My Ficon Gals and Brunel Visit the Parlor

I finally finished repainting Caroline's Parlor. It was not fun but definitely worth it in the end.
I used two shades of gray matte finish and semi-gloss white paint.
The window seat cushion is just temporarily wrapped in a scrap of upholstery fabric. I need to make a well fitted cover for that. The curtains will have to go as well. I'd like something more formal.
For the picture over the mantel I printed out several Matisse pictures I found on the internet and picked the one that I liked the best to go in this frame. I attached it to the wall using self-stick velcro squares.
My window view is the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. I loved it because of the cherry blossoms in the foreground in spite of the fact that there is no building that would have this view at this scale.

Furniture is Horsman. The fluffy white rugs are an Integrity Toy's product from long ago. 

The big issue with using a set with lots of verticals is perspective distortion. There are tilt-shift lenses that can automatically correct for this. I don't have one so I attempt to do the correction in Photoshop.

http://digital-photography-school.com/correcting-perspective-lens-distortion-in-photoshop/

http://www.photographyblog.com/articles/why_you_dont_need_a_tilt-shift_lens/


Brunel wanted to show off her new Chanel handbag

so she invited the Ficons for a parlor warming party. They don't get along very well.

It's not your turn to hold him yet. Go away.

Where's the food?

They all wanted to play with the dog; he was the hit of the party. No one paid attention to Brunel or the new parlor at all.

They finally left and Brunel got the puppy all to herself.

 The End of a dumb story.

Superdoll Dreamscape and Emerald Oyster

From the Superdoll website come the descriptions of the fashions. I have edited the spelling.

DREAMSCAPE SYB/768

Escape to your Dreams.
Lined in old rose pink, this voluminous gown of irridescent sequin is just that, a voluminous gown of gorgeous glitz. From the side bust, a swirl of pale organza swoops and rolls as if in a dream; asymmetrically down the gown to the hemline.

This delicate 'nth' of organza is held in place with a multitude of corded vines & poinsettia in contrasting rose. Atop each 'bloom' a tiny pile of sequin, pearl and 'diamante.'

Reminiscent of a bygone age, yet smack bang up to the red carpet.

Accessories include exquisite Superdoll  'classic' headpiece, hose and slip on towering perspex heels.

Sybarite Geometry wearing an Ilaria wig is modeling here.

EMERALD OYSTER SYB/769

Emeralds and 'leather'.
Lined in nude, flowing leatherette tarlazzi forms a great big statement of a gown and is just that, a fabulous statement. Straight neck satin bodice on mini corded straps adorned in 'diamonds' & 'emeralds, give the illusion of a Superdoll staple, the reverse neck.

To further trick the eye, the under-bust of this gown is set with a guipure lace motif adorned with further 'emerald'.

Reminiscent of a bygone age, yet smack bang up to the red carpet.

Accessories include opera length 'gloves', hose and slip on towering perspex heels.

Sybarite Domina models Emerald Oyster.

Ficon Girls Get Camera Time

First day of Spring? Not here. It's snowing. Again. We're nice and warm inside.

Here is Ficon's Ms. G Black wearing the fashion from Ficon Fierce and a wig by Cheryl Wood. Her bracelet is Franklin Mint.

This edgy fashion is a two-piece suit with rhinestone buckled belt. The shoulders are embellished with silvery metal cones and chains. In contrast, the armholes are finished with multi-layered tulle providing a bit of softening contrasting with the angular cut of the top.
Her clutch bag has a textured almost glittered feel; it is not glitter, however.

The shoes are black strappy faux leather heels with a zipper up the back. Sadly, the zipper won't go all the way up. I tried.
This photo showed me how bad her pedicure is. I can fix that easily.

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Ficon "Bonita" is modeling Ficon's fashion "Wrinkle" dress and vest. The fabric is a faux snake and a stretch fabric which is ruched. The metal cones appear on the shoulders again. The belt has a large silver buckle.
Stunning wig is also by Cheryl Wood. Clutch is Superdoll.

 

Superdoll's Solitaire GEN X - DD_085

A few minutes past 1:00 PM EST Superdoll posted Solitaire, their first vinyl Sybarite, for sale on their website. The edition of 75 was sold out in less than 5 minutes.

These are the photos:

I swear I wasn't going to go for her. I'm very happy with my existing resin Sybs and similar 16" dolls. I knew she would be ridiculously expensive for a vinyl doll but after a moment's hesitation, I clicked the dreaded button.

Here is the description, copied directly from the post,  that accompanied the doll:

After years in development we are delighted to present
our ALL NEW Vinyl formula. version T-5 sample.

the DEBUT Generation_X
Clone: 1000 Venus d'Royce
*please note different monitors may show colours differently.

Ginger and marshmallow coloured eyes, zef brows in rust and charcoal with shadow of deep red and muted blacks. Lids in icy translucent white. Lips the colour of blood.

Blonde wig bearing hand rooted centre parting, in a 'bedhead' state with backstage Queen of Hearts playing card set.

2 piece 'shrunken' suit consists amazing miniature tailoring with concealed shoulder pads and pocket kerchief. Pocket flap detail and functioning centre front buttons. 3 button detail to jacket cuffs. Trousers have beltloops, working front slash pockets and bum welts on back.

Further accessories include 'patent' belt, 'patent' B*TCH elongated purse with gold foil interior and the cutest hugest hot pink 'fur' pompom ever!

The piece d'resistance of course is her huge double baguette pillow cut ring that gleams like a solitaire rock in the midnight sky or is it the slither of velvet spot netting she has in her purse?

'Patent' strappy stiletto sandles with the highest heels ever on a sYbarite (sans platform)

Necklace and cuff set in silver 'leather' and chained bead detail.

and of course she comes with the following standard:

-manic_cure hands (see booklet for hand change instructions)
-booklet
-stand

ED:75
In stock and ready to be delivered
Price: £274.00

She's got an intense, angry look about her.  The wig? We'll see. I do hope all Sybarite clothes will fit and that the quality is top notch.

Cost breakdown:
Doll         £274.00 = $421.15
Postage  £39.50    = $ 60.72  (Ridiculous for a vinyl doll unless she gets here in two days.)
Total       £313.50  = $481.87

Do you have any thoughts on why Superdoll seemingly has gone backwards in their production of dolls from beautiful resin to ordinary vinyl?

Demi-Ginny and Rory Riot Llewelyn

I rinsed out and combed Ginny's rooted wig cap and it helped somewhat. I twirled it while it was still damp and let it dry flat on paper toweling. It looks much better. I eliminated some of the more difficult frizzies in Photoshop.

Ginny is wearing a gown by SL Doll. (Sanglian Lu, Xiamen, China)  She was gone a long time but I see she is now selling on Etsy.  "Sanglian's Homework"  There's not much listed there but she's worth checking out from time to time.

With Ginny is a Jem line doll called Rory Riot Llewelyn.  His hair was on the wild side. I dunked it in boiling hot water and then combed it out and let it dry straight. It's held back with a ribbon. Rory is wearing an Homme suit and Fashion Royalty ID tag jewelry from forever ago. 

The original Rory, below, definitely did not fit into my collection. I was able to purchase him nekkid.

IT Promotional Photo

Kingdom Doll Brunel

Kingdom Doll's newest 16" resin fashion doll, Brunel, was named for Isambard Kingdom Brunel who lived from 1806-1859 in Great Britain. He was an accomplished mechanical and civil engineer involved in the building of dockyards, railways, steamships, bridges and tunnels.

Luckily the doll looks nothing like the man.

Brunel wears a long silk coat dress with a ruffled peplum in the back. Under her coat are black sequined leggings and black short boots trimmed in metallic gold. 

Her choker is woven of black and gold beads with a magnetic closure by Mike Austin.

The crowning glory is a most dramatic tall wig of mahogany over blended silver and black by Ilaria Mazzoni.

This is the last doll who will be made using the Novantae sculpt and I am thrilled to add her to my collection.

Coming Soon From Kingdom Doll: Brunel

The next gorgeous doll from Kingdom is soon to be released.

The announcement:

We would like to officially introduce you all to Brunel the last doll to use the Novantae head sculpt. This is just a sneak peek at our NEW KD girl all her information will be coming in the next few weeks. So many of you have fallen in love with Novantae this year and you are probably wondering why we are retiring her after only four dolls. This head sculpt was only ever intended to represent the four seasons, Brunel representing Autumn/Fall.
Do not worry as Kingdom Doll is only getting started, with many plans already underway to delight you moving forward into the future!

Jamieshow Madra Redressed

Madra is modeling "Special Appearance," a gown by Ashton-Drake for Violet.

The jewelry was a table gift at a convention from another collector. The wig is by Ilaria.

The gown is covered with beads and sequins. It has no closures and slips on over the doll's legs - over a full length slip.

Here she is in a new wig from Chewin. Both wigs were made for Sybarites but they work on Madra.

"J'Adore" Gene Marshall

She's nabbed Violet's lavender ensemble, added some jewels by Facets and a hard cap wig by Cheryl Wood. There is something so innocent about this doll. I like her a lot.

A closeup of her sweet face:

And just because I like them...her hands.

Ficon Miss G and Sybarite Luggage

Before I even received my gold luggage set, I received an email explaining that the factory had made flawed pieces and that I could have a refund or a replacement. Bummer.  I got the luggage the next day and the gold material on the surfaces of the pieces was, indeed, flawed in several places.
Sad because this item is just adorable. The insides are lined in fabric and have pockets, mirrors, straps and fittings you'd find inside human luggage. The straps and hinges and other metal components on the exterior are perfect. There's an embroidered tag for each piece as well.
I'll be able to use them as a prop even though they are flawed. I wonder what color I'll get for my replacement. I'm hoping it's not green. I would like the black but it's not up to me.

Here is Miss G wearing a wig by Cheryl Wood. Her outfit is a Ficon fashion called "Tree of Joy."
It is still available on the Ficon website.

Save the Date: Brighton on April 3, 2014

The second and highly anticipated resin BJD from Kingdom Doll, Nelson, goes on sale Thursday, April 3, 2013 at 6:30 PM British time. (No UTC/GMT offset) However, on March 30, Europe starts Daylight Savings Time so the time will go forward by 1 hour.  Believe me, I'm confused, too.
If you live in my time zone, this is what you would pull up:
 
Here is a link to a world clock for you to calculate what time it is in your own city when it's 6:PM in London. Make sure to use it after BST begins.

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

Now that time zones are out of the way, are you going to try for this beauty?

Alexandra sent me these gorgeous pictures.

No, the chair isn't included. It looks like the deck chair I have from one of Sandra Stillwell's events.

Brighton will be $675, she is dressed in wide legged trousers, her top is different from the FDQ cover as the actual fabric we used is Ralph Lauren tissue silk very expensive and gorgeous, she has a boating sweater, wood effect high heeled wedge shoes, a working miniature umbrella, a matching canvas tote with the KD logo on it with rope handles......inside the tote is a perfect miniature Luis Vuitton journal, a coffee cup, a chocolate bite, three vintage postcards from Brighton with a pencil and a small sea shell. (she also has a hand made hard cap wig by Ilaria.)

Sybarite Neurotica Covers Up?

I am sure that other fashion doll collectors have experienced finding the perfect outfit for a doll. Once it's on the doll, she becomes even more gorgeous than before. This newly found fashion treasure will stay on the doll for a long time.
Two weeks ago I briefly considered removing Neurotica's tattoos and then Masque arrived. Her red lips convinced me to give her the new outfit. I could not stop looking at her once she was redressed. You can still see the tats but they aren't in your face (although her boobs are,) and I'm so glad I didn't remove them.

Mohair wig by Ilaria Mazzoni "Time of Doll"

 I have an assortment of other 16" BJDs but in my opinion, no doll poses like a Sybarite. Emilia's Inro comes very close. There are no wobbly knees or kicky arms. I do not enjoy fiddling with legs for what seems like an interminate amount of time every time I handle wonky-jointed dolls. I know this issue can be taken care of by wiring the body but I don't know how to do it. I can't be the only one who is having this problem. Is anyone telling the manufacturers? As if they don't already know, right?

Nelson Goes Brunette

I've been trying out wigs on Nelson. She looks great in every color but I have such a mish mosh of sizes, not all of them fit properly. Here is a Cheryl Wood wig. I was a bit small so I think it was made for Avantguard Dolls. I put it in my heating pad for a few minutes to soften the glue and it went on beautifully. It's a good technique to reshape your hard cap wigs. Just don't leave it in the pad for too long.

I am having difficulty with her lower leg stability. She's giving me the same instability problem as my Ficons. The knees keep getting into an awkward position. They need an improved design.

Back in the Doll Room Again

I'm happy to report that today was the first full day without a horrible back spasm. I did not miss them at all.
Yesterday I kept busy by photographing an assortment of new and redressed dollies.
Two of the latest Tiny Kitty dolls arrived and they are lovely additions to my TK collection.
Besides the rise in price, I do notice a lack of detail and accessories. Tonner always impressed me with his handling of fabric in that there would be some sort of embellishment be it embroidery or beading or something. That's not included with these gals. There are no purses and the shoes are the kind that has the twisty elastic. But I do love their faces and hairstyles so I'm happy with them. First up is "Dinner Dance."

Below is "Pink Champagne." She is also seen in the third photo along with the TK from MDC.

They did come with earrings but I took the pictures before inserting them. One of these days I am going to set up all my TKs with their furniture and other props for a big photo shoot. One day.....

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Before an Integrity Toys convention there is always a flurry of great sales. Luckily I'm not particularly in the market for any of their products but when someone offered this two piece outfit from A Fashionable Life Gift Set, I snapped it up. I sold mine so long ago and I thought it would look divine on one of my Silkies. I was right. 

The quality of design and construction was so good under Jason's helm. If you didn't already know, all of the fashions made to fit the dolls prior to the "tall body" fit Silkstones perfectly-including the shoes. So if you see a gorgeous fashion from that "era" buy it if the price is right. Your Silkies can show it off to it's best advantage. They can also wear "Monogram" doll and "NuFace" doll clothes as well as shown below.

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One of the outfits I purchased at Metrodolls, "Smoking," fits the Tyler body best of all.

The pants and shoes fit the resin Gene body beautifully but the rest of the fashion (halter, bustier, jacket, skirt) fit Tyler (Sydney, etc.) best. 
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A new Cissette joined the tribe. She is The White Witch of Narnia. So cute!!!!

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The Ficon doll known as Miss G White arrived. I am very happy with her. I have her in her sister's outfit and a wig by Ilaria. 

She is posing with Toxica who is wearing part of an outfit from Every Day's a Holiday. 

Toxica's wig is by Chewin and was made to fit a JamieShow male. Unfortunately that male is not Alejandro and I have no other wigged males. Soooo, I heated this wig in a heating pad a few times to shape it and I trimmed it a little. I like it on her - for a change of pace.

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Violet was also in the doll room trying on one of Sandra Stillwell's fashions from Radio Days.

I'm not thrilled with it. The background is too busy anyway. It is a busy room!

Now you want to know who that handsome Devil is, don't you? He's Devil Damon, an Integrity Toys' doll. Yes, I do still buy some of their dolls if they are extraordinary. He is definitely not ordinary.

They say the horns are removable but I don't think I'm taking them off just yet. 

He is a dangerous character having already attacked one of my Elises.

Well that's about all I'm going to stuff into this overly long, run-on post tonight. 

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Wait.....I forgot one thing. Here is a picture of the largest sunflower head I ever grew. It  measured 14" across (not counting the petals or anything.) Do you believe this? We have the worst fricking soil and this thing grows 12' tall and 14" across. And it's not the only one.