My Doll Haven

Everyone Needs Playtime

In our hectic, modern lives, many of us focus so heavily on work and family commitments that we never seem to have time for pure fun. Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, we stopped playing.

When we carve out some leisure time, we’re more likely to zone out in front of the TV or computer than engage in fun, rejuvenating play like we did as children. But play is not just essential for kids; it can be an important source of relaxation and stimulation for adults as well.

There doesn’t need to be any point to the activity beyond having fun and enjoying yourself. By giving yourself permission to play with the joyful abandon of childhood, you can reap oodles of health benefits throughout life.

Sunday

Grocery Give Away is All Over Rover!

Well it looks like this idea was a complete flop as only two have actually followed the rules,
so the haul will be divided between the two of them!
Congratulations Rachael and Barb, your parcels are on their way.

-oOo-

I'm looking to pass on some tiny props, so if you have BJD's and would like some grocery/household cleaning items to add to your collection, simply add your name in the comment section at the end of this post, then post an interesting photo of your dolls on your blog, with a link to this post.

There are three prizes to be won, which will comprise two smaller boxes of items for runners up, as well as a larger box for the best photo. The give away will run for 14 days and winners will be contacted, via their blogs.

PLEASE NOTE: Winners will need to use my "Contact Me" form at the bottom of my side bar to send me their addresses, if I haven't already got them. :)

I've added a photo of my Littlefee and Pukifee, showing some of the goodies, so you will be able to see clearly that the items are not in any particular scale, however, you should be able to use different pieces to suit the various sizes of your doll/s.

Good Luck! Big hugs, X

Friday

JR Again

After restyling her beautiful hair and dressing her ready for bed . . .

The joint at the top of the knee rotates and the other bends on a hinge below the knee cap.

The joint above the ankle rotates and the one below bends up and down.

Her wrists work the same way and the elbow has a ball and hinge combined. These are really peculiar joints, but so versatile, I think this gal is going to be a keeper for sure. I even like her hands!

Her hair is so silky and rooted nicely, so when you put the hair up, it looks very natural, no funny odd bits at the back at all. And wouldn't you know it, (aside from my rotten photography shadows) she photographs quite well. I am really beginning to love her face just as it is . . . there's a special quality about it . . . do you see it too?

Well that's it for me today, enjoy your weekend, I know I will. :)

Big hugs, X

Tuesday

Jolina Riding

After seeing the lovely face-ups that Urszula has done on the 33cm Jolina dolls over on her blog, I though it might be fun to tackle one myself . . . now whether I ever do is something else.

So off to eBay I went, in the hope of finding one at a low enough price, that it wouldn't matter if I stuffed it up. I was surprised to find one in such a reasonably good condition.

Most of the less expensive ones were naked and many had pen/texta marks on, which I wasn't sure could be removed, but this one was clean and had almost all it's original clothing as well. She wasn't a Jolina Ballerina, as most on eBay seemed to be, but a Zapf Jolina in a riding costume (minus her boots and blouse).

Her face had no marks that I could see and her hair was in pretty good condition as well.

To me it felt like I was getting a bargain, so I purchased her and brought her home. On examining her with her garments removed I discovered she had 5 joints in her arm, wrist (2), elbow (a combination of 1 rotational and 1 hinge) and shoulder, 5 joints in her legs, ankle (2), knee (2) and hip, as well as her neck and torseau. The shoulder and hip joints are similar to the elbow, but not exactly the same.

Not quite sure what she's made of, plastic or hard vinyl, she's so unlike any of my other dolls. The hair is rooted so I'd say the head is vinyl, but the body is much firmer and quite shiny. She can stand and pose really well on her own, which I love.

The only negative I could find is that some of her joints are not very elegant to look at and are a tad more robotic when you see then IRL. Also some of her seams are noticable in places. On the other hand, her measurements are great and quite similar to several of my other dolls, so I can see clothes sharing as never being a problem.

I found this photo while browsing, but don't have any idea who's it is.

I had not seen these dolls anywhere, apart from Urszula's blog: I don't think they were ever for sale in Australia, though it appears they were quite popular in Europe. I tried looking for info regarding the Jolina dolls on the internet, and managed to find a couple of Youtube videos on Jolina Ballerina, but nothing on this riding doll. Then quite by chance, I found these pics on Pinterest.

After more digging, I discovered the Spanish store, Puppentoys.com had stocked a range of Disney Princesses with the Jolina body; Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Ariel, Snow White and Cinderella, which retailed around £25, however, there aren't any available from the store now.

Actually, none of the Zapf Jolina dolls are at all easy to find, it looks as though they have been discontinued. Urszula thinks these were released around 2010 or 2011. Limited quantities do remain for sale online, but often in used or damaged condition and/or at dramatically marked-up prices. However, if your patient in your search or live in Europe, you may still be lucky to find a doll at a reasonable price, as I did, but that was more a case of being in the right place, at the right time.

If anyone has any further information, I would love to hear from you. :)
Big hugs, X