More Ai-Dolls

Dear Readers,

 

I thought I had bought enough A Dolls already but then Pullipstyle suddenly had them back in stock and I just had to get more!  I was very happy to find some models that were very rare but still at an affordable price. 

 

Ai Dolls are ball-jointed dolls (BJD) made of plastic (and not resin like most BJD) so they cost less than  your regular BJD but they are still fully jointed and great posers!  Their faceups are really well done!  Each release is fully clothed and comes in a very sturdy and beautiful box.  Too bad Groove has stopped making them :(  The dolls you still see floating around are the very last ones available!

 

The models I chose this time are :

1. Ai Doll Camellia (because of her Lolita-inspired outfit)
2. Ai Doll Peony (because she is so cute!)
3. Ai Doll Tsubaki (kimono and fox costume!)
4. Ai Doll Zephyr (the aviator outfit reminded me of the pilot in "Le Petit Prince")

Pullipstyle offers free shipping if you order above a certain amount so I didn't have to pay for any shipping cost.  Service is always top notch so I never regret buying from this seller.  No, he didn't pay me to write this LOL but I like to share my experience with other people so they know.

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. I was not paid or received gifts to write this or mention any stores or website. You may find a better store in your area.

Toys Replica Keychains and Ornaments

Dear Readers,

After my husband bought me a few Ai-Dolls he saw at the Tuesday Morning store, I decided to search miniature furniture and toys for them.  The dolls look like children to me so I think it was a normal impulse to cast them as children in my dolly world.  

Also, it has always been a fantasy of mine to create a miniature playroom.  They just happened to be the perfect dolls for that type of diorama.

I already had quite a few pieces that could be used as toys (such as my Mini Lalaloopsy dolls, Re-ment miniatures, Playmobil mini toys etc.).  I also had my Fisher Price Loving Family and Little Tikes dollhouse furniture that could be used as well!

I looked for some more items online and that's when I found Fisher Price little gems!  Are you ready to see some AWESOMENESS?

These are miniature replica of Fisher Price iconic toys that were made into keychains by a company called Basic Fun.  I couldn't believe my eyes!  They are so well made and really work (well almost) like the real toy.

Fisher Price Classic Chatter Phone key chain

Fisher Price Keychain - ROCK-A-STACK

Fisher Price Corn Popper New key chain

There is also a Fisher Price Keychain - Melody Push Chime in that series but I didn't buy it.

There are many sellers out there so please shop around for the best prices!  I am linking to the Amazon shop because it has pictures for reference but I bought mine on Ebay and prices on Ebay fluctuate constantly!  I bought mine for $8 each piece including shipping.

There are also ornaments sold as Fisher-Price toy replicas and I was curious to see if they would be the same size as the keychain miniatures.   Well I bought the telephone ornament and it was the EXACT SAME SIZE as the keychain except the ornament had a small metal hoop on top of the telephone handle instead of a hoop on the back.  The ornaments are also usually more expensive than the keychains.  The Fisher Price ornaments were made by Dept. 56 and sold at Target before and during the Christmas season.  I didn't see any in store since I didn't have a Christmas tree and was not looking for ornaments.  I read that sometimes hospital gift shops are still selling keychains and ornaments but I didn't check if it was true. So in case you can't find them in stores, it could be bought on either Amazon or Ebay.

Hallmark also produced some toys replicas. I don't know if you had the Fisher Price Little People Dollhouse when you were small but my brother did receive one and here is the exact replica!  

2011 Play Family House Fisher Price Hallmark Ornament

Two Tune Tv Fsrpc 2012 Hallmark Ornament

Hallmark 2011 Music Box Teaching Clock Fisher Price

Cozy Coupe - Little Tikes 2013 Hallmark Ornament

Although they are really cute, the Hallmark toys replica other than the FP Play House, do not really stir any emotional reaction in me because I didn't have them as a kid and my own children didn't play with them.

Did you play with those toys when you were young?  Or did your children played with them?  I would love to get them for my little dolls but if the price is too high, I won't really bother.  The only one I would like to have eventually is the Playhouse.

This post contains affiliate links.

Ai Doll Phlox

Dear Readers,

How have you been?  I hope better than I have because my cold has morphed into a persistent cough and I feel quite ill.   I have been working everyday too so I did not have the time to rest.  I am also feeling a little stressed because of the looming work deadlines.

I have been wanting to show you my Ai Doll but health was not on my side.  But I think the wait is making me grumpy so I finally decided to take some photos today to show you how lovely she is. 

Phlox is my first Ai Doll which my husband gave to me as a surprise present.  She came in a fabulous white box made of cardboard.  The inside is beautifully presented and taking her out was a breeze! There was only a plastic cover on top of her and she was attached with two ribbons made of fabric.  If only all dolls were this easy to unbox!  

Unfortunately for me, my box had been previously opened and someone had "played" with Phlox .  I could tell because her hair was messy, her sleeves were partly damaged and the most obvious clue: she was wearing her shoes (the shoes are packaged in the same box but they should have been in a separate compartment and not on the doll's feet).

My husband had no idea that these subtle clues would indicate a previously owned doll so he didn't think twice before buying her.   I am not very happy with the store for selling her at full price when it was a returned item.  But since I did get her at a very good price and there are no other Phlox available, I decided to keep her anyway.

I set up a playroom for her on one of my bookshelf.  It was so much fun digging into my collection of miniature and dollhouse furniture to find the items that would suit a child's playroom of her scale.

Do you want to play with me?

She can stand on her own and is very easy to pose.  She is my first ball jointed doll (BJD) and I am just in awe at what I can do with her body compared to my other stiff dolls.  

Posing like a Pro

Here she is playing with her dollies.  The Mini Lalaloopsy are the perfect size as her rag dolls!

Would you like another cup of tea?

She has such a sweet face and her dress and shoes are adorable!

Move over Lambie! I am the new Cuddle Princess!

I am planning to improve her playroom eventually.  Add some wallpaper, a proper floor, and give her some friends :)

I will go in detail about the toys in her playroom tomorrow.   I am feeling too tired to write a longer post today.  

Do you like Phlox?

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. I was not paid or received gifts to write this or mention any stores or website. You may find a better store in your area.

Ai-Dolls

Dear Readers,

It was one really long day today.  Super busy and stressed.  It was also very cold so I didn't go out after work.  I just went home to cook something good to eat and to hug my kids.  I made pancakes.  They were either burned or raw.  And the vegetarian sausages had the texture of cardboard.  It was a terrible dinner.  I wanted to cry and I know it was silly but once again I ruined dinner because I am such a bad cook.

And then my husband surprised me.  He told me he had bought some dolls for me.  Earlier today he drove to a far away Tuesday Morning store.  He didn't find any J-Dolls but he found some Ai-Dolls, which are small but incredibly beautiful Ball Jointed Dolls (BJD).  That's not the kind of dolls you would ever expect to see in a store here, let alone a discount store like Tuesday Morning!  They cost $29.99 which is very low compared to their usual cost.  

Ai-Dolls were made by Jun Planning before Groove took over.  They are about 5 inches tall (12.5 cm) and are apparently made of plastic and not resin (despite their description on Amazon.com).  They are not as expensive as other small BJD on the market.  Their names are all inspired by flowers and plants.

Packaged in a hard cover box, the dolls are beautifully presented.  Very gift-worthy!  The dolls look like they could cost $100 (and some of them did when they were initially issued and still cost as much).

Their wigs and eyes are removable so you can easily customize them.  But you would have to buy an additional wig and another pair of eyes (or swap them between the dolls) because it's not included in the box although some putty is included so you can glue-in the new eyes.

Ai-Dolls are issued with three different face molds.

1) open eyes
2) sleepy eyes
3) closed eyes

My husband bought me ALL the Ai-Dolls he found.  Here below are some pictures from Amazon because I can't have the dolls inside my home yet!  I am very superstitious and I can't bring certain things in my home for the two first weeks of the year.  So they are sitting in the mail room for now and I'll go get them next weekend :)

The first one is Ai-Doll Marigold.   Isn't she adorable?  She reminds me of my little baby when she sleeps, with her peaceful and rested expression.  Her clothes and accessories are incredibly detailed and will you look at her shoes? *_*

The second doll is Phlox.  She is oh so adorable!  Her short hair and little curls in the back are so cute and she does remind me of my own baby daughter as well.   I am totally in love with her girly and cheery outfit!

There are a few more dolls but I'll write about them when I'll get to unbox them.  Needless to say, my husband's surprise presents lifted my mood considerably.  We'll probably eat toast and eggs tomorrow  for lunch and I'll try cooking again for dinner (something easy!).

If you don't have a Tuesday Morning store near home, you would be happy to know that Amazon.com do sell them right now for even cheaper, as low as $25.99!!!  

There are quite a few choices at a good price right now so I created a section for Ai-Dolls on my Amazon store :D  Many cost under $30 each, some are around $39.99, and a few are over that price.  

I have always wanted a pretty doll like this but never thought I could own one so I am very happy with this sudden find in a local store!  I can't wait to put them in a nice dollhouse with pretty furniture!  Once I can unbox them, I'll write a full review!

Do you have an Ai-doll or other small BJD?  If yes, please do show them on your blog!  I would love to see which ones you have!   If not, would you like to get one?

This post contains affiliate links.