She Grows on You!

This little cutie was a surprise delivery yesterday! I ordered her on October 8th and didn't really expect to see her until the new year. She's a Fairyland Realfee Mari. Fairyland usually doesn't start making the dolls until after an order is placed, resulting in a wait of many months for delivery.

But this little one arrived in only 15 working days, and that includes the day I ordered and the day I received her. That's absolutely unheard of for Fairyland.

The PLAN was to not keep this particular little face. The body yes, the faceplate, no. I arranged to trade this "Mari" faceplate, (which I thought I wouldn't care for), for a Soso faceplate, but a curious thing happened. 

She grew on me. 

I mean really grew on me. I fell in love with her!

Here is how it happened:

It seems I am the VERY FIRST person to get a Realfee Mari doll! Perhaps not in the world, but certainly on the photo hosting site I use (Flickr) and on the ball jointed doll forum (Den of Angels), and on the knitting forum (Ravelry). No one else seems to have one yet! This means that there are rabid Mari fans just dying to see 'owner' photos of this doll. Having had the honor of being 'first' I felt it my duty to oblige.

The actual company photos never seem to stir the excitement and creative ideas that the incoming blank dolls photographed by individuals like myself do, so I set to work, intent on providing doll hobby friends with photos. But as I dressed, posed, and photographed this odd little doll I grew so attached to her that it became difficult to box her up and send her off to Sweden to the woman who is sending me the Soso faceplate in exchange. But I am a woman of my word and a deal is a deal. Off to Sweden she goes tomorrow.

So as you can see, there was nothing else I could do! Defenseless against the Mari's enchantment --

--- I ordered one for myself.