Meet Melusine

[snowazalea]

I have not yet introduced Melusine, my American Girl Truly Me #88. Even though I planned to go vintage American Girl and get only Pleasant Company stuff, I fell in love last year with some of their current line, particularly their cotton-candy haired girl, the Cinderella pink ballgown, WellieWisher Camille, and the llamacorn stuff. So, slowly but surely, I'm acquiring this current AG stuff. Since then, I've started hankering after Courtney the 1986 girl, as well.

I have been finding Melusine lots of clothing at antique shops. In February, in Oklahoma City, I found some great outfits, and in Nacogdoches a couple of weeks ago, as well. I loved this zebra dress instantly. It reminded me viivdly of something my Hot Looks doll from childhood would have worn. Melusine is holding a llamacorn, but not an AG one.



I have been wanting to get Melusine lots of fairy princess outfits. This one matches her hair. Straight out of the bag, it's pretty rumpled.



Currently, Melusine is on the shelf above the daybed, along with some of my other collectibles.

Bottom shelf: my Hugga Bunch Impkins. It was a thrill to find her at an antique shop in Oklahoma City, in great shape and in her original outfit. I had been wanting to delve into Hugga Bunch for years and finally found my opportunity. There were so many different kinds of dolls and toys I had as a child. Some of them appeal to me aesthetically now in ways they didn't then, and Hugga Bunch is definitely one of those. I'm collecting slowly, because I don't really have much of a space, but I've been wanting the Hugga Bunch cross stitch book for a long time, as well as to make my own Hugga Bunch dolls from the licensed 80's patterns.

My microwavable warm bear is in the middle, which Nathan got me for our anniversary last year, and the diamond bear on the end he got my for my birthday.

Middle shelf: My cotton candy sloth was such a great find. I got him at the 2019 state fair, one of the few I've been to, and that after many years. It was hugely fun, but after COVID and mass shootings, I don't plan to attend another. Not the same. My marshmallow-scented llamacorn is in the middle. I got her at the mall at a great store called Cartoon World. They're still there, but they've drastically changed their merchandise from sweet toys to shonen anime and waifu-type collectibles. Melusine is on the end. I don't really like having her "out," because I want all of my dolls protected from dust and cat interference, but I have no dedicated place for her and her stuff yet. I also have an Ikea bed for her that is actually in the car to go to Goodwill (several months ago, they wouldn't accept donations due to overcrowding, so the stuff is waiting for the next opportunity) that I'd rather keep and collect bedding for, but I currently have no idea where to put that.

Top shelf: I have a sumikko gurashi gashapon of the pork fat and shrimp tail friend pair, and a plushie keychain of the shrimp, I think dressed up as sushi. I got the gashapon from a store in the mall that was mainly gashapon machines that is no longer there, and the shrimp keychain from Barnes and Noble. The middle sloth was a gift from Nathan, and the slothicorn on the end was as well, though that one was on my wishlist.

That's only a section of the doll and toy family, of course. I don't like having any of them out where they will get dusty, but I haven't figured out what to do about that. I already have two large glass display cases, and I'm getting a third today for my crystals. I don't particularly want yet another one.