Once Upon a Time there was a doll artist named Ally...
It is several years now since the doll community lost its beloved MissAlly. MissAlly was one of the world's most talented, supremely generous, and best loved doll collectors. Not a day goes by that I do not think of her and miss my friend.
Ally and I spent hours and hours planning the dolls. Laughing and planning. Planning and laughing. When we were done laughing (and spending money) we laughed and planned some more. Who should have what hair? Who should have what eyes? What is the correct way to wear a hat? (Ally told me it is not to be "just plopped" on the head. I'm still working on that.) How to take a photograph? How to comb the dolls hair? Oh my god, Ally used to spray the dolls in the bathroom. I am still laughing.
I miss you, my friend. ♥ Yetta is for you. She is still yours in our hearts.
Yes, and then there was Yetta. The story of Yetta goes like this. (This is a long story, so you had better settle in with your tea now.) In 2008, Soom came out with Soom Beryl. You can
see the kit that we lusted after here. Neither Ally nor I bought her. We liked her, but we passed on her. A couple of years later we said, "What is wrong with us? Beryl is really good. We NEED Beryl!" Ally purchased a very decrepit, rode hard and put away wet Beryl. She was in terrible shape. I purchased Sophie. (Sophie is very beautiful and very spoiled and now lives with fishcake. Sophie is an SDink Beryl with original Soom paint.) Anyway, Ally and I had our Beryls. Mine needed almost no work and hers needed tons and tons of work. Ally optimistically set herself up for a huge project at the time in her life when she was least able to do it. There was no keeping Ally down and she was determined to have "a good Beryl".
Unfortunately, Ally was never well enough to work on her Beryl. She passed away and the Beryl was passed on to me. Fast forward to Gus251 who cleaned the Beryl (It took days and if I remember correctly he called her "A dirty b*tch!"). The Beryl then went on to New York to me. I named her "Yetta" for MissAlly's grandmother. From MissAlly's stash of wigs I let Yetta choose her pick. Yetta then got packaged up to go to Christy Johnson in Washington State.
Christy is the Leonardo DaVinci of doll artists. There is not a doll that she cannot make fabulous. Christy was also friends with MissAlly. She took Yetta on as a labor of love. The first thing Christy said after receiving Yetta was, "Oh my god, she's so yellow. That will never do." Yetta went through a whole de-yellowing process. Christy finally pronounced her, "Ready for paint!"
Yetta is based on one of MissAlly's favorite films,
Marie Antoinette. We went through photo, after photo, after photo of Marie Antoinette inspiration. Finally, we had enough photos. Christy engineered her toes so that they can point. Painted and styled her hair. Made her eyes. She gave Yetta a "full body paint" as opposed to just a "body blush". Yetta was painstakingly hand painted and airbrushed. Sparkled and lace patterned. Yetta has it all. Layer upon layer. Hour upon hour. There is literally a couple years worth of work in Yetta. Yetta has human legs, hooved legs, fancy hands, fancy feets, fancy Soom resin shoes, and extra two right feet ( O_O ). Christy and I laughed and laughed that Yetta can still dance because she does not have two left feet!
In the meantime, while Yetta was away, I splurged and bought for Yetta a Phantomdoll's Phantom Creations gown. I did sew a couple of outfits myself for Yetta, but none of them seemed good enough. Ally used to laugh and say, "What? I just buy the clothes on-line and then I use every piece! Where is the magic in that?" And I would say, "I do not know. Your dolls are pretty magical." So, it is a bit fitting that Yetta has an outfit that Ally would buy herself. (And if Ally were alive she would have beaten me to the outfit and I never would have gotten it. Then we would laugh and she would say, "You are just too slow. You have got to be quicker!")
Yetta arrived home safely this week. Yetta is spectacular. Yetta is magnificent. Yetta is a tribute to MissAlly done by her friends. We are ever so pleased; Yetta is totally Ally's style. We smile widely knowing Ally smiles like a cheshire cat in heaven.
Yes, MissAlly lives on through her dolls.
See Yetta here.
