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
Bringing the Versace
Integrity Toys spoiled it’s WClub members with a gift set that was Versace inspired in late 2019. Club members just received this gift set and I would say we are very happy. Thank you Jessy Ayala for this stunning design!
Ocean Drive
Baroness Agnes Von Weiss™
Dressed Doll Mini Gift Set
The Fashion Royalty® Collection
2019 W Club Exclusive
Head Sculpt: Agnes
Foot Sculpt: High heel
Skin Tone: FR Black
Hair Color: Dark Espresso
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied
Quickswitch: No
The inspiration is clearly Versace’s 2018 Spring RTW tribute collection to Gianni Versace.
The accessories with the gift set are truly amazing!
Very mermaid like
And because this is Versace inspired…I felt Agnes need to be in an ad campaign for them.
The glasses and the silk scarf were made by me. If interested, contact me.
-Rebecca
In The Palace
For those of you who follow my instagram feed, you have seen some of these images already. It is not my intention to post images on Instagram first but sometimes it just works out that way. If I am excited about a photo, sometimes I just can’t contain myself and have to share it immediately. Sometimes there is just an image and no backstory or text/dialogue I want to share with it other than the image itself. Instagram is a great platform for that. If you don’t follow me there, consider it. I share funny behind the scenes stories and pictures on my Instagram stories too. My blog will still be the place to come when you want the full set of images on something and/or more information on what is in the picture. Ok, now that public service announcement is out of the way….on to the pictures.
I had this amazing graphic a friend had sent me many moons ago and had used it in backdrops for Hilda and my sales table at Barbiecon. I always love architectural drawings and wanted to see if it would work as a photo backdrop. Thankfully..it did.
Elyse In The Palace
Model: Divinely Luminous Elyse from Integrity Toys
Gown: Rimdoll on Etsy
Jewelry: Divinely Luminous Elyse
I felt like I needed an opulent set to go with this amazing dress from Rimdoll. It is a wonderful interpretation of the Dior Robe Mexique from 1951.
Elyse wasn’t the only one at the palace the day of this shoot. Dasha made an appearance as well.
Dasha at the Palace
Model: Daydream Dasha d’Amboise from Integrity Toys
Gown: HOANGANHKHOI on Etsy
Jewelry: Daydream Dasha and Mattel
Shoes: Integrity Toys
Love this shirt long skirt combo. Sooooo elegant!! This miniature couture designer out of Vietnam is amazing. I will tell you that his designs take a while to manufacture and arrive. I can also tell you that while the wait was long, I was always happy with the product.
-Rebecca
Black and White Forever Barbie
2020 will be the final year for the BFMC Barbie adult collector line. While it is sad to see the end, I think it is time to let this one go. The line since the articulated body made it’s appearance and economy measures were installed at Mattel have really taken this line down to the basic level. Case in point, the first doll of the final series in 2020 is “Best in Black”
- Label: Gold Label®
- Designer: Robert Best
- Release Date: 11/20/2019
- Eyelashes: Painted
- Body Type: Poseable silkstone
- Included With Dress, pair of sheer socks,pair of shoes, & Doll Stand
- Facial sculpt: Vintage Silkstone
- Fashion Sewn On?: No
- Fashion: Jet-black mini dress with stylish leg-of-mutton sleeves
Ok…so if you were looking to design and offer a doll to symbolize a funeral for the BFMC line….Mattel hit the nail on the head. This doll is indeed headed to a funeral with all the austerity and solemnity that would entail. No jewelry, no handbag, socks shoes and a black dress. Okie Dokie. Not the way this amazing BFMC line of dolls should begin the end of its career in my opinion but here we are.
Who knows what the last entries for this line will entail but at this point, my hopes are not high. For it’s last offering of 2019, the BFMC managed to at least give us collectors a ball gown so I have decided to celebrate that with a blog post. Don’t get me wrong, the BFMC has thrilled and blown this collector away many times since 2001. I am happy to have been able to collect this line for the past 19 years. I am just sad to see it ending on such a low note.
This past season, I was able to add a tree to the ITFDS studio. The theme for the tree was all black and white. Chanel was an inspiration.
And it inspired me to give the 2019 Black and White Forever Barbie a photo shoot.
Barbie® Black and White Forever™ Doll
- Label: Gold Label®
- Designer: Robert Best
- Release Date: 6/04/2019
- Included with doll: Slingback shoes, Earrings, Doll Stand,gloves, petticoat,wrist tag
- Eyelashes: Painted
- Fashion: Petticoat, Slingback shoes
- Fashion Sewn On?: No
- Body Type: Posable BFMC
- Doll Stand: Yes
- Facial sculpt: 11590
She at least has some earrings 
. I’m not a huge fan of the articulated body or the glitter eye shadow but at least she has a ballgown. I also like the two toned white with black hair in an elegant updo. Is she worth the $100 price tag? I would wait for a sale on this one.
-Rebecca
Day 1 at the Museum
Model: Integrity Toys Out of Sight Nadja
Dress: Mizi Dolls Fashion “Paris”
Purse: Phillip Nuveen on Etsy
Earings and Shoes: Integrity Toys
Glasses: ITFDS
Miniature Portrait: Kelly Rinaldi ( contact her @ you_are_a_doll on Instagram)
Day 2 at the Museum
I don’t know about you guys…but one day at The Metropolitan Museum of Art is never enough for me. Apparently it wasn’t for Nadja either.
Model: Integrity Toys “Out of Sight” Nadja
Jacket, Dress, Hat, and Boots: Integrity Toys “Female Icon” Dasha
Floral jacket pin: Scrapbooking element….swear…to God LOL!
Purse: Tiny Frock Shop
Earrings: Integrity Toys
–Rebecca
Giselle in the Flowers
Wow!! Do I even know how to do this anymore? {snort}. I’m not going to lie people…it felt like rusty gears starting to work again setting up for this photo shoot and getting it done. When all was said and done, I have to honestly say…”Dag it felt good!!”
I have always been a fan of Vogue style editor Grace Coddington and her work. When I first had the idea for this image, I thought of her and her styling and went from there. I had to use this glorious background and then I needed natural light. For those who follow me on Instagram, I teased a few photos there.
Here are a couple quick behind the scene shots and a little peak at my new studio space….will be sharing more of that through the holiday season 
.
And after some post production magic…this is what we have.
I think this Giselle was the breakout hit from last years Integrity toys convention. Many people had difficulty seeing past the the retinal searing yellow outfit she sported. I have to admit, I almost didn’t get her. But then I took a second look at her soft makeup palette and decided, “yeah…I can work with that”. Believe it or not, I had an image in my mind close to this final floral image when I first bought her over a year ago. Yes…I really do have images sitting in my head that long and longer before I can get it on film. So often, it never gets rendered. I was happy to get it and bring it forth today. Hope you all enjoy.
–Rebecca
NBDCC 2019- The OOAK Parties
Many collectors show up days in advance of the actual start of convention to take part in room shopping and to participate in the One of A Kind (OOAK) parties by various artists. There is a rich and varied pool of artists that repaint and redress Barbie in haute couture. It’s one of my favorite parts of convention to be honest and I was honored to be allowed to photograph many of the shows. I apologize in advance for the shows I did not cover…namely Ninimomo. There were simply not enough hours in the day and too many amazing artists to photograph. I encourage you to scrounge the internet to find images of Nick and Marie’s amazing creations. They are not to be missed.
I have put the full set of images on my Flickr ( you can find the link on my sidebar…too the right on your screen) I have included a few of my favorite shots here.
The collection was sublime as always. Such a pleasure to see and be able to photograph these lovely pieces of art.
This year the talented duo of Mario Paglino and Gianni Grossi payed tribute to the history of Barbie. They reimagined all the famous and popular looks of Barbie from her 1959 beginnings up through the current day. It was a thorough and imaginative collection with some truly stellar examples of couture Barbie.
Madame du Barbie interpretation
And the original…
Malibu Barbie interpretation
and the original…
Roman Holiday interpretation
and the original…
Every piece was a work of art!!! And lucky me…my number was chosen early and I got to come home with this lovely!!
Evening Splendor interpretation
and the original…
Another show that many collectors will show up early to ensure they won’t miss these works of art.
So many artist dolls to enjoy and photograph!! My cup runneth over 
Again, if you want to see the full set of images, head over to my flickr. All photos from the OOAK parties will be there by end of the day.
–Rebecca
Doll Photography and Blogging: The Set
This one is the fun one…or at least I think it is. It’s about the diorama photos and all those little details. If set building for a photo is not your thing…this might not be your favorite episode. For me, this is the joy of what I do…creating that story and scene. Hope you walk away with a new idea or way to make your photos or collecting more fun and meaningful.
Don’t forget to upgrade to hi-def and full screen in bottom right corner of video.
–Rebecca
Doll Photography and Blogging: Light
So I attempt to do every Friday but some days…it will be later. This weeks mini segment is about light and how important it is when taking an image. Hope you all enjoy! Don’t forget to click on the HD button in bottom right of video to get high quality video and use the other button in bottom right of screen to get full screen.
–Rebecca
The Elyse Chronicles: Red Sparrow
Ok…so I couldn’t just leave this Elyse with just a Barbie makeover shot. I also wanted to show her in a more sophisticated look than the white and black sundress she came in. I was having some difficulty coming up with a different look for her and received some inspiration from an unlikely place…the current book I was reading.
Model: Jason Wu 10th Anniversary Doll “Nordstrom Exclusive”
Dress, cape, shoes, jewelry: Star Power Vanessa by Integrity Toys
Hat: Dimitha
Muff: Bogue’s Vogues
–Rebecca
The Elyse Chronicles: The B Word
For this installment of the Elyse Chronicles and my homage to the 10th Anniversary Jason Wu dolls, I’m using the Nordstrom’s Elyse. This doll was an exclusive release from the upscale retailer Nordstrom.
Ok come on….when the first images of this doll were released…even though many of us are Integrity Toys collectors…we all thought it…Barbie.
She looks a whole like like Miss Babs with the hairstyle and bright red lips, nails and toes. Given that, I just had to do this next set of photos. I just had to.
–Rebecca
The Elyse Chronicles: La Vie en Rose
The first doll released from the Jason Wu 10th Anniversary collection was the La Vie en Bleu Elyse. The option to purchase her was given to each 2016 Integrity Toys Convention attendee.
So in keeping with the theme I started, since she came to us originally in an evening look, I thought to put her in a daywear look. I looked no further than a new uber chic suit I received from Etsy designer and seller HoangAnhKhoi.
And what blog post called “La Vie en Rose” could not include a link to this…
The Elyse Chronicles: Daywear to Nightwear
The Bergdorf Goodman Elsye in the navy pants and yellow and navy sweater is clearly a daywear look. To me it is VERY Sonya Rykiel and while I loved the turban on the real life fashion, I don’t feel it translated well to 1/6 scale.
Perhaps the turban will be put to good use elsewhere in my collection…that remains to be seen but…I needed to transform this Elyse from daywear to eveningwear.
Talk about DRAMA!
Model: Bergdorf Goodman Elyse Navy Pant
Gown: And Another Thing Kyori gift set by Integrity Toys
Jewelry and Shoes: Malefique Elyse
Love the short slicked back hairstyle and the facial screening on this one.
-Rebecca
Doll Photography and Blogging: An Introduction
Today is the first part of a series of segments on Doll Photography and Blogging. I am rebroadcasting the presentation I did for the 2016 NBDCC and I hope you find some useful information in this series.
If you want to see the video in High Def remember to select HD and full screen (arrows) in the bottom right of the video.
Feel free to post questions in this blog post about anything I have gone over. I will try to answer as best as I can. If there are many questions, I will just do another audio segment and answer all the questions before the next segment on the blog.
-Rebecca
The Elyse Chronicles: Here Comes the Bride
So I have decided to do a series of photos using these 10th Anniversary Jason Wu Elyse’s. My first choice of photos for this series was a bride and it’s using one of my favorite dolls from the 10th anniversary series and a favorite OOAK gown I had commissioned during 2017. I hope you all enjoy!
I love following wedding photographers on Instagram. While I have never photographed a wedding professionally ( oh the pressure!) I have photographed some candid images for family and friends from their weddings. I love to see some of the images that professional wedding photographers capture. I am always in awe.
The gown was a special commission done by the talented Natalia Kunafina. She has an ebay shop 2010Chizhik
The brides flowers are from Etsy seller Beadspage.
Playing around with lighting on this shoot was fun. You will notice a different color cast to this shot as I was using mostly natural light as opposed to augmented or artificial lighting. I’m not sure which one I like better…both have their positive and negatives.
Also tried out some really cool little LED lights I found at IKEA! Really cool effect and sooooo inexpensive!! You can find them here.
In case you are wondering…the paper is there to shield the light from the dress and just shine on her face LOL! I have some master paper folding skills I never knew I had.
What can I say about this doll that this picture doesn’t….absolutely nothing. She really is this beautiful.
And just because natural light can say it so much better than augmented light can…here she is…in all her ethereal beauty. Thank you Jason for your gifts and for sharing them with collectors.
And if any of you are wondering what the soundtrack was for this shoot…go to Spotify and listen to “Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi, The Four Seasons”
-Rebecca
Champagne anyone?
Hello all!! It seems like a year since my last blog post and in reality…it has been almost 2 months! Yikes. First and foremost, I need to send out a belated and public “Thank You!!” to my dear friend and fellow blogger Rogier from Dutch Fashion Doll World for taking over my blog and doing a wonderful job reporting for me while I was at the National Barbie Doll Collector Convention in Houston. I hope you all enjoyed the posts and images.
A little bit of an explanation for my absence. In the months preceding NBDCC, I am typically hyper busy producing miniatures to sell in the convention sales room. This year, I started extra early and produced about twice the amount I normally do thinking I would have a bunch left over afterwards so that I would have plenty to sell at Integrity Toys convention. The good part…I sold a LOT more than I expected to at Barbiecon…The bad part…I have had to turn around and start producing again for Integrity Toys. This has meant little to no time for blogging or photography. Sorry folks. Best laid plans and all that went out the window…but it was for a good reason. I am more pleased than I can say that my minis appeal to you guys. Thank you for your support. If I ever have a spare week free..I will set up my etsy site to sell to all. So far…not happening. Perhaps after IT convention. Fingers crossed.
Today, being a day of rest, I chose to have some fun with my camera and my relatively new “First Taste of Champagne” Poppy Parker came to mind. Hope you enjoy!
Model and earrings: First Taste of Champagne Poppy Parker
Outfit: Spotlight on Broadway Barbie ( NBDCC 2015 Convention doll)
Models: First Taste of Champagne Poppy Parker and Baby It’s You Chip
Gown on Poppy: Rimdoll
Glorious Piano!!: Grand Pianist by Sega Toys
I have been wanting to get one of these pianos for AGES!! I finally found one used for a price that didn’t require a kidney. It actually plays people!!
Future reports may be sporadic as I get ready for IT convention in October. 
Reign of the Redheads
I have a special affinity for redheads. I have always been drawn to the vibrant hair color and often, this hair hue is what I gravitate to when I want a model for a dramatic shot. Red hair and freckles run in my family of origin and while I was not lucky enough to get the red hair ( the freckles…I did get) I was thrilled that my son was born with strawberry blond hair. So…in honor of those redheads, I did this shoot. The exquisite gowns are a recent acquisition from the talented Rimdoll on Etsy.
Models: (from left to right) 2016 Japan Barbie Convention doll, Black and White Tweed Suit Silkstone Barbie and 2016 Paris Fashion Doll Festival Barbie
Gowns: Rimdoll on Etsy
Still not a fan of the articulated bodies on these silkstone Barbies. It is very limited articulation and it irks me that you cant bend the hand at wrist joint to put it fully on the dolls hip.
Love this elegant Black and White Tweed Suit Silkstone’s facial screening though.
Gorgeous blending of hair colors on this Japan convention exclusive
This vibrant red hair color is my absolute favorite…especially when it’s paired with a green eye. Yummy!
And these gowns were so perfect in these fabulous pastel shades. Adore.
-Rebecca
Timeless Show Eden
I decided to pair up a favorite new outfit and a “holy grail” Eden. I don’t pull this doll out as often as I should.
Model: Style Mantra Eden by Integrity Toys
Dress, socks, shoes. purse and hat: Timeless Show by Lovetones
Set: Cargo Culinary Containers and Miniature Wood Pallet Drink Coasters
-Rebecca
Riviera Drama Revealed!!
Back in February, one of the WClub membership dolls was revealed in sketch form. Yesterday, her promo shots were revealed and it had many WClub members clapping their hands with joy. You can read about the how this doll came to be here. It’s an interesting way to decide on a club doll. This doll was only available to WClub 2017 members as an optional upgrade with their membership purchase.
Riviera Drama
Agnes Von Weiss™ Dressed Doll
The Fashion Royalty® Collection
2017 W Club Upgrade Doll
Approximate Ship Date: Summer 2017
Edition Size: TBA (Determined by the total amount of orders received)
Doll Tech Specs:
Head Sculpt: Agnes Von Weiss
Hair Color: Raven (Black)
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-Applied
Body Type: FR 6.0
Foot Sculpt: High-heeled / Traditional
Quick Switch Feature: No
Skin Tone: Cream
And here she is!
I am feeling an Elie Saab vibe here…the picture below is from his 2017 Resort collection. The fact that he used wedge shoes also with this look makes me think this was one of the inspirations for this look.
So…how do I feel about this reveal? I love the facial screening! Green eyes on a pale skinned raven Agnes…yummm! Also kind of happy they went with the nude lip. It feels very on trend for right now. This also makes her infinitely more re-dressable. I am thrilled that the jumpsuit isn’t black. I think jewel tones definitely fit with the “Riviera” theme. I adore the jewelry! What concerns me is the fabric shown. I don’t know if it flows like the original design does. It looks kind of stiff to me but then…that could just be the image and how the model is posed. Also…what is with this purse? Did they want to go for Christmas colors? I don’t think I would have chosen red. I may be in a minority here but I like the wedge shoes. It’s more casual and we don’t have shoes like this so if I want to dress this outfit up, I can certainly find a pair of black strappy sandals in my IT box. Also, I am hoping the hair isn’t too “crunchy” as in…stiff. It looks like it might be though. It does help with those annoying flyaways that I end up editing out in PS later anyway 
-Rebecca
Mademoiselle Papillon Rouge
Giselle has been restyled as Miss Red Butterfly for today’s blog post. I have been inspired by some beautiful images coming from Dior’s Spring Couture collection and the new captain at it’s helm Maria Grazia Chiuri (formerly of Valentino). She had unicorn’s lining the walk into the collection venue! Ok, Ok, they were not real unicorns but still….very whimsical. She had a park like setting and I supposed that has helped influence the backdrop for this shoot as well.
Model: Integrity Toys AKA Gigi Giselle
Dress: Rimdoll
Hat: Integrity Toys “Love The One” Kyori Sato ( I embellished with flower and butterfly)
Gloved hands: Integrity Toys “Royal Treatment” Véronique giftset
Earrings: Integrity Toys “Admiration” Monogram
Purse: Bogue’s Vogues
-Rebecca
A Spring Fling
Reluctant to tear down the set from the previous shoot, I decided to give Miss Tullabelle a chance to model. I just had to show off this amazing head of delicious golden curls. I also received this exquisite Matisse creation by Brenda Visaya and had to use it. It’s funny because I took the photos of Tullabelle posing up against the white arbor I had created. When I looked at the images in post processing…she just seemed too refined. I wasn’t completely happy with them which was a complete shock for me because that is the look I normally go for when editing photos. I woke up the next morning and did a few more shots showing a more flirtatious Tullabelle and in the end…these are the shots I am most happy with. Go figure 
Model: Integrity Toys “You Better Werk” Tullabelle
Dress and gloves: Brenda Visaya – Matisse on Etsy
Hat: Rogier Corbeau of Dutch Fashion Doll World
Shoes: Integrity Toys “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” Eden
-Rebecca
A Bridal Still Life
I am continually inspired by miniature couture. In particular, I adore any and all images that come out of Le Petit Théâtre from Dior.
I love how they use real size items with miniatures. I had a free day in the studio…almost unheard of these days…so I thought I would try my hand at something like this. I decided to use my most recent bridal shoot as inspiration. For those of you following my instagram story…you got to see a little taste of the shoot. But…as most things go in the studio, you saw the prelim shots and not the final part of what I actually used in the processed images.
I have to give a shout out to my dear friend Rogier Corbeau of Dutch Fashion Doll World who did some additional art direction on this shoot. Your vision is always valued and appreciated my friend.
And…a chance to bring out the pearls! 
It’s always a treat to use my Laduree boxes.
But let’s face it…this entire shoot was all about this fabulous dress from Rimdoll on Etsy. 
For those of you interested in the set up for this shoot, it was all done in natural light with one reflector. Be prepared people when using natural light to be waiting half the day for optimal lighting. Since I always love to see behind the scenes from others, I will share a behind the scenes shot here of the set up. Yes…I have a flash in the picture below but I didn’t end up using it.
-Rebecca
A Spring Bride
I have been inspired by some of the free flowing fashions I have seen in the past week from Coachella so I decided to dress my new Giselle in a fashion I received this past week from Rimdoll. I have also been wanting too use these adorable paper roses hued in yellow and pink. I needed the right outfit to showcase them and this glorious gown from Rimdoll was just the thing. It is all that and a bag of chips people! Spring floral romantic with a little bit of edginess in there too.
Mode: NuFace Aka Gigi Giselle
Gown: Rimdoll on Etsy
floral crown and bouquet: Made by me of flowers found on Ebay
Earrings: Mattel
Garden Bench: Found it at Michael’s about 3 years ago.
I absolutely LOVE the facial screening on this Giselle. Very soft and romantic.
-Rebecca
A Little Glamour
Or a lot of glamour depending on your definition. I received a treasure trove of new outfits from the talented designer Hoang Anh Khoi on Etsy. I showcased one of them in a recent blog post with NuFace Totally Betty Ayumi. Today, a favorite FR2 Elise is wearing the fashion. The day before yesterday, I gave a sneak peak of my mood board for this shoot.
I also shared a couple of images along the way in this shoot on my Instagram story. If you are interested in seeing some of the process as I shoot these, feel free to sign up for my Instagram feed. The link for this is to the right on the sidebar of this page.
Model: FR2 Midnight Star Elise by Integrity Toys
Dress: Hoang Anh Khoi on Etsy
Fur: Dimitha on Ebay
Shoes: FR2
Hat: Bogue’s Vogues on Etsy
Gloves: Mattel
Purse: Lovetones Bonjour Baby Lena
Set: Clock was purchased from little gift shop on Rue du Rivoli in Paris. Bombe chest was a repaint by friend and artist Carolyn Grentz.
-Rebecca
