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Working Vacation

Happy New Year you guys!!!!

Ah, back at work after a nice long vacation. And I'm totally swamped so let's get to it:

I had a lots of fits and starts but I did manage to get some work done! I busted my hump for 11 days but remembered to take pics yesterday so I apologize! I did use some lighting though, you'd be proud. But then come two little imps who were so excited about the strange cords going around the room, followed by high pitched screaming (by me), so yeah don't bet too excited about future lighting..

First of all, remember the lighthouse?


Sad, incorrectly scaled thing. Well look at her now (still not to scale)

The very top was made of a half circle of foam core, scored on one side and painted black.  The window panels are from a Barbie box, hot glued, then covered in the crease and the base with electrical tape. The top walkway is a piece of foam core, covered in contact paper. The fencing is a dollhouse white picket fence flipped pointy side down and painted black with  some "salt spray" accents.


The fireplace is a dollhouse base that I covered in those pebbles (giving that huge bag of rocks a real workout!). I added a white washed piece of scrap wood,  and a painted block of balsa on the bottom.
Here is the lonely lighthouse keeper (a Christmas present-Star Trek Capt. Pike). I added some gray in his hair and eyebrows. There might be a beard coming later...

 It was too tall to fit where I wanted it so I sat it here, where Zarrin used to live. Having a lighthouse in Midtown Grandville is just not acceptable so I'm working on that. Our walls are made of butter or something or else I'd just hang it on the wall.  The studs are in weird places so I need a stud finder I think...

This is the other big project. The park. Again, still.  I did it this time out of cardboard. I'm making a few stone steps to go from the record store to the park. And I will be making flagstones for the path.




Okay now for Downtown Grandville. The boutique is nearly done.
But I have a problem.  Will I never learn that Elmer's glue and foam core are an evil combination?   The cafe and "other store" walls are totally warped. Sigh. So the cafe is moving and maybe the other side of it will be Valentina's Auto Shop? I dunno yet.

Below is Hanna's new place. Remi and BAILEY (new name) canoodle.

 Zarrin has a new spot. It's a bit bigger here so she should be happy. Don't get used it Zarrin, this is where the lighthouse belongs.
 The Alurium Vaccarra hangs from the ceiling. Forgot to show you guys the booster at the bottom. Eventually it will have cotton "smoke" coming out.

Mistress Ava in another new place because the Gypsies rightly deserved her enormous space.


Mama Fear is still getting work done which is why she's allowing her room to be this messy.

She's just about done I think. Did I tell you her human spine cane didn't work out? (You can see it a bit under the pink suitcase.) 

So I was on MARTA (Atlanta's public transport) and I saw this woman. If I didn't know better I'd say she was Josephine Baker. Dark sunglasses (at night), big hat, awesome suede boots and this accent that was like she was schooled in England. Every time I see her she has a new fabulous cane. The first one was just a raw branch.  So I've done that for Mama Fear.

This is the second version. I broke the handle off the first one, then did it again on the 2nd! But I just glued it. F it.
 Here's her old lady face paint. And the updo I did for her. Barely had to cut off anything.

I did some makeup for June and I really like the way she turned out. I love doing face-ups! I may never be a PeeWee Parker but I'm very happy with my attempts so far.
 Your favorite girl Hanna got her bangs done. I never even knew she had green eyes.
 Aoki got her hair fixed too but still needs some work.

I'm exhausted but I still have more photos for you:

Because I never spend time with them and never unveiled the caravan, the Romany!

Milosh and Carmen (just named him. Reminds me of that Seinfeld episode...)








Okay lemme do some work before I get fired! 

Comments

  1. Love the idea of the park. My daughters would love to have a park for their barbies. I just have to figure out where we'd store it. Your face painting is really great, too--I desperately need to get some of the magnifying-goggles because I just can't see well enough to paint straight.
    I still need to start work on my van, but I'm toying with the idea of hinging it (on both sides of the front end) so that it can be displayed/photographed open. It may be logistically impossible, but I'm thinking about it.

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  2. Great idea about the hinges Miss Lola! Taking photos in it is really tough. I'd love a table mounted magnifyer. There are details I never see until I'm taking a picture....

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  3. All I can say about your photos is Wow Wow Wow! Want Want Want!
    :) Cyndy

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  4. Thanks CJ! I don't think my photos have ever caused such a reaction! Feeling very flattered!

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  5. June (repaint), Hanna, and Aoki's (hair) looks great. I love June's hair color. I absolutely love what you did with the camper. It looks very hippie like.

    P.S. I had forgotten that you lived here in Georgia until you mentioned MARTA...I was like oh yeah, she lives here too.

    Happy New Year to you and your family!

    Vickey

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  6. Hi from SpAin, i love how you left the Job of the lighthouse and the fireplace room. Congratulacios for your jod and keep in touch

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  7. These dolls look really good, great job on dolls.

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  8. Is Hanna a former Electropop Jasper? She looks really awesome! You gotta tell me how you did her bangs!

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  9. I saw all your photos on facebook, love them!

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  10. Thanks guys! TM, Yup, Hanna's an Electropop Jasper. For the bangs, I combed them forward, secured with an elastic. I poured boiling water over her, then followed with cold water, again and again. I had to do this three separate times. Gave her a little trim, did the boiling water thing AGAIN, then watered down a little Elmer's glue and combed it through the bangs, secured it with an elastic and let her dry. The Elmer's method is great for securing short hair and bangs, BUT it does flake and will make your folks look like they have dandruff. But it's okay for the blondes. Doesn't show up so much. My poor Josephine Baker is not so fortunate...

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  11. Wow - this post covers SO MANY ideas and items.

    I absolutely love the camper thing. I will always miss my more nomadic days so having some thing like that would be vicariously satisfying and it would also be a way to teach Leah about general crunchiness (her dad teases me about being a hippy all the time).

    Of course I have a crush on June and want her to be my friend in real-life.

    Can't imagine the stories you'll make in the lighthouse but I can imagine the cover of that romance novel. His raincoat hanging off one shoulder to reveal a nice pec with a wind hardened nipple. The woman's hair whipping in the wind with wet pieces stuck to her check and forhead. Wow. I got carried away for a minute. I don't even like romance novels.

    Anyway - so fun to see inside your world yet again.

    --Kristl

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  12. Haha! Your post is cracking me up Kristl! June has had a tough life and I'm hoping to share more of that with you guys (as soon as I invent it). I'm hoping the lighthouse story will be romantic, though when I write it in my head it doesn't turn out that way.

    Mostly it's an excuse for me to buy barbie boats. hee!

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  13. Your blog is making me so excited to keep working on my dolls AND my site, too, haha. I love it. Oddly, I feel twinkly and all "twinsies" when I see clothes I HAVE on your blog - ha ha.

    I'll keep reading and will make better comments later. ;-)

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  14. haha! I feel the same way Cosmodollitan! (great name!) TWINSIES! Doesn't it make you feel like your dolls (and by extension, YOU) are famous? I love it! I also love seeing people with the same dolls who give them totally different personalities. It's like my characters are leading double lives.

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  15. Thanks for sharing these photos of your dolls and their sites. Love the lighthouse and the individual rooms and the boutiques. LOVE your Integrity Toys' dolls - Jaspar, Remi, and Aoki. Grandville looks like an exciting place to explore.

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