Miniature books - an easy & inexpensive project

These little books are so easy, quick & inexpensive that you’ll probably end up with stacks of them all around your house after this! I like making them as table gifts at doll conventions because you can customize them with each of your tablemates’ favorite book titles!

The size & shape of the wood pieces will determine the type of book (novel, textbook, coffee-table book) and scale (12” doll, 16” doll, etc.).

Materials:

• Pre-cut wooden rectangles or squares (about $3 for a bag of 130)
• Tacky glue or hot glue gun
• White acrylic craft paint (often on sale for less than $1)
• Scraps of leather or vinyl (about $6 for a package that will make several books – or cut up an old purse!)
• Ultra fine-tip Sharpie (about $1-2)

2012 IFDC backdrops...and a few tips on how to create your own!

 At my third International Fashion Doll Convention this year, I decided to create two backdrops for the photography night and to then be raffled off. (If you want to see photos of all the backdrops from this year’s convention, please check out Shuga-Shug’s Flickr photos.) Conventioneers can pose their travel dolls in front of each backdrop for some unique photo opportunities. My favorite backdrops from last year were the ones with seats, so I didn’t have to fiddle with trying to get my Fashion Royalty to stand on her own, so I decided to incorporate seating into both of mine. I’m so proud of how they turned out, that I had to post some photos. If you’re a crafty DIY-er, like me, I’ve also included some tips on how to create your own.

Giving a new look to a BJD-sized wooden dresser

The finished dresser

I started with a $5 wooden doll dresser (about 10" high) from a garage sale. I think it might have been a jewelery box at one time, but it needed a little aesthetic help.

You don't need a fancy workshop for this project - the entire thing was done on the balcony of my apartment with things I already had, or picked up from Home Depot. Safety first, though - remember to protect your mouth and eyes from sawdust and paint fumes. Oh, and don't hammer your thumb, either.

The dresser: before

Step 1: Peel off yucky gold velvet lining from the inside of the drawers. Throw velvet in the trash and hope never to see it again.

Step 2: Remove hardware from drawer fronts. A flat screwdriver worked well for me, but feel free to use a crowbar if they're not cooperating.

Step 3: Sand old paint off. (In retrospect, I would have just spraypainted right over top of it to save time - and arm muscle.) Wipe off sawdust for a clean painting surface.

Step 4: Spray paint surfaces with white glossy spray paint, to give it a smooth coating. Let dry. (I know it's hard, but be patient and let it dry.)

Step 5: Spray paint over with matte black spray paint. Let dry. My paint crackled as it dried to reveal the white paint beneath, which I actually like. If you don't want this look, you'll have to ask somebody else because I don't know how this happened!

Step 6: Spray paint hardware. If you want to spray paint the nails, push them half-way in to a piece of styrofoam or corrugated cardboard to told them upright.

Step 7: Re-attach hardware to drawer fronts.

Some "before" shots:

The inside of the drawers, rid of their YUCKY velvet!

Before shot of the detail on the top.

The dresser without its drawers - oh my!

Back of the old dresser

Some "after" shots:

The beautiful carved edges.

A beautiful pattern that looks like it's stamped into the wood, but could be carved.

A close-up of the entirely unintentional (but delightful) "crackle-effect"

The original dresser had 2 drawer pulls the large drawers, but was missing a couple of them, so I moved the large drawer pulls to the center, so that I only needed one per drawer. One nail was missing, so I found a similarly-sized screw in my glasses repair it!

Showing the replacement screw.

 Now, it's ready for one of my BJDs to store their stuff, use as a photography prop, or a display. And all for less than $10!

How to turn those extra bookshelves into Barbie real estate!

My two-year-old niece, Emma (whom I absolutely adore! all you Aunties out there know what I'm talking about) is starting to express some interest in Barbies. So, when she recently came to visit, I wanted her to have a doll house to play with them in.

If you've ever been to my 600-square-foot condo, you know that there is not much room inside for an additional residence, Barbie-sized or not. So, to save room and cost, I cleared off two bookshelves and transformed them into a brand new housing development!

If you have a niece, granddaughter, neighbor or friend coming over, or just want to create your own display diorama, here are a few tips I've discovered:

These Barbies may not cater a luau, but they will waitress!

My good friend, Stacy, is expecting her first baby very soon, and I had the privilege of throwing her a baby shower - the first one I've ever put together. The shower was co-ed, and - much like Stacy herself - not entirely "traditional." In the spirit of bucking tradition, I decided to enlisted my little Mattel army to host the snack table.

My Liv Dolls

Hi everyone. As for my second post, I will show you a few pictures of my Liv dolls, who I have just recently collected. You may not recognize them because they are wearing each other's wigs.

I know who they are by their skin and eyes, and in which order I got them. I got Alexis, Daniela and Katie from Target, and Sophie from Las Vegas (but she didn't come with any clothes). Although a month after I collected them all, the back to school Liv dolls came out!

Table decorations at IFDC

One of the fun contests at the International Fashion Doll Convention (IFDC) is the table decoration contest at the various meal events. Each table has a table host or co-hosts and those hosts either create displays or coordinate with their other table mates to create displays for their table. The displays usually try to illustrate the theme of that particular meal event. Prizes, which are given to each table mate, are awarded at each meal event for the best table decoration.

At the end of last year's convention, my friend, Tamara, convinced me to sign up as a table host for this year's convention. I ususally don't do very well under pressure and the thought of possibly winning a prize for my table mates was high pressure for me. I was hesitant at first, but Tamara promised to help me so I signed up. Well, let me just say that Tamara is a fount of wonderful ideas and, more importantly, knows how to execute those ideas. As it turned out, I ended up more the helper and Tamara the creator, but that was more than fine for me.

I just realized that I'm not a doll collector!

Here I've been for the last year thinking that I'm a doll collector like my friend, Alison, who got me started in the first place, and like the other wonderful women in my local doll groups. However, spending this last week in Las Vegas at the International Fashion Doll Convention opened my eyes to the truth: I'm not a doll collector!

Before you get too worried, thinking that I'm a fraud and have been lying to you all and don't belong here on Fashion Doll Review, let me explain. As I walked through the IFDC sales room and bought little more than some Ken shoes for fifty cents a pair, I felt out of place. The women (and men) around me were filling bags full of gorgeous outfits and spending weeks worth of income on OOAK dolls that will be carefully transported home and displayed in glass curio cabinets, never to be redressed again. What most fascinated me was staring at amazing doll masterpieces and not only admiring them, but trying to figure out how to make them!

Fairy of Lavender

The last draped outfit in my Fairies of Color collection is Segi, a normal skin, normal bust Peak's Woods BJD. She has a fashion model look, in spite of the birds' nests in her hair.

Her outfit is 100% no sew. I started with a base of plain white flat lace. I wrapped it around and pinned it like a straight short dress. Next, I added iridescent lavender sequins, wrapped around her neck and pinned.

I also found a light lavender beaded trim that I also wrapped around her body. This is what give her outfit a 1920s flapper feel. I added another formal-looking pearl/tulle twisted ribbon to her outfit as well. Segi just wouldn't be happy without her royal purple boa.

Also, she is the only one of my fairies wearing socks and shoes (by DollHeart). Her purple wig is done up with birds found in Michaels, and I left her aqua-colored eyes in for a mild pop of contrasting color.

Check out more photos of Segi as the lavender fairy on my Flickr photostream.

Fairy of Flamingos

Hers was my first draped outfit, and also the most simple. Sky is a white skin, large bust doll (and also my first SD-sized BJD), another Peak's Woods. (Can you tell I'm enchanted by these girls?)

She's wearing a DollZone wig, and I kept her eyes aqua for a nice pop. Blushing is by me as well.

Her necklace is beaded trim, wrapped around and tied. Her feathered dress is one length, pinned once at the top and once at the waist.

Just a note: It took me several wraps to get a style I liked best, and if she gets lots of play, I have to be prepared to move the wrap around again. But I wanted her belly to show with a lower waisted skirt, and also her cleavage to show a bit as well.

Morte photos, including close-ups of her lovely sad face, on Flickr.

Fairy of the Earth

This is Yeru, a normal skin, large-bust Peak's Woods ball-jointed doll. She is the fairy of the earth.

This outfit is 100% no-sew. I started with the brown sequin trim and pins. I wrapped it around for some sort of modesty (with moderate success) and stuck in a few pins. Next, I wove two shades of tiny ribbon around one arm and tied a bow on her wrist.

The chiffon trim came from the trim section at Joann Fabric. I purposely use a variety of browns (or whatever color I am doing) for my monochromatic outfits to give a feeling of depth. The chiffon was a little hard to pin, especially around her leg. I haven't sanded or blushed Yeru's body yet, so I used a little removable tape to hold a few of the leg wraps in place.

Yeru is wearing a Monique Gold wig called Tori. I pulled up a section and tied it off with long ribbon to complete her look.

Check out more photos of her on Flickr.

Fairy of the Sun

Normal skin, normal bust Goldie, by Peak's Woods, is modeling as the Fairy of the Sun in this photo.

The outfit is another of my handmade concoctions--you should try it! No sewing is necessary. Though in Goldie's case, I did sew the stretch sequins top a la 1983 Dream Date Barbie style, so it would quit dropping sequins all over the floor.

Next, I wrapped a length of yellow decorator fringe around her waist and pinned. I found sunflower trim in my sewing basket. I added a chiffon ribbon bow at her neck, and the birds came from the clearance section at Michaels.

Wig is by DollHeart (it's the blonde Lynea wig), and I've pinned it up with help from the bird alligator clip.

More on my Flickr photostream.

Fairy of the Forest

Here is my white-skin, Wake-Up Cue, a Peak's Woods BJD, dressed as the Fairy of the Forest. I've made her outfit, which you can see full-length on Flickr.

Her leaf skirt are silk floral leaves sew onto bias tape and ties at her waist. Her top and belt is just fringed beaded trim I've had in my sewing basket for ever. I've draped it around her waist, chest and neck, and pinned it in place.

For modesty concerns, I've added a few white feathers here and there for coverage--however, you may see some blushing poking through in my other photos, due to the breeze.

More to see on my Flickr photostream.

Fairy of the Sky

Fairy of the Sky
Originally uploaded by alington

One of my recent no-sew OOAK outfits, using pearl/organza trim, feathers, fringe, and some other decorating trim I liked and had in my stash. The little bird came from Michaels. All the trim is just pinned on for a temporary outfit. (More photos on Flickr.)

My model is a Peak's Woods normal skin, normal bust Lady Bee (16") ball-jointed doll. She's wearing a blue Faith wig by Monique Gold.

Using items you have on hand is a great way to "make" an outfit and get creative, without the use of many tools or skills. I like the monochromatic look--I have a fun display of "fairies of color" right now--and they look really nice together.

Kimonos that create themselves! (well, some assembly required)

Feeling bored? Or creative? Feeling like your doll needs a new look? Or just want to play "fashion designer" for the day? Grab some supplies and join me for a kimono sewing bee! (Mine was made on a rainy afternoon in Maine, while on vacation with my husband's family!

Fashion Doll Shoes Blog

I just came across this blog today, Fashion Doll Shoes. It's got tons of great information for doll enthusiasts like me. You can even follow the blog on Twitter. It's all about the art of making doll shoes, both high heels (like for fashion dolls like Tonner) and flat-footed dolls as well, including some ball-jointed dolls as well.

I just browsed through some recent posts, and I was amazed. There are even YouTube instructional videos posted online as well. Anything and everything you could want to know about making doll shoes is right there! Amazing site!

Whisper - Body Blushing

Whisper - Body Blushing, originally uploaded by alington.

I've made my first attempt at body blushing a ball-jointed doll, and I'm hooked. My guinea pig was Whisper, a resin BJD by Goodreau, 17" tall. Here are some safe results, which I've uploaded to Flickr.

The technique is super-easy--I'm (really) no artist. All it takes is some soft chalk pastels, some acrylic spray primer (I used All Purpose DullCote by Testors), Magic Eraser to clean the doll before I got started, and some brushes--an angled one, a tiny one, and a large round soft one for blending.

I have, of course, uploaded all the results to Mobile Me and also to Flickr, if you'd like to see the rest of the photos. But don't look at those if you're offended by photos of nude dolls. I have some before/after photos of what nude Goodreau bodies look like without body blushing as well.

I really like how the shadow adds more life to the doll, especially on her collarbone. I will definitely be doing more of my dolls like this. It's so much fun!

What to do with Fashion Royalty boxes...

From Mark's Action Figures & Fashion Dolls Forum, check out this post from Elizabeth, and see what you can do with your Fashion Royalty doll boxes! It's a simply ingenious idea! 

I did obtain permission from Elizabeth to use her photos on my blog--aren't they just the cutest? You'll have to visit the post yourself for instructions on converting your Fashion Royalty boxes to a diorama!