul sister, Blaire of ComicKitsch on IG. This swan princess even has a name, Monique!! Thank you Blaire and for the lovely gifts too, you spoil me!!

Another break, Happy with Chubby Cherub outside. I just love these two cuties!! They are always up to no good though!! LOL I found this Proctor & Gamble blue canister, with lovely mod apple design. There are two others in this series, a red apple, and yellow apple design. I am sure there are others. This canister will hold some of my toy jewelry which are overflowing at the moment. Ha! A Vtg Rushton plush Mouse, I rescued, gave a spa and touched up his cheeks. He is already listed in my shop! All original too! Then, these colorful mod resin flowers from IG, a fellow friend and collector in Florida makes these and I was able to snag a few bouquets. Now, her flowers are so popular, it's even harder to get any. LOL

This specialty kit for making an Easter Bunny basket, I may decide to add into my shop... It's hard because I am so tempted to make it into a plush instead! Haha! After seeing this Lovely Cragstan poodle from a fellow collector's stream. I had to get one. Creepy cute is what this poodle looks like, but when you wind her up, she plays a Lullaby and you can see her yawn and go to sleep! Just too cute for words! I picked up this lovely, red furry Frederick's of Hollywood style bedroom slipper ornament. It reminds me of Marilyn Monroe and similar actresses, in their nighties wearing these types of slippers and looking sexy...

This lovely Ice Follies 1957, bear pin. I recall a time when Ice Follies, was something many wanted to go see. This adorable bear pin, reminds me of that time. I have seen other animals, I believe there was a penguin, and an elephant. I wonder what other animals there were? Hmm. Some more millinery flowers for my Rushton collection and spa customers. I've been on the hunt for white daises with pink or hot pink centers to replace the one on Daisy cow... some day I will find the correct ones! The ring toss toy, by Koide. Is NOS in my shop!! I also got a lot of ceramics from Japan, most have been listed in my shop already. A few have sold. There are some rare ones in there still, so be sure to stop by!!

Then, I found this lovely My Toy bunny, she needed a good wash, and face touch up. Same face mold as my bear, now to decide which one to keep?!! I love them both so much! I also was able to find this lovely minty vtg Rushton sleeping baby pajama bag with rattle. She is so cute and in lovely condition, I didn't have to give her a spa. Yay!

I adopted this lovely vtg Rushton yellow sad bear from Japan. She was filthy... She smelled of gasoline, and I had to wash her twice. I repainted her face and added a purple satin ribbon to her. I may or may not keep her... A lot of 3 Sankyo music boxes, I bought to replace a music box in an old plush I am currently working on. Sadly, these play for only a few seconds, maybe not good for a plushie. I will have to see... The one song, "Memory", from "Cats" the Broadway musical, brings back a lot of memories for me. When I was in Jr High for Music Class, for try-outs to get into the Honor Choir, we had to sing this very song, and alone. I did it and was told by my Music teacher, I did a splendid job! I made it into Honor Choir of course, and it was one of my best school years too! I loved Honor Choir!

Last, for today, is this cute Woolikin plush baby duckie, I've already listed him in my shop. She just has the most surprised look on her face! I added the bib and daisy to her head. Sadly her original felt flower, was all gone, so the daisy was a good replacement.

Summer is here for most of the school kids on Guam. I hope you all have a relaxing week!

Thank you for taking a look at my blog! ~ ggsdolls

Wishes Come True Twice in One Year!!

 If you recall my post here, I was gifted an ISO by my husband. Well... I had sold a few rare vtg Rushtons to some close collector friends and saved up the funds for a moment like this!!! I made the investment and got another vtg Rushton in light pink Happy Bear!!! My first choice was always a light pink version in the large size. But, for months there wasn't any being listed. In the past, month one was, and I was thrilled to know I could possibly own one I actually wanted. So, I did! Yippee!!

This adorable version arrived to me actually on Monday, but even though I lined up at the counter, at USPS, and had the slip to pick him up... He actually wasn't at the facility yet. The guy even chucked at me, saying you have to wait 24 hours after getting a pink slip to come up and get it. I was like, well it was worth the try! Because sometimes, when I go to the counter to pick up a box, they give me the box that a slip was just given that day. So, obviously, it depended more so on the persons who bring the boxes to Hagatna from the Main Facility in Barrigada. Oh well. So, I went home empty handed. But no worries, my hubby worked that night and was able to pick him up from the PO after work. I just had to be patient a few more hours. Haha!

The box arrived without any issues and when I opened it up, first is the note you see. The seller was very sweet. He said the bear was his mother's and that she had passed away a few years ago. So he was finally going through her belongings to sell. This was her original Happy Bear from the 50s along with a few others. Then, he also shared that he used to live on Guam in the 90s!! I was like oh my goodness, truly a small world indeed! Thomas, was very kind and I was happy to own his Mother's treasured bear. The stars could not have aligned any more so, for me to own this baby. Inside, the box was another box and tucked away underneath white tissue paper and in a clear bag, was this lovely pink and white bundle of joy!! Upon immediate inspection, this bear was immaculate. The photos did not do it justice, seriously! This bear was in almost perfect condition. Thomas did share that one side of the bear was lighter then the other, but, it was "Bearly", Haha, (Pun inserted) noticeable!!

This is the pic I took of the bear prior to a wash. His fur was just needing a bit of freshening up. Afterwards, just drying and the next morning. I brushed him out and wiped his face down with magic eraser, and TADA!! His fur is full and fluffy, his face paint is just amazing, there are a few tiny spots and perhaps a bit of imperfections from the manufacturer. But, he is gorgeous!! Nicely stuffed and oh my gosh!! Squeeeee!!!

Here he is with my first Happy Bear. I can't keep both, so be on the look out for a post via IG or my Etsy shop when I do list the Hot Pink one. I might take a bunch of pics before letting my hot pink Happy Bear go?! LOL

Feeling blessed. Have a great rest of your week!

Thank you for looking! ~ ggsdolls