It's Friday night and The Den is the place to be. Kara and Chris are performing tonight, and the place is filling up already. Kara has built quite a reputation for herself since performing regularly at The Den. At the moment, DJ Rohan is filling The Den with smooth jazz sounds. (If you would like to hear the sultry sounds of Phyllis Hyman while reading the photostory, click on the video.)
Tonight is Leslie and David's date night. Ever since the wedding, they have a regular date night every two weeks. Leslie convinced Danielle to come out and relax. Dealing with Melanie, Rod's ex-wife, has really gotten her down a bit.
"Will you be having dinner with us, tonight?" (Waitress)
"No, we will just stick to the drinks for now. Thanks." (Rod)
Harrison, the owner of The Den, has stopped by to say hi to his lady friend, psychiatrist, Tina.
"And how is my lady doing? Can I get you something?" (Harrison)
"No, honey. I am just fine. The glass of wine you sent over will hold me for a little bit." (Tina)
Shantavia is there with her new man, Bruce. This is the first time her mom is meeting him.
"Mr. Harrison, this is my friend, Bruce." (Shantavia)
"Hello young man. Nice to meet you, and welcome to The Den." (Harrison)
"Thanks. Nice to meet you, too." (Bruce)
"If I don't see a smile soon, I will be forced to take drastic measures." (Rod)
"I told you I am fine." (Danielle)
"I know what you told me, but I know you well enough to know better." (Rod)
"Are you kidding me?" (Leslie)
"I wish I were. But no more talk about work. I just want to relax and have a good time tonight. I will deal with that fiasco on Monday." (David)
Racquel, Terrance, Nikki, and Darius are chilling in the VIP section. They were sent a complimentary bottle of wine. I say complimentary, but for what they paid to sit in the VIP section, that bottle of wine was more than paid for.
"Did I tell you how nice you look tonight:?" (Terrance)
"You did earlier, but you can tell me again." (Racquel)
"That's just like you. Always fishing for more compliments. Well I have something for you that's better than a compliment." (Terrance)
"Well bring it on." (Racquel)
"Will I get to see some of those moves on the dance floor tonight?" (Nikki)
"Most definitely. We haven't danced since the New Year's party." (Darius)
Chris and Kara are saying hello to his sisters, Marisa and Payton, who came to see them sing.
"Thanks so much for coming out to support us, guys." (Chris)
Payton, is Chris' younger sister.
"I can't wait to hear you sing, Kara. The last time I saw you guys perform was at Mom and Dad's anniversary last year." (Payton)
"By the way, Rick sends his apologies. He hasn't been feeling well since we returned from Florida. So he's home nursing a cold." (Marisa)
"No problem." (Chris)
"So Payton are you in town for good?" (Kara)
"I like it here. If I can find a good job, I would love to stay." (Payton)
"Well, let me know if you need help. I have a few connections around town." (Kara)
Oh, look who's here. It's Halle. Yes, she is here with her man, Diego.
"Isn't that your friend, Racquel over there in VIP?" (Diego)
"Yes. I need to go say hello, but not right now." (Halle)
"So Bruce, tell me a little more about yourself." (Tina)
Shantavia shoots her mother a look. Tina promised to be on her best behavior and Shantavia is just trying to remind her of this. Tina has a way of getting a little carried away. Shantavia has never been married, and Tina is anxious to see her daughter walk down the aisle one day.
Well the time has come for the main event.
"Welcome to The Den. Hope you all are enjoying yourselves, tonight. If you haven't been, you will after hearing our next group. Please welcome to the stage, Kara, who is accompanied by her husband, Chris, on the guitar." (Harrison)
"Thank you. Tonight, I will do a tribute to one of my favorite singers, Phyllis Hyman." (Kara)
"May I have this dance?" (Bruce)
"But of course." (Shantavia)
"I'm sorry about the 50 million questions my mother is asking." (Shantavia)
"It's okay. I sort of expected that." (Bruce)
"She's just concerned about you. I get it. A beautiful, intelligent, young lady, such as yourself, deserves the best." (Bruce)
David and Leslie have made their way to the dance floor. Leslie is feeling a little giddy. Must be the wine.
Meanwhile, Danielle is finally relaxing a little bit, as Rod is whispering sweet nothings in her ear.
We'll come back to The Den for Part II. We need to see Darius on the dance floor. Will Halle really go over to say hello to Racquel in the VIP section? Will she take Diego or go alone? Will she acknowledge Darius at all? Oh my! So many unanswered questions.
What an interesting story. Can't wait for prt 2 and I love Payton but have never seen that doll before. Halle has some decision making to do and hope she makes good choices. (:
ReplyDeletePriya - My Payton doll is Dr. No James Bond doll. She is on sale at BC.com for $25. Part 2 should be out tomorrow.
DeleteI'm telling your right now, that I will probably always view Halle with a suspicious eye. LOL, look what you did with your Brad shenanigans! She bet not go over there and get a wiff of Darius and start catching feelings again.
ReplyDeleteOnce again I bow down to how easily you can tell multiple stories so smoothly without losing any continuity.
Looks like that Bruce is quite the nice young man.
Muff - But Brad is such a cutie. LOL! Maybe Halle truly is over Darius. But does a person ever really get over someone like that? Let's hope so.
DeleteShantavia may have a keeper on her hands if Mom and Jason don't run him off.
"She bet not go over there and get a wiff of Darius and start catching feelings again."
DeleteOH, THAT IS SO FUNNY MUFF AHAHAHAHA!
Love that dio and the story! It seems a real pub, full of people and details (I love Shantavia). You certainly did an awesome job! Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteAcerico - Thanks! Now that Shantavia has a man she does seem to be glowing.
Deletegreat job as usual! and thank you for the background music it really help set the tone.
ReplyDeleteToni Lynch - Thanks. The Den definitely needed some music. I almost did this story as a video because I wanted music. This was a great alternative. By the way, Kara does sound a lot like Phyliss Hyman.
DeleteBut now Kara sounds like Phyllis Hyman to me, lol
ReplyDeleteThis is so sweet. You have a real eye for putting together dioramas! Feels so real.
ReplyDeleteVita Plastica - Thanks. I just love building new spaces.
DeleteI loved the story! The music really added a nice touch. It put you in the scene. Btw, Shantavia looks lovely in the new dress!
ReplyDeleteAlso,FYI, if you need more tiana bodies, they're on sale at disney.com for $4.95.
veda - Thanks. I felt we really needed some background music. You can tell Shantavia has a new man. She has stepped it up a bit.
DeleteThose Tiana bodies that are on clearance are the slightly older articulated ones with the glittery rubber legs. I don't recommend buying them. I've heard awful things about them.
Thanks Vanessa! I didn't realize they were the old bodies. I would have been very disappointed.
DeleteOk, great diorama, everyone looks to be having a good time... and I LOVE Kara's hair!
ReplyDeleteHeather - Thanks. Kara said, thanks for the hair complement. I wish all my dolls hair fell into place like hers did.
DeleteThis is such a cool concept! They look like they are really enjoying themselves!
ReplyDeleteIn a Dolly's World - Thanks. My dolls know how to have a good time.
DeleteOk, I'll admit and announce it to the world! I am crushing on Rod! There I said it!
ReplyDeleteI think it was the atmosphere in the Den with Phyllis singing and stuff.
Grandmommy - They say the first step to recovery is acknowledgement. I'm not going to tell Danielle about your crush. She has enough to deal with right now. When Phyllis started singing, I got chills.
DeleteThe Den looks wonderful! The music really helped to set the tone. Still in love with the dress Shantavia is wearing!
ReplyDeleteAlura - Thanks. I have to admit, that is one of my favorite dresses now. I just love the color combination.
DeleteDarius on the dancefloor? I have to see that! I just hope Halle won't get carried away when she see's him.
ReplyDeleteVerona - Yes, Darius has moves! He first showed up his moves at the New Year's party.
DeleteHello from Spain: Kara is wearing a nice blue dress. Too I like her hair. The microphone seems real. I like the couple of Shantavia and Bruce. Danielle and Rod have to enjoy these first days of marriage without children. Many unanswered questions ... for now .. Keep in touch
ReplyDeleteMarta - Thanks for the compliments. And thanks for visiting The Den.
Deletelooks like I still need to catch up with story, because I don't know what's happened between Halle and Darius :/
ReplyDeleteThe Den looks really great! never been to a jazz concert, since I'm not listening to it, but that's exactly how I imagine such place.
jewel snake - The quick overview on Halle and Darius is.... Darius briefly dated Halle after breaking up with Nikki last year, but he realized that he still loved Nikki and decided to fix that relationship. He and Halle had fun, but he didn't feel what he felt for Nikki. Halle, on the other hand, still had mad feelings for Darius and wanted him back. Can you blame her? Well Darius made it very clear at the New Year's party that Halle didn't stand a chance. She finally met Diego and is pretty happy with him, but she has lapses at times, and her feelings for Darius have resurfaced a couple of times in the recent past.
DeleteHi Vanessa,
ReplyDeleteThe Den certainly looks like a nice place to gather with family and/or friends for good conversation, listening to good music, and to unwind. Love the decor and the ambiance.
Danielle certainly needed some unwinding, didn't she?
I enjoyed the mingling and conversations that took place among your doll families and friends and look foward to what happens at The Den in part II.
As usual, great job of telling this story through photos and text.
dbg
DBG - Thanks! I wish I could squeeze my big self into The Den. I could use a little unwinding myself. Rod is doing his best to relax our dear friend, Danielle.
DeleteI can't wait to see Darius on the dance floor. He looks so formidable ... can't see him loose enough to bust a move, lol.
ReplyDeleteYay, Halle with Diego. Go girl.
Shantavia's dress is gorgeous, yes, but I like Kara's smooth dress, too.
Good to see Danielle and Rod again ;-D
D7ana - Girl, Darius can dance. He is as smooth on the dance floor as he is in his every day life. I sure hope all goes as well as I plan for part 2. You know my dolls have been known to act up.
DeleteEveryone looks so nice I love all the different clothing styles can't wait for part II
ReplyDeleteMustiwait - Thanks. Part II will be up no later than Thursday.
DeleteThe music really set the mood for this story! Loved it as always and many thanks!
ReplyDeleteMatty - Thanks and thanks for visiting. Hope you can go out and celebrate the new job and have a good time like my crew here.
DeleteHi Vanessa !
ReplyDeleteIt's very nice nice ... like a V.I.P. soirée. I love all your pictures.
See you soon !
... and I love the song. it's a very good choice for this occasion. Wow !
DeleteShasarignis - Thanks. It really needed that VIP section. I can't picture Darius sitting anywhere else. LOL!
DeleteIt'a nice to see Danielle unwinding. The Den seems to have a good, relaxing vibe so everyone is enjoying themselves. Looking forward to Pt 2 - even or maybe especially if your dolls do act up.
ReplyDeleteCarrickters - It's been a while since the regulars visited The Den. Nice to see them get out. Haven't my dolls been acting up enough lately? Do we need them acting out again?
DeleteThe Den looks great! I enjoyed listening as I read the story.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that Rod and Danielle went out for some R&R.
I really like Shantavia and Bruce as a couple. Her hair is gorgeous. I need to fluff mine out.
Great episode Vanessa! Looking forward to part 2.
Georgia Girl - Thanks! Shantavia is really digging Bruce, too. It's been a long time since she's had a steady. You know that hair thing was a total fluke for me. The rubber band on her head broke one day, and I was too lazy to get another one. I can't even say I had to do too much fluffing. Why can't all my dolls' hair be that simple.
DeleteYeah, I thought is was to be a video. I guess the posts take you where they will! Great story and the music is a nice touch. I see the Nancy's shirts are making the rounds at your place. I also noticed some new and interesting dresses too. I love the blue ones Kara and Shantavia are wearing. Are they Mattel? It is nice to see Halle and Diego out. It seems that they haven't been out since the new year. I was starting to think she was hinding the man! They need a getaway! A chance for her to rock the orange Bikini! I too am curious about Darius's move. My FR men are just sitting around her now. It will be good to see what they can do.
ReplyDeleteBTW, what is the story on the older articulated Disney bodies? Should I be concerned? Email me if you do want to have in on your blog or give us an update. I just took my Top Model Nikki out of the box afrer all this time!
Ms. Leo - I'm cutting way back on videos because of time. So being able to add the video and let people listen to music if they want is a good alternative for now.
DeleteRod is wearing a Nancy shirt. That's the only one in this post.
Kara's dress is Fashion Ave from Mattel. Shantavia's dress is one of the 5 or 6 I made about a week ago. How did you miss that post? You really must keep up. LOL! http://vansdolltreasures.blogspot.com/2012/08/debbie-designs-her-new-line.html
As for the older Disney body, I heard from someone on Flickr that they are glittery and the rubber is a little funky. I don't personally have any, but after hearing that I decided to only buy the new ones.