Mattel’s new version of the 1970s “Magic Sounds Townhouse”, now called “The Barbie Dream Townhouse) is part of their current “Barbie: Now and Then” line of toys. The idea is to recreate classic playsets, with modern face-lifts and new features.

Mattel’s new version of the 1970s “Magic Sounds Townhouse”, now called “The Barbie Dream Townhouse) is part of their current “Barbie: Now and Then” line of toys. The idea is to recreate classic playsets, with modern face-lifts and new features. (more…)

Japan. The land of the rising sun, and cool dolly stuff galore. BJDs, Licca-chan, Jenny, Pullips… Not to mention a plethora of playsets and meticulously detailed miniatures. What collector hasn’t fantasized about unlimited access to all that great stuff?

Thanks to internet shopping and import stores, getting the goods from Japan is easier today than ever before. Even so, most hobbyists still lust after a bevy of “must-haves” which repeatedly elude capture. What to do? One answer is the use of a shopping service. Read on to learn what this is, and whether using one could fill the holes in your collection.

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I haven’t blogged in ages (actually I think I’ve only ever blogged once), so pardon my first blog being blatant plagiarism!!

I received a great dolly article recently titled ‘Ten ways to Collect dolls in a Down Economy’:

http://collectdolls.about.com/od/dollcollectingresources/tp/collectingandeconomy.htm

I had a good read and decided to share some tips mentioned. Not sure if there will be ten, so let’s not count.

· Stop looking forward, start looking in!!! Love what you have! With Blythe, I HAVE to see them in front of me at all times. If I find myself getting over how they look, I re-do the WHOLE display. Sometimes I add furniture, sometimes I prefer to be minimalist because dusting the tiny tables gives me the shits. Recently I have devoted an entire expedit square to displaying my lovely dolly clothes – it’s so much better than having them stuffed in a box and it never fails to be admired even by the most non dolly person ( the ladies go ga-ga over the cute little dresses).

· Accessorise, accessorise, accessorise!! Can’t afford a doll? By her a pair of shoes or a new dress instead. I’ve gotten to the point where a new item for my dolly is more exciting than a new dolly altogether. Or, even CHEAPER, remix ur dolly’s wardrobe and try new crazy combinations. Another idea I might try that I’ve seen others do – dress ur doll like a scene or character from a movie. You don’t need to have the perfect accessories, see below pic; it took several looks for people to realise she wasn’t working on a kitchen bench LOL.

· Handy man!! Most of us have a crappy doll we keep MEANING to get to. Now’s a great time! I bought a $2 Barbie once just so I could wash her hair, it was a calming process and I thoroughly enjoyed it (NB: barbie hair different than Blythe hair, I still SUCK at doing Blythe hair).

· Cheaper dolls? I actually don’t agree with this idea, buts lots of people love it. Buy something cheaper to tide you over – instead of a Blythe, buy a pink box barbie for example. HOWEVER, this is dangerous as you can end up with a whole heap of crap you don’t really want . I’ve been there, done that, donated to charity.

· Garage sales!! I never have the time, but the idea seems so romantic to me!!! Another good option is the small local fetes and markets. Heed my above warning tho – crap is tempting!!

· Swap! The infamous swap –always a great idea!

· Strict Policies! Since getting married to an anti-doll nazi, my buying habits have been curbed. Instead of buying whatever I want by using the evil credit card, I have to think each purchase through. So I developed a simple rule; all dollies must be purchased with money gained from selling other dollies. I railed aboot it at first, but its actually turned into a great little system. I spent my early 20’s buying everything and anything I fancied on ebay. The result: boxes and boxes of random toys shoved in cupboards and the garage that never saw the light of day. I’ve spent the last year slowly decreasing my collection, its been painful but rewarding. Now I think purchases through before hitting that damn BIN button at 3AM in the morning (and trust me, I’ve been thinking of Milky Way Sugar for months).

SO, thats it!!!! Common sense but helpful tips to get us through these tough dolly times!

Looking for a dollhouse/studio that:

• lets you express your style?
• is great for photography?
• is easy to store?

Here’s a product from Cleabella called “Room With a View”. It’s a magnetic scene system to display and photograph 1:4 or 1:6 (playscale) dolls. A starter kit includes metallic folding background walls, a fabric floor rug and your first set of magnetic ‘mix-and-match wallpaper’ panels.

You can then add more mix-and-match wallpaper or panelling, and magnetic wall accessories such as windows, doors, faux bookshelves and framed pictures. The catch is- it’s expensive. But read on for my DIY tip!

For more flexibility you can buy blank magnetic panels and design your own background. That’s how Michael Williams created his stylish set piece, featured here on our blog and pictured below. Michael explains on his Flickr site how he scanned in the wallpaper design from some fabric and printed it on a large scale Epsom printer. He also printed the parquet hardwood floor. Visit Michael’s flickr set for more details: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mawphoto/sets/72157603894831644/

…and here’s my crafty DIY tip- as they say, “make of it what you will”. You can buy paint with iron filings which magnets will stick to.  You can get A4 sized printable magnet sheets from Officeworks, and larger magnets should be available at printers and signwriters.  And finally-you can cut out pictures you like from magazines, such as accessories, paintings, posters, views through windows. Then glue them on to those magnets you always get in the letterbox- you know, the ones that advertise the 24-hour plumbing service. Now that’s real DIY, and it’s free!

This week’s Dollhouse DIY follows on from last week’s tutorial on printing your own fabric. This time we’ll be making the fabric into cushions. No dowdy chintz for these dollies!

1. Cut out your printed fabric leaving seam allowances on all sides. Cut out a matching backing fabric in the same size.

2. Pin the ‘right sides’ (the side you want to see) together on three sides. Sew the three sides together by hand or with a sewing machine.

3. Turn the cushion right-side out, using a pencil or chopstick to turn out the corners. Stuff the cushion with fabric scraps, cotton wool or commercial stuffing. Turn under the open edges and sew closed by hand.

And you’re done!

GIVEAWAY: If you’d like these cushions for your own dolls, leave a comment below and let me knwo if you’d like to be in the draw. I’ll draw a winner by random next Monday October 6 at 8pm. Good luck!

This week’s Dollhouse DIY is a tutorial on how to print your own fabric using an ink-jet printer. Next week I’ll show you how to sew your fabric into cushions.

Here’s Quince soaking up the spring sunshine while lounging against some home-made cushions.

I’m using an Australian commercial product called Premium (TM) Printable Fabric Sheets from www.accraft.com.au The fabric is white cotton, and is quite stiff- okay for cushions and capes, but not very pliable. Please note: it must be an ink-jet, not a laser printer.

1. Open a word processor document and insert some images. I’m leaving a white space around them for seam allowances. Do a test print on paper to check layout and colours ( I decided to skip that bit- *bzzzz* – and the document reformatted itself and removed my seam allowances!)

2. Set your printer settings to ‘Best’ print quality and ‘plain’ paper. Put the fabric sheet into your inkjet printer so that the image will print on the fabric side. Let the sheet dry for about ten minutes.

3. Peel away the paper backing. Rinse the sheet in a tub of cold water.

4. Lay the sheet flat on a towel to dry…and that’s it! The ink is set and can be washed gently by hand or in a machine.

Next week in Dollhouse DIY: How to sew dolly cushions, and cushion giveaway!

Furnishings for 1:6 (aka “Playscale) dollhouses can be hard to find. You can search online for vintage Barbie and Sindy decor, hunt through frowsy Victoriana, shell out for Rement…what else is there? How about some Mod-inspired DIY!

Take inspiration from these amazing diorama by Michael Williams from www.mawphoto.com. These displays pay homage to interior designer Jonathan Adler and to Mid-century decor.

These starburst mirrors are my favorites. They’re made from a metal ring, a circle of foamcore, shiny paper, some toothpicks and spray paint. The George Nelson-style clock includes berry pins and paper cut-outs. Ornaments are made from beads and buttons.

A defining feature of Michael’s displays is the cushion collections. Drawing inspiration from Jonathan Adler’s textiles, Michael has designed and printed his own fabric using an ink-jet printer, and has provided a free downloadable template here:

How can I do that, you ask? Stay tuned until next week, I’ll be doing a cushion-printing tutorial in the ‘Dollhouse DIY’ series on weplaywithdolls.net/blogs/

You can see this Flickr set of Michael’s photos here and visit his website at www.mawphoto.com Thank you Michael for allowing me to use your beautiful images and reference your work!

Dollies driving you out of house and home? This simple DIY dollhouse is from the March issue of CookieMag.com:

It’s made from two pieces of foam core, found at most craft shops. Decorate with wrapping paper and pics from your favorite mags.

The open design is ideal for doll photography. It gives great visibility and can easily be angled towards your light source. Communicating doors give a glimpse of the next room.

http://www.cookiemag.com/magazine/blogs/nesting/2008/02/diy-dollhouse.html

Pros:
- make it to whatever scale suits your dollies- a Lati nursery or a Blythe bachelorette pad
- easy to pack flat and store under the bed

Cons:
- okay, it’s huge… but you don’t really use the dining table, do you?  Pop it on the Lazy Susan, spin it around and start snapping away. Yum-cha-tastic!

More dollhouse news from Bellgirl next week.