Delphine Poppy
I had a few moments to shoot some photos before I left for convention so I have some new material to share. This particular Poppy has been a muse for me many times and I knew this shade of blue would look fabulous on her.
Model: The Happening Poppy parker
Gown: Delphine Silkstone Barbie
I am using a slightly different lighting formula on this one. I have been looking for a small spotlight that was inexpensive and easy to use. I found some really great mini spot lights with magnetic feet that snap right onto my photo tent…the problem was…they are LED lights and turn everything pretty much blue. How do I get a LED light to look like a warm soft box light? Easy…add a filter.
The only thing tinged blue on this shoot was la tour Eiffel behind Miss Poppy….and that was on purpose.
Flying By The Seat Of My Pants
I try to be an organized person…I really do. Usually I succeed but lately, I have just taken on WAY too many projects and unfortunately, the blog has suffered for it. My apologies to everyone who follows the blog for my unusually long absence these past couple of weeks. Hopefully, things will be a bit more orderly and consistent in the weeks ahead….but I can’t make any promises.
In the past month, I have started two new businesses and volunteered ( yes, volunteered…I know…I am stupid) my home for an large annual Holiday Walk. So, in the next month I will be decorating like a mad woman getting my house ready for roughly 1,200 visitors to walk through it. I must have been drunk when I agreed LOL! It is for charity and helps to support many good causes in our community so I can’t complain. I did volunteer.
Today, in a few hours, I will be flying south to the sunny streets of Los Angeles for the Integrity Toys Fashion Royalty Convention. I am soooooo excited.
The people at Integrity always know how to throw a party and as this year they are celebrating 10 years in business, it is sure to be something special. I will be updating my Flickr daily and hopefully blogging daily as well. Feel free to follow my Flickr feed by clicking on the Flickr button to the right.
I am going to try my best to post from convention but this year things will be a bit different as I am selling some things for the first time. One of the businesses I have recently opened is a miniature furniture line. The Fashion Royalty convention is the first time I will be showing these items and I will be selling at an event with the lovely and talented Hilda Westervelt of Bellissima Couture. If you are going to be at the convention, please stop by! We won’t have a room number until we check in later so check the boards by the registration desk for a pamphlet with the room number.
Information on how to purchase these furniture pieces will be forthcoming. Here are some more shots from the set of photos 
Note: Chandelier photoshop brush is from midnightstouch on deviantart.com. Thank you so much for letting me use your beautiful brushes!
Diorama Finds
I purchased a couple of things that I wanted to pass on to people. Halloween is just around the corner and I know many collectors are into that gothic look and feel. Someone on Doll Divas posted about a set of black gothic chairs a while back ( sorry I can’t find the original post) and I decided to check them out. I was a bit skeptical about the sizes but I gambled and won on this one. They are , in my opinion, the right scale for 1/6 fashion dolls.
You can find these beauties at the Victorian Trading Company. http://www.victoriantradingco.com/item/80-ha-8023219/100100104/gothic-arm-chairs-set-of-3
They cost $49.95 so that works to $16.65 per chair. I don’t feel that is exorbitant for three 1/6 scale chairs. They are made of resin so kind of heavy but not too bad. One of the kind of cool features is that they have a hanging hook on the back so you could put them on the wall. It’s kind of an interesting display idea don’t you think?! I may have to try that one. Also, it looks like these could be painted as well so there you go. A big “Thank You” to whoever posted this link on Doll Divas!
While I was perusing my recent Pottery Barn catalog I ran across something interesting. I am all about Christmas décor planning right now so I was looking at the new ornaments coming out. They had the most adorable bottle brush dogs as ornaments. I looked at the sizing and thought “Hey, I bet those could be really cute as diorama pets!”.
It’s an Airedale!! I Had to have it. http://www.potterybarn.com/products/bottlebrush-airdale-ornament-holiday-2013/?pkey=cornaments-trim-holiday&cm_src=ornaments-trim-holiday||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_–_-
And a Cocker Spaniel .. http://www.potterybarn.com/products/bottlebrush-cocker-spaniel-ornament-holiday-2013/?pkey=cornaments-trim-holiday&cm_src=ornaments-trim-holiday||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_–_-
They run from $8.50 to $10.50 a piece. I was really, really tempted to get the St. Bernard one too but you just have to stop somewhere. The beauty of these are, they will grace my Christmas tree during the holidays and then grace my dioramas and pictures for the rest of the year.
Happy Weekend!
Bogue’s Vogues Vendredi
Oh yes…it is that time again. 
Ever since a dear Barbie friend helped me obtain this Milan Boater Silkstone, I have been looking for the perfect purple dress to photograph her in. Mr. Bogue was ,of course, obliging and I had to share.
Model and Earrings: IDC Milan Boater Silkstone Barbie
Gown: Bogue’s Vogues
Gloves and Shoes: Mattel
Hot Pink Perfection
That is what I call this suit by my fabulous friend Hilda, designer and owner of Bellissima Couture. She makes the most exquisite 1/6 clothing and her creations never fail to inspire the photographer in me. Some of my all time favorite photos have resulted from shooting her work. One of my muses, Lilith with an updo, has been wearing this ensemble since it arrived a few months ago. It was time to pass my extra Silkstone Walking Suit outfit on to another fabulous artist and I realized I needed to take some photos of this smart looking lady before I sent the hat to another home.
Model and shoes: Restyled The Great Pretender Lilith, Integrity Toys NuFace collection
Suit: Bellissima Couture
Hat: Walking Suit Barbie® Doll
Poodle: Randall Craig
Song of the shoot:
Exceptional Tatyana
While the rest of the fashion world is focused on New York this weekend and the debut of designers 2014 spring ready to wear lines, ITFDS was focused on this fall. I love fall. I love the colors and the bite of cool temperatures that typically we awaken to in the Pacific Northwest this time of year. Another thing I love is to rediscover something I had put aside for a while and had not looked at. I do this a lot with dolls. I debox, photograph, then it is off to the next one. Even sweeter for me, is an opportunity to give a model their due. In other words, finally show or photograph something in a way that I have yet to be able to capture. I typically have something in my head that I want to capture when I photograph…but sometimes it just never transfers through the camera. That happened with this amazing Tatyana. Thanks to a very generous table mate at convention, I was able to purchase her and after deboxing, was never able to quite capture a set of photos I was happy with….until today.
Model ,jewelry and shoes: Exceptional Tatyana FR2 ( hair has been restyled slightly)
Shirt, pants and purse: Lead Singles Eden NuFace
What I am listening to in the studio this week:
The Journey
As many of you know, I have just returned from a month of traveling. It was the most amazing trip with my family and for a few glorious weeks some dear friends. The memories made during those travels are priceless and the new perspective I bring back with me every time I journey out of my own country is such a gift to me. I feel richer emotionally than when I left and so appreciative for all that I have seen, experienced and learned. My hope is that I can bring this into the pictures that I take.
For this set of photos, one of my new arrivals Ms. Splendid Jordan has just returned from a journey of her own. I wish I had her luggage…..
Model , clothing and accessories: Fashion Royalty Splendid Jordan
Trunk: Barbie Convention gift 2012
LV Purse: La Boutique
LV makeup case: Fashion Royalty
Martini glass: Facets by Marcia
“All of life is a journey which paths we take, what we look back on, and what we look forward to is up to us. We determine our destination, what kind of road we will take to get there, and how happy we are when we get there.”
Wishing everyone a safe and happy journey today 
Neutral Ground
I am constantly amazed and inspired by my fellow doll collector community bloggers. A recent blog post by Shuga-Shug got me thinking about a new arrival in a whole new way so it was time to do a redress.
Shug…Thank you for your love of neutrals and your fantastic modern styling . This post was completely inspired by you and what you do.
Model: The Young Sophisticate Poppy Parker
Dress: City Shopper™ Barbie® Doll – Brunette
Shoes: Mattel
Purse: La Boutique
Scarf: New York Yorkie™ Barbie® Accessory Pack
Jewelry and Luggage: Integrity Toys
Buenos Aires Victoire
It would appear that most if not all who wanted to obtain this fabulous Victoire, were able to do so. I had expressed a concern that she would be hard to obtain and I am happy to be wrong. Many collectors are pointing to an almost eerie evocation of Evita Peron in Chris Stoekel’s design. After receiving her, I can totally relate. More often than not, I open a highly anticipated doll and am a bit underwhelmed. Promotional shots are designed to show off the best side of a product and it is almost certain that there are times where the promo shots oversell an item. In the case of Ms. Buenos Aires, I am happy to report that the promo shots simply did not do her justice. She is even prettier in person. I always love when that happens. Of course this is only my opinion so take that into consideration.
Here are her “window” shots. 
Model: Buenos Aires Victoire Roux
ITFDS is finally back online!!
Hello loyal readers. First off..I have to say I am sorry. I had every intention of posting every Friday but did not factor in how unreliable my Wi-Fi would be while traveling. In retrospect, I should have hung my “Gone Fishing” sign up and left it at that. Live, Learn. Happily I was able to post travel photos to my Flickr while we traveled ( it was a slow and painful process though) so for those who followed along on that, I am happy you enjoyed them. Thank you for all your comments! They were much appreciated.
We had the most amazing time journeying through Europe and my mind is absolutely bursting with new diorama ideas. I will be working on those in the coming months along with some new doll related business ventures ( more info to come….). For now, I will post some of the photos I had lined up to share while I was traveling.
Model: Spicy in Spain Poppy Parker
Dress, hat: Bogue’s Vogues
Jewelry: Spicy in Spain Poppy Parker
Shoes: Silkstone Barbie
Model: Sweet in Switzerland Poppy Parker
Dress: Bogue’s Vogues
Hat: Fashion Royalty
My fascination with Black and White’s continues….
Model: Fascination Monogram
Dress: Cocktail Dress Silkstone Barbie
Imogene Gets a Boater Ensemble
It was no surprise that when Integrity Toys released their Funny Face line of dolls, I was all over them. My particular favorite was “Think Pink!”. I also have a particular fondness for suits so it was time to put these two favorites together for a photo shoot. Also, as Imogene dons her “boater ensemble” and takes some time to perhaps jet off to some glamorous destination, Inside The Fashion Doll Studio will be posting a little less for a bit as this blogger/photographer takes some time to do a few other things. Doll posts should continue every Friday but don’t expect much more than that. 
Model: Funny Face “Think Pink!” Imogene
Suit, hat and shoes: Boater Ensemble Barbie® Doll
A Sweet and Swiss Grand Entrance
I had yet another blue gown I had to put Sweet in Switzerland in before I was done.
Model: Sweet in Switzerland Poppy Parker
Gown: Grand Entrance™ Barbie® Doll
And since I am having fun playing with a new set of filters in Adobe Lightroom 
And what one of these shots would look like as a gothic romance novel cover {Snort!} Yes, I DO need a self help program for those who have become obsessed with their Photoshop brushes. 
“Begin at the Beginning…”
“..and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” — King of Hearts Alice in Wonderland.
Since I mentioned “Alice Blue” and how it reminded me of Alice in Wonderland, I had to do a shoot inspired by Mr. Carroll’s classic work of fiction.
Model: Sweet in Switzerland Poppy Parker
Dress : BFMC™ Accessory Pack
Tea set: Re-ment Princess Tea set
“What is the use of a book, without pictures or conversations?”
— Alice Alice in Wonderland
“We are all mad here.” –Cheshire Cat Alice in Wonderland
Joyful to Love the One
Continuing on the Poppy Parker redressing theme, I decided to combine two new additions to the doll room today. I deboxed the fabulous Joyful in Japan Poppy Parker that arrived last week and dressed her in the WClub exclusive “Love The One” Kyori outfit. The pink of the little caplet matched her eye makeup and lip color. I finished the outfit with a Bogue’s Vogue hat that incorporated all of the colors already going on in the scene.
Model: Joyful in Japan Poppy Parker
Dress and shoes: WClub exclusive Love the One Kyori
Hat: Bogues Vogues
It looks like Integrity got some inspiration on this outfit…
Sweet,Swiss and Provencale
The title of this post sounds like a new bistro sandwich LOL! The earlier gowns of the BFMC Barbie line are the favorites of many. This gown from a Barbie called “Provencale” with it’s delicate blue and white pattern was originally worn by a short haired redhead.
(source Barbiecollector.com)
(source Barbiecollector.com)
I have never warmed to that particular doll in that dress. I love the dress and I love the doll…just not together. This dress, since it entered my collection, has graced the form of French Maid Barbie.
For a time last week, this gown was beautifully worn by the newly released red haired Poppy Parker. Hope you like the photos.
Model: Sweet in Switzerland Poppy Parker
Gown and Jewelry: Provencale™ Barbie® Doll
And just in case you needed even more drama in these photos….
Bogue’s Vogues Vendredi
It was definitely time for another BVV! I pulled these images from my stock pile of candid shots to share today.
Model: Walking Suit Barbie® Doll
Gown and hat: Bogue’s Vogues
The Sweetness of Alice Blue
I am on a Poppy Parker high at the moment with the arrival of all of the International Fair Poppys. I am also on a bit of a color kick and apparently it is specifically a blue color kick. After spending an entire post on the color Tiffany Blue and it’s origin and meaning, I found myself wondering about the origin of “Alice Blue”. That was the first thought I had when I saw this red haired beauty in her adorable skating outfit. It brought to mind thoughts of Alice in Wonderland (as I recall, colorized illustrations typically had her in blue) or the shade of blue favored by the Queen Mother (a factoid I am particularly proud of knowing because it allowed me to win a point in trivial pursuit against my husband…something I NEVER get to do). I digress. Anywhoo… It got me to wondering where did this term of “Alice Blue” come from. Here is the answer according to Wikipedia
“Alice blue is a pale tint of azure that was favored by Alice Roosevelt Longworth, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt and which sparked a fashion sensation in the United States.
The hit song "Alice Blue Gown", inspired by Longworth’s signature gown, premiered in Harry Tierney’s 1919 Broadway musical Irene. The musical was made into a film in 1940 starring Anna Neagle and Ray Milland.
The color is specified by the United States Navy for use in insignia and trim on vessels named for Theodore Roosevelt.[citation needed] "AliceBlue" is also one of the original 1987 X11 color names which became the basis for color description in web authoring. The name "Alice Blue" was trademarked in 2001 by a costume company called "Alice Blue Fancy Dress & Costume" in the U.K. but the livery color chosen by them was not the correct Alice Blue shade, but instead a rich royal blue.
This particular shade of blue is also referred as white-blue (or blue-white) and ice/icy blue, due to its very pale coloration.” (source Wikipedia)
Here is Miss Sweet in Switzerland Poppy Parker fresh out of the box in her first photo shoot for Inside The Fashion Doll Studio..in her Alice Blue outfit.
And since it was too warm to be wearing the fur hat, muff, skates and tights for long…
You may be noticing some different color profiles coming from me in the coming blog posts. I have entered the sticky wicket world of Photoshop filters…and it’s a bit like Alice going down the rabbit hole. Who knows where I will end up LOL!
“It would be so nice if something would make sense for a change.” –Alice
To Sir, With Love
This song practically screams 1965 to me and apparently many others because it is listed in the top 5 songs of 1965. Love the movie, love the song and loved playing it while I shot these.
Model: Irresistible in India Poppy Parker
Gown and earrings: Palm Beach Coral Silkstone Barbie
This outfit by Robert Best for the Silkstone Barbie line looks to be inspired by vintage 1960’s Valentino. Beautiful and so appropriate for Ms. 1965 Poppy! Those nails though…Yipes!!
source: ganzomag.com
I hope you have enjoyed this walk through the mid 1960’s with Ms. Irresistible in India Poppy Parker. This is not a style I photograph that often so it was fun to pop in some oldies but goodies and revisit the 60’s for a bit.
So Happy Together…
My next installment of Poppy Parker was done to the music of the Turtles
This was listed as one of the top 10 songs of 1965 so very appropriate for the 1965 International Fair Poppys.
Model: Irresistible in India Poppy Parker
Swimsuit and coverup: The Barbie Look Poolside™ Barbie® Fashion
Earings: Palm Beach Breeze™ Barbie® Doll
**Source: Photo above was enhanced with PS brushes by Nureen-REstock on Deviantart. Thank you for making them available for use!**
Poppy is California Dreamin’
I know I have said this before, but I will reiterate. I always listen to music while I shoot photos. It’s just something I have always done with doll photos. I have two musicians in the house so if I am not playing music, it’s being played somewhere around me. While typing this blog post, my daughter is hard at work on a violin piece called Gavotte in D Major by Bach…but I digress. While shooting this series of photos, it seems only right that I go to the time that David Buttry used as inspiration for this his International Fair Poppy series. When it comes to late 60’s, there is one stand out favorite for me…California Dreamin’ by the Mamas and the Papas, and that is where I went for some mood music for this next set of photos.
Model: Irresistible in India Poppy Parker
Swimsuit and coverup: Barbie Basics
Jewelry: Irresistible in India Poppy Parker
While looking at some inspirations photos for this shoot, I ran across this one from 1967. The hair!!
She is Irresistible
It’s official… “Irresistible in India Poppy Parker” is indeed…irresistible. Okay, so I freely admit to playing Desi Girl while opening this one up. If you have not had the pleasure of hearing this Bollywood favorite, I recommend it( it’s at the bottom of this post). I waited for the sun to rise this morning, then it was up to the doll room and out came the camera. I did an entire series on this fabulous new Poppy with a nod to the time Mr Buttry has given us as his inspiration…1965. I will be posting a new set of photos every day for the next couple of days.
Her intricate hair style is sooooo late 1960’s. Absolutely fabulous!!
What’s coming up….
Tiffany Blue
“Tiffany Blue is the colloquial name for the light medium robin egg blue color associated with Tiffany & Co., the New York City jewelry company. The color was used on the cover of Tiffany’s Blue Book, first published in 1845.[1] Since then Tiffany & Co. has used the color extensively on promotional materials, including boxes and bags.
The Tiffany Blue color is protected as a color trademark by Tiffany & Co. in some jurisdictions including the U.S.[2][3]
The color is produced as a private custom color by Pantone, with PMS number 1837, the number deriving from the year of Tiffany’s foundation. As a trademarked color, it is not publicly available and is not printed in the Pantone Matching System swatch books.” (source: Wikipedia)
Just say the name “Tiffany Blue” and instantly people know exactly what color you are talking about. When I think of this color, I have an almost visceral response. It has come to mean not just “Oh I’m getting something really special if it’s in a box like that” but indicative of the upper echelon of beauty, style and elegance. If something is presented in that color, I’m going to spend time looking at it. It’s the reason why I stand transfixed when a Korean Air commercial comes on….it uses that color. Only one other color approaches this kind of power in my life…Barbie pink of course. So, it can come as no surprise that when Matisse had a dress of this color for sale, I went after it like a shark after a chum boat.
Miss “The Happening” Poppy Parker is wearing a Mattise outfit with matching hat and clutch. Shoes are by Mattel. The faux fur wrap is also by Mattise and Poppy’s pearl earrings were borrowed from a sister Poppy whose name escapes me at this time.
I was all set to type this blog post up and call it a day…and then the sun came out in the doll room…and I had to take some more shots. I also think its important to note the difference between studio lighting and actual daylight. while I strive to be as color accurate as I can when I photograph things in the tabletop studio, invariably there will be color variation. Both settings also have a different and distinct feeling. Most of what I do, is in the studio. I like the look and feel of it. I am branching out to more natural light shoots but I only anticipate being able to do that in the summer months. I have noticed that outdoor shots of dolls is enjoying a renaissance on the doll boards. It is really beautiful and inspiring to see.
Brenda…I think I like the dress. 
I adore your work!!
Take Me To The Fair
This past week marked the arrival of the 2013 WClub upgrade dolls. Since the Poppy Parker “To the Fair” promotional shots were shown, anticipation for this one has been high. The promotional shots did not exaggerate David Buttry’s fabulous work…this one’s a stunner. Here is what we were expecting.
Source: Integrity Toys, Inc
And here is what arrived.
Feeling like a winner for choosing to preorder this one. 
Excellent work David!
A Glimmer of Inspiration
Many of you may remember the platinum edition BFC exclusive Glimmer of Gold™ Barbie® Doll. I was lucky enough to be able to get this one.
source: www.barbiecollector.com 
While engaging in my favorite pastime {cough} obsession {cough}, I came across a photo on Pinterest (Thank you Ana Labato!! http://pinterest.com/anaquell/the-world-of-fashion/)that showed me a likely inspiration for this doll design.
sources: Style.com and barbiecollector.com
Cool! And since I know a friend of mine is anticipating the arrival of the platinum edition AA Golden Gala into their collection, I took some photos with her in the Glimmer of Gold fashion. And it’s in THE window. 
Inside the Fashion Doll Studio 