Dollstagram and MCM Sale

Hey there, I live! I know, I know. Crazy, huh? Where I last left you over a year ago I was just about to move out into the country. Since then I've long since settled in and mostly have a combination of fluctuating interest, back pain, and a toddler to blame for my long absence. Not to say that I haven't been part of the doll community online. I'm still dollstagramming at least. Not that my photography has gotten much better! But I do enjoy connecting with other doll enthusiasts and enjoying their beautiful photographs.

The Madison Children's Museum American Benefit Sale was this summer and despite not feeling particularly dolly at the time, I still went. My Best Friend had to bail on me last minute (She was sick, poor thing :/) So it was just myself in there while my husband and toddler waited outside. Needless to say I wasn't in there very long, but I picked up what I wanted (from what I could afford with my limited budget this year.)

The spoils?

Molly's Swimsuit

Cecile's Parlor Desk

Cute polka-dot dress from Craft Sale

The dress was made by a woman in Nicaragua as part of a project to employ and teach underprivileged women there. Most of their clothing are inspired by world costumes but this dress called out to me. Check out chicanica.org for more information.

I've been busy with other doll-related things recently too but I'll save those for another post :)

Overdue Update

For the last month and a half I had replaced blogging here with posting on Instagram. It was quick, easy, and required little writing. I guess I enjoyed having a little instant feedback seeing as I've only got one actual comment on my blog. Can you really blame me?

But I plan to post more here again. This is partially because I can't deny that I still love writing and Instagram simply isn't the place to be writing lengthy sentences about my hobbies and projects. Its also partially because I'm a bit tired of coming across the drama the preteen dollstagrammers keep perpetuating. That being said, there are still plenty of wonderful doll accounts on Instagram, run by both preteens and adults alike.

Also I'm not that good at doll photography. My camera can't focus, and despite my art degree I have a long way to go in the photography field.

That all said, here is the summery of my doll life since the last post:

I took Molly out for a harshly-lit photo shoot in the back yard after dressing her up with Kit's sweater. Her leg was loose so this wasn't easy. A few days later DH picked her up off the couch and her leg fell off. Oops. Molly's leg is still broken as I haven't gotten around to trying to fix it. Again.

Penny and Felicity had a photo shoot in the backyard too. Felicity's legs are also loose so its hard to get her to stand.  I've since sold Penny for what I bought her for to a nice lady I met on Craigslist.

I finally got around to taken a few decent pictures of the Disney Princess & Me dolls I bought last spring. I still think Rapunzel is absolutely gorgeous, and that Aurora could use a little less eyeshadow. I wish I had bought once of the other princesses instead... like  Ariel or Tiana. I think they're far prettier dolls. But Aurora is sorta "My" princess, despite not really caring for her. Its sorta a lifelong thing I decided when I was 9 or so and wasn't aloud to let go of.

Kit's shirt just above is one I made out of an old shirt of mine. Didn't turn out all that great. I gave it away to a neighbor girl as part of a late birthday present.

A friend and I got to go to the MCM sale where I bought a bunch of cute doll clothes and a #33 for myself. I picked up McKenna for a friend and was surprised to find that I actually kind of like her dress in person. Sakari looks adorable in the blue and white winter outfit I got there, and #33, who I named Darcy, is enjoying an eclectic style of old 90's AG clothes mixed in with a few modern ones.

The friend I bought McKenna for sent me a cute knockoff dress meant for Elizabeth as a thank you for being her personal shopper. She also sent brown boots sized for Journey Girl dolls for Sakari.

I redid all of my doll's hair using a spray solution of water and fabric softener. I don't mind Sakari's hair as much now, and  I can finally run my hand through Felicity's hair again.

I began packing up all my doll stuff as we're moving about an hour away to a larger house in the country. I took a group shot of all my 18" dolls... which I had to stitch together manually photoshop. When the shot is small like this I don't think my rushed graphical job looks too bad.

I found at a used kid's clothing and toy store a bag of AG clothes for $5. I'm not sure if I'll keep any of it but I'll decide that for sure after the move.

Also: Shoes. Aren't doll shoes great?


So that's the gist of what's been going on. Once I've got a setup in the new house I'll be sure to post pictures!

Biyu Qian

Last week I came back from vacation to find my new doll had arrived and was waiting for me upstairs in my "doll corner" of the bedroom. I was exhausted from traveling all day by myself with a baby but still managed to find the energy to unbox her. Since then, she's been standing on my dresser in the American Girl Karaoke outfit (cinched together to fit) with her stock red hair. Her wig is beautiful, though not the color I needed to fit my roleplay character, Biyu. If I ever want to dress her up as Chihiro (my Kyoshi Warrior character) its good to know I have something that works though ;)

Today my black wigs showed up. My favorite is the style with her hair up in braided buns on either side. So much so that I haven't got around to taking photos with the hair down yet. I also got her green shoes but they don't fit quite right so I'm not so sure about them. I'll get pictures of them up later, if not here they'll be on instagram.

For those who might be interested, Biyu exists the Avatar world (as in Avatar: The Last Airbender, not the blue people). At the start of the story she was fourteen and new to the big city that we roleplayed in. She came by herself as a vacation while her parents traveled the world for the summer. Biyu is an Earth Bender but has next to no interest in bending. She's a friendly, hyperactive teenager and is a bit dense. She takes good care of her looks, eating well and making sure to always be properly presented. Her parents drilled good manners into the girl though her natural clumsiness and outgoing personality almost negate this at times, despite her good intentions. She loves fashion, spending money, and the arts. Her over-friendliness is often taken as flirting though that's rarely her intention, nor does she even realize that she's strung so many boys along... not that she really minded the attention. Often seen with a sketchbook at the beginning of the story, by the end she had broken away from her family, supporting herself solely through her small dress shop where she designed, sewed, and sold her high-end creations to the wealthy of the city.

Ellowyne Wilde: Biyu

I found my Biyu. She'll need a black wig (or rather, a few black wigs), but that's an easy-do as her hair is interchangeable. I'm super excited to meet her- though I'm leaving on a trip next week and likely won't be around when she comes... I'll have to trust DH to watch out for her.

I just hope her slightly-red eyebrows will look okay with the black wig...

But seriously... I can't wait to make her clothes.


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Instagram

Thanks to a lovely lady I met while scouring the internet for a possible doll to customize I've recently discovered the wonderful AG community on Instagram. I of course have known of Instagram for a long time but the slightly-snooty graphic designer part of me had so far ignored it... mostly because I had no desire to take pictures of my desert and apply stock filters to them before sharing them with the world. Call me crazy.

Anyways, I've joined. I cheated and put up some pictures I had already taken... and did the editing on the computer. Unfortunately, my phone camera isn't up to par so in the future I'll probably stick to shots taken with the nicer camera then cheat them onto Instagram as I please.

View my account by clicking here!

A Brief Dolly History Through Photos

I've always loved dolls 

Little Brother & I for Halloween

Me, Water Baby, and Little Sister.

Lots of Dolls! All three sisters & my first American Girl - Felicity!

Me, Felicity, and Little Sister.

Five siblings and a load of monkeys all made by my mom!

Me with Felicity, Kirsten, Josefina, Samantha, Addy, and Molly.

Years Later - All the Girls and my Baby Boy at three weeks.

The Queen's Treasures - Cupcake Set

The other day I added these adorable cupcakes to my order on Amazon. They're by The Queen's Treasures and hardly cost anything at all. Most doll food other than AG's is terrible, but these were great and definitely worth it - I just wish they made food other than cupcakes and cookies!

They came with a cute little box that was easy to fold up. I'm certain I'll be buying again from them in the future.