Madrid Fashion Doll Show Convention: Charity Auctions Begin

There are twenty items being auctioned by the MFDS.

The Convention " Madrid Fashion Dolls Show" hosted by official Barbie club in Spain" Coleccionistas de Fashion dolls en Madrid" has joined Artist all over the world to create a very important charity program for current time. For this important project we are working close with " Red cross" and funds got with this initiative will be use for toy campaign "No child without a toy at Christmas". We thank all artist involve in this project and all people bidding on these fabulous creations. Your bid means a child smile. Pink Power!!!

Here is the list of items as reported by the "My Dolls" blog.

It looks like the price for a few will go sky high. For example:

OOAK PEONY by Artist Creations aka Alessandro Gatti & Guiseppe De Bellis

The dress, made in pure pale pink silk and chiffon fabric is composed of a sophisticated evening gown completely hand embroidered with soft laces, sequins and many other different kinds of precious decorations. The elegant train, in a shape of one articulated origami, makes the image even more precious. Hairstyle and accessories are all hand made by Artist Creations as is the total facial makeover which was hand painted with high quality water based acrylic colours. Complete: one soft pair of long gloves, parure of necklace, earrings and bracelet in tiny Swarovski crystals, stockings and matching shoes. Doll size: 12 inches.  [Edited for clarity by blogger]

OOAK Magia Showgirl in  Madrid by Magia 2000

 Please click on this link to see all the auctions. MFDS AUCTIONS

Arrived: Purity Dasha - FR2 - W Club Exclusive Doll

The Dasha Purity dolls I ordered arrived today. As I opened the exterior box I caught a whiff of mildew. My heart sank. The smell was coming from the brown shipper boxes. I'm pretty sure they're using a different type of cardboard and it stinks. Luckily, the actual doll box and its contents (the doll herself) do not have the odor. I put the shippers outside. I'm not imagining it because I asked my husband, who can't smell anything, and he noticed it.

Here's a quick picture I took of the doll in the box. My signature is across her chest due to the fact that this picture is going on eBay.  A friend is also sending hers to me to sell.

I like her but not enough to keep both. I'd like to take down her hair...

IT products are few and far between these days as far as adding to my collection. I was really looking forward to this doll. The dress is quite nice. It looks well made and isn't as simple as it appears. There are a lot of details in the construction you don't see at first.

Better pictures will come soon.

Arrived: The Blonds Blond Gold Barbie® Doll

I'm surprised that I like her so much. I'm dying to take her out of the box, taking those strings off of her hair and letting it flow.
Her chains are actually chain. The main part of the outfit is stunning.
For now, she stays in the box alongside her sister.
It's too bad that there will be no more in this series.

Wilde Imagination New 2013 Fall/Holiday Release

There are many beautiful products in this new release from Wilde Imagination. I will touch on only a few in this post and link you to the rest.

San Francisco Chill Outfit for Ellowyne $99.

This Ellowyne is also a new release. She is Ellowyne - Feeling Drained Three. She comes with a second wig which is long and blonde. $149.

Romantic Knot Wig $45 modeled by Essential Prudence Four, Wigged Out.

One More Time Evangeline $225.

There is much more including Amelia Thimble and Patience.
Hoping the following link works!

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=lin86ecab&v=001T4YSeKItteWY2_W7DuYPHjLPoHoajA78whueRJc3Y7MhnkHOrJA6JXsYE_PJ7BV1x9hcl7uyAY0kMyPsnSzDN6NMSNAhoN2E-wButFjuBcf9B9CXo5FizWW-KJKkF6Gi6rtNt2g9SdpQ3wOV55gOPdZ44aUel_BoKBY6it2oe8x8C30tmpkeN_p3l3lAVbXxyswW-FGAlXAt_kNlpyPZqiv7V1DpiLMRYy8H7fhgD8Qn9QpIenDs-0kgeslrk-a12ZIXixfn97r807he9nQerg%3D%3D

Ever After High™ Royal Dolls

How is it that Mattel can produce fully articulated dolls on a massive scale for the Monster High and Ever After High dolls and yet they stick with the stilted model pose on their fashion dolls?

From left to right: Briar Beauty, Apple White, Raven Queen, Madeline Hatter

Here are the new  Ever After High™ Royal Dolls. I haven't been following the line but I believe these were the first to be released. They look less monstrous :-) than their predecessors and are quite cute. Justice is selling them for $21.60 each. 

According to a doll tracker, the dolls do not stay in stock for long at Justice. If you find one at Amazon or on eBay, it is sure to be more expensive. Of course, after the 'newness' wears off, you can get pretty much everything.


If you care to read about the line and it's backstory, here is the Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ever_After_High

Hunter Huntsman

Ashlynn Ella

These two come as a set.

BarbieCollector.com Member Reminder

Our third $20. Shop Reward expires on September 30th. If you haven't used it by midnight of that day, it's gone. Is there anything you want to buy that you could use it for? Don't you wish we could accumulate them for a big deduction?

I used this quarter's reward toward The Blonds Blond Gold Barbie who will probably be delivered tomorrow. She's been a long time coming. She is one of the less than 10 Barbie dolls I own who stay boxed. They just look so good in the box.
There are several inexpensive items towards which one could use a $20. coupon such as tumblers, coasters, t-shirts and bangle bracelets. I hate to see coupons go to waste and you could always give these purchases as holiday gifts if you don't want to keep them yourself.  Shop, shop, shop! Why should I be the only one?

Seriously?

People are actually willing to pay this much money for a 12" Poppy Parker doll. 

What do you think of this?

Picture of the Day - by Me

Dionysis repaint by Yian. White mohair wig by Ilaria. Dress by Superfrock.

A Change of Pace

With several new outfits and one new Monogram doll head, I had reason to photograph some 12" dolls this week.
This is Monogram Exaggeration wearing an HJ Couture top, FR pants, boots and jewelry. She's got a smouldering look on her face.

 

Elyse and Kyori, both on FR2 bodies, model VJohn dresses beautifully.  

Last, we have a  Mini-Avantguard doll who is wearing a NuFace fashion. I spend so little time with the IT doll world these days that I can't remember their exact names or the names of the fashions. But I'm very happy with the beautiful dolls I have kept and hope talented designers keep making affordable outfits for them.

Once Bitten, Twice Shy

I recently purchased an NRFB Sybarite convention fashion called Viper Byte. I'd seen beautiful photos of dolls wearing the fashion.  I had to have it.  

The jacket along with the pants are the best parts of this multi-part fashion. The pants are very nice and fit beautifully. The t-shirt, which I did not photograph, is unfitted and the stitching on the stretchy fabric is poorly done. I took it off my doll.  The finish on the belt is very fragile and after closing the hook I noticed that a small part of the surface of the belt was scratched off.
The bracelets are metal and there's no way they could have gone on unless the hands were removed or the metal was spread open. I chose the second method knowing that closing them up again would probably cause them to break. One did break. The heels on the beautiful shoes are as thick as the lead in a pencil and as fragile. Luckily I did not break them. This is the first individually purchased Sybarite fashion to cause me such disappointment.

So last week it was Lawn and this week it's Viper Byte.
Update on Lawn...she's been sent back to Superdoll and they are going to replace her with a new doll. Postage at their expense both ways - as it should be.

My model above is a newly acquired Dionysis repaint by Yian wearing a wig by Cheryl Wood.

Review: Carmen, Mazarine Blue Doll

Review and photographs by Miriam Shepherd. 

Carmen arrived today and she is a very interesting doll. She comes tied and sewn onto a silk pillow with another one on top and she arrived in perfect condition. The worst thing I can say about this doll is that her stand is useless. It does not hold her up. I suspect that whoever manufactured the saddle on this stand did not understand how it was supposed to be used and turned it sideways as if it was supposed to grip her waist. It doesn't. As for the doll, she is true to her publicity pictures. She has a beautifully sculpted face I think. I am not sure I am completely in love with her face paint style, but that I think is a matter of taste rather than of skill. Her wig by Ilaria is just amazing - very sexy. The body on this doll is really rather different. She has detailed chest bones and neck tendons. I think whoever sculpted her body really studied the human body. Her legs seem to have much more detailing for muscle indentations than most dolls. The aesthetic for this doll's body is for a very thin person with defined hip bones. Her rear end is very rounded at the hips but is actually rather flat in the back. She has a long torso and narrow upper torso. Her hands are pretty, not paddles. Her feet are also pretty. Because her torso is long and her hips wide, I don't think she will fit Gene clothes - the one dress I tried wouldn't go over her hips. From my few experiments, she won't fit many Avant Guard, FR16 clothes either. But she does fit Tyler clothes very nicely which is great because I have more of them than any other doll and so many of the new dolls DON'T fit Tyler well. She'll probably fit Antoinette okay too - although she has a grown up bustline, her torso is narrow so it might even out. She can get her foot in many Tyler sandals and shoes, but her arch is a bit higher. She will not fit Sybarite or JS shoes as her feet are too wide. She will be able to share shoes with Ficon, Mods, Devon though. As for wigs, she'll fit most #5/6 wigs for Tyler and Jamieshow. Her hard cap wig fit my Sasha doll nicely. I don't know if I am completely in love with this doll, but I think she's quite nice. One thing though - I notice seams on her body here and there which I never see on other resin dolls. Perhaps they needed to be sanded down more carefully? Her resin is otherwise very nice quality, smooth and nice natural color and attractively blushed. 

Thank you to Miriam for allowing me to share her review and photos with my readers. 
You can see Miriam's beautiful work at:  http://www.yumyumcouture.com

Mazarine Blue Doll — 17" Ball Jointed Fashion Doll

_______________________________________________________

Mazarine responds to Miriam's review:

Hi, Miriam!
Thank you so much for your very honest review with details :-) Really appreciate it!!

I sculpted this doll myself.
As you wrote, I expressed a lot of muscles for Victoria's Secret look.
(Wide hips are for that, too)
And I actually matched her to Tyler size.
So she can wear a lot of clothes of Tyler, but as you wrote, she cannot wear AG or thinner dolls clothes.

And about doll stand.
It doesn't hold her waist up.
It's for leaning on.
When she's wearing shoes, she can be standing on leaning on the stand.
As you can see, the pole length isn't extended.
So we made waist stand that you can use for various shoes height.
(But we also think we need to develop doll stand in future)

And about Seams.
My duplicator is very professional and he's working for big Korean bjd companies like Dollmore.
We had talked about seams many times.
He tries make less seams, but as far as we make them from silicone molds, they happen.
It's natural among usual big tanned bjds.
Sometimes we remove them with sandpaper.
but this color resin cannot be sanded because discolorations. My own prototype has them, too.

I hope this explanation helps a little.
Thank you so much for your photos and review!!

Photo of the Day by Lisa @ Every Day A Dollie

Summer's coming to a very quick end. Here in PA it's mostly overcast and about 30 degrees colder than last week. Crazy weather is something that I've come to expect.
Lisa in PA has provided her blog's subscribers a lovely, final glimpse of summer in a blog post called Go Outside And Play.

"Hot Dots" Poppy Parker

I just love the dog toy being used as a tube.

Read the rest of this post and check out Lisa's excellent doll photography at this link:

Every Day A Dollie

Huguette Clark's Doll Collection "Empty Mansions"

http://emptymansionsbook.com/

Little could entice copper mining heiress Huguette Clark out of her solitary life in a vast Fifth Avenue apartment, except her love of dolls.
The recluse, who died childless at the age of 104, had a collection of china dolls, and perfectly scaled houses and accessories for them, believed to be worth more than $2 million.
And, although she was seldom seen in public, Ms Clark would come out of her lavish apartment if it meant adding to the collection. 
In their book, Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune, Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell Jr. reveal how the heiress attended a Christian Dior fashion show - to search for doll's clothes.

Madrid Fashion Doll Exclusive JamieShow "TOREADORA" Grace

A most beautiful Jamieshow Grace was presented in Madrid at the Fashion Doll event. She is LE 25 and is priced at $450.
I love the gold eye shadow,  red lips and raven hair.  It looks like the wig cap is a long pony tail. It's an excellent look for this resin BJD.

 

Available at Jamieshow Doll

No Surprise Here: IDEX 2014 is Cancelled

Those who have been involved or who have attended IDEX received this letter today:

IDEX 2014 CANCELED

The collectible doll and teddy bear trade show IDEX Premiere has been canceled for 2014 and will discontinue all show operations moving forward. While we have enjoyed working with the doll and teddy bear industry over the last decade, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the show and all of its related events and workshops.

 

IDEX, a trade show dedicated to the celebration of dolls, teddy bears, toys and collectible playthings, ran without interruption for twenty-two years. Held in cities all over the country, most recently in Orlando, Florida, IDEX was for many years the premiere place to see what trends and developments were to come in the industry, meet and mingle with fellow collectors, and learn crafting skills at a myriad of workshops. While we are sad to see IDEX come to an end, we have a wealth of great memories and personal friendships that will stay with us for a lifetime. 

 

In closing, we would like to thank all of the artists, exhibitors, manufacturers, buyers and collectors who made IDEX a vibrant and exciting environment for more than two decades. We wish you all the best.

 

Sincerely,

 

Susan Fitzgerald

Vice President, IDEX

 

What we saw last April, was a huge decrease in attendance of larger manufacturers such as Madame Alexander.  I had not attended the prior two years but three years ago, the showroom floor was a bustling area with more than one could take in in a day. This time it was downright boring. Except for 4 or 5 booths, little was worth the time and/or effort to look at. 

It is entirely possible that part of the demise of IDEX is due to the changed date from winter to spring. February is Toy Fair in New York. January has been the month to attend IDEX. And the hotel change was a mistake as well. I loved the Rosen Shingle Creek. In a blog post created on 9/26/10, I describe the hotel.

Soon all business will be conducted without talking to a real human in person. That's what's 'trending.'

Lawn Has Weeds

She arrived today. I love her fashion. It's better than it looks in the promos. But I am very disappointed because she has several defects. There is a yellow streak of paint on her neck. It's not a small amount either. There are also a few scratches on her torso which I examined after I found the paint.

I sent an email to the appropriate folks at Superfrock and I attached 6 large photo close-ups of the problems. The test of customer service will make it's results shown tomorrow if they do not answer right away. They ask to be notified in 24 hours if there is a problem. I expect a reply within the same amount of time. Honestly, the only answer I will be happy with is a new body. They can have the damaged one picked up and send me another.

ZestZest , Sour Pea and Cookiecutter

Today Superdoll announced that two new outfits and the hat set have been posted for sale. http://www.superdollonline.co.uk/acatalog/SYBARITES.html

COOKIECUTTER SYB/AP_042

The piece d' resistance from this collection and the ultimate in accessories!
4 pack of divine quaint and cute hats!
BLUE, PINK, YELLOW & GREEN!
4 HAT pack only.
ED: 100 pieces worldwide!

Price: £105.99 ($167.67 US)

 

SOUR PEA SYB/749

A very delicate frock of rose satin with lace overlay. Sleeves and neckline addorned in bows.
Divine set of bracelets in 'gold'.
Also included is a pair of matching hose and a pair of ultra glamping court heels trimmed with lace flowers.
And of course she was her own matching pinwheel
OUTFIT ONLY

ED: 80 pieces worldwide!

Price: £109.75  ($173.61 US)

ZEST ZESTSYB/751

Gorgeous soft citrus silk strapless dress with chiffon inserts and ribbon detailing, accented by a volumous silk chiffon caper with ribbon bow at neckline.
Custom printed make up bag.
Also included is a pair of matching hose and a pair of ultra glamping court heels trimmed with lace flowers .
And of course she was her own matching pinwheelOUTFIT ONLY

ED: 80 pieces worldwide!

Price: £107.99 ($170.83 US)

__________________________________________

My personal favorite of these three items is Zest Zest. I like the fabric and the style. Overall this has been a lovely, albeit tame, collection of pastel and summery offerings. 

 

 

Photos and Video from Facets 2013 BBQ

You may be aware that Marcia Friend of Facets by Marcia has a barbeque every year at her home with husband Paul. All doll collectors are invited. This year the event was on Sunday, September 8.
Bob and I, along with Rudy, have been attending for several years. I wouldn't miss it!
I get to hang out with doll buddies, shop, sell, get free stuff, give free stuff,  have show and tell and all good things one does with doll friends.
Here is a link to some fun photographs from the event. Don't miss the video at the bottom of the page. I do make an appearance wearing my fabulous new fur.
Can you spot Rudy under the table?

http://facetsbymarcia.com/BBQ2013.htm

A Few New Pictures

Tulabelle: Trend Spotted
An impulse buy-$99 was a great price. I like her fashion a lot, her face not so much. She's definitely a candidate for a repaint but I'm not keeping the doll - just the outfit. The glasses are Horsman. She's got a hairnet on as she's going to a new home. I like my dolls a little more mature-looking but she does have a pretty cute vibe.

J'Adore Gene Marshall wearing "All About the Eyes."
I tried but I could not get those gold gloves on. If this were a vinyl doll I would have pushed and pulled until they went on...not with a resin doll.
For this gal, none of the available wig caps please me as much as a few of my Sybarite wigs.  I have seen several restyled JamieShow wigs looking really great but I'm not talented in that department.
I love this look on her.

Deja Vu "My Afternoon Stroll" wearing Sybarite jeans and sweater, Ficon sneakers and a random wig. I can't warm up to this doll. I need dolls to feel right from the start. She doesn't suit my style although she is very versatile and can wear so many fashion items I have already.

Precarious Precious Metal wearing Antoinette's "Optimistic" fashion and Fashion Royalty earrings. This doll's beauty was a surprise to me. Her original outfit was overwhelming and once I took it off, she came alive.

Hervé Léger Barbie

There was a question about whether or not this doll would be produced at all and now she has appeared on Amazon.es (Spain.) Price is listed at 114,18€ which translates to $150.37.

No disponible temporalmente.
Pídelo ya y lo enviaremos cuando esté disponible. Recibirás un e-mail con la fecha de entrega estimada en cuanto tengamos más información. El cobro a tu cuenta se realizará cuando se envíe el producto.
Vendido y enviado por Amazon. Se puede envolver para regalo. 

Translation: Temporarily unavailable.
Order now and we'll deliver when available. You will receive an e-mail with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. The charge will be made to your account when the product is shipped.
Sold & Shipped by Amazon. Gift-wrap available.

The product looks gorgeous and if the doll really looks like this I want her. I still hate that dumb body but I like the fashions. I like the background printed inside the box, too.

I know that rarely does anything look as good as Mattel's promotional photos but there's always hope.

Would you buy this doll for $150.? What about $100.? Would you buy this doll at all? :-)

And if you would like to know more about the designer, Herve Leger: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herve_Leger

My Wistful Season Ellowyne

Wilde Imagination has introduced this adorable Ellowyne today. She seems to be dressed for fall or for back to school.

My Wistful Season - $165 - In Stock Now

Including a rich rooted mane of raven hair, painted blue eyes highlighted by applied lashes and delicate hand-painted features, My Wistful Season; Ellowyne arrives to you in style, featuring her ruffle-trimmed plaid frock beneath a rich black double-breasted velvet coat, dotted with red buttons and red accented sleeves and collar. Her ensemble is complete with polka dot tights, black beret and glittery black lace-up booties. Designer stand included. LE 1000

Click on the photograph to go to Wilde Imagination's web site for Ellowyne.

Picture of the Day by Cholo Ayuyao

Cholo's nephew Keagan, whom he has nicknamed "Keagan the Destroyer" appears occasionally in his photos. It's fun watching this little boy grow up around Cholo's stunning creations. Yesterday this wonderful photo was posted on Facebook.

Irresistible!

Keagan the Destroyer strikes again!!!! Good thing Cadenza was still graceful under pressure, pressure from Keagan's dinosaur toys not to far from her. LOLs

New Trio of Dynamite Girls Dolls from Integrity

'Tis the season for all things Halloween. Sooki has her cute coffin handbag, Damon has removable horns and Dani has blue lips. 

Spooky Sooki: The Return
Dynamite Girl™ Dressed Doll
2013 IT Direct Exclusive
Limited Edition of 1000 Dolls
Suggested Retail Price: $65.00
Available for Pre-order Directly from IT Direct
Approximate Ship Date: Late September 2013

Handsome Devil
Damon™ Fashion Figure
The Dynamite Girls™ Collection
Limited Edition of 800 Dolls
Suggested Retail Price: $65.00
Approximate Ship Date: Late September 2013
Available from All Integrity Toys Authorized Dealers

Dead In Her Tracks
Dani™ Dressed Doll
The Dynamite Girls™ Collection
Limited Edition of 800 Dolls
Suggested Retail Price: $65.00
Approximate Ship Date: Late September 2013
Available from All Integrity Toys Authorized Dealers

What do you think?