Entry 4 - Lila Isabelle Carson (Pepper)

Hey, everyone! My name is Pepper. You may or may not have heard of my YouTube channel called AGSonoranSunset. Thank you so much N for holding this contest! Without further ado, here is my paper doll and her collection:

                                       

Hi! My name is Lila Isabelle Carson. I am a busy middle school student who loves nature, shopping, and is on a competitive synchronized swimming team. Almost all of the clothes I wear can be mixed and matched. The outfit you see me wearing is something I usually wear to school. The shirt I am wearing is a hot pink long sleeved V-neck with white cuffed sleeves and some embroidery in the left corner. The pants are cargo style Capri pants and my shoes are cranberry colored sneakers. This is such a comfy outfit!

                                 

I am about to go to school. The lime green back pack straps are so cool! And that is my back pack! I love the colors in it.

                             

                        

 Now it is time to warm up for my swim meet! Listening to my iPod helps me relax before competitions. 

                                 

This is my swimsuit I wear for synchronized swimming. It is an off the shoulder purple bikini with ruffles and black polka dots.

                          

After competitions, I relax by the pool with my favorite lavender sun glasses and my polka dot beach towel signed by all of my teammates.

                                  

When I’m not swimming, I love to explore the outdoors. This outfit is my all-time favorite! The denim shorts match perfectly with the golden yellow fringe crop top. I love the fringe boots!

                                  

This is my party dress, the only thing in my wardrobe that is not that the top and skirt aren’t separate. (Obviously because it’s a dress!) I wear this to school dances with my matching jelly sandals. This outfit is so cute!

  

This is my beautiful bedroom. My bed has a white duvet cover with tiny gold flowers and blue polka dots. My pillow is also blue. I have a bunny named Coco that I got for my birthday to years ago. His bed is a birthday gift too, that my BFF Vera made.

                                      

This is my night gown. It consists of a striped camisole, short blue skirt, long dark blue skirt, and little orange slippers. Whenever I get too hot I just take off one of the skirts!

This is my whole collection!

I hope you enjoyed my paper doll Lila and her collection! Have a great rest of your day everyone! –Pepper :o)

Thank you Lila and Pepper!

Want to enter the contest to win a sheet of the latest AG releases? Go here:

 http://paper-doll-world.blogspot.com/2013/07/exciting-new-contest-starts-today.html 

Entry 3 - Cleo (Jan Brady)

This is my entry for the contest! :). Meet Cleo!  :). Here is a little bit about her; divided into two book synopses about her.  :)

Meet Cleo

~~~~~~~~~

Cleo is finally doing what she's always dreamed of doing: volunteering at her local animal shelter.  She has just turned 13, and therefore is old enough.  As a Junior Volunteer, there are lots of other girls exactly her age volunteering there too.  She finds a friend in Juliet, another girl who is thirteen.  But then miscellaneous incidents have been going on at the shelter that are confirmed as done by the JVs; that weren't supposed to happen.  The girls' archenemy at the shelter, Sally, another JV in a higher rank, has been saying that Cleo did them....and the staff believe her.  In consequence, Cleo is given a warning before being suspended from volunteering.  When Cleo confronts Sally, she says that Juliet told her that Cleo did them.  Juliet denies it...but Cleo doesn't know what to think.  Their friendship is put to the test.  Will it stand?

Cleo Rises High

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Things are finally back to normal again between Cleo and Juliet.  The shelter, on the other hand, isn't doing so well.  They are running short on money, and need a fundraising idea....fast.  Cleo has a great idea to hold a fancy dance gala to raise money; complete with an orchestra, dance floor, punch, waltzes....you get the point.  But with her reputation sullied at the shelter, no one will listen to her.  Worse, Sally has been trying to produce false evidence that Cleo had been doing the incidents.  Cleo decides to enlist Juliet to help her pull together the dance gala, along with Miss Louise, a staff member who believes that Cleo didn't do the incidents.  They go all over town, but they can't seem to find anyone to help with the dance.  They need refreshments, a venue, and the worst problem....an orchestra.  Meanwhile, Sally is satisfied when she finds out about their not working efforts.  Will Cleo be able to pull the dance together in time to save the shelter?  Will the plan rise high?  Or tumble down?

Meet Cleo!  She is dressed in her mall outfit, which she wears while shopping at the mall with Juliet.  It features a fluffy orange sweater, green necklace, and Cleo's favorite color block skirt.

Notice her favorite blue leopard print purse!  :)

Her whole collection.

Here she is dressed in her Junior Volunteer Uniform.  Her uniform shirt is a comfy t-shirt, featuring a barking puppy on the front.  Cleo pairs it with some colored, cuffed jeans.

This is Cleo's Flower Dress, which she wears to the gala.  Her floor length creation is made of violet silk, with delicate light pink lace along the hem and neckline, and a darker red sash.  The finishing touch is a blue taffeta flower.

This is Cleo's Desk, from her room, fittingly adorned with a puppy on the tabletop, her favorite animal.

Here you can see how the legs are decorated. :)

And it's the perfect size for her, too!  

Inspiration for Cleo: I am going to volunteer at an animal shelter soon, and I love animals.

I hope you like my entry!  :). Thank you very much!

Jan

Thank you Jan and Cleo! 

Want to enter the contest to win a sheet of the latest AG releases? Go here:

 http://paper-doll-world.blogspot.com/2013/07/exciting-new-contest-starts-today.html 

Entry 2 - Liberty Virginia (Chickadee)

Hi, my name is Chickadee, my doll is Liberty Virginia. Now I'll pass it over to her! Take it Liberty!

Thank you Chickadee for introducing me! Now on with business. I am 11 years old, and love to read, write, and take pictures!

                                

This is all of my stuff!

                               

This is my casual outfit, just for hanging out at home. It also doubles as my pjs!

                                

This is my favorite outfit of all 3 that I own! Also, I love taking nature pictures!

                                

This is my most fancy outfit, it is a gray and purple cardigan over a lime green tank top, with pinkie orange shorts! Also, my writing pad!

                               

And this is my fireworks themed bed! Thank you for taking the time to look at these photos, Liberty Virginia, signing off! 

My inspiration was Old Navy at the 4 of July.

Thank you Chickadee and Liberty Virginia! 

Want to enter the contest to win a sheet of the latest AG releases? Go here:

 http://paper-doll-world.blogspot.com/2013/07/exciting-new-contest-starts-today.html 

    

Night Out at the Ice Cream Parlor

Last night I took Violet and Perrin with me to the ice cream parlor.

We went with a regular ice cream container, but Violet looks cute beside the waffle bowls.

I had trouble deciding on ice cream flavors: watermelon or red velvet. I know, first world problems, but they were both so good.

Then we checked out the toppings.

Gummy bears or M&Ms?

                            

At last I completed the order and got to enjoy the ice cream.

                            

The angle of the picture is rather misleading - the container is much smaller than it appears.

Brain freeze!

(Just a warning for taking pictures of dolls in public places - make sure you have extra tape and doll shoes with you, and try to avoid taking pictures around other people. I got a weird look from some customers when I was trying to take photos!)

Two New EAH Dolls!

As seen on Facebook:

Hunter Huntsman (wow, what an original and clever name!). I like that they've released a boy doll, especially one that's not a prince, but it's a little weird that he has the same face mold as the girls. The outfit looks good, though.

Ashlynn Ella. While I do like the previously released dolls, Ashlynn is definitely one of the prettiest. That clock purse is really neat!

These two are apparently going to be released in a two-pack. I'm excited about recreating them in paper doll form - Ashlynn's shoes are going to be tricky!

Beat the Heat: Make Simple Summer Shoes

When the temperature reaches the triple digits, it's a good idea to slip on a pair of shoes before heading outside to prevent your feet from burning up. Here's a quick and easy tutorial for a pair of shoes that will keep doll feet looking cool and chic on even the hottest days.

Measure your doll's feet on a piece of paper, and draw the general outline of the shoe. 

                            

Draw in the details of the shoe. I made simple bow flats, but you can get really creative here with all sorts of patterns and details. A photography tip: if you can't get the camera to focus, add a doll to the photo. The camera will recognize a face, and then auto-focus to the proper degree. 

                             

Color them in, cut them out, and tape them to the doll's feet. You may need to trim them a little to get the exact fit. 

What items would you like a tutorial for?

Reminder: Contest Entries Due July 31!

Just wanted to remind everyone that you have until midnight on July 31 to submit your entries for the doll design contest. Currently there is only one entry, so your chances of winning are fantastic. Please go here (http://paper-doll-world.blogspot.com/2013/07/exciting-new-contest-starts-today.html) for the rules. I would really love to see what you come up with, and if I say so myself the prize is pretty nice!

You could win this sheet with almost all of the new releases, complete with the two new dolls and Meatloaf!

Please send all entries via email to mypaperdollworld@gmail.com. Can't wait to see your designs!

Paper Dolls Past

While I was cleaning up today, I found some old paper dolls that I thought would be fun to share with you. 

I made Gertrude when I was in kindergarten. As you can tell, I had no idea how to properly size clothes, so I'm sure that the outfit I made has no hope of fitting her (check out those minuscule red shoes!). I have no idea what the brown rectangles are - extra hair, perhaps? 

In addition to Gertrude, I made a brother, George. Again, his body is totally messed up (a few years later I tried to edit his feet and hands, which is why they look a little "off"), and I have no idea what's up with his hair. I like the addition of the gingerbread men, though, even though they also look really bizarre. 

The third doll I found was much more recent - I suspect from around 2010. I don't remember her name, so I used a random name generator to come up with Alice.

Alice was the first doll I made with removable hair - as you can see, the bangs and back can be switched out. Working with Alice today made me realize what a bad idea it was to make the hair separate instead of one piece (little pieces have a tendency to get lost and then reappear just as you've made the replacement). 

Alice's face is different too, particularly her nose. I was going for a more realistic look, but the end result, combined with her pupil-less eyes, is not as nice as I was hoping for.

                                           

Her body was not tape-laminated, and you can see how that has caused problems with her body. When I tried to remove her outfit, she almost tore.

                                   

Alice is wearing a retired AG hiking outfit (it wasn't retired when I made her, which makes me suspect that I made her around 2010) and a pink and green backpack. The outfit is all one piece, which is good for not losing pieces but eliminates mix and match potential.

     

Alice is about Quinn's size, but their faces and body shapes are completely different. Quinn's top does not fit Alice at all, and Quinn is drowning in Alice's outfit. Quinn's face looks more alert and friendly, while Alice's face looks blank and almost upset.

Conversely, Holly's swimsuit, which fits both Holly and the Blythes, is way too big on Alice. Alice's hiking outfit does not even come close to fitting Holly, so I didn't photograph it.

What Alice lacks in appearance, though, she makes up in accessories. I found this sheet with her, evidently planning to make her this set.

These are the accessories to Lanie's camper, rendered in the smallest scale I've ever made food. Alice herself may not be the greatest looking doll, but I really like these little items.

Another doll I found was this baby, also unnamed. She shares Alice's coloring, so perhaps I intended them to be siblings, though I can't place this doll in a time period. I'm sorry that this picture is so blurry, but it just shows to emphasize how small she is, that it is literally impossible to get a clear photo of her face.

                                       

According to the random name generator, her name is Ella. Ella's hair was once removable, but is now taped securely. She's tape laminated, though I don't know if I did it when I made her or later on. 

 I don't think that I'll include these in the weekly photo stories, but they give a nice perspective on how paper doll drawing styles change.

How have your paper doll drawing techniques changed over time?

Beat the Heat: Make a Bike

Biking is a fun activity during the summer, especially when it's not too hot and you're on your way to an exciting destination. Here's a tutorial for a trail bike perfect for summer excursions.

Measure your doll to make sure that your bike will be at the right scale. I wanted to make a bike that all the dolls could use, so I used Perrin, whose height is about average for the dolls, as a model. 

Draw the bike. If you want, you can make the wheels move by drawing them separately and attaching them with paper fasteners. 

Color it in. I decided on the color scheme of the AG trail bike, although I also like the colors of this one from Little Miss Matched.

Cut out the spokes and inner parts of the bike with a pocket or craft knife. You can also use scissors, but your cuts will not be as precise and it will be very difficult. 

Draw two triangles under the wheels to keep it stable.

Cut it out, and you're done! Perrin and Violet are going to meet Juliet for a picnic by the lake; what adventures will your dolls go on with their bikes?