Meet Ellen

So, I've been talking about how I was going to post about my Christmas doll since like before Halloween, lol.  Here it is, after Christmas, and I'm getting around to the post!

Meet Mary Ellen Wainwright, or Ellen, as she prefers to be called.  She's a renamed Ruthie -- an original character, my first "created" historical.  Her stories (which I plan to actually write) take place between 1938 and 1941.

Here's a little background.  Ellen is 11 years old and her parents are Hollywood actors.  Her father is an Academy Award winner and her mother is an aging starlet.  Because her parents are so busy, she goes to a boarding school on the east coast.  She's shy and a bit quiet, and she hates for people to find out who her parents are because she's been used by fame seekers before.  Her best friend is her roommate at school, a girl named Nancy who is often teased by their classmates because she's a bit chubby and has a lisp.  Ellen loves animals, fairytales and romance stories, Mickey Mouse, tennis, movies starring anyone but her parents, and the Hollywood Stars baseball team (of which her father is part owner).

I'm planning to either make or commission a school uniform, a set of period appropriate tennis whites, and a Stars jersey and ball cap.

As for the doll herself, I think she's really lovely.  She has a really sweet face.  Her hair is really soft, but the hairnet and travel messed it up some, and a considerable amount of the curl has relaxed on one side.  I spritzed her hair some and tried to finger curl it back... it helped a bit, but it still doesn't look 100%.  But I'm not too disappointed... this character isn't terribly fussy so her hair wouldn't be perfect all the time anyways.

Well, here are more pics, including a comparison with Molly, my only other grey eyed girl.

Addy and Kirsten go to Cowboy Camp

So, if you didn't already know this, I'm a big history nerd.  So when a friend asked me to go with her to an event at our local museum called the Lamplight Tour as a part of a cowboy camp this past Saturday, I got pretty excited.  Well, this is my second time doing this and I decided to bring my Addy and Kirsten.  The reenactors we went with do a chuck wagon like out on the old west, circa the 1870s or 1880s.  Since that was so adjacent to their time (and since I've wanted to take them out to the museum which is affectionately known as Pioneer Village for ages) I decided I had to bring the girls.

Before I go any further, I'll tell you a bit more about the event.  And by "I'll tell you" I mean I'll copy and paste  from the Kern County Museum website.


"During Clock Tower Holidays, the historic homes are beautifully decorated in seasonal splendor. On the special night of Holiday Lamplight Tours, visitors take a ride on a horse-drawn wagon and see the soft glow of lanterns throughout the village. Costumed villagers welcome visitors to the homes and business, and take visitors back to a simpler era when family and friends gathered together to celebrate this special time of year. In the Bandstand Green, local entertainers provide a magnificent array of holiday music for your enjoyment. There will also be organ music in St. John's Episcopal Mission, a hand-bell choir at the Woody General Store, and piano music in the Howell House."


Addy and Kirsten were big hits.  When we arrived and before the event really kicked off, we went around and looked at some of the houses.  Addy and Kirsten got their picture taken in front of the Barnes house, an awesome log cabin and the first house in Pioneer Village.  I also took a few pics of them hanging out back at camp, as well as some pics of the camp that I can't resist posting.

So Addy and Kirsten got lots of compliments and lots of people talked to me about them.  It was really fun... they got christened celebridolls before the evening was out.  =)

One little boy in particular became quite enamored with the dolls.  He loved them, their clothes, their shoes, their hair.  I let him play with them both -- he rocked them, sang to them, told them stories, and pretended he was Santa and asked them what they wanted for Christmas.  He was pretty much the cutest and sweetest little boys ever!  He eventually climbed in my lap with the dolls where he sat comfortably until his parents practically had to drag him home.  It was a really great experience.

And for my last parting picture, I'll show you me and Kirsten, both in gingham bonnets.  I rented the bonnet from a costume place on the day of, so I didn't know I'd be getting a matchy-matchy one.

And in case you happen to be reading this blog on a regular basis and are wondering what happened to that post about my Christmas doll, I haven't forgotten!  Very soon... I promise!

Yeah, whatever.

Someone on the Playthings board posted a thread asking for people to list their minority opinions.  It made me literally laugh at how fast it became the typical AG pet peeve thread.  There's certainly nothing wrong with that kind of thread (because we all have our little complaints and what not), but we really don't need one of those threads on a weekly basis.

So, here goes.

I know 90% of collectors don't like Julie or my darling Ivy.  That, by definition, is NOT the minority.  Seriously... I have no problem with not liking them because that's a matter of taste, but don't act like you're the only one with discriminating tastes and no desire for a doll who is so omg not historical!  Here's another news flash for you: You probably don't like the idea of the '70s being historical because it makes you feel old.  Think about it... you'll see I'm right.  And, while I'm at it, the fact that you (rather incorrectly) think Julie's not historical is also not a minority opinion.  (And this is coming from someone who doesn't really like Julie or care to ever own her.  I just happen to speak double talk and understand what people are really saying when they say the things I've just mentioned.)

Saying you hate plastic, Mattel, pink, modern dolls, or high prices is ALSO not an unpopular opinion.

Saying you don't like non-AG dolls is also not unpopular.  It seriously, seriously isn't.

I love fellow adult collectors dearly -- I truly do.  No one understands how I feel about these dolls quite like other collectors do.  And I have my quips with the brand, too (trust and believe that).  But it annoys the piss out of me when people drudge up the same damn complaints every time the discussion comes up.

Now that I've yelled at anyone who would listen, I'm going to continue reading the offending thread while watching Bewitched.

Black Friday!

Hello everyone!  So, I have news... I went and did some Black Friday shopping.  I know.  Nuts, right?

Well, in a crazy ass trip (that is fully detailed here, on my other blog), I got a sewing machine (among other things)!

Why am I posting about that on my doll collection blog?  Well, with this sewing machine, I'm hoping to learn to make clothes for my dolls.  I've done some sewing by hand and made a few things here and there, but it just takes so damn long that I get really tired.  And then when I have to do the velcro by hand, that really hurts and I swear a lot, and make myself promise never to sew anything ever again.  Hopefully I'll be able to become a machine sewist and make lots of cool things.  I like to change my dolls often, so being able to make my own stuff would rock.

I've already got a dress planned for my Christmas doll (who I'll tell you about in my next post), but I think my mom may want me to leave the sewing machine as a gift and not touch it, which would suck but be understandable I guess.  We shall see...

Dollgasm

Hello all!  Bre again.

Today's post is going to be about the familiar feeling of dollgasm.  If you're a doll collector, I'm sure you've experienced this feeling, even if that's not what you called it.

dollgasm (doll-gasm) 1. n. the excited and extremely pleased feeling a doll collector experiences upon the opening of a beautiful doll or doll related item

You may have noticed that this is one of my favorite words... and that's because it's one of my favorite feelings!  I have several hobbies, but my doll collection is my main one.  And as the title of this blog hints, I have very little disposable cash.  So when I can get a pretty new outfit or accessory or a gorgeous new doll, it makes me happy for a long while.  When I got Addy's new outfit a while back, I set her on the back of the couch and I'd glance over at her every so often and smile.  And later, when I was sitting (err, lazing about) on the couch, I kept reaching up to touch her little sleeves and whatnot.  It made me happy.  To be perfectly honest, it's making me happy just thinking back on it.

But this isn't to say I'm obsessed.  A lot of people in my personal life seem to think that my doll hobby is a quirky little thing that I'll grow out of or (even more infuriatingly) that this is the thing I do simply because I'm bored with my life and I need something.  But the overwhelming opinion seems to be that I dedicate too much of myself to my pursuit of the dollgasm.  Well, perhaps.  But I don't neglect my health, happiness, general well-being, pets, or personal relationships in favor of my doll collection.  I'm not dependent on my doll collection.  I don't feel like there's a problem, and my mom (the person I live with and the person who helps me out monetarily) doesn't have a problem with it either.  So why should anyone else have a problem with it?

People love spreading their value judgments even when you don't ask.  My theory is that they're jealous because they don't have a dollgasm or equivalent feeling in their life.  

October Overspending: Antique and Dollar Store Finds

Hello readers (who may or may not exist!)!  This post has been a long time coming.  I've been very lazy and haven't written on any of my blasted blogs.  I recently got The Sims Medieval, and have thus neglected 99% of everything else in the world. =P  But I was playing last night and my king and his stupid wife royally pissed me off (pun intended)... so you all get to hear from me again! Yay! *applause*

Anyways...

I spent a few days last week going around to antique stores in search of the perfect birthday present for a friend of mine.  Her mom and I hit most of the antique stores in our area and had trouble finding anything for her.  We both did eventually found awesome stuff for her, but not before we found a ton of awesome stuff for ourselves.

I got this lovely little chair I've had my eye on for ages.  It was marked down to $9... too good to pass up!  And these pictures don't show off the actual color of the upholstery.  In actuality, it's a really good match for Molly's Christmas dress.

My super spoiled Addy got a little lamp.

Now I know this is obviously not the perfect lamp for her, it'll work for now.  (And it's pretty cute besides. =))  I like that the glass on top is red... that's my favorite color.

Probably the most exciting thing I got though is my lovely Malibu Barbie!  I saw a small bin (about the size and depth of a mixing bowl, but oval shaped) filled with Barbies standing up.  Most of them were nothing special... big hair dolls from the 90s and/or beat up nekkid gals.  But mixed in with them was this lovely Malibu girl.  And she was standing there with her arms raised over her head, as if to say, "come get me and buy me, Bre!"

I've been really fond of Malibus for as long as I can remember.  Here she is with her twin, my 2002 reproduction Malibu Barbie.  She was on the cover of the first issue of Barbie Bazaar magazine I ever read.  The dress she came in is tagged, but I don't recognize it.  Probably a pak item.  (If anyone recognizes it, let me know!)  Based on the research I did, this doll is from sometime between 1971 to early 1973.   Not bad for $5!

The twins, whom I've dubbed Caroline (repro) and Christine (vintage) modelling the only matching outfits I had available.  Christine is in a vintage Friday Nite Date set from 1960, while Caroline is wearing a 2006 reproduction of the same outfit from the Friday Night Dream Date Giftset.

I'm sure you can tell how fond I am of my Malibu girls.  I could do a whole post on them alone!  Maybe when I have more matching outfits for them to model I can photograph them getting into some Patty Duke type shenanigans.  =)  It's also worth noting that I have another Malibu Barbie... a  later Sun' Lovin Malibu Barbie (from circa '78).  I've decided she's a cousin to these two.  Unlike the original Malibus, she has the Superstar face (that Mattel forced on the public from 1977-1999).  She's one of few dolls with that mold that have found their way into my Barbie collection... she's really gorgeous.  I got her for $9 at the very same antique store as this gal!

Anyways, I also got a few books, including a vintage copy of The Lonely Doll, a book I've been wanting for ages.  This has made me so, so happy!  The photos are so amazingly beautiful, haunting, and thought provoking.  Dare Wright was an amazing and interesting woman.

But quite some time before my antique store trips, I went to the dollar store on a routine shopping trip and came out of there with some cool Halloween finds.

First, I got this neat little witch hat.  It was marketed for pets, and as you can tell, it's a little small, but I think it looks cute on Quinn, so one of my girls will be a witch this year.

Did you ever see that episode of The Brady Bunch were little Cindy got the part of the fairy princess in her class play?  She only got one ticket and couldn't decide which parent to invite.  Well, Marcia and Jan both made her a pair of wings for her costume... when I saw these wings, I thought they'd be way too small on a little kid, but adorably oversized on a doll.  I immediately went to Cindy Brady in my mind.

They look like the sort of thing that Keisha might have seen at Party City and begged her mom for in front of everyone in the store.  So she's going to get to be some sort of butterfly fairy thing for Halloween.

And just so you don't think I only shop for my dolls, I bought myself some toy pirate weapons for my pirate costume.  I got an awesome gun and a bitchin' sword.  Out of money at that point, I convinced my mom to buy me a couple of pirate bandanas.  (They are clothes, after all, and that's a parent's job... right?  Right.)

Addy's New Suit

So, we're totally aware that my Addy is the most spoiled doll I have.  Well, some time back, I decided that I really, really wanted my Addy to have a deep chocolatey brown outfit.  I was really spurred on by Kindred Thread's Chartres Street outfit in their French Quarter release last month.  (I actually tried to buy it but the stars didn't line up as such.)

So I decided to contact Terrie from All Dolled Up, and asked her if she could make a version of Addy's school suit in a chocolatey brown floral.  I knew right away that I wanted gold ribbon trim.  She sent me a picture of several different fabric choices soon, and she and I both liked this one best.  When the outfit arrived, I was amazed.  I'm used to her top notch work, but the combination of the world's most gorgeous fabric, gold braid, her beautiful and detailed craftsmanship, and great packaging was almost too much... I nearly cried!  

Doesn't Addy look happy?

So as I'm laying this out to take this picture, I'm in a complete state of dollgasm.  I've never had an outfit that looked so... exactly how I saw it in my mind.  It was like my mental image came to life in 1:3 scale.

Addy modelling her new ensemble with her birthday blouse.  The cream color of the blouse perfectly compliments the brown and gold of the suit.

I think the colors look amazing on her.  You would think the chocolatey brown would wash her out, but no.

And we even have a lovely gold hair ribbon.  Perfect touch.  (Fun fact: It's the same ribbon that Terrie used on Felicity's Town Fair dress and mob cap.  When I commissioned that dress from her, she said she was planning on adding that to her site anyways.  This further proves that I have a creative seamstress style mind.  It's just my hands that haven't heard the news. =P)

I love this fabric.  Paisley floral is so beautiful, and it just looks Victorian.  Pretty perfect.

I'm not going to be tacky and tell you how much I paid for this, but I will say that it cost less than the crinoline Addy's been hinting around about.  (Wow, bad grammar... but you know what I mean. =P)

But imagine how lovely that skirt is going to look poofed out with a crinoline underneath.  Soon, my dear... soon.

Cupcake Cutie Pie Party Dress

So, you guys know I'm broke and love dolls, right?  I mean, the title gives that much away.  So I'm sure you can put two and two together on this one... free doll stuff is like a dream come true.  Well, my dream came true... I won a giveaway at The Doll Wardrobe Blog and received a gorgeous party dress made by etsy seller extraordinaire Cupcake Cutie Pie!

Funnily enough, this dress sorta strongly resembles a dress I own (and wore to a concert the day before the package came), so I had the doll who looks most similar to me model it.  Not that I have a huge ego or anything.  And also not that I sometimes wish I was one of my dolls because they're so well dressed.  Anyways, here's more pics of Ashley in our new favorite dress!

I love the neckline.  Perfect for a party dress for a preteen girl.

Awesome ruching detail with a pretty ribbon bow and tulle underskirt.

Buttons instead of velcro.  Great on a curly haired doll!

How sweet does she look?

I love the silhouette of this dress!  I like this sort of dress.  As I mention, I was wearing a really similar one myself just the other day (mine is polkadotted, of course).  And my prom dress was in the style as well!

And it even came with cute shoes.  Funnily enough, this is a pair of shoes I had been wanting to get for a long time but never got around to purchasing.  Great with the dress, and they make me super happy because they're lined with polkadots.  (Bre's motto: EVERYTHING should be polkadotted!)

This is my first ever Cupcake Cutie Pie item, although I've admired her lovely things since she opened her Etsy.  Now that I have this fantastic piece, I definitely want to add more when I have the chance.  Thanks so much to The Doll Wardrobe and Cupcake Cutie Pie for giving me the chance to own another lovely dress!

Thrift store find: Book Shelf

So, I'm always reading these incredible stories from other doll collectors... you know the sort of thing.  "I went to goodwill yesterday and found 12 hard to find retired outfits and accessory sets plus 5 dolls in fantastic shape for a dollar!!"  Okay, jealously makes me exaggerate, but still.  I always dream about the sort of thing I may someday find in a thrift store, antique store, or yard sale.  I have found some non AG things I was able to adapt for my dolls and I once found a PC Samantha school desk.  Since I still dream of that super steal, when my aunt said something about wanting to go to a thrift store to look for a pair of pants for work, I volunteered to go with.


Well, there was no super steal.  But I did find something sort of cute.  I got a little rack that could work as a small bookshelf in a modern girl's room.  I've included pics of it filled with books and with a doll and other furniture to show the scale.

Now, as you can see, it's a little small scalewise, but it is cute and it works.  Some of the books don't fit very well, but a lot of them work well.  I think it might look cute next to the AG storage tower or something similar as an additional shelf.  I love that storage tower but can't afford its $85 price tag.  At $3.64, this, however, is going to work just fine for now.  


For the record, this TS did have a couple of AG items, but they were books that I already have.  There was one of the books that came with the modern girls during the time they came in the I Like Your Style outfit, and  Kirsten and Samantha story collection books (the ones with all six books printed in one volume).  


And in case anyone is wondering, my all time best doll related deal was not in the AG world.  A couple of years ago, I got a 1961 Barbie Dream House on eBay for like $1.25.  It's in beautiful condition and is only missing one of B's little "record albums."  

New goodies for Addy and Felicity

Several days ago, the mail truck brought happiness to my house.  I used some cat sitting and late birthday money to buy goodies for historical girls.

Mail call...

 Addy received her embroidery hoop and apron!  I bought these from someone on AGPT for $7.  (I hope it's not gauche to quote a figure...)  There's a small stain on the apron, but I may be able to get it out.  For $7, I'll certainly try!

Addy immediately clamped the hoop down and wanted to try her hand at embroidery, but I asked her to smile for a picture first.  (And for anyone who wonders, I got Addy's snood in a set of four from ebay seller drommer0 last year.  I've read that snoods are actually anachronistic for her period... she'd have worn a hairnet in a color to match her hair.  But I can overlook that info... I love snoods!! I have one myself.)

Addy had to try on her apron despite the fact that it obviously doesn't fit  over her school suit.

Happy Felicity received her fashion doll and invitation.  I got this set from another seller on AGPT for $19.  The doll is sort of TLC because she was bitten by a cat in her previous life.  The damage isn't bad and may be fixable... it looks more or less like chipped paint.

Sorry this pic came out so blurry... I meant it to show how okay the dolly looks, but that didn't work out so well.  You'll have to take my word for it. ;)

And as a bonus shot, I'm happy that all my historicals and my two historical best friends now have dolls.  I'm sure you'll recognize them all but Ivy's (bottom right).  I got her doll at a local antique store.  

I like all my dolls to have dolls.  Plus I hate it when all my historicals but one or two have a specific type of item.  When I got Josefina's Indigo Skirt and Camisa for my birthday, I felt this real push  to get Lissie's Laced Jacket and Petticoat.  My mom surprised me with it not long after that.