Pack, Work, Sleep, Repeat!

Everything's moving a little slower now that the moving plans have been set into action. Trying my best to keep up with everything, but sewing usually falls behind, especially when I haven't been getting enough sleep to safely use anything more machine than a coffee pot. Lol.

Rolly's wig and eyes came in finally. The mailman did not knock nor leave a pink slip, I received an email from LUTS saying that it had been sent back to the post office and I needed to hurry and collect it. So I got the fiancee to take us up there, talked to the nice post lady again, and gathered my package. :D Inside were Rolly's eyes and wig, and Bina's wig. Rolly looks really cute, pigtails or no, but it's a big big on her. >w< Now all that's left to do is order Bina, Fallen, and Galenia's eyes (Tdelia, Flowne, and Gela) from Safrin Doll and things will be rolling slowly along. Lol. I even managed to get Flowne's head already. >w<

Working hard on a pair of LittleFee pajamas and the Steampunk Full-Set for Ball-Jointed Boutique. I decided to upload pictures of my process on the pajamas to my Facebook Page, but the Steampunk Set will remain "secret" until it's done. Maybe a snip-it photo here or there, but not a full album like the jammies. Lol.

I'm slowly adding doll-sites to the list on the Doll Sites page of this blog, so if you're interested in learning of more sites or need a bookmarked place with most, feel free to check it out. I even have them separated by country. Lol. So you can guess what your shipping will be before-hand. (EMS is usually $20-$45 per order, depending on what you get.)

D.I.M. Doll Flowne
Picture from Kumasmash on Flickr.

I think I'll start making more LittleFee clothes now that I have an idea on what works out on Rolly. I'm waiting until Flowne's body gets here to complete the store of MSD female clothes. It occured to me that Shii-Tsuu is A LOT wider than your average MSD, so everything I make would need to be altered to fit a normal MSD girl. :\ I should have compared before making the store and everything official. >.< I'm such a dunce. Lol. Plus, I could always make a LF boy line now, considering their clothing fits both genders. :D So, hopefully I can start making at least shirts and pants/skirts for them soon. :)

Working on getting packed and preparing to move. @_@ I have MANY boxes to go through in my down-time, so I gotta boogie. Lol. I figured it was the last day of the month so this entry need to get finished and posted ASAP, so this is my first bit of downtime work. Lol.

Well, that's all I have for today. :) Thanks for reading~! ♥

See you next month~! :D
- The BJD Addict

Dolly Researching

It's been a while since I did a branch off to help those new to the BJD-hobby with their learning/research... So this entry will be dedicated to that. If you'd rather skip it, feel free, but otherwise, thanks for reading and please read on....

Lately I've been reorganizing my wishlist/doll list from Pinterest... Writing everything down and separating everyone into their size categories. (I'm OCD, so I know this isn't for everyone, but it helps me stay organized...) After I separated them though, I wrote down the 3 most important pieces of information: the height, the wig size, and the eye-size. Now, height and eye-size on a doll-page are obvious, the site lists them both in the measurements area, BUT the wig size might be a little difficult to figure out if you don't know what size wig fits what circumference of head. So here's a helpful tidbit:

Wig line shown here.

Size 3.5 fits heads 8.5-9.5cm round.

Size 4 fits heads 9.5-10.5cm round.

Size 4.5 fits heads 10.5-12cm round.

Size 5 fits heads 12-13cm round.

Size 5.5 fits heads 13-14.5cm round.

Size 6 fits heads 15-16.5cm round.

Size 7 fits heads 16.5-19cm round.

Size 8 fits heads 19-22cm round.

Size 9 fits heads 22-24cm round.

Size 10 fits heads 24.5-28cm round.

Wigs usually only fit those in their size-range, so you have to be careful to make sure you're purchasing the correct size. Sizes that are listed 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, and 9/10 fit from the first range of the first number to the last of the second number, so just make sure your doll falls in those categories before purchasing. Also, not all wigs in the size range given will fit your doll. It's possible to purchase a wig in the doll's size and have it be too tight or too loose. If it's too tight, you can pin it or just purchase a new one, but if it's too big, you can attach velcro to the head to make the wig stay better. Most heads have wig lines in which you can line the wig up to, to make sure the wig is on properly.

Eyes, on the other hand, will fit one size smaller and one size larger than what your doll is meant to have. This means, if they fit 14mm, they will also fit 12mm and 16mm eyes. The pupil size changes with each size though, so it depends on personal preference as to which size you actually put in your doll. If you want them to have big doe eyes, put in a larger size; if you want tiny piercing eyes, put in a smaller size. If you have no preference, try them with their actual size and go from there, maybe your mind will change once you actually see the eyes in your doll.

Picture from BarometzBlue on Flickr

Eyes come in all ranges of sizes, shapes, and colors. The most used sizes tend to be 14mm and 16mm, but some larger dolls take 18mm+ and smaller dolls take 12mm or less.  Eyes can be full round - with/without positioning stems, half-round - with/without stems, double-sided (two eyes on one eyepiece), oval, or petal-shaped (oval with points on two sides). They can be made out of glass, acrylics, silicone, or urethane. Popular eyes are GLiB acrylics and many types of glass eyes. I've heard people say that urethane photographs better, but they are also the most expensive. I, myself, use GLiB acrylics simply because they are inexpensive and look nice once placed in a doll. My only doll with glass eyes is Talia, and that's because I have yet to purchase blue acrylics for her. Lol.  If you're looking for sites that sell wonderful eyes, try Safrin Doll or Ersa Flora. Both sites have amazing eyes and Ersa Flora does commissions. She was the wonderful artist of Shii-Tsuu's Geass Eyes. :) And when I have Lelouch (Island Doll Wallace), I plan on purchasing his eyes from her as well.

Well, that's all I have for now. I hope this helped some of you still learning or new to the hobby. :) If you think I missed anything, feel free to comment and ask, I'm sure I can help you with your questions.

Thanks for reading~! See you again soon!

-The BJD Addict

Sewing Projects

So, everything seems to be going smoothly... Normal days with normal chores and normal moments. :) It's actually quite nice, really... Like I'm getting into the swing of things again. :) (Though, with school so near, I'm sure it will start swinging a different way again. Lol.)

Finally broke out the machine. :D Sewing machine, that is, and things are moving smoothly. After 3 hours (ish, not really keeping track, it's whenever I can), I have almost 1 full kimono done. :) It's the same color pink as one I've seen a picture of Shii-Tsuu wearing, which makes me happy, but I've had to alter the pattern a few times as I went, so it's a little wonky. That's okay, but still. I hope only a small amount of people will want these in the store, lol. Though, I already had one person like the picture within 10 minutes of me posting it to the page's wall on Facebook. Lol.

I've also picked out the color pallet for the Steampunk Full-Set, the design that WON part one of the contest. Lol. The set will be made up of a blouse, stockings, a vest, and a skirt, I drew chains in the picture, but I'm unsure if I want to add them or just let the person who wins/orders add them. Oh, I DO plan on selling the set in-store for those who do not win and want one, but the set will be limited thanks to two of my fabrics being out of production. Lol. The camera doesn't do them justice, but what camera does? The dark brown will be the skirt, the striped brown will be the vest, the dotted cream will be the blouse, and the plain cream will be the stockings. :) All the patterns are made, I just need to cut things out and get a move on with them. Lol.

Rolly's Wig. CDW-44, Honey Delf (Cream)

Finally ordered Rolly's wig and eyes... And ordered 'Bina's (Tdelia's) wig as well. (LUTS's shipping is expensive, so I decided to just get everything in one go...) I should get on with Fallen's head and wig soon too... Before I forget about her completely. Lol. Galenia (Gela), being my extra, will have to wait, but she already has a place, she's Fallen's daughter. :) Actually thinking 3-Demensionally with 'Bina is making me rethink how I dressed her as a child... I now know more about Egyptian clothing than I did, and I know that she would have been wearing a tunic or kilt, not harem pants... So things may need to be altered before she truly becomes mine again. :)

Daydreams... That's the best thing about this hobby... The dreaming and creating of a character. This is literally the epitome of artistry. Taking a blank doll or a doll you sculpt, painting it, making it's clothes and shoes, and turning it into a real work of art, a person to the point where it has everything but a soul... It's just wonderful... I've never had a hobby make me as happy as this one has... And I'm so grateful to my fiancee for getting me started. :) He truly is the perfect person for me... Supporting and encouraging everything I do, no matter what. He's a great man and a wonderful father, and I don't think I could ever ask for more. :) Those of you reading this may think I'm getting mushy, but this is my true person, this is how I act... And it's the only way I know how to say it. :)

Completely loving life right now. ♥

Thanks for reading~! See you again soon!
- The BJD Addict

The BJD Addict

Hello and welcome back to the latest entry to the Ball-Jointed Baby. :D As you can see, today's topic is "The BJD Addict". Let's read on to find out what's going on!:

I now know more than enough sites to acquire BJDs from... Wigs from... Eyes from... And clothes from... I even have favorites! But, at this point, I'm becoming a bit of an addict. I currently have 56 pins on my Ball-Jointed Doll Board on Pinterest... I own 4 of those 56... Everyone else is a hope or a dream... Or, in Tdelia and Gela's cases, a "soon enough"... One of my fellow BJD lovers, a lady from Ohio, like myself, giggled at me today and told me I may need an intervention. XD (We all do, but still... ) So, I am taking the first step... Hi. I'm Shelby, and I'm a BJD Addict. The BJD Addict. Lol. I think I might need to make that mine. XD

Tan Tdelia - Source: BJDCollecstasy

Let's see... I currently have 11 1/3rd-sized, 9 1/4th-sized, 28 1/6th-sized, and 5 1/12th-sized BJDs on my list.... @_@ Less than half of them have names to be, so I don't know who will be, who wont be, but I still think I want a good chunk of those for sure. >w< I have figured out who Tdelia and Gela will be, though, Tdelia will be tan and a character I created when I was 12, and Gela will be DIMdoll Flowne's daughter. :) I think they work perfectly in those two places. ♥

I really want to find a doll that matches a character that I created when I was 5 or 6, 'Bie. ('[name] is for the sake of using a nickname) She started out in a wheelchair, but was able to walk after about 4 years of relearning. She was my first character... But she'd have to be 58cm like Tdelia's character to be 'Bina... They aren't for the same thing, but they are best of friends in my head. :) Silly child dreams... They seem so far away...

I've decided to make a Page on here that has all my favorite links to all my favorite BJD-store sites. :) It will help me stay organized and might help those looking for a good starter list. My first doll came from Junky Spot, my second from Denver Doll, and I plan on buying from Mint on Card... After a few weeks of research, I just figured out those are the ones to stick with. :) And many ppl say MoC has a great 6 month layaway plan! >w< (I have yet to partake in this.) But, anywho, I figured that would be something nice for me to do. :3

Still working on the Aimi doll tutorial. @_@ This is taking forever, I know, but Japanese isn't my first or second language. Lol. So I'm working the best that I can. >w< (Too bad it's not in Chinese, I might do better. Lol.) So, if you're really looking forward to it, I hope to have it up within the next month or so. :)

I guess that's all for now... Still working out moving to the fiancee's house... :\ And a bit of sewing and no writing... The pictures for the 'Like's Contest Designs are up on BJB's Facebook page if you had wanted to place your vote! :) Please make sure you 'Like' the page too if you actually wanted to be able to GET the set once the actual contest starts. :)

Thanks for reading~!
-The BJD Addict

Home Again

So, yesterday was Tanabata (七夕) AND my fiancee's birthday. :) He's old now. Lol. (Not really, but we've know each other for 6 years now and the jump from 14-15 to 20-21 just seems so large...) He went out and had fun with his guy friends (he being the baby of the group) and I used my Tanabata wish to make sure he came home safe. :) ♥ He's actually still sleeping right now. Lol.

Impldoll Model Tdelia - 58cm - Pink Skin

I learned about Impldoll's Summer Event on Thursday. :3 It's really awesome! Spend $XXX and get a free head - OR - spend $XXX and get a free 26cm doll! It's making me want to get a 58cm to get the 26cm for free... >.> But then I'd REALLY be over my "limit". XD I'm in love with Tdelia in tan and Gela in pink. They look so cute!! I didn't realize a lot of the companies had Events like this... I keep getting emails left and right for Summer Event 2012s, but so far, this is the only one that caught me.

So, after painting everyday since last Sunday, we have almost every bit of painting done except the tiny line above the basement stairs. It's 16 feet above us... We needed other opinions. XD So that's what we shall tackle today, even though I'm home again. I think Kole and I will bikeride there... I just need to know what time to leave. Lol.

Impldoll Baby Gela - 26cm - Pink Skin

Rolly seems to be fitting into our little dolly family perfectly. :) I usually leave Talia in her arms, and Justin decided it would be funny to put Rolly in Shii-Tsuu's arms, so now they are sitting on the side hutch, all stacked together. They actually look rather happy. Lol. Like the best of friends or siblings or something. >w< And, soon enough, Fallen (DIMdoll Flowne) will join them. :3 So our little family will be 4. Justin says I should go for it with the Impldoll Event... He even said he'd pay half the layaway payments for each month... But I'm not sure... I don't know if I can handle six dolls just yet... I'm still getting the hang of three. Lol. And two of them are incomplete as it is... Rolly needs a new face-up and her wig... Talia needs a wig and some body blushing... I need so many supplies... Sealant, cleaner, pastels, paints... This is definitely an adult hobby... Not something a young teen or even a young mother should attempt until they are truly sure... So, even with all my research, in that sense, I jumped in with both feet... And now I know.... But I wouldn't change it for anything. :) And I'm so very glad Justin bought Shii-Tsuu for me. ♥

Hmm... I need to do laundry, and sort through boxes and pack today... I still plan on moving in to Justin's... As much as my parents love it that I'm here so they have Kole everyday, I think they enjoyed this past week without me here, so I think it's best to go through with my plan to move in over there. Kole is happier with both mommy and daddy everyday anyways... He threw a fit for a few hours last night after Justin left because he wanted him and didn't understand why we weren't sleeping at Daddy's anymore. :(

A little bit of sewing (I messed up again. -.-) and Writer's Block this past week, so I'm not very on top of anything, but life as of right now... But here's hoping things turn around. I'm still waiting to get paid, too, the shipment from 3 weeks ago still isn't here and I'm getting nervous someone pulled the wool over my boss's eyes with this one. Crossing my fingers anyways, though. :\

Well, that's all for now... Thanks for reading! :3 ♥

July 2nd Already?

WOW! Where has this year GONE?? It's July 2nd!! Seven months in to 2012 already! What happened to the year going by so slowly? >.< Lol.

So, my sister's grad party was a hit! At least 80 ppl showed up, ate, gave cards, laughed, talked, and swam. :) Our fence and pool looked lovely and everyone had a great time! It was a blast! Even the babies had fun! Kole and his friend Madelyn got to play too! :) It was cute! They love each other so much. :3 ♥ Kole even bit her finger and she didn't cry! They both laughed like it was nothing!! XD Those two crack me up when they're together... And Kole get's so talkative when she's around! It's truly adorable.

I also got Rolly's face up done! >w< It looks terrible really... Now that I'm looking at it today, but I'm still happy with it... I just need to fix her cheeks and everything will be good... If I had more cleaner, I'd do it today, but I need both cleaner and sealant. >.< AND I need to buy VOLKS Basic Set of pastels... Rolly is a dainty lady... And she's painted like some sunburnt maiden. Lol. I also messed up on her top right eyelashes, but I'll fix that then too. :) I just gotta be really careful when I wash the make up off... So I don't take off the eyelashes or eyebrows. Lol. I think I'd cry if I did that... After all the frustrations that came with doing the eyelashes and brows in the first place. @_@ I'm right-handed... Her LEFT side looks perfect... Her right side just stinks... -.- Ahh well, what can you do, but wait and order new supplies and try again?

I do love having three ladies now, though. :) It makes for very interesting photo-shoots because I can  pose them all together doing different things or interacting. >w< It's actually pretty fun! Especially considering two of them are in maid outfits... I haven't found one small enough for Talia, so I think I'm gonna need to wing it and make her one. Lol. Idk if I can sew something so tiny though! XD I made her a little hat today, so she wouldn't look so bald, but even then I had to hold it on her to make my first few stitches, then take it off and finish it. Lol.

I fixed Shii-Tsuu's face-up as well, but it's making me wonder if I should just remove and redo it... After doing Rolly and learning from all my mistakes on face-ups thus far, I feel like I could do a better job for her this time... But I'm not sure if I'm ready for that or not... She's wearing her second face-up, but I still feel fond of it... Idk... I'm not sure of anything when it comes to their faces, my lovely ladies. Not at all. Lol. But Shii-Tsuu now has eyebrows and the top eyelashes painted on (I completely gave up on fake lashes... LITERALLY... Not my thing... >.>). Lol. She looks more humble than her normal self does... She looks rather like she did when she lost her memory in Code Geass: R2... o.o Maybe that's my favorite C.C. >w< Idk. Lol.

Still painting and sewing... No writing yet, though I hope to have some done by the end of the week. Lol. *crosses fingers*

Well, that's all for now. :) Thanks for reading! ♥