Furniture Favorites

Wow, two months since I last posted! Sorry for the hiatus, but I had been working on my first real mass-production of shoes, for the "Over Ell's Rainbow" doll retreat next week. I'll share images of the special shoes I created for that event after it's over. But here's what 19 miniature shoe boxes looks like:



It was quite a fun project!

Now, on to the subject of this post. TONNERDirect asked Facebook this morning what types of furniture we like, and where we get our doll furniture. So I decided to dedicate a blog post to answering this question. One of my favorite pieces is a chaise lounge-shaped jewelry box, found at Walmart several years ago. I especially like it because my dolls can stand next to it, unsupported by a stand:



It's also good for sitting:



or lounging:



and it can hold multiple dolls:



(I use it a lot!)



I've also gotten several pieces of unfinished wooden doll-sized furniture at places like Hobby Lobby or Michaels, and I'm lucky enough to have a talented sister who carves, paints/stains, and varnishes them for me!

First there's this great bench that I bought many years ago (before I even collected Tonner dolls!) and had forgotten about:



(I made the cushion for it.) I decided I wanted it a darker, richer color. My sister stained and varnished it, and it's so handsome now:



Once again, more than one doll can sit on it:



The chest that Niobe is sitting on in the above picture is another example of my sister's work. This one she carved, as well:



I requested a dragonfly for the design, and she created the exact look I was hoping for! Here's a close-up of the carving:



Last but not least, she also carved the lotus flowers on the drawers, and stained and varnished this adorable dresser for me:



It is one of my very favorite pieces.  Isn't she talented? 

Who Wears it Best - Fashion Zombie Edition

It's time again for Who Wears it Best! Today's edition is... Fashion Zombie!

Illeya models her own outfit, Death Becomes Her, by Tonner:



Now Niobe:



And finally, Urkelgrue - the Headless Ballerina:




Don't forget to vote, and tune in next time for Who Wears it Best - Kimono Edition!

Niobe gets a new hairdo

I had painted my Onyx mannequin's face a few months ago, and named her Niobe, but I wasn't entirely satisfied with the job I had done, until I changed her hairstyle. I feel like this one brings out her personality much better:








I still may redo her eyebrows at some point. 

New props and furniture

Sofia shows off my new props - found at Michaels:



Wooden easels with mini stretched canvas - come in packs of two for $5. Brush not included.


Decorative ceramic plates in a variety of designs for $1 each. I chose my three favorite patterns, but there were more. All in brown or green or orange:





I couldn't pass them up! :p  

I also want to show off my new (or newly finished) furniture from my very talented sister. First, my two sets of twins show off the bench I purchased at Hobby Lobby several years ago, which has now been stained a deep mahogany, and varnished. Snow-White and Rose-Red are also wearing two of my favorite gowns, by Tonner and Ashton-Drake, respectively:



Amyera and Milana model two of my favorite coats, both by Tonner:




Next, two lovely ladies show off not only my new trunk that my sister carved, painted, and stained, but also two of my favorite factory dresses, which were both gifts from the Prego Secret Swap in the last two years.

Niobe is probably never taking off this dress (by Tonner), from Sue in IN:



And Brianna loves her dress (also by Tonner), from Q:



How about a close-up of my sister's awesome carving skills:


 
Told you she was talented!  She also carved and stained my lotus dresser, you may recall.  

And just for fun to show off the inside, Nandini in a gorgeous dress by GinO:  

 

This trunk will also come in quite handy to store all my new props!   

Just for fun - skin tone comparisons

My last post got me thinking about all the different skin tones of dolls I've collected, so I decided to get one of each of them together for a group shot.



I love comparison shots. :p  

Here's a closer view:


Left to right: Sayuri (Alabaster), Illeya (Cameo), Milana (Pale), Jordan (Tan)


Left to right: Nandini (Caramel/Honey), Djali (Spice), Amaya (Dark), Niobe (Onyx) 

These photos were taken during the day, with flash.  

I love variety in the dolls I collect, and I'm glad that Tonner creates so many different kinds of dolls, so almost everyone can find something that they like.  And he listens to collectors.  People requested an Antoinette doll in the Kagiso (Onyx) skin tone, and he gave us one!  How cool is that? 

A look back at 2010... plus a bit of rambling

Once again, in the past year, I've more than doubled my doll collection. At the beginning of 2009, I had three Tonner dolls. At the beginning of 2010, I had a total of nine. In the last year, I've collected eleven more! I got them all together for a group shot, to ring in 2011:



They are quite an eclectic mix, aren't they? From left to right, we have: Cecelia (Central Park Stroll Sydney), Celeste (Ultra Basic Jac), Illeya (Death Becomes Her), Marguerite (Basic DeeAnna 2009), Niobe (Onyx Antoinette mannequin painted by me), Marisol (Snowflake Ballerina), Djali (Emphatic Antoinette), Sofia (Ultra Basic Daphne), Sayuri (Spring Dance Sayuri on all-white body), Amyera (Ultra Basic Golden Stella), and Milana (Ultra Basic Raven Stella). 

I've added four new skintones (Alabaster, Cameo, Spice and Onyx) and four new body types (Antoinette, DeeAnna, flat feet and small bust) to my collection this year, so by this time I have one of almost everything Tonner has to offer!  I like a wide variety in my dolls.  For example, I now have eight different skintones and thirteen different hair colors among my twenty Tonner dolls.  

I have also decided that I am sorely lacking in man dolls.  I have exactly one, and I never play with him.  A) He's awaiting a makeover that I can't afford yet, and B) He has almost no clothes.  I can easily fix the latter problem, and I have lots of ideas and fabrics set aside for male clothes.  I guess that'll be my New Years resolution.  :p  

I also realized when setting up this group picture that there are a couple of new dolls on my shelf that kind of stick out like two sore thumbs when they're all grouped together like this.  Well, Illeya blends in a little better than I originally thought she would, but Sayuri definitely looks out of place.  Thinking about her, and the fact that now I want at least two more geisha dolls, I came upon a happy solution to both of the above problems.  

Clearly, I need a Doctor Who/David Tennant doll.  And a Tardis.  I mean, The Doctor travels through time and space, right?  So if I had him, suddenly a geisha doll makes sense in my collection.  And I've always wanted to add more historical costumes to my dolls' wardrobe, like Victorian gowns, Medieval and Renaissance dresses, Colonial and Civil War era gowns, etc.  I have rather ambitious dreams.  And if I had a Doctor doll, I wouldn't need to worry about any part of my collection fitting in with any other part.  I can just plug The Doctor into any scene I wish to create, and it'll make sense!  He'll be the glue holding it all together.  Plus David Tennant is just gorgeous.  Ok, time to start saving pennies...  :D 

My first ever repaint attempt

I got an Onyx Antoinette mannequin in order to try my hand at repainting (if she came with no face, I can't screw it up too badly :p), and today I finally reached a point where I'm happy with my work. Presenting Niobe:
 

 

I'm not 100% happy with her eyebrows, and may redo them at some point. 

I put her in the outfit from Death Becomes Her, which fits the Antoinette body perfectly! I even got the shoes on, without too much trouble.



Do you like her pedestals? Rather grisly, aren't they? :p I got them at Michael's this afternoon, for half off. The taller ones were originally $7, and the shorter ones were $5. I'll probably remove the skulls after Halloween is over.



Thanks for looking!