ToyStory?

When you watch ToyStory2 with your children...
...a true doll collector's horror movie about forgotten, unwanted, unplayed dolls...

I felt so guilty i have spent all evening taking care of my collection - dressing up all the poor naked dolls locked in shared box...
Now they all look great - slutty blondes look very classy and so called' ethnic' dolls wear the finest vintage silk, handmade ball gowns:-) Now they just need to be photographed...

Black Dolls in American Culture

Amazing article on Black Dolls in American Culture by Brit Benett for The Paris Review.

So interesting for a cultural anthropologist and /unofficial/ doll collector like me :-) 

                                  Dr. Kenneth Clark conducting the Doll Test with a young male child, gelatin silver print.                                    Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress

http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/05/28/addy-walker-american-girl

My dolls /vol. 11/

Today another one of my "Etnic/Folk" Barbies collection -

another 'hairy', massive earrings, wasp-waisted yet vintage at this point:

Dolls of the World^® — Europe

Spanish Barbie 1991, 2nd edition

not so properly stylised photos from me yet...

(brown eyes, yay!)

offical Mattel session (oh dear, I'm missing mantilla):

source: http://www.barbiecollector.com/shop/doll/spanish-barbie-doll-2nd-edition-04963

and in original packaging:

source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/41594821@N03/3859064631/

p.s. limited storage space ethnic identity issues:
my South African Barbie in Spanish shawl somehow...

p.s.2. the Spanish Barbie mold is called 'Steffie' /link/

***    ***     ***

 

My dolls vol.10

Long time no see... 

my real life dollsdon't leave me much if any space for my hobbies recently...

Anyways - I'm back to catalogue my mini collection of not-so-obvious /to me/ Barbies :-)

Here is yet another ofthe least platinum Barbies possible - Esmeralda!

Gypsy Dancer (Mattel 1995) from Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame

...amazing extra long crow blackhair, crazy sooo 90's ninety degrees arms, crazy waist and... 

fancy red permanent panties...

3rd edition with curly hair and contemporary arms is soo much better - 

but I'll make her work /at some point/

here are first photos by me:

and in original outfit and context:

source: http://tpod2.rajce.idnes.cz/Disney

***     ***    ***

 

Whats next?

...I have this serious and even a bit sceptic, naked and bald doll in deep plum purple

 wearing peach and mint tights...

Why not a heather colored dreadlocked...ballerina!?

***   ****   ***

 

Custom order brothers - update

hello again!

Little guys are all ready now - body parts put together, hairstyles finished.

They already wear their favourite cargo pants and denim shorts.

I' m waiting for the delivery of orginal stroped tops to make them hooded sweashirts et voilà!

***   ****   ***

Ivy girl

A new autumn / winter doll is ready to be listed on Etsy!

Fabulous grass / ink hairstyle, 

openwork cape with vintage buttons, 

embroidered folk skirt:-)

***   ***   ***

Portrait doll - made from a photo

My customer, mother of below mentioned two, was so happy and inspired 

with our cooperation that she has ordered spontaniously a portrait doll of her mother. 

The Birthday grandma was going to celebrate her 70 years in a great fashion. 

Literally as I have made her a stylish set of clothes after series of e-mails with ideas and fabric samples.

 

Mother / Grandma doll was a gift for the 70th Birthday.
She has hand embroidered face on pale ivory/ rosy canva and dove gray weavy cotton boucle hair. She is wearing a simple sky blue top and floral cotton jaket with frills (mainly hand-stitched) accompanied with a stylish pair of loose, pine green, textured linen trousers and
deep purple tights and a hand-made stones and beads necklace as well.
 

 

***   ***   ***

Custom order - update

My rug brotehr dools are doing great.

Limbs and bellies are alreday stuffed.

Faces embroidered and hair attached.

It has been a great fun and pleasure to design their faces - trying to make

 them a psychological portraits at the same time.

The older 'chesnut brother' is super happy and smily and has a light blue eyes...

Younger one, blond one, has super blue eyes, thick eyelashes and is very thoughtfull...

Their original t-shirts just arrived so I can start dressing them up in a sentimental souvenir type of sweatshirt :-D


              ***    ***   ***

Custom order

A local Cambridgeshire lady, mother of two, has contacted me asking to make dolls from a photo.

It showed two lovely brothers - slightly ginger- and dark- blond ones with blue eyes and stripy colorful clothes. How cool, meaningful and inspiring!

Dealing with holidays and my own two little monsters I am ahppy to announce that siblings limbs and torsos are not only cut, sewn and filled - I am finally scatching faces and choosing threads to start embroidery. Oryginal clothes will be delivered to make clothes:-)