New Deja Vu Dolls

Tonner's new release in their Deja Vu line consists of six dressed dolls and three outfits. One of the outfits was not ready for showing at the time of the debut. 
Deja Vu dolls are sold directly by Tonner, not through their dealers.*

Judy's Grand Entrance

$179.99

• Painted blue eyes with applied black eyelashes
• Summer Blonde rooted saran hair
• Red and black brocade dress with faux flower decoration
• Black gloves
• Black bead bracelet
• Black bead earrings
• Nude pantyhose
• Black elastic shoes
• Black faux fur shawl

Lady Arabella - Garden Walk - Expected to arrive 4/3/15

$199.99

• Cameo skin tone
• Painted violet eyes with applied black eyelashes
• Chestnut rooted saran hair with black snood
• Black and gold dress with crinkle velvet skirt with sequins and beaded flower decoration, ribbon trim, and embroidered organza collar
• Nude pantyhose
• Black faux leather shoes
• Black and gold earrings

Emma Jean's Icy Lace

$199.99

• Cameo skin tone
• Painted green eyes with applied black eyelashes
• Medium Brown rooted saran hair
• Ice blue/silver sequin lace dress
• Ice blue gloves
• Bead necklace
• Nude pantyhose
• Silver faux leather shoes
• Bead earrings

Soirées d’or - Expected to arrive 4/3/15

$189.99

• Cameo skin tone
• Painted green eyes with applied black eyelashes
• Mink rooted saran hair
• Gold brocade dress with white faux fur collar and gold trim
• White petticoat
• Nude pantyhose with attached panties
• Gold earrings
• White faux fur neck muff
• Gold matching shoes
• Gold matching hat with ribbon trim
• Gold earrings

Emma Jean's Perfect Ensemble

$174.99

• Purple knit coat with grey faux fur trim
• Purple knit long sleeve dress
• Grey hat with ribbon trim
• Grey faux pearl necklace
• Grey knit gauntlets
• Grey tights
• Grey faux suede shoes 

Emma Jean's Extravagant Night Out

$179.99

• 16" Déjà vu™ body  
• Cameo skin tone
• Painted green eyes with applied black eyelashes
• Pale blonde rooted saran hair
• Black with silver and purple print velveteen dress with a rhinestone brooch and attached silver bead necklace
• Black knit gauntlets
• Silver and rhinestone cuffs
• Black tights
• Black ribbon headband with rhinestone and feather decoration
• Black faux leather shoes

Emma Jean's Dramatic Entrance - Outfit Only

$99.99

• Black knit dress
• Black bead necklace
• Black tights
• Black hat with rhinestone decoration
• Black faux leather shoes

I am partial to the Roaring 20's era and the styling of Emma Jean's fashions. The "Dramatic Entrance" outfit above is stunning and it looks as if it would fit other 16" dolls as well.

Judy on Stage - Outfit Only

$94.99

• Pink net dress with rhinestone embroidered decoration
• Pink gloves
• White petticoat
• Rhinestone necklace
• Rhinestone bracelets
• Pink satin shoes

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*Cherished Friends has a beautiful Emma Jean dressed doll "Sterling Night" on sale for $159.99 and a basic "Judy's Ready to Wear" doll on sale for $99.99.

More American Girl Props - Photos by Michael Austin

We're on the topic of props on Prego and more photos have been posted. Michael Austin, aka laughon45, whose photography and dolls are fabulous, has the best collection ever!

Julie's Car Wash Set

Deva Guy is an OOAK of Tom Selleck by Chewin. Pants by Tonner,  coat by Jamieshow and shirt by Chewin.   KD Chaucer is with Tom.  Luggage is Superdoll.  Check top - Ficon, blue pants by a  designer from Poland.

American Girl Baby Grand Piano
 KD Chaucer is playing Piano in a gown by Annie Neeley.

American Girl Trail Bike
KD Hadrian is on  the bike by AG and wearing a jumper by Wilde Imagination.
All wigs by Ilaria.

The stunning grand piano and trail bike are sold out on the AG site but they are available elsewhere. Google them.

Painting Caroline's Parlor

I've just begun to transform my American Girl Caroline's Parlor. I wanted a darker, more neutral palette as a backdrop than the one provided.

To begin with I tested some house paint on the back of one of the units. It was a high quality Benjamin Moore paint left over from the renovation of our master bath and it is only about one year old. The surface of the piece took the paint very well but it was too light and I didn't like the faint eggshell finish. I tested one of the Behr colors we used in the rest of the house and decided to use it as my main color. The color is called wet cement.
The Ott lamp I was using is on the left. If your computer monitor renders accurate colors you can see how much cleaner the whites look. By comparison on the right, I had a halogen bulb in a lamp and the white is yellower.

That paint did not have the coverage of the Benjamin Moore and I had to apply two coats. The finish is nice and flat which is exactly what I need for photographic purposes.

This color is perfect as a backdrop for my Horsman French Chaise and sets of chairs in sage.  Pretty much any color upholstery will look good in this setting.

Before you open a can of paint you might have in your garage do consider the age of the paint. Test it on the back of the piece. Then you need a few good brushes. I'm using synthetic sable-like flat brushes in several different sizes.
You want to avoid brushing over and over and making strokes in different directions. Let each coat dry before beginning the next or you will get ridges and a generally uneven finish.
Use pointy tipped brushes to get into hard to reach corners.

One place you do not want paint to get on is the clear plastic window! I cut out a piece of oak tag to fit over that while I was painting.

The base color was easy to apply but I couldn't help getting some on the white trim. It wasn't as easy to do the fine edges where the white trim meets the rest of the piece. No problem, right? I'll just use some white paint to go over the wandering gray. WRONG.
 The paint I tried, and will not continue with, is a flat ceiling paint and it's not covering the gray. You may be able to see the parts I have tried to fix as the flat finish is contrasted to the existing low gloss finish of the original piece. I plan to use a high quality acrylic to do the trim. I am resigned to the fact that I probably will have to go over all the white even if I haven't gotten gray on it in order to get the same finish. All whites are not the same.

At one point I began wondering why I even started. When you paint the inside of the bookcase you may rue the day you started.

The large raised frame over the fireplace and the fronts of the drawers are painted using the same color as the background with 1/3 of the volume white added. The drawers do not pull out all the way which would have been ideal. I just painted them while they were open. I did not paint the insides, the undersides or the full sides of the drawers.
The floor and ceiling of the fireplace have been painted as well as the area under the shelf between the brackets. I'm considering doing a faux marble finish on the fireplace tile surround eventually. 

Don't look at the pile of doll boxes..

I love the window seat section!  I want to make a few of my own backdrops to insert in the slot. The possibilities are limitless. Another collector made a cover for their yellow cushion and a beautiful valance.

A lot of collectors posting on Prego and the Studio Commissary are putting up pictures of their Caroline's Parlor set-ups.  Did you get one?