Under the Spell of Tonner's Evangeline Ghastly

I have never fallen so fast for a doll. My first hasn't even lived here for an entire week and a second one is on its way. Outfits and accessories are finding their way to my home. Michelle over at Wilde Imagination's customer service is my new email pal. I'm sunk.
This is an extreme case of not liking a doll at first and then falling in love with her. Even her freaky big hands aren't bothering me anymore!

This doll is "Tangled Web" Evangeline. I dressed her in red during a major redressing event last night in which 4 dolls were changed into 'holiday' colors. She is vinyl, wigged and has gorgeous big blue eyes.  I didn't realize prior to getting her last week that she was a ball jointed doll. She's bigger than my other Tonner gals at 17 inches tall. I haven't tried any clothing switches yet and I don't think I'm going to need to do that because she's already got a nice wardrobe of her own stuff.

I had mentioned change was coming a little while back and this is one part of that change.

Aphrodisiac in Jamieshow and Alex in Stolen Moments

Aphrodisiac Avantguard wears a Jamieshow gown from Angelic Dreamz. I was so happy to get this at the convention from George.

Here's the new Virtually Stunning Alex once more. I've changed her wig and dressed her in "Stolen Moments" an outfit from the Ashton-Drake Gene Marshall line.

Alex is starting to look really good. I need to darken her lips and move away from the red to a plum tone. I was trying out some colors using Photoshop. If only I could transfer those results from the monitor onto the doll.

I like her better this way. I also made her eyes look better by decreasing the size of the pupil.

Picture of the Week ~ Lisa Irinyi aka Alex's Doll

I will write very little in this post as I want to not only feature Lisa's photograph but also her own responses to the questions I asked her earlier.
This is the new Mini Avantguard doll, Aphrodisiac:

"I had an absolutely giddy time shooting Aphro. She seems so runway/clownish – but in a cool way. So, as soon as I took her out of the box, I teased up her wig to ridiculous proportions (kinda reminds me of the villain in the movie Zoolander, Mugatu – Will Ferrell’s character). And then the rest of the outfit just came together. It’s fun, silly and cheeky. Then I remembered the carnival cage – perfect. I swear I could hear a souped –up version of calliope music running through my head during the shoot. You know, kinda scary, kinda exciting and a bit strange, but intriguing. The bright red and brilliant sunshine really made the images pop. The angle of the evening light was almost straight on, eliminating shadows and showing every tiny detail. I love that. It’s like magic."

"Sometimes I feel like the “Weird Al” of doll photos. I see a doll and start thinking about the clothes, the scene and before you know it, some strange image is produced with influences from over-the-top couture fashion or with heavy fairytale or pop culture influences. Obviously I want to take beautiful photos, but I also like to add a wildness, a quirky flair or a humorous strangeness – kind of a reimagining. I like cuteness, to be silly and the unexpected." 

"I started my blog as a New Year’s resolution to have more fun playing with my dolls and become a better photographer. I post a new photo every day (hence the name – Every Day A Dollie) and the constant picture taking has definitely helped me learn more about photography. I try a lot of different things. Weird angles (wide and tight), different lighting situations (sun, overcast, shade, flash), I experiment with exposure, flash strength and white balance – I’ve had some neat results and some that go straight to 'delete'." 

"My advice to all the photographers out there – Have fun. Take lots of photos. Try some in early morning or late day when thee sun is at a low angle – there’s magic in that lighting. Let your personality shine through your photos. And don’t be afraid to experiment."

Lisa's Flickr Photostream

Lisa's Blog

Deneuve ~ A Quiet Life

I have had this lovely doll for about a month now. Honestly, I did not know what to do with her at first and then I came to realize that I didn't have to do anything. This is a quiet doll. At first I didn't like the size of her nose. I was focused on that and it was disturbing. Now she is becoming more beautiful every day. 

She's had three photo shoots and is very easy to photograph. The resin accommodates daylight and flash beautifully.

She is soft and waiting.

Review of Monogram Dolls "Enigmatic" and "Dreamscape"

Of the four Monogram dolls that were offered this season, Enigmatic was the first I picked. I was so happy to be getting her. She arrived recently along with Dreamscape, a doll that I had doubts about. I got two surprises.
Both dolls are non-rooted and both were $150. each.
Both were packaged in the fancy, glossy red boxes with the Jackson Pollack-type design on the front and a brass clippy thing. Can we get a discount if we don't want an big brass clippy-thing?

But I digress.

This is the first Monogram doll to have closed mouth screening although the sculpt is the same as all the other versions. The screening is very nice and she is lovely. Her skin color is quite pale...Queen V pale. Her wig is the default wig style - parted with a low pony tail in red. It fits very well.

I eagerly removed Enigmatic from her box only to find that I could not straighten her legs side by side due to the tightness of the skirt part of the dress. I moved them this way and that and no luck. No wonder she's shown in a walking stance in the promo pictures. I'm betting that every single dress on every single doll is tight. There is no way a stand is getting in between her thighs. The hat is a felt bendable headband type and since I love hats on my dolls, it stays.

The jacket fabric does not have any life. Fur is shiny; this fabric is dull. I'm sorry to say that this looks more like a plushy polar fleece than faux fur. Disappointing.

The shoes are beautiful. They are lined with a leopard print which matches the leopard panties she's wearing. I love that. The shoes are rather roomy which is good if the doll is wearing stockings. They slip on but could fall off without stockings. Her jewelry consists of a clustery beaded necklace and dark yellow rhinestone studs. I didn't bother to take the gloves out of their package. I don't like paper flowers attached to dresses. Ashton-Drake did that very often with Gene outfits and for me it ruins the outfit. Come on...there are plenty of tiny fabric rosettes out there. Who needs a stiff paper rose sewn to the back of a dress?

I wanted to love this doll. I don't spend $150 on a doll plus shipping just to write a critical review and I am very disappointed. Where is the quality control? Didn't anyone try to stand the doll up using the provided stand?


On the other hand, Dreamscape is lovely. Her screening is softer-looking and the gown, which I thought was odd at first, is well-made, properly fitted and very interesting. The points can be worn as points and can also be pushed in to form curved indents. The rosette on her shoulder is fabric and beautifully made. The ruching of the gown bodice is perfection.

Her shoes are black with teensy satin straps and they fit very well. Jewelry consists of pewter colored metal earrings with stones and a cuff bracelet.

Her own brunette wig fits well but will need some styling. The wig I have her wearing is a KIO wig from My Favourite Doll in Toronto, Canada. It, too, needed a great deal of styling and tweaking. The fibers are somewhat stiffer and thicker than saran hair fibers but the wig has possibilities. The part of the image showing the wig was Photoshopped to remove lots of fly-aways that I couldn't tame.

I love the hat which is netted and just what the outfit needs to complete the look. Hat pins in a proper scale would have shown attention to detail and a little evening bag would have been wonderful.

Dreamscape is a winner in every way. Is she worth $150.? If she brings me pleasure and everything fits and looks beautiful, then the answer is yes.

Sometimes a doll just takes time to grow on me.

Sometimes the wig and outfit are all wrong right off the bat and the doll is not appreciated. Look at this example of an Avantguard known as "Attention." In the photo on the left she is wearing the outfit in which she arrived.
In the second, I have changed her wig and outfit and she just pops. I love the transformation.

Most of the Tonner "Antoinette" fashions fit the Avantguard dolls. Attention is wearing an outfit called "Brilliant" (dress and hosiery) shoes from another Antoinette fashion and jewelry by Beverly Shahab. Her wig is from the AG doll Eclectic.

Always on the lookout for props and supports for the dolls, I'm getting a lot of use from the wire dress stand that I purchased recently at Michael's.

The right fashion & wig make a brilliant difference.

Putting it right out there, Monogram Brilliance's outfit is dowdy and her wig doesn't do anything at all for her.
No one knows how to put the hat on. The doll was a total disappointment...until I found the right wig and outfit for her.

The suit belongs to the Black Party Monogram doll. The jewelry came from the Je Ne Sais Quoi Silkstone doll and the wig, believe it or not, belongs to one of my tiny Puki dolls. It works. I love her now.

Original Promotional Image Property of Integrity Toys

Sweetness and Light ~ Puki Ruby in Boneka

It's time for a break from the world of sophisticated fashion dolls. Here's a picture of my tiny bjd, Puki Ruby. She's from Fairyland and joins her sister, Puki Puki. I know; it's such a silly name.
Tiny Puki dolls are just under 4.5 inches - pocket sized. They stand very easily on their own and their articulation is wonderful without kickiness. Ruby's wig is a FairyLand product. (Bobbie/Black/$21)  I've ordered several less expensive tiny wigs and none of them fit as well.

 The dress is felt and is a Boneka product as are the shoes. Denver Doll offers a nice selection of Boneka dresses for these dolls.  Prices range from $17 to $42.

The shoes are handmade leather and certainly worth $18.

Basic (nude) Pukis cost $138. If you purchase directly from FairyLand, you will pay a hefty shipping fee. I buy from Denver Doll Emporium. Their response time is excellent. If an item is in stock, it often ships the same day you order.

Check out FairyLand's website and then go to Denver Doll Emporium to buy.

Brilliance Monogram Doll Pictures

As I photographed her, I began to like her more although this is one Monogram doll who will have her outfit changed along with the wig. She has great potential. I find her to be beautiful but conservative.


The wig fits very well. It's the same style as the recent Avantguard dolls...center part gathered at the nape of the neck.
There are annoying issues with the outfit. The shoes are way too long which is a shame because I love the style. Is this going to be the problem of the year? The skirt is just the right length and the jacket fits properly. In couture dressmaking, lining up stripes and patterns across a seam or jacket front is a sign of fine workmanship. It would have been nearly impossible to do this on a doll fashion that wasn't completely hand made. In addition, the white machine top-stitching on the black fabric of the jacket is out of scale. Sewing machines can make shorter stitches.
I'm not sure how to put the hat on and I didn't want to mess up the wig so I didn't even try.

Picture of the Week ~ January 3, 2010

To start the New Year off, I have chosen a traffic stopper of a look for the Picture of the Week. The photograph was made by James Griffen aka Paradise Blue. The doll is a re-wigged Sybarite Limousine. The Lady GaGa style wig is an ultra limited (1 of 3) by Anthony of Hawaii. I love it. She is dressed in Tonner's Luna bodysuit and silver jacket. The jewelry is the doll's own.

James uses a "teeny handheld Fuji" 12mp camera. He posts mainly on the Pink Parlor and Prego doll boards and occasionally on Doll Divas. You can see many more of his photos on his Doll Page Photo Album. There you will find pictures of Paradise Blue's eclectic collection of dolls.

Congratulation, James, on the Picture of the Week Award!