Jasmine and Prism Take a Walk

Greetings and Salutations Doll Friends!!

Happy Monday! I hope this finds you having had a lovely weekend! I had a great one. Mothers Day was yesterday and my family sweetly spoiled me all day long. My daughter made me some paper flowers and a pretty vase for them to live in and gave me a box of chocolates and two cute erasers that she knew I'd love. My sweet husband bought me a new doll wig (he asked what I wanted!) that is currently on it's way to the Doll House and my son, being a teenager, got up and went to church without a word of grumbling! Sometimes you have to take what you can get! Right? He did give me a great hug and a "Happy Mothers Day" too. So, all in all, a pretty terrific day! Hope yours was fantastic too!

It was nice weather this weekend and so I decided to take my two newest OOAK girls Jasmine and Prism outside for some photos in the pretty sunlight. 

Here they are! Aren't they pretty? As I mentioned, I have another new doll wig on the way in the mail from my husband for Mother's Day... It's a stunning wig that I am going to put on one of my very favorite older dolls. Then I already had one on the way from the very last few cents of my May Doll-Mad-Money because I found it for an amazing price. So... Have you noticed I get on a bit of a 'roll' with things? Right now, I am obsessed with making many of my dolls into OOAK dolls. I mean, not all of them obviously. However, I decided recently that I can only keep dolls I really really love and so I determined to either weed out or re-make the dolls I am lukewarm about. If that makes sense. Haha. I was telling my friend (Hi Frann!) this weekend that it's getting to where, in my collection, no doll is safe from being customized!!! 

I am having a lot of fun with it though and I suppose that's the point of all of it isn't it? Playing dolls should be fun. Right?

Between customizing and doll photography, I think those are two of my more favorite doll passtimes at the moment... Speaking of doll photos, have you checked out the PCR American Doll YouTube channel yet?  In a somewhat frenzied pace, I created and posted videos, initially, made from whatever good doll photos I happened to have in my phone still from prior blog postings. I decided to 'cut my teeth' on them with regards to how to edit and post them and whatnot. Despite not having been photographed specifically for YouTube, some of them ended up very cute. I also had a really fun time photographing the very first sequence of photos specifically with a video in mind that is named Cala's Big Day that came out well. So, I am chomping at the bit to make another little 'movie', I just need to find the time to do the photos. I am sure that at least one or two of my OOAK dolls will be in the next one! I am amazed by the stop motion photography movies I see posted by some young women but don't know if I'll ever be patient enough to make one of those? I think of the ones I want to make as more like the old school silent movies or 'progressive photography' I guess. I am rambling... Back to Jasmine and Prism and their walk!

Jasmine is wearing a cute OOAK I got as a gift from Frann! Isn't it perfect on her? She said to tell you it's so comfortable too!

Here are the girls next to a tall tree in the middle of some huge hosta leaves!

I just love the way they look in the natural light. 

The colors in their wigs look so much brighter outside don't you think? 

Jasmine tried to talk Prism into climbing a tree but Prism is terrified of heights. She couldn't even watch Jasmine climb up there without getting light headed!

"Please come back down before you fall and break your neck!" Prism says to Jasmine!! Jasmine just laughed and told her she was missing a great view!!

That's it for now Doll Friends!!

Have a fantastic day!
XXOO
Heather

***OUTTAKE PHOTO!!***

*PHOTOBOMB!* My dog decided she wanted to be in the photo as well!!
Haha!
💓

A Girl For All Time Nisha Arrives At The Doll House!

Happy Sunday Doll Friends!

Look who arrived late this week....!

Nisha is here! She's is a "Girl For All Time Doll" and she is absolutely stunning! In fact, she's so beautiful and being as she was the first one I ever had, I didn't really pause too long while she was still in the box to take photos. I'll have to take a photo of the box later to show you what I looks like because I literally must've spaced off taking even one of her in the whole box... Ooops.

She was secured in with a few of these 'paper' strings... One at her forehead, two at her hands, one at her waist and one at her feet. 

Didn't take much at all to get her out of the box.

Here is the back of the box ties so you can see which manner I am speaking of. 

See, there's one around her right wrist.

And "She's outta the box!" Mommy & Gracie always say that and so now whenever I get a doll out of the box I hear Mommy saying it in my head. I love that show. So fun!

These photos aren't the greatest. I took them in the wee small hours of the morning. I can never get proper photography light at that time of the day because I don't want to wake the family. Still, you can see how beautiful she is!!

Her hair came in a hair net to keep it from being wild... I do like how I caputured her little profile in this photo. I'm going to have to play around with shadows in my doll photography in the future I think cos how neat!

I was/am a bit chagrined about one detail of little Miss Nisha. She had this small section of maybe 10 hairs that look like they've been cut too short to be bangs...? Kind of like when at little girl decides to trim her own bangs and holds the scissors right next to her head (and don't like 25% of all girls do that once in their life?) Can you see them in the photo. Not totally noticable unless you're looking for them... But on a $89.99 doll I don't think flaws are as easy to look over. What would ya'll do? I really don't want to bother with shipping her back but also am not happy she has a flaw. Or maybe that's how she's meant to be. I am a member of an "A Girl For All Time" group on Facebook and I plan to post a photo of same on there later today and see if all Nisha dolls come that way? My inclination, as always, when I get a doll with a 'defect' is to just keep her because people aren't perfect either. But I sure wouldn't mind a partial refund if that is not the way she's meant to be...? What are your thoughts? What would you do? I bought her from Amazon and not the AGFAT website... Hmmm...

In any case, other than her little hair flaw, she's so pretty!!

The nice thing about AGFAT dolls is that they are more poseable than other dolls in this size range for the most part. She can bend at both of her elbows and at her knees. So she can make neat poses like how she is doing little pirouette arms here. I think I am going to have a lot of fun with her as a model for doll photography! Her elbow joints are pretty easy to bend but her knee joints? They are pretty stiff and so much so that I am too timid to try and bend them fully. So again, I plan to ask the 'experts' at the AGFAT group on Facebook to see if that is normal...?

AGFAT dolls, at 16inches, are in the middle of the size range I generally collect. My tallest dolls are my Maru & Friends dolls and my one Karito Kids doll that you can see in this post. Then my shortest dolls, besides the babies, are the 14 inch variety like my Hearts For Hearts, Wellie Wishers, Glitter Girls or Bumbleberry dolls (among others... Teehee) My Famosa Nancy dolls are also 16inches tall and my Battat Little Friends are 15inches... So Nisha will fit right in! She'll probably be able to share clothes with a few of them. 

I need to take better photos of her, probably even some 'nudes' so I can show you how her body is constructed. She's all vinyl and even has a belly button (great touch AGFAT!) so I'll have to come back and do that soon. I have realized recently, since doing the updates to my My Collection So Far posts that I have a few dolls I need to get a more proper 'review' posted... So many doll projects I want to do and so little time! Ah well, sign of a good hobby, that. Right? 

Better run! I'll have to come back later to do a side by side photo so I can show you what I mean but I plan to re-name little Miss Nisha. She will be called Mia Sara after one of my favorite actresses when I was a teenager, Ferris Bueller's Day Off being the best one. Have you seen that movie? Such a good one. I've become one of those old fuddy duddys that think that there really isn't any good movies made anymore.... But when you compare the 'formula' movies they produce like cookie cutter cookies nowadays to some of the great movies 20-40 years ago, well.... It's not my fault I have taste. Hahaha. **Disclaimer: There are good some movies nowadays, just less and less often. Teehee.

Gotta run if I am gonna make it to church on time. Can you believe it snowed all night? Did it where you are?

XXOO

Heather

My Life As Doll Party Planner Doll to Celebrate 60K Views!

Greetings and Salutations Doll Friends!!

So... I've never made my blog about the 'numbers' of views or anything like that. I started writing it because I love dolls and my daughter had gotten into the 18" sort. As I found out how much all the clothes, accessories and furniture cost, I tried to make things on the 'cheap' and wanted to share the ideas I was working on with other mothers who might also want to do 18inch dolls 'on-a-shoestring'. Since then, I've gotten into many different aspects of the 18inch doll 'scene'... I collect dolls, clothes and all of it and my newer favorite thing is doll photography! Then, last year, I became friends with Frann and the blog took on a whole new life as it became even more fun writing it. It was like sitting down and having coffee and talking dolls with my good friend knowing she'd read them... We've become great friends and have even made more mutual friends in the doll world. So much fun!! So, that is what I love about blogging! 

All that being said, it is kind of fun to watch the 'numbers' of visitors my blog gets daily, weekly and monthly and to see where they are from and such. So this last week my little blog hit it's 60K visitor! I know that is like a drop in the pan compared to some blogs on the internet but it still kine of blows my mind that my tiny little corner of the internet has had 60K visits!

So, to celebrate the 'milestone' I decided I would splurge a bit and give myself a bit of mad money to spend at Walmart! I went in with a 'budget' in my mind of about $25. I figured I'd get an outfit or two or maybe some shoes? Then I saw these beauties... Uh oh. On clearance for $21. I liked both of them and kind of decided a while ago I might like to get a blonde My Life As Doll. It took me a moment to decide which I wanted to get .The one on the right has the cute purple highlights in her hair but the one on the left had the adorable dress and 'party hat' on... Decisions decisions..!!

I decided on the one on the left... I just love her 'hat'! It will be perfect for the birthday girl to wear in upcoming doll house birthday parties. The color of the dress is just beautiful as well. 

Here is the back of the box. 

One side...

and the other....

Out of box....

She had weird hair ties... Where they literally stitched her hair to those clear plastic strips so it would stay put in the box for display. I understand why they do it but it sure isn't very pretty coming out of the box that way. It's also not easy to get them undone. If you don't have a seam ripper on hand, I don't know how you'd really go about it without a lot of trouble. So... Not the best 'display' hair I've ever seen. 

Also, the hair in those sections were so 'compressed' by being sewn to the card that they were kind of 'crunchy' feeling. I had to run them between my fingers to kind of loosen them up so I didn't rip out her hair as I brushed it. So an adult would certainly have to sort this dolls hair the first time for a child owner of this doll. 

See what I mean? Kind of like dread locks in places...

The good news being that it brushed out with my doll hairbrush from Sophia's. If you don't have a doll hairbrush (wig hair brush) with wire bristles, I highly recommend getting one! It's so much easier to brush doll hair with them and it's much gentler on the doll's hair. Just a recommendation? Don't use hair brushes and combs that you use on human hair on doll hair. Human hairbrushes often have the oils and hair styling products their owners use on their hair on the bristles. If you brush your dolls hair with it, guess where they end up? On your doll's hair. It's hard enough to keep dust and dirt out of your doll's hair but it is even harder when you have oil and styling product in it. So... If you can, at the very least, let your dolly have her very own hair brush! 

Isn't she pretty?!? I think the My Life As Dolls are really top notch especially considering the price point. 

I think she's super cute. I am naming her Mandy after my cousin who she looks just like.

Here she is with Judy who was dressed up already and thought it would be fun to join in the photos.

Judy is telling Mandy all about the Doll House and how much fun it is to live there. So many friends to be made! Judy was positive that Mandy would fit right in. 

Then Judy told Mandy about the Doll House closet she couldn't wait to put on some street clothes! She loved her party dress but having been in it since she was 'born' and the whole time she was 'in the box', she was ready for something a bit more casual. So, off they went to find her something more comfortable. I am reasonably sure there will be more than one of the other dolls who'll be happy she wants to get out of that pretty dress. Pretty dresses are very popular in the Doll House! 

Better run!

Till Next Time!
XXOO
Heather

Dare Wright and The Lonely Doll Books

Greetings and Salutations Doll Friends!

I have a dear friend who became my friend before we either one really collected dolls in earnest... We met when our oldest kids were in kindergarten and they are both in their teens now, so you know, life long friends. Ironically enough, we both started collecting dolls after she moved away from my part of the country. She likes a bit different 'type' of dolls than I do, more antique composition types and Anna Lee's Dolls but I think all doll collectors, irregardless of which 'type' of doll they collect, share a sisterhood siblingdom (men collect dolls too!). We all know that bit of a thrill upon finding a brand new doll we've never seen before or adding one of our wish list dolls to our collection. 

So anyway, my dear friend is a member of a real life Doll Collectors Group that meets up and talks about all things doll... Doesn't that sound amazing? Apparently they have them all over the country! Who knew? It was in one of the groups meetings that my friend heard of a photographer/writer who illustrated a series of childrens books with doll photography?! 

What?! Who?! 

Dare Wright is the authors name and I knew immediately upon hearing about her that I'd like her... That was even before I went looking for her doll photos! I discovered that she wrote several books in a series called The Lonely Doll books. They are still/back in print even! I actually heard about them over a month ago and asked for one of her books for my birthday and got it. I went with the very first in the series of course but am sure I'll get others going forward because I adore them! 

There is a whole website about this fascinating woman... She had a very interesting life although it sounds rather lonely and sad. Perhaps her doll stories were, in some small way, about herself. 

So, I haven't decided if it will be one of my 'as-of-yet-unnamed' dolls or one I get in the future but I have decided that I am going to have to have a Dare Wright Doll living in the Doll House!

 How can I not? I mean, even her name is cool!

So... I'll link back to this post when I decide or discover which of my dolls will be Dare's doppelganger doll!

I highly recommend picking up these one or two of her cute books too... The stories are so much fun and photos are adorable! I think about how she had to take them with actual film and am even more impressed!! That means she didn't even get to look at photos to see if she caught her 'vision' until after she developed the film! Totally different times. 

Better run!

Have a great day!
XXOO
Heather

I Won City Girls Harper Doll By New York Doll Collection!!!! So Exciting!!

Greetings and Salutations Doll Friends!!

I won a beautiful City Girls Harper by New York Doll Collection!! I think it's the first contest I've ever won and I couldn't be more thrilled. About a month ago I was browsing in Instgram, looking at Doll Photos as I tend to do... Research is much easier on the pocketbook there rather than eBay. Teehee. Anyway, one of the Instagram accounts I subscribe to is City Girls by New York Doll Collection and they posted this photography contest to possibly win a City Girls Doll!! The only stipulation was that you needed to have something from thier line of dolls and/or doll items in the photo(s). No problem! I already had the awesome striped t-shirts and long pants and the plain tshirts and shorts so I dressed some of my dolls and took some photos... 

The contest was supposed to be over on May 22nd and I got an entry in that I thought was pretty good... But then they extended it and I had, at that point, decided to buy Jazz and so I would have her by the new deadline! Woot! So... I took some more photos with her in them when she arrived. There were some pretty amazing entries by the time the contest ended...

And.....

I won!!!! 

*jumps up and down like I am the next contestant on the Price Is Right*

I got to pick whichever doll I wanted and I decided to choose beautiful Harper. In short order, before I even expected her to, she showed up on my door step. 

I absolutely LOVE her!! She is so so gorgeous! I also love City Girls Dolls by now having had Jazz in the house a while. They are literally one of the sturdiest, best made doll lines I've come across. Right up there with American Girl and maybe even better now that AG has gotten a bit cheap in the cloth they use to make the torso of their dolls. Trust me, they are made well!

Here she is in her very sturdy box. Seriously, a good box to store dolls in if you're one who keeps boxes for such things... 

Here is Jazz welcoming her home! Jazz was super stoked to have her friend from New York come to live at the Doll House!! They'd met a few times in New York even though they were from different parts of the city and so Jazz was looking forward to becoming even better friends. 

*wink*

I wish I had more time to gush about how much I love her but... If I am going to make it to church on time, I better hush. I did make a YouTube Video about her homecoming but it's 10mins long and so may never load. I am so enjoying making 'doll movies' on YouTube. I kind of make them as much or myself as anyone else honestly. It's so fun to take doll photos, make them into a movie and then watching them on the 52inch TV as I do other things... (think screensaver) It's inspires me to take better and better doll photos. 

I am so super thrilled to have her though! She will always be a cherished doll because I won her and that's a pretty rare thing! Thanks City Girls Dolls! What a great contest!! Ya'll rock!!

XXOO

Heather