What's Black and White and Couture All Over?

The Jason Wu 2009 Life Ball limited edition doll, of course! You can sign up for the lottery (to win a chance to purchase the $270 doll, by the way) for the new limited edition of 250 doll. She's gorgeous, in my humble opinion.

She's a brunette with a dramatic runway face-up on the lithe NuFace body (of which I've grown quite fond) with a new face sculpt. She's wearing a mini replica of one of Wu's actual production pieces from his fall collection--a full white ball gown with a black floral print.

If only my doll budget weren't quite so full at the moment! (W club members get first dibs on the doll, but the lottery is open to non-members as well.) Also, 100% of the net proceeds of the doll will go to HIV/AIDS treatment.

Photos courtesy Integrity Toys.

Rebodied Barbie Alice with Fashion Royalty Articulation

Rebodied Barbie Alice, originally uploaded by alington.

I love the look of Fashion Royalty bending wrists and super posable bodies, and I happened to have two extras from the Eden & Lilith gift set. And I saw this look on a Hershey Collector Barbie and was inthralled, so I figured I'd give rebodying a try.

I started with Barbie Collector Alice. I didn't use a hair dryer first, for fear of frizzing Alice's nylon hair. I just rolled her head in my hands for a while first, to soften her head slightly and remove it off the original body. Then, I popped her head onto a white (probably a shade too pale) Fashion Royalty body. 

Now she can pose like a fashion model! She looks a little slimmer, probably because she is a half and inch taller than she was. And this doll already had a slight bubble head. But my daughter (who owns Alice) loves her new look. Check out more photos (and before photos) of this doll in my Flickr gallery.

New Ebay listings...

All right, all right...

So after checking out Susan's links, I realized I needed to speed up some of my sales as well. I've just posted a few of my former grails on Ebay. I've had some success with The Doll Show & Sell Marketplace, but there's no incentive for buyers to follow through with their transactions.

If you're interested, check out my new auction listings here. I have a bunch of pre-orders that are being released in May and June (along with our first mortgage payment), and my timing couldn't be better!

Fashion Royalty dolls on sale--secondary market

I've purchased from Susan in NC before, and she's awesome--great prices, great communication, and she ships right away. And her dolls are exactly as she describes. She just posted a bunch more for-sale items, all NRFB Fashion Royalty dolls and fashions (and some Monsieur Z dolls) that are limited and hard-to-find at reasonable prices (which include shipping). Check out her link on Pink Parlor/Vinyl Lounge.

I'm so tempted by the Monsieur Z dolls (I want them all!) it's not even funny! (They are just so quirky and cute.) Check out her post--and happy shopping.

(Oh yes--all her items really are smoke- and odor-free, also. And she checks them for wonky eyes, also. And she'll provide references and pictures upon request.)

New Summer Barbie Releases

A couple of fun new Barbies are coming out in June, and I may need her cute furniture and outfit! The Barbie is called Jonathan Adler Barbie, and retails for just $49.95, and includes the clever little set you see there. There will also be a furniture collection released later this year--with an amazing upholstered pink couch, which my FR ladies are pestering me about--but I haven't seen a photo I can use here, nor a price.

Also in June, the next in the Blonde Ambition series is due to be released, and it's going to be Heidi Klum, from Project Runway! I'll need to be getting this lady (for my little ones) and possibly re-bodying her, just like Alice (see her showing it off with the rest of my Alice collection here). No picture of the new Heidi doll yet, but I'm hoping she's fabulous. She's only $44.95 retail.

Barbie photo courtesy Mattel.

Destini Asleep

Destini Asleep, originally uploaded by alington.

Another photo shoot of Destini, my Berdine Creedy doll, who is just simply craving a friend. She's found one here, in Innuendo, my vinyl Goodreau doll (16"), dressed in Gothic Lolita wearing a Snow Kai wig.

Destini is sporting her red wig and sleeping faceplate in these photos, which my two daughters (ages eight and five) simply adore. They were thrilled to get up this morning and see Destini had gone to bed last night, too. She's so sweet.

Check out the rest of her photo shoot on my Flickr account.

Red Rabbit Misaki

Red Rabbit Misaki, originally uploaded by tac_stamper.

She's arrived!

It's my newest Fashion Royalty doll, from Japan. She arrived from Doll-Collectible. I ordered her on April 14, and she arrived 10 days later, April 24. That's pretty fast, I think, for an international order. I took advantage of a sale they were having (plus, if you sign up for their mailing list specials, you will get a coupon for savings to use at a later date). I have to say, I was impressed with their order updates--they told me when my order was being counted, packaged, then shipped. They seem very organized. I paid with Paypal.

So on to my doll. It's a Fashion Royalty Nippon Misaki doll called Red Rabbit. These dolls are not sold in the US. They are shorter than FR dolls, because they stand on hinged flat feet (not high heeled feet). Also, I think this is the body sculpt that Poppy Parker will be using--a slightly smaller bust and narrow hips.

Her outfit fits my Alice in Wonderland theme (she's the "white" rabbit with her pocket watch), in a gothic theme. Her outfit is wonderfully detailed, with an attached watch, chiffon sleeved blouse with pleats and buttons, and a pleated red skirt. I love her thigh-high stockings, too. Her corset-style belt buckles in three places, and the buckles work. I used tweezers to get her shoes on and real laces tied. The doll is very high quality--and she's wonderful. Check out the rest of her photo shoot on my Flickr album!

Last minute doll budget management.

Or, "How Not to Manage Your Doll Budget."

I'm the expert on how to go over budget on your doll spending. Seriously, I could write a book.

When you're depressed, buy a doll. When you're in a good mood, buy a doll! When you've lost a pound, buy a doll. When you gain a pound--buy a doll!

At any rate, to make amends to my family's imminent crisis, I have posted a huge number of items--some of them shocking--and with gorgeous photos, I might add--to the Doll Page Show & Sell marketplace. Please check them out. And at this point, I am willing to negotiate. (We haven't discussed next month's budget issues yet, either. Ugh!)

At what point will staying at home with your four children be a paid or valued position in society? At least enough so I can afford the dolls I'd like in my collection? Who knows! I sure don't. In the meantime, here's the link to my gallery. Some of the photos may not be available yet, but they will be shortly. Thanks!

Secret in Come Home Alice

Secret in Come Home Alice, originally uploaded by tac_stamper.

My resin Secret, 17", by Goodreau has arrived! She's wonderful. She's currently dressed in Come Home Alice, another Goodreau purchase, and I believe the wig is That Girl and in black mary jane shoes. I bought her from Sweetheart's Dolls, on sale.

She can stand on her own while wearing these shoes, which I think is pretty nifty. (Yes, I just used the word "nifty" on my blog.) And she's posing in front of my accent wall, painted Sky Blue 6, which nicely accents her blue eyes. She makes a great addition to my Alice in Wonderland collection.

You can see the rest of her photo shoot on my Flickr photostream.

Happily Ever After club membership!

Join the club at Happily Ever After, and get some great membership benefits--first get 10% off your order (in-stock items only, and not valid on exclusive dolls), plus free shipping! And you get 25% orders (in-stock) placed during your birthday month, too--a great newsletter and more specials, too. And club membership is free. And they are really friendly. Check them out!

Barbie sale at Angelic Dreamz

The great Barbie sale has been extended through April 26, 2009 at Angelic Dreamz. They have some great prices on collector Barbies--go check them out! Also, some other Barbies are marked 20% off (when you add them to your shopping cart).

Coupon at Wilde Imagination

Happy birthday to Evangeline Ghastly! Use the code word "BIRTHDAY" and save $24 off any order of $100 or more at Wilde Imagination through May 3, 2009. (Good for either Evangeline or Ellowyne Wilde purchases--and you know Ellowyne clothes fit Goodreau dolls pretty well, right?)

Destini

Destini, originally uploaded by tac_stamper.

My very first Berdine Creedy doll has arrived from Sweetheart's Dolls (Thanks, Carolyn!)., Destini. I'm smitten!

This little resin girl stands own her own easily at 12.75" tall. She includes three interchangeable face plates--she's smiling here. She also has a serious face plate--for which I have a top secret plan--and a sleeping face plate. The plates are delicately painted and have real eyelashes.

She also includes two sets of eyes (since you don't need eyes for the sleeping plate!), and I got turquoise and hazel. I put in this hazel pair side-glancing, which was harder than it looks, but it came out cute.

In addition, she comes with two wigs--this one, and also a slightly shorter red wig. I had a really hard time getting the wig on--she needs a wig cap (I do a cool glue gun wig cap technique, or a thin coat of Aileen's Tack It Over and Over), and I think that would fix the problem.

Destini's outfit consists of: panties, two pairs of stockings (red or white), shoes (they zip, for easy wear), red t-shirt, plaid pleated skirt and zip hoodie. See the rest of her photo shoot (in my blue family room) on my Flickr album. She's a cute little thing! (Certainly will not be my last Creedy...)

Support this blog--with a t-shirt.

Like my photos? Put them on a t-shirt! I opened my very own store at CafePress--you can, too (for free, by the way), and support your own blog.

But in the meantime, stop by and order a shirt. I get $2-3 for every shirt that sells there. So if you see one your like (or wish I'd sell a different photo on a shirt, let me know, and I'll upload the photo, just for you). I need to support this blog somehow, so I figure I'd give it a try.

Fantastic store online for Goodreau...

A clean look, fun products at affordable prices, too--check it out when you get a chance. I was really delighted and surprised to find the following items (which don't compete with my beloved doll dealers!) on this site:

• Exclusive charity dolls--there are two resin dolls that are just plain adorable. 100% of the profits go to charity. The dolls are 8" tall, fully ball-jointed, and only available online. (I'm so tempted by Adeline Joy! I'm sure she will be my first 8" resin doll...)
• Several outfits that were previously only available on a dressed doll, such as China Blossom, are now available as an outfit only, at an reasonable price.
• Terrific prices on previous season's outfits--check out Mermaid Elegance, listed for just $36, and Santa Baby for just $24! So tempting!
• BJD bodies and heads are available separately, so you can build your own doll. The new bodies are resin, and are listed for $155-$230 for 16"-17" tall dolls. Very reasonable! Heads are listed separately, and are sold with face-ups and eyes set. You choose the sculpt you want, listed at $70 each. Incredible prices for resin BJDs!
• Fun new wigs are also available, listed for $15-20 each.
• The new 8" complete dolls and new outfits are listed online, also. The bodies are unisex, for extra customizability.
• Extra 8" resin heads are also available on the site--listed for $40 each, for extra play for your dolls.

I'm really impressed with the new store. I think it was worth the wait! I can't wait to place my first order--scare, scare for my dolly budget (I can here my credit card cringing now)!

Big spender this month...

So... guess where I'm going?

October 1-3, 2009

I'll be flying in to Chicago O'Hare.

The Jason Wu IV Convention! Yay!! My first convention should be a fun one, I hope. I hope I don't put us into bankruptcy before then....

Specials at the Doll Market

Don't forget to visit the Doll Market this week for some great specials on Tonner Dolls. Lots of them are on sale for a song.

Plus, many Madame Alexander dolls are on sale for $39.97, and some Marie Osmond dolls are listed for just $19.97-$49.97 (marked down from up to $149.95 retail).

Lilith

Lilith, originally uploaded by tac_stamper.

The other half of the giftset is Lilith, who is probably my favorite of the two dolls. She's sporting a gothic faceup with super dark lips and really dramatic smokey eyes, and pale skin.

Her motorcycle jacket is hiding a sexy purple lace bra, and she's also wearing over-the-knee laced boots over her riding pants. Her accessories include black lace fingerless gloves and gunmetal hoop earrings, in addition to a high waisted patent belt. Check out the set on Integrity's website if you like it well enough to buy it.

And you can see the rest of her photo shoot on my Flickr account. I have a fun time shooting Lilith and her twin Eden. I noticed Eden in the 2009 collection, but I haven't seen Lilith yet. I hope she also makes an appearance!

Eden

Eden, originally uploaded by tac_stamper.

From The Heist giftset, "Elements of Surprise," I've finally been able to take pictures of Eden and Lilith, from the 2008 Jason Wu convention.

Both dolls are NuFace models with a slimmer bust size than regular Fashion Royalty dolls, and the same excellent posing capabilities. I love Eden's soft blonde hair and her dramatic red lips.

Her lime green cocktail dress is belted with a laced corset and has tons of unfinished chiffon ruffles. See the rest of her fun photo shoot on my Flickr album.

This giftset is still available from Integrity Toys for $225 plus shipping. (Be careful when you put on Eden's hoop earrings, though--pre-pierce her ears with a pin first, so you don't break the hoops!)

Something Cool Isha

I also recently added Something Cool Isha to my collection. She's posing here in Dressed to Thrill, a limited edition convention fashion, I believe. If someone would kindly tell me how to get these dolls' lovely separated fingers through the narrow sleeves on the jacket, I would be most grateful!

Isha is actually one of my favorite sculpts--from her skin tones to her facial structure, I think she is just gorgeous. Something cool has the perfect up-do. And her coloring goes perfectly with the Dressed to Thrill outfit. The sunglasses included with this outfit (and her original outfit) are of an extremely high quality, also. I'm really impressed.

Check out the rest of her photo shoot online. Do you own Isha? In your opinion, which is the next Isha I need to own? I'd love to hear your feedback. Leave me a comment!

Foreign Affair Vanessa Perrin

Foreign Affair Vanessa Perrin, originally uploaded by tac_stamper.

My second Vanessa was a giftset called Foreign Affair. Totally cute, this was all packaged in a rounded travel case, and included Vanessa, two outfits, and pajamas, lots of accessories and jewelry, and also two suitcases (that actually zip and buckle) and several purses. I have to say Integrity knows how to do a giftset!

I bought this set from the secondary market, and the woman who sold it to me knew I was new to Fashion Royalty. She also included a calendar, which has a ton of terrific photos (and now, a bunch more dolls I'd like to add to my collection!) at no extra cost, which I thought was incredibly sweet. 

See the rest of Vanessa's photo shoot on my Flickr account.

Fierce Subject Kyori

Fierce Subject Kyori, originally uploaded by tac_stamper.

My first short-haired Fashion Royalty doll (and hopefully not my last), and also my very first Kyori sculpt, Fierce Subject has arrived. She's on the original body style, which I'm surprised to see is slightly shorter than the newer FR bodies. I'm tempted to upgrade her already, except for her lovely fingers, just to get rid of that extra upper arm joint.

Kyori has lovely hair and striking eyes, though I still need to rinse the gel out of her hair. It did lie very nice and flat without static for this photo shoot, I must say. You can see the rest on my Flickr account.

Innuendo as Gothic Lolita

Innuendo as Gothic Lolita, originally uploaded by tac_stamper.

This is China Blossom, the vinyl Innuendo sculpt 16" ball-jointed doll by Goodreau Doll, dressed up in the Gothic Lolita outfit, also by Goodreau.

My favorite thing about BJDs is how customizable they are, and how a wig can change their look instantly. Innuendo is wearing the Kai wig in Snow (also by Goodreau). (I really like her eerie look, with her pale white skin and white hair!) You can see her full photo shoot here, and you can see her in her original outfit in my Flickr album also.

This outfit also includes the little doll, and also adorable pink and white maryjane shoes, which allow this doll to stand up on her own, in some poses.

Alyce ReImagination

Alyce, originally uploaded by tac_stamper.

This is a Tonner doll I ordered from Two Daydreamers several months ago. I haven't gotten around to posting her picture online for some reason, but she's one of my favorite Alice in Wonderland dolls.

She's an older version of Alice, a Stella sculpt, on a slim-bodied high-heeled bendy-wrist Tonner doll. I believe she's from the 2007 Tonner ReImagination line (if I don't actually go back and look). 

Her outfit is very cute--it's a hoop skirted blue cotton dress with pleated detailing and a white ruffle at the hem and white apron and collar. She includes white arm bands (which are easier to put on if you pop off her hands first), opaque black tights, black maryjane pumps and a black headband. She has gorgeous blonde hair pulled back in a headband.

Check out my Flickr gallery for her full photoshoot. She's a great doll. The entire ReImagination line remains one of my favorites by Tonner Doll. I love its gothic feel.

New bling for Vanessa

More Vanessa, originally uploaded by tac_stamper.

Vanessa, my True Royalty doll, is sporting some fantastic new jewelry today, thanks to LVNV Dolls.

I bought an adorable set, which you can see below, at the bargain price of just $20. It included the necklace (which can be worn in several ways), a bracelet and earrings, all made by hand here in the states (which I also appreciate). The store has fantastic and personal customer service, also, and a great selection, and shipping is free and fast! I also order a pair of stockings, which are well made and lovely. I highly recommend you shop there for you stockings and jewelry needs!

Check out the rest of Vanessa's photoshoot (and her new up-do--my very first attempt) at my Flickr gallery. Plus you can see if you like my new living room color. It makes a striking background.

Jason Wu Event IV: Iconic Convention

Save the date:

October 1-3, 2009

The Integrity 2009 Convention, Jason Wu Event IV Iconic: Celebration a Decade of Style is now open to non-Wu Club members for registration. Download the PDF brochure for more information and to register. Here are the highlights:

• This convention celebrates Jason Wu's tenth anniversary with Integrity Toys. In celebration of this anniversary, the brochure states, "we have decided to shake things up and slightly depart from our usual convention formula. We are offering you... many new features... that will allows us to revisit some of your most treasured Jason Wu-designed dolls in an elegant new setting that is sure to delight everyone!"
• New location has been announced: the Renaissance Hotel & Convention Center in Schaumburg, IL (outside of Chicago). Thirteen miles from O'hare aiport, with an inexpensive shuttle service, and $125 per night (for a room that sleeps up to four guests).
• Convention includes three sit-down dinners and a sit-down lunch.
• Design competitions are included in the convention package at no additional charge.
• Design your own Dynamite Girl (this really sounds fun!) and take her home that day.
• Official convention bulletin board has been set up.
• Convention dolls will be composed of "reimagined" fashion royalty favorites from the past--can't wait to see them!--plus a few more surprises--with edition sizes reduced significantly.
• No absentee packages are available.
• Limited to 350 attendees.
• $350 for the package, if you're staying at the hotel or $400 if you're staying elsewhere.

Wow, do I ever want to go! I wonder how much airfare from San Diego might set me back....

New Sybarite exclusive by Haute Doll magazine

A new exclusive (limited edition of 100 pieces) Sybarite doll is being offered--and has already sold out, but you can still get your name on a waiting list--at Haute Doll. It was $100 to pre-order the doll (and the retail price has not yet been determined), Fugu-San Sybarite by Superfrock. She is gorgeous, I have to admit.

She's dressed in an elegant and simple (though intricate) coarse weave gown of natural material with satin piping and lining, with faux leather platform sandals. Fugo sports a short black choppy hair style (adorable!) and dramatic face-up with red lips, and she also includes a faux fur coat and a set of chopsticks.

Photos courtesy Haute Doll Magazine.

Skyia--another dream doll

One of my dream BJD dolls is Skyia, manufactured by Peak's Woods.

She's made in Korea, and retails for $464 for the nude doll. She's 58 cm tall (or almost 23 inches), and she wears 16 or 18 mm eyes. She's highly articulated, also, and has flat feet. She was recently featured in Haute Doll's Halloween 2008 issue, which is where I was first introduced to her. I just think she is gorgeous.

Photos courtesy Peak's Woods and Denver Doll Emporium.

BJDs for beginners--what's the hype?

For beginners, I recommend you check out the Wikipedia article on BJDs (ball-jointed dolls). But here are some of the basics.

• First, a ball-jointed doll refers to a doll with ball-socket joints for articulation. This allows for realistic posing, for the most part. 
• ABJD stands for Asian ball-jointed doll, as most of these dolls are currently manufactured in South Korea, China and Japan.
• Most BJDs are cast in resin, a hard plastic, and strung together with string, which can usually be adjusted. Goodreau has started to manufacture some of these dolls in vinyl, a much less expensive process than resin, and makes a more durable doll, and the trend is catching on. You can also find BJDs cast in porcelain.
• Some BJDs are anime inspired, and some are very realistic-looking. The dolls range from 16" to 60" tall, though some can be a mere 4" tall. You can find fashion dolls, babies, young children, adults, women and men, animals, and all sorts of figures for your collection.
• BJDs are known and popular for their customizability. They usually have removable wigs, and heads that can open and acrylic, silicone or glass eyes that can be removed and swapped. Some dolls have additional arm and leg parts that be added to make the doll taller or shorter, flat feet or high heeled fashion feet, additional posing hands, and additional face-plates that can make the dolls look happy, serious, or sleeping.
• Because of their casting process and their (usually) high demand and low edition sizes, these dolls are usually more expensive than your average doll. Prices range from $100 to over $1000, with an average of about $350, depending on the manufacturer. Outfits vary. 
• Some dolls include a face-up (or painted face), and others come blank, with the owner expected to find his or her own makeup artist. Many collectors choose to customize their dolls further by obtaining blank dolls with custom face-ups for a truly one-of-a-kind (OOAK) look.
• You can order your BJD from a doll dealer or from the doll manufacturer directly. Most dolls are made-to-order, so the wait time can be lengthy--sometimes 6-8 weeks or even longer. When you're spending so much money on a doll, it might make more sense to go through a dealer who offers a smaller 30% deposit to order a doll, and the collects the balance upon the doll's shipment--and this is something to keep in mind when placing your first BJD order. Also, your doll dealer has placed many orders with the doll company before, so already has some pull with the company, and may get better (and faster) service than a single individual.
• The outfits available for your BJD are abundant. There are companies who exclusive create intricate outfits for dolls that sell out before their release dates (such as Doll Heart), but you can see the amazing detail that goes into these outfits. And there are individuals (such as Michele Hardy) who create outfits by hand in small edition numbers for these dolls that are truly unique and one-of-a-kind. Any design or outfit you can imagine can be created for your doll--and all you have to do is decide how much you're willing to spend.
• There are even conventions dedicated just to BJDs, including the GoGa Doll convention in San Francisco this year. (I'd love to attend one, actually--maybe I could swing it this year!)

Many different brands of BJDs are available, and I will go into some of these in a later article. But I wanted to get started on the basics of BJDs here. Do you collect BJDs?  Do you have a favorite doll? Where did you get him or her? I'd love to hear about your doll here!

New dolls are on the way...

Finally--we're settled in to our new house enough and I've finished a layaway payment on several items at Sweetheart's Dolls.

Within the next week, I'll be adding a Goodreau 17" resin doll, Secret, to my collection, along with the Come Home Alice outfit (along with a wig and shoes), as well as my very first Berdine Creedy doll, Destini, a "tweenie" resin BJD, who is almost 13", and includes three interchangeable faceplates, so she can sleep, smile or be serious. (She also includes two sets of eyes and two wigs.)

Now that I'm looking at her, I also see I'll be needing to add another outfit to my collection, the Dressed Up Alice outfit--which would be perfect for my Alice in Wonderland theme. I can't wait!

Photos courtesy Goodreau Doll and Berdine Creedy.

Pullip wish list...

My growing Pullip wish list is getting a little scary. The more I see of these dolls, the more I like them! Anyone have a good recommendation for a good source for Pullip dolls? I've seen Valley of the Dolls and Pullip Style, but I've never ordered from either site. Here are the top dolls I'd like to add to my collection (if my budget were unlimited, of course!):

• Another Alice, which is a limited edition doll of 500, who is available at Valley of the Dolls for $148. I like her unique golden take on the traditional Alice.
• Isolde, who is the gorgeous curly-haired blonde with the fluffy gown. She's an ultra-limited edition of 300 pieces. Currently, she is for sale at Valley of the Dolls for a mere $800.
• Aquel is another Pullip from 2007 who is still in stock at Pullip Style for $84.95. She's not supposed to be Alice, but I thought she could pass for one. And with her pink hair, she might make a punky version of one, too!
• Fantastic Alice is sold out just about everywhere. I'm sure I could find her on Ebay, if I wanted to pay a lot of money. But still. She's the full-sized Pullip doll in the traditional Alice costume.
• Blue Alice is a little Pullip, and just adorable. She's only about 4-3/4" tall. She's in stock at Pullip Style for just $32. She might be an ideal first Pullip for me. I'm tempted!

For those of you new to Pullip, she's about 12" tall and fully articulated. She has an oversized head, and her eyes can open, close and look left and right. Each doll includes a stand, trading card, an outfit and accessories, and new dolls are released each month.

Photos courtesy JUN Planning.

New Ebay listings...

Check out my current list of for-sale items on Ebay, also. (OK, so I'm getting desperate.)

No reserves, and I do have a return policy, also. International orders are OK. Happy bidding!

Another Alice on my wish list...

Another (out of my budget range) Alice has been added to my wish list. She's a lovely BJD LittleFee Lishe doll, with the full package outfit, face-up included. She's a mere $360 (not too bad, considering), being offered by Fairyland.

Check out these wonderful photos. She also includes a sleeping face (face-up is optional, I believe), and optional additional hands. You can choose natural or beautiful white for her skin tone.

The outfits are handmade--and there is a limited number of them. Once they run out, the dolls will be out of production. Isn't she just adorable and cute? Oh--wow!

Photos courtesy Fairyland.

Ope! One of my wishlist items is on sale!

Check out these Misaki dolls, currently on sale from Doll-Collectible in Japan. You need to sign up for an account to see the prices, which are currently listed for 20% off. Also, you get a coupon for savings to use at a later date when you sign up for an account. (You don't have to enter in any credit card information--just your name, address and email.)

This site also carries a lot of Jun Planning dolls, including hard to find Pullip dolls at great (sale) prices, plus J-dolls, which are just adorable as well.

Red Rabbit is listed for about $162 USD (at today's exchange rate), with shipping charges from Japan, which is actually quite reasonable... Hmmm. I'm very tempted! She's just such a must-have for my Alice in Wonderland collection....

Photo courtesy Integrity Toys.

DollPage listings

I finally am taking my own advice, and I've created DollPage Show & Sell listings for all my for-sale items. You can check out my gallery here.

It was really easy to do, actually. You register for a free account, and then start uploading your resized pictures (make sure they are web-ready--not larger than 800 pixels wide), and add descriptions and tags.

Be careful that you add your items to the appropriate categories--when I uploaded my first batch of items, I didn't notice there were separate categories for clothing and dolls. (The pages are actually very specifically sorted--by company/doll manufacturer, doll size, and item type.) Your first uploads and photos have to be approved--mine were within a few hours (since I posted mine in the middle of the night). And voila! There they are!

Dolls Magazine subscription special

Do your part for the environment and subscribe to the digital edition of Dolls Magazine for just $10 for the year. That's a 70% savings! Use the code E96247 when you subscribe.

You can preview the current digital issue here--it's a great service! I just love it. Plus, the "Share" function makes it easy to add widgets to your website and forum posts. It's awesome!

Look Inside >> July 2009

Finally--I'm getting settled.

We bought a new house this month--April 3 was our closing date--and it's our very first house. Finally, I had a chance to set up my dolls today. I found a great glass display case at IKEA for under $60, and my husband put it together for me this afternoon.These are a few iPhone photos of my current display. I'm also including a few of the top of our bookcase--which aren't currently holding any books yet, since a girl has to have her priorities, of course. I can't wait to unpack my sewing machine next.

The arrangement: 

• On the bookshelf, I've got five Tonner dolls, displaying A Brief History of Fashion. Paris Fashion Doll Festival Mademoiselle a la Mode Tyler, La Belle Mademoiselle Sydney, Tyler Bordeaux, Deco Dance Sydney and Milieu de l'Hiver Tyler.
• On the top shelf of the glass display case, NuFace models Colette (Odd Girl Out), Lilith & Eden (Convention 2008 giftset), and Fashion Royalty Adele (Paparazzi Bait)
• Isha (Something Cool), Vanessa (Foreign Affair), Luchia (Bewitching Hour), Lana Turner (Club Exclusive)
• True Royalty Vanessa and Queen V Veronique
• Goodreau dolls are on the bottom shelf, China Blossom vinyl Innuendo (dressed in Gothic Lolita and the Snow Kai wig), and Gothic Alice, resin BJD.
• Outside the display case, American Model La Belle Grande.