Rururkos, Momokos, Fashionistas, Fashion Royalty - Oh My!

It has been a while since I have posted or even taken doll pictures. There has been a lot going on dealing with my health issues and depression. I never could have imagined how difficult it would be dealing with insurance companies! I am not going to go into here, but suffice it to say their main goal is not to help you, but to do their best not to pay you! Enough on that -- it just depresses me more! I have been trying to get out of this funk I have been in by purchasing some much coveted new dolls.

Over the past several months, I have been a "bad" girl and after a short moratorium on buying dolls, I went whole hog and really have expanded my collection. Let's start with Ruruko and Momoko dolls. I signed up with Petworks to get advance notice on these lovely ladies. First, the Ruruko dolls. I now have 5 of these little sweeties! Here we go!

From L to R: Tutu Ruruko, CCS Girl 15AN Ruruko, Ruruko Dreaming, Cotton Candy Ruruko, CCS 15SS Ruruko

I purchased Ruruko Dreaming and Cotton Candy from eBay sellers for very reasonable prices and I purchased the other 3 directly from Petworks. These little ladies command very high prices on eBay and other secondary market sellers, so I felt very lucky to get Dreaming and Cotton Candy for about the same prices as they sell for at Petworks. 

Many collectors of the Ruruko dolls feel a need to provide big sisters from the Momoko line for their Ruruko kids. I already had some that fit the bill and I also bought a few new ones from Petworks and from Miniwoo. I even re-styled one Momoko into a big brother!

CCS 15SS Momoko on Slim Male Obitsu Body, Sekiguchi Momoko Preppy Girl with CCS 15SS dress, Deep Purple Momoko, Merry-Go-Round Momoko, Sekiguchi Momoko Dancing with Kittens

Then came the task of matching each Ruruko up with a sibling. This was not as easy as you might think! For some it was a no brainer as I had the corresponding Momoko for some of the Rurukos. For some I am still weighing a couple of options. Here goes!

I matched Tutu Ruruko with Sekiguchi Momoko Dancing with Kittens

Ruruko Dreaming with Merry-Go-Round Momoko

CCS 15SS Ruruko with Male Hybrid Momoko and Preppy Girl Momoko

Because I missed out on the corresponding Momoko for this girl, I matched this J-doll with CCS 15AN Ruruko

Next, I have a choice to make -- which doll do you think would be the better big sister for this Cotton Candy Ruruko?

Left: Fashionista Redhead Skipper with Cotton Candy Ruruko
 or
Right: Deep Purple Momoko with Cotton Candy Ruruko

The 2014 and 2015 line of Fashionistas and Style dolls has been nothing if not stellar. At least for the facemolds. I think Mattel missed the mark when they did not give these dolls full body articulation.  However, these new facemolds have launched a renewed interest by adult collectors for the Barbie line. You have seen some of the earlier dolls I purchased, but I have managed to find a few more (imagine that!) after searching online daily for these ladies from various resources. Here is what I have added to my ever expanding collection from these lines in the past few weeks.

The Lea facemolds. Left is the 2015 Fashionista on a pale Momoko body. Glam Night Style Lea. She had arm articulation, so I swapped legs with a Director Barbie.  I got these both at Walmart.com.

Here is a close up of their facemolds:

The Asha and Goddess molds: On the left is the Fashionista with the Asha facemold. She comes with an updo, but I restyled her hair. She has been rebodied on a Style Theresa body.  On the right is the Fashionisa with the Goddess facemold. She has been redressed and is on a Style Nikki body. I got both of these at Walmart.com.

Closeups:

On the left we have a Fashionista with a Skipper facemold and red hair. She has been redressed. Originally, she had and outfit with a donut T-shirt. She has a hybrid body with the body and arms  of a Glam Night Friend and the legs of a Film Director Barbie. On the right is a Glam Night Style friend with a new facemold. She got a Style Theresa body and I am calling her Anna. I redressed her in this cute outfit I found on Amazon. I got Skipper on Amazon and Anna from Walmart.com.

They are ready for their closeups:

Brand New facemolds: On the left is the LA Girl Fashionista rebodied on a Divergent Tris body. She was very hard to find and finally was available on BarbieCollector.com, but only for a short period of time. Her hairdo reminds me of Demi Lovato, so I am calling her Demi.  On the right is a new Fashionista -- AA with red highlighted hair. Her skin tone matched Nikki, so she got a LITDH Nikki body. I got her online from Amazon before the prices sky rocketed. She is now available on Barbie Collector.com.

Their Closeups:

Here is a group shot of my 2014 and 2015 Fashionistas and Style dolls. I might be missing a few here, but the last year has been good for getting some great new faces from Mattel. I just wish somebody would tell them to articulate! LOL! I apologize in advance for the blurry photo. It was really hard to get them all in focus.

I also ordered a Glam Style doll from a seller in Japan from Amazon. I found this very interesting. She has full articulation. Her outfit is one that is very different from what you see here. Looking at the back of the box, you see other dolls in this release, with outfits that are unique to Japan. Since the head was a Barbie that I have, I decided to use her body for my blonde 2015 Barbie Look doll.  Her are the photos:

Only one of these dolls is the exact same as in the US

Finally, my recent Fashion Royalty purchases. One thing about being in the W-Club is you get an opportunity to pre-order dolls that may come much later in the year. What I have to be careful of is forgetting that I have one coming and not planning for making the final payments later. What I do like is that I have been able to acquire dolls that I never would have been able to afford in the secondary market. Here are my latest additions.

Here are Mood Changers Poppy Parker. I also ordered some of the extra bodies from IT so have all the heads on their own body. I also boil washed and conditioned their hair and redressed them in more casual clothes. I absolutely love the redhead!

Nigel North arrived! I don't even know what to say about him. He has some nice accessorie, but this outfit??!! And his hair! Looks like he is having a bad hair day!

Nigel got a boil wash and a new wardrobe. Personally, I think it is a great improvement!

Lastly, I added Style Notes Isha to my collection. Sheer perfection!

That is all for now. I also purchased some items to do a blog anniversary give-a-way. Even though my anniversary was a while ago now, I don't think is it ever too late to celebrate. I will do a post soon with what I am giving away and what the criteria will be to enter in the drawing for prizes. Stay tuned for more!

Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

Linda of Darkroom Dolls nominated me for the "Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award". Here are my answers to Linda's 10 questions:

1. Do you collect anything other than dolls?

Well, if you ask my kids, I collect lots of things! I collect artwork done by my kids and memorabilia of their childhood. Of course, though, my dolls are the items I collect the most avidly.


2. Why did you start a doll blog?

In May of 2011, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had many a sleepless night after the diagnosis and I spent a lot of time on line browsing the web trying to get as much information as I could about my particular type of breast cancer. One night, I stumbled into a doll blog called "Dollies Series" which was Adrian's blog before she changed the name to "The Waverly's". It took me a while, but I read all of her blog entries from the start of her blog. This lead to finding other doll story blogs such as Van's Doll Treasures, Roville and more. I found the doll blogs very intriguing and it gave me a break from thinking about my cancer. After a while, I began leaving comments and got to know some of the blog authors, who encouraged me to start my own blog. I started my blog in the summer of 2014. BTW, I have been cancer free for 4 years now!

3. Do you have one particular doll that is the favorite in your collection?

I have many dolls that I love, so it is hard to pick a favorite. I do treasure my vintage Platinum Blonde Bubble Cut Barbie from the early 1960's. While she is not MY original doll, she is just like her! My first Barbie was this doll. She went everywhere I did, even to school! Me and my sister played with our Barbies for hours on end. This treasured doll is a favorite since she is representative of my first doll and the quest to find her is what got me into collecting dolls.

4. Your favorite doll accessory (American Girl or other)?

Can this be something I made? Well my favorite homemade accessory is the black & white bathroom sink and vanity I made for the Gordon house. My favorite purchased accessory would probable be the Jonathan Adler pink sofa for Barbie.


5. Do you know exactly how many dolls you have in your collection (you don't have to tell the number of course :-) )?

No, I do not know exactly how many dolls I have in my collection, but I would guess upwards of 500 dolls.


6. Do you play any instruments and if so, what?

No, I do not play any instruments. I wish I did though!


7. Where is your most favority place you've ever been?

I have been fortunate to have travelled a lot, but hands down favorite place I have traveled is China. Why? Because I adopted both of my daughters from China. I would love to take them back to China someday!


8. What is your most favorite thing about yourself?

Physically, it would probably be that I look a lot younger than I am. People are always surprised when they find out my real age. I also like that I am pretty crafty. That helps a lot with this hobby!



9. Favorite book or movie?

I have many favorite books and movies. I love animated movies and one of my favorites is "How to Train Your Dragon".  I am also a huge fan of the Avengers series.


10. If you could design your own doll, how would it look like?

There are so many beautiful dolls out now that I would be hard pressed to top them, but if I could design my own doll, it would probably look like my daughters. Asian features, with long black hair, a little shorter than Barbie with full articulation. 


My questions are:

1. Do you collect anything other than dolls?
2. Why did you start a doll blog?
3. What is your grail doll?
4. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you travel to?
5. What kind of music do you like?
6. How did you get started collecting dolls?
7. What are your feelings about doll articulation?
8. Do you know exactly how many dolls you have in your collection?
9. What type of dolls do you collect? (American Girl, Barbie, Fashion Royalty, etc.)
10. Do you set up dioramas for your dolls or do you keep them in display cases?

My nominees are:

1. Smaller Places

2. Cindi Mortensen of Moreville Life and Times

3. Male Doll World

4. Jewell of Doll-Lightful

5. Miranda of One Sixth Avenue

Of course, participate only if you desire! I had fun answering the questions, I hope you do too!

Have a great day!

The Quest for Perfect Articulation

I know that many of us are on a quest for the best articulation for our dolls. I mean, how many of us get a "stiff" doll and wait for the right skin tone on an articulated doll to really be able to play with that doll? How many of us watch for sales and stock up on articulated bodies just to have on hand for body swaps? How many tutorials have you seen out there sharing techniques on how to improve the articulation on a body with limited range or how to modify a head to make it work on a different type of neck knob (or visa versa) only with the goal in mind of giving that doll articulation? Why do we do it? For me, it makes telling a story with my dolls more plausible. It makes taking pictures of them more enticing. It makes playing with them so much more fun!

When I first started collecting dolls, I only did it for looking at them. I put them in a glass case for the pure pleasure of admiring them. With my vintage dolls, they still hold there place of honor in that glass case. I seldom would rebody one of them as there is something about preserving that aesthetic that won't let me modify them. 

One thing that finding the doll community on the internet with all of the wonderfully posed pictures and creative story telling and simply sharing a mutual joy of doll play and collecting is that my eyes were opened up to the possibility of telling my own stories and expressing my own creativity through my dolls. I found other adults like me who were not afraid of sharing their love for dolls. I feel as though I have made some truly wonderful friends through this connection. And although I haven't personally met any of you, I still feel that I know more about you and you know more about me than a lot of people I have met face to face! I do hope to meet some of you in person some day! Who knows, maybe at a doll convention or something similar.

Ok, I digress! The point of this post was to share what I believe is sheer articulation perfection! Without further ado, meet the latest additions to my little doll town (Hanaly Corners):

Meet Stephanie (Left) and Mayumi (Right). Just having a little girl talk and wondering about the possibilities of life in Hanaly Corners!

These ladies are both the new Phicen figures with the stainless steel skeleton. So far, these ladies have demonstrated the ultimate in articulation. The movement is like silk -- no clicking or "breaking" sounds, just free movement into a multitude of positions. And the feel of their skin is so realistic! Their bodies have realistic shading and they are anatomically correct! I had to be careful when posing them not to show off some of that correctness! They do not fit into most Barbie clothes, but they are seen here wearing dresses from my Mixis ladies. I do not know yet what their roles will be in Hanaly Corners. Will they be married and/or have children? Will they be single and play the field or will they have boyfriends? Their future remains to be seen! In the meantime, I did a photo shoot with them demonstrating some of the posing possibilities that they have!

Shoes are a bit of challenge for them. Mayumi is wearing a pair of high heeled pumps from IT Color Infusion

Stephanie is wearing a pair of red high heels for Cy Girl I found on eBay.

I hope you found this post interesting. I am going to try to post more often and work more on my town. I do have a lot of work to do and stories to tell!

Thanks for stopping by. I welcome your comments!

W Club Registration Dolls, City Shine Barbies and Latest Fashionistas

I have had these dolls for a while now, but have just gotten around to taking pictures of them. First up are the W Club Registration dolls. Since this is my first year in the W Club, I took full advantage of this opportunity. 

Yup, I got all 3 of the registration dolls. Aristocratic Agnes, Groovy Galore Poppy Parker and Vice Effect Ollie Lawson. 

At first, I was on the fence about getting Aristocratic Agnes. But, I knew this would be my only chance to get her and besides, if she arrived and I didn't like her, I could always sell her. Well, when she arrived and I opened the box to this beauty, I was glad I decided to order her as she definitely did not disappoint. She has a beautiful face, lovely dress and gorgeous blonde hair. Below is a close up of her face.

Next is Groovy Galore Poppy Parker. This is only my second Poppy Parker doll. I also have a Poppy Parker as Corrie Bratter. I am just starting to see the appeal of this doll. I do also have a Darla Daly and Kimiko Gunn from the Poppy Parker line, but I now have 2 actual Poppys! I don't think she will be my last! (Of course she won't as I have 2 more on order - Mood Changers and Hippy Dippy!)

The last doll of the registration dolls is Vice Effect Ollie Lawson. He definitely is modeled after Don Johnson of the old Miami Vice series. He is a handsome blonde fellow and he already has many of my ladies talking about him. They are not exactly thrilled that he arrived with a woman on each arm, but I am sure they won't let them stand in their way! Just look into those baby blue eyes and I dare ya not to swoon!

From Barbiecollector.com, I ordered all 4 of the 2015 City Shine Barbies and the latest Grace and the Redheaded Fashionistas. I have not yet deboxed the Barbie City Shine doll, so I did not photograph her at this time. 

"Purple" has the Aphrodite face mold and the most glorious curly red hair. I rebodied her on a hybrid body from a Resort Style Barbie and the legs from a Barbie Director. Usually, I am not able to get the Model Muse dresses on a regular Barbie body, but in this case, the dress fits just fine. "Red" has the Lea/Kayla face mold and has been rebodied on an Elvis Barbie Pivotal body. I love her hair, which has been shampooed and conditioned. "Pink" has the Pazette face mold and has been rebodied on a Style Grace body. Her dress also fits her very well on her new body. 

I also got the 2 latest Barbie Fashionistas from Barbiecollector.com. The latest Grace and the new Redhead. 

The Redhead has been rebodied on a Style Barbie body and Grace has been rebodied on a Baby Phat Grace body.  

Here are some additional shots of the dolls from Barbiecollector.com.

 "Red" is long and lanky! I just love this outfit! She will fit right in with the other models in Hanaly Corners.

 Grace and "Pink" stop to pose for a picture together.

 These 2 redhead look like they might be related! Maybe sisters?!

 "Purple" stops to pose for an individual shot. She is very beautiful after all!

Uh oh, "Pink" saw this new fellow arrive and she grabbed onto him right away. This is Djimon Hounsou from "The Guardians". Hmmm, do you think she will be able to keep him to herself once they join the other residents of Hanaly Corners???

Dasia's New Wardrobe

Thanks to Vanessa from Van's Doll Treasures, Dasia's wardrobe has grown significantly. She has incredible handiwork and I (well Dasia) have certainly taken advantage of that fact. If you haven't done so already, you should check out her Etsy shop. In addition to buying from Vanessa's line of custom Dasia clothing, I also purchased a couple of Groovy Girl outfits for her. She was more than happy to put on a little fashion show for you and her hubby!

First, the clothing from Vanessa's fashion line:

Red skirt with red blouse with white polka dots

Red floral print dress with blue ribbon belt

White V Neck top with Navy skirt with white polka dots

Black & White print top with black skirt. This is one of my favorites!

Animal print night gown Dasia's husband really likes this one - He wanted to give a special thanks to Vanessa for this one!

I also purchased a denim skirt from Vanessa. in the next couple of photos, I am pairing the skirt with Ken shirts I purchased on ebay that fit Dasia very nicely.

Now for the Groovy Girl outfits!

Here is a pair of pajamas from Groovy Girl

Here is a blue jean outfit from Groovy girl.  Note that the jeans don't close all the way in the back, but since it is covered by the top, it is not noticeable.

I also paired the Groovy Girl jeans with some of the shirts from the eBay seller.

With that, our little Dasia fashion show is concluded. Keegan liked all the outfits, but he especially likes the animal print night gown made by Vanessa!

Keegan: Thank you, Vanessa!

I Got a Ruruko!

Some of you may remember that a Ruruko doll was the top item on my Grail list. She sells out very quickly when they go on sale from Petworks, so they are quite expensive in the secondary market. I found one on eBay that was going for a reasonable price. Although she was nude, I jumped on the Buy It Now option and she arrived in my home yesterday. I dressed her in a mini AG dress and shoes. Isn't she adorable?

She very quickly made friends with my homemade Ruruko (the Momoko/Pure Neemo hybrid). 

Before I found the Ruruko doll, I had ordered several Licca heads to go on the XS Pure Neemo bodies I had previously purchased.  I now have 5 new girls and 1 new boy for Ruruko to be friends with.

Ruruko is so happy to be meeting so many new friends. They all cannot wait to get their names and find out what families they will be in. In the meantime, I think they will have fun playing with one another!