Monday, March 31, 2014

Soooo Does this meean I'm a Hipster?!

What I did over the weekend.
By VampireAngel13


Forget Saturday, I wasn't home all day and did nothing with my dolls other than bump all my sales threads.

Sunday however, was decently productive.

First thing I did was (as promised) graveyard and delete all my sales threads. Now I have nothing for sale! Boo! Or yay?

I dragged Thomas's huge box into the "dinning room" which is also the sitting and craft room, and unpacked him and all his stuff. I took off his head, unstrung him and got to work modding. I FINALLY carved off those stupid hip pieces that in some way help to hinder his sitting.

It's kind of funny because I thought it would be a horrible color change from his outside to his inside...but it wasn't. he's the same color all the way through. :\ so much for not sanding tan resin!

It did leave some scratches that are very visible, but I think if I took the polishing paper and did a more thorough job, it would be less so. Needless to say I didn't. I restrung him instead...holy crap was that a pain.

I like to say I can restring anything in like, 20 minutes tops (and really probably less than that), as long as I don't do something stupid like drop a string. EIDs are awful. I've been saying that for years but they really are. Whoever had the bright idea to put those godawful hidden knee joints in a doll was so cray I don't even want to share what they had to have been on. I hate them. I really hate them. The list of reasons I prefer single jointed knees just keeps growing...they made a 20 minute restringing take forever. And really, I need to do it again because his string sucks, but I don't have anything at home even remotely big enough....so that'll have to wait until I can order from Dollmore (they have really dark brown string -- perfect for Thomas!).

However, after putting him back together and giving him a super-glue-sueding.........he can sit. He can actually sit, he's sitting on my shelf right now. It's amazing. And very obvious that he still needs more work with a dremel before his sitting is perfect, but still the fact that he's sitting and not sliding off my shelf is fabulous. Adequate sitting is better than no sitting. I double-wired his legs and he still doesn't stand great (those knees.....worst engineered thing in doll history) but hopefully he'll pass for now.

So what does the future hold for Thomas? Dremels and sandpaper for sure. After that better string...then maybe a body blush so he's not so plasticy looking, possibly a new faceup. Then maybe I'll get him some clothes or something to celebrate his "return".

I had to work on one of the heads I had sold (new eyebrows were requested), and inbetween that I made myself a new doll.

Ok not really, but in the grand tradition of "recycling" doll parts I'm not using, I put together something new for me.

I put the Fairyland F60 head on my Angel of Dream girl body and ended up with....something. Not too sure what I was doing, but mostly wanted to play with eyes, wigs and clothes, so out came all the stuff.

First I tried on all the wigs. Nothing really did it for me, but after a while I had about four that might work.

Eyes came next, and I settled on some sparkly, rainbow, pupiless ones. This is where I got tripped up, because as a Fairyland hybrid I had to connect the head with a donut. This made it impossible to get that stupid twisty headback on since it has that sticky-out piece that hits the donut. The donut would then hit the damn eyes and make them roll back every time I got the headcap on!! It was kind of nightmarish. I have had lots of CP/FL hybrids, this is the only one that just would not work.

After many many many many tries, I gave up, and sat there huffing in frustration utnil my roommate asked what was wrong. I told her the problem and said "basically this isn't going to work unless I can get my hands on one of the turn-key things ----- holy shit I have one!"

Because this doll came to me as a whole F60, and I took it off his body so Uriel (Migidoll Miho) could have it. Said turn-key was sitting in a box, not a foot away from my foot. lol

I found all its parts and spent a good amount of time prying the hook open enough so I could get the string through it, because I was not restringing another stupid doll, and wrangled the thing onto the AOD body.

It didn't work. It wouldn't move at all.

Totally beside myself I just sat there and glared at it. As a last-ditch effort to make this hybrid work, I did finally unstring it, used my big pliers to mash the hook back together, allowing it to fit better in the AOD neck, and then restrung it.

Success. FINALLY.

Seriously, living through this again makes me wonder why I was so dead-set on putting this doll together. It's not like I wanted it....I love the head, and I thought the body would be good to keep around in case I needed an extra girl body for whatever reason.....but I didn't start out wanting an F60 Nanuri12B girl...I just couldn't stop once I got started lol.

So this is what the F60 Nan12B looked like as Jax, before I took away his body and decided he was never going to be a doll again.

smjax2 

Not bad, but I never really did anything with him. He never even changed clothes until I needed his pants for another doll. Then he stayed in the head box until I decided to sell him.

After getting that head onto the girl body, with eyes in place, I tried on the wigs I'd pulled out for him. Or her. I had a hard time deciding what it was. The head looked so male to me, but the giant boobs said otherwise....I had it in my head that I would either redo the faceup to something girly, or sand off the boobs and have a boy.

I was really unhappy with all my wigs though. The only one I kept going back too was one I was going to sell eventually - a dreadlocked one from Monique. It was still not quite right however...and then I remembered "the" wig.

This wig is kind of stupid really. It used to belong to Hiritai - the doll owner I bought David off of way back in the day. The first time I saw a B&G Sapphira (still one of my favorite molds ever) it was hers and it was wearing this wig. I totally fell in love with that doll, and that is why I have Wyn. I also fell in love with the wig....it was a gorgeous color, but even more so it was the style I wanted, and as noob as I was back then, could not find for Alex (though I wanted it in white blond, cause y'know....Alex).

So of course years later when she had it up for sale I bought it...even though I didn't have a need for it (I try to limit my blonds since I have so many already, all named Alex - and for the record I did finally the wig in a white blond....cause it's a Kanalong she cut - which is the same as a Kana which is the same as the Jojo XD ). It was just kind of sentimental.

I put that wig on B12....and that was it. He/she had a look. But the eyes sucked. I pulled out the green ones I'd bought for my DS Saint before finding out they were really too big and I hated him, and they were a perfect fit...

I dressed it in some clothes I found in my sales bin, becuase that's what I do with newly pieced together dolls, and when I showed it to my roommate she said she looked like a hipster. If only she had glasses....so I dug out Alex's hipster glasses (cause y'know...Alex) and put those on her. She slowly became...something. As you can see I started referring too her as a she. I also realized I still really liked the faceup on her. I decided to go full-on cliche hipster for her....but I don't really know what that is.

My next step was to Pinterest Hipster Fashion....where I found that she was kind of hipster in the outfit I had her in. I started digging out things to make her a wardrobe (who knew I had so much stuff that would qualify as Hipster?!). I wanted female and male fashion (she's still a bit ambiguous, but I like it) so I looked at the male version -- did you know it's the same as the female version, just a little bit more masculine (a very little bit)?

Me: "Huh, male hipsters look just like female hipsters, just with more beard. ...

....

Hey this is how I dress!! I'm a hipster! DAMMIT!!!! But I make fun of them.... D:  where's my fedora...?"

Now she's practically a mini-me...good thing she doesn't have Isis's hair.....which is the same color mine is.

My roommate then tried to convince me she'd look good with Isis's hair (which I have two of), but we decided to leave the blond wig on her instead. So she doesn't look like me at all....though she's wearing an outfit I'm pretty sure I own >.<

Anyway, short story made so long I can't believe I typed this whole monstrosity out: here she is.

sage3


I have no idea who she is. Her name is Sage (keeping with the "is it a boy or girl??" theme), and I want to pile every cliche thing I can think of on her -- she needs a camera and a laptop, ipad, books  and a starbucks cup (though if I give her that Alex will take it...and she already looks a lot like him to me -- I think it's the hair and eyebrow combo). She has to wear all the scarves, and hats, and many layers (omg she is Alex).....I can't think of anything else, but it'll come to me!! I know how "Jax" got those scars on the face - but I have no idea how "Sage" got them. Could be some mysterious past thing...or a car accident or something. I'll figure it out. Angry beaver maybe.

 I want to get her new hands - it would be awesome if I could get Fairyland hands, but no one will ever sell me the magnet balls....

I have no idea if she goes with my main group of dolls (meaning if I have to write her into Forgotten Children like I did Wyn) or not...

In any case, I'm kind of enamored by her right now (as I am with all my new dolls and dolls that are "new"), and like all the FL dolls I've ever owned, she photographs really well.

sage1 
So that was my weekend. I finished the head I was working on, but didn't finish sealing it, so I have to do that tonight....And I meant to mod Wolverine's arms so his hands can fit on, but of all the things, we don't seem to have a clean pot (yeah I know) for me to boil water in...so he's sitting armless on my desk atm XD

If nothing else I want to play with Sage a little more tonight....put some different clothes on her or something.

She still looks like a boy lol

Oh, and here's 'Nilla, I didn't forget about him, but I didn't get around to editing these photos until today...

nilla1 

 His Dollheart wig is perfect (unlike poor Boo...his didn't work out)! I'm still not sure about the eyes, but they'll be ok for now.

Hm. they have almost the same faceup XD
I am not a one-note!!!

Gotta stop now. This has gotten epically long and Firefox is so crappy I can't scroll anymore....
Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Quick Update

I was trying to save an update for when I had pictures or something....but I haven't edited anything so this is going to be boring. Sorry.

Sales
Well....I sold some stuff, and managed to buy the body I wanted with my leftover tax return money (thus continuing the tradition of buying Alex's with my tax return every year), so the desperate need to sell everything has kind of died.....leaving me with this.

For sale still:
Angel of Dream 1/3 girl body, med bust, NSP
Fairyland F60 Nanuri B head NS
Iplehouse sword dancer Kamau LE
Dollzone Fei NSP

And I am thinking of taking it all down and keeping it. I've already removed Fei from all the sales pages (so technically he isn't for sale lol), and Kamau will come down Sunday for sure.

The FL head and AOD body are this close to becoming a new doll and going back on the shelf....just because I thought of it and I can. I didn't really want to sell that head anyway.

Isn't that cray? Like I need more dolls.....

Fei's head will probably go back up for sale shortly....I really only want his body. Recently I have been wanting a MNF shiwoo again, the idea to bring back Soshi to round out my little group of Minis (including RS Song, Unoa L-Bi and DM Ujee) to four keeps rattling around in my head and I like it. I just don't want to shell out the $$ on a MNF I'll probably end up hating anyway (as it always goes with me and MNFs). I just don't get along with that body. At all.

Dollzone is another story however. And I have one of those, sitting around collecting dust.....and if he were on the DZ body, he'd be taller and a little more badass looking which is something I always Soshi was trying to achieve and couldn't on that tiny little MNF body.

So if you know anyone selling a MNF Shiwoo head, somewhat new preferably, in NS, let me know.

Also some MNF Neck connectors - I'll need two, one WS and one NS.

So that's where I am. I got rid of a couple things, and that seems to be enough right now. I'll probably leave the head and AOD body up or a while longer, but the idea of a floating girl body isn't horrible atm, so if it doesn't sell, I'm not sure I care.

Thursday, March 13, 2014

To keep or not to keep?

ETA: Up for sale officially are my 
Resinsoul Li
Dollzone Fei
Supia Rosy/AOD hybrid
Fairyland F60 Nanuri 12B head

Details can be found on the sale page
List of trades can be found on the wishlist/wtt page. Thanks!!

Hrm. The doll I was going to replace Thomas with is being discontinued. I won't have time to save up to buy him before he's gone, and I wouldn't buy him before Thomas sells anyway....soooooooo now I think I might be stuck with him.

I thought about leaving him up until the end of the month, but that won't give me the time to buy the new one before he's gone anyway, so now I think I might pull him any day now. There's no point in selling him if I can't replace him, and seriously, there are 3 SD Kamaus up for sale right now and, yes the other two are beat up and modded and mine is pristine, but they're a hell of a lot cheaper than mine and no one wants them either. Which kind of cracks me up, because so many people whine and bitch and moan about how there's no dark tan or african looking dolls out there...but there are and they get discontinued because no one wants them when they're out? I don't get it.

The last few days I've been doing a lot of thinking about him, and I think if I get stuck keeping him I will make it work.

I'll give him a new faceup, I will do the mods required to make him fucking sit I will restring him again and again, and suede and wire the FUCKING HELL out him so he works, and not give a damn I'm ruining an expensive LE because obviously there isn't' anyone out there willing to see him as one so why should I care?

Maybe if he works, I'll cease to hate him and all Iplehouse dolls as a whole....that would be nice. I'll get him some good clothes, or at least one or two other things (he does have decent clothes already) and blush him so he's not shiny and plastic-looking.

So yeah. I still have him up for sale, but I doubt it'll last much longer. Here's hoping I can fix him.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Downsizing?

I was looking at this thread on DOA about selling dolls and it got me thinking of a few I've had doubts with lately...I think Im going to put them up. I am completely running out of room, and I don't have time to devote to "bonding" with them right now....I'm a little indecisive about a couple of them though. I can't get them again if I change my mind....

Resinsoul Li
I really like the doll, but I got her at a bad time and haven't wanted to devote the time to her. And, her head is huge. It looks fine alone, but with my other minis, I'm not a fan. I was planning on getting her a new head and keeping the body, but I can't find the head I want fs and I'm tired of her collecting dust...and taking up room on my doll shelf.

Dollzone Fei
I'm really on the fence about him. Same as Li, got at a bad time and I just can't seem to bond with him. Recently I pulled him out and made him a new wig...and that didn't help. I love his mold, and it's discontinued and I was really lucky to get him....but I need space and I think I need to cut some loose that I don't ever do anything with....but this is the one I have the most doubt about.

Supia Rosy
I have a hard time letting go of her too. I love Supia and I LOVE Rosy, but I sold off the doll closest to her and I won't be in the position to buy him again soon.....so I think she should go. She's got some awesome clothes that were made for her, so I have some guilt, but I could always buy her again (with a Supia body, which is what I really want anyway) so I think it'll be ok.

Fairyland F60 Nanuri 13B head
Oh I don't want to sell this guy. But I know I'll never get him a body so there's no point in letting him hang around. I love this head so much...and I don't have a little Karsh anymore, so it's the last one. But again, taking up space.

There might be more later. I have to look at them in person before I decide for sure (because I'm thinking of letting Gabriel go too -- or at least her body for now if not the whole doll).

EDIT: 
Dollstown Rian
Yeah, I think Gabriel is going too. I don't use her as much as I thought I would, and I really want to get into actually doing things with my dolls...so it's better to have fewer I think. Plus I'd like to look for a more proportionate-to-my-dolls version of her.

All this wanting to get rid of dolls is kind of exacerbated by Thomas not selling. I know it's because I priced him so high, but I'm not lowering it lol I've already decided to keep him up for a while longer and if he doesn't sell, I'm going mod him so he freaking poses and keep him.

Also, Tween needs a body. Like now. If I can sell a couple of these dolls I can afford one for him...I'm really missing having him around, and I'd like to redo his faceup to something a little different....and I can't because he might need matching. Plus there's no point in redoing him if he sits in a box.

As usual it's kind of sad and kind of liberating to think about thinning the herd XD

Thursday, March 6, 2014

I can has Teefies!!

I got my U-Jee and Unoa parts in the mail (finally) on Monday! They sat in the customs for a lifetime before they made it home. And it snowed and iced and did all sorts of yuck so I had to wait until after work to go home and retrieve them. BUT it was totally worth it <3

I will admit that I was getting a little worried that I had built up the U-Jee head in my mind as being one thing, and it would turn out to not be what I wanted at all....but when I pulled him out of the box, it was totally love. He's even more adorable in person!

Ujee4

Lookit that faaaace!!!!

 Ujee3

Definitely a cutie. No wonder I found a bunch of old posts of mine from 2011 stating I wanted one XD Why the hell didn't I get him when he was available?!

I have a white DH wig on the way for him, so he won't completely all one color XD just close. Someday when there is no more snow I plan on doing his faceup (along with both Unoa FPs and the one I already have....Poor Mir, his lips chipped :( )

I like the eyes he has in, but they're kinda high-domed for him, so someday I may try to find other ones....

My #1 problem? He came without his teeth D:
NO TEEFS! Not an immediate issue, I gave him the tongue that came with the Lusis Yawn plate XD
This can't be perm, cause I likes the teefs, and...well the Lusis plate will need that tongue eventually. I contacted Dollmore, but wasn't too hopeful since this is a discontinued head and I am still really amazed I was able to get one at all....so I had thought to try and make my own teeth part....but I should not have worried. They said they'd send it! And they did! It's already on the way :)

So he'll have teeth eventually! For now, tongue XD

One more X3

Ujee1

Ack!! So cute! X333

And some Boo, just because

smboo 

Boo is also getting a new white DH wig. I hope it works. I made him another fur wig, but I don't like it as much....crossing fingers for fiber.