Carmilla: Let Her Bite

"...think me not cruel because I obey the irresistible law of my strength and weakness..."
-Carmilla

Before Dracula, there was Carmilla. She was a vampire from the novella written by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. She often preys on young women in their sleep. She was the inspiration for the character of this doll.

This Carmilla continues to 'live' in the 21st century by faking her deaths at the hands of the vampire hunters. She glamoured people into believing she has been killed so that she can 'live' a peaceful life. Through the centuries, she has amassed wealth, from stocks to real estate and multi-billion businesses. Her wealth is under a number of alternate identities so she can stay out of the limelight of being the richest person in the world. She maintains her sources of wealth because staying incognito is financially demanding for the likes of her.

Carmilla indirectly runs a number of modelling agencies, cosmetics, jewelries and fashion labels plus a number of hotel chains. Her models get discounted rates on her hotels and dormitories (if they are still studying in her modelling school), all of which are specially designed with secret passages so she can come in and out of any room unnoticed. She takes care of her models because she needs them to survive.

She drinks their blood but not to the point of killing them. That may mean drinking from a number of girls every night. She has evolved into a vampire with restraint so don't be scared now. Let her bite.

(This is not really a start of a story but merely a character profile, a way of enjoying my older dolls.)

Therese Von Furstenberg

I just love the wrap dress on the Diane Von Furstenberg Barbie. Knowing how low my chances are of getting one so I decided to just make one for myself. All I need is a fabric with an interesting print. I had the fabric for some time now but I've been putting off the work since I wasn't as comfortable making the sleeves and collar.

I was getting my groove, so to speak, when I made the rainbow dresses specially the rainbow blouse. After I finished that, I felt more competent in doing this little wrap dress. This dress has no hooks or snaps. It is closed by tying the sash around the waist.

On the side, I was also practicing repainting again. I went through my box of Barbie heads to check if I'm inspired to give one a make-over. That's when I saw the head from the Native American Barbie, a Teresa mold.

I have always wanted a Teresa head with a sophisticated make-up like the 1st Barbie Basics model 11 but I wanted one with long black hair so both versions Teresa from the Basic line wasn't that appealing to me. After finishing repainting I already knew who is going to wear the new wrap dress.

I untied her braids and retained the waves on her hair. I felt she's more sultry that way. I was lucky to have a fashion pack from Liv dolls having an interesting necklace with a peacock motif and I thought it matches her dress. The bag is also from the same Liv fashion pack. The shoes is from a Barbie Basics fashion pack.

I named the doll as Therese Tulis. She's just pretending she's a Von Furstenberg. Come to think of it, she is probably the only doll I have that has a surname!

Want to see more dolly fashion? Visit here:

http://dolldelusions.blogspot.com/search/label/fashion

Fashionista News from Fashionisto2K

1. The bust joints are back.

2. There apparently is a new skin tone for the dolls.

3. A new facemold for Raquelle and it looks like a smiling Lea/Kayla mold. Finally a smiling Asian. At least my whining (it's actually praying) has paid off! (Or maybe Fashionista sales dropped considerably that's why they're putting in some improvements.)

4. It may not actually be news since a lot of people already knew about it but it's all good, is it not?

Here and here. If the Flickr links don't works, it's probably because the owner deleted the pictures already. We were informed that the pics are only temporarily.

UPDATE:

Photos of the dolls and package is here.

As simple as black and white

The white prints on the black dress are hand-painted. I don't know if it would last long. At least its not rubbing off. The dress has some simplicity to it but I wanted to emphasize the small waist more so I added a modern obi belt.

I finished two more dresses, now in black and white. If you're wondering why I keep doing dresses one after the other, it is because I'm trying to control my temptation in buying more dolls. I have beautiful dolls and their beauty would go to waste if I don't play with them. Plus, most of the newer dolls are just another version of older ones. I try not to be redundant unless I'm emphasizing a point.

The white dress was inspired by the black and white gown Audrey Hepburn wore in the movie Sabrina. I cannot do embroidery so I resorted to appliques. I cut out some designs from a black lace and sewed it on the white dress.

(The dolls in the photo are repainted and restyled clone Barbie heads on Dynamite Girls body.)

Little Pullip Swan

She is my first (and probably only) Pullip. Got her through Joan. It's really great to have fellow doll collectors willing to help you to get the doll you fancy! I was checking ebay for some but the shipping fee instantly doubles the cost so I don't buy online unless I'm "highly motivated".

Dressed in a ballerina outfit with a feathered headdress, Swan Lake has got to be the inspiration for this doll. Unlike regular sized Pullip dolls, little Pullip dolls have limited articulation but that is not gonna stop me from posing her as if she's really dancing ballet, is it?

I mentioned in earlier entries that, to me, these big headed dolls, with their eyes wide open, have a sense of child-like innocence not common in Barbie dolls. That's their appeal to me. Although regular Pullip has a big head and wide eyes, I don't think she's that innocent (by that I mean young or child-like) with her womanly curves.  (That is why I'm only interested in the mini version.) The curves are also reflected in the little version (as shown in the photo below) but it is easy to hide those with loose fitting clothes (it's quite difficult to make fitted clothes for their size).

One good thing about little Pullip is that she can be re-wigged and the eye chips can be replaced. I already like her purple eyes. Once I figure how to carefully remove her glued wig, I'm gonna make her another wig in either black or dark brown.

Rainbow's End

I thought I had completed my Rainbow Collection but after the last dress, I had this urge to do another piece but this time having all the colors of the rainbow. I initially planned to make a tiered short skirt but upon checking my fabric stash, I seemed to misplace my yellow fabric. Lucky I found another way:  I could dye/draw/paint the design on a white fabric! I did this with the help of Pentel's Fabricfun dye stick.

I first copied the pattern lines to the fabric. I didn't want to waste the dye stick so I only colored the parts that's going to end up on the outfit. Another detail that I labored in is the french seam. It's silly to have this kind of blouse to be lined so I'd better treat the edges. I don't have an edging machine. I could burn the edge to keep it from fraying but the (oil in the) dye made the fabric to burn easily. I had no choice but to make a french seam if I wanted this blouse to look clean inside-out.

But it didn't look clean as I wanted. Even though the dye have been properly set by ironing, some dye rubbed off on the white parts of the blouse especially the collar. The lighting didn't make it visible but the stain is there. Hmmm... maybe I could color it white again! I'll try that later.

For now, here are a couple of pics of the final dress for the rainbow collection. I was thinking of something one can wear to work when I made this blouse and skirt. The tandem looks too costume-y but fun nonetheless which rainbows are supposed to be. Maybe they would look "normal" if mixed and matched with a neutral pants or shirt. 

When I Think of Rainbows

...I think of hope

--------

14Sep2011 Update:

I haven't done any doll projects lately but I have been enjoying taking pictures of this collection of dresses which I recently finished. Instead of posting the new pictures in my blog I'd rather update this entry to describe the picture above for those who can't see it.

In this picture there are 7 dolls having different face molds wearing 7 different dresses. Each dress represents a color of the rainbow. I have limited fabric options so the closest color was chosen. The dolls are arranged in a circle lying down on a white background. The heads of the dolls are in the center with their bodies are aligned radially outward.

Let's start with the doll with the red dress. She is a repainted Kira head on a skinny model muse body. Although her torso is completely covered by her red dress, her dress is short, higher that the middle of her leg but lower than her crotch, of course. Hehehe. One thing I find interesting about the dress is her sleeve which is only one. It has a peek-a-boo cut-out showing parts of her arms. The sleeves are long (as long as the bodice) and are almost shaped like rectangles somewhat similar to Japanese kimonos.

The orange dress is worn by another hybrid doll, a Gabriella head (High School Musical) on a model muse body. What I find interesting in this dress is it's texture. Strips of fabric with fraying edges were used to embellish the dress. It has a turtle neck collar. A pink belt with flower shaped buckle is used as an accessory.

The yellow dress is worn by a Barbie Basics doll, model 4, if I remember correctly, the darkest skin tone in the Basic black series. I really like the yellow dress on her. What I find interesting on the yellow dress is the neckline. It has this inverted V-shape. A strap of fabric, is sewn on the top corner of the neckline and the other end of the strap is sewn at the back of the dress. I also added a belt with a peplum detail made from the same fabric as the dress.

The green halter dress is worn by Monte Carlo Barbie. The green dress is all about showing some skin. It has a deep V-neck line (almost down to the belly button) showing lots of cleavage and the skirt part has a thigh-high slit.

The blue dress is worn by another Barbie Basics doll with the Midge/Diva head mold. It is actually a blouse and skirt made from the same fabric. The blouse is a simple loose fit top. It was intentionally made simple to create a contrast to the heavily ruffled skirt. One thing I find interesting about the blue dress is the contrast of the texture of the top which is smooth and the skirt which is ruffled.

The indigo (which I think is really just dark blue because I don't have the right fabric) is worn by another Barbie Basics doll with the Mbili face mold. It started out a a simple tube dress which is a little short (mid-leg) and tight fitting. It is embellished by the same fabric shaped into a large leaf covering the bust area. This fabric extends below to the right side of the dress forming a flap on the right portion of the skirt.

The violet dress is worn by another OOAK doll. It is actually a Generation Girl Barbie with bright red hair on a model muse body. She was repainted and her smile was closed using the dental extraction method. She also has a blouse and skirt. Her blouse has slightly puffy short sleeves and a V-neckline. Her sheath skirt has a ruching or gathering detail at the center to give it some texture.


random thought:
Was that a thousand words? Nope. Just a little over 600. I did a word count. Hehehe. But I left out describing the jewelries. Oh well, it's about the dresses.

Hello Yellow

I intended to make a simple yellow dress with a distinct neckline. Other than the neckline, the dress looked too simple even with a gold chain belt. Not that it's bad but I wanted to complicate it a bit more. One thing I like about simple dresses is that one can adorn it and make it look slightly different (whereas it's a risky idea to take apart a complicated dress).

This yellow dress, I thought, is not something you'd like to wear with a necklace as it distracts from the detailed neckline although I think it's a good dress to show off the belt. I was suppose to take a picture of this dress along with different belts including the narrow blue belt that came with the Barbie Basics fashion pack but I think I misplaced mine. I was even thinking of making an obi belt but I wanted to post this entry right away. I did make a belt from the same yellow fabric with a peplum detail that makes it look like it's part of the dress. It doesn't look too simple anymore.

The next color will be red. I initially wanted to make it an overtly sexy dress with a deep V-neckline but then I thought it would be more challenging to make a sexy red dress and have the torso completely covered. We'll see...

The Secondaries

For the longest time, I've been planning to make gowns representing the colors of the rainbow but then I realized I'm not so much of a gown person. Then I planned to make Filipiniana dresses still representing the colors or the rainbow. I got stuck at violet since I wanted it to be more complicated but it was more than I could handle. Plus, they are still gowns.

There was also a time when I wanted to make dresses of different colors for Superstar/Shani bodies. I didn't even have that large variety of dolls with that body back then. Who would wear them?

Ladies' Drink

Now I'm here again planning to do that Rainbow Collection, this time on model muse dolls. Since I don't have that much time these days, my mom helps a lot. She did most of the work for these 3 new dresses. I only did most of the finishing touches.

So far I only have the secondary colors of orange, green and violet and I like how they turned out so far. The green dress will be repaired since I find the skirt too revealing.

The next color should be yellow. The challenge is to do it right the first time since I don't have that much yellow fabric. the design can't be too complicated either but it can't be too plain. You know that feeling when a lot of things can go wrong and you just want to stop? That's what I feel about yellow now.

Want to see more dolly fashion? Visit here:

http://dolldelusions.blogspot.com/search/label/fashion

Piano Duo

Just for smiles... :)

Shani

Another doll that changed ownership because the former owner was making room for new dolls, is my first doll with a Shani headmold, the Ghanian Barbie. She'll be simply called Shani since she's the only one I have, Shani-wise.

She got some photo time tonight. I decide to have a Christie doll join her in one pic because (1) there was a time I didn't know how they were different (2) these two dolls reminded me of my relatives (my late aunt  and cousin, if only the dolls' skintone were lighter).

Nichelle?

I realized that my collecting preference has changed. I am now trying to get JUST a sample of each headmold from the Barbie line. I prefer those with not so big eyes and black hair, if possible. In case, I find a better (this is subjective) version, I'll dispose the older one. My fave head molds (Lea/Kayla, Oriental, Mbili, Goddess etc) are of course exempted from that rule.

Now, I can finally say that my fixation on getting a doll with a Nichelle head mold has ended. I'm happy with my doll. The thing is, I don't know her. Can anybody identify her for me? I'm not sure if she was redressed but her earrings match her dress. I did pour boiling water on her hair to flatten it. I think a kid used to tie it in a ponytail so she was a mess when I got it.

Any info about this doll will be appreciated. :)

Return to Innocence

Age indeterminate, they can look like kids and they can look like young adults, definitely not a one-trick pony. That is just one of the things I like about my CCE Blythe clone. Rebodying them in highly sexual-ized Barbie or Obitsu bodies is not an option for me. The Licca body is just fine with enough curves which one can flaunt or down play. I also didn't seal their face paint so I can change them when I feel like it.

There are times when I get fed up with too much play on sexuality from dolls. (It makes me think, are they the new sex toys? Maybe. I personally use them to act out my sex fantasies. Lol.) My other dolls can serve as a breather. After making dresses for model muse bodies I felt I have to do something childlike.

I decided to create dresses for Potpot and Chichi. I think they love it.

Twigs and Blooms

I realized that I don't have that much non-pink printed dresses. The ones I made last January for the Runway doll meet were sold to friends. So I took some time to make a couple JUST for myself.

I wanted refreshing colors of blue and green. I don't hate pink but I felt it can be done in moderation. I wanted the dresses to look simple and open to mix-and-match possibilities. Add a jacket or shrug, a new skirt or a pair of leggings and these dresses will look differently.

I call the floral dress as "Blooms" and the other one as "Twigs". Blooms has a neckline designed to show some cleavage. Twigs is actually inspired by Mod fashion, something Twiggy would wear, minus the loose fit. Here they are on Lea and Midge with some simple styling with the help of the Barbie basics fashion pack.

Golden Rust

I really enjoyed the recent 4-day weekend. No, I didn't go to any exotic location most Filipino do at that time of the year. I stayed at home, bonded with my family and then later with a friend. I was also able to make six dresses--four for model muse Barbie dolls and two for Skipper/Blythe sized bodies.

The first of the dress, which I call Golden Rust, was made specially for Marisa, not my own Marisa but a friend's Marisa. I normally don't like taking commissions lately since I don't find it cost efficient (considering how much I should earn per hour) but I felt I owe the friend so I made this for him.

Before I hand the dress to my friend, I had to do a trial fitting and photo shoot with my own Marisa (which used to be owned by my friend.)

The shades are from a Barbie Basics fashion pack. The bracelet, I think is from Hanna Montana while the purse is a vintage repro from Mattel. The shoes came with a Barbie Fashionista doll. I forgot which one. :)

Blythe Loves Polly Pocket Fashion

I really wanted to bring all my LPS Blythes to the last doll meet but they didn't have appropriate dresses. It was just yesterday that I scored some glittery fashion for them (Fab-tastic fashion from Polly Pocket). To think that their clothes should be easier to make (in the sense that it would take less stitches) but I wasn't able to.

These dolls have side-tracked me from working on my shelf dollhouse. Working. Yes, sometimes the hobby can feel like work and I have to drop it and do something else, something that could really make me smile a childlike smile, like these little Blythe. To me they're like little kids, trying to act (but not forced into being a) grown up. How cute is that?

Sunsun and Seasea

Long before Blythe Loves Littlest Pet Shop dolls were sold here, I already ordered one for myself at eBay. Yes, it cost me more (money and patience) but I thought they were never gonna be sold here. (It's not my loss really. I'll explain in another post if I feel like it.) It was only yesterday that I was able to claim the 1st LPS Blythe I ever bought!

The thing with Blythe Loves LPS Swim & Sun is that it was not my favorite. I really like Playfully Plaid (with her darker hair) but since Swim & Sun has a more buyer friendly shipping rate (since it has a smaller box), I chose it. I was okay with having my 3rd LPS Blythe, but then on my way home yesterday I passed by the toy store and saw LPS Sunshine Island. It looked like my favorite Playfully Plaid but I like it more because it has brown eyes! Although there was one thing I didn't like, the painted on leggings.

I thought I'll just head swap the two and sell the Swim and Sun head on the Sunshine Island body but while de-boxing both I felt that these two are twin sisters never to be parted! I decided to keep them both. Sunshine Island will now be called Sunsun and Swim & Sun will be Seasea.

Sunsun: Seasea, you look cute in your swimsuit.
Seasea: I know, right. I really can't wait to swim.
Sunsun: You're favorite activity must be swimming.
Seasea: Since we don't have a pool and live far from the beach, I find it too much of a hassle. I like bowling better.

Sunsun: Bowling?
Seasea: Yes. We don't have to go far to go bowling and it's indoors so we'll be safe from sun damage.
Sunsun: I guess you're right but you can't go like that bowling.
Seasea: Of course I can. I'll show you. Follow me to the kitchen. (<- click that...*wink*)

Beebee

It looks like the toy price discrepancy is not isolated in our country. I saw this at Flickr.

LPS Blythe here cost a little less here compared in Finland. That's glass half-full. I also found out that there are other variants aside from B13 and B14 being sold here. They cost less than B13 and B14 as they only come with one pet only.

I got myself Blythe Loves Littlest PetShop Lemons' n Honey (B11). I like her because of her bright hair color and she doesn't have painted-on clothing like the others. I think the bee pet is cute and unusual (who has bees for pets?).

(Beware: More crappy pics from the phonecam.)

Petpet: What a hot day! I could use some refreshments.

Petpet: Oh, goody, a lemonade stand!

Beebee: I hope you enjoy my lemonade. It is sweetened by honey made by my pet, Yellow.

PetPet: Yellow is so sweet, offering drinks to my pets Pink and Lilac.

Beebee: And so is his honey.

Petpet: Speaking of sweets, I’m craving for some. Do you know where I can get some sugar rush?

Beebee: Down the road, you’ll find a donut shop.

Petpet: Just what I need. Thanks. See you again. Bye.

Petpet: This must be the place. Hello…

Yellow: Welcome. Go ahead and choose a donut while I get my master.

Petpet: Be back soon, okay.

Petpet: Wait. Don’t tell me you own this shop, too.

Beebee: What can I say? I like wearing different hats!

Petpet: You should consider not covering your very cool hair.

Beebee: Why, thank you! For that dog muffins for Lilac and Pink...

Beebee: ...and a donut for you. On the house!

Petpet: Thank you for the treat! I wouldn’t be surprised if I see you at the next shop.

Beebee: You bet, as long as it’s THE LITTLEST PETSHOP!