Dollcraft

  Cleo is so photogenic. She looks good anywhere, but I liked this tree as a background texture that is detailed but not distracting. Cleo is a fancy girl and not fully comfortable in the outdoors. But my Lammily doll, Margot, loves nature! Margot is not as posable as the Monster High ghouls, but some height shows her adventurous personality.   Best friends Birdie and Hester watch the sun set over the lake. They enjoy their new Liv bodies and dancing freedom. (Check out my post on re-bodying dolls.) Sometimes you don't notice a mistake until looking at the photos later, like Hester's unnaturally bent foot.    Duchess is going to model some lighting problems while she dances in the flowers. Purple everywhere This set of photos was taken in the middle of the day, not the ideal time. Photographers prefer morning or evening, when the light is dispersed and golden. Noon photos risk getting raccoon eyes, or in the case of Duchess, a shadow beard...

Nneka Queens of Africa dolls are a Nigerian alternative to Barbie. They were developed by Taofick Okoya "to show African children that black is beautiful by enabling them to play with dolls that reflect their culture and heritage." They are available for purchase in the US at the  Slice by Cake  website. I chose Nneka, because of her beautiful red outfit and her braided hair. She represents the Igbo tribe. (There are two other queens, Azeezah of the Hausa tribe and Wuraola of the Yoruba tribe.) Nigeria is on the west coast of Africa (Atlantic Ocean side), and is about twice the size of California. in the box Nneka is packaged in a pink box with some of her accessories on display. Here is everything in the box. I was surprised that she has a stand and a formal gown! She wears her traditional Nigerian outfit, red high heels, and has a pink hairbrush, gold crown, red purse and pink swimsuit.  more than shown on the box! Africa is the most diverse continent...