This is the first picture I saw of Lily. It was love at first sight!

When I stumbled upon Lily and her friends around midnight on a buy-it-now on ebay, I knew I had to adopt them all! They were my first all-bisques - and the beginning of an addiction. The five of them were found together in an attic trunk of an old home, tucked into bed, then forgotten. I was eager to give them a fresh lease on life. I thought I would just burst, waiting for the day that they would finally arrive here!

Not surprisingly, they were all utterly filthy, and cleaning Lily in particular was quite a chore, as some of the dirt was not eager to leave - and I didn't want to loosen her eyes by soaking. The eyes, which I had thought were set, turned out to be tiny sleep eyes, firmly stuck in place. Loosening them was nerve-wracking, but worth the effort! And once she was cleaned, I was just amazed by the silky smoothness of her bisque in comparison to the others.

The biggest disappointment of all was discovering that the missing arm had been hers. I became determined to find a replacement and spent many hours on ebay looking. However, I couldn't find a match for the fine bisque and delicate little fingers that she has. I'd all but given up when one day I bought a lot of assorted doll stuff on ebay. Imagine my amazement when it arrived with an arm that was not even mentioned in the listing - and it was Lily's!!! It was so perfect that even now I have to check the old pix to see which is the replacement! With a new handmade to order mohair wig and a pretty little dress (another great ebay find!) she is once again ready to play or go visiting.