Dalicious Challenge 3

Dear Readers,

The third challenge of the Dalicious Photo Contest was: VINTAGE! One single idea came to my mind and I did not have any other so I went ahead with that initial plan. Can you tell what is going on in this picture?

Gerda (Dal Dotori) is having a yard sale and she is horrified to see Scout (Dal Tweety) fighting with Dal Cinnamoroll (She does not have a name yet!) for a much sought-after Kenner Blythe doll.

The inspiration for my photo came from two sources: one is from reading stories about doll collectors hoping to find a very rare Kenner Blythe doll for cheap at yard sales.  They Kenner dolls were the very first Blythe dolls but they were discontinued very early on.  It's extremely difficult to find them nowadays, especially when they are in their box.

The other source of inspiration was from my own experience at a Tuesday Morning store.  I spotted a DAL doll and took her in my hands to see.  Suddenly another customer ran toward me and took all the remaining dolls on the shelf!  Then she looked at me and my doll.  I thought that she was going to snatch it from my hands LOL  She asked me if she could look at it and I showed her. She complimented me on my find and left.  I then realized that I took the ONLY DAL doll from the shelf... all the other dolls in her shopping cart were J-dolls for which I did not really care to buy.  Well I like J-dolls but I am very particular about which one so I only like a few models.

So that was not a fight but it was such a surprising reaction from a buyer.  I never had seen somebody so eager to get the dolls!  I think she regretted that she could not get the DAL!

The most difficult hurdle I had for this challenge was to position my dolls to stage a realistic fight!  I could not make them stand up on their own.  So I put Scout on top of Dal Cinnamoroll.   Posing them was so much trouble because I could not get them to look like they were really fighting. I had to re-position them at least 10 times.  I took at least 50 pictures this time, more than I have ever done before in the contest.

Many of my pictures came out blurry during the two first challenges but for this one, I received some help!  My husband bought me a tripod from a garage sale (we do love going to yard sales!).  It was only $5 and in excellent condition.  Thanks to the tripod, I didn't have as much blurry photos.

Here is a behind-the-scene photo :)

I was excited for this challenge!  I got to use THREE of my Dal dolls and I took some time choosing among the "vintage" toys I have.  This picture also marked the return of Gerda (Dal Dotori) who had a broken arm.  I gave her a new body (an Obitsu 21cm).  She is a lot more sturdy now but her neck is floppy so I might have to cut the neck in half to fix that problem.  Otherwise, that new body is a dream compared to the Dal stock body.

It was a very fun challenge and I love having three Dals on display!  But I am terribly unhappy about my photo.  I wanted to redo the scene but time ran out so I sent in the best pictures I had.  I hope the judge will like it enough T_T  Wish me luck :)


EDIT: All the contestant's photos are now up!  You can view them HERE.

Mini Lalaloopsy Flower Fairies

Dear Readers,

Do you remember when I posted in Spring about the Mini Lalaloopsy Flower Fairies?  I have been waiting for them to show up in stores and I finally got a chance to see them a few weeks ago.  I had been looking for a pretty house for them when I found something even better!!!  A treehouse!  It was an old Fisher-Price Little People Fairy and Unicorn Treehouse that was part of a bigger toy lot at a garage sale.  It was super cheap and was just the right size for my dolls.

It was very clean and well-cared for so I didn't need to scrub anything or remove the stickers.  I just wiped it with a wet cloth and it was good as new!  My little fairies felt right at home :)

Happy Daisy Crown and Mari Golden Petals are having some tea with cake!

Rosebud Longstem tries out the swing!

Bluebell Dewdrop is enjoying a shower in the bathtub!

The pets are resting on top of the tree.

Rosebud Longstem rides on the unicorn!

I love this series of Mini Lalaloopsy but I think MGA Entertainment could have done so much better with the accessories.  They could have totally given each of the doll a flower-theme teacup with a sweet pastry.  Buying all four dolls would then complete the set and the fairies could have gotten themselves a wonderful tea party!

Instead, we only have one doll with a teapot and teacup so I ended up buying two Bluebell doll to get a second matching cup.  The other accessories were either a handbag (ugh, like fairies would need that), some flower pots, flower necklace (which was the same model as the one for Mango Tiki Wiki doll but in a different color).  I really like the umbrella but the other accessories were rather boring.

The dolls themselves are very pretty and have such gorgeous dresses!  The only problem was with Rosebud Longstem who had a very floppy neck but otherwise the dolls were all good quality and had no stains on their face or body.

I have so much more to post about but this weekend is terribly busy!  It's the Mid-Autumn Festival on Monday and my son had been rehearsing for his first ever Lion Dance performance.  It's the last preparations until Monday night so I think I am quite nervous about it.  Even more nervous than my son I think...  Hahaha!  Do you feel the same when your children have to perform?

In any case, I tried to relax with some calming tea from Harney & Sons Fine Teas, specifically the Yellow and Blue Tea which contains chamomile and lavender.  The box is lovely and is worthy of display!  

I was so pleasantly surprised to see how big and beautiful the tea bags looked inside the tin.  And it smelled so good!  My husband said the scent was too much like perfume but I did not agree.

But the real test remained the taste.  My husband predicted that I would hate it because it would taste horrible.  But he was wrong.   It was absolutely amazing!!!!  Not too strong and not weak either.  So smooth and not the slightest bitter aftertaste (and I drank without milk or sugar).  

Now I'll try to catch some sleep and rest before another day begins.  I wish you all a lovely Sunday!

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.

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Fisher-Price Sweet Streets Cottage

Among the small dolllhouses I have, there are a few from the Fisher-Price Sweet Streets brand, which is no longer produced.  I wished Fisher-Price had continued this line of miniature buildings, furniture and people because they were so cute and well-made!

 

Here below is Strawberry Shortcake who will give you a tour of a Sweet Streets cottage!

The front of the dollhouse is really beautiful with painted flowers, a mailbox and a white picket fence!

Despite its small size, it is very spacious inside with 6 rooms!

The kitchen has a fridge, a stove and many cupboards (but only the door of the fridge can open).  

There is a dining table and a darling little chair too!

The bedroom upstairs is small but the bed is big enough for a good night sleep.

 The bathtub is just the right size and it's attached to a sink!

The house has a nice hallway, living room and another bedroom but I am lacking the original furniture to make the rooms more complete.

The built-in fireplace and TV are still there though!

Each room is decorated with wallpaper and rug creating a fun dollhouse for kids. The very small objects like plates, pots and pans, are built-in with the furniture so it's very practical because small kids won't lose them!  Same thing for the mantel above the fireplace.  You can clearly see the flower vase, clock and painting but it's all built-in with the wall.  The design is simple and not too detailed so I can see how it would appeal to kids.

Little dolls like the Mini Strawberry Shortcake and the Mini Lalaloopsy would look good in such an environment because the background is so lovely.  As an adult collector though, I think it's too simplistic for people who like miniature with more details.  

But from a kid's perspective, it must have been an awesome toy to own!   Have you played with the Sweet Streets Dollhouses before?

 

Goldilocks House for Little Dal

I was going through my dollhouses collection to put them for sale when I stumbled upon this one ...



Ever since I have my Little Dal Dolls, I had been looking for a dollhouse that would fit them.  My biggest Sylvanian Families Dollhouse was slightly too small for them.  My new Ivy Cottage was also too small.

I then tried all the dollhouses I had, including my camping trailer and treehouse... but in vain as they were all too small.  The only house which was too big was the Play Wonder Wood House for my Licca dolls. And so I still didn't find the perfect Goldilocks dollhouse that would fit my Little Dal.

I finally got lucky when I unexpectedly became the new owner of a Vintage 1993 Fisher-Price Loving Family Deam Dollhouse.  I say unexpectedly because it was not my intention to buy it!  You see, I was looking for some 1:6 furniture for my Licca dolls and I found a Barbie furniture lot.  In the lot was many other toys and to my surprise, a vintage Fisher-Price dollhouse!

I had seen a modern Loving Family Grand Dollhouse in store and I disliked it immediately because of its garish green and dark pink colors!  The setup was not attractive and the furniture were boring and of the same awful color combination.

I knew the height of the Loving Family dolls were about the same as the Little Dall dolls (about 11 cm or 5 inches tall) but there was no way I was going to put my pretty dolls in that ugly house!

So imagine my surprise when I saw this super cute Victorian dollhouse with scalloped roof shingles, elegant French doors, a spacious balcony and front porch!  It was an old house but in good condition.  Very solid and easy to clean too as it was made with the usual Fisher-Price thick and smooth plastic!  The floor and window edges are pink but I didn't mind so much because the house was mostly white and light blue.

The front porch is adorable! With a little step and a mailbox, and enough space for a rocker or a swing!  Here below are my two Little Dal checking out the new house!

For once Lady Vixy could walk into a door without having to lower her head!

There is a balcony with plenty of space for them to set up a little garden!

"I don't feel safe!  This balcony needs some railing!"

Inside the dollhouse it's bright and open with a lot of space for furniture.  The staircase going from the first floor to the second floor is really cute and there is closet underneath just like in a real house!  The two sides of the house do open up if you want to make more room for play.

The built-in kitchen is practical but obviously lacking storage space.  But the oven and fridge doors do open which is really nice.

The kitchen is slightly too big for Little Dal but it's not a big difference.

"Where is my Easy-Off Oven Cleaner?"

There were some of the original dollhouse furniture in the lot so the Little Dal tried a few for size comparison.  Remember how Princess Tulip's feet were dangling over the Calico Critter's bed (HERE)?  Well this time the bed fits her just right!

"Finally! Furniture that fits!"

The third floor is smaller than the other floors but it still fits the Little Dal.  And unlike most highest floor dedicated to nursery rooms, this one does not boast too  many nursery decoration so it can easily be utilized as another type of room (I was thinking about making this the music room).

The house folds up easily for storage too but it's still very big compared to my other houses.  I am really on the fence with this one.  To sell or not to sell.  I can just imagine the house with a new floor and curtains on the windows and it would look soooo cute!

Although I am in the process of cleaning out my dollhouse collection, I am having second thoughts about this one.  Do you think I should keep it?  I think Princess Tulip and Lady Vixy already feel comfortable in it ;-)