I guess the key to collecting for me is to keep what I love. I don't collect to sell. The ones I hang onto I do so more out of sentiment than value. My paternal grandmother died Dec. 1997, and I inherited the Barbies she had at that point and I completed the set of Barbies. My daughter is a Christmas baby born 2 weeks after my Grandmother died. So for me, the holidays are even more meaningful and personal. I enjoy looking at them...the late 80's ones that have the big hair and big shoulder fashions we all used to wear are such fun. The bride dolls were hers also, and they are just so beautiful, that I can enjoy them. My maternal Grandmother has a great many dolls - and is now debilitated with a stroke and in a nursing home. I was asked to select the dolls I wanted to keep, and I only took home the ones I truly love. Several of the Madame Alexander babies, an Ideal walking doll from 1961 and right now I cannot remember her name (I have it in the book at home - I think her name is Toodle), 3 Shirley Temples and an Ideal from the late 30's that we bought together. I played with Toodle as a chld, as did my aunt who has passed away since. So these dolls mostly have sentimental value and will be loved more than 'collected'. And the Crissy's came from her, which also remind me of fashions growing up. The outfits are a hoot to see and enjoy! I am sorry your Holiday Barbies were devalued. I see auctions often where they go from $300 up to one set I saw that went for $1000. The collections and singles on ebay right now are undergoing active bidding with some singles up to about $70 right now, depending on the year and rarity. My collection includes a 1998 error box, where the pic on the back is different from the outfit on the front. But I will never sell! :-)

I have fused glass in a cerqamic kiln with really good results. First, make sure your glass has the same coe -90, or bullseye. Fuse the pieces at cone 015 and slump at cone 019 - 021. You will have to do some experimenting. Make sure your shelf is 3/4 of the way up in your kiln. Your molds can be made from clay bisqueware, but make sure they have holes in it & have kilnwash on it. If you fuse glass together, use 2 pieces the same size together & add other pieces to decorate, otherwise the glass edges will be very sharp. Slump bottles at 019, although I have slumped them at 015, put rolled fiber paper under the neck for a handle. Fiber paper can be cut into designs and layed under the glass to create a 3D effect on the bottom of your glass.

My guess is someone made them but have no idea why they are marked as they are. I am sure the Alex company would have their name on the neck. Look in the Alexander Book and see how the real Dionnes are marked. There are people out there that received the Dionne quints for Christmas and lived all their lives thinking they had the orig. Their mothers just bought 5 of the same dolls and dressed them. They even bought a doll and dressed him as their doctor.

ttodd, I wanted to share my experiences with you. My mom and her husband (only grandfather my kids knew) built each child a dollhouse. And let me tell you these were not your ordinary dollhouses. They started out as a kit, and as in real life, there were lots of upgrades. He absolutely loved woking on them. There is copper flashing, shaker roofs, gutters,etc. My mom decorated the interiors, and they were incredible. Each girl got one (different years), and then they made my son a horse barn. Everything was electrified (I highly recommend that for the lights!) Here is the only downside. They are huge. They are a pain to store when they get older. My kids are 23,21,and 19. They are not in homes of their own yet, so we are storing them, but they will take them eventually. They are on rolling platforms, so the kids could push them up against a wall, and then roll them out when they wanted to play. I have quite a love/hate relationship with the dollhouses. Of course the love far outweighs the hate. My mom passed away about 11 years ago, so it is really special to see what she did. Oh, and both of the girls had a box of Christmas decorations (including lights) to put up on the outside of the house as well as the inside. Also had a Spring collection of things too, to decorate with flowers, etc. btw, while we are getting the house ready to be sold, they have all been removed to a friend's house. I think my house looks bigger now without them in there!!!