Thursday, September 30, 2010

Stop Your Whining!


The Russians are coming! They're NOT vintage looking! Let the WANGST begin!

(And Welcome to Squarepeg78!)
I never thought the day would come when I would be DEFENDING Silkstones...

Seriously! Back in the days of Barbie Bazaar Magazine, I was really tired of them. Every freaking issue was like "Blah, blah, blah, Silkstones...Look how we made yet another vintage knockoff for Silkstones! Look how great they redress in vintage fashions, blah, blah, blah..."

I had ONE Silkstone at the time - Lingerie #5. The lone African American Silkstone (at that time), and I hardly played with her. She seemed too locked into a particular time period to be much fun, and all I did was look at her.

It wasn't until I saw Kelsie's Mutant Goldfish website and her dolly stories with her Silkstones that I realized, hey, they can be fun to play with as well! (Well I had tried back in the day to make a "Star Trek" story with Number Five, and it was okay.) And to redress into something besides the usual vintage wannabe outfits. And her Silkstones even dated - GASP! Clutch the pearls! - PLAYLINE boy dolls!

(Don't bother looking on her site for the original stories - they're no longer there. Apparently when you go Fashion Royalty, you're no longer allowed to play with other dolls anymore!)

So, now my girls (yes, I bought more Silkies!) have "Silkstone Manor" where they laugh and love and rage and just live dolly lives like the other inhabitants of my doll nation. It's nice to be able to play with you dolls and not just look at them!

Getting back to the reason for this article - Mattel has announced new Silkstone dolls for 2011 with a Russian theme. Now, normally, you know what I think of Mattel - endless, boring blonde dolls who's only differing feature is their outfits, which are all usually pink.

BUT LO! And behold! Mattel actually made some different looking Silkstones! Check out that opening pic! OMG! I want "Darya" (the one in the red dress) and HUMINA! HUMINA! Check out Russian Ken!

But OMG! You should hear the WHINING and WANGST on the doll boards --- "These are not the Silkstones we love!" "I want high fashion dolls!" "These are ugly!"

Uh, no.

The only reason they don't like them is because they're not another Mad Men/Vintage Wannabe Silkstone. I mean, enough all ready! How many of those damned dolls do you have to have? You have actual vintage; you have vintage repro, you have original Silkstone, you have dressmakers who do nothing but remake the same vintage fashions over and over again in different colors and fabrics --

The whiners need to STFU. Go play with your million other boring dolls.

Monday, September 13, 2010

More Fun With Erasers!









My boss decided to "enable" my collection by giving me these erasers the other day - they are the COOLNESS!!!

Most are going to the Barbies, like the smaller sushi pieces and the veggies (with the exception of the carrot), but the larger pieces are going to my bigger dolls like the Tonners and the 18 inch BFC Ink dolls (well, DOLL since I only have one so far!)

I decided to make an impromptu display of the cake erasers I had so far using some erasers I'd gotten earlier this year--


Hee! Looks like I'll have enough cakes to start my own eraser cake bake sale soon!


My boss mentioned that she got them from the Christmas Tree Shops, so I decided that I would head over there on Sunday to see if they had any other erasers that I'd want. She also mentioned that she got them for the ASTOUNDING price of seven cents apiece cause they were 90% off! Well, whoo hoo! Nothing like a bargain to really make me go look for something!


So off I went to the Christmas Tree Shops, and I went back to the area she said she'd found the erasers. After digging around for awhile, these are the erasers that I found:








I got the "Big Sushi" because they'd be perfect for my BFC Ink Calista (and I love the little tray they come on!) The ice cream cone and sundae from the second set are her size as well, and of course, the carrot from the veggie set. (Yay! Now I have two carrots!) Also, that slice of pizza should work for her as well. And of course, more Barbie sized cakes and veggies.







After the Christmas Tree Shops, I decided to hit some of the craft stores in the area. I knew from my friend Lady Rhian that she had gotten some of the erasers from my last post at A.C. Moore, so I decided I'd go there. But first, I went to Michael's to see if they had anything I wanted. I found out they were having a 40% off sale on their scrapbook paper (more on that in a later post), but I also found a set of Crazerasers that have been my holy grail since I first saw them...


That's right - the cereal set of Crazerasers with the "gallon" of milk! I have wanted this set SOOO BAD since I first saw it, and now I have two!







And of course, to celebrate the finding of this set, I had to make an impromptu scene featuring them:


That's Hermione enjoying the taste of "Crazy O's" cereal. And with a glass of juice, it's part of a complete (dolly) breakfast!

Grandma enjoys a large slice of homemade bread, slathered with homemade grape preserves! Yummy! And with coffee and juice, it's part of a complete breakfast -uh, maybe!



OH!!! I forgot to mention I got some loose erasers back at the Christmas Tree Shops - turns out the packaging isn't too tight, and they tend to fall open. So I got these loose pieces for a discount (not seven cents a piece, but still...)







That's Darren having a "Big Gulp" and some cake in his dorm room. (Watch out for that "Freshman Twenty", Darren! )







So I finally got over to A.C. Moore where I didn't find more of the sushi erasers - however, I did find an unusual set of Crazerasers:

And YES --- that brown item is EXACTLY what you think it is -- a DOODY!!!

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Well... it DOES lend itself to some interesting dolly scenes:

"MOMMY!!! Princess made a boo-boo!!!"

...and on that, ahem, note, let's end this post!!!


Thursday, September 2, 2010

Story of a Doll with No Name

This is my project for the doll group, Figurvore. This week's challenge is to profile a doll from our collections. I chose a doll that I haven't really bonded with. I wanted to see if I could create a story for her.

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She wakes up, unsure of the time. What does time mean in a place like this, anyway?

She gets from under the bedsheets. The bed is comfortable, but plain. She's not sure about the nightgown she's wearing. She doesn't think pink is her color, but it fits, and that's what matters.

The dresser is the only other piece of furniture in this place. Inside is a blue plaid shirt. It's man's shirt and it's definitely not hers.

Holding it close, she feels she should know the man who wore it. She cannot remember his face, nor anything about him.

Was he friend or foe? A lover? All she knows is that she feels a distinct sense of loss.