My Grocery Giveaway Package

I was one of two people who won a prize in Xanadu's grocery giveaway. It seemed like it took the package forever to get here, but it was actually less than two weeks, which is not bad coming from Australia.

I also received my Cu-Poche Alice doll order today, and Alice insisted that her curious nature made her perfect for opening the box and checking out the contents. So here's Alice, and her thoughts.

I see.. um, another box.

I am hungry after my long trip!

This lid is on too tight!

Maybe I'll just go shopping instead!

I might need my Cu-Poche sisters' help to put this together!

I also got some cute clothes, that I suspected would fit my 10" Tonner dolls. The first was a hand-knit orange dress, with orange buttons down the back. There was also a pair of orange tights. The dress looks fine on Ann Estelle, and orange is the perfect color to wear here this time of year. The tights "fit" her legs and feet, but there is a lot of extra material pulled up around her waist underneath. Unfortunately, the tights were too thick to allow me to put her own shoes back on. There was also a pair of shoes in the bag, which don't fit Ann.

In another bag was a blue sun dress, or this could also be what we would call a jumper, since a blouse would fit nicely under it. It has a faux button closure over Xanadu's favorite, snaps (press studs.) There was a separate turquoise underskirt with a ruffled trim, too. In Xanadu's honor, I got my redhead, Sophie, to model these.

There was also a blue hand-knit cardigan sweater in this bag, with real buttonholes and buttons. Sophie can wear this, but it is not quite wide enough for her.

As I sat down to write this, it occurred to me that this cardigan might fit Meg, my Makies doll.

Alas, Meg is in several separate parts right now. I want to give her a face-up, and also find her a new wig, that isn't so long and cumbersome. I've been putting off the face-up because I was nervous about it. The Dancer, though, has gotten me interested in make-up for the first time in my life, and doing make-up on myself, has given me more confidence in making Meg's face look right. I'll be sure to update you, of course, when Meg is back to herself, and we'll see if the cardigan fits.

I also got this adorable pair of baby shoes and socks. These might fit my daughter's Bitty Baby.

And lastly, two more pairs of shoes. One is a rubber pair, that look like they came from a Frozen doll. They have the effect of being gathered to a flat sole underneath, which reminds me of my daughter's ballet slippers.

And a pair of black boots with black and glitter accents, and a buckled strap. I was hopeful that these would fit my American Girl dolls, but they are just a liiiiittle bit too snug to be able to pull up over the foot. :(

This is such a fantastic bunch of doll clothing and props! I'm so thankful to Xanadu for all these items, especially since some of them were most likely hand-knit and hand-sewn by her. It was a nice way to brighten my day.

3D Printing Doll Things

I was debating what I wanted to post next on, now that I'm back to everyday blogging, when Mr. BTEG presented me with a couple of doll items that he made for me with his 3D printer. That made me happy, and my choice of post easy. But I'm going to start at the beginning of my experience with 3D printing for dolls, for those of you who haven't been reading me for years, or don't recall previous posts.

In January of 2016, I tagged along with Mr. BTEG at a technical conference he was attending. The conference happened to conveniently be held at a large indoor waterpark, which especially in a NE Ohio winter, is very appealing. Mr. BTEG had already started exploring his interest in 3D printing, and he pointed me to a website called Thingiverse, where I discovered that the late lamented Makies Lab had put up several free downloads for prints, including a tea set. The conference offered free 3D prints, so Mr. BTEG had them make the tea set for me. As you'll see, the set is very primitive compared to some of the other things that I'm going to show you, but just being able to have something printed for your doll like that *snaps* was still very exciting. Here's Meg, my only Makie, holding the tea pot from that set.

Then Mr. BTEG invested in a lower-end 3D printer of his own in January 2018! I had no idea how hard it was to set up a 3D printer to make a suitable print. It can take hours to make sure the printer lays down filament correctly, so that the filament doesn't get shifted, and throw the whole print out of whack. Here's a couple of examples of common prints made to test your 3D printer.

The above are blocks printed out to test the X, Y and Z axis of a print. The background is one of my Barbie diorama walls, so you can see that the blocks are fairly small. I hope you can also see the "shadow" of the Y on the middle block, which meant the Y axis needed some work on that particular print.

The piece above is called a "benchy," and is also apparently known as "The jolly 3D printing torture-test." Obviously, you don't print this out until you're a bit more confident in how your printer is configured. You can visit 3DBenchy.com to check out all the creative things people do with benchy prints. It's also the source for my quote above.

Come see what else he made below the fold!

Where Does the Time Go?

I'm working on my storyline, but in the meantime, I haven't been very good at coming up with posts lately. I'm frustrated with the projects that I've been working on, I haven't bought any new dolls besides Ever After High, stupid real life keeps getting in the way.

Speaking of projects that I'm not finishing, I picked up some cheap watercolor pencils at Michael's yesterday.

I've had a few plans in the back of my mind for some time for trying out watercolor pencils. I decided cheap pencils were a fine way to start, and if I'm not happy with the results, I can always try moving up to a better quality pencil. Preferably when I have a 40% off coupon at Michael's.

One of the things I want to do is improve Meg's face. She could use darker eyebrows, more color in her lips, maybe even some eyeliner like her design picture shows.

I have had a few ideas for posts, but I'm not sure if there is a lot of interest in what I wanted to post about. One of the posts I wanted to make was about the new LORI pony for the 6" dolls, and compare it to Lottie's pony. I also wanted to do a post about one of my older Cissy dolls; I thought perhaps people might be interested in seeing a doll you don't see much of anymore. I'm going to put a poll up and find out if there is any interest, and go from there. In the meantime, I'll be hard at work on my doll projects (hopefully!)

2016 Tonner Convention Day One

Meg was eager to take her first long trip with me. She had to settle for sitting in the front passenger's seat after I explained I needed to be the one to be doing the steering.

I didn't get to Columbus in time for the afternoon registration, so the first event was the dessert event at 7:00 PM. The doll featured here was the DeDe Denton doll. There was a DeDe Denton doll centerpiece which one person at a table could win a chance to buy. Each attendee also received a basic DeDe. Half of the dolls were blond, half were brunette. Interestingly, the doll's name is spelled DeDe everywhere, except on the box we received the doll in, where it is spelled DeeDee. DeDe comes on Tonner's 17" athletic body. She is the granddaughter of DeeAnna Denton, whose story was that she was the socialite heiress daughter of a man who'd made his fortune selling Denton chewing gum. I'll be taking pictures of the doll I received soon; she's going on eBay, as I don't want her. Nobody at our table wanted the centerpiece doll either. Actually, my table is interesting. Everyone at my table is attending her first Tonner convention, except for our hostess. There is also one guy who seems to have been to other events. The person to my left used to be a dealer, apparently, back in the days of Betsy McCall and Magic Attic. She also collects American Girl, but misses Pleasant Rowland's passion for the line. The person to the right is a fan of Tonner's Wilde Imagination products, and doesn't really know much about his Tonner doll range. The grandmommy, I mentioned to the former dealer, and another woman at my table, your adventure of finding a Magic Attic doll in your backyard!

The centerpiece doll was very nice. Just not anyone at my table's cup of tea.

The theme for the evening was "sparkling white." I wore a white tee, and dressed my Tyler in white. When people saw me taking my Tyler out of my bag, they were confused and thought she was the event doll. One of the things I like about Meg, who also came along as my travel doll, is how so many Mattel Barbie and family clothing pieces fit her, so she's easy to find clothes for. She wore a Teen Skipper camisole and blouse, with the denim pants she's worn before.

Here's a couple of pictures of the room where we had dessert. I assume we'll be having all of our meals in here.

The last event of the evening were a couple of videos, and a slide show. We got to see Robert as the anchor of DNN, the Doll News Network. He talked about the new Barbie bodies, merely presenting the pros and cons. He also talked about the Lammily doll line. Some of the attendees were surprised when I assured them that the more, um, controversial accessories of the doll line are real.

Tonight was also the night Robert gave an overview of his 25 years as a doll maker. Here's one of his first displays at Toy Fair.

Here's what I believe he said was the first vinyl doll he produced.

He also talked about how well dolls with a famous story, such as Alice in Wonderland sell, and talked about his various licensing deals.

I only have one quibble, which is the way we got dessert. Tables went to the dessert line, in a group, one by one. We were one of the last tables to go up, if not the last. By the time we got to the dessert table, most of the plates of desserts were completely cleaned out. Robert also started the door prize portion of the evening while we were in line.

The best things about the night, from my point of view? Each child under 12 got a doll as a door prize. I'm not sure what doll they got, though. Either it was not announced, or I missed hearing about it in the hubbub. In a not related to children category, they were not stingy with the champagne which was served with the dessert. I'm not a champagne drinker, but I think it speaks well of an event when food and drink are plentiful. At least in this case, the drink was. One advantage of our table was also that we were right next to one of the stations serving ice water.

I already picked up a few things in the sales rooms, and we got a few nice things with the registration materials. I'll probably do a post showing my total "loot" when I get back from the event. I'm looking forward to seeing what tomorrow's events bring.

2016 Liebster Award

jSarie at Revenge of the Toy Box has presented me with the Liebster Award. Thank you!

The rules for award participation are as follows:

RULES:

1. Thank the person who presented you the award and link back to their blog
2. Post the award image on your blog. 
3. Answer 11 questions posted by the presenter. 
4. Nominate 5 blogs with less than 200 followers. 
5. Create 11 questions for the nominees to answer. 
6. List these rules in your post. Inform the people you chose of their nomination by leaving a comment on their blog and link them your post.

 1. What was the first doll or figure that started your collection?
Caboodles Barbie. Mr. BTEG bought her for me because I liked Barbies, and I liked her miniature Caboodle makeup carrying case. It was the first doll I got as an adult.

2. What were your favourite doll-related moments of 2015?
Getting my Makie doll Meg, and finally getting my second American Girl doll, Caroline. Sewing more for dolls than I have in years. And finding more doll bloggers on the internet!

3. What are you looking forward to in 2016?
Toy Fair, first of all. Can't wait to see what's new for 2016!

Secondly, I'm looking forward to making more doll clothes for my Etsy store, and more clothes for my own dolls. Struggling right now to find time and energy to finish another dress.

Lastly, I'm going to the 2016 Tonner Convention!!! It's being held in Columbus, OH, and might be one of the only chances I'll have to attend a doll convention close to where I live. It's the Tonner company's 25th anniversary, so I'm looking forward to seeing if there are any souvenir dolls made from retired lines.

4. Do you have a favourite doll in your collection?
I don't really have a favorite doll so much anymore. There are dolls within some of the lines that I collect, that I like more than others. One of the top favorites is still Calendar Girl Sydney.

5. Do you have a favourite size of doll, and if so, which one and why?
Probably the 16" dolls. They are a nice size to sew for, and to display. I love my American Girl and Madame Alexander Cissy dolls, but I really don't have the space for more than two or three each. Playscale size and smaller dolls are easier to display and find furniture and accessories for, but sometimes you can't get as much detail with the smaller dolls.

6. Do your dolls have character back-stories?
Not really. At some point I would like to, but there are other things I want to do first, like sew them more clothes and improve their display spaces. Back-stories are not really a high priority.

7. Do you prefer to buy character dolls or blank slates?
I prefer blank slates, by far. The only doll that I have that looks someone in real life is one of the Tonner versions of Judy Garland as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. And honestly, she doesn't look exactly like Judy's character. Any doll that's supposed to be Cinderella or Alice in Wonderland, but doesn't look like an actor or actress in real life, I can ignore the story they were given. Even my American Girl 18" Samantha and Caroline are not entirely the dolls as written about in their stories.

8. You can have any doll maker make the doll of your dreams. What does it look like?
She'd be an 18" vinyl doll, with golden brown hair, blue eyes and pale skin. She would wear a blue dress with lots of tucks and insertion and lace. She would have silk stockings and high button boots. She'd have a few pieces of gold jewelry, earrings and maybe a brooch. She would have to be at least 18", I would think, just because of how complicated I would like the dress! I would have the Tonner Company make her; the company has done really well with vintage styled dolls in the past.

9. How do you protect your dolls from damage (sunlight, hungry pets, angry children, wild animals, etc)?
I keep my dolls out of direct sunlight, and up on shelves or dressers. At one time we had a cat who was very fond of eating anything net or tulle that came his way. One of our cats now will also occasionally chew on things, so I have to keep them up out of her reach. She has never tried to jump up there. Fortunately, my children are well past the age of messing around with my dolls.

10. How do you store your dolls?
Store... hmm. I have most of the dolls in my collection out on display. I wish I had lots of enclosed shelving with glass doors. Since I don't, I try to store my dolls in bookcases or cubes so they get less dusty.

11. How do dolls fit into your everyday life?
Dolls keep me company. Not that I talk to them ever, nor do I change around a display or redress a doll everyday. But I get enjoyment out of looking at them; each one has a personality that seems to come through. I always have a plan in mind for what I want to do next involving my collection, even though everyday life often precludes my plans.

I nominate:
1. Presto at Growing Up Is for Quitters
2. Farrah Lily at Cozy Comforts and Dolls
3. Lisa at Once Upon a Doll Collection
4. Addy at Dollyton City
5. RagingMoon1987 at Confessions of a Dolly Lover

My 11 questions are:
1. What was the first doll or figure that started your collection?
2. Is there a retired doll or doll line that you'd like to bring back?
3. Have you ever acquired a grail doll?
4. What are you looking forward to in 2016?
5. Do you have a favorite doll line or manufacturer?
6. Any doll lines that you've moved on from?
7. Do you have an idea what dolls you would like to acquire this year?
8. What would your dream doll accessory be? I'm talking things like furniture or a car or a set of dishes.
9. If you were to write a paper on an era of doll history, which era would you pick?
10. Do you do any creative activities related to your doll collection?
11. How do dolls fit into your everyday life?

And this makes post number four for the month of January, so I've fulfilled a resolution for this month! :)

Makies Tea Set

Last week, the Evil Genius family was at CodeMash, a learning event for computer developers. Mr. BTEG's employer sent him, but as he was provided with a four-person room, the rest of the family was able to tag along. Family attendance is indeed encouraged with KidzMash, which is a learning track for the younger set. My daughters were too old to get much out of KidzMash, but they were able to do things with Mr. BTEG, including working on a robot, so that they really got a lot out of the trip. It also doesn't hurt that the event is held at the Kalahari Resort Waterpark in Sandusky, Ohio.

How does this relate to Makies? Well, lately, Mr. BTEG has been getting into 3D printing. There is a a 3D printer at the public library in downtown Cleveland, for which you pay a low price per hour. Mr. BTEG told me there would be a free 3D printer at CodeMash, if you could get an appointment. I showed him my Makie doll, and he helped me look around for 3D doll stuff that I could print. (No, I don't hide my doll purchases from Mr. BTEG, but he doesn't really have much interest in checking out the new stuff I buy.) Turns out, MakieLab has its very own design page on Thingiverse.com, a place to download 3D printed designs. The thing I especially liked among the Makies designs was this tea set. Mr. BTEG was able to grab some design time on the 3D printer, and had a set printed up for me. It's very rough and needs sanding, but I wanted to show it in its original condition. Keep in mind that it took three hours to print this set.

These were the bases where the items sat while they were printed.

The set in its entirety. Four cups, cream pitcher, sugar bowl, pot and two lids

The inside of a teacup

The sugar bowl and its lid

And here are two pictures of Meg holding tea set pieces, for an idea of the size.

I was planning on getting some pictures of Meg in the waterpark, but I actually ended up getting bored and coming home early. I did get some pictures of Meg lounging in our room; this is the one I like the best.

I wonder what "the next thing" will be with the Makies, since the company is moving to the US. In the meantime, I'm wondering if the 3D printer downtown will be good enough to print out some boots for Meg. She could use some more shoes!