How to Make a Leaf Money Lei?

 I actually made this lei back in 2015, and noticed that I had not shared it in a post. So, Here I am sharing it... I've also made other money leis here on this page.

Okay, before you begin, you can reuse a shell lei or even a ribbon lei. I generally, would rather upcycle and use a lei that one of my daughters may have been given in the past.

Depending on the denominations you are going to give as a gift will determine how many leaves you can create. I generally do 10 one dollar bills to make it look plenty, but you can also make it simple and use 4 five dollar bills or even 5 ten dollars bills. Plenty is more pretty as compared to simple. But that's in my opinion. Haha!

In Step 1, First you will fold the outer part of the dollar bill inwards. Making one end corner touch the top of the dollar bill on both sides.

Step 2, You will fold the bottom inwards, and keep folding until you reach the end of the dollar bill. You will do this to both sides of the dollar. This helps you be able to do the next step more easily.

Step 3, Now, the bill is ready for you to inter-fold back and forth like an accordion. This inter-folding allows you to create that leaf affect.

In Step 4, Next, the dollar will look like angel wings at this point. You will fold it at the center to make the end meet at the top.

Step 5, Once the tips of the dollar meet, you can fold the tip to one side or the other, so that the dollar somewhat interlocks within itself. I generally add a bit of tape at this point, just to secure the folds. But only on one side, so that the tape doesn't show, when you attach it to the lei.

Step 6, Flip the leaf over so that you see the side without the tape, and spread the folds carefully. Make sure to open open the folds a bit. So, that it looks more as a leaf should. Now, you are ready to add the ribbon or string. You can choose the matching colors of your gift receiver's school theme or favorite colors.

Step 7, I'm using yellow ribbon ties. I cut them at about 6.5 inches long. I take one ribbon tie, and feed it through the bottom of the leaf dollar where the fold meets. Then, I make one knot. Keep the excess ribbon tie for use in the next step.

Step 8, Here, I take the excess ribbon and feed it through the inner fold of the ribbon lei. You can also display the leaves along the lei to help guide you as to the placement of the leaves onto the lei. If that helps. On a shell lei you simply just make a double knot to secure it onto the shell lei.

Step 9, Once you feed the ribbon tie onto the ribbon lei, pull through and tie two knots to secure the leaf dollar onto the ribbon lei. Same on a shell lei as well.

Step 10, Now, that each of the leaves are secured onto the lei, depending on the type of ties you use. If you are using regular satin ribbons, just make a bow. You can take scissors and run through each of the ends of the ribbon ties and create the affect of 'curly cues'. The scissors are perfect to do this, and it makes the excess ribbon ties more uniform and adorable.

You're Done!!! Congrats, now you have a money lei gift for your graduate or promotional!! These are also great for other events, when you want to give a gift of monetary value. It's just the right size, color, etc.! Its fun to make, especially knowing it's a special gift from your amazing handiwork!

Thanks for reading! ~ ggsdolls

Good bye April 2022...

 It has been a busy month and now it has come to an end. I can't believe how fast April has gone! I had a few commissions to keep me busy, along with some finds as well. It will be lovely to continue what I can. So, here's what the past month has been busy with...

A fellow collector had me restore her Sailor Rushton Bunny! Yup, that's mine on the right and hers on the left of the photo! He turned out gorgeous too! His colors are definitely more bright than mine is. We had discussed perhaps mine is an older model? Than, I found this lovely adorable blue dotted Gund bunny. He needed cleaning and sewing too! I was supposed to flip him and list him in my shop. But, he's won my heart and I can't seem to let him go. It has been like that as of late... Ugh. I dislike when I fall in love with them after I restore them! I'm trying to tell myself, "They need to be loved by others, not by myself!!" Haha! I don't think I'm listening.

Next, I was asked by a fellow collector to make her Eegee puppet dolls into a hybrid doll like my Alice. So, when they arrived earlier this month. I was very excited to do the job, that I had completed it within a few days. They left as soon as I was done too! And I am very pleased with the way they turned out. Doing my friends dolls made me inspired to finish working on my Eegee Gypsy and now she is Little Red Riding Hood! I even found a basket for her to hold!

While doing my usual searches I came across this adorable Sailor Duck by My Toy. He just needed a bit of washing and touch up on his face paint. I added a red satin bow and he turned out so cute. Of course I decided not to sell him. Not good for my pocket book, that is for sure!! On Ebay, a seller auctioned the very gold bow and arrow that belonged to a Rushton Valentine's Bear, similar to the one that I have! I won and received it in the mail. It will be a great addition to this adorable Rushton Bear for sure!

I also restored this Yawning Bear I Binned from Ebay. I took out his gross yellow sponge stuffing and replaced it with cotton batting. I added this adorable 80s baby onesie with buttons. Yup, you guessed it. I made him so cute, I couldn't part with him! Ugh!! But, who could resist him?! Nope, I could not. I also found a lot of Vtg. baby rattle toy animals, 2 lambs and an elephant. They are great as props too! I bought this cool book by Alice Snow on Etsy! "The ABC Book of Horror". I knew Sara might like it so I bought a copy. Alice even sent along with the book some stickers as gifts! Too cute for words and very unique. I loved the book!

Adorable Animal Rummy cards for my props in my photos! I love the adorable animal art in them. Definitely from the 1950s or so and they make great props for jewelry etc.! I also bought this lot of tin colored pencils sets. Two of them I've already listed in my shop, so they are up for grabs! One is by Macoto Takahashi! I have been wanting this type of vinyl clutch purse. I've seen a few others with pink flowers or peach. This one in white flowers and just an adorable delicate velvet blue bow inside. This purse is the best condition I've seen out of the ones I've found too!

A rarity, this lovely large Pose doll which reminds me of my Lulu pose doll bunka doll. She is made in Japan, and has just a few issues on her forehead and arm. I was able to fix them for now. She is in a quite lovely condition for her age too! Now, to figure out how to stabilize her to stand on her own...Hmmm. I also was able to bin this lovely Totsy sheer blue 50s style dolly dress. I was hoping it might fit Alice...

...And, it did!! Yay! I just need to find Alice a petticoat or undergarment. Truly a lovely dress for its condition and age. Even more so lovely on Alice. Last, is this blast from the past!! A Childcraft Make and Do Volume 11 book. Not exactly the book cover from my childhood, but inside the book is exactly the same as the book I grew up with! I remember my mother buying a set for our family in the 70s. I grew up reading each of the volumes when I was bored, over and over. This particular volume holds so many memories of my mother and Lita!!!

You see as a kid, I wanted to make the candies in its pages, sew my dolly a skating outfit, and even take boxes and make them into not a submarine, but a playhouse to play in!! And my Mom and sister helped me to realize a lot of it. I recall trying to make the candy in one of the examples. It was just like the book, but definitely a candy that was quite unique. My sister took the box from our new washer, I believe, and made me a playhouse with it. It had windows, and even a main door. My Mom and her even made window curtains. I loved it so much, I slept in it with my legs sticking out for several days, maybe even weeks. It was definitely nostalgic to look upon the pages of the book. Even made me think of my Mom who's passed on, and Lita who still resides Stateside. Missing both of them even more...

Ahhh, very nostalgic book indeed! Do you remember this book? Does it hold memories for you too?! I may need to get myself a few more volumes. Haha!

I hope April was a good month for you as well. Now, let's see what May holds for us...shall we!

Thank you for looking! ~ ggsdolls

My Breast Cancer Journey Update!

 

 From my last post, here. I had an appointment for an ultrasound early this month. The tech who tried to take snaps of my right breast couldn't see the mass that the MRI yielded. So, she suggested I do a mammogram instead. By mid April, I had done my mammogram and was waiting on my results.

Today, I was taking my father to his doctor's appointment. You see, his doctor is also the same one that my husband and I go to. A very kind, caring and understanding one too! While he was getting ready to talk about my Dad's results from lab, he said, that he had greats news for me...

Basically, the results from my recent mammogram showed, that the breast calcification that was seen in my earlier MRI, was no longer visualized. That it was benign and that my continued care would be to just follow up on my annual mammogram!

I left my Dad's doctors appointment high on life!! I was thanking God all the way home and I am still thanking him. Along with the doctors who took such great care of me! This has truly been a blessing!! 

Thank you for following my breast cancer journey and your continued support and prayers. This experience has come full circle. I'm am so much more thankful now and what this experience has taught me a long the way. 

Please get your annual mammogram done and if you ever do experience a positive result. Never think you are alone. There are so many people who are willing to fight with you and for you. God being your main cheerleader!

Thank you so much for reading! ~ ggsdolls

Interview with ladyducklingprincess!

 Interview with a Collector - ggsdolls blog Series 

  I decided to start something new on my blog and share some of the most amazing collectors, sellers, and creatives, that have become friends of mine on my blog and share with you what they collect and why?

    For the month of April, my next blog interview is with the beautiful, ladyducklingprincess on Instagram or commonly known as Sui.

    Sui is from the lovely country with dreamy castles and scenery of Düsseldorf, Germany. She currently works at a financial institution and soon to be home maker. She began collecting vintage rubber face toys since 2015, about 7 years ago. Sui was always interested in vintage things,  especially vintage clothing. She used to listen a lot to Melanie Martinez's music, and from an interview Melanie gave, she became smitten by vintage toys too. She searched for them on eBay and found vintage rubber faces and toys she liked. By then her second and third stuffed animals toys were Rushton toys. They were the little crying baby and then a Molly Cottontail.  She also collects Sailor Moon toys and memorabilia, 1980s and 90s toys and vintage pastel dresses. 

 

     How do you describe your collection and what draws you to this aesthetic? "I like the small twist between creepy and cute. I find them so more detail than today‘s stuff. They make me  happy and I love to be surrounded by them." Wonderful Sui, now that brings me to my next question... What is it about the vintage cute kitsch aesthetic that distinguishes it from other toys/novelties of the same era? "They look unique and special. Particularly the face expression is outstanding. Here in Germany the toys  from back then are quite boring you just found dolls and teddy bears. So I have to order all toys overseas from Japan or the U.S."

      Tell us a bit more about your collection Sui, how it started and how it has evolved too? "I stopped counting. But because you asked, I will count them now. So I own 32 Rushtons, 21 other plushies, and  rubber faces (Steiff, Gund, Knickerbocker, Mexico toys) and 5 dolls, along with a few squeaks and ceramics. But I  focus more on plush toys. I always buy and resell toys, because I don’t like it so stuffed and space is always rare. I like it more to display them nicely. I always look for rubber face and Rushton toys." How does your family and friends feel about your collection? "They like it and support me 100%. All my family members collect many different things. And an extra shout out to my husband, who always supports and loves my hobby. We share the love of collecting toys. He collects all Batman related things, and also 80‘s/90‘s stuff like Power Rangers, Ninja Turtles or Walkmans." 

 

     What is the most favorite item in your collection and why is it so special? "It’s definitely my chubby Queenie Quack, my big yellow bunny, and my lamb. These three are really special  to me and I would never give them away. They are special for me because, I searched so long for them and two of them were presents from my husband." Though Sui may not have a shop set up, generally, she may post items for sell on her Instagram. What is the most unique or unusual item you have come across? "The most unusual item I came across and own is a pink rubber face bunny with a creepy face, and I think it's handmade body. I find it pretty cool and unique." 

    If there was an item that would be free of charge, what would it be and why? "The big white sleeping bunny from Rushton. It‘s definitely my biggest ISO." Have you noticed the popularity of vintage rubber face stuffed animals, why do you think the popularity is so high nowadays? "Oh yeah, there’s a really great increase in popularity. The prices go through the roof. For example, I got my  Molly Cottontail bunny for one hundred fifty dollars including shipping and customs six years ago, now it‘s around one thousand dollars!!! I think popularity went up because of Instagram. A lot of people share them and many other toy collectors come across them. Plus, Melanie Martinez always pushes Rushton Toys into popularity. Back then, when she started she was more into baby vintage toys like Roly polys, Fisher Price, Crying bears and a few Squeaks. Since a few years she’s into Rushton and lots of fans want to own them as well." 

    Is there anything else you would like to add? "When I started I really loved the small vintage toy community. Lately, it got bigger and bigger. And sadly I noticed that a lot of people get jealous, fight over toys and started drama. That makes me really sad, because we all collect the same and share the same passion. A nice collection can’t grow over night. It takes years and patience. So I would wish for the future, that we all keep calm and relax." 

 

Truly a very touching sentiment Sui, and we all can hope for that dear! Thank you so much to the wonderful Sui, and be sure to follow her on Instagram at ladyducklingprincess!

 

Until next month my dear friends! When I interview a fellow US collector!

 

Thank you for reading! ~ ggsdolls 

Rushton Cosplay!

Earlier last month I found and bought this adorable Rushton Bunny. It took almost a month to get to me from the States?! What?! Yup. I'm still unsure as to why it took so long, but probably had to do with the fact that she was a big plushie...

This Rushton bunny stands about 32 inches tall. She came wearing this adorable 1940s style Nurse's uniform with painted white shoes, and pocket watch. I immediately, took off her uniform, and she was dressed in a camisole, panty, and 2 layers of socks. Mostly, I believe to hide the yellow fabric her body was made of underneath. Her shoes were pink felt inside the shoes and the cardboard and some stuffing was removed as well to allow room for her feet to wear the shoes. Inside the tank top, were padding made to look like a bra. As I removed the makeshift bra the padding just disintegrated into orange sand. There were pins everywhere, most holding the bra in place and the costume as well.

Like layers of an onion, I began peeling back each layer. In the end, her body underneath was in great condition. She even had her original tag. I began to remove all her stuffing to prepare her for the washer. As I took out the stuffing in her feet, I slowing began to pull out what looked like stockings and cotton balls. My guess is that the owner, didn't have cotton batting to restuff her with. I found at least 8 or 9 pairs of stockings inside her!

And at least fifty pins, with some rusted and had fused with the fabric. Ugh. After removing all the stuffing, I washed her. She came out nice and clean, I didn't realize it at the time, but her original tag was missing after the wash. Oh no!! I laid her out to dry and after about 2 days. She was ready for me to work on. I also washed her costume. Sadly, I never found her tag again.

As always, the felt feet didn't survive the wash. So I decided to replace it with blue felt instead. That way it could match the costume better. I thought about using white, but I didn't want the feet to get dirty easily. So blue was the better choice. While she dried, I took a closer look at the pocket watch she had. It is made of tin from Japan, and you can press the knob at the top to open the clock to see the face. It was in a lovely condition for its age. The knob can turn and it moves the red hands on the clock. Too cute!

Inside, her bra and tank top, was this piece of paper that's labeled, "Lady Elvin." I wonder who that might be? Perhaps the name of the nurse? Not sure. The other night as I was in a deep sleep, I was awoken about 4am to the sound of a girls voice, gagging! It literally scared me, I thought it was Sara becoming nauseous from her bedroom. So I listened, waiting to hear her go into her bathroom, but nothing. After a few minutes, I knew it wasn't her. So, I made myself go back to sleep praying. That was definitely, unexpected and a first for me, well almost. Perhaps, this little bunny nurse once belonged to an ill child, a girl perhaps, and this Rushton was meant to be a companion for an untimely situation... I can only hope she is happy that her bunny is still dressed as a nurse and has a lot more years to be loved.

No, I am not saying she is haunted, but definitely a bunny that was loved by someone in the past. I will share this, I often use sage to cleanse the item and area I work in. Sometimes, I think the essence of a person, does linger, and I am not surprised either. After I had restored her feet, I replaced her undergarments and just altered them a bit. In order to accommodate her shoes, and tail. I then, ironed out her nurse uniform and redressed her. I think the costume makes her more unique and she is a lovely nurse after all. Perhaps a Nurse Ratched from, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

Sadly, her nurse's hat did get stained by the bleeding of the black rope that lined the cap when it was washed. Darn it! But, still love on her. I also added a "Tingaling" sounder to her and wires in her ears. Now, she's ready to take care of you when you are sick. Haha, just like Nurse Ratched, not!!

No other disturbances since then. Have a wonderful rest of your week and beginning of April!

Thank you for reading! ~ ggsdolls