The Imaginative Couture of Andrew Yang and His Kouklitas

Imagine my surprise when, heading out to enjoy the festivities at Barney's New York on Fashion's Night Out, I came upon them.  There...in the windows...in all their glory...THE KOUKLITAS!  But the window displays were just the tip of the fashion doll iceberg.  Displayed on the 4th floor of Barneys was an entire collection of OOAK dolls wearing an au courant selection of couture by some of the most notable names in international fashion.

Andrew's OOAK tributes to Anna Wintour and Grace Coddington

Ranging in price from $1350 to $12,000, these cloth fashion dolls are the current *Must Have* among elite doll collectors and fashion industry fans alike.   To see more photos of this marvelous collection, please visit my Kodak Gallery album.  For more information on Andrew Yang and his magical Kouklitas, or to place your custom order, be sure to visit his website.

The Kouklitas at Barneys New York

A Little Sugar and Spice for Thanksgiving

A Chocolate Flavored Saturday



Another beautiful Indian Summer weekend inspired Kennie and I to head out to New York for the much anticipated New York Chocolate Show. For all chocoholics and fashionistas, this is a MUST do and wonderful pre-Holiday season kickoff.

The Empire State Building as seen from Secaucus

As we arrived at the Metropolitan Pavilion, we were astounded to find the line for admittance, even for ticket holders, stretched all the way around the block.  Undaunted, we took our places and before long Kennie was chatting up with this pleasant New York couple about her adventures as a travel companion.  After all, touring the world wasn't merely for gnomes!  Thankfully, several vendors from the show kept working the lines offering free samples of the delicacies inside which made the 90 minute wait less painful.

Finally, we were in!  And what a spectacle greeted us as we passed through into the foyer...fashions from the Wednesday night fashion show, executed by master artisans in chocolate, confections worthy of hanging in the finest couture salons!  Kennie immediately insisted on a photo.

For more photos of all the delicious delicacies we sampled, oohhed and aahhed over, click the link below to view my Kodak album.

The New York Chocolate Show

Update: Mattel Comes Through for Paris Festival Attendees

Back in April, under my Paris Fashion Doll Festival post, I mentioned how disappointed the attendees were that the exclusive Barbie, a tradition for the Festival, had missed the production slot and a substitute was given in her place.

I'm happy to report that Mattel upped our compensation by sending attendees the second edition of the new Christian Louboutin Barbie, wearing the safari-inspired mini and tall fringed over-the-knee boots.  Totally delighted and timing couldn't be more perfect, as I was just about to order her from Barbie.com.

Way to go Mattel...THANKS!

Something Wondrous is Underway

The Holidays are Coming...Are You Ready to Celebrate?

eBay is Anti-Seller and Anti-Small Business

I have enjoyed selling and building an eBay business for 12 years now.  But, things have changed, and not in a good way.

In December 2009 I had 100% positive FeedBack.

In May 2010 my FeedBack is 93.4%.

Recently, four Buyers have blatantly taken advantage of eBay's No Negatives to Buyers policies.  There has been an attempt to scam me out of upgrades to merchandise, and outright lying to eBay in order to circumvent my No Return Policy.  eBay, and their monetary branch PayPal, have deemed it their legal right to just go into my bank account and refund a Buyer against my objections.  I've been in business over 30 years and something does not ring right with this.  After all, the lower your score/Star rating, the harder you have to work to maintain eBay's so-called Selling Standards or risk suspension.  The more sales you make, the more fees paid to eBay/PayPal.  Do we see a pattern forming here?

Where does a service company, in this case eBay, have the right to tell their clients how to run their business?

I would love for some legal entity to set up a sting to see if , in fact, some of these *dissatisfied Buyers* work for eBay/PayPal and are deliberately looking to drive out small businesses.

And I wish a Federal banking agency would audit eBay/PayPal's practices.

In the meantime, I think it's time to grow my Etsy and brick & mortar shops.