| Collectors Scrapbook |
This page is dedicated to "All Annalee Collectors". Please send articles on how you started collecting Annalee Dolls, Annalee traditions, interesting stories concerning Annalees and of course, photos. Please include with your correspondence that you are giving Sue Coffee permission to publish your submissions on www.suecoffee.com or in the Sue Coffee Annalee Email Newsletter. Thank You, Sue
Spring is one of my favorite time of the year, not only because the dreary winter has passed but the whole world seems to awaken. The fish in my pond come to the surface looking for food, the crocus appear in the garden and the sound of children can be heard. My husband and sons start to get the family amusement park open and I start rummaging through my spring Annalee dolls to come up with a new idea for the season. I have always decorated for the holidays doing a showcase in my front windows. A few more decorations are added every year. This year my oldest son came home and said he thought I was a "little over the top". He always notices my decorations and notices when they are not up. So I actually think deep inside he is more like me then he wants to admit. I usually do not ask my family of all men for help, because they think standing a bunny in the window will suffice, but they do enjoy them when they are done. This year, I not only involved my family but our friend Allen.
I decided to go with the idea of carousel. I looked for animals that my spring elves could ride. The elves have a face that you could put anywhere; they are always looking like they are having fun or causing havoc. With the help of Sue I added children, and some more fun characters. After building my carousel, turning it on and watching it fall apart for the third time I had to call in the top guns... my husband and Allen. In no time they were able to get the canopy frame to stay on. I added the fabric and my carousel was built. I was so excited, I placed it in the front window and decorated around it. I created a little scene of a beautiful spring day of just having fun. There are children eating ice cream and cotton candy. There is a clown holding on to a falling basket full of chicks, and also a rooster and chicken out for a stroll. You will also find an elf riding a spring swan. It has to be one of my favorite displays, besides my all time favorite bunny maypole with a little fairy flying above playing along.
To some this may seem like a lot of work and it is. I have friends and family who think I am CRAZY. I have a wonderful husband who also thinks at times I am over the top, but he is always there to go with me to the store and say how nice it looks in the end. The greatest joy is hearing the children as they are looking in the window and meeting them at the local school where I work as nurse, telling me how much they enjoy coming to my house to see my holiday windows. Enjoy....Diane
If you have dolls that match, I'd welcome the news!! Thanks, Hank If I remember my first conversation with Hank, he said the dolls were named from "Figment of Your Imagination"
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Dear Sue, Just received my latest order and I am MOST pleased!!!! It arrived just as the tracking information said. I really don't know of another online 'shop' that is as reliable as you are! I took your advice that was in the latest newsletter which stated that the Wannabe elves will probably sell out and after getting all 4, I understand why!!! Annalee has out done themselves in the design as well as the packaging. And to top it off--the Wannabe Tree lights up!!!! Christmas came early and I thank you!!! Ruth --------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you very much for responding to my request for information. I have visited your website and can now date my dolls.Thank you, too, for all the research you have done and for sharing it with us. I appreciate all your hard work. Sincerely, Joanie Hello Sue,
I love your web-site and was thrilled to find the 3" chipmunk with the acorn. My sister was visiting from Phoenix last fall and fell in love with my chipmunk, but we could not find one for her, even on the official AnnaLee company site. I was talking to my husband tonight and he remembered seeing a fabulous AnnaLee dealer site (yours). I am purchasing a chipmunk to send my sister for Christmas, she will be so delighted! The second chipmunk with an acorn is for us, a brother for our original one! It is getting more and more difficult to locate collectibles in my area, many gift stores have closed due to the poor economy. It is so sad to see so many family businesses forced to close after so many years of community service. I wish you continued success with your on-line business and look forward to purchasing more AnnaLees from you in the future. Monica in MI ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "My collection of Annalee dolls does not have the same beginning as so many other collectors. My collection started with the passing of my Mother who had only just started her collection. She would buy one or two each year at Xmas and she was also given a couple by close friends. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I am writing to share a Christmas tradition from my childhood that I've carried over to my family this year.
Growing up my mom had a red and white striped Annalee Christmas stocking with a little gray mouse in the toe. My Aunt had one also. Every year my grandmother would send our packages and stocking stuffers for my mom & my aunt. They would stuff their stockings with the stocking stuffers. They would always call each other on the phone shortly after the package arrived from my grandmother. Then the fun began. Neither one could wait until Christmas to open their stocking stuffers. My mom would sneak and open one. Then she would call my aunt to see if she opened the square package and my aunt would ask my mom if she had opened the long skinny package and share what they had received. It was usually the same item but a different color or style. This would go on up until Christmas. It was their version of the 12 days of Christmas. My mom passed away 9 years ago.
This July while listening to a local radio station I became inspired. They were celebrating Christmas in July. This meant every other song played that day was a Christmas song. I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas was playing and I thought it would be great to get Annalee Christmas Stockings for my children (ages 10, 12 and 14 years old) and my husband & I. A little ironic because we never get snow in the valley. We LOVE the snow and only dream and visit up north for the White Christmas feeling. I found Sue Coffee on the internet and was able to find 5 different stockings for everyone in my family. I gave the kids their stockings the day after Thanksgiving and shared Grammie's Christmas Stocking story with them. They thought it was awesome and loved their new stockings & the story! In addition I purchased mice figurines for all my nieces and nephews making special cards sharing the stocking story. It was our Christmas inspiration from Christmas' past. Everyone enjoyed their mice figures and each year we can remember and share happy memories of my mom and my kids' grammie for years to come. Now we can look forward to getting out our stockings and make and share the same kind of memories my mom & her sister did.
Buffie,
Mesa, AZ 2/08
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Sue, Our holiday traditions with Annalee Dolls are just beginning
 Now that our oldest is really starting to get excited about the holidays, we have introduced the Annalee Christmas Elves. She and her younger sister each received a 5" Snowflake Annalee Elf the first Sunday of December to mark the beginning of Advent. We placed a boot under each of their windows with a letter to Santa attached. The next morning the Christmas Elves magically appeared in the boots. Every day my oldest daughter would search for the Elves as we would relocate them somewhere in our house in whimsical positions. To acknowledge each additional week of Advent, we put the boots along with the Annalee elves under their windows. The next morning, the elves would appear holding a little toy in their arms. Our three year old truly loved this magical event! The biggest treat for me was when a 30" Annalee Christmas Elf magically appeared and set up our Christmas tree one morning. This Annalee Elf not only surprised the children with a tree and lights - it surprised their mommy! The Annalee Elf was a huge hit with my littlest - see picture. I loved moving him around the house each night and he loves to hang from our ceiling fans!
* If a doll was made prior to 1987, then the date on the Annalee tag is ONLY the copyright date, not the actual year it was made. * Early Annalee Dolls did not have the internal wire for positioning. Chip, Annalee's husband created the internal wire body making them mobile, henceforth - Annalee Mobilitee Dolls. * I recommend a TACKY GLUE called "Aleene's" for repairing Annalee Dolls. It is not affected by temperature changes, like the hot glue.
click HERE to view over 100 Valentine items
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Sue Coffee Annalee Survey Results 1/2008 - 89% are Very Satisfied with doing business with suecoffee.com
- 34% began collecting Annalee Dolls between the ages 21-30 yr
- 36% of the people that answered the survey were between 45-54 yr - 88% of the people that answered the survey were female
- 74% feel that Reduced Prices are more important than Free Shipping.
I want to extend my sincere thanks to all of my customers who took the time to respond to my survey.
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