New Barbie Video: Dinner at the Taylors

Here is the latest video.  When we left off, the ladies were in the process of planning the Daddy/Daughter dance. In this video Lisa is following up with her task.  In a previous video with these two families, Antoinette hosted a Coffee and Dessert gathering.  You got a chance to see the formal dining room and Julian Kenaz's room. (He is now only referred to as Kenaz).  In this video you get to see the kitchen and the family room where the family spends most of their time.  It appears that one of the kids was playing with daddy's sunglasses and has left them under the table.  I'm not sure how Antoinette missed that in her cleaning. Enjoy!

Once again, this video is better viewed fullscreen to see the dialogue the best. Click on the YouTube logo in the lower right hand corner to be taken to YouTube where you can watch it fullscreen.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you.  I made extra pizzas that I will be posting on my Etsy site before the week is over. 

Two New Loveseats Available

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday with family and friends. I've been working away creating some new furniture pieces.  Here are two new loveseats available at my Etsy site, http://www.vansdolltreasures.etsy.com/.  I wanted to add a few neutral pieces.  These two are both beige in color, but very unique in style.

Yeah! Now I can reward myself by making a new video.  Stay tuned.... The Taylors are coming your way!

Three New Families to Introduce

Sorry to hit you with three families at once, but they will be coming up in future stories, so thought you would want to make their acquantaince.  Actually you have already met Lisa.  I thought it was time for the formal introduction to her family.  

The Williams Family

This is Charles and Lisa Williams. They've been together on and off for about 8 years, finally tying the knot 3 years ago, after Lisa found herself expecting their 1st child, Chad.  Charles initially found it hard to settle into his new family life. He was so used to being the popular, "pretty boy", who loved to party.  The whole idea of being responsible for a wife and a baby went over his head.  Luckily he has Lisa, who is one of the sweetest people you would ever want to meet.  She is somewhat on the shy side, which is probably why she put up with Charles craziness for as long as she did.  Needless to say, Charles got himself together and just recently, Lisa gave birth to their new little baby girl Chelsea. 

The Taylor Family

This is the Taylor family.  Anthony and Antoinette have 3 lovely kids.  Nikaya, 8, Zahara 5, and Julian Kenaz, 2.  (NOTE: Since Danielle Harper's son is Julian, too, we will refer to this little guy in future stories by his middle name, Kenaz.)  Anthony is a financial advisor at Icon Financial Services in Fairfax, VA. and Antoinette has her own catering business.  She has made quite a name for herself in the Washington, DC area.  She occasionally does cooking segments on the local TV station.  As you can imagine with 3 kids, and 2 demanding jobs, they both keep really busy.  Sometimes to the detriment of their relationship. 

Antoinette and Lisa are actually best friends.  They have really been there for each other over the years.  

The Morales Family

Meet the Morales family.  Tony and Teresa have 2 kids, Dillon, 7 and their miracle baby, Sophie, 9 mos.

I call her the miracle baby because Tony and Teresa had been trying to have another child for the past 5 years.  After 3 miscarriages, they had just about given up.  Then along came Sophie.  Teresa is a fairly high strung person.  She is the overachiever, who is always on the go.  She is probably the poster child for Prozac, but you would never catch her taking anything to slow down.  (So all those doctor recommendations for bedrest probably were ignored).  Teresa's passion is cooking.  She teaches at the local Art Institute and caters on the side.  She is always involved with some committee or charity, etc.  Tony, on the other hand, is very laid back.  He does most of the parent duties, but he absolutely loves it.  He is very understanding and that is why this relationship works so well.

Video - This is a link to a video I did long before I had the idea of introducing my families.  It features The Williams and some of the Taylors.  At the tiime I was experiementing with some new video techniques, so this is not in line with the style of my current videos.  But it will give you a glimpse of these 2 families.

Lisa and Antoinette

New Video - Visit the Lees (Sunni and Chang) at home

This is my longest video so far. It features my Asian family, the Lees, and the newly expanded fundraising committee.  I managed to quickly sew a few outfits for the ladies:  Danielle's suit skirt and jacket, Leslie's skirt and top, Vanessa's dress, Lisa's pants, and little Amaya's dress.  

I recommend that you make the video full screen.  It makes the text easier to read.  To do this, click on the YouTube logo in the lower right corner to be taken directly to the larger YouTube video.  Hope you enjoy it!

New S.I.S. Kids Part II

I had to go to Walmart today, but I was only there for milk.  So I didn't even go near the toy section.  I got my couple of items, checked out, and headed to the parking lot.  "Oh no, I forgot to get the glue."  So I go back into the store.  Of course the quick way to the glue is past the toy section.  As I passed, I peaked to see if the other Julian S.I.S. kid was still there.  Well guess what, not only was Julian there, but so were Zahara and Janessa.  Aaargghhh!  I really didn't plan on spending $16 on dolls today.  But how could I pass them up.  They were so incredibly cute.  Oh well.  Of course you know I bought them.

Baby Krissy's New Crocheted Outfit! She's ready for church

Yesterday I received my recent ebay purchase and I was stunned.  I wasn't expecting it to be so nice.  The picture on ebay was very bad and I almost didn't place a bid. I placed it at the last minute and got this outfit for $4.96 + $1.50 shipping.  This was the first time I wanted to send a seller more money. 

You haven't officially met this little girl and her family yet, but they are coming soon.  This outfit, with the cute little hat deserves a story.  Maybe they will go to church.  Making that set might be complicated.  Or maybe she just go get pictures taken at the photo studio.  Any suggestions?

Here's the whole outfit, plus she included an extra hat that is perfect for the larger toddler.

Here she is showing off the cute panties and the booties.  Oops, her panties are a little crooked.

These pics don't do the outfit justice.  It is so much nicer in person.

New Sofa and Chair Available

Had to take a day and make a couple new furniture items.  They are not made as a set, but matching items are available upon request.  I'm trying to use fabric within 3 weeks of purchasing it.  That way I still have that excitement when I purchased the material, which makes the creative process so much more fun.  These pictures aren't the greatest.  It was too cold to photograph outdoors and my lighting wasn't giving me the true color of the furniture pieces.  So the color of the furniture it pretty close to actual, but the overall picture isn't so wonderful.

Golden Swirl Chair - $35

Canton Gardens Loveseat - $42

New S.I.S. Kids now available

I was in Walmart a few days ago, passing through the toy section, not expecting to find anything because the Barbie section has been pretty sparse. Low and behold there all by their lonesome were 2 new style Julian boys.  Apparently there are 3 new sports related versions of the kids.  I didn't see any of the girls, but Zahara has a jump rope and Janessa has a swim inner tube.  My new Julian will get a nice new haircut to change his appearance from the original.  Now all I have to do is find him a family.

Barbie Face Molds

Hope everyone had a great weekend. It was too cold to be outside for long. Saturday I did venture to JoAnn fabrics to pick up some much needed supplies and Sunday was a day of sewing for Barbie.  I used to sew all the time and I was quite good at it.  Now I am trying to get back into it and it has not been smooth sailing.  All of my dolls have different bodies, which means a lot of pattern altering. So by the time I make a test garment, make changes, then make the real garment, I realize I should have just bought an outfit from Etsy or ebay.  I would have spent my time better making more furniture or shooting another video.

Anyhow, one of my avid blog followers, Dukasha, commented this weekend about the Mattel Asha face mold. Of course, not being familiar with the names of the face molds, I did a search and found a wonderful site that has information on hundreds of face molds. Okay, it is probably not that many, but you get my drift. I thought I would share it with you.  I found it interesting to see what a difference it was when they used the same face mold across ethnic lines.  Hope you find this as interesting as I did. 

Note: This link takes you to some of the ethnic face molds. If you go to the home page on the website, there are links to many other face molds.

Barbie and Ken Face Molds

Take a look at all the kids with Santa!

It just wouldn't be right if we didn't get to see all the pictures with Santa taken at the mall.  Most of the kids were excited!  There were a few tears from frightened little ones, but all in all it was a great day. Click on the title.

Santa pictures with the kids

Whew! Finally the Christmas Video

I say whew, but this was a fun story to do.  For the most part all the dolls cooperated.  Out of all the dolls, only 4 of them had stands.  So as you can imagine, when someone would occasionally fall, there would be the terrible domino effect, since they were all standing so close.  Luckily this only happened twice. Thank goodness for flat feet dolls and strollers used for support!  My favorite store, Toys R Us, is front and center.  The next post will just feature a slideshow of the actual Santa pictures. Click on the title below to see the movie. Hope you enjoy.

Note: Thanks to Dukasha for finding a naming error in the video. This is the revised video.

Visiting Santa at the Mall

The Morrisons are preparing to go to the mall

As it turns out, the Christmas video has turned into two videos.  With all the families involved, I had to pick a feature family.  It ended up being my family, The Morrisons.  Here is the first video, leading up to the mall visit.  The second video will be posted by tomorrow, so don't forget to go back to see it!  Click on the title to see the video.

The Morrisons prepare to go see Santa

My Dolls are getting into the Holiday Spirit

I have been preparing for my Barbie Christmas video.  I am so excited because everytime I plan to do something doll related for a particular holiday, the holiday comes and goes and I never get what I planned done.  This year is going to be different.  Last week I picked up the perfect 1/6 scale sled from the Goodwill.  I picked up a tree and ornaments from Hobby Lobby, and a 60% off Santa at JoAnn's.  So I went home and started my Christmas scenes for the upcoming video.  I thought I would share a few of the pictures to get you in the mood.  The video probably won't be posted until this weekend.  Enjoy the pictures!

A Fashion Doll Story - Leslie Finally Makes it to the Gym

If you remember, Leslie got new workout gear a couple of weeks ago.  Well with her schedule and the kids schedule, she had yet to make it to the gym.... until last night.  She and Vanessa met to play racquetball.  Take a look!

NOTE: I realize that the serving lines are not on the racquetball court.  Due to time contraints and digital imaging difficulties, the lines just didn't make the cut.  I apologize in advance.

Leslie Goes to the Gym

New Mini-Sectional and 10% Holiday Coupon

In between setting up new doll scenes and producing stories, I still find time to make furniture.  This is my latest.  It is a light green mini-sectional.  It is currently listed for sale at my Etsy site.  Everyone who is signed up for the newsletter received an email with a coupon today.  If you are interested in receiving this coupon, and you are not signed up for the newsletter, there's still time to get it done.  You can sign up right from this blog.

Light Green Mini Sectional For Sale

Bedtime at the Harpers

Danielle and the boys are getting ready for bed.  Let's take a peek and see how things are going.

 

Bedtime at the Harpers

Introduction to the Lee Family - One of my Asian Families

The Lee Family

Meet the Lee family. Chang, the husband is an architect, who works for OTJ Architects in Washington, D.C.  Sunni, his wife, is a realtor with Coldwell Banker.  Amaya (13mos) and Ming (3yrs) are their two daughters.  Chang and Sunni have only been married for 4 years.  They are both heavily involved with the community.  Chang teaches Tae Kwon Do at the neighborhood gym (which David Anderson happens to own).  Sunni volunteers every chance she gets.  She has a pretty flexible schedule as a realtor.  She loves her job, but since getting married and having kids, she has had to strike a better balance between work and home.  Working 13 hrs days, 6 days a week is not conducive to fostering a happy home.  Chang has given her the option not to work outside the home, but she loves having a little independence.  Amaya and Ming have been a great addition to the family.  They have both softened up their dad, somewhat.  Prior to their arrival, Chang was a very serious, no-nonsense fellow.  Since becoming a dad, he has done a 180 degree shift, smiling more often and not taking everything so serious.

New Workout outfit for Leslie

Leslie decided she needed some new workout gear.  With her husband owning his own gym, there's no excuse not to workout.  She will be starting again next week.  So she bought her first new outfit.  She already has her eye on a couple more.  Stay tuned to see those!

My Family Introduction - Our Christmas Photo is ready for cards!

I'm not sure why I didn't start with my own family, when I started introducing my doll families. Better late than never.  Well as you know, my name is Vanessa.  Wife, mother of 2, Interior Designer, and avid racquetball player.  My husband, Keith is a softward programmer for Google.  He and I have been together since college and married for the past 10 years.  We are still very good friends and we still enjoy each other's company.  Tyler is my 8 year old son and Alicia is my 2 year old daughter.  Tyler is a sports fanatic of just about every sport; basketball, football, baseball, soccer, etc.  Occassionally he will play racquetball with me.  Alicia is DLG (daddy's little girl). She plays my husband like a fiddle.  Of course, I try to keep it balanced, because there's nothing like a bratty spoiled child.  She's not so bad, yet, but if I leave it to my husband, she will be unbearable in the next couple of years.

This is our Christmas photo that we recently took.  Soon you will receive our Christmas card.  Of course you are on our list!
 

Want to see Danielle Harper's Fashion Doll Home?

I introduced you to Danielle and her two boys a couple of weeks ago.  Well here she is again teaming up with Leslie Anderson.  They are working on some fundraising ideas for their community.  Here you can get a glimpse of Danielle's home.  If you missed seeing Leslie's home,  check it out here http://tinyurl.com/27s6lhc. 
Be sure to follow this blog as I continue to introduce the families and let you see how they live in Fashion Doll World.

Click here to see Danielle's home

New Baby Crib is Complete

The last crib that I shared with you has found a wonderful home in Australia.  So it was time to do another crib.  This one is white, like the last one, but the bedding is softer and I think more soothing. 

To see sales information click to go to http://www.vansdolltreasures.etsy.com/.

New Loveseat for Barbie and Friends

I bought this fabric combination about 3 weeks ago.  I absolutely loved it when I saw it in the store.  I wanted to make a really unique chair for Barbie.  Well, that idea fell through when my first chair was a flop.  I decided to do a loveseat, which I haven't done in years.  I'm a sofa and chair kind of gal.  Even in real life, I always thought "Get the sofa, you can fit more people".  Well, the loveseat is actually perfect for fashion doll life.  It's a nice size to fit in most doll scenes and it's perfect for cuddling with your fashion doll man!

Leslis and David Anderson are doing just that.  Remember the Andersons?  If not, they are featured in a couple of previous blog entries.  Check it out.

For more detailed pictures and information on how to obtain this sofa, go to http://www.vansdolltreasures.etsy.com/.

  

Leslie and Antoinette get new work outfits

If you have been following my blog, you know that I am introducing the families and telling you about their life.  Well the ladies (the dolls) decided they needed a new wardrobe if they were going to be videoed regularly.  I must say I agreed with them.  So I decided to create each doll their own wardrobe, based on their personality, occupation, etc.  This could keep me busy for years! Well, I started this process 2 days ago. In between making furniture, I was making outfits.  Here are two.  They aren't completely done, but here is the progress thus far.  They are in desperate need of some accessories and some ironing!  And Antoinette needs to schedule a trip to the salon. When you see these outfits again, they will be nicely accessorized, and with any luck hair will be nicely styled.

Doll Show Goodies to Redo

This Saturday, I attended a local doll show in Marietta, GA.  I had no intention on buying anything, since I had already spent my doll budget for the month.  I just wanted to go and see my doll friends. There's something about being around doll people that can be inspiring.  You get all these ideas and enough energy to work on new projects.  Well you know it never fails.  When you see a bargain, you start spending money that was pegged for something else....like a bill!  I came across this one booth, where this lady had a ton of old Barbie stuff for really cheap prices.  Being a diorama person, I am always looking for inexpensive props.  I couldn't pass that up, right?  I rarely regret buying something I can really use.  I only regret not buying it.  So I spent some bill money.  Actually, it was my grocery money.  Nothing like being forced to eat less!