Well! If I didn't have to work so hard, I could craft all the time. I kind of feel the same about crafting as Bubba from the Forrest Gump movie felt about shrimping- we can just be crafting all the time! I am still working on the yo yo project, though true to my crafting A.D.D., lately I have became reinfatuated with the fashion doll after finding a pile of finished and semi finished Valentine dresses in my fabric stash. Now everything is all about Barbie.
So work did me in today and I am tired tonight. The good news is the fashion doll pattern CD came today. (Yea!) It might be OK, I've only had a chance to look at it briefly. It's more of a guide anyway, because the time has long past that Barbie is one size fits all, so some tweaking will need to be done.
I have been researching Barbie body styles and types and found that there are at least eight different body styles now; vintage, TNT, posable, Shani, belly button, silkstone, pivotal, and model muse. And that's not even counting Barbie friends. I have most of those body types with the exception of the pivotal. It's very new. I got my first Barbie Basic for Christmas with the model muse body style. It is the number 2 model with the Lara face mold (see photo). I have my eye on numbers 3, 4, and 12, too. These dolls are insanely skinny. I smell a highly collectible doll forming in these beauties. They're selling out like hotcakes. There are 12 of them with different face molds. They all wear a little black dress, and so far, I have not seen any outfits being released for them, just accessory packs.
Most sewing is done for vintage and TNT, and more recently the silkstone doll. Outfits for silkstone, if they're really well designed and expertly sewn, can fetch upwards of $100.00 or more per outfit. This price is actually down from a couple of years ago where I've seen some go for more than $500.00- depending on the label. It was rare, but I saw it.
As I learned in my last 2 1/2 years getting a Master's degree in marketing, the most important thing to do when starting a crafting business (or any business) is to decide on a brand name and logo. It is that important to your customers because the name is how the customer is able to identify your work and find you easily. A label also ensures you stand behind your work and are professional.
So I picked a brand name for the doll clothes line; Ella Rose Doll Fashions with a pink rose logo. I don't want to be strictly associated with Barbie-the Fashion Royalty line by Integrity toys is awesome, too. Why Ella Rose- I don't know. A rose is usually known as the most beautiful flower, and Ella reminds me of; 1. Eleanor Roosevelt; a strong and sophisticated woman, and 2. Ella Enchanted; a girl in a Cinderella princess movie. This combination reminds me of the type of doll designs I see when I clothes my eyes.
So right now I'm focused on Barbie and her need for wardrobe. I have a goal to make myself finish and post the Valentine dresses for sale by this weekend. My Etsy shop awaits an inventory- so I best get with it soon.
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