My dolls Afro is Fierce!

Kinky Hair Afro Dolls being customized and made available for sale at Natural Girls United.

Update: Natural Hair Couple Doll for Dinah!!

Here is wonderful update from the gorgeous newly wed couple, Dinah and her husband. Back in November of 2011, Dinah purchased a Natural Hair Doll Couple from my online store - Natural Girls United.  She took her new dolls and had a clothing designer - The Pieces Of Anarnia, create a wedding day outfit for her dolls, that would be perfect for her wedding cake table. Dinah happily reports that her wedding was amazing, and I can see by their beautiful photos that it was a gorgeous day. 

Customized doll couples & New Male Dreadlocks Dolls

Having fun expanding the Natural Girls United customize doll options. Now featuring male dolls with Loc's/Dreadlocks!   Couple dolls also available upon request. I love Ruth and Ashley's comment from Facebook.

Gorgeous!

New doll available at Natural Girls United! - natural hair inspired dolls website. 

Natural Hair Inspired Dolls - New!

These dolls and more are available at Natural Girls United!

Natural Girls United Vendor Showcase - Texture Talk

Natural Girls United! was featured at the Texture Talk natural hair event, at the Omni Hotel, on March 25, 2012.  It was a great event, and I meet a lot of great people.  It was an awesome opportunity, and I look forward to showing more ethnic custom dolls from my business at future events. 

My Interview - The Birmingham News

I was interviewed for the The Birmingham News newspaper. To see the full Article, go to More black women are embracing their natural hair.

Curly & Straight Dreadlocks Doll!! ❤

Update! Natural Girls United! has been growing day by day. I started the website last summer and with love and hard work... and happy to say that I have been able to continue on with this project. Natural Girls United offers ethnic barbie dolls with hair that is customized to have ethnic styles and textures that reflect that of the our natural hair community.  There are many hairstyles offered. But to name a few: Dreadlocks/Loc's, Afros, Curly Hair, Kinky Hair, Braids, Bantu Knots and more!  To learn more about Natural Girl's United! and to see more dolls, go to http://www.naturalgirlsunited.com.  Here are more dolls that are available for sale today -

Vendor at Natural or Knot Event

I had wonderful time at the Natural or Knot event on February 24th, 2012. The event offered a great mix of inspirational Artist, Poets, Singers, Stylist, and a gorgeous group of people from the Bay Area's natural hair community.  I would like to give a big Thank You to the event hosts - Sheree and Janina.  This was also my first vendor event, giving me an opportunity to showcase my natural hair dolls from Natural Girls United!.  I was so excited to see the lucky winners of the two dolls given away during the event. It was an great experience to come together with such a positive group of people. I look forward to seeing everyone again at the next Bay Area event!

Photo Credit: Karen Byrd, Thomas Horton

Dreadlocks Barbie Dolls

If you have not already visited my online store for customized ethnic natural hair dolls, please go to Natural Girls United!.  As of today, for the Dreadlocks barbies, I have two for sale. Both dolls originally had straight hair, and I gave them gorgeous Dreadlocks!   Each doll has a different hair blend, so the texture and outcome is different. To see pricing, go to the details page for these dolls. They are not currently listed for sale, but will be posted tomorrow afternoon. If you are interested in these dolls, or some of the other dolls from the website, please email me at naturalgirlsunited@gmail.com.

African Doll Clothes by Donnilah

What inspired you to create dolls with African clothing? My original inspiration came from an African woman who requested me to make dolls that reflected the ladies in her African wedding. I am always up for the challenge. I studied the pictures and found the fabric… I’t all started coming together.

How did you learn to sew/create African styled clothing? My father taught me how to sew. His mother (my grandmother) taught him and all of her 10 children how to sew. I am grateful to have a skill that has been passed down through generations. The concept of African/Ethnic styles comes from watching the top designers who have adopted the styles of Ancent African clothing, geometric designs and patterns. We are so diverse in style and flare. We are the originators of fashion. I am still studying and interpreting style and fashions on a global scale.

How has the response been to your doll creations? The responses have been awesome. I have customers of all ethnic backgrounds who enjoy the dolls and the beauty they represent. I am really encouraging people to collect them and enjoy their back story. I want to teach the children about fashions from around the world. These dolls create awareness and appreciation of global beauty, not just African beauty. African people are all over the world because we all from Africa.

What is your goal with bringing these dolls to our community? I am hoping my art and stories will educate little girls. We also need to teach our children its ok to be, look, like who you are. God made no mistakes in creating us it’s a blessing we are so diverse and we come in so many beautiful shades and colors. I also hope we learn to leave a legacy as my grandmother and father has left with me. In every doll that I make I leave that legacy the spirit my grandmother's art and fashion lives on.

How can people see more of your work and how can they contact you? I can be reached at: info@justblaque.com. I am opening up an online boutique soon Annie Bella's boutique, named after my grandmother Mrs. Annie Bell McClendon.

Natural Hair Couple Doll for Dinah!!

One of my favorite projects that I have done since starting the Natural Girls United!  Natural Hair Doll's project - is creating a couple doll set, for Dinah and her Fiance. Dinah wanted to find a ethnic doll that matched her hair, skin tone and features. She also wanted to find a African American Ken doll that closely resembled her Husband-to-be. Working together, we choose a beautiful ethnic barbie doll with a curly Afro puff ponytail from my collection and a handsome Ken doll.  Both dolls will make a great addition to her wedding decor. I am so excited for the couple and very honored to be able to help with making her big day even more special!

"I have just brought one for these beautiful dolls for myself as representative of me on my wedding day- multicolored Afro. Keep up the good work!" -  Dinah 

New Dolls For Sale!

New Ethnic Natural Hair Barbie Dolls for Sale at Natural Girl's United! (formally Stylishbella.com). Curls, Afro Puffs, Wavy Hair, Bun Mohawk, Dreadlocks, TWA, Braids, Cornrows and More!!