Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

New Projects

It's been a few weeks since I posted here. Been busy with a number of projects and activities. I've also fallen in love with another type of doll, a modern doll, which has recently been discontinued - Liv by Spin Master. My son had a bookcase he was no longer using and it'd been collecting dust in his room. I'd been eyeing it for a long time measuring it up for a dollhouse, but it was too small for 18-22 inch Candies, yet perfect for Liv. So building this dollhouse is yet another project added to my long "to do" list.
"Work in progress" photos are being updated periodically on my Flickr page here:
WIP House Of Liv
You can see my collection of Liv on Flickr as well, here:
My Liv Collection

Going back to Candies, my dolls now have two lovely chairs, both miniature reproductions of their full size cousins. Until my dream of a house for Candies comes true, a nice sitting diorama is more feasible in the near future. Here's a pic of the two chairs. Nice, aren't they?













This is a picture I took of Amber sitting in the wing chair. It fits these dolls perfectly.


















I recently made this litte nautical dress for vintage Candies. I called the outfit "Pearly Shells"









This is a closeup of the jewelry ( "Sea Breeze" ) vintage Candy is wearing in the pictures above, but in the following photo the jewelry is modelled by my repro Candy, Dixie. Check out the pretty swirls inside the white bead. The blue beads resemble ice cubes, and the elongated beads have pearly finish.
I also sold a couple of more items. This is a swimming suit set ( "Fun In The Sun" ) that includes a two piece suit, wrap, hat and tote:







These are a couple of dresses I made from the same fabrics I used for the Easter outfits. Both came with the jewelry. The blue dress ( "Forget-me-nots" ) sold very quickly, the pink ( "Something Different" ) is available. Just let me know if interested. It, too, comes with the jewelry pictured. (candyfashionpassion@gmail.com)

Newer Candy projects

Well, I've been keeping busy making new items every day, some for sale and some for my own dolls. The biggest project still on paper and not yet started is a dollhouse/diorama for Candies and my other dolls that go with them. I need a better way to display my collection, but because these dolls are much larger than, say, Barbies, they need something custom made to accomodate them. While this project is still more or less a dream, I've started on the furniture and accessories that would go into the future dollhouse. Luckily, Hobby Lobby has a few unfinished wooden furniture pieces for larger dolls. I have bought a cupboard (yet needs finishing! Pics later...) and this chest of drawers which I finished in pecan varnish.

I found this cute whicker chair at an antique store a few months ago. In this picture is a little setup I made for one of my Candies's Valentine's Day display:

There is a cross-stitched oriental rug in the making - a lengthy project, but well worth the trouble when it's finished. Plus, I am almost done with a beautiful white bed for one of the 11 and 1/2 " children dolls by Madame Alexander who will join the Candies in their future dollhouse. Pictures of all these will be coming soon....




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Meanwhile, Eliza and Amber decided to head to a Fine Arts Museum to look at one particular painting of the two of them as young girls spending summers by the sea. (The painting is oil on canvas, painted by my husband ((nothing to do with the dolls, but I thought would serve as a nice prop for pictures)): http://edwardhilder.com ) He is also the one who created the lighting for these pictures and photographed the two dolls for me. The outfits in the pictures are made by me, so is the jewelry. Eliza is Bonnie Bride doll by Deluxe Reading who is identical to Candy Fashion, except she is not as poseable. There is more information about these dolls in links to the right. I made some changes to the Bonnie Bride doll by piercing her ears and replacing her hair with the wig you see in the pictures.

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I put lots of love into each item I make, and sometimes it is hard to let them go. But the idea that someone else is enjoying them makes me very happy. This is a couple of items I recently sold that I absolutely enjoyed making.


"Rosebuds" night gown & robe set:

"Lavender & Lace" earrings and necklace:

Meet Dixie – Candy Fashion Reproduction Doll from “The Starlet Collection”

This is the newest resident of my “Candy Land”. I named her Dixie, and she is a brunette with brown eyes Candy doll by Charisma Brands, and comes with “The Starlet Collection” wardrobe. I believe she is the latest of Charisma’s Candies, and I have to admit, the quality seems to be betting better and better. My one and only complaint about Charisma’s Candies is the boots, as they are quite difficult to put on, and you better watch out for the stockings which can be torn at the toes while the boots are being pulled on over them. Other than that, the outfits and the doll are splendid. Here’s what Charisma Brands say about their “Starlet” Candy: “Representing a few of the most memorable costumes in film. Dressed in Movie Premiere – a white polyblend halter dress with pin pleating and highlighted with long white evening gloves and high heels. Two additional costumes include: (1) Awards Ceremony, a stunning clingy black evening gown, wrap, a faux pearl necklace, black gloves and pumps and (2) Hollywood Glamour, a gold sleeveless turtle neck dress, leopard print coat and black go-go boots.”




And here are some of my own pictures of this gorgeous doll with her three fabulous outfits.




“Movie Premiere” dress, very Marilyn Monroe. I decided to put the necklace in her hair for the “Princess Tag Game” on Flickr, hence the background in the first picture.

“Hollywood Glamour” is another stunning outfit, and looks beautiful with or without the coat.

And last but not least “Awards Ceremony” . An Audrey Hepburn style dress, another fantastic dress to conclude this incredible collection.

"The Starlet Collection" is so pretty, I’ll have a hard time redressing this doll. However, she can’t go in formal attire every day of the life, wink-wink, and will have to let her hair down sometimes and mingle with my other Candies lol.

Meet Sunny - My Candy Fashion Doll from "The Groovy Collection"

This is Sunny, my Candy Fashion reproduction doll from “The Groovy Collection” by Charisma. Sunny has three original outfits, which include Flower Power, MOD and Paisley. Here's what Charisma Brands say about this doll and her outfits: "Kicking down the cobble stones, Candy Fashion™ is looking for fun and feelin’ groovy! The sixties were a time filled with lots of changes. Fashion was colorful, rebellious and different than anything we had ever seen. The "Groovy Collection" is a vibrant tribute to a bygone era. With these ensembles, she will definitely make any scene! "Flower Power" is a far out polyester mini-dress complete with matching hair scarf and knee high white go-go boots. "MOD" is straight from the swinging boutiques in London, a lipstick pink metallic knit mini-dress with pink fishnet stockings and pumps. "Paisley" is wearing a hip two-piece brown faux suede cape and bell bottom pants accented with a paisley orange sleeveless shirt, gold ring belt and brown boots."





This outfit is called "Flower Power"

This outfit is called "MOD"

This outfit is called "Paisley"

Closeup of Sunny's face: