Lea Clark: The Colorful Depression-Fighting GOTY 2016 Collection?

Sorry for the long absence.

I was trying to post during the holiday weeks, 

but I failed miserably at that attempt.

There is something to be said for pre-scheduling blog posts, 

but then again -- you were all enjoying 

your family holiday fun times, right? And not reading my silly blog.

Yay for family holiday fun times!

Woot!

Yay!

Woot!

(Am I over-selling that enthusiasm??)

I guess this is technically an Honest Editorial, jfyi.

But it's not written by Maple, so need to click away in fear. ;-)

Lea Clark's collection is exceptionally bright and colorful.

We can blame that on the Brazil thing.

I mean...we can attribute that her being in Brazil....

And most people love the bold, brightness of her style

-- it certainly stands out from recent GOTY collections -- 

and harkens back to Jess and Kanani -- 

our other tropical-themed girls.

^^^ I only like the pants.... and the binoculars....

^^^ Why does the camera have to be bright blue with a pink and yellow strap? 

*Whines* ;-)

For us, Lea's collection does nothing.

Nada.

Sure we like some of the ideas and the accessories -- 

but the clothing is just 'blergh' to us.

And that started us thinking.

We do occasionally think.

(Not often though.)

Some people talk about how when you're depressed 

you tend to wear darker colors.

You like things dark. Not bright.

Is this true?

Is it just something people say?

We're not sure.

And neither are the scientists and head doctors.

But I do know I am clinically depressed.

(I know I am part of a large club in this regard.

Depressed People Unite!

Weee!!!

^^^Ironic excitement.^^^)

And I don't wear bright colors.

A) Because they look hideous on me.

and

B) Because I usually can't stand them.

I have noticed that I have been gravitating to 

my bright doll clothing less and less.

So apparently my own style has seeped into the dolls' style.

Which wasn't always so.

I've just stopped buying anything bright.

So returning to Lea's collection.

I honestly can't stand most of it.

And I blame that primarily on the colors.

I just can't stand their bright colors.

My retinas scream -- "NOOOOOO!!!!"

Some research suggests that depression makes people 

less perceptive of color and contrast.

Their retinas are not working as well as those of a non-depressed person.

Now this is just research, and difficult to prove.

But it makes me think -- Do I see these 

AG clothing colors different than other people???

And if so, why does this happen?

Well, they theorize brain chemistry, of course.

So the further argument that some researchers 

have come up with is that bright colors 

will help a depressed person be less depressed.

Really?

Do they?

Not for me.

I just feel like "yuck" when I see Lea's collection.

Which is funny because most people have stars in their eyes for it all.

I will say I love the green-ness of her catalog and website pics.

The rainforest is awesome and definitely gives me happy feelings.

I just wanna go happily roll around in that forest like a puppy.

Yes, trees. Mmmm. Trees.

Trees and plants are awesome.

Research has suggested that looking at greens 

can help improve your mood.

And I love the sun-drenched beach photos as well.

But I really don't want that outfit she is wearing ^^^.

Yikes.

I'd rather have a doll-size palm tree. Or five.

I like the green and blue of her name graphic.

And yet the romper doesn't quite call out to me, 

despite its base color being green.

^^^ I might get it just because it looks so weird to me!

And it reminds me of the 

Enchanted Tiki Room at Walt Disney World....

But the bright yellows, oranges, pinks, and 

neon limes are just off-putting to me.

^^^ No. Not even the muted shorts can make me buy that shirt.

^^^ I LOVE the style and design of this.

And I like the deep, dark colors in this -- but not the bright ones. 

I want this set in other colors.

Sigh.

See below for my shabby re-colored edits...haha.

So if bright colors might be able to improve someone's mood...

why aren't those bright clothing colors helping to improve my mood?

I wonder....

So what do you guys think?

Bright colors = Happiness?

Dark colors = Sadness?

or maybe just

Colors You Like = Happiness?

What are your thoughts on this topic?

And do you like the color scheme of Lea's Collection?

Are there certain colors you don't like in her collection?

Do you find that color affects your mood?

Or that your mood affects your perception of colors?

I'd love to read your thoughts in the comments!

______

Thanks for visiting us today friends!!!

Merry Christmas, Holidays Around the World: Disney's EPCOT

Merry Christmas!!!

Today we wanted to start a new tradition/series: Disney Day.

Our Instagram Walt Disney World tag is:

https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/tdwb_wdwcountdown/

Our plan is to post about Disney one day per week here on zee blog.

As it is Christmas, we wanted to bring in something festive.

When we visited Walt Disney World at the beginning of December (2015) - 

we took advantage of the "Holidays Around the World" 

celebration at EPCOT.

Each country around the World Showcase has a "themed event" 

that takes place several times a day.

Some of the events have 4 showings, some have 8 showings.

So make sure you grab the times guide for this.

Some of the performers are done by late afternoon -- 

so don't expect them all to appear all day long into the night.

The pamphlet says: "Share in the sights and sounds of the nations of 

World Showcase as each country's holiday heritage 

comes to life amid joyful music and time-honored tradition."

If you want to see what goes on at each country - this is really an all-day event.

It takes time to get around the Showcase, and you want to 

make sure you stop for drinks and food so you don't pass out.

After each performance you can line up to take pics with the performers - so make sure you add time in for that if you want those pics. :-)

Mariachis and Dancers

Mexico has Mariachis and Dancers for Feliz Navidad, including a piñata.

They have a child from the audience try to whack the crud out of it.

When we walked by it but it was swarmed with people, 

so we couldn't really get close enough for pics.

Sigrid and Julenissen

Norway features Sigrid and Julenissen - 

Sigrid tells the story of Julenissen, 

a mischievous Christmas gnome who visits Norwegian farms.

Chinese Lion Dancers

China has the Chinese Lion Dancers for New Year's -

they are usually two acrobats and a narrator.

Helga

Germany features Helga, talking about 

German Christmas traditions and the Nutcracker.

Spoiler alert:

A full-size (costumed human) Nutcracker comes out at the end.

La Befana

Italy has La Befana, an elderly witch who arrives on 

the Eve of Epiphany to give gifts to children.

(We missed out on Italy's Befana this year.)

The American Adventure

At the American Adventure Pavilion you can meet Santa and Mrs. Clause.

The story of Hanukkah is told, as well as the story of Kwanzaa.

(We missed Hanukkah this year.)

And the Voices of Liberty sing 

a cappella holiday tunes inside the main building.

Daruma

In Japan the Daruma doll seller talks about Japanese New Year's traditions.

(She is hilarious, as you can see ^^^.)

Morocco Holiday Entertainment

In Morocco there is a performance about different Moroccan holidays.

(We missed Morocco this year.)

Pere Noel

In France Pere Noel (Father Christmas) talks about how 

French children write letters to Santa.

Father Christmas

In the United Kingdom Father Christmas 

has a bell performance and talks about how Christmas is celebrated in his country.

A child from the audience helps with the bell performance.

(I didn't really get any good pics of this, as it was already night time.)

Canadian Holiday Voyageurs

And in Canada, there is a rousing performance of holiday tunes from around Canada.

This is basically a rock concert, and was very good.

(But there was too many people to get a good pic of this.)

_____________

The great thing about Holidays Around the World is that it is 

included in the price of park admission.

It isn't a ticketed event that you have to pay more to participate in - 

like the Christmas party at the Magic Kingdom.

And it happens all day long -- instead of just from 7pm until midnight -- 

which most of us can't quite make it to midnight anymore. ;-)

Also, there are specific locations around the 

World Showcase with Holiday Treats and Shopping -- 

so there's even more to do besides the performances!

Let us know if you have any questions about this event. :-)

And again, Merry Christmas, friends, and

thanks for visiting us today!!!

Improving Your Doll Photography: Simple Method of Reflecting Light Onto Your Doll

We posted these pics yesterday on Instagram, so if you follow us there - 

you probably don't need to pay attention to this, haha.

But we wanted to show you what using a simple piece of white paper 

can do when photographing your dolls.

Yes, you can buy a reflector, or you can get a big white poster board thingy.

But let's say you don't have those things with you.

So look for - a piece of white paper! Woo!

And someone to hold it for you....

So we decided to bring Zoya with us on our holiday voyage.

Zoya ^^^ in a Caroline wig (she is an Ivy doll)

We took Zoya outside.

In a Truly Me #28 wig.

Kit's hat.

Cat ears from Seasoflavender's Etsy.

Cardigan by Clarisse's Closet.

Dress by Sylvie and Bruno.

But her face didn't have a lot of light on it.

And it just wasn't a sunny day, not even sunny with some clouds day.

Just cloudy and dull.

Sometimes cloudy is good.

But cloudy and dark is just not helpful.

So we employed/enslaved a family member 

to hold a piece of white paper under her face.

And you can see the difference in the lighting. ^^^

We had the hand move the paper around, different angles.

Some angles are better than others.

So make sure you experiment.

You can get these little shadows above the eyelashes --

but overall, we liked it better with the paper.

It gave us those catch lights in her eyes 

that we talked about in Monday's blog post.

http://thedollwardrobe.blogspot.com/2015/12/improving-your-doll-photography.html

And then we moved her over to another side 

of the porch for a different background.

Still using the piece of paper.

Still forcing a family member to help us. ;-)

So grab a piece of white paper and a family member 

this holiday season when photographing your dolls!!!

Merry Christmas Eve, friends!

And thank you for visiting us today!!!