Forward planning......

This post is aimed primarily at my customers (trade or retail) who regularly purchase undressed toy dolls.  

As we slowly slide into September, then hasten on to Halloween, before we know it we'll be in Christmas crisis, crying in bewilderment "What!  Is it that time ALREADY?!"

Admit it. We've all been there.  Some of us *cough* are repeat offenders.

Our pre-Christmas sales period begins at the end of September which is only 4 weeks away *eeek!* so here at the international headquarters of Tower House Dolls (Amalgamated, Consolidated, Incorporated) we're already hard at work stocking up on kits and toy dolls.  In fact this week I've started on a batch of casting which has to include enough of everything to see us through the next 4 months.

First on my casting list are the outstanding special orders for porcelain dolls or toys which are currently out of stock.  Then comes the low stock items which are likely to run out in the next few weeks.  Then (and this is the exciting bit) during a recent reorganisation of my mould cupboard, I discovered some moulds for dolls which I didn't even know I had.  So I'm casting some of those too.

The porcelain dollmaking process (from first pouring to final stringing) takes on average 6-8 weeks.  So the batch I've started this week won't be completed till mid October, assuming all goes well.  But more to the point, once I start firing in two weeks time, I won't be adding any more to the list.

So.

If anyone out there is planning to purchase a specific doll(s), or porcelain toy(s) in time for Christmas could you PLEASE let me know as soon as possible.  This won't commit you to anything.  If you change your mind that's absolutely fine.  I just want  to avoid the annual problem of being contacted mid November asking if I can supply two of this, or four of that and having to say "sorry, I can't."  I'd much rather have too much than not enough.

Incidentally, the newly re-discovered doll moulds include the following:

• Tiny Googlie doll
• Kewpie doll
• Pouty doll
• Sulky doll
• Smiler doll
• 2 new tiny crawling babies.

I can't post photos until they're completed but if you think you might be interested in any of those in particular, do contact me.

In the meantime, here's the view of my desk today, in the midst of casting chaos.