International Doll & Teddy Show 2016

I have been attending this show since it began back in 2014...then it was just called International Doll Show, or IDS for short. I make it sound like it's been soooo long, but this was my 3rd trip to the show, and I wanted to do a review of it. I have never attended MDCC, BJDC, or UFDC, so I can't really compare IDS to any of those shows, but I hope to give you a good idea of what it's like, in case you plan on attending. I'm going to just pepper this post with pics from the show for your enjoyment.

Hannah, by My Meadow. Face up is by Charlene Smith and I believe the outfit is too.

IDS is held every year in Asheville, NC, at the Crown Plaza hotel. Because I am a native Carolinian, I have never actually stayed overnight for this event, but from folks I have talked to who have, they say the rooms are quite nice.

Connie Lowe dolls - my apologies I am not sure of their names.

IDS, or IDTS, has a mix of reborn dolls, ball jointed dolls, various different types of artist dolls, and teddy bears. It has grown considerably since the first year I attended, and the room is jam packed full of artists and their creations.

One of Val Zeitler's beauties

IDS doesn't have as many events as some of the other shows, but they do offer a few pre-show classes and seminars. The good thing about this though is how affordable it is to attend. It's only $10 to get into IDS! 

Some Liz Frost beauties with face ups by Charlene

I think the best thing about IDS is how up close and personal you can get with the artists. As I have said before, I haven't been to other shows so I really have no benchmark, but you can stop in and chat with the artists at their booths throughout the show. I was especially excited to chat with Berdine Creedy again, she's always so lovely to talk with. I also got to meet Nikki Britt, who is a fellow Potterhead and general fun-loving soul. 

Berdine's table. I had already bought my own Edi by this point. 

A couple of Nikki Britt cuties

This sweetie ended up coming home with me :)

The other thing I really like about IDS is the variety of dolls and artists that are there. I have been introduced to so many different types of dolls through this show. 

These dolls are from Larissa's Divine Creations. I plan on adding one to my collection in the near future.

I've also met a lot of people from my neck of the woods by attending. Sometimes it's hard for me to believe there are so many wonderful dolly people living so close to me!

Kardenchiki dolls, represented by a new local doll friend!

A doll by Rafael Nuri. Her work is second to none! If I ever win the lottery, I'll be adding one of her stunning creations to my collection.

And lastly, the precious little Avery that I really wanted to take home but just couldn't do it :(

If you have any questions about the show, please leave a comment and I will try to answer them. I took loads of pictures, so if you want to see more, you can check out my album on my Facebook page: here . Thanks for stopping by!

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International Doll & Teddy Show 2016

I have been attending this show since it began back in 2014...then it was just called International Doll Show, or IDS for short. I make it sound like it's been soooo long, but this was my 3rd trip to the show, and I wanted to do a review of it. I have never attended MDCC, BJDC, or UFDC, so I can't really compare IDS to any of those shows, but I hope to give you a good idea of what it's like, in case you plan on attending. I'm going to just pepper this post with pics from the show for your enjoyment.

Hannah, by My Meadow. Face up is by Charlene Smith and I believe the outfit is too.

IDS is held every year in Asheville, NC, at the Crown Plaza hotel. Because I am a native Carolinian, I have never actually stayed overnight for this event, but from folks I have talked to who have, they say the rooms are quite nice.

Connie Lowe dolls - my apologies I am not sure of their names.

IDS, or IDTS, has a mix of reborn dolls, ball jointed dolls, various different types of artist dolls, and teddy bears. It has grown considerably since the first year I attended, and the room is jam packed full of artists and their creations.

One of Val Zeitler's beauties

IDS doesn't have as many events as some of the other shows, but they do offer a few pre-show classes and seminars. The good thing about this though is how affordable it is to attend. It's only $10 to get into IDS! 

Some Liz Frost beauties with face ups by Charlene

I think the best thing about IDS is how up close and personal you can get with the artists. As I have said before, I haven't been to other shows so I really have no benchmark, but you can stop in and chat with the artists at their booths throughout the show. I was especially excited to chat with Berdine Creedy again, she's always so lovely to talk with. I also got to meet Nikki Britt, who is a fellow Potterhead and general fun-loving soul. 

Berdine's table. I had already bought my own Edi by this point. 

A couple of Nikki Britt cuties

This sweetie ended up coming home with me :)

The other thing I really like about IDS is the variety of dolls and artists that are there. I have been introduced to so many different types of dolls through this show. 

These dolls are from Larissa's Divine Creations. I plan on adding one to my collection in the near future.

I've also met a lot of people from my neck of the woods by attending. Sometimes it's hard for me to believe there are so many wonderful dolly people living so close to me!

Kardenchiki dolls, represented by a new local doll friend!

A doll by Rafael Nuri. Her work is second to none! If I ever win the lottery, I'll be adding one of her stunning creations to my collection.

And lastly, the precious little Avery that I really wanted to take home but just couldn't do it :(

If you have any questions about the show, please leave a comment and I will try to answer them. I took loads of pictures, so if you want to see more, you can check out my album on my Facebook page: here ,

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IDS: The First Annual International Doll Show in Asheville, NC

This past Saturday, my friend Diana and I attended the First Annual International Doll Show held in Asheville, NC. It has certainly been an exciting two weeks here in the South for doll shows! I wish this happened more often (actually I don't, because I would be flat broke). What follows is a rundown of the show.

Location
The IDS was held at the Crowne Plaza resort in Asheville. The resort itself is a bit dated, but the expo room where the show was held was nice, large, and clean. It was also very well lit, which is good when you're inspecting dolls for purchase. I liked the location, and would hope it would be held there again next year (if there is another IDS next year, more on that in a bit).

Doll Artists and Vendors In Attendance
There were a lot of reborn artists in attendance, I would say about 50% of the artists there were reborners...if that's what they are called. I am not into reborning at all, so I'll leave that post for someone else. What I am into is some of the other types of beautiful artist dolls. What was so fascinating about this show to me is that it was the first show of this type I had ever attended. The other doll shows I have been to in the past were just re-sellers of dolls, mostly vintage stuff. At this show, I was introduced to lots of other types of dolls that I would never have discovered on my own. Since there were too many artists there to talk about them all, I'm just going to throw some doll porn on here and talk about a few of them.

Twisted Wickets

Twisted Wickets

Twisted Wickets

Twisted Wickets was one of the new artists I discovered at this show. I absolutely loved these dolls. They are so unique, and so pretty. They really are more than just a doll, they are art pieces.

I don't remember who this artist was, but I loved this piece.

Marbled Halls

Marbled Halls

Marbled Halls

Marbled Halls

Marbled Halls

Marbled Halls

Marbled Halls

I really wanted this doll, she was so supernatural in her look and feel.

Marbled Halls was another great artist I discovered. I would actually like to save some money and buy one of these dolls. They remind me of fine art that one would see in a museum. Seriously. Just look at that last picture and tell me that isn't art. It's beautiful and perfect. 

Another fun doll, but I can't remember the artist.

I was also impressed by Canadian artist Kimberly Arnold of The Trinket Box. I bought a very cute necklace from her. Here is a photo of her table:

Berdine Creedy was also there, with her lovely dolls. I wanted so badly to buy a Lola doll, but I didn't have the funds to do so. 

Berdine with Diana (Diana creates some of the doll outfits for Berdine). Just look at all those Lolas in the background!

Another artist I was really impressed with was Judy Rankine. She makes cloth dolls, and they are gorgeous, and different. I was so drawn to them because they are totally unique in today's doll collecting universe. She has been making them since the 1970's, so I was a little surprised I had never heard of her before. She apparently has quite the fan following as well.

Cloth doll face

Alice doll

Her dolls were only $250. I say only $250 because the quality of craftsmanship in these dolls is impeccable. Each hand has five perfect fingers that can bend and pose (wire inside, of course). I really loved them and can see myself acquiring one in the future.

So, what did I buy anyway? Well, Helen Skinner and Joyce Matthews, both of whom are Little Darlings artists, were there with a handful of Little Darlings! I have deposits on two little darlings, but they won't be delivered until sometime next year. I couldn't resist, and bought two:

Anna and Elsa

And guess what? I got to name them while I was there. Don't you think the names are appropriate? Now I just need to save some money and get some cute outfits for them. There was something of a teaser in their booth though:

Dianna Effner BJD

YES!

Yes, that is an Effner BJD. Collectors have been asking and here she is. She's not quite ready for sale yet, but I believe it will be fairly soon. The head is made of porcelain and the body is resin. Isn't that exciting? This particular model was painted by Dianna Effner. 

Activities At The Show

There were several activities going on during the show. The Dolls Magazine awards were given away on Saturday night, and you could purchase a ticket to attend these awards, which included dinner. Also, about once per hour, there was a drawing for prizes. I didn't see all of the prizes, but I did see that one was a pair of Marie Osmond Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls. This was not an additional cost, you just dropped one half of your entrance ticket into a box, and they pulled tickets every so often.

Technically, this is not an activity, but the awards and the event were sponsored by Dolls Magazine, and they had a special where you could purchase a one year subscription to both Dolls and Haute Doll for $20. Yes, $20 for BOTH. I couldn't throw my money at them fast enough. 

Friday, there were also some activities offered by doll artists. Berdine Creedy hosted a tea party where you could paint your own BJD (would LOVED to have gone to that one), and there were some reborning classes as well. Next year, I would possibly be interested in one of these classes.

Next Year...

Diana and I both enjoyed this show tremendously, and are very hopeful it will return next year. According the IDS website, they will see us in 2015, so that is very promising. The only force working against its return is how well the artists fared. One artist told us she had been moving dolls all day, but still hadn't even met her expenses. She said if artists couldn't make their expenses, they wouldn't come back. Makes perfect sense, but I really hope everyone had a great Saturday and Sunday so that it will be back, bigger and better next year!

Did you attend IDS? Leave me a comment and tell me what you thought of it!

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