Saturday, March 17, 2018

2018 Plan Check-In + Life Updates!

Hey everyone!

Sorry for my absence, my mental health needed a quick break from as much as I could cut, and then this semester's been a bit much. I've got a few very reading-heavy classes, and that. Doesn't work super well for my brain, unfortunately, which is why I'm a computer science major. This is a mix of some gen ed stuff and a transgender politics class I wanted to take this semester, between the two (four but three go together and are technically one block of classes) I'm reading 400 pages a week and I am dying. But between all that, I've done my best to find time for my dolls, and I figured I'd do a little update post re: the plans for 2018.

General Doll Updates:

My DollZone order came in! Jonah's tan body is pretty damn orange, but the Penny is absolutely lovely! I'm planning to give her a menhera kei style, but she's currently wearing kind of a mishmash of things. I've had a little bit of a hard time with a name for her, I really like Penelope but that feels a bit close to her sculpt name, so we'll see. Jonah has some clothes of his own, but I do still need to make more, and I'd like to remake some of the things he has. My Dearmine Bean Chopin in cherry skin also arrived, as did the Pukifee body I traded the Niu Niu body for with one of my friends. I'm sewing some clothes for that body before I send it along to him, and I'm currently in con crunch for the Anime Boston meet up. I'm planning on bringing Bridget, Amelia, Jonah, and Lucy, but we'll see what shakes out.

Bridget:

I haven't sewn anything for Bridget, but I can still check off two of my plans for her. I jumped in on an Alice Collection group order and got her a pair of black sneakers and a couple pairs of boxers-- one plain black and the other black with stairs, which Penelope is currently wearing. I still need to clean and restring her, re-do the vest, and work on her summer wardrobe.

Amelia:

I have done nothing for Amelia so far and I'd feel bad about it if not for how ambiguous my stuff for her is. I have some specific things I can make for her in mind-- lace tights, a floral skirt that's just past knee length, a couple gauzy blouses, potentially a couple tee shirts, and some little jean cut offs for summer. I have a plan for her face up, it just hasn't happened yet because I'm super broke and I have other things to spend money on right now.

Jonah:

Jonah's got a shirt, and I've done a couple pattern tests for his pants! I'll be trying again because they need another crotch adjustment, but they're definitely doable. I'd also like to redo his shirt to be a little longer in both the torso and the sleeves, and maybe add some ruffles to the cuffs. I haven't had the cash for him to get a face up, so he's still got a naked face. He also doesn't have his scars yet, but that's fine for a while. I seem to have missed my shot on the boots I like on Etsy, so I've been hunting for a replacement. I didn't like the way the first wig cap I tried to make turned out, so he's getting a second attempt at it soon!

Gretchen:

Gretchen got new eyes in the same AC GO I jumped on, but nothing else has happened with her yet.

Lucy:

Lucy has a new dress-- it was supposed to be Paige's, but Lucy's a little thief-- and between that, my fix of her wig, and figuring out her story, she's well on her way to being more "done." She does still need shoes, though!

Paige:

Paige has had pretty little progress, if I'm being totally honest. I want to make a black bob wig for her, but I'd like to put that off until after I'm finished with Jonah's wig so I know I have enough for him. She's wearing one of Lucy's dresses and one of her pairs of socks, still blank faced, and wearing Gretchen's old eyes. So, lots to do with her.

Penelope:

Has a name for now! And at the very least a temporary wig in the wig I initially bought for Jonah but thought might be too scene-y! She has a sweater I bought from Cyristine Creations on Etsy, who was kind enough change the sleeve and hood color at no extra charge, which she's currently wearing with the star boxers I bought for Bridget and some thigh highs that were sent to me accidentally in the place of the fishnet stockings I'd intended to buy. It's a look, honestly I kind of love it on her? She still needs some proper pants and skirts, and I'd love to pick up some Synthetic Ephemera accessories for her. She's also going to need some eyes of her own, but I actually love the DZ faceup she came with for her character, so she might not be needing a replacement.

Miscellaneous:

I have been working more on sewing, and I applied to be a PortCon panelist! I made the one attempt at a wig cap, scrapped it, and need to give it another shot, and I haven't given shoes a try yet, but I still intend to! Maybe a pair of flats for Amelia out of all that faux leather I bought that turned out not to drape properly.

And I haven't purchased any dolls not on the list! The only thing I have bought, resin-wise, is a 2013 Luts Winter Event head, which is Kid Delf Moonlit Song Bory's fairly close cousin. He'll be Gil once he's got a faceup and a body, he'll need a horn but I can figure that out eventually.

So that's my little update, I'm going to try to get back into posting more regularly! I'll do some reviews for the stuff that came in, and I'll try to post progress pictures of my con crunch projects! I also need to sew some clothes for the Niu Niu body before it goes off to the friend I traded with, and I might post pictures of that before I send them away.

Hope everyone's had a great start to 2018, see you Wednesday!

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

New Year, New Plans

Hello!

First of all, happy new years'! Congrats on making it to 2018, and I hope your year is off to a great start! I've had a pretty lazy start, honestly, and today I want to talk about my hobby plans for 2018. I think the easiest way to do this is by splitting my list up by doll, including those I'm waiting for. So, without further ado, let's do this!


Bridget:

1. Continue to work on Bridget's leather vest. I did a pattern test, but wound up not being too pleased with the drape of the fabric at such a small scale, so I'd like to remake it. I also need to order some buttons, I found an etsy shop that has some very small recreations of 1980s LGBTQ and riot grrrl buttons, and I'd love to grab some for her-- plus I need an "Avenge Oscar Wilde" button for me, but definitely can't justify the shipping for a single 25 mm button.

2. Expand summer wardrobe! Bridget has some great sweaters and pants, but I'd love to pick up some summer clothes for her. I actually recently passed along one of the only tee shirts I had for her to my BJD Secret Santa, so now she's got the shorts I need to finish and a tank top I haven't gotten back from the friend who's going to paint it for me for summer clothes. That'll work fine once they both get finished, but I'd like to have some options.

3. Buy or make sneakers! Ideally a nice black pair.

4. This isn't so much a plan so much as it's something that needs to be on a to-do list, but I need to restring her! She's super super loose right now, but that's a fairly easy fix.

5. I would also love love love to have some boxers for her! I mentioned in my doll underwear post that I’d like to have some for her eventually, and AC has a couple options that could work and be super cute on her.


Amelia:

1. New face up. The one she has now is okay, but I have visions of something else in my head, and I actually have an artist in mind who could do it!

2. More mix and matchable wardrobe piece, especially shirts. She's got some super cute clothes, but I'd like to A, remake her pants, and B, pick up some non-sweater tops for her. I'd also like to make her some shorts and a nice floral skirt. Right now, a lot of the clothes Amelia has are sweaters, which is fine, but for bottoms I'm satisfied with she has a pleated blue skirt and, if these even counts as a bottom, a white dress. Girl needs some things she can mix, as well as, you guessed it, some summer options.


Jonah:

1. Face up! He's blank right now, and I'd like to change that, ideally by the end of March.

2. Some body scars. Once his body comes in, I'll need to send him off to an artist to get some scars related to his backstory.

3. Clothes! I'll be sewing a lot of them, but he definitely needs to have some. I'll probably start by sewing him some pants.

4. Buy boots. I have a pair picked out from Etsy, but there doesn't feel like there's much of a point until his body arrives.

5. Make a wig. I've had a hard time finding a wig I like for him for under $50, so I've decided to just make my own. I have the fiber, I just need to sit and make the wig itself.


Gretchen:

1. Face up (noticing a theme yet?) The RS company faceup has really weird lower lashes painted on, and they tend to look like a dark shadow in photos. Plus I don't love the pink blush on the green doll, I think it makes her look a little feverish. So I'd like to replace her face at some point.

2. Make more clothes! I definitely need to make her a replacement dress, and I'd also really like to make her a cute little romper! Most of the clothes I have in mind for her are suede, which I have plenty of.

3. Little boots! I'd like to learn to make tiny shoes so I can make exactly the boots I want for her, which I've had a bit of a hard time finding.

4. Eyes! I know what I want for her eyes, but if I'm ordering glass eyes from Alice Collection, I'd rather have an order large enough to either make shipping free or make paying for shipping worth it. When I have a bunch of stuff to come from AC-- that's actually ""important,"" which nothing in my current AC cart is-- she can have her new eyes.


Lucy:

1. Figure out where she fits into my tiny squad. I like the idea of her as one of the pixy children, and I'm still liking the idea of her as an insect pixy, but I know that Gretchen and Paige are probably besties, so now I've got the question of how Lucy fits in. I'll probably have better luck figuring that out once Paige arrives, but personality-wise, I get the sense that Gretchen doesn't like her too much.

2. New wig! The one she has now is wicked cute, but I'd like to try her with a black wig, maybe with blunt bangs? I'll be making this out of fiber left over from Jonah's wig once I make his. I'm actually currently planning to adjust her current wig, I'd like to take the ribbons out of it and go from there.

3. Aaaaaaand I want to sew her some more clothes. Buying for her may be a little tricky, as she's wider in most dimensions than Pukifees and Lati Yellows and not nearly as popular, so I'll be sewing!

4. Lucy's also in need of some shoes, I'm thinking a little pair of boots in black or brown. She miiiiight be able to wear Pukifee shoes, but her feet are a little bigger, so I'll have to ask around DoA.


Paige:

1. Make a hair decision. I'm still not sure if I want her to be blonde or a redhead, but I can definitely try Lucy's current wig on her when she gets here to make a decision about that.

2. Face up and kinda-sorta body-blushing. She's a DZ Niu Niu from the summer event, and I'd like to have the little head flowers she comes with painted-- I'm thinking pale pink and lilac.

3. Sew some clothes! A friend bought a dress she should be able to wear as a Christmas present, but I like to have options, plus I've definitely got some mildly extravagant thoughts in my head about her outfits.

4. Buy shoes. There's a super cute pair of pink tea party shoes in her size on DoA right now, but I'd prefer to wait until she's here to buy anything.

5. Eyes! I think I'll probably wind up commissioning a LemonJelly pair for her, I'd like some weird fantasy eyes and I do not want to pay for OscarDoll right now.


Penny-needs-a-name:

1. Name! I have some potential thoughts bouncing around, but a final decision should happen.

2. Wig! I have a couple different thoughts in my head, including a SUPER HUGE Code Noir split wig that MoC has in stock that would be perfect to pile stuff into for decora inspired looks.

3. Buy some clothes! I want mostly graphic sweaters and tee shirts for her, which aren't something I'm currently able to make myself, so I'll have to buy most of her shirts. I can definitely make a bunch of skirts and pants for her, plus some basics, but the shirts will have to be bought.

4. You guessed it-- she's going to need a face up. I want a fairly natural-looking one with some light make up in pastel shades for her, which will go with her aesthetic and won't look out of place with any coord I might put her in.

She should be able to share sneakers with Amelia for the time being, so that's all set for her! Eventually, though, she's getting some little pink sneakers.


MISCELLANEOUS:

1. Learn to make doll shoes!

2. Continue learning to sew, work towards potentially opening an etsy shop in 2019.

3. Learn to make wigs. I keep saying I'm going to, I've gotta actually get on it.

4. Apply to be a panelist at PortCon again this year! I'd like to do a BJD panel with a friend, we'd ideally have a QnA section at the end with prizes and things to give away.

And, most importantly:

5. No new dolls I haven't planned for! I would allow in a Summerbird Viola, as she's a grail I'd have a plan for-- she'd be a lovely princess of water, I think-- or a Luts Kid Delf Moonlit Song Bory (or the closely similar head I've had my eye on as a potential alternative), but I can't buy any other dolls until at least June. The fact that I'll be getting Jonah, Paige, and the Penny in at the same time should keep me very busy going forward, and working on this list should help to keep me focused on the things I need to stay focused on and away from the temptation of shiny new dolls.



I hope everyone's 2018 is off to a great start! Do you have big doll plans for this year? I'd love to hear what other people will be up to, if you have plans to learn some of the same things as me perhaps we can share tutorial resources!

I'm also happy to report that my 30 for 30 is off to a decent start! I've been working on a cross-stitch Kirby for a friend, he's off to an adorable start.

Until next time!

~Theo