Blog Anniversary Presents

Wow! I want to thank everybody who commented on the blog’s anniversary post. Your kind words warmed my heart; you are why I adore being part of a blogging community. I didn’t expect anything more than your comments for the blog’s anniversary. It was a pleasant surprise when I received gifts from two awesome people to mark the occasion. I didn’t ask for it, I didn’t expect it, and I feel positively spoiled by their generosity.

The day of my blog’s anniversary, my husband surprised me with this gift. He claims that it was no small feat keeping it hidden from me over the past few weeks. I have been working towards getting the last boxes of random brick-a-brack unpacked, and he claims to have moved it several times because of my productivity. Honestly, I don’t know how I could have missed this; it is huge.

This is a Barbie Bed & Bath Fold Out Doll House from 1998. It includes a bathroom and a bedroom area. It is missing the bow on the outside, but the inside is fairly complete. The canopy over the bed is missing, but there are different variations of this toy that never had a canopy. In any case, you can see pictures of a more complete model here. It certainly is a charming, even if it has some discoloring from sun damage. Thank you, my dearest, for such a thoughtful gift.

The house itself opens up a whole new world of possibilities for the blog. I can repaint this and make it into any number of backdrops! It could be the Tardis. It could be any number of houses featured in the show. It could be a palace or alien world. The possibilities are endless! I am going to re-watch some Doctor Who episodes with Ood in them to see if any rooms are worth recreating with this house. If nothing strikes my fancy, I will keep it in mind for future projects.

Next, I will share with you a gift from my friend Gwen. I have to start by saying nothing is more fun that getting a package in the mail that you weren’t expecting. The box arrived a few days after the blog anniversary post. The pictures aren’t the greatest because I was having lighting trouble, and I hope you can forgive me.

I won’t lie. I have seen this guy on shelves at various stores and I have been tempted to buy them every single time. So, so tempted…. Why? Because he looks like that one character. You know the one, I think his name was Ricky. Despite the resemblance, I never could bring myself to buy one because my budget has been too tight to splurge on a new doll. It appears that I am not the only person who saw the resemblance. Gwen included a note with this doll saying, ‘He reminded me of the plastic guy from the first episode.’ Deliciously fitting for a Ken doll.

The doll itself is called Water Play Steven or Barbie Beach Steven and he is a 2015 release. Wow! He is so modern for my collection; it’s hard to believe. I know he will need a facial repaint to truly capture the essence of Mickey Smith, so he isn’t on the short list for upcoming projects. I have a back log of projects I want to do before I dive into repainting. Still, I am glad to have this doll as part of the collection. It makes me smile to think of my plastic Mickey hanging out with the dolls. It is a delightful reminder of the season that pulled me back into Doctor Who after so many years.

Who doesn’t love a good Disney prince? Well, at least when their heads are firmly on their shoulders (I’m not bitter). This is Eugene Fitzherbert from the Disney Rapunzel movie. I liked him in the movie because he is clearly more flawed than the average prince, and who doesn’t love his name? I’ve been a sucker for Genes ever since I watched Star Trek as a child. I’m getting off track! More commonly known as Flynn Rider, this doll has a nice head sculpt that captures his character. There was sticky note on him saying ‘Lose the goatee and he will look like Jack!’ I can certainly see the smoldering resemblance between the two. I think that this doll is destined to become Captain Jack Harkness, in all his glory.

The doll is a Mattel 2014 Flynn Rider doll. While I couldn’t find a review or similar for the doll itself, this post by Never Grow Up compares him to a Disney store Flynn Rider doll. I am a little bit scared because a blurb under one of the pictures says that his pants won’t come off. I…. I feel like this is the exact opposite of the Jack we all know and love. Will it be a disqualifier? Maybe. I will have to unbox him and examine him to know for sure.

Now, the astute reader may wonder why I haven’t unboxed these two dolls. The answer is simple: my toddler loves unboxing. I am going to save the unboxing for a snowy (do we even get snow down here?) or rainy day when we can’t go outside, so right now they are hanging out in the front closet. I am sure they’ll strike a pose with the Ood ladies once they are free of their plastic prisons.

Speaking of Ood, I have been working on the Ood mask pattern. Something just came over me yesterday and I started making notes for version 2 of the mask. If I am lucky, I will only need two versions. I won’t know for sure if version 2 of the mask will be the final version until I crochet it and see how it fits on the dolls. My wrist is doing well enough that I tried knitting with my brace off yesterday. Yay for progress! I finished one of the gloves for the first Ood doll. With some luck, I can get the other one done and posted next week.

Also… The new sewing machine foot arrived! I chose a clear version of a 1/4″ piecing foot, and it is fantastic. I have been playing around with it by piecing together scraps of fabric; it is much easier to use than the larger 1/2″ foot. I love having a 1/4″ guide as I’m working. I plan on starting on the jacket and other aspects of the second Ood later this week! I have the fabric cut, so I just need to sit down to get the sewing done. Then comes pictures and writing and everything else…. Well, the life of a blogger is never easy. Now you know some of the cool things I have queued up for the coming weeks.

Once again, I want to say thank you for everybody who wished me a happy blog anniversary. I appreciate your kind words and the motivation you give me when I read them. Ya’ll rock! Thank you for reading and I hope you have a fantastic week.

Blog Anniversary

Wow. Has it been one year already? It is hard for me to believe. So many things have changed since I started this blog. I have grown as a person in more ways than I can explain in this post. I am in a different location halfway across the country from where this blog humbly began. My family has changed so much over this time, too. My daughter has grown and is becoming an amazing little person of her own, and my husband continues to inspire me to be my best every single day. The blog has changed, too. In the beginning we went through several redesigns, and then my husband found the theme we used for the vast majority of the last year. Today, that theme changes; I hope you like the new color scheme.

My husband was the brain behind the last design, and he perfected this new one as well. He has really been a great support of my blog; he even made the Barbie Who? header. He has a great eye for things in graphic design, and I am incredibly lucky to have him to fix my mistakes. As a couple, as with the blog, we’ve come a long way. I sincerely hope we can go even further.

When I started the blog, I wasn’t sure that anybody would want to read it. I figured that I was the only person who had a soft spot for Barbie dolls and Doctor Who. I’ve been proven wrong! The blog received it’s 100th follower, DrStuWho, on August 31st of this year. As of today, this blog has 101 followers. Wow! It simply blows me away that so many people have taken an interest in my work. Thank you, all of you. I appreciate everybody who takes time to visit this blog, be they followers or lurkers; the people who comment and the people who read. I am grateful for all of you and what you bring to the equation.

With that said, it all comes back to the dolls. I have completed two dolls, Cofelia and Peri. Both dolls had their challenges, but I managed to finish outfits for both dolls that do justice to the Whoniverse. I am currently working on two Ood dolls, as well. I had hoped to have a few more dolls finished at this point, but quality always beats quantity. Considering the chaotic year I’ve had, I am okay with where I’m at. I am very happy with how everything has come out so far, and I hope to continue making dolls inspired by Doctor Who to share on the blog.

Once I finish the Ood, I have a dozen ideas that I want to pursue. I only wish I had more time to spend on this project! Here are a few of the ideas I hope to begin in the coming year.

Donna Wedding Scene – I have a Donna doll and have several patterns that I could adapt into her dress. I would only need to get a Ken doll that matches her ‘groom’ and a few filler dolls for the rest of the wedding party. It would be so cute!

Amy Pond – A friend gave me a Midge doll that looks like Pond. The only question is what outfit? She is a strong contender for having her own wardrobe, to be honest.

Madame de Pompadour – I love every single outfit she wore in her episode. Actually, that may be an understatement. I would love to attempt to make something as ornate and beautiful as one of her dresses.

River Song – I’ve had the doll for this since the beginning, and I feel like she’s waited quite patiently for her moment to shine. Like Amy, the hardest part would be choosing one outfit for her to wear. She is going to be in the next Christmas Special, so maybe if the timing is right…

Astronaut Skeleton – Since I can’t crochet the Silence, I will settle for the next best thing. This would be an interesting repaint if I can find a doll that I like for the astronaut outfit I was gifted for my birthday. It would be an interesting first repaint, for sure!

I will try not to get too far ahead of myself, but I am excited for what comes next. I want to continue making dolls so that my daughter has something special to play with when she gets older. That is why I started this blog; I do it for her. My daughter is a toddler right now, and she is so vibrant. I want only the best for her, and the diverse characters of Doctor Who are the role models I want her to look up to as she continues to grow. Doctor Who does an amazing job of making compelling characters, and I look forward to sharing them with her over the coming years.

Once again, I cannot thank you enough for visiting my blog. I appreciate that you took time out of your busy life to read what I have to say and to enjoy what I am doing. Thank you, and I sincerely hope you have a fantastic day.