The Agony of Defeat & the Thrill of Victory…

JUST A NOTE: If you missed yesterday’s post, I revealed “Springtime in the South” for those of you who love the Civil War or Southern Belle dresses. You can see that post HERE if you want. If you want to see the listing for this dress set, click on the picture at the right side bar or you can click HERE.

I have a story to tell… I don’t know what started it, but somehow I became obsessed over a little doll…I didn’t know anything about her, really, just what I’d mostly read in the descriptions on Ebay listings. She was a rather tiny doll…only 10″ tall with very dainty features most of the time. She was sculpted by Dianna Effner, who is the artist behind my Effner Little Darling cuties…Isabelle, Janie and Lian. Dianna enlisted the help of the Boneka company to distribute the dolls. I’m not exactly sure the business side of the dolls. They are hand painted, and the Boneka company is in Germany I think, but I’m not sure of the all the details… if anyone knows about them, I would LOVE to know more.

I just knew I’d like to have one and use her as a little sister for my Little Darlings. But here was the problem… they were VERY hard to find… especially the one I was head over heels about. The little doll I liked was called a Tuesday’s Child. They can have gray eyes, blue eyes and some have brown eyes. Recently, I showed a picture of 2 I liked that had sold on Ebay… before I knew about her…I decided gray eyes or blue, I wouldn’t be picky!

(If you click on any picture, it will enlarge.)

There are also Monday’s Child and Thursday’s Child dolls, that have a different face sculpt and eyes, but I had my heart set on a Tuesday’s Child. I thought it was just a matter of time before one would pop up on Ebay and I could win her. WELL… that didn’t happen. I did a little research and discovered there had only been 10 dolls come up on Ebay since November 1st of 2016. That’s not good odds when you are wanting one.

I don’t know why it hit me so hard… that I needed to have this little girl, but I sure was smitten with her…and it was sort of like my wanting Nyssa back in 2010… hopeless, really! So I added a discussion question on the Little Darling Doll Forum and had quite a few of my questions answered. I found out the dolls WERE still being made but only in small batches and the newer dolls, the Monday’s and Thursday Child dolls were showing up all of sudden on Ebay. But remember, I wanted a Tuesday’s Child.
I also asked on the forum if anyone had a Tuesday’s Child that they would be interested in selling, but got no takers. I did have one of my sweet blog readers tell me she would “loan” me her doll until I found one, so I could start drafting some patterns for her. I didn’t want to take a chance on anything happening to her doll, so I declined. That left me to just “stalking” Ebay… which I did… regularly and frequently!

One day about 2 1/2 weeks ago, I was taking my mom grocery shopping and when I got back home, I saw where a Tuesday’s Child doll had popped up on Ebay with a Buy It Now and sadly she had been scarfed up! She was such a cutie… a little blonde doll with blue eyes…nude, and in great shape…from a non smoking home. I was “shall we say…Heartbroken!” I must have really been down in the dumps because I shared with my hubby how I had been looking for a doll and none seemed to ever show up and “just today when I was taking momma shopping…one came up on Ebay and someone had bought her!” My hubby looked at me and said, “You honored your mom by taking care of her first, and the Lord will find you the doll you’re supposed to have.” I knew he was right, but it still hurt. I tried to be happy for the winner but truth be told, I was sad for me.

Well, later that night I got an email… from Carolyn, one of my subscribers, and she said, “Jeanne, I bought a Tuesday’s Child Boneka doll on Ebay today…” and my heart did a flip flop… until I blinked my eyes and read the rest… “If you want her, you can have her for what I paid for her.” WHAT? WHAT? Did I read that right? Let me start over again… and I read it again… actually 3 times and then I ran to my hubby and read it to him!!! Of course he just smiled! Then I did too… and so Carolyn and I chatted back and forth a few times and she decided she wouldn’t even open up the box when it came to her…she’d just send it on to me. So she had no idea what the doll really looked like…as the Ebay pictures were on the fuzzy side and they didn’t enlarge. But today she’ll get to see her!

I received her yesterday and when I saw the mailman pull in my driveway…he does that when we get boxes :o) , I knew she had arrived a day sooner than she was supposed to. I grabbed my camera and started taking pictures… my hubby was watching me… (he sort of “gets” it, but not entirely) First get the box open…

Then take her out… she was wrapped up pretty well… and in her Boneka bag for protection. The box she came in was crushed so I was glad she was okay…

When I finally got down to the paper that was wrapped around her, I knew in a second I’d either be super happy or disappointed. I was SUPER HAPPY! I said out loud, “Oh, she’s adorable!” My heart did another flip flop this time… but a good one!

She’s a tiny little thing and even though she’s 10″ like my Patsy and Trixie Tonner, she’s daintier than they are. I haven’t put her next to Elin, my Iplehouse 10″ doll, but she might be a close match for her. She has the fairest skin and her blonde wig is a bit on the wild side…

I grabbed Janie and stood them side by side… Janie needs a different wig on… this one is too shiny in my light.

I did what any doll lover does when she gets a new doll… sees how many wigs you have that will work. I stole the wig I had on Ellowyne and tried it on her to see the fit… she takes a 5/6 or a 6/7 wig and I only have a couple in that size. I tried Ten Ping’s little bob wig on her but it was too tight. I have lots of other doll wigs so I can play around with them and see what colors look best with her skin tone. I believe she may have come with a red wig that had braids, but I’m not positive.

I don’t have any clothes made for her…YET… but will soon, I’m sure. I do, however have quite a few shoes that will work for her. That’s always a good thing!

The Boneka dolls are generally made in small batches…5-10 in an edition. Even though they are the same looking doll produced, they still come in editions. My dolls card had her name as Noel and she was 1/1…

She was the only one in her edition! I think that’s kind of special and I think I’ll keep her name Noel. I actually did a little research on the name Noel, which can either be a boys or a girls name. It means Christmas. It was just like getting a Christmas present to me, so I think she’s going to stay Noel. Records kept on names from the Social Security Administration show the first time Noel was used as a girls name was in 1909 and 5 girls were given that name. By 1956, when I was born, 98 girls were named Noel. The name peaked in 1987 when 336 girls were named Noel. It has slowly declined and the last record of names show in 2015, 207 babies were named Noel.

I played around her blonde wig and pulled it into some pony tails for now…

I found a red kana wild wig in my wig drawer that I forgot I had. Noel looks pretty cute in the reddish tones…

So, that’s my dolly story! It had a agonizing beginning but the Thrill of Victory came to me, via Carolyn. I have thanked her several times, but I’d like to again… Thank you Carolyn!

I have some “sister sets” in mind and hopefully little Noel will earn her keep… Yep, she’s going to do Just Fine!

See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne

39 thoughts on “The Agony of Defeat & the Thrill of Victory…”

  1. Charlotte Trayer

    Congratulations, Jeanne!! Your little Noel is just adorable! I know you will enjoy sewing for her, and having her model for you!

    How thoughtful of Carolyn to offer her to you for the same price (and to snatch her up in the first place, so no one else would get her first!).

    By the way, I think I like the blonde color wig best on her.

    1. Hi Charlotte,
      Thanks for your compliments on little Noel. She truly is a little doll. I have a blonde wig, a brown wig and the red one…so I should be able to work around the colors for anything I make her.
      The Tuesdays Child I got has the eyebrows that are set to the side a bit, so I’m thinking wigs with even a few wispy bangs looks best. It’s fun just playing around with her.

      Do you have a little Boneka doll or do you know very much about them? I’d like to find out all I can about them.
      Thanks so much,
      Blessings, Jeanne

      1. No, Jeanne, I don’t….but now that I see yours….!!! LOL (That’s how I ended up getting Ten Ping, you know….saw yours! You are a “bad” influence!! LOL

  2. You are indeed blessed to have such sweet people in your life. Now I am sitting here all teary-eyed.
    What a sweet little face your Noel has. I think watching someone adopt a new girl is almost as much fun as getting one myself. Thank you for sharing this with us. I look forward to seeing the beautiful clothing you will create for her.
    Take care.

    1. Thank you to my “other” Charlotte,
      I do think little Noel is a sweetheart and I hope she enjoys being here with my other girls.
      I’m happy you enjoyed reading about how she came to live with me.
      We are at the Cancer place right now but I keep thinking of fabric in my stash and wondering what I’ll pick for her first dress.
      Thanks so much,
      Blessings, Jeanne

    1. Thank you Christine,
      I’m so happy that I got to share her with everyone today!
      I’m glad you liked her…
      Blessings, Jeanne

  3. Great that you were able to get Rebecca listed. The dress is amazing.
    And I can certainly see why you love Tuesdays sculpt so well. What an exceptional little sister she will be. I actually like the blond wig in which she arrived the best. I looked up some sizes of the day kids. Monday-10.5″ head without wig 6.5, Tuesday-10″ head 6.29″, Thursday 10.5 head 6.5″ House of Biscotti has quite a few sister set patterns available. I’m trying to decide which I like best. I’m fairly certain they will fit the Tonner 10″ (aka Patsy) too.
    So happy that you have been able to add such a sweet doll to your sewing group.

    1. Hi Joy,
      I really wasn’t in the market for another doll but I think I have decided to sell my Ellowyne dolls and just do the child dolls. They just are easier to dress to me. I don’t have to think as hard about what to make them as I do with Ellowyne.
      I laid Patsy next to Noel last night and Patsy seems huge next to her. Noel is much smaller up in the shoulder and neck area. I think I’m going to make a dress off of a pattern I generally use for Patsy and then see if it will work for Noel or if it will have to be tweaked. It really would be great if the pattern fit both dolls.
      I found myself looking at wigs this morning too. When I put the red wig on her and showed my hubby, he said she looked like a totally different doll…that’s the nice thing about being able to change their wigs.
      Thanks Joy,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  4. Jeanne, I love your new Noel and I love her blonde wig the best. I thought she looked familiar so I went down stairs to check my smaller dolls and low and behold, I have 2, yes Two Tuesdays girls, one a red head Molly 1/50 and Jessica a blonde who is 1/4. They have Boneka dresses on with smocking on both of them. Didn’t think about making them little sisters to my Little Darlings but just may do that! I find the smaller dolls take up so little room compared to big dolls and I love Dianna’s dolls. She is about a 2 hour drive from me and I am going to take a painting class from her but having too many health problems right now. Dianna gave me a Sculpt #3 to get started making patterns for her and I have an order in for one for about a year now. I have purchased 3 other Little Darlings and a blank one that was sold on ebay but was stolen and Dianna filed a complaint with ebay about someone selling her dolls illegally in December. I gave her all the info on the blank dolls head I got on a BIN and filed a police report for they now have the guys name and address so they are trying to track where those stolen dolls came from. I bought the 4th one that was sold on ebay. I am going to try and paint her and have bought Dianna’s paint set for the eyes. Got to get my nerve up to try and paint her. I redid another Effner doll Jingle Joy an Indian doll but she has been rewigged and is blonde but haven’t named her yet. Love your new little Noel for sure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Isn’t it fun to play dolls even long distance? LOL Sandy

    1. Thank you Sandy for all of the LD information. Very interesting. Hope you get to painting soon. I believe the market for repaints of quite a few dolls is great as well as new LD’s.

    2. Hi Sandy,
      Well it seems everyone likes her in the blonde wig the best. Oh how fun that you discovered you have 2 Tuesdays Child dolls! I’m sure your Little Darling dolls would welcome a little sister…or TWO!
      I hope you get the eye painting down…I debated about trying to learn how to paint the dolls ….I think I would enjoy it, but I love sewing more so I passed…
      I think if you mess up you can just wipe it off and start again…
      Thanks for your compliments on Noel. I can’t wait to sew something for her.
      Thanks Sandy,
      Blessings, Jeanne

    3. Very interesting about the blanks, Sandy. I remember seeing them come up for sale on ebay late last year, and wondering where the seller got all the blanks. If I remember correctly, it was a new seller on ebay, and he/she got a pretty good price for each of them.

      1. HI Theresa,
        I saw them too and even talked to Lana about them when I called the doll she was painting for me. She doesn’t have internet service hardly at all, so while I was on the phone with her, she had me look them up. She was asking me all kinds of questions about them…
        I never would have thought they could be copied like they were… seriously a black market for vinyl dolls…who would have thought that!
        Blessings, Jeanne

  5. Little Noel is adorable and it’s very exciting how you got her. She would be the perfect little sister to the other Little Darlings you have. Diana’s dolls are beautiful. The talent the LD painters have is absolutely beautiful. Glad you got what you wanted. I agree with Sandy, it’s fun to play dolls even long distance! I like the darker blond and the red hair on Noel. Love her name too.

    The Civil War/Southern Belle outfit is just magnificent. The fusion of purples/lavenders are luscious. This outfit is just gorgeous.
    *Linda, did your Felicity come in the purple dress? There is one on Ebay I am considering in the purple dress and I love her hair color. It’s like a brilliant red and yes, I agree with you that the newer facial paint is nicer. I may just not look for the 1st Felicity after all if I decide on the newer Felicity.

    1. Yes, Paula, my Felicity came in the purple Traveling Dress. I made a really cute apron to go over it, as I though it looked kind of plain. I do like my Felicity, and I got her in 2009. Gee, it really doesn’t seem that long ago, but time flies!

    2. Hi Paula,
      Yes, isn’t it fun how she came to be mine. Such a blessing to me. I am so glad her name is Noel…I think it fits her and that will be fun to find things at Christmas with Noel on them. Yes…it really is fun when you have dolls in your life!
      I looked on ebay last night looking for a Felicity in a purple meet dress to see if I could find the one you were talking about, but I wasn’t sure which one you might have seen.
      I agree…it’s hard to find an older one with a pretty face so you may need to just look for one that you think is prettiest and go with her.
      Thanks Paula,
      Blessings, Jeanne

    3. Hi Paula,
      First editions Felicity’s with pretty face paint are hard to find. That was the edition I wanted and it took me six months on eBay to find MY girl. She was NIB from an older adult collector who had stored her perfectly. If she’s in the purple traveling gown she would be from 2007 forward. I believe 2007 was the year of the meet dress switch.
      I will say if you are wanting to collect any of her PC sets I think you should begin hunting quickly. IMO her PC collection was THE best. Felicity returns tomorrow ( have you seen the leaked pictures, you might like her better as I think she’ll have redder hair again , but she’ll only have her meet, accessories and underpinnings and there’s been no promise of any ” collection” to come. I happened to look up something I already have to check prices and many things are three times what I paid a year or two ago or set are broken up into partials which isn’t good. I am so glad I’m finished with my collection because I think her sets will be really sought after now and I would stand no chance of getting anything now. I hope you find the Felicity that you think is prettiest soon. Everyone needs a Felicity!

      1. Hi Laura,
        Thank you so much for all your knowledge and help when it comes to the history of the dolls.
        Thanks for helping Paula out with Felicity.
        Blessings, Jeanne

  6. Well, Jeanne, I am finally able to write something! When I clicked onto “Post Comment”, the whole screen went blank! So I waited a bit, and now here I am.
    I loved seeing you practically open little Noel, and each picture made me wanting more! Oh, how exciting that must have been to open her! Goodness sakes, you have such generous followers, and Carolyn, that was such a sweet thing to do!
    I really have no knowledge of these darling little dolls, but couldn’t figure out why you wanted her, since you have a few LD dolls. Then you showed the size comparison! But they do look just like the LD dolls, just smaller, so that will be neat for sister outfits.
    I too, like the blonde wig the best, with the two pony-tails, although the red wig and braids is cute too. Just depends on what kind of outfit she wears, I guess. I can’t wait to see what you make for her!

    1. Hi Linda,
      Marilyn is having trouble getting on my blog this week and in fact I don’t think she can get it at all for some reason. She was glad Rebecca’s dress was going to be on ebay so she could see it.
      I’m glad you liked seeing me open the box of Noel…she truly is a little sweetheart and I’m excited to have her in my group of dolls.
      Okay…another taker for the blonde wig…guess it’s definitely a keeper.
      I like the red wig too on her. It will be fun to see what I come up for her as her debut dress!
      Thanks Linda,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  7. What a wonderful story, Jeanne! How nice you finally acquired your Tuesday’s Child doll. You helped your momma, and God did indeed bless you with the desires of your heart. Little Noel is such an angel and will make the perfect little sister for your LD dolls. She has the sweetest face and the most endearing expression. I look forward to her debut dress and the sister outfits you will design. There is nothing like a new doll to inspire creativity. Have fun with little Noel, Jeanne, and blessings to Carolyn for her kind heart!

    1. HI Anne,
      It’s nice to see your name in the comments Anne. I took my Ipad with me to the cancer place today and was going to check in on you, but my day was tied up with other things.
      I’m glad you enjoyed Noel’s story of how she came to live at my house. I just love her and can’t want to figure out what size she is exactly!
      She does have a sweet face and so innocent looking. I’ve got to find just the right fabric for her first dress… something super girly and cute!
      Thanks Anne,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  8. Congratulations, Jeanne! So glad you didn’t have to wait very long to get her! With the red braids, she looks like my Julia, but I like the blonde wig, too, especially styled in pigtails. Can’t wait to see what you sew for her, and especially can’t wait to see your first “sister set” creation! 🙂

    Have you compared her to Elin yet? I compared mine to my Iplehouse BID Bordy, and the Boneka appears to be just a little bit smaller, though I didn’t undress them or take measurements to know for sure.

    1. HI Theresa,
      Thanks for your congrats on Noel. I’m amazed at how quickly I got her once I mentioned it… just another perk of having this blog I guess. We’ll have to have a picture blog of Boneka dolls from my readers… that might be fun!
      I have only laid Elin beside her this morning, but I was too busy to really notice anything…they just looked sort of the same size. I’ll have to do a little “investigating” and see what I discover!
      Thanks Theresa,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  9. I know how you feel about wanting a doll. I also find myself unable to resist the books you review on the blog sometimes. Marilyn kindly gave me the Paulinette doll by Pauline Jacobsen, an 8-1/2″ doll who was on the cover of Rosemarie Ionker’s “Fashions for Small Dolls.” You may find a basic pattern for a 10″ doll in the back of that book. One is based on a 10″ Linda by Robert Tonner. The book has great pictures of the dolls to compare the sizes on pages 58-61 and a great measurement chart on pages 76-77. I haven’t made any clothes yet for Paulinette, but I did make a colonial dress for Marilyn’s Felicity doll in return and just finished a Valentines Day dress a couple of years later for my Samantha out of the scraps. Dolls are really fun, aren’t they? Congrats and many thanks to Carolyn for looking out for you. What a great friend she is!

    1. Hi Susette,
      That’s a good idea to check out the patterns in the back of Rosemarie’s book. I had forgotten about them being in the back of that book.

      Yes, it was great when Carolyn emailed me with the news about the doll. I still can’t believe I have her!
      I looked at the wig on the doll on Rosemarie’s book and it’s not the same as mine. The one I have is a jpop wig called kana wild in carrot, but it’s not made any longer. I was looking at wigs last night…just go to Ebay and type in doll wig and the size you need. ..ie…5-6, 7-8, etc.
      Maybe you can find something. I believe the one on that book cover is a mohair wig. I personally like the ones that are synthetic mohair. They are wonderful.
      Thanks for your comments Susette,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  10. Oh, my goodness! I think that red wig on Noel is the one on the cover of the “Fashions for Small Dolls” book. Mine has blond hair and I’d love to find the red ponytail wig. Do you remember which company offers it? Thanks.

  11. Running a little late today.
    Springtime in the South turned out beautifully. I know Rebecca is going to cry when she has to give that dress up, the perils of living with a dolly mom who sews. I really like the additional lace you added to the bonnet and the gloves finish it off to perfection. I really like that pattern and may have to try it for a dress for my Caroline in a seafoam green print to bring out her gorgeous eyes.
    Have you seen all the craziness going on at AG with permanent undies? They look pretty strange now and it would make it difficult to use a AGOT as an accurate historical.
    Your little Noel is precious and I don’t doubt they are German because she looks remarkable similar to a 10 1/2 Kathe Kruse doll that is my mom’s from her childhood.
    She has the pudgy little tummy also and blonde braids and painted blue eyes. You are going to enjoy sewing for her. I like the blonde wig she came in best as well.

    1. Hi Laura,
      You just might be right about Rebecca crying when she has to take the dress off. I have laid her down and she appears to be sleeping…let’s hope she sleeps till Sunday and wakes up so groggy she won’t know her dress is missing! :o)
      I’m curious about Noel…and hope to learn more about here as the days go by. I think I’ll ask a few more questions on the doll forum.
      Blessings, Jeanne

      I was reading about the permanent panties being sewn on the doll bodies…and I read about them using a soft squishy vinyl for the dolls, and the zip ties on the necks and the clothes being stitched in the packages. There are tons of ladies boycotting AG and it’s not looking good for the company right now.

  12. Well, I was a little apprehensive when I saw the picture of the box–it looks like it was stepped on or something. She looks really good in the pictures. I couldn’t tell for sure from the eBay pictures if she had any flaws or not, but since I have been looking for a Tuesday’s Child, I thought I would take a chance. As I told you in my email, I already have a Boneka Thursday’s Child which I haven’t had time to sew for, so I can wait a little longer for a Tuesday. In the meantime, if you hear of anyone who wants to sell one (especially one with grey eyes), be sure and let me know!

    1. Hi Carolyn,
      I was a little worried about the box when I saw it too, but thank goodness…no damage to her.
      I know…the sellers pictures weren’t that good, but you took a chance and look how it turned out!
      I will definitely keep an eye out for another Tuesdays Child for you too!
      Thank you so much…I truly do appreciate.
      Blessings, Jeanne

      1. You are more than welcome. I’m happy you like her. She is really very pretty. I do think she needs a new wig though. I just got inspired and drafted a tee shirt and leggings made for mine. They look good but I used a remnant of black knit (it doesn’t take much!) I had on hand just to test the fit. Maybe poor Bonnie will get an actual outfit pretty soon.

    1. Thanks so much Robin,
      Yes, I have to agree with you on the story AND the little girl! She IS a cutie pie!
      Blessings, Jeanne

  13. Jeanne,
    I’m so happy for you that you had finally found your “Love”..
    She is a real Sweety and her name effectively means “Christmas” in French.
    How gorgeous she is !
    I wish you great Joy with her and lovely sewings :).
    Regards,
    Joelle from France.
    Have a nice day !

    1. HI Joelle,
      I looked her name up and did see that Noel meant Christmas in French! I think it fits her perfectly and was so glad that was her name! She is very pretty and I’m SO blessed to have her.
      I can’t wait to make her more dresses!
      Have a wonderful day in France!
      Blessings, Jeanne

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