Gifts.... :)

Thank you so much to Danielle Ramirez, Danielle Kempke, and Chynadoll for the amazing gifts they sent my way! I don't have pictures of the lovely goodies Chynadoll sent, but the paints are really inspiring me to try new things!



(Left: the book Danielle R. sent Right:the custom dolly Danielle K sent)

A million Thank Yous to all of the sweet blogs and comments for the gifts I sent others. I wish money and time would have allowed for me to send all of you something!! I will try to be better prepared next year. Everyone who follows this blog  has such a special place in my heart. Each of you helped my personal growth this year, and I appreciate it so much! I have been inspired by the way you are all so different with such astounding hearts and ideas. All of you amaze me each time I log in. May you be blessed this holiday season and into the New Year.  I am so looking forward to blogging with such stellar individuals in 2012. :)

And due to a repeat customer of mine, I got my dream stardoll. I named her Evangeline. I removed the shoulder piece because it made the dress look like it was wearing her and not the other way around.

STAY SAFE AND ENJOY THE LOVE OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!

-Cat of A Doll Affinity

Yes, I am still here... :)

As many of you may know, I have been busy. There hasn't been a ton of time for me to have doll days, so I will do my best to catch everyone up on what I've been into since my last blog post. 

I completed my very first " spiral perm" on a doll I re-rooted. She was a commission for a friend of mine on Flickr. Yes, she is another Steffie. ;)  

 Her hair is actually "Bitter Chocolate Brown" mixed 

with a lower percentage of a lighter brown, not black.

I achieved the spiral curls by wrapping  pieces of hair around long pieces of foil. Then I poured boiling water over the hair and stuck her head in the freezer ( a super nifty tip from "Still Plays With Dolls" on Flickr).  The freezer really helped the curls hold in the heavy Saran hair. 

I re-rooted another Steffie via a commission, but she is top secret until after Christmas. 

I have also been dipping my toes into re-painting by doing partial/over paints. The following two were commissions. The blue fella is meant to look frozen and the other guy will be getting a re-root by his owner.

 (Formerly an Edward Cullen Doll)

I also flocked him in blue.

(Formerly a Barbie Basics Ken)

There is still so much I want to learn/try with re-painting. 

You'll see much more from me in the future!

For those of you who have not seen her on Flickr, I present Claudia, Persephone's older sister. 

I re-rooted her in two different browns, and I love how she turned out. 

You can find out more about her in the Doll Drama Character Profiles section of my blog.

I am fully aware that it has been a VERY long time since I posted an episode. I have episode 14 written and partially photographed. I had planned on doing a Christmas special, but I just did not have time. Maybe I will get around to a little photo story that I'll post on my blog. Even though you haven't seen an episode in awhile, there is A LOT going on. 

Here are just a few new characters that you'll see in the upcoming year...

 This is Adrian, Nahla and Chandra's oldest sibling. Yes, I got another Fashion Royalty doll. He is formerly "Victor James", and the day I got him I removed his hair and flocked him. If you look up a picture of him you'll see why. I have his Character Profile written up, but I haven't been able to get his "proper" picture taken. So, consider this a sneak peek. ;)

 And I FINALLY found a reasonably priced Nikki (friend of Skipper) doll! She is so pretty and will be Nahla, Chandra, and Adrian's youngest sibling. No, I don't have a name for her yet. Any ideas? :)

 Meet Julius and Maria. 

The wealthy and wicked parents of Persephone and Claudia. 

I customized my John Smith doll, and realized he made a great father. 

 And speaking of fathers, meet the guy above. He is the man who fathered Haven and Kiko. I will be ordering his body sometime this week, but he finally arrived from China. I had mentioned in a previous post that I lost out on him, but I did find him again, obviously. Ha! ;)

There are other new characters planned and actually in my possession, but this post is already going to be entirely novel-esk in length, so I will save some things for later. 

Next in the land of my dolly-verse are the newest dolls (currently non-doll drama characters)

that I purchased.

Introducing...

 (Above) Anya

  A re-bodied Integrity Jade doll. I purchased her NIB from D7ana. 

I have wanted this doll forever, and I adore her. :)

 (Above) Josephine

It took me awhile to find one whose face I adored, and I got lucky at Big Lots! 

(Above) Hannah

I saw her and connected with her instantly. Another Big Lots find. 

 

(Above) Samantha aka "Sammy"

She is such a fun little firecracker.

I don't usually buy dolls with teeth, but she has serious personality!

 

(Above) Lissette 

 One of the dolls on my dream list. She needed work when I got her, so I gave her a bath with a condition and boil. She had to have several plugs replaced around the outer line of her hair, and her lips were given a full re-paint. Oh, and of course she was placed on a fully articulated body.

 By now we all know who this doll is. ;) I got mine weeks ago, and finally got around to photographing her. She is perfection in front of a camera. I haven't yet found a name that sticks. If any of you have some ideas leave them in the comments or e-mail me. :)

Again, GORGEOUS!

I know many of you have heard of MyFroggyStuff on YouTube, if not, go check it out. Using her crafty lamp idea with some tweaks of my own, let's just say, Sienna is rockin' a new lamp. 

I haven't made anymore yet, but I have plenty of stuff to make quite a few. 

Who doesn't love a great lamp?

Last, but not least (oh the cliches) I decorated the mall for Christmas. I'm sure everyone is sick of seeing the mall, but here it is anyway! ;) Ha!

 Please excuse my Christmas lights in the background, they are what I use to light my dioramas. They look great in person, but not so much when they are photographed.

I also have "The Perfect Fit" decorated, but can't seem to find the picture I took. 

You'll just have to take my word for it. ;)

That covers a large chunk of where I've been and what I've been doing. I have several projects in mind, and a couple commissions lined up for the new year. I am taking time to catch up on some projects for my own collection and get a good breather before 2012.

May everyone have a blessed holiday!!

Thank you all so much for following me and commenting! 

You're THE BEST!

*Dolly hugs*

-Cat of A Doll Affinity

The Dream Doll Room Interview with Julie! :)

I finally have a little time to post Julie's answers to the interview questions that a couple of you asked, or sent my way. These are her answers and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did! :)

But before I begin, I want to make mention that Julie was actually in an Issue of Barbie Bazaar in 2002. I had intended to mention it in my first post about her doll room, but was so overwhelmed with pictures I got sidetracked. Julie was kind enough to send me that issue, and it is really wonderful!

***Note: Some of the questions have been reworded to an interview format. But her answers are still in their originalcontext.***

Thanks again for all the great questions!! :)

1. Do you make the miniature quilts that appear in many of the dioramas?  

      Answer: No, I did not make the quilts – I hope to someday soon though….Most of the quilts are from the Boyd’s Bears line of collectibles sold at gift/card shops.  (can be found on ebay now)  Back in the late 90’s I think, a dressed bear would come with a little quilt, or occasionally they would sell the quilts separately.  Two of my other “quilts” are pot holders, and three of the quilts were hand made by my aunt Sarah.

2. Do you crochet the throw rugs?

     Answer: No, I do believe it is out of my realm of possibility to crochet, but I come from a long line of quilters and crochet-ers, so I appreciate the beauty and detail of it.  The doilies or “rugs” have been mostly found at flea markets, and a couple of the “throws” were pot holders or hot pads.  Also, there are several old hankies with pretty needlework that were found at flea markets. 

3. Where did you get the miniature Native American rugs and pottery?

     Answer:  The two larger Native American “rugs” were found at an AmVets (AmericanVeterans) thrift store in with the place mats – I don’t know if they are meant to be placemats or like small table mats – but they really are beautiful and detailed.  They also had long fringe on the ends that I cut off.  The smaller “rug” in the master bedroom, I found at a miniatures show and I was told that it came from an old cigar box – apparently years ago they would be included in with the cigars.  It’s not woven though, it’s like a thin felt.  The other few “rugs” were found on a trip out west at various souvenir shops, and the smallest ones I think were meant to be coasters.

4. Where did you find the 1:6 scale upright piano?  Mattel and Gloria have made lots of grand pianos over the years but I have never seen a 1:6 scale upright or spinet.

     Answer:  The upright piano is one of my favorite items!  I found it years ago at our local flea market.  It is actually a working telephone!  It says “Grand Ole Opry” on the front of it under the line of keys.  It must have been an Opry souvenir gift or something like that.  It is wood, metal and plastic and the receiver is on the top part of the upright – if you look closely you can see the line where it comes off.  It is also a music box, so when you lift the key cover, it plays a song and the center drum goes around.  The little stool in front of it was found at Goodwill.

5. What are the dimensions of the shelving units?  Were they custom built or are they available commercially?

    Answer:  The shelving units were made by my father in his workshop.  They are made with ¾ inch plywood.  The individual house rooms are about 15” high and 14” deep, and the overall size of each section is about 48” tall and 39” wide.  The store shelves are overall 6ft tall and 36” wide, with the corner shelf being a little wider.  The individual store rooms are 15 ¾ “ deep and 16 ¾ “ high.

6. Please explain the “track lighting” system.  What type of lights are they?  How did you install them?

Answer:  The lighting “system” I wouldn’t call a system…They are what was available from the home improvement store, Menards (and I believe they are available online).  I found them in the lighting section of the store, like where all of the kitchen under-cabinet lights are.  They are called “Westek” Strip Lights.  They come in, I think, two or three sizes.  The package says they are “accent lighting for bookcases, china cabinets and entertainment centers.”  They are basically an enclosed line of little bulbs that are installed with screws on either side.  My dad also drilled holes in the back corners of each room so that the cord could go out the back.  They were the most shallow lights I could reasonably find.

7. What kind of paint do you use to customize and detail plastic play sets?  Do you have any special tips or techniques to share?

Answer:  The paint I originally used to “customize” the plastic play sets several years ago was just cheap, basic spray paint.  It wasn’t that great and it would easily peel off.  Now, there is spray paint that is specially formulated to adhere to plastics.  Some paint even has texture and mixed colors to get an even more realistic look.

     8. Do you have any special tips or techniques to share?

Answer: “Techniques” to share?  Not really, nothing specific.  Aside from spray painting, I don’t really do a lot of the creative crafting.  “Special tips” to share?  The main thing that I would share with others looking for 1/6 scale items, would be to just visit local flea markets and thrift stores occasionally, with zero expectations – and then be ready to be pleasantly surprised every once in a while….That’s the fun of it all (like Forrest Gump’s mom says, “you never know what you’re gonna get!”).

      9. What  criteria  is used to buy the items in your scenes?

Answer:  The “criteria” to decide what goes into the dioramas?  It’s primarily all about size – and much of the time it could be just taking a chance that something will work (and many times things I thought would work, end up not).  Otherwise, I choose things that I like. 

The “house” items tend to be obvious pieces that would go into a house, with many of the little items being things that remind me of family members, friends or favorite places. 

The store choices came about from what I love.  I've always been a “garage sale gal” and a second hand shopper.  So, I always wanted some form of flea market/antique store.  I've always loved “Little House on the Prairie” and “The Walton’s” and the “olden days” stories – so, many of the items in my antique store remind me of those stories.  The resale clothing consignment shops are where I love to actually shop, and I love fashion, so, I definitely wanted a store like that.  The Cowboys and Indians store comes from my love of the southwest and “Dances with Wolves.”  And the grocery store was my favorite thing to play with my dolls when I was young – so that’s all about memories.

10. Where do you find the furniture and other items, when you see something that you wish to buy?

        Answer:  Where do I find the items?  Primarily, Barbie/fashion doll items are from the “regular” stores or second hand at garage sales.  Most of the more unusual items are found at the Goodwill thrift stores.  I also find things at Salvation Army and AmVet stores, as well as, local flea markets.  There is an abundance of amazing things, old and new, on ebay, at all price points, unfortunately, I’m not very adept at online shopping…oh well. :)

And here is a personal message from Julie: 

"Thank you for the questions and interest in my doll room.  What a blessing it truly is to be able to share one’s hobby with other “kindred spirits.”  I’m looking forward to providing a detailed look and explanation for each individual room diorama (with Cat’s generous help, of course!).  Thanks again!"

Thanks again for following!!

-Cat of A Doll Affinity 

I am humbled...

I humbled by the abundance of love and support that just keeps pouring in. First, I am sending out a special thank you to Chynadoll Creations for her GENEROUS donation to the kids this year!

Yesterday afternoon, I was greeted by the large box below....

 

And I cannot thank her enough for the little cutie she included for my very own collection!

I am the proud owner of a Chynadoll Creation! She is absolutely precious.

You keep inspiring me to be brave and paint.

Thank you for all that you do in the doll community.

I love your work, and I know I'm not the only one! ;)

Next, Tokidoki sold today. Yes, she sold once before. But without getting into it too much I will summarize why she had to be re-listed. The first buyer was irresponsible, and that is all I will say on the matter. Because God works in mysterious ways, and though I was heart broken on Thanksgiving day when I got the bad news of the first sale gone wrong, I pressed on. 

I knew that the right person would come along when the time was right and love this doll I put so much of myself into. Today, she sold, and is already shipping to her new home.

And in case I doubted the purposeful way all of this played out, I soon received the following message from a fellow artist after the sale was finalized: 

"Hi! I wanted your doll so badly, but have no moolah for extras right now. Just wanted to let you know I'm a fan of your work--I shared her on Facebook and my friends and I all drooled over her, and as a fellow artist I'm happy that she sold for you!

Just a little something to let you know that total strangers think you're cool."

If she reads this I hope she doesn't mind I included her thoughtful, and much appreciated message here. And I want to thank her again for her kind words and encouragement. That one message will keep me smiling all day. :)

Thank you for all who keep helping me to perservere and persist on this journey I'm on.

May you also be blessed on your journeys !

-Cat of A Doll Affinity