Phoebe’s Wings (one shot)

A few days ago, I decided to sand and body blush Phoebe. I’ve chosen to give all my dolls this treatment, now that I feel confident that I will not completely ruin them by doing so.

That being said, I did actually manage to ruin Phoebe’s left hand by trying to heat adjust her fingers. A few minutes of being in the oven turned it an awful yellow and it started bubbling, which was damage that even sanding could not fix. Luckily, Dollmore sells these hands separately so it should be easy enough to get a replacement. Needless to say, I will not be trying that again!

The rest of the body blushing went acceptably well but not perfect. The weather was just windy and cold enough to show in the sealant (in the form of cracking and dust), so I will probably need to strip her down and reblush again in the future. I am not best friends with Mr. Super Clear.

In any case, here is a quick picture of my experimentation. I was torn for a long time over how to represent Phoebe’s wings, and I think is the ideal solution.

On an unrelated note, I have transferred the blog to a new template and it will probably be seeing other kinds of updates as well. This decision was prompted in part because the old template was too narrow to fit large pictures, especially in landscape.  I also felt the blog has moved more towards BJDs these days and its appearance should reflect that. I hope that nobody is disappointed by the changes and I’m always open to suggestions of course!

New Eyes for a New Year

2012 is almost here, but I thought I’d sneak in one more post before I say farewell to 2011!

After finding that his old eyes were difficult to photograph, I decided on a whim to get Oliver a new pair of eyes– in glittering gold. I think the eyes are perfect and Oliver seems happier too!

Christmas Berries

It’s been a long time since I last posted, but not for a lack of activity or photography. With the lack of sunlight (leaving before the sun rises, getting home after sunset) I have just found it difficult to put in the effort to involve my dolls in a photoshoot. But I did manage to take Lorelyn and Ember out of the house today for their annual Christmas pictures, and I’ve uploaded some other pictures I’ve taken over the past few months, as well.

Oliver and the Toadstools

Hurricanes (huuuurrrrr-icanes) have been passing by us left and right, which means that we have had an unusual amount of rain over the past few weeks. Mushrooms love the moist climate and are popping up left and right. There was a particularly large one for which I braved the nasty bugs to do a quick photoshoot.

Introducing: Oliver (Soom Aloa)

Right near when I graduated, SOOM put up a special order for the most adorable tiny-sized centaurs I had ever laid my eyes on. I have always loved SOOM dolls and was waiting for that doll that would blow my socks off (and that I could afford)– and this little centaur was it. I immediately knew he would become a part of my doll family.

I got my Aloa (cream white) with a faceup, knowing that I would do the body blushing myself. It has taken me well over a week to complete him and he will probably get several more blushings in the future, since it is already starting to chip. But this was part of the plan– by doing the blushing myself, I can fix it as often as needed.

Lorelyn and Phoebe’s New Dresses

Several months ago, I decided to commission a pair of dresses for my girls from the Haunted Dollhouse, a wonderfully skilled Polish seamstress. I had previously bought a dress from her for Lorelyn, who rarely wears anything else. The dresses are perfectly priced and the waiting time to have these dresses made was very well worth it: my girls are very happy to finally have some new clothes, and for Phoebe, her first “real” outfit. Sadly, I forgot to get matching headdresses, so I will have to put together some makeshift ones until my next commission with Dei– which will probably happen again as soon as she has the time!

August Raleigh BJD Meetup

I can’t believe a month has already passed since the last meetup! I have been quite busy lately after starting my new job (which is incredible, by the way), hence the lack of posts. But I am slowly getting used to the life of a working-class individual, and income also means that I am gradually starting to build the wardrobes of my dolls as well as my own. Lorelyn and Phoebe got a new pair of dresses which I will show off in a separate post. In the meantime, here are just a few pictures I took last weekend at the monthly doll meetup!

July Raleigh BJD Meetup

Last Saturday, I had my first chance to attend the monthly doll meetups that happen here in Raleigh. The meetup was about ten times the size of the tiny meetups we had in Vermont! It was great to meet all the local BJD hobbyists and see their dolls. I don’t think I’ve ever been around so many dolls at once, and especially not the huge numbers of slim minis! It was a lot of fun and I definitely plan on becoming a regular to these meeting.

I managed to take plenty of pictures. I wish I could remember the names and makes of all these dolls, and maybe I will get to know them better in the future… but, for now, enjoy!

Painting (Lorelyn and Ember)

I’m still job searching, still waiting for new clothes for Lorelyn and Phoebe, and still waiting for my new doll. So here is just a short post to help pass the time. Lorelyn and Ember are a bit difficult to work with, but they look so sweet together, it’s always worth it in the end. These pictures were inspired by a doll-sized artist easel that my mom had sitting around. Enjoy!

Summer Reading

My mom has a wonderful collection of tiny books that I found amongst our regular human-sized library. As such, my dolls have suddenly turned into bookworms– especially Shiro, who is still sad about the weather. What better way to spend a hot Sunday afternoon than with a good book?