June 27th and 28th have come and gone, and so has the Crossroads Dolls & Teddy Bear Show in Puyallup. We were only able to be there for one day, but it was most enjoyable. We took advantage of the Early Bird Special and were able to start prowling around looking at everything before the pace picked up, so had a chance to take our time and really see what was there.
It was really nice to see that Elaine and Bob Vernon from Stockton, California had decided to give the Puyallup show a try. You may remember that I mentioned them in the article about the Roseville, California Doll Show, which was also put on by Dorothy Drake. Elaine is a Certified Dollologist, and she and her husband do the most amazing repairs on worn and broken dolls of all kinds. Elaine said that they really hadn’t expected to do any business here since it was their first time at this show and they were acquainted in this area yet, but they got several repair jobs lined up and will surely be back with us again.
Another first timer at Puyallup, or any show for that matter, was Andrea Meyer with Wildflower Dolls. Andrea sculpts very natural and realistic looking Limited Edition heads that work on fashion dolls such as Fashion Royalty, Barbie and Dynamite Girl. You can see some of her work at http://wildflowerdolls.etsy.com. She also showcases her adorable little kid sculpts at http://www.andysrascals.etsy.com. Andy is a very talented lady and it was good to see her beautiful work at the show.
Marilyn Selbee of Heather Glen Dolls was another artist whose work caught my eye. She sculpts the most adorable small dolls and makes her own molds to reproduce them in limited numbers, so she has them in several sizes. I understand her work has been recognized in magazines in the past, and I really hope to see her molds on the market sometime in the future for the rest of us to use. Great job, Marilyn!
Terri Pender, owner of Terri’s Tiny Treasures in Olympia was also there with some of her dolls and supplies, and she mentioned that her friend and partner, Lois McCall is going to be teaching another sculpting class in the near future. I’m hoping I’ll get to attend.
Speaking of sculptors, We got to meet Carol Kneisley from Eugene and see some of her sculpts. 
She specializes in newborns, and had a bunch of her babies there that you’d swear needed to be in a incubator on the maternity ward. There were several about the size of my youngest son when he was born. I only managed to carry him for seven months, and he fit in one of his daddy’s hands. 
Carol’s babies looked so very real. She also does seminars on sculpting, and shares the story of how she got started and pictures of her babies on her website, http://www.CarolKneisleyStudios.com.
Gordon and Peggy Hayes from Oregon City, Oregon, and owners of Unicorns N’ Dragons had a number of their poseable one-of-a-kind soft sculpted horses, dragons and unicorns on display in their booth. Their creations have won awards from New York to Washington State and they have a following in Europe, Australia and New Zealand as well. Check out their stuff at http://www.unicornsndragons.com
Nancy’s Teddies, Bears with a Past were great. Nancy lives in Bellingham, Washington, and makes adorable bears from recycled furs! Nancy is the second lady that I’ve met who is doing this, and you really need to see and touch them. You’ll love them!
And let’s not forget Virginia Jasmer’s “JazzBears”! Talk about cute! You ladies have a knack for presenting your bears with an attitude!
Another notable booth was Joy’s Creations, made by Joy Bills of Granite Bay, California. Joy individually hand sculpts her “Golden Oldie Dolls”, which are a bunch old dames with all their warts and wrinkles enjoying life in their own ways. They are wonderful characters, most unusual, and everyone seemed to enjoy them. Glad you came, Joy! Keep up the good work!
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It was really nice to have a number of different types of artists sharing their creations with us as well as our more familiar vendors like Valerie Fogel with her Beautiful Bebes and her wonderful doll shoes, Patti Ulrich and her Old B Dolls with sewing supplies and things for the 12” French Fashions 
Katha Engblom’s Dolls From The Heart from Santa Rosa, California, June Arnold and her dolls from Tekoe, Washington, and Barbara Garner and her beautiful dolls from Beaverton, Oregon, among others. There were even reborns represented at the show! I found the variety exciting and hope we continue to see it at our shows. Good job, everyone!
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