The Sales Room
This will be my last Paris Fashion Doll Festival report as I finish up my stint of co-blogging with Dutch Barbie World. As I finish up this blog post, Rogier is making his way back home with a lot of goodies he picked up at the festival. I am sure he will give us his overall impressions when he has a chance to unpack and unwind. I hope you all have enjoyed these R&R ( Rogier and Rebecca…perhaps a new blog down the road LOL!) reports.
There was a final Sybarite offering from Superdoll Saturday and those intrepid enough to get up super early and stand in line, were able to get her. She had an edition size of 30. Very limited indeed. Her name is Meringue.
The last event of this Paris festival was the sales room and by the look of Rogier’s photos, there was much to look at and choose from. Many OOAK artists came to show off their talents. There were two offerings from the popular 16 inch doll line Numina
And a large group of beautiful OOAKs from Artist Creations
Créations Cotho by Corinne Thorner
And much much more…
You can find more photos on Rogier’s Flickr page. That wraps it up for me. Thank you Rogier, for taking us along on this fantastic journey!! It has been an honor and a pleasure to guest/co-blog with you! Safe travel home my friend.
–Rebecca
Presentation Luncheon
Miss Classic Black Dress joined Rogier for the luncheon in Paris today.
The schedule today at the Paris Fashion Doll Festival started with the silent auction. It would appear that the big ticket item was a prototype of Water Sprite Barbie® Doll from Mattel
Upon entering the dining room, a few gifts were set on the table.
The Barbie Collector catalog had some interesting pages with new promo shots!
They say “coming soon” and “discover other partnerships in spring of 2016”…hope they mean that! Would love to get my hands on these silkies this Spring.
After lunch it was time for a fashion show and doll presentation. Had to share this one from the show…. Cinderella and her prince! How adorable is that?!!
Lot’s of creative people showing their talents in Paris for this luncheon. But wait….who is that lady on the left…with the white collar??
But wait….who is that lady on the left…with the white collar??
The convention doll was introduced in a fun and new way this year! She walked out in the fashion show. Too fun!
It’s the flaming redhead for Paris. J’adore!!!! I know a number of us collectors were hoping that this hair color was going to be produced after seeing the photo earlier this year in a Wall Street Journal article
A nice touch they have added this year to the convention dolls are boxes that specify these are platinum dolls.
That wraps it up from the Paris Fashion Doll Festival today. Tomorrow it concludes with the salesroom. I am sure Rogier will have photos and stories for us on this tomorrow. 
–Rebecca
Day at the Museum
Some of you already know this but in case you don’t, I am guest blogging for the next couple of days for my good friend Rogier of Dutch Barbie World. He is currently attending the Paris Fashion Doll Festival and is sending photos on to me so I can report for him. He will return the favor for me while I attend NBDCC and Integrity Toys conventions. When you attend conventions like these it is simply too much most of the time to experience the event and then turn it around and blog about it within a timely manner. So…Rogier and I came up with a solution….one person experiences and reports while the other writes, edits and publishes. Win, win.
**NOTE!! Republishing these photos without consent is prohibited!! They are property of Dutch Barbie World. If you want to post these photos, you need to post the link to either Rogier’s blog or mine. It’s that simple.**
Day 1: The Barbie Exhibit at Musée des Arts décoratifs
This is a much anticipated exhibit going on currently at Les Arts Décoratifs. Rogier was able to go today and snuck some photos for all of us. We are posting only a few of the images from this exhibit as photography was “frowned upon”. According to Rogier, the exhibit was beautifully done and very thoughtfully curated. It is not a huge collection of Barbie but is of very high quality. It was a “good for all ages” exhibit that “Brings across the magic of Barbie”. If you have a chance to see it…a must for any Barbie lover.
For most of the Silkstone collectors, the pièce de résistance of this exhibit were the elaborate BFMC sets designed and built by Lars Auvinen that Mattel loaned to the museum for this exhibit. Unbelievable!!
Information from the Sybarite party will be coming up later this evening. 
Cinematic!!
Am leaving in about 5 minutes for Integrity Toys convention. Will post pictures up to Flickr when I can and hopefully will blog…depends on whether or not WordPress has fixed it’s IPad issues.
—Rebecca
Hello Friends
It feels like a year has gone by but I know in reality it has only been a little over 4 months. A lot can happen in a short amount of time. Life is so funny that way sometimes. When last I left you lovely readers, I was attending the National Barbie Convention in Nashville. It was a trip filled with wonderful friends( old and new) and good memories not to mention fabulous Barbie purchases and gifts. I was on such a high. That high ended abruptly Sunday morning after convention.
We all have friends in our lives. Some of us are blessed to have close friends. A small number of us are truly blessed to have what I like to call a “sister friend”. I was not blessed with close familial sister bonds so these “sister friend’s” in my life have become my family. On the last evening of convention, during the final banquet actually, I received a call from my friend Carole. She is and always will be my sister by another mother. She had been admitted to the hospital with what she thought were complications from pneumonia. By Sunday morning, the doctors were using words like, “mass” and “abnormal” and “Lymphoma”.
Carole was diagnosed with an unusual T-cell non Hodgkin’s lymphoma the week after convention and an aggressive regime of chemotherapy was recommended. She would have to quit her job for the next 8 months to undergo treatment and she was going to need help. When your family needs help, you help. The past four months have a been a journey of discovery. It has been a process of three steps forward then two steps back. New words have entered my every day vocabulary “ Neutropenic”, “Chemo protectant”, “Nadir” and “Petechiae” . It was a lot to take in and deal with so I needed to give it a large chunk of my time and effort. The blog took a back seat and I thank everyone for understanding that.
After four months of treatment, I am happy to announce that Carole is doing well in treatment. She is responding beautifully to the chemotherapy regime. I am in awe every single day by her grace, strength and resilience in the face of so much. Her faith sustains her. It always has and it is so inspiring to see and feel that. I feel privileged to be part of a team of family and friends who have and continue to care for her in this journey. The journey will continue on for the next couple of months and beyond. It will continue to require my time and energy. I am hopeful though that I will be able to carve out some time to pick the blog back up.
You will see sporadic posts at first while I start to get back into the swing of things ( and Nutcracker season ends) and I hope to be back to posting on a somewhat more regular basis by January. A big “Thank You” to everyone who has commented, emailed, prayed and offered encouragement. It means more than you will ever know. Another big “Thank You” to everyone for being patient and for being the best blog readers in the world.
-Rebecca
Humbled and Grateful
I believe the title says it best for this one. In my last post I explained that I needed to take a short break to deal with some “curve balls” life had thrown my way. More like, wicked, MLB curve balls served right over the plate at about 90 mph. I wrote that blog post mainly to hang up my “Gone Fishing” sign and let readers know I would be gone for a bit. The comments, support, encouragement and honest human caring that came my way after that post has completely humbled me. You are all amazing and you have my gratitude. Your support has really helped me through these hard last couple of weeks. You have been a rainbow in my cloud .
-Rebecca
“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud” – Maya Angelou
A Snow Day in Paris
You know those annoying phrases you learn in the first year of a foreign language class in the US. They were the ones you first learned to say in the language you were learning. You said them over and over again until the were burrowed into your subconscious and you can still pull them out 20 to 30 years later. The first phrase I learned in French was ” Oh zut! il neige”. I never in a million years thought I would be able to use it but after our second day in Paris, I can say that I have actually used the phrase!
We did not let the snow infringe on our activities though…even though it meant very crowded metro rides, we braved the elements and enjoyed a day at the Musée d’Orsay.
We also managed to have the most fabulous lunch in the most exquisite place at the museum.
We had a Kir Royale to celebrate
It was a good day in Paris! 
Blogging From Paris….or not.
….it was good while it lasted. 😦 It was good while it lasted but alas…the software I am attempting to use to blog is not working out so after two mornings of incredibly frustrating attempts to blog then losing every thing I typed, I am bagging it. I will blog more when I return home. Sorry. I knew that this wordpress app for the IPad was buggy but it seemed to work the first couple of days. Then it didn’t. C’est la vie. You can follow along on my flickr for photos. I will be uploading the exclusive Paris Fashion Doll Festival doll there first so look for it Saturday afternoon Paris time.
The Paris Adventure Continues…
…so what do a couple of crazy gals do their first full day in a new city?? Get lost.
Then they find their way. No worries. We were only lost for a few moments but it makes for a great intro so I took poetic license. We journeyed out to the Cluny Museum which houses medieval tapestries and assorted religious artifacts. It is a particular favorite of mine and Hilda’s ( hello! art professor). Next we went to the Paris Haute Couture fashion exhibit at the Hotel de Ville. Two words..MIND BLOWING! No pictures allowed so sorry folks, no photos.
We ended the day with a stroll down the famous Champs des Lysees with a stop at Mecca for Hilda…LADUREE.
Here are a few snaps from the day. If you want to see more photos, just click on the flickr link to the right of this post. I usually post the best photos of the day there first.
A demain….until tomorrow 🙂
Blogging from Paris!
Let me start out by saying…our hotel rocks!!! The Wifi is so good I even skyped with my husband last night. After a day of travel, we weary three travelers were happy to get to our hotel and stretch our legs a bit. We enjoyed walking around the Louvre
Took a much needed nap then it was off to dinner in a small bistro with the most amazing food and ambience. Took some snaps on our way back to the hotel
NBDCC 2012….The journey continues
I feel like my blog post titles are starting to look like movie titles LOL! I guess that is completely appropriate given we are in the hometown of the movie making business. I spent most of the day at Disneyland yesterday as a few of my flickr photos can attest to but managed to hit a few room sales in the evening and of course snapped a few photos. First and foremost, Steven Frasier, opened his room to sales and he showed off the convention exclusive fashion. It is called Petal Perfect and boy is it ever.
Another must see for me was Debra of MashauDe’ (room #579 for those at convention). She had the most amazing pink dress on her advertisement and I saw a must see purse lurking in that advertisement as well
And you know these had to come home with me…. Love ya Debra!!!!
Sandi Holder(room# 675 for those at convention) of The Doll Attic ( www.dollattic.com) opened her room and boy did she have some Silkstone holy grails to sell. They were gone in a matter of minutes but I managed to snag some photos. A lovely Barbie friend was able to purchase the platinum Trace of Lace and she let me take some photos. This doll could not have gone to a nicer collector so it was a pleasure to see.
More for the vintage collectors too…
Now….I can neither confirm nor deny that the red headed platinum edition Joyeux may be headed to Inside The Fashion Doll Studio. I guess you will have to stay tuned to find out 
One other room I had to visit was Rack10 ( room # 558 for those at convention). They have had these Barbie print sheaths for the last couple of conventions and I had been meaning to get one for the last two. Finally made it a reality. I know many are interested in information on these dresses. Here is the contact email rack10@comcast.net. Tell them Inside The Fashion Doll Studio sent you .
More room sales photos tonight. Convention room shopping is definitely in full swing starting today. Most sellers who wish to sell have arrived and are open for business today. Matt Sutton’s OOAK unveiling will be later today and I will be there for the festivities and perhaps a purchase too. I will post later tonight with an update. Check my flickr for the most up to date photos.
We have a new look!!
You may have noticed over the past week that we have a new look at Inside The Fashion Doll Studio. One of the best things about this world of doll collecting are the people that you meet through this hobby. It has been my extreme pleasure to meet and talk with some immensely talented individuals. My friend Matty is one of them. We struck up a friendship through our mutual love of doll collecting and photography. Matty has a particular talent for graphic design and he graciously agreed to design a new header logo for my little blog. I LOVE it!
Matty has a blog called Fashion Doll Foto where he shares some very useful tips on photographing your dolls as well as showcasing some fabulous photos of his collection. You can find it here http://www.fashiondollfoto.com/ . It’s also on my blog roll on this page.
Thank you, Thank you Matty for being so generous with your talent! “Mwuah!”
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.
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 Elise dons a day suit
Now try to say the title of this post five times quickly {snort}. I almost made the title “To my props…How do I love thee, let me count the ways.” I seem to be using these busts quite a bit but oh well. People often ask me about the lighting I use in my photos and I thought it would be fun to show these photos because the shots that came out the best ( In my opinion, and that of my partner in crime and in house tech support…the husband) are actually the ones that used the least light. They used the least number of photography lights but were placed in such a way as to add drama and texture to the shot. I am forever changing lights around as I shoot something because I want to see what else I can get to come out on film. I love how the low lighting shows off the angles on the face of this Elise. I will also admit to adding some vignetting on the full length shot.
Model: FR2 Dark Swan Elise
Suit and Purse: Fashion Royalty Foreign Affair
Shoes: FR2 shoe pack from 2011 FR convention
Hat: I could tell you but you wouldn’t believe me
Okay so hat is really a scrapbook embellishment. 
Silkstone Holy Grails–Addendum
A friend has just reminded me (Thank you Jim!!) of a limited “holy grail” Silky that I forgot to mention in my previous post. She is the Raven Debut Silkstone given to attendees of The Paris Fashion Doll Festival in 2009. So… there actually was another Silkstone given at a convention .
Barbie Debut Brunette ( although she is more commonly referred to as the raven haired debut.)
Edition size: 354 ( source: http://www.dollexpo.fr/dollexpo/archivesfestivals.htm)
Isn’t she lovely! Lucky convention attendees too…they were in Paris AND have this lovely keepsake from the event.
Integrity Toys 2012 Reveal…AMAZING!!!
The word in the headline says it all….AMAZING!! One of the many reasons I enjoy being part of Integrity Toys WClub is the opportunity to join their webinar each year to see a presentation of what is to come for the entire year. They do not have a booth at toy fair. Instead they do a presentation for their dealers and collectors via the internet and I absolutely love that. Integrity have done this webinar for the past two years and I think it is a brilliant move. You don’t have to spend time and money to travel anywhere thus saving that money to instead buy product….smart business. You can sit in the privacy of your own home, in your PJ’s if you want, and see all the wonderful products lined up for the year and hear about the inspiration that went into them from the designers. You have to be a WClub member to attend . I know…I know…you don’t want to hear about it…you want to see it. 
If you want to see a jazzy version of the Fashion Royalty 2012 collection, I did a slideshow of all the photos set to music. Here it is
If you want to see a jazzy version of the Poppy Parker 2012 collection, click below
*** All Photos are property of Integrity Toys***
Fashion Royalty®: The Style Directive Collection
Item #91296
Always On Her Mind
Dania Zarr™ Dressed Doll
Suggested Retail Price: $110.00 US
Limited Edition Size: 450 Dolls Worldwide
Estimated Delivery date: Early July 2012
Item #91297
Trust Your Instincts
Jordan™ Dressed Doll
Suggested Retail Price: $110.00 US
Limited Edition Size: 300 Dolls Worldwide
Estimated Delivery date: Early July 2012
Item #91298
Your Kind Of Model
Kesenia™ Dressed Doll
Suggested Retail Price: $110.00 US
Limited Edition Size: 400 Dolls Worldwide
Estimated Delivery date: Early July 2012
Item #91299
World On A String
Eugenia Perrin Frost™ Dressed Doll
Suggested Retail Price: $110.00 US
Limited Edition Size: 500 Dolls Worldwide
Estimated Delivery date: Mid August 2012
Item #91300
Main Attitude
Adèle Makéda® Dressed Doll
Suggested Retail Price: $110.00 US
Limited Edition Size: 400 Dolls Worldwide
Estimated Delivery date: Mid August 2012
Item #91301
The Sweet Smell Of Success
Véronique Perrin® Dressed Doll
Suggested Retail Price: $110.00 US
Limited Edition Size: 500 Dolls Worldwide
Estimated Delivery date: Early August 2012
Item #91303
…And Another Thing!
Kyori Sato™ Gift Set
Suggested Retail Price: $150.00 US
Limited Edition Size: 400 Gift Sets Worldwide
Estimated Delivery date: Early August 2012
Nu.Face
Item #82043
Lead Singles
Lillith and Eden™ Two Doll Gift Set
Suggested Retail Price: $199.00 US
Limited Edition Size: 450 Gift Sets Worldwide
Estimated Delivery date: Early July 2012
Item #82044
Live, Work, Play!
Giselle Diefendorf™ Mini Gift Set
Suggested Retail Price: $125.00 US
Limited Edition Size: 600 Mini Gift Sets Worldwide
Estimated Delivery date: Early August 2012
Item #82046
Pop of Color
Annik™ Mini Gift Set
Suggested Retail Price: $125.00 US
Limited Edition Size: 300 Mini Gift Sets Worldwide
Estimated Delivery date: Mid August 2012
FR. Homme
Item #91294
Strings Attached
Perry Marino™ Dressed Fashion Figure
FR:Homme™ Collection
Suggested Retail Price: $110.00 US
Limited Edition Size: 400 Dolls Worldwide
Estimated Delivery Date: Early August 2012
Fashion Royalty Squared
Item #57016
Nouveau Régime
Tatyana Alexandrova™ Dressed Doll
FR: Squared™ Collection
Suggested Retail Price: $175.00 US
Limited Edition Size: 400 Dolls Worldwide
Estimated Delivery date: Mid June 2012
Item #57017
Opium
Ayumi N.™ Dressed Doll
FR: Squared™ Collection
Suggested Retail Price: $175.00 US
Limited Edition Size: 400 Dolls Worldwide
Estimated Delivery date: Mid July 2012
Item#57018
Strict Elegance LuchiaZ.™Dressed Doll
FR: Squared™ Collection
Suggested Retail Price:$175.00US
Limited Edition Size: 400 Dolls Worldwide
Estimated Delivery date: Mid July 2012
Poppy Parker
Item #PP036
Sunshine Games
Poppy Parker™ Dressed Doll
Suggested Retail Price: $79.00 US
Limited Edition Size: 500 Dolls Worldwide
Estimated Delivery date: Mid July 2012
Item #PP037
She’s Not There
Poppy Parker™ Dressed Doll
Suggested Retail Price: $99.00 US
Limited Edition Size: 600 Dolls Worldwide
Estimated Delivery date: Mid June 2012
Item #PP038
Day Tripper
Poppy Parker™ Dressed Doll
Suggested Retail Price: $99.00 US
Limited Edition Size: 500 Dolls Worldwide
Estimated Delivery date: Mid July 2012
Item #PP039
The Happening
Poppy Parker™ Dressed Doll
Suggested Retail Price: $89.00 US
Limited Edition Size: 600 Dolls Worldwide
Estimated Delivery date: Mid July 2012
Item #PP040
Colour My World
Darla Daley™ Dressed Doll
Suggested Retail Price: $99.00 US
Limited Edition Size: 400 Dolls Worldwide
Estimated Delivery date: Mid June 2012
Item #PP041
Bus Stop Darla Daley™ Dressed Doll
Suggested Retail Price: $89.00 US
Limited Edition Size: 400 Dolls Worldwide
Estimated Delivery date: Mid July 2012
Item #PP042
My Generation Chip Farnsworth III™ Dressed Doll
Suggested Retail Price: $99.00 US
Limited Edition Size: 450 Dolls Worldwide
Estimated Delivery date: Mid July 2012
WClub Exclusive Event Doll
Item #91302
Truly Madly Deeply
Baroness Agnes Von Weiss™ Mini Gift Set
2012 Online Unveiling Event Exclusive
Limited Edition: TBA
Estimated Arrival: Early Summer 2012
Suggested Retail: $150.00 US
Dynamite Girls will be in a post later in the day….Man are my fingers tired!!!! What did I order you ask? Too much! This collection literally knocked my socks off. If you are interested in purchasing any of this collection, contact your Integrity Toys dealer. Sooner would be better on later on this collection….some items ( cough* Kyori* cough) will go fast. To find and Integrity Toys dealer…go to www.integritytoys.com
The Upper Echelon of Integrity Toy’s Monograms
** photo property of Integrity Toys, Inc. **
I have to admit….the original outfit on this one just didn’t do it for me personally. I know what a bubble skirt looks like on me ( NOT PRETTY!) and I just could not get past it on this doll. I love the black top, shoes and bag…the rest…. well…time to repurpose. On to the positives…. Love the face of soft color and the hair was a different style. I typically like most variations on an updo so the little curl this girl has in the back was just too adorable. Yes, the hair bump has been overused ,in my opinion, at Integrity this year but on this doll, I like it. Since the outfit wasn’t doing it for me, I had to find an appropriate replacement and inspiration struck while I was perusing the latest edition of Vogue. There is a wonderful spread highlighting the Ritz in Paris. I would absolutely die to have a backdrop of some of these rooms for my dolls. It’s the ultimate in style, I mean come on…Coco Chanel lived there! I saw one photo in this spread and it inspired me to do this shoot. Hope you like it.
< Let them eat Cake… >
Model: Fashion Royalty Monogram “ Echelon”
Coat, skirt and gloves: F.R. Power Play
Shoes: F.R. Monogram
Fur: Dimitha
Fascinator Hat: made by me
Here She Is! Mattel Releases Photos of New Silkstone Barbie
Mattel has finally released promotional photos for the final Silkstone offering of 2012. She is indeed the yellow gowned lady whose sketch was floated around the doll boards about a month ago. She doesn’t have a name or price yet….hold on to your pocketbooks folks….I suspect she will be pricey. They are saying she will be available in the fall of 2012. This one is a complete no brainer for me. A redhead in yellow?! I die. Fall can’t get here soon enough!
**edit** Just heard from my dealer that her name is “Gala Gown” and price is $150.00. To preorder, feel free to visit Windy City Dolls http://www.windycitydolls.com/bfmcgalagown.htm
**note** photo is property of Mattel Inc.
If you are a Barbie Fan Club Member, you can see more photos under their “sneak peak” folder in the forums.
For the Vintage Barbie Collector…Let’s Play Barbie
I am not a vintage Barbie collector but I certainly admire those who are. You will not meet a more Barbie knowledgeable group than vintage Barbie collectors. Mattel announced at Barbiecon that they would be releasing a Barbie reproduction set that would give you a choice of three different hair colors of a vintage reproduction Barbie and you would get 4 vintage reproduction outfits with it. This set was a huge crowd favorite at the Mattel preview at convention and now it is finally available to order. This set was designed by the very talented and fellow collector..Mattel’s Bill Greening. The set retails for….ready for it….$175.00. I guess you have to look at the fact you are getting 4 outfits and the doll in vintage reproduced packaging. This price may put it out of many collectors price range but it sure does look like a fabulous set and a must have for any vintage reproduction collector. I am considering this set.
**Photos are property of Mattel, Inc. ***
Spring Summer
Fall Winter
If you are a collector of or just a lover of vintage Barbie….it’s time to play. For more information on this product and how to order please visit Barbiecollector.com at http://www.barbiecollector.com/shop/doll/lets-play-barbie-doll-w3505
Note about today’s post
For some reason….my blog writer program is changing the color profile on all the smaller size photos on todays blog. Can’t for the life of me figure that one out. I will be posting the photos on Flickr as well so feel free to check there for the “better” photos. Weird….if I post the full size original not problem….if I post a smaller version, they turn out all muddy. Guess who will be debugging tonight 
Showgirl Enjoys the Holidays
I warned you that more photos would come with Christmas trees. I love these little bottle brush Christmas trees and the colors of this particular one fit in so well with the wall panel.
Model: The Showgirl Silkstone ( glitter removed from eyelids )
Dress: Bellissima Couture ( http://bellissimacouturefashions.wordpress.com/)
Shoes: Mattel
Console: Ebay find
Chair: Pullip Petite Luxury that has been repainted in gold
Cup/Saucer: Rement
Tiffany package: gift from a friend 
I was just pointed to another cool photo effects site called befunky ( www.befunky.com)
A big “Thank You!” to Mod-Girl on Flickr for sharing this site.
It allowed me to make this really cool charcoal drawing
And this stencil drawing…..
Holiday Inspiration
It’s that time of year again and I don’t know about you guys but sometimes I have a hard time getting inspired and enthused to decorate for the holidays. This year was no exception so I knew It was time to hit my inspiration spot and ramp up on the excitement for the holidays. I thought I would share a few photos of one of my favorite places on earth and a place of magic for me during the holidays. It’s called Molbak’s and I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed going there and taking them.
Fashion Royalty Convention 2011–Day Three
The third and last day of convention started with great anticipation. Who would the convention doll be???? We had received pieces at each meal to complete a giftset on the last night of the convention. I was under the assumption that that was the convention doll but oh noooooo. The giftset, I was told the night before, was in ADDITION to a separate convention doll. I was in shock. Therefore, I awoke with great anticipation of not one but two fantastic dolls at the evening event.
My schedule was as follows:
Wake up and consume massive amounts of coffee to get me going.
Morning – hit the competition and raffle rooms to take photos and visit the museum for photos.
Lunch – WClub FR2 luncheon
Afternoon – Workshop/seminar on how Integrity toy dolls are made.
Evening – Gala diner
I started out in the competition room where some serious diorama artists showed off their amazing work.
This one was my favorite and done by the amazing Audrey of Diva Details. It was a complete and unexpected gift to get to meet and spend some time with her at this convention. One of the many highlights of my convention experience!
Next up was a trip to the museum and what an experience that was. Since I am not the best with words, I will just let the pictures tell the story. This museum showcased some rare prototype items from Alain Tremblay’s ( Market Director for Integrity Toys) personal collection.
Here was one item in the the museum that I would just die to see produced….I don’t care how much it would cost ( well I do care but I would pay big bucks LOL!).
LUGGAGE!! I mean there is a steamer trunk!!!!
And a portable bar!!!! Oh please could they produce these….contact Alain Tremblay at Integrity Toys if you want to see these produced. If enough of us beg him, he may relent and get them produced heeeehee.
Okay enough of me and my luggage fetish…on to the rest of the museum.
The new Breakfast at Tiffany’s line was there as well as the new Monograms coming out for the holiday’s. Also, the new Poppy Parker and Darla prototypes that have not been released were there and they were really cute. I think they look better in real life than in their promo shots.
After the museum, it was time for the luncheon. This was an event where we did not have assigned seating so it was find a friend and sit down. Once you found a table you were greeted with this fantastic centerpiece doll. A lovely FR2 Tatyana “Exceptional” Three people from each table were selected at random to win a chance to buy her. Thanks to the lovely and gracious Judy at our table, I was able to purchase her…yipeeee!
Each place setting was set with this.
The box was a set of mini acrylic ghost chairs. How adorable! The envelope was a surprise……oh what could it be?!
** Photo is a snapshot of photo that is property of Integrity Toys Inc. **
Surprise!! Many people were upset by the recent change in the Vanessa face mold so Integrity Toys made an old sculpt Vanessa doll on a FR2 body available for purchase by all WClub Convention attendees. How exciting!! Did I buy her you ask? Well Duh!
Well…once I retrieved my “smoking” credit card back from Integrity Toys, I awaited the start of a workshop/seminar on how Integrity Dolls are made. They did not allow any photos or videos of this workshop. It was very informative and I enjoyed learning about the different processes and components that go into manufacturing each and every doll. Given the number of steps they go through and how many of those steps have to be redone because something is not right, I am amazed that they are able to produce the number of dolls that they do. From time to time there can be errors in production such as the trouble with Malicious’ necklace. It was a production error for which they take full and complete responsibility. After this seminar, and understanding a bit more about the process, I am shocked that there have not been many more production issues. It really is a fairly complex and many times a frustrating process. At the end of the seminar, we learned that we had been seeing photos of a doll being produced and it was available for purchase by anyone who attended the workshop. Yep…got in the line for that one too heehee. I think she is gorgeous!
At last, it was time to get ready for the Gala Diner and see the unveiling of the giftset doll AND find out who the convention doll is. I had some fun with some dear convention friends old and new before the ballroom opened up.
We entered the ball room and were immediately struck by the centerpiece dolls. Oh my word!! I instantly fell in love. I mean it was PINK! Ladies and Gentleman, may I present Beyond the Still Monogram.
A huge and heartfelt “Thank You!!” to Bittersweet who was sitting at my table. She graciously allowed me to purchase this lovely lady. This is one of my favorites from the convention. Just love her!
At each of our place settings there was the giftset doll “Point of Departure”Eugenia! ( ** pardon the blurry photos….it’s the best I could do with a cell phone camera…but hey…I could upload it directly to flickr that way 
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** Photo is a snapshot of photo that is property of Integrity Toys Inc. **
After a lovely dinner, Jason Wu took the stage with his Integrity team and announced as they were celebrating their 10 year anniversary, it was only fitting that the convention doll should be the lady that started it all off for them…….Veronique. Fashion Royalty 2011 Convention doll “ Air Apparent” Veronique
** Photo is a snapshot of photo that is property of Integrity Toys Inc. **
Now…..how on earth do I get all this stuff home???!!!! To be continued…..
Inside the Fashion Doll Studio 