Looking Forward to a Bright New Year

Well as another year is quickly coming to a close, we (hubby & I) are finally prepared for the countdown to introduce 2018 and a whole new page in our lives.

There will be no further additions to the dolly hoard, so my blog will probably be more varied in content, taking into account my other interests.

It's been an interesting year to say the least and one full of surprises for me. 

To all my blogging buddies, you have added much joy to my life with your friendship and kindness,
I wish you all the very best for 2018 and may all your dreams of a bright future be fulfilled.

Warmest Hugs,

X

P.S. 28th Dec. I received this photo of my Little Darling today, she is completed and will be on her way very soon.

My last doll for 2017

My Christmas Wish

Warmest Hugs,

X

Beauty of the Fairy

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Well behold this . . . isn't she the most beautiful fairy you have seen?

Sophie Gengembre Anderson 1823-1903

Children born of fairy stock
Never need for shirt or frock,
Never want for food or fire,
Always get their hearts desire,
Jingle pockets full of gold,
Marry when they're seven years old.

Every fairy child may keep
Two strong ponies and ten sheep,
All have houses each his own,
Built of brick or granite stone,
They live on cherries, they run wild,
I'd love to be a fairy's child.

AUTHOR: Robert Graves

I was so taken with this painting, I decided to research the artist who painted her.

"Sophie Gengembre Anderson was born in Paris in 1823, the daughter of a Parisian architect and an English mother. She was largely self-taught, but briefly studied portraiture with Charles de Steuben in Paris in 1843.

At the outbreak of the 1848 Revolution, she moved with her family to America, settling in Cincinnati where she pursued portrait painting. She married the British artist, Walter Anderson and returned to England in 1854. She exhibited at the Royal Academy during 1855.

Anderson's technique was excellent and she was quite adept at depicting fabrics and drapery with outstanding light effects.

In 1860 the couple visited Pennsylvania and exhibited at the National Academy, in the early 1870's she moved to Capri because of ill-health. Eventually she returned to England and lived in Falmouth. Sophie died in 1903."

Above are two more of her paintings and although they are very beautiful, I still think the first portrait I showed you is the fairest of all.

Hugs,

X

When is a Sneaker . . .

. . . not the sneaker you wanted?

ANSWER: When you are so much in a rush you forget to check the size!

I wanted to give six of my Disney Animator dolls a set of more casual clothes to wear and ordered these little sneakers which were intended to complete their outfits. Unfortunately when they arrived I realised they were going to be far too small for their chubby little footsies and when I checked my order it showed I had ordered the 1/6 size!

At first I was disappointed, but found they were the perfect size for several of my BJD's.

Needless to say, I have now placed an order for the correct size and will have to wait until after Christmas before I am able to photograph the dolls in their completed outfits.

Here's a little preview of what I have been working on.

Hugs,

X

Dolls That Make You Smile

I really love my little Gretel, she is such a happy doll and I love the way her head tilts and her limbs move. She's certainly able to express herself beautifully even though she is only articulated 5 ways.

Oh my! This teddy bear is really heavy.

It appears there are two different editions of Wichtels that sell for two different prices. It took me a little while to work out why that was, but work it out I did! One is made by the artist herself, the other made by Schildkrot.

Rosemarie Muller - Wichtel Dolls

Eye type: Hazel Glass/Fixed
Size: 32cm/12.5"

Hair: Blonde/ Wig

Articulation: 5 points

Price: £312.49 + VAT in the UK

This sweet doll, Fayette, is made by artist Rosemarie Muller in Germany. She's a little white skinned hazel eyed blonde girl doll. Fayette's hair is a long blonde wig with a fringe and styled in two long bunches with ribbons.

She wears a really gorgeous pinafore dress and striped top and matching leggings with white ankle socks and red leather shoes. Her clothing is made by Rosemarie Muller and each design is original.

The dolls are named "Wichtel" dolls which translates to "elves" - balm for the soul is how they are often referred. Their bodies are completely hard phthalate free vinyl. Girl and boy dolls have different abdomens like little girls and little boys. The hair is a hand knotted mohair and kanekalon wig. The eyes are hand-blown glass eyes from Lauscha (supposedly the very best eyes) and the face is lovingly painted by hand.

This is my favourite sculpt/mould from Rosemarie Muller, I hope it comes up for re-release one day! The face is so alive and happy and I think it would be an absolute joy to have one of these very child like dolls smiling at me every day.

I know there are people who don't like open mouth dolls, but this one looks so natural and is very tastefully sculpted and painted, one would be a fool not to see the pleasure this face would bring to an owner. The wig is also very natural and the colour . . . divine.

There is nothing so gorgeous as a little red haired girl!

Wichtel For Schildkrot-Puppen

Eye type: Glass/Fixed

Size: 32cm/12.5"
Hair: Wig / Mohair and Kanekalon
Articulation: 5 points
Price: £169.99 including VAT in the UK

These sweet dolls are manufactured by Schildkrot in Rauenstein (Thür), Germany. The entire face and body moulds are also sculpted by German doll artist Rosemarie Muller and Schildkrot has the pleasure of manufacturing to order, 4 of the Muller-Wichtel moulds, of which there are 24 in total. They are classified by Schildkrot as collectible artist dolls.

Their hair and eyes are the same quality as the dolls made by Rosemarie herself.

The fourth one on the left is the one I have. :) Her given name was Rosi, she has red hair, blue eyes and wears a Bavarian dirndl with real red leather shoes.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Hugs, X

The Eyes Have It

No matter whether you are a BJD collector who likes creating your own acrylic eyes, or a vinyl doll collector who likes doing re-paints, here's a little tip that may (or may not) help you.

When painting doll eyes, it's good to know a little about the anatomy of the human eye.

Sclera ~ the white outer layer of the eyeball.
Iris ~ the flat, coloured, ring-shaped membrane behind the cornea of the eye, with an adjustable circular opening (pupil) in the centre.
Cornea ~ the transparent layer forming the front of the eye.

As you can see by the pictures above and below, every eye is different and each one has a combination of many colours, with each of those colours forming slightly different patterns.

The sclera is not actually a bright white, it also differs with every eye, some show noticeable veins while others appear much clearer.

One could study eyes all day and not see two identical, not even when they are a pair. Try it yourself, look your own eyes when you have some free time, I'm sure you'll find them quite fascinating and it will certainly help you understand how to paint them better and make your dolls appear more lifelike.

Inspiration

People often ask me "Where do you find your inspiration?". Well believe me when I tell you, I don't go looking for it, more often than not, inspiration finds me.

I began drawing at an early age and eventually earned my living as a commercial artist. I realised if I wanted to do well, I had to become fully aware of my surroundings and learn to recognise the beauty in daily life. Over the years, I have found I do this instinctively and when I least expect it, inspiration comes along and taps me on the shoulder.

Quite some time ago, when I used to make teddy bears, I was reading about the English artist, Gainsborough and was inspired by this painting of "The Blue Boy" . . .

. . . to design and make this little soul who is now living with a Swansea family, in the U.K.

Gainsborough also painted the lesser known, Pink Boy which now hangs in Waddesdon Manor, just near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. You can find the painting here. This is my interpretation of this lovely painting . . .

. . . I named him "The Pink Cavalier" and he is now living a lovely life in Scotia, New York, USA.

Where do you find your inspiration?

Disney Princesses

According to Wikipedia, the franchise does not include all princess characters from the whole of Disney-owned media, but rather refers to specific characters from the company's animated films. As of 2017, the eleven characters considered part of the franchise are (left to right below) Jasmine, Rapunzel, Snow White, Mulan, Aurora, Cinderella, Pocahontas, Tiana, Belle, Ariel, and Merida.

The original line-up consisted of princesses Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan and Tinker Bell. Five of them (Snow White, Aurora, Jasmine, Pocahontas, and Ariel) were royal by blood, two (Cinderella and Belle) married into royalty, and two (Mulan and Tinker Bell) fit the "princess mythology."

March 14th, 2010: Tiana officially became the first additional character to the Princess franchise, taking Tinker Bell's short-lived place as the ninth member. Tinker Bell was already heading up another franchise started in 2005 . . . Disney Fairies.

October 2nd, 2011: Rapunzel was "crowned" and inducted into the Disney Princess franchise as the tenth member.

May 11th, 2013: Disney added the first Pixar character Merida as the 11th Princess to the franchise.

Whether Anna, Elsa, Moana and Lilo are officially "crowned" is yet to be seen.

These are some of my little Disney darlings who I have been knitting for. I also have Elsa, Merida, Tinker Bell and Arial, but I'm not sure if they will be wearing the same knitted sets yet.

I still need to add Snow White, Aurora and Cinderella, but there's always tomorrow! :)

When purchasing Disney Animator dolls, please be aware there are fakes out there and if you want to know how to tell the difference, check this out!

Surprise, Surprise!

"Edith Head is considered the most significant costume designer in film history and today her name is synonymous with Hollywood costume of the twentieth century. Over her more than 50-year career in studio costume - first with Paramount Pictures and later with Universal Studios - Head worked with many of Hollywood's brightest stars on almost a thousand films."

BENDIGO ART GALLERY

-oOo-

Well after reading "no cameras" and thinking we wouldn't be allowed to take photos of the Edith Head exhibition, we found we were able to after all, as long as we didn't use a flash. So my dear daughter literally took hundred s of them (232 to be exact), however, I have selected just a few of my favourites to share.

Many of you were probably not even born when this two-piece wool suit was worn by Maureen O'Sullivan in The Big Clock (Paramount Pictures 1948), but if you're a movie buff and fan of the silver screen you may be familiar with some of the following.

This silk ball gown was worn by Natalie Wood in Inside Daisy Clover (Warner Brothers 1965).

This two-piece silk performance costume by Betty Hutton in The Perils of Pauline (Paramount Pictures 1947) is covered in Austrian crystal bugle beads . . . can you just imagine how many hours of work it would have taken to sew them all on. The back of this suit was stunning!

This silk evening gown worn by Caroll Baker in Harlow (Paramount Pictures 1965) is also covered in thousands of Austrian bugle beads. Click on the photo to see a close view.

Adding embellishment to simple costumes was one of Edith Head's devices for creating instant glamour. Many of her simply cut and modest shape costumes were vastly improved and given a much more glamourous air by the inclusion of sequins and bugle beads.

The medieval-style cotton velvet costume worn by Shirley Temple in Little Miss Marker (Paramount Pictures 1934) is beautifully embroidered. Shirley later wrote about her costumes for this film in her 1968 autobiography Child Star.

"An exceptionally talented artist, she decided to make my costumes from scratch instead of drawn off the studio rack. This would require many try-ons while she created exactly the desired impression."

 

The peacock silk costume worn by Hedy Lamarr in Samson and Delilah (produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille and released by Paramount Pictures 1949) has the most beautiful beaded applique.

The peacock feathered cape accompanying the gown above, is without doubt one of the most recognisable elements of this costume and while the gown became part of the Paramount Pictures Archive, the cape has remained in the DeMille family. It is too fragile to travel, so unfortunately could not be reunited for this exhibition.

The hooded wool coat worn by Barbara Stanwyck in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (Paramount Pictures 1946) is shown with the black sweater and large gold chain she wore in the movie. I noticed that this style of chain was recently worn by Jayne Fonda on the Graham Norton Show, making it still very fashionable today.

I have been a long time admirer of Edith Head and her ability to design costumes for movies and although costuming may appear to be a glamorous profession, the work entailed is extremely demanding and time consuming. Especially when working on a period film, as all the costumes have to be thoroughly researched to ensure they accurately depict the garments worn at the time.

My daughter told me this exhibition had shown her a completely different aspect of film costuming which made her realise the amount of work that goes into each garment prior to the actual film's production.

Personally, I think Edith (above) deserved every one of the eight Oscars and twenty seven nominations she received during her fabulous career, and she still holds the record for the most awards won by a woman.

The final words belong to Edith Head:

"I would give this advice to every actress with whom I work, to every woman who will listen.

1. Be dressed for what you are doing.

2. Have the right accessories.

3. Don't wear your clothes too tight.

A dress should be tight enough to show you're a woman and loose enough to prove you're a lady.

I like that last. You can use that on my epitaph."

Boneka

Because of the very long waiting list for Dianna Effner's Little Darlings, someone suggested I purchase a Boneka doll. The original dolls were also sculpted by Dianna, and the replicas are available from the Boneka website. They are also a vinyl doll and the painting of them is modelled after Dianna's, yet they are not quite as beautiful as the ones shown below, which are painted by Joyce Mathews.

Tuesday's Child ~ was the first introduced to the doll world. She is 25 cm / 10" tall and has a head circumference of 16 cm / 6.29" without the wig.

Dianna Effner 10" Doll Tuesday's Child.
All vinyl sculpted in 2005 for Boneka.
Painted by Joyce Mathews, Kuwahi Dolls.

Monday's Child ~ is 26.5 cm / 10.5" tall and has a head circumference of 6.7" with the wig.

Dianna Effner 10" Doll Monday's Child.
All vinyl sculpted in 2006 for Boneka.
Painted by Joyce Mathews, Kuwahi Dolls.

Thursday's Child ~ is 26.5 cm / 10.5" tall and has a head circumference of 6.5" without wig.

Dianna Effner 10" Doll Thursday's Child.
All vinyl sculpted in 2006 for Boneka.
Painted by Joyce Mathews, Kuwahi Dolls.

These dolls wear Boneka doll fashion size 24 cm, hat size 18 cm and shoe size 38 mm.
As much as I wouldn't mind one, I think the stock dolls would either need a repaint done to give them that wonderful personality that the custom artists endow or wait until one of Joyce's became available for purchase.

I won't be around to read your blogs this weekend, my daughter and I are having a girls weekend away, to see this Exhibition at the Bendigo Art Center. Unfortunately there will be no photos of the Exhibition this time, the BAC won't allow cameras. :(

Hope you all have a great one! See you next week.

New Arrival and More on the Way!

Well my dear little Noa Pirris doll arrived yesterday and I've renamed her Peggy. I thought the name she was given was a bit of a mouthful, and one I would soon forget.

She is a large cuddly toddler doll made in Spain by Antonio Juan. Peggy is designed to sit or lie in a crib, but she can stand with the help of a doll support. She is 54 cm tall, with her head and limbs made from soft to the touch vinyl, which is phthalate free and slightly scented with Vanilla. The colour of the vinyl is quite pinkish, almost like a redhead that has caught the sun. :)

Her cuddly body is filled with polyester fibre and has a voice box that says 'Mama, Mama' and 'Papa, Papa' followed by lots of giggles when her tummy is pressed. I didn't realise this when I ordered her.

Her loose red curls are rooted and are a little sparse at the back of the head, but I can live with it. She has beautiful fixed blue sparkly eyes with long lashes along the top eyelid and I adore her happy facial expression, which has a tiny sprinkling of freckles over the nose and cheeks.

I have several Spanish made dolls now and there is not a single one which I would not recommend. The quality of the dolls is wonderful and their prices are very affordable. Up to now, I have been able to purchase the dolls either from Petalina or My Doll Best Friend in the UK.

However, I recently came across another range of Spanish made dolls that I wanted to bring home, but as I don't speak Spanish, found them difficult to attain directly from the Vidal Rogas website.

That's when my dear blogging friend, Sharon in Spain, came to my rescue. Sharon was kind enough to help me purchase these two naked Mari dolls. They are pretty dolls, with slim bodies, but are not photographed as well as they could be (as you can see by the ones above, the colouring is not quite the same, although they are supposed to be the same colour). However, the best thing for those like Sharon and I, who sew for their dolls . . . they are available to bring home naked!

I hope you are all enjoying your dolly week, bye for now.

Bad Hair Day

Today I was up bright and early and I decided after recent efforts, I would stay away from the 'puter and get some more sewing done. Even after my recent clean up, I still have fabric all over the place.

Then the NBN tech arrived to connect the inside of the house, only to find the outside had still not been rectified . . . it's a long story that's been going on since December.

Pushing that aside and all the time hoping I could calm myself down, I thought to myself . . .  I will just take a peek to see who's done what in the blogasphere . . . and here I am three hours later still sitting at my desk typing away!

I did manage to prepare a couple of dolls for a photography session . . . but of course wouldn't you know it . . . before I could actually begin taking any photos,  the camera needed charging!

This was not a good start. Ruddy hell, I felt like pulling my hair out, except I recently had it cut short . . . and I mean really, really short!

All grumbling done, I do  have a little bit of dolly news though. I wanted to find myself a doll that would fit into some clothes that I'd made a long time ago, as they were too nice to throw out. The doll needed to be a little on the chubby side, as the clothes were originally made for a teddy bear. So after a little research, I found this one, which I think/hope will do nicely.

She is a Spanish doll made by Antonio Juan, and available from Petalina Dolls in the UK. I will provide more details once she arrives.

Well so much for good intentions, however, a new post is written. So now I will finally begin sewing . . . now let's see what should I start first? Mmm, I think the new project . . . yep, it's definitely the new project that's calling me the loudest. What goes on inside this head can be quite amazing at times, though you certainly wouldn't want to visit me in here, it's sooo darn noisy! LOL!!

Cheers all, have a great weekend!

Seduced

In November of 2016, I discovered Dianna Effner's 13" Little Darling dolls. Normally, I wouldn't have paid a great deal of time looking at vinyl dolls after being an avid BJD collector and accumulating eighty of them over the past few years. Yet, when I saw them on the internet I felt such a strong attraction to these dolls and continued to Google them.

I soon learned that although Dianna had sculpted the original dolls and hand painted the vinyl dolls faces, there were other artists trained by Dianna, who also painted them. As I continued to search I soon found which dolls I thought I wanted to own, but it was going to take a long time to bring any of them home.

Dianna was not taking orders at the time and from all indications the wait for one of her dolls would drive me to distraction, and should one come up on her website, the price would be way beyond what I would be prepared to pay for a vinyl doll, no matter how good it was or who painted it.

I almost went ahead with this doll (a #1sculpt), but the wait was just far too long, so long in fact I figured I'd probably not be around to enjoy her.

This is another that I would have loved to bring home . . . a #2,

and this #3 one too, but alas such is life. I'll just admire them from afar and enjoy the dolls I have. :) 

And for something a little different . . .

. . . here's a couple of recent arrivals in new cardigans that I knitted. :)