What's life without a new sofa!

I finally got the new sofa posted today. I am loving the colors. I call it "Fall Wonder" because it reminds me of leaves changing colors.  You know my dolls wanted to keep this one too.  I reminded them that if we kept it, they would have to delay their beach trip.  That did it.  I didn't even have to pack it away.  They did it for me.

So here it is. It is currently in my Etsy shop for $47USD, which you can always access from the menu above. 

Fall Wonder

 

Friends and Family are Getting Ready for a Beach Trip!

It's winter break, and everyone is tired of the snow! It has been the worst winter in over 10 yrs. The Taylors are getting ready to go on their yearly trip to the beach. This year they decide to invite friends and family to join them, thinking they could all use a break. 

So who exactly is going on this trip?  Turns out there will be 5 different families attending.  I thought I better explain the family tree before this trip happens, so everyone will be clear on the familiy dynamics.

Of course, you know the Taylors.

Well, Anthony has an older brother Roderick, who is recently divorced.

 Antoinette has 2 sisters and a younger brother, Darren.

And you know that Darren Trott is married to China and they have a little girl, Taylor.

Well, China has a sister, Sylvia...

and you've already met her family, the Redmonds.

Remember the Andersons....

Well, David has a younger sister, Olivia.

Danielle decides this would be a great trip for her brother, Ian and her two boys.

So Ian and Olivia will both be on the trip. This will be the first time they are meeting each other.

So let's recap.  The Taylors, the Trotts, the Redmonds, the Andersons, Danielle, Ian and the boys, will all be  going to the beach on vacation.  Anthony has convinced Roderick to come. He was so depressed after his divorce and Anthony thought this would be a good getaway.  David and Leslie are bringing Olivia along to help with all the kids that will be on the trip.  This will allow the adults to have some free time.   This should be a good time.  They are renting out this fabulous beach house that is situated right on the beach. It also has a personal pool and I believe there's a sauna (not sure about that one).  I personally can't wait!!! 

You Mean My Dolls Could Have Had Sweaters All Winter!!!

I was supposed to be making furniture yesterday, but I was not feeling it.  After 2 full days and nights of getting the video together, I was wiped out.  I didn't want the day to pass without doing something doll related, so I took the plunge and made sock sweaters. I have been meaning to do this for a looooong time.

My first attempt at a sweater was so long, I made it a dress. Not bad for the first attempt.

I should have hemmed the top and the bottom, but I didn't know any better. So the sleeves are just turned under. Leslie can still sport this dress.

 

I took a profile shot to show that sweater dresses even give dolls more curves!

Her husband recently got a new velour sweatsuit from Etsy. He is the king of sweatsuits. I guess it goes along with owning a gym.

Together they look like the cute couple that they are.

My 2nd attempt was better.  At least it was a sweater.

Still didn't hem the top and bottom. Silly me.

My 3rd attempt is my favorite.

I finally hemmed the bottom. For the top I  zigzagged the edges.

Vanessa is loving her new sweater with her Barbie Basic Jeans.

Next time I make some, I will use some thin socks.  I think thin socks will make a tighter neckline.

Gotta go buy more socks! See ya.



P.S. For anyone needing instructions, let me know.  I just don't want to post them here, since I haven't gotten permission yet from the original poster.

A New Video: The Kids Visit Dolly World

If you recall, my husband, Keith, promised to take our son, Tyler to the arcade.  Unfortunately, he has been procrastinating, and Tyler has been getting discouraged.  I decided to call Leslie and gather all the kids and make a day of it.

Noteworthy Info:
1. Most play items came from Barbie sets.
2. Doll Booth was a thrift store find. It may have been an Only Hearts set. Not sure.
3. Ice cream station is from Hannah Montana.
4. Foosball table was a thrift store find.  I added the legs.
5. Gumball machine came from Toys R Us at Christmas time. It's full of candy.
6. Pizzas, hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, and basket were handmade by me.
7. Vanessa is wearing jeans from a Basic Denim doll.  Don't ask me why she has pink shoes on with that top.
8. The waitress is wearing an outfit from the new S.I.S. Kara Pastry doll.
9. The little doll at the counter is the new Chelsea doll.

I almost made Baskets!!

I say almost because they are far from perfect.  I have been brainstorming and trying to make baskets for quite some time now.  I looked for the material that real baskets are made out of.  No luck finding it.  I tried material from the fabric store. Couldn't get the baskets to hold their shape.  Just recently I decided to try polymer clay.  My first experiment was a pleasant surprise.  Like I said they are far from perfect, but I know I can make them better with practice.  In the meantime, I will be able to use my imperfect baskets as props in my dios.

These were my first two baskets.

My first attempt at grapes.

I have big basket plans for my shop.  I've been dreaming of white baby baskets with all the necessesites; Easter baskets with chocolate bunnies and eggs; gift baskets with all kinds of goodies.  The list goes on and on.  Wish me luck!

Want to be inspired by some awesome doll photography?

The Doll Republik is a blog that profiles doll artists.  I was fascinated by this weeks artist, Aneky.  I am photography challenged, but always looking to improve.  Aneky may be the motivation I need to put some time into getting better.  Her photography is phenomenal.  It is definitely worth taking a look at her pictures!

Click on the link below to see her profile.  I included a couple of pictures to whet your appetite.

Introducing Ms. Aneky



What's Black, Blue, and White All Over?

My new loveseat!  It comes with two different pillow sets, but it has 3 unique looks!

Currently available at my Etsy Shop.

CAUTION: DO NOT WET YOUR #17 DENIM BASIC HEAD

This morning as I was attempting a body swap on my AA male Denim Basic #17, his hair partially washed away when I put hot water on his neck.  It is definitely not supposed to do that.  I have other flocked hair dolls, and their hair has never washed away.  I did contact Mattel and they are sending me a voucher.  I imagine all of these dolls have the same problem, or it could just be a bad batch.  I will attempt to fix his hair before I buy another one.

Taking a closer look at some of my doll purchases!

Well a couple of days ago I opened up some of my Saturday purchases (see previous post for pics of everything).  I was anxious to see them up close.  I already did a separate post on my LIV doll.  This was just a few more items I thought were worth mentioning.

This is my Only Heart doll in the BRATZ PJs I bought Sat. Perfect fit. It is good to know that I have dolls that can wear those BRATZ outfits.  The less sewing I have to do, the better.

This is my Janet doll pictured in the BRATZ bathing suit. There is the cutest white one piece short set that came with this. It fit Janet too, but I think it will look even better on someone else.

This bunny rabbit came in one of the LIV sets. It will work nicely with that LIV Pet store set I got from Walmart. Then I can maybe use it in a school.  They always have little animals for the kids to take care of.

This magnifying glass from the LIV set will come in handy as a prop.

I love the measuring cup and the Barbie cookie cutter. This came in the baking set with the Mixer. I will probably use the cutter to make cookies out of polymer clay.

I think Chelsea is the Caucasian equivalent to the S.I.S. dolls.  After seeing this, I wonder if there will also be a Kelly sized doll in the future.

Found a great blog about Making Shoes

This is a quick post to give you the link to a blog about making doll shoes. 
http://fashiondollshoes.blogspot.com/.  I used to make doll shoes when I had my porcelain doll business, but it has been awhile.  I found this just in time, as I am about to make shoes for Danielle and my LIV bodies. Thought some of you might be interested in giving it a try.

Meet Darius "Mr. Oh So Fine" Reid

The ladies have been noticing a new face around town.  Phones have been ringing off the hook, as the ladies have been trying to find out who this Brother is.

Well so far they have a name, Darius Reid.  They don't know much more about him.  He is new in town.  They don't know if he's staying or visiting someone.  They are desperately trying to find out. 

Meet Darius

Even I don't know much about him, yet.

As you can imagine, Danielle got really excited when she noticed him about town.

Aww, they would make a nice couple, but...

 rumor has it, he is seriously dating a model named Nikki.

So let's take a closer look.

Apparently, he works out. Umm, Umm, Umm.

 Perhaps he is rich.  This bag definitely cost a pretty penny.

 With his extra set of hands, I would imagine that he may

be a little touchy feely.

He definitely has money!  These blue, two-toned leather

shoes, are definitely custom made.

Well, I'm just as anxious as the ladies to find out more about this fine specimen. Gotta go!  My phone is ringing.  It may be one of the ladies with more news.  Don't worry.  I will definitely fill you in.

Images are property of VansDollTreasures. Please do not use without written permission from VansDollTreasures.

The Harley Davidson Duo has arrived!

The Harley Davidson duo arrived, along with Darius Reed. We'll discuss Darius another day. Let's talk about the duo.  I love the male doll! He has wonderful tattoos. I'm not a tattoo person, but they seem to go well with the biker image. He's fully articulated, and his outfit is really nice.  To me he is very similar to the new blonde male Denim Basics. So I've crossed him off my list of Basics to buy.  The female doll's outfit is really nice. Very high quality.  One disappointment with her is that her legs are jointed, but her arms are not.  Huh? What were they thinking? So this means she needs a new body. What a waste.

Meet our single dad, Xavier. He's pictured with his daughter Hailey. Hailey's mom died while giving birth. So Xavier had to grow up real fast.  Luckily he had support from his parents, who practically raised Hailey the first year of her life. Xavier has taken over since then. Initially he loved all the attention he got from the women, who wanted to help the single dad. He has since grown into his role as a father, and he takes real good care of Hailey. 

Xavier has always had women knocking down his door. Thank goodness he curtailed that activity quite a bit once he moved Hailey in with him. So now he stills gets a lot of attention from the ladies, but Hailey always comes first.

Meet Jill and her son Cord. She belongs to the same biker club as Xavier. They have dated several times and she has taken quite a liking to him.  She knows that he is dating others, but she is trying to be "the one". She feels she may have the upper hand, since she too is a single parent.

Meet Natalia. She too belongs to the local biker club. She knows that Xavier is digging her, but she is not sure about dating a guy with a kid. She is used to being #1 with the guys she dates and she is not too keen on competiting with a 2 year old.  But he is so darn cute, she continues to rethink her decision.

Last but not least, is Marisa. She is not a biker, but she and Xavier go way back. They are really close friends. There has always been an attraction. They attempted a relationship once, but decided the friendship was too important to mess it up. She is very fond of Hailey, but she is careful not to confuse the situation by getting too close to her. Bottom line is her special friendship with Xavier can sometimes cause friction with the other women in his life, and the men in hers.

Hmmmm.  I wonder how this will all turn out.