Why, McKenna?

So, it's new release day... err, I mean, New Year's Day... again!  This is my favorite and least favorite day as an AG collector.  (Remember the birth of this blog?) And by now you've all seen McKenna and her fabulously expensive collection.

The thing that seems most unfair about this whole McKenna deal is the fact that I really, really like her.  And a lot of her things.  Her very expensive things.

Now, for Christmas I got my dear little Ellen.  I got her instead of Cécile, who I also wanted pretty badly.  But I did that with the understanding in my mind that C would be my next doll.  I had no plans to fall for McKenna.  Now I have to decide which to ask for for my birthday and which to ask for for Christmas.  I also hope to get a job soon... maybe I could ask for the dolls for gifts on those said days from my loving and supportive mom and start saving my own money for their collections.

So my collecting plan for this year will revolve around getting things here and there for the fabulous Miss Wainwright (Ellen), getting the last couple of things I need from AG for Addy, and getting Cécile and McKenna.

Maybe I'll get lucky in my interest in McKenna will lessen as her newness dies down.  I mean, I don't see that happening... I don't usually get this much of a doll lust for something just because it's new.  Right now, I want McKenna so bad that I keep looking at my existing dolls to figure out which one(s) I wouldn't miss.  The last time I felt like this was about Ivy.  My interest for her came out of nowhere and I obsessed about her until I had her (and she's still one of my favorite dollies ever).

This would be so much easier if this doll stuff didn't cost as much as good cocaine.  Not that I've been pricing cocaine.  Just hearsay.  Today I started thinking about selling my eggs so I could buy that damned expensive but unfortunately delightful loft bed.  *sigh*

Okay, that's enough whining.

On an unrelated note, I'm dying to sew up some stuff for Ellen.  I have fabric and ideas, but I'm chicken.  I got  a sewing machine on black friday, but I haven't used it yet.  I was never good at machine sewing, but I'm dying to learn.  But my paranoid ass is convinced that I'm going to screw up the machine immediately.  I even went to Jo-Ann's the other day and bought a bunch of patterns (which were on the best sale EVER!) for people sized clothes to inspire me to get started.  I figured I can start sewing for my dolls and once I get confident doing that, I can make some things for myself.  But I'll never get confident at sewing if I'm too lacking in confidence to even start.  Someone motivate me!  I need someone to force me off my dead ass and set me down in front of the machine.  Oh, well.

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.)