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.
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
