Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Baby Nancy, Strong Museum National Toy Hall of Fame Finalist!

2020 National Toy Hall of Fame finalist article, "Yahtzee, Baby Nancy, My Little Pony up for honor," in a photo by Virginia.

One of my blog readers emailed images of an Associated Press article published on Sunday, September 13, 2020, in the Richmond Times-Dispatch about the 2020 National Toy Hall of Fame finalists. One of the 12 finalists is Shindana's first doll, Baby Nancy! I was very excited to know that Shinanda's first doll has been honored in such a manner. Whether she wins or not, it is important the little doll that started Shindana Toys is recognized.

I contacted The Strong National Museum of Play, the sponsor of this hall of fame, to get clarification on why the 1969 version of Baby Nancy was nominated instead of the 1968 version. (The 1968 doll is actually the first Baby Nancy by Shindana.) Michelle Parnett-Dwyer, curator at The Strong, explained, "We do not have an original version of Baby Nancy in the collection. When we knew Baby Nancy was a finalist we looked for an original and found only one available. Unfortunately, that fell through shortly before the announcement. We’d be grateful for any help you could provide us with acquiring an original." I could not offer any leads other than eBay's auction site. If you have an original Baby Nancy that you would like to donate to the museum please visit their Donate to the Collections page for details.

From the same article is a quote about the finalists.

According to The Richmond Times-Dispatch article, which quotes Christopher Bensch, vice-president of collections,  "These 12 toys represent the wide scope of playthings -- from simple sidewalk chalk that has its roots in ancient times, to Baby Nancy, which proved a turning point in the representation of race in dolls..."

The 12 finalists and a brief description are included in this photo taken by Virginia of the Richmond Times-Dispatch article. 


Unfortunately, I was not aware of Baby Nancy's inductee honor until voting on the finalists concluded on September 16, 2020. The final inductees will be announced on Thursday, November 5, 2020. 

I must once again express how super excited I am that Baby Nancy was inducted and became a finalist.  Thank you again, Virginia, for the newspaper notification.

Related Links
 





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There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for reading. To contact me, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.

Check out what I am selling here
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!


Monday, September 28, 2020

Yara Shahidi Barbie

Yara Shahidi Barbie is the latest Barbie Shero (seen in an "Internet-captured) photo.


Yes! The Yara Shahidi Barbie is being released! For a short while, there had been rumors that Mattel was not going to produce quantities other than the one-of-a-kind doll. This is one time I am happy the rumors are not true.

Let me get to the point, last week the doll became available as a preorder first through Amazon. It is now on the Barbie.Mattel website for preorder with a planned shipping date of October 9, 2020 at both sites. The details from the Barbie site are as follows:

  • Label: Gold Label®
  • Designer: Carlyle Nuera
  • Release Date: 9/23/2020
  • Included with doll: Blazer, t-shirt, pants, shoes, backpack, ballot, doll stand
  • Eyelashes: Painted
  • Fashion: "Vote" t-shirt, gray blazer and matching pants
  • Fashion Sewn On?: No
  • Body Type: Made to Move Petite
  • Doll Stand: Yes
  • Facial sculpt: Yara Shahidi (sculpted to likeness)
  • Package Dimensions (H/D/W): 13" x 3" x 9"

Close-up of Yara Shahidi Barbie in an "Internet-captured" photo


The price is $29.99. With Amazon Prime, shipping is free. I am not aware if Barbie.Mattel is offering any shipping discounts.

For additional information, read Allen Voivod's blog about the doll here; or if you desire to preorder, scoot on over to either Amazon or the Barbie.Mattel site using the links in the previous paragraph.

**********
And in other Yara Shahidi news, the talented actor is scheduled to play Tinkerbell in Disney's live-action Tinkerbell and Wendy. This will mark the first time for Tinkerbell to be portrayed as a Black. Read more here where an artist's interpretation of how a melanated Tinkerbell might look is included.

dbg


There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for reading. To contact me, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.

Check out what I am selling here
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

Monday, September 21, 2020

Guest Post: Through the Eyes of a Leo Moss Collector: Bev’s Story

Through the Eyes of a Leo Moss Collector: Bev’s Story 

An 11-inch doll by Leo Moss

By Beverly W. Flowers

I have focused my doll collection on vintage and antique black dolls by developing a strategic plan that required daily hunting for these rare and valuable dolls. I never imagined I would be asked to guest blog on Black Doll Collecting by Debbie Behan Garrett as a collector with a Leo Moss doll. The offer should not have surprised me. Debbie has supported and encouraged me throughout the years. She has promoted black doll collectors and artists in her books, articles, websites, the We Love Black Dolls Anew Facebook group, and through her Black Doll Collecting and Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black blogs. We owe so much to her dedication and I thank God that Debbie never gave up her daily sharing of doll information.

My Doll Collecting Journey

I started collecting dolls over 30 years ago to honor Maggie Pearl, my mother. Mom supplemented my Christmas gifts by making clothes for my Barbies. I did not appreciate her labor of love until she died from breast cancer at 42-years young. Reality sunk in when I realized the only things I owned were doll clothes and a $150 car.

I began collecting black Barbies because I thought they were lovely and shared Mom’s classic beauty. Eventually, my three jobs could not feed my lay-a-way habit. So, I started an entrepreneurial business in 1988 called Exquisite Showcases. I had magnificent glass display cases with exotic woods, which I varnished, and then were hand-assembled by an artist. I planned to sell them at doll shows even though I had never been to a doll show. I just thought everyone needed display cases for antique dolls but not one case sold. I believed a beautiful black antique doll would highlight my special display cases. However, the shows only had white dolls and dealers assured me that I could neither afford nor find an antique black doll.

         Eventually, I repeated this to my future husband, Bill, that doll dealers said I would never see or own a good black doll. He found it offensive that I would allow anyone to create a ridiculous barrier to my dreams. Bill’s life theory still is based on the philosophy that everything is possible if you are prepared and have the will.

In 1997, Bill handed me a piece of paper with strange words, “eBay.com.” He suggested selling my Barbie dolls and investing in dolls that stood the test of time and had the potential to gain even more value. He could not wrap his head around mass-produced collectibles as a stable investment. Bill reassured me that selling dolls would allow me to buy antique dolls that would hold their value and could be displayed in my cases. His idea ignored two significant facts. I did not have a computer, and I was not going to sell my barbies. My brother Mike, who had accompanied me in those painful sell-less display case days, happily gave me his computer. Bill sealed the deal with a promise that when we married, every dollar I made selling anything would go to buying old dolls. The money would never be used to solve household financial stresses. Thus, selling Barbies would allow me to transform my modern collection into a unique ensemble of vintage dolls that represented my mother’s spirit and the life of people of color. I was sold on selling.

Leo Moss Dolls

Leo Moss portrait doll

        I forget what year, but eventually, the Mr. Leo Moss doll was offered on eBay. However, I was not sure about bidding five thousand dollars on him. I would have to strip my collection down to the bones to come up with the money. Also, my doll notes were scattered, and I had no idea which magazine had pictures of him. I could dig up the money with a massive doll sell-off but not the confidence. I had a tremendous buyer’s remorse when the doll sold.

I vowed that I would never again freeze because of a lack of knowledge. I would become an expert in all the dolls I wanted to collect seriously.  I cut and pasted every article and advertisement with Leo Moss dolls in all the available sources into a computer log. I also went through all the doll magazines from the late 1970s to track Leo Moss dolls as they moved from auctions to collectors and back again.

I noticed that auction houses frequently used the tag “attributed” to Leo Moss dolls, leaving doubt about authenticity. I wondered how experts in identifying artist reproduction of Bru dolls could not confirm a Moss considering that Betty Formaz and Rubin Quintano were the primary artists working in Leo Moss’s style, and their work was distinguishable from real Mosses.

I believe the root of the confusion on the authenticity of Leo Moss dolls can be found by examining articles written about the dolls. Steva Roark Allgood wrote an article entitled “To Leo with Love” in the Fall 1987 Doll News magazine. Steva found that Moss created dolls for children and not as art. The bodies were awkward and poorly proportioned. More importantly, Steva concluded most Moss dolls are unmarked. Myla Perkins adds to dealer uncertainty by noting in her book, Black Dolls: An Identification and Value Guide 1820-1991, that Formaz had bought heads without bodies (see plate 29 in Myla's book).

Therefore, I can reason that unmarked heads and inappropriate bodies or “new” bodies on old heads resulted in uncertainty about the authenticity of Moss dolls. Dealers hate uncertainty and were already suspicious about all these recently discovered Moss dolls entering the market from a single source, Betty Formaz. Dealers may have chattered that Betty, being a doll artist, made the Leo Moss dolls. Again, Betty’s dolls and Rubin’s dolls are distinguishable from Leo Moss dolls from an artistic point of view and the material used. She sold the dolls almost immediately after purchasing them, and I do not know of any existing Moss molds.  

Dealers that never handled a real Leo Moss may have inadvertently bought Betty Formaz and Rubin Quintano dolls and passed them into the market as authentic Leo Moss dolls. Thus, the major factor that contributed to the use of the term “attributed” may have been the sellers' need to skirt any liability to buyers. The few experts on the dolls cautioned auction houses that they were selling reproduction dolls. Even Myla, who may have owned the most extensive collection of Leo Moss dolls, warned about Moss reproductions in her first book Black Dolls. However, Myla in her second book writes on page 33, “see page 417, plate 1654 for an excellent example of a new Moss look-alike.” Here she points the reader to an artist doll by Rubin Quintano done in the Moss style and not a deliberate fake by a con artist.

 

Prior to becoming part of Debbie Garrett's doll collection, Cecily by Rubin Quintano ca. 1992, a 22-inch Moss-style doll, was featured on page 417 in Myla Perkins' second Black Dolls book.


        I reasoned if dealers were confused, there must be confused collectors that thought they had a Formaz or Quintano when they had a Moss doll.

My strategy was to find unmarked and unappreciated Moss dolls being sold because of the confusion caused by the uncertainty of handmade artist dolls. The dolls are dark; thus, it is difficult to see the differences between artist dolls and real Moss dolls in low-quality pictures. I have tried to take an accurate count, but I may have double-counted some dolls because of a change in clothing or the angle of the new photo. Myla said there are 50 known Moss dolls.

I decided to hunt for even more Moss dolls that may be in auctions, flea markets, or antique shops. But first, I would have to be an expert in Leo Moss dolls without owning one.

I had to find someone willing to show me a real Moss doll. I would have to ask dealers again, but by this time I knew my way around a doll room. A few years later, I stumbled upon someone who owned Leo Moss dolls and was willing to share knowledge. I was introduced to the word “handle.” She allowed me to feel the weight, see the coloring, hair patterns, marking, breastplates, and bodies of these rare dolls. She allowed me to do the same with the dolls created in the Leo Moss style. I was taught how to differentiate between a real Leo Moss and a replica style. I was one of the few people in the world that had handled one, and it was intoxicating.

Two Opportunities of a Lifetime

Held at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, Michigan, the "I See Me: Reflections in Black Dolls Exhibition ran from September 20, 2016, through June 25, 2017.

I believe it was June of 2017 when I stumbled on a Facebook page advertising an upcoming exhibit of the largest collection of Leo Moss dolls. What an opportunity! I could compare variations of eyes, skin smoothness, colorings, and hair patterns. I could tell by the pictures that the dolls were from Myla’s books. We had a week to fly to Detroit to the “I see me: Reflections in Black Dolls” exhibit sponsored by the Motor City Doll Club at the Charles Wright Museum.

An emotional tidal wave rolled over me in the exhibit room as I spread out years of notes and pages from Myla’s books and Debbie’s articles. Everything about that exhibit blew my mind. I absorbed every feature like a sponge, but until then, I did not know that Myla owned them. I had counted her dolls in my total, but I had been waiting years for some of Myla’s dolls to appear in circulation.

My day begins by brushing my teeth and checking my doll searches for Moss dolls, and a few others. In March of 2019, I opened my eBay searches to see an auction for a “Vintage Leo Moss Doll Buy it now $200.” The seller was paid before I read the full description. I then read the full description over and over again while waiting for a word from the seller. 

When the doll did arrive, the seller included a handwritten note:

“Thank you for your purchase. I enclosed a newspaper clipping on the doll. I was lucky as a child to see this exhibit in Detroit. I believe in the 70’s? I bought this from a woman in Royal Oak, Michigan who repaired dolls then. Glad to hear that the doll is going to a new place. I’m slowly selling my collection. I have no children to pass the collection on to.”

Her Name is Maggie Pearl

Named after Beverly's mother, Maggie Pearl is an unmarked 1800s doll by Leo Moss.

Maggie Pearl is an unmarked 1800’s head with glass eyes.  She is 11 inches tall with molded hair and painted lips. She has a replaced body. Her neck socket is professionally stuffed to hold the head.

Authenticating Maggie Pearl required finding a small Leo Moss doll that was made during the same period in Leo Moss’s artist life. I needed to find a doll with the same bumpy complexion, dimples, and youthful look. Myla Perkin’s first book showed a similar doll, see Black Dolls, book one, plate 25:

 

 “Tiny baby, 10” tall.  This is the smallest of the Leo Moss dolls to have been purchased from the Moss family. It has a papier-mache head and bent leg jointed baby body. Head has inset tiny glass eyes, molded hair. Doll was made in the late 1800s and is unmarked.”  

However, Maggie Pearl was not a baby. I needed to find a toddler or adult.

"Tiny Black Paper Mache Boy by Leo Moss" in a photograph courtesy of Frasher's Doll Auctions is the doll Beverly used to authenticate Maggie Pearl as a Leo Moss doll.

I found a doll from Frasher’s Doll Auctions, Lot 158, that was presented as a young boy.  The catalog description read:

“TINY BLACK PAPER MACHE BOY BY LEO MOSS. Marks: None. 8 1/2”. Black paper mache head and body, tightly curled sculpted hair, boyish-like fashion, prominent brown inset glass eyes, closed mouth, impressed dimples, jointed shoulders, and hips, wears original cotton overalls. Commentary: Very unusual example of early work by Leo Moss. One of the smallest sizes known to exist. Very good condition.”

The back of Maggie Pearl's head, neck, and upper back are illustrated in this photo

I confidently concluded that Maggie is an early 1800’s head because Steva noted in the previously referenced Doll News article that the “later dolls have a very smooth finish that resembles porcelain.” Maggie’s face is not smooth.  I also know her body was professionally replaced by examining the neck socket.  The seller said she had the doll for years and bought her from a doll doctor in Detroit.  Hopefully, a reader knows the complete story behind Maggie Pearl and can fill in the missing pieces of Maggie’s Journey to me.

Maggie Pearl is seen in a close-up that illustrates the details of her sculpted face and hair.

Now, Maggie Pearl is displayed in the very same mahogany framed glass case that experts told me would never hold an antique black doll. She is the result of a plan to see and learn as much as possible about the works of her artist. See the pictures and be amazed at a never published (until now) Leo Moss doll. Please, no flash photography (I always wanted to say that). 

Maggie Pearl is posed with the 40th Anniversary Barbie to illustrate the doll's diminutive height when compared with other Leo Moss dolls.
References:

Black Dolls an Identification and Value Guide 1820-1991 by Myla Perkins

Black Dolls an Identification and Value Guide: Book II by Myla Perkins

Frasher’s Doll Auction (Tiny Black Paper Mache Boy)

“To Leo with Love,” Doll News, Fall 1987 by Steva Roark Allgood

******

Thank you so much, Beverly, for sharing the doll-collecting journey that led to acquiring the perfect Leo Moss doll for an exceptional, once-in-a-lifetime price! I am sure the readers of this blog enjoyed your story as much as I have enjoyed it. 

This post can also be read on my sister blog, Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black where a related four-part story about Leo Moss dolls was the first post.

For more information about Beverly and to follow her blogs on Black Memorabilia, Black Art, and Black Dolls, visit her website, Antique Black Dolls and Things.

dbg


There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for reading. To contact me, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.

Check out what I am selling here
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

Friday, September 18, 2020

I Named Him Chadwick

This adorable boy has blue eyes, black rooted hair, and the cutest facial expression. 


Found on Amazon, this adorable 13-inch all-vinyl boy was made in Spain by Paola Reina. I had wanted a girl with this head sculpt but was not able to find one. When I was made aware of the boy, I had to have him.  In honor of the late Chadwick Boseman, I named him Chadwick.

Chadwick took several pictures alone and with family members. Those photos with captions follow:

He wears a white short-sleeved T-shirt that has the outline of a bear's face on it and a blue hoodie made of bear-face-print fabric, khaki shorts, and low-top Chuck-style (Converse) sneakers.

This side-angle photograph illustrates the blue and white striped lining of his hoodie.

The hoodie is illustrated better in this photo. The jacket is not lined with this fabric.

Without the jacket, the outline of a bear's face on his shirt is clearly visible.

Here he is with his hoodie on.


In this picture, Chadwick posed with his older cousins Ndanaka and Zuri (made by Paola Reina but sold by Sibahle).

In this final photo, Chadwick posed with his younger cousins Omar and Sarabi (made by Vestida de Azul of Spain).

Now that I know I do not own a girl the exact height as Chadwick, a Paola Reina girl is on my radar. Amazon had several other Paola Reina dolls in stock at the time Chadwick was ordered, so it won't be difficult for me to find a girl to pair with him.

~~~~~~~~~~
It is still unbelievable that we lost the talented and gifted Chadwick Aaron Boseman this past August. His short-lived, yet very accomplished life is proof that we all have to cherish each day we are blessed with by making the most of our time and always being the best form of ourselves.

In memoriam.



dbg


There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for reading. To contact me, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.

Check out what I am selling here
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!


Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Circa 1950s-1960s 14R Miss Revlon-Type by Adanta

A 14R 17-inch circa 1950s-1960s high-heel fashion doll by Adanta Novelties Corporation is shown as she was found in an eBay auction (seller's photos).

This doll was found on eBay in August 2020 as shown in the above-combined photos and in the next single photo of the head markings. These photos were used in the auction listing.

The jointed head is marked 14RA

She is 17-inches tall, marked 14RA on the head as seen above, and with a raised A on the lower torso illustrated next.

The lower back of her one-piece, stuffed-vinyl body is marked with a raised A.
The back of the torso, shot from a different angle, illustrates the raised A and the loss of original sheen.

In some areas that the original bridal gown covers, the stuffed-vinyl body has lost the original vinyl sealant or sheen as shown in my photos above and below.

In addition to having her original bridal gown and veil, she still has her original earrings, stockings, and high-heel shoes.

According to doll-collector Roselyn Gadia-Smitley (see the first link under Related Links), dolls like this one are often referred to as "grocery store dolls." Gadia-Smitley described that her white counterpart of this doll is similar to a boxed doll she owns named Jasmine that was made by Adanta. In a series of three YouTube videos that are included at the end of this post, it is further documented by another collector of these dolls that Adanta Novelties Corporation marked their 17-inch high-heel fashion dolls with the same marks as my doll.

As illustrated in the seller's photographs, the doll's dress was very dingy/dirty. I removed the dress and soaked it in a sink filled with hot water and laundry detergent. I allowed the dress to lie flat overnight to soak. I hand washed the panties. I did not wash the veil or the pinned-on netting that serves as a half slip.

She has a beautiful face with maintained blushing and lip color.

One- to two inches shorter in stature than most Miss Revlon-type dolls made by higher-end companies during the 1950s and 1960s, this doll's black rooted hair remains in good condition. Her sleep eyes function well. All of her eyelashes are intact and her facial blushing and lip color are perfect. Her original pearl earrings can be better seen in the above headshot.

I was disappointed that a previous owner pinned her veil to an area of her forehead, which left a visible pinhole underneath her bangs. When I repinned the veil to the sides and to the front of her head, I made certain that the pins were in the hair areas of her head and not on her face.

After washing her dress, I allowed it to air dry flat. I used a warm iron to iron a few wrinkles from the back of the skirt and the sleeves and redressed her as illustrated next.

Her undies are now sparkling clean. 

The elastic is stretched at the waist. As a remedy, I gathered the waist in the back and applied a piece of Scotch tape over the folded material for a better fit. 


A full-length view with undies on.

There is a small run in one stocking, but that does not bother me and it certainly does not bother her. What is important is that the stockings are original!


Half-slip netting

Next, the netting that serves as her half slip was repinned to her waist as it was safety-pinned originally by the manufacturer.

A close-up of the half slip is shown here.

She looks ready for her wedding day in her crisp white satin and lace gown.
Her veil has been repinned to her head as illustrated in this photograph and in the next.

She looks as perfect from the back as she does from the front.
She still has most of her fingernail paint. Some sheen loss is also noted on the dorsal surface of her hands.
This 17-inch doll by Adanta Novelties Corporation models for a profile photo.

She strikes one final pose.

After winning the auction, I received the following message from the eBay seller:

I am glad this doll is going to the right place. I found your Black Doll Collecting blog when trying to identify this doll's maker and appreciated the detail, photos, and extensive knowledge. I got this doll from a guy who does property clean-outs; in other words, she was abandoned in a house, along with other items and family photos that were all destined for the landfill. I have figured out her likely original owner, who died in April, if you want any of that information. I will drop the package off tomorrow at FedEx.
I did ask the seller to share the likely original owner's name with me and she did along with the woman's childhood home address. SDW lived in Denver, Colorado. In addition to learning about the previous owner, with additional research, I learned a lot more about the company that made these "grocery store dolls" in the following three videos. I hope you will find the videos informative, too.










Related Links


dbg


There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for reading. To contact me, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.

Check out what I am selling here
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

Monday, September 14, 2020

I Am Collecting Masks, Too

It's just me, protecting myself before leaving home with one of Misha Yarbrough's masks.


There are so many talented people using their sewing skills to make cloth masks for those of us who are challenged in the area of sewing. Since this past March, I have been buying and faithfully wearing my masks (properly) when I am outside my home. With the most recent cloth-mask purchase from Marilyn Bloodworth was a special surprise mask. Because of that surprise, I decided it would be appropriate for me to share the masks from Marilyn as well as others I have purchased or received this year.

Misha's Masks

Cloth masks by Misha Yarbrough


Misha was the first person from whom I purchased cloth masks. I ordered several from her initially and then ordered some others later to give away. Some of the first ones I ordered from Misha are shown immediately above and I model one immediately below.

Modeling a mask made by Misha Yarbrough—hint: to prevent eyeglasses from fogging up, wear the mask under the glasses, not like I am wearing this one.

Beverly's Masks



Beverly Mouzone used beautiful African wax prints for the masks shown above. I model one of these next.

Isn't it beautiful?

Masks by Goldie Wilson

Intricately decorated, handmade masks by Goldie Wilson


Doll artist Goldie Wilson has made masks as well. I remember her telling me that she made masks for her neighbors. Several months later, I said, "Goldie, I want you to make me some masks." She laughed and asked me why. I told her because I needed some Goldie Wilson masks. Within a week to 10 days, I received the three masks shown above that are fit for a queen. When my husband saw them, he asked, "Where are my masks?" 

Goldie's face covers are so lovely that I took individual photos of them and modeled them as well.

Goldie hand beaded this mask and also added Swarovski crystals! My pictures do not capture the beautifully detailed, time-consuming work required to complete this mask.

This one by Goldie has hand beadwork and Swarovski crystals, too.


The two masks by Goldie shown above have an additional fabric lining with a label attached that reads, "Custom Made Especially for you by Goldie." The label is better illustrated next.


Close-up of Goldie's label.


For this pleated cloth mask, Goldie used the fabric from the Queen of Hearts doll's dress.
 This one reverses to black.

I modeled my Goldie masks below. Again, my photos (these were taken with my cell phone) do not do the masks justice. 




Plus-Size Masks by Marilyn Bloodworth

Masks (face covers) by Marilyn Bloodworth

After I saw Marilyn Bloodworth's Facebook Live video of her plus-size masks made from Kente-print fabrics, I knew these would work well for my bearded husband and son. I ordered the three shown above which arrived swiftly in individually sealed plastic packages.

Thanks to Marilyn, one of my dolls has a mask that matches my husband's.

In the package with the dark green face cover was a gift from Marilyn for one of my dolls. Wasn't that sweet?

To do a size comparison between Marilyn's plus-size masks and a regular-size mask, I took the following photo.

Marilyn's masks are huge and provide full facial coverage from above the nose to well under the chin.


I am modeling the mask I purchased for my husband which extends underneath my chin with room to spare.

Reema Afia by Makedaa Dolls models the surprise gift from Marilyn in this photo with me and again below.

Reema tried to wear the mask underneath her nose, but I told her wearing it that way does no one any good.

Marilyn's surprise gift fits Reema Afia perfectly.

The ear straps on Marilyn's face covers are cloth with a bead on each strap to adjust the fit. If you have a full face or if you have a beard, Marilyn's masks will be perfect. Her masks are also reversible. Mine reverse to the same fabric, but she makes others that reverse to a different fabric. 

Marilyn informed me that she also makes masks and accessories for children and shared the following photographs.

Marilyn's Masks and Accessories of Children



These are just a handful of my cloth face covers. I hope and pray for the day to come when we do not need to wear personal protection from this pandemic.

To contact Misha, Beverly, Goldie, or Marilyn to inquire about or to purchase masks/face covers, send them a message through their Facebook or email links below:


Please remain safe so we can all outlive this.

dbg


There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for reading. To contact me, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.

Check out what I am selling here
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!