Celebrating half a lifetime of doll collecting (next week)

 
The doll that started it all was the 2004 California Girl Barbie. At that time I couldn't even dream I would have more than the one doll, let alone a collection of over a hundred, so I spent weeks choosing the best option. I was turning 17 and my parents let me have a real Barbie for my birthday. I had plenty of dolls when I was a kid, but I never liked Barbie. My sister and I played with hefty child dolls that we either held birthday parties for, or took to the "doctor". I didn't understand the appeal of the grown-up skinny doll with tiny accessories that got lost. Even when I grew up a little and became interested in fashion, I didn't like her grinning face with electric blue eyes. At that time Barbie had one rival, it was Sindy during her normally-sized head phase. Even though I never as much as held either of these dolls, I was team Sindy all the way and an ardent Barbie hater. But time passed, I changed, and most importantly, Barbie changed... so in a couple of years I found myself longingly eyeing the doll shelves.

How to improve a neck joint

Hi everyone! The past year has pushed the limits of my ability to use the unusable and make do with cheap things. In this quick post I will show you how I add up and down movement to a neck joint that only provides rotation.

Quarantine Tess (flea market rescue)

Hey guys! It may look like I've abandoned blogging, but actually I've been busier than when I posted every month. Today I have a picture-heavy project that took a year to complete, with long breaks and an apartment change a few months into it. I'm pretty much settled in right now and I hope to appear more alive online, not just posting but also reading and supporting my fellow bloggers. I am not making any promises for the future or excuses for my absence, instead let me show you today a doll that I'm very proud of!

Full set Kinder Surprise Barbie 2016

Hey everyone! I have yet another new thing to show you. Remember how a while ago I found a tiny Barbie in a Kinder Surprise egg and repainted it? Since then I became obsessed with finding more, preferably the whole series! I had so much fun with that custom and I love miniatures in general. There are tons of reviews about these, many in the unboxing video format that is a lot more exciting, but since mine will all be getting makeovers, I feel a "before" presentation is in order.

MMGirl dolls Rose and Mandy by Fortune Days (Debisheng Ltd)

Hi everyone! A few weeks ago, I was checking some doll stores on Aliexpress and something caught my attention in the "Recommended" section - beautiful articulated dolls with intricate outfits that to me looked a lot like J-dolls. Unless this is your first time on my page (in which case, hi!), you'll know J-dolls are my absolute favourite dolls and anything remotely similar to them is welcome in my collection. I was going to get a couple more Xinyi dolls - they make boys now too! - but these new dolls got me intrigued and I found no reviews about them at the time. Plus, they came with full outfits, while Xinyi are nude. Curiosity won and I picked two of the dressed dolls, which I'll review today.

Tiniest Barbie review and makeover

Hello again! Today we'll talk about the smallest "Barbie" in my collection. I was never into unarticulated figures with plastic hair which I saw on other blogs, however this one came into my possession unexpectedly and I found her small size irresistible. I also thought customizing her could be a fun little project that, if successful, would make her even more charming, and boost my confidence. I had got amazing new glasses a couple of months ago that fix most of my past frustrations with painting and this was a great opportunity to test my new super-vision :)

The Chinese fashion doll Xinyi

Hi there! I have some new furniture and lighting and I hope to do this more often now! Last week I took advantage of a wonderful rainy day to bond with one of my newest dolls - a Chinese fashion doll I bought online who arrived on my very birthday in December. I waited for so long to introduce her because I couldn't get her a decent outfit (more on that later). But she got into some construction dust and I had to wash her hair and dress. I also had to dust my latest order of doll shoes that I hadn't tried on her before and found the one pair that fit. Then, as I was arranging the wet dress into nice folds, I came across this piece of ribbon and literally tied the whole look together. My doll was finally presentable enough for the blog, so I got the camera and some doll companions and went to shoot today's review...

Updates and a rant

It's been a long time since I last posted (or showed any sign of life in the blog community). I was busy taking care of stuff before a trip with hubby in September and I barely had time to finish a draft post before leaving. Then I came back, but I've been sick all this time. We found some new dolls which I wanted to introduce. I wasn't happy with the last "shopping" post where I hurried to take pictures while some of the dolls were still unbrushed. Well, now I took my time to tweak each of them a little. I mean, who hasn't seen a basic Raven Queen out of the box? Old news. But have you seen mine? Anyway, doll pictures ahead!

Big bun tutorial

A very rushed post before I disappear again for two weeks! I wanted to put up Cleo's long hair and so this hairdo was born. I took pictures some time ago and now I'm ready to show you how to recreate it. It's quick, fairly easy, and most important - non permanent!
Without further ado, the big bun tutorial :)

Different Barbies

Dolls in my house are treated like art supplies. They are displayed posed and mostly dressed on shelves, but they still run the constant risk of being yanked out and used as mannequins, laid upside down for hair treatments or wrapped in toilet paper for other experiments. I can't imagine keeping a doll in its initial state (or even worse, boxed)! I have a friend though who likes her dolls just as they are. She doesn't have her playline childhood Barbie any more, but since then she moved to collectible Barbies of the 90's and early 00's. Only two dolls are in her collection at the moment and a third in her wishlist. She kindly let me take pictures and share them here.

Another return from Strasbourg

I wasn't sure how to title this post. Yes, I travelled and yes, I'm back, but it's really about dolls. Dolls in trousers - what a rare sight! Hubby told me to bring home at least three dolls and such was my luck that all three were trousers-clad versions of characters from my wishlist. What were the odds?

Froggy's summer contest +poppy tutorial

Hello! Many of you doll blog readers are probably familiar with My Froggy Stuff. She is now holding a summer giveaway that ends in a few hours. It was on very short notice (for me, at least) and very challenging but in the end I managed to create my entry. I'd like to share some thoughts about the experience along with a tutorial for the props I used - 70 doll-sized poppies.

28th World Doll Day

Today was the 28th World Doll Day, a holiday started by a doll enthusiast, Mildred Seeley, to celebrate our hobby. I found out about this not long ago thanks to Confessions of a Doll Collector's Daughter's post. She included Mildred's letter to her friends where she described how she wanted this day to be (go read it!). I'm happy that we get our own holiday, but I was caught very unprepared this year. I have nothing to give, not even words of wisdom a tutorial. The best I can do is raise awareness about the fact that yes, there is a day for us collectors. I'll shut up now and leave you with a bunch of more or less artistic (read: edited) photos of my doll shelves. Enjoy!

Two Summers

While I'm waiting for my birthday gift doll to arrive in the mail, hubby decided I deserve more and one day he brought home what he deemed the prettiest doll in the store - a Fashionista Summer. Since I have another one from a previous wave, I had a little fun comparing the two and soon all my other Fashionistas were drawn into this sort-of review.

New dolls I brought home

Ever since I started the blog I decided for myself I'll update on every doll purchase. Not because I want to boast, but because I want to keep track of my progress - how often I get new stuff and how much time passes before I start working on it. So, after my latest trip, it was inevitable I bring home a few goodies. Let's see what I found.

Two new dolls

I finished my spider shoes and while I sort through the bazillion photos for the sole tutorial, I'll share the newest dolls in my collection. Hubby returned from a business trip to France and brought me not one, but two dolls!

The current state of my dolls: Barbie & co.

Hi there!
Many of my craft projects are related to fashion dolls. I'd like to describe my dolls and my plans for them. Having my ideas laid out for the whole world should motivate me to organize my work, and hopefully I'll be able to look back and see some accomplishments.

My collection started with a single Barbie at my 17th birthday