10 posts tagged “dolls”

Aryanna returned home to me last Friday. She now has the most beautiful faceup done by Akiko of Vitta Vera. I've been following her work for years, and I absolutely love her style - I'm ecstatic with how it turned out (^__^)

I've been thinking of buying a new camera for a while.
I know, I know, I only bought my A610 in October of last year, it's hardly "old" but it's missing something important: Image Stabilization.
Well, and zoom, but that's less important.
So I occasionally look at other Canon models, like the S3 and SD800, both of which have IS. The S3 has several advantages, such as having 12x zoom, an intervalometer (i.e. can do time-lapse photos), can be controlled by the computer (i.e. remotely tell it to take a photo)... but it's large, larger than the A610. The SD800 is a great little carry phone, but its charm has been lessened by the fact that my new phone takes excellent shots and has a pretty big screen. It is missing IS, but the blur isn't too bad usually. I don't tend to take really careful macro shots with it like I do at home with the A610.
The thing is, I love to take shots from bizarre angles that don't really lend themselves to being on tripods so I have to hold the camera still myself. Often times I have to take three or four shots before I get a clear one (and sometimes I never succeed). I don't feel like my hand is shaking too much, but the blur is noticeable. So I'd prefer something with IS.
I have about $125 in gift cards to Circuit City, and it comes down to this: use them to buy video games, or use them to help purchase the S3, whose price just keeps dropping (it's down to $315 or so now). It's obviously not a buy it now or else situation because as it gets closer and closer to fall (when Canon announces new models) the price will continue to stay low or drop further. But I'm interested in games coming out soon (like Super Paper Mario) though I suppose I could poke the boy into getting it for us. Hmm.

In other news, I've discovered I need to take more photos! I haven't even broken 1000 on flickr and I've been there for over a year and a half I think! Clearly I am not producing enough images. It's just, because my house is typically a mess I have to set up a nice little area for shoots, and I can't leave it up when I'm not using it, so taking shots of the girls is usually more work than I'd like. But I want to change that! I don't give my girls the attention they deserve, I don't document my life enough. I'll regret it later, I think. I wish I had taken more photos in Japan, even though I took hundreds. I didn't because I was afraid of looking "touristy." When I go back this summer, though... photos galore! ;D

Also, I've been abusing Twitter lately. Go see what I've been doing today! :D

So I finished piercing Hina's ears, now I just need to make some earrings for her. She also got a new chair - a cell phone holder one from Claire's (where I spent a bunch of money today on hair accessories for me). That reminds me.... when I was in the Icing (a.k.a. Claire's less crowded twin) I saw... flasks. Like, the kind you put alcohol in to sneak a swig from when no one's looking. They were cute and sparkly. I was tempted to buy one, but they were $16 :/ and I don't drink alcohol (although I suppose I could put water in it and get funny looks). There was a sticker on the bottom that said "Not for alcohol use." Yeah, sure.

I did however, buy a cute little kit of nail care accessories in a clip case. (I'll take photos later) And some belts. I also found a hilarious hoodie at Gadzooks - it was covered in Japanese text! Things like 「お元気ですか」　「始めまして」　but also 「お前は何ですか」 (o_O) I would have bought it in blue/green but they only had one in small and Forever 21's site doesn't have any (T__T) (p.s. if you feel like checking in your local F21 or Gadzooks for a blue/green one in large I would totally pay you back...)

I'm way over due for dolly photo shoots, but my camera just ran out of batteries! *waits for back up sets to recharge* I'm planning Gin/Shinku, Hina, and Lucilla (SS) shoots.  Lucilla just got her skating outfit... right when Spring seems to have really sprung! Poor girl. Maybe next year! She also has new eyechips to show off~

What happened to studying this weekend?
Umm... heheh.... I'll do it tomorrow! *sneaks off to play with her dollies*

If you own a Pullip, Dal, Namu or Taeyang, you know it's damn near impossible to get them to stand on their own without some kind of help, such as a stand, wall or some other kind of stable item. I recently gave my Hina a 23cm obitsu body (yes, the one that Tiffany was using earlier on - she's since moved to a Licca body which is a much better fit) and while the installation was no picnic (almost thought I'd have to give up on it since I basically stripped the screw going into the neck... (^^;;;)) the result is amazing!

It takes a little balancing, but once you hit the sweet spot, she's all set! None of that "Quick! Take a shot before she falls over!" although if you bump her with the camera she'll obviously fall (^^;) I was really hesitant to modify Hina because she's an RM but to be honest? I'm 100% happy I did. I shifted her hair up a bit so she looks less grumpy, the body transplant was obviously a success, I combed out her hair and re-did her curls for the pigtails, and I plan on piercing her ears (like all my other girls). I should take Shinku and Suigintou out of their stock too... I did cut Gin-chan's hair to match her anime persona but other than that I've barely touched them, and that's a shame.  

Soooo what I have been up to lately?
Well, mostly sleeping. Seriously, I crashed as soon as I got home on Wednesday, woke up for Thursday, and crashed again at about 4pm. And here I am.
No pictures yet but let's discuss recent arrivals! KiraKira Music Hour (Lt Ed w/ Pucchi figure). I know, I know I'm late on getting this even though I knew about it before its release. It kinda fell off my radar and then I forgot about it! Super cute game - I've been too lazy to read all the dialogue, though XD I just wanted to get to the gameplay. I like how you can change Pucchi's outfit/hair, though - I gave her Sacchin hair (PK0012, has curly pigtails like me!) (^^) I'll need to play the game through again and read the dialogue - it's pretty easy since almost all of it is in hira/katakana (which at the same time also makes it difficult) I just wanted to play the songs (^^;;) The facial expressions and sounds are adorably awesome!
Pucchi the figure is pretty neat - her most redeeming quality is unquestionably her headphones (probably the #1 reason why I decided I must have her) though she has a great facial expression and body pose as well. I recently took out all my Pinky:st figures to try to make a list of exactly who I have and she and Mayura have the most interesting stances. Everyone else is kinda just standing around, which isn't bad, but there's not much diversity. Sacchin is still my favorite though! (She's wearing Pucchi's headphones right now, actually!)
If you're curious I have:
PK012 - Sacchin
PK010A - Sumire
PK001B - Yoshiko
PK002B - Suu
PK003B - Tamae
PK013 - Miko
PK014 - Maki
Pucchi
Mayura
Sacchin through Maki were bought while I was in Japan - I picked up most of them on clearance, actually XD Miko and Maki were bought shortly after their release, I believe. Pucchi came with the limited edition of Kirakira Music Hour, obviously, and Mayura was a HLJ preorder. I want to get PK013a and PK014a when they come out - those leggings and pink dress are beautiful! Plus the season 6 girls look great. Sacchin's shirt right now says it all: "Pinky Junky" XD

Nothing too exciting in bigger dolly world, though. I paid for Suiseiseki so when she's released at the end of the month she'll (at least for now) complete my Pullip collection. I got some cute Masyumaro stuff (pouch, stamps and lanyard which is now on my iPod's new white case) as well as Sugarbunnies earmuffs!
I also chopped off about 3 inches of my hair because it was getting too heavy to put up again :/ I always used to have long hair as a kid, but once I started cutting it I couldn't go back! It's a about shoulder length right now. No one seems to notice, though.
This coming week is break for me, even though it's not spring (I woke up to a snow squall this morning (¬_¬)) I plan to get some cleaning done.

Oh! As you may or may not know, about two weeks ago, we ordered a microwave from Sears that was on sale. When we went to pick it up, they told us they had none in stock and couldn't understand why we were able to order it. Uhh, okay. So they said they would contact us on Friday when the next shipment showed up.
This past Wednesday they FINALLY told us we could get it. Geh. Never ordering anything for pick up online through Sears again... It's a freaking HUGE microwave - 2 cubic ft interior (O_O) despite that, it's super light. Pretty crazy. (The box shows how the interior is curved at the back, and their example food is a whole pizza!) Aside from the noise being drastically different from our own microwave, nothing about it bothers me too much. I'm just glad we have a new one!

As those of you who know me through Pullips may or may not know, I own a 60cm BJD. She's a CP Soony, and while I love her for her size and weight (they're like little babies!) her face is very blank. Almost a dazed expression, really. It makes her less like who she is and more like a doll. Because of this (and because I was unhappy with her lip color when she arrived anyway) I'm planning to send her off to someone to give her a whole new face, and some life, hopefully. I've just asked for a quote so I don't know how much it'll be yet, but I'm just doing the face at the moment. I feel like I could do body tatoos and manicures later by myself relatively easily, but to create expression and personality through a faceup is hard.
I'm currently knitting her a new dress, and I pierced her ears last night (those of you who are afraid to do such things on your dolls, be they Pullips, Blythes or other should really try it!) in an effort to bond with her again. Part of the reason I haven't as much is because 60cm clothes are expensive usually, and I've been rather lazy on the sewing front. Pullips can just wear Barbie, Jenny and Licca clothes so their wardrobe has expanded quickly XD I did buy her some shoes a while back, but she needs more than just boots (^^;)
I'm not sure if I want to collect all the RM pullips anymore - after Suiseiseki, my favorite dolls from the series will have been released (I don't really like Souseiseki as much, Barasuisho is a villain XD and Kanaria is funny, but not high on my list). It would save me a couple hundred dollars XD and some space. I'm feeling very Pullip-saturated. I have my grail (Fanatica), a variety of skin tones (white, tan, dark) and a couple boy dolls. Dals are really looking all the same, which is a shame since I like the mold. I might send off one of my girls to get a new face eventually. I was very interested in Blythes recently, but after getting Silver Snow I'm feeling kinda done XD I have a Suna on the way, I already own a Momoko and a Coco... there's not much more I'm interested in other than BF Xiao (a 43cm BJD).
It's kind of like it was with Lolita - aside from shoes, anyway - I bought and bought and fell in love with everything until suddenly I didn't feel like I needed any of it any more. I mean, I still love the pieces I have and wear them frequently (in warmer weather, at least) but I'm not looking to expand beyond some nice cute boots and mary-janes. And that's the main reason I keep up with Lolita at all - cute shoes! :D

(I may add more later but I have to run to class XD)

I gave up on rerooting my Prima Dolly Ashlette for now, and just gave her one of my extra wigs. It was supposed to be for Drta, but she turned into Mindi suddenly when I gave her Aryanna's old black wig. (^^;) Anyway, with this wig she broke her silence and told me her name was Tiffany. I asked her if she was sure, since she grew up in Tokyo, but she was adamant. She told me she'd been quiet until now because she's worried about her English. I suggested she watch some language programs to help her brush up, and she happily curled up on our new polkadot couch to view it. I came up a couple hours later and found this....

She looked so adorable I couldn't bear to wake her up! So I took some photos quietly, and went back downstairs.

When I visited her a second time, she was sitting upright on a clean couch! (I think she was trying to fool me, and have me think she was paying attention the whole time...) Even though she's not my newest girl, she's definitely the baby of my doll family. I think she's lonely, though. There are no other Blythes to play with. All the Pullips are very involved in their own lives and haven't paid much attention to her. I hope Miss Silver Snow can cheer her up when she arrives.

 

I realize the couch is oversized for 12" dolls, but I think it's lovely. If I could have a huge couch I definitely would (^ ~) The construction was mainly cardboard, duct tape, fabric and hot glue. I sewed cushions pillows to go with it. I think I might make a less-oversized couch next, and possibly a slightly oversized bed. I'm not sure what fabric I want to use yet, though. I could make a whole polkadot room for Tiffany, but I need more neutral stuff for the other girls. Lavanya's  (Nahh-ato) looking lovely in Haute's stock sweater, but she looks so out of place on a pinkxwhite couch (^^;;)

So my big box of dolls arrived today - Holly, Nahh-ato, Suigintou and Shade. Shade was a last-minute addition as I've been watching a lot of 名探偵コナン(Detective Conan) lately and it reminded me of him (^^;) So far I've only deboxed Holly to hang out with me at work. She's so lovely! Unfortunately her sunglasses came kind of broken - the lenses popped out! I'll have to reglue them (>_>) But other than that, she's perfect. I haven't taken any pictures yet because I'm still at work (Need that SD800 to bring around with me (^ ~)) and I'm not sure that I will when I get home, either, as it'll be about 8:30pm (x__x) (Today is a long day.)
I also got the Coach wristlet that I won on ebay! It's beautiful! All it needs is a camera to hold...

I don't know if I mentioned this, but my white quilted chain purse arrived Monday. It's smaller than I had thought, but it still holds a lot of stuff! I like the clasp closure, too. Nice and quick. Zipper closures always seem to become stubborn when I'm in a hurry to close them (>_>)

So. Blythe customizing process. Her head is open! (by some miracle of force) and I'm now waiting for hair to arrive so I can re-root her. I'm also waiting for sandpaper because apparently my 400 and 800 grain sheets are too rough (they're producing swirls on her skin) so I ordered some 1500 and 2500 grain. That better be good enough! Grains are so confusing (>_>) The sponges puchicollective recommends look like they're only 150 and 320 but that's not possible (way too rough!) so maybe they're 3 times that since they also say "3X"? Arr. I want to matte her! (And remove all that make up) I haven't decided if I want to give her new eyechips or not. I do want a brown-eyed Blythe, but I haven't found any brown ones that I really like...

Tomorrow is my birthday! :D I'm going to eat icecream cake and seafood (Red Lobster~!) and be laaaaaaazy. It's probably not a good idea but I'm skipping out on classes :P Just work from 9-12noon and then I'm done! I should set up a party thing for my girls too (new arrivals and whatnot. Need to mingle (^^))

My newest Pullip, Haute, arrived yesterday! Her name is Courtney, and you can see more photos of her on my flickr!

I won't post all of the photos here, you can see the rest at my flickr account
First, Drta shows off her punk style in this black Blythe outfit covered in buckles and grommets.