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Whitby Gothic and Whitby Jet

2/11/2017

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My mother and I went up to Yorkshire to visit my cousin earlier this year, and I was delighted when she suggested a trip to Whitby: home of Whitby jet, part inspiration for Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’, and thus (probably) the Goth capital of the UK.
 
First a confession: several years ago I read ‘Dracula’ – part of which is set in Whitby - and was deeply unimpressed (‘The Historian’ by Elizabeth Kostova is a different take on Dracula, and is brilliant).  Don’t get me wrong – I have a bit of a thing for certain (fictional) vampires, but it’s rather selective, and they veer away from traditional takes on vampire fiction. I was a HUGE ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ fan – I especially loved Spike; ‘Sunshine’ by Robin McKinley is something of a comfort book for me – baking and vampires (trust me, it’s a strange mix but it works!). ‘Fevre Dream’ by George R. R. Martin (yes, that one) is very humane and adds a Deep South Riverboat twist.  As a child I wasn’t into vampires, but I did have a soft spot for witches; Jill Murphey’s first three ‘Worst Witch’ books were great favourites, as was ‘Witch Week’ by Diana Wynne Jones (part of the Chrestomanci series).  And not forgetting the fabulousness of ‘The Witch’s Handbook’ by Malcom Bird, with its brilliant and VERY funny illustrations and lots of practical advice on how to be a witch!  Possibly slightly worryingly, it was my mother who bought me those books – so it’s definitely at least partly down to her that I’m rather weird… Anyway, the point is that whilst I don’t go around wearing nothing but black and accessorising with bats in my hair I do have a fairly well-developed Gothic streak (possibly also exacerbated by repeated reading of ‘Jane Eyre’ as a teenager). On a bit of a side note, a month or two  ago I was in a haberdashery shop when I saw some skull-and crossbones ribbon, which led to a discussion with the shop assistant in which she revealed that when the Halloween displays get put up in shops she wanders the aisles singing ‘It’s the most wonderful time of the year’ to herself!



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Fortune's Kippers advert on a wall next to Carol's Coffee Corner
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Whitby jet and silver spider jewellery in the window of W. Hammond
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View of Whitby harbour from the graveyard of St Mary's church

But I digress. Due to traffic jams and trouble finding a parking space our visit was way too brief, but you really can’t escape the Gothic in Whitby! One of the first things I saw in the town was a big, black, heart-shaped poster on a wall next to Carol’s Coffee Corner – which turned out to be an oblique advertisement for Fortune’s Kippers.  The jewellery shops sell Whitby jet – modern and antique – ranging from plain and modest pieces to giant spiders. Something for everyone – as long as you like jet!  The fudge shop, Justin’s of Whitby has a flavour called ‘Dracula’s Dream’, and it also sells strawberry truffle chocolates in the shape of coffins.

On the East Cliff the ruins of Whitby Abbey loom in a picturesque fashion, and it really is worth climbing the 199 Church Steps to St Mary’s church (on the way to the Abbey) to see a wonderful view of the harbour.  I have M.E/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and am not a fan of stairs, but these were easier than I feared they would be, partly because I have a walking stick, partly because they were deliberately made shallow to make it easier for coffin-bearers to carry coffins from the town up to the graveyard. It’s these stairs that Dracula (in the form of a dog) ran up after his arrival in Whitby.  The graveyard itself is wonderfully windswept and atmospheric. As for the Abbey – a casualty of Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries – it really is magnificent and beautiful in its ruined state.  The broken and jagged edges fit well with the cliffs and the bleak beauty of the North York Moors (it was so atmospheric that I found myself humming ‘Wuthering Heights’ on the car journey back to my cousin’s house!).


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Last weekend Whitby played host to thousands of Goths, Steampunks and vampire fans at its October  Whitby Goth Weekend (there’s another WGW in April), in all their spooky finery.  Of course, every Gothic outfit needs accessories, and Whitby is world renowned for the quality of its jet and its history of jet jewellery-making. Whitby jet is the 182 million years old fossilised remains of an ancestor of the Monkey-puzzle tree.  It can be carved, it polishes to a high shine, and is light to wear; it is ideal for jewellery. A lot of people say that it is warm to the touch; I would say that it’s more room temperature, or ‘not cold’! It is also rare, which gives it added status and interest value. Jet occurs in other parts of the world, but is often softer and less durable than that from Whitby. One way to tell if you have the genuine article is to gently drag the piece of jet across a slightly abrasive surface, such as unglazed tile (choose a discrete/hidden spot on the jet, because it will leave a mark); if it leaves a ginger or brown mark on the tile it is most likely the real deal, if it leaves a black mark it is a softer type of jet.  You also have to beware of Victorian imitations such as Vulcanite and Gutta Percha – which are types of moulded rubber (Vulcanite will also leave brown marks in the abrasive test); sometimes there will be visible mould marks or crazing on such pieces.  Other imposters are pressed horn and bog oak.  And then there’s French jet, which is black glass; it’s colder, heavier, sparklier(?) and cheaper than real jet.

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Raw Whitby jet
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Carved Whitby jet book
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Brown marks left by Whitby jet

The heyday of jet jewellery was in the Victorian era. Until very recently I thought that most antique jet jewellery was intended for mourning, but that wasn’t the case. Although the Victorians had very elaborate mourning rituals sometimes black was just a fashion statement; perhaps Queen Victoria wearing mourning for forty years after the death of Prince Albert made the wearing of black a more every day occurrence.  For visitors to Whitby a piece of carved jewellery would have been (and still is) an interesting souvenir from a pretty seaside village/town – a chance to literally take a piece of Whitby away with you.  Jet jewellery ranges from very minimal spheres and cabochons to wonderfully intricate creations of carved links with acorns dangling from them (I would LOVE to own such a piece some day!), so as long as you like black there’s something to suit most tastes. The links, and the faceted beads of the Victorian era are probably my favourites.  Of course, the vast amount of symbolism of that time is also evident - jet lockets house photographs and/or locks of a loved one’s hair. Forget-me-nots, crosses, hearts, stars, moons, anchors and many other designs express love and devotion to the departed. Nowadays we view the rigidity of protocols for Victorian mourning as rather over the top, but I think that we in the modern world could take a few tips from our ancestors. When a loved one dies they leave a gap; that loss can take years to come to terms with, and a formal period of mourning allowed the loss to be felt and expressed. Wearing a piece of mourning jewellery was a tribute to someone dear and an indication to others that the wearer was still in an emotionally fragile state.

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My first Victorian Whitby jet beads - bought from Robinson's in Whitby
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Typical shapes of Victorian Whitby jet beads
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French jet (black glass) beads
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A French and a Whitby jet faceted bead

It’s possible that the ancient Earth energies of jet might have helped mourners who wore it - healing properties attributed to jet include: psychic protection; alleviating grief; releasing negativity; balancing emotions and alleviating depression. It is often paired with Baltic amber (indeed, some people call jet ‘black amber’) as the two have many properties in common, and look stunning together.  A note of caution, though: I don’t know if Whitby jet provides any protection against vampires…! 

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McKeyla's Hipster Hat Makeover

12/8/2017

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So.  McKeyla McAlister’s hipster hat from the lava light doll: it looks pretty good* in the promo photos, but in real life it was rather ghastly.  Aside from the way it was fastened to her head using those tags that doll manufacturers are so fond of, what really let it down was the flimsy, shiny vacuum-formed plastic it was made from.

Decopatch to the rescue!  Decopatch is like a more sturdy kind of tissue paper and comes in all sorts of gorgeous colours/designs/patterns.  It’s VERY easy to use, and rather addictive – you might find yourself searching for more items to customise once you've finished!  Below are instructions on how to Decopatch (from
www.decopatchme.co.uk :
 ‘Cut or rip the paper into small bits about the size of a postage stamp.
Put a small amount of Decopatch glue on the part of the object you wish to start Decopatching then with the brush pick up the paper you have just torn and put it on the part you have just put the glue on. Put another small amount of glue over the top of the paper as this helps seal the paper.
Repeat until the whole of the object is covered.’


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McKeyla McAlister's hat, and the Decopatching process.
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The Decopatched and varnished hat, complete with ribbon.
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McKeyla modelling her revamped hat!

After the second coat of varnish had dried I used an awl to make larger holes where the tags had originally gone through on either side of the hat. Then I made another hole about 0.5 cm from the first hole on each side (just behind, and a little lower) so I could poke elastic through to the outside then back inside the hat  - so I could knot the elastic on the inside of the hat (and not have them sticking-out on the outside) - see photo and dodgy diagrams below!  To stop the ends of the elastic fraying I sealed them with clear nail polish (forgot to take a photo of that part).
The finishing touch was to glue a polka dot purple ribbon around the hat and tie it in a knot at the back (I also tied a knot at the front to make it sit better). This completes the look, and hides where the elastic shows at the sides.  The elastic goes at the back of McKeyla’s head and tucks under her hair; McKeyla's Hipster hat makeover is complete!
 
*If I was someone who used the word ‘cute’ I’d say it was cute!



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An inside view of the holes and elastic of McKeyla's Decopatched hat
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Overhead diagram of the holes and elastic of McKeyla's Hat
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Side diagram of the holes and elastic of McKeyla's hat
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Thoroughly Modern McKeyla: Project Mc2 Dolls

16/7/2017

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I tend to stumble across new dolls by accident rather than actively going looking for them.  The latest to catch my eye was courtesy of @hipstapunz on Instagram (a Disney Rapunzel who’s had quite a makeover!) – McKeyla McAlister from MGA’s Project Mc2 range. Me being really quick on the uptake sometimes... (not!), it took me a while to realize that the two 'Mc's in her name were a reference to Mc2, rather than to a Scottish scientist or one named McAlister...!!  I know...  Oh well!  Anyway, the dolls are characters from a Netflix series in which a group of girls use their science and tech skills working for a government spy organization called NOV8 (Innovate).  Part of the aim of the series and doll line is to get girls more interested in S.T.E.A.M – Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math[s].  Articulated dolls come with an experiment/project suited to their particular character’s interests and skill set, basic ones don’t.  There are five other girls in the range, but I’m sticking with McKeyla; I love her face and hair, and (mostly) her fashion choices. This McKeyla, as you can see from the photo of her in the box, comes with a lava light/lamp experiment, as well as a rucksack/backpack, comb, journal and AD.I.S.N. (Advanced Digital Intelligence Spy Notebook). As you’d expect, each girl’s box art* reflects her personality and interests, so McKeyla’s has a ‘journalling’/scrapbook theme, with mathematical diagrams, tartan/plaid (highlighting the ‘Mc’ in both her names), and owls  – because her code name is ‘The Owl’. A self-professed hipster, there’s quite a lot of denim across her various dolls, and she is rather partial to hats (though the hat she came with is rather hideous in real life, and I felt compelled to give it a makeover – see my Instagram for now). McKeyla has a fondness for slogan t-shirts.   Her preferred colours are blue, lilac, red, black and white.  She occasionally wears a ring on her left hand – it has a stalk that slots into a hole in her fingers (ouch!) – the lava lamp one is a Scrabble square with Mc2 printed on it.

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Project Mc2 McKeyla McAlister Lava Light experiment doll in box.
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Project Mc2 Lava Liight articulated McKeyla McAlister doll.
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Project Mc2 Lava Light McKeyla McAlister, with haircut!

Unusually for a range of fashion dolls all the dolls (even the basic ones) have inset acrylic(?) eyes; this really gives them an extra zing and ‘realness’. Refreshingly they all also look fairly ‘natural’ for fashion dolls – pretty, but understated. They also all have 3D upper lashes (as well as the usual transfer ones that make up fashion doll faces).  I found her hair way too long and lank, so I gave her a trim; she actually reminds me a bit of Rachel Weiss – which is not a bad thing.  Now here’s a shocker: McKeyla McAlister has feet made to suit FLAT shoes!!  I don’t know if any of the other girls do (I know that Adrienne Attoms LIVES in heels), but I was delighted with McKeyla’s feet!  As well as having racial and cultural diversity in their range, Project Mc2 are saying you are more than valid as a female if you are geeky, quirky, and academic (though Monster High’s Ghoulia Yelps got there first), and don’t wear high heels and half a ton of make-up (sorry, Ghoulia – you’re still fabulous, though!).

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Project Mc2 McKeyla McAlister Lava Light box details and character info*.
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Project Mc2 McKeyla McAlister eyes and eyelashes.
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Project Mc2 McKeyla McAlister hands and feet. Top left: McKeyla's foot compared to Adrienne's foot. Top right: McKeyla's rings.

Now on to something I’m a bit obsessed with: doll bodies – I am FASCINATED by doll joints; I blame it on studying puppetry as part of my degree!  The dolls that come with experiments have articulation at the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips and knees. The basic dolls (no experiment) only have shoulder and hip articulation.  Both types have head movement.  Lower arms, hands, and lower legs all attach with peg joints, like Pullip dolls; this means being careful when positioning your girl (especially if you are on outdoor travels), lest you lose one of her limbs!  Speaking of which, the reason Kitty – my Pullip Catwoman – only has one hand in the photo is because doll joints can be VERY delicate…  A couple of complaints: for all the sense of girl-power about this range, it’s rather concerning that the body moulding shows quite prominent collarbones and a couple of ribs – not the healthiest message for the target audience.  And take a look at McKeyla’s lower arms… From one side they look fairly normal (for a doll), but from the other side they look like they’ve been steam-rollered!  Fun bit of MGA doll modesty - the basic McKeyla in the comparison photo came wearing a skirt, so she has painted-on white knickers. 

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Project Mc2 McKeyla McAlister articulated and basic versions - front view.
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Project Mc2 McKeyla McAlister articulated and basic dolls - back view. Basic was wearing a skirt, hence the painted-on underwear!
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Project Mc2 McKeyla McAlister doll joints**.

If you’re feeling like a spot of doll body-swapping or clothes-sharing, Project Mc2 girls have very similar proportions to Disney Descendants girls.  And, though I make doll clothes myself – coming to my Etsy – I’m happy to give you a hot tip that Kosucas (also on Etsy, and on Instagram) makes gorgeous Disney Descendants clothes that you may end up lusting after for your science girls…

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Ever After High Cerise Hood, and Project Mc2 McKeyla McAlister dolls**.
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Pullip Catwoman ('Kitty'), and Project Mc2 McKeyla McAlister dolls**.
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Disney Descendants Mal, and Project Mc2 Mckeyla McAlister dolls**.

Well, that’s all for now.  But expect more posts on the fashion adventures of McKeyla McAlister – both her official garments, and the ones I make for her.  And I’ll post the Decopatch makeover of her black plastic hat soon (it’s on my Instagram, but here there will be more pictures and they’ll be bigger and all in one post)!
 
Links to my Etsy and Instagram are via the sidebar on this page.
 
P.S. I haven’t seen any episodes of Project Mc2, so thank you to Wikipedia for filling me in on codenames etc.
 
*Apologies – some of it got torn prior to me photographing it.
**Please excuse the way some of these photos ended up being cropped a bit weirdly – it’s me forgetting to leave enough of a border for the proportions needed for this blog format (lesson learned!).


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May 09th, 2017

9/5/2017

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Running Away with 'The Night Circus'

24/4/2016

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PictureDetail from the back cover of the hardback

This is the first of what will probably turn out to be several installments based on this book, because I absolutely love it, and it has had a huge influence on my work, and is becoming an ever-increasing one upon my wardrobe…!

Le Cirque des Rêves, The Circus of Dreams, The Night Circus – a magical challenge, a magical circus, a magical love story. Flitting back and forth in time (sometimes, admittedly, a little confusingly – but then, confusion is what many of the book’s characters are feeling at some point or other), weaving a sparkly spell, Erin Morgenstern’s book grabbed me and scattered me with sparkle, and left me wishing it was all real. Part of the fun is the tantalising notion that, with proper instruction (and a lot of dedication!) it might just be possible to do magic!!




 If I attempt to give more than the vaguest of plot outlines I might be in danger of giving away too much, so I won’t.  It’s one of those books that has characters I’d want to meet, and it really did make me ache to find out what happened, whilst not wanting it to end.  The reader is in the curious, and privileged, position of being aware that the ‘illusions’ are real, but also of being able to experience the wonder of it all -  the sights, smells, tingles and tastes – as if we were unsuspecting visitors to the Circus, falling under its spell.  In the WH Smith edition of the paperback is a ‘bonus ride on the carousel’, titled ‘Around and Around (and Around)’, which is actually a rather lovely addition, rather than something tacked-on.  It’s an extra dose of wonder for those of us in danger of going cold turkey from the end of the dream.

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Underneath the dust jacket: the front cover, showing the clock set to midnight
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Inside the hardback: top hats and bowler hats
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The hardback and the paperback
‘The Night Circus’ gives the lie to the phrase ‘Never judge a book by its cover.’  The cover illustration - by Vania Zouravliov - is stunning, and captures the spirit of the book beautifully.  I’m fairly sure I wasn’t obsessed with black and white (and red) before encountering this book, but I am now!  Some of the first things I made that were based on it were felt flower brooches, inspired by the original rêveur, Herr Friederic Thiessen (and his buttonhole/boutonnier).  I ended up making a purple and white/ivory one too, as an ‘alternative rêveur’ colour scheme, because I prefer purple to red…  My long-standing fascination with showgirls, and lifelong love of beads and trimmings also means that this book and I were probably destined for each other!  It makes me want to build model tents (like Marco – but without the magic), and wear glamorous gowns and a top hat (like Celia), and buy a sugar rose and carefully wrap it up in tissue to keep as a memento.  One of the stranger effects of this fixation is that I currently have quite a few Mini Lalaloopsy dolls at various stage of being turned into (among others) Poppet, Widget, Celia, acrobats, a fire-eater, and a balloon-seller!
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Felt brooches inspired by Herr Friedrick Thiessen
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My alternative colour scheme! Brooch shown on a page from: 'Mauve: How One Man Invented a Colour that Changed the World', by Simon Garfield
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'Night Circus'-inspired head pieces in progress

If ‘The Night Circus’ really existed (and if they sold such a thing) I would buy a season ticket!  I would be a rêveur.  I am a rêveur.
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The Undead Charm of Ghoulia Yelps: How Monster High turned me into a doll collector.

25/3/2016

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Ghoulia Yelps - 'Scaris, City of Frights' version. Zombie geek-chic at it's finest!
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Ghoulia's 'Scaris' hoodie dress, with ribcage and brains details - side view, so you can see more of the hood
I discovered Monster High accidentally.  About this time four years ago I was in Boots (the chemist, which was a fairly odd place to come across a fashion doll), with a friend who was looking for something, when I saw a doll with blue hair;  my first thought was that she reminded me of Karou from ‘Daughter of Smoke and Bone’ by Laini Taylor, and I thought about customizing her.  Then I realised that she had grey skin (so, not Karou–suitable), and a rather lovely outfit, including fabulous glasses, and was called Ghoulia Yelps, from a range I’d never heard of before, Monster High, by Mattel.  I didn’t buy her then, but I kept thinking about her. For years – on and off – I’d thought about making doll clothes (for as long as I can remember I’ve loved period costume, and miniature things), but had never come across any dolls that were interesting enough to make them for – now I had, and I wanted to see what other characters Monster High had to tantalise me.  So I did some research(!), found myself becoming increasingly enchanted with Ghoulia, and ended up ordering her (the ‘Scaris, City of Frights’ version that I’d seen in the shop), and later Skelita Calaveras (I’ve got a bit of a thing for the Dia de los Muertos, and that and Skelita need at least one post devoted to each of them).  I especially love the de-oxygenated colour of her lips!  Her eyeshadow was a little too light for me, so I made it more smoky.

So, the premise of Monster High is that they are the children of famous monsters; Ghoulia is the daughter of ‘The Zombies’.  Most  dolls come with their own diary (in their ‘own’ handwriting), so their personalities are rounded-out, and you get to find out how they interact with other students; the diaries are interlinked, so you get glimpses of events from different viewpoints. There’s a lot of punning and wordplay involved with character names, and school subjects (Biology is ‘Biteology’, Physical Education is ‘Phys. Dead’).  The dolls are MUCH better jointed than the Barbies and Sindies of my childhood, with movement of the wrists, as well as hands and lower arms that detach to make changing outfits easier, and have a lot more individuality and expression.

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Some of the ghoulishly-gorgeous prints on Ghoulia's outfits: brains; blood-spatter; gravestones; ribcage-hearts; Periodic Table
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Basic/Original Ghoulia's diary - front cover
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Basic/Original Ghoulia's diary - 'About Me' page

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'Fashion Pack', 'Scaris' and 'Scooter Set' bags, with suitable gory themes, including the MH 'Skullette' with G's glasses!
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'Dead Tired' slippers, 'Scooter' boots, and 'Dot Dead Gorgeous' shoes
Every character’s clothes and accessories reflect their monster heritage and their interests.  The details are brilliant, and I love the shoes! As a zombie, Ms Yelps’s wardrobe features quite a lot of blood drips, bones and brains, with occasional eyeballs, sometimes as prints, sometimes as textures on bags and shoes; she even has a dress and rucksack with a gravestone theme. It’s a mixture of deliciously dark and very funny – sometimes the designs are so pretty that at first you don’t realise what they are – a tiny pattern on her pyjamas that could be flowers, but is blood spatter, and the lovely, squiggly brains pattern on her fabulous ‘Scaris’ hoodie dress.  Ghoulia is a sweet, shy, but hip super-nerd with a passion for graphic novels (especially ones featuring her zombie superhero ‘DeadFast’), so a key part of her style is her collection of glasses, which, as she writes in her diary, ‘go with everything’ – the glasses motif even follows through to her ‘Dead Tired’ slippers, and on the Monster High ‘Skullette’ on her bags. Such is her status as nerd-in-chief that she even has a dress with the Periodic Table printed on it!  And when it comes to those little extras that help to define someone, the icing on the cake is her carton of ‘Brain Puffs’ (perfect for sleepovers) and her DeadFast comic book and action figure.

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'Phys. Dead' goggles; green 'Comic Book Club' glasses; black 'Freaky Fusion-inspired' glasses
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'DeadFast' zombie superhero action figure and graphic novel from the 'Comic Book Club' fashion pack, and Brainpuffs from the 'Dead Tired' doll

So Ghoulia was the tip of the iceberg.  Then ‘Scaris’ Skelita then ‘Picture Day’ Spectra Vondergeist  (see what they did there??) for variety of themes and colours in potential dressmaking.  Then it just sort of snowballed.  I read somewhere that you start off saying that you’re only going to get one or two or three MH dolls at most, but you always end up getting more: undeniably true in my case.  And that’s not even counting the second hand ones from eBay that I bought because I liked the outfit and it was cheaper than buying a new doll… I started reading doll blogs.  And learning about re-roots and face-ups. Then customizing ‘CAMs’ (MH ‘Create a Monster’).  Then I made a couple of tentative excursions into ‘Ever After High’ territory, and not long after first spotting Ms Yelps I’d become a little bit fixated on the cuteness of Mini Lalaoopsies (again – that’s a topic for other posts). Through reading various doll blogs I became aware of other dolls – as you do – particularly Blythe and Pullip, and decided they were ideal candidates for custom doll clothes too. Up until this point I’d been keeping my interest fairly quiet, and I was possibly slightly in denial about the extent of it, but when it gets to a certain point of accumulating dolls – especially the more niche kinds -you just have to face up to it and admit: ‘I am a doll collector’!

Useful links:
For MH diaries: http://monsterhigh.wikia.com/wiki/Doll_diaries

For posts about all sorts of different dolls and aspects of doll collecting - Confessions of a Doll Collector’s Daughter:
https://dollyconfessions.wordpress.com


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It's fun to mix-and-match! 'Freaky Fusion-inspired glasses, & 'Love's Not Dead' earrings on 'Scaris' doll
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Two VERY different dolls: Monster High Ghoulia Yelps with Mini Lalaloopsy April Sunsplash! If you search for mini Lalaloopsy customs online, you'll see several that are based on MH - this is obviously NOT one of them!
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Welcome to Sparkle Malarkey Spritzer!

18/3/2016

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Peacock feather, lace & studs headpiece
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Sadie - 'Sally Salmagundie' Blythe, post-makeover
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Rose centre
So, this is the start of my blog.  "Does the world really need another one?" you may ask.  Possibly not, but Instagram (much though I love it) doesn't allow for going into great detail about things in one entry.  So here we are.  This blog is a bit of a mishmash, because that's how my mind works; some of it will be about millinery and headpieces; some of it about doll clothes and customising (Blythe and Monster High in particular); parts of it will be about books and films and flower photos and anything else that takes my fancy, because all sorts of things tend to end up being inspiration and influences for my work.  So be warned: if you can't cope with a mixture of ribbons and re-rooting (of doll hair); feathers and face-ups (doll repaints); beading and body-mould comparisons, or  flowers and fashion, this blog may not be for you!
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'Night Circus'-inspired headpiece in progress
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Ivory & blush ostrich feather pompom headpiece
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Peach & gold 'Peony' headpiece with veil
I've had a bit of a thing for headwear for as long as I can remember.  I also love feathers, ribbons, beading, small things, and sparkle.  And I have a love of renaissance fashion and showgirls; so when I make headpieces those elements tend to make themselves known.  I love making petite, detailed pieces, that are like little treasures.  Sometimes I'll base a whole piece around a particular type of fabric or ribbon, other times I get fixated on something and it just seeps into whatever I make.  A few years ago I fell in love with a book called 'The Night Circus', by Erin Morgenstern, and that's been such an influence that it's spread from headpieces to brooches to doll clothes and Mini Lalaloopsy makeovers, and requires at least one separate blog post all of its own!  I love colour and texture and vintage-esque glamour (without slavishly following the style of any particular era), and flowers, and sparkle - sparkle is good.
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Ghoulia Yelps & Wydowna Spyder looking at fabrics for Monster High doll clothes
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Cresta Eyrie - Monster High CAM Harpy (re)root
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Mexican-inspired skirt toile for Skelita Calaveras
The doll-collecting thing crept up on me over the last few years, and I only really came out of the doll closet last year, when I started posting on Instagram.  As a child, I was more fond of teddy bears; I had Sindy and Barbie dolls, but found them rather uninspiring.  I was always making miniature rooms and things, and loved sewing.  In the back of my mind was the thought of finding interesting dolls to make clothes for - and then, by chance, I happened upon Monster High, and that led me to Blythe and Pullip.  I'll save the voyage of discovery for other posts, but I've ended up with various different dolls, some of whom are customized (or in the process of being customized), and all of whom are inspiration to make doll outfits.  I'm starting out with dressing gowns - because a girl needs something to wear when she's in-between outfits, or is having a spa session - and then trousers (Sadie, my first Blythe, likes wide-leg trousers), and intend to indulge my love of gorgeous fabrics and sparkle with skirts, dresses, capes, and whatever else I fancy.  Oh, and hats! Doll hats: it seemed a natural progression from human headwear to doll headwear; so far it's witch's hats, and top hats, but I have a feeling that bonnets will be putting in an appearance sooner or later... So future posts will cover a crash course in Blythe for beginners - because it's a bit (as in VERY) confusing to the uninitiated, well me, anyway(!), work in progress on clothes and hats, Monster High doll re-roots, and all sorts of other things.
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'Cloud 9 Bowl' & 'Simply Love Me' Blythes pre-makeover
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Sasha & Sadie in Pullip and Blythe dressing gown toiles
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Blythe & Pullip witch's hats
Enough for now, I think.  I'm aiming to post once or twice a week, with future posts dealing with just one thing at a time (less confusing all round).  I hope you've found this interesting/diverting/promising enough to visit again.  Happy Sparkles to you!
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    Sparkle Malarkey Spritzer is a place where I can go into more detail than on my Instagram about work in progress, current obsessions, past projects and anything else that takes my fancy.  All photos  ©Tonya Robinson unless otherwise stated.

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