It’s Alive!!!
Well, what else can I say…life got busy and then busier. You would think the pandemic would have been prime time to get the blog going again. It was indeed the plan but alas, plans don’t pan out. I’m still here. I still collect. I still take photographs of my dolls ( although not a lot in the past couple of years). Why am I blogging today you ask. Well, my good friend Hilda Westervelt ( Bellissima Couture) have cooked up a collaborative Holiday collection and I wanted to share. It felt good to pick up the camera and create again. I think I will try to do more of it in 2023.
It’s full on holiday spirit in the studio. If you are interested in any of these beautiful outfits, contact Hilda Westervelt at hildaewestervelt@gmail.com for prices and particulars. There are 6 fashions for sale. The little Amaryllis plants and paperwhites are available as well. They are $40/ plant. They are made by me ( I enjoyed paper gardening during the pandemic) from paper, wire and ink. For those of you who own some of my miniatures, you are aware that I like to pay attention to detail. I am happy with how these turned out.
On to the photos….
Wishing everyone a very Happy Holiday!! Hope to post more soon.
–Rebecca
Big OOAK Sale Today!!
Hello all! Just wanted to give a shout out about an exciting sale going on today for all you vintage and OOAK Barbie lovers out there. The talented duo of Hilda Westervelt and Maryann Roy have a new collection of Mannequin Mavens they are debuting today as well as fashions by Hilda and furniture by Maryann. They are working with some amazing prints from David Rose this time around and the results are nothing short of stellar! There is sure to be something for everyone in this epic sale and if you are one of the many who are sad about not attending Barbiecon this year, here is your chance to get some of the things you only see there. For all the images and prices of what is available, please visit Hilda’s or Maryann’s blogs at
www.bellissimacouturefashions.com (Hilda) fashions
www.maryannroy.com (Maryann) Furniture, Room Boxes and OOAK Mannequin Mavens.
To entice you to go, here are a few luscious images of some of the things available today.
The Mannequin Maven Collection
Hilda also has some fantastic OOAK fashions that she is offering. Here are a few.
All these beauties are available either through Maryann’s (OOAK’s and furniture) or Hilda’s ( fashions) blogs so go check out their websites!
–Rebecca
Celebrating Easter with Poppies and Daisies
Happy Easter everyone!! Since we are all at home and anxious during this global pandemic ( and there is a sentence I never expected or wanted to write) Hilda Westervelt of Bellissima Couture and I wanted to bring a little pastel beauty to everyone’s day and week. I hope these images bring some joy to your day and some hope into your hearts. We will get through this together and come out stronger for it. And with that…lets get on with the photos. Hilda and I have collaborated again with Laduree as our inspiration.
All dresses were made by Hilda and are up for sale through her blog Bellissima Couture . She has a limited supply of each color. I have also made some coordinating bags and boxes for these. The dresses do not come with the hats. I added those for these images.
The bags and boxes are available now. Very limited quantity. The pillows and rose filled little box will come out a bit later. The flowers are not available…sorry folks ( my supplier for these is not producing currently). If you are just interested in the bags and boxes, contact me via email at raberry65@msn.com. If you are interested in the dress and bags/boxes, contact Hilda through her blog. Bag with 2 boxes is $15 plus S/H ( pink, blue, white). Bag with 1 box $10 plus S/H( mint green). Hat boxes are $12 plus S/H. Shipping and handling on the these especially internationally will be a bit more because items need to be shipped in boxes.
The lovely Lemon Frost Poppy Parker in her Easter bonnet by Rogier Corbeau of Dutch Fashion Doll World
The adorable Groovy Poppy Parker and hat by Judy O’Connell of Aponi Designs
Split Decision Poppy Parker with hat by Tiny Kitty Collier ( I think this was from the charity luncheon outfit??)
Keen Poppy Parker with another hat from Rogier Corbeau of Dutch Fashion Doll World.
Digital Hugs to all and please, please, please keep up social distancing. Remember that we are doing it for others as well as ourselves. Also, if I have any followers who are health care workers in any capacity…you have my continued whole hearted respect and admiration for the valiant jobs you are doing.
-Rebecca
NBDCC Convention News–Sitting this one out.
First and Foremost let me wish Barbie a very Happy 61st Birthday today!!! In honor of her birthday I thought it would be a good day to announce some news and give some information on a fun sale that Miss Hilda ( Bellissima Couture) and I have cooked up for Miss Barbie.
Some of you may have heard already but I wanted to put this out there for everyone. Hilda and I will not be attending the National Barbie Doll Collectors Convention this year in Las Vegas. The reasons for us not going are varied. I want to assure everyone that it is not due to any health related issues. My family and I are doing very well and I am happy to report that all of my daughter’s scans have been blissfully clear and without any evidence of cancer since 2018. Sooooo grateful!!! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. They are working!!
We are very sad to not be seeing everyone. This community of collectors is what drives Hilda and I to do what we do. Because we love and value this collector community so much we have been coming up with some fun ways to offer the same products we normally offer at Barbiecon but via our online shops. This way everyone can participate and not just those attending the convention. For those attending NBDCC, please know we are very sorry to miss seeing and visiting with you at the convention. I am most sorry to miss that one on one connection. It was and is always the highlight of going to the convention for me.
Now that we are announcing, both Hilda and I wanted to offer up a special sales event on Barbie’s birthday to begin our series of online events leading up to the NBDCC. The plan is to offer a couple different capsule collections from now until June. These capsule collections will include fashions by Hilda (Bellissima Couture). Some will have unique OOAK fabrics we have developed together. Offerings will include luxury accessories that I have done to compliment the fashions. Also, this means {cue drumroll please!}….my Etsy shop is opening!!!!
My Etsy shop is ITFashionDollStudio and should be open by Friday if not before. I will send the link via blog post on Friday or before once it is open.
If you are interested in the fashions, head on over to Hilda’s blog (Bellissima Couture). She is selling the dresses and the dresses with bag as a set. If you are interested in the accessories ( bag sets, individual bags, hat boxes and pillows) please visit my Etsy shop when it opens this Friday.
-Rebecca
Tulip Festival!
There is a tulip festival about to happen over at Bellissima Couture. As many of you know, Hilda Westervelt( Bellissima Couture) and I are good friends and frequently collaborate on projects together. I met Hilda through this wonderful world of collecting and I am so thankful every day for that friendship. That’s why when we get to work together on something, it becomes extra special.
Recently, Hilda and I worked on developing a set of fabrics for some of her divine fashions. I came up with a tulip fabric that Hilda then helped me tweak to bring it into better scale with her fashions. This is how the collaboration turned out. I love working with my amazingly talented friends!
Model: Double Agent Poppy Parker
Dress: Bellissima Couture
Shoes: Mattel
Jewelry: Integrity Toys
Purse: Mydollhouse2005 on Instagram
So if you are interested in this lovely creation, look for it on Bellissima Couture’s website today!
-Rebecca
Spring Fever–Sophisticated
Still dreaming of spring here in the dreary rain filled days of a Pacific Northwest winter. I have already shown some fun more casual fashions. Today I’m going full on couture with two fashions and models that brought Spring into the studio for a swoon worthy day of pastels.
Model: Making an Entrance Karolin Stone from Integrity Toys ( Her hair has been changed)
Suit and hat: HOANGANHKHOI on Etsy
Shoes: Integrity Toys
Jewelry: Integrity Toys
The construction of this gorgeous creation is incredible. Beautifully tailored and sewn! The beading!! I Die!!
Next up is a pink confection from my bestie Miss Hilda of Bellissima Couture
Model and Jewelry: Pink Powder Puff Poppy Parker from Integrity Toys
Gown: Bellissima Couture
Shoes: Paul Zhangby on Ebay
Nobody does these silk and lace creations like Hilda! Nobody! The perfect confection for this pink Poppy.
And…because I am all about botanicals right now…had to do this!
Looking forward to Spring!!
-Rebecca
Spring Fever-Casual
It’s a known fact that in the Pacific Northwest we many times don’t really see sunshine for months and months from November through February. The holidays take up some of that time and normally we Pacific Northwesterners deal with it well during that time. Once the holidays are over though…all bets are off. I normally hit January with a hunger for the sun. If the sun doesn’t come to us, I will invent it in my photos. I’m bringing out the pastels and dreaming of sunshine!!
Model: Looks a Plenty Poppy Parker
Dress: Bellissima Couture
Shoes: Paul Zhangby on Ebay
Sunglasses: ITFDS
And because it’s fun to play around with Lightroom and Photoshop sometimes…. Love this silver haired Poppy!
Model: Midnight Decadence Poppy Parker
Dress: Munle on Etsy ( he sells through HOANGANHKHOI on Etsy)
Shoes: Mattel
Purse: @MyDollhouse2005 on Instagram
This gown is all kinds of yumminess. I adore it!! Pair it with this adorable 1/6 scale Hermes Kelly bag and all is well in the world.
-Rebecca
For those interested in the scarf and sunglasses set from previous blog post, you need to email me at raberry65@msn.com
A Class Act
After a week of driving 20 hours down to Anaheim California and then doing the drive back…in a 26 foot truck full of luggage and orchestra instruments…I am ready for some play time. Lesson learned in the past week? Don’t ever underestimate Mother Nature in the mountains. You may think it’s too late to snow…but you would be wrong. I know we were. 
Before I left on the big journey, I had an opportunity to photograph something yummy and I am anxious to share. Given that IT is giving us 1950’s glamour in a few short months, I anticipated just a bit with this one. Hope you enjoy!
Model: OOAK Rim Doll repaint and restyle of Lovetones Hello Honey
Suit: Bellissima Couture
Faux Fur Stole: Lovetones Timeless Show Roxy Fashion Set
Shoes: Integrity Toys
Hat: Rogier Corbeau of Dutch Fashion Doll World
Jewelry: Mattel
Screen: Custom Dollhouse on Etsy
Planter: Local plant store and boxwood topiary is from Joss & Main.
The gorgeous ornate wall in the background was photoshopped in so..sorry but it doesn’t exist outside of Photoshop at this time.
-Rebecca
A Romantic Era Concludes
All good things must come to an end. Or…in my case…all sunny days in the garden eventually give way to rain. I managed to get three separate photo shoots completed before the rain started so I am happy with that. For the last installment of this romantic garden series I paired a favorite embroidered sheath from Bellissima Couture and a yummier than yummy coat from Lovetones. The hat is a story. It originally came from Bogue’s Vogues and I have to admit…I got creative with the Russian netting on this one. Hope you all enjoy.
Model: Lovtones Romantic Era Roxy
Dress: Bellissima Couture
Coat : Lovetones Timeless Show Roxy
Hat: Bogues vogues
Shoes: Lovetones Romantic Era Roxy
Purse: Integrity Toys AKA Gigi Giselle
Accessories: the box, macaron and bag were all done by me. The boxwood trees in planters were from Pier One. The bench was found on Ebay.
-Rebecca
OOAK Doll Festival–A Huge Thank You!!
One hundred collectors of One of a Kind fashion dolls congregated in New York City for an amazing event. It was the first event of it’s kind and it has left this attendee with a huge sense of gratitude and respect for my fellow collectors.
First and foremost, I have to thank Rocky Schmidt and his incredible team of festival organizers. This event was simply amazing. From the moment we registered to the last evenings dinner and doll presentation, it was a beautifully produced and orchestrated event. We all ate, drank and were very merry indeed. Because of the small intimate nature of this festival, you felt like you were attending a family reunion. Collectors of specialized one of a kind fashion dolls gathered from all over the world and although we live in different areas, we were all connected through the love of this particular sub genre of collecting.
While it’s always nice to get some nice ‘swag’ at events, I would say the bulk of enjoyment for most at this event were the people. It’s the enjoyment of being with people who collect exactly what you collect. This convention celebrated in particular the artistry and design of two very well respected and admired OOAK artistic teams…Magia 2000 and Ninimomo. It was a festival that celebrated their artistry and love for this specialized craft .
For me personally, this event had special significance. Firstly, It offered up an opportunity to collaborate on a project with some of my closest friends who work in this 1/6 scale medium. I have long admired and respected Hilda and Rogier’s work. Just to be a part of this team that produced the Laduree diorama was something I am so honored to be a part of.
It was also an honor to donate a few items to the talented collaborators of Hilda Westervelt of Bellissima Couture and Maryann Roy of Welcome Home and their centerpiece doll design.
Besides the festival itself, there were a number of top favorites from the trip.
#1 I got to go to one of my favorite places with a few of my favorite people.
#2 I got to see Rogier enjoy his first NYC hot dog from a stand!
#3 I got to experience the garment district with the master…Hilda
#4 And…I got to enjoy an amazing dinner with some great friends…old and new
And…last but not least, I got to enjoy the city with my husband and daughter ( wish my son could have joined….darn those college classes)
To cap off the whole week of festivities, a number of us from the festival were able to attend a performance of Hamilton!! And it was an opportunity to meet up with in-laws and give a lovely sister-in-law the opportunity to see the show of her heart…on Broadway! That made it all the sweeter.
So…Rocky and Team…from this blogger of fashion dolls…a HUGE Thank you for the memories and events of a lifetime.
-Rebecca
OOAK Doll Festival–Saturday’s design challenge
Saturday morning dawned with a new challenge for festival attendees. Our design challenge was to embellish a simple black dress. Here is what we all started with. A HUGE shout out to Judy O’Connell of Aponi Designs who donated all the accessory sets for this event. Wow Judy!!! You rock!
There was also a centerpiece doll at this event that 10 lucky attendees walked away with. She was designed by the talented duo of Hilda Westervelt of Bellissima Couture and Maryann Roy of Welcome Home. I donated a couple of accessories to their fabulous creation.
With so much creativity and talent in that room…this event was sure to please. It did not disappoint. I had a whole lot of respect for the attendees of this festival going in but after this event…I was blown away by the talent in the room. It was an honor just to be a part of it.
We were all given a pick of a variety of accessory sets. These were just too cute for words. I picked the grey.
And a variety of materials to use in our embellishing.
And people could bring items that they brought from home or had purchased at Mood and M&J Trimming the previous day. It was Project Runway workroom…times 10…and it was fabulous. Mario of Magia 2000 and many other judges were there to offer encouragement, guidance and a “Tim Gun” comment if needed.
It was a fun room of designers all following their own vision. A creativity extravaganza! How glorious!
After a few hours of embellishing, the judges walked around and selected roughly 20 designs that would compete for the winner of the “Make your own OOAK” competition. There was some serious talent in that room people.
Here are some of the designs that moved on to the final round of competition.
Do you have a favorite? The winner would be voted on and announced at the evenings dinner. Anticipation was very high for this event.
—Rogier and Rebecca
A Sweet Sneak
Sooo…as many of you know Rogier of Dutch Fashion Doll WorldDutch Fashion Doll World and I are attending a special convention this week. We are in the vibrant metropolis of New York City this week to attend the OOAK Festival.
One of the first places we visited upon arrival in this beautiful city was Ladurée.
Rogier, Hilda of Bellissima Couture and I all love this Pâtisserie . It can come as no surprise that this was an inspiration for us as we collaborated on an auction item for this festival.
This festival has an amazing lineup of artists contributing auction items up for bid at the Friday night auction.
We have been given permission to share a sneak of our auction item for the blog readers! You are getting to see this image even before the convention attendees!!
-Rebecca and Rogier
Oh so Chanel
For those of you who follow me on FB and Instagram, you received a little sneak peek of today’s post this past weekend.
Tomorrow, I am flying to Chicago for the 2016 Integrity Toys Convention. Hilda Westervelt of Bellissima Couture and I will be having an event on Wednesday evening to sell fabulous OOAK clothing creations by Hilda and a variety of 1/6 items made by me and my fellow blogger Rogier Corbeau of Dutch Fashion Doll World. For place and time, check the boards at convention. We will be placing signage as soon as we have a room number. We will also be at the sales bazaar on Friday evening.
Here is a small sample of some of the Chanel inspired yumminess that Hilda will have available for convention attendees.
If you are in the market for some exquisite 1/6 couture for your dolls and are attending IT convention this year, come attend the event. Room number and time will be posted at convention.
Blog post on accessories and other 1/6 items available will be up later today 
Back to Basics
What do I mean by that? Good question. With all the negativity going on right now surrounding this new articulated silkstone body from Mattel and the general feeling that they are not listening to their adult collector community, I took a moment to refocus. I was getting too wrapped up in the negativity of the bad front end user interface of the Barbie Collection website and the lack of information and general feel of apathy coming from Mattel. I needed to come back to why I like to collect…”Why am I doing this?”. I needed to go look at my collection and start falling in love again. It didn’t take long. I went into the studio and took some photos and started rediscovering why I love to collect fashion dolls. It’s not about Mattel and what they do and don’t do. It’s not about Integrity Toys either. They do play a part because it is their products that fuel a passion but it’s not why I collect.
The love lies in what is done with these fashion models. It’s the creativity and support of the community that truly fuels and sustains the love of this hobby. With so much hurt and negativity going on right now, I think it’s time to pull back and refocus on my collection and what I enjoy most about it. I am not one to be driven by the acquisition of a thing nor am I what some consider a completest. Contrary to some people’s believe, I do not own every Silkstone Barbie ever made ( although I would not turn down the opportunity to LOL!). What I strive to do is have a collection of things that I truly enjoy. So…that is what I am going to try do do with the blog this year. Focus on enjoying the collection I have and not get tied up in where Mattel is going with their product line or not going with their website. It’s time to enjoy the collection I have. And I hope to share that enjoyment with you all through the photos I produce.
This gorgeous lady came to me at this past year’s Barbie Collector convention in Virginia. She is a Mannequin Maven. Mannequin Maven’s are the collaborative team of the very talented Maryann Roy and Hilda Westervelt. I love it when these two gifted artists get together and create! They never disappoint. Hilda and Maryann have collaborated for various charity donations for GAW, Kenvention, NBDCC and Rome Fashion Doll Convention.
The poodle…well…the poodle is a whole other story. That little guy came to me through a new friend made at Barbie convention and it quickly became my travel companion and sort of travel meme through the entire trip. For those in the “poodle club” …and you know who you are…it was time to bring the poodle out for a real photo shoot. We really need to give this little guy a name before next convention.
Articulated Silkstone Now Available to Order
But she won’t be shipping until March 1st folks. If you want her sooner, look to the dealers, they appear to be getting them first. I like this idea of giving the dealers first dibs on shipment. It makes sense to me and it helps support those dealers that have been loyally selling Mattel’s collector products for all these years. I called my trusty dealer Barb of Windy City Dolls the moment I saw these ladies showing up on Ebay ( not happy that this is where the first ones showed up but not surprised either). She sent one over as soon as they arrived at her shop.
Classic Black Dress Barbie® Doll
Designer: Robert Best
Release Date: 2/1/2016…hmmm…this is what the site says but they also clearly state that shipping won’t start until 3/1/2016.
Retail: $40.00 at The Barbie Collection
So…what do I think? I think the face on this first Silkstone of 2016 is a winner. It is one of the best facial screenings I have seen in a while from the BFMC. Very soft, and pretty. The black dress is basic. The material is nice and of a good weight…but basic. The boots are…basic. They are plastic people and almost impossible to get off unless you use the hot water trick **see below. No jewelry, purse with this one nor undergarments..yep that’s right…Barbie is going full commando.
The bigger question I think is what do I think of the body of this doll. First and foremost, the dimensions are NOT the same as previous BFMC Silkstone bodies. The bust is most definitely smaller. Clothing does not fit exactly the same which surprises me as I believe Mr. Best said that the body was going to be the same proportions in the video announcing the articulated bodies. I am not saying the body is bad…just different dimensions and for us redressers, that will be an issue. The material feels weighty and solid which is nice and the joints appear to be solid and stay where you position them. It is basically ok…but not great. Here is why: 1) The articulation on the joints is minimal except for the legs. This girl can do the splits if she wants but she cant rotate her hand enough to fully bend it one way or the other…it only goes a little bit one way or the other. She can just barely put her hands on her hips. Compare the functionality with Integrity Toys dolls and you will find that IT bodies are loads ahead as far as flexibility. The new Silkstone body can however, do the splits whereas IT dolls cannot. Not sure how that is something I will utilize unless I get the letch to do Gymnast Barbie, or Pole Dancing Barbie or perhaps contortionist Barbie. You never know…it could happen. I am hopeful that the next iterations of this body will beef up the bust size and include some additional rotation in the joints. My other big concern with these new bodies are the rough edges and seams that show. The knee joint on the one I received had a big ugly rough edge at the seam right above the knew joint. Some may argue that you will hardly ever see that…maybe but in the dress she came in, it was VERY evident. It’s not worthy of sending back, it’s just sloppy work on the part of the factory. Am I expected now to file down the seams of Silkstone dolls that I receive?
On the very positive side however, the doll is only $40. That is an extremely low price point for a Silkstone Barbie doll. So…messy seams and all, this doll photographs beautifully. I admit, I had to pin the gown on her so it fit more securing up top. It was made to be worn by the older body. She does look good though and I guess each collector will have to decide for themselves if she is a good fit for their collection. I am keeping mine for the present and still hopeful for the year ahead for the BFMC. I think it will be a very much paired down year but time will just have to tell on that one.
Beatuiful dress was made by Hilda of Bellissima Couture.
Oh..and as an added not to my loyal readers…After filing multiple DCMA claims with various accounts on Pinterest and Instagram all of which were cutting the watermark off my photos and passing them off as their own, I will have to start putting even larger and more intrusive watermarks on my photos. Not my choice people but there you have it. Sometimes…I just don’t understand some people.
**Hot Water Boot Trick** To help get those pesky black boots off, I heated up a cup of water to almost boiling then stuck the legs and boots in for about 30-35 seconds. Using a towel because they will be hot, boots should slid right off. If not, put the legs with boots back in the water for a bit more.
Poppy’s in Petal Dresses
As many of you know by now, I adore Hilda Westervelt of Bellissima Couture. Her work epitomizes what I love to collect. Her gentle spirit and friendship have been and will continue to be a treasure to this “sister friend”. This past December, Haute Doll Magazine approached a number of OOAK doll clothing makers to submit work for their Spring issue. As with all publication submissions, you never know which photos will be accepted for an issue. Here are some of the photos I shot for Hilda that did not make it into the issue. If you have not had a chance to check out Haute Doll’s spring issue, you should. There is a treasure house of OOAK doll clothing makers in it…including Ms. Hilda’s work.
Models: Especially For You Poppy Parker, Elegant Evening Poppy Parker, To The Fair Poppy Parker
Gowns: Belissima Couture
Love this “especially for you” Poppy! When I was setting up the shoot, I got carried away with all the shabby chic pinkness and it was too sweet. I had to throw this red lipped siren Poppy in black to cut the cotton candy in this shot. If she was the vixen of the piece…she could not be sipping tea. She needed a DRINK. You will notice that her glass is empty 
.
For more Haute Doll Magazine news, check out their Facebook page.
Bellissima Couture is having a Holiday Event!
Here are some of the offerings.
photo credit: Bellissima Couture
Grab them quick folks…these are going like hotcakes 
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Inside the Fashion Doll Studio 