Usaggie Dolls

Dear Readers,

A few months ago I decided to get a new type of doll, Usaggie Model 028, which was released on March 2016 by Petworks, the same company that makes Momoko dolls.  I was intrigued by these cute rabbits and I didn't quite know if I would like them.

"Usagi" means rabbit in Japanese and these Usaggie dolls have the head of a rabbit and share the same body as Odeco-chan and Nikki dolls.   They also share the same body as Kumabolo dolls which are the bear figures that Petworks also produces.

You can read more about the dolls created by Petwork on their official website Petworks Doll Division.  It's called "Doll Division" because Petworks is actually a Software company but they also have a division dedicated to make dolls (^_^).

The Usaggie dolls are all sold without any clothes and the ears and head plate are usually not installed on the doll so you have to put them on the doll yourself (although the most recent model I received did have her ears installed on her already as you can see in the picture below).  Included in the box are two patterns to make a dress and overalls.

I bought Ussagie 028 on the website Ami Ami but I know older models of Usaggie are also available on the Petworks Store Global when still in stock and on Ebay as well.

I must say I was underwhelmed at first sight but once I gave her some clothes, I liked her very much and I decided to buy more Usaggie dolls and one Kumabolo doll :)

The shoes that can fit them are from (again, not all shoes will fit):

- DecoNiki shoes (official shoes made by Petworks)
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Licca
- Only Hearts Club

I bought 8 pairs of DecoNiki Shoes from the Petworks Store Global and there were quite affordable at only 648 Japanese Yen per pair.  They fit Usaggie and Kumabolo the best and I love that there were geta (shoes for kimono) available as well!

Since I did not have any official clothing items from Petworks for my Usaggie, I tried many type of doll clothes on her.   Here below are some of the outfits that do fit Usaggie more or less.  The fit is not perfect but some pieces can work:

- Vi and Va 

- Picco Neemo
- Madeline from Eden
- Licca
- Only Hearts Club
- BFC Ink

Vi and Va dresses are a perfect fit but the shoes from Strawberry Shortcake can be sometimes too big. 

Dresses from Picco Neemo are too tight (they won't close in the back) but look good from the front.  The shirt if from BFC Ink dolls which are now discontinued but fit Kumabolo like a glove.

They can also fit most Madeline outfits from Eden.

They also fit some Licca clothes and shoes.

They also fit Only Hearts Club clothes like the ballet outfit!

But I think they look best in custom-made clothes that fit them perfectly.  I bought dresses for them on Etsy.  They can wear the same dresses as Middie Blythe dolls too but not the same pants!

Do you like Usaggie and Kumabolo dolls? 

New Licca Furniture Sets

Dear Readers,

Did you know Licca has a new collection of furniture?  I am really excited about this because they are of course to scale with my Licca and Dal dolls!  The color palette is white with pink accents and sometimes there is a romantic flower motif.

Initially, the new furniture collection had only four pieces:

• a canopy bed
• a vanity with chair
• a récamier
• a shoe rack

But then I noticed two new items which will be released on December 26th:

• a desk with a birdcage and a chair
• a mirror with a mannequin

Each of the furniture set looks really beautiful so although I already have an old furniture set from the Licca brand, the new furniture collection is far more detailed and beautiful.

I buy my Licca furniture from Amazon.com and sometimes Ebay.  I search for "Licca" and "Rika-chan" to find the items.

Do you like the new furniture collection?

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.

Bookcase Dollhouse

Dear Readers,

I didn't realize how long it has been since I posted on Blogger!  Free time is a luxury nowadays so I usually post pictures on my Instagram account because it takes less time than to write a blog post!

Thanksgiving weekend has given me a little bit more leisure time so I finally got the chance to post about my present project: a bookcase dollhouse.  Or rather a dollhouse in a bookcase.  

I have a few folding Barbie dollhouses but the display was never permanent and I had to store everything away once I finished taking pictures.  They serve their purpose and I am happy with them but I also wanted a permanent display of my Re-ment collection and doll furniture.  

I didn't want a big Barbie dollhouse because the accumulating dust would drive me crazy (I already have quite a lot of dusting to do with the little Sylvanian Families dollhouses!).  So I opted instead for a bookcase or cabinet with closing doors so I can keep the dust away!

Since the bookcase fits dolls of about 9 inches tall, I decided to give this dollhouse to Licca and Dal dolls yet.  The furniture from Licca, Re-ment and IKEA brands can fit these dolls very well.   The Licca furniture set I have right now is available on Amazon.com. The Re-ment furniture are available mostly on Ebay (at very high prices) but there is a new collection of furniture being gradually released so I am hopeful that Re-ment will eventually remake some of those rare items. 

Right now, I only have two shelves furnished but I am not done decorating them yet.  I intend to set up all four shelves eventually.  

Do you have a dollhouse in a bookcase too? If not, how do you solve the dusting problem with an open display dollhouse?

Have a lovely week!

Happy New Year 2015!!!

Wishing you all a fantastic New Year!

♥ ♥ ♥ HUGS ♥ ♥ ♥

Barbie Fashion Fever Build a Room Kit

Dear Readers,

I have been wanting to build a roombox for quite some time so I can take pictures of my dollies.   I even chose the wood planks at the craft store but I am no good at this.  Fast-foward 4 months and still no roombox so I decided out of desperation to try the Barbie Fashion Fever Build A Room Kit.  It was a whopping $25 dollars on Amazon.  I told you I was desperate >.<

The outside box looked so promising.  It included two different wallpapers and ridges on the floor (which means I could re-use it for other wallpapers of my own),   There was also a thin shelf and a few accessories like yellow stickers for the floor and other non-memorable plastic items. 

The walls are made of two cardboard pieces that you can insert in the ridges you see on the floor.  One side is covered with a rather hypnotic and annoying pattern of pink and red roses. The shelf is super thin and could probably carry only a frame or other light objects.

On the other side of the wall is another equally hypnotic pattern composed of white, green and blue diamond.  Notice the gap in between the two walls?  That's a design flaw.  The miWorld mall store solved that issue by providing a small triangular plastic piece that connected the top of the two walls.  I used tape on the back to do the same trick in this case.

The Barbie doll shown on the front of the box looks small but I think it's because she is standing in the middle of the room and the angle of the shot made her look that way.  In reality, a Barbie doll is very tall for the walls of this room.  See below for a comparison photo.  From left to right: Barbie, Liv, J-Doll, and Licca.

I think the J-Doll and Licca dolls would be suitable for the height of this room because Barbie and Liv would look awkward in the shots unless they sit down. 

In the picture below is J-Doll Marche.  She is a beautiful doll with an awesome outfit.  I changed her into a more comfortable attire.  She is dressed in a white and green summer dress made by Re-ment.  She was blessed with gorgeous soft hair so I did not have to rewig her like I did for J-Doll Esplanadi Katu.  

The chair, footrest and table are from my Hannah Montana Malibu Beach House.  The flower and vase are accessories from a Barbie blue kitchen set. 

J-Doll Esplanadi Katu was invited for an afternoon tea.  Her grey shorts and white top with blue polka dot are also made by Re-ment.  Shelf, chairs and table by IKEA and all tea cups and plates by Re-ment.  The scones and muffin are from Re-ment  Bread and Butter Collection.  They look amazingly real and the texture was even well done!  It was just too much fun to set up this scene!  But that red line on the wallpaper corner annoyed me to no end!  

I had to take a shot from another angle to hide that red line.  Don't you think it looks less distracting now that it is no longer there?  That's another design flaw.  The red line is from the other side of the wall covered with the roses.  What an unprofessional finish to leave it there for the other wallpaper! 

The floor is meh.  The yellow stickers were ridiculous and I would have preferred another cardboard insert to show a proper wood floor or carpet or something actually less tacky than huge pink tiles but hey, this is Barbie stuff so getting pink is rather the norm.

I do love that Mattel actually came up with a roombox but it could have been so much better.    Sadly, they didn't improve on the initial design and it fell out of production.  I hope they will eventually release something close to that idea but with better walls and floors and maybe allow for a window or door to be added.  That would be AWESOME!  

I think I overpaid for this and it is really not worth the $25 I spent.  I am still biting my hands over that but it may have possibilities and I will look into creating my own wallpapers... preferably without hypnotic patterns or a red line smack in the corner of the room!

Licca Castle Small Shop in Tokyo

Dear Readers,

Did you know that Licca Castle has opened a store in Nihonbashi, Tokyo!  It's called LICCA CASTLE SMALL SHOP and it will sell Licca Castle and Jenny dolls, shoes and outfits!  And they apparently sell rare dolls and dresses that are exclusive to that store!

Photo from Licca Castle Website

The shop has recently opened on August 1st, 2014 and I only saw a very few photos of the store so far.  But the most memorable pictures are from this fantastic Japanese blogger Kokeshi Diary !  She has an incredible collection of Licca dolls, Blythe dolls and Azone Pure Nemo dolls!  Her blog is such a pleasure to follow because of her super beautiful pictures!  It's thanks to Chloe Liu from MoonRabbit_Ly's Miniature World that I found out about the blog!

The photos I am posting here are however from the Licca Castle Official Website and are not that blogger's personal photos.  I wished I could ask Kokeshi Diary for her permission to repost her pictures here but her blog is in Japanese and I don't know how to navigate around to ask her nor can I write in Japanese :/

Photo from Licca Castle Website

So you must take a look at the Licca Small Shop on her blog entry!  Can you imagine rows and rows of dreamy doll's dresses and shoes?  It's a Licca Heaven!  

Photo from Licca Castle Website

The dolls themselves are super kawaii cute and for the fist time I am considering buying a boy Licca doll (they do exist!).  I think the pictures are showing Charles (Licca's cousin from France who has blonde hair).  I didn't know boy's outfits could interest me this much but they look fabulous on these dolls!  I found a close up photo of the boys in this other blog entry (scroll all the way down).  I am also in love with the sailor suit and dress shown on that post.  Aren't they amazing?

Oh to go to Tokyo and buy all these goodies!  One can dream.  What is your dream shop?

Only Hearts Club Doll Fashion Packs

Dear Readers,

Have you ever heard of the Only Hearts Club Dolls?  The dolls are soft and poseable and seem to be a good starter doll for young children.  But I was more interested in their clothes to be honest. 

It's because I rarely find clothes that fit my 9 inches dolls like Licca, Dal and Skipper.  Since the Only Hearts Club Dolls share about the same measurements, I bought a few outfits to test them out.

I am glad I did because they are almost a perfect fit for Licca dolls.  I have yet to try them on my Dal and Skipper dolls but I heard they do fit Dal dolls really well.

Here below you can see some of my Licca girls wearing the clothes from Only Hearts Club Fashion Packs. 

Each fashion packs is packaged with one outfit and many accessories like shoes, handbags, and socks.   The garments are well made and I totally love the additional accessories. 

The fashion packs pricing range from $3.50 (on sale) to $14.50 depending on where you shop for them.    It's a real bargain for all the items included.    I found more choices on Ebay and Amazon and a few choices at discount stores like Tuesday Morning.

Compared to the fashion packs from Best Friends Club Ink that I found at the Dollar Store, the Only Hearts Club's fashion packs include the same amount of accessories but they are released with more choices.  They also target a tween fashion style whereas the Best Friends Club Ink are more teenager-oriented.

The clothes selections are tastefully hip enough for trendy kids but still maintain that children's vibe to them which I prefer to the hoochie Bratz fashion. 

This is how well the stocking fits on Licca doll's legs.

And the shoes can fit very well too except sometimes it is too tight to wear with socks.

The top is a little tight as well but it looks good from the front.  Licca dolls are not flat-chested like Only Hearts Club dolls so all the tops will be slightly tighter.

I am very tempted to buy more of these fashion packs now that I know they fit my Licca dolls so well.  I don't see many of them anymore at Tuesday Morning stores but there are so many other choices on Amazon and Ebay.  Still at good prices but I think I'll check out a few other discount stores before splurging at online stores.

Do you like these fashion packs?  It sure beats buying a single Licca dress at $20 plus $10 shipping fee!!!

Hina-chan in a Barbie House

Dear Readers,

How was your weekend?  I can't believe it's already August!  We are counting the days until school starts again!  Most of my days out of the office were spent with the kids making the most of our little time together.  I had very few moments to spend on my hobbies but I did manage to snap a few photos a week ago.

I wanted to display some of the miniature pastries that Chloe had sent me.  They are displayed below on the coffee table of Hina-chan's home.  She is one of Licca's friend that I dressed up in clothes from Only Hearts Club.   Those clothes fit Licca dolls to a T.  They are much cheaper than the Takara fashion packs and they come in many different styles as well.  I'll have to show you my Licca dolls in those outfits in another post.

But for now, here below are some photos of Hina-chan in her Barbie "My House" folding dollhouse.  I got this house at a garage sale for only $10 + a bunch of furniture.  It was super dirty and I had to scrape off all the damaged stickers and scrub the dollhouse for 3 days O_O.   I still need to add some painting or wallpaper to the walls. 

Here is the kitchen.  You'll see miniature items from Re-ment, Orcara, Barbie, Mini Lalaloopsy, and Bratz.  It took me forever to set up this kitchen but I am not happy with it.  I hate it. It's so disorganized and I need to re-think my display.  I will probably swap the furniture and appliances for others pieces and see how it goes from there.

The Re-ment stove is my favorite piece of the kitchen.  I love the eye-popping red color.  The fridge is from a Barbie playset.  

Here is a close-up of the stove.  All the cabinet doors open and there is even a broiler!  My favorite miniature item is the soap bottle and the tiny gloves!  Well I like the spice rack too.   It's from Re-ment Fairy Tales Tableware Collection which I blogged about HERE.

And here is a full view of the "apartment".  You don't see the bathroom or bedroom because they are on the other side of the walls.  Which I have not yet decorated.

Hopefully I will have some time this week to write a few more blog posts.  Have a great week everybody!

Gift Exchange With Chloe

Dear Readers,

How are you this Monday? I am so excited because I want to show you the gifts I have received this weekend from Chloe, a fellow blogger who writes about Sylvanian Families, Miniature and Blythe dolls on her blog:  MoonRabbit_Ly's Miniature World!

This is my first gift exchange in Blog Land and I must say that it was a fantastic experience thanks to Chloe!  I have received wonderful presents before from bloggers but they were presents for my birthday or other kind of presents but this time is was a gift exchange in which I send something to a fellow blogger and she sends me something back.

But the surprise is that I never expected what was to happen next.

You see, it was initially agreed that she would send me the great Re-ment sets below: a brown cabinet with glass door, a TV with four different channels and a heater with a very cute dog!  These items are super rare and it's impossible to find them on the market nowadays!  

But this is not all.  I had expected only two Re-ment items... and this is what I received!!!  A motherload of goodies!!!!

Super tiny dollhouse furniture!  This is a gem!  They are so detailed and it's amazing because they are such minuscule furniture!   I have a few dollhouses for dolls so I'll try them inside (once I find those tiny dollhouses... they are somewhere in my new cabinets!)

Mini bread and pastry, a Sakura-chan doll and a Blythe dress too!

The Kokeshi dolls are Iwako erasers!  They are so pretty and I love love love their kimono design!  They are tiny but so well made.  I can't wait to put them on display! 

 A Sylvanian Families membership outfit available only in Japan!  It includes a dress, a cardigan, a purse and even a hanger!  This set is extremely difficult to get, especially oversea! 

Of course I had to try the Sylvanian Families Dress and Cardigan right away!  Mother Squirrel was very excited to be the model!  But she protested after I only took one picture...

So here is another one to make her happy! ;-)

Sakura-chan was also very pleased with her Blythe dress.  It fits her like a glove!  The dress is so well made and has such a pretty design!  The bow on the rabbit is a super cute addition!  

Sakura-chan is such a pretty doll and I love her long eyelashes!!!  I think Licca dolls have the sweetest face and gentle but expressive eyes even though they are painted and not glass.   The very subtle makeup gives this doll a surprisingly versatile look.

Her hair is very soft and it is in a beautiful reddish brown.  I apologize for how messy it looks because I don't know where I have placed my dolly brushes anymore! -_- I guess I put everything away in my cabinet so now I'll have to find them!   You know how it goes: when it's cluttered, you can find your stuff but once you put it away, you can't find it anymore! 

I need to show you a picture of the other items in more details but I am running out of time today.  I have a place for them in my dollhouses and it takes time to setup the dollhouse so I'll have to post more about this gift exchange later this week!

Thank you so much Chloe for inviting me to participate in this gift exchange! I am so overjoyed with the items you have sent me!!!  They are all fantastic miniatures and Sakura-chan will be very happy here with her other Licca friends :)