DIY - Make Your Own Fairy

Make Fairy Twig Furniture - Tutorial

Who Loves Fairys??? - Project

*Sigh*

Do you ever find that you just have so many ideas and not enough time to do them all??

My latest obsession is Fairy Houses and Villages. Gnomes are OK, but the delicateness of fairy gardens and twig furniture are magical! This week will feature fairy crafts.

When I was growing up in Los Angeles, my parents would take me to Disneyland two maybe three times a year. We had favorite rides (Space Mountain, Matterhorn, Small World, Big Thunder), but I think most of all we loved the DETAIL Walt put into the structures. We would often stroll Main Street admiring the Victorian town, New Orleans Square with all the lace and scroll work on the balconies, the iron statues surrounding the castle, these were what made it so special.

I remember I didn't really like riding the Storybook Village Canal Boats because they were so S L O W. I did like Casey Jr Railroad and its track was around and over the Village. I would love to look at all of the little cottages below.

I guess I have always liked miniatures and whimsy plus the fact Tink is a fairy made it all the better, right?

I can't drill into the exterior siding of our home, but told my husband I really wanted a Fairy Door. I decided to put them directly onto the walls of both doll rooms.

It's a layering process. 
First you paint the door then add more paint for dimension, flowers, moss, butterflies etc.

TBT - Disneyland

Last summer Mini Nicki and Mini Saige went to Disneyland for a road trip with summer camp!

Happiest place on earth!

Mini Dolls by Brand - 6.5" Dawn (1970-73)

Dawn Dolls are 6-1/2" fashion dolls produced by Topper from 1970-1973. Dawn dolls are particularly exquisite in facial molding and painting, and their wardrobes are truly groovy. This site provides information for collectors, as well as plenty of cool photographs of Dawn in her natural environment. 

 Dawn had many friends.

 Angie, Glori, Dale, then Jessica and Longlocks.  

 

Later they added the Majorettes, the Head-to-Toe dolls, the Model Agency Dolls, and the Dance Party dolls: Fancy Feet and Kevin. 

The original guys - Gary, Van, and Ron.

Topper kept changing the face of Dawn & a couple of her friends as well.  You will see these different looks in my dolls here.  Each of them has a slightly different appearance and a unique "personality" that seems to go with it.  You may also notice that I don't always display my dolls in the original outfits.  Most of the time, I have matched outfits with each doll to try to capture the individual "personality" or "attitude" seen in each face.  For this reason, I actually prefer the loose minty dolls to the packaged ones that I can't touch.
 

Dawn dolls have many differences.  Some of the body styles are slimmer with smaller looking breasts (not so round) and flatter butts - these are usually the dolls with no green knees.  Even though the dolls with the fuller bodies tend to have more of the green knee problems, I prefer them.  Although I cannot say for sure, I believe that the fuller bodied dolls are the earliest made.  I make this assumption because all of the Model Agency dolls (some of the very latest issued) have the slim bodies, and most of the earliest (still mint in box) dolls are the green kneed ones.  You can tell by the boxes that they were first issue.

There are also some other differences in the dolls as well, such as collar bones on certain body molds, that are explained and pictured in more detail on Alexandria North's site entitled "That '70s Doll" on her collector information page under the Identification section.

*NEWS* GOTY 2015 Mini Doll Placeholder + My GOTY Minis

GOTY 2015 has her own marker for mini doll.

 

I have three GOTY minis - Isabelle, Saige and my custom Nicki.

Saige was the first ever AG GOTY mini doll! She sold so well they continued with this year's Isabelle. I am looking forward to getting all of the GOTY minis as they are released.

I created Nicki using a Kirsten mini, and had to add freckles and sew her meet skirt.

I have upgraded her boots. Originally made from felt they are now more sturdy. 

Comparison VIDEO

Doll Size Props - Resource

I love the details in this etsy shop. You will be sure to find something unique for your dollhouse and dioramas.

About this shop:
 As an adult fashion doll collector, I would like to imagine that if fashion dolls were living in today's world they would be urban recyclers, using natural fibers and reclaimed timbers in their environment. They would be adventurous and eclectic in designing living environments, settings would be harmonious, with natural light and subtle textures, similar to what we use in our own homes.

I believe today's fashion dolls would shop wisely at small business owner boutiques and thrift stores. Tiny boutiques owned by friendly people, are where you find the best prices, especially for fashion doll necessities.