Tropicalia

Tropicalia, a photo by alington on Flickr.

This is a quick shot of the Tropicalia convention collection from the Integrity Toys convention.

From the left: Hot Dots Poppy Parker, All in White Now Collette, Haute Société Véronique, Lady in Red Erin, Main Event Adele, Peak Season Kyori, Sweet Victory Natalia, Infallible Dasha (FR Squared).

Victoire Roux Place Vendome

Victoire, a photo by alington on Flickr.

At the Tropicalia convention in Orlando - conventioneers are given a chance to purchase a lovely limited edition Victoire Roux doll, Place Vendome.

She is dressed in a full-length taupe gown, strapless lace, decorated with roses, with pink gloves and lace shoes. The doll has raven hair, and is an IT Direct exclusive, and are limited one to attendee.

Top sellers from Tonner Doll Company!

Tonner's Top sellers for the week ending September 22:

Tonner Top 12 - Best Sales Tonner Doll Company | Sept 22

View more lists from Tonner Doll Company

Today's commerce...

Be sure to check out my DollPage Show & Sell listings today... if you're in a shopping mood. I've posted a few more items for sale before the Integrity Toys convention, and I'll be leaving Tuesday next week.

My newest arrivals are the latest Fall Seasonal Essential with pink hair, High Envy Erin, and Truly, Madly, Deeply Agnes. I also have the Barbie steamer trunk from convention and My Generation Chip Farnsworth III. You can see all my listings here.

Thanks for looking!

She's Not There

She's Not There, a photo by alington on Flickr.

She's Not There is here (?) and she's adorable!

Probably my favorite Poppy Parker doll from this year's collection, I adore her cropped blonde hair and blue eyes. I know, I may be one of the only fans of the white eye liner, but wasn't it sort of a fad in the 1960s? (I actually still use it--or silver--sometimes, too.)

I also think her nude lips are fantastic.

My one complaint/warning would be that her stockings run--so be careful when and if you put them on--notice her boots already look a little pink, and that's just from transfer from my hands. She didn't ship with them on, fortunately.

I think she'll be fun for redressing, too.

More photos on Flickr.

Tonner Top 12 sellers

Top selling dolls for the week ending Sept 15.

Tonner Top 12 - Best Sales Tonner Doll Company - Sept 15

View more lists from Tonner Doll Company

A BEARel of Laughs - An interview with Jude

You have probably already seen the auction - for a BEARly used Tyler Wentworth doll.

The debut of Barney the Bear's OOAK artistry was a rousing success

I don’t know about anyone else, but I was laughing so hard that I could BEARly breathe by the time I finished reading it. The auction was for a Tyler Wentworth doll by the Tonner Doll Company, who had had an up close and personal encounter with Barney, a black bear in Colorado. Jude, a regular poster on Prego, posted her photos of Tyler and Barney, and eventually sold Tyler on eBay.

I love the wit that went into this auction posting:

For sale a poor pathetic older unknown Tyler BEARLY USED PLEASE EXCUSE THE STRAY HAIRS
I have used her for a wig model
Mint except for:
Hair has been cut off
Thumb missing on one hand
Fingers missing on the other hand
Slightly played with by bears
Bite marks on head and body
Smells like Bears
Hairspray on Face
She is kind of dirty but could be cleaned up with a magic sponge or NOT
No original box

Comes from a smoke free and BIG pet friendly area
Questions please email.
Emergency sale

Will be shipped in a padded envelope as more damage won't hurt her anyway

On Sep-04-12 at 15:59:52 PDT, seller added the following information:
Sorry the bear is not included in the auction. It would cost an enormous amount to ship and he doesn't want to leave the mountain.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Sep-05-12 at 06:49:19 PDT, seller added the following information:
COA included with doll and signed photos from Barney. He has sacrificed his beloved doll for auction and hopes the winner will be delighted with her. With a little TLC she might look better or maybe not. Barney is thinking of offering another one of his dolls from his private collection for auction at a later date.

BEARing this in mind, it seemed like a BEAR Necessity to interview Jude, and have her tell our readers a little about herself, and her big, hairy, artist neighbor, Barney the Bear.

Who you calling big and hairy?

Jude, how long have you lived in Colorado?

All my life

How have you adjusted to living with neighbors such as Barney? How did Barney introduce himself?

I have lived here on the mountain for 21 years and there are a lot of bears here. We have learned to adjust to them. We are just very careful. The photo opportunites are amazing.

I admire your bravery, I am a coward when it comes to bears. The closest encounter I ever had was while camping at Mt. Rainier when I was about 5 years old, and a bear made my dad teleport about 15 feet!

Barney at work on his first OOAK project, a Tyler Wentworth doll

Was this particular Tyler Wentworth doll, whom you used as a wig model, a favorite?

I have had this Tyler for about 7 years. She had a mishap with my dog when she was a puppy and has issues since. I thought she would be a great candidate for “Bearly played with” for Barney.

Hey, no photos until I'm done! 

Tell us something about your doll collection - what dolls do you have in your collection? Are there any Grails that you are still seeking?

I collect Numina dolls by Paul Pham, Sybarites and a few bjds and Tonners. No Grails at this time.

Ugh! The stupid brushes always fall just out of reach of my paws!

What Grails, if any, do you think Barney has?

Barney loves dolls. He seems to bearly think of anything else. He has a special love for Bearallina dolls. (ballerina)

That would be an interesting OOAK to see next - maybe a Night On Bald Mountain would be an appropriate theme to play to inspire Barney while he works.

A closeup of Barney's painstaking work

What inspired your eBay auction?

I was just thinking it would be cute to put a doll outside and see what the bears would do. Barney showed up first and was BEARy intrigued with her. I took the photos and got to laughing so hard and decided to post them on Prego. Someone on Prego suggested I should put it on Ebay. From there it was 3 days of constant laughter. The questions and answers were hilarious. Animal lovers came out in force and the auction turned out incredible.

I'll say - from a $.99 opening bid to a $430 close - that's pretty impressive for an OOAK debut, especially by an artist of a completely different species!

Not quite mint, but not bad, either!

How did you and Barney come to the decision to sell his OOAK work?

Barney loves art and wanted to share it with all the doll and bear lovers. He is so thoughtful.

One thing's for sure, Jude, the two of you make a winning OOAK team. With his artistry, and your genius for publicity, the only limits are affording the dolls for Barney to work on.

Better start running, I want to look my best for the auction!

How did you feel when you found out that Robert Tonner, the owner of Tonner Doll Company (Tyler’s manufacturer) knew about your auction?

It was amazing!!!!! I was afraid he might be offended because Barney loved the doll so much.

I seem to recall telling you to send an email to Mr. Tonner, telling him you had photographic proof that his dolls are beloved by all species!

Did anyone at Tonner Doll contact you?

Yes, they did and said they loved the auction and would be bidding on it.

What is Barney’s next OOAK project, after this stunning debut?

Barney is working on 2 different bearalinna dolls. The next one will go on auction tomorrow. He is finishing up a makeover of a Miss Piggy. They try to dance. Barney picked a special song just for her  ”Swine Lake”

Jude and Barney's second auction - a Miss Piggy doll by Tonner

Does Barney have anything to add? I’m sure our regular readers would love a quote from him!

Barney is so touched about all the caring posts and bids on his auction. He wants to tell everyone how BEARy touched he is with all of this!

I don’t want to pry into anyone’s privacy, but a fellow Prego member is said to have won the auction, and thus, Barney’s first efforts at OOAK. Please tell the winner to take pictures of his or her new doll, and post them. I’m sure we would ALL like to see that Tyler has adjusted well to her new life as a piece of One of A Kind art.

The questions asked on this auction were pretty funny, and it seems that the potential buyers understood the humor Jude and Barney intended. Here are some of the highlights:

Q:  You mentioned in your listing that were a few stray hairs and this Tyler was used as a wig model. What size wig does she take. I suppose the stray hairs are what I see on her face. Since you said "Mint Condition" I assume they can just simply be brushed off and she is pretty well cleaned up. Or (reading between the lines) is the damage to her face so bad that she has filed for workmen's (women's) compensation and her face needs extensive plastic surgery if she wishes to appear normal in public again.

A:   She wears a 5-6 wig as you can also find in my store. Barney is taking wig styling so Mr. Barney may have some great creations on the horizon. Yes, she has been a model for about 6 years and that hair is embedded with hairspray. You might be able to clean it off with a power sander. That is a thought. She should file for some kind of compensation. She is bearly able to have any spa treatment at the time. Sad isn't it?

Q:  You mention that this OOAK Tyler is in Mint condition except for a few minor defects which you list-mostly to the hands. I was interested in possibly using her as a shoe model, but you don't show her feet in any of the photos. Does she even have feet? or have these modified in the artistic process? Thank you.

A:   Thank you for your question. I bearly remembered to take the other photos. Sorry. Yes she does have feet and one has a tooth mark on the bottom and the other has some mystery brown stuff? on it. Not sure what it is???? I'm sure she could be a great shoe model. The bite is on the bottom and bearly noticable. Thanks so much for your interest in Barney's creation.

Q:  Can you please take my pre order for Barney's next offering. I believe its to be a ballerina called " She Who Dances With Bears." Will you require a deposit. Do you have an anticipated price and ship date. Thanks so much.

A:   Barney will be working on edition #2 shortly. As a STARVING artist he is going to be working like a bear to get it done quickly. Please save him in your favorites so you can be first to see his new creation! He really thanks you for all your interest! Bear Hugs, Barney

Q:  Hi,does she come wearing any clothes or does she come bear ?,sorry I mean bare ! :)

A:   Thank you for writing. She comes Bare but I can cover her bits so she is bearly bare if that would help. Thanks for your interest. Barnmey thanks you!

Q:  But if she encounters further damage, my pristine Bear Art is ruined!! and the COA becomes invalid.......

A:   Oh dear. That is a grizzly thought! I bearly thought of additional damage. I can certainly send her in a box. Barney will wrap her carefully so that she will arrive in the pristine mint condition as shown in the photos! lol

Q:  Do you think that if we ask him nicely he can sign her butt? also I would like to know if she had a given name and if a COA would be provided, thanks. I hope this is just the first of many pieces, Barney is for sure a promising artist!

A:   Thank you! Yes, Barney would be glad to sign her butt! I believe he named her Mauledeen. Yes, there is a COA included . Barney plans on doing a ballerina next called " She Who Dances With Bears. Please put Barney on your favorites list so you will know when his next ooak comes up for auction. Since this all started he has bearly had time to rest. Thanks for writing! Big Bear Hugs

Q:  Free shipping is really great~thanks. Does this include tracking and insurance for the winner Thank you.

A:   Thank you for writing and your interest in the Bearly played with doll. Yes insurance and tracking is included. Not sure what to insure her for tho as she has so much damage . Bear Art is hard to insure accurately. I am sending her in a padded envelope because more damage can't hurt her anyway. lol Thank you. Jude

Q:  Hi,I was wondering if Barney does commissions? I have a doll that resembles my X Husband's Girlfriend that needs a Makeover and I think Barney could help with that? What would he charge for the body enhancements? She wears a lot of Cheap Perfume, has Breast Implants, Facial upgrades and long hair so I think he would like this work. Price with photos please??

A:   Barney may start doing commissions. He is already going to do a ballerina called "Doll That Dances With Bears". If you add Barney to your favorites list you can be informed of his next offering. I'm sure he would love to do a cheap doll. He loves cheap and cheap perfume. lol He can bearly stand it!

Q:  Is this doll sold "as is"?

A:   yes, I'm afraid it is sold as is. As you can see she has some minor issues. Please ask any questions before you bid as I want to keep my good feedback and stars! Please look at the photos carefully. I have tried very hard to describe her as well as I can. As you can see she may require some "PLASTC Surgery". I am not an expert so hopefully this has answered your question???????? Feel free to contact me if you have other questions. I'm not sure what the true definition of "AS IS" really is. lol

Barney has left the building!

And that wraps up this edition of Fashion Doll Review. I would like to thank Jude and Barney for their gracious consent and use of their valuable time to be interviewed. All photos are by Jude, and starring Barney the Bear and Tyler Wentworth. All auction text is by Jude.

Got Amazon Prime?

If you do, and if you're part of Kindle's Lending Library... I need a favor!


Would you mind downloading a free copy of Steffie: Out of the Box for testing? I'd love to hear your feedback.

I don't own a Kindle Fire, but I'd love to hear your opinion on several devices. This is my first attempt at a digital book--and you'd think the portability would be easy. But graphics, well--not so much. I've decided that, at least for the iPad reader, the photos are too small. However, I probably won't be able top upload the corrected version today, as my computer is being "fixed." (My DH is off  work today.)

Thanks!

Update:

So--I believe I was able to upload a new Kindle file, which should be live by tomorrow morning. Perhaps for you Apple iPad/Kindle Fire viewers, it might be best to wait till then to view. I'll keep you posted.

The issue is a small problem with the preview application versus what I see in my word processor versus what the device will actually show. I'm hoping it's all fixed now! :) There is a reason I didn't major in software engineering, I see.

Pink Diamond Barbie by The Blonds - OOAK auction doll

Pink Diamond™ Barbie is a one-of-a-kind doll created by The Blonds. She is available now on charitybuzz, and as of the time of this post, her auction price is at $1500.

Proceeds of this doll will benefit the MAC Aids Fund organization.

Photos are property of Mattel.

Tonner Tuesday today and Forever Edward promo photos

Tonner Doll has released promotional photos for the new release Forever Edward, limited edition 500, retail $189.99, from the Twilight series. Shipping date is still to be announced.

Additionally, don't forget about Tonner Tuesday on a Wednesday, which will begin today at noon, EST, and last for 24 hours only. The first 50 orders will receive a free 2011 convention tote, which will appear on your shipping notification and final invoice, not on your initial sales order.

According to Tonner Direct's Facebook page, there have been issues with Paypal, so you will have to plan to pay with Visa, MasterCard or American Express today.

Photos property of Tonner Doll Company.

More shameless commerce...

Check out my newly updated ads on the DollPage. I'll be adding some more within the next few days, I believe as well, but I've lowered a few prices today on some remaining items, and added links to some in-stock books as well.

I have some nude dolls for sale as well as some limited edition convention items, too.

Also, I have quite a few items I'm looking for in trade, and I might be open to other outfits for my larger fashion dolls (16" girls) as well.

Thanks for looking!

Madame Deneuve

Madame Deneuve, a photo by alington on Flickr.

Angelic Dreamz exclusive JAMIEshow Deneuve has just returned from the spa at OOAK Zoo, and James has given her a wonderful makeover.

Here, she is dressed in Madame de l'Amour by Tonner Doll Company and the wig from the Rose of Versailles outfit.

As you might have guessed, the lady wants for nothing--except perhaps for a new pair of shoes.

See more photos on Flickr.

Be sure to subscribe to James' blog, OOAK Zoo, and also his fabulous Flickr photostream, to see his wonderful repaints.

Spring Kissed Ashleigh

Spring Kissed Ashleigh, a photo by alington on Flickr.

The lovely Glamour Ashleigh, exclusive to Two Daydreamers (and still available and on sale!), resin fashion BJD created by Tonner Doll, has been redressed in Integrity Toys' Spring Kissed fashion from the W Club exclusive FR:16 doll.

She is wearing BJD Sydney's wig and a necklace by LVNV Dolls.

You can see more photos of her on Flickr.

Flourish Antoinette

Flourish Antoinette, a photo by alington on Flickr.

I can't believe I haven't posted photos of Flourish Antoinette by Tonner Doll Company on the blog yet, but she slipped by!

So here she is, in all her glory. For those of you curious about her hair--she has a perfect updo in golden blonde. Her dress--simply fabulous. Her belt is separate as well.

I love her delicate makeup, golden eyeshadow with blue liner just in her lower waterline of her eye. I just love this doll.

You can see more photos on Flickr.

Tonner Doll's Re-Imagined Scarecrow

Pending licensor approval, Tonner Doll has released its promotional photo of its new steampunk Scarecrow, Not Afraid of Anything. He's pretty cool, I think, and I'm not even a huge Wizard of Oz or (I hate to admit to being so uncool) steampunk fan.

He will produced in an edition of 500 dolls, and retail for $189.99. He uses the Matt O'Neil head sculpt and body with wigged hair.

Interestingly, I noticed that while it says he includes a sword holder, I'm noticing the resin sword is missing from the description. I'm wondering if this is a typo or a change.

Tonner's licensing agreement allows them to ship this doll (and Dorothy, now called Tornado Traveler) within the US, to Russia, the UK, France, Spain and the Netherlands. No shipping date has been announced for these dolls yet.

Tonner top sellers last week

And the top selling dolls at Tonner Doll Company last week were:

Tonner Top 12 - Best Sales Tonner Doll Company - 9/7

View more lists from Tonner Doll Company

And the winner is...

The prize: One of my latest publications, Steffie: Out of the Box. This is an unauthorized soft cover visual reference book on Mattel's Steffie sculpt. I use all my own photography, and it could be considered to be a little, well, artsy.

The back of the book - actually, one of my favorite dolls. This is a Miss America, Quick Curl Brunette, who has been restyled by Roberta Marino.

We had nine participants in our drawing last week. Thanks so much for reading The Fashion Doll Review and participating!

According to the theme, I thought I use a Barbie cup for the container. I seem so organized, don't I? Just don't look at the rest of my house, or notice how closely cropped my photos are.

Oh--the anticipation. I have to include one of these photos, of course.

And our winner is... Ada in Romania! I believe one of our wonderful contributors had the pleasure of meeting Ada in person at the Italian Doll Festival this past year. Ada, if you would contact me at alison at fashiondollreview dot com (well, with the @ symbol and . of course) with your mailing address, that would be great! I'll get your book out ASAP!

To the rest of you, thanks ever so much for participating. I realized today that drawings are one of my favorite things about doing this blog and I don't do enough of them, so keep your eyes peeled.

Also, if you would like to purchase a copy of my book, you can contact me at the above address. The retail price is $20 plus shipping. It's also available on Amazon.com, and also on Amazon Europe, so that might be a cheaper option for some of you as well.

Incidentally... in the last week, we've had about 10,000 page views (and no, I don't count my own). That's fantastic!

Our most popular post is on Monster High dolls. Would you all like to see more posts about these dolls? Any other requests?

Also, are you aware of our sister blog, BJDs for Beginners? I've moved all the BJD-related posts over to that blog, since I was clogging up the fashion doll section a little heavily with BJD items.

Drawing today! I'm running a little behind this Monday morning, but I'll be announcing the winner of the drawing shortly!

IT Girl Raja gets a makeover

It Girl Raja is a recent acquisition for me, and a trade (really a great trade from Em at the Toy Box Philosopher!), and I've just received her back today after a really fantastic makeover.

My instructions to James were--whatever you like.

His inspiration was Barbie--and she's now a sunkissed goddess. Simply fabulous!

See more photos on Flickr.

Visit James' blog, OOAK Zoo, and his amazing, awesome photostream on Flickr.

What do you think of her new look?

Kitty Korner - Francie repro has arrived!

Kitty Korner, the newest reproduction Francie Silkstone giftset, created by Mattel, has arrived. I think she's quite adorable.

She has platinum hair, applied eyelashes, and blue eyes. She comes wearing a sleeveless shift trapeze dress in brown, sky blue and white, knee-high lace stockings, and grey t-straps. She also includes gold hoop earrings and a pet kitty. Her second outfits includes a printed chiffon shortie night set, long yellow robe, pink "Francie" hanger, brush, "Francie" diary, blue closed-toe shoes, and a blue stuffed kitty.

You can see a few more photos of the kitties on Flickr.

Fall - Seasonal Essential W Club exclusive

The third doll in the IT Direction Seasonal Essential series has been announced and is available as a W Club exclusive lottery. She is called Fall, limited to 250 dolls, and retails for $50.

She features bubblegum pink hair, applied eyelashes, and a full articulated body. Her black satin dress looks similar in style to Summer's. She includes shoes and stand.

I'm not sure, but her face looks a lot like Rufus Blue.

She's got an estimated delivery dat of September 12, 2012--which means she must be in stock or nearly in stock. W Club members have till that date at 10 AM EST to enter the lottery.

Photos are property of Integrity Toys.

Passport to Pink has arrived!

Passport to Pink, a gorgeous giftset designed by Bill Greening from the 2012 Barbie Convention, has finally arrived. I think she's adorable.

The set features a platinum American Model reproduction doll, dressed in a printed shell, pink suit and matching hat, pink scarf, white gloves, and pink spikes. The set also includes a second classic printed dress with a bow, white open-toe shoes, pink sunglasses, a white clutch and a camera.

Sales and treasures at Vogue Collectibles

Crystal Celebration Daphne Dimples

Be sure to take a peek at the sales and found treasures at Vogue Collectibles! In their latest promotional newsletter, there was a surprise announcement of some hard-to-find dolls, including some extra Poppy Parker dolls from this year, Hansel and Gretel from the NuFantasy collection, and a lot of hard-to-find retired Tonner Doll Company collectibles, including Wizard of Oz, Brenda Starr, and previous Tyler Wentworth collections.

Photo property of Tonner Doll Company.

Yuletide Yummies Barbie coming soon!

Yuletide Yummies™ Barbie® - photo property of Mattel

The next Holiday Hostess doll and Barbie Fan Club exclusive is going on sale on September 12, 2012.

Yuletide Yummies™ is designed by Bill Greening with a vintage face, and she's wearing a lovely tea-length green satin dress with lace trim on the sleeves and and oversized plaid bow. She includes a beaded chain necklace, gold earrings, and red sandals. Her golden blond hair is pulled into a curled ponytail with a plaid bow.

She retails for $75 and is a Gold Label doll.

New items and free shipping from Wilde Imagination

Checkmate outfit

There are several new items from Wilde Imagination - and when you use the promo code SMILE20 at check out, your order of $75 or more will ship for free. International customers, try the code SMILE20INT to save $9.95 off your order of $75 or more. The code expires at midnight EST on September 21, 2012.

Ellowyne Wilde has a new outfit available called Checkmate, plus two new packs of tights in the accessories section.

There is a new Heart of Darkness basic Parnilla available to order, a new outfit called Mourning Tears, and a couple of outfits that are on sale.

Photo property of Wilde Imagination.

Top selling dolls from Tonner Doll Company

These are Tonner's top sellers for the week ending September 1.

Tonner Top 12 - Best Sales Tonner Doll Company - 9/1

View more lists from Tonner Doll Company

Shipping update from Integrity Toys

My dealer has notified me that the following dolls have shipped from Integrity:

She's Not There - Poppy Parker

My Generation - Chip Farnsworth III

Additionally, the following W Club dolls should be shipping from Integrity Toys any day now:

High Envy Erin

Truly, Madly, Deeply Agnes gift set

And I've heard from DOLLS Magazine that Champs-Elysees Victoire Roux has been shipping this week.

The dolly photo bomb.

Kisha, a photo by alington on Flickr.

Does this happen to you?

You're trying to take semi-serious doll photos and boom! Someone uninvited shows up in your background.

It seems like every photo session I have an eager "helper."

Kisha is the doll shown above--a Peak's Woods BJD dressed in Val Zeitler and Leekeworld wig. Bear is on the coffee table, and Chanel is walking in front of her.

Travels with Carolyn & Collette - Day Three

Spokane - Nothing to report. I got all dressed up and was ready to go when I was informed that I had to stay at the house! Do I not look fabulous?

I am NOT happy.

Travels with Carolyn & Colette: Day One & Two

Colette - We left San Diego very early in the morning (6:00am! Did no one tell Carolyn and her Mom that models DO NOT get up that early?) To be Honest, as excited as I was to see more of California then just San Diego, I slept for the first couple of hours. Woke up in Los Angeles, The City of Angels! Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive (shopping!) But did we do any of those things? No! We whizzed by on the freeway. So ennui..... Next we traveled through the Grapevine (Why they call it that, I have no idea. There wasn't a grapevine in sight.) We then descended into the San Joaquin Valley which sounds romantic Qui? But no! Miles & miles of freeway, various crops and SMELLY cows! And HOT! I'm starting to think that Carolyn should have brought Erin. At last we started climbing into the mountains and saw both Lake Shasta and Mount Shasta; beautiful and very dramatic. But still hot. We arrived in Weed, Ca (what a stupid name for a town) to our stop for the night. I was expecting a luxury Hotel, but instead got a Quality Inn Motel! Definitely, should have brought Erin.

Early the next morning, but not too early, we left for Oregon, Washington and our destination Spokane. But first we got coffee.

Next we arrived in Oregon.

Oregon is a beautiful state AND there is no sales tax! Not that I got to enjoy this bounty. We did stop for lunch in Bend which is super cute. I would have liked to spend more time, but Carolyn said we had a long way to go to reach Spokane. (This place better be worth it!) The green forests soon gave way to high plains and more crops. We crested a hill and before us spread as far as the eye could see were giant windmills! Hundreds, if not thousands, of them. They are a renewable source of energy for the region. (See! Not all models are dumb.) We drove along the Columbia River for many miles before we crossed over into Washington. I have to admit I fell asleep for the rest of the trip. But woke when we arrived at Carolyn's cousin Tammy's home. Spokane seems to be a pretty place and I'm excited to see more. Oh! And I made a new friend, Robby. Tammy's son. Cute, but alas, too young for me.

That's all for now, more to come..........

Waaa! Our view counter! It's time a for a PRIZE!

Scroll down to the bottom to the page -- and check out our page count!

1,003,234 pageviews!

Woo hoo! (And no, I actually do not track my own pageviews.)

It's time for a prize!

This week, I'll be giving away a free copy of my new book, Steffie: Out of the Box, signed.

All you have to do is a leave a comment on this blog post, if you're interested in receiving one. Make sure you leave a piece of identifying information on there--like your first name, and maybe your location. Something like this:

I'd like to enter! Alison in San Diego.

You have till Sunday, September 9, at midnight PST to leave a comment. Monday, I will put all the names in a pot and announce the winner, and have you contact me with your shipping information, and I'll send you a book.

International readers are, of course, welcomed. (Authors of this blog, you don't qualify for this drawing, but I'd love for you to have a copy of this book. So if I've flaked and not sent you one yet--please email me.) And let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks so much for reading The Fashion Doll Review!