Nadia Phan

Nadia arrived yesterday. I haven't received an IT doll for sometime and was immediately surprised by her red packaging when I removed it from her shipper. I'd forgotten how nicely IT present their dolls.

Inside, she was securely held in position by white satin ribbons. Her hands, knees and waist were protected by plastic wraps.

By her feet you can see her hat and cocktail glass. Her other accessories found inside the accompanying box, were earrings, three bracelets, a ring, long gloves, her beautifully detail shoes and an extra set of hands.

Nadia's CoA was found underneath the inner box and states she is #430 in an edition of 1000.

I am pleased with her face up as the heavy eyeliner (top & bottom) and her full red lips are much like the flappers wore in the day.

She stands quite well on her own in heels, which means I can leave her stand where it is in the box (I never really liked the IT stands). Since taking the following photo, I have added her jewellery, though I needed to open the holes in her ears to allow the earrings to go all the way through her vinyl.

The dress is far too short, as I thought it would be, so some changes to come there. She has so much potential though and I am really happy with her. To give you an idea of just how wonderful this doll could be, just take a look at this photo I found browsing the internet, where her owner has made better use of Nadia's long neck.

This is not my photo and I'd love to give credit to the person who took it, but the watermark is in Russian (I think) and very difficult to read.

Well that's all for today my lovelies, have a great weekend!

Curiosity & The 1920's

Since reading a recent post by RM where she admits she "HATES keeping her dolls in their boxes", I've been wondering just how many of my readers are doll collectors and how many are simply doll investors?

To clarify that question ~ to my thinking, a doll collector will remove their dolls and "play" with them by re-dressing, re-rooting, re-painting, photographing, using them to tell stories or pose in dioramas. Whereas a doll investor will simply store their dolls in boxes, only to sell them on at a later date, often at a huge profit.

I admit I am very hands on and have removed all my dolls from their boxes since beginning my doll collecting journey. Though I must add, I do keep them in a special doll room free of dust and protected from sunlight. 

Redressing them with clothes I have made for them, re-rooting their hair when the need arises is something I enjoy. So is photographing them in the dioramas I make, even though my photography is somewhat lacking, but most of all I enjoy sharing the hobby with likeminded people such as yourselves.

I'm guessing that my regular readers (the ones who take the time to chat/comment) are more likely to be doll collectors. That's not to say they don't sell dolls on, we all do that, more often to make room for new arrivals or at least help pay for them. However, I would still love to read opinions on this subject.

On a lighter note, it's thanks to RM and her post, that I finally have a grail Barbie. Yes, you read that line right, I'm actually on the hunt for a a Barbie doll!!

This fabulous 1920 Silkstone Barbie sold on eBay from a private collection with a price tag of US$2,500. No way am I paying that price though.

Silkstone Barbie dolls were introduced in 2000 and are also known as Fashion Model Barbies. They have become very popular among collectors and clothing designers alike, though looking at some of their faces I'm left to wonder why? 

However, this 1920's doll which featured at the Madrid Fashion Doll Show Convention in 2021 is a real stunner. I can visualize her on stage, singing at The White Panther Jazz Club, can you?

In the meantime I have settled on another 1920's styled doll, she is an Enigmatic Reinvention Nadia Phan from the Integrity Toys Meteor Range.

Though I must admit her very long swan like neck needs something other than long dangling earrings to do her justice and I'd prefer her dress length to be more in keeping with the fashion of the day. However, given some time, I think I can remedy both. :)

I would also like to make her a suitable wardrobe of day clothes. That will take some time and as I have several other things on the go at the moment, it will probably be quite a lengthy time.

There's also a boy coming from the USA, but I will share him when he arrives. It looks like I'm going to be busy with dolls for sometime, so you all keep on having fun with yours and I'll be back in a little while. 😘

More New Arrivals

My Friend or Foe duo which I ordered back in December, arrived from Integrity Toys on Monday. The parcel actually was shipped long before they were scheduled for despatch (April) and I was initially concerned they may not have been as beautiful as their prototypes, but I was certainly not disappointed with the dolls.

All my Integrity Toys dolls come packed in their box, within a box, within a shipper, so everything arrives in perfect condition.

Their costumes are absolutely gorgeous and the detail amazing!

And I love their facial screening, though I think Ginger's lips are slightly more pink than the ones on the prototype, but that could simply be my computer. Kudos to David Buttry for creating the most wonderful doll for the Poppy Parker and Friends series . . . I adore her!

Of course Poppy is, as she always is, simply delightful.

Each doll comes with a wrap, short gloved hands with long glove extensions, jewellery, matching shoes and clutch bag.

These are the last dolls I'll be ordering from IT as I have not renewed my W Club membership, and the girls will be staying in their box for the foreseeable future, as I really want to concentrate on completing Cyanide.

I am still waiting on a few items for her to arrive in the post, including the Saran for her hair. Although all items were posted the day or day after they were ordered (all from within Australia), our Australia Post is moving really slowly at present. Yesterday I received an email to say some doll stands I ordered Friday would be delivered today, then tracking went down and now they are showing as delivery expected Thursday!

I have managed to change her eye chips and they aren't looking too bad (I'll post more on that later), but it's going to be a while before I can finish her. Until next time, make the most of your confinement, stay safe, healthy and happy!

Who Came Home in 2019?

There were very few additions to my collection of BJD's and play dolls in 2019.

Only two BJD's ~ Lucy Locket (Liz Frost Willowmenia arrived in Nov.) and Buttons the Tailor (Fairyland Pukifee Jude arrived in Dec.), which you have seen recently, bringing my total BJD collection to 85.

And just three play dolls ~ Annie Rose (a Vestida de Azul Paulina), JR (a Zapf Jolina) who is fully articulated but not actually a BJD and Camille (Corolle Les Cheries). These all arrived in September, which meant the playdolls rose to 45. Hopefully, this will be narrowed down quite a bit this year, as I plan to keep mostly the smaller sizes . . . 14" and under.

I want to sell all of my 16" Disney Animator dolls, unfortunately I'll probably have to let them go for much less than I paid for them, which is a disappointment, especially as I went to the trouble of knitting them all new outfits (although I did sell one doll last year, it wasn't an Animator).

However, my fashion doll collection had a huge influx from Integrity Toys. Between January and October there were ten arrivals, four of which were Poppy Parkers, bringing the IT total to 12. I also pre-ordered a two doll gift set which will arrive in April this year, so I'm not sure if that counts as a 2019 or a 2020 purchase.

Of course there have been some clothing changes with this lot, which I might add, will change again in the not too distant future . . . well at least I have plans, but right at this moment very little motivation. Nevertheless, as soon as I can get my butt into gear and begin sewing again, I promise the changes will be awesome.

As my grand total has reached 142 (which is far more dolls than I thought I would ever own), I have no plans for any additions this year (apart from those on pre-order) and I shall endeavour to reduce this amount down to 130 by the end of 2020. Wish me luck! I think I'm going to need it. :)

Last Doll Purchase

I didn't manage to find the red haired Poppy Parker that I was hoping for this year, but I did manage to bag these two . . . an extremely nice compromise I think. However, they won't be arriving until next year.

Item # PP151 Friend or Foe Poppy Parker™ and Ginger Gilroy™ Gift Set

The Poppy Parker™ Collection 2019
W Club Exclusive
Estimated Arrival: End of April 2020
Edition Size: TBA
Head Sculpt: Poppy and Ginger (new character sculpt!)
Body Type: Poppy Parker
Skin Tone: FR White (Poppy) and Cream (Ginger)
Hair Color: Dark Ash Blonde (Poppy) and Titian Red (Ginger)
Foot type: High heeled
Eyelashes: Yes, hand-applied
Quickswitch: No

Hope you are all having a happy dolly week!

She's Here and She's Gorgeous!

I adore those blue eyes and ruby red lips with her black hair . . . actually there's not a darn thing about this doll to dislike, she's absolutely adorable!

Hopefully, I will find some time later today to debox her and have a little "play".

I trust your week is begining in good way too. :)

Hugs, X

My Girl is on Her Way

Remember this post? Well news arrived via email this morning, to say she is finally on her way. YAY! Hopefully USPS doesn't ship her all the way around the States, before putting her on a plane to me!

Now while I am here, another lovely lady caught my eye recently . . . named Gardens of Versailles, this gorgeous version of Poppy Parker was much too hard to resist. I think she will also be the perfect dolly companion to take with me to Paris!

Due in October, she is my first Poppy in this lovely sunkissed skintone. Hopefully she doesn't arrive the same time as my Midnight Decadence, which is due in the northern hemisphere's fall (autumn).

Well that's it from me this week, hope you are all having fun with your dolls. I'm off to read some blogs.
Big Hugs, X

Where Does the Time Go?

I cannot believe it's been two weeks since I last posted, but I guess that's because I have been so engrossed in other things . . . like planning an overseas trip for 2020. However, I will post more about that later.

This morning I had a little convo with my friend Musume, and she asked about the posability of my IT dolls. Rather than taking heaps of photos (which I have little patience for right now) I thought it simpler to just show this.

Not all IT dolls have ankles that move like my IT Airways Poppy Parker, some have fixed flat feet, while others have fixed high heeled feet.

Personally, I prefer the flexibility of her feet the best of the three, as it allows me to dress her casually in a feminine ballet flat or a loafer for lazy Sundays, or take it up a notch with stilleto heels and a evening gown making her ready for fine dining or the dance floor.

For those who collect these dolls, I'd be interested in knowing what type of feet you prefer and what type of clothes you prefer your dolls to wear. Well that does it for today . . . back to searching for hotels to stay at!

Big hugs,

X

Will I or Won't I?

That's the question I have been asking myself for the past week. It's a bit like "To Be or Not To Be" isn't it? Well it's been a real quandary, not knowing whether I should pre-order this gal or not. I thought this version of Poppy Parker was a stunner, I love her hair colour, her eye screening and those pretty pastel lips. Not to mention her absolutely gorgeous gown.

But I was waiting to hear if I managed to score a PP Looks A Plenty Gift Set which I missed out on last year, by not being a member of the 2018 W Club. Then Alasse reminded me of how much she looked like Misty Hollows, who has been on my wish list since the end of last year.

I figured, if I ever did manage to find a Misty Hollows for sale, she probably wouldn't have all her clothes and accessories and would most probably be much more expensive on the secondary market. But Sunday, of all days, I did find two NRFB's. The first was this one listed at US$425 and didn't even list international postage, then this one at US$499.99 plus US$30 postage.

That did it, there was no way on earth that I was going to pay that sort of dosh for a doll, especially when I could purchase a similar doll for a little over quarter of what they were asking. Luckily I managed to sell something on eBay, and I knew I only had to pay a deposit now, so I took the plunge and pre-ordered her! Heaven help me if she comes in at the same time as my BJD though.

Along with a dress that has a detachable train, so she can wear it two ways, she has a better range of accessories than Misty Hollows, with a second set of hands and a personalised clutch bag.

So it's goodbye to Misty Hollows and hello to Midnight Decadence . . . a win, win to me! YAY!!

May all your dolly dreams come true! 

Big hugs,

X

Finally Shaken the Bug

Well after a good fortnight of sneezing, coughing, spitting and blowing, taking all the yucky stuff prescribed by "the doc" and generally feeling like s**t, I think I have finally shaken the bug.

Today is the first time for weeks that I actually feel reasonably "normal". I have been reading your blogs, but just couldn't think clearly enough to leave comments, so I hope you'll forgive me.

Some news arrived via email this morning, which means the gift hubby was purchasing for me won't arrive at dealers until 8th July, and I probably won't receive her until August, but I think this gorgeous gal will be worth the wait.

She is Victoire Roux ~ Lunch at 21 from Integrity Toys East 59th range of dolls and I simply felt I had to own her, however, I didn't have any dolly budget set aside for her . . . thank heavens hubby stepped up to the plate. She comes with two sets of shoes (red and blue), normal and gloved hands as well as handbag and jewelry.

Well that's about it for today. I hope you are all enjoying your weekend!

Big hugs and thanks to all those who have stopped by. :)

X

I've Ordered A Male

I have had my mind set on ordering a male IT doll as the pianist for my Jazz Club diorama and decided to wait for IT's release of the new Homme dolls, before rushing into something I might regret later. However, I was a little disappointed when I saw them, I guess my expectations were different from what the designers had in mind. I'm not a fan of the painted facial hair, nor the flock scalp hair and the price for a doll with a costume which was far too modern for my use, was completely unjustified.

Still, I need a male doll, so I went in search for one that was reasonably nice to look at. One that I could perhaps redress to suit, and one that didn't cost an arm and a leg. The search wasn't an easy one, the secondary market had quite a few male dolls on offer, but way overpriced for what I consider are  pre-loved dolls. I also looked at IT's website, but there was nothing there that grabbed me. I then looked through all the dealers websites and finally found this guy . . .

NIGEL NORTH - HOT SHOT

Doll Tech Specs:
Line: The Model Scene Collection
Head Sculpt: Miles Morgan / Nigel North
Hair Colour: Blond Mix
Skin Tone: FR White
Body Type: FR Homme
Eyelashes: No
Foot Sculpt:
Quick Switch Feature: No
Doll Stand: Yes
Year: 2015
Edition Size: 600
Item Number:
Item Type: Dealers
RRP: US$120

He's on his way to me right now and the best part was he was NRFB, he was also a fraction less than retail price (which is always a nice bonus). He probably won't be here for a little while seeing the postal workers all have Easter holidays, but that will give me time to think about how I will style him.

So what do you think? Do you think he could make a great jazz pianist or not? I'd really love to hear your opinion.

Happy Easter & Big Hugs to all!

X

New Arrivals

Two dolls in two days, the one I ordered second arrived first on Monday.

Still in her box, the beautiful Katy Keen Blue Serenade.

I am so pleased with her and all her accessories. She came with what she is wearing plus a fur stole, earrings, bracelet, silver shoes, blue clutch bag, a second set of hands and a stand.

The only thing I was not impressed with were her shoes, I had a devil of a time trying to put them on over her stockings. Needless to say, they will be replaced with shoes that fit!

The first order arrived yesterday (Tuesday).

Still in her box, the gorgeous Tulabelle that I wasn't sure I would ever find.

She came with what she is wearing, along with phone, phone bag, coffee cup, necklace, earrings, bracelet, black boots which fitted perfectly, stand and COA.

I hope you are all having a wonderful dolly week, I shall be back later to catch up on your blogs, but that's all from me today, I've got to get back to what I was doing. :)

Big hugs,

X