Happy Wedding - and who is Sarah Burton??

The 36-year-old designer. Sarah Burton, has already been under an extreme amount of pressure after taking over the responsibilities at the House of McQueen.  But no one can deny this designer reigns supreme today with a gorgeous wedding gown that, to me, resembles the beautiful concoction Grace Kelly worn for her own momentous occasion in Monaco.

Sarah's journey since she initially interviewed with McQueen in 1996  has provided enough work to keep several designers busy.  Through it all she's remained loyal and daring. though - having not only stayed with the House of McQueen since being hired there - but by also pulling off the founder's collection with a panache' that made critics approve.
She's oh so very popular too - even celebs like Lady Gaga have worn her designs.  And now, of course, rumored job offers will probably reach a fever pitch.  But those in the know, are speculating she could end up at Dior, working in Galliano's place.  No matter where she goes, it will be most interesting chronicling the life of this talented designer!

Oh, and about that happy couple...May you always be happy and blessed in your romantic journey! 

And may your gown influence dolly weddings for many years to come. Psst.....anyone notice that wonderful white number worn by sis, Pippa??

The Game Winners & Happy Easter!

The Game concluded 4/20/2011.  To win you didn't have to get everything right - but you did have to enter!  Some of the games had no entries, so no winner is listed.  Some of the games had entries but all answers submitted were not correct.  But if no right entry came in. all were put in a drawing, and a winner selected.  That explains why someone could win who entered, but did not send in all the right answers.

Winners have been emailed, and will have until 4/26/11 to email the Manager advising acceptance of their prizes.   They can spend their certificates at the stores listed from 4/27/11 through 5/27/11.  More information about the Gift packages can be seen on The Game website; however, please note the definitive dates for spending these gift certificates have been changed to the dates on this blog.

Winners for Game 1:  No one.

Winner for Game 2 is Nilsa Donelan. The Numbers needed and where they were located are: 72. Dolly's Doll, 35. Oohlalaz, 23. La Petite Fashion Promenade, 4. Angels – Laurie Lenz Doll Studio, 47. PetraElise Fashion Doll Couture, 69. La Petite Fashion Promenade, 10. Robsdolls, 2. Dollenchantments, and 53. Chic Indulgence.



Prizes are the following gift certificates: $25 Madeleine Rose Couture, $20 Kolkman Kreations, $10 Designs by Jude/Fletcher Patterns, $10 Deni Doll Designs, $10 Mike's Designs, $10 Barb J's Original Olive Martini Bar for a total Retail Value of $85.

Winners for Game 3:  No One.

Winners for Game 4:  No one.

Winner for Game 5 is Kimber Stevens. The Numbers needed and where they were located are: 5. Petite Moonbeams, 6. Kolkman Kreations, 7. Barb J's Original Olive Martini Bar, 14. Oohlalaz, 18. Our Eclectic Closet, 26. The Black Ibis, 39. Shooz by Kaz, 50. Tres’ Chic Boutique and 66-Yana Emelyanova’s Atelier.



Prizes include a Monique Tori Chocolate Red 5-6 Wig by CDS and gift certificates as follows: $20 Kolkman Kreations, $10 Sweet Creations, $10 Somethings Old, Somethings New, $10 Barb J's Original Olive Martini Bar, for a total Retail Value of $70.



Winner for Game 6 is Lisa Johnson. The Numbers needed and where they were located are: 40. Creative Couture, 8. Doll Jeans by Vicky, 29. Rochelle Originals, 70. An Amusing Company, 17. JC Dream Designs, 31. Petite Moonbeams, 63. Gothic Illusions , and 52. Click Designs by Kevin.



Prizes are the following gift certificates: $10 Petra Elise Fashion Doll Couture, $10 Cindi's Doll Apparel, $10 Facets By Marcia, $10 Barb J's Original Olive Martini Bar, $ 5 Oohlalaz, and $ 5 Rochelle Originals for a total Retail Value of $50.

Don't you wish you entered now?  Oh well, there is may (or may not) be a  next time - we'll see.  But I can assure you we have listened to your comments, and any game will not be as hard as you've told us this one was - thanks for your comments. 

We appreciate our Yahoo ftk group members and our blog followers!  We have prepared a little Easter greeting geared towards fashions and kiddos.  (Tip: Toggle it to full screen for best picture.)

We hope  you enjoy it! 

Life is unpredictable - Play to win TODAY!!

We have restarted The Game Friday, April 15 and you can play till midnight Wednesday, April 20. Results will be up on our blog, Thursday, April 21. Here is where you are to go for to play an easy version of the game!

The Game Site

You're going to need to move your fingers if you want to win the prizes from this game. But don't stress....this is a game anyone not affiliated with Couture Doll Shops can play.

And you have plenty of time, so don't stress - do a few a day and you will have what you need for an entry!  There are some neat items - some you can use for purchases for your dolls for Easter and Mother's Day!  Good luck to everyone!!

Pop Culture Winner Revealed!

Congrats go to Terry Barner for winning our Pop Culture At the Movies Challenge.

Terry stumbled into doll makeovers many years ago beginning with "rescue" dolls. He loves to paint, create, sew and, in general, try to keep his hands busy. He has won awards for some projects, but the enjoyment of creating is a treasure in itself, he feels.

Off the Wall byTerrkat is the name of his shop that is located on the newest street on Couture Doll Shops, Designer Drive. There you will find many one of a kind doll makeovers, fashions. and accessories for your discriminating doll. Doll customization is an ongoing passion for Terry. Sometimes something is created that may not fit in with the project it was intended for, but is still really neat so you will find some of these “finds” on his website also. Terry invites you to visit his shop often as his iinventory is ever changing.

This winning entry was based on Hayley Atwell from the Captain America: The First Avenger movie. The muse is a repainted Vita. She has a military themed outfit, but not one you would find on the front lines. as it is a little "hotter." You can be sure this feisty lady is ready to lead a battalion if necessary to make sure Captain America comes home safe!

We at CDS salute you for the win, Terry Barner!! Your interpretation of this character was wonderful! We also appreciate all the contestants who created entries for this challenge - didn't they also do a wonderful job?  Look for these new items to show up on the designer's websites later today, 4/12/11.


All of the entries can be seen on The Challenge website. Terry's Entry was number one. Here is the list of the rest of the contestants and their shop information. Entry 2 - Pauline Lyngard of BW Designs, Entry 3 - Pat Stoughton of Petite Moonbeams, Entry 4 - Gayle Chavez of Oohlalaz, Entry 5 - Durelle Brown of Chic Indulgence, Entry 6 - Cindi Stowell of Cindi's Doll Apparel, Entry 7 - Elisa Cetera and John Prewitt had a team entry; she is from Petra Elise Fashion Doll Couture and his shop is JC Dream Designs, both on Main Street. Entry 8 - Kevin Kilmer of Click Designs by Kevin, Entry 9 - Denise Beaudin of Deni Doll Design, and Entry 10 - Karen Kolkman of Kolkman Kreations.


Winner of drawing #1 for those who voted is Jay Berger. He will receive the following Gift Certificates:  $10 Sweet Creations PC#1001, $10 Somethings Old, Somehings New PC#1002, $10 Petra Elise Fashion Doll Couture PC#1003, $10 Barb J's Original Olive Martini Bar PC#1004, $10 La Petite Fashion Promenade PC#1005, $10 Goldifrocks PC#1006, $5 Rochelle Originals PC#1007, and $5 Oohlalaz PC#1008, for a total Retail Value of $70. All of the gift certificates may be redeemed from 4/15/11 through 5/15/11. If you have any questions about your gift certificate, feel free to contact the CDS Manager; otherwise, contact the shop owner when you are ready to use your gift certificate.


Winner of drawing #2 for those who voted is Lynn Porteous. She will receive the following Gift Certificates: $10 Designs by Jude/Fletcher Patterns PC#1009, $10 Our Eclectic Closet PC#1010, $10 Mike's Creations PC#1011, $10 Barb J's Original Olive Martini Bar PC#1012, $10 Moon Lily PC#1013, $5 Tres' Chic PC#1014, $5 Oohlalaz PC#1015 for a total Retail Value of $60/ All of the gift certificates may be redeemeded from 4/15/11 through 5/15/11. If you have any questions about your gift certificate, feel free to contact the CDS Manager; otherwise, contact the shop owner when you are ready to use your gift certificate.

Pardon our delay...important notice!

 We have had some problems with our Game, and have decided to stop the current version running and resatrt it in a few days.  Anyone who had entered has been notified, and all are in agreement.  Watch for our notice here, as it will begin again very soon!

Our challenge vote is continuing and final votes may be entered on our Challenge website through midnight tonight, 4/11/11.  Results will be posted on here tomorrow, 4/12/11.  We wish all of the contestants the best of luck.  And, if you want your fave to win - be sure to take the time to vote.
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At the Movies AND our biggest game giveaway yet!!

Can it really be April already - what happened to March?  I cannot believe we've had no communication for sooooo long!!  But, finally,  here we are again with the CDS news, and I cannot wait to see what wonderful new designs the crew has come up with!!  I think we all could use a little shopping therapy, don't you??

There are definitely lots of new opportunities. We have welcomed soooooooo many new people it's hard to keep up!  Did you know that Steven Fraser of Dressmaker Details has a large cornerstone shop on Designer Drive now?  We also have welcomed an OOAK artist, Dolly's Dolls, who may be new to Couture Court, but whohas been active on a certain auction site for some time.   

We also have had four people build new websites in our free class, and we'll have one more coming on board soon who is working away to get his shop  finished just right.  We are really becoming international now.  Our new people include the Russian winner of the Couture Doll Design Challenge, Yana Emelyanova; our first member from France, Rosy Bazile; from Canada is a great knitter and pattern maker, Karen Daniel; and  those who collect the little dolls may want to check out the new shop by Elizabeth Fenton from the USA.   As soon as Carl Wicham finishes building his site you will have yet another place to get your knitwear - and some of his items also features beading!

Oh, and be sure to pick up the Fantasy issue of FDQ.  In there you will see the contestants from our Fantasy contest show what kinds of things they happened to imagine.  And, speaking of contestants, I am finally to the part where I can actually show you some of the new things our artists came up with for the latest challenge.  Grab your popcorn, kiddos, and read on!

It looks like plenty of our action figures are going to burst on the widescreen this summer! There are going to be so many sequels plus new movies that it will be hard to pick just one to visit or revisit! But that is just what our shop owners did who took our Pop Culture At The Movies challenge!

Each of them had to come up with a contemporary view of the clothing a character in one of these movies would actually be able to wear out in public. So obviously it could not be a costume, and to fit into Couture Doll Shops, it would have to have a couture flare!

  A total of ten brave souls took up the challenge. Three designers were influenced by Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Ahoy, Mateys, I believe this one was influenced by Mr. Depp himself! 

ENTRY NUMBER 5




It's hard to resist the Pirates call....especially when they are played by such delightful characters.  

Yes, Johnny Depp will be on hand as usual, but this time, he'll have a female character with him played by Penelope Cruz.  Looks like this artist was leaning more toward designing for her!


ENTRY NUMBER 6 

Many of you might remember, this is not the first time these two have graced the big screen together.They did a little movie called Blow a few years back that you might remember. 
I don't think that's anything this designer had in mind though - this doll is channeling Penelope's softer side thanks to the work of her artist.   ENTRY NUMBER 2

  

Others chose newly introduced action flicks. This entry took inspiration from X-Men: First Class.  January Jones' character  had a lot more going for her clothes-wise than Mystique ever did!

ENTRY NUMBER 3 




The artist who took on Green Lantern felt that if you've seen one skin tight jumpsuit after another, you might prefer something a lot different.  

The character played by Blake Lively, Carol Ferris, would be ready for fun at any party in this ensemble that might just leave you green with envy!.

ENTRY NUMBER 8 

   

Captain America: The First Avenger is a not-so-gentle reminder that he was stomping out crime and more than a few Nazis during the first World War.  Aren't we happy his sweetie Peggy Carter, played by Hayley Atwell, has a much more hot uniform then they did way back when.

ENTRY NUMBER 1 



I'm not sure I'll be going to see Sucker Punch.  I have a hard time imagining that several beautiful women could end up in a not very nice insane asylum!  But this artist had no trouble putting together an appropriate ensemble for Emily Browning's character of Baby Doll for a popular doll like Ellowyne.  It's rumored this artist has also developed outfits for the other lovelies in this crazy movie

ENTRY NUMBER 4 

There were three designers influenced by the new Thor movie. Two formed a team who brought both a furniture piece influenced by the decor of the days of Thor, and an ensemble that Natalie Portman playing Jane Foster would be quite comfortable in!

ENTRY NUMBER 7

  

The Thor movie was the only one that gave an artist the desire to create clothing for a  male character. 

I can only say that if he takes off his sun glasses I swear I will swoon! Oh, and I'm also glad this artist was savvy enough to develop just the right look for this modern day Thor! 

 
ENTRY NUMBER 10



  

No one was brave enough to tackle Cowboys and Aliens!! I guess that was because they were all very serious about the challenge.

But there was one artist beating to a very different drum.  Their choice was the zany, new comedy, Bridesmaids - action figures weren't even a consideration for Maya Rudolph's Lillian.

ENTRY NUMBER 9

If you would like to see the complete set of photos for all these designs, and vote on your favorite, you will get an entry to win one of two great drawings in appreciation of your time!  You can do this on the Challenge Site.  It is well worth a visit!

And do not forget we have a game going on over on our special game site Access THE GAME on its website.


You can play April 9 through 11th.  You will put your entries for this game as well as your votes for the challenge on the vote page on the challenge website.

But whereever you go, and whatever you enter - stop back by and see this blog on April 12 for the results.  That's the day the winners will be revealed right here.

And. in case you'd like to see what our challenge winner will take home, it is the very beautiful Alice Cullen from the Twilight Movies series.  Mr. Tonner certainly has a knack of creating wonderful pop icons influenced by popular movies!   Just as George Gonzalez, of Angelic Dreamz, had a knack when he picked this beautiful doll to present to our challenge winner!!  Good luck everyone and have a fun weekend!