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Messages - MiRaja
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676
« on: June 30, 2013, 10:36:20 PM »
I might be able to point you in the right direction, Katrine, but not without a photo. While I admitted it might be hard to track her down, it's down right impossible without a photo.
If you told me you had a hard plastic doll, stamped AC on the back of her head, at about 18inches tall, with open and close eyes, I could likely tell you that you had a Sweet Sue, but with unmarked dolls, I really need to see the face to least get a sniff!
677
« on: June 29, 2013, 08:43:21 PM »
678
« on: June 27, 2013, 11:55:01 PM »
Yup, that's how they come generally. Though it's usually a fiber plastic composite bag. They're actually more water proof than paper boxes, from my experience. I deal with kimono, and it's of no consequence they come like that. It's the thin plastic wrap they sometimes come in that perturbs me. I had a parcel come in that got stuck in the conveyor belt in transit and ripped it up pretty good. I had a very expensive furisode kimono in there, and luckily some new kimono underwear that ended up eating all the damage and thus saving the furisode! I hope you had it shipped EMS or registered at very least, as if you had it sent SAL with no insurance or registration, your seller will be under no obligation to help or resend you a replacement.
679
« on: June 27, 2013, 03:38:50 PM »
Renee-chan, of course not! I haven't updated flickr in forever, but I definitely need to! GothMummy, I'm not terribly familiar with Canadian dolls of that time, but from my knowledge there weren't a lot of companies. She could likely be a Reliable, which used molds from other companies, like Ideal, who was the company that made Shirley Temple dolls, and as of such, there's also Reliable Shirley Temples, which are a bit cheaper than the Ideal brand. Composition is a fickle material, and I believe that's why there weren't a lot of Canadian companies that made it because of the difference in climate from the Northeast, which is where most of all American dolls were made in those years. The change from composition to plastic was because of a really wet year where Mme Alexander had to scramble to put dolls on the shelves when all of their composition refused to set and molded and mildewed! But yes, post a picture and I'll see what I can do to identify her. I'm fairly good on composition dolls as my favorite dolls to collect are completely unmarked, and those would be the composition Sweet Sues ( they really weren't Sweet Sues, but Amer. Char. went on to use the same mold to make Sue when they transitioned over to plastic for the first year ) and Horsman Sweethearts, which are exceptionally rare. I now have all of them in each size, 28inch, 24, and 21inch, though my 24 inch is in the middle of restoration and is a total basket case. I need to get photos up of them as they're absolutely some of the most exquisite dolls ever produced. And of more unmarked dolls, I have ONE of the Alexander Portrait dolls in composition. I only snagged her because she was unmarked and listed in an odd place, otherwise I would've never been able to afford her as she's worth several thousand dollars. . . American Character dolls are not terribly expensive anymore, and really only in super mint condition are they worth anything. The doll market has gone out on several sections here in the US now. Cissy's and Alexander dolls have maintained their value, but that's because the buyers for them are generally upper middle class, despite my mother having a collection of them, but then, she did manage to buy two NM ( their only issues were the bands in their necks were broke, 30sec fix ) Cissies for $1300, when they were worth twice that in a lot. But Tiny Tears and Amer Char? Nope. I used to sell LOTS of those, get $200 a piece because I sold really nice ones, the hands down vinyls and now I'd get like $100 for a doll I could get $300 for before. Effanbee has suffered too, except for the American Children / Dewees Cochran dolls, and if you have the early Dydees you might still get money for them. Rare stuff still holds its value, which makes it hard from me, as my collecting is all for the rare these days. I believe the Vogue Ginny / Miss Rosebud market is fairly strong, but it's taken some hits too. I've had a couple Shirley's come through my hands, the best way to buy them is to find them.  I found one in a pawn shop for $15, and yes, the composition one. She had a lot of issues, more stuff than I could handle, so I sent her to another restorer and had her completely done for $200 or so, and gave her to my mother for Mother's Day. $215 wasn't a bad price for one! We have lots of shows about hoarders too, but I'm a person who values her space, I'm actually like the anti-hoarder as I'll just start chucking things away if they get in my way. If I don't have space, I don't buy, if I want, then I sell.
680
« on: June 27, 2013, 12:28:54 PM »
People who smoke cigarettes do definitely know that it causes an effect, and they do in fact know it makes things stink. If they don't mention it, it's likely they don't care or they think they can get away with it. It's not that they didn't think about it, especially if they're selling collectibles.
This is completely untrue.
Agree
I grew up in a smoking house till eventually when I was older dad stopped and mom smoked outside. My parents didn't think about the smell because they really couldn't smell it anymore at that point. My wife now puffs on electronic cigarettes but when I first met her she was a major chain smoker and lived with another couple of smokers. I smoked when I first met her and didn't notice. Over the course of or early dating history I stopped and then could literally smell it everywhere. It tracked so badly when we moved in together I told her there was no way she could smoke in the house and spent a week washing her clothes and stuff to get rid of the smell. I don't know about other smokers but when you're smoking lots of times you no longer smell it. I don't think a lot of people do not intentionally when they dot mention it. I know some people even think if they shut the door to a room the smell "isn't in there". Of course that's not true, but if you cannot smell it then I guess you might think that.
I don't see it as being intentional unless the seller was to at something indicating they knew and didn't give that information or if they had feedback or something mentioning it from a precious transaction. I try to give people benefit of the doubt and not assume everyone is out to ruin my day with their bad habits.
It is really different though, when you're selling on ebay, you know there are people who are nonsmokers, and you know items can pick up cigarette odor. If you're going to sell in any sort of marketplace online, you have to do your best to describe everything to a buyer ( even though obviously buyers can be unreasonable ) but scent is definitely something that is key. When I was first selling on ebay, a lot of guides even went onto disclose whether your home was a smoking or nonsmoking home and whether there were pets present and such like that. I don't know about now, but it seems like something that would be rather obvious. I have cats and I always let people be aware of that in case of allergies, and I would want the same considerations from people who smoke. If a person smokes and cannot tell there is smoking scent, they need to say, "I smoke, so I do not know," so people know. Yes, we cannot know the exact history of toys 30 years old. Generally, most of what I deal with can be upwards into a century or more old, so trust me when I know when I say that, but a quick sniff test is kind of part of the package of selling. Does the item smell musty? Mildewy? Smoky? Etc, and if you don't have a good sniffer, say so! That's fine. And I don't believe in ruining anyone's reputation being an ex-seller myself on ebay, which is why, myself personally, I would wrote them a strongly worded if but polite letter saying they need to be more observant in the future of such things. Especially over a small enough item. I wouldn't leave them bad feedback in most situations, unless there was due cause, but I would likely refuse to leave any feedback at all. But that's me, and it's more looking out for the seller if you think about it, because if they are a smoker and they're listing things willy-nilly without an mention of it, they ARE going to get a bad apple who IS going to murder their feedback, and I don't believe people who smoke should be barred of selling and what not, but it should be stated in auctions, and that will be the very last I say of it all.
681
« on: June 27, 2013, 12:10:05 PM »
Greek yogurt is strained of a lot of water and liquid to make it thicker than normal yogurt. Which makes it great to be used as a base for dip, though I'm a sucker for making just up and traditional tzasiki with it. Yummmm.
682
« on: June 27, 2013, 12:01:49 AM »
We get gopher tortoises here! Love them! Such harmless critters, but I do hope you washed your hands real well after handling him! Wild amphibians and reptiles and such can be bad carriers for e.coli and salmonella!
683
« on: June 26, 2013, 11:59:50 PM »
Have her!
But mine has gone all grandma and is almost completely white haired! Oh well! Still love her and any Surprise pose ponies!
684
« on: June 26, 2013, 09:55:59 PM »
See, I was the kid that grew up in the stinky house and my parents both knew. I managed years ago to convince my mother to quit thankfully and she has forced my dad to smoke outside since she now collects dolls. ( She wouldn't before because she didn't want to ruin them) but I still went through my formative years being bullied for smelling like an ashtray among other things. But the fallout when mom quit and grandma, who smoked, gave mom some dolls she had. . . I remember trying to clean them with vinegar and all but the smell always came back and they were all vinyl dolls. Granted there are tons of different recipes for vinyl but from my experiences it will never fully come out.
685
« on: June 26, 2013, 12:29:24 PM »
People who smoke cigarettes do definitely know that it causes an effect, and they do in fact know it makes things stink. If they don't mention it, it's likely they don't care or they think they can get away with it. It's not that they didn't think about it, especially if they're selling collectibles.
Cigarette smoke is a no-go for me. Definitely, and it's one of the most disgusting scents, I'd rather buy a pony with a buzz cut than a perfect one with cigarette smoke. :/
But good on you to message them. Not every buyer is going to be so understanding. I wouldn't be. I get physically ill by the scent of cigarettes, and it's one thing that if not mentioned in the description that I will be livid about. I've had several Japanese dolls come in over the years that have been smoked up, and not mentioned, and there is literally no way to get it out of them because they cannot be cleaned in anyway.
I would also mention to keep those plastic hats, when stored, away from everything else. Just because you cannot smell it now, does not mean it's gone. Trust me on this, which is another reason why I do not accept goods exposed to cigarettes. I've had people sell me dolls they swear have been removed of cigarette odor, only to come in and smell of it because they've been sealed up in a box and warmed because of transit, or dolls that have been packed not smelling only to come out reeking. Ponies are just as bad, I had the lavender wedding pony that I was trying to remove cigarette smell out of, and well, I would get it out of her and then she ended up packed and then she reeked again, and it was all one vicious cycle and somewhere along the line she disappeared. Probably into a trash can. :/
686
« on: June 26, 2013, 12:18:08 PM »
Katrina; there are endless amounts of celluloid dolls that were produced, and even more of them were unmarked, so finding info can be very hard. Given their fragility as well makes it more so! Renee, ( Hah, another Renee, that's my name too! ) Your ballerina might be an Elise, or else a Wendy, what size is she? If she's an 8 inch doll, she's likely a Wendy whereas Elise ( of that era ) should be about 16inches, but I'm somewhat foggy on Alexander's that late. My cut off really is about when Cissy and Elise got their makeovers because they started using cheaper plastics. There are a lot of books out, and books will be your best source for information on a lot of these dolls, as well as time and a lot of it to study. You pick up information from those around you, and it's traded here and there. I have a lady I see every so often if I have a problem or issue and the woman is a walking encyclopedia on dolls for the most part, but I've even managed to bring in a couple of dolls that she has never seen or seen anything like. ( This doll in particular: http://www.flickr.com/photos/27996131@N07/5797551243/in/set-72157626761135989 with more info on her ) Most of the pricing given out on books is moot these days and it's use your best judgment and ebay completed sales. If you're selling at a show or brick and mortar, find one on ebay and add 20% is usually what I do. For Mme Alexander, this is a good book to start with: http://www.amazon.com/Madame-Alexander-American-Legend-Campbell/dp/0942620224 But there are probably a dozen more just on Madame Alexander alone, and some of the out of print ones are actually the best, but they're very expensive. I do have several of them, and I lucked out on most of them for the prices I paid. Here's a few more on Amazon, but I'd get them on ebay, they're likely cheaper, especially lightly used: http://www.amazon.com/Dolls-Accessories-1950s-Schiffer-Collectors/dp/0764322427/ref=pd_sim_b_10And this one is really good, but it's also really general: http://www.collectorbookstore.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=OOP-CB-2004-1574323784-X3&gclid=CKHh1Iy4grgCFYVj7Aod3F4AZA I used to use it for a starting point in figuring out what I had and then consulting my other books for narrowing things down. But I'm at the point I only need such references for dresses and accessories.  And for some of my dolls ( and some of the ones I used to have! ) http://www.flickr.com/photos/27996131@N07/sets/72157632126463596/http://www.flickr.com/photos/27996131@N07/sets/72157626761135989/http://www.flickr.com/photos/27996131@N07/sets/72157626679507164/
687
« on: June 26, 2013, 12:02:08 PM »
On pen and highlighter, it's not likely to do much. It's only mildly acidic and best to break down such marks, so I doubt its effectiveness on stains will do much. It can be mixed with citruses and stuff to make it more acidic but I would think things like peroxide and such would be more effective. Cream of tartar is effective because of its fine abrasiveness from what I understand. It works like an ultra fine sandpaper, as it pulls out the crap without scratching it. Also murders rust.
If you have any 'ruined' cast iron laying around. . .
688
« on: June 25, 2013, 11:03:59 PM »
It's so nice to meet you!
Yes, yes, yes!
I have a few Armand Marseille's of myself, as well as a Dollar Princess along with some misc German dolls. I have one that is nearly 40inches tall, but they are currently in ( climate controlled ) storage. That's for when I buy a house.
I know exactly how you feel about hard plastic. I'm guessing you must be in the UK with Pedigree and Rosebud? My mother really loves the 8inch Miss Rosebuds which are off the Vogue Ginny molds. I bought her a couple when I was over in '11. But yes, I've had a lot of dolls I have sold because of the hard plastic disease. I've never had any collapse or anything or completely bust down ( but I have heard of it! ) Pedigree used a different plastic than most American doll companies, but both had issues. I had two different Mme Alexander Wendy's in the first line of hardplastic, and both of them had turned green, and they smell of sour milk and they powdered. I had to literally give them away. I only have a Sweet Violet ( Mme Alexander with the Cissy face and the ball jointed bodies ) and two of the original Sweet Sues with pug noses. The three of them have all done well, Sweet Violet has never seen abuse, and the first batch of hard plastic that American Character produced seems superior to anything else produce. I've never seen the first line of Sweet Sue's powder or stink, but the later ones definitely do. As do R&B's plastics if put through abuse. . .
You mention a German soft body? Do you mean kid leather bodies? I know how to repair those! Look up some local antique stores and ask if they have kid leather gloves, and you can buy those and patch them via that. Or is she one of the sort of Bye-lo babies? My mother had one with the celluloid body and the cloth-cotton body. I can best suggest taking the body apart, and making a pattern from that. As to the stuff, you can use a sawdust core wrapped with cotton, or just straight up cotton, but a sawdust core provides a nice weightiness to the doll.
But yes, definitely, I came from the sort of family like your's. My family was fairly poor, so we did flea markets and thrifting, which is really how I got into MLP when I was a kid, because it had pretty much come and gone by the time I was a kid. I'm really hardly an 80's baby, as it was the 90's before I remembered anything, so I know almost ALL of my ponies came 2nd hand. I know I got Sweet Talker, and I'm almost completely for certain she was my ONLY new pony!
689
« on: June 23, 2013, 11:37:44 PM »
I'm afraid I'll try almost everything once. . .
Working at a Japanese restaurant meant I got to try all sorts of offal. ( The owners were Chinese, and I mean no insult by the difference in what's edible per culture ) I had some part of a pig that tasted more like seafood and looked like it, I've had chicken feet ( yes, chicken feet, the actual feet and toes, and it was okay but the cook used way too much fennel. It wasn't the actual meat that bothered me ), pork belly, oxtail. . . I can't remember what else.
I regularly cook lamb neck on my own, it's super tasty and a very cheap cut of lamb.
Chicken livers fried in whatever gf flour I have about and dunked in hot sauce is divine.
Goat cheese stuffed peppers with bacon and spinach. . . Another fave.
I once combined sangria, orange juice, a can of coconut milk, and chicken stock over some beef back ribs. Divinity. Mixed some cornstarch in the cooking liquid for a divine gravy.
As for things I thought I would never like? Peppers, definitely. Peppers I hated for the very longest, something about the texture, but my best friend basically forced me to like them and now I love them.
I will, however, refuse onions but for green onions, and before my gf intolerance, I enjoyed onion rings. But I abhor them in general, even more so now, as I stayed in the UK for three months, and two of those were spent under the thumb of my then-girlfriend-now-bestfriend's mother and she cooked onions on everything and she's a horrible cook and everything she cooked was horrible and topped with a pound of onions, so I am well and hateful of them.
That and garlic. As much of a cook as I am, I refuse to cook with the substance because I never can cook the vile taste of it out of things properly, even though I know how essential of a cooking ingredient it is. So I use sriacha. Which has garlic in it. Which has already been cooked down once. So, cooking the sriacha cooks it again. Then it's tasty. Ta da.
690
« on: June 23, 2013, 08:57:16 PM »
A/C is the only way to go. I absolutely hate humidity which we get a lot of in Wisconsin. Even though it is summer, I am really missing my house in Arizona right now!
Just be thankful you're in Wisconsin, and not Florida! Being a native of the former, I'd give anything to be back in Wisconsin versus Florida! The humidity in WI can be bad but goodness, in Florida? Gross. Besides that, I had a lot of pony buddies up there! Whereabouts are you living? I'm originally from south Wisconsin, near Madison. :3
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