Thursday, February 25, 2021

Because She's Lovely, I Named Her Aisha



As soon as I saw Sarah Niemela's completed photos of the custom 8-inch clay doll that I commissioned her to make for me, I began singing Stevie Wonder's song, "Isn't She Lovely?" 

"Isn't She Lovely" is the 11th song on Stevie's Songs in the Key of  Life album released in 1976. It was written after the birth of his first child, a daughter named Aisha. I know exactly how he felt to see something beautiful that "you" created (or that you commissioned someone else to make). That is why I named this doll Aisha.

It was a joy to work with Sarah. She had recently completed and shared photos of another doll that inspired me to request mine, which was made to my specifications.

I wanted my doll's complexion a little more brown than the other doll's. I liked the two Afro puffs the other doll had and wanted to keep those. Instead of a blouse and skirt, I wanted my doll dressed in an African-print dress.  

Expressing my desire for a dress to Sarah is when I discovered that the other doll's entire costume was made from clay! I was very impressed. 

Lovely pleated dress trimmed at the bodice and hem in African print


Sarah asked me to provide examples of the style of dress I wanted. I searched the Internet and found a cute little girl's dress and shared the above photo with Sarah. She replicated it quite well. 

My final request was for the doll to hold a doll and Sarah came through with that request, too. 

Enough of my excitement about the makings of my Aisha. Below are several pictures I took of the doll after she arrived.

Aisha, her doll, her dress, and shoes are made from clay.

She has such a precious face.

She has a rope headband with clay flower petals attached.



So-so beautiful!

Dolly's hair is accented with multiple tiny beads.



A white strip of clay is attached to the back of the doll's dress that bears Sarah's signature and the 2021 copyright.


Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful? Isn't she precious? Less than a few weeks old (Sarah works very fast!) The doll was completed within a few days. I would have received Aisha sooner, but Sarah and I both agreed for her to delay shipping until the arctic weather I was experiencing in Texas subsided. That plan worked out well. The doll was mailed on a Friday and I received it the following Tuesday.

Am I happy? No. I am thrilled!

Sarah sent one of her beautiful doll cards to thank me for the purchase. The front of the card is shown next.
This thank you card from Sarah Niemela features two of her beautiful life-size dolls.

 
Aisha fits in well with similar dolls her size that range between 7-1/2 to 8 inches tall as illustrated in the next two pictures. 
She stands out among other similar-sized dolls that are displayed underneath a globe, the base of which is wooden, swivels, and has several spaces to display dolls on doll stands.

Here is another view of Aisha and her friends.

I love her! If you desire, listen to Stevie Wonder sing the song he wrote for "my doll" before she was even a thought. :-) 


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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.

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Tuesday, February 23, 2021

If You're Not Already Following...

The first and only virtual Black doll museum where antique, vintage, modern, and OOAK Black dolls are celebrated 24/7.



...DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum, please do so by adding your email address to the "Follow this Blog" field in the footer of any page. 

The premise of the site is to curate and install 1000 antique, vintage, modern, and OOAK Black dolls. Currently, there are over 100 installations with over 30 in the draft mode for publishing soon.

Today's installation is about a group of delightful Johnna Art Dolls by Barbara Buysee. View the post here and enjoy!


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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.
*New*Visit/Follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum
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Monday, February 22, 2021

Designer Sews Clothes for Fashion... Dolls

For Black History Month in 2020, Fresh Dolls Tamra enjoyed wearing this lovely dress and headwrap by Laylee M. Doll Clothes.

For almost two years, I have purchased fashion doll clothes from the Laylee M. Doll Clothes Etsy shop and have always been pleased with the affordable clothes she designs for 11-1/2 to 12-inch fashion dolls. The free shipping is always appreciated. I was very happy for the owner of the shop when I read the following February 12, 2021, article from Virgin Islands Daily News.

"It was a request from her granddaughter that prompted Carmen Nibbs to try her hand at making doll clothes.

"Five years later, her Laylee M Doll Clothes company is making waves on Etsy and Instagram with former first lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris’ inauguration outfits."

Read the rest of the article here.

Visit the Etsy store here.

Congratulations again, Carmen!

Related Links to Some of my Laylee M. Doll Clothes Purchases:



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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.
*New*Visit/Follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

Friday, February 19, 2021

Virtual Event: Black Toys and Toymakers, The Shindana Story

Baby Nancy, Shindana's First Doll

Virtual Event

February 26, 1 p.m. EST

In 2020, The Strong inducted Baby Nancy into its National Toy Hall of Fame. Crafted with Black children in mind, Baby Nancy is the first Black doll that found mass popularity at home and abroad. Learn about Shindana Toys—the Black-owned company behind the groundbreaking doll—at a special, virtual discussion with a panel of experts on its history and significance. Hosted by The Strong’s Christopher Bensch, the 40-minute discussion will delve into the story of Shindana Toys’ creation and evolution, their role in the community, their products, and examples of Black entrepreneurship. It will be followed by a question-and-answer session.


The above announcement is from The Strong Museum's website where you can visit to learn more about the event and to register here.

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.
*New*Visit/Follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Largest Black Doll Show to Open a Black Doll Museum

Photo from Blacknews.com

Sandra Epps, CEO of Sandy's Land Entertainment and host of the annual Detroit Doll Show will open a Black doll museum in shipping containers. Read about her plans and what inspired her to move in this direction here

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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.
*New*Visit/Follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

Monday, February 15, 2021

Learn About Folks "In the Doll World"



Below is a link to the podcast/interviews conducted by the hosts of In the Doll World, Georgette Taylor (co-creator of the Big Beautiful Doll Line) and Tammy Fisher, owner of Curiositeej Dolls. Listen at your leisure and follow to participate in doll giveaways throughout the month of February 2021.


Additionally, In the Doll World also has a YouTube Channel where video interviews of people who play a variety of roles "in the doll world" can be viewed. Check out their channel and subscribe here.


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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.
*New*Visit/Follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

Sunday, February 14, 2021

Happy Valentine's Day!


πŸ’Enjoy!πŸ’
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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.
*New*Visit/Follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!




Monday, February 8, 2021

Creating Communitas: African American Doll Bloggers Animate Black Dolls as Sites of Signification

A still capture from Rod and Danielle's Wedding animated by the late Vanessa Morrison of Fashion Dolls at Van's Doll Treasures is featured in the YouTube video below.
Read
If you missed Paulette Richards' Zoom presentation on Monday, February 1, 2021, the YouTube recording can be viewed at your leisure.

YouTube Description: "This study by Paulette Richards explores the work of three African American [artists] who maintained doll blogs and animated their dolls in short video narratives between 2010 and 2015: Fashion Dolls at Van's Doll TreasuresHey It's Muff, and Roxanne's Dolls

I attended the live presentation and found Paulette's comparison of doll animation and puppetry fascinating. I hope you will, too. 





 
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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.
*New* Visit/Follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum
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Daddy's Long Legs Lizabeth

Meet Daddy's Long Legs Lizabeth


After seeing another collector's impressive Daddy's Long Legs collection and realizing I did not own any children from the original 1990s line, I searched eBay and found Lizabeth. I wanted a girl with a happy disposition and Lizabeth fits that description to a T.

Doesn't she have the most infectious smile?

Made in 1994, Lizabeth is a 12-inch doll with a resin head, body, lower arms and hands, and lower legs and feet. She has cloth upper arms and entire upper legs that dangle. Her painted facial features include brown eyes, a smiling mouth with separately molded teeth with some that are missing and some that have just grown in! She wears a green floral print romper with lace-trimmed cranberry fabric at the upper chest area, white molded-on socks, and black molded-on shoes. Lizabeth's sculpted hair is styled in two thick curly pigtails accented by cranberry ribbons. She'll be installed in DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum along with my other Daddy's Long Legs Dolls soon.

Lizabeth's hangtag contains the Daddy's Long Leg's logo, the year she was made, her name, and KVK, Inc.'s contact information.

Lizabeth arrived with her original box, hangtag, certificate of authenticity, a note that indicates she was packed by Holly, and Karen Germany's story card. Karen Germany is the original designer of Daddy's Long Legs dolls, who recently sold all her archived dolls. If you're like me and missed out on some of the 1990s dolls, browse new listings of Daddy's Long Legs dolls on eBay using this link


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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.
*New* Visit/Follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

Sunday, February 7, 2021

Acori Honzo's Lifelike Sculptures


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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.
*New*Visit/Follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum
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Saturday, February 6, 2021

Flipbook of William Grant Still Art Center's Black Doll Show



The William Grant Still Art Center's 40th Anniversary Black Doll Show is a virtual event that commenced in December 2020 and is ongoing with a Zoom gala scheduled for Saturday, February 6, 2021.

A flipbook of this year's doll exhibit can be viewed here. (Click on the image at the link to view 94 pages that document the exhibit.)

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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.
*New*Visit/Follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

Friday, February 5, 2021

Barbie Celebrates Black History Month

Vitiligo Barbie is one of several dolls that illustrate Barbie's inclusivity.


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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.
*New*Visit/Follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

Thursday, February 4, 2021

Interviewed by In The Doll World


 

Whooo...Hooo.... Debbie Behan Garrett helps us celebrate on our YouTube Channel for our 1st Annual World of Black Dolls...

Posted by In The Doll World on Wednesday, February 3, 2021
Here is the direct link to the interview.

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.
*New*Visit/Follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!