Where do I keep my dolls?

When people see the doll on my desk, they often ask how many dolls I have.

About 100. The last time I counted, there were 70. I haven't counted since.

The collector dolls are a topic I'll discuss another time. Most of the dolls that take a turn on my desk are from the "pink box" line. They weren't designed to be collectibles that are put securely away in a curio cabinet. They were designed for little girls to play with, or for big girls who appreciate life depicted in miniature.

The advantage is: none of the dolls I put on public display are worth much on the second hand market. They are out of the box. The outfits and accessories are not necessarily original to that doll, nor may I even have the "complete set" from that accessory pack on display. Reason: I did not acquire my dolls for resale value. I bought them because I liked them.

I have four smallish plastic tubs where my pink box dolls, clothes and accessories are kept. The doll tubs are in my craft space in the basement. I also have a fashion-doll sized dollhouse, but that's a story for another day.

This afternoon, I brought all four tubs into the living room, dumped the contents, and made piles of dolls, clothing, shoes and tiny pieces. Then I started repacking and organizing the stuff into baggies, tubs and the bins.

I did this because I was annoyed at not being able to find some of the accessories and clothing pieces.

As part of the resort, one doll and a small plastic shopping bag of doll clothing has been set aside as hand-me-downs. I expect it will be given to some little girls I know whose Barbie playthings are worn out.

I won't miss the hand-me-downs. They are items that are really too "pink box" for my taste. Over the years, I've found some beautiful outfits from crafters that I like much better to dress my dolls with. That also will be a discussion for another day.