Orlando's Story (Mattel The Lord Of The Rings Legolas, redressed)

If any doll who knows me was ever asked to describe my personality, they'd probably say that I'm the exact opposite of my sister Shade. When I first met Shade she was a bundle of energy, chatting non-stop with anyone who would listen, always getting involved in some activity. At the time I thought it was because she'd just recovered from a body swap, and she was tired of lying down doing nothing. But as more time passed I realized that it was in Shade's nature to be energetic and talkative. That's just who she is.

Shade also doesn't do things by halves, as they say. She jumps in with both feet. Sometimes this gets her into trouble. I remember the time she told me that her friend Dandelion had been introduced to a little girl doll named Marigold, and that Treesa wanted Dandelion and Marigold to be sisters. Shade was so excited at the thought of being an 'auntie', and having a little girl doll in her group of friends that they could all cuddle and spoil. I don't think Shade actually realized the amount of sacrifice and commitment that goes into caring for a doll child. However, from what Shade told me it sounded as though Dandelion may have been more aware of what being a caregiver actually called for.

Whatever her reasons, Dandelion never did agree to be Marigold's sister. Shade was disappointed, and I think she would have pushed Dandelion to change her mind if I hadn't pointed out how doing that would only make Dandelion upset, and might lead to the end of their friendship. Not only that but Rampion and Celeste and Michaela would also be forced to choose sides. Shade knew how lucky she was to have Dandelion for a friend, someone whose personality so closely matched her own. And she didn't want to be responsible for tearing her group of friends apart. So Shade left things alone, and didn't bring the subject up again.

This wasn't the only time I had to stop Shade from doing something without thinking it through. There've been times when keeping her out of trouble has felt like a full time job. But even though my sister can be exasperating at times, I do care about her. Sometimes her being impulsive is even a good thing. I tend to be a little more cautious than Shade about what I say and do. I don't like to take risks if I can avoid them, so my life can get a little predictable, maybe even boring. Shade is the one doll who can get me out of my comfort zone and trying new things. So even though she drives me crazy sometimes, I'm still grateful to have my sister in my life. And if she ever needed help, I can honestly say that I'd do anything for her.

Orlando and Shade

There is another doll that I'd do anything for. From the moment I met Celeste, I knew there was something special about her. Maybe it was the far away look in her eyes, the way she seemed to be here but at the same time, somewhere else. Or maybe it was the graceful, nearly silent way she carried herself, as if she was used to walking on clouds. In some ways she almost didn't seem real. I still remember the night I woke up and saw her standing by the window, when she looked more like something made of moonbeams and shadows than plastic and vinyl.

When Celeste started spending time with Shade and Shade's friends, I thought it was the perfect opportunity for me to get to know her better. So I started 'hanging around', as Shade put it. I quickly discovered that Celeste had become the voice of quiet reason in the group. Whenever Shade or one of her friends had some minor problem they wanted to discuss everyone else in the group would offer their input, debating back and forth what the best course of action would be. But Celeste would always listen quietly, taking in what the rest of the dolls had to say before she offered an opinion. When she did finally speak, her words were always insightful. Celeste seems to have a remarkable understanding of doll nature and behavior. Her sense of perspective is also amazing. Celeste has a way of focusing on the big picture, of seeing the whole forest as they say, when everyone else is only seeing the trees.

The more I learned about Celeste, the more I was drawn to her. I didn't fully understand my feelings at first. I only knew that I wanted to be near her, to spend more time with her. By the time I realized I'd lost my heart the feelings ran so deep that I was convinced I'd never be able to forget Celeste, even if I'd wanted to.

I didn't talk to my sister about Celeste, at least, not at first. But eventually I realized that I needed to talk to someone, and Shade seemed like the best candidate. Despite how different we are from each other, I know that Shade cares about me. She cares the way I care about her: friendly, teasing, maybe a little overprotective. But if there's one thing I know for sure it's that Shade wants me to be happy. So one day when I was standing by the window, my thoughts focused on Celeste, I decided to confide in my sister.

Shade had been walking past me, and had stopped to ask if I was ok. She'd found me this way before, staring blankly out the window, but I'd always brushed off her concern. Now I realized that silently pining for the doll I loved was getting me nowhere. Not only that, but Shade was obviously worried about me. I owed her an explanation, if only to put her mind at ease and assure her that there was nothing seriously wrong. I also knew that I could trust Shade to keep this a secret if I asked her to. Shade's a chatterbox by nature, but she wouldn't share something if she'd given her word not to.

When Shade asked if I was ok I exhaled slowly, not knowing the best way to bring up the subject. I was still facing the window, and I could see Shade's reflection in the windowpane. She was frowning, and I realized again just how worried she must've been. I slowly turned to face her.

"It's nothing serious really," I said, trying to reassure her. Shade didn't look convinced. "Something's bugging you. I can tell," she said.

"I don't want you to worry," I told her. "But...before I say anything, I need you to promise that you won't repeat what I'm going to tell you."

Shade looked even more worried than before but she said, "Ok, I promise." That was so typical of Shade, going into things blindly. But in this case I was grateful for her impulsive nature. I slowly exhaled again, trying to collect my thoughts, and said, "There's...another doll. She...she means a lot to me and I...I'd like to be more than just a friend to her. But...I don't know if she feels the same way."

Shade's reaction completely surprised me. She rolled her eyes and asked, "Is this about Celeste?" I felt my jaw drop. "You knew?" I asked. Shade gave me an indignant look. "I'm not stupid you know," she said. It was clear that Shade felt insulted by my question, and I'm sure I would've tried to smooth things over with her if another thought hadn't completely taken over my mind. "Does Celeste know?" I asked.

Shade looked thoughtful and said, "I'm not sure, to be honest. If she does she hasn't said anything to me about it."

This new information triggered a confusing mix of emotions in me. On the one hand I was encouraged that Celeste hadn't said anything that rejected me outright. On the other hand I still didn't know if she could return my feelings, or if she'd even realized that I had feelings for her. Basically I was back where I'd started. "I just don't know what I should do, Shade," I admitted.

Shade looked thoughtful again and said, "If you had a crush on anybody else, I'd say you should go talk to Celeste. She gives great relationship advice. She helped me a lot when..." Shade suddenly trailed off, looking embarrassed. I tried not to seem amused by her reaction, since I didn't want her to think I was laughing at her. But I felt the hint of a smile cross my face despite my best efforts. "I know about your infatuation with Carlos," I told Shade. She looked even more embarrassed than before, and quickly tried to brush the matter aside.

"Anyway, I'm not sure what to tell you," Shade said. "Celeste's a lot better at giving advice than I am." Suddenly, Shade's expression changed, as if she'd had a brainstorm. "I've got it!" she said. "What if you tell Celeste you need some relationship advice, but just don't tell her it's her you've got a crush on? That way you can get some good advice without having to tell her you like her."

At first I don't think I really understood what Shade was suggesting. "You want me to lie to her," I said, not liking where this was going. Shade shook her head. "You wouldn't have to lie," she said. "Just tell Celeste you're not comfortable saying who it is. That's not really lying," Shade reasoned.

It sounded crazy to me, and risky. What if Celeste realized that I was talking about her? What if knowing that I had feelings for her made her uncomfortable? I didn't want to lose what little contact I already had with Celeste. Shade must've realized that I wasn't sold on her plan yet, because she said, "Celeste told me once that it's not the things we do that we regret the most. It's the things we didn't do."

For a moment I just stood there in silence, thinking over what Shade had said. Could it really work? Could I really get some guidance from Celeste without having to reveal my feelings for her?

"I'll think about it," I said finally. Shade must've realized that I would need time by myself to think things over, because she left me on the windowsill. Over the next few days I carefully considered my next move. Eventually I decided that, if I really wanted a future with Celeste, I'd have to face the threat of rejection sooner or later. I made up my mind that I would ask for her advice, as Shade had suggested. And then maybe, during the course of the conversation, I'd see or hear something that would give me a clue how Celeste felt about me.

(To Be Continued)

Redress Success featuring Mariette (blue haired Barbie Fairy-ettes doll)

 

Hello friends and visitors. This is Treesa, here to share my recent 'Redress Success' with all of you. I've redressed dolls with molded clothing elements before (Michaela, Abby and Maddy) but this fashion forward former fairy is only about 5 inches tall. The clothing pieces I used came from various grab bags that I bought at the thrift store, so I have no idea what doll or dolls these pieces were originally made for.

I know the 'look' I created for Mariette is probably a far cry from being stylish or trendy, but I still like the way she turned out. I'm especially pleased with how well her new top and the 'apron' I tied over her factory issue skirt match the color of her hair accessory.

I named her Mariette because I wanted a name that ended in 'et' or 'ette', since she's a Fairy-ettes doll, and because the rich blue color of her hair made me think of water, which caused words like aquatic and maritime to run through my head. I also have a red haired Fairy-ettes doll that I named Juliette, but her redress is still a work in progress.

Well, I guess that's it for this post. Hopefully one of my dolls will have a real post up soon. In the meantime, thanks for stopping by.

Signed, Treesa

Michaela's Story (redressed purple-haired Barbie fairy)

The first time I saw Treesa I was hanging from a rack at the thrift store in a plastic bag. Wow, I didn't realize how creepy that sounds until just now. It sounds like the opening shot of a bad episode of CSI. All you need is the one-liner before they cut to commercial, probably something about being left hanging. That one works on two levels because the audience is left hanging too, wondering what happened.

But to get back to the story, Treesa walked into the toy department with someone who looked so much like her I thought they were twins. I found out later I was half right. The other person was Treesa's sister, but they're not twins. Treesa said I'm not the only one who's made that mistake though. She said several people have asked her and her sister if they were twins. At least one woman thought Treesa and her sister were the same person until she saw both of them together.

But to get back to the story, Treesa and her sister were looking through the toy racks when Treesa saw me. She showed me to her sister and said, "She would be so cool if she was body swapped." Then back on the rack I went. I had to wait until my tag color went half price before Treesa bought me. I found out later it was my molded clothes that'd turned Treesa off. She didn't want to pay full price for a doll, even thrift store prices, if she was only keeping the head. But I didn't know that at the time. Back then I didn't even know what a body swap WAS because I'd never met a doll who'd had one done before. It wasn't until I met Dandelion and Shade, and Shade told me about HER body swap, that I realized how drastic it was.

But to get back to the story, before Treesa went looking for a body donor for me she decided to clean me up a little. So she took me into the bathroom and started wiping the smudges off my face with a damp towel. Then she combed out my hair. That's when she first noticed the name 'Jordan' was written on the back of my head under my hair.

Jordan was my first owner. She was also a big Toy Story fan. After she saw the movies she wrote her name on all her favorite toys in ink, just like Andy had in the movies. Well, actually she asked her Mom to do the writing on me. Mom's writing was smaller and neater than Jordan's, and the back of my head isn't THAT big.

But to get back to the story, when Treesa lifted up my hair and held it that way for several seconds I knew she must've seen Jordan's name. I wondered what Treesa was thinking. Would she get rid of me if she couldn't get the ink off? Treesa let go of my hair and turned me over so she was looking at my face. She didn't look disappointed exactly. But she did look unhappy. I wondered if she was having 'buyer's remorse'. Was she regretting spending money on me? It's not like she didn't know I was a used doll. She found me at the thrift store, and I'd lost my fairy wings long before I got there. She must've known I could have other 'condition problems'.

Then Treesa said, "You must be so sad." I didn't answer. I'd just gotten to Treesa's house that day, so I didn't know Treesa knew I was alive. Even if I'd known I'm not sure I could've answered, because I wasn't really sure what Treesa meant. Did she think I was sad because I missed Jordan? Or did she think something terrible must've happened to separate me and Jordan? Thinking about it now I guess it makes sense that Treesa was worried about me. After all she had no idea how I ended up at the thrift store. For all Treesa knew Jordan could've died. For the record it was nothing that tragic. Jordan just outgrew me. But Treesa didn't know that.

But to get back to the story, Treesa took me to her room then and found something for me to wear. It was a little tricky finding something that was loose enough to fit over the molded flower details on my...chest, but Treesa did her best.

After I was dressed Treesa left me alone in the room. I guess she thought I might need some time to myself, to process what had happened or something. That's when Dandelion and Shade passed by and saw me. They were talking to each other as they walked, I don't know what they were talking about, but as soon as they noticed me they both stopped.

I was kind of nervous at first because I didn't know what to expect. It didn't help that I'm not much of a talker. But you'd never know that from this post. I'm really surprised how much easier it's been writing out my thoughts instead of talking out loud. But then I've never tried writing before, so I didn't really know what to expect there either.

But to get back to the story, Dandelion and Shade didn't seem to mind carrying most of the conversation. "Nice hair color," Dandelion said. "Thanks," I told her shyly. I didn't know what to say after that, so I didn't say anything.

"My name's Shade," Shade said. "And this is Dandelion. What's your name?" Treesa hadn't given me a name yet, and Jordan had called all her Barbie dolls 'Barbie'. I'd been 'Purple Fairy Barbie', but she'd also had 'Princess Barbie' and 'Ballerina Barbie' and about half a dozen others. I know these names weren't very original, but Jordan more than made up for that with the creative story ideas she'd thought up for us to act out.

But to get back to the story, when Shade asked what my name was I was a little embarrassed. So I stared at the floor admitting, "I don't really have one."

"That's ok," Dandelion told me. "Treesa'll probably give you one soon. She's been pretty good at keeping up with naming her dolls lately."

"And if she forgets you can just remind her," Shade said. I stared at her in disbelief. Was she saying what I thought she was saying? Was she telling me I should show Treesa I was alive? It sure sounded that way. And if that weren't crazy enough it sounded like Shade was saying I should actually TALK to Treesa.

"Remind her?" I asked. I must've sounded stunned because Shade said, "Oops, sorry. I guess I've got so used to Treesa knowing we're alive I forgot how weird it is, weird in a good way," Shade added. "I mean, Treesa's still human, so she still likes to mess with our lives. But at least we can tell her if she goes too far."

It was really a shock finding out Treesa knew we were alive. All I could say after Shade finished explaining was, "Oh." There was an awkward silence, and then Dandelion jumped in. "Did Treesa say anything that'd give us a clue what she wants to name you?" Dandelion asked.

"No," I said. "She just talked about body swapping me." Shade stared at me with this strange look on her face. It was sort of a mix between angry and queasy. "Are you ok?" I asked. Dandelion stepped in again. "Shade had a body swap," Dandelion explained. "She kinda doesn't like to think about it."

"I can understand if it's 'medically necessary'!" Shade burst out. "But for me it was more cosmetic. I don't think Treesa realizes that, for dolls, body swapping is like major surgery! It's risky and things can go wrong!"

Now I was scared. "What exactly is a body swap?" I asked, even though I was pretty sure I wouldn't like the answer. Shade and Dandelion explained the procedure, and when they were done I probably looked even more queasy than Shade had a minute ago. "That sounds...drastic," I said, trying not to feel sick.

"You don't even look like you NEED a body swap," Shade added, "unless you have some serious 'condition issue' I'm missing."

"I don't think so," I said, my voice still shaky. "I lost my fairy wings, but I can get around alright without them." That's when Treesa came back into the room. When she came over to where she'd left me I was terrified. I thought she was going to take me away for my body swap. As soon as Treesa reached me she noticed Dandelion and Shade. "Hey you two," Treesa said. "It was nice of you to introduce yourselves. How's the new arrival?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Shade asked, still sounding upset. Treesa seemed surprised by Shade's tone of voice but she quickly got past that. "You sound like Halle," Treesa said. "New dolls usually don't answer me right away. They need time to get over the whole 'no talking to humans' thing, and they need to see they can trust me. You know that." I think seeing that Treesa didn't get angry with Shade helped me find the courage to speak up. "Are you really going to...body swap me?" I asked. I think Treesa could tell I was scared. "I was thinking about it," Treesa admitted, lowering her voice. "But you don't have to worry about that anymore. I'm not body swapping you, ever. Jordan obviously loved you just the way you are. I wouldn't take that away from you." I didn't really understand what Treesa was trying to say, and I don't think Dandelion and Shade did either. I was just glad I wasn't getting a body swap. Then Treesa smiled and said, "You need a name though. I was thinking Michaela."

"Ok," I said after a moment. I was so relieved that I wasn't going to be body swapped that she could have named me Princess PurpleHair and I would've been ok with it. I found out later the reason Treesa picked Michaela for me was because of Jordan's name. The most famous 'Jordan' Treesa knew of was Michael Jordan, the basketball player.

After Treesa left the room again I had to explain to Dandelion and Shade who Jordan was. I was still so relieved after narrowly escaping a body swap that talking about Jordan wasn't as painful as it could've been. Afterwards Dandelion and Shade introduced me to more of their friends. I met Rampion and Celeste, and Shade's brother Orlando. Rampion is a lot like Dandelion and Shade. All three of them are a lot more talkative than I am. Celeste and Orlando seem quieter though, like me. Although when Celeste talks everybody listens, because Celeste is really good at giving advice.

Well that story took a lot longer to tell than I thought it would. I guess I should work on not going off on tangents.

Enjoy The Day, Michaela

Update from Dandelion (redressed Fairytopia Dandelion)

 

First off, I'm sorry things have been kinda quiet on the blog. Today is the election primary, and Treesa's been using her laptop to research candidates these past few days. It's kinda hard to blog when your human won't get off the computer. I know elections are important for you humans, but Treesa was really agonizing over this. She wanted to make sure she made an 'informed decision', whatever that means.

 

Anyway, you'll all have to wait a little longer for a 'real' post. This is just a quick update post. I thought some of you readers might like to know Treesa just got a bunch more 'fantasy hair colors' dolls. I'm looking at you MyLittleMegara.

 

 

I'll start with Hallows Eve. She's a Special Edition Enchanted Halloween Barbie, and she has blond hair with an orange streak. In Treesa's collection, just having a 'fantasy color' streak in your hair is enough for you to be a 'fantasy hair color' doll. At least, that's what Han thinks. Han's a 12 inch vintage Star Wars Han Solo doll. He says he's an 'action figure', but his articulation doesn't even come close to Lawson's or any other 'action figure' in Treesa's collection. Han keeps calling us 'fantasy hair color' dolls 'The Rainbow Brite Brigade', even though a lot of us don't like it.

 

 

Anyway, the next doll is Anemone. She's a Barbie Easy Dress mermaid with pink hair. At least, she was a mermaid before she ended up undressed at the thrift store. Treesa redressed her, but not as a mermaid.

 

 

Next there's Abby and Maddy. They're from the Barbie Princess Power line. Treesa found them on clearance at Walmart. Abby has blue and yellow hair, and Maddy has purple and orange hair. They've also got molded clothes, but Treesa redressed them anyway. Treesa named them Abby and Maddy because that's their characters' names in the Princess Power movie. The problem is, Treesa can never remember which one's Abby and which one's Maddy. I don't think their personalities are helping with that. They're sort of like an older version of Vi and Viv, always finishing each others sentences.

 

 

Anyway, the last 'fantasy hair color' doll Treesa got, so far, was Michaela. She's a Barbie doll with light purple hair who used to be a fairy. She's got molded on clothes too, like Abby and Maddy. Treesa tried to find something for Michaela to wear, but it wasn't easy. I know Treesa was thinking about body swapping Michaela, but then she changed her mind. I'm not sure why.

 

Anyway, I guess that's it for this update. I'll try to talk some of the new dolls into posting.

 

Later, Dandelion