Smart Doll, Azone, & BJD Haul from Fabric Friends and Dolls!
 

Some of you may remember my video and blog from 2017 where I visited Fabric Friends and Dolls for the first time.

Although I have been back several times in the past few years, I didn’t get a chance to go last year due to the pandemic. As a trip was long over-due, the boyfriend and I took a belated birthday trip to Gaithersburg, Maryland for some dolly retail therapy.

Looking to visit Fabric Friends and Dolls in person too? Some of the shops policies have changed a bit as of recently.

They are open for appointment only currently (or curbside pickup) so all in-person shopping requests must be made in advance with Iris via email or phone.

The shop is small, but EVERY inch in packed with doll goodies, and very organized bins where you can sift through different sizes and brands. You are still allowed to sift through bins and try things on, but upon arrival, Iris will take your temperature and provide hand sanitizer for a safe shopping experience. Currently, there are also only two people allowed in the shop at a time.

Shop Fabric Friends and Dolls and the brands I bought from below:

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Store Tours, Doll HaulsBritt Rawcliffebjd, azone, smart doll, doll haul, ttya, nine9 style, dollheart
Smart Doll Wigs Galore! ZaZou Dolls Unboxing and Review
 

I will be the first to admit that I am absolutely OBSESSED with doll wigs, so when Danielle of ZaZou Dolls reached out to me asking if I would be interested in reviewing and photographing some of her wigs, I absolutely had to say yes.

Check out the video above for the full unboxing and review on these amazing Smart Doll wigs I received from her team.

Here are some of the pros and cons of the wigs I received.

Pros:

  1. Very very soft

  2. Thick (no bald spots)

  3. Vivid colors

  4. Wide range of colors and styles to choose from

  5. Most wigs have a nude/light colored wig cap inside

  6. Supporting a small business

Cons:

  1. A little pricey compared to some other wig makers

    1. LeekeWorld, For My Doll, etc

  2. Packaging

    1. Other wigs in this price point come packaged in a plastic box to retain the wig’s shape

  3. Some wigs had a black head cap (could stain)

  4. Some wigs (not all) were looser than others and required a wig cap

In conclusion, ZaZou Doll wigs are definitely some of my favorites that are on the market as alternatives to the default Culture Japan wigs that Smart Dolls come with. If you’re not a Smart Doll owner, these wigs will also fit other dolls in the 8-9 inch head range, such as Dollfie Dream, and some BJDs like SWITCH, LUTS, etc.

See something you like? Be sure to check out the ZaZou Dolls Etsy shop for these wigs, and so many more styles!

 
Doll Hauls, Sponsored ContentBritt Rawcliffesmart doll, doll haul, zazou dolls, wigs
Store Tours: Fabric Friends and Dolls
 

What's better than getting dolly goodies in the mail? Getting dolly goodies in person, of course!

Recently, I had the opportunity to finally stop in and see Fabric Friends and Dolls for myself! I was in Gaithersburg, Maryland visiting family and quite ironically, the shop was less than a half hour from where I was staying. I've been purchasing from them online for a while, but nothing beats buying doll items in person, that's for sure.

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Within the BJD hobby, it is very rare to have the opportunity to shop and buy dolls and doll items in person like this, so I was completely in heaven! Also maybe a bit overwhelmed, too!

I had been to conventions like Dollism Plus in NY and to the VOLKS USA store in Torrence, California but shopping at Fabric Friends and Dolls was a completely next level experience.

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The owner, Iris, lets you try on almost anything in the store, including wigs, shoes, and outfits, which is a money-saver! Having this option allowed me not only to fit test different BJD wigs, clothes, and shoes, but also to see if the item I wanted to buy truly fit my doll’s character.

Items are sorted by company and size - oh my! It is easy to get lost in the sea of high quality clothing sets they sell. I was so overwhelmed by their amazing stock and organization. It was hard to choose what to get!

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Fabric Friends and Dolls carries an impressive amount of items and dolls from a wide range of companies, including but not limited to: Smart Doll, LUTS, TTYA, TREE Design, Nine9 Style, and more.

Overall, I had an absolute blast and definitely will visit again soon!

If you’d like to visit Fabric Friends and Dolls or purchase something online, you can visit them on their website at: fabricfriendsdolls.com

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Store ToursBritt Rawcliffebjd, smart doll, shopping, fabric friends and dolls
New York Comic Con 2016: Gunpla Builders World Cup & Buying My First Dollfie Dream!
 
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This year I had the amazing opportunity to attend New York Comic Con for the first time ever as well as enter the Gunpla Builders World Cup (GBWC). I decided to submit my favorite mobile suit variant, the Z'Gok E shown in 0080: War in the Pocket. It was a great honor (and also quite intimidating!) to have my entry stand with such an amazing group of modelers.

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For anyone not familiar with GBWC, it is a worldwide competition that happens every year in certain cities. People from all over gather with the gunpla models they’ve built and painted over the course of the year and compete for prizes, and the chance to represent their country during the finals in Japan.

Without further adieu, here are the 2016 NYCC GBWC entries and winners:

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Winner of Bluefin Judge's Favorite.

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Winner of the Bandai Judge's Favorite and Winner of Best Small Scale.

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My boyfriend, Jordan, of 00gundamreviewsv2/Gunpla with ED and his winning entry, "A Bridge Too Far." He placed for Best Small Scale. So proud of him!

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The other highlight of my Saturday was being able to visit the VOLKS booth! I had been anxious to see which dolls VOLKS had for sale, as I was really hoping to bring a Dollfie Dream home with me that day. I was surprised that instead of bringing the standard models, they had limited edition DD girls that had since been sold out including Hatsune Miku and Snow Miku, who were also on display.

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Other dolls they had were Akira, KOS-MOS, and M.O.M.O. Can you guess which girl I brought home?

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I want to thank everyone who made my first NYCC experience so special, including everyone at Bandai, Bluefin, and VOLKS.

 
ConventionsBritt Rawcliffegbwc, nycc, new york comic con, pla, gunpla builders world cup, convention, dollfie dream, volks