Friday, March 10, 2017

I'm Baaack!

Well, to be honest, I never left. I haven't been posting here much, but I've been reading and posting elsewhere as many of you know. I have so much to share that I really don't know where to begin...

I'll start with a brief explanation for my absence. This school year has been one of my busiest ever. I'm involved in way too many things- two of which I've already decided not to continue next school year. Plus my oldest daughter's Girl Scout activities have kept my weekends pretty full. While I've managed to find time here and there to shop and play, it's been really hard to find time to write and photograph photo stories.

Remember the story I wanted to write about the modeling agency? Well here are four of the main players. Nicolette Knight (middle) is CEO of Muse Model Management. Victor James is head of the male models division. Ginger Vanwyk (NEW resident) is over the runway division and Paulette is a runway coach. Paulette is thrilled to finally have an articulated body. I chose a Color Infusion body for her and I love it. The extra height and those ginormous feet actually make a lot of sense in this case. I have several of the models lined up already, and this story will be introduced in the coming months.



Also, I've rearranged the doll room again...to make room for more dolls and this big a$$ dollhouse. Seriously, it's huge. It's six feet tall and five feet wide. It's actually made for 18 inch dolls, but I realized that it's perfect for housing multiple dioramas. The rooms are about 29 inches wide and 19 inches deep. I bought it so I could set up all my restaurant dios permanently. There's quite a bit still to be done, but these pics should give you an idea. I bought mine shortly after Christmas so it was on sale for over a hundred dollars less than what it costs now.



Tsushinami and SpecialTea are on the top level. All of the chairs in the sushi bar still need to be spray painted. The furniture is from the recently released Barbie furniture sets.

 


I need to spray paint the rest of the tables and chairs for the tea room. NEW resident below. Jeanine is having tea with her daughter, Graciela (Quinceanera Barbie).


Primo Tuscan Grille and Made Fresh are on the second level. NEW resident below. Zac Posen Ken has finally been crossed off of my wish list. He's keeping his first name, but no last name yet. Lavinia, who doesn't mind dating younger men, has captured his attention.

 


The pizzeria and Tastries will be on the bottom level.



Here are a few more shots of the doll room arrangement. My black work table with the IKEA storage unit underneath is against the wall that isn't pictured. Basically, it's more of a dumping ground than a work table at the moment, so I decided not to photograph it.



My big girl (8) gifted this doll house to her little sister (4). Never mind the mess. Her Barbies are terrible housekeepers. This house will be mine one day. And when that day comes, I will restore it to its previous glory. 




There are a few missing walls in the townhouse units, specifically the ones separating the bathrooms from the bedrooms. I'll get around to fixing that at some point.



The closet storage is still much the same. My married/engaged couples occupy the space on top of the chest of drawers. NEW resident below. See the guy in the boxer shorts? That's Yolanda's new husband, Chris. I think he looks like Chris Tucker. My husband thinks he looks like Chris Rock. One thing's for sure, he looks like a Chris. 



NEW resident below. Glamazon Adele is my first (and possibly my last) Fashion Royalty female doll. She is on the far right and will feature in the story about the modeling agency.


As far as goals for 2017, I really want to focus on enjoying my collection. I have a lot of great dolls, and I want to slow down on purchasing new ones so I can enjoy the ones I have. I went over the limit I set for last year, so I will keep that same number as my limit for this year. If at first you don't succeed, try try again. I will report on how many dolls over my limit I ended up with when I write my first purchasing post.

Until next time,
Jewell

18 comments:

  1. I love the dollhouse you have built out of the storage shelving. Nifty idea! That 18" dollhouse is HUGE, wow. I wish I had room for something like that, I love that it already comes with wallpaper!
    Welcome back to blogland!

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    1. Thanks! The wall paper was a huge selling feature for me. I really didn't have room for it at first but as they say, where there's a will, there's a way.

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  2. Welcome back! Glad that you are good busy. The new doll house looks like a fun project. Thanks for sharing photos of your dolls and their settings. I love seeing dolls in homes.

    Looking forward to your return to storytelling ;-)

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    1. Thanks! I like seeing dolls in homes and shops, too. Something about dolls just standing around in poses doesn't appeal to me quite as much. It's fun to imagine them living little lives of their own.

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  3. WOW! What a way to come back! I love your setup with the shelves, house and dolls. That should allow for a lot of nice photo taking! I am in love with the suit on Uhura!

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    1. Thanks, Ms. Leo. I'm hoping this makes it easier to photograph scenes of the dolls out and about. That suit is one of Debbie's (Chic Barbie Designs) lovely creations.

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  4. Welcome back to updating us, Jewell. I have been looking for one of those 18" doll houses. I know they have lots of room and are perfect for space.

    Now, can you please tell us what Walter is up to? I've been dying to know.

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    1. Thanks. I want you to know that just because you asked, I finished writing the next episode Saturday evening. And I won't pretend that the fact that you write stories featuring my favorite doll couple of the moment didn't factor into my decision. Lol. Now I just have to find a day to take and edit the pictures.

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    2. Yes! I'll be checking back every day.

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  5. Welcome back! The doll house looks great! I didn't realize it was so big. Looking forward to reading about Muse Modeling. The main players look like they are ready to bring it!

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    1. Ha ha! Yes, ma'am they most certainly are.

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  6. Every set looks amazeballs! I just want sit in that room and stare at everything.

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    1. Thanks, Muff! I sometimes pop in just to look around myself when I don't have time to play.

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  7. So nice to see a new post from you. First I have to say I can't believe the little one is 4 now! Time just flies. Great idea using the 18" dollhouse. Paulette looks fabulous on her new body. You do have some really nice dolls and I'm looking forward to the new stories.

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    1. Thanks, Vanessa. You really need to see her. She recently had another growth spurt. Both girls are so tall now. I'm gonna text you a picture tomorrow. That CI body is so perfect for Paulette. I just love it. Now she needs a wardrobe and more fierce shoes.

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  9. Nice that you are busy with your girls! One day you will turn around and they will be 20 and 16 (like mine). It happens so quickly! I am glad that you did find some time to update us on what is going on with your dolls. I love what you are doing with your doll room and the big 18 in doll house is to die for! I have mine set up in the basement right now, but Hannah wants to start using the basement family room for hanging out with her friends. I have sewing room that I am now trying to convert into the dollroom and the sewing can be done in a different part of the basement. Always making changes! I look forward to your next story!

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  10. I love that 18" dollhouse! I would never have thought of using that for 12in dolls. I've been using storage cubes for my dolls, but I sort of like that dollhouse better.

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