Tropicalia–Day 3.03
The Von Weiss Royal Gala. We were all excited to see what doll went with the dress we received at registration.
It was Vanessa! And another tweaked face mold one at that. This is a facemold that has its fair share of controversy. The beloved original face mold was retired (rather abruptly) and a new face mold was revealed. Many Vanessa collectors objected strongly and last year at convention an original Vanessa on FR2 body was offered for purchase at WClub luncheon. The convention giftset doll was supposed to invoke a more original face mold feel. You will have to ask an original Vanessa face mold aficionado if Integrity hit the mark. I think she is beautiful.
“High Point” Vanessa
The centerpiece dolls were stunning at the event.
“High Profile” Eugenia
We were all hopeful that everyone would get a chance to purchase them…but alas….no. 
I was not lucky enough to win the chance to buy but our lovely table hostess Hilda did get one and she is going to let me photograph her. You are the best Hilda!!
We had a fabulous dinner (the food was really quite good the entire convention)and then it was time for the convention doll reveal. Jason Wu took to the stage and showed us……
“Frame by Frame” Imogen
She came in a really cute circular travel case too.
Now this was a curious convention doll. First of all, she looks more like what one would expect as a gift set convention doll …notice the three compartments that would have been perfect for the three meal events we had. I would have expected the Vanessa doll to be the convention doll. Makes me wonder if this was the original plan. This was definitely grounds for some speculative discussion in the hours after the final dinner. I am not sure about Imogen yet. In the box, she is just not inspiring me. I have, however, seen some stellar photos of her deboxed by Shuga (http://www.flickr.com/photos/shuga-shug/8038060307/in/contacts/) and they are showing me her potential.
The last fun piece of information released last night was the destination of Integrity Toy’s 2013 convention.
We are going to L.A. people!!! They released the dates this morning..October 31st-November 2nd at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, California. More information will be available in Spring of 2013.
Tropicalia–Day 3.02
Went to a very informative and fun hair styling class by Matt Sutton. So often in life a class can be elevated by the people you get to take it with. I was lucky enough to take this class with some of my table mates Jenny and Deb. They took a good class up to a stellar class with their humor and willingness to have fun.
Lisa joined us for the last bit as well….
Now people…that is a fun group of ladies!!
In Matt’s class we learned how to tie the perfect bow. It’s not as easy as it seems! We also learned how to do the cutest hairstyle on our Poppy doll.
After Matt’s class, it was time to go to the WClub lunch. I think this was the best doll lunch I have ever been to….I will explain. We walked in and saw the most gorgeous centerpiece doll on the table.
Escapism Elise Jolie FR2
My first thought was….”who am I going to have to kill to get this centerpiece doll?”. I am not proud of that thought but I am being honest LOL! I absolutely loved her! They asked us to count off numbers so they could draw to find out who won the right to purchase her and I’m thinking “ Who am I going to have to kill if I don’t get picked”….yes I really need to see someone about this doll addiction of mine. Then…they tell us we can all purchase if we want to. YES!!! I don’t have to kill anyone!!!! So happy to be bringing this lady home.
Then..they brought Chris Stoekel up on the stage. He is the designer for Victoire. Hilda and I suddenly pay more attention to what is going on up on the stage. They show pictures of new Victoire.
Saint Tropez Victoire Roux
**Pictures are property of Integrity Toys**
As I pull out my cell phone to let me dealer know I WANT HER, they tell us we can all purchase one if we want. AHHHHHHH! We also received the most amazing box of FR2 shoes sets I have ever seen. They even came with their own little white shoe bags. Heaven!
BEST doll lunch EVER!!
Here is the accumulation for lunch alone.
More photos on my flickr. Final Gala dinner is in a few hours where the convention doll will be revealed. I have absolutely no idea who it will be. I was sure it was going to be Agnes but we already had her as a centerpiece doll. They just love to keep us guessing. There may be a convention gift set as well. Doll overload here I come!! 
Tropicalia–Day 3
By the time this posts, I will be well on my way into the day. The schedule today looks like this.
I am headed to a hair class with the fabulous Matt Sutton and then will be having lunch with the rest of the WClub members. That should be fun. Look for photos first on my flickr or wait for the afternoon report. 
There was an event yesterday that I did not sign up for but I wanted to share some photos. There was a tea party held for the 16 inch doll collectors yesterday and they received a fabulous shoe pack.
** pictures are property of Integrity Toys**
And an even more amazing centerpiece! I will not collect 16 inch dolls..I will not collect 16 inch dolls….I will not collect 16 inch dolls…..
16 inch Sheen Siren Elsa
I saw her in person folks and yep..she is even better in person than in these photos. I will not collect 16 inch dolls…..I will not collect 16 inch dolls…..
Tropicalia–Day 2.03
I hit my wall last night hence….no post. I simply had to sleep when I finally got back to the room so sorry for the delay on that. What I wanted to post photos about last night was the raffle and competition room. Here are the directions convention goers had for dioramas this year.
“Diorama Design Competition:
This year since Agnes is in control of her own land, show us some of the crazy buildings she has had built on Tropicalia! Do you want
to show us her palace? Or perhaps the extravagant beach house she built for her special guests? Maybe the huts that the villagers
who work for her live in or the crazy market place she would like tourists to shop at? The sky’s the limit; all we ask is that you keep it
“Tropical”! Only Integrity dolls allowed in the displays, but props from other companies are allowed if needed. We are not putting a size
limit to your diorama, so have fun!! Dioramas at past conventions have been some of the most interesting we have ever seen, let’s go
crazy this year!”
And here is what people came up with 
There was also a fashion design competition.
Doll Fashion Design Competition (Advanced Category):
This year the Fashion Royalty Characters have been invited to a giant extravaganza on Agnes Von Weiss’ brand new tropical island
for a giant fashion bash and exotic vacation. Agnes went all out to dazzle her guests, had a giant palace built and went all out on
everything down to the most minute details.
For the Advanced Fashion Challenge this year, create a custom FR or Integrity Toys dolls representing one of the guests at the party.
Remember, this is a really high-end couture affair! Everyone wants to impress Agnes so that they can get in a little on the success that
Von Weiss International has become and so everyone is trying their hardest to impress! For this category, any Integrity Toys doll is
allowed. Entries will be judged on originality, creativity and theme/content. We will be looking the doll as a whole, so hairstyle, outfits
etc etc. Face paints are optional and will not be taken into consideration.
Doll Fashion Design Competition (Beginners/Intermediate Category):
Agnes is one of the most eccentric socialite that there is and everything she does needs to be out of this world. For the
beginners/intermediate category, create one of the equally eccentric and bizarre characters Agnes has hired to serve at her big
fashion bash on Tropicalia, her island in the Pacific. Are they sideshow attractions? Do they act look and act like Rococo era servants?
Just how wild are they? Show us what kind of performance art Agnes wants from her staff at the palace…. The weirder the better!
Let’s get creative! For this category, any Integrity Toys doll is allowed. Entries will be judged on originality, creativity and
theme/content. We will be looking at the fun factor behind each entry. Face paints are optional and will not be taken into consideration.”
Last but not least, there was the raffle room. One of the most popular items were the OOAK Integrity Toys dolls. A Beautiful Eugenia:
A Stunning Anja:
And a jaw dropping 16 inch Freja:
There were many other tempting dolls to put your tickets in for as well.
Tropicalia–Day 2.02
Wow! How did it get to be 3:30PM already?!! Time has traveled at warp speed for me today. I attended a very informative repaint workshop done by Cindy Lorimer . She was a very good speaker and was very organized so I feel like I learned a fair bit. Right after the workshop, I decided to reshoot some of the collection dolls ( photos on my flickr) and then it was on to the Poppy Parker Luncheon.
Here is the doll that graced the center of each table. “Sea Breeze” Poppy Parker
Dag!! I already won my right to purchase so I was out of luck for this Poppy. Half of the table got one of these lovelies and it was really fantastic to see the large group of Poppy lovers at our table have the opportunity to take these home. Happy people all the way around 
. David Butry took the opportunity to tell us about his inspiration for upcoming Poppy parker design and it is…. 1964-1965 World’s Fair. How fun!!
Can’t wait to see what Integrity anf Mr. Butry has in store for Poppy and us next year! David Butry also shared that Poppy will have a new friend. Her name is Loni Lawrence and yes…we ALL received one. She is soooooo adorable!
More from the raffle room and competition room in this evenings blog post.
Tropicalia–Day 2
I am up early and this will be the day
There may be some raffle room time in there as well before the Poppy Parker Luncheon as the Style lab will be kind of busy….may wait until later for that one. I will try my best to update the blog just like yesterday. I am loving this new Eyefi to IPad setup. It allows me to upload photos so much faster and easier then before. I can be sitting in line or at a banquet table and be uploading photos to my flickr at the same time…cool! Now…if only Apple would play nicely with Microsoft and transfer my photo files to my laptop faster and easier, life would be fantastic. A girl can dream.
On a side note, I had the pleasure of seeing and hearing a good thunderstorm yesterday. I grew up in the Midwest United States and we would have these massive thunderstorms. When I moved to the Pacific Northwest of the United States roughly 20 years ago, I said goodbye to that experience. We just don’t get good thunderstorms in the Pacific Northwest. It was so fantastic to hear and see one again. It approaches quickly…
And after some hearty lightening and thunder, it’s gone.
I better run…I’m off to class to learn how to do a little repaint work. 
Tropicalia–Day 1.03
Dinner was a festive affair with a really good meal and a whole table full of fun people. Can’t ask for any better than that…well maybe a doll or two….and we had that too. The fun mood was set by colorful décor as we entered the ballroom.
The centerpiece doll was “Force of Nature” Agnes…which I won the right to purchase. Yipeee!
We also received a fabulous Anja doll, Jem earbuds and two 1/6 Tropicalia deck chairs as gifts.
Which brings the total accumulation for the day to…
I’m thinking I need a bigger suitcase 
Tropicalia–Day 1
After a day of uneventful travel ( the best kind ), I arrived in Florida just in time to have a few drinks and dinner with friends. The hotel is gorgeous and HUGE. It will take me a while to figure out the layout but that is definitely on the plan for today. I’m up and ready to see the fabulous convention collection that Integrity has for us in their sales room. That will entail a couple of hours waiting in line while we wait for the room to open but most people are not upset at all about waiting…it is a big social time. Will have a blog post up later today with the goings on but feel free to check out my flickr for photos of what is happening throughout the day.
Command central for the convention:
And a look at what the day will look like…Thanks to my better half for writing a special phone app so I can have my schedule on my phone (LUV it and you!) Yes, I am a complete clutz and drop my phone OBVIOUSLY. I am waiting for the new windows phone to come out later this year to replace it.
See you all later with more to report from 2012 Fashion Royalty Convention “ Tropicalia”
Tropicalia!!
Tomorrow, or today depending on where you are in the world, I am flying to the Fashion Royalty extravaganza that is convention. This year’s theme is Tropicalia and if you want a really good explanation of what that means and perhaps the inspiration for this year’s convention go to Shuga Shug’s blog. She has the most fantastic write-up on “Tropicalia” http://www.shugashug.com/2012/09/25/tropicalia/
I am taking my trusty point and shoot and hope to be able to upload photos quickly with my cool eyefi/IPad set up. I hope to be blogging every night just like last year but cut me a little slack if I don’t. A girl has to sleep too. Be sure to follow my flickr for photos as I go through the day. You can find my flickr by clicking on the photo to the right. It should take you right there.
Wish me luck as I wind my way through security in a few hours. 
NBDCC 2012 Day 4 …..Viva La Roma!
The last day of convention is always a little bittersweet. Exhaustion has usually taken up permanent residence in most convention attendees by this time but no one seems to care. I am posting this after the event has long ended ( family vacation got in the way of posting) but I decided to go ahead and continue. The last event of the convention was a dinner in Rome. The convention doll was unveiled to great applause. I had the extreme pleasure of sitting with some of the best people at convention this year. My table host Jim was fantastic and each and every person at the table made it a pleasure to go to an event. Thank you Jim and table #73!
The centerpiece was fabulous as always with a roman temple and two OOAK dolls ( nope…didn’t win either of em….I am 0 for 4 years of convention attending on centerpieces..I don’t sound bitter do I? LOL!).
I have to put in a note here to say that the food for the entire convention was THE BEST. I have never had food this wonderful at a large organized event ever…and I have been to a few. Here is our menu card for the final dinner
It was so good I had to drop my fork to take a picture…and folks that just doesn’t happen every day LOL! Yes, the food was phenomenal but the real expectation of the evening was the unveiling of the convention doll. Our table host Jim was waiting along with the rest of us for the big reveal….
And here she is…Rome Eternal by the talented duo Magia2000
The doll itself is gorgeous…the dress needs to be cinched a bit more in the back so as to avoid the problem with all empire waisted gowns….looking a bit pregnant. I am looking forward to photographing her in the studio.
One other exciting item to mention, our table mate Kathy won a big award for he Barbie quilt in the competition room. Congratulations Kathy!!! This is one talented woman folks. She had numerous entries in the competition room and all of them were fantastic. The quilt really was out of this world brilliant though and the convention attendees agreed.
The quilt
Kathy with her ribbon and in her amazing pink steam punk ensemble
It was a glorious convention beautifully put on by the host doll club and steering committee. Loved it! The National Barbie Doll Collectors Convention for 2013 will be in New Orleans. For more info on that and how to register, please go to http://barbieconvention.com/
Live from Chicago….It’s Fashion Royalty Convention 2011
I will be flying to Chicago today for my very first Fashion Royalty convention and I am sooooo excited. I can’t wait to reconnect with and meet the many new friends I have made online and at other doll conventions. This convention is smaller than the mega convention that is Barbiecon. There will be 450 attendees and it is a sold out event. I will be attending a workshop on rerooting (very excited to learn a better technique) and a workshop on the Integrity doll process – how things are made. I am not carting my big camera gear to this convention so will have to make do with my trusty point and shoot. I anticipate uploading some photos directly to my flickr account from my phone. I hope to update the blog daily but will have to see how it goes.
NBDCC 2011 – Why we keep going back.
Everyone has their own personal favorites of convention. We all enjoy the room shopping, the events, the sales room and the convention dolls. But let’s face it….we don’t go to convention primarily for these things. At the end of the day, we go to convention because of the people. We go because of the Barbie friends we have made in the past and the new friends we hope to make at each and every convention. We go to share a love for a hobby that has grown beyond our own personal sphere. We are compelled to share this love with others who feel the same way. We leave with our emotional cups full to overflowing and many of us move forward with the exciting knowledge that we will have the opportunity to see friends and share again the following year.
Each time I have attended the National Barbie Doll Collector Convention I feel I have left the convention a better person. That is due entirely to the people I have met. This year I had the supreme pleasure of sitting at Judy O’s table 19. Words alone cannot express my appreciation for their generosity and welcoming kindness. I am never someone who feels they can effectively convey something in words….my preference is to pick up the camera and show it in a picture. So….here is the reason I go to convention……
New Barbie friend Debra and I (photo below is courtesy of Brad (starboy9 on BFC….Thank you Brad!!))
Barbie Buddy Supreme….Sheree
Fantastic Barbie buddies Barb, Mary and Barbara
The lovely ladies of Judy O’s Table 19!
And because a few photos is never enough for me…..a video with more photos LOL! Hope you enjoy.
Hope to see every one in California next year!!
NBDCC 2011–The Official Convention Doll
Typically, the last evening of convention there is a final dinner and you receive the official convention doll. At this years convention, as it was Ken’s 50th anniversary, we received a doll set. A beautifully designed and crafted Barbie and Ken set designed by the very talented Matt Sutton and Matt Trujillo. I just can’t say enough about this pair of gentleman….LOVE YOU GUYS!
Here is a quote from Matt Sutton about the inspiration and ideas behind the dolls….
“They weren’t designed as “formal”– the thought expressed to us was that they were a young couple in 1961 in Ft Lauderdale, went to a lovely dinner, and found themselves taking a long romantic walk on the beach at night. It’s dinner jacket and party dress, not tux and ballgown. Matching ties and/or a cummerbund seemed too “formal” and “prom”, which wasn’t the esthetic we were going for. Plus we loved the idea that she was dressing in “his” color (the aqua) as a tribute to him, vs the matchy matchy…
We actually did a TON of research for the era, and made sure things were as accurate as possible, and still within our design sense. Ken’s jacket– did you notice his little gold cufflinks? (another subtle homage to the 50th) Her dress is very much of the era, and the sash is sort of a signature of mine– again, the aqua is Barbie paying tribute to her main squeeze. ^_^”
Still in the box…..
And…..out of the box and in the studio………..
NBDCC 2011– The Raffle Room
Many people may not be aware that the NBDCC raises tens of thousands of dollars for designated charities each year. The money is raised through three functions. 1) The silent auction event where amazing items are generously donated( see blog post Beach Party and Silent Auction) 2) The live auction where doll artist like Magia2000, Matt Sutton, Artist Creations and Steven Frasier of Dressmaker Details donate some exquisite pieces of work that are auctioned off. 3) The raffle room where fantastic donations from Barbie lovers from every corner of the world are displayed and you put a ticket in the box in front of any item you hope to win. You can buy your raffle tickets in advance or they can be purchased at convention. Many conventioneers buy hundreds of tickets and help support the designated non profit charities of the convention. This years charities were The Children’s Home Society of Florida and The Poverello Center. Here are just a few of some of the amazing things you could dream of winning in the Raffle Room.
And the room was full with these amazing gift baskets!
To all those generous collectors who donated to the raffle room a big round of applause. To the lucky individuals who won something, “Congratulations”. A big personal “Thank You” to everyone who was in the raffle room when I shot these photos. I was constantly in the way with my big camera and monopod but everyone was so nice and patient letting me get the shot before depositing their tickets.
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……
Inside the Fashion Doll Studio 