Here's To The Ladies That Lunch....& A Road Trip With Barbie Jesus!

I'm very excited because today I will be on my way down to South Beach in Miami to celebrate my friend Kimmy's B-day at the luxury hotel at the beach - The Lords! I'm not only looking forward to celebrating her b-day and seeing my friends Daniel and Glenn... but I'm also going on a road trip with my friend - Barbie Jesus herself Marl Davidson!

So, in honor of that, I'm putting up a picture of my Favorite Blond FR Ladies! The best part is that they are all recent purchases from friends all around the world through the WClub "buy/sell/trade" page. It is truly awesome. WClub members are a little community that help each other locate the "holy grail" dolls that we all obsess over from time to time.

These Ladies That Lunch came from (left to right) Sandi, Juan (FRJunkie) and Marcy! I love my tanned Workshop Anya (although I love to call her Vaughnia...lol). I wasn't able to get her at the convention and I'm lucky that Sandi "de-bumped" her expertly while still leaving the factory curl at the bottom of her hair. Juan knows how much I love Eugenia so when he was ready to let this one go his first call was to me. And last, but not least, the Natalia was a gift from my friend Marcy who sent her as an early b-day/christmas gift. I got the doll for my birthday....and the suit for Christmas! Thanks guys! I've got the best friends in the whole world! And, Lord knows... I do love my Ladies looking smart in a suits!

Well, kids....till tomorrow!

Frank

P.S. By the way I'm going to try to interview Marl while I'm in the car! So get ready for a "Oprah and Gayle" style road trip video!

The Legacy Of The Fashion Royalty Handspeak System

Several years ago when IT decided to come out with dolls that had exposed joints, I remember a friend of mine saying,"They are pretty but I hate the joints that show on their bodies. I think I'm going to buy them and put their heads on Barbie bodies!" Oh, what a difference a few years makes! Now if the doll is not double-jointed or has replaceble parts doll collector's are just not satisfied! That same friend of mine (whom will remain nameless...NOT....DAVID CARR! lol!) now buys other dolls and puts them on FR bodies. He even went as far as to upgrade all his early FR dolls onto the taller FR bodies with the handspeak system.
The handspeak system is really something that I love. I now think twice before buying a doll that does not have the removeable hands because I know how much harder it will be to re-dress them! Not to mention not being able to put their hands on their hips and pop their hand up (as if to say,"Talk to the hand bitch!")
This tren has even now made it's way down to the playlines of many different Toy Companies. Especially Mattel. Now, everything from Fashionistas to the incredible popular Monster High Dolls are all jointed. The Monster High Ghouls even come with removeable hands now (in the Create-A-Monster Set  shown below).

I gave these three girls as an early Christmas gift to myself! I finally got bitten by the MONSTER HIGH BUG....literally! I've been trying not to collect these girls (even though I secretly wanted them all along) but when I dropped by my friend Ken and David's trying to find out if they had seen a "Abby Bomidable" anywhere near their home in Orlando so that I could make a "Christmas Wish" come true, I fell in love with their amazing display of them! Then to top it off they had a brand NEW unopened box of the Create-A-Monster Set at the Walmart near my new home in Sarasota! The clincher was that I saw how poseable they were...and that the featured their own version of the handspeak system. Finally, I broke down and bought them for myself! Well...move over girls, the "ghouls" of MONSTER HIGH... are coming my way!
These 3 characters did not come with names. So, I've named them myself.
They are (from left to right):
Honey Hivenson
Ori Cole
Annie Rexia (she wants to be a model)I fixed their hair (because the wigs look like crap stright out of the box) but they are made of good saran hair...so they take a curl real easily! Enjoy!
xoxo,
Frank

Mixing & Matching Your Dolls & Outfits

CHECKER BEACH ARIA Wearing HI COLOR RAYNA & Barbie Jacket

I think that one of the best things about enjoying your fashion dolls is re-imagining them in different outfits and looks.

Don't like the doll in that particular outfit - CHANGE IT!

Think that outfit would really "pop" on a redhead - FIND THE PERFECT REDHEAD!

LEFT: CITY GIRL IMOGEN WEARING GRAND GESTURE

 

ELISE JOELIE WEARING SILKSTONE SHOPGIRL &

FR2 ELISE MODELS BLUE BLOOD

I think the IT Designers do a great job of designing an entire "look" for their dolls...but it is always fun to try to think of the pieces as "seperates" whenever possible to make a quasi "OOAK" for yourself.

IMOGEN AND RAYNA ARE SIMPLY SIMPATICO

FLICKR is full of stylists that do just that and then take pictures of their new creations to share with other dolls collectors. I must admit, there have been many a "look" that I've knocked off from other collectors online! They all have such great ideas and their own aesthetic when it comes to redressing their dolls. I LOVE IT!

PERFECT SKIN ADELE (with new hairdo) WEARING DG WORKSHOP FASHION

I always love mixing and matching my dolls and their outfits until I find that special combination that makes it special for ME! The following are a couple of examples of having fun with your dolls and re-imagining their looks with new outfits! Enjoy!

FR MONOGRAM BEMUSED MODELED DOLLS IN OZ CONVENTION DRESS NAMED MAGNETIC

XOXO,
Frank

THE AMAZING OOAK DESIGNS OF TALLULAH BELLE!

This weekend while celebrating our annual Christmas Secret Santa/Official Buy-Sell-Trade meeting, I was able to purchase from a friend a Tallulah Belle OOAK outfit for my dolls! I’m a huge fan of Tula and I’ve enjoyed her work ever since I was turned onto it by friends.

Tula has been a fashion designer for 12" & 16" dolls since 2005. Originally a vintage Barbie collector, she was soon interested in Silkstone Barbie and then ultimately Fashion Royalty dolls. Upon seeing the many one-of-a-kind designs on eBay, she realized that she could extend her enjoyment of doll collecting by creating her own unique ensembles.

Although she occasionally continues to design and create for 16" dolls, her favorite continues to be the 12" scale. Tula strives to always use the finest fabrics (mainly silk and organic cotton) as she finds that natural fabrics give the nicest drape and fit. All her designs are either fully lined or detailed with finished seams.

Many of her ensembles come complete with perfect to scale accessories like purses, jewelry, gloves and stockings. Every last iota of the look is thought out meticulously.

To visit Tula fabulous website and see her amazing gallery,
visit www.tallulahbelle-rtw.com

Toodles kids!

Frank

RAVEN VANESSA PAPERDOLL....as promised!

Hi All!
Hope you guys have been enjoying boyFRiends blog! I've made a commitment to write once a day for an ENTIRE YEAR on this blog about all things FR/Integrity - and I mean to keep THAT commitment! Please let me know what you think of the blog! I'd love to hear your feedback...also, if you have any questions, comments or ideas for future posts please don't hesitate to let me know!

Enclosed today is the Raven version of the Vanessa Perrin Paperdoll that my friend JennFL gave out at her table at the FR Con in Chicago in 2010! To download hires go to FLICKR and look up Orlando Doll Dork. Send to any Kinko's and print out as many as you like! They make a great stocking stuffer to the doll-fan in your life!

Enjoy your last couple of days of holiday shopping!
xoxo,
Frank
ps. Good luck to all of you in the WClub that entered the drawing for the FR2 Veronique today! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you!

Sophie's Choice - VANESSA OR TATYANA? An Evermore Exceptional Dilemma!

I pretty much had my budget for the the 2011 Convention calculated to the penny. Between, the cost of the flight, room, food and other miscellaneous expenses, I really had no room for mistakes or surprises.
So, when the I walked into the FR2 Luncheon along with all the other WClub members I was glad to have my credit card ready for the amazing doll gracing the center of the table - EXCEPTIONAL TATYANA! And she was....TRULY EXCEPTIONAL!!!

We enjoyed an amazing gourmet lunch when the numbers were called for the right to buy the centerpiece and lucky me, my number was picked! After a great presentation it looked as if I was out of the woods. Then it happened, the most beautiful creature ever was flashed onto the large screens on either side of the stage - EVERMORE VANESSA (on a FR2 Body and using the previous Vanessa facemold). Christ on a cracker!!! What was I gonna do now? I knew that I was a bit shaky on my budget considering I had forgotten to budget in the cost of bringing luggage onto the plane (don't you just hate the extras that you have to pay for now that just a couple of years ago used to come with the price of your airplane ticket? I mean really, would it break the bank to give the people peanuts!?!). So, I had to choose - this incredible Vanessa or this amazing Tatyana? What to do? I harkened back to the final scene of Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice. Just NOT possible...

So, I gave my winning ticket to another table mate and choose Vanessa. Mainly I made the difficult choice based on the dress, the facemold and the collective "gasp" that came out of the crowd when her picture came up. I also figured I would be able to get the Tatyana at a later date online at a half way decent price (considering I really preferred her nude anyway).

Well, finally my WClub luncheon girls are re-united. I was able to purchase Tatyana from a buyer on ebay that happened to be a friend from the WClub - Valerie (who BTW just finish running a half marathon in a little over 3 hours...GO GIRL!) And, in the end...it really worked out because she really wanted the dress....and I had already picked out what MY Tatyana would be wearing once I got her.

All's well that ends well ;-)
Hope you enjoy the pics and I hope you are all having a happy Sunday!
xoxo,
Frank

The Collection Of KEN DAHL! Integrity Collector Extraordinaire!

Today I went to the home of Mr. Ken Dahl for his annual doll collectors gift exchange! I hadn't seen the handsome Mr. Dahl in several months since moving from Orando and I was very anxious to see how his incredible collection of Integrity and other brand dolls had grown since I'd seen it last!
I didn't want to miss any of the Holiday Festivites, so I quickly took some candid shots of his collections which he shares with his lovely husband....the other Mr. Dahl! ;-) I share them now with all my fellow collectors below. I hope you enjoy them!


FIRST SET: FR & FR2

SECOND SET: IT DIRECT, VAMPIRE BRIDES & IFDC

 THIRD SET: FR CONVENTION 2009 & 2010

FOURTH SET: IT DIRECT, 2008, 2009, 2010 FR CONVENTION, CLUB DOLLS & MONOGRAM

POPPY PARKER (Our Poppy is a clean teen!)

COLOR INFUSION COLLECTION & THE DYNAMITE GIRLS & BOYS!

JETT SET COLLECTION 2011

Well, that was a quick tour of just the a small sampling of their entire fashion doll collection! They have a very warm and inviting home...with doll room that would make most guys scream like Mariah Carey! They are truly wonderful friends with kind hearts. I'm very blessed to have them in my life. Maybe if you are ever in Orlando you can drop in on the two Mr. Dahl's home. I'm sure they'll love to give you a tour of their fabulous doll room and home. They'll probably even bake you a batch of their famous homemade chocolate chip cookies while your are there...that is IF YOU ARE GOOD! ;-)
Till tomorrow kids!
Be good to each other and (as Mr. Dahl always says) PLAY NICE! 
xoxoxo,
Frank