Olivia in the window

Olivia in the window, originally uploaded by alington.

We don't get much rain in San Diego, so I take every chance we get as a photo op. Please forgive the next (probably sickening) photo sessions.

Olivia has been having problems standing up--she's kind of kicky--so I wired her with pipe cleaner, which I threaded through her lower leg and knee joint, then up through her thigh. It's really helped her to stand. In celebration, we took photos today!

Elfdoll Olivia stands only 5.5" (14 cm) tall. She' s a resin ball-jointed doll by Elfdoll.

See the rest of her photoshoot on Flickr.

Barbie is embarrassed about an 80s photo...

BarbieStyle's tweet this morning read,
"Someone just showed me this old pic from the 80's. OMG. If plastic could blush, I soooo would!
http://twitpic.com/z2bcf"
24 minutes ago from HootSuiteOh, wow. I'm so glad I subscribe to Barbie's tweets! Whatever would I do without this valuable information? Still, you have to admit it's a cute photo. And I got a little bit of a laugh out it this morning. Now, let me finish my coffee.

Wednesday Tea for Me and Thee

FR Nippon On the Go Destination: Tokyo and Posh are taking a break from their busy work day for a nice cup of tea. Take it from them--there's always room for tea.

We're actually having serious weather conditions in San Diego--we had a tornado warning out here yesterday, which has not happened in the past 20 years, to my knowledge. And we're supposed to have more rain this week than we've had all last year combined. We need the water! It's a perfect day to stay inside and enjoy a cup of tea.

OK, and maybe I'll take some more doll photos, too.

Tea set by Rement. Both dolls are Integrity Toys. All furniture is by Mattel.

This blog post was inspired by Wanda Lee of Silken Purse, where she posts Wednesday Tea for Me and Thee warm and cozy inspirational and creative photos. Check out her blog when you get a chance.

Hershey's Barbie

Hershey's Barbie, originally uploaded by alington.

This is a doll I received from my sister as a birthday gift. Woo hoo! I am pretty sure I'll debox her, just haven't got to it yet. She's just so lovely in her box--I'm enjoying her in the box for a while first.

Story behind why Hershey: My husband went to medical school at the Penn State College of Medicine, which is in Hershey, PA. We had two of our four kids there.

As far as I can tell, the doll does not smell like chocolate. Thankfully! (I love chocolate--all kinds of chocolate--and that truly would be the death of me.) I hear Chocolate Obsession Barbie was scented. Maybe I need to add her to my collection.

At any rate, we are scheduled to have rain all week, and she will most surely come out of the box this week. I can hardly stand seeing her in there. Do you debox your dolls? I think I'll do a quick poll for my readers.

Cookie with new glass eyes

Cookie with new glass eyes, originally uploaded by alington.

I'm slowly learning how to photograph dolls with glass eyes without making them look creepy. I'm having mixed success. This photo came out all right.

Here is Island Cookie, redressed in Aster by DollHeart, with a DollHeart wig. She's wearing glass eyes in pale violet (which belonged to SoulDoll Amy). When you shoot them straight on, they look just fine, without the creepy other-worldly glow.

You can see the rest of her (somewhat creepy) photoshoot on my Flickr photostream. She sure is a fun little doll!

Vote for Barbie's next career!

Barbie has had over 100 different careers in her 50-year life span. Now, you have a chance to influence the next one--don't miss out! Visit Mattel's website to cast your vote between these five options:

• Environmentalist
• Surgeon
• Architect
• News anchor
• Computer engineer

Personally, I'd like to see either a computer engineer or an environmentalist. I'd prefer the computer engineer, simply for the props. Is it just me? Architect could also be kind of cool.

We've seen all kinds of Barbie doctors already. My husband is a physician, and let me cut to the chase: it's too expensive to go to school, the lifestyle and hours are horrible, and the work is just exhausting. It's nothing like ER or Grey's Anatomy or those other shows in real life. Glamorous Barbie would hate it. And her feet would just kill in those heels.

New Integrity Toys Slide Show

Check out my latest slideshow on Flickr. You can see my entire collection of Integrity Toys dolls, including Fashion Royalty, FR Nippon, Dynamite Girls, and Monsieur Z, with real-life photos. Or, you can visit my Flickr photostream. Browse around and leave a comment -- make me a contact if you like! I'd love to hear from you.

Wednesday Tea For Me And Thee

Kyori and Lilith at Tea, originally uploaded by alington.

Flight Pattern Kyori and Elements of Surprise Lilith are caught on camera taking a break for a cup of tea.

Both dolls are designed by Jason Wu of Integrity Toys. Kyori is a 12" Fashion Royalty model and Lilith is a NuFace. Tea set by Rememt, and the table is by Mattel.

This blog post was inspired by Wanda Lee of Silken Purse. You can play, too--Visit Silken Purse for details!

Olivia, sleeping in my hand

Olivia, originally uploaded by alington.

It's teeny tiny sleeping Olivia. I know, I know. She's not a Barbie. She's a ball-jointed doll, created by Elfdoll. And she's only 5-1/2" (14 cm) tall! But she's so cute I had to share another photo of her.

Olivia is dressed in a one-of-a-kind outfit by Nancie of Nankatts. It's a miniature mod Alice in Wonderland dress, designed for a 5" Goodreau doll, so it's a bit big for her, but it's not too bad cinched up with a ribbon.

You can see more of Olivia on my Flickr photostream.

[Yesterday was my birthday, by the way, and I got a new doll--the Hershey Barbie--as a gift from my sister and her husband. I still need to take photos of her. She's so pretty! I just didn't get to it before the sun set today!]

Pink haired dolls on Flickr.

I recently discovered the terrifying creative and fun gallery feature on Flickr. It allows you to browse through photos and add up to 18 photos in a gallery format (according to your own theme) and collect them in a "gallery." Please check out my latest collection, "Pink Haired Dolls."

Leave me a comment and tell me what you think. I adore this feature, and will probably be assembling more collections in the future!