Indiana Doll Collector Adventure Blog | Virtual Doll Convention

If anyone can swoop in, get the doll stories, and get back home within 72 hours, it is Erik and me, Rachel. Over this past week, we flew to Indianapolis, Indiana, to work on an appraisal project and film two significant private doll collections for the Shoot for the Stars Virtual Doll Convention. We stayed in a cute Air B&B in the heart of downtown. On the first day of our project, we arrived at Cindy Bailey’s house at 9 AM. I was amazed at her range of vintage dolls, modern dolls, and choice antique dolls.

Cindy is such a lovely person, and her friend Kathy joined us to watch the ‘show’ as we filmed room after room of dolls. Halfway through filming, Erik’s belt broke, and Cindy went into her belt collection and gave him a new one. What a fantastic person! We filmed a program for our convention with Cindy giving us stories about her dolls, where she purchased them, and why she loves them. Of course, I loved them all, but my personal favorite was her Izannah Walker. Check out a couple more peeks below.

Our next stop later that afternoon was the home of Nicole Randall. I could NOT believe my eyes as we stepped into her first room of dolls. To start, she has the most Ellowyne Wilde dolls that I have ever seen in my life. She has the very first Ellowyne to EVERY Ellowyne. My jaw dropped! We filmed a program just on these dolls for the Ellowyne Wilde Block Party happening at the convention. YOU GO, GIRL!!!

Nicole Randall and Erik Sandoval filming a program for the Ellowyne Wilde Block Party for the Shoot for the Stars Virtual Doll Convention

Here is a couple more peeks into Nicole's Ellowyne collection. Fun fact: Robert Tonner started following Nicole on Instagram yesterday. Can you blame him? Nicole's Robert Tonner collection is iconic. She has lots of other characters besides Ellowyne, and it was cool to see our Deluxe Grace in her collection, too!

The next room in Nicole’s collection was a jam-packed adventure with modern fashion dolls from Integrity Toys, lots of Barbie (so many beautiful Silkstone dolls!) Smart Dolls, Poppy Parker, and SO much more. We filmed the room wall by wall for the Virtual Doll Convention, and Nicole is a wiz remembering the names of the dolls and their outfits.

Nicole’s house does not stop here. Her basement is full of American Girl dolls and their outstanding play accessories. My favorite was the Volkswagen bus with a working radio, working turn signals, and windshield wipers. Thank you so much, Nicole Randall, for inviting us to film at your home. Follow Nicole on Instagram today!

As you can imagine, we were tired. It was a 12 hour filming day with over 6 hours of footage, but we were also buzzing with excitement for all of the VDC Conventioneers who would love seeing what we filmed. We ordered pizza for dinner and tried to relax that evening because the next 48 hours would be just as busy. We had a 9 AM appointment with the family of Dolly Mama’s Museum of Dolls and Toys. I was hired to help them consult with the collection inside the building, and decide what to do with it. The doors have been locked for several years, and it is time to figure out the next steps. The family loved the idea of a Virtual Doll Convention and welcomed all the filming we wanted. I knew the Convention would love to see what the heck I was up to, and we filmed some entertaining and fun footage in here for you as I worked through all the items in the building, and consulted with the family. Can you find me in the photo?

Yes, it was epic. We called it an “off-roading” adventure in dolls, and it definitely was. No matter what you collect, this footage will be interesting and entertaining - we guarantee that! Here are a couple more photos and a beautiful video that we filmed for the family. Erik is an accomplished videographer and editor, and we are lucky to have him on our team.

We worked for two long days, and then went straight to the airport to come home before Colorado was supposed to have an epic snowstorm. I am thankfully home in my office right now, watching the snow come down, as I write this to you.

I hope you enjoyed this travel blog, and thank you so much for reading! We have FIVE beautiful programs for you coming to the Shoot for the Stars Virtual Doll Convention from our Indiana adventure, and I have never let you down when I have said, “you do not want to miss this.”

The Virtual Doll Convention is a completely virtual doll convention experience. Attendees experience the programs, seminars, and workshops through video either on Facebook or YouTube. There is a huge range of topics from early antique dolls through modern, and programming for teddy bears. We will have doll care and repair workshops from accomplished teachers, shopping from over 20 dealers with the BEST inventory in the land, exciting downloads, and loads of surprises. To really send you over the edge, we have the new collection of Ellowyne Wilde from Robert Tonner - exclusive to VDC to offer to collectors at the event to purchase.

To make our event as accessible as possible, we have a ‘tip jar’ registration so attendees can give us a tip from $5.00 to $50.00 to gain them access to the event, and help us offset the cost. There is no better place to be for a doll collector this month than the Virtual Doll Convention. We have been rewriting the rules for years, and this event is guaranteed to be an epic and unforgettable experience. REGISTER TODAY!

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Amazing Doll Cape Pattern by Sheryl Williams (Free!) + Cute Grace Comic Strip

Hey You! We are popping in today with some pretty gifts - as always, feel free to share with friends.

We have a special sewing treat for you! The fantastic Sheryl Williams designed this beautiful mantle cape for the Beyond All Limits 2020 Free Virtual Doll Convention attendees. It is a fabulous Mantle (Cape) for 12.5" Jointed Resin Body Doll, a pattern with instructions compliments of Sheryl Williams. This convention was orchestrated as a team effort to support doll collectors worldwide during the start of the pandemic. Thank you so much to Sheryl Williams for this beautiful project for us all to share and enjoy. Download this project and receive the pattern and instructions.

“This charming wardrobe addition can be used for many dolls – both antique and contemporary. It is easy to enlarge or reduce the pattern to suit your needs. Use your imagination for trimming this very versatile cape. Ruched ribbon, fringe, woven trims, or embroidery could be used to embellish this piece. Feel free to experiment and have fun! This cape is really “Beyond All Limits.” - Sheryl Williams

Historical Mantle Cape Pattern and Instructions by Sheryl Williams {FREE PATTERN DOWNLOAD}

$0.00

Add To Cart

Do you remember the comics section of the newspaper? It used to be my FAVORITE part. When Diana Vining sent me this cute Halloween themed comic strip, it brought me right back to those days. This is one of her art pieces that you will want to print for your VDC Scrapbooks. It’s on the homepage of the VDC website, so cute! Doesn’t it make you want to dress up your Grace doll as Dorothy?

We have announcements coming soon about the Christmas Pageant AND the Showtime 2020 Convention. I also want to let you in on a little secret this month - we have a VIP Teddy Bear friend visiting the shop this month. He has delighted us in the past with lots of entertaining and educational content. You can expect all kinds of happenings from us - can you guess who it is?

Love ya, mean it!

Rachel

How to Make...Fabulous Freckled Friends! | Grace Marie Fitzpatrick Dolls

Hi Sweet Friends! Resident VDC Artist Diana Vining posted a photo of her blonde Grace doll with FRECKLES in the Summer Fling group. We all loved this so much that I asked her to make us a little blog on how to do this for your dolls if you want to change the look. I love this idea, and hope you like the possibilities, too. Enjoy the blog, and thank you so much, Diana Vining!

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How to Make...Fabulous Freckled Friends!
by Diana Vining

There's just something so fun about dolls with freckles! They add a certain playful and sweet look to a doll's personality. When I'm painting (or enhancing) a doll, I often find myself adding a light sprinkle of freckles to add a little bit of that sweet and cheerful presence. I have two different methods that I like to use to do this. One is a temporary method, which is perfect if you're a beginner, or if you're not quite sure that you want to keep the freckles on your doll for a long period of time. The other is a more permanent one if you are already confident in your painting skills, and you're sure that you want to keep them on your doll. Keep in mind that there are many different ways to do this. I'm just sharing my own personal favorite methods. I hope these simple tips will inspire you to give it a try!

Applying Temporary Freckles:
(Materials: Brown Colored Pencil)

Use a light brown colored pencil to draw on the freckles. For a more realistic approach, space them unevenly, and draw some smaller than others. I just like to sprinkle them across the top of the cheeks and across the nose, but you can place them anywhere you like. Once you've drawn on the freckles, take your thumb and kind of wipe it across the freckles. This will lighten them up and smooth them out so that they will look more natural. To remove these, you can lightly wipe them off with a soft eraser. (Note: My favorite pencils for this project are Prismacolor "Burnt Ochre" or "Chocolate.")

Painting Permanent Freckles
(Materials: Ultrafine brush or toothpick, brown acrylic paint, cosmetic wedge, a drop of water, (optional) matte sealer spray)

You can use either a very fine paintbrush, or a toothpick to paint the freckles on. (I prefer a paintbrush, but many people find a toothpick easier)

Use light brown acrylic paint (available at any craft store or even Walmart). All you need is a drop of paint and a drop of water mixed together. Paint the freckles onto the doll (unevenly spaced, and in different sizes), but paint only about three or four at a time, because acrylic paint dries quickly. After you draw four freckles, pounce them with a *slightly* damp cosmetic wedge to lighten them up and soften them. Then do the next four freckles the same way, and so on. Once you're happy with the freckles, let them dry completely. If you like, you can lightly spray them with a matte sealer spray (also available at craft stores) after they are completely dry. (If you spray matte sealer on the freckles, make sure you have your doll completely covered in a towel or plastic wrap, exposing only the areas that are being sprayed.)

Good luck, and have fun! I would love to see photos of your dolls with freckles when they're done!

Thank you so much, Diana Vining, for this fun tutorial. Be sure to visit Diana’s website, The Paper Doll Shoppe.

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You Are Now Entering a Stress-Free Zone {Free Door Hanger Paper Craft}

Hi Summertime Friends!

I was chatting with Michael Canadas this morning about one of the adventures in our Summer Fling - and that is the virtual sleepover! How long has it been since you have had a sleepover? The kind where you stay up late chatting with friends until the wee hours, eat some delicious snacks, and laugh and reminisce. We are going to have a Virtual Sleep Over at the Summer Fling in their doll museum. Won’t that be the absolute best? David Robinson has planned a late-night dinner menu for us, including gourmet sloppy joes, grease-less fries, coleslaw, and Cosmo Dollatans.

In preparation, find your favorite pajamas and put your “Stress-Free Zone” hanger on your door because we are staying up late for a good stress-free time! Diana Vining is our resident VDC Artist and created this for us. I LOVE IT!

Word on the street is Michael Canadas is going to wear a onesie to this extravaganza. You will only find out for sure at the Virtual Convention Summer Fling.

Download your “Stress Free Zone” door hanger craft gift in the Summer Fling Facebook Group, or by clicking here. Then, all you need to do is relax and enjoy!

Register today, if only for that onesie - it will not disappoint.

In Love and Dolls,

Rachel

PS - our Summer Fling Salesroom is going to be epic! Here is a list of dealers + a video from me about why it will be fab, plus a bonus video on tips for how to GET WHAT YOU WANT!