Happy New Year from the Lightwaves Production Team!

  Even though Lightwaves hasn't officially started shooting, the cast has started to get to know each other during pre-production. Carina organized a New Years Party to help with that, along with a photoshoot.

 

Jennifer: "I feel kinda awkward being the only one here besides the host, Mom.
The photographer keeps following me."
Carina: "Don't worry, other people are going to show up. Have a little faith."
Jennifer: "I hope you're right."

       She was right! Eventually, other guests started trickling in. The photographer quickly snapped pictures, eager to impress these possible future TV stars. First, a complete stranger.

"My name is Felicity. I was told by the casting director to be here...this is the Lightwaves cast party, right?"

     Felicity and Jennifer struck up a conversation by the appetizers. Four more guests arrived, in shimmering, metallic gowns. Carina was delighted, it was the rest of her bar staff from the show, in matching outfits! All aside from Melody, who was dressed all in silver.

Melody: "I hope we're not late! We swung by the Costume department to pick out some evening wear! Those are our new uniforms!"
Carina: "I hope you got permission!"
Sarah: "Of course we did...we did, right?"

     Next, a Cadillac SUV pulled up and these guys piled out, reluctantly shoving each other into line for the photo, laughing and mostly good-natured carrying-on. 

Sam: "So, this is where the party's at, right?"

    Andrea walked in, alone. Melody rushed over to get in the photos with her.

Andrea: "Mel...is that my necklace?"
Melody: "I was keeping it safe for you!"
Andrea: "It was in my jewelry case!"

Melody: "Come on, smile! We look hot tonight!"
Andrea: "We sure do!"

    A blonde woman stepped up to the door in a magnificent ball gown. Sam walked over to help her get the door open, and she walked in. The room fell silent as her skirt billowed across the floor, and then people started to recognize her. It was Celeste, who would be playing the firefighter!

Celeste: "Hi, everyone! Happy New Year!"

    A few more unfamiliar faces showed up. Clearly, the casting director had been busy!

"Just point me to the champagne, darlings!"

"Am I at the right place? I thought Charlene said this was going to be a costume party?"

"I can't find my glasses."

    Carina was kept busy trying to corral everyone into a group photo. She finally gave up on dragging the boys away from the banquet and managed to get some of the women in one place...

    But then Jennifer had an idea. She texted the casting director, who texted everyone else. Within minutes, people started making their way into the main hall. The boys were still nowhere to be seen, but...

Success!

Happy New Year everyone! May 2017 bring you love and lovely doll things!

Review: Barbie Fashionistas Va-Va-Violet

 As promised, the first of many, many of my Christmas haul reviews!

 

Here she is in her box

    So I'm not a big Fashionista buyer in general. They're cheap, but they're not articulated and I love all things articulated coming from a world of action figures. Non-poseable dolls frustrate me. I'm not gonna lie, I picked her because of her hair. I love the purple! Her outfit was not a consideration.

In purple, I'm stunning!

    Straight out of the box, the hair is a nice, even, light shade of purple, and very stiff. I have not touched it yet with a comb or anything to see if it turns into a more hair-like substance if you work on it, but I assume it does. Right now, it is sort of like a helmet, or a cartoon android woman headpiece. Which I find sort of cool.

Speaking of cool!

   I LOVE HER BOOTS. If I could afford a pair like this in real life, you could not pry them away from me. If I ever get around to it, I might hit the buckles with some model paint and give them just a tiny bit more detail, but otherwise they are perfect. So modern and youthful! Why can't the Curvy girls have boots like this?

    Somewhat less impressed with the dress...wait...

OH COOL.

It's actually a top and a skirt! It's also not that nasty papery cheap Dollar Store Doll fabric! It feels soft and real, and has a bit of stretch and drape to it. The more I look at it, the more I realize it has a funky, but not clashing, sense of style.
   

STRAP THAT THING DOWN.

    The necklace is my one big question mark. I get it, fashion-wise. I even understand why they package it with a giant rubber band tightly stretched through the doll's armpits (poor woman, the things we do for jewelry). But WHY OH WHY is it not removable at all? Every other Barbie necklace, bracelet, even most rings and some earrings are removable. But unless there is some secret password or magic combination I haven't found, this one is not, without taking Barbie's head off! I plan to carefully cut the back so that it can be hopefully used the way my other Barbie jewelry is, because I like to redress my dolls, but seriously...why? This is a fashion doll. People redress fashion dolls. This makes as much sense as molded-on clothing on fashion dolls. Just...WHY.

I have not had this doll for long (really just took her out) but my overall impression is "surprised". She surprised me with her personality and individuality. This is a girl who has her own sense of style, and likes to stay modern, but doesn't go with the pink and frilly flow of everyone else. She likes to feel pretty, but she also likes to kick butt. I feel like she needs a jacket to go with, but I am a jacket hoarder and would probably jacket my entire collection if given half an opportunity. I am confused by the permanent necklace? But I love most other aspects of the doll! I would also bodyswap her if I could, but I would bodyswap probably every Barbie in existence until they were all on M2M bodies. Definitely a good buy.

Mattel's Nightmare Christmas

I made a small order of dolls and accessories from Mattel before Christmas, and it still hasn't processed. I'm getting really concerned! I could technically still cancel, but I really wanted Hip Hoodie Ken and I can't find him anywhere else! I'm really disappointed. Customer Support has not gotten back to me. I guess they are pretty swamped. It sounds like their new Dream House is a nightmare for them!

I really wish they would let me know one way or the other though. At least my Christmas Amazon packages arrived. So many pretty new faces! I will be reviewing them all here soon!

Also, if anyone remembers this lady from Hair Boil Day...

 She went to her new home on Christmas! I forgot to get an "after" photo. She lives next door to me, so I will have to invite myself over and get one sometime! Apparently her new home was thrilled to receive her. Doll rescue mission accomplished!

Sparkle Fashion Show

this is only a few of them...

I will confess, this is the most I have ever bought Sparkle Girlz at one time. I usually buy one or two packs, maybe three. But sometimes, I've just gotta make the silly purchase. Sometimes, there are really cool fashions. Sometimes, a few more than I expect find their way into my cart! Yeah, anyway. I decided that since this was such a rare and special occasion, I should get some of the ladies out and do a fashion show!

I started with Destiny, who picked out the fun colorful knit/denim dress. It wasn't her usual suave style, but she definitely made it work. She was also the only one to hold the matching handbag.

 Next came Melody, who I knew would go for the rainbow metallic mini. She LOVES everything metallic, and thinks that everything is better with tall lace stockings.

     Of course, any part of the outfit is optional...

  Anja's outfit was set aside just for her. She recently donated her body to another doll whose body broke. Her new body is not barbie brand, but it is more articulated than her old one. Still, I felt that she deserved something special, and it reminded me of her.

 She has a very unique sense of style, that's for sure!

 Shalynn loved this funky fuzzy skirt/top combo and wore it with black leggings. It is winter, after all! She thinks it's a great outfit to go dancing in, if I will ever get around to building the club!

Health-conscious Maya has decided that this is the perfect outfit for her, and it helped her make a decision for her career path. She wants to be a fitness coach!

Lovely Carina modeled a dress that I found on eBay for her. She wanted something elegant to wear to a Christmas party. I think she looks quite angelic!

Black leggings are in this year in 1/6 LA. Echo stays cool and warm at the same time in this fantastic mini with a flower at the neck, accessorizing with a belt she found in the Giant Doll Clothes Box of Doom.

The dress is actually metallic!

A guest model shows off another eBay find...

And Anna and Elsa play dress up too!

   At first, I wondered why I even chose the outfit that Emily picked, but after seeing it off the cardboard, I realized that it was definitely for the lacy top. So cute! The shorts, though? I am not really a fan. Maybe they will look better on her!

No, they really don't. The top is so cute though!

 Okay, how is it with a different pair of pants?

Much better!

I guess I'll just get rid of the shorts...

"WAIT! I'll take them! OH I just know I can do something with these!"

 I don't even want to know, Melody. I can never get rid of clothes with her around! Eventually, her closet will be the Giant Doll Clothes Box of Doom. I think she's just fine with that arrangement!

    Next is Maya, in a zigzag dress with a sparkly strap and a purple gem. I wasn't sure I was going to like it until I saw it on a doll. It's not my style at all, but it looks very cute on Maya!

  
    Emily wanted to try on another outfit, and she saw a top that she really liked, with a much more normal pair of shorts! I think she chose well.

The last outfit was modeled by the same doll as the first outfit, Destiny. The blue of the dress matches her eyes really nicely! I bought two of this dress, one to give away, and I chose the stretchy one with the larger print over the smaller print made out of cotton. I think it's interesting that there's a variation in fabric!

    I did buy a few other Sparkle Girlz outfits, but I may not keep them, so I left them on the card. It was a big haul, and my dolls should be very happy and feel quite spoiled for a long time! They got their Christmas early!

December Musings

It has been a busy month here in 1/6 L.A., as well as 1/1 *location redacted*! I have been selling off a lot of my old, stored toys on eBay. It is sad to see them go, but also a good feeling to know that they will no longer be stuck in storage and will be going to homes that want them. I like thinking of the buyer being excited to get my toy in the mail. Plus, it gave me some extra money for Christmas shopping, shipping Christmas presents (wow, so costly!), and even a bit left over for some fun stuff for myself! Yay, new dolls!

I may have gone slightly overboard with the Barbie shopping, but I am not sure how much of it will be for me and how much of it will be additional gifts. There were a few that have been on my wishlist for quite a while, and I thought, well why not? They make me smile, and I can use all the smiles I can get! It's also funny collecting something where I can buy a pretty decent doll for $15. I am used to collecting things that cost three times that, at least! It's easy to go overboard! Especially with all of the new variety in dolls and clothing options!

The clothes I had for my barbies growing up were so strange, and not normal person clothes. They didn't fit very well, except the handmade clothes, and tended to be bright, neon colors! I've worked very hard recently to find basic items like T-shirts and regular pants for my dolls, but it is definitely a challenge. I guess Barbie lives most of her life in ball gowns and minidresses! I wish I was better at sewing!

I did sew this odd top for Stacie. The collar is stretchy and can be worn as pictured, or with the collar stretched down over both her shoulders. She is wearing a matching hair tie.

    Shopping is really fun, and I maybe spent too much this month, but I can't wait to open the packages and share them! I love how my doll collection is turning out so far!

Rearranging

Big things have been happening on the doll side of things. In the past 24 hours, I've completely unpacked and re-packed my entire doll collections of 1:6, 1:9, and 1:12 people. I've rearranged and mostly put away the 1:9 dolls in anticipation of the move (which is probably still months off) and also pulled out the 1:6 dolls to keep me company in the interim.

Life has been a bit stressful due to health issues and moving and political and family drama. I may have gone on a little bit of an ebay shopping binge, but being mostly broke, it was only a small one. I'm expecting a few cheap accessories to be trickling in, though I did finally buy the Lightwaves bar to renovate! I've been selling more than buying lately, so it felt good to pick up a few fun things.

I have to admit that current events did give me some pause about going ahead with Lightwaves. I wanted to write darker stories with it than I usually do, but I wondered if more darkness was really needed in the world. However, I think I need to tell this story. Maybe other people wouldn't consider it overly intense, or overthink it the way I am. I only know that I wanted to push my comfort zone, and this will do that. I am a person who sees my projects in stages of pre/pro/post production, and I am definitely in the pre stage right now! Trying to get to know my characters, trying to design the sets, trying to decide exactly what story I do want to tell. Ideas are swirling around in my head, and I want them to be more solid before I begin in earnest. This is mainly for myself, anyway. For me to create this world that I am starting to see so clearly, to share it, to get it out of my head and into reality. What happens beyond that, is not in my control.

Because I loathe blog posts without photos...behold Celeste's fantastic boots! I wish I could wear these...
       

The Doll Aisle

I did a very short video of some of the dolls for sale at the "local" store an hour away. It's my first video of this sort and my cellphone is not a fancy iphone or anything, so it is not the best. There is also no audio. But I think it turned out ok for my first time. Next time, I may get braver and try to get better details and captions.

An Old Photo

    Nothing much to share today except for this picture of the BFFs hanging out on the park bench. This was from July, back when they were the only "new" dolls in my collection. I'm sure Melody would be appalled that they are being shown in their "default" clothing! I also realize now, that black pair of shoes that Andrea is wearing has not been seen since. Hmm.

Surprise Arrival

This weekend, my latest toy purchase arrived from eBay, a fold-up Barbie Dream barn that I found for $8 (including shipping!). I may do a review on it later. The barn is nice enough, and will work well for the purpose I bought it for...but along with it came a doll.

    



She is not the original doll that came with the set. Her clothes, however, are. To be honest, I might have paid the $8 just for the adorable outfit!

But the doll is adorable, too. "Anya" has bright red lips, green eyes, and sparkles in her hair. I love her face sculpt! She has minor chew marks on her fingers, but it doesn't seem to affect her too badly.
   

The clothing didn't really fit her look, to me. She seems carefree, the kind of person who puts her troubles firmly behind her, a dreamer. Her new outfit seems to fit her better.

Melody has (somewhat creepily) staked her claim.

"Hi, we're going to be great friends!"

Welcome Echo

I have dramatically slowed down on my purchasing of dolls, now that my current population has risen to an acceptably high level. However, as with all of my collections, there are sometimes exceptional pieces that I wish to add. I have been curious about Liv dolls for several years, but never bought one when they were in stores. Their eyes and interchangeable wigs appealed to me (as well as, of course, the many joints. I am as always a sucker for articulation). Finally, I have one in my hands, and I love her! As I have recently been re-watching the series Dollhouse on Netflix, I couldn't resist a fairly blatant series reference. Therefore, say hello to my new doll, Echo!

Enjoying a moment in the sun

 I think she is beautiful, and feels very well-made. Not cheap and easily broken. I am annoyed that her right hand does not turn all the way around like her left one does. Her eyes have a lovely depth to them, though her expression is overall rather vacant (hence the name). Her hair is a tad unruly, but it is very soft and nice, and I do not want to damage it. She came wearing just a checked shirt, so I put one of my recent Sparkle Girls finds on her. It fits almost perfectly! I'm not keen on the light pink makeup. The only other thing is that next to my other 1/6 people, her head looks huge.

Overall, I am quite happy with her, and I don't feel that she will be the last Liv doll who joins my collection.