Random blather about My Twinn

Since Monday is my day off I passed some time fooling around with my larger My Twinns.  I kept thinking back to...February, was it, when I bought Rosemary?  No, it was late January, when I was convalescing from whatever illness it was that kept me home for a week.  Anyway, on a whim one morning I took this picture of Rosemary and my other then-new Twinn, Justin.  

Rosemary and my other two girls (Rael and Salome) are quite fair, and Justin is significantly...more orange than the girls.  See?

Yay, I fixed Rael's eyelash!  Anyway, I spoke to some friends on Failbook and the consensus is that Justin is an Outstanding Orange Blossom.  I don't know what the consensus among collectors is about Outstanding Orange Blossom dolls, but I quite like Justin's unusual complexion.  In real life he's got a lovely peachy glow, like he's spent some time outside. 

Speaking of outside, Salome has been enjoying the fresh air.  The weather here has been summery, then rainy, then springlike, then the cycle starts again.  I could handle a summer like this, LOL.  Anyway, Salome has a new dress and some new shoes.

Salome is my resident tomboy and prefers her overalls over dresses, and she's not usually fond of pink either.  But when I told her the shoes were a gift she happily slipped them on.

Oh yes, the shoes.  Barb the Evil Genius sent these to me after finding them at a doll show.

Pink kitten-heel sandals!  LOL, kitten-heels with a kitten dress?  How fitting!  I had a pair of shoes like this at one time time, only they were blue.  The heels are clear, making me wonder if these lit up at one point.

Barb didn't know this beforehand, but for me May got off to a terrible start.  Mama had...had something wrong with her stomach and spent two separate nights in the emergency room.  The second night was really bad; a woman in the back of the building started screaming like a banshee.  Turns out the poor thing was a mental patient having a bad night.  As scary as it was for Mama and me I can only imagine what it was like for the nurses...or the patient herself.  Anywho, Mama recovered and is fine now, but the month started bad.  Receiving these shoes in the mail was a tremendous pick-me-up, and I owe a debt of gratitude to Barb for that.  Thanks, Barb!

That will just about do it for now!  Unless I can find a red-haired Twinn I won't be discussing them again for awhile. 

Stay sober,

RagingMoon1987 

Rosemary has a broken neck!

Rosemary Green,
and Lavender Blue,
Thyme and sweet marjoram,
Hyssop and rue.
--"Rosemary Green and Lavender Blue," English rhyme

Maybe that's where everybody got the idea that lavender is blue rather than...well, lavender!  Don't worry, I'm not going to rip Miss Emily off completely and start flipping My Twinns, but this little poppet needed someone to love her.  So in the heat of the moment I bought her.

It was the heat of the moment, tellin' me what my heart meant!  Or more like the heat of my fever, since I bought Rosemary while I was sick.  Anyway, Rosemary Caitlin Green dates from 1999 and came in a full outfit, including shoes.  That's more than Justin and Salome came with; I thought Justin's shoes would never friggin' come, and Salome still doesn't have any.  Anyway, Rosemary's outfit is a nice outfit, with kind of a mori girl vibe to it.  Granted, the shoes are peeling a bit as shoes like this will inevitably do, but I can make that look less unsightly with a little fabric paint.  

For that matter Rosemary's clothes all can do with a good washing, easy if one has a dab of Dawn and a large pickle jar, but her main problem is this.

As I bluntly stated in the title, Rosemary's neck is broken, but thanks to Miss Emily's awesome My Twinn blog I know how to mend this.  Some glue (will tacky glue work?) and a new cable tie, and she'll be good to go.  Now I just need to get the cable ties; I've never worked with those before, but how hard could it be? 

The rest of Rosemary's armature is in one piece as far as I can tell.  She holds all the poses she should, and probably some that she shouldn't.  She squeaks a little, more than Justin and Rael do, but far less than Salome.

Rosemary brings another new face to my collection, one that I like quite a bit.

As with the Ariel head there are two variants to this head, one called "Rosemary" and one called "Caitlin."  "Caitlin" has bigger, slightly crazed eyes, and both have the sedate, relaxed, Mona Lisa-esque smile.  After some discussion with friends on Failbook, I learned that some folks don't believe the "Caitlin" variant even exists, or if she does the difference is pretty subtle.  So I just used my own judgement and have labelled this head a "Rosemary" head.  Since I don't have a doll named Rosemary yet, the name stuck.

Aside from her broken neck and a loose wig Rosemary is in pretty good shape.  She's blonde and blue-eyed like Justin is, but her wig is original and needs...oh, maybe it needs a little TLC.

It's kinda dry like Salome's is, and it has heavy bangs up front that can be a blessing or a curse for these dolls, but I like this wig enuff to keep it around.  Rosemary's eyes are a darker shade of blue than Justin's are, but I wouldn't quite call them violet.

Hmmm...then again, maybe I would.  They have that purple cast that Miss Emily doesn't like and I do like, and because Rosemary is a Rosemary head her eyes are a tiny bit wonky.  Her eyelashes are all the way attached, which is more than I can say for Rael.

LOL, I'd better trot out the tacky glue!  I'll be needing it for Rosemary's wig anyway.

As I was readying myself for work this morning I caught Rosemary and Justin..."cuddling," LOL.

Don't get me wrong, the relationship between these two is strictly platonic (Justin has his eye on one of my American Girls), but they make for a cute pair.  But...notice how...well, how ORANGE Justin is compared to Rosemary, and to Rael and Salome too, for that matter.  Justin is from an era where dolls sometimes came in this unusual orangish tone, referred to as Outstanding Orange Blossom.  LOL, I may have to ask the folks on Failbook if Justin is one of them.  He dates from the correct year, 2002, when skin tones varied quite a bit for some reason or another.  I don't know how popular the Outstanding Orange Blossom tone is among collectors, but I rather like it.  With the right wig and eye combo it can look quite nice.

So my little My Twinn crew has expanded to five (four big ones and Xenia), though I haven't yet given up the search for a nice Denika.  I just need to be patient, I guess...and patience is NOT one of my virtues!  

Love,
RagingMoon1987

It finally happened!

I tested positive for coronavirus, ladies and germs!  Thank God I got the shot or I might be sicker.  As it is I've got a low fever, a slight cough, and general malaise.  I'm officially on quarantine for five days, so that means no work for five days...meaning that I'm gonna miss a whole friggin' week.  So I'm laying low and keeping myself hydrated and occupied.  When I get bursts of energy I sweep or piddle with my dolls or what have you.  And it just so happens that I have someone new.  Meet Justin Latowski, my newest My Twinn, and the older brother of Doremi and Camille.

Some of y'all may or may not remember that I'm a Moody Blues fan, and this doll's eBay seller had this doll labeled as a Justin Hayward lookalike.  The eBay seller says that this doll originally had stubby black eyelashes and an unflattering wig, so she changed them both.  The eyes are original; the seller calls them "ice blue," and I think the My Twinn catalogs numbered them "A05" or "A10."

For the record, Justin Hayward does have blue eyes, but his eyes are a lot darker than my doll's eyes are.  My Twinn did have dark blue eyes, but none of my dolls have them...yet.  Anyway, my little Justin is a new face in my collection in more ways than one.  My other three Twinns all have the Ariel head (My Twinn's name for this head was "Judy")...

...but Justin does not.  According to the seller Justin has an Allison head, but his eyes are awfully big (and wonky).

I thought the Allison head had squintier eyes than this, but the smile is right.  And now that I look close, one of the eye sockets is squinted more than the other.  Only the Allison head has that.  One thing's for sure:  Justin is no Ariel!  He's also pretty orange compared to Salome.

Researching My Twinn head molds can get a little infuriating since the heads have both a collector's name and a name that My Twinn stamped on the heads.  The Ariel head is the worst of these since it has so many variants, but the name I see stamped on their scalps is almost always "Judy," so there's that out of the way.  The Allison mold is not without its own confusion, as it is marked "HE," for "Helen."  If I were to take Justin's hair of y'all could see that...but Justin isn't too keen to be scalped.

"NO, I'M NOT!!!  I've already had one wig pulled off!"

Ease up, buddy, I won't take the wig off.  Regardless, My Twinn calls this head "Helen" and the collectors call it "Allison."  The problem lies in the head that the collectors call "Helen" (My Twinn calls that one "Tina").  Luckily, Allison/Helen is easy to distinguish from Helen/Tina, as the latter is square-shaped and has teeny-weeny eyes.  I'm not a huge fan of the Helen/Tina head, by the way.  It makes a cute doll when painted right, but the head is too angular for my taste.  The name "Allison" is also My Twinn's name for the Kelsey head, but Kelsey is pretty rare so that shouldn't be a problem.  LOL, like cats, the naming of dolls is a difficult matter!

Regarding other nitty-gritties, Justin's tag says "2002," meaning that he dates from the very end of the Denver era...I think.  Don't quote me on that.  Anyway, Justin's joints hold a pose and do not squeak, and the cloth on his body has very little damage.  His ankles hold a pose, though I'd expected that since he's not a white-body Twinn.  White-body Twinns have elastic ankles that loosen up with time, and while the loose ankles can be fixed it requires more doll dissecting than I'm willing to do.  I have a rudimentary personality hashed out, but I'm still working on that bit.

So that's my new dolly doppelganger, to keep me company while I hack my lungs up.  LOL, just kidding!  I actually am not as sick as some of my friends and family have been, so that's good.  I'm just going to self-quarantine like a good girl, with my animals and my dolls for company.  Thank God I took the shot, or this could've been bad.

Much love and health to all,
RagingMoon1987 

Salome, the golden girl

Last month when I was searching eBay and Etsy for clothes for Rael, I stumbled across this little looker.  I've chosen to name her "Salome," even though I've always pictured the biblical Salome as a brunette rather than a blonde.   

She's a bit shaggy at the moment, but I'll fix that.  How about some hair clips, chica?

That's better!  I'm very relieved to have Salome in my arms, because over the spring and summer two other dolls that I had coming disappeared into the ether.  One was to be a swashbuckling companion for Kyle, and the other was Kendall, one of the Wellie Wishers.  So ordering and waiting for this doll was both exciting and nerve-wracking, especially when the arrival date kept getting bumped back, but now she's here and I am very glad.  In truth I did feel a teensy bit silly buying Salome since she's so much like Rael.  They both have the Ariel face, and they're both straight Ariels according to Facebook's My Twinn group.  I was hoping Salome might be a Peanut Head variant, but if one looks closely at the width of her forehead it's easy to see that she's not (a Peanut Head has a slightly narrower forehead than a typical Ariel).

However, Salome's eyes are the prettiest shade of amber I've ever seen.  Indeed, I can't remember seeing another My Twinn with eyes like this.  I hope that doesn't mean they've faded with time!

Coincidentally, I've seen one other doll with breathtaking amber eyes this week, that one being one of Xanadu's new Ellowyne Wilde dolls, Right on White.  Her eyes seem to glow from within, just like real Baltic amber does.  Anywho, Salome's amber eyes are the main reason why I dragged home another Ariel instead of the Denika or Tasha that I've been wanting.  Well, that plus it seems that Tasha and Denika are tricky heads to find.  eBay has plenty of Ariel heads...either that or I'm just good at picking them out (Miss Emily seems to have the same problem, LOL).  Either way I've found more Ariels than either Tashas or Denikas, and that's a little disheartening, but it'll just be all the more rewarding when I do find one.  In addition to her lovely eyes Salome is wearing an outfit that I didn't have before, a cute little overalls set.

The ribbon on the right strap is my addition; it came attached to one of my new hair bows.  It says "THANK YOU!" on it, and since the colors are so bright and cheerful I just tied it on Salome's overalls.

Salome is poseable like Rael is, and she has the year "1999" on her tag, just like Rael does.

Salome and Rael are similar enough that I could (and probably will) identify them as fraternal twins.  Rael can be the girly girl, Salome can be the tomboy, and Xenia can be the goofy cousin who enjoys everything.  Regarding nitty-gritties, Salome is in relatively good condition with no snags on her body or gouges in her vinyl.  Her paint is intact and her eyes are clear, though her face is a little grubby and she has sparkly crud between her lips.  I see that a lot on secondhand My Twinn dolls, for some reason.  Some budding cosmetologist, practicing on her dolls, maybe?  I wiped the worst of the sparkly stuff away.

She has faint little freckles across her nose.  I don't know how well they'll photograph, but they're there.

Her wig is problematic, as it's mildly tangled and quite dry.

I've brushed it, but it's an old wig so it still looks tangled and dull.  The ends curl up and look becoming, but right in the middle of her forehead is this.  A small thin spot.

The thin spot isn't terribly visible, so I think a deep cleaning may be all this wig needs (it's starting to come loose anyway).  When Miss Emily flips her My Twinn dolls a thinning wig is usually grounds for a re-wigging (the wig was the least of Road-Kill Monika's concerns, LOL).  Emily also astutely notes that a thinning wig is a sign of a well-loved doll, one that had her hair combed and styled a lot during her life.  Salome's shaggy hair and sparkly lips attest to this, as does the sole of her left foot, which has writing on it.

Hmmm...looks a little like a price.  Did someone pick Salome up at a yard sale before I got her?

I've heard of mamas writing a kid's initials on the sole of a doll's foot, in the event that the doll gets lost or stolen during an outing.  However, I don't think that's the case here.  That definitely looks like a price rather than initials, and it didn't come off when I washed it.  Oh well, the mark doesn't show too terribly, and since it's on Salome's foot I can always hide it with shoes.  If I do want it completely gone I can use Remove Zit like Miss Emily does.

In other news, I decided to get Rael some new eyes just in case her current ones do decide to turn.  They are Secrist Real Eyes in golden hazel.

They're a little too green to be a perfect match for Rael's current eyes, but they do have that unusual pink rim around the pupil that Rael's current eyes have, and I like that.  They also look more brown from a distance like Rael's current eyes do, and I like that too.  Let's face it, Rael is an older doll, and when you're an older My Twinn an eye swap could possibly be just a matter of time anyway.  It's not a given like it is with dolls Xenia's size, but it's a possibility.  Oh, and guess what?  One of Miss Emily's dolls wore these eyes at one time too.  Her name was Henna, and Miss Emily decided that she didn't care for the eyes as much!  LOL, hopefully I won't get tired of them too!  Speaking of Miss Emily, her first member of the Ariel squad is up for viewing.  Her name is Cassiel, and she looks ah-mazing!

Since my last post of Rael included a group shot of her and Xenia together, here they are with Salome included.

Welcome home, Salome!

Much love,

RagingMoon1987

Rael redux

I received some nice feedback about Rael last week, with the consensus being that her eyes are fine and that I should take a "wait and see" approach.  Once again the feedback has been greatly appreciated, and while I do have some eyes on the way (just in case), I'm going to follow y'all's lead and just see what happens.  The following picture was taken with better lighting, and her eyes look as good as they did when I first got Rael.

Dang, I wish these Twinns could bend their arms more convincingly!  Rael would look adorable in some sort of ballet pose, with those slippers and tulle.  Anyway, Rael saw Miss Emily's Unicorn Twinns and wanted an outfit like that for herself.  Fairy Tale Blessings happened to have a couple, so I grabbed the first one I saw.  It's a little inappropriate for this time of year due to those long sleeves, but Rael isn't bothered by that like I would be if it were my blouse.

Word of note:  these unicorn outfits don't come with footwear.  Miss Emily got her dolls' tights from another Etsy shop called Doll Secrets, and I don't know where her dolls' cute boots came from so I dove into eBay for that.  Even though these shoes were tagged "My Twinn" they're a little big across the ankle.  The fit in the foot is perfect, though.

I like these tights because they're thick and soft (though not too thick), and because they come in plenty of different colors.  I also love the skirt because it's soft and has lovely drape.  It even has an underskirt so that no one can see Rael's rear through the tulle.

Hopefully if Miss Emily sees this post she won't take umbrage at me stealing her idea.  Her unicorn girls sold very quickly, and for me it was just easier to redress Rael and be done with it.  If I'd been thinking I would've grabbed the other outfit instead, since it has a bright skirt like the one Rani is/was/probably still is wearing, but Rael looks good in purple so I won't complain.

With the saga of Rael's eyes complete I turn my attention to Xenia, who genuinely does have bad eyes.  Indeed, they've only gotten worse since I last shared her here.  But she did finally get some eyelashes.

Yeah, that's a definite improvement.

Before the summer is over I need to get Xenia a unicorn outfit too.  I like it when she and Rael coordinate, and at the moment, they don't.

They still make a cute pair, though!

Cheers and much love,

RagingMoon1987

Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing???

Time to talk about Rael, my old My Twinn doll.  Rael is a Denver-era doll and thus should not have the eye problems so prevalent in My Twinns of Xenia's size, but eye shifting does happen in Denver dolls too, as this poor pet reveals.  Recently I was photographing Rael in her new dress (specifically, this dress, and pardon the overexposure)...

...when I noticed something funny about her eyes.  I think her right eye is turning pink, but Mama can't tell the difference.  What do y'all think???

Dang it, Rael has always had such pretty eyes...I think they're D37 eyes from the 1999 chart (Rael's tag says "1999" on it).  Here's an idea of what they looked like three years ago.

So...I'm very hesitant to switch out Xenia's eyes, and I'm not too confident about having to switch out Rael's either.  Miss Emily had no trouble swapping eyes once she'd had some practice, but I DON'T WANNA DO IT!!!  Her eyelashes are so pretty and...well, her eyes are still pretty too.  I desperately hope I'm just seeing things, but what say y'all???  Will Rael need an eye swap in the near future?

Kisses, hugs, and ladybugs,

RagingMoon1987

A month of extremes

I joked to a patron at the library today that April and October are often months of extremes.  Or at least they are here in Missouri.  April usually begins chilly and ends warm (usually with a few waves of thunderstorms in between), and October usually is the reverse.  This year certainly seems to be that way, as the first few days of the month were hotter than the devil.  Indeed, I told my friends that the rain that came on Sunday was the best birthday present I could've gotten.  Now it's the ninth and seasonably cool, and they're predicting wind chills in the mid-thirties for Friday night.  Yeah, mid-thirties, with a probable wave of thunderstorms in between the two temperatures.  I'm not ready.  As much as I griped about this past summer, I'm not ready.  I was hoping that the air would stay mild for a week or two before it got cold, but it's not and I'M NOT READY!!!  Rael is ready, though.  She greets anything thrown at her with the enthusiasm characteristic of Twinns with the Ariel head.

My father would've called that sweater a "Don't mistake me for a deer" sweater due to it being a nice bright shade of red.  Indeed, this has always been my favorite of the old My Twinn ensembles due to the tassels on the bottom of the sweater, and due to the combination of red and black (always a striking color combo).  It even buttons in the back of the neck so the doll's owner wouldn't have to cram that collar over the doll's head and potentially ruin the hair.

I should probably get Rael some new hair ribbons to match, but other than that she's ready for December.

Ready for December, yeah.  LOL, the sun's shining and there's still green leaves on the trees!  As an aside, I do wish these old My Twinns could bend their arms a bit more convincingly.  Just an inch or two off the top edge of the vinyl part would've done wonders.  Rael is not alone in that department, but it would've been nice to have her playing with the leaves or scrutinizing some piece of autumnal detritus.  It can be done with rubber bands, but I didn't have any on me when I took those pictures.

Now I'm going to make sure my own sweaters are spider-free and ready myself for those wind chills!  I probably wouldn't mind winter so much if the wind didn't have such a bite to it.  That's one more advantage that Rael has over me; I can feel the cold and she can't!

Cheers,
RagingMoon1987