Home from Pittsburgh

Just got home and I'm trying to find out what is wrong with my laptop. Actually the laptop is fine. Firefox and AppleWorks are screwy. I suspect there is something wrong with my Wacom tablet pen. I just switched to the Wacom mouse and that is working fine. Very strange. Perhaps I don't have to go to the Apple store tomorrow with my computer after all. That would help.
I've been incredibly stressed since this happened as I've gotten so many purchase requests and I can't answer them except with the iPhone. My fingers are falling off from trying to text on the text-unfriendly phone.
But I think we're in business now that I've gotten this working.

Here is a picture of what's on my dining room table at the moment.

 Pretty neat, eh?

There was a little more but I haven't unpacked my suitcases yet.
I am in the midst of posting to my Show and Sell pages many items that I got. My collecting is heading in another direction. More will be revealed regarding that fact.

My next blog post will be a recap of the events of the 2010 Integrity Toys Convention.

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My new boy doll from My PAL-My Sibling Dolls

I was so happy this week to get an early birthday present:  a handsome My Pal doll! This is an 18 in boy doll close in size to American Girl Dolls but manufactured in China by Lotus and sold under the brand My Pal-My Siblings dolls, which is a trademark by a company, LorettaRose, LLC of New Jersey, promoting awareness of Autism and Down's Syndrome as well as other causes children would like such as the environment, School, heroes in our military,etc. The company provides work opportunities for teens and adults with disabilities as they pack the dolls and other products and also actively promotes awareness of the needs of young people with autism and Downs Syndrome.  Even the needs of the siblings of these children are addressed through their line of My Sibling dolls.
I talked to the owner Loretta.  She is very enthusiastic about the causes she promotes.  Her service was excellent and shipment fast.  My boy (I call him Ryan now) is a My Pal for My School Doll so he came with a little booklet that encourages the dolls little mother or father to do well in school, have team spirit and try hard. There's also provision in the booklet for the child to write their own doll's story. That would be a great activity when the after-Christmas blahs set in. There are three things I really love about the construction of this doll: he's a very sturdy stander--the best of all my dolls; he's made well, good tight limbs, solid stuffed body; and his hair is wonderful. It's rooted but in tight rows so it's thick. It combs well. I didn't notice any coming out and no tangling!. This boy is a medium skin color doll though he is a little lighter than my #28 JLY American Girl. You can also see more pictures of Ryan, my My Pal doll at in my Picasa album "Review of My Pal Boy Doll" He is going to make a nice friend to my girl dolls and I look forward to using him in some photo stories soon.  Now the disclaimer:  I have no connection to My Pal or My Sibling Dolls. However, if you want to see their web site, click on: My Pal-My Sibling dolls.

Here is a little outfit I made for him.

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Welcome to my very first blogger!

Welcome to my very first blogger, Karen, of http://www.etsy.com/shop/facetsjewelry !  Karen is a member of our Christian Artists Promoting Shops team on etsy.  She makes beautiful jewelry. We will try to persuade her to make some doll jewelry!

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Trick or Treat!

Here is another photo I found on eBay for sale. Bela Lugosi, 1928. Click the photo to view the auction.

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Happy Halloween!

Mae Clarke, Boris Karloff

I found this photo for sale on eBay. Click the photo to see auction.

Monster Mash (requires Real Player)

Monster Mash - remake

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Pittsburgh Convention - Friday

I'm sitting here eating candy corn and trying to decide if I should just go to bed or post because it was such a full day that I'm exhausted. But before I write more about the dolls and workshops, I want to say that my table mates are the best. They have all been generous with the gifts exchanged. I'm so happy to see Teri and Laura again. In addition, it's been so much fun to get to see, in the flesh, the new collector friends I've made this year. Who would have thought that as I get older, my friends are getting younger? They are beautiful, lively and fun people who add a vibrant dimension to my collecting.
A big difference at this convention is the food. It's as someone new has taken over the kitchen or our hosts are paying more for better food and service. The difference is like day and night.

Gotta go to sleep. One picture of my centerpiece from tonight.

 

Who is this doll?

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Make a doll bed and serve up some doll size cookies that you can eat!

A Quick Portable Doll Bed.  Does your new doll need a bed, a nice comfy place to rest?  Make her a quickie bed.   Make a pillow mattress long enough for her (about 20 in when done). Sew two rectangles (about  24 in X 11 in) right sides together. You can hand stitch the 2 long sides and one short side then turn the bag right side out and stuff with something soft like old pillow stuffings or polyfil or old panty hose. You can make some really cute co-ordinating little pillows the same way and Voila! your doll has a great bed which is portable. Make some "blankets" using a scrap of old fleece or some sheets using a scrap of an old sheet--just hem the edges by turning up to the wrong side and stitching. Any other ideas? Have you made a bed, post a comment with link to your photo.  Join this blog.
Yummy doll size cookies and bread that you can eat!  I am getting ready to do a photo shoot for Christmas and Thanksgiving with my dolls. I found a little bag of tiny Lorna Doone cookies that are just the right size for my dolls and good enough for me to eat too. I got them at the checkout counter in my grocery store.  I noticed there are little tiny loaves of bread for parties that would make great little edible sandwiches too.. Invite your dolls and friends! Do you have any ideas about tiny edible food?  Post it here!

More about → Make a doll bed and serve up some doll size cookies that you can eat!

What Will You Be for Halloween?

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Pittsburgh on Thursday - Day 1 Convention - Part 2

There was a violin player and a piano player during the cocktail hour. It was very nice. When the dining room was ready we entered to booming loud music and found our table. The centerpiece at first looked like Agnes but turned out to be Dania with an updo reminiscent of Firefly Agnes.

She was holding a spider web in which a "fashion victim" was caught - apparently some time ago. The skeleton was dressed in RuPaul's jeans and a Kio wig. The shirt is a mystery.
Dania was wearing a very pretty black lacey dress with a shadow striped black fitted jacket which looked great once the big bow belt was removed. Her shoe/boots were pretty cool with a see-through area. Three people got to buy one of the centerpiece dolls. One of them got the skeleton web thingie as well.
The service was excellent with very well trained solicitous staff. I was quite impressed. There was no loud music during dinner so conversation was possible and we were able to meet eachother and have nice chats over dinner.
Spicy pumpkin soup was the appetizer. It was delicious but I couldn't eat it due to the heat of the spices. Dinner itself was two big chicken breasts with a large portobello mushroom cap and squash covered with melted cheese and a little sauce. A big clump of rice was underneath the chicken.
After dinner some of the people who found the hidden keys got to play "What's behind door #X?" Mike Basala won a comped 3 day stay at the hotel. The second person won the 4 original Dressmaker Details outfits and the third person won a snuggie. It was very funny.
We got a doll whose story line is that she is a model. Her name is Kesenia. I do not think she will be very popular with that mouth.

What do you think of her?

Hourglass Kesenia

We received the first part of our giftset, a lovely piece of lingerie.

And now I must go to bed as I am scheduled for four workshops followed by the Dynamite Girl workshop - all in one day.
Yikes.

More about → Pittsburgh on Thursday - Day 1 Convention - Part 2

Pittsburgh on Thursday - Day 1 Convention

When I go home I'm going to have to go to a rest home.

Registration was a breeze. We got a nice big empty FR box and hopefully it will be finished with the new Veronique. The box does not say FR2. It is a regular FR white box.

Many of us camped in the lobby outside of the salesroom like a bunch of addicts. When they opened the doors a cheer went up which could probably be heard where ever you are. The salesroom had Azone in one corner, MFD and Kio items in another corner, Steven Fraser's Dressmaker Details on a long table on one side and the rest was filled with the new dolls. There were some older dolls being sold but not as many as I expected. The best items were the sealed grab bags which ranged in price from $15 to $60. These were at the register and they were worth more than the price for sure.  At the check out counter were tubs of plastic shoes and Barbiesque solid black sunglasses that were free for the taking.

Everyone was wondering what FR2 would be. So far it's a doll whose facial expression says, "No you didn't!" or "You have to be kidding." Kyori is very pretty. The Twin giftset was surprising with the new sculpt. They do not look at all like Lillith and Eden! Their hair is very cute with streaks of color. They will be popular. Poppy's clothes from the giftset are adorable. The new Poppy has the nicer original eye screening. The Count looks like a count  - dark and brooding. Adele looks like Adele from the past. Eugenia is pretty in a big purple gown. I will have to examine the dolls better to give a more detailed appraisal. At first glance the collection is OK with something for every taste. There is little ethnic variation. Perhaps the centerpieces will provide the WOW factor. One can hope.

Are we going to get Vanessa? I'm guessing Agnes will make her appearance tonight.

This is the stuff I got today. Picture was taken in the sunlight coming through my window.

This is a mixture of doll items for 1/6 and 1/4 scale. The things in the upper left were registration bag swag items. I traded a nude Monogram doll that I already owned for all of the Kyori giftset clothes - gown, suit and sequin dress. The Flight Kyori and her accessories were a grab bag item for $35. Dressmaker Details 1/4 scale dresses without shoes were $5. Can you believe it? The dresses with shoes were only $10. I paid as much at $7. a pair for the shoes in those bags.
It's difficult to see but on the right is a pair of George's new shoes for the 16 inch gals. Those are going to be fun. The beautiful blue and pink dress in the lower right is also an Angelic Dreamz item from the JamieShow dolls. I was happy to get it separately. I loved it the first time I saw it but it was on a doll. I purchased a Poppy body for $20. There were bargains to be had.

More later. Gotta walk the dog.

More about → Pittsburgh on Thursday - Day 1 Convention

Pittsburgh - The Day Before the Convention

I am so tired! Bob, Rudy and I had a very pleasant day out. We had lunch outside at the Hard Rock Cafe where there is a cool fountain that is timed to music. The weather was amazing for this time of year in the northeast.
(You can click on any picture in my blog to see it enlarged.)

We navigated the insane streets and signs of Pittsburgh with the help of a GPS that was often wrong. Ugh.
Back at the hotel the cocktail party began at 5PM. Tickets were $35. to attend. Each person got an ITBE doll in a white terry cloth robe. The servers were also wearing terry cloth robes which was kind of strange...like they were invited to a pajama party that no one else knew about.

The snacks were very good - crackers, bread sticks, flatbreads, cheeses, spreads, raw vegetables, dried fruit, nuts. There was a piano player. I met people with whom I had become friends on-line and had never met in person.  It was very nice.

Then it was off to the room sales which were in full swing by this time. One seller had brought a suitcase full of nude FR, NuFace and other dolls which were flying out as fast as she could unpack them! It was unbelievable.
I know this is a bad photograph but it gives you an idea of what one encountered in her room. This was after lots of shopping had been done already.

I did manage to force myself to buy a Reluctant Debutante Poppy. LOL. I'd been looking for one for a while.

Other sellers had OOAK fashions and dolls, furniture, Barbies, and pretty much every doll related item under the sun.  I have some more pictures but there's not enough time or energy to post everything tonight. Part of the time I had Rudy with me. He has never received more attention. Imagine you are a 10 pound dog surrounded by frenzied doll collectors who are shrieking and approaching you with arms out. Actually, Rudy handled it quite well. When he had enough he wanted me to pick him up and get him out of there. He's such a great dog.

Rob and Rudy

Dolls in Designer Fashions

Matt Trujillo with one of his creations.

Finally, my new Poppy, sort of dressed in one of my two new "Doves" outfits that a friend delivered for me.

There will be other photos I will post after the convention. Stay tuned.

More about → Pittsburgh - The Day Before the Convention

Bewitched

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Accessorize, Accessorize

"Charlie Chan in Shanghai" 1935, Starring Warner Oland, Irene Hervey, and Charles Locher. (click their names to view their info).
Check out Irene's ensemble. I wonder what color it was. The trim on her hat, her gloves and her purse all match her blouse.

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Woodstock to Pittsburgh - Tuesday October 26, 2010

We left home at about 11 AM. Now we have a large SUV and it was loaded. Hubby asks, what are we going to do with the dolls you bring home? I didn't even think of that.
The ride was about 7.5 hours long with two stops, a few naps and some silliness with the iPhone camera. Rudy was a little trooper as usual when we travel. Check in was smooth although there was a line. I recommend that anyone checking in use the kiosks to save time waiting on line.
We settled in, unpacked and went to eat. At about 10PM I took Rudy to visit Kazue and Denise T.'s room. That put me right in the mood. Kazue was unpacking some OOAK Blythes. They are gorgeous. The elusive Marui Misaki was on display along with Momoko and many Misakis I had never seen. They are so delightful.
I was not going to buy a thing tonight but walked out with the Red Rabbit Misaki. As part of the "Misaki Madness" she was on sale for $99. Sold! It didn't take me long to make that decision. I have wanted her ever since I saw her.

For those that are not familiar with the doll, this is Integrity's picture of her. 

We're off to a good start.

More about → Woodstock to Pittsburgh - Tuesday October 26, 2010

Making a Dress for Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel
Click her name to view her Wikipedia bio.

This portrait doll of Coco Chanel was made by the Italian company, Lenci. She is a smoker. The photo, below, is how she was when Sue received her. Using the remnants of Coco's outfit as a guide/pattern, Sue made a new dress and underskirt for her, using the same type of fabric - felt and organza.

What do you do when a famous dress designer needs one herself?

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My Favorite Two Tonner Dolls

Although I'm busy getting ready to leave for Pittsburgh today, these two were just aching for a photo shoot. The female doll is the 16" Comicon Supergirl Exclusive and the male is Jeremy Voss. Supergirl is wearing a new fashion from the "Gowns by Anne Harper" line called Venus Rising. Voss is wearing Simon Chase's tuxedo.
I love these two dolls. I very rarely pair up dolls or make up life stories for my vinyls but these two are now married.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Tonner Photo

Venus Rising is a lovely and ultra romantic fashion. The drapey shoulder things attach by slipping the doll's arm through an elastic circle on the underside of the rosettes. The fabric is filmy and wonderful! I was surprised by the glitter, yes girls and boys, glitter, on the rosettes. That is really cheap and non-imaginative on a fashion that retails for $114.99 There is a close-up of that detail on the Tonner site but I didn't pay attention apparently. Glitter comes off on everything and stays everywhere and no matter how long or hard you clean and vacuum, there will be glitter. It will be on your nose and your butt and on your dolls' black clothes. Glitter also snags hosiery. It belongs in sleep-away camp and that's about it.
Please, Robert, ditch the glitter.

..........

And now I'm off to pack for the FR convention. This should be an interesting one with 422 in attendance, there are bound to be some traffic jams and other surprises.  Keep watching for reports although with all the excellent photographers out there vying to post their images before anyone else does, I won't be shooting as many photos as usual. There will be many to see.  I will go for quality not quantity (if possible as I'm taking the point and shoot and not my studio camera.)

Ciao...Hasta la vista...A tout a l'heure...Toodle loo...A presto...Sampai jumpa lagi...Tα λέμε σύντομα

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Mr. creature the Raven and the Cat

The first member of the new creature family to be made.

A new armchair was made as well

And it was quickly occupied.

But as soon as the creature sat down to rest, weird voices were heard from the backyard.

It was the cat.

At the same time, from the door Mr. Creature forgot to close, a raven came in.

 

It is not very comfortable to sit with a raven on your back, Mr. Creature wondered to himself.

The cat had a solution.

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"Ella Cinders" - Colleen Moore and Harry Langdon - 1926

Colleen Moore and Harry Langdon in "Ella Cinders" 1926

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The Three Stooges - Sort Of

This clip is of Ed Wynn hosting clips of Buster Keaton and Harry Langdon in talkies. Buster does a cool bottle trick. Really surprised me.

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Avantguard Dolls in Monica Merrill Outfits and Photographic Ruminations

My favorite Avantguard doll is wearing Monica's "Take a Letter" outfit in this photo. It fits very well. The earrings that come with this outfit are black beads. I like diamonds better. Ahem.

I love this doll and that makes me chuckle because looking at her pleases me! 

What I'm not sure about is the shadow on her face created by the light on the right side of the figure. It does repeat itself on her chest but something is off. I think I could have done without the second light on the right and j ust pumped up the power of the other strobe.  I'm shooting with one strobe reflected off an umbrella and one directly diffused strobe which I placed approximately 90° apart from eachother. I have the umbrella higher. I love using high contrast when shooting this doll. I definitely need to work harder when shooting white...it's just not as good as I envision.

In this next photo, I did eliminate the second light. The background is grayer (I could have lit that separately) and the extreme contrast is softened. Her face looks better without the distinct shadow. The big area under her face of faux fur is blown out and takes away from her face. This image could have used some pixel pushing for sure.

The shoes seen in the photo are Goldmine's own.

These last 2 images are of "Attention" Avantguard and were shot with a point and shoot using window light and fill flash from the camera.
The outfit is from a dressed Monica Merrill doll as is "Taking a Letter" and is called "Jonquil Sass." Again, the fit is excellent including the shoes. It's such an adorable outfit. The wig is from another AG doll.

It's painfully apparent to me that my point and shoot is vastly inferior to my studio, tripod-mounted camera. But I'd be taking a lot less pictures if I had to take everything into my studio to shoot. Yes, I know that the last picture above is out of focus but I wanted to let y'all see the entire outfit with shoes.

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What a Witch!

Here is a cool photo (reprint) on eBay of Bessie Love. Click the photo to view the auction.

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Boudoir Dolls in Film - The Strong Man - Harry Langdon, 1926

"The Strong Man"
This 1926 film stars Harry Langdon, Gertrude Astor and Priscilla Bonner. There is a "Cubeb" all composition smoker in this film. I have also seen this doll referred to in 1924/1926 ads as "Charleston Girl" and "The Parisienne," as well as "Flapper Doll." This doll is wearing a felt pant suit, similar to a Lenci Fadette.

The movie is about a Belgium World War I "POW" who ends up in America to find the girl who wrote him letters. It had some good scenes in it, and I had a good laugh.

More about → Boudoir Dolls in Film - The Strong Man - Harry Langdon, 1926