6/03/2018

Behind the Scenes Photo Set-Up Featuring Kingdom Dolls Savile, Viola and Nimue

I was inspired by Nimue in her floral gown to create the following backdrop.
My photography studio has a huge bulletin board on one wall. I pinned up a poster showing a classic greenhouse interior. The brick floor is a magnetic sheet from Room With A View. 
One of my favorite props is Gene's gazebo. While there was no room for the matching table and chair set, one chair did the trick. 
The tiny terracotta flowerpots are a breeze to fill with silk flowers, they can also disguise seams in the flooring. 
All the other greenery was purchased at Michael's, an art and craft supply mega chain store. Some are sticking out of the gazebo and some are tacked to the bulletin board. The potted trees are also from Michael's.
What you don't see are my strobe lights on stands or my camera on a tripod. 



Here are some of the ladies in the greenhouse garden.
All their gowns are from Aquatalis. Wigs by Ilaria. White hat from a Dutch hat maker. Silver shoes on Viola are from Kingdom Doll. Savile's neckpiece is by Superdoll. 







5/22/2018

How to Re-Cover a Horsman Lounge Chair by Miriyum of Yum Yum Couture




1.
You will need 1/2 yard of fabric, 8" X 12" rectangle of 1/4" foam cushioning, 1/8" stiff cardboard or posterboard, Fabrictac glue, spray adhesive, small Phillips screwdriver, sewing machine and paper towels, marking pen whose marks disappear when ironed. Get them all together before you start to work. 




2.
Using side pieces of fabric peeled off the chair as templates, cut 2 side pieces from your fabric.


3.
Apply glue to cardboard edges ONLY of chair sides and press side pieces to chair. Notch inner curve of fabric to fit the chair and prevent overlapping fabric. Clip wider curved side of the fabric to fit the curve of the chair. Notch fabric at the front of arms so that you have smooth corners.

Apply extra glue as needed.

Let dry.


4.
Using cardboard from back as a template, create a fresh cardboard for the back of the chair. (15cm wide and 38cm long) Mark the holes where screws were on the template. Place new cardboard back on fabric and trace rectangle allowing about an inch of fabric on all sides.

Cut out back section of fabric.


5.
Spray cardboard back with adhesive spray on one side. Lay sticky side of cardboard on wrong side of fabric for back, making sure it is centered on fabric.

Smooth fabric to make sure there are no bubbles or creases. 

Make a line of glue on long sides ONLY of cardboard and fold the long sides of fabric onto cardboard. Leave short ends free/unglued. 

Let dry.

Use a tack or reamer to mark where the holes for screws are on the finished side of the back.


6.
Apply glue to rectangular top of chair and to the top of the inner edge. Matching cardboard of back to the top of the seat, press fabric overlap onto the chair and gently press back onto the chair, folding the back to fit the edges of the chair.

Apply more glue to the back of the chair and press the back section onto the chair. At the foot of the chair, once again apply glue to rectangle and a line of glue on the inner chair edge and press remaining back onto chair, pressing crease into back and matching cardboard to inner edge of chair.

Let dry.

Match up holes on legs to holes in back and screw legs of chair back.


7.
Upholster seat cushion.

Use cardboard peeled from seat cushion as a template to cut fresh cardboard seat. (It is 15mm wide and 24mm long.) Use new seat cardboard as a pattern for the seat. 


8.
Cut a section of fabric at least an inch wider on all sides than the template. Using disappearing marking pen, mark the template rectangle on the right side of the fabric. Mark the quilt lines on the right side of the fabric. The quilt sections on mine were 38mm wide by 48mm long.

Pin fabric to foam. Using a relatively long stitch length, sew first all around the edges of the marked rectangle. Don't stitch beyond marked lines or back stitch. You can pull the hanging threads to the back after you are done to secure them. 

Sew the long lines on the rectangle and then the short.

After securing all your threads to the back, trim the foam to the sewing lines.


9.
Apply glue to edges of seat cardboard and fit cardboard to the back of cushion, matching corners. Press unquilted fabric sides to the cardboard, trimming if necessary and notching the corners of the fabric to ensure a smooth fit.

Apply glue all around edges of chair seat and to the seat itself. Press seat cushion onto chair making sure corners are even with chair and that no raw edges of fabric show at corners.

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Thank you, Miriam, for permission to publish this!

If you'd like to visit Miriam's fashion website: http://www.yumyumcouture.com

4/25/2018

Amazing Adeles 2017

I had completely stopped buying new releases of Fashion Royalty Adele as I was not fond of the sculpt change; however, 2017 was a banner year for Adele.

"Frosted Glamour" Adele was the convention gala dinner centerpiece. It took me one second to decide to purchase her from a collector who had attended. She is just gorgeous...princess gorgeous.
The gown is smothered in sequins and balloons at the bottom. Her platinum hair is simple which is perfect for her not-so-simple earrings and neckpiece.  I adore everything about her!




When Adele "Exquise" showed up as part of the FR collection, I was stunned. This fashion - the entire look of sophistication and elegance just knocked me out. I was very lucky to get one as she sold out lightning fast. Another perfect Adele joined my tribe.


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There was another Adele surprise, "The Faces of Adele Gift Set." IT has never done this before. It is a W Club exclusive which consists of one of each Adele sculpted heads on a special stand which displays both the bodied doll and the two heads the collector isn't using. The fashions are a gown, dress, lingerie and accessories to make three complete fashions.
Optionally, one could purchase an additional Adele bodies set in order to have three complete dolls!
I don't know when this will ship so I'm posting Integrity's promo photos here.
Price of the gift set is $200. Price of the additional bodies is $35.




A lot of thought and talent went into these three dolls.

There were many more in 2017 that I liked but my collection focuses on the 16" BJDs now and the dolly funds go there for the most part.

I would have loved, but did not get, Vanessa's, Erin's or Poppy's outfits shown below...so if you would like to send one or more, just do it.




4/22/2018

A Look At Madame Alexander's Cissy

There are just two Cissy dolls remaining in my collection and although I think they're beautiful, I'm preparing to sell them. It gets even more difficult to part with a doll after handling her and photographing her anew.

This is Vice, one of three Cissy dolls designed by Jason Wu.



The other two were Lust and Envy.  Their names remind me of the dolls from the Kingdom Doll convention, Sinful. Left: Lust in pink jacket and (Right) Envy with a martini.


They were radically different from the sweet, baby faced Cissy dolls that had been around forever.


Sometimes it feels like a curse. I just want them. There's really no "good" reason to have more dolls. (Yeah, yeah, I know I don't need a reason so don't offer lectures.) I can barely play with a fraction of my collection. I want to sell off most of my non-BJD resin dolls but then I look at them and see their beauty and their lovely fashions and I put them back in their showcase and that's that.



My other remaining Cissy is Riviera Posh. She is so unlike the dolls I collect now it's like day and night. I love them all.


She is a sweet, baby-faced Cissy in a lovely two piece dress. The skirt opens up to reveal black sequin tap pants!




Above, an older photo when I still had her short, curly wig. So cute.

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Here are a few other Cissy Dolls.  I don't have these girls anymore.

Couture Noir accompanied by a reproduction Ginny and the same doll in her gown and 2nd wig.  The red wig is made from feathers! She was pretty amazing.




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Southwestern Style Cissy's is wearing something I'd wear. The fashions were of a very high quality as were the wigs and shoes.


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I call this IDEX Cissy. She was one of 6 centerpieces at the Madame Alexander 2010 event I attended in Orlando.


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This doll is called "Velvet Deco Dream." I never had her original outfit but the one she is wearing was beyond gorgeous. It was embellished with hand beading. The shawl was extremely heavy due to the weight of the beads.


Goodbye, Cissy!