My New Favorite Things!

I wanted to show you some new diorama items I recently purchased from thrift stores and flea markets and what I got from the International Black Doll Show and Sale!


So here we go… I told you I got the gardening set from the Black Doll Show.

My gardener will be Angelina!

Outfit and hat.

 I love the little tools!

Someone recently gave me some Barbie size tools too.

They are a little off scale wise but certain dolls aren't as picky as others!


Next I got this rug at my favorite thrift store.

Xia is our model today. She is dressed in a Miya inspired outfit. Doesn’t she look cute!
I was looking for something like this for someone especial! The rug will go to Chief Running Bear for his home.

Also going to his home is this desk! If you read dbg’s post of Black Doll Collecting on the International Black Doll Show and Sale, you will remember Linda Hayes saying she had a desk at the show. Yes, that right! The early bird gets the worm… or the desk! This is the desk she had for sale! I will give it a hit with some Old English and maybe add some feet to it before sending it to him.

I also purchased from Ms. Hayes is this Power Team guy. It’s funny, I was going to purchase this guy on the Dollpage but the seller already had a sale for him. So now I have him anyway. No name for him or anything yet.

Close-up!

I also from Ms. Hayes is Halle Berry! I immediately rebody her! She is on an AA Fashionista body. She had some pretty strange eyelashes too! So I gave them a trim. I do think she a beauty!  Sometimes she looks like Halle Berry and other times she looks like Nicole Ari Parker.  Haven’t figure a her name either but it will come.

Close-up!

I got these cassette holders from the dollar store.

The will make great chairs for my folks to sit in! When I read Vanessa’s post on Wedding Reception Crisis Averted, chairs were mentioned as a possible issue! I learned from her to pick up chairs when you see them.

I found this sofa which you have seen with Sydney

(Thrift store)
I got these!  This is my original.  It is a candle holder. They show up a lot at my favorite thrift store.  At first I paid then no attention.  Now I look in that section first!

This is my first one!

It had a piece like this in it.

I removed it.

Now I have two!

(Thrift store) I will do the same with these.

(Flea market) two more of these. I already had two

(Thrift store)


and two more of these also to add to my chair collection. Can you have too many chairs?

I purchased this picnic table for my park.

This table and three more came from Style In Scale. Thanks Jennifer! Words don’t do these tables justice! I plan to follow her direction on cleaning. I learned something in the process of purchasing the tables. It cost more to send something from Canada to the US than it cost to send from the US to Canada. That was something I didn’t know.

This table is from my favorite thrift store.

Some lamps from the dollar store. They had these in a few colors….I may need more.

I got an Etch A Sketch…

these, which reminds me of the game Connect Four

 and my extra Foosball table.

I also received some pizza  and breakfast from Vanessa of Van's Doll Treasures!

Xia: Maybe just one slice?

I need to get another of these! Hey Van, What else  ya got?

A little something for Fiona!

I also got a few things for my wee ones!

A car and

Trucks!

Ok! I couldn't pass this up for 5.00!

Now my horses have a home!

Yes, it need some work... will I get to it....maybe!
Yes, I went a little hog wild for a minute!



I’ll show you more dolls later.

Thanks For Looking!

Jack Sparrow/Johnny Depp

For the last 6 months Mattel’s Johnny Depp/Jack Sparrow has been playing hide and seek with me at my local Wal-Mart. I saw him in TRS when he first came out but didn’t want to spend the money that they were asking for him. When I found out he had and articulated body, which made him a little more interesting.

A six month ago I saw Johnny in the discount section of my local Wal-Mart. He was mark at 39.00 which I didn’t consider much of a sale. I knew he was hard to find but that wasn’t a discount in my mind. Everything else in the section was under 20.00. The box was in bad shape so I asked the manager if he could do better on the price. He said he could take off a few dollars… 36.00. Now we all know that they would negotiate better a better deal than that if I were a company want to sell something in Wal-Mart. So I left it there in the store. I was really hoping for 30.00.

When I came in two weeks later, it was still there. I decided to hide it in the shelves until I came back on the weekend when I got paid. I would have some extra money and I would breakdown and buy it. Don’t you know when I came back he wasn’t there! Ugh! I looked all over but he wasn’t there. I told my self it was meant and I purchased two power teams action figures, a Fashionista and clothing with what I would have spent on Johnny.

Three weeks later I came into Wal-Mart with just enough for what I needed for dinner and who was there…yup Johnny and he was still 39.00and the same beat up box. I asked a new manager if he could do better on the price and he said no! “The price is the price no matter what the box looks like!” Weeell! I didn’t have the money anyway so what could I say anyway. I did wonder why he hadn’t sold even with the box in bad shape. The next few months I didn’t see him there.

Today I came to Wal-Mart looking of an AA Fashionista body for one of my new dolls and who do I see…yup, Johnny! The box is really looking bad now. So I ask my self do I want to find a manager to see if they will give me a better price or what. As I walk by the scanner, something told me to just scan it and see what it says! So I did and it scanned for 25.00! Now that is more like it. That is a price worth calling the manager for. So I headed to the front of the store to check out.

As I arrive at the front of the store, I give all the cashiers a good look over. The cashier is the first line of any store! Some cashiers will hold the line on the price of any item. They will make you ask for the manager because they aren’t will to call one if you don’t ask. If you go along with the “this is the price I have to charge, it out of my hands” statement, you’ll walk out of the store with lighter pockets. So I give them all a look over. What I was looking for was someone with a carefree attitude. You know the “I’m just here for the summer and don’t need a hassle” look to them! Yup, there he was… hiding… on his cell phone. You almost could tell his light was on. When I came up to him the look on his face was damn, she saw me! He looks to see if there was anyone else saw me come to his line. If he could ring me up fast, no one else would know that he was open. I told him quickly that it is scanning cheaper on the bottom. He scans it on the bottom and it scans 25.00. He charges me the 25.00 and announces to the others that he is going on break! Sometimes you got to play the system!

So here is Johnny! The bottom and back of the box is ripped badly.

I have another Jack Sparrow.

He is by Zizzle. I purchased several of these years ago and sold them on eBay. I kept this one. I also have a Will Turner too.

I have one nude for sale if anyone wants one.

So let's compare the two!

Here is a side by side shot of the two.

Mattel’ version has real hair. The Zizzle has molded hair

You might not be able to tell it from this photo because of the box but the Zizzle version is a little taller than the Mattel version by about an 1 ½ .

Warning Nude doll!

Here is a picture of the Will nude with a Joe and Steven.
The body is different more like a Joe. The shoes are molded on. Bummer!  I bet Muff could do a leg replacement on him!


The Mattel Jack Sparrow is the first doll that I have done research on before buying it. From what I have read on the net, the clothing doesn’t come off easy on the Mattel doll. The pants and shirt are one piece. The belt is hard to get on to the original position once you take it off making him hard to redress in the outfit once you take it off.

On the Zizzle doll all the pieces are removable and separate. Here are photos of Will outfit.  Sorry I don't have photos of Jack's outfit

Getting the pants over the boots is a little difficult and he has a hat!

Mattel outfit

Zizzle outfit

The clothing on the Zizzle is very well made.  As for accessories, both have a swords

Mattle Sword

Zizzle sword

but the Zizzle one comes with a gun too!

The Zizzle guy will stay in the box while I play with the Mattel version!

Ok on to Mattel! If you go on flickr there are a lot of photo of the Mattel version redress, repainted, unpainted and more! It really give you and idea of what you can do with him. I have linked this picture of him without facial hair. I don’t like that too much. He looks to pouty for me. This link is with just the hair cut. Not bad! I not sure if I like the short hair or not. Here is a shot with longer hair but with some of the facial hair removed. I am still try to figure out what I like. I just know that he clothing is going. We don’t need a pirate in Johnston! I will get rid of the cut too. The next time you see him he will be redressed! I am just glad I got him!

Thanks for looking!