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Friday 25 April 2014

Yet another Dolls House - My New Replacement House!! - 1970's / Early 1980's GeeBee Dolls House with Georgian Windows.

I've already told you the woeful story of how I lost my two childhood doll's houses and how I've spent years trying to find and replace them and all the furniture / people I housed within them... I found a "as close as dammit" Triang several years ago which replaced the lost one from my childhood, however I found it a complete nightmare to even find a replacement for my GeeBee house, and when I did find them they were way out of my price tag, until two weeks ago, when I decided to bid on one I'd been saving in my Ebay Watch List, I actually missed out on it on it's first listing as it had a starting bid of £29.00 and I'd already spent all my money so I wouldn't have been able to pay for it if I had of won...


Photo from listing

Turned out it was a good thing too as a few days late (and closer to Pay Day) it was relisted, only this time the price had been lowered to £19.00, so of course I couldn't stop myself from taking a chance at auction and yay I won, and then it got even better as the seller who had had the house since her own childhood and obviously looked after it very well, refunded me £6.00 on the postage as the original amount stated turned out to be more than it actually cost, so not only did I finally find my house in great condition, but I also (technically) got £16 knocked off the price woot woot!

Photo from listing

Like my other GeeBee dolls house, this one is also made of wood and hardboard (quite possibly they all are), the front of the house is pretty much a facade with only the veranda which goes from the back of the house at second floor level on the left side; around the side, stopping halfway across the front where a staircase (the only one the house has!) connects the second floor to ground level stopping just outside the front door.

This house has a far more generous sided ground than the smaller GeeBee house I have, being approx five and a half inches from the wall to the end of the cobblestone base on which it sits.

The wall below the veranda is decorated with shingle effect; like the rest of the house, and a door, window and large arrangement of flower troughs which go from the non opening door right along to the side wall of the veranda's supporting wall. This wall is decorated on the outside with sandstone brick effect, flowers and an apple tree, there is also a small opening metal double window to let some light into the gallery style room behind the wall.

The veranda is decorated with wood effect planking and a largish yellow trim below it. the room that opens out onto the veranda has a large bay window, decorated with several Crown Glass (bullseye) circles in the panes, and boosts double glazing as well as a door at the facing the front of the house, through which the occupants are able to access an enjoy the view from the veranda on a sunny day.

The two bay windows and the door on the second floor give the house a very light an airy feel to it... Although there are no bay windows on the first floor there are a door an double window which also let in a fair amount of light, so even the gallery room downstairs which proportions wise, isn't useful as a main room; but will do just fine as a utility, gallery style kitchen, or in this case bathroom: I've never been able to deal with the idea of my dolls having to get up in the middle of the night and go outside to find somewhere to go privy, so every dolls house I have must have a bathroom or at least the semblance of one or I have a hard time dealing with it!

Image from google search
As you can see in the above picture, there is an extra post / support for the balcony which is missing from the house I purchased - shown in the first two pictures. However, this is an easy fix and as mine has the red staircase for this area, which is not glued or otherwise secured into place and so could easily have been lost over the years, I really don't mind spending a few minutes to cut a piece of wood to replace it.

While I was awaiting delivery of this house, I did crazy amounts of google searches and read countless dollshouse group postings, read blog posts, squidoo pages and anything else that mentioned GeeBee houses in an attempt to find out more about this house and also hopefully find some images so I can compare them with the house in my mind's eye and the one I purchased, so that when it arrived I can work out if anything is missing, and what if anything I nee to make or do in order to replace any broken or missing parts.

However, I really wasn't able to find much at all and even less with corresponding photographs, I lost count of the amount of information I read just because it had the words GeeBee dolls house, only to discover after reading it that it was an entirely different house, and so apart from the limited information and photographs I've managed to collate here, I'm still sadly, pretty clueless about it.

Image from google search
Image from google search
The two photographs above show views of the left and right sides of the house respectively, as you can see there is a lot of detail on the outside, which again gives the house a kind of "up market" feel, I mean just imagine if this was a real house with that cladding and fixtures on the facade it would cost at least a couple of thousand pounds, in the right location of course!

The view of the left side, showing the two windows on that side also shows that the house should have a yellow trim running around bottom of the veranda, in that photograph it has been damaged, however, mine thankfully has no damage in that area. it also has all the original windows and doors, right down to the "Georgian style window" insert with several Crown Glass ( Bullseye) printed onto plastic which fits into the bay window giving the effect of  double glazing in the bay windows

The regular yellow and white metal windows all have their perspex "glass", locks, and surround in place, but as these are made to be opened they do not have the bay appearance or the double glazing of the others..

Image from google search

The front of the house has three doors, two of which open both of white have the same yellow metal frames and white inserts which match the opening windows; the third one is just for decoration.

The door closest to the veranda's staircase opens onto  a large living room area, the other door opens onto the smaller of the two bedrooms and is recessed into an arched porch type area coming off the veranda.


Image from another Ebay Listing.

The back of the house is completely open for access to the three rooms on the ground floor an two rooms upstairs, each of which in true 1970's/1980's dollshouse kitsch style, have printed rugs placed in the centre of each floor.

Like my other GeeBee house the inner walls which also form the outer walls have approximately half an inch to one inch, wooden frames, the bottom supports of which run along the inside of the floor, against the wall itself, this can make it a bit of a nuisance to arrange furniture as I discovered recently with my smaller GeeBee house, when I attempted to arrange the Jean's of Germany kitchen set I have for it, unlike this house that one has windows positioned in such a way that here are only one or maybe two ways in which you can arrange the cupboards and white goods, but due to the wooden floor support they do not fit flush against the wall and therefore jut out slightly and take up valuable floor space.

However, the position or doors, windows an floor supports in this house makes interior designing a lt easier, especially as the rooms are bigger too. What I do find a little odd though and cannot remember ever noticing as a child, although I'm sure I would have done so, is the distance between the floor and the bottom of the doors, it has to be approaching an inch, so I guess I'll have to put up some "Mind Your Step" signs before the new homeowners move in or else one of them may end up breaking their leg!

In terms of scale the house, like my other GeeBee and my Triang is 1: 24th.

the house itself is rather large when compared to the Triang and one berom GeeBee houses as this one approximately: 16 inches / 42cm Tall.   22 inches / 56cm long  and  15 inches /38cm wide.

I think half the reason why I have been having such a hard time locating this house is because I have never known the name of  the model, and only realised it must be a GeeBee house when I saw similar external decoration on another style house while looking through countless Ebay pages trying to see if it was possible to fin another on there... and it also seems to be quite rare, this style only seems to come up for purchase once in a blue moon.

I guess it is possible that due to it's large size it in't sell as well as other models, as a doll's house generally requires an area on a shelf or piece of furniture onto which it can be placed and remain relatively undisturbed when it is not being played with, there's also the mater of devilish little pets stealing items so they too can play, so most dolls houses tend to be "up" somewhere, and it's not always possible to find the space to do so.

GeeBee made a similar house which is often described as a "Chalet" but while it has several features in common with this one, it is very clear to me just how different they are and so instead of purchasing one of those, which I have to admit I have passed up the chance to do so many times as I just couldn't allow myself to buy another GeeBee house unless it was identical to the one I loved as a child and lost during our move to Wales.

Still at least I can now say my quest for a replacement is finally over!

Thursday 24 April 2014

I just found one of the most insane Ebay auction listings ever, so I just had to share ...

   
Old COMPOSITION DOLL Cloth Body MEAN LOOKING Goes by SUGAR, Sociopathic Nature


Winning bid: US $12.50                              [ 4 bids ]










U. S. buyers pay nothing for fully insured shipping, very safely packed. Elsewhere on the planet, buyers pay actual cost of Priority shipping. All Customs forms will state the actual selling price of items shipped internationally.


Note from seller: I normally write the descriptions myself but not in this case. I took the pictures and prepared to start writing, but “Sugar” shot me a nasty look and said, “Hey dimwit. Scoot over – move you sorry butt. I’ll take it from here.”Not having a death wish, I let her take over. I am in no way responsible for anything she says. My advice is to believe about half of what she says, but don’t ever disagree with her or look her in the eye. 



Hey you! How about a little help here. This old man threw me in the weeds last fall, and I feel like that stupid woman who’s fallen and can’t get up. Just get me out of this brush, and I can take care of myself. Trust me. I’ll get even with the old man. All I need is a temporary home – anyplace but here.


I have a Sunday dress, but I usually run around in my slip. Someone, probably one of the do-gooders I’ve run across at some government agency, made it for me quite some time ago. I was two months into my first jolt in juvie when they started calling me “Sugar.” Whatever! Just as long as I get the top bunk and a cellmate who does what I tell her.


Rule number one: Even when you’re sleeping, keep some sort of stabbing weapon in one hand. Even when my eyes are closed, my ears are open, so don’t even think about it.
Yes, Little Miss Observant, I only have one shoe and one sock. Wanna make something of it? If I wanted a pair of each, I’d take yours. Besides, I spend most of my time in places where clothing is provided by the state.



That picture of me is my favorite. It is from a surveillance camera I didn’t know was there. Back then, I didn’t know private homes can have those %*#&* cameras. That little mistake got me my first Restraining Order. Big whoop. I have so many Restraining Orders out on me now that, if I paid any attention to them, I’d have to walk over a mile to visit a friend of mine who lives within 100 yards of my crib. I’ve been gerrymandered.




See that ^&@%*ng cracker? I thought the old man left it there for me, but as it turns out, I was wrong. He whacked me around when he caught me with it.


I told him it wasn’t me who took his %$#%$ cracker, but he had me arrested anyway. The cops discovered a couple crumbs in my panties – so it was back to juvie again. Big deal. I knew the ropes this time, so I cut some smart-arse big girl the first night. The rest of my stretch was easy.


That bust was my third, so I had no choice. I broke out one night by “doing a favor” for a guard whose old lady would have had him shot had she known. I may call him one of these days and see if he wants me to pop her for him. Anyway, on my way out, I knocked the glass out of the office and lifted my photo. Pretty good one, don’t you think?


I have a few beauty marks on my face, and I like’m. One gal called them “ten-foot pole marks,” and she ended up on crutches for three months. So, if I were you, I’d keep my opinions to myself. OK?



You can probably see the round outline of something on my back under my skin. DON’T TOUCH IT!  I mean it. If you touch it, it whines like a baby. This old man called it a “growler” once, and I do mean “once.” I bit a chunk out of his ankle, and that’s the last time he mentioned it. (I had a chance to smother the old $&%er in his sleep about two years ago. Talk about an opportunity missed.)



Given a choice, I wouldn’t be here on eBay – especially nekked. Don’t get me wrong. I like getting nekked under certain circumstances.


Yes. I have a cracked head. It happened when I tried to muscle my way out of a courtroom in Alabama. No choice. It was obvious I was facing what we call a 13 ½.  That’s 12 jurors, one judge, and half a chance. 


If you’re lucky enough to win me, I’ll be needing some stuff. Don’t worry – I’ll make a list. Just go along, we’ll get along. That’s all I’m sayin’.
Don’t just sit there looking stupid!
BID!


What?!


My preferred method of payment is PayPal.Buyer pay NOTHING for fully insured shipping, very safely packed. That's for U. S. only.  All Customs forms will state the actual selling price of items shipped internationally.

If you have further questions about this item, please ask via eBay’s “My Messages.” For more complex questions about the doodad I’m selling; or if you’ve waited until the last few minutes before it sells, I have a phone number you may use for CUSTOMER SUPPORT – (513) 254-7537




Questions and answers about this item

Q: I think this is the best auction on eBay! Once in a while I like to check out your auctions. I love your sense of humor! Heather
A: I can't prove it, but I think she is Chucky's twin sister. Thanks, Dennis 
Apr 20, 2014


Hope you enjoyed this crazed listing as much as I did!
Hugs,

Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring Gets a "New Look" ... from Groove!


For those of you who are not familiar with the works of the Dutch Masters, here's some background info' which kind of explains why I am so in awe of this new Pullip Doll I have discovered...

Johannes Vermeer (1632 - 1675) painted "The Girl With A Pearl Earring" in or around 1665.  The painting is considered to be one of his "Masterpieces" and is generally known by that title, however I am not sure if he himself gave it this title in Dutch (his native language) he would have called it "Het Meisje Met De Parel". I personally believe the name has been given to it in the same way in which "The Mona Lisa" acquired her name or "The Venus De Milo" for that matter.


It is very likely that the reason for Vermeer not giving the painting a title himself is that it is not what we traditionally refer to when we use the term portraiture. It is in fact a style of painting referred to in Dutch art of the 17th Century as a "tronie" or a head painting.

A portrait would require that the subject is depicted in such a way to give an impression of personality, bearing in the community, such as would most likely be the case during the time period in which this painting would have been produced, or as a "remembrance" (in the same way we now take photographs to keep a record of our loved one's faces, or the Memento Mori of the Victorian era).

However, none of these things could be considered to have been behind the depiction of this young girl, and had it of been a portrait it would most likely have been commissioned and therefore would have been entitled with the name of the sitter.

So what does any of this have to do with Pullip Dolls?

Just this... A recent stroll around Ebay informed me that Groove released a new Pullip in mid- April and she is not only beautiful but she's based on and called "The Girl With The Pearl Earring"!




According to www.1999.co.jp she stands at approximately 310mm tall (12 inches) and comes with the headress she's wearing described in listing as a "turban", (this style is actually known as a "Tied Head Linen") and a stand, they also limit customers to three only per household,  whether this is a case of limited stock and supply or a very limited run of these dolls, they do not explain.


They also include the following statement as part of the listing which is intriguing as it seems to emply that Groove have decided to make a range of Pullips based on works of art and more precisely "Masterpieces" which of course will be recognisable to almost anyone, even if they know nothing about the history of art and artists or the names of the works themselves - what a great idea for a run of dolls though, so I guess we can look out for "The Mona Lisa Pullip" in a couple of months if sales go well of this one!




 As the statement is quite comical in it's translation, I had to copy it in it's entirety here:

" ─ ─ Pullip of "Girl with a Pearl Earring" Vermeer's masterpiece appeared

To put smile on the lips, what mood I think .....

- First of Pullip The Masterpiece Series!


Painter - which produced a number of masterpieces, including the woman pouring milk], Johannes Vermeer.


It has been touted as among the masterpieces of painting,


Dole has become a [(daughter of blue turban) Girl with a Pearl Earring.


- Blue turban and earrings appear in the painting, pearl impressive ...


To full-lipped mouth and ocher-based costume, I was faithfully reproduced.
So that I came out from the painting · · · · · · like.


- Taking a turban, hair of gold ... Brown,
It will be like the lady medieval atmosphere."






While the listing states the doll comes with the "turban" and stand ( which is gold by the way) only, it is clear when you check out the photos of the boxed doll that she also comes with her shoes in a bag (stuck to the inside of the box) and a cute little card which depicts her inside a frame in reference to the Vermeer Masterpiece after which she was modelled.






You can see this card more clearly in the photograph below, the card appears to have some additional information on it but as it is in Japanese, I am unable to ascertain exactly what it says.



... And so to price:

 To buy her directly from Hobby Search, she will cost you 13,000 yen approximately $126.90 (American Dollars) or approximately £75.58.

Item Size/Weight : 37.5 x 20.5 x 11 cm / 625g - ( You will need this information to calculate the shipping cost on that site).
Otherwise, you can find her for sale via the two listings I have found on Ebay:
shiyon-jp - have her priced at $105.90 (free p&p) - £62.55.

Link to listing here: Pullip Girl with a Pearl Earring

ranran88 - have her priced at $139.99 ( Plus $44.00 International Shipping) which works out to £83.38 ( Plus £26.21 for International Shipping).

 Listing link here: Pullip doll - Girl with a Pearl Earring


I just wish I had enough spare cash to buy her right now, oh well, perhaps the next one in the "Master Art Works range will be even better, or the next or the next, I'm so excited by this prospect I can hardly wait to see who they make next!

Enjoy,