Gus Starts a New Hobby

Gus has been staying safe in his doll studio, and with many of the other fashion dolls on instagram being photographed in extremely casual attire, I wanted to show Gus' personal spin on a look en déshabillé. Here he is, lounging around in Derek Rose-inspired boxer shorts and Versace-inspired fuzzy slippers. 
 

A close-up of Gus' fuzzy slippers, and the Versace men's slippers that inspired them.  

Relaxing indoor hobbies are great ways to keep busy and de-stress at the same time. Gus is leading by example, here, and has taken up the timeless craft of knitting. I made the tiny knitting needles from paper cue-tip sticks, sharpened in a pencil sharpener, and painted with acrylic.

 

Who knows? with a little perseverance, Gus' miniature knitting project may become a scarf! I think his Lanvin-inspired bag makes a great knitting tote. 

A Springtime Gala for Dolls

Yesterday I co-hosted my first ever virtual instagram party with the amazing @adrian.dollslife

We planned a spring gala, with the idea to boost morale during social distancing, and to give all the instagram fashion doll collectors a reason to pull out all the stops, style their dolls in their most glamorous ensembles, and spend the evening sharing their art with other doll collectors around the world.  We worked on planning the event for weeks, and with input from Adrian's photographer, I created the poster art and invitation above. 

Then, I started worked on outfits for Gus and Lucian. I wanted to create something extra special to do the occasion justice. For Lucian, I decided on a suit, inspired by looks from the Dolce & Gabbana Spring/Summer 2020 show and their 2019 Alta Sartoria show.  

I was a little stumped though, about what to make for Gus, so I did what I always do in that situation, and re-watched a whole bunch of runway shows. I found some inspiration from Dior, Louis Vuitton, and some others, and after some brainstorming with @stovallthedoll and @adrian.dollslife, I settled on a hot-pink suit (something that has been popping up on several runways, with a spray of orchids, inspired by Dior's pre-fall 2020 show, and a wallet chain, inspired by ones from Dior's Fall Winter 2020 collection.  

Designing doll clothes can be quite a process!

Here are Lucian and Gus, preparing for the event:

And here they are, ready to party! I had so much fun crafting each little detail of their outfits, from the crowns down to the shoes. I dug into my jewelry making supplies for tiny gold and silver charms, Followed paper orchid making tutorials on youtube, unraveled scraps of full-sized gold braid to make miniature gold braid.

The party was so much fun, I definitely would like to do something similar, with another theme, next spring!

Gus Works Out

Just because we're indoors, doesn't mean we don't sweat. Here is Gus, working on his pushups to keep in top modeling shape.

Well, Gus' workout took a sudden change of direction. That's ok, Gus, Sinatra the beagle needs his exercise too.

Two Models at a Wedding

The amazing miniature photographer, @carliekarl, invited me to attend his dolls' virtual instagram wedding. I had the honor of making the bride a tiny flower crown, in the same style as Gus', and it was so wonderful to see photos of her, all styled in it, for her special day! I really wanted my instagram post to do the event justice, so I made some tiny pocket squares, champaign glasses, and Lucian's first bespoke suit, for the occasion! 

Here are Gus, Sinatra, and Lucian, congratulating the charming couple, Ram and Chari, and Wishing them many years of love and joy.

More Mini Bags!

After seeing the custom Coach-inspired Musette bag that I made for Stovall, two other miniature enthusiasts on instagram wanted Musette bags as well! 

One customer ordered their bag double-wide, with extra roomy pockets. It is going to be a very manly diaper bag for a 1:6 scale papa. The other bag has the proportions of the Coach-inspired original, but has been scaled to fit comfortably on the shoulder of an Enterbay action figure. Like the original, each bag is fully lined, with two exterior side pockets, and one interior divider. 

  

While I was making so many bags, I also made Gus a tote, inspired by the Lanvin Bogey Bag, from their Fall/Winter 2020 menswear collection. 

Here is Gus, modeling all three of the new bags at once!

Blackwatch and Blue

Two new bespoke Enterbay sized jackets are in the design studio: A blue cotton blazer, and a Blackwatch plaid jacket, inspired by a Ralph Lauren Purple Label design.

Chanel for Lucian

My mother saw this beautiful Chanel sweater, modeled by the incomparable @altonmason, in their Fall 2019 runway show. She got inspired, and knit a miniature replica of it for Lucian! It's an absolute treasure! Such a wonderful gift, and just in time for my Birthday! 

Ties!

I had to make some tiny ties for a commission, and I may have gotten a little carried away while testing out my pattern. 

Tiny ties are so fun and rewarding to make, and they look so cute too! Gus has quite a collection now, but truly, a boy who wears suits can't have too many ties.  

Plaid Flannel and a Pattern

Gus is ready for the spring thaw in his @isabelmarant Fall/winter 2019 inspired jacket. Here he is, modeling, next to the inspiration.

I used my Mackinaw and Light Jacket pattern to create this cozy flannel piece. The digital pattern can be purchased in the Tiny Apparel Patterns etsy shop.

Plants and Patinas

A while ago, @thelifeofstovall made me a pair of custom 3D printed planters and a beautiful 3D printed garden bench in the same classically-inspired style. Because each piece was printed in solid gray, I decided to customize them with a patina. To achieve a slightly weathered look, I first used a thin metallic gunmetal gray craft paint as a wash, making sure that it settled in all the recesses of the planters and bench, adding depth, and a subtle sparkle. When they were dry, I washed over all the planes and high spots with matte white acrylic, and finally I dry brushed all the raised details with a thick layer of the white paint.

Gus, here, is demonstrating the process:

To fill each container, I first stuffed it with tissue paper. Next, I clipped some leaves from a spray of artificial foliage, and glued their stems inside of an oversized wood bead. I then twisted clippings, from a faux evergreen wreath, into a ring shape and pushed them into the planter, on top of the tissue paper. Finally, I tucked the wood bead in the center of the planter, and arranged the artificial foliage until I was happy with it. 

Some mini flower pots and paper houseplants, made with the help of a @myfroggystuff tutorial, complete Gus' greenhouse. It looks like a lovely spot to relax with a good book!

Lucian Gets a Makeover

For a while, Gus' albino cousin, Lucian, has had a very structured pompadore. I originally styled his hair by gluing unraveled wool yarn over his plastic coif. However, I though a less structured style might suit him better, so, in a daring move, I removed his plastic pomp and gave him some soft, waving locks in a tousled fringe. Below, you can see before, and after. 

A Coach Musette Bag

I am working on another trade with @stovallthedoll! I was thinking that a bench, to go with my Tuscan planters, would be really neat, and he thought that Stovall could use a Coach-inspired Musette bag. He sent me a few reference pictures, and I ordered some lovely soft faux leather from Mood.

While he designed a beautiful classical stone bench for his 3D printer, I got to work on the Musette bag. It's not an exact scale model, but I did my best to capture all of the basic elements, like the two front pockets separated with a pleat, contrasting topstitching, and the stylish tag fastened to the right side with a chain. 

The bag: all stitched and ready for hardware.  

I was asked to make the lining of the bag a surprise, so for now, I will just say that I included all the major elements of the original bag's interior.  

 Here is the complete bag, side-by-side with the original!

Bespoke Boat Shoes

I just created two pairs of tiny bespoke paper boat shoes, and shipped them off to two Ken dolls living in Milan, Italy! I feel so honored and excited! Milan has so many wonderful connotations when it comes to fashion and style! 

Here are the paper shoes, before and after painting. The gentleman who ordered them has also requested that I come up with a design for miniature chelsea boots. I have never made doll-sized chelsea boots before, but I am very excited to try!