All week, I've been abuzz about this beautiful new mint colorway of the Alice du Jardin doll from Groove. Of course, I've also been in a cloud of willful denial, hoping it would pop up on my regular sites, but no; it's a Kera Shop exclusive. You can reserve her now for ¥12,600 (US$161) and she will be released around mid-September. I'm crazy about this release and I'm not sure why: the standard colorway is pretty, but this one is an even more stunning version of an already lovely doll. However, there is absolutely no way I'm paying that much money, so I might content myself to get the standard colorway, which was released in April and is still readily available.

Ah, but here's the rub! Kera Shop is also releasing this amazing Angelic Pretty x Gothic and Lolita Bible collaboration Pullip carrying case in conjunction with the mint Jardin Alice! It has a throne for the dolls to sit on and if you want to take it out, you can use it as a wardrobe for clothes. You can reserve it for ¥9,030 (US$115) with an early October release date. Again, there's no way I'm paying that much, but now that the company has produced it my hopes have been raised that there will be a more affordable colorway released for us commoners down the road. Lots more of the official Kera Shop photos of the case are in the gallery, including some of mint Alice secure and ready for travel.

I don't have any of the Azone dolls in my collection, just a few pieces of clothing, but that might change soon. I stumbled upon this gothic darling. Part of the Sarah's a la Mode series, she will be released late in August. Lise (which I've also seen written as Rise) is around ¥11,500 (about US$150), but the detail on the clothing is amazing so she may very well be worth the cost. Pre-orders are still open at HobbyLink Japan, AmiAmi, and Hobby Search.

Speaking of new dolls, I've been looking forward to seeing the new Novi Stars line by MGA Entertainment, the makers of Bratz and Lalaloopsy (so I just learned). They're alien girls and they've come to Earth for  ... fashion and pizza. Okay, so they're marketed toward kids and I literally had to reach over the head of a 10-year-old girl to look at one on the shelf, but hey, they're interesting and the US$20 price point is a relief from time to time. Each one has a shtick: Mae Tallic talks, Allie Lectric lights up, Una Verse has clear legs filled with glitter and water, and Ari Roma is scented. What I like, aside from the designs in general, is that they remind me of toys from the '80s where they've have some crazy random thing that was supposed to "sell" them for kids. An example was those Barbie roller blades that "twinkled," but were just fixed with lighter sparkers thus some kid lit their house on fire, remember? Anyway, I didn't think I'd be able to find these Novi Stars locally, but I (obviously) did, and my first impression is a positive one. I bought one so expect a proper writeup next week with photos!

While I was at the store scoping out the Novi Stars, I decided to pick up some parts for a Monster High custom I'm attempting to finish. It grew out of one of the Create-a-Monster kits that they make and it has started to spiral out of control a touch. Why? Because the kits don't actually come with all the parts you need to make a doll and the parts they do include are, from my experience, not interchangeable with stock dolls. Goodbye, Plan A! One of the people out there helping Monster High customizers deal with this crazy is Rachael of Jemgirl Creations. She makes replacement torsos for MH dolls along with amazing shoes plus all kinds of Blythe goods. You can buy these torsos as a set or individually and she even has a clear one available that would probably look great with the new ghost girl kit. Thank you to Rachel for giving us permission to use your photos!

Okay, why be coy: here is a piece of the aforementioned Monster High custom that's driving me crazy. It all started with the skeleton add-on kit that I foolishly presumed would be interchangeable with a Laguna Blue I already had at home. Not so! On top of that, I discovered that the wig that comes in the kit was hands down the worst quality wig I have ever had the displeasure of handling. It was a dry, frizzy mess and the customizer in me cried out "Unacceptable!" Before I knew it I had ripped out all the hair, removed the paint with acetone, and was knee-deep in a Saran reroot. I've rerooted about two dozen G3 My Little Ponies and one Blythe doll, but I feel like this MH reroot is taking forty forevers. It's probably because I'm taking the time to do it properly — just because it's a US$20 doll doesn't mean I should do a US$20 job — but it drove me a bit nuts and I had to take a break. I'm feeling a bit more inspired now, so I hope I'll be able to show off the fruits of my labor soon. Cross those fingers.

Moving on from customizing to handmade, if you happen to have a pile of cash burning a hole in your pocket there's a new release from high-end doll fashion design house Jojiko. The Sweet Pink Hearts Lolita Dress is full of pink, ruffles, and other such girlie charms; I for one think that it's darling. At ฿4,491 (that's Thai baht) or about US$145 it's an investment, but if this dress is your cup of tea, it's an investment I recommend. I happen to be fortunate enough to have the Pink Rabbit Lolita set in my collection and I can say that, without a doubt, their clothes are worth every cent. If you're outside of Thailand, I suggest just scrolling down the page and emailing them directly to order. Thank you to Kanjana for letting us use her photos!

Staying on the topic of high-end doll goods, if you're a fan of Marina of Enchanted Doll but can't afford one of her amazing handmade ball-jointed art dolls (approximate cost, my yearly salary), then this new Enchanted Doll face necklace might be for you! They are made to order and cost $98 CAD, which is approximately US$98, and are cast in silver. I love the Enchanted Doll line, but this isn't my cup of tea. My favorite part is probably the crown bail, I cannot deny the attention to detail on it, and it's lovely.

Thank you for taking another Doll Break with me! I'll have tons of my photos to share with you next week so I hope you'll stop in again and as always feel free to email tips/ideas to brig@tomopop.com or leave a comment below!