Monthly Outfits

On 7/20/2024 at 7:11 PM, rozucore said:

although i'm used to the summers in new england, i totally sympathize with merida 😩 it's been sooo hot and humid, i only have the energy to sit inside the house with the cool AC and watch youtube videos 😆 amazing photos as always, of course!!

Ditto, I keep chiding myself for not getting work on a sewing project done, but then this is me:

 

Edited July 22 by DesertPhantom51

August is here, and it's summer all over!  The day time is too hot, but the night time is getting just right for evening outdoor plans.  What better way to beat the heat than to play The Cardigans and have an evening garden party?  

The girls all have an hors d'oeuvres with matching outfit, lets see what they have cooked up!

First is Lydia with a summer (or anytime) favorite, the Margarita: 

Also my first doll sewing project!  I've sewn for humans before, but that skirt is a first for dolls.   

Margarita: 

1oz Cointreau

2oz Tequila Blanco

1oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and serve in salt crusted glass!

A nice drink deserves some light finger food, here's Katie with some Caprese Skewers

Caprese Skewers:

On a toothpick pierce cherry tomato, mozzarella pearls and fresh Italian basil.  Drizzle with a balsamic vinaigrette made with 2tbs olive oil and 2tsp balsamic vinegar.  Divine on a warm night!

A seasonal sweet to go with the last taste, Merida brings one of my summer favorites of grilled fresh peaches.

Grilled Peaches: Take ripe peached cutting them in half and removing the pit.  Brush with olive oil and place cut side down on preheated grill.  After five minutes turn and grill the other side.  Eat plain, add to ice cream, add cottage cheese, or even use some of the balsamic vinaigrette from the kabobs.  Delicious in many ways!

Another cocktail is in order, but this is more of a cordial than an actual cocktail.  Cherry Bounce has been made for ages, and after discovering it for myself last year, I have started to make regular batches, although I use Makers Mark instead of brandy.  Katie gets into the cherry vibe quite well!

Cherry Bounce: 4 cups Makers Mark, 2.5 cups sugar, 1 lb fresh cherries, 1/2 cinnamon stick, 2 whole cloves, 1 allspice berry, and a pinch of nutmeg.  Combine it all in a mason jar and let sit for a week, gently agitate to ensure sugars combine, age for 3 months.  Pure delight!

Finally we end things with a classic summer desert, as a fan of all things sour, it's one of my favorites when the lemons are nice and tart.  Samus brings some Lemon Bars to wrap things up!

Lemon Bars: Crust 2 cups flour, 1 cup butter, 1/2 cup sugar.  Combine completely and press into 9x13 pan baking at 350 for 15 mintues.  Filling: 1 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 4 eggs, 1/2 cup lemon juice.  Whisk together until combined.  After crust comes out, add filling and continue baking for 20 mintues, allow to cool completely once done, dust with confectioners sugar!  Sweet!

That's it for this month, I hope everyone has a safe and relaxing August.  Thanks for stopping by as always!  

Edited August 3 by DesertPhantom51

Your girls are always well styled, and they are all beautiful, but Lydia and Samus are really special; their face-up artists did a great job. 

Not used to seeing photos without metroids. 😛

Thank you for saying so!  Yes, those two are particularly personable.  I mean, I'm biased and think they're all the best, but those two do tend to 'pop' the most.  

Metroids are like the wind, they come, and they go and sometimes won't stand still for all the pictures lol

What beautiful and elegant dolls! They're so impeccably dressed! Loved all the details about the snacks and drinks too. And the skirt you sewed looks great! Fun lemon pattern. 🍋

Thank you so much for saying so!  The skirt was a bit of a trial for me, as I wasn't used to sewing with such small allowances, but I'm happy with how it all came together!  It was actually the print that inspired the whole theme this month, so I'm doubly thrilled it worked! 

Nice 😊 photoshoot. 
I really like how the Metroids are used in the photos this month.

Also nice use of the wine in the glass. I would definitely have closed the glass on top because I will be to afraid to spill it over the outfit.

 

I've yet to comment in this thread before, but your photoshoots are absolute doll goals for me. The posing, the outfits, the mix of scale props and human-sized ones, the general vibe...I dunno, it's just all so pleasant to me! The months seem to go by faster and faster lately, keep up the good work!

Thank you both so much for the lovely compliments! 

20 hours ago, Rajke said:

the wine in the glass. I would definitely have closed the glass on top because I will be to afraid to spill it over the outfit.

 

That's not actually wine in there, it's a prop I made from an existing wine glass, it's actually epoxy resin that I tinted red and let solidify at an angle to give it an illusion of liquid.  So no spill risks!  Although the margarita in Lydia's hand is the absolute real deal and I drank it after the shoot.  I was nervous while it was there though! 

8 hours ago, PlasticJester said:

I've yet to comment in this thread before, but your photoshoots are absolute doll goals for me. The posing, the outfits, the mix of scale props and human-sized ones, the general vibe...I dunno, it's just all so pleasant to me! The months seem to go by faster and faster lately, keep up the good work!

That's one of the nicest compliments I could receive, thank you so much, I'm glad you like them!

Amazing photos!  You have a safe and relaxing August too. 

September is always a let down.  I want to have fall fun, but it's 98 degrees outside, so obviously still summer.  Luckily something fun happened in San Diego recently, so I thought it was a fun chance to do something really silly.  The San Diego Zoo just welcomed back pandas, and it's still beach weather, so.... BEACH PANDAS!!

With the Autumnal Equinox just around the corner, we'll have Lydia go first with her longer hair returning as well.

She's not the only one with a new style this month, Katie sporting a new under color dye wig, keeping her ginger attitude on top of course. 

It's panda-monium I tells ya! 

That's the months theme, but here's a bonus of Merida in a non-theme swim suit and sarong!

In case you're curious, yes, that is her actual tartan pattern!  Thanks Spoonflower! 

 

That's it for this month, I wanted to do more, but life, uh, gets in the way.  Halloween can't get here soon enough though, I'm having so much planning for those photos!  Hope everyone has a safe and wonderful month ahead of them, and those heading to Dolpa LA travel safe!  Thanks for stopping by!

On 9/6/2024 at 11:26 AM, DesertPhantom51 said:

That's the months theme, but here's a bonus of Merida in a non-theme swim suit and sarong!

Her wig and face are just perfect together. 

16 hours ago, BeyondTime said:

Her wig and face are just perfect together. 

They really are, I tried a few others, but this one just matches too well.  Although I did have to get a fabric cap to prevent staining.  The stitches are white, the cap is light beige and the hair isn't dyed, but for some reason it left a little stain on her after the first time she wore it.  I'm still trying to figure out why.  

On 9/12/2022 at 7:10 PM, DesertPhantom51 said:

The Empress 75.

They have what I think is a new gin: Empress 1908 Elderflower Rose.

Try an Empress Elderflower Rose 75, same exact recipe as an Empress 75, except you use the Elderflower Rose gin and an orange twist. 
 

This is based on my own personal taste, but I've found that Montaudon Brut Champagne goes really well with Empress Gin cocktails.

Eventually I want to try every drink on this page: https://empressgin.com/cocktails/

They all look so tasty.