The Cold Shoulder

Vivienne opened her eyes to a bright new day and reached out for the comforting warmth of her husband but he wasn’t there.

Abruptly she sat up in bed, ruefully remembering the argument that erupted the night before.

“Not now, Bernard,” Vivienne had said as she typed away on her computer.  “I have to finish this project for work.”

“Come on, Viv, you’ve been giving me the cold shoulder for weeks.”

“Bernard, I’m this close to landing a major account.  This project is really important to me.  I’ll make it up to you as soon as it’s finished.”

“Seems to me I heard that song right before you got the project you have now.  When is it my turn, Viv?”

“Somebody has to bring home the bacon.” 

Vivienne winced as the words echoed in her mind.  Bernard was a modern day troubadour.  He had won her heart by serenading her with original love songs and one of them had hit number three in the Billboard charts when a famous artist covered it.  For weeks everywhere she went she felt Bernard’s love pouring out of the radio.  He could move people to tears or make them kick up their heels and forget about their troubles.  From time to time royalty checks might rain down like a princely shower of golden coins but his work didn’t generate a steady income.  As she tried to brush out her tangled locks and emotions, Vivienne felt ashamed of throwing money in his face. 

She got up to dress but when she opened her armoire, she remembered the Saint Regis lace gown her Great Aunt Morgana had given her at their last monthly tea...

It was still folded away in the bottom drawer. 

She shook the gown out and held it against her body. 

“I’ll show you the cold shoulder,” she smiled, shrugging the gown on over her womanly hips. 

The deep burgundy lace set off her creamy skin and raven hair. 

The satin rose that trimmed the front matched the roses that bloomed in her cheeks as she planned an amorous reconciliation.  Then she heard Bernard’s footsteps in the hallway.  She stashed her pajamas under a pillow

and struck a beguiling pose on the bed

just as Bernard came through the doorway.

“Good morrow my lady.  Wouldst thou break thy fast?” he said with his blue eyes twinkling. 

Vivienne drank in his manly form and sighed.

“Bernard I’m sorry…” she began

but Bernard clasped her hand, 

raised it to his lips and began singing:

Lady, I am one of those who willingly endures
your wishes, so long as I can endure;  

but I do not think I can endure it for long
without dying, since you are so hard on me
as if you wanted to drive me away from you, 

so I should never again see the great and true beauty
of your gentle body, which has such worth
that you are of all good women the best.  

Alas! thus I imagine my death. 

But the pain I shall have to bear
would be sweet, if I could only hope, 

that before my death, you let me see you again. 

A long while later Bernard cradled Vivienne on his lap and tenderly fed her like a child.

“Corn crashos?”

“You know I can’t cook, Madame Ventadour.  But

Lady, if ever my heart undertakes anything
which may honor or profit my heart,
it will come from you, however far you may be,
for never without you, whom I love very loyally,
nor without Love, could I undertake it or know it.  

***
The lyrics above come from “Dame, je suis cilz”  as quoted in “Study Guide for Medieval Love Songs” created by Dr. Paul Brians, Emeritus Professor of English, Washington State University.  I named Bernard after Bernard de Ventadour, one of the most famous troubadours in the “courtly love” tradition.  He lived in the 12th century and was attached to the court of Eleanor of Aquitaine in England.  Vivienne was originally a Disney fairy named Vidia, but I named her and her great aunt after characters in the cycle of Arthurian romance tales.

If any of your ladies wants to show a valiant knight the cold shoulder, here is a tutorial on making the gown:

À Bientôt

Collector's United Doll Show 11/05/11

I'm only working part time right now so a doll show could be a really detrimental to my budget, but I had earned enough money from a copy editing gig to have a good time.  By shopping the bargain bins for articulated bodies, I was able to leave with twenty-one new (to me) dolls and still make rent!

Seeing doll friends is as big a thrill as finding doll treasures.  I bought this silver sprite from Mattie Eley, one of the artists I profiled after the Atlanta Doll Collector's show back in May. 

Although these charming dolls are designed to hang on your Christmas tree, Miss Mattie was wearing one of these creations on her lapel.  At $5 a piece even I could afford to patronize the arts.  If you fancy one of Mattie's People, visit Miss Mattie's Etsy store or check out her website for a full gallery of her work.

I saw several Atlanta Doll Collector's members when I walked in.  A little while later I met up with Vanessa of Van's Doll Treasures.  She gave me three clones including this early Janay.

 

After a doll show my house reeks of pinesol because I soak everybody in a disinfecting bath first thing.  Then comes the hair pulling.   All the fake, hair weave-looking tresses have to go.  I had to cut off half of this lady's hair before I could scalp her because her locks were so tangled but she cleaned up very nicely.

I passed on the Flavas when they were originally in the stores.  I thought Mattel must be in league with the manufacturers of colored contact lenses since so many of their dolls of color sported blue, green or gray eyes.  Don't they know the majority of the world's population has brown eyes?  I colored Kiyoni's eyes brown and also darkened her lipstick. 

 

Being somewhat vertically challenged myself, I like having doll characters who are not fashion model height so I will keep my eyes out for more Flavas in the future.

I got Kiyoni and nine other dolls for fifty cents each.  Then I splurged on this Just Girlz Asian princess:

Bruce Lee and Mr. Sulu (played by George Takei) are about to come to blows over her

but I think she has her eye on Toshiro who serves as the fit model in the following shoe tutorial:

Hasbro's movable fighting men may be a little short, but those big feet might be an indicator of sizeable endowments in other areas :-).

À Bientôt

What Goes up Must Come Down

Splasing in the waves and building sand castles was fun, but what Courtney really wanted to do at the beach was ride the ferris wheel.

 

"I bet you can see all the way to the other side of the ocean from the top of the big wheel," she thought.

The line took forever. 

But finally Grace stepped up to the ticket booth and paid for their tickets.  

Once all the riders were safely strapped in their seats, the big wheel started to turn. 

“Whee!” said Shani. 

“Whee!” said Asha throwing her arms in the air. 

But Nichelle just smiled sweetly. 

When they got to the top of the wheel, Courtney looked out over the water and felt butterflies in her tummy but Grace wasn’t afraid.  “What goes up must come down,” she said.

The sisters threw their arms in the air and whooped as the wheel started its descent. 

“Let’s do it again!” said Courtney

***

Here is a tutorial on making Courtney’s natural texture wig:

À Bientôt

I'm Your Woman

“Ay mamacita!” Alejandro exclaimed when Alyssa emerged from the adjoining bath in a new, lace teddy. 

“Le gustas? -- you like?” she said with a sultry smile.

“Muchisimo!” Alejandro murmured as he brushed a trail of kisses along his wife’s arm. 

Then he spun her around and caught her in an ardent embrace.

Whenever they stayed at her parents’ house they had to spoon in the narrow single bed in Alyssa’s old room.  It was cozy, but Alejandro always ended up feeling frustrated because Alyssa always panicked just when things were getting interesting, saying “What if Papi and Mami hear us?”

“Are you trying to torture me?” said Alejandro, fondling his wife’s fundillo. 

Then he spun her around again and laid her gently on the bed. 

“Le pido, mi amor – I’m begging you,” he said, leaning in for another kiss.

“Eres mi vida, mi alma, mi corazón– you are my life, my soul, my heart,” he continued, sliding into the bed next to her and enfolding her in his arms. 

Alyssa tried to feign indifference,

but Alejandro kept whispering endearments and praises while his fingers gently played under the plunging V at the back of her teddy.  

The Saint Regis Lace teddy had been one of the spiciest presents from her bridal shower nearly a year ago.  Alyssa didn’t know what had possessed her to wear it for the first time now with Papi and Mami just across the hall, but before she knew it, she had rolled over on top and was kissing her husband as passionately as he was kissing her. 

“Ay papi!”  she cried.  (This might translate as "Aw, get it daddy!")

“Y los padres? – what about the ‘rents?” Alejandro grinned.

 

 

“Pues, soy tu mujer – well, I’m your woman,” she replied. 

***
In case your dolls are feeling as womanish as Alyssa, here's a tutorial on making the Bareback Teddy.

À Bientôt

The Sneak Preview

Video production is very time consuming so in August when I decided to produce tutorial videos for this blog, I planned to complete 12 tutorials before September 1st and then start publishing one each week.  Since hard drives can crash, I thought the best strategy would be to upload the finished videos to You Tube but mark them “private” until the day I was ready to publish them.  This “Beaded Sandals” video took a long time to upload, however, and while I was waiting, I decided to make a quick trip to the restroom.  When I came back to the computer, the video had finished processing and it had already received a viewing.  “How can that be?”  I wondered.  Then I noticed that there was also a comment.  I clicked on the link and found encouraging words from my doll mentor, Vanessa of Van’s Doll Treasures.  I subscribe to her You Tube channel so I won’t miss any of her excellent doll dramas.  I guess she happened to be on-line in You Tube and could see that I had uploaded a new video in the short interval before I could mark it private.  What a coincidence! 

Two months later here is the official premiere of “Beaded Sandals:”

After watching the “Action Figure Sandals” tutorial, Hippolyta on Figurvore made 20 pairs!  If you make any of these “Beaded Sandals,” I would love to see the pictures.

À Bientôt

A Day at the Fair

A traveling fair set up on the outskirts of town over the long weekend so Baba and Mama decided to take the kids.  

There was so much to do and see that they hardly knew where to start.  After much discussion, they bought tickets and rode the swings first because they were closest to the entrance.  

Junebug rode with Baba

and Sissy rode with Mama.  Meanwhile Pepe and Eloisa waited to buy their tickets.  Pepe’s bunkmates at Firehouse #5 had teased that Eloisa wasn’t tall enough to ride the swings by herself, but Pepe didn’t care.  He was happy to have a day off to spend with his lady.

Finally the swings stopped, the Knapps got off, and Pepe and Eloisa had their turn.

“Fun, Baba!” said Sissy.  “Again please?”  

 So they rode the swings again and then went off to explore the rest of the fair.


Here is a tutorial on making a child’s Afro wig like Junebug’s:

À Bientôt

Criss Cross Camisole

Kira Kim models Saint Regis Lace

When we last saw Kira, she was standing in line at the Community Credit Union, waiting to retrieve a piece of heirloom jewelry from her safe deposit box.  Kira has the classic Barbie figure, but as you can see, the hip hugger briefs that Nakoma Tarbell modeled in the first lingerie tutorial can easily be adapted to fit classic Barbie and other body types.  Here Kira pairs deep purple briefs with her lavender Criss Cross Camisole.  My girlfriends wish Saint Regis Lace designs came in 1:1 sizes!  This tutorial won't help you make these sweet, lacey nothings for yourself but your dolls will thank you effusively.

À Bientôt