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.

Thursday

Thinking About the Kids

I've been trying to come up with an interesting storyline for them and as it stands now, Holly appears to be the matriarch of the family, the one who keeps them all in their place. She's not really bossy though, just cool, calm and collected.

Primrose is her younger sister who refers to Holly as "she who must be obeyed" and Magnolia a close cousin from the maternal side of the family is the quiet one and a cautious thinker.

Marigold and Violetta are actually twin cousins from the paternal side, but they are not identical and are polar opposites in character which often leads to big squabbles and a lot of excitement.

While Lily, Ivy and Heather, who are yet to arrive in town, are friends from far away places. Lily is English, Ivy is Welsh and Heather is Scottish. These girls will all have different personalities. I imagine Lily to be very serious and quite studious (you could say she's a bit of a geek), Ivy will be a chatterbox, full of giggles and mischief, and Heather a daydreamer, who is often off in a world of her own.

So reading between my lines, you should have guessed I have managed to be tempted by three new dollies.

Chou Chou, Xiaoxiao and Little Rabbit should be arriving soon, which means I have very little time to prepare for their arrival, so I'm off to make the most of the time I have left . . . I'll be back soon though.

Saturday

Switching from One Hobby to Another

When or where do you separate the two? Over the past year I have found myself drawn to and enjoying making dioramas for my dolls more and more. In fact I haven't felt a real urge to purchase a doll for quite some time, apart from Sergio & Nadia who were required for a project rather than a desired. And the two impulse purchases in Singapore.

The only dolls of what I call "play sized" who have been bringing me the most enjoyment are my kids: Holly, Primrose, Magnolia, Violetta and Marigold.

Looking at photos of them in the various rooms I've decorated, makes me wonder if these are the dolls I should be telling stories about.

Especially after making the new bar and finding my Integrity Toy dolls far too tall for it! When photographing the IT's in the past, I never noticed how extremely long their legs were compared to other 1:6 scale dolls (they are taller than Barbie & Neo Blythe).

FOUND THIS COMPARISON ON PINTEREST

Not to mention the fact my scaling was completely off, I don't know what got into me, I'm usually very good at mathematics. The bar ended up closer to 1:8 scale and suits my kids beautifully . . . it makes me wonder if perhaps the kids are magically influencing my calculations. What do you think? Can you imagine my five little cuties sitting in the White Panther Jazz Club?

By the look on her face, I don't think Holly is too impressed by these two under-age drinkers!

Wednesday

Some Days

I don't much feel like posting, however, today I'm in two minds. Firstly, I'd like to thank my readers for their lovely comments on my Singapore holiday photos. I am so pleased you all enjoyed them.

As most of you know, I have another blog called The White Panther Jazz Club and that I have been working on a diorama so I can photograph the story with my Integrity Toy dolls. The story includes two males, both are jazz musicians, but I only had one doll to play the part and he needed some minor adjustments as seen here.

To cut a long story short, I ordered another male doll from the USA on the 3rd July, records show it was despatched via USPS and departed LA on the 10th July. According to Australia Post it hasn't arrived in Australia, fortunately it was insured so a refund will eventually be given to the sender, but they wanted me to wait indefinitely before replacing it or refunding me. Which I, as a former business owner myself, would not have done. I think it's a mistake to let customers wait without providing a time when they can expect a resolution, so I've asked for a refund which is now in the hands of PayPal.

In the meantime, I managed to find the same doll on eBay (in Australia I might add and less expensive too) so I have ordered him and he should arrive soon.

Now if I could only see to make clothes for all my dolls I would be over the moon, and hopefully that shouldn't be too far away from happening. Cataract surgery is next on my agenda!

I do hope you are all doing well and enjoying your northern hemisphere summer, I am looking forward to seeing ours arrive so I can enjoy the outdoors again.

P.S. Thursday, 10th August: PayPal have given me a refund.