Hendrix is on her way back from the Melly Kay Spa

I can never even bring myself to mention when I've sent any of the MK girls back to her for face work. Eve, Hamsa and Hendrix are the three girls of mine she has worked on and I adore them to pieces but Hendrix holds a special place in my heart because she was a gift from Melly Kay herself and I treasure her so much. She's a magical little thing and although I had noticed for some time now that she had a few scratched and paint on her lips that were coming off, I just didn't know if I could deal with sending her off and not having her around. But I had to. I didn't want her changed too much, just some patching up and sealing.

As always, Melly did an amazing job on her. I mean she looks fresh as a peach and still with that curious and playful look in her eyes that I adore. She should be home again by the end of the week.
YAAY!!

Monster High Releases and Curly Blue Babe

Is it just me or does Mattel officially put out more releases of Monster High than I can keep up with? Every time I look around there's a new one. I bought Catrine De Mew Scaremester months ago and have barely had time to look at her because then I had to get a couple of "Create a Monster" dolls and most recently, Freaky Fusion Clawvenus! I had to! It's true I can blame it on amazing flickr doll photographers who make the new releases look even more amazing and tempting than they do on the shelves of Toys R Us but to be honest Mattel has been cranking out so many beautifully beastie releases of Monster High Dolls that there are some I had never even been aware of. "Student Disembody" a new release of "I love Fashion" and now they have these brilliant "Inner Monster" add on sets. Who can keep up? I already have at least four girls and maybe one more guy on my wishlist. It's kind of crazy in the bedroom right now. I had no idea I liked Monster High so much. But I do. They just keep getting more diverse, funky and creative and I'm all about that. 

I'm still trying to get rid of my "Picture Day" Abbey Abominable though. Never really gelled with her very well. I also sold off my Roller Skate Lagoona about a year ago. So I do have some discipline. LOL!

Now onto matters of Blythe.

"Curly Blue Babe"

It's not like I'm flipping out over "Curly Blue Babe" for any other reason than the fact that she is translucent. I've never had a translucent girl before and I just adore them so I hope I will get a chance to get her. When I heard about her on CCToys FB page, international pre-orders were already sold out! But she's not due for release until October. I hope this means U.S. gets a chance. Her hairs looks fun too but for me her selling point is the trans mold. So I guess We'll see.

It's been ages...

Wow! So much has happened since I got married in June. I became busier than I have ever been in my life and had no time for Dolly Blogging or time for Dolly activities in general for a while. I did have a wonderful honeymoon though and of course I took Blythes with me. I took Hendrix, Eve and Hamsa and Shannon my favorite Licca. My husband and I enjoyed 10 blissful days on a Caribbean island just having the best time being beach bums and Rum heads. I love the Caribbean oceans so much. For me it is the epitome of relaxation to be able to swim and float in a crystal clear blue jewel for hours on end. Ah!! Just thinking about it makes me breath deeper.

Just drop dead amazing

Our tiny apartment is filled with wedding gifts and although I really should be focusing on saving to move into a bigger space, I found myself recently in love with the new Integrity Doll releases of Poppy Parker. I don't remember how or when I saw them but I was just struck down with an intense longing for a few days. Of course Poppy Parker has been on my wishlist for a long time and since I've been away I've been out of the release date loop. I can't believe she was only $120.00 when she came out! Okay, let me stop torturing myself. Let me just stop talking about her altogether.

To be honest, I keep feeling like I need to put an end date on my dolly collecting madness. I know that sounds sad and finite but literally I could run of of space. It's not practical. I might want children. LOL!  But that feeling never goes away, that feeling of scouting out a new, ridiculously expensive doll.

I've also been looking at Factory Blythes on ebay. It's crazy how affordable they are and how amazing their hair is! Takara Tomy has never released a Blythe with such exciting hair colors and hair color mixtures! Now if only they could produce a Black Blythe or Blythes of various colors. That would be amazing. But until then I might have to create another custom Black Blythe using Factory Blythe parts. I have the bug. It will take my mind off of Poppy for a bit.

Bonnie Bardot: My First Factory Blythe

Bonnie Bardot: Factory Girl

BB arrived yesterday in my standard slot mailbox at my apartment! She came from China so I was sure I would be getting one of those slips that I would have to take to my hellish neighborhood Post Office to pick up but no. She was just chilling in a narrow cardboard box, wrapped in plastic and lovely.

She's my first Factory Blythe and I've seen and held a few but here's the thing. She looks like a regular Blythe to me. I mean I guess Factory Blythe are like unknown mutt doll parts thrown together but she's a Blythe. It was just kind of messing with my head last night while I was inspecting her. It's not every day I purchase Blythe and don't find myself broke for a month. LOL! The body she came with was trash though. I just switched it out for a spare Takara that I had on a licca head.

Her hair is insanely silky and smooth and hangs just perfectly no matter what. I think it's a kind of silk saran maybe. It's virtually unmessable. I love it.

I'm not into blondes really but I was watching "Bonnie & Clyde" in film class a week ago and I love Faye Dunaway as Bonnie Parker. She's like a sexy fake blonde beast. LOL!
When I start studying a film, it's very similar to when I'm reading a book I love. It starts to take over my mind and it's all I see. When I saw this girl I was seeing in Bonnie vision.

Barbie Fashionista Dresses

, a photo by Mine is clouds... on Flickr.

While wandering the toy section at Target this weekend in Palisades, I found three lovely Barbie Fashionista dresses and decided to grab them. I never find anything for my Barbie or FR girls when I'm looking.

This fluffy pink dress is one of my favorites. I love it so much! It reminds me of something that would look fabulous on Lupita N'yongo at the Award Shows.

I've never been a huge fan of pink but it's really starting to grow on my as a Spring favorite and maybe even a personal one.

Eve doesn't trust this weather one bit

Eve doesn't trust this weather one bit, a photo by Mine is clouds... on Flickr.

This weekend was blissful but strange. Going from frigid to balmy in a matter of days cannot be good. I was hoping this meant that Spring was well on it's way but it looks like the cold and snow are back again this week. I am not amused.

I am so sick of all the dirty city snow. I want to shed my layer and feel the sun on my face. But It was nice to get a small window of warmer weather this weekend. It was certainly a more welcome temperature for running some quick errands downtown.

Now betcha I run this

Now betcha I run this, a photo by Mine is clouds... on Flickr.

I rarely post photos of my dolls on my primary Facebook page. I'm pretty strict about keeping my dolly life and my Facebook life separate. I guess it I'm honest I'm also self conscious about people in my network who don't know about my dolly kingdom being judgmental and weird about it. But the thing that's happened most whenever I do share a doll photo there is that people respond with support or good humor.. They're interested. They're curious. But still I can't have the plastic people taking over my FB the way they took over my flickr account years ago. LOL!

Anyway, there's a point here. This weekend I posted the photo above on my FB with the Beyonce line from "Grown Woman" on "Beyonce" and album that I love. One of my friends sent me a message about how much she loved it and wants to channel this attitude in a future photo shoot. I shot back that working with dolls is so easy and she responded by agreeing and saying "You give them life and they hold it for you." As these words settled in my mind, they suddenly struck me as profound.

I know that this whole act of photographing dolls can come off as weird to some. I know it does to my friends who are not doll collectors or "artists." It's hard to explain exactly what the draw is. And honestly, I've been so busy lately and just going through a few things that I haven't even really been that prolific with the doll pics the way I used to. There are times when I wonder to myself if I might be close to done with this. I'm not sure. The jury is still out.

But my friends' comment made me think a bit about dolls holding the life you give them and the act of child's play or play in general and the way in which the spirit of play lends life to inanimate objects in the process of make believe and using your imagination. In that respect, this part of me which as a child was very active just never went away. I played secretly with my Barbies well into my early 20s. I started taking photos of them long before I had my first digital camera, before flickr, instagram and the whole "sharing" epidemic took over. I just did it for myself. I experimented. I messed around for the heck of it. I played.

But where toys are concerned, there is a life you give to ojects that they hold on to. My mom always used to tell me that objects such as books or toys or anything are only as important as you treat them. She's the one who sort of taught me that playing with dolls essentially meant that you are sensitive to their inner life. So because of her, I never really see toys or dolls as just objects. I always think, oh that stuffed toy has a back story. I was like the little girl in the book "Corduroy." I just knew when a toy wanted to come home with me to live. LOL!

Don't get me wrong. There are plenty of times when I'm in my room surrounded by dolls when I'm like, oh my God, I'm surrounded. But for me they all have special meaning just like any collectors objects have special meaning. Shoes, clothes, cars, handbags. If they mean something to you they are imbued with a sort of life that sets them apart from other completely identical objects. Why?

It's not so much they are actually special. It's because of the fact they have special meaning to you and that life comes from you. And occasionally this transfers over in away that allows others to see this specialness in your presentation of these objects. You give them life. They hold it for you. That's why art is so important. It's a transportation device. That's why play is so important. It leads to creation.

My First Draculaura

I won't get into how many MH dolls I now own. It's a collection that sort of got ahead of me without really noticing. I did sell one once and I still have a nude Abbey Abominable I'm trying to get rid of but the ones I have that I'm keeping, well there's a significant number and it's increasing by one core member.

I've never been crazy about Draculaura. For whatever reason, for me, the earlier releases of Draculaura always gave me the impression that she was the bitch of the group. I wasn't into her pouty pink faced pedigree. But "Sweet Screams" (Lets not get into that collection release name) Draculaura is something different. I saw her on IG last week and just WOW. I mean she's Draculaura on candy acid. I think the elaborate dark lashes around her eyes give her a deeper personality. That wispy bang is everything. And her stock outfit is insane.

I was going to swing by my local Target to check for her today but I had errands to run in the city and I wasn't up to doing that much travel today. So I checked on target.com and found that she was retailing for only $24.99. People are charging way more for her on ebay. So I ordered her right away. YAAAY!!  New toy! And the completion of my core group collection since this will be my first Draculaura. I had my eye on Viperine and Catrine De Mew this week but "Sweet Screams" Draculaura pushed passed all of them the second I saw her.

Her stock photos don't do her justice. They're okay but she is really really much lovelier than than this. The detail of crazy long lashed painted around her eyes is just incredible. I'm really excited to see her in person. 

It was all so good

It was all so good, a photo by Mine is clouds... on Flickr.

Happy 2014 you all!

Hope yours started off with a bang or with a centered peacefulness gearing you up for a focused and purposeful new year.

Ellington came back from the Mydeliciousbliss Spa with Kyi Lynn in time for Christmas and she looks better than ever! Plus I got a tiny lot of three new Blythe Petites from ebay recently as well as my second custom Petite Flocker on her way any day now from Luxielou! I can't wait to see her in person! More soon!

XXX