December 2011 ~ UPDATES !

LAST POST:  November 4, 2011 ...

I finally opened my etsy shop ... YAY !!!

I have been busy with photo shoots, listings, a few sales, and even more CREATING!

I have also received a NEW GIRL!!!  I got her for such a great price, and of course, I LOVE HER!!!


She is an Ashton Drake Galleries (ADG) Pleasant Peasant, with the most gorgeious BLONDE HAIR, with a right-side part.  She is probably NOT going to receive any customization from me, except PERHAPS a gaze correction ???  We shall see .....

Introducing:  HOLLISTER HARMONICA

She is just SO BEAUTIFUL !!!

I have to admit ... I DID add a row of eyelashes to her stock plastic ones, that seem to bug me ... the way they just jut out, straight, no personality ... And I didn't even glue them on ... I just sort of "placed" them there on the top of her existing lashes   (thus, in some pictures, you can see where they have slipped ... oops!)


In all these photos, HOLLISTER is wearing MY DESIGNS ~  Available now at my little etsy shop, named "Swan Love Designs".

I have made a lot of simple little dresses, but added a silver or gold-tone buckle (metal, not plastic) and added a length of coordinating or contrasting TULLE .... which I make into an OVERSIZE DRAMATIC BOW ... which could be worn in the front, or the back .... and also, the tulle can be replaced with different color tulle, AND/OR ... even ribbon!  The possibilities for these dresses to change their appearance is ENDLESS!

HERE is Hollister with her ADG Sister:  NENETL  (ADG Aztec Arrival):

(They are my etsy girl models, of course !)

Introducing: NENETL NENETL; my VERY FIRST REAL BLYTHE DOLL!

Thanks to Patty in New Jersey, the one whom I adopted the Little Big Eyes dolls "4 sisters" from, who inspired me SO MUCH to TRY and find a "reasonably priced" real Blythe ...

I found her on the auction site ... for only $125. !  I thought that was pretty reasonable.  First of all, she was never played with and still in her original box.  Then, she was in the U.S., so I didn't have to stress about package delivery, overseas customs, or just plain items getting lost in transit (and if you are a seller on any auction site, you KNOW the issues that can occur!)

She is an ADG;  Ashton Drake Galleries edition of AZTEC ARRIVAL.  Apparently, that is the name of one of the ORIGINAL KENNER Blythe dolls, and Ashton Drake Galleries made some reproduction models of those original designs, keeping the same names.

Sellers photo of AZTEC ARRIVAL for adoption;  Ashton Drake Galleries edition

Another reason I was attracted to THIS doll, is her title:  In high school, prior to all the uproar regarding ethnic mascot names ... our mascot was AZTECS.  I was even in the Drill Team, and our parade costumes included a massive headdress, complete with Turquoise, black and white feathers!

THAT'S ME ... on the left :)

Okay, so BACK to HOW SHE GOT HER NAME:

I immediately went on-line to do a little research, and discovered an entire webiste (probably these are even more of these ... ) dedicated to the RIGHTFUL name of "Aztecs".  In a nutshell, the name/ title of "Aztec" is some sort of insult;  a name conjured up by Europeans. 

Here are the direct quote(s) from their site:

"Aztec" is a name conjured up by Europeans. 
We never called ourselves Aztecs. The Spaniards never called us Aztecs.

Our name is Mexica (Meh-sheeh-kah).

Aztec refers to our people when they lived in Aztlan. In Aztlan it would have been right to have used that word. But in the 16th century, "Aztec" was a word that was no longer used because all the people who came from Aztlan now called themselves Mexica, Tlaxcallan, Texcoco, Tlacopan, or any other of the names of the cities in which they lived. 


Please read the history below so that you will have a good understanding of the Nahuatl names you will be choosing for yourself or for your child. 

a) A ONE WORD NAME, no surname. You would use it twice in order to satisfy European occuppier legal requirements (Mazatl Mazatl or Tochtli Tochtli).

IT IS the tradition for their children to be named with the SAME FIRST AND LAST NAME !

Nahuatl Pronunciation:    How to pronounce words in Nahuatl:

TL: at the end of a word should just pronounce the T---the L should be silent.

So, after all that … I chose:  NENETL NENETL.  Which is pronounced “Nenet” … which means …

DOLL !  I think that is TOTALLY COOL !!!

NENETL NENETL
This is poooooor little factory Blythe, straight out of the box.
Her hair is a beautiful bronze/copper/red color, but the style is quite hideous.
Her FACE IS GREEN (apparently, a known issue with ADG girls).
Her eyeshadow is ALSO a hideous GREEN color.
And to add insult to injury, Ashton Drake decided to add
THE MOST HIDEOUS LIP COLOR to this poor girl!
Did they REALLY think that the PUKE-ISH, PINKY-PURPLE-MAUVY tone went well
with her GREEN TINTED COMPLEXTION and her GREEN EYE SHADOW
and her RED/COPPER HAIR?????
That is not even mentioning her STOCK eye chip colors, yikes.  PINK?  ORANGE?  REALLY????

However, as I am not a customizer ... and I MAINLY have her to model my CROCHET FASHIONS ... I am not sure how much I can do, that will cost little to no money, and require little to no skill ... but can change the MOST glaringly obvious "un-desireble" traits they gave her.

Another note here:  In all my extensive research, I have noticed and read where a doll owner will put her girl up for adoption, for the reason of "not bonding".  I guess it may be because I am of a possessive nature, being a "moon child" and cancer crab (we hold on tight with our little crab claws, and would rather the item break off in our claw, than to let go!  true fact. ) ... but, I could NEVER, EVER give away ANY doll that was once "mine".  (exception: if she was purchased for the reason of re-sale, remained in her box, kept in storage and I never took her out.)