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. 

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. :)

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?

Heidi Ott dolls and some dolly delights

I have been working for a promotion that's why I have less time for dolls lately but when my Heidi Ott dolls finally arrived, I felt I have to give in to some play time!

Heidi Ott Dolls are high quality 1/12th (dollhouse) scale dolls that can be redressed. The adult dollhouse dolls are made of 34 body parts which are manufactured in Germany, then assembled, and ultra sonically welded together and hand finished in Switzerland. The body has 14 movable joints, the heads are hand-painted and some have mohair wigs. The elderly dolls have a soft cloth pose-able body instead. Some outfits are sold separately.

I got myself two male dolls. The above photo shows the size comparison with other dolls (Takara Compact doll, Britney Spears doll and Aaron Carter doll). The first doll on the left is a mini clone while the jointed lady is unknown to me.

I have plans for my two Ott dolls. I want to tan them, repaint their faces and create new hairstyles for them. I'll sew clothes and make them shoes and build them a small dollhouse or room boxes, and I don't mean the ones made of cardboard like I did for dolls their size before. I want these new ones to be more permanent so I need to plan carefully. I want a rooftop garden, something like Tuesday Taylor's penthouse apartment. Sounds ambitious enough? Oh well, I have to start somewhere. I'll just change my plans as I go along. :)

This of course doesn't mean I'm going to ignore my bigger dolls. In fact, I have an on-going project with Michael and Melinda. I saw from a Flickr pal artworks of different fashion packs for the couple.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/topdollmanagement/5492528393/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/topdollmanagement/5493121068/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/topdollmanagement/5493120996/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/topdollmanagement/5492528221/

I instantly got inspired to make my own. I still have to make the closures for the clothes but then I saw an episode on Glee about sex education. The cast had a number where they sang "Afternoon Delight" and they wore outfits similar to "Party Day Blue" so I was inspired to take a picture of Michael and Melinda having some afternoon delight! :)

Going Banana

(This should have been posted last week but my work schedule won't allow me.)

Our local doll group PNN's theme for March is outdoor/adventure/safari fashion. Knowing how busy I'll be this week, I've been rummaging through my doll clothes stash, looking for what can work. The only thing I made for the theme is Kayla's wig and Ken's shirt.

I went with the Banana Republic look and shot these in our backyard, hence I call the series Backyard Republic. :)

I must say I like the theme since I've never done that before and it made me use my old stuff that I have neglected and made them work.

Liz

I don't pretend to be an ordinary housewife. - Elizabeth Taylor

Just to make it clear, I'm not really a Liz Taylor fan but I do appreciate her beauty which was attempted to be captured in some Barbie dolls. I know little about her. I didn't even know she had a beauty mark on her right cheek (near the jaw line) which was reflected in the doll. I initially though it was a speck of dirt or paint and I was ready to erase it. Luckily, I searched for other pictures and found out that she indeed had a beauty mark.

Being one of the few Barbie dolls with a face that resembles the actual person, I couldn't resist the beauty of the doll so I was watching out for her on eBay for weeks and finally I was able to get her at a reasonable price. I waited for someone to sell her out of the box since NRFB dolls can cost up to 5x more. I'm a deboxer anyway.

Having no back ground on her, I decided to watch Butterfield 8 (which was just laying around with the pile of disc in the house). The slip dress below and the fur coat above, although have the wrong design altogether, can still help capture her vibe from that movie. (Well maybe not the poses below... She's just enjoying her new found articulation.)

Evidently I have rebodied her using a body similar to the Modern Circle Barbie body. (Is there a shorter name for that?) I already forgot what doll the body originally was since I used so many heads on it. I wanted to give Liz ample articulation but I didn't want her to look starved so the Pivotal body is not an option. Even though I don't have an FR, I never considered the body since they are too tall for the dame (or my taste) who was supposed to stand 5'2". I'm still on the look out for better body for her.

Being a relatively new collector, I have a long list of old (not necessarily vintage) dolls I wanted. I'm still waiting to my hands on Diana Ross and Audrey Hepburn dolls (although I think the Audrey doll looks too cartoon-ish). Good thing there's not much exciting Barbie dolls for next year, except maybe for one or two Barbie Basics and maybe the Ken repro. I can align my budget for older dolls that have classic timeless beauty.

Notice Something?

Below is a comparison photo of a doll using a Steffie face mold and the Lois Lane doll (with partially repainted eyes on a model muse body). The dolls were posed back to back but judging from Lois' arm, she is slightly in front.

Do you notice anything? If you notice anything, I'll explain next week on another post. If there is nothing worth noticing, I guess it's not worth blogging about, right? =)

Clues:

1. The grid lines were superimposed on the image as a clue.

2. Here is another photo including the same head molds as above. I didn't took it but I thought it is another good comparison photo.

That will be all the clues I can give for now. In the mean time, you might also enjoy this photo. (It's from an old event but if you have been reading this blog for a while, you'll know that this is not a "what's new" blog.) I just thought that using human size Blythe dolls in a fashion show was a cool idea! Whether you love or hate those dolls, I must say the size of their heads are really interesting, to say the least.

I was wondering...

Lois' eyes were partially repainted.

... if the Zac Posen Barbie uses the same face mold as the Lois Lane doll. The Lois Lane head doesn't have the Mattel mark (only the original body).

Update:

I now think they are not. According to this site, the Zac Posen doll uses the Nichelle II face mold. Clearly this is not Lois Lane's mold.

She doesn't look her age

Midge: Are you sure she's THAT old???
Barbie: I know, right? She doesn't look her age.
Skipper: Hmpf! Repros...

The Skipper doll above was soaked in bleach and then her lips was retouched.