Warning Rant!!

 

Warning Rant to follow!!!  On my actual birthday, I was scrolling Rushtons on eBay… I bought this adorable cream Rushton Happy Bear for a jaw dropping price! I saw it after it listed and 5 mins in, I knew what I was looking at and hit the 'buy it now' button, and with no hesitation I completed the transaction.  About 30 minutes later, I get a dm on Instagram from 2 fellow collectors. (They know who they are… )  

One asking, "If I bought the bear and that they were going to buy it, but someone bought it already." The other asking, if I bought the bear and if, I was from Guatemala? " Why? I asked. Because they both had asked the seller, and the seller willing gave them the information!!! Wth?!!! Personal information of any kind is not supposed to be easily given. That’s why selling sites hide buyers identity or are at least are supposed too!

This insanity about Rushtons has got to stop!! I will not be guilt-tripped or bullied for buying an item that is publicly up for sale!!!! Meaning it’s available for EVERYONE to buy!!! That’s just wrong and upsetting that some collectors feel the need to bully others for beating them to the punch or are publicly complaining about it!!! I don’t care if you are considered only a child still by others, and don’t understand how to control your emotions. 

I’m a mother of 3 young adults and a teen. It’s best for you to learn right now, at this moment that what you are doing and how you are treating others makes a world of a difference to your friendships with them or at least your interactions with others. Fellow collectors of Rushtons and other rubber face plushies please do not bully these kids either! I am not publicly trying to shame anyone. 

I’m just bringing to light the obvious wrong way that some collectors are treating one another on Instagram, Facebook or any social media for that matter. Then you wonder why IG is considered not healthy for young girls in a study. Hell! This is not healthy for a fun, loving and thriving collecting community of any kind!! 

One by one many of the amazing and creative people we have come to enjoy and love are slowly just not posting or sharing their love of Rushtons and rubber face plushies anymore… Mostly for fear of retribution, judgement, etc. by a small few!! 

ENOUGH is ENOUGH!! I may get unfollowed for this post... But, I will not sit back and watch as our community of collectors for rubber face plushies get slowly bullied and guilt-tripped for it anymore!!

Thank you reading til the end. Read “What is Fair in Collecting”, in an earlier post!!

This has been a public service announcement!  Love you all, ggsdolls

  #ggsdolls #rushton #vintageplush #vintagerubberface #collectors #rant #kindnessmatters #bekind #fairincollecting #nobullying #noguilt #sorrynotsorry

 

Restoration Abound!!

 The past few weeks, I have been working mostly on restorations that were commissioned. And it has been a labor of love, honestly! I feel so honored, that these fellow collectors, want little old me, to bring life back into their beloved plushies, and for that, I thank you so very much for choosing me to do them!!

Now, onto the restorations...

First, this well loved and much soiled Rushton Happy Bear! Believe it or not, he was pink and white before, and as my customer said, you could see it from his tail. His face was oily and grubby, there was practically nothing left of his fur. So, I knew my work was cut out for me for sure!! I began with a good wash. I removed his stuffing as you can see on the before shot, washed him and laid him out to dry. After a few days, I had to wait for the fur in the post to replace him with came in. When it did, I began work on him. After, replacing his fur with bubble gum pink and white. I began working on his face.

I used the Mr. Clean eraser and carefully cleaned his face. I tried to remove as much of the caked on dirt as I could. But his face was still tan, at least not grubby as before. I touched up his face paint, trimmed his fur and added a blue satin bow. He turned out amazing and now has many more years of enjoyment to come! I have already sent him home to his Mommy! He was definitely a challenge, but I am so happy with how he turned out!! Very much worth the effort. Thank you dear Britecoolvintage for thinking of me to restore him for you!!

A pic of him beside my original Happy Bear!! He is nice an fluffy again! Yippee!! My next restoration project was this lovely My Toy Co. side laying Bunny Thumper. The owner wanted me to use another vintage bunny's ears as replacement. First, I washed both bunnies, took out stuffing and added more. I did the transplant of the ears, which by the way still had great wiring inside, Yay! Last, touched up her face paint and added a blue satin bow. Now, she is gorgeous! I love how she turned out!! She is ready to go to her Mommy in today's mail!! Yippee! I love My Toy bunnies, they are just as adorable as Rushton buns are! So far, I've seen pink, blue and now this peach version! Sara says, the contrast of the ears color makes her more cute and unique! I agree with her!

Next, I was able to snag this cutie, and decided to see if I could fix him as well! This lovely Rushton boy bunny is similar to my other costumed bunny in a pink dress, as shown in the ad later in this post. He got the full day spa treatment, and I also created his little hat and appliques myself, based on the Rushton ad. I think he turned out lovely as well. I may replace the felt on his feet, but I need to order the same or similar color. I will do that later. Now, to decide if I should sell or not?! LOL

It has been a labor of love to restore these babies!! Now, let's see what December has to offer!! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving Stateside. Now on to Christmas!!

Thank you for reading! ~ ggsdolls

Making a Rushton Wish Come True!!

 A dear fellow collector James via instagram, gave me the task of making his adorable Happy Bear with really thinning fur into a Happy bear of his dreams!! I must admit I was afraid, I would not accomplish the job. You see, restoring a plush is easy when it's just adding stuffing or repainting their rubber faces. But to, take a plush, and give it a different color fur and refur the whole body, well, honestly, can be very daunting. But, this sweet person, believed in me, and trusted me to do the job. Even though I wasn't sure I could accomplish it. So with that, he sent me his sweet bear and even allowed me all the time I needed to do what I could.

 For that James, I truly appreciate you trusting in me dear... I began on July 31st. You see I actually got the bear back on July 15th. I had to wait for the fur to come in from the states. I had bought the wrong fur the first time, as it was a bit too short. So I opted for my usual shop for these types of fur that are very similar to what Rushton plushies are made of. So, I started to work on the bear. I took his body, section by section. I worked on him every few days or so. Stopped took a break from him, took my time. Then after a few days began working on him again. As this process was very intricate and time consuming to do. You see, I even kept the original Rushton tag and made sure it shows even with the new fur. By August 12th, I was done. I had his fur trimmed and ready for photos by the morning of August 13th. I was sure he wouldn't be done until September! But, he was done!! I was surprised myself! Haha.

I had even added a thicker pink satin bow and took some photos with my sweet Happy bear!! James's Happy bear turned out beautifully! I was very proud of what I had done and the work I had put in to help create someone's dream plush! Mind you, I didn't have to do his face, it was already beautifully done by someone else. All I had to do was give her a new body to be admired in!! James's Happy Bear went from a dingy colored white thinning plush bear, to this lovely, amazingly thick furry white with pastel pink fur Happy Bear!!

My job was complete. Whew, and I immediately sent her on her way home to her Daddy!! It was definitely a fun challenge and to know that I could create something like that for James, made this commission well worth it!! Again thank you sweet friend for believing in me, when I didn't believe in myself, at the time!! You can see more of James's cute pics via instagram under seafoodpasta! Just sharing a few finds that came in below. I actually received this lovely Rushton Mouse from another collector friend named, Ashtomaton! She even added some of her very own adorable art prints!! I felt so blessed to get a few of her works!! Thank you Ashley! I love them! Believe it or not, I also worked on this adorable mouse, while doing the Happy Bear! LOL

This adorable mouse, just needed his felt ears, hands and feet redone!! I touched up his face as well and made him a little vest similar to Peter Rabbit's vest, but in pink! He turned out lovely and I am so thrilled to own him now, in my collection!! Next, a Vinnieboyvintage floor mat with lovely pink fawn!! So cute and Mel even gave me a few added gifts!! Thank you Mel!!

I found this lovely vintage Japanese futon cover or "Kakebuton". It is a type of comforter with retro vintage animals on soft pastel pink fabric. It feels lovely and so soft. There is even little gold threads running the length of the futon. It is quite beautiful, and a masterpiece to me! New/Old stock as well, because the futon still had its original tags on it!! Best find of this year for sure!! Then, some pixie tag ties below, for gifts or Christmas decor. I may used them for something else. Not sure yet?!

It has been a great month and it's going fast. Sara has started school the past week and I am still awaiting that appointment date for surgery...

Have a great weekend all! Be safe!

Thank you for reading! ~ 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

My Happy Bear Dreams Came True!!!

 I just have to share this!!! I've been waiting patiently for a little over 2 weeks for this cutie to arrive...

My hubby bought me this guy for my birthday, and he's been one of my ISOs for awhile since selling my medium sized one. I've tried trading my other Rushtons, even rare ones just for this guy. But, no takers. And I don't blame them. The Rushton Happy Bear is the most desired, I've found and is the most expensive when it is listed on Ebay. So, I will treasure having this bear for some time to come... Squeee!!!

When I got him yesterday, he was just stuffed inside the box, no plastic bag to keep him dry from wet weather, no bubble wrap, nothing!!! WTH Ugh, seriously people!! I took a snap of him below just before his wash...

He's about 17 inches tall, and filled with foam pellets, just like my multi-color Happy bear. But, most of his foam pellets have disintegrated or fallen out. His fur is matted and dirty. So, my work begins. I placed him in the wash under delicate cycle. When I took him out, no holes, and no rips on him, lucky. He is missing his tag, but he does have The Rushton Co. logo under his chin.

I brought him into the house and layed him down to dry for a bit. Because his body is filled with foam, he dries faster. Just like the white large bunny restored. So, I began brush his fur, and taking out any dirt left behind after the wash or things stuck in his fur. His face as you can see in the photo below, is dark a bit and had marks. I used magic eraser carefully not to remove original paint and wiped his face down. I took off any unwanted marks. Like the one you see on his cheek. I then, touched up the paint on his eyebrows, hairline and nose. Added some blush to his cheeks and I was basically done! Yay!

I thought about washing him again, since his fur didn't get as white as I had hoped for, but I chose not too. Mostly because I didn't want any rips or any other problems to arise. I added a blue satin ribbon and he was done! His foam pellets do fall out from time to time, so I may want to completely remove that and stuffed him with cotton later. I did add a tingaling sounder to him since I was adding stuffing. So now, he is the most unique with a tingaling sound in him. Teehee!

Thank you to my husband for spoiling me with this amazing gift, that I will treasure. I love you!! Doing my Happy Dance...

Be safe and well dear friends!!

Thank you for looking! ~ ggsdolls

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