Hearts For Hearts Girls Facebook and My Decision

Wow...just, wow!!  I took a look at the Hearts For Hearts Girls Facebook page last night, and there was a link to my post about Zelia and Lauryce! :D  Thanks so much, Hearts For Hearts Girls!  I'm honored. :)

The only thing that put a slight damper on my excitement was one of the comments, which read:  "Wait...So she goes to a store or website, buys herself dolls, plays with them, and then...returns them?  Why?"

It was a bit distressing to see my character analyzed this way.  Since I don't have a Facebook account (and it's not looking like I will anytime soon), there's no way I can explain myself there.  So I thought I'd briefly say something here.

I do NOT buy myself dolls, play with them, and then return them to the stores.  Usually, I do one of three things.  I buy something to keep, buy something to review and keep it in the package before returning it to the store, or buy something to review, open and enjoy for a while and then sell it later for a discounted price.  I haven't been able to figure out how to get companies to sponsor me for giveaways and reviews, so everything I review on this blog I pay for out of pocket.  Since I'm not in a financial position to buy unlimited amounts of stuff and keep it, I've had to improvise somewhat.  The returns and the reselling make my doll blogging a hobby that pays for itself (something Hubby is very thankful for!).

In the case of Zelia and Lauryce, it was total impulse.  I was impatiently waiting for online photos from collectors, and my local stores weren't getting the dolls in.  When Lauryce sold out so quickly at the beginning, I kind of panicked and bought Zelia.  I hadn't originally planned on buying her, but I really wanted to see her in person and get some pics.  Then, a few days later, Lauryce was back in stock.  I bit the bullet and ordered her too.

I was not originally planning on owning either of these dolls (I was holding out for Mosi!), but I thought it would be fun to have one of them.  My plan was to see which one I liked the best, keep her, and send the other one back to Amazon.

The problem was, I really fell in love with both (and could NOT keep both, as this month has been full of impulsive doll purchases on my part...Hubby's understanding, but I don't like taking advantage of that fact!).  ;)  I was really having a hard time evaluating which one I'd like the best without deboxing them.  I also realized that I'd have to pay the return shipping to Amazon since there wasn't a problem with the product.  So I decided to debox both, get an awesome photo shoot out of it, and then resell whichever doll I didn't keep on eBay at a reasonable starting bid, in hopes that I could at least recover part of what I paid for Lauryce.

Okay, sorry I spent so much time on that, but it was rather embarrassing to see that comment and have no option to respond. :{

And now that I've gotten that out of the way, it's time to reveal which doll is staying with me! :D  The winner is:

Zelia!!

As much as I adore Lauryce, Zelia is the one that I keep coming back to.  I would highly recommend both dolls, though.  It may be that sometime in the future, Lauryce comes back to join the Never Grow Up doll family, especially if Conseulo ends up looking a lot like Mosi (who is DEFINITELY going to live here once she's released).  

So, in honor of my decision, I thought you'd all enjoy a Zelia photo shoot. :)

Zelia and Nahji, happy to be together.  Nahji is wearing a generic white doll dress that was a thrift store find.  Zelia is wearing a Gymboree Gymbelles shirt, jumper, and headband.

As requested, here's a picture of Zelia with BFC Ink Addison (sorry about the unoriginal background...this one turned out better than the one on my green background).  I think they'd make cute sisters, don't you? :)

As you can see, I took Zelia's hair out of its ponytail.  It's layered and quite long...and sooo soft and silky. :D  I think her hair will be very versatile.  

Zelia in Tipi's pajamas and flip flops. 

In this pic, she's wearing a tank top and sweatshirt from the "Ty Girlz" line, her original shorts, and a Gymboree Gymbelles purse.

By the way, one thing I did notice is that she can't sit very well in her cute shorts (this pic shows how far her legs can bend in the shorts).  Rahel's skirt in her school outfit set had a similar problem, as I recall.  They still look really cute and work when she stands, though.

Here, she's wearing a Disneyland Resort doll outfit that came on a really ugly doll at the thrift store. ;)  The headband was part of the set.  She's also wearing her original shoes.

Here she is in another Gymboree Gymbelles dress, complete with purse. 

She looks really cute in this little dress I got from a porcelain doll at the thrift store.   She reminds me of Anne of Green Gables (even though her eyes are brown instead of green). ;) 

Her braid.  Some of her layered parts came out of the braid a bit on one side. 

So sadly, we'll be saying goodbye to Lauryce over here at Never Grow Up...at least for now.  But like I said before, it's possible that she'll make her way here again some other month, because she's really cute. :}

I'm planning on listing Lauryce on eBay sometime next week.  I'll keep you guys posted if things change. 

If you'd like more ideas for Hearts For Hearts clothing, you can visit my posts HERE and HERE. :)  And for more doll and doll clothing posts, check out my Doll Product Reviews Page.

Thanks so much for all of the input you guys provided on the two dolls, both my bloggy friends and those of you who commented on the Hearts For Hearts Facebook page.  Hope you guys have a great weekend! :)