Dollar Tree Find!

Look what I found at the Dollar Tree for $1.00!!!!  I was totally surprised.  I picked him up and thought, this can't be true.  I heard children running in the store and I thought at any given moment some little kid would come to me and say "excuse me but that is my doll".  I picked up a few items that I went in there for and made my way to check out.  I held my breathe as the cashier scanned my items and then....the doll.  She stated "I didn't know that we had these in here".  I said, "I am so happy that you do.  Do you have any more?".  She said "no, but we will probably get some more in our next shipment".  Can you guys believe it...$1.00!  Wow!  I am not sure who he will be in my stories or who he will date.   Here is a mini photo shoot of TJ.  I am thinking of calling him Kyle.  What does he look like his name should be?


              

Of course I had to give him some facial hair.

              

              

His friend Mike came by to give him a welcome.

As he was leaving he spotted Nadja

                 

TJ (for now):  Hello, pretty lady.  My name is TJ.
Nadja:  silence...
TJ:  May I please have a moment with you.
Nadja:  No! (She kept walking without ever looking back).

It didn't take him long before he bumped into Nikki who had plenty of conversation for him.  Those FR girls can be some mean girls sometimes.  Lol!


Thanks for stopping by.

Be blessed!

Sisterhood of the World Blogger Award

Thank you Debbie Black Doll Collecting for the nomination!  I am honored to participate.  :-)

Also thank you Shasha atelierniShasha for nominating me as well.

Award Purpose:  “Sisterhood of the World Blogger Award recognizes the unique voices of women bloggers around the world.”

What you need to do:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you, linking back to their site.
2. Put the award logo on your blog.
3. Answer the ten questions they have sent you.
4. Make up ten new questions for your nominees to answer.
5. Nominate ten people.

The questions that I have been asked to respond to are:

1)  When did you publish your first blog?
My first blog was published on June 12, 2011.  Wow, I did not realize that it has been 4 fours.  Time really does fly.

2)  What inspires you to write a post?
I am usually inspired by something that I have on my long list of projects.  I normally just flip through my binder and start the process of choosing who will be in the post and how I deliver it.

3)  Other than your blog, what else do you write?
I am not currently writing anything.  I have written a couple of poems and a couple of short stories.  I never finished the short stories.  Maybe one day I will revisit them.

4)  Has any of your other writing been published?
No.  I barely have shared them with others.  I use to be extremely shy.

5)  How long have you been a collector?
I have been an official doll collector since 1995.  I have always had a love for dolls.  My Mom purchased my last Barbie doll when I was 16 years of age....stating that I was too old for dolls.  Well that was then, she actually purchased several dolls for me as a adult collector before she passed.

6)  List everything you enjoy collecting?
I love, love teddy bears (my first true love before dolls), nickels, fabric (because I am not doing much of anything with it right now), unique ink pens, and collectible shoes.

The Right Shoe

7)  How do others feel about your collection?
My family does not have much to say about my collection.  I believe that they think it is cool.  Usually if one of my siblings come by for a visit with a friend, they usually ask me to  show them (the friend) some of my dolls.  As for others, they seem to be okay with it...atleast to my face.  Lol!  I have one friend who thinks it is silly and had no problem telling me so.  That gave me permission to express to her that I do not care what she thinks.  This is my hobby.  I absolutely love it and I do not care how anyone feels about it....next!

8)  If you could purchase anything you enjoy collecting, what would it be and why?
I would purchase the Nini Momo Atlanta doll that my friend Rita has for sale.  I just can't at this time pay that amount of money for a doll.  I am just not there yet.....sigh.

9)  Please share anything about yourself that you would like your readers to know?
I would like the readers to know that I enjoy reading each and every one of your post.  You guys are the best!!

10.  Share one thing about yourself that would surprise most people?
I am very modest, but if I could (had the right body and age was not a factor) I would love to get a belly ring....don't judge!   Of course that will never happen.  Lol!

My ten questions for my nominees are:

1.  What inspires you?
2.  If you could have one wish to come true what would it be?
3.  Who is your number one hero and why?
4.  What is your favorite thing to collect for your dolls?
5.  Who is your favorite doll artist?
6.  What is your ultimate grail that you would love to have?
7.  Name one word to describe yourself?
8.  What is your favorite snack?
9.  Have you ever been embarrassed about your collection?
10.  Are you a "player or displayer" (in the famous words of Jewell).


Most bloggers have already been nominated so I am going to list a few.  If anyone reading this and you have not been nominated, YOU are it!

Nominees for the "Sisterhood of the World Blogger Award" are:

Tracy India 
Valsays
Emma

Thanks for stopping by!

Be blessed!  :-)

Vickey

I introduce to you...Troy (and Mike 2)

Yep, two post from me in one day...No it does not mean that it is going to snow.  Lol!

I decided that due to my busy week/weekend, I wanted something to do that would be relaxing and not take too much energy.  Yes, my bedroom could use a little tidying up, but I wanted to do something that was fun.  I looked around my room and thought "now what can I get into".  I saw a Tuesday Morning bag in my chair and thought whatever is inside, I will debox.  I knew that the bag contained a few dolls.  The first doll that I pulled out was my Divergent dude.  I had totally forgotten about him.   I decided that I would customize him and add him to my story.  Tracy India left a post stating that "she could not wait to see who this Troy was that has Gracie all frazzled".  Hmmm, I thought.   He is cute, so I believe that this will be my Troy.

Divergent 2014

I decided to give him a total different look.  I wanted to change his hair color to make him more ethnic.  I decided to use a black sharpie to make it happen.  The following picture is a side view.  I was kind of nervous as to how he would turn out so I didn't take many pictures as I went along.

Side view - I should have taken more pictures

Back view - Tats are original

And here he is.....

Miquel "Troy" Maddox 

I fluffed out his hair with the tip of the sharpie which was serving as two purposes.  For one I was able to continue to change the color of his hair and two, the tip lifted the hair very well.  I still need to go around the edges some more.  It is a permanent marker, so I am a little hesitant to do so.

I decided that I like the look so much and decided to give him a little face lift.  I am very pleased at how he came out and Gracie is happy too.

Gracelyn and ex-beau (for now) Troy

*                    *                   *                   *                   *                   *

I decided to repaint Dallas boyfriend (Mike) as well.   The first pic is how he looked before.

Dallas and Mike
This is from my Happy New Year post on 1/1/15

First repaint - sorry for bad pic

Second repaint

Final - the mole under the eye was removed

Michael wants to show off his tattoos too.  Lol!  I put these on him.

Dallas can't stop looking at her man's new look.  I like how this repaint turned out in comparison to the first pic.

Thanks for stopping by.

Be blessed!

World Doll Day

Greetings,

I am coming out of lurkdom to post due to being tagged by Jewell for World Doll Day.  Thanks Jewell!  I am a few days late but this was very fun!  I had the hardest time choosing my favorite dolls from 2014....well for two of them atleast.  One was a holy grail so she was hands down my number one pick. The second one seems to be a favorite amongst collectors.  I love, love big hair and it was love at first sight when I saw her promo pics.  The third was chosen because I did not purchase her when she she first came out, but was given the opportunity to purchase her on the secondary market from a club member for the same price that she paid Mattel.  So needless to say I was a very happy camper.  Without further ado...

Best Doll purchases in 2014:

Number 1

Fashion Royalty "Soul Deep Adele"

I purchased her at the 2014 Integrity Convention nude.  I was super excited to finally get her.  She has been a grail for a VERY long time and finally (sigh) she is mine.  A little short story about her is that as I was waiting to pay for her, I laid her on the table to make my Paypal transaction.  Another collector (a guy) picked her up and I immediately said "excuse me, she is mine and I am in the mist of paying for her".  He rolled his eyes and make a under the breathe comment and walked away.  Lol!  Okay, so what else was I suppose to say?  Lol! She was a grail, so hands off Bro!

 Number 2

The Look 2013

I actually purchased a couple of these dolls, but this one that I chose to debox was purchased at Walmart in Orlando, Florida while I was attending the Integrity Convention in 2014.  I actually took her out the box while I was there.  I couldn't resist.


Number 3 - Last, but certainly not least!

I wanted this doll when she first came out, but I was not a Barbie Collectors club member that year.  I was hoping that she would eventually be available for purchase by non club members.  I am not sure if she ever was.  Just imagine how I felt when a club member mentioned that she had one for sale and that I could purchase her for the cost that she paid.  I was super excited!  She is such a pretty doll that I will debox one day.  Sorry for the glare.



Dolls on my Wish List:

I would love to have either one of these dolls in any order.   Interestingly, I had the opportunity to purchase all of them and for some reason, I decided to wait.  It was obviously a bad mistake because now they are on my Wish List.

Tarantino Barbie - I LOVE this pink hair!
(picture is property of Mattel)

Halle Berry - ugh why did I pass her up....
(picture is property of Mattel)

Going Places Eugenia Perrin Frost - again why did I pass her up????
(picture is property of Integrity Toys)

I tag YOU:
1.   I-luv-dolls
2.  Tracy India (Urban Doll Life)
3.  Dolls4Moi
4.  Limbedolls
5.   DeMari (Dazzle Dolls)

*              *               *               *               *                *               *            


And just a sneak peek at my doll room.  It is slowly coming together.  I still have shelves to fill.

Thanks for stopping by.

Be blessed!!

In lieu of Superbowl

Happy Monday you guys!

My intent was to post this on yesterday.  I am not a sports fan, so Super Bowl was not on my agenda.  I decided to stay in and do at least a couple doll related projects that I have on my list from 2013...I mean 2014.  Once I was done with that, I decided to do a few redresses.  The fun part was deciding on who to redress.  The following are the ones that I chose.  I decided to take out a couple of the older girls to allow them some face time as well.


Adele in a Fashion Fever outfit

         

                     
S-I-S Kara in a Mattel fashion (removed from another doll)

         


 Barbie in an old fashion pack (pre-fashionistas)
                   
         


Katnis in a fashion ordered from ebay

         


Nikki in a Fashion pack from 2014

         

                   
The Look 2014 in a Walmart Exclusive pack from 2014

          


Christie in a old Mattel outfit (back when the fabric went all the way around)

         

                           
The Look 2015 in Liv fashion and Mattel jacket

         

Thanks for stopping by.

Be blessed!  : )

Best Friends Forever

Gracelyn (aka Gracie) called Juliana to ask if they could meet at Pinky's Boutique that evening. She had something that she needed to speak to her about.  She tossed and turned and decided that she needed her friend to help her with her dilemma.
Side note:  Pinky's is a work in progress.  I still have shelves to stock and clothes to add.

Gracie is one of Juliana's closes friends that she has known since first grade.  The friends were torn apart at the age of 12 when Gracie's father announced that they would be moving at the end of that school year.  The girls vowed to always keep in touch no matter what and neither fell short of doing just that.  They attended the same college, pledged the same sorority and have lived in close proximity ever since.

*       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *

Juliana arrived at Pinky's before Gracie and decides to do a little "window" shopping. She promised Jabari that she would not do any frivolous shopping unless it was for the wedding.

Clerk:   Welcome to Pinky's.
Juliana:  Thank you..

Store Owner:  Please let me know if you need any assistance.
Juliana:  I will, thanks.  I am just looking today.

Juliana browse around as she wait for Gracie.  Thinking, I wonder what this is about.  She sounded anxious.  Everything seemed to be going really well for her.  Hmmm, I'll just have to wait and see.

Juliana: (in thought) this is cute.

Clerk:  Hello.  Welcome to Pinky's.
Gracie:  Hi Pam.
She spots Juliana.
Gracie:  Hey girl, sorry I'm late.  The traffic was horrible on 285.

Juliana:  Hey you.  It's no problem.  I haven't been here long.

Gracie:  Thanks for coming.

Juliana:  Girl, you know how we do it.   I am always here.

They greet each other with a hug as they always do.

Juliana:  So what's going on?  I heard a little anxiety in your voice.

Gracie:  I know.  I have had some time to think, so I am not as upset as I was earlier.  I  received a text from Troy asking me to assist him with finding a condo.  He is planning to move here within six months.

Juliana:  Okay, so what is the problem with that?

Gracie:  Jul did you forget that Troy was my high school sweetheart that I  broke up with when I met Darren?
Juliana:  Yes, I do and that was umpteen years ago.  So much has happened since then.   You have dated several people and I'm sure that he has as well. 

Gracie:  We never really had closure.  We have always maintained a friendly relationship.  Not to mention that I still get butterflies when I am around him.  I am not sure that I can do this, Jul.

Juliana:  Gracie, when Darren left to go over seas he is the one who decided that you two needed to date other people.  So again, I ask what is the problem with you helping Troy?  Could it be that you are afraid of what could possibly happen?

Clerk:  Did you find every thing okay?  May I interest you in our latest fragrance?
Lady in blue:  No, thank you.  I have spent a little more than I planned to.
Clerk:  Okay.  Your total is $134.76.

Gracie:  Okay, Jul you are right.  I am afraid....  I love Darren, but I also never stopped loving Troy.

They are both a little speechless at Gracie's admission and are silent for about 30 seconds.

   

Finally Gracie decides to brake the silence and go look at shoes

Gracie:  I need to choose a pair of shoes so that we can get out of here.  You have class tomorrow and I have a 45 minutes drive home.

Gracie:  I have been waiting for these to go on sale.  Retail therapy is what I need right now so sale or not, I am taking them home with me.
Juliana:  It helps me every time....  Are you really okay though?
Gracie:  I am .  I guess I just had to get it off my chest by saying it out loud.

Gracie:  What would I ever do without you?
Juliana:  Live. (chuckle)

Gracie:  Thank you so much for being my friend.
Juliana:  Besties for life right...isn't that what we vowed fourteen years ago. (chuckle)

Clerk:  Have a great evening ladies.
Juliana and Gracie:  Thanks you too!

Be blessed and thanks for stopping by!