Express post: my first (and only) American Doll mini!

Today at the beach some kids were holding a yard sale, a good way for parents to get rid of tons of old toys during the summer season, and look what I found for 50 cents?

She's going to be called Adelaide

I've been thinking for a while about adding a kid to the crew, for diorama purposes, and there she was, waiting for me. She was all alone in the middle of monsters and mini cars.

The thing that impressed me most, is that I've been reading Farrah and Barb posts about American Dolls and I never saw any of them in shops here in Italy, so I had to double check to be sure.

I can understand people talking about "rescuing unloved dolls". In fact she's in perfect order, her hair are a bit bushy but I believe she can be easily fixed with a gentle brushing.

Now she needs a good washing, some love and new clothes and shoes....she's goint to fit perfectly as the younger daugher of Luchino and Costanza
And she's going to be as spoiled as her big brothers!

Honey, I promise you, next time you're going to make a new movie!

A kid upstairs?!?!?!? Are you JOKING?!?!??!!

Summer Fashion Collection: the Girls in Japan!

Last spring Sasha went to Japan, I couldn't go with him this time, so he gracefully agreed to share his pictures for the Blog.

As you know I've been working on a new summer collection for the girls for a while. I saw these pictures from Etro's 2015 summer collection, and I thought I could pick some ideas for a sort of ethnic collection for the girls!

The girls are thrilled, as they haven't got much attention lately, but only on the blog, as I've been playing around and photographing them for a while. Until I think I came up with the right poses (as usual I ended up watching at Avedon's pictures of Twiggy and Verushka). I think Sasha this time outdid himself....

These Japanese Temples and Sanctuaries, with their elegance, make a perfect setting to display this collection.

For the dresses I used mostly viscosa, jeans, silk (I will not try again until I'm better with viscosa) and an acrilyc fabric in a Missoni fantasy. The final result is very different from the Etro designs, apart from Camilla's and Giada's outfits, but I just needed an theme to start with (I had "girl's fashions cramp" after spending so much time on the guys' suits!)

Let me know which is your favourite, I'm still looking for the "perfect look" for these girls

Agata: Temple of the Golden Pavillon - Detail of the Garden

Camilla: Temple of the Golden Pavillon

Caterina: Miyajima island -  Floating Gate to the shinto temple of the God of Seas

Cecilia: Kyoto -  Kiyomizu Buddhist Temple

Giada - Kyoto:  Kodaiji Temple's garden

Veronica: Kyoto:  Kodaiji Temple's garden

Vittoria: Kyoto:  Kodaiji Temple's garden

Mexican bar in progress

Back from our vacation, just a couple of weeks to sunbathe, swim and recharge us! Sorry for disappearing so suddenly but I was really burnt out and just had to switch off for a little while!

I'm not ready yet to write long posts, as I'm still in the "lazy" mode, but I can let pictures speak for me.

I haven't been completely away from dolls, in the evenings I've been working on the Mexican Bar, I took some pictures in the process:

And here are the finished structures, I still have to make the seats for the table, anyway on the shelf there is no room for the table so I'll have to come up with some ideas on how to display them!

Arturo is the proprietor of the bar, he's checking the height of the counter

The Bar partially decorated with bottles and food!

And finally the girls can throw their party!

in the meantime I added stools

Giulio and Pietro have now complete outfitts, I'm still working on the others, these two are part of the Tobacco Road collection

It looks like the bar is attracting a lot of customers, is a perfect setting for super fast photo sessions, it is not perfect but photographs well enough!

Now I have to prepare the walls for the rooms and I've some more diorama projects lurking around, and of course I'm sewing dresses.

See you soon

Kisses Billa

Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

Hi! I'm still on  vacation but I didn't want to miss this nice chance to share (I'm reading all your blogs my friends, but as Farrah did, and as advertised, I'm taking a summer hiatus, although briefer than expected) and when I'll be officially back I'm going to catch up and leave comments all over the place!
First of all, I want to thank Linda, April and Jewell  for nominating me, it is really a great way to know something more about "us"

Originally this tag was more on the AG girls, but as I don't collect them (although they are beautiful and have great accessories)  I'm going to use the revised version posted by Jewell:

1. Which doll is the one that started it all for you?

As a kid I was into everything Barbie and Action Figures. When I was 14 my mother thought it           was time to give them away....at the time I didn't really care.  What started it all ever again, was BARBIE BASICS MODEL 03 COLLECTION 002, my favourite sculpt as a kid was Steffie, and she was just too lovely, then started sewing dresses for her....and here I am

2. Why did you start a doll blog?

After sewing several dresses and adding dolls to my collection I felt the need to share, and then I found this great community

3. Do you collect anything besides dolls?

I do not exactly collect, I like to buy small articraft from the places I visit, and I buy tons of movies and books.

4. What kind of movies do you like to watch?

I like best the classical B/W era expecially the early 30's and 40's, everything Billy Wilder and Akira Kurosawa ever filmed, but I also like Scorsese, Spielberg, German Expressionism, the Coen Brothers, let's say I love movies and I've got eclectic tastes....

5. What's your favorite song from a movie soundtrack?

I could have danced all night from my fair lady

6. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

Isla  Mujeres - Mexico

7. If money were no object, what doll related purchase would you make right now?

This is easy: Leading Man Lukas, a ton of furniture on Etsy, a couple of doll houses from Miniio.com

8. If you could have any celebrity made into a doll, who would it be?

William Holden, of course!

9. Do you prefer your dolls boxed or deboxed? Why?

Deboxed, I have to play with them!

10. Which doll is the one that got away? This should be a doll you decided to pass on purchasing, sell or give away and you regret that decision.

Brazen Beauty Natalia, now she is just too expensive and I could have had her for a fair price after the convention. Now I don't have any long haired blond in my collection!!!!

As I've seen several different sets of questions, I would add that my favourite movie is Sunset Boulevard, my favourite book is Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky, I used to play the guitar in a jazz ensemble (we were called the Platipus Four), my favourite place in the world is  San Francisco (Shasha and I fell in love there). I don't know what I like best about myself, I can tell you what I dislike: I get bored too easily and I have to learn to drive a car (I still have to win my fear after an accident some years ago).

As everybody I know has been already nominated, I think, fwhoever will read this, please feel free to join the game!!!

I'll be officially back in 10 days.

Huge kisses
Billa