The Virtual Garage Sale

Thank you to everyone who made a purchase and to everyone who commented!  It means a lot to me.  It was also nice to move to New Jersey without quite so many dolls. :)

The Virtual Garage Sale will now be used to sell most of the dolls I review.  Each doll will be placed into the shop when their review goes live!  The shop tab will appear at the top of the page when it is active again.

My Scene Barbie "Sailor Sweeties" Kennedy.

The My Twinn Project Shop

I'm in the process of launching an Etsy shop to sell some of the My Twinn dolls I'm fixing up right now or have fixed in the past.  I've also set up a temporary blog-like website to chronicle the steps I take to restore these dolls. I thought anyone who enjoyed the My Twinn makeover posts on this site might be interested!

I reviewed another brand of doll (the My Way Kids) over on the new blog, so I'll link that review here.

Here's the link to the blog: The My Twinn Project Shop

A Denver-era My Twinn Catherine doll who's in my (long) restoration queue!

WWE Superstars Eva Marie by Mattel

Well, I'm back in business with a new camera, thanks to my mom and a gorgeous little Cannon she didn't need anymore.  Thank you, Mom!  I'm still experimenting with settings, so these pictures are a bit flaky.  For example, the doll I'm looking at today, WWE Superstars Eva Marie, is not quite as much of a fiery redhead as she looks in many of my pictures (it's a bit more orange-tinged in reality) but she's every bit as fierce:

WWE Superstars Eva Marie by Mattel, $14.99.

Another My Twinn Interlude

I'm working on a few short reviews of play dolls that I bought a while ago, but I'm really slow these days.  My trusty old Cannon point-and-shoot camera is dying, so I'm discouraged by my pictures.  I've been using my iPhone a lot, but it's not the same--as you'll see.

Anyway, since it's taking me so long to get a review done, that slightly creepy Hairdorables picture has been at the top of the site for weeks...and I'm getting tired of it!  So, today I thought I'd quickly share another My Twinn project so that we can all look at something different until the next review comes along.

I've been enjoying the work I'm doing on My Twinn dolls, although the passion is starting to wane a bit.  I'm happiest when I'm working with a doll that's really beat up--almost a lost cause--but has some feature that captures my affection, like a gentle expression or pretty eyes:

Denver-era Denika by My Twinn.

Sunday Surprise: Hairdorables by Just Play!

Happy Sunday!  As I mentioned a few weeks ago, several of the comments here prompted me to investigate the latest blind box doll sensation, the Hairdorables!  These toys follow the lead of the L.O.L. Surprise dolls by offering a complex package-opening experience, with several little surprises to uncover along the way.  Originally, I intended to compare these dolls directly to L.O.L.'s most recent offering (the Under Wraps wave), but this post is long enough as it is, so I'll look at an Under Wraps toy in a week or two.

Hairdorables are made by Just Play (not to be confused with Jay at Play, the makers of the Boxy Girls).  I think the most recent Just Play toys I reviewed here were the Spirit Riding Free horses and riders.  I can actually see a resemblance between the dolls from that collection and these new Hairdorables:

Hairdorables "Bella Bunerina" doll, $12.88 .

The My Twinn Lenora Saga

I wanted to stop in and tell you the story of how the My Twinn Lenora makeover turned out, especially because so many of you were kind enough to give me your advice and support after my last update.  Thank you!  For anyone who didn't read the previous post about Lenora, I'll do a short recap.

Basically, I'm still addicted to My Twinn dolls.  In particular, I'm addicted to "project dolls," or really inexpensive, hopeless-looking Denver-era My Twinns that need a lot of work.  They keep me busy and happy.

I was fortunate enough to find a Denver Lenora on eBay (for a great price) who needed a ton of attention, including a new finger!

My well-loved Denver-era My Twinn Lenora.

Wizarding World Hermione Granger by Mattel

Well, I'm finally back with a Wizarding World Hermione review!  I was going to try and keep this post a little shorter than it is, but I wanted to throw in some comparisons to other Mattel Hermione dolls (one of which I've never shown on the blog), and that took a little longer than I anticipated.

I've also finished the Lenora My Twinn restoration and am just waiting for a sub-90% humidity day so that I can get her outside for a few final pictures.  I think you'll be surprised by how she looks.  Predictably, that project prompted about six more My Twinn makeovers, but I doubt I'll chronicle those on the blog.  I've also invested in a few Hairdorables.  I haven't been keeping up with new doll releases the way I used to, so I had no idea what Hairdorables were until several of you told me about them in the Boxy Girls review.  Thank you!  Those seem like a perfect Sunday Surprise.  All in all, I've been working on several different things, which is great for keeping my mind off the empty nest. However, today will be all about Hermione!

I bought all four of the Wizarding World child dolls (Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny) and, of the four, decided to review Hermione because I have a bit of a tradition reviewing Hermione dolls on this blog.  You can see another Mattel Hermione review here, and my two Star Ace Hermione reviews here and here.  There's no mistaking that the Wizarding World version of Hermione was made by Mattel (she looks like Barbie), but the iconic hair and outfit immediately conjure the spunky and inimitable Ms. Granger:

Wizarding World Hermione Granger doll, $20.97.