The final day of the convention was a busy one! First, we visited designer Katiana Jimenez, who was signing dolls she has designed as well as autographing her picture for collectors. Katiana has created so many beautiful Barbie Collector dolls, including this year's Designer Spotlight doll. It definitely displays Katiana's appreciation for international designs, and her flair for blending textures and colors into her doll fashions.
Everyone was thrilled to meet Katiana, especially 8 year-old Lauren Moseley, who beamed and blushed while posing for pictures. She was so adorable! And we were thrilled to hear that Lauren enjoys visiting BarbieCollector.com's sister sites
Barbie.com,
PollyPocket.com, and
DivaStarz.com!
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Dan Lee and his designer dolls |
Sales Room
Next we headed for the sales room in search of fun finds. While perusing the doll deals, we met some great new friends. First, we were drawn to a table with some very uniquely designed dolls where we met designer Daniel Lee. This San Francisco artist has been designing dolls for only 3 years, but the craftsmanship and creativity are quite amazing. This is Daniel's first convention, and he even confided to us that he never used to think of himself as the creative type! One look at his bevy of beautiful dolls, and we know it's simply not true! When asked which of the dolls was his favorite, Daniel quickly pointed to a space age-inspired TNT doll dressed in silvery synthetic fabrics, complete with bubble space helmet. She's sensational!
The next amazing sighting was a 1962 NRFB Barbie® and Ken® Giftset. When we approached the saleswoman about this amazing find, she told us it belonged to her daughter. Turns out they collect dolls together, which we love to hear! After all, half the fun of collecting Barbie is sharing that love with others. Evelyn Callas and her daughter Linda Maley were more than happy to pose for a quick photo with this great giftset, and to tell us how they enjoy collecting Barbie together. Thanks for sharing your story with us, ladies!
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Janet Martin with her rare find |
While in the salesroom, we bumped into several friends who were excited to share their fabulous doll finds with us! Janet Martin, our eBay Dream Tour winner from earlier in the year, showed off her rare find, an international doll named Expressions of IndiaSM Barbie®. This exquisite doll was only sold in India, and features an ornately designed costume and the doll even wears a traditional Indian nose ring! Janet loves collecting the Dolls of the World® Series, and especially enjoys these rare international finds. Congrats, Janet!
We next bumped into a tablemate from last year's convention, Alice Rice. First, Alice showed us the gorgeous blond Swirl Ponytail doll she had found in the sales room. What a beauty! And in her original red swimsuit, too! In addition to this great find Alice and her friend Monica were both lucky winners in the doll raffle. Alice won two great prizes - a Ricky doll in his #1501 Lights Out pajama set, complete with blue bathrobe, and the darling Double Dashers Skipper fashion. Monica won a fabulous one-of-a-kind doll.
Room Shopping
Lorraine with her room shopping find | |
And no convention experience would be complete without a little room shopping, so we ventured into the hotel halls in search of more doll deals. In one room, we discovered Lorraine Mazzanti and her friend Matthew Sutton. Lorraine had just found a perfect High Color Stacey, and was so excited! While she agonized over the price, she just knew she had to have the doll, and in the end, Stacey was hers. The only dilemma - whether or not to remove the doll from the box. Matthew, apparently an ardent NRFB supporter, threatened to strangle Lorraine if she de-boxed the doll. Lorraine, don't do it! :-)
Silent Auction
One of the most amazing things about attending the convention is witnessing the sheer talent in the collecting community. That talent was quite evident in the one-of-a-kind designer dolls we viewed in the silent auction room. From pure glamour to fabulous fantasy to delicious divas, these dolls took our breath away. And while we didn't have the winning bid on any of them, we know each and every last one is going home with a very deserving recipient. And thanks to everyone who placed a winning bid! This year's silent auction raised $7,342 for Angels Unaware.
Gettin' Groovy Dinner
Jef, Jack, and Dwane, with Traveling Ken,
Christie, and the new guy | |
Our last official convention function, the Getting' Groovy Dinner was a bittersweet affair. For the most part, we had a blast, although it was sad knowing that the convention was coming to an end. However, if the fun had to end, we made sure we were going out with a bang, not a whimper! Our tablemates exchanged last minute gifts, all of which are so adorable! We even got to spend the evening with Traveling Ken® who apparently has zig-zagged across the country and even traveled abroad with friends Dwane Adle, Jack Wootten, or Jef Beck. Traveling Ken even made a new friend tonight in centerpiece Christie, who looked stunning in her groovy green dress. Although soon enough there was competition from a very groovy-looking Ken. We're not sure how this story will end, or if the ending will be happy, but I have a feeling Traveling Ken will be moving on in the morning.
During dinner, we enjoyed a presentation by designer Katiana Jimenez on what influences shape her doll design process. Then we watched a beautiful short film about Katiana's Designer Spotlight doll. Very impressive! Katiana then told us about her vision for the one-of-a-kind dolls she designed for tonight's live auction. "Gypsy Passion" is a giftset featuring Barbie and Ken in amazingly detailed Puerto Rican-inspired costumes. Blending her appreciation of global themes with high fashion, "Gypsy Passion" truly wowed the crowd, fetching $8,250 in the live auction following Katiana's presentation.
Other highlights of the live auction included Freddy Tan's Asian-themed "Princess Kirin," which sold for $1,000, and Melissa Windham's stunning "Forever Lovely," which fetched $6,000. In all, the live auction raised over $22,000 for Angels Unaware. Thanks to everyone who opened their hearts and wallets for such a worthwhile cause!
2002 convention souvenir doll | |
The final event of the evening was the presentation of this year's convention souvenir doll. Designed by one of last year's convention co-chairs Dorinda Balanecki, this doll was a surprise until the very end. Wrapped in tissue paper, we couldn't wait to de-paper this doll. When we finally did, what a thrill! This marvelously mod gal wears a patterned black and white mini dress with coordinating purse, boots, bracelets, and earrings. And the hair - a high ponytail of black and white curls! Dorinda no doubt designed the packaging as well, a psychedelic swirl with mod flowers and smiley faces.
Love it!
And before we bid a fond farewell to the 2002 convention, it's only fair to give you the scoop on next year's convention, which will be held in Orlando, Florida. Registration begins soon, so check the Events section of the Ponytail Press for more details, coming soon! That about wraps up our convention coverage from Denver. Stay tuned for a Best of Convention article next week when we get home. A special thanks to the Fashion Doll Club of the Rockies for putting on such a fabulously fun, groove-a-delic time! Until next year, happy collecting!
