More Scrapbook Paper

Even though I've been spending the huge majority of my time at home lately, I haven't felt in the mood to do a lot of doll photography, craft work, or sewing. I have cleaned up my craft area a little, but the creative item that I've wanted to work on the most is a human-sized afghan that I'm knitting.

I did hit Tuesday Morning a couple of times recently, and got the yarn for the afghan, a few crafty things, a few doll things, and a few pads of scrapbook paper. This pad will be great to provide backgrounds for holiday themed photo shoots.

This one has some wood floor and log cabin images that might work out for doll room settings. There are also a couple of pieces, like the bike leaning against the wall, that might make a good backdrop for photos.

I couldn't resist the fairy tale one, even though I already have a fairy-tale themed scrapbook pad with different images. If I get into a good sewing groove this summer, I may be able to make some nice fairy tale outfits for my Ever After High dolls, and take some "artsy" pictures.

Are any of you working on any doll projects whilst staying at home?

J-Doll Petit Champlain

It's been a difficult winter for me. I have low Vitamin D year-round, as well as issues with Seasonal Affective Disorder. My therapy light helps, but it's so big that I struggle finding a place to use it. It's cumbersome, and falls over easily.

For a while, I was shirking my regular use of it, and then I tried using a smaller light that my husband got, that looks more like a regular desk lamp. That didn't help me, and I spiraled into insomnia and joint pain. I may have found a workable place for my light, I hope, and I've been more disciplined in using it. I'm actually falling asleep before 5 AM nowadays, but I'm still working on getting things done like I used to. It's taken me days to write this post, even, because I can't seem to concentrate.

None of that is an excuse for why I haven't put up a post about this particular J-Doll yet. I bought her back in June of 2018! I just had other things to blog about, and somehow she got put at the back of the list. But talking about her now makes for a relatively easy post, so her time has come. I've blogged about J-Dolls before, as I own several. They were produced by Jun Planning, and then by Groove. They were made by the same company that makes Pullip dolls, and the bodies are similar to two of the body types that Pullip dolls have had, the Type 3 and the Type 4. If you want to see a comparison of the two bodies, go here. Otherwise, let's talk about Petit Champlain. J-Dolls were named after famous streets in different areas of the world. In this case, Petit Champlain can be found in Quebec City, Canada. She is the second "Canadian" doll to join my collection; the first was Stephen Avenue Walk, who hailed from Calgary. The outfits the dolls wear marginally reference their namesake areas. Petit Champlain's dress is definitely styled after a French can-can costume, so there you go, I guess. Since this new doll has a French background, I'm going to call her Sophie.

Here she is in her box. I picked her up at a Tuesday Morning store for a great price. The price sticker describes her as a "large Pullip." I did find a mini Pullip at Tuesday Morning on another trip, but I'd still not describe Sophie as a large Pullip. Maybe medium-sized.

Her hair was tied back with a small piece of thread, that was slipping down, and was eventually just going to fall off, so I took it off after taking a picture. I should have taken a picture of her from the front with her hair pulled back too, but her hair looked messy in the front from the tie coming loose, which is why I undid it in the first place.

Her outfit is definitely one of my favorites among the dolls that I've bought. She doesn't have a too-small jacket, her outfit hasn't stained her body, her shoes aren't going to fall apart, and the blouse is separate from the corset/skirt combo, so she could wear it with something else, although the pintuck stitching on the front of the blouse is crooked, so she'd probably still have to wear it with something like a high-waisted skirt, or a jumper. I am impressed that the blouse has princess seams, though. Sophie has plastic around her legs to prevent the black lace stockings from staining them. I should redress her at some point, I suppose, but I like her the way she is, too.

Since not all of you are familiar with J-Dolls, here for comparison is Sophie with Rachel, another one of my J-Dolls. Rachel hails from Abbott Street in Cairns, Queensland, Australia.

Once I started doing this review, I realized that I'm not sure where I put the pink hairbow that Sophie came with! I hope I didn't accidentally throw it out, even though it's something easily replaceable. Overall, she's one of my best J-Doll buys, and I'm glad that she's in my collection.

Ever After High Signature Meeshell Mermaid Holiday Giveaway!

I've had a couple of successful trips to Tuesday Morning recently, including grabbing two EAH Signature Meeshell Mermaid dolls. So I've decided to share my recent good fortune by giving away one of the Meeshell Mermaids! I would love to be able to offer this to a reader anywhere in the world (or just about. I haven't looked into prices everywhere. If you want the doll and live outside the US, leave a note in the comments and I can look into shipping costs.) Depending on where you live, and postage, I might check out what it would cost if I deboxed the doll before shipping, so keep that in mind. I'm posting a couple of pictures of the doll I'm giving away, so you know what you would be getting. Also, this is one of the newer EAH dolls, so there is no stand, and only a story card.

To win this doll, please follow my blog (if you're not already), and leave a comment below. I will be accepting comments until midnight United States Eastern Standard Time, Friday, July 6th.

Shopping: Tuesday Morning and Target Version

Let's start with Target, as one of the items there is time-limited. It's this doll-size grill. Tam already posted about it, and when I went to Target a couple of days ago, there were only two left, and one of them had come apart into two pieces and was on two different shelving units. However, when I went back today, there were three gleaming brand-new ones, and one of them was pink, which I hadn't seen before, but apparently Tam had. I imagine these will be in stores until after Independence Day, or close to it. In any case, if you want one and you have a Target near you, head in and grab one. They're in the dollar store section in the front. Tam's looks very realistic now that it's gotten a coat of black spray paint.

This Our Generation set caught my eye, because in my mind, I associate those build-a-molecule sets with chemistry, and not biology. Then again, the actual title of the set is Life Science.The Dancer and I had a small discussion about life science, biology, and atoms. According to the Dancer, they did learn about cell membranes, which have to do with things like potassium, in biology. I've only ever known students to get those molecule sets in chemistry classes, though. It doesn't matter too much, as the set is still cute (if you can call seeing someone's insides "cute.") I wonder if that set is structured with a real molecule in mind, or if the design is only to have an attractive grouping of "atoms." I flunked my high school chemistry final, so don't look at me!

These pet sets also appeared to be new. It's fun to see a variety beyond the usual cat and dog.

Speaking of dogs, this scooter set is super cute! It's the kind of clever, outside-the-box thinking that I like to see, that takes a doll product a step higher. Granted, it is easier to add something like this to products for the 6" size dolls. The actual product also makes use of "girly colors" beyond pink, even if the boxes themselves are pink.

And lastly, I took a picture of this science desk set, only because it is still full-price at Target (as far as I could tell) but also available (and marked down) at my local Tuesday Morning. The art desk set was also at Tuesday Morning.

Also, there were a couple of LORI dolls at Tuesday Morning. That surprised me, because I thought Target was the only brick-and-mortar retailer of LORI dolls, and Target generally clearances stuff down until it's gone.

As for what I got, I picked up my second Ever After High Raven and Apple School Spirit set from Tuesday Morning. I got, and reviewed, my first School Spirit two-pack for Mother's Day of 2016. The last time I went to Tuesday Morning, there were two of the packs on the shelf. I had enough self-control to only take one of them home the last time I was there, but for $14.99, I had to grab the other one when I found it still there two days ago. The dolls can always be re-rooted, re-painted, and re-dressed. $7.50 each for a full-dressed and articulated Ever After High doll is nothing to be sneezed since they're pretty much not around anymore. There was also a Budget Apple with straight arms and legs still on the shelf. Hopefully some little girl will find her and be happy with her.

I also picked up the Barbie violinist pack for $2.99, solely for the violin, even if it does say "Barbie" on it.

I passed on an Ever After High Castle Set, marked down to $30.00. You'd better believe I'll be looking to see if it's been marked down some more, though, the next time I go in.

Tuesday Morning has many kinds of products for sale, and I love to cruise some of the other aisles, looking to see if there are any other bargains that I can pick up. I got a cardboard scratcher for cats, and a small make-up type bag for the Dancer, since she's traveling a couple of times this summer. I also found a few great things for dolls, in the craft aisle: three of these three-bag sets of sticky-back white tiles. Each set of three bags was only $1.99! I also picked up one set of pink, as that was all they had of that. Not enough to tile a 1/6 size floor, which would have been fun, but they can be used for mirrors, tabletops, and kitchen/bathroom counters.

Anyone else pick up a good find lately?

Shopping: Ever After High, Glue Head, Bratz

I've been wanting to post for a while, but I haven't known where to start. Hmm. Well, remember when I said I was buying Ever After High's Ashlynn Ella and Hunter Huntsman, back in January? I'm now up to ten Ever After High dolls in my collection. I've gotten really good deals on all of them, at least. Thanks to Tam's enabling, for example, my most recent purchases included Hat-tastic Cerise Hood for only 9.99 at Tuesday Morning. I also found some Nanotech blocks that I've wanted for a very long time, but wasn't sure where to find. I'll do a separate post about those, after I get some pictures taken.

At Toys R Us, I bought a Mirror Beach Ashlynn Ella. I love the doll, but she has an awful case of glue hair, the worst I've seen of the dolls I have. I've tried Dawn dishwashing detergent, tea tree shampoo, and baby powder. The baby powder seemed to help, but I wanted to wash it out, which made the hair feel greasy again. I very likely used too much baby powder. I'm tempted just to fix it with a re-root, but I'm nervous about doing it myself because of the tiny holes, and it's costly to have it done, not surprising when you look at the time involved. I'm just glad I got Ashlynn for half off. Not that I think she was worth her original price, what with no stand, not a lot of jewelry, and a simple bathing suit/skirt costume.

Speaking of quality and pricing, pictures are leaking of the new EAH dolls that are being produced this year. Maybe the reason they weren't at Toy Fair is because the quality has dropped in a big way. Darling Charming, for example, a major character whom collectors have eagerly awaited, has molded hair, and painted on pants and shoes. This also means his knees don't bend. Ugh! Several of the new dolls in the Epic Winter movie line also have painted on leggings. I read somewhere a suggestion that Mattel may be trying to fill in its range of toys for littler girls, now that the Disney Princess line has been lost, with EAH and MH. Thus, the more smiling faces, and fewer small clothing pieces to deal with. Not a good plan if true, Mattel. Get your creative team to be creative!

Although I was uncertain for a long time about getting Ever After High dolls, I'm happy now about getting into the line. I love bright colors, and EAH has those in abundance. The shelf these dolls are on really stands out among some of the other groups of dolls that I have. I'm trying to move my dolls around so they can be on a shelf where I can see them better. I'm actually kind of having fun with the overhaul of my sewing/books/dolls area. I guess that's good.

Oh, and I also wanted to mention that TRU seemed to have all its Bratz merchandise marked down and piled in a big bin in the middle of an aisle. That doesn't seem to be a good sign, but I don't follow the Bratz market. Toy drama everywhere! :)

J-Doll in Only Hearts Club party dress

I went back to Tuesday morning this past week, and while there was not much new, I did find the exact dress I wanted, hidden at the back behind other Only Hearts Club outfits. I grabbed it, and it does fit Lindsay nicely. The sleeves end up just below her elbows, which is acceptable, and the skirt is still a little short but not bad. The tights that came with the dress were far too short, which means that OHC pants definitely wouldn't work, except maybe as capris. The rubber shoes don't work either. They're basic pink flats, and since they don't have a T-strap like the other pair to kind of hold them on, they just end up too loose. But the dress itself was more than worth the $3.99 I paid for the outfit, and it looks good on Lindsay.

The skirt has three layers. The first is the pink net layer that you see above. The next layer is silver with shiny dots on it.

The last layer is plain white (which I didn't show) with sheer fabric below, finished off with the silver dot fabric. Pretty nice outfit for what were essentially children's toy dolls.

Lastly, here is a picture of the purse that was included with the dress. This purse doesn't open at all. The pink heart is a sticker, and the sticker itself is slightly raised, so it doesn't come off as cheap as I thought it did when I first saw the purse in the package. The heart does seem to be slightly off center of the purse, but it's cute. Just about any young girl would like to have one in her size.

I got a bunch of new things recently, so there will be more posts going up in a short period of time.

Walls and Floors

I love to set up dioramas for the dolls that I collect -- which may be one reason why I tend to collect the smaller dolls. Dioramas usually need good backdrops and flooring to look their best. I also snagged a dollhouse room at Target on clearance for only $15, and it needs new wall treatments and flooring.

Only Hearts Club outfit

I checked out a Tuesday morning almost a week ago because I had heard there might be good doll stuff to be had there. And while I was mostly disappointed, I did find an Only Hearts Club outfit for only $4.00. I bought it with my new J-Doll vaguely in my mind, and achieved some success!

The top fits, although it is a bit short, and the skirt fits, but it is waaaaayyyyyy too short. However, any Only Hearts Club outfit with a longer skirt should work fine. I would imagine pants won't work at all. I may take the top and skirt apart to assist me in pattern making for J-Dolls, since the overall fit is fine.

Here you see my doll wearing the entire outfit. She's using the purse from the outfit for modesty. And as you can see, she is wearing the stockings and shoes that came with this set. Let's talk about those.

The shoes are interesting. They're made of a squishy rubber. They have nice detailing, and even come as a left and a right shoe.

Alas, they don't actually fit the J-Doll size, although they do look okay with the stockings added. But the feet are really loose in there. Still, it works for now, and they are nice shoes. The stockings work as well, although they sometimes slide down a bit on the smooth plastic legs. Only Hearts Club doll bodies appear to be some sort of cloth, where the stockings would stay put.

The whole outfit is pretty nice quality, especially for such a small size. The little silver stud things on the side of the polo shirt, that are supposed to represent buttons, seem to be pretty firmly attached and not just loosely glued on. The little bow on the front of the skirt is a nice added detail, but what I was really impressed with was the little pieces of twill tape sewn in the inside of the skirt to add stability to the front decorative seams.

I probably should have gotten a better picture of the skirt from the outside, but if you look at the skirt up above, you can see one of the seams just to the (doll's) right, of the bow. Her hand is covering up the left seam. The seams are on a short yoke, and the skirt finished off with another tier, which you can see on the inside out skirt.

And here's a closeup picture of the shoes, from the side. The stitching and button details are neat. The rubbery material used for the shoes lends itself well to that level of detail. I even like how they kind of look scuffed-up. These are supposed to be young girls' shoes, after all. Wasn't it a tragedy when you got the first scuff on your new pair of shoes?

Even the purse is nice, although I didn't feel the need to take a special picture of it. But the strap has a soft velvety feel, and the actual purse has a silky feel to it. The flap is just for decoration on the side; the purse is just open. But the flap is a nice touch to have, rather than just a plain square purse. The decorative strips down the side are that same velvety material. I wish there had been more been more individual outfits made. I am eying one of the Only Hearts Club party dresses; the skirt is longer so it will probably cover up the doll enough. I'm also thinking of giving this J-Doll a new name; I kind of came up with Lindy on the fly. I might change it to Lindsay; I'm not sure if I want to name this doll and any subsequent J-Dolls I get after the names of their streets. What do you think? I have a sister named Linda, so the doll won't get named that! Right now, my girl is just glad to have some clothes to wear. The weather is starting to get chilly here!