Wilde Imagination's Virtual Factory Sale

As I predicted in a recent post, Wilde's web server crashed. At about 40 minutes in, everything was reporting as sold out and if one clicked on the check out links, a message was delivered saying the site is temporarily under maintenance.

Our Web site is temporarily unavailable while we perform routine system maintenance. We are working on the site to improve its appearance and functionality. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Please visit us again later.

This is now on the front page of the website:

How disappointing for the people at Wilde. They must be incredibly frustrated with this happening during their debut virtual factory sale. I feel sympathy for them.

However, the site is functioning and one can look over all the items. The sale items have a VFS after them.

I did get lucky to get the Great Depression Ellowyne dressed doll at $69. and a pair of pink Ello shoes (Back Bow Pumps) that I have loved since I first saw them. (The shoes had already been on sale as End of Edition.)

After I scored these items, I went back and tried for an Evangeline and other items but that's when the server began to act up.

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This is just a tiny, tiny fraction of an annoyance compared to what would happen to us computer users if major internet interruptions were to happen - possibly caused by hackers. I remember the time Bank of America closed their site due to hackers.  It's not enough to back up your own files these days. We'd better hope that our banks back up all their information in STONE.

The next war be on the virtual battlefield. It's already begun and it's frightening. I don't know anyone who lives off the grid. How many of us use on-line banking to pay bills? I venture to say that 98% of doll collectors buy and pay for their stuff on-line as opposed to using paper checks and/or money orders.

During the last few doctor visits I had, the doctors took notes on their laptops.

Sorry for going way off the bend there. It's one of my deepest beliefs that no information is private any longer. That HIPA thing we sign in the US is bullshit.

One bit of advice and then I shall shut up...check your credit card statement, bank statement and credit report often. Don't write anything in an email, on a doll board or on Facebook that you wouldn't publish in a newspaper.

Don't worry; be happy. Play with dolls.

Quarterly Rewards Are A Terrible Thing to Waste

I know many read and agreed with my post in which I pretty much trashed the Fiorella Silkstone. As the end of the first quarter of the BC.Com was coming to an end, I desperately searched over and over again for something to buy there. On March 17th, they offered a discount of 17% off everything. Between that discount and my $20. reward, I ordered Fiorella. Before shipping, the total came to $21.50. Shipping added another $9.95. 
My thinking was that I would sell the nude doll and the outfit and that I would at least break even without losing my $20 reward.
Of course I was expecting a freaky looking doll but was pleasantly surprised that she looked better than her promotional photos! That was a first.  I shot a bunch of iPhone pictures which follow.

I don't remember getting a Silkstone in a black box previously. Is this something new?

She's a nice looking Silkstone. Her forehead is not as pronounced as it appears in the promos. 

Her hair is a lovely blend of blonde with platinum and is in good condition, front and back.

She is protected with sewn-on crinkly plastic material from neck to knee. Earring protectors are in place as well.

Dress closes with snaps. The belt is attached to the dress.

The only issue the doll had - her shoes do not go on over the heavy stockings. I dont' know if it's clear enough to see but the shoe is rubber-banded on even though the foot doesn't go all the way in. If I were going to keep her, I'd take the black knee-his off anyway.

I did sell the doll and fashion separately and came out ahead but I'm still disappointed that there is nothing I really want from Mattel. Three more quarterly rewards to go and I do not need a Barbie cake plate.

Inamorata at PFDF 2014 Report

Reblogged from Emilia's Report. All images and text by Emilia Nieminen.

This is my account of the PFDF 2014. I returned from Paris on Thursday after a 30 hour flight through Moscow and Hong Kong and have been pretty much sleeping ever since. Tired, but happy as Paris Fashion Doll Festival was quite a success.
It was not only that we sold out all the dolls and even the diorama, but also the warm welcome that awaited us. I must admit I was both excited and rather intimidated by the prospect of meeting all my doll friends who I have known for many years online and all the wonderful people I know and admired from their photos. Luckily I had my friend Janina to hold my hand throughout the event, though it was the first time meeting her in person too, but with some people it just feels like you have known them all your life. Besides, my initial nervousness proved absolutely unnecessary. I was simply astonished by how lovely everyone was and what a warm welcome I got. Don't you just sometimes feel like it would be splendid to collect people? Now that didn't sound creepy at all! Well, I guess I'll have to settle for coming back next year and also prepare to attend Milan and maybe the Spanish convention next year too.

However, I was glad I stayed in another hotel in the center before weekend, as the Novohell hotel truly is rather ghastly. I have stayed in abominable conditions in China before, having centipedes and scorpions in my bed, no hot water and lacking many other basic necessaries, but this one takes the cake. There was no air in the place. The air-conditioning was broken throughout the weekend and everyone else was complaining about the same problem in their rooms, but it was not allowed to open the windows - the hotel had even removed the window handles. On Saturday when me and Jing had to spend the whole afternoon, evening and night in the room preparing for the Sunday sales room we truthfully thought we would die out of suffocation. Headaches, nausea and dizziness haunted us and we had to go out to breath. We did complain, but the hotel did nothing. Nor did they give us towels or had sealing lights in the room - only a small nightstand lamp with wooden shade providing no light whatsoever. Happily I had brought a flashlight as a spotlight for the diorama. At some point in the night I wanted to burglar the window open, only to notice this was not a thought unique among the guests as the area around the missing handle was scratched and bent by other inmates desperate for air. I did not get the window open and will hopefully find another hotel some metro stops away for next year.

All in all, it was a truly marvelous week in Paris. I arrived early on Wednesday morning and a walk through Paris and shopping at Galleries Lafayette with Janina and her boyfriend Alan kept my jet-lagged brain somewhat functioning until the evening. On Thursday I took a metro to Rennes and walked my feet to blisters shoe shopping along Rue de Rennes up to Rue de Dragon and the narrow alleyways there, living off tartar and patisserie. And speaking off patisserie I bought a box of Pierre Hermes macaroons the night before and ate them in a hot bubble bath. Heaven! The texture! The combinations of fresh and unique tastes just exploding orgasmicly in your consciousness! The fresh mint and red fruit one, but not mint flavour but true fresh leaves that make you float in a field on a hot summer day. Oh my. And no one quite does packaging as the French do. Esthetics and hedonism wrapped in one. Perfection.

Most importantly, the experience provided me with new energy and inspiration to go on. Before Paris I was worked to the point of burn out. 19 hours a day without weekends for more than a year. It is hard to draw a line when a passionate hobby turns into work. But more to the point, it has been the quality of work that has been eating me alive. If it was only creations itself I would be fine, but the endless fight with the factories for quality control is exhausting, frustrating and unrewarding. There is no margin of error and the factories cannot understand that. I love the fact that with LE dolls I am able to have dolls to go around instead of answering dozens of emails saying "I am sorry but she was OOAK and sold", but with LE dolls I only get to do creative work 3-4 times a year and even then it is limited by the abilities of the factory. Hence, I will now take few months off to concentrate on OOAK creations and to catch up on my ever lengthening commissions list. So, if you are interested in a OOAK contact me now as it might be until next year I have the opportunity to take another such a respite.

What comes to the last Charmeuse (LE5) event doll that I held back for those of you unable to attend the Paris event, she will be sold in a silent auction via this mailing list in early April. The starting price is the same as her price in Paris 950€.

 Here are some links to Flickr galleries

Inamorata at PFDF - collection of other peoples photos of Inamorata at Paris
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emiliacouture/galleries/72157642637408694/

Inamorata at Paris (my photos)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/emiliacouture/sets/72157641445457534/with/13314176425/

My photos of PFDF (my photos)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/emiliacouture/sets/72157642700675743/with/13314176425/

Tutorial: Make a Balcony for Your Doll

Pam in Arizona (Pamnaz) posted this charming set of photos and instructions for Gene who is portraying Evita on the balcony addressing her subjects.
The original post may be found on Studio Commissary.

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Supplies I used (all supplies are available at any craft store such as Hobby Lobby or JoAnn's):
1- Styrofoam Circle
7- 7" cake pillars
White glue
Tacky glue
"Stucco" wallpaper (you can also use paper clay or air dry clay to cover the Styrofoam) 

 Cut the Styrofoam circle in half. I originally wanted to use air dry clay or paper clay to cover the Styrofoam semi-circles, but I didn't have any (forgot to purchase). Instead, I did have in my supply stash (that I collected from Goodwill) a roll of "stucco"-looking wallpaper. So because I was impatient, I used that instead of the air-dry clay. If you do cover the Styrofoam with the air-dry clay, be sure to use white glue on the Styrofoam before placing the clay on it (so it adheres to the Styrofoam). Then when it's dry you can paint the clay to match the pillars, or paint the whole thing to your liking.

Then, I just glued ("Tacky" glue) the pillars -- evenly spaced -- to the Styrofoam base. Then glued the top in place.  

Voila! Gene has a balcony!

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Thanks to Pam for this easy-to-do project. Our dolls are celebrities and need balconies to address their adoring fans!