I have been a lover of dolls since I received my very first doll from my Grandmother in New Jersey. I was probably too young for the doll I got since I think I was around two. From then on, there was a special doll under the tree every Christmas and I loved and played with them all. I learned to sew making clothes for my dolls. When I graduated from college and took a job as a kindergarten teacher, my dad teasingly said it was that I could keep playing with toys. Later after many years of enjoyment teaching, I had a son and took a little hiatus. Another decree and I was a school librarian which if I think about it, the new position legitimized my reading every children's book about dolls I could get my hands on. My early collecting was contemporary dolls, but after I retired, I found a deep love of the antiques and doing research. Going to seminars and programs to learn is a favorite pastime. I belong to five doll clubs which proves that I'm truly a doll lover at heart!