TWO doll lovers claim two delish dolls!

CONGRATULATIONS  to our WINNERS!!

Fridays are sometimes special! We leave work early, play hooky, and our daydreams turn to what the weekend will bring. But the events that will make two doll lovers happy this Friday don't require them doing anything today!!. Their actions have won both of them a beautiful doll!

We had a great turnout from our voters/customers. You were all so nice joining our FTK list, and you were also very definitive about your choice for the winner of our Haute Couture contest.  Some of you even took the time to give some feedback about our Doll Mall. And to each of you we say thank you!!  We put your name in our drawing wishing everyone could win the beautiful Tonner Company Cinderella sculpt.  But in the end  it came down to the luck of the draw. And, the lucky lady on this particular Friday is Nan Scott. Congratulations Nan; we hope you will really enjoy your new doll! Begin making plans for her NOW!!

The other lady is one of our designer/shop owners who read over the rules and ran with them. From the top of her hat to the tip of her cane, her design won the hearts of our public. Representing Madeleine Rose Couture and channeling Christian Dior cinched a win for Lori Lyon. Lori features high end OOAK & Limited Edition gowns plus ensembles for 16" fashion dolls. Madeleine Rose Couture resides on Main Street.  Lori also makes exquisite couture for Asian ball jointed dolls she sells in her other  store, AngelRose, located on CDS' Couture Court. If you want to know more about Lori you can check out her profile in a past issue of this blog.  Also you can view a picture of one of her latest designs in a recent article about CDS on FDQ! Congratulations, Lori Lyon!

All of the entrants made wonderful entries for the challenge and you're all  invited  to see the entries.  Just visit CDS and click on the blue banner at the top. You are not going to want to miss all this talent - demonstrated both individually and in teams. Follow the links and see them all. It's fun to settle back and enjoy eye candy on lazy Fridays!

And when you finish checking out those entries be sure to check out a wonderful doll dealer who will be joining Couture Doll Shops next week!! I'm sure Angelic Dreamz, Inc.™ is no stranger to most of you! But now they will reside in their brick and mortar store in the town of Canandaigua, New York as well as having an online presence in a beautiful shop on Couture Court. Drop in and take advantage of their marvelous 19th anniversary sale going on through August 1, dahlings; you know you need another doll!! And, while you are there be sure to check out their incredible JAMIEshow and JIE-doll!!  Both are fully articulated bjds that are mahvelous to sew for. They stock these items and many qualify for free shipping, so a cagey doll person should be able to find a sweet deal in this shop. Angelic Dreamz, Inc.™ is a true Collector's Paradise! Their expected arrival on CDS is July 30, maybe earlier - just join our FTK list for all the news about new items and new happenings at CDS

Finally, heads up divas! We will be opening our Phase 3 in the Fall, and we're taking applications right now!  Get your application in and your paperwork done!  You will not want to laze away the rest of the Summer - instead put your talent into making merchandise you feel will impress!  

Then on August 15,  if you don' have a website, we will begin your lessons!  Building a website is no longer hard with our proven system of developing one -  so don't be a scaredy cat!  We will help you all along the way! And if you do have a website, you're ahead of the game, and we go forward with developing your shop and other necessary items for you to get started!

We welcome all kinds of merchandise for all kinds of dolls at CDS.   And we are only an email away if you need more information and an application.  Let's do this together!

What's so haute about our couture??

 Everything!!  At least we hope YOU will think so!

Wow, has it really been over a month since we've talked?  Well, I hope you'll forgive me, because over at Couture Doll Shops we've been busy with convention doings, restocking our shops, and adding more fabulous store fronts to Couture Court!!  But now I am happy to say we have something new going on that involves YOU, our audience!!

We have a new competition for our shop owners/designers!  And the BIG news is this time YOU will pick the WINNER!  Yes, there will only be one - the People's Choice - chosen by our audience.  We don't know of any 100% way to ensure this, but we would love to only receive legitimate votes. This means we'd prefer to have doll people vote - not someone coming in to just vote for a family member or a friend!  We want people who would love to win a doll in exchange for voting!  Therefore, anyone who gets to vote will have to do a couple of things. Well, you did want  to add a little interest to your day, now didn't you?  Here's what you need to do!

First, you will need to join our First to Know Yahoo group.  Then you'll need to wait for your instructions and follow them completely; they will appear one or two days before the entries are revealed. That's all!!  Easy enough, don't you think??

And what will you get for your troubles?  If you follow the instructions. you will be eligible to place one valid vote.  When you place this vote your name will be put in the drawing .for this beautiful Strawberry Cinderella!!  Isn't she pretty??  So hurry over and sign up!

I'd also like to note that our FTK list will not only be the place for this contest; it will also be the place for contests and challengss in the future.  And, as requested by some of our customers, you will also be privy to new items our shop owners put in their stores there.  Some of our shop owners have elected to post new items as they become available!!  I cannot wait.  While it is still nice for me to stroll leisurely through the mall via my mouse; sometimes I want to go direct to the source of new merchandise!  Well, now we all can!!

Now let me tell you about the challenge!  This challenge will feature fashions imagined as haute couture by our shop owners.  In the real fashion world, only a few fashion houses in Paris are deemed worthy of even creating something that can be labeled as such - not so in the doll world.  And some of those fashions could cost as much as an automobile or even a house!! Oh my!  Let's just say ours won't!

The Challenge:  Haute couture is the creation of exclusive, custom-fitted clothing.  Clothes that fit to one person's precise measurements are the norm.  It is also defined by the opulence of fabrics used, the fabulosity of cuts performed superbly, and/or the rarity of the elements used to develop it.  Haute couture is definitive; it is something you just know when you see it.  And, haute couture’s exclusivity makes the privileged few who can afford it go mad!   Hum.......Could haute couture also drive doll collectors this crazy? Well, we hope not - at least that isn't our intention at all, dahlings!

Our intention was two-fold - 1. to come up with a unique challenge for our designers, and 2. to try to develop something new and interesting for you.  What we asked our participants  to do was to research some of the many articles and watch videos (specifically runway showings) available on the internet that present Paris Summer 2010 Haute Couture Collections.  They were advised to pay special attention to all aspects of a collection of their choosing.  They were asked to consider all; even  the stylings of models used to pose such wonders.

Then, they were to develop an outfit from their collection inspiration, and to pose their creation on an appropriate model.  BUT, of course there was a twist!!  Each outfit had to include black, gray, and one color of their choosing.  We felt they needed the neutrals to make their special color pop!!!

Special consideration was given to the fact that some of our shop owners do not design or produce fashions - such as our dealers who make accessories of all kinds!  Therefore, the option was given for teams to be developed between a fashionista and an "other"  - and, oh, what interesting teams we have!  So we have individuals and teams vying for the same prize - the wonderful Cami red head pictured!!  Who will get your vote?

Well, we'll just have to wait until the reveal.  And you can find out all about that in one of 2 ways - join our FTK group mentioned above, or watch this blog every single day for our announcement of where and when the entries will be shown.  Anyone wanna follow me over to that Yahoo group??