WIP Wednesday...

Well, I crochet as well as doll modify... and sometimes, I do both.

I've been working on crocheting some fancy couture dresses for my dolls, since my sewing machine is in storage still, and my sewing skills may not be ready for fancy outfits with nicer fabrics than the quilter's cotton I've been using. Plus... there's something fun about designing my own crochet patterns for each custom dress.

I've been playing with designs to make the dresses more mature than the preteen designs I see... I love the idea that they are in high school or college age. I first started with an opera style dress for one of my MG customs, who goes by Betty Grable. I'd made it with Red Heart WW, and while it achieved the look I was going for, it reminds me of velvet weight or perhaps a lovely wool. Very heavy and wintery.

First up is Acacia's gown. It's a combo of a modern take on her holoku dress, and an corseted waist. This time, I looked for pretty Lion's Brand Scarfie yarn, which crochets up lighter and airier. I love the way the yarn drapes. I have to attach snaps tomorrow (the body of the dress has been done a month, but the finishing touches hadn't been added), but that should go rather quickly.

Next is the current gown I'm working to finish. It started out as Dahlia's dress, though I'm not sure if it will stay hers, since she is my costume designer. I'm hoping, when I have the first week of May off, to finish writing up my dolls profiles and take proper pictures. She/I got the idea for this dress from one that Waverly wore in Wynonna Earp, season 1. I couldn't figure out how to create the nude fabric  or the exact look, so I made what feels like to me a cocktail gown, but yeah... that was the start of this dress. Acacia or Mika are usually her models for her designs... so Acacia is showing this one off too (she and Dahlia are the only 2 dolls with me right now).

I also wish to create a champagne dress for Nevaeh... as well as a red one for either Mika or Alanna. We will see what kind of outfits I come up with after I finish these four...

.... and then there are my dragons... but that's a post for another day.

This is gonna be fun...

So... I am slowly accumulating items to create a Steampunk Confectionary (thanks to inspiration from Brandy's Happy Home... I have wanted to make a steampunk room for YEARS!) and for a winery for my dolls! I am loving so many of the pics from her blog posts on this series, be sure to check them out!

I have wanted to build an "adult dollhouse" forever.  I had a curio cabinet that served as beds for my AG dolls as a child... but never had a dollhouse for them.  As an adult, I'm not looking to have the typical dollhouse, with bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room, etc.  I decided a while ago that I wanted to do scenes... and what better way to do it than to start with a Steampunk Confectionary and Café? I'd like to do a Victorian scene (though I suppose that would make it a Steampunk/Victorian type city...) as well...

I had wanted to do a 1950s diner as well... we will see if I end up with all restaurants, lol.

It's gonna be a while until I'm actually able to build it, since I need to build rooms for it, like BeastsBelle has on her blog,(though I think I'd like mine to be the size that her mom has... so I may be visiting Ikea...)

I'm going to be looking up some Café ideas, and posting images of fancy things that I'd like to make too...



I've never been to the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium, so I got some pic ideas from these blogs (did not post a lot of pics, since these were from personal blogs and I didn't have permission... just saved them for inspiration)
Lola Lambchops
Nerd Travel Pro
More Than a Homeschool Mom

I think I can post a few pics from Pinterest and some of the Official blogs...

The inside of the restaurant... apparently it is not just a cafe, but a full restaurant... I NEED to visit here!

Candy Floss... while I've never been a huge fan of cotton candy... I do feel like this may need to be added!

Look at the cute bottles of candy!  I may need to make some for my shop...

I would be in heaven with all those chocolates/truffles to choose from

And... I will definitely try to make this display/menu board.  Brandy already has the design for the counters... but since I want to make this a scene and not a play area... I feel like I need more detail like this...

OMG, the MILKSHAKES!!!  They look divine! I want one or all of them!

And these!!  They are so cute... definitely figuring out how to make them!

So many things to make... and there were more pics that I couldn't post yet... but I will be soon!

March trip to AG!

So, had to drop off a Marie Grace that I rescued from E-bay in summer 2016 to the AG hospital March 29th, so of course I had to take pictures in the Tyson's Corner, VA (AGDC) store when I was there!

So, without further ado... here are my pics from the visit!

Luciana's stuff!!  It was so neat to see, even if the Mars Habitat was in a bit of a disarray when I was there, and trying to get pics without kids wandering around it was special (didn't think about the fact that a lot of schools did a mini spring break) Her collection was neat, though I cannot say I need anything from it.  I tend to go towards Maryellen's and Nanea's collections moreso, since I love those eras of fashion.

Random pics I got from the upstairs... 77 looks cute here, and I love the girls in this shot!!

I loved getting to see Tenney's mix and match... and I may need to grab a few things next time I go!

Maryellen's Camper (her outfit wasn't as cute in person, the pom pom buttons were all off center, no matter which outfit I saw.... but I LOVE the teal paisley/bandana material!!)

I will forever love the skating outfit... and I adore her birthday dress!

Ended up buying the plaid outfit... and while I don't need her birthday outfit, it was really cute.

EEEKKK!!  The New AG boys!  And I do love Logan... but I didn't add him to my collection this time.... I think for now, the only one I want is the one I got... and Logan, lol.

Apparently, this one doll and the brochure were the only 2 pics I took of the Create Your Own line... but I have to say, I have quite a few dolls in the CYO app that I'm dying to save up for... time will tell if I actually do it.  On one hand, $200 is a lot for a doll.  On the other hand... to have some of the molds in alternate colors to what is available in the normal AG stores would be incredible.  Some of my favorites (I'd be broke if I got them all...):

My Jess molds... The left would be Cadence, the right Violet

The Josefina molds... which, btw, are a horrible pic on the site... the Jose mold is so much cuter in real life!

My Sonali molds... love these!

And, as I was leaving, like I always like to... I got a few shots!

Hope you enjoyed the pics from my visit!!

My beautiful Zazou dolls!!!

So… it’s Christmas in March! (even though this is April 3rd... I got the dolls, then got too sick and then busy to review them until now)

My Zazou dolls finally arrived, and I’ve had a blast taking pictures and reviewing them.

Before I go into a pic by pic review, I have a few things I need to say:

1) Their wig qualities are amazing! The doll originally named Zoe (now Nevaeh) has Kanani-length hair! It’s silky and gorgeous! I will have to get used to taking care of curly doll hair, but I love it! My fire-haired beauty has this blazing ombre that starts out almost burgundy, then red, then orange, before finishing in a lovely soft yellow. It makes me think she will need a fire based name, though I am not coming up with anything I like... was thinking Nova, but it doesn't fit her. And my sweet girl, who was originally Jovan before she got a different wig… her hair is soft and pretty, with a red tint to it that catches the light and makes it look like auburn highlights. She has become Natalia.

2) Their eyes are beautiful! They have many more colors than American girl, and the light from the camera picks up their colors, really showing how pretty they are.

Okay, so, on to the review and photos!!

I decided to use the lovely Natalia as my comparison doll with Dahlia.

The dolls bodies look the same!  Danielle, the creator, took time to make sure the little details were done, such as french manis and pedis, and I love how well the bodies are sewn.

As you can see, Dahlia and Natalia (dang, they rhyme, and I didn't even think about that, lol) have the same type of bodies. I swapped clothes with them, and they fit the same on both as well. In some of the pics (the dolls are not with me at the moment to retake pics), Natalia looks shorter than Dahlia... and in other pics, she and the other 2 girls appear to be the same height.  I think the photographer (who is by no means even a good amateur one) had some issues, lol.

Their french mani and pedi are adorable!

Here are their original outfits....

And after. As you can see, Dahlia got Nevaeh's outfit, and Natalia got Dahlia's outfit... and everthing fits well!  I think these girls are a perfect addition to my collection, and I cannot wait to customize my little fire-haired beauty with make up and a name! I'm working on slowly crocheting dresses for my girls.... in between crocheting dragons... and cooking for myself and the man in my life... and working, and taking care of my pets... being an adult is work, don't grow up too quickly!

\
One of my collection... they fit in perfect!  I feel like Zazou dolls look like teens more then 10 year olds... which I love.  They are gorgeous, and I recommend everyone give these girls a try!  I cannot wait to save up and get another one... so many choices!