When did I get so many/much?

Oh yes. We made a big move from Orlando, Florida, to Wichita, Kansas, and it took me about two weeks to unstring each doll, and carefully wrap each piece, and pack them and their clothes into paper boxes (not made of paper, but boxes that hold a ream of copy paper), and label each...
And then on this end, about two months to restring and reclothe... Oy. Not doing that again any time soon!
But then for a little bit, it was: no one's going anywhere because I just hauled your little resin butts half way across the country!
But here we are, about one year after the move, and I'm already revamping the collection.
And that's just the dolls! Thinking about the clothes and shoes just gives me fits!

 

I've decreased my collections around the time of each of the moves I've made in the last few years, and I still look at it and wonder where it all came from (though really, I know, it isn't a mystery). I don't feel like I have that many BJD compared to some and yet, it is astounding how much of my limited space is devoted to dolls. Next move my fiance would like for me to have a "doll room" so they aren't all over the place in our shared space, I hope that works out. My biggest worry with my collection in the last few years is weather-related. When they were kept in the basement I worried less about storms and tornadoes, but now, I worry. That's a lot of stuff to try to move in an emergency.

 

When my husband and I first moved when I started collecting bjds I only had one. This time I had 35 and he has 5 and it was one big move! The dolls weren't a shock but how much we had for them was when I bought a chest of drawers and one whole drawer was dedicated to their shoes! I need to dedicate a few nights sorting through my doll clothes and deciding what to keep.
I'm glad I've had a change of job and lifestyle because I haven't got the room for many more, even if I could afford them!

 

Most of my dolls have one wig, one pair of eyes, one pair of shoes (if they have feet) and one or two outfits, and I'm pretty happy with that. Apart from my Puki's and LTF... greedy little things! The Puki-horde is in a plastic fishing tackle box, the YOSD-stash is in a SOOM cardboard-shipper, and all the MSD stuff is in a shoebox; it all fits into the top of my cupboard, it's not a daunting amount of "doll-stuff" since I'm usually very picky with clothing and wigs.
But it's just kinda dawned on me the number of dolls I have (kinda creeps up on you, especially when it's tinies!)
I've never moved house, not once in my life. So I think if I had to pack everyone (and everything) up, it would be a big wake-up call!

 

I'm kinda... lax... with how much stuff I buy for the dolls. I usually just keep them in their 'character' outfits and don't buy any new clothes for them once I've hit on a certain look. I do have a lot of wigs and eyes, though, as I can't stand to have dolls come in and not have several wigs/eyes for them to try until I hit the 'look.' Also, bald, eyeless dollies kinda creep me out - even blank heads need to have a wig and a pair of eyes, otherwise I can't handle them.

 

Going through the thread, I'm surprised by the number of responses that say either I don't have a large number of dolls, but I have a large number of clothes/outfits/shoes etc OR I don't have much clothing for them, but I do have a massive amount of dolls. I seem to have gone from having a few dolls with dozens of wigs/eyes/shoes and a few outfits to quite a large number of dolls with nothing to wear. Now that I'm thinking my collection has probably reached it's limit, I'm looking at outfits, accessories for my gang. I was thinking it may be cheaper, but probably not.

 

Heh, you guys are making me realize the silver lining of having a super tight budget. XD In almost exactly one year since adopting Agatha, she's still my only doll, and all her stuff save for her couch fits in one single drawer under my bed. Of course, part of that is that I can't afford to get a new doll, as I'm a student with no part-time job looking at the cost of new computer, and a bunch of printing costs for portfolio and collateral branding materials, so big luxury purchases like a new doll are out of the question.

The other part is that Agatha has not only the hard-to-fit DDDy body (SD16 boobs n hips but SD13 height and even smaller waist), but she's got a super-particular style, so veeery little out there manages to accommodate both physical fit and the right steampunky style. I mean, it took me over 10 months after buying her to find the right shoes. 10 months, barefoot! Honestly, it's a wonder I've even got as much as I do. XD

 

I have about 15 at home, another in my waiting list and another on layaway. Soon to be 17.
With more than enough stuff, because I have no idea where to put all their wigs, accesories and outfits anymore Though they still don't seem to have enough, because some are still missing their perfect outfit, which I still have to make. The only thing I do lack are shoes, I usually make the rest myself.

Worst thing yet, I'm at the verge of moving out, so the horrible packing begins
I arranged with a friend that they can stay at her place until I'm settled, because I'd hate to pack them in boxes with the potential to get damaged. The horror!

 

I always thinks I don't have a lot of dolls or doll accessories, but then I stop and think about it and realize that 10 dolls is also combined with the entire plastic drawer set that holds all of their clothes, wigs, and shoes. I own way more doll crap than I actually think I do.

Of course, it's still not as much as the other stuff I collect, but the doll collection was a separate full car trip the last time I moved.

 

Exactly what I've been wondering. The dolls are quite - well, manageable. Three big boys, two tinies, one Realpuki. Their stuff - well, not so much. The tinies and the Realpuki don't have much stuff. But the boys - whew. They've accumulated quite some clothes, shoes and wigs. It still fits in my small suitcase, I'd say but it's still more than I thought I'd ever buy. Most "shocking" thing about it, however, isn't how much stuff I got but how much money I've put into the doll-hobby over the last three years (since I started). I mean - whew!

 

I just recently moved to a new state and thought I could fit my dolls and their outfits in the car with me instead of having the movers take them. Yea next time I think just the dolls alone will come with. It was way more cramped than I thought it would be with those things, my cats, and my husbands and my necessities.

I've seen the Otaku Rooms type books but I don't think I've seen one specifically for clothing brands. Do you know the name of it? I'd love to see a BJD ver. of that too!

 

I downsized my doll clothing and wig collection before moving back home from Japan, but currently my dolls' boxes are all full of clothing and customizing stuff, so that the dolls cannot be put back in them. As everything is essentially in boxes, my collection would not currently be that hard to move in a normal way, i.e., with trucks and things. Overseas is a pain no matter how little you have .

But yes, even after the weeding out, the amount of doll clothes I have is rather startling. And I feel like I don't have nearly enough to properly dress each one of them .

 

LOL, same here! Until last summer, I had doll things stored in various places in my apartment and then I decided to centralize it all in one place. I bought one medium-sized box figuring that would be more than enough for everything. I ended up having to buy two more boxes.

 

I only realize it when I'm packing for the dorm. Dolls, clothing/accessories, PLUS all of the sewing necessities and fabric often take up a large portion of stuff to move.

 

It is crazy. I never realized how much stuff I had until I was filling up another dresser drawer.

 

I will not say I am surprised, since all of of my dolls and most of their things are in my living room and I see it all the time. And I don't have a ton of props and clothes and furniture, and I could easily do without about half of it. My dolls wouldn't miss it, only I would. In sheer bulk, I would say my dolls in their boxes compared to their stuff is probably about equal. (Now I want to put everything in two piles and see how close they are!!)

I know that if I was moving (no matter how far), I would want my dolls to be in the car with me, and just about everything else could go in the moving van. But I have gotten to the point where I don't think they could all fit in my car with me!! At least not in their boxes. (I have about 24, plus some alternate and floating heads.) And their stuff could not fit in there too. But at the moment I am not planning on rehoming any of the dolls who are at home with me, so I would have to manage somehow. If it was a local move, I would make two trips.

Linda S.
galatia9

 

I know exactly what I have (mostly) for props, clothing, wigs, eyes, shoes - I keep spreadsheets... I need to know what I've got for various costumes so I know what I still need to get.
I will say, that my dolls' wardrobes, cosplay & other, pale in comparison to my OWN (although Lianna is working on that LOL)
What I have most of, lying about, is MATERIAL - OMG. 30 years or more of sewing & cosplaying - I've accumulated a ton of it. AND I moved about a lot because I was in the Navy as was my (ex) hubby!

 

Yes!
I always complain, that I don't have enough doll clothes, but I can barely close my drawer.
And I've several times said "I need to sell some of this stuff", but I always end up finding something I can use it for, so nothing gets sold.

 

I have no illusions about the extent of my crew or the sheer amount of "stuff" I've accumulated for them over the years.

See, I *did* have to move this bunch a few years ago. Only about 30 miles, from our last apartment to the townhouse, but still... the packing process definitely drove home exactly what's here.

Moving my library (all several thousand volumes of it, including a few hundred irreplacable ones from the 18th and 19th century) was worse, honestly, but it's mostly a matter of degree... Moving my dolls gave me one or two new grey hairs. Moving the 150+ year-old glass-fronted cabinet that I keep my favorite antique books in and it's contents? That accounted for half a dozen. At least. o_0 And the books were a heck of a lot heavier, even with the terrifying number of wigs, eyes and "spare parts" we have around here.

 

I've been trying to work out the logistics for a move now and there was a moment of "Wait, how did this collection get so big?" But I keep a spreadsheet of my dolls and their things, as well as keeping the items in various bins and the dolls in boxes and all in one room, so it's not difficult to manage.

I'll probably have to do a separate run for them when we do move--fortunately, we have a big SUV!