Inside My World

Time flies, like the whooshing sound of a bullet train as it passes. Now that I am feeling well enough to return to doing school drop-offs and after school activities - life has been busy. However that doesn't mean I haven't had time to dip into my hobbies. 

Let's start with the photoshoots. I recently joined a Barbie Collector's group that has a new theme each week and I've been finding it quite inspiring. For this week, it was 'Weddings'. Not owning any wedding dolls or gowns, I found a pattern and tutorial at Galaxia Dolls and decided to make a Maxi dress and give my doll wedding a boho vibe. 

Feeling Out The Vibe

Decided it was time to address the wigs for some of my dolls and to take photos of one of my neglected minifee girls. For the first time in a while, the sun was actually out so I had some good natural light to work with for a change.

 Let's start today's post with Arianna, my red-headed forest dweller and one of the infamous Elyder Wytches  - a group that aligned themselves with the First Prince of Shadows and almost destroyed the world. Arianna is a descendant of these same Wytches but she doesn't go around advertising that fact. She presents herself as a simple healer who works her cures with the use of herbs. If anyone were to find out the truth, she would be bound for the hangman's noose or a fiery death at the stake. You can't blame her for living alone and far from other people. After all, it's not her fault her ancestors wanted to end the world. 

"Do not blame the child for the parent's mistakes..."

All Arianna wants is to live a quiet life far from politics and monarchs. She doesn't want to get involved in anything that might bring attention and has become an expert at laying low and appearing harmless. It's a lonely life but the wild animals of the forest keep her company. For she has the ability to communicate with them. And they in turn find it a novelty that a human can understand them.

Sunday Makeovers

When I discovered my poor Saint's ball joint on one of his hands was completely split, I decided to change out his hands for the ones I bought ages ago from Universedoll. It's a gorgeous pair of jointed hands. The only problem being the actual ball that is attached to the hand is slightly too big for his wrist socket. Another reason I never ended up  using it because not having the common sense at the time to order an extra pair of hands (given that the Rythmos body has been discontinued for ages now) - however, desperate times and all ... maybe I could get lucky and see if I can get hands on the second hand market for this body but I won't hold my breath. I will try to fix the split with superglue or something and hope it holds as PVA glue won't cut it.

While I had him out, I decided to style him up a bit and I love how he turned out. Nikolas is a member of ENVY - the punk/grunge/rock band. He's kind of their PR guy and lead guitarist. There's no story, I just really wanted to make a boy band (I've been listening to a lot of BTS lately.) So far, ENVY only has three total members. Can you have a boy band with just three members?

The Prisoner and The Protector

In the world of Silona ...

Evangeline Monroe, or 'Eve' as she is better known, flees the Capital as the Scarlett Inquisitors zealously hunt down all those with even a single drop of 'tainted' blood, determined to purify all humans against a decades worth of inter-breeding between humans and those called, 'The Old Ones' - Sidhe, Angels, Sirens and their ilk.

Unfortunately for Eve, her Nephilim blood marks her as a Tainted and destined for purification, a process that for most ends in a painful, excruciating death. To escape her terrible fate, she escapes along with a group of refugees to the only place that protects her kind. Attacked en route and betrayed, she barely manages to elude her pursuers and makes it to Silona to the only person powerful enough to protect her.

In exchange for his protection, Gwydion demands a hefty price. She is to act as his wife to the public, two powerful Nephilim bonded together to provide protection for the Tainted. It is a powerful image and one Gwydion wants to exploit. Left with little choice, she accepts  his terms and becomes his ward and in the public eye, his wife.

A Lovely Shade of Red

Earlier in the week, hubby had found a doll house that I could possibly refurbish from a local op shop but he didn't know if it was something I would want so he took a photo. We went there today but sadly the doll house had been sold. I didn't leave empty handed though. I decided to check out the toy section on the off chance there was something I could use and I found a bunch of stuff (some Barbie furniture that I am going to refurbish) and to my surprise, one of the early I think 2013 Fashionista dolls that I had been looking at on E-bay for a few months. I hadn't decided if I was going to get her (hence the procrastination). But there she was for $5.00. She wasn't in her original outfit but came in what looked like a homemade dress which was really lovely (I didn't take a photo of the dress as it's hanging out on the line after a good wash) and she had been played with  a bit so was in used condition.

After wiping her down with some alcohol, a soapy warm water bath and washing out her hair and doing a partial repaint on her face, she was finally done. (Her lips were a nightmare and took me about six repaints to get right! This is why I try to avoid repainting Barbies with teeth.)

Pink Power

Happy First Day of May!

A few months ago, I ordered a pink wig for my Obitsu girl however I didn't like how it looked or sat on her so the wig was left in the wig container until recently. I decided to try it on Clara for a bit of fun and was surprised at how much I liked the wig on her.

Retro Bunny

I decided to restyle one of my Black Label Barbies into a bit of a domestic goddess who looks like she just stepped off the pages of a retro magazine.Truth is, she actually did. Released from the pages of  'My Home' by a modern day witch, Delilah is a fish out of water in the 21st century.

The Max Makeover

An accident with hair straightening gone wrong led me to change Maxine's hair. It seems some older FR dolls had hair that wasn't suitable for boil straightening. I didn't mind too much though as I had been wanting to change her hair for a while anyway.

I had a tight fitting hat on her that left an unsightly bump and bulge on her hair which is why I was initially trying the boil straighten method. That of course didn't end so well. But it was a good thing to happen as it forced me to change her hair finally.

I used contrasting soft yarn that looks a lot like dreadlocks. I'm not used to how hard FR heads are compared to MH and Barbie so I wasn't expecting to break my needle trying to push it into her scalp. After that little mishap, I ended up having to heat up her head while re-rooting. It was a bit of a pain to do it this way but it did make her head more pliable and I didn't break any more needles.

A New Look and Introduction to The Author

Leekeworld recently had a sale going and I couldn't resist picking up some new wigs. I bought three but wish now I had got more. Their wigs can be hit and miss but luckily all mine were fine, no thinness or any other notable issues. There were bits of stray hair and the fringe needed a bit of tidying up but that's not a deal breaker for me. This is the second batch of wigs I have purchased from Leekeworld (the last batch was at least over two years ago and no trouble with those either).

This new one is for Isabelle. It's called Unique Baby.  It isn't as curly as in the promo photos but I don't really mind. I kind of like it not as curly. Everything else was pretty similar to the promo. I added in the plait myself so that's why it looks different.  The hair colour itself, both tones appear more vibrant in the promo but I think that's due to lighting. It is actually grey-white and the brown is more subdued but I like it because it's more subtle this way.

I'm actually really pleased with it for her. It fits like a glove on her head and is finally "Isabelle" as I imagined her to be. I will talk more about the significance of the two tone colour a bit later in this post.

Odds and Ends

I've been sorting out my old photos from the last few years and noticed a photo I had taken last year of my modded dreaming Shushu girl. Looking at this photo, I realised this is the look I actually always liked for her but unfortunately I sold the wig along with a doll a while back. Lucky I know exactly where that wig came from so I can get a hold of it again but I am still debating whether I want to stay with the style. I definitely like the colour on her.

I posted out my Halloween Head for a face up finally yesterday. And I noticed I had a black curly mohair wig in my stash so that will go well with her planned face up which will be more of a dramatic gothic style.

There's not been much news on the dolly front at the Inn. Other than the Pullip Mad Hatter in Steampunk World and an Azone Pureneemo Kohina on pre-order, I am not really waiting on anything else. Whilst there have been some really lovely bjd sculpts released to date, there's really not been any that have grabbed me in a way that I have to have.

Once my Halloween Head comes back, that will be the last of the dolls needing face ups. Everyone else has face up, clothes, wigs (for the most part) so I guess I can say that my bjd collection is pretty much complete. A few odds and ends here and there but otherwise, they really are complete. Wow, did I just say that? It feels a little anti-climatic.

As for the other doll collections, I don't really need anything else for them. I might get two of the default MH dolls repainted and body blushed and maybe try to put together some fantasy-esque clothing for them but that's pretty much it. They're also apparently releasing a small selection of 17" MH dolls but unless they do a Ghoulia or Operetta in that size, I will probably pass.

I joined the W Club this year for the Integrity Toys FR dolls but so far, I haven't bought a single one that has been released this year. I tried for Out of this world Poppy Parker but she was so insanely popular, she sold out quickly and I'm not willing to pay the second hand prices for her. I also put myself into the lottery for Rare Jewel Rayna but didn't win. As for the other releases this year, I haven't really been interested enough to purchase.

So, all in all, a very quiet doll year for me at the Inn.

The trouble with wigs ...

I got notice that my Alice in Steampunk World was in stock which means I should get a shipping notice soon. Hopefully, she will arrive end of next week.

Ever have those dolls, you know the ones; no matter what wig you try on them, it always seems as though it is the wrong one. I have three of those dolls and it is driving me to frustration.

Sebastian (PD Bomu) is still giving me grief. Every wig I currently have just looks weird on him. They're either too big so that it looks like the wig is trying to swallow his head or they just don't sit right. Tobias (AOD Gu) didn't fit the wig I actually bought for his character. It ended up being too big so Xavier (Soom Epidos) is now wearing it as it fits him better. And don't even get me started on Isabelle (FL Shushu). This girl has been through the most wigs of all my dolls and I just cannot find one that fits her face. She has a small but wide face (it used to be the sleeping head but I had it modded). The one she is wearing at the moment is a 7-8inch Luts wig which looks huge on her tiny head in my opinion. Yet another "trying to swallow the head" syndrome.

Can anyone recommend some wig shops they use or have found to be good?

I also decided to swap out Rune's red wig for a black mohair one I had made for another doll which didn't fit.

I rather like the colour and style on her. Gives her a bit more of an innocent sweetness to her character. She is wearing a gorgeous dress made by a friend.

The Return of Tobias

I definitely have the photo bug lately. It's actually quite nice because for a few months there, I really wasn't in the mood to do anything with any of my hobbies. I've been so focused on my IVF journey and its continual failure that it's nice to be able to pick up these dolls again and be reminded that there are things that make me happy.

And of course, nothing makes me smile more than getting make-overs for my dolls, even if this particular one was a necessity due to my own clumsiness and lack of knowledge when it comes to removing piercings. (I will not be experimenting with those again!)

Tobias came back from Ticuk and I am loving how he turned out.

Tall Dark and Handsome

Sebastian (Popodoll Bomu) arrived home yesterday from the fabulous Fabuula Rasa. And he is looking mighty fine. Such gorgeous detailed work. I am really happy with how he turned out and have found myself in love with his sculpt again. He's wearing a temporary wig. I am still not sure what sort of wig style I am wanting for him.

Gideon Reborn

I recently received my Dollzone Cosmo head back from face up artist, Ticuk who did an amazing job on making my Cosmo look a lot more manly. This is the second face up I've had Ticuk do for one of my boys and I am pretty happy with the results. I am not sure if he will keep those eyes as I find them a touch too big for him. The general colour is correct but the size needs tweaking.

Introducing Gideon Black, the dashing (and sometimes scary) owner of the Wayward Inn. He won it in a game of chance and has turned the rundown building into a successful business. The rumour mill says that he came to this timeline to hunt down a renegade and bring the culprit to justice. He ended up staying after an encounter with the enchanting Maeryn Gray. It is because of her that he found himself in the game of chance that gave him the keys to the Inn. Unfortunately, the woman who had captivated him disappeared under mysterious circumstances. She has not been seen since that fateful day...

Two more behind the cut..

Another BJD Meme and Random Stuff

I revamped Kianna (formerly Myst) again as I wasn't a hundred percent happy with the other style she had. She's the ringleader in my little band of misfits. I'll take a photo of that group when I can string Vin back again. I had to take him apart today to glue one troublesome piece to his torso as it kept coming away and making him do weird back bends.

Last night was the first time I glued in eyelashes. Kianna's original fell out so I had to replace them. Such a fiddly job.

And Ghost finally received his outfit. I put Cedric's wig on him and rather like it. I just need to trim it a bit at the front.

On to the meme...

Snagged this one from Atelier Randomfish. Like the eleventh doctor and his fez, I cannot walk past a meme without doing it.

Just Falling

Back into the fold is my Popodoll Bomu, revamped into the character of Sebastian. I had listed him (well, his head) for sale but decided to keep him in the end. I might get his face up changed at some stage but that's a bit later in the year.

I'm still figuring out his character as it's a new character and not based off any existing characters I have floating around.

And as always, as one door opens, another closes. I decided to part with my Withdoll Fenrir after a lot of procrastination. I really haven't done a thing with him since he arrived back in April last year. There were other factors too but in the end, it just wasn't feasible to keep him around. Which is a shame as I had wanted him for a long time and had missed out getting him when he was first released but managed to get him when Withdoll re-released his limited sculpt again. Sometimes, I think, the sculpts work in theory but in practice, it can all fall apart. Which is something I both love and hate about this hobby. I've resigned myself to the fact that some sculpts for me I can only enjoy from a distance and not actually own.

I'm down to thirteen in the crew now which is a nice change from the nineteen dolls I had initially. So in the end, I did manage to cull quite a few out. I am thinking there might be another two to cull out later on down the track but I am still procrastinating on those two. Overall, I am feeling as though finally I am getting where I want to be in terms of my collection and how many I can realistically own without starting to feel like there are too many dolls.

Now if I can just get motivated to actually start making props for them, that would be nice.

The Dark One

I don't show this one off much, only because until now, I haven't really figured out his style and look but after some wig swapping, I think I've finally nailed it. That and he is really hard to photograph because of his resin colour.

This is Sado, my Withdoll Fenrir in gray skin. I've been debating changing his name to Faelan but I've always thought of that particular name as more feminie than masculine. So Sado it stays.

The Return

First order of business, Rune (MYD Heeah) and Kestrel (PKF Mio) returned from their stint with xhanthi. They look amazing and I am super duper happy with how they turned out.

Bring me back to life

Decided to revamp my AOD Qian's look. Still undecided on the eyes, although they do photograph well. I've always liked blue eyes on a large portion of my dolls...

My Qian shells two characters; Deirdre Hart, a bookshop owner in the twenty-first century and Lyana, a priestess from the past who sacrificed her life to trap the essence of a powerful dark goddess inside her mortal form. 

Rain on my Parade

My two Minifee twins have yet again received a makeover session.