Doll Christmas Sweaters!

Great Sweaters!

OK, I have been seeing these ornament sweaters all over
the Doll Divas page. Different places had them but none
that was close by me. I saw online orders for them from
$6.50 to $10.00. That was a little high for my taste. Luckily
I spotted these sweaters in a auction. Aren't they just great!
I got all 11 for about a dollar each! Yeah! My doll don't have
many sweaters. I plan to use them for a holiday scene
I will do later this week. Here is you first peak st the sweaters!



Two sweaters are white and one is cream. Two red and
white striped sweaters and two green, black and white Xmas
tree sweaters. One colorful zig zag striped sweater, one red
sweater and.....a green sweat and a matching cardigan!
Woo Hoo! I'm still within my budget!

Close ups on sweaters!

More sweaters!

Still In Love

Terrence and KiKi Laurent



Terrence is the oldest and for a long time the only child of
Steven and Camille Laurent. When he meet KiKi, it was
Love at first sight! He knew she was the one!
KiKi need some convincing.


They are happily married with a beautiful family and
...extended family. Family and friends are very
important to KiKi!

Dance of Rouba!

KiKi Dances!

KiKi dances the native dance of her homeland
Rouba in it’s native costume. The dance is said to
bring the favor of the universe. She learned this
dance from her mother. Her mother was a
professional Roubanese dancer. It was while
performing this dance that she met and married
KiKi’s father, ambassador Falou. It was while
performing this dance at a museum in Paris
that KiKi met her husband Terrence.

The dance emphasizes grace and graceful hand

movements.

KiKi has taught this dance to her daughters too.

They have never preformed it in public.

They do it for special occasions for their mother!

KiKi is asked from time to time to preform the dance.

She always thinks of her mother when she does.

Those were the happiest of memories for young KiKi.

Her mother died a year after teaching her the dance. She

can still hear her mother humming when she does

the dance!

Viewer's Vote Is!

The Vote Is In!

So the poll has ended and the viewers voted for

the Pop Life Christie body --72%! So I decided to do a photo

shot of Julia on the new body! Here are the shots.

Julia Sporty and Edgy!

Here she is on one of my favorite dress that I liked to see

her in. But she doesn't look the same. There were some

differences when I put Julia on the belly button body. Most

clothes she can still fit except for one skirt and some of the slim

pants. But the good out wieghted the bad but there were big

changes in what she could wear and how
I felt about her in it on the Pop Life body! Most of the

clothes and almost all of the pants are a little short for the

Pop Life body. Her hands are too large to fit in the openings

of shirt and jacket sleeves too. Pop Life dolls are taller than

regular Barbies and are taller than some of the male dolls

I have. On the Pop Life body she was now too tall for her love

interest. Not Good. So for a while she was on the Pop Life body.

I couldn't say for sure if she would stay there. I didn't know

what I would do with the Pop Life Christie head. Some how

that face looked swollen on other bodies.

To bad that the Fashionista doll only comes in one AA

complexion which is lighter than many other AA dolls.

Then while surfing the net I got and idea! I saw other dolls

that had the Fashionista hands on belly bottom bodies.

There was the 2nd wave Fashion fever dolls. I think that

they had the short torso. I didn't want that. I saw the SIS

Stylin' Hair dolls . They were perfect for what I

wanted but I had to act fast.

This time of year, all the black dolls fly out of the stores

in black neighborhoods and in some white neighborhoods too.

The ratio of black dolls in a Mattel shipment is low to begin with.

Store can't just order the Black dolls that they are out of; they

have to order a mixed box. That may mean on many doll orders

that only 2 of 14 dolls in the box are black. To make matters

worse many toy store do not do much ordering for the first 6-8

weeks after Xmas. So I had to break my promise and spend

money that I was holding out on. I am quite pleased with the

results.

Here is Julia and KiKi on their new bodies!

These ladies would not wear these outfits or at least not

like this. I have to make some changes!

I like the hands on them now.

Getting the head off was a pill with the new head knob!!

Ah this is more like it! Julia's head has found a home!

So while I respect and acknowledge your vote, I do, I do, I do!

Here is the final Julia.

Answering My Own Post!

Trying To Get A Feel For Stats!

So we are coming into the end of the year and I am trying
to complete things thus far. I am answering the questions
that I asked of my fellow bloggers back on
Friday, October 22, 2010 in my post:
Trying To Get A Feel For Stats. . If I asked you to take
the time to answer, it is only fair that I do the same.

1. Have you notice that blogspot has added your stats
to the Dashboard?

I did not see the stat option until a week before I did this post.
I don’t remember getting an email about this option… it was a
pleasant surprise!

2. Have you checked your stats lately?

I try to check every time I log in! I post any comment that
I see and I check stats. I don’t always answer comments that
come in as I post them but I do post and check stats.

3. What do you think when you do check them?

It makes me happy that people are looking! I see some times
that people have gone back and looked at old posts. I guess
these are people new to my blog.

4. What post got the highest stats?

Head Swap Head of the Week, GI Jane, October In Paris-
Ascension, Founding Members of W.O.A.A.A., and Better
Late than Never. I don’t post my highest post on my blog
because I don’t want to influence the reader.

5. Are your post influenced by stats?

No. Some dolls I play with more than others. They get
photos taken more often…so they are posted more. I will
try to be fairer to the dolls and post as many as I can. When
I looked at my highest stat post, most of them were influenced
by other bloggers and not by stats!

6. What other board that you go on let you check your stats?

I do look at how many views I have on flickr.

7.Do you wish that Flickr would let you check you stats
for free?

Yes I wish flickr stats were free! Also that I could put more
pictures up with out a upgraded account. I’m not making
money off of this so I need as much free things as possible.

8. What other information from you stats would you like?

Like Niel, I would like to know how long they stay at the sight
and how many times some has come back to my blog and if they
are viewing this post more than once. Some dolls that I purchased
I saw on someone else’s blog first. I might have looked at it a few
times.

9. What is more important stats or comments?

Like most of you, I think they both are important. They do say
that people respond to what they feel is important, but many
people are not use to responding. I do notice that many viewers
come from other countries. That may be the reason that they
don’t respond.
10. Do you want to keep the stats tab or would
you like something else there?

I like the stat tap but I wouldn’t mind seeing what else
we could have too!

Thanks to all of you who responded!

Ms. Leo

Dr. Yue-Sai Wa Wa!

Hey Gang! Thanks For Looking!

Asian Beauty!

The other day, Niel's Doll Room featured this doll. He found her in a thrift store! Lucky guy! She is one of my favorite Asian dolls. The fact that she doesn't have the usual Barbie face is one reason. The

second is that she has long hair. I haven't done a re-root on a doll, so having long hair gives me more styling options, even if I only cut it later. Third, she has a pleasant face. Serene! I am not sure I like all the super-skinny, sideways-looking, pouty-mouth fashion dolls I have seen lately. They don't look happy.....just pissed! They remind me of all the skinny models in magazines. They look like they need some fried chicken, with yams and baked macaroni with cheese to put a real smile on their faces! I'm smiling justthinking about it! :)

Dr. Yue Sai Wa Wa

My doll is different from the one D7ana has on her blog, too. She is dressed in gold. D7ana has hers still in the box! Wow! I have to have two dolls to keep a doll in the box. It is too tempting to have a doll that I can't touch!

Except for the shoes, these are the items she came with... I think. It's hard to remember once you remove a doll from the box.

This guy is her patient. Or... He is a guy.

There is a herbal medicine chest too!

Under her doctor's jacket is this really lovely outfit! It is really pretty in person. Asian brocade material, two-piece green print top, and matching pants with little red bows at the ankle. 

I will be taking a Holiday break... So see you sometime next week!

OK, Thanks For Looking!

100TH POST--A LITTLE OVER A YEAR LATER!

This is my 100th post.
I can't believe I made it!

When I started my blog, I had looked at a few
other blogs...not many but a few. I wanted to
do one. To put my dolls, my ideas and I
guess myself out there!


What it has been like for me:

First, I don't have mad computer skills or photo
skills. I probably have taken more pictures this
year than I've taken in my whole life and I'm no
spring chicken!

You can't keep and shouldn't keep all your pictures
on your computer. I have some on a flash drive
and some on flickr. I don't know if those are the
best ways to store your
pictures but it beats having them all on you
computer and slowing it down.

Oh Yeah! I need a new computer!! Badly!!!
I will graduate in December and I don't know
how I did it on this old thing! I'm not saying
that too loud. I still have to work on this thing
a while longer. I hope to get a new job with
more money and new, not new to me, but a new
computer! I want to know what it is like
to have memory! And a flat screen monitor!
Then a new camera and a new car!.... On and
on and on!


Now I've been say to myself that if I had a better
camera that I would take better pictures. If after
getting it, my pictures still suck...well I guess we'll
know! I will come to you, my Internet friends for
advice when I am ready to purchase!

It is not easy to do 100 post. That was my goal
when I started. A little more that one post every
3 or 4 days right? Yeah! Some weeks in my life
were too crazy! Some post took
more work than others (ie, WOAAA Halloween
Party). I have great respect for those who do
photo stories regularly! It is alot of work!!
Researching info on dolls, retaking pictures that
didn't turn out well...oh and let us not for get...
finding stuff!

Did I mention that I'm not a great speller
or proof reader? I have my papers proofed but
who will proof your blog? I know you noticed...
so thanks for not pointing it out. :)
I am working on that!

What were my other goals for my blog?


Do a poll. Done
Add Flickr. Done
Do Dioramas Done

Do a photo story. Done
Get a following. Done and thanks!
Take better photos--Still working on it!

Organize my doll stuff--Still working on it!
Learn more about dolls--Still working on it!

What has changed?

I like doll to pose more than I did when I started!
I am interested in different doll too.
I know now that I need a place to display and
photograph dolls.
I would like to go to a convention.
I would like to start a fashion doll club in the
Phila or PA area.

What I've learned:
1. I now know that fly-away doll hair takes away from a photo! I don't do that as much as I did in the beginning.

2. A room that has really good light in the summer may not have good light in the fall and winter.

3. Daylight is the best light.

4. Work is not the best place to post from. Especially if you have to rush to do it and you want to keep your job. (Coworkers always want to know what you are doing!)

5. It is better to start typing in Word and then cut
and paste!

6. It takes as long to take a bad picture as to
take a good one!

7. It is easier to add the pictures first and the text
later.

8. That dark shadow over the picture is me!
Learn to stayout of the doll's light!

9. Cropping hides a world of sins.

10. Plan your shot. Get everything you think
you'll need, plug in the iron, take your time...
don't rush!

What has not changed?

I love the ladies but I really luv the fellas! You can't

have enough male and AA male dolls!
Hopes for next year?

To photo more dolls! I have only taken photos of
maybe a 10th of my dolls. I need to do better.
More photo stories and dioramas.
More stuff made by me! I am creative.
Open an Esty store.
More swaps! Not just heads but legs and arms too!
Still have yet to get any Monetize money! What
about you?
Learn to re-root and flock doll hair.
Customize furniture and dolls! I have done much
painting of things... so that is on the list!
Change the look of my blog.

I want to give a special thanks to the circle of
bloggers who I read and who read my posts.
You nourishes me!
I want to thank all those who look or read but don't
comment. It is OK! ...but I would like to hear from
you! To all of you who have been thinking about
starting a blog.... I say... Just Do IT!


Thanks Again, Luv You!
Ms. Leo