NBDCC 2011–The Competition Room
There is so much to do at the National Barbie Doll Collectors Convention. We had 6 main events over 4 days that people attend plus a multitude of workshops and “talks”. One of the most popular “extra” events is the Competition Room. Every year the convention has a theme and that theme typically drives the competition ideas. This year the theme were Ken and Spring Break 1961. Here are a few examples of what you could see in the competition room.
The Dioramas…………………………
The detail these competitors go into is absolutely amazing!
The Dolls…………
To all the people who participated in competition this year, You are simply amazing! There was so much talent in that competition room it was ridiculous. Let’s also not forget that to put this competition room together and keep it properly supervised during viewing, you need many volunteers. A big thank you to the many, many volunteers who gave up some of their precious convention shopping and visiting time to volunteer. 
NBDCC 2011–Beach Party and Silent Auction
The first scheduled social event of the official convention was a beach party. As we waited to enter the ballroom during cocktail hour, we were given Ken hand tags . A big “Thank You” to Pam for being my tag model!
There was such an atmosphere of joy and anticipation. It was so much fun to renew Barbie friendships and have the opportunity to make new Barbie friends.
The fabulous Barb and Rocky
Cheryl, Matt, Jenny,Ann and Cheryl
The nicest sisters you could ever meet, Joan and Pinky(Denise)
…and the silent auction too. I was too busy visiting to take photos of all of the silent auction entries but here are a few that I did get. There were some really phenomenal entries this year!
NBDCC 2011–The Fashion Show
I am jumping a bit ahead in the schedule because I was excited to share these photos. The Fashion Show at NBDCC is always a favorite. Crowds start to gather at least 30 minutes before the door opens for good seats. If you are a photographer, you want to scope out the best vantage sites early. While I wish I had sat in a spot that did not have the auction dolls in the foreground (they have never had the live auction held after the fashion show before so dolls were never there), I was generally happy with my vantage point for photos. I especially liked the fact that I could catch the wonderful expressions from the Mattel crowd in a number of my photos. They looked like they were really enjoying the show and I hope so as the show is really a way of showing them how much we love what they do.
Here are a few of my favorites from the show.
Stan – how adorable is he! And…Bill Greening is smiling in the bottom corner.
Loved her attitude!!
Adorable Citris Obsession
Steven Frasier’s daughter stole the show with her outfit. She was fantastic on the runway!
The Palm Beach entries were a huge crowd pleaser…….all strutted to the theme from Austin Powers. It was fabulous!
Congratulations to all the organizers of and participants in the fashion show. It was a wonderful event!
NBDCC 2011 Day Three–Artist Creations
Tuesday was definitely the day for OOAK unveilings. Magia2000, Ninimomo and Artist Creations all had their parties within hours of each other. It was a challenge to make it to all of them not to mention I was volunteering during some of the time too. Thank you all for your patience in waiting for updates and photos. I had such great plans of posting photos and blogging while at convention. You know what they say about best laid plans. Oh well…. perhaps I will be better organized next year.
The last party of the day was Artist Creations and they did not disappoint. I must say these was the most exquisite work I have ever seen them do.
The raffle doll for Artist Creations was gorgeous and sadly I did not win it…booohoo. But, it did go to a lovely Barbie friend and I am sooooo excited for her. 
NBDCC 2011 Day Three–Ninimomo
The second stop on my OOAK photo trip was the Ninimomo party. They had amazing displays of the most jaw dropping creations.
They did a trio of dolls for their live auction entry and they are simply stunning.
NBDCC Day Three–The Magia2000 party
For many collectors, the Magia2000 party is a must see. They are truly artists and it is a pure pleasure to photograph these beauties.
The crowd gathered and waited with great anticipation!
There was even a press release!
Then the doors opened and mad buying ensued
It was an amazing event!
NBDCC Day two continued…..
Barb ( Barbaddicted ), Jenny ( JennyM) and Cheryl(proopschick)
Magia2000 – Mario and Gianni with friends
The venue is just beautiful. Here are a few snaps of the Harbor Beach Marriott Resort and Spa
The buy a Matt Sutton then go get a cocktail club meeting
Last year a group of us who purchased Matt Sutton’s work started the “ Buy a Matt Sutton then go get a cocktail” club. We had our second annual meeting!
The club members all had fun doing show and tell with their new Matt purchases.
Oh, and I managed to walk away with some goodies too….
These beauties are “ Le Cirque” and “Black Diamond”
NBDCC Day Two
The official convention has not even begun yet but the room shopping is in full swing. We were given a bonus today in that there was an extra early registration announced and we could receive our registration packets between 5 and 7 PM this evening. The big event today, besides the amazing room shopping, was Matt Sutton’s and Matt Trujillo’s room opening for sales. The line started around 4:00 PM and by 5:00PM the hall was rowdy and ready to see the amazing works of art by Matt and Matt.
Waiting for Matt and Matt’s room to open
Sheree and Peter ( PeterVermont) waiting for Matt Sutton’s room to open
The line grew and grew throughout the 1 hour wait from 4pm – 5pm
Matt and Matt had the most amazing group of dolls for sale! Yes I walked away with a Matt Sutton and photos of her will be up soon.
NBDCC Day one
Hello everyone from the NBDCC in Ft Lauderdale, Florida. It is midnight and I have just finished my first round of room shopping. There are quite a few rooms open for shopping and many people arrived today. I met Sheree for dinner and we had fun shopping in Randall Craig’s room as well as Steven Frasier’s Dressmaker Details room. Here are a few photos to share. I will share more tomorrow but it is late and have to go to bed.
Sales board on one of the room floors
Dressmaker Details room
The adorable Steven Frasier of Dressmaker Details
Wonderful new Dressmaker Details fashions available at convention
Rob and Steven’s live auction collaboration
Randall Craig’s convention collection….I believe I left with a few items….LOL!
My dessert after dinner – a key lime dessert martini and the reason I need to go to bed! More to come tomorrow……
Celebrating One of a Kind Barbies–Part 4
The unparalleled Joshard
And last but certainly no least the wonderful and gifted Dan Lee
Celebrating One of a Kind Barbies–Part 3
The amazingly talented pair of Nick and Marie who are Ninimomo
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.”
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
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
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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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/
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……
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.
Inside the Fashion Doll Studio 