Zombie Elvis

A while back whilst talking monster high with friends, the subject came up of how awesome a zombie Elvis doll would be! Since my husband is an Elvis fan, and had a large hand in the idea/design, zombie Elvis ended up coming to unlife as part of his birthday present this year.

The challenge was set as, must be fat Elvis and must have the eagle jumpsuit.

The biggest challenge was adding a few pounds to the doll, and having him still fit the stand. The extra "fluff" was made with a bit of teddy bear stuffing in the jump suit. The next biggest challenge was the "rhinestone" eagle motif. For that inherited tubes of fabric paint!

The hair is hands down my favorite part on this doll. I re-rooted in a little left over black hair up front for the quiff, flocked the sideburns, and concrete hair lacquered the lot in place.

Complete with box he cuts quite the zombie scene! (at some point I just need to make him a zombie chimp for a pet)

Tiki Postcards

One thing I love is tiki style, I love tiki pin up shoots, I have a long standing dream of creating a tiki soda bar for my (next) house, and I love the Monster High Skull Shores dolls and their fantastic tki style!

I was taking photos for my shop, trying to come up with something that would really bring out the retro pin up in these dolls, and created a little scene using some tiki-tastic pieces from my little collection.

Inspired by one of my favorite pin up photographers the insanely talented Viva Van Story, and with a little photoshop aging magic these are a few of the photos I put together with my personal de-boxed dolls.

I have to say the Ghoulia from this line doesn't get enough love. She's pure 60's dream girl, and the clashing green in her outfit makes her one of my favorite Ghoulias to date. In fact I want her swim suite so bad!

There are more photos over at Dolly Daydream, and you can pick up the dolls for a tiki party of your own over at the shop!

Dedicated Doll Blog!

My dolls have seceded from the main blog over at Quaintrelle life, and made themselves a new home here on the new Dolly Daydream blog.

For the most part my doll adventures tend to focus on vintage and retro themes which made them fit with the vintage lifestyle focus over on Quaintrelle life. But I was holding back posting about them when I hadn't had chance to post about other things in between.

So from now on I'll be dolly blogging over here, and fashion and lifestyle blogging over on Quaintrelle Life (probably with a few cross overs)

Thoroughly Modern Martian

I've been in a mod kinda mood this week, partly because we're getting into the mid 60's with Mad Men and I'm ready for that show to start up in just a few days, and also because I've been working on a modernist martian girl.
I remember being all about all things mod back in high school, but haven't thought much about it all till now. I find myself with a bit of a hankering to mix some of this style back into my wardrobe again after working on this project. It set off my nostalgia for my adolescent nostalgia for another generation's adolescent verve.

(More photos of the doll and the scooter over on Dolly Daydream)

Little Sisters

One of the things I love about the Monster High dolls (after the fantastic retro detailing on a lot of them) is the little back stories they put behind each doll. It makes them more than just pretty fashion models, but also gives them a personality you can relate to.

My latest acquisition from the line reminded me a lot of what it was like being a big sister growing up. I remember arguments and fights over not wanting to lend my clothes to my little sister, and the usual "she's so annoying" moments. But I also remembered how we were then and still are now best friends and that I would take on any threat that dared to mess with my little sister!

She's a kick ass chemist now and all grown up (and taller than me) but once a big sister always a big sister, These little vinyl toys gave me a wistful sense of nostalgia for when we kids.

Dresses and Dolls Oh My!

OK I'm back in the county, my body has adjusted back to the right time zone, so it's time to start blogging!

Whilst over in the UK for the past month (ish) we flew over for a few days in the Netherlands staying in the Hague. By pure luck one of the museums out there had 2 amazing temporary exhibitions running at that time with my name written all over them! A huge collection of dolls, miniatures and doll houses from the 17th century up, and a collection of fashion from the early 1900's to today, and their inspirations in fine art. Three things I love most in the world all together in one place!

The doll exhibition was the first bit we hit up. It really is amazing the details that used to go into these things. One of the first  things I noticed was a great Dior bar suit Barbie in all her 50's glamor. I love the suit in full scale, and it was captivating again in miniature!

A simmering fondness of Queen Anne dolls was heated up a little too. They had some wonderful 18th century examples all with their brocade dresses and fluffy wigs! One day I'd love to make one, but that's another project for another day.

The fashion exhibition was a real winner too. I loved seeing Schiaparelli's dresses and accessories in person again, and a little tableau of Vivienne Westwood gowns with an 18th century flare gave a bit of a taste of the recent Versailles fashion exhibit I messed. I never get tired of seeing beautiful silks in opulent settings!

Sure we had to walk over 2 miles each way in gale force winds and pouring rain, but I can safely say it was well worth it!

You can see more from the exhibition over on the Gemeentemuseum's website. XXSmall and Fashion ♥ Art. For now here are a few of the photos I managed to get whilst we wandered round...

(I promise a break from dolls next post and some more food inspiration instead!)

Party Ghouls

I've had a lot of fun recently playing out designing in miniature for Monster High dolls, after customizing a Slow Moe for Ghoulia (that letter jacket!) I turned my hands to designing a Sweet 1600 outfit for my favorite Zombie girl, and a Loch Less monster doll as a way to let lose with some UK monster and fashion pride!

Sweet 1600 Ghoulia

Lochturna Nes

Extra photos of my 2 newest Monster High customs can be found on the Dolly Daydream site!

Fashion and Dolls

Théâtre de la Mode doll

As you know from a recent post I'm something of a doll fan. I'm not a serious floor to ceiling doll collector, but they are something which has been a particular soft spot of mine lately. I love them as a girl who used to play with dolls, but I also love them as a fashion designer!

Dolls have played a huge roll in fashion for centuries. During the 18th century french merchants de mode used to send out little poupees dressed in their latest creations to entice potential patrons with exquisitely made miniature replicas of their designs. In the 1940's dolls like Virginia Lachasse  from London and those created for the Théâtre de la Mode from Paris showcased the talents and workmanship of couturiers in the mid 20th century.

As a designer working on a small scale is a great way to try out new things with little expense, and a fun alternative outlet to showcase work in a different way.

Dolls can also be a fun way of finding new styles to try for yourself! For the vintage fashion lover vintage and retro Barbie fashions can be a fun source of inspiration for your full scale fashion! As can some of the amazing Gene dolls out there.


 Make Your Own Doll!

I've had a tutorial on my site for a few years with tips on making your own ball jointed dolls, and this past weekend before jetting off to England to stay with my family over the holidays, I also added a tutorial for customizing fashion dolls! You can use the tips for customizing the freak fab Monster High dolls, but the same techniques can also be used to create your own unique Barbie dolls or which ever fashion doll speaks to you most! When it's all about expressing your style, it's always fun to find a doll that reflects it the best!

 There are some tips on how to wipe, re-root and paint your doll, ready for your miniature fashion adventures! Give it a shot and let your inner designer run wild!

The new tutorial plus extra photos of my 2 newest Monster High customs can be found on the Dolly Daydream site here!

Slow Moe Zombie Star

Phew! I've barely been at home for that past couple of months, and working like a crazy person in between. I did take off last weekend though and dedicated it to to reconnecting with a fun old hobby... DOLLS!

After hanging out with some great friends in New York I a few weeks back I came away with a new crippling addiction to Monster High (which is helping me get over a bad Poupee Girl habit). The doll I most fell in love with is good old Ghoulia, the retro headband, the cat-eye glasses, the comic books, whats not to love right? Well everyone knows that in the doll world a boyfriend doll is a like a Louis Vuitton purse, it's the accessory all the superstars have right? Like Barbie and Ken, he's always kinda been the accessory that let everyone know Barbie was higher up the food chain than Skipper. So since Ghoulia is a doll superstar in my heart and I've never been one to leave well enough alone, it was time to turn my tools towards customizing her a Slow Moe character boyfriend doll!

 

As luck would have it everything I needed arrived in time for the weekend and after a few hours of demolishing a poor Jackson doll I was able to re-paint, re-root (the hair), re dress and even flock the guy into a zombie chess star beau! It was a blast sewing tiny clothes again and painting on doll heads.

Dolly Daydream Back in Action!
The whole thing really reignited my love of playing with dolls and even gave me the first update in a long time to my much loved Dolly Daydream site. I've got plans to finish off the rest of the ball joint doll tutorials over there, and for adding some fashion doll customizing tutorials too, so so anyone with any interest in dolls, that's the space to watch!