About Shuga-Shug

6/9/2010:   Hi everyone!  Just sharing a little about myself here...

I started collecting dolls in 2007 after happening upon a Doll Magazine where I saw a full page spread of High Tide Vanessa from the Fashion Royalty line by Integrity Toys.  I was in utter shock at that beautiful pinup girl on that glossy ad and couldn't believe that dolls looked that gorgeous! 

I was never really into dolls while growing up (I was a tomboy) but had really gotten into fashion in my late 20's, so these dolls really appealed to my love of fashion. To me they were like tiny models wearing the newest fashions and accessories. Personally I am a fan of the "pinup" look and so after seeing that ad for High Tide I quickly scoured the web for these "Fashion Royalty" dolls.  Well, I was in heaven once I saw what had been produced so far, and I picked up a couple on ebay and the rest they say is history. I don't really collect any other company's 12" fashion doll lines, but now I collect pretty much every line Integrity Toys puts out:  Fashion Royalty, FR Monograms, AvantGuards (16"), Poppy Parker, Dynamite Girls and Misaki. The quality is amazing, the fashions are fabulous and there is nice variety and ethnicity in the lines.  Plus they cover everything from high fashion to period looks!

So needless to say, I went crazy and became obsessed with these dolls so much so that I began a blog about them in Summer 2008.  It's called Shuga-Shug's Blog.  I blog the newest information from Integrity as well as share my dolls as I get them, redress and restyle them. I usually post a few times a week and sometimes every other day if there's lots of news.  I also attend the Fashion Royalty Convention and IFDC each year and blog and twitter from onsite.  So for up to the minute information coming from these conventions, I'm your girl!

At the time I started my blog I had been photographing my dolls for a few months and was really enjoying it.  Since then I have fallen in love with photography and post my pictures regularly. Several months ago I moved up from a point and shoot camera into a DSLR camera and am still learning to use it, but I love how it photographs my girls! Because of my love of fashion I also really enjoy redressing my dolls and restyling them.  I've posted some of my pictures here, and you can see much more on Flickr.

I still have hopes to continue to improve my photography in the future!  I just got my first Macro lens last month and that has opened up a whole new world to photograph! I also have been slowly starting to put together dioramas for my dolls.  I have 1 bookshelf dedicated to diorama rooms, but it's slow going and I hope to continue to work on perfecting their homes in miniature.

So even though fashion dolls are a big part of my life, last year I began getting into the world of BJD's.  I was taken with the Iplehouse JID sized girls in particular and now have 2 in my collection named Brielle and Chloe. I just love the faceups on these girls and their body sculpts (which is much more curvier an thicker than the standard "slim" MSD's).  I also began sewing for these girls and have an Etsy store now too where I sell clothing tailor made for IH JID's.  I also sell calendars and holiday cards using my photography in my store as well. 

Of course once you get one BJD you always want more right? LOL.  I now have my first "tiny" BJD, a PukiPuki Pong named Julep, and I'm sure she won't be the last of my little "wee" ones!  I also currently have a new Chic-Line Lishe on order from Fairyland.  I'm excited about this girl because she will fuse my "Fashion" dolls with my "BJD's" in hopefully a wonderfully, gorgeous way!

As far as my personal interests, I am currently working on my Master's Degree in Acupuncture and Herbology and will graduate in April 2011 and take the board exams for my license in August.  I hope to open a practice or join a group as soon as I get my license. I'm 36, married, but no children yet (hopefully soon!).  Other hobbies include:  dancing the Argentine Tango (with my hubby), reading (voraciously!), photography and cooking. 

Feel free to contact me through any of my sites.  I always enjoy conversation with other collectors and I love comments!  So feel free to follow me through any of my sites:  My Blog,   Etsy,   Flickr,   Twitter