Next Celebrity Silkstone is….Elizabeth Taylor
The news coming from the 2012 Italian Doll Convention is that the next Celebrity Silkstone will be Elizabeth Taylor. Mattel has not confirmed this but I am assuming it was a Mattel Representative who shared this information in Italy last week. This is not suprising as they already have the face mold. The speculation has already begun on which outfit she will be sporting. My vote goes for the white gown in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and I would DIE if it came as a gift set with the slip dress as well…..ohhhhh pretty please.
Although…I have to pay tribute to some of these looks as well. Liz, you were one gorgeous lady.
F.R. Convention 2012 is Open for Registration!
Oh yah baby!! Integrity Toys has opened up the link to register for the 2012 Fashion Royalty Convention. I went to my first one last year and am soooooo going again this year. WClub members had a few days to preregister but now the link is open to all comers. If you want more info, feel free to check it out at
http://www.integritytoys.com/page/events/latest_events
Feel free to visit my blog posts from October 2011 to see and read about some of the happenings from these conventions. If you are a Fashion Royalty collector, you cannot beat the camaraderie and amazing stuff to be had at these conventions. As far as endorsements go from me…you won’t get better than that LOL!
FYI..Registration is limited to 450 . Last years registration filled up within 3 weeks so If you want to go, I would recommend signing up sooner rather than later.
You Look So Fine Erin
Oh M…er..Erin you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind hey M…er Erin, Hey Erin. I have to admit this song was kind of going through my mind as I typed out the name of this doll. Guess that shows my age, yes, I was and still am to some degree a teenager of the 80’s. This lovely Erin is no child of the 80’s. She if a full on fashion diva of the present. Her dress is TO DIE FOR folks..worth the doll alone in my opinion but I digress. This is the last Erin produced with this original face mold. She has been given a facelift and we will see her new visage IRL when the first W Club doll ships sometime this summer. Many people are not fans of the “open mouth show us those pearly whites” face mold. I don’t have a problem with it. It kind of makes her look sweet and innocent. Her fashion is anything but. I have to admit, I was trepidatious about photographing this lady in THIS gown sitting down but I went there.
**Photography note for those wanting to photograph this lady in her original outfit or any doll in this dress for that matter**. Try to lean this baby up against a wall if you can. What I learned during this photo shoot:
1. Armature wire isn’t going to work because most of her leg shows with this gown but hey..if you want to spend countless hours Photoshopping the wire out..have at it.
2. Thought about leaning her back against a block or something sturdy but short…Nope. The skirt of the dress is pretty sheer so you will see whatever you put back there
3. Thought I was smart using strings to suspend her…WRONG!! I failed to realize the folds in the fabric and the impact they would have on Photoshopping out the strings. BAD ME! Yep…had to spend the thankless hour and a half Photoshopping out the strings then cloning back in the folds on the background for the roughly 20 full standing shots of this set…AAAACCCCKKKK. Note to Rebecca: When using complicated backdrop DO NOT USE STRINGS!!
4. The above mentioned reasons should explain why I then had to sit this lady down. Yes, I realize that she is getting dangerously close to performing a Sharon Stone Basic Instinct but it was either that or learn to embrace Photoshop as a way of life.
Okay, enough of me whining about my inability to think ahead LOL…on to the photos.
And…just because this was a rocker wedding and I don’t think Erin would have attended alone.
**A Note to all you pinners out there on Pinterest. If you are pinning photos from a slideshow embedded in someone’s blog….PLEASE DON’T! I am suspending showing all the shots of a set via slideshow because people are pinning photos from the slideshow and it will send people to my skydrive instead of the blog when they click on the photo. I really, really don’t want people surfing around my skydrive so until I can figure out a way to prevent people from pinning off of the slideshows/skydrive….no more slideshows. Other than that…Pin to your hearts content. I love that you enjoy the photos enough to pin and share them. 
**
In Honor Of…
Today is Memorial Day in the United States.
“Memorial Day is a federal holiday observed annually in the United States on the last Monday of May. Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.] Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War. (Southern ladies’ organizations and southern schoolchildren had decorated Confederate graves in Richmond and other cities during the Civil War, but each region had its own date. Most dates were in May.) By the 20th century Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died in all wars. As a marker it typically marks the start of the summer vacation season, while Labor Day marks its end.” –Wikipedia
Peace to each manly soul that sleepeth;
Rest to each faithful eye that weepeth…
~Thomas Moore
How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes! ~Maya Angelou
Romain and Lilith…The Rock Wedding
After the stress of Romain’s coiffure, I was ready to have some fun so I went all soft and dreamy with the set. I was thinking it would be fun to have all this softness in the background and all the edginess in the dolls out front. I have had a number of friends comment that they were surprised I ordered this set…they are not what I typically collect. I was surprised myself how much these dolls appealed to me. I have to say my camera and I are IN LOVE with this trio of dolls. I adore the versatility of Lilith’s gift set. She has so many different looks and I can’t wait to start redressing. Romain aka lettuce boy , hair not withstanding, is just way cool. Love the square jaw and angles on this guy. From a photography standpoint, there are lots of angles to work with on his face…he will have a different look depending on how you light him and from what angle…lots of options. I would imagine that Romain and Lilith would not have the traditional wedding even though that is what the set and these photos would suggest.
And my favorite shot from the set
Erin’s turn is next…always the bridesmaid and never the bride…will have to see what we can do about that 
Rock Steady Romain
I keep looking at his name and hoping I am spelling it correctly. My husband has taken to calling him affectionately “lettuce boy”. He has a reason to gripe as I have been pulling my hair out trying to figure out how to style and photograph this guy and my husband has had to listen to it LOL. Let’s face the facts folks..he came out of the box with clumpy and uninspired hair. Certainly not what the promo’s promised but I prefer to look at it as a challenge…so like a dog with a bone…I set to work. I know I didn’t hit the mark of the look of the promo shots but I am happy with the doll and photos. I think he is handsome and love the face sculpt. Just wish I had a smidge more bang length and I am too much of a wimp to reroot.
If you want a little taste of what I was listening to during this photo shoot and post processing, check out the playlist on the right hand side of the blog .
Rocking Ever After Lilith
For those of you who ordered her, you are in for a treat. For those of you who passed on this one, you may want to rethink. This lady is drop dead gorgeous and came right out of the box ready to be photographed. While Romain needed significant hair care before being ready for his close-up, Lilith was picture perfect within minutes of deboxing.
LOVE HER!!!
Rock Fashion Wedding Dolls Are on the Way!
Just received my shipping notice. Hope to have photos to share in the next couple of days. Just to tide us over, I am sharing the slideshow I did again…
Lilith …The Muse.
Many collectors and photographers have favorite dolls or models that inspire them. I have a few “go to” girls that never seem to disappoint me. No matter what I dress them in or how I style them, I always come away with some keeper photos. My restyled Lilith is one of my muses. Here is one set I pulled from the archives to post on the blog. For those of you who follow my Flickr, you may have already seen these photos. I thought they were worth a relook.
Wishing all you Mom’s out there a wonderful Mother’s Day!
Models: The Great Pretender LIlith (with hair restyled) and Silkstone Ken
Gown : Monogram Magnetism
Jewelry: Monogram Magnetism and Mattel
Dark Swan Sings the Blues
I don’t know about you guys but when I work or process photos, music is a big part of it. I guess that is why I include a playlist on my blog. You can always find what I am listening to currently or what I feel works with the content I am sharing on the blog in that playlist. Today we have the incomparable Billy Holiday as a soundtrack for the photos. While I was not listening to Billy Holiday when I styled Ms. Elise, the second I added the white flower to her hair the thought “Lady sings the blues” came to mind and it stuck with me. That’s why I added the microphone and the story went from there. Hope you enjoy….
Model: Fashion Royalty Squared Dark Swan Elise Jolie
Gown,Earrings and Microphone: Stunning in the Spotlight Silkstone Barbie ( with flower removed )
White flower is another scrapbooking element
Using my Canon Macro lens……
Inside the Fashion Doll Studio 