Merry Christmas!

Here is wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from us at Hanaly Corners!

We hope you have had a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends!  Look forward to seeing you all in 2018!

Hello Dolly Friends!

I know it has been a while since I last posted, but that doesn't mean I have been idle in terms of dolls! No way! I have purchased a few more of the Fashionista in that time and have been diligently working on my new doll room. So, over the next few posts, I will give you updates on what is happening with that project! 

First, here are some photos of the new Kens I got.

Fashionista Kens from L to R: #13 Distressed Denim-Broad, #9 Plaid on Point-Slim, #10 Classic Cool-Original, #12 Chill in Check-Broad, #11 Hyped on Stripes-Slim and #8 Cameo Comeback-Broad

As is true to my nature, I have rebodied most of them onto poseable bodies. I mean, you know I can't have dolls without articulation, right????😁 Here is a little detail on who got what body.

Plaid on Point on a Liv Jake Body. I rebodied him so fast, I didn't take a before photo!

He is not a bad looking fellow, right? BTW, the skintone match is better in person.

Here he is under different lighting.

Classic Cool is on a Fashion Royalty AA Homme Body

He didn't fit into the Ken pants, so he has a pair of Action Figure pants from eBay. Note, I also didn't take any before photos of him on his original body. His skin tone match is better in person too.

Hyped on stripes also got immediately rebodied, so no before photos. He is on an Ever After High Hunter Body

As you can see, this is very good skintone match for him. He also fits well in the Slim Ken clothes.

Cameo Ken was given a Mattel Superman body from the Batman vs Superman movie. He will get new more relaxed hands soon.

He does look great on this body, doesn't he? He is wearing Texas A&M Ken pants, which fit this body nicely. 

Here he is on his original body.

#13 Distressed Denim (aka "Man Bun" Ken) Before Rebody

Distressed Denim on a World Box AT012 Body (What a hunk!) He has had no problem attracting ladies with this new body!

Note: Chill in Check did not have a body match in an articulated body, so I am working on a few options for him!

Stay tuned!

The New Rockers Announce the Birthday Giveaway Winners!

Yes, it is that time -- time to announce the winners of my 2017 Birthday Giveaway! First, some new residents will be here to help out! 

Sound of loud music is heard! "Dadada da, datada dadadada, Oh yeah, Dadadada, datada tadadada!"

"Hello everybody, I am Babs, daughter of Barbie from the old band, Barbie and the Rockers! Me and some of the other kids of the old Rockers are forming a band called "The New Rockers". My sister, Pink, is here with me today. We will hopefully soon be joined by some of the other offspring of the old Rockers."

"Hey all, I am Pink twin sister to Babs -- she told you that right???! Anyway, I play the guitar and also am one of the lead singers in the band. She told you we were the "New Rockers", right? Anyway, we are waiting to hear from -- oh, she told you that already! OK, let me introduce you to our guest drummer, our eldest sister, Millie. She is great on the drums, but she is attending law school, so she doesn't have the time for our band.

"Boom, tap tap, boom tap tap" you hear an epic drum solo! "Hi! As my little sister said, I am Millie and am sitting in for now on the drums. Having grown up in a Rock and Roll family, it was only natural for me to partake in something musical. While I love playing the drums, it is not what I want to do for the rest of my life, so I only do it once in a while now. My truest love is the law and I am attending law school! Next up is key boardist Rocky Blue."

"Heyyy, Rocky Blue here on the keyboards! I normally play in another band, but I might decide to stay with "The New Rockers". They are a fun group and I don't think they currently have anyone in mind for the board. And with a name like "Rocky", don't ya think it is meant for me to be a Rocker???!! We will see! Last but not least, we have the guest backup singers and dancers!"

Babs: "So are you ready to hear who the winners are??!!!" 
Pink: "Drum roll please!"

"Ratatat, ratatattat, ratatat! Clang!"

"Thank you, Millie! OK, now what you have been waiting for! Phyllis decided to have a first and second place winner for each drawing. That means there are 2 US winners and 2 International winners. The winners for the US are:

First Place goes to:    JEWELL!!!!!!

Second Place goes to:   Graciegreen!!!!

Congratulations to you both!!!

"The International winners are:

First Place goes to:  Last Alliance Studios!!!

Second Place goes to:  Monstercrafts!!!!

Congratulations to all of the winners. To claim your prizes, please send an email with your name and shipping information to: 

amaphyl526@gmail.com

"Pssst, do you want to see what they one??? Applause required if you do!"  Loud applause is heard from somewhere, so it is assumed you all want to see what they won!

Babs: "Here are the prizes for the first place winner in the US, Jewell!"

Pink: "I know you can't see this very well, we had to turn off the flash as the plastic covering caused a glare. But, Jewell, what you are getting is a 2017 Birthday Wishes AA Barbie, #9 Ken Fashionista Plaid on Point - Slim, a dinnette set and a fashion pack for Original sized Barbie. What is not pictured but what you will also get is a fashion outfit for Ken and some miscellaneous handmade or other small items."

     

Pink:  "And here are the prizes for the second place winner in the US!  Graciegreen!"

Babs:  "Ok, Graciegreen, you have won 2 brand new dolls -- a Barbie Fasionista #64 Lovin' Leopard - Curvy, and a vintage NRFB  Barbie Go Red for Women (circa 2007). Plus, you have a Barbie Fashion pack original size, but rumor has it that they will fit on your curvy doll too. Also, I heard you will be getting some handmade items too!"

Babs:  "Here is the first place prize for the International Giveaway! This is for you, Last Alliance Studios."

Pink:  "Yes, you have won 2 new Fashionistas - #63 Platinum Pop - Curvy Barbie and a #11 Hyped on Stripes - Slim Ken. You are also getting a hammock set and a Barbie clothing pack sized for original and a Ken outfit. This might be a little big for the slim Ken, but I think he should be able to wear it!" Congrats Last Alliance Studios!"

Pink:  "And here are the prizes for the International second place winner, Monstercrafts."

Babs:  "Monstercrafts, you have won a brand new  Barbie Careers Scientist doll and a #7 Fashionista Ken Preppy Check - Original. In addition to that, you have won a very nice Barbie fashion pack in original size. You too are also getting something handmade!"

Well, I see "The New Rockers" have done a fine job of announcing the winners for my special birthday giveaway. Winners, don't forget to email me with your personal information so that I can get these shipped out to you. Please try to get them to me by September 17th. Just a reminder that I may remove some of the packaging when shipping to reduce shipping costs. I do hope everyone is happy with their prizes!

Tata for now!

2017 Birthday Giveaway - International

If you saw my previous post, Here, you know that I am doing another Giveaway for my Birthday. Even though it was in July, I have been accumulating items throughout the year to do this. There is going to be two Giveaways, one for USA followers and one for International followers. There will still be multiple items in the International, but I will remove most factory packaging to reduce the cost of shipping.  Thanks for your understanding!

Popster Poppy: "Hello all! We have been selected to give you all the particulars on the International Birthday Giveaway!"
Smoke & Mirrors Lilith: "Yes, our benefactor celebrated her 65th birthday on July 13. She wanted you to share in the fun by offering this mega giveaway! The items will be a surprise, but there will be at least 2 dolls, some clothes, some diorama items and something handmade!"
Majesty Giselle:  "Wow, 65 and still playing with dolls! What a fun person she is! I am glad she brought us to Hanaly Corners. I see a lot of handsome men here too!"
Riviera Drama Agnes:  "Ok, let's get back on topic! This is about the Giveaway, not the men here! For those of you who have participated in Giveaways from this blog before, you know she doesn't skimp on the items. I think think the winner will be pleased to see their winnings!
Misty Hollows Poppy:  "Yes, it looks like a lot of fun will be had here! Now for the Giveaway Rules!"

• This Giveaway is open to all International followers outside of the USA.
• You only need to enter once. Depending on the number of participants, I may decide to award more than one winner.
• You will have until August 31st to enter. 
• You will need to leave a comment on this post stating you would like to be entered in the drawing.
• Winner will be selected at random using an automated number selector. 
• The winner will be announced via blog and will be asked for their personal email to communicate through.
• You will have one week to respond.
• Your item will be shipped out upon receipt of your shipping information and the postage will be covered by Phyllis. I reserve the right to remove any items from the original package and repack to reduce shipping costs.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you decide to enter. Good Luck!

2017 Birthday Giveaway -USA!

Yes, my birthday happened in July, but other things happened too, so I am now finally getting my Birthday Giveaway post up. Since this was a milestone birthday for me, I made a record number of dolls purchases and have enlisted a few of the newbies to help with the announcements. There will be 2 separate giveaways, one for the USA and one for International followers.

"Hello every body! We are just a few of the new dolls that have made a debut in Hanaly Corners in the Birthday Month!" From Left to Right, we have: 2017 Holiday Barbie Latina, NuFace Smoke & Mirrors Lilith (IT), Stephen Burrows Nisha Barbie, Petworks Momoko CCS 17AN, Global Glamour Shorcha Barbie Doll, Poppy Parker Welcome to Misty Hollows (IT), Giselle Diefendorf Majesty - IT Upgrade doll 2017, Agnes Von Weiss Riviera Drama - IT 2017 Upgrade doll, Poppy Parker Popster - Swinging London - IT Upgrade Doll, 2017 Holiday Barbie African American.

Holiday Latina: "We are here to talk about the Giveaway for the USA."

Nisha: "Since this was a milestone Birthday for our benefactor, she decided that the giveaway items will be a surprise."

Sorcha: "Did you hear, she turned 65??? Even older than the grand dame of Fashion Dolls, Barbie!"

Momoko: "But she still is a kid at heart! I mean, she loves playing with dolls! Look at how many of us she has!"

Holiday AA: "I am kind of excited. I think the winner will not be disappointed! There will be at least 2 new dolls, some doll clothes, handmade items and diorama stuff! For any of you who follow this blog regularly, you know she does give some really nice giveaway items!" 

All: "See the rules below:"

• This Giveaway is open to everyone in the USA.
• You only need to enter once. Depending on the number of participants, I may decide to award more than one winner.
• You will have until August 31st to enter. 
• You will need to leave a comment stating you would like to be entered in the drawing.
• Winner will be selected at random using an automated number selector. 
• The winner will be announced via blog and will be asked for their personal email to communicate through.
• You will have one week to respond.
• Your item will be shipped out upon receipt of your shipping information and the postage will be covered by Phyllis. I reserve the right to remove any items from the original package and repack to reduce shipping costs.

Good Luck to all!

A Sad Day

This was going to be my post announcing my birthday giveaway, but instead, we take pause to pay homage to one of our furry family members who passed away yesterday morning. This grand old gentle cat has been in our family since 2005 when we brought him home from the local animal shelter. We were there to pick out a cat for my youngest daughter, Hannah. She was fixated on a one year old, very sick black cat whom I was hoping she would not end up wanting. Then, one of the shelter workers walked in with a box of 2 kittens. One of them was this rambunctious little tabby.  He had been given up by his owner at the age of 14 weeks because he chewed on some wires (something kittens do!) He was such a cutie, we could not help but fall in love with him and he was the kitten who ended up steeling our hearts and coming home with us. 

He was the source of much entertainment. He loved getting into mischief!

Hannah adored him and loved to hug him and carry him around.

He grew to be quite a big cat -- well muscled, majestic. Very tiger like. He was a hunter! He often brought home his catch of the day -- so proud he was to show it off and let us know that he could provide for his family! 😊😺

Tired after a long day of hunting! Chillin' with his best friend!

It was impossible to keep him inside as his hunting instinct was so strong. On one of his hunting excursions about 5 years ago, he did not come home that night. We were worried about what might have happened to him. I put food out for him to see if it would draw him in. After 2 days, he arrived back home, but it was obvious he had been in a pretty bad fight. We took him to the vet to patch him up. He seemed none the worse for wear, but we began being more vigilant about not letting him get outside. He became quite ill, so we took him to the vet. After many tests including specific blood tests, we found out he was FIV position (shorthand for feline aids). It is assumed that he got in a fight with a feral cat who had the disorder. The vet said that while many cat owners would likely put a cat with this down, she said it was still possible for him to have a good life as long as he didn't get too sick again. We decided we would do our best to keep him as healthy as possible and decided to let him live out his life as long as was possible. 

For the most part, he has been pretty healthy and happy for the last 5 years. When he did get sick, we were quick to get him to the vet to get treatment. We continued to be vigilant about keeping him from getting outside. More recently, his health started to spiral down. He wasn't eating or drinking much and he hid in the basement of our home. He lost a lot of weight. He went from being a robust 18 to 17 pound cat to weighing in at about 8 lbs., 4 oz on his last vet visit. Since we had a previous cat who had renal failure, we knew that the signs were pointing in that direction. The vet confirmed that he didn't have much time left and suggest we NOT let him go into renal failure as it would be a very painful experience for him. We had no choice but to help him in his final journey across the rainbow bridge. As you can imagine, this was not a easy decision, but we made the decision to proceed as it seemed as though he was deteriorating very fast. 

So, we had to say goodbye to our old friend. We have spend the last couple of days coddling him and holding him as much as possible. By now, he was not more that a bag of skin and bones, so we know we had to act quickly to keep him from suffering. So, with a heavy heart, but with very good and cherished memories of him, Mittens passed away with assistance from the vet. There have been a lot of tears around here, but we knew it was the best thing to do for him. Goodbye sweet boy!

After things settle down here a bit and we take a little time to recuperate from our grief, I will be putting together the details of my birthday giveaway, so come back to see what the giveway item/items will be this year and the rules of the contest. My birthday was actually on July 13 and it was a big one! Should I make you try and guess what birthday I was celebrating this year????!!!! Nah, I guess I can tell you - I will be Thirty ssssssssomething! Not that is not it. I celebrated my 65th birthday! Yikes, that was hard to say/type! Since this is a milestone birthday, I promise the prizes will be big. There will be at least 2 lucky winners -- one in the US and one outside of the US. There will be completely separate drawing for each of these. 

Stay tuned, I will be back soon with more information.

Wonder Woman Collector Dolls

Yes, I had to! I did get the entire collection of the Wonder Woman dolls from The Barbie Collection. Twice. One set to keep intact, the other to redress and otherwise modify to fit into the Hanaly Corners neighborhood. So, here we go!

Here is a group photo of the entire series. 

The Paradise Island Gift set packaging was actually pretty awesome! It make a nice background for photos.

I released Steve from his packaging entrapments and sat him on the rock. He looks in awe and the beautiful island princess.

Next, I released Princess Diana. 

I placed all of them in the Paradise Island background.

I removed all the dolls from their clothing and redressed them in casual clothing. Queen Hippolyta and General Antiope are dressed in Fashions from the 2016 IT convention. Steve Trevor had whatever clothes I could find quickly for my male dolls. Note that he is hands are gloved and they are not easy to get off, but I will do so at a future date. In the meantime, I might rebody him on a Texas A&M Ken doll body. Wonder Woman Paradise Island is dressed in an outfit from one of the new Barbie Fashion packs.

General Antiope received a hair cut. I also unbraided her hair and boilwashed it. I really like the sassy short cut on her.

Many have questioned whether or not Antiope and Hippolyta are the same face mold. Seeing them side by side, I see differences in them that make me believe they are NOT, even though they are quite similar. From these views, you can see that their nose angles are quite different as are the angles of their chins. Antiope appears to have a wider jaw line than Hippolyta and their eyes and lips look different to me as well. What do you think???