A Mini Tour & More

This is my first post of the New Year, so Happy 2015 everyone! Allow me to apologize in advance because these are not my best photos. I took these pictures with my phone and I couldn’t get the lighting right with the overhead lights and the sunlight streaming in through the windows. One of my resolutions for 2015 is to learn to use my digital camera and take better pictures.

What follows is a little tour of Dollton (aka our doll room). Long time collectors will quickly note that there aren’t a ton of dolls. Bear in mind that I’ve been collecting for less than a year. It will be interesting to see what my collection looks like five years from now. I am amazed by all of you who have hundreds of dolls and years of furniture/props and yet somehow manage to keep it all organized.

I took two panoramic shots with my phone to capture the layout of the room. If you’re wondering why everything is on the floor instead of tables and shelves, it’s because it’s the easiest set up for playing with my six-year-old daughter.

The first townhouse is Thomas and Camille’s. I hope to have it finished by the end of this month. The first floor is nearly done. You can see Jeanine meeting with the couple right now. She wanted to show them the progress and explain the dilemma with the dining set they picked out. Mara decided to give the second townhouse to Barbie and Ken. It is coming together just as slowly as the first one.

I decided the space in the middle was perfect for Lena’s patio diorama. I started collecting items for Lena’s patio last summer. It will be a permanent dio and I plan to have it completed by the spring. I have most of the necessary props except for a BBQ grill for Jamal and flowers for all the pots.

I repurposed most of the pieces from my son’s old bedroom set for storage. I moved the dresser into the closet along with some storage tubs. The top shelf has tubs of spare dolls and extra articulated bodies plus a few boxes that I’m saving. The plastic storage organizer contains various play sets. We also park our cars in the closet.

 

On top of the dresser you can see some of my favorite couples. These couples are for the most part permanent (either married or soon to be engaged). Alisha is still awaiting Hari’s arrival. Last time I checked he was held up in customs.

Since my ladies have different body sizes and personal styles, I keep their clothes separated. The first three drawers are divided like this for sorting and storing clothes. The bottom drawer has craft stuff.

On the nightstand, I have some of the dolls that I plan to use as major characters in stories. The empty stand is for the brunette Tim Gunn doll. She was the last character doll on my wish list, and I snagged her yesterday at a reasonable price on eBay…yay! She completes my line up of female characters…for now ; )

The nightstand shelf is the perfect space for lining up all the little ones. And the drawer below it contains clothes for the guys. The fellas don’t get separate wardrobes, since they can all pretty much wear the same stuff. Next to the nightstand is a plastic storage box with more dolls and space for setting up temporary dios.

The bookcase contains frequently used props and play sets. On the first shelf, you will see Chandra with many of the props I use to set up her boutique. The salon staff sits poised on the second shelf. Jolie is wearing one of the new Barbie separates I found at Walmart. I love this top on her. The third shelf holds most of the furniture and accessories for Emerald’s studio apartment. Inside the drawer, I keep small accessories and knick knacks.

As you can see from the panoramic views, the space below the windows is used for Tastries (which is a permanent dio) and for the Happy Family Kitchen (which may as well be since we use it so often). There’s a bit of extra play space on the end, currently occupied by Mara’s vet play set. This fourth wall is taken up by Mara’s new doll house and her Barbie storage bin. She really hasn’t done much to personalize it yet. She added a vase of flowers to Bella’s vanity and at times she swaps the furniture with pieces from Barbie’s townhouse, but she mostly seems satisfied with the pieces that came with the house.

In other news…

Now that I have all the female characters I need, I am switching my focus to finding a few good men. I already have two on my wish list- Color Infusion Tenzin Dahkling and the AA Power Team Elite World Peacekeepers Seal Team 6 (Breacher).  I also want to add a blonde articulated Ken to my collection, and I’d love to hear suggestions if you have any.

One more thing: I've decided to take a leaf out of D7ana’s book. I like her month at-a-glance type posts, and I’m going to start something similar in hopes that it will help me follow through with my plans. So, here’s what’s in store for January:

-A mini tour of Dollton (check)

-2-3 photo stories

My plan is to introduce a different character cluster each month through photo stories. This month’s stories will focus on the cluster that includes Amber, Matt, Tony, Thomas, Camille, Grace, and Darren. Next month’s stories will feature the cluster that includes Deirdre and Walter. Naturally, there will be some overlap and some characters will get more camera time than others, but I think this plan will allow me to get all of my characters introduced in three to four months. It's an ambitious plan for a busy wife/mom/teacher but I'm going to try it and see how it goes.

Thanks for reading and commenting!