Showing posts with label shoes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shoes. Show all posts

Reflections and Last Minute Preparations

Posted by bayan

Just about four years ago today I started blogging. My first post was on 10/20/06 and it showed my first reroot. She was a beautiful Gliteratti Veronique. I used about 4 times as much hair as necessary and chipped a tooth or two in the process as I stupidly used my teeth to pull the needle a few times. Such a genius.
When I switched to Blogger from Yahoo as the carrier of the blog, the date I switched (6/29/08) shows up in the index but the date on the post is the true date.
I made that post while the FR convention in Baltimore was taking place. We did not attend that one but tried IFDC instead that year.
There are six days before the official start of the 2010 Integrity Convention in Pittsburgh and many changes have taken place in the six years since my first convention in Toronto - not only in the event but also in my collection. It's mind boggling to think back to when I was dabbling in collecting dolls alone to now being part of an enormous world-wide group of collectors with whom I can communicate 24/7.
I think this will be the last year that Integrity will have the convention in Pittsburgh. Alain sent out an email informing us that because they will be hosting 422 guests this time, there will not be a museum room. This is going to be very interesting. That's more people than were at the last Gene convention and it was crowded beyond belief.  At one meal our table was practically in the kitchen!
My costume is ready and I am very pleased with it. My table gifts are ready and I pretty much know what I'm taking to wear the rest of the time. Rudy is ready. Bob wanted to know if, because there are so many people, they are telling non-collecting spouses to stay home. Haha.
I hope I get to meet all the people I've become friends with this year. I hope I can find them or they can find me.
---
This morning George of Angelic Dreamz sent me a picture of the new and ultra fashionable Jamieshow DEMI collection shoes he now carries exclusively. They're quite fashionable. He said that he actually got the Silkstone in the picture to stand on her own. He will have a few of them with him at the convention.

Angelic Dreamz Photo
Angelic Dreamz really has it going on. George is introducing exclusive and affordable (not inexpensive) dolls, bodies, stands, shoes, wigs and more. He is making supremely useful contributions to the doll world with these items. It's not the same old tired stuff. It's new and better and different. Bravo, George!

Angelic Dreamz Photo
Angelic Dreamz Photo
Today my new Horseman French chairs arrived and I'm very impressed.  I ordered a right and a left facing chair in sage. They come upholstered in a textured solid black and a sage/greige. The legs are painted metal that look like wood. I'm guessing the back is a composite. These are for 1/4 scale dolls like the Jamieshow, Tyler, Sybarite and similarly sized dolls. The retail price is $80. each.
Horseman has filled a huge gap in this field with their 1/4 scale furniture. I would like to see more tables and other substantial props come out soon.
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Tyler Wentworth Ready-To-Wear Boutique Collection is Back

Posted by bayan




  



I have always admired the fact that the Tonner Doll Company provides plenty of wardrobe options separately from the dolls. I don't think there is a single other company that produces such a quantity and variety of outfits. Yes, one comes upon an ill-fitting or poorly finished piece occasionally but for the most part, the clothes are excellent, attractive and long wearing. The separates hold their resale value longer than the dressed dolls and their outfits.
 My favorites for 2010 are right here in this photo provided on the Tonner site.


Left
Frayed Denim Jacket $49.99
Sequined Denim Bustier  $29.99
Frayed Denim Skirt $39.99
Center
Ruffled Evening Top $44.99
Lace Evening Skirt $59.99
Seated
Distressed Skinny Jeans $34.99
Classic Lace Blouse $39.99
Ruffled Cotton Coat $49.99

That's not all! There are three packs of shoes at $39.99 for each pack of two or three pair:




 two dresses and a sweater:


Uptown Dress $59.99
Soho Dress $69.99



http://www.tonnerdoll.com/2010TonnerSiteFH/Tyler/impressionistsweater.jpg
Impressionist Sweater $ 39
an adorable black "swirled skirt" @   ($44.99),


several sparkly, metallic jackets:

The Love Jacket  $54.99

The Downtown Jacket $49.99

The Chelsea Hoodie $59.99
Most dealers sell Tonner items at a discount off these MSRP prices.
See more of Tonner's 2010 Tyler line by clicking here. 
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Reviews: Temptation Vanessa and Fire Within Jordan

Posted by bayan

Temptation Vanessa is the most unattractive Vanessa I have ever ordered. I'm laughing at myself because my obsession with Vanessas made me do it. The sequin dress is style-less, the black shoes do not enhance the pink sequins and her hair...oy. She arrived yesterday - along with two other Fashion Royalty dolls.
I rarely photograph my dolls outside as I don't like to contend with wind, uneven surfaces, insects and the lack of control of lighting. But today I took her and Jordan out into the garden (along with the dog) and my point and shoot camera. The pictures are good enough for the review. That's all I'm going to say about the photography except that the first picture below is horrid.
Vanessa is actually very pretty once her outfit is removed and her hair is flattened and loosened. She is at this time sitting nekkid with curlers in her hair.
Here she is in the cottage first and then in the garden.


The dress from the rear:Her hair from the rear with the bump opened up:Luckily her hair is fully rooted. There are two small pony tails secured by easy to remove rubber bands. One, as you can see, is pinned and that's also easy to pull out. I did not remove the pin securing her bangs.
The shoes:Do you see the way the strap is threaded from side to side and then curves over the toes? It should not have come down that far because the strap doesn't lay flat and it's in the wrong place—very strange. I will examine them further to see if there is a possibility of altering them because I do like the platform base and the shoes do fit.

Fire Within Jordan. There are no quality control issues with her!
I'm not sure whether or not I actually like the outfit for a non-teenage doll. There are lots of details and they appear to be well sewn. I like her earrings and shoes. Her hair is straight and center parted. I haven't removed her jacket yet.
Here she is.


Jordan also comes with elbow length, faux leather potholders and a gathered tulle head thing. The hat pins are actually nicely scaled!
If you're thinking of purchasing Vanessa, she's sold out at all the dealers but I'm sure you can get her on eBay. Retail was $79.

Jordan is most likely available at most retailers at $139.

The other doll that arrived yesterday was Incandescent Monogram. She's up next.
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Bridal shoes

Posted by bayan


Time flew by, and when I finally sat down to write a post this evening, I suddenly realized a whole month passed since my last post; I was so busy with my offline life that I didn't even notice.
Things are going quite well with the workshops and everything else I do, but I feel that being occupied with a few different things at once makes me extra slow with each one of them.
If you are familiar with my work, you probably already know that speed is not really my thing.
Some of the items I was busy with were shoes and slippers that I was asked to customize.
I am very proud of this pair of bridal shoes; I have already sewn bridal shoes before, but have never been asked to embroider a personal note: the names of the bride & groom, along with their wedding date.

I didn't consider it complicated, since I have embroidered and sewn many shoes before, so combining the two seemed to be very simple. As usual, it was much more complicated what I estimated it to be.
First, it took me almost one hour to choose the right font in the right size and the right spacing, which would fit the straps, wouldn't be too big or too small, would leave enough spacing for the threads, and so on. I printed one A4 page full of various options, and there was only one that worked well. Afterwards, I had to transform it very carefully, and make some adjustments to ensure that the fonts would look as nice embroidered as they did printed.
Till that stage, everything went quite well, as I embroidered the letters and had only very tiny, almost invisible stains to remove from one of the straps. Very carefully, I used a cotton swab dipped in alcohol. I have already used this method before and it worked very well. But not this time! In one second, the nearly invisible stains became very visible, and also irreparable.
Cursing myself, everything I have ever done and everything around me, together with few hours off sewing, seemed to help.
In the afternoon, I unpicked the whole strap, and re-sewed and re-embroidered it from scratch.
Finally, it was done.
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Can I just get the shoes?

Posted by bayan

There are many who will spend $150 for a non-articulated doll dressed in a black catsuit with painted black hands and four pair of shoes. They are probably the very same people who bought my Platinum Cher doll for $500. I can't put you down because I take a look at my dolly spreadsheet from time to time and cringe when I see what I spend on doll clothes. It's obscene. But at least my dolls can sit, bend their arms and are fully articulated.

Anyway, I keep seeing these images of the Christian Louboutin Cat Burglar doll. The packaging is very nice. I wonder if the shoes are plastic? The doll is limited to 7700 worldwide. That seems like a huge amount to me when I collect dolls that are variously limited from less than 100 to about 1000. The range of retail prices I've seen is from a low of $149.99 to a high of $299.99. Unreal.

"Here is a brief description: Christian Louboutin has collaborated with Barbie to create this limited edition 'Cat Burglar' doll. In a black catsuit and Differa sandals, she is the perfect gift for fashion lovers. She comes with a collection of 4 red-soled Louboutins, each with their own shoe box and bag. "




I love the last picture. Definitely a hottie!

Mattel outdid themselves this year and their rising prices reflected the extra effort.
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New and shiny

Posted by bayan


It is already two years since I Sew this pair, this very first pair of my Mary Jane shoes. Meanwhile they have been to many places, they have been to Greece to the Netherlands and Belgium, they were teaching workshops, crocheting dolls, sewing slippers, stitching camera, walking in the rain, picking fabrics leftovers from the streets, carpentering a textile armchair , crocheting an armchair, preparing marionettes and much more...

Today they finally got young & shiny sisters.
Now I just wonder where this pair will take me to.
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My new summer clogs

Posted by bayan


My summer clogs are finally done! Yay! even though I am not a clogs person I think I am going to walk a lot in those this summer.



If you wish a pair for your own, you can find them here.
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Red and white, from shoes to birds

Posted by bayan


I was deeply inspired by the bridal shoes I was asked to customize in red and white.

For a long time I had this idea of creating new birds, it was so long since I made the last ones. Some of them already flow away and spring time felt so perfect for new ones.
After the red and white shoes was done yesterday, it was clear what colors the new birds are going to have.
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Homemade shoes

Posted by bayan


I walk around at the last few days in my new shoes, to confirm they are resistant and comfortable for outside walking.
These are the shoes version to my slippers, My slippers were the scaled up version to my doll's shoes.
My fears were not came true, I felt quite comfortable and the shoes came back home at the same condition as they
went out.
The insoles are removable and washable.

The soles are made from foamed plastic ( kind of rubber).
They are now listed at my etsy store
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