Ana's Photostream

I was strolling through my good friend Ana's (aka anatchim) Flickr Photostream today and I found many images worth sharing. I recommend going there for yourself and taking some time to see how much attention to detail Ana showers on her dolls. She has many of them rerooted and restyled. It's delightful to go through her collection. Link to her collection is at the end of this post.

Here is a wonderful photography trick she uses to support her dolls during photoshoots.

A little trick to hold the girls...

A little trick I use to hold my girls against the backdrop while I'm photographing... I use this modified FR stand telescope stick, with a "Bostik" ball in the tip for adherence...

(it still can be a little tricky to use, but I just don't want to use wires to have to erase them afterwards in photoshop... I am too lazy for that LOL)

I may try her technique occasionally instead of using armature wire. The more tricks one has at hand, the better.

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Here is a photograph of all three versions of Vanessa side by side. It's excellent and really shows the differences. Which Vanessa is your favorite?

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Now, if you've gone and looked at her photos and think she has a major photography studio, you will be surprised to learn that the opposite is true. She is using professional lighting but look at that little space!
Ana says:

"... our apartment is SO tiny tiny, that I had to put together a small space in the garage, for my dolly photography...
I love to see everyone's behind the scene photos, so I thought I'd share this one too!

The beautiful vintage dresser was renovated by hubby, and it holds the doll furniture, background papers, floors, etc.."

Ana's Flickr Photostream

Random Pictures

My Barbie closets arrived the other day. I am very pleased.

 The first model is Anja from the last IT convention. The second model is Silkstone #3 wearing "Cast Party" from the 2012 GAW.

The size is perfect. They didn't skimp there.  I plan to change the background as I don't care for the three that came with the closet but any scrapbooking sheet will do.

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On the endless topic of my unpacking...I still need showcases for my Tiny Kitty and Madame Alexander 10" dolls.  They are all hanging around into open boxes waiting for their chance to shine.

Today, after I put away my dolls' Christmas decorations, I pulled out a few TKs that I had never photographed as they arrived during the packing/moving era last year.

Little Empress

Grand Entrance

Kitty at Court

My Lady Fair - Blue

 Although these little gems have limited posing, I still love them. They were really my first fashion doll collection so I keep filling in the gaps.

Sale Alert at the Mattel Shop

Buy one, Get one 50% off site wide at the Mattel Shop.  It's a good sale and as of right now there are plenty of Monster High dolls and accessories available.

I haven't been following this line closely so there are several delightful items that are quite tempting.
The Monster High Scaris "Cafe Cart" is just adorable. This is selling for $22.99.

The Monster High Convertible is also a cute addition to a collection. Listed at $22.99.

If you were to purchase both, your total would come to $34.48 plus shipping and sales tax instead of $45.98 plus.  For every full priced item you buy, you can add another for half price. Sounds good to me.

Will you be buying anything during this sale?

IRL Pictures of Luncheon Ensemble Silkstone

These photos were sent to me by George of Angelic Dreamz.  You can order your doll there.
The doll looks as close to the promotional images as possible. I'm impressed.

New Silkstones on the Horizon and More from Mattel

Dealers have released Mattel's images of the first two 2013 Silkstone dolls.

First we have BFMC "Luncheon Ensemble" Barbie. They really went back in time with the styling on this gal. Her face is very pretty. I'm not quite sure about the fashion. I wouldn't wear it. The rose on the turban looks ridiculous. But it doesn't matter because I'm never pre-ordering a Silkstone again. The promotional photos are always so much better than the real dolls.

Est. Delivery April 2013  $54.95 (Cherished Friends' Price)

Next is BFMC "Cocktail Dress" Barbie. What a creative title. I like this doll much better than the other one. Again, the dress has a vintage vibe. I love the pony tail. Mattel does a pretty good job with pony tails so they'd have to try really hard to mess that up. We'll see what the dress actually looks like. I would add this one to my collection.

Est. Delivery April 2013  $84.95 (Cherished Friends' Price)

A Barbie and Midge two-doll giftset was also included in this announcement.

Est. Delivery April 2013  $79.95 (Cherished Friends' Price)

A 2013 doll that was previously announced is a Twilight character, Dr. Carlisle Cullen. For those who collect Twilight Saga figures, he will be a cool addition at $24.95. I think they captured the bloodless look the actor has in the movie.

Something I've been looking at since it was released is the Barbie Wardrobe. When I learned that it was not entirely made of cardboard, I decided to order....two of them.  We need large closets, don't we?  One is never enough.  I ordered directly through Barbie Collector. Some people are selling them on eBay for much more than the retail price of $69.95.

Although shown with clothing and accessories it arrives empty and comes with two interchangeable backgrounds. 
Closets with an interesting mix of fashions inside make great props and backdrops for photography.
I believe this item will sell out. If you like it, get it now.

Jaws

No, this post is not about a shark, it is about the head of Tonner's new Hunger Games Gale character figure. Mr. Tonner is known for his full jawed doll sculpts but this one is a bit over the top.

I hunted down a good close-up of the actor that the doll is supposed to portray, Liam Hemsworth. He's a good-looking man and he does have a pronounced chin but Tonner's combination of chin, broad jawline and small mouth make the doll look as if it has an underbite and a huge head.

I'm trying to figure out what is wrong about the mouth...is it too close to the nose? There's something that throws the entire face off in spite of the fact that the features are not that dissimilar.

I think a good re-painter could fix the mouth, reshape the jaw and restyle the hair.  But why?

Anyway, if you are interested in purchasing this doll, the retail price is $169.99. Look around for discounted prices.


I had to do it.

Is this better?

If the movie had been about giant cat paws (hehe) maybe I wouldn't be afraid to go into the ocean. I still won't.