Forever Yours Ashleigh

Forever Yours Ashleigh, a photo by alington on Flickr.

I don't really collect brides, but I do love Ashleigh, who is an exclusive to Two Daydreamers. And this girl (Tonner Doll) is amazing! Even prettier than her promos. She's limited to only 100.

Her sash is light gray, though be very, very careful with her shoes. They are very delicate. See additional photos on Flickr, and they are all dedicated to my friend Tracy.

I'm sorry I haven't been posting as much lately. Life, you know.

I should warn you, however, that several spring releases for both Tonner Doll and Integrity Toys are fast approaching! And don't you all miss IDEX? I sure do!

Two Daydreamers Tonner Doll exclusive: Forever Yours Ashleigh

Just in time for the holidays, Forever Yours Ashleigh would make a perfect gift for your doll-collecting friend or honey. This gorgeous Tonner Doll exclusive is limited to just 100, and is available only through Two Daydreamers. She's available to preorder now, and will ship in early December.

She comes dressed in a lovely draped white taffeta bridal gown, trimmed with an elegant gray bow at the waist. I really love the shape of the mermaid skirt, and the tulle at the bottom. The dress is trimmed with silk flowers, and she includes opera length gloves, stripy sandals, and faux diamond stud earrings.

I usually am not taken with bridal dolls, but wow. Ashleigh totally pulls it off. (She's a Two Daydreamers exclusive sculpt--and we haven't seen a holiday exclusive for a while. My prediction is that she will sell out.)

Also, I just saw the description says: she is "the 1st in the classically romantic Bridal Series." Wow. Eeek!

Peak's Woods Skiya

Peak's Woods Skiya, originally uploaded by alington.

Another for-fun photo: this is Peak's Woods Skiya, 58cm, resin BJD made in Korea. She is a white-skin doll, and I haven't yet blushed her or sanded her seam lines. She was a limited edition of 2 from the Christmas event in 2010, and included a different dress.

I've redressed her for the first time, and it had to be fabulous. I'm delighted to find that she can wear blue very well. Her wig is by Kemper Dolls, eye are glass and from Mint on Card, I believe.

The gown is by DollHeart and is a GoGa Convention exclusive called Vampire Bride.

I went a little crazy with the photos in my Flickr photostream. She's really lovely.

Sky as the Vampire Bride

Sky as the Vampire Bride, originally uploaded by alington.

With Halloween rapidly approaching, I thought I'd give you a formal introduction to Sky as the Vampire Bride. She is a white skin, large bust Peak's Woods ball-jointed doll. She was my first Asian BJD, and I have loved Peak's Woods sculpts and dolls ever since.

She's wearing red glass eyes by DollZone, and a fabulous black Tibetan lamb wig by Michele Hardy, which I have styled in an up-do. (I really love these wigs!) You can get one in almost any color here.

Sky's outfit is a limited edition Vampire Wedding dress, made for the GoGo Doll Convention in San Francisco in 2009. It was crafted by DollHeart, and originally only available with an exclusive tan Wake-Up Goldie.

See Sky's complete photo shoot on my Flickr photostream.

Couture Customs: The History of the Bridal Gown

A wedding is a rite of passage, a shift from childhood to adulthood, and most western wedding traditions can trace their origins back to ancient Rome.

The wedding ring on the third finger of a girl's left hand symbolizes engagement. At the ceremony, the bride wore white robes as a tribute to Hymen, the god of marriage and fertility, and was accompanied by her bridesmaid.

In Latin, the female verb "nubo" or marry - means literally "I veil myself." Hence, a bride was "nova nupta" and the wedding--nuptials. The bridal veil or "flammeum" was rectangular, transparent and worn off her face. Flame-colored, it matched her shoes. In her hair, she wore a wreath of fragrant flowers. Her gown was a white flannel or muslin tunic with a "cingulum" or girdle. Around her waist she carried the "knot of Hercules" to ward off evil spirits, and undoing this complicated knot was the groom's first order of business on the wedding night.