Paper Studio Press in the New York Post!

Sandwiched right between "Sex and the City" and Stevie Nicks is me! Well, not exactly me, but my publishing company was mentioned in today's New York Post! Following her comments about the St. Martins Press "Barack and Michelle Obama Paper Doll," I notified Cindy Adams about our brand new Michelle First Lady paper doll by David Wolfe.

Published in conjunction with Paperdollwyood (David's own imprint), this paper doll is a lovely tribute to the first lady, with two dolls and eight pages of clothes. The book is currently available for $14 from Paperdoll Review.

Phyllis Diller Paper Dolls

I just received a lovely note from Miss Phyllis Diller approving the final designs for our upcoming Phyllis Diller Paper Doll book. In fact, she said David Wolfe's artwork was "magnificent"!

In February David and I had the extraordinary opportunity to meet Miss Diller in her Beverly Hills home. She was gracious, down-to-earth and she really is funny in real life. Sharp as a tack, she was quick to make a joke or laugh at one of ours. When David and I got ready to tour her closets, she jokingly told us to leave our bags behind so she could go through them when we were gone. After our meeting, complete with cocktails and caviar, Miss Diller's assistant, Shelly, led us throughout the house to various closets filled with racks of those zany outfits so identifiable to Phyllis Diller and her stand-up performances.

Shelly left us to rifle through the racks and choose outfits to photograph for paper doll book reference. While David fussed over costume selections, I perused the charming paintings, done by Phyllis Diller herself, lining the walls of the long hallway. Once David made a costume selection, he'd bring it out into the light of the hall (which overlooked a beautiful courtyard) and I held it up for him to photograph. I even bought one of her paintings! It's a portrait of a girl who looks just like me, with straight blonde hair and wearing a big pink hat. It was a wonderful day and such an honor to meet the legendary Phyllis Diller.

Based on the dozens of reference photos, David completed the artwork for the book. The front and back covers show three dolls, representing Miss Diller at various stages in her career, all with her signature wild hairstyles, and the colorful clothing pages show costumes worn for various TV appearances, on stage and movie roles. For extra fun, the paper doll book includes many of the classic one-line zingers that became legendary in Phyllis Diller's stand-up act and innumerable guest appearances on TV. Phyllis Diller Paper Dolls will be available in August, and advance orders are welcome from Paperdoll Review.

Paper Dolls in the New York Times!

Linda Ocasio just gave me the hot tip about this nifty paper doll shown in today's New York Times. The photo-format paper doll accompanies an article about pink being the shopper's comfort color. We love it when paper dolls make it into mainstream media! If you get the TV Guide, take a look at the February 9-15, 2009 issue. An article on page 48 shows Eliza Dushku wearing tabbed clothes. It's not exactly a paper doll, but pretty close!

David Wolfe Returns to Phyllis McGuire's Closet

David Wolfe (a popular artist in Paper Studio Press' growing stable of talents) told me about his trip to Las Vegas for the MAGIC fashion convention. While there, he met with Phyllis McGuire of the legendary McGuire Sisters singing trio. David and I first met Phyllis a few months ago to present her with the idea of becoming a subject for a new paper doll book. She agreed enthusiastically and now the project is moving along.

David told me about working with Miss McGuire's charming assistant, Sandy, and her fashion curator, Jan Rude. The reason she needs a curator is that Phyllis McGuire, one of the world's best dressed fashionistas, has an incredible collection of creations by famous designers, a collection that David said rivals many fashion museums. Galanos, Chanel, Pauline Trigere, Bob Mackie, Nolan Miller, Norman Norell, Bill Blass, Sophie of Saks, Pucci, Halston, and more! Many outfits are on display in the gigantic room that is really the star's huge bedroom. Phyllis herself moved to another room in her stunning home while the collection is being assembled and photographed.

David and Sandy first picked out photos to use as reference for the dolls that will appear in the book. That wasn't easy since there were hundreds of photos from which to choose. David, who is almost terminally star struck, was thrilled to see photos of Phyllis with so many great celebrities including Bob Hope, George Burns, Sophie Tucker, Dean Martin, Robert Goulet, Richard Nixon and the Queen of England! David wants the three dolls to represent three different looks . . . one from the 50s, another the 60s and the other, the 70s/80s.

Then came the difficult job of deciding which of the fantastic fashions to include in the paper doll book. David will eventually paint about 25 outfits for it, but he photographed many more for reference. He wants the clothes in the book to be as detailed and absolutely authentic as possible. Since Phyllis has been a star for decades, the finished book will cover her style as it evolved with fashion from the '50s when "Sugartime" and "Sincerely" were hits to more recent stunning glamour gowns.

Following the planning session at the star's home, David, Phyllis and Jan Rude went to dinner at a fabulous restaurant overlooking the famous Bellagio water show. Of course, many of us will be in Las Vegas later this year for the National Paper Doll Convention. If only Phyllis McGuire might be willing to attend, too!