After all the frustrations and setbacks I've had with the process of finding a manufacturer of sleep eyes for dolls, I am immensely pleased to announce I have procured replacement stationary eyes! These eyes will work for dolls with fixed, or non-moving, eyes, such as the Wellie Wishers dolls by American Girl. Within the next month I expect to have these eyes available in several colors. I should have the basic three colors, blue, brown, and green, for sale as early as the weekend! As with all my eyes, these come with a tutorial link so you can see exactly how to replace them.

Like all American Girl dolls, Wellie Wishers have unique custom-made eyes that aren't available outside the American Girl hospitals or factories. My eyes fit the Wellie Wishers but have a different look than the originals. They make the face look more alert and bright-eyed. You can also use these eyes for reborn dolls and any other fixed-eyed dolls with a 16mm eye size. I hope you will check my shops for these within the next few days (link from the Home page).

I am so thrilled to take this step into the future! It's just the beginning of what I hope will someday be a complete line of Atelier Mandaline doll making supplies, dolls and toys, and fashions!

We had a week of spring here in NC, and I'm feeling it! Now we are back to the typical wet, cold February weather, but last week was a really nice hiatus from winter.  Sadly, I spent most of the week with a stomach virus. I'm happy to note it did whisk off a few more pounds, so at least I got a little reward for my suffering! I took advantage of the Poshmark Valentine's Day sale to pick up new (smaller!) clothes for myself and also to stock the boutique with new styles for spring and summer. I had to force myself to relinquish all but one of my new pieces to the store. I really want the velvet off-shoulder dress, but I have it listed for sale. I don't know how long I can hold off, so if you want it you'd better head to Studio Mandaline to pick it up! In most cases I have only one of each size. It's just too tempting for me to order multiples. When you're actually feeling pretty it's really hard to own a boutique and not use it like a closet! You can link to Poshmark from the Home page. If you're new to Poshmark sign up using code STUDIOMANDALINE  and you will get a $5 credit! Poshmark has a new feature I really love: whenever you like an item the seller can now send you a private sale offer with reduced shipping. You can counter the offer, too, and see if you can get an even better deal! Try it out!

The doll business is going well. Dolls, rather than just parts, are selling again, so if you have your eye on a particular one I would head to the shops to pick it up.  You can link to all those from the Home page. I still haven't found a new manufacturer for eyes, I'm sad to say. I've really searched in the US to see if I could find someone making them here with no luck. I'm really sorry the first one I chose turned out to be pretty shady, because their sample eyes were beautiful! I just keep telling myself, these are growing pains for my little company, and that's a good thing! It's going to happen eventually! I did just re-stock the eBay and Etsy shops with bulk packs of doll stringing hooks, but the small sized hooks nearly sold out within just a couple hours! I have one pack left on eBay and a bit more on the way from the wholesaler. There are still plenty of medium and large sized hooks listed, however. If I could get to the level with all doll supplies I currently hold with eyes I will be pretty happy. Keep an eye on this blog or my newsletter or social media pages because I am expanding my eye offerings to include fixed eyes. I am specifically working on finding eyes for the American Girl Wellie Wishers dolls. I have a doll on the way so I can see which size they need. I will be sure to post when I have those listed, as I am getting more and more requests.

Well, I can certainly tell I'm back home from California. My allergies have been awful and it makes me really tired.  It sure hit me this week how the crazy climate here affects me. One day it's 40 degrees and the next is 70, and it makes my allergies flare up and gives me headaches. If I had the opportunity to move to Coronado Island I would have a  hard time saying no! I realized I missed California, especially the beaches, but I really didn't realize how much until I went back. Alas, my vacation is over and I returned home to issues with my manufacturer, who suddenly tripled the minimum order, so now I am having to start all over trying to find a different one or try to save up more money. And instead of walking on the beach all day and swimming laps I'm back to waking up before dawn to get kids to school and driving to track practice and cooking and cleaning and laundry, but of course I wouldn't give that up and I'd have those chores no matter where I lived! I'm also back to the grind at work, which isn't really so much of a grind since it's my dream job.

I had an order for one of my custom Kitty Kapers Barbie cat replicas and got right to work. This has been one of my most popular exclusive products for several years, ever since a customer requested one. The original cat, which is shown in the photos above, was part of the Put-Ons n Pets line of outfits with pets from 1972. These are extremely rare and valuable now. I've seen the sets sell for over $800 used as long as they have all the pieces. Collectors who can't afford an original cat like to display their dolls with my replicas. I felt the original cat looked pretty much like roadkill, so I tried to make mine a little cuter while still retaining the same look. My cats are needle-felted from Peruvian wool and jointed so they can pose so they are much higher-quality than the Mattel ones. Although I occasionally get hate mail telling me how ugly these are (I always direct the hater to the original!) they are extremely popular. I made one extra and have it for sale in my eBay store. You can order them from Etsy, too. Link to both stores from the Home page. If you search the internet for Kitty Kapers images you can see most of the past cats I've made over the years.

I finished listing my new Spring fashion line on eBay and Poshmark, including my new Infinity Raine and Baby Boden pieces. These are already selling out fast so you will want to hurry to pick up your favorites. Today I added several handbags as well.

Reviewing the photos from our trip I noticed my lips are much thinner than they used to be. Aging is something else; as soon as you take care of one issue another crops up! Luckily I had the ingredients on hand for all natural lip volumizer: Combine about 3 tbsp fractionated coconut oil with 8 drops each clove, ginger, cinnamon bark, nutmeg, and peppermint essential oils.  Mix in 1/4 tsp each cayenne pepper, hot sauce, and vitamin E oil. Apply with a cotton swab. Wait until you feel your lips begin to tingle and then wipe away the excess with the other end of the swab. Once your lips are dry apply lipstick or gloss as usual. Make sure to wash your hands after mixing and applying this and keep it away from your eyes!

​You can order my preferred brand of essential oils, Young Living, from the Home page. I concentrated hard on myself during vacation, fasting each day, walking 6-10 miles on the beach every morning, and swimming laps each afternoon. Yesterday I took a side-by-side photo and  I could really see the difference! This outfit, which is one of my favorites, will be for sale soon as the leggings are almost falling off. I was trying to get through winter without buying clothes but today I gave up and ordered myself some smaller things. I wish I had the time to workout for hours every day, but between the housework and kids and running my business it isn't possible. Still, I am moving in the right direction and if you watch the shops I hope for both our sakes you'll be able to pick up some lightly-used clothes as I transition through them to smaller sizes! You can follow my weight loss journey on my Instagram and Naturally Amanda Facebook page.

Atelier Mandaline is back open! To celebrate, I’m having sales in the EBay, Etsy, and Poshmark shops through Sunday. Links on the Home page!

Atelier Mandaline is closed for vacation and will reopen February 9th. Have a wonderful week until we meet again!