Blog Giveaway #3 Announcement!

Well, it is time for Blog Giveaway #3! I hope you all are enjoying this as much as I am. First, of course, we had to introduce some more new dolls that have moved into Hanaly Corners.

Yes, more Fashion Royalty dolls. Here we have "IT Airways Poppy Parker", "Anthony Julian"-Video Director for Gem and the Holograms and "Power House Ayumi" of the 2015 NuFace collection. You should know that Anthony Julian and Ayumi were ordered in June, but they only just arrived in January 2016. I won the right to purchase Airways Poppy in a W Club lottery.  It should also be noted that I will most likely change Mr. Julian's first name because "Anthony" was my ex-husband's name and it make it hard to relate this fine example of a man to my ex! I am thinking maybe Alexander?? Below is a closeup of these 3:

I love all 3 of these characters, and they are a prime example of why I decided to join the WClub again in 2016. There are still a few more dolls that I ordered from IT in 2015 that will come in the Spring of 2016 or even later. 

So now, these 3 have agreed to help announce Blog Giveaway #3.

Yes, here we go with another fashion pack! I really like this one too! 

Poppy pulled me aside and suggest we take a picture without flash to get rid of the glare from the packaging so you all could see the better. 

Once again, here are the rules for the Giveaway:

• You need to be a follower of this blog to enter.
• You can only enter one time for each Giveaway.
• You will have one week to enter. Drawing will be on Sunday February 14, 2016.
• You will need to leave a comment stating you would like to participate.
• Winner will be selected at random. Once you have won a Giveaway, you will not be eligible for the subsequent Giveaways in this series.
• The winner will be announced via blog and will be asked for personal email to communicate through.
• The winner 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.

 
Ok, that is it for this one! For anyone who is entering, Good Luck!

Blog Giveaway #2 Winner Announced!

Once again, we have a winner for Blog Giveaway #2. As we did for #1, we have enlisted the help of some new Hanaly Corner residents to announce the winner.

During the last quarter of 2015, W Club members were offered several opportunities to purchase some really great dolls. We were offer a surprise grab bag, discounted Gloss Convention dolls  and a new member of the Gem and the Hologram family. It was hard to choose what I wanted, and I almost passed up on this opportunity, but I caved in and got the above four dolls.

Let me introduce them to you!

Here we have from the 2014 Gloss Convention, Miss "La Ville Lumiere Simonetta Bertorelli" and her escort, Mr. "Eric Raymond" of the Gem and the Holograms family of dolls and manager of the Misfits. This is my first Simonetta doll, so I really don't even know if there are other versions of her. I am thinking they should be brother and sister and part of the Hanaly Corners "old money" jetset.

This young lady on the left was my "Happy Dolly Days Surprise Grab Box" purchase and the lady on the right is a 2014 Gloss Convention "Dial V for Victoire Roux" doll. The dress that the Grab Box doll came in was not age appropriate for her, so I quickly redressed her in a more youthful outfit. I think these 2 should be mother and daughter.

OK, so now, without further ado, I would like to announce the Winner of Blog Giveaway #2. Put your hands together for:

Yes, the winner is Farrah Lilly of Cozy Comforts and Dolls blogspot. Congratulations Farrah Lily! Please send me an email to amaphyl526@gmail.com with your name and address and I will get your prize out to you asap!  I really hope you enjoy this fashion pack. Thank you for your participation!

So, if you haven't won yet, you will still have 2 more opportunities to win. Giveaway #3 will be posted shortly and Giveaway #4 will be announced on February 14.

I am really having fun with this, so I will most likely make it an annual event.

 

The New Barbie Bodies

By now, you have probably seen or at least heard of the introduction of the new body types Barbie is offering in its Fashionista line of dolls. They are offering a Curvy body, a Petite body and a Tall body. Probably the most talked about is the "Curvy" body. Many believe that this is a direct response by Mattel in answer to the Lammily doll. If it is, then thank you Lammily! Now, I do own more that one Lammily doll, but I do not like their ad campaign bashing Barbie. I think there is a place in this world for dolls of all sizes and shapes. Bravo Mattel!

Now if you know me at all, I did have to order some in each of the new body styles. Mine arrived Friday and they did not disappoint (except for the fact that they don't have articulation :-( ].  I took some pictures and did some comparisons to other dolls. I will share these with you all and, of course, voice my opinion.

We will start with a photo of all of the new dolls I received.

From L to R: Petite Blue Brocade, Curvy Chambray Chic, Tall White and Pink Pizzazz, Curvy Sweetheart Stripes

I really love the Curvy dolls! Maybe because I am a bit curvy myself! So I compared the Curvy girls to Lammily.

They are all very close to the same height. Chambray Chic has flat feet and Sweetheart Stripes has high heeled feet, but they are not as high as the original Barbie. Lammily, is wearing black mid-heel pumps. Oh, BTW, I put my mini me head on a Lammily body!

Here we have the girls stripped naked! As you can see, the Lammily body has a much longer torso than Curvy Barbie. Also Curvy Barbie has a much more defined waistline. Her legs are also more, well curvy, than Lammily's. 

Now from behind. BTW, I should note that Curvy Barbie could stand on her own as long as she had her shoes on! Visually, it appears that Curvy Barbie has wider hips that Lammily. I did move Curvy Barbies legs out a bit to aid in her standing, but with a narrower stance, her thighs almost touch, which is true for most curvy human ladies!

I swapped Lammily's outfit with Curvy Barbie's outfit. As you can see, it appears that they do not have much trouble sharing clothes. However, because of Lammily's long torso, the dress barely covers her bum and it definitely shows more leg.

Now, without the sweater you can see that the Lammily pants are very loose on Curvy Barbie. They sit rather low at the waste too. Also, when putting Curvy Barbie's dress on Lammily, I had some trouble pulling it over Lammily's hips. Much to my surprise, Lammily's hips are wider even though they don't look that way to the naked eye. I think this is because with the more defined waistline and more shapely legs on Curvy Barbie, She has the illusion of looking like she has wider hips.

Next, I tried on some other Lammily clothes on Barbie. All of the skirts from Lammily were too big for Curvy Barbie. However, there are some pieces that work.

Here, each of my Curvy Barbies are wearing Lammily jackets. They look good, right?

Chambray Chic has on a running suit from Ty Girls that I had purchased for Lammily and Sweetheart Stripes has the suit jacket from Lammily's Rockin' London set.

Next up, is the Petite doll comparisons. I compared Petite Blue Brocade to a hybrid articulated Skipper doll, a Skipper doll with a Simba Supermodel body and a Momoko doll.

L to R: Skipper on Simba Supermodel body, older Skipper on a hybrid articulated Skipper body, Petite Blue Brocade, Wake up Momoko. Petite's hair makes her look taller, but these girls are all pretty close in height, with the Simba Supermodel body being slightly shorter than the rest. We should also note that Petite Blue Brocade has high heeled feet. 

Naked Petites! Petite Barbie has a more mature and defined shape than the Simba Supermodel and the Skipper Hybrid bodies. Momoko has a defined shape, but is slimmer that Petite Barbie. (Note: I had put on some Barbie flat footed tennis shoes on Momoko and need to apply heat to remove them, so I just pulled her pants down!)

From behind, it is easier to see that the Simba Supermodel is shorter. Skipper definitely has a more juvenile body than Petite Barbie and Momoko (sorry, I forgot to move her hair aside) is slimmer)

Now for some clothes sharing. Skipper on the Simba Supermodel body wearing the Blue Brocade dress and Petite Barbie wearing a current Skipper outfit. I think both look very nice.

Petite Barbie in Momoko's top (I couldn't get the pants off because of the shoes, but I don't think they would have fit anyway). Hybrid Skipper in Petite Blue Brocade dress.  I do see some clothes swapping opportunities here. 

Finally, because I often have used a Liv body as a rebody choice for Skipper, I decided to compare these 2 as well. This is Generation Girl Mari on a Liv body. Still some possibilities here!

Now for the new Tall Barbies! 

Left to Right: Barbie Look Sweet Tea, Tall Barbie White and Pink Pizzazz, Fashion Royalty Perfectly Suited Giselle

Giselle is obviously the tallest of the 3, however, she does have high heeled feet. Tall Barbie has flat feet and Sweet Tea has high heeled feet, put is still a little shorter than the new Tall Barbie.  Also, note the differences in their bodies. Both Giselle and Sweet Tea have defined waistlines and shorter torsos. Tall Barbie has a basically strait up and down figure and a long torso. I think you would say she has a boyish figure. 

Here they are from the back. Giselle and Sweet Tea both have shapely behinds while Tall Barbie has a flatter looking butt. I do like the uniqueness of Tall Barbies shape. Someone mentioned that her body reminded them of the Mixis doll bodies, with the straight up and down waist and hips.

The big question is - can they swap clothes?

Tall Barbie and Sweet Tea have traded clothes. Doesn't look too bad, right? Well I could not close the skirt on Sweet Tea skirt on the Tall Barbie body. I haven't tried any regular Barbie clothes on the Tall body yet, but they may be a better fit.

Tall Barbie cannot wear Giselle's pants, but she can wear her jacket (Giselle better keep an eye on her stuff!).  Giselle, on the other hand can wear both pieces and look pretty good in them!

In conclusion, I am loving the direction that Barbie is taking with this new group of dolls. However, I so wish these ladies had articulation! I do think my favorite body of these is the new Curvy body because she is such a departure from what we have seen in the past. Will I body swap any of them? Probably. I see some viable alternatives for both the Petite and the Tall bodies. Of course, this will depend on skin tone matches. I hope that Mattel is just waiting to see how they sell before making a more substantial investment in the bodies. I for one, will do my part and purchase more! I already have my eye on some of them!

To see more of Mattel's new Fashionista body types go to ShopMattel.com.

Thanks for stopping by. And don't forget the winner of Blog Giveaway #2 will be announced tomorrow with Blog Giveaway # 3 not being far behind!

Blog Giveaway #2 and More New Dolls From the Last Days of 2015!

OK, so are you ready for the 2nd giveaway?  Once again, I will be enlisting the help of new dolls that arrived at the end of 2015 to announce the giveaway item. First, lets introduce the new residents! All 3 of them are from the 2015 Cinematic Convention and were made available to W-Club members after the Convention. I was very happy to be able to get these 3!

Here we have, from left to right: The Beautiful People Chip, Perfectly Suited Giselle, and Director's Cut Ace Mcfly

Chip:  "Hi everybody! I have partnered up with Giselle and we are opening up a new Real Estate firm in Hanaly Corners!"

Giselle: "Yes! With all of the expansion going on in Hanaly Corners and all of the new arrivals, we saw a huge opportunity for home sales. We market both new construction and existing homes. I think this will be an amazing opportunity!"

Ace: "Me? I am new in town and open for whatever this town brings me! I noticed a large population of very attraction and hopefully eligible women and just knew this was the place for me!"

And now for the Giveaway item!

Here it is, a fashion pack from Mattel!

Giselle: "Here is a little better look at it. While it is marketed for Barbie, this fashion set will fit other fashion dolls. I am sure I would have no problem fitting in and looking delightful in any combination of these outfits. The contest rules are explained below. Good luck!"

• You need to be a follower of this blog to enter.
• You can only enter one time for each Giveaway.
• You will have one week to enter. Drawing will be on Sunday February 7, 2016.
• You will need to leave a comment stating you would like to participate.
• Winner will be selected at random. Once you have won a Giveaway, you will not be eligible for the subsequent Giveaways in this series.
• The winner will be announced via blog and will be asked for personal email to communicate through.
• The winner 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.

Winner for Giveaway #1!

Hello all! We all arrived in Hanaly Corners at the end of 2015. We are very proud to be chosen to announce the winner of A Day in the Life of My Dolls Blog Giveaway #1! First let us introduce ourselves.

And now, we would like to announce the winner of Blog Giveaway #1:

Carrickters

To claim your prize, please send an email to Phyllis at amaphyl526@gmail.com with your name, shipping address and email address so that I can contact you to let you know when your item has shipped.

Congratulations, Carrickters! I hope you enjoy your prize!

For the rest of you, don't give up. The next giveaway item will be posted by tomorrow morning! Remember, there will be 3 more, so you still have a chance to win!

Happy Adoption Day to My Daughter!

When they say time flies, they are really not kidding! On January 19, 1997 in a beautiful hotel in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China, I first laid my eyes on my very first daughter. I remember it like it was yesterday. The myriad of emotions I felt are still with me on this anniversary. I remember feeling scared and panicky after arriving in China. What on earth made me think I could do this all by myself?! But, when they handed me this tiny little bundle of sweetness, I looked down on her and fell in love. She was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. I was so overwhelmed with emotion, I thought my heart would burst. I was suddenly a mom! This was something I never thought I would be. Now, 19 years later, I still get that feeling when I look at both of my girls. Below, is the picture I received from China (called a referral photo). 

Alyssa Li Lan Referral Photo

She has grown to be a beautiful young woman. She is a wonderful artist, a caring individual and a joy to be around (well, most of the time!) Here she is now:

On the 5 year anniversary of her adoption in 2002, I wrote the below poem to help her to understand a little about her start in life and how we became a family:

5 Years Ago

5 years ago I took a trip all the way across the sea
And on that trip I first met you and we became a family.
I'd prayed and prayed that someday I would be a Mom
And the Lord, He gave His answer but I did not know where from.

Meanwhile somewhere in China a woman had a baby girl,
But, alas, the laws of that country would not let her keep her pearl.
So one sad day she took you to the Guixi Children's Home,
And she kissed you and said "I love you" and she prayed for you a 
home.

She said she would remember you, she hoped you'd understand
That she must leave you now so that your life could be more grand.
On that day God planted a seed that could not be torn apart,
And you were born again, but this time in my heart.

Now came a day in November of 1996
That the postman brought your picture and my heart was filled with bliss.
I cried and held you deeply right there in my heart,
Until the day when I could board the plane for China to depart.

There were so many stops that were made along the way,
From Detroit to Chicago then on to L.A.
Then finally on to China where our hearts and eyes would meet,
In a hotel known as the Lakeview where others go to greet.

My heart jumped with joy as I saw you across the room,
Then I waited 'til they called my name which happened very soon.
Then I held you close and looked as you cried there in my arms
And I tried so hard to reassure you that you'd never come to harm.

Somewhere in the scurry of that very busy day,
You laid your head upon my chest as if you were to say,
"I know you are my mommy and I trust you now you see,
I will hold on to you tightly and let you take care of me!"

So on that day 5 years ago our hearts began to bond
Ever growing with love so wonderful a gift from the great beyond.
Now as I watch you sleeping in our home in Michigan,
My heart fills with joy as I remember that special day again.

I thank God for His angel and its true now that I know,
That the years and years of waiting were His own way to show
That in his gracious wisdom it was always meant to be
For us to be together as a forever family.

Thanks for letting me share this moment with you all!

Last Dolls of 2015 and Blog Giveaway # 1 Announcement

I hope you all remember that I promised to do a blog giveaway soon after the start of the new year. So here I am announcing my first blog giveaway! I am hoping I can make this an annual event. I decided to follow the example of Brini of Brini's Doll Domain and have a series of items to give away. There will be 4 different giveaways. This is the first. I also decided to have the last dolls of 2015 introduce themselves and announce each giveaway. 

"Hi all, we are some of the new residents of Hanaly Corners that were added late in 2015. From left to right, we are Carly Lager, Millie Robertson and Shula Washington. Some of you may recognize us as the 2015 Barbie Look dolls introduced by Mattel in the last quarter of 2015. We do not know what our roles are yet in Hanaly Corners or even if we have other family members here, but we have been enlisted to announce Blog Giveaway #1."

Millie: "These adorable accessory packs are for the first Giveaway."
Carly: "Are you sure we have to give these away? They are so cute, especially those black gladiator sandles!"
Shula: "Those are for flat footed dolls, not for our type of feet!"

Millie: "Here is a closer look at the items for this Giveaway."

Shula:  "Here are the rules for the Giveaway:

• You need to be a follower of this blog to enter.
• You can only enter one time for each Giveaway.
• You will have one week to enter.
• You will need to leave a comment stating you would like to participate.
• Winner will be selected at random. Once you have won a Giveaway, you will not be eligible for the subsequent Giveaways in this series.
• The winner will be announced via blog and will be asked for 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.

Good Luck!