Today I am going to show you how to install squeeze voice boxes. I am using one of my 3-Sound voice boxes, available from my shops (link from the Home page). I am using an applique patch to attach the voice box to a firmly-stuffed doll. If you want to put the box into a floppy, loosely-stuffed doll or plush you can just open one of the seams and insert the voice box. Squueze the body to make sure the box works. If you can't squeeze it enough to make the voice work remove some of the stuffing around it. When you get it to work re-sew the seam or add hook and loop tape so you can open and close it to get to the box.

To insert with a patch, cut out your patch. Heart-shaped patches are always cute. Sew on the applique partly, until you can insert the box. I am using blanket stitch and a fleece applique. 

Continue sewing the applique until it is complete. If you are using one of my boxes consider using hook and loop tape on one side so you can get to the box because these boxes have batteries which can be replaced. The vintage doll body shown here is too delicate to have the patch opening and closing so I sewed it all the way around. You would insert a squeaking voice box and any other box you squeeze to work the same way.

Here is a video of the crying sound. To hear the entire series of sounds please click here.

My long-time readers will remember my specialty: Ideal Velvet Skin Baby Dreams doll restoration. Ideal has been making a Baby Dreams doll since at least the 1930s but this version, with flocked "velvet" skin, was only made for one year, 1975. It so happens this was my first doll. I adored her but one day she disappeared. Unbeknownst to me, since her flocking was turning brown and peeling off, my mother threw her away. Shortly after that my father died and we moved from California to Ohio to live with my grandparents, and all the events during that traumatic era erased her from my conscious memory. Every so often, though, Baby Dreams would resurface, literally in my dreams! I had a recurring dream that I left her lying on the floor in the foyer and when I returned she was gone. In my dream I could see her soft face and her pink pointed hood. The funny thing is, I can't remember much about our house in California, but in my dream it reappeared in all it 1970s glory and I could recall every detail. I asked my mother what doll I had but she couldn't remember. In my memory she was a cloth doll but my mother told me she was flocked. I searched and searched for a flocked doll with a pink hooded bunting and finally I found a wise eBay seller who included those keywords in her listing. This is a helpful note for eBay sellers: use descriptive words because your buyer might not remember the name of a vintage item! Once I found my doll I realized she is extremely rare. Due to the issue of the flocking darkening and flaking off the dolls were often discarded and they were only made by Ideal for one year. After many years of waiting I was able to find a replacement doll I could afford and since then I no longer have the dream about her being lost. I realize, of course, the dream wasn't ever really about the doll. I linked her to my lost life in California when my family was whole and my father still alive. I am happy to have my replacement doll though anyway. I learned to restore the velvet skin and now I restore as many as I can get.

This particular Baby Dreams had lost most of her velvet skin and her vinyl was dark and stained. The tip of her nose, for example, was dark brown. I took her apart and cleaned her and re-stuffed her. Then I gave her a full body repaint and re-flocking. I applied four layers of flocking so she won't be losing hers again, at least not any time soon! The right panel of her chest had a hole and was very fragile but otherwise her body is in excellent condition. Since she didn't need a new body I repaired the hole and added a 3 sound voice box. Each time you squeeze her body she will laugh, cry, or say "Mama". The video below is the crying sound.

Baby Dreams has her original box and bunting. She is all ready for a new home. Because she is hand-painted and flocked and her body is fragile I recommend her for adult collectors. Any young child should be supervised while playing with her. You can find this extremely rare doll from all my shops. Link to all my shops from the Home page. I have another of these on the way but that one needs a new body and bunting as well as flocking so it will be a while before she's finished.

A few weeks ago I added a rare member to the Crissy family of dolls for sale in my shops. Meet Brandi, Crissy's cousin, I think, from California. Brandi is extremely rare. She was made for one year only, I think. Brandi is a true California girl, with a curtain of swoon-worthy ash blond hair, the height of mod fashion! Brandi is the only member of the Crissy family with painted eyes and a deep tan. Her jointed waist is perfect for doing the Twist! Brandi was an absolute mess when I got her and I initially intended to sell her for parts because I thought her hair had been cut and the growth mechanism was broken. After a while I decided to try and fix her; after all, I couldn't really make her more broken and I could still always part her out. I was amazed I actually repaired the growth mechanism. When I opened her up I found her hair wasn't cut but just bunched up and stuck inside her body.  Her arms were faded to a pale yellow so I blushed them to match her tan body. Then I made her a playsuit romper similar to her original outfit. I found the fabric in my mom's attic. It's from the same era, so the perfectly correct style! I am having a great time restoring all these mod-era dolls, such as the Skipper trunk I finished last week. I have one Crissy doll and three Velvets as well as Brandi and I don't have any more on the way at the moment. You can find them in my shops with the links on the Home page. 

Here at last is my second trunk set for the holiday season! This set features Skipper, Barbie’s little sister. Skipper has the pretty rare mod face with bold eye lashes and white lipstick from 1967 and the straight waist Japan body. Her trunk is from 1964. True to form, Skipper has an adorable ensemble perfect for every occasion. Whether swimming in Lake Garda, skiing in the Italian alps, hosting a garden party, taking her doll for a walk around town, enjoying the Florentine sunset, or just snuggling into bed, Skipper is always impeccably turned out! Some of her clothes and accessories are quite rare and desirable. I had a wonderful time creating this unique set! I’m especially proud of the custom-restored trunk. I repaired the torn sides with pink accents and added a removable accessories case which can also be used as a tuffet-style seat. What an amazing gift this would be! You can find it in my shops. I hope to have more trunk sets completed soon.

Every holiday season my most popular offerings are doll and trunk sets. If you have been following me for a while you know I rarely see a doll trunk I don't love! Trunks sets are really not as lucrative as selling all the pieces separately but I just love making them, and my customers love buying them! I made some earlier in the year that sold out pretty much immediately. Yesterday I finished my first set for the holidays: a Marlo Twist and Turn Barbie from 1966.

I am not a Barbie expert; I've only restored a few of these older dolls. I just ordered a set of magazines suggested by one of my followers and I did a ton of research on this set. The Barbie has the "Marlo" face, a portrait of Marlo Thomas. Her hair is medium brown, which according to a blog I read is the "CoCo a Go Go" shade. This Barbie came with blond, red, brown, or dark brown hair. Barbie wears her original outfit, which consists of a bikini made of orange plastic stuff, a mesh cover-up romper, and a hair ribbon.  The trunk is the 1961 Ponytail Barbie case made over into a custom case or handbag. I re-lined it, added an accessory box, and replaced the broken handle with a chain and real leather purse strap. I then restored a bunch of handmade and factory made clothes and accessories. None of the clothes are tagged. I do recognize a couple as Mattel or other brands. The set includes a real fur stole!

Some people on eBay (and only on eBay) have told me the doll's hair doesn't look brown but cherry red or purple. I don't know what's going on with that. The hair is medium brown with a hint of auburn in certain lights. I got a new phone recently and I this is the first thing I photographed with it, so maybe I am doing something wrong with the camera. Or maybe it's the rainy weather we've been having. The fact it's only people on eBay makes me think it's possibly something with their site. At any rate, I can assure you the doll has brown hair and I have taken photos both indoor and out at different times of day so you can get the most accurate picture of it. I actually wish she had red hair; in my experience redhaired dolls sell for about 30% more than other dolls!

Earlier today this set sold, not even 24 hours after listing, but then the buyer changed her mind so I went ahead with this post. The set is now re-listed. If you order from my Depop shop before midnight tonight you will get FREE shipping! So hurry over there if you want sweet Marlo Barbie and her wardrobe please head to Depop or my other shops from the Home page.

What doll would you like to see made into a trunk set next? I have a Vogue Jill, several Topper Dawns, Tiny Betsy McCall, mod era Skipper, and so many more. Please, let me know! And please, enjoy Barbie's home video of her trip to Saluda, NC up at the top of the post!

I just added a third type of doll voice box to my shops. These battery-powered voices make three different sounds. Each time you squeeze the box they cry, laugh, or say "Mama".

I stocked these after complaints about my vintage reproduction voice boxes when people would order them for use in reborn dolls. I had a couple bad reviews on Etsy from people who ordered my vintage voice boxes and didn't like the sound. The sound is identical to the Midcentury "mama" crying dolls like Madame Alexander Puddin' and similar. I have an audio file linked to my Etsy listing, so I was confused about why people were ordering the old-fashioned criers for modern dolls if they didn't like the sound. The mystery was solved a few weeks later when I realized Etsy was recommending the crying boxes on the home page as a suggestion for "Reborn Dolls". It's a huge deal to get a spot on the Etsy home page and to have them suggest your listing, but it's really unfortunate they recommended the wrong product, especially since my listing says absolutely nothing about reborn dolls. Most reborn doll makers want a realistic sounding voice. My pink criers are meant for doll restorers who repair vintage dolls.  After a great deal of searching I found recordable voice boxes for reborn and other dolls and these pre-recorded voices. I just hope Etsy will suggest these for reborns instead!

Here is a tutorial showing how to install these squeeze boxes. These have replaceable batteries so I recommend closing part of the seam or applique with hook and loop tape or a snap or button so you can get to the box.

I apologize for my long delay in posting. I always have the best of intentions to post at least once a week. Unfortunately, last month we had an illness go through the entire family and I was sick for more than two weeks. I don't think it was COVID because my oldest caught it first from an outbreak at the Starbucks where he works and they required him to get a COVID test, which was negative. I think it was probably the flu. It had a long incubation of about a week and then the respiratory and stomach symptoms lasted for at least 10 days, so it took up our whole September moving through everyone.

I have also been feeling discouraged and depressed lately. My sales have been slow, and I'm behind on my book. The main problems though are issues with my sales platforms, beyond my control but still causing me a lot of angst. Besides Etsy's misguided voice box recommendations I have had a recent rash of customers who don't read listings or measure or who flat out disregard my advice and then leave me bad feedback when they order the wrong items. I had one customer who ordered the wrong size doll shoes several times despite me repeatedly stating they wouldn't fit the doll in question! Normally I just let bad reviews like that go because I have a 5-Star rating with almost 2000 sales on Etsy and I figure anyone who does read the listing will see the reviewer obviously didn't. Unfortunately, Etsy has premiered a new "Star Seller" program. Despite my mostly stellar reviews I don't qualify because it requires you to have essentially 100% positive reviews. I am enough of a perfectionist without Etsy pressuring me further, especially when their website is far from perfect 100% of the time! Their sharing feature for listings hasn't worked for months! They also require sellers to respond to 85% of messages. I respond to 100% of messages but their algorithm isn't working. I figured it out, I think. If you send me a couple messages on the same topic and I only respond to the most recent one it counts it as me not responding. So, if you send a seller  different sentences as different messages or you send a message with just an emoji the seller has to respond to EVERY message separately. So, if you want to help out Etsy sellers please send your entire question or comment in one message and PLEASE don't leave poor reviews for sellers if you're the one who didn't measure or read the listing  or whatever!

My sales slowdown is largely due to problems with USPS and eBay's Global Shipping Center. They have stopped delivering to Australia and New Zealand due to COVID. International customers represent at least half my sales and my products are particularly popular in Australia. I had to cancel a $100 doll sale the other day because Etsy allowed the buyer to choose USPS postage to Australia for $53 even though they are supposed to have their own global delivery program. USPS isn't delivering there and the only alternatives were UPS or FedEx at a cost of more than $200! So, I don't know what to do. Someone told me Pirate Ship was selling postage to Australia but they only use USPS so I think it will be another situation where they sell the postage but the packages will be returned. Over the summer I told you about eBay's Global Center returning all my doll-related orders marked as prohibited, even though they are not prohibited. I reported that to them about a thousand times and I THINK they finally fixed it. The other day I was able to send a pair of doll eyes to Australia through their Global Center. I sincerely hope it's fixed because eBay is delivering to Australia and New Zealand at no extra cost. So, if you are a customer there please contact me on eBay to add the Global Center to your delivery options if you don't see it. Of course eBay possibly fixed the issue after I spent a month converting all my listings to USPS instead of the Global Center!

So, anyway, I am sorry to be absent and in such a funk. I am working hard to focus on the things I can control and find alternatives for my international peeps. Besides the doll voices, I am in the process of listing an enormous Barbie lot from 1959 to the present. I am also going through the attic and selling my kids' outgrown toys. I read there will be a toy shortage this holiday season so I am determined to get everything listed for sale. There will not be a toy shortage at Atelier Mandaline!

Summer is almost over and we are gearing up for school to start again. I am not really looking forward to it; my kids have to be on the bus around 6:30 AM and I'm not a morning person! I am also going to miss the freedom of traveling whenever we want. We were away this summer more than we were home, it seems, and we aren't done yet. We will have one last fling, a trip to the mountains, starting tomorrow. My Back To School Sale starts today on Etsy, eBay, and Depop but any orders placed after 9 AM tomorrow will ship on Monday, August 16th.  Link to all my shops from the Home page. I hope you've had a wonderful summer and have a terrific school year!

I am thrilled to announce Young Living has finally updated their Distributors' links! Now you can shop from me once again by using the link: https://www.youngliving.com/us/en/referral/2256091. Feel free to contact me for advice about essential oils and Young Living products. If you live locally, contact me to add to my monthly order and get free shipping!

I want to thank everyone who reached out to me during our recent bereavement. My uncle, the only remaining member of my late father's immediate family, died very suddenly and unexpectedly and we made a spur-of-the-moment trip to Ohio last week. We have a previously-planned family vacation at our fishing camp starting July 16th. I'm afraid my shops will be closed once again from July 15th to the 26th. I am closing a little early because I am still working on unpacking and laundry from our Ohio trip. I have to unpack and wash everything and re-pack! And of course we have the usual swim meets and doctor's appointments thrown in.

You will be able to order from my eBay, Etsy, and Depop shops, as well as my website shop. To make up for the delay in shipping, I am having a sale on physical items and a special eBay Coupon for blog readers only: Use Coupon Code BLOGSUM21 on eBay and save an extra 10% off through 8/16: ebay.us/vibaVI. Maximize this code by shopping during the sale and ordering multiple items at once with "Add To Cart" and save up to 60%!

Link to all my shops from the Home page.

Note to International buyers: someone at Pitney Bowes, eBay's international shipping contractor, has mistakenly marked dolls, doll parts, and doll accessories as prohibited items to your countries, causing these orders to be rejected and returned by eBay. I have been unable to get anyone at either company to correct this error. Please contact me if you wish to order doll-related items from eBay so I can set up a special listing for you to bypass eBay's shipping or just order from my Etsy shop. If you could all contact eBay to complain it would also be helpful in getting their attention. You can message them on eBay's Facebook page, eBay For Business: facebook.com/eBayForBusiness or Twitter: twitter.com/eBayForBusiness.