Carmella's Hang Out

Last night, I was looking at one of the shelves down here, and thought of something. I think there is something about me, that most people do not know.

I have a rather large….or I should say a nice sized, porcelain doll collection. Did you know that? Yeah, didnt think so. I mean, it really isn’t something that often comes up in conversation, but I am very proud of the ones I have, so I thought Id share them in picture form, with you all, along with the story as to how I got her, or from whom or whatever the case may be!

{Remember, these are all thumbnails so just click on the pic to see the full view of these dollies.}

Here is the one that started it all. Years ago, a dear friend, gave Tiffany a birthday gift. She knew she had heard one of us saying how much we loved porcelain dolls, but as many people do…forgot which girl was which. With Tiff’s birthday being in October, there is often Christmas stuff out in the stores. This doll was one of those such items. I am not sure, exactly about her name…and how she got it I mean. I don’t know if it was a mixture of Tiff and I naming her, or if Tiff named her Christina for my sake or what. All in all, this lil ones name is Christina Noel and is the first doll that we got here in our house. {the friend that gave it to her, felt so bad for getting Tiffany the doll instead of me, that she continued to get me dolls for my birthday for the next few years. Only…..she got me baby dolls. Like the rubber/plastic kind children like to play with! She was such a sweet lady! I still have all those dolls too!!

Dressed for Christmas, her middle name of Noel fits her just right!

A neighbor gave us a Sears Catalogue saying that she had seen a doll in it that WAS me. Not just looked like me….but was so much like me, could have been a doll made from my picture. She was right. It was really weird, actually! Even her daughter, her knew me, but not very well, saw how much this figure looked like me. The down side? The doll was like $500!!! Knowing how much I loved dolls like this, my Dad went in search of this doll….not to buy for me, but to get a look at her in the store and then see if he could find one like her at Wal-Mart or something. We have never been able to find the doll in the store, or in any other magazine! However, that year, Dad gave me what became one of my favorite gifts ever. It wasn’t even so much just what she was, but the fact that she was from my Dad. He went out himself to find her, and got me a beautiful doll that he said looked like me. Or at least, this is how I always remember it, so she stays my favorite doll, and one of my favorite Christmas gifts ever.
This is Felicity. She was given this name for two reasons. One, Felicity was one of my favorite ‘American Girl’ book characters. Also, we were in to watch Road to Avonlea, and this doll also reminded me of the fiery red head {with the temper to match} named Felicity King.

A few years later, we went to TN for Dad to attend a music conference. Before we left, my Gram and Grampa McDonald sent us kids some money to be used on our trip. {We drove there.} The conference was held in a very very large mall. It was at this mall that I found Sarah. {I think it is pretty cool that I named her this over 10 years ago. She has blonde hair, just like Sarah P!!} This doll was to be the cousin of Felicity King, Sara Stanley {only I like it with the H better…so I spell her name different.} I think, she cost me $8.00 and that was, at the time, the most money I had ever spent on myself, so my Gram {and my Mum} was very pleased with me! lol

The next few dolls, are not in order necessarily, of when I got them. They are just all from the same person. My older brother! The first, is Amanda…I know she came first, because of her name tee heee. I wanted to name her ‘after’ David since he got her for me at a yard sale, just because I said I liked her but could not get it for myself. The really funny part of this purchase, was the reaction of the sale owner!!! She thought David was SOOO sweet!!! Buying a doll for his girlfriend. Isnt that the best? lol. My poor brother! {oh…just incase you are wondering…though you may already know….Amanda is the faminine form of David}

Annika is just a beauty, is she not? I think he may have gotten her for me for my birthday or Christmas, but I am not 100%. I do know, though, that he found her at the grocery store, while we were all shopping {he saw me pick her up and admire her beauty} and had to hide her in the cart from me!! heh. Annika is the name of a girl in Star Trek. Since David loved that show, and I liked the name, I choose Annika for her name.

Once again, my big bro found a tiny doll that he thought I would love, and so he just went out and got her for me. How horrid is it that I cant remember details about some of these poor things. I am not sure where David got this one, but for some reason I am thinking it was on another sort of road trip…but I think he gave her to me for Christmas. This is Heather

If you run your mouse over this picture, the name Molly is going to show up. That is because I was trying to remember what this dolls name was, and could not. lol. So I gave her a new name. However, I am thinking her name was really Baylanna! This poor thing, is another one I cant really remember the story behind. Think I am the one that purchased her though. Since I cant remember for sure what her name is, I think I shall stick with it as Molly!

While I don’t remember the name I gave this one at the time of getting her, I DO remember her story!! This was a Christmas gift from my cousin Rachel {the one who is getting married now} I really do feel bad that I can not remember the name I gave to her in the beginning, but I know it would have had something to do with my cousin. Her name would have been Rach or Rhetta or something along those lines. Now, however, in this ‘re-name’ I have had to due to my lack of memory, her name is Raechel. {said the same as Rachel, just spelled differently since that is my way!}

While working at Meijer, I found this really pretty princess doll….and I was sure she was porcelain. It was not till I got her home and out of the box that I saw she was actually a regular play doll!! But she was still so pretty that I thought it would be ok to leave her in the collection. To look at her, you really cant tell that she is NOT like the others. Not until you tap on her and don’t hear the ‘tink tink’ like glass! Train of thought in the re-name {she MAY have never even had a name in the first place, I am not sure} She is a Princess…..Sess was one of the nicknames Gram gave Mum…….Kess that sounds pretty! I will go with Kess.

Last but not least, we have Dawn. I did not give her this name, but know for sure that IS her name, since there is a tag on her that says so! {it is the authentication cirt that they put on her arm with a little gold string, along with a sticker that says DAWN} She is perhaps my most expensive looking doll. At Canterbury Village, there is an antique shop {more than one really, but there is one in particular of which I am speaking} and all around the sales floor, on tables and on couches and such, is a collection of dolls. The Emerald Collection, they are called. Dawn was my favorite of the lot……though I would have been happy to take a number of them home! To be honest, also, it was just the space that was holding me back, as they were VERY well priced!! She is the biggest doll of all of those in my collection, and the others there were just as big, if not bigger. She is the only one with a hoop skirt and everything. I took a close up photo of the fabric, to show just how pretty that is.

What do you think? I would like to say, that not even these pictures captures the beauty of my dolls! Some of them even look down right scary I think, in these photos….and they are all rather