Ada the globetrotting doll

Boston, Massachusetts.

2012-02-12T21:47:00.003+01:00

In bed with Talula.

Trinity Church in Boston's Copley Square.

Sunset at Pope John Paul II Park.

At work - dressing mannequins.

Photos by Sami.

Inhotim, Brazil.

2012-02-09T06:00:00.000+01:00

I took Ada to Inhotim – a unique museum complex in Minas Gerais in the middle of a beautiful botanical garden. Together we saw amazing paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, videos and installations of Brazilian and international artists.

Words & Photos by Camila.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

2012-02-05T21:30:00.000+01:00

A Ada passou uma semana comigo no Rio (uma semana bem nublada e chuvosa, coitadinha) em novembro de 2011. Confiram nossas aventuras (e vejam mais fotosaqui).

♥

Ada spent a week with me in Rio (a very clowdy and rainy week, the poor thing) in november of 2011. Check out our adventures (and see more pics here).

Words & Photos by Camila.

Bogota, Colombia.

2012-01-30T07:00:00.000+01:00

All photos by Susan.

Lake Erie, Ontario, Canada.

2012-01-10T19:30:00.000+01:00

Photos by Charity.

Niagara Falls & Dunnville, Ontario, Canada.

2012-01-06T17:00:00.000+01:00

Photos by Charity.

Full set here.

Happy New Year!!!

2012-01-04T23:55:00.001+01:00

Photo by Charity.

Eat Crispy Flakes Without Making A Sound.

2011-12-04T14:00:00.001+01:00

Find me on Facebook,

tell your friends, spread the love.

Takk takk,

Ada.

San Francisco, California.

2011-09-27T09:43:00.000+02:00

A long time ago a magical doll was delivered to my desk. I wanted to take her all around San Francisco but the weather, in typical San Francisco fashion, didn't cooperate. Most of her time in city was spent indoors and eating a various local restaurants. We did manage to escape the house for a bit to see the murals in the Mission and hike up Bernal Hill.

As a special treat we drove down to Palo Alto and spent time in one of the many science labs at Stanford University. Ada got to play around with a bunch of chemicals and the bacterias, and I'm pretty sure she is responsible for some huge scientific discovery :) She even made friends with other dolls in between experiments!

I never knew that you could have so much fun with a traveling doll
and I am extremely grateful for the experience.

Words & Photos by Brandi.

Mexico City - Part Two

2011-09-05T08:00:00.003+02:00

Photos by Bere.

Mexico City - Part One

2011-08-30T21:36:00.000+02:00

Photos by Saydee

Be my guest... Luciana.

2011-08-23T17:53:00.003+02:00

When Luciana told me she was going to Chile for a month, we immediately thought Ada should join her. Unfortunately, Ada couldn't make it on time so Luciana took one of her sisters - Mama Mango - on this adventure and brought us back some beautiful shots. Thanks Luci!

The hood in Valparaiso.

The grand port of Valparaiso.

Cerro Concepción, Valparaiso.

I found a graffiti house in Cerro Concepción, Valparaiso.

Here I am taking one of 10 working elevators in Valpo.
The elevators are almost extinct due to bureaucracy!

This beautiful Church of San Pedro de Atacama was built around 1745.

Trippy tree in San Pedro

Cuevas de Chulacao,
these formations make a cracking sound if you listen carefully.

Visiting the Santa Cruz vineyard in Colchagua valley.

Puerta del sol,
replica of an ancient monument of Tiwanaku, a pre-Columbian Andean city.

Llamas and me

Harepaenga Rapa Nui

End of tour Santa Cruz vineyard

La Moneda, government building in Santiago

Photos & words by Luciana.

Chicago, Illinois.

2011-06-30T23:37:00.000+02:00

As soon as Ada arrived I had to take a "welcome!" picture right away; because finally Ada had come to Chicago!! Now I live a little outside Chicago, so for a few days Ada spent time relaxing out here in my backyard with my dog Cookie. As you can see, it's really hard to capture my dog's face. Then she spent sometime frolicking amongst flowers, climbing trees, crossing little red bridges, standing next to cars, and looking out to the distance; waiting for the day we could make it to downtown Chicago.

First we visited the Art Institute of Chicago, known for its iconic lions that guard the front entrance. She saw many cool art pieces including Grant Wood's "American Gothic." Then we headed towards Millenium Park, where the Bean is, and purple flower gardens abound. We spent sometime there people watching, and taking pictures against the skyline. We also walked over to the Roman memorial columns, just to check them out, and saw Oprah Winfrey's name inscribed on it! It was a beautiful and sunny summer day in Chicago. Of course I had to take one photo with Ada and me before she left! I guess there was too much sun that day, since it came out so bright. Anyway she soon had to leave, so I made her a little flower scarf that she used to keep warm as she looked out the window on the last rainy day. Ada loved Chicago, and I hope she comes back one day!

Stephany.

Washington, D.C. & Alexandria, Virginia.

2011-05-23T17:43:00.000+02:00

I had been waiting for Ada’s arrival since June 2010. I followed her travels closely and was even a bit jealous when she got to meet some of my blog friends before me.

I think it was the color that first drew me to Ada... Who wouldn’t want to be friends with a cheery red doll?

Since I live so close to America’s capital city, visiting friends are always insisting on the tour... White House, Washington Monument, Union Station, etc. We headed out early with Ada to take in the sights, but I could tell she got bored fast.

And here is the great thing about Ada - she is not one of those friends that visits and insists on being entertained. No, Ada is the friend you can simply take to your favorite coffee shop and enjoy time together.

So, with this new understanding, we left D.C. and headed to my favorite part of Virginia, Old Town Alexandria.

Living so close to a big city, people aren’t especially warm and friendly. People keep their eyes averted, concentrating on iPhones or street signs.

The day we went out with Ada, Jeremy and I had a ball. We laughed when White House security guards came over to monitor the suspicious behavior of a 6’ 2” man climbing up the gate of the White House holding a plastic doll over his head. I yelled when Jer thought it was a good idea to set Ada on a windy peer, precariously close to the water. “How will I explain that we lost Ada in the Potomac River to Adeline?!”

We were so wrapped up, that we were shocked every time someone stopped us to say...

“What a pretty doll!”

“May I ask what you are doing?”

“Is this for a special art show?”

“Would you like a photo of the three of you?”

“Ok. I came over because I just know there is a story here!”

In all seriousness, isn’t that what we all want? Someone to genuinely want to hear our story?

If there is a lesson that Miss Ada left me, it’s this - live your life so that you are wrapped up in the enjoyment of it, and you will be surprised by the people that are drawn to you.

So, thanks, Ada, for showing me that people in D.C. can be nice (hopefully those few people weren’t just tourists from Idaho). ;)

That is all.

Ashley

A Tale of Love - Magic in Singapore.

2011-04-04T08:00:00.056+02:00

When Melly sent me those photos, she put a huge smile upon my face. And then I thought: "Some people won't see the magic." and I started thinking of this post...

In my opinion, they are different ways to react at those photos depending on what you focus on: aesthetic, personal taste, photo technique... Melly is a skilled photographer but I, as an individual, appreciate above all her sense for details and her sense of humour, like a child smiling right after he's done something silly.

Take, for instance, this shot on the bus. Don't think about it as a photo but as a piece of an experiment: imagine Melly or even better yourself taking Ada out of your bag, switching your camera on... You may feel a bit silly or a bit embarrassed, there may be people looking at you, wondering what the heck you're doing. Or it may go completely unnoticed. Anyhow, I can guarantee that you'll have a rush of adrenaline and I can guarantee you'll have a crush on Ada - even though she's made of plastic. And I do hope you'll be proud about being part of this collective experiment.

When I tell people about this project, it's always interesting to see their reactions: some smile and tell me how much they love this idea and I'm delighted by their enthusiasm; some don't really see the point and look at it as a waste of time. I don't blame them, we're all different and I don't expect everyone to like every single of my projects. But I feel a bit sad - dare I say sorry? - for them because obviously they don't understand the magic in a globetrotting doll or in trusting people you've actually never met. How often do you trust strangers these days? The Beatles said "all you need is love". Well, I need my daily dose of magic.

Thank you for making the magic happen.

Photos by Melly

Words by Adeline

Singapore.

2011-04-01T19:14:00.000+02:00

Photos by Melly.

Disneyland, California.

2011-03-28T23:32:00.000+02:00

Photos by Aline & Mark.

San Francisco & Los Angeles, California.

2011-03-03T11:24:00.000+01:00

I'm so happy Ada finally made it to California and met Gus! I took her to a couple areas she insisted on visiting. Hope you like the set.

-Cesar.

Ada went to San Francisco where she had tapas and went shopping.

She had a burrito in Hollywood and insisted on having her picture taken next to Marilyn Monroe's footprints at Graumans Chinese Theater.

She got to see Banksy art in person!!!

She ended her trip at a local antique store in the Orange Circle.

Oops, she almost got mistaken for an Antique store item.

Photos & words by Cesar.

From San Francisco... With Love.

2011-02-20T15:32:00.003+01:00

Brandi found two of Ada's sisters in a shop in San Francisco and she was sweet enough to take a photo and send it to me. Thank you Brandi!

The irony is that Ada is in San Francisco at this very moment with Cesar. Cute coincidence, right?

History, Love & Give-Away

2011-02-09T23:29:00.005+01:00

Hellooooo!!!!

Want to know where I come from, where to buy me

or how to win one of my sisters?

click here

♡

Be my guest... Laura.

2011-01-17T08:00:00.006+01:00

A few months ago, Laura won the give-away including one of Ada's sisters: Baby Blue. Laura was sweet enough to let us know how Baby Blue has been since she arrived in Nottingham. I can't wait for Ada to visit Laura and Baby Blue!

Since Baby Blue arrived in Nottingham last year she's settled in well and made a new friend called Frank (shown above, her visit to Frank's new house!) And this weekend Baby Blue took a tourist trip around Nottingham.

First stop: Nottingham Castle!

She even managed to meet Robin Hood himself!

A lovely view of the castle on the hill..

A much needed rest.. and a chance to admire the view!

Before stopping into England's oldest pub for a pint of real ale..

All in all, a lovely day was had by all!

Photos & words by Laura.

New Plymouth, New Zealand. [Indoor]

2011-01-14T09:00:00.001+01:00

Thank you Te Maari.

New Plymouth, New Zealand. [Outdoor]

2011-01-11T13:12:00.005+01:00

All photos by Te Maari.

Be my guest... Anaïs.

2010-12-29T00:16:00.016+01:00

Ada has many sisters.

Many.

Lula Diga Diga Boo

Mama Mango

Baby Blue

and

Ida

Ada is the travelling one but as I saw the waiting list to host Ada becoming longer and longer, I decided to make an little exception and sent Ida to Canada to visit three of my friends. I said it before and I'll say it again: it's a slow process.

Welcome to Vancouver!

Photos by Anaïs.

2010-12-24T08:00:00.000+01:00

Perth, Australia. [Indoor]

2010-12-15T08:00:00.002+01:00

Photos by Karen.

Perth, Australia. [Outdoor]

2010-12-13T08:00:00.000+01:00

Photos by Karen.

Ada & Doggy

2010-12-06T08:00:00.001+01:00

Be my guest... Karen.

2010-11-30T19:47:00.005+01:00

Doggy was offered to a quiet 21 year-old girl on Christmas 2008. He decided that he would spend his life travelling and meeting people, dragging his poor companion/photographer with him, whether she liked it or not. Which is as honorable as any project involving travelling and having random silly fun with friendly strangers can be. Except that, only a few months after making this decision, Doggy learnt that his fluffy backside was to be sent to Australia for a year, consequently limiting and expanding beyond his future exploration beyond all expectations all at once. Since then, Doggy has made a point of visiting as many well-known cities as possible and posing in front of their most emblematic locations, charming passers-by in the process (especially, for some mysterious reason, women in their 40). Even though the journey back to homeland is drawing closer, there is little doubt that coming back to Europe will stop Doggy's wanderlust. So, if you ever happen to spot him enjoying a coffee in Paris, striding along Regent Street, befriending sheep in Scotland or visiting museums in Berlin, please do come and say hi.

Visit Karen here

and Doggy here.

♥

Adelaide, Australia.

2010-11-28T16:30:00.000+01:00

Photos taken by Galit at The Coorong, South Australia.

Tel Aviv, Israel.

2010-11-25T19:01:00.001+01:00

Photos by Galit.

From Australia to Hong Kong.

2010-11-23T19:27:00.011+01:00

Photos by Galit.

2010-11-17T21:26:00.004+01:00

A quick hello (Hello!) to tell you than the lovely Blue Eyed Night Owl

(Couldn't find her real name) won the give-away!

Thank you all for participating, it's been a pleasure to read your stories.

xxx

Adeline

2010-11-06T07:00:00.007+01:00

Today, it's been two years since Ada left me. Two years! Can you believe it? I would never have thought this project would turn into such an amazing collective experiment and I'd like to thank all of you for joining us along. To celebrate, I thought a give-away would be a nice idea, especially as Katrina gave me a few prints of Ada's stay in San Francisco and Andrea also offered some goodies from her Etsy shop.

To enter:

Leave a comment telling me about your favourite trip, real or imaginary. Tell me a story :) It doesn't have to be long and if you're shy, send me an email and I'll count you in.

As usual, you can get an extra entry by blogging or tweeting or sending paper airplanes either about this give-away or Ada's blog.

I'm not too picky, just do whatever you feel like but make sure you let me know about it.

The winner will receive:

(click on the links to have a closer look)

Yellow Measuring Tape Headband & Vintage Heads Print - Gifts of Andrea
Ada & Chico - Print by Katrina (previously unpublished)
A $20 gift certificate to Mr Rabbit Sir.
A Polaroid of your choice - By this, I mean that you tell me what you want me to take a Polaroid of and I'll do it and send it to you! Deal? Deal!

Remember to visit Andrea & Katrina

to thank them for making this give-away possible!

Andrea - The Art Of Staying Up All Night

Katrina - Pugly Pixel

The give-away will end on the 17th of November.

Spread the word, spread the love!

♥

Thanks!

Adeline

Be my guest... Nikki.

2010-09-26T22:29:00.003+02:00

I first spotted little Ada at the blog of Pugly Pixel. ‘A globetrotting doll, how fun!’ was the first thing that came to my mind.

After seeing Ada at Lady Croissant I thought for a second that there were two Ada’s. But no no, it’s the same little doll, and what a special doll! The feeling of wanting a little Ada for myself started to grow on me and I remembered seeing the doll for sale somewhere, but where?

After a long search I found her, Ada’s sister: Greta!

Getting to know Greta I learned that she didn’t think much of globetrotting. ‘But why not?’ I asked her, ‘Everybody wants to see the world right?’ She told me she was scared, because with adventure comes the feeling of losing control, not knowing what’s going to happen next. But a little sparkle in her eyes told me it was a secret wish to overcome her fears and take a trip to the outside and perhaps even an unknown country.

And at that moment, Greta and I made a pact. We are going to travel together and help each other out. Because, what many of you may not know; Greta and I have a lot in common. I would love to see more of the world, but I’m also scared. Scared of losing control and not knowing what’s next. Scared of being away from home, out of my comfort zone. But Greta made me realize that the little sparkle may not be ignored, so our first trip to an ‘unknown’ country is already planned. Because we want to take it slow, we’re going not too far from home like Berlin or Paris. And we are taking our mommy with us ;)! We are still a bit nervous, but a little ‘sparkle’ of excitement is running through our veins. Enough evidence to say; we are going to get there, little Greta and I! We are going to overcome our fears! We are gonna trot the Globe, beware!

Visit Nikki here.

Perth, Australia.

2010-09-18T18:10:00.002+02:00

Photos by Danica.

"During her time she became quite friendly with Gerald the Gnome. I don't know about romance, but they seemed to very much enjoy each others company. I took Ada to my favourite cafe and garden, showed her some of the cool graffiti in Perth and one of the oldest art nouveau cinema houses in the city. I think she had fun."

San Francisco, California.

2010-09-03T08:00:00.001+02:00

Thank you Katrina,

Chico & Taco.

San Francisco, California

2010-09-02T08:00:00.003+02:00

While I was staying at her place,

Katrina introduced me to Avalonne.

♥

San Francisco, California.

2010-09-01T14:00:00.001+02:00

Thank you Katrina. I'm speechless.

Sydney, Australia.

2010-08-15T18:29:00.001+02:00

When we said goodbye,

the clouds told me to come back to Sydney again.

Photos by Laura.

2010-08-02T19:01:00.003+02:00

Click on the photo to find out how to win my sister: Baby Blue
and a Polaroid camera...

The give-away is now closed!
Thank you all for participating!

Los Angeles, California.

2010-07-15T16:00:00.002+02:00

Why do you let me stay here, all by myself?
Why don't you come and play here?
I'm just sitting on the shelf.

Why don't you sit right down and make me smile?
You make me feel like I am just a child.
Why do you edit? Just give me credit.
I'm just sitting on the shelf.

Song here.
Photos by Gabbi & Scott.

This is me & George.

♥

To read more about my stay in Los Angeles, click here.

500 Days of Summer

2010-07-14T21:53:00.005+02:00

Gabbi took me to the Civic Center Mall...
where the '500 Days of Summer' dance sequence was filmed.

Be my guest... Ashley.

2010-05-18T19:19:00.003+02:00

An angry brownie - That's what I thought when my sister bought her first Domo. Isn't it funny how we look down our noses at things we don't understand? Not to say that I understand Domo now. He still looks like a brownie to me, but there is a special place in my heart for him.

I bought my first DSLR last summer, and after letting it sit pristinely on a shelf for a few months, I am diving in! I do not have a baby or pet to take constant pictures of, so Domo makes a good replacement (& he's cuter than some people's babies...I kid!). He started out as a prop for practicing composition, and over time has turned into a game- What fun places can we take Domo to today?

Through the Domo pictures I have explored my city and opened up my eyes to unusual places of beauty. Maybe Domo will inspire you to take a look around your dwellings and see something spectacular.

More photos here.

You can also visit Ashley here:
Blog - Twitter - Flickr

London, UK.

2010-05-06T20:58:00.001+02:00

Photo by Naomi.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

2010-05-05T20:02:00.012+02:00

"Dreaming of the ocean
and the days I had with you..."

Photos by Naomi.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

2010-05-04T18:55:00.000+02:00

-

Naomi took me on a flight from London to America
where I was oh so happy to meet Marie and...

Ephraim.

♥

-

All Is Full Of Love.

2010-05-03T18:40:00.000+02:00

One of my favourite blogs,
the Transatlantic Lens Project,
turned one in April.
Happy birthday!

Naomi celebrated by making
an epic polaroid cake!
She's my hero.

Polaroid of a polaroid cake. Amaaazing.

Naomi, thank you so much for taking me on this little adventure.

-

London, UK.

2010-05-02T20:02:00.003+02:00

-

While I was staying with him, Andrew did this portrait of me.

Now go spread some love on his Flickr.

Thank you Andrew!

-

Paris, France.

2010-03-27T11:56:00.009+01:00

Paris Fashion Week!

Thank you Laetitia.

London, UK.

2010-02-08T18:30:00.002+01:00

I've just arrived in London!
Staying with Mademoiselle Robot.

Singapore.

2010-02-05T20:36:00.007+01:00

Photos by Melly.

Wellington, New Zealand.

2009-10-17T20:18:00.000+02:00

Photos by Ana B.

Anaheim, California.

2009-07-31T20:11:00.008+02:00

Photos by Diana.

Berlekey & San Francisco, California.

2009-05-31T19:50:00.011+02:00

Photos by Morten

Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

2009-05-30T19:41:00.002+02:00

Photos by Florian

Cork, Ireland.

2009-03-16T19:33:00.001+01:00

Photos by Matthieu

-

Lund & Göteborg, Sweden.

2009-02-02T19:25:00.001+01:00

Photos by Brooke.

Trondheim, Norway

2009-01-08T22:53:00.001+01:00

Photos by Astrid.

Urbino, Italy.

2008-12-11T22:32:00.001+01:00

Photos by Elena.

Aix-en-Provence, France.

2008-11-23T22:25:00.004+01:00

Photos by Sophie.

Bordeaux, France.

2008-11-06T18:13:00.005+01:00

Photos by Adeline
with the precious help of Marine.