Pittsburgh - The Day Before the Convention

I am so tired! Bob, Rudy and I had a very pleasant day out. We had lunch outside at the Hard Rock Cafe where there is a cool fountain that is timed to music. The weather was amazing for this time of year in the northeast.
(You can click on any picture in my blog to see it enlarged.)

We navigated the insane streets and signs of Pittsburgh with the help of a GPS that was often wrong. Ugh.
Back at the hotel the cocktail party began at 5PM. Tickets were $35. to attend. Each person got an ITBE doll in a white terry cloth robe. The servers were also wearing terry cloth robes which was kind of strange...like they were invited to a pajama party that no one else knew about.

The snacks were very good - crackers, bread sticks, flatbreads, cheeses, spreads, raw vegetables, dried fruit, nuts. There was a piano player. I met people with whom I had become friends on-line and had never met in person.  It was very nice.

Then it was off to the room sales which were in full swing by this time. One seller had brought a suitcase full of nude FR, NuFace and other dolls which were flying out as fast as she could unpack them! It was unbelievable.
I know this is a bad photograph but it gives you an idea of what one encountered in her room. This was after lots of shopping had been done already.

I did manage to force myself to buy a Reluctant Debutante Poppy. LOL. I'd been looking for one for a while.

Other sellers had OOAK fashions and dolls, furniture, Barbies, and pretty much every doll related item under the sun.  I have some more pictures but there's not enough time or energy to post everything tonight. Part of the time I had Rudy with me. He has never received more attention. Imagine you are a 10 pound dog surrounded by frenzied doll collectors who are shrieking and approaching you with arms out. Actually, Rudy handled it quite well. When he had enough he wanted me to pick him up and get him out of there. He's such a great dog.

Rob and Rudy

Dolls in Designer Fashions

Matt Trujillo with one of his creations.

Finally, my new Poppy, sort of dressed in one of my two new "Doves" outfits that a friend delivered for me.

There will be other photos I will post after the convention. Stay tuned.

Woodstock to Pittsburgh - Tuesday October 26, 2010

We left home at about 11 AM. Now we have a large SUV and it was loaded. Hubby asks, what are we going to do with the dolls you bring home? I didn't even think of that.
The ride was about 7.5 hours long with two stops, a few naps and some silliness with the iPhone camera. Rudy was a little trooper as usual when we travel. Check in was smooth although there was a line. I recommend that anyone checking in use the kiosks to save time waiting on line.
We settled in, unpacked and went to eat. At about 10PM I took Rudy to visit Kazue and Denise T.'s room. That put me right in the mood. Kazue was unpacking some OOAK Blythes. They are gorgeous. The elusive Marui Misaki was on display along with Momoko and many Misakis I had never seen. They are so delightful.
I was not going to buy a thing tonight but walked out with the Red Rabbit Misaki. As part of the "Misaki Madness" she was on sale for $99. Sold! It didn't take me long to make that decision. I have wanted her ever since I saw her.

For those that are not familiar with the doll, this is Integrity's picture of her. 

We're off to a good start.

My Favorite Two Tonner Dolls

Although I'm busy getting ready to leave for Pittsburgh today, these two were just aching for a photo shoot. The female doll is the 16" Comicon Supergirl Exclusive and the male is Jeremy Voss. Supergirl is wearing a new fashion from the "Gowns by Anne Harper" line called Venus Rising. Voss is wearing Simon Chase's tuxedo.
I love these two dolls. I very rarely pair up dolls or make up life stories for my vinyls but these two are now married.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Tonner Photo

Venus Rising is a lovely and ultra romantic fashion. The drapey shoulder things attach by slipping the doll's arm through an elastic circle on the underside of the rosettes. The fabric is filmy and wonderful! I was surprised by the glitter, yes girls and boys, glitter, on the rosettes. That is really cheap and non-imaginative on a fashion that retails for $114.99 There is a close-up of that detail on the Tonner site but I didn't pay attention apparently. Glitter comes off on everything and stays everywhere and no matter how long or hard you clean and vacuum, there will be glitter. It will be on your nose and your butt and on your dolls' black clothes. Glitter also snags hosiery. It belongs in sleep-away camp and that's about it.
Please, Robert, ditch the glitter.

..........

And now I'm off to pack for the FR convention. This should be an interesting one with 422 in attendance, there are bound to be some traffic jams and other surprises.  Keep watching for reports although with all the excellent photographers out there vying to post their images before anyone else does, I won't be shooting as many photos as usual. There will be many to see.  I will go for quality not quantity (if possible as I'm taking the point and shoot and not my studio camera.)

Ciao...Hasta la vista...A tout a l'heure...Toodle loo...A presto...Sampai jumpa lagi...Tα λέμε σύντομα

Fun Halloween Images from Around the Boards

For the last 2 weeks I've been collecting a few Halloween images that I thought were fun and/or beautiful. Here they are with their name and the board they post on most often.

Cherylette on Prego

Cisca Durieux on Pink Parlor

Diana P. on Studio Commissary

Johanna on Prego

Leneda Maki on Studio Commissary