Celebrating One of a Kind Barbies part 1
I remember when I was first starting out on this wonderful journey that is fashion doll collecting and I would hear people talking about OOAK’s. I would see the fabulous photos and see OOAK next to it and wonder “ Who is this OOAK and how do I buy”. I finally answered the clue phone and discovered that OOAK means One of a Kind. Duh Rebecca! As I am preparing to attend the annual National Barbie Doll Collectors Convention, I thought it would be fun to look back at some of the OOAK’s I have photographed over the last couple of years and give some love out to those gifted artists that create these amazing beauties. I will post a different artist and photos for the next four evenings then it will be time to post NBDCC photos!
The uber talented and amazing Matt Sutton
The Traditionalist by Vera Wang
I was able to get this beauty into the studio a few weeks ago. I have had her deboxed and waiting for a number of weeks and just needed the right time to photograph her. She has the sweetest face and the gown really needs to be seen in person to fully appreciate it. There are layers upon layers to this dress. You just can’t get that from the promotional photos.
Dressmaker Details introduces “Summer Magic” at NBDCC!
Steven Frasier will introduce an exclusive NBDCC outfit this year and it’s a beauty!! A teaser photo was released a couple of weeks ago and today he released the full photo. Oh my word!!! I just love this powder blue little beauty. I will be looking for his room as soon as he is open for business on Monday for room sales. Sooooo excited about this one.
“Summer Magic is a limited edition of 300 pieces. The boxed fashion features a strapless party dress of pleated tulle with beading and ribbon details. Also included are matching shoes and purse, golden floral jewelry and a faux fur capelet for chilly summer nights. Its the perfect outfit to wear to Ken doll’s 50th birthday party.”
I will be blogging from NBDCC in a week!!
Can’t wait to meet up with my Barbie buds and have a whole lot of fun celebrating Ken’s 50’s birthday. I will be updating my blog every day with photos and comments. I will also be uploading some photos directly from my phone to my to my flickr account for all the events so you can see the centerpieces and convention doll as soon as I can get the photo.
Its all about the hat…Part two
Things have been crazy, crazy busy for the past three weeks so no chance to update the blog until now. I was recently lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time and snag a beautiful pink silk suit and hat by Matisse. I just love everything she does. Whenever I receive on of her lovely creations, it’s like Christmas. She wraps everything so carefully and beautifully that I feel like I am receiving a special gift….and of course I am 
Outfit and jewelry: Matisse ( http://www.etsy.com/shop/brendavisaya)
Model: Restyled Silkstone Verushka
It’s all about the hat…..
I love hats. I love to photograph these diminutive fashion ladies in hats. If there is a cool hat with an outfit….I’m usually buying it. When the recent royal wedding festivities were on, I tuned in….to see the hats! In fact, it was the royal wedding that gave me some ideas. I had seen these scrapbooking fabric flowers in my local craft store recently and I thought “ Hmmmmm, I wonder if these would work as a hat?” They do! Or at least I think they do. You can find these online under “scrapbooking fabric embellishments” or “fabric flowers”.
Here is Ms. Poppy Parker to model my repurposed hat. I imagined her out on the terrace before a formal wedding.
Model: Restyled Pillow Talk Poppy Parker
White Suit: Fashion Royalty Monogram Incandescent
New Sneaks!
Mattel has finally released photos to verify the Grace Kelly Trousseau Silkstone giftset and the new Silkstone Francie is finally revealed.
It looks like the photos that showed up on a retail site earlier this year were accurate. The Grace Kelly trousseau giftset will have the floral gown she met Prince Rainier for the first time in and the navy coat, dress and white hat that she wore on her honeymoon. I am really excited for this set to be available. It appears that the Hermès Kelly bag that was originally going to be with it will NOT be included. That is a bit of a bummer but oh well. I could understand that Hermès is most likely not willing to let that be copied even if it was in 1/6 scale. It would have been perfect though.
This Grace Kelly Silkstone set should be available in October and will retail for around $160.00
Silkstone Francie is finally revealed
Okay….I admit….I have never been a big Francie fan. This lady, however, is CUTE! She will be coming home to my collection. LOVE the little dog with her.
She is scheduled to arrive in September and will retail for around $90.00
I have been busy photographing living dolls…….
I know it has been a little while since I have posted new material. I love photographing 1:6 scale ladies. I also love to photograph ballet and dance . My daughter and the rest of the students at her dance school have been working very, very hard for many months to put on their end of the school year recital. The performances were this past weekend and I was simply blown away by the talent and love of dance that I witnessed. I was lucky to be allowed to snap a few shots during dress rehearsal. Now that dance is over for the summer, I look forward to getting back to into the fashion doll studio.
Bogue’s Vogues Vendredi–Mellow Yellow
I am pulling from the archives here to satisfy a Bogue’s Vogues Vendredi. I have had these photos posted on my Flickr account for a while but have not posted them on my blog. I just love High Tea and Savories in this gown. I think the blue flowers really bring out the blue in her eyes much better than her original brown dress does. I love this design of James Bogue in particular and I have a number of versions in different colors.
Model: High Tea and Savories Silkstone Barbie
Dress: Bogue’s Vogues ( http://www.etsy.com/shop/boguesvogues )
Will be working on new photos soon….as soon as ballet recital season is done 
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Monaco Royale !
Integrity Toy’s Fashion Royalty W Club has announced their first official club doll for 2011 and she is divine. She appears to be a reinterpretation of the “Midnight in Monoco” doll from the 2003 IFDC. She is sporting the new Vanessa face sculpt and is available only to W Club members. LOVE the little martini in her hand! I do however want to say to her “Honey, be careful not to spill that on your gown….cranberry and peach just don’t mix well.” This lovely lady is definitely coming home to my collection. I can’t wait to get her in front of the camera. I already have the background scene in my head. 
Monaco Royale
Vanessa Perrin™ Dressed Doll
2011 Exclusive W Club Doll
Limited Edition: TBA
Estimated Arrival: Fall 2011
Suggested Retail: $135.00 US
Photos are property of Integrity Toys.
If anyone wants to peruse photos of current and past Fashion Royalty dolls, please visit Jason Wu’s Doll Reference List at http://woodsky.free.fr/LBX/listeFR.html It is an excellent source!
Pinch of Platinum?….How about a bucket of valium!
Photos are property of Mattel
I managed to get one in my cart and purchase her although…I don’t know how I feel about it. To be honest, after 30 minutes of the “Oooops, maintenance”screen each time I tried to add this BFC exclusive doll to my cart, I was ready to pack it in. I don’t even spend that much time trying to get good concert tickets. I almost walked away and felt good about it because I said “ If it is this difficult just to purchase a doll….soooooo not worth it.” I thought I would try one last time after walking away from my computer for ten minutes. I was literally out the door and just decided to try one last time. Wouldn’t you know it…it worked. But, as I said, I am not sure if I am happy about it now.
I understand that a heavy traffic incident can put a burden on servers. I get the tech part of this, believe me. I just don’t understand why this wasn’t anticipated and certain measures were not taken to ensure a smoother process. Maybe it is the former business analyst in me but it just floors me that they did not seem to be prepared for this. For a company of Mattel’s caliber to have a major sale event and not have the server capacity or at least a workaround in case of server failure absolutely stuns me….stuns me. I know I am not alone in my feelings. The rantings going on at many of the doll boards are a testament to that. I just wonder what Mattel really plans to do about it. This is not the first or even second server crash issue during a big sales event over at Mattel and yet….not much appears to be changing.
This may be my last platinum doll purchase through Mattel. I have a strong urge to vote with my feet on this one and simply not put up with the hassle any more.
A Starry Night at Inside The Fashion Doll Studio
I love Steven Frasier’s work. I have been an admirer of and happy customer for his Dressmaker Details fashions for many years. Not to mention the fact that he is just a really, really nice guy with an absolutely adorable family. It was a no brainer for me to enter the WClub Integrity lottery for the opportunity to purchase a new Dressmaker Details couture outfit. Thankfully, I won and am now a very happy owner of yet another stunning fashion designed by Steven. I have released some other photos using this same background but really, the background came about for this outfit. The name of the outfit is “ A Starry Night” and I wanted a scene that would reflect the name…so we have a nighttime garden patio with a fountain.
Model: Palm Beach Coral Silkstone
Outfit: A Starry Night by Dressmaker Details
Dressmaker Details fashions can be found at many fashion doll retailer sites or from Dressmaker Details directly. Here is their shop http://www.masterstrokecanada.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=MC&Category_Code=DRE
I typically purchase mine either from Masterstrokes directly or from the Pink Ponytail http://www.pinkponytail.com/
Bogue’s Vogues Vendredi! Poppy Parker
Poppy has not had a Bogue’s Vogues Vendredi yet so I thought she should have her day. Not to mention I just received this adorably frothy number from Boutique de Bogue last week and fell in LOVE. I was doing another photo shoot with this set for Dressmaker Details “ A Starry Night” ensemble and I just had to continue using it. I am also trying out a new way of posing my girls that allows for more flexibility in positioning. The jury is still out on this method though as it seems to take more time in post editing to make up for it so we will see how things work out. So….without further ado….here is Ms. Parker
Model: A Shadow of Her Smile Poppy Parker
Outfit: Bogue’s Vogues ( http://www.etsy.com/shop/boguesvogues)
The Doll Closet
The doll closet is always changing in the doll room. I am constantly on the lookout for new ways to store and organize doll clothing, props, furniture and all manner of items associated with this wonderful world of collecting. I have been working on a better way of storing doll clothing and I shared what I did a number of months ago. I continue to make improvements on the original idea so I thought I would share some updated pictures and show a little bit more of the Pandora’s Box that is the Doll Room Closet…..
Above is a picture of the gateway to Pandora’s Box 
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The latest in organizing clothing on the back of the doors of the closet. Shorter dresses and suits are above and longer gowns are below. I am now using paper cardstock dress forms to hang the clothing on as it helps keep the clothing neat and the cardstock form is more compact than the plastic variety so I am able to store more clothing on each rod.
The rounds of clothing are great because you can just pick up the whole round and take it out to look for what you want. They take up a great deal of space however. The drawers are full of various items like, purses, furs, gloves, glasses ect…
The other half of the doll room closet! Clothing is now spilling over into the other door. It serves as storage for all the various supplies I use in set and diorama building and is a great place to store furniture pieces I use in my doll photography.
I store most of my doll jewelry in little baggies suspended from these clip it up hooks so I can see everything that I have to choose from quickly. Sometimes I only have a short amount of time to do a photo shoot so I find having everything easily accessible makes it easier to do things and more likely that I will actually get the photo shoot done.
As I have said before, I love to see other people’s ‘behind the scenes’ photos so I hope these help give some ideas on how I store things and organize them.
Dark Swan Elise is Parisienne Pretty
There is just something about a redhead in blue. I had wanted to do this photo a couple of weeks ago in anticipation of the royal wedding. I felt for sure Ms. D.S. Elise could have been attending the wedding in this. The kicky little hat would have most certainly been appropriate.
Model: Fashion Royalty Squared Dark Swan Elise
Outfit: Parisienne Pretty Silkstone Barbie
Metropolitan and Discreet
I received the new Fashion Royalty Squared Metropolitan outfit last week. I also received La Boutique’s POTM for May. LOVE!
Model: Fashion Royalty Monogram Discreet
Outfit and shoes: Fashion Royalty Squared Metropolitan
Purse: La Boutique May 2011 POTM http://www.la-boutique.ca/
Sunglasses: Fashion Royalty Vanessa Perrin Cruise Control
Verushka Restyled!
I just could not get inspired by Verushka’s long hair so I decided to put it up and see what happened. I LOVE it!
Model: Silkstone BFMC Verushka
White Suit: Fashion Royalty Monogram Incandescent
Black hat: Bogue’s Vogues
Jewelry: Fashion Royalty Vibrant Dimension
Shoes: Fashion Royalty Going Public
Purse: Fashion Royalty Squared Metropolitan
Gloves: Silkstone BFMC Verushka
And because I LOOOOOOVE my Macro lens……
Extravagance visits the studio
Some musings about this set of photos and what I was thinking while doing it. There is something so rich and elegant about the Fashion Royalty Monogram line of dolls. Whenever my imagination comes up with an elegant set or background, I tend to go for the monograms to help finish the picture that is in my head. When I first received this black Bogue’s Vogues black silk dress, I immediately thought jewelry shopping. Don’t ask me why….just did. The hat, also a Bogue’s Vogues creation, was so wonderful it needed a strong face but not too strong because… let’s face it…it’s all about the hat. I felt I needed a blond model to set off the beautiful black dress and I wanted sunglasses because nothing says “I’m famous and fabulous!” better than a big pair of designer shades. With those things decided, I needed some amazing accessories to match but not too many. First I settled on this fabulous bracelet that came with the Mattel ‘s Anemone Barbie by Christian Louboutin . With that decided, the earrings could not compete with the bracelet so I decided on simple but bold diamond( okay rhinestone ) clusters With such a sleek and elegant dress, I figured I could go all out with the shoes. I wanted to use a fabulous silver pair of shoes that came in the Barbie Louboutin shoe pack. To my complete amazement, the shoes actually fit the Monogram foot so that’s what she is wearing. To complete the outfit, I added a La Boutique Dior purse of the month. Fantastic!
The set was simple because I wanted most of the focus to be on the model. The checkerboard floor was added for some interest but the rest was all tones on black. The mannequin and necklace were the only things I wanted to stand out amidst the background and now that I look back on the photos, I wish I had chosen a necklace with rubies instead of sapphires but, oh well.
Happy Mother’s Day!
I thought I would post a few of my favorite photos from the archives…..
Why I love Mother’s Day…….
How did two weeks slip by????
I had every intention of keeping content fresh on this blog…alas…life usually has a different idea. I will generally try my best to add new content every week but as a mother of a tween and a teenager, my time seems to be dictated by the social calendar of these two young adults. My day and sometimes night job it appears is chauffer and social/activity secretary.
I did, however, find some treasures in the last week via Craigslist and wanted to share. I love to collect Robert Best Barbie prints but I started late in the game. I had always wanted to find Delphine and In The Pink but wanted them at a reasonable price. I have seen them from time to time on ebay but they always sell way above what I considered “reasonable” . I just happened to be checking Craigslist the other day and noticed someone was selling these prints. It was my first Craigslist experience and I came out with some very lovely framed prints for a very good price.
I am working on some photos today so hopefully will have new content soon…unless my day job turns crazy again 
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Renegade Dasha is in the House!
I did not win the right to purchase this lovely lady in the lottery but thanks to a fellow collector and a fabulous trade, Renegade Dasha is in the house! I really love the styling of this particular FR Squared Dasha. She is very sophisticated and sleek. Yes, the half bun half ponytail hairstyle is a bit of a mystery but it is fairly easy to work around. I really like the blond hair, pale skin and red, red lips. She seemed to me like she needed a sleek and sophisticated backdrop so I imagined her at a swanky wine bar with a lovely merlot. We live in wine country so I will use wine many times for my props.
Bogue’s Vogues Vendredi–Let’s Polka
I adore polka dots. There is just something about the pattern that makes me smile. Can you really be in a bad mood wearing polka dots? Here is another scrumptious design by James Bogue just in time for Easter.
Model: Lady of the Manor Silkstone Barbie
Dress, Coat, Hat and envelope purse: Bogue’s Vogues http://www.etsy.com/shop/boguesvogues
Shoes and gloves: Mattel
The Gang’s All Here
The Russian Silkstone gang that is. Well…not all of them. Darya will be here sometime in late summer but I just couldn’t wait to do a group shot. I received Verushka today and I was so enthused I just had to get the gang into the studio. First of all, let me just say it took a little while to warm up to Verushka. That hat! I guess I am just not the floppy sides down Elmer Fudd hat kind of girl. I was going to just take the thing off except I had heard stories that she is sparsely rooted under the hat. I decided to just tie the floppy sides up ( like any good hunting hat and much more like the Elmer Fudd we know and love) and I have to say I like it WAY better. I love the platinum blond with the black on this lady. Very dramatic and that is just what I was looking for with this line.
After seeing many amazing photos that people have taken of Ekaterina with her hat off, I decided to remove her hat and reposition it. LOVE it now. I had thought I might replace the hat with a fur Dimitha hat but for now…she will keep her original hat. Finally, I am so excited to be using these amazing Russian stacking dolls I found at a doll show recently. I was encouraged to purchase this particular set by a dear Barbie friend ( cough, cough Silkyfever, cough, cough) and I am so glad I listened to her.
Nicolai is adorable!
And last but not least….little Mila.
Behind the Scenes on the Agnes Photo Shoot
I always love it when fellow collectors and photographers share some of their behind the scenes photos. I always find it extremely helpful to see what other people do as far as styling and photographing their collection. I thought I would do the same and share what my set up looks like when I do a fashion doll shoot. Keep in mind that I live in the Pacific Northwest which means there is little to no light from November through July 
. That may help explain what most would consider ‘overkill’ when it comes to lighting.
Inside the Fashion Doll Studio 