Shopping Uri

Found blue eyes!

Bigger picture...

A bigger picture of Uri's new face up. I also changed him into different eyes today, a pair of silicone green ones he came with. The yellow glass ones are lovely, but too small for his eye holes. I think in the future I'll be ordering him some new Ersa Flora eyes, probably in reflective blue. The devil should have blue eyes no?

New project and...oh Uri! *Updated*

Well I was going to spend tonight working on a new project, but then I took Uri out and found he'd chipped his whole face up. Everywhere! Sheesh, you'd think I don't pay enough attention to this boy already. So instead I'm going to do a new face up on him, hopefully fairly close to the last one. I really liked it too. :(


What I wanted to do tonight was work on something I'm calling Project Hell in a Hand Basket. I recently saw this adorable Lolita-inspired basket at the Sanrio store. It was a plain neutral colored basket with cute pink fabric lining the inside and making storage pockets. Very cute, but also insanely expensive for a basket ($60?!). So I've decided to make one.

I want to have a different mode of transport for Uri other than my arms or my purse, as neither is really good long term. Once I saw the basket I knew it would be perfect, but just not "Uri" enough. So I found a basket at one of my jobs and am reclaiming it as a doll carrier. It's a big (but not cumbersome) woven wood basket with two handles. Big enough to sit Uri down in comfortably, and have plenty of room for storage.

I'm going to line it in this lovely burgundy silk fabric I have, and give it all sorts of suitable details. I don't have a firm plan drawn up yet, but it's definitely going to have some black lace, and crown motifs. Kind of Princess Ai styled?

Alas that will have to wait until tomorrow as I'm off now for another coat of sealer on my obviously attention deficient boy. :P


*Edited to add...* It took me forever and I'm exhausted, but he is so beautiful. I decided to do something a little different after all, something similar to the face up he came with. I incorporated his original black eyes along with the same shading I've done for him in the past. No eyebrows as usual, though I apparently prefer Uri without them. I darkened the lip shading a bit more this time, so you can really see the design.

Collection shots!

So I'm in the midst of reorganizing my room again, but I really wanted to display some of my collection. It's all being displayed in my book case/doll house/manga corner etc. This isn't everyone or everything, but it's what I had easy access to and wanted to display.

The top has my Pullips, Luna P (Sailor Moon), my
BE Goth doll, and my original childhood ponies.

The next floor down is a "corral" of sorts for most of my ponies.
Not everyone, but there's a bunch there until I have another
better place to display them. Also there is my new Sailor Moon purse,
some of my SM dolls, and some of my manga.

More dolls! The resin/etc. floor here. You'll see Namu
Wolf made it down here as he's so big and snuggly
there's no room for him up with the others. Also here is my
childhood Woody doll as well as his large collector counterpart.

Finally more manga, more ponies, and some of my Sailor Moon
plush collection. They are ooold, and so well loved. :)

My new...err old...revisited obsession.

Vocaloid!

I'd explored it a bit before on YouTube after stumbling upon a version of "The Disappearance of Hastune Miku." That particular video has since been taken down (unfortunately, it was rather good), but then I found the "live" concert footage of Miku and the Kagamines performing.

Only in Japan would there be an expensive auditorium packed to the very brim with people to see a...hologram? A projection? I'm not really sure what you'd call Miku and her freinds, but they're not real either way. That just makes Japan my kind of place I guess. :P

Vocaloid was initially created as a music recording program where you could input melody and lyrics and the program would sing them in the chosen voice. As time went on they decided to create characters for each voice, resulting in Miku and her friends. They are considered vocal andriods (hence the name) and are immensely famous in Japan.

My favorites are Miku and Kagamine Len (the boy of the "twins"). I decided to purchase two nice nedriod plushies of those two because they are just so cute and large, perfect for hugging! Miku should be here by next week, though my favorite Len won't be here for a bit as he's coming from China. Ah well, I'll take what I can get. Uri won't seem to let me get any more dolls, but stuffies appear to be allowed. :P

Some Vocaloid links for you: World is Mine, Disappearance of Hatsune Miku, Melt, and Butterfly on Your Right Shoulder.

Moon crystal power, make up!

Be jealous, very jealous. :P

My demonic harem.

I know, not much of a harem with only one man, but he's really all I need. :P

Uri and I decided to make him some black velvet harem pants this evening (my super goth boy), and then take some photos for a friend of mine. She's become his other favorite person, and he wanted to do a little "sexy" shoot for her.

Happy Easter!

Happy bunny day to those of you who celebrate it. Uri and I spent the day watching a mini marathon of Kuroshitsuji and working on some pretty baubles for him. First, here are those new pictures I promised:




I'm so in love with that shirt, and with his new piercing. My pretty boy! And now something else interesting. As I've been getting myself a bunch of Sailor Moon stuff, I realized that Uri had none. So today I set about making him some mini Sailor Moon brooches. Here are my first two in their unbaked clay form. The third (at the top) is a mini version of a non Sailor Moon but Sailor Moon-like brooch I bought myself. I decided we each needed one. :) More updates to follow as I paint them!

Painting, piercing, and shopping.

Today was a rainy, snowy, sleeting, kind of day. As such I decided to stay in and work on Uriel a bit. We've been trying to paint his nails for the last few days, but nothing seems to look right in the end. So I abandoned that idea and instead decided to augment his face up and give him a new piercing.

Finally, I found the perfect doll for my favorite face up. Followers of the blog will have seen it featured on Paks and then Crow in the past, but neither really rocked it like Uri does. I so love freckles... I also gave him a septum piercing, which again looks fantastic on him. It's a small silver ring with a hematite-colored ball in the center. I am so in love with it. I did take some pictures but have to go scare up my camera chord before posting.

Also I did some shopping, Sailor Moon themed as it were. :) Check out my post on my Tumblr to see the links.

Uri's Day Out

I took Uri out to the mall this week, and despite the resulting sore arms it was a ton of fun!

Within the first five minutes I was approached by two families, one where the mother was obsessed with him and the other where the kids wandered over. They were both very polite, and kept saying how cool Uri was and how great his boots were. :) As usual when I take Uri out I was dressed up extra nice, as otherwise the boy won't go anywhere with me... We were wearing matching big stompy goth boots and black and red outfits. People kept saying he was a little me which was flattering and kind of funny.

I generally take Uri with me everywhere I go, he comes to work with me everyday. Now though I think he'll come shopping with me more often. He's good company even if he can spend more than me... :P

The Contract

I don't have many animes that I really like. More often than not I'm a manga girl. The few exceptions are either those from my childhood (like Sailor Moon) or ones I've seen recently and liked (Ghost Hunt). One example of the latter is Black Butler, or Kuroshitsuji. The story line is intriguing, and who doesn't love a demon?

In light of Uri's anniversary, I was discussing his arrival with a friend today. It struck me as funny that I have a "contract" with Uri in somewhat of a similar way as Ciel does with Sebastian.* No, I haven't sold my soul to the devil; just to a doll with a boot fetish. :P

In all seriousness, when I first took Uri out of the box (just his head mind you), I thought he looked absolutely forlorn. Just as sad as a doll could be. I picked up his little head and looked into his then green eyes, and made him a promise. I promised him that I would give him a home; a real, loving home. I would take care of him to the very best of my abilities, and he wouldn't want for anything ever again. In return I asked for him to do the same, as much as he could.

It was in that moment that he really smiled for the first time, and I got his name. I've mentioned before that Uri gave me a name for himself, one I'm not sure is mine to share. In any event though, it is one he gave me that symbolizes our connection, and I still use to this day.

Since then, Uri has been unlike any doll I've ever had. He has so much personality, and he really puts up with a lot from me. Just this evening I decided to paint his nails, so he sat for an hour or so with paintbrushes holding his elastic at the wrists and ankles. Not exactly the most fun thing, but all through it he smiled.

The fascinating number of supernatural instances I've had with him also come to mind, more than any other doll. Just yesterday I had a very odd experience, which I will shortly write about in a "Haunted Vessel" post that illustrates this point very well. He takes care of me, and I take care of him. So no, I didn't give up an eye** or anything, but we do have a contract.

*Ceil Phantomhive is a young man of noble blood who loses his whole family and home as a young child. He makes a contract with Sebastian, a devil, to help him get back everything he's lost. In return Sebastian receives his soul.
**In Kuroshitsuji they explain that a contract between man and devil has to be sealed with a symbol. The closer the symbol is to the eye the stronger the bond. Ceil has the seal placed directly on his eye, giving it up in return for the strongest contract.

Anniversary

As of Monday, Uriel has been with me six months! :)

To think he went from this...

...to this. :)

Uriel is the only doll of mine thus far who has started as one specific character, and really not changed at all over time. He began as Uriel the demon and continues to remain Uriel the demon. Also, his face up hasn't changed almost at all since I got him. He's had two aside from the one he arrived with, which is rather unheard of with my dolls.

Happy six months Uri!

Steampunk Medals

When my friend and I went to the recent steampunk convention, me of our favorite items we saw there were medals. They looked great, and were actually simple enough to make. I had some free time last night so I wandered over to my local craft store and picked up all sorts of bits to make some medals. These are the results:

This one is my favorite as I think it came out the best.
The red striped ribbon works well with the red in the crown.


Next up is a piece i love but don't think I executed very well.
I may pull it apart and try again, but either way I love the little locket.

This one is a ring from the same collection (not made by me).

A future medal. It reminds me a bit of something Tuxedo
Mask wears in the Sailor Moon comics.

I love, love, love this piece, I just don't know what I want to do with it.
I think I may end up cutting the ring off the top and making it into a pin.

A pretty pocket watch just because. It's small, but it reminds me (once again)
of something from Sailor Moon, so I just had to have it. :)

Omake!

Tattoo!

On Saturday I went to my absolute favorite tattoo artist (and my only tattoo artist) to have a new piece done on the inside of my left arm. I mentioned before the subject matter was dorky, well... I got a piece of Naoko Takeuchi's Sailor Moon art! :)

I mulled over the decision for a while, as there are just so many beautiful pieces of her work from the manga. I looked at all the weapons, the broaches, and some of the other sailor scouts' items. In the end though I knew I wanted something from Sailor Moon, and I wanted it to be a weapon that would flow with the design space. So I picked one of my favorites, her Moon Kaleidoscope.


In the manga, Usagi (Sailor Moon) goes to see the Dark Moon Circus with her boyfriend Mamoru (Tuxedo Mask) and their future daughter Rini (Sailor Chibi Moon). While they are there, Mamoru buys both the girls pretty glass kaleidoscopes. When evil attacks, the kaleidoscopes are turned into weapons by Pegasus.

I have always liked their design as they are glass, and very delicate. The center piece is so transparent you can see some of the decorations that circle around the other side through it. :)

So I took that piece to my tattoo artist, and after an hour we ended up with this:

It's still red in this picture, and the shading is not as grey as it will be (blood gets in the shading so it turns brown while it heals), but I love it. It's delicate and beautiful, and my artist did a great job. :)

As always I credit the wonderful Mark Hesse from Scorpion Tattooing with doing this beautiful work.

To keep things a little more organized...

I've archived the post with Uri's story in it, but linked it in the story section. You can find it here if you're curious. This way it doesn't take up my whole front page. :P

Wicked Stitchery Spring Bag

Wicked Stitchery does this great event where they sell blind bags, much like the ones that Dollheart does. You pay a flat fee of either $25 or $50, choose a size, and receive twice the amount you paid for in clothes. I ordered Uri a $50 bag last week and it arrived today. We were pleasantly surprised with the results. :)

We received three vests (burgundy/brown, purple, black), a pair of brown striped pans, a white jersey with hot pink skulls, and a black button up shirt with white kanji.

Uri seems satisfied with his new wardrobe choices. :)

Super busy!

Still alive here, just insanely busy. One of my jobs is at a tax office, so this time of year is really crazy for us. However as of next week I should be back to my regular, slightly less sporadic posting schedule. :P

In other news I'm getting a new tattoo this weekend! Very exciting for me as it's been a while since I got my last one. Generally I go every six months or so depending upon money and available designs. I was going to go on Tuesday but got out of work too late, so Saturday it is. I'll leave the subject matter a secret, but I can tell you it's very cool and very dorky. :)

Splish splash I was taking a bath...

Sunday was Uri's weekly bath day, and it had occurred to me I haven't posted here about doll maintenance. So without further ado, here's a little "how to" on doll grooming!

Disclaimer: These processes are specific to my dolls and to my own choices. There are plenty of threads on DoA and other places that discuss all the cleaning products available as well as the risks and benefits of each. That being said, please do your own research as well! I use what works best on my own dolls because of what they are sealed with, where I take them, etc.

Uri is on a weekly/monthly cleaning schedule that helps keep him stain free. Since I take him everywhere, cleaning is important not only for appearances, but also for general upkeep of the doll. Dark clothes can leave dye stains, and frequent handling also leaves marks on the doll. The quicker you catch these things the better, as it prevents permanent staining.

Each week he gets stripped down and washed with a magic eraser, then dried. If necessary each month he's unstrung and washed with a dish soap, then cleaned with a bit of acetone and magic eraser, and then washed again with dish soap.

Weekly Cleaning
Need:

• clean surface/towel- I usually use a soft white towel to sit him on.
• magic eraser- These things work wonders. I only use the "original" version as I don't know about the chemicals of the newer updates.
• paper towels- I use these for drying. Multiple towels allow you to use one only a few times, trapping any leftover dirt/grime in that individual towel.

Steps:

1. Remove all the doll's clothes/jewelry.
2. Make sure both your hands and the surface the doll is sitting on are clean, hence the white towel.
3. Wet the magic eraser and scrub away. I generally focus on one spot at a time, going back to dry it off with a paper towel after the dirt is removed.
4. Once the whole doll is clean and dry you can put their clothes back on. It is important to make sure you never wet the elastic, or if you do make sure it dries fully! If water gets into the elastic cavity dry it off before restringing as the water can mold and damage the elastic.

Monthly Cleaning
Need:

• clean surface/towel- I usually use a soft white towel to sit him on.
• magic eraser- These things work wonders. I only use the "original" version as I don't know about the chemicals of the newer updates.
• paper towels- I use these for drying. Multiple towels allow you to use one only a few times, trapping any leftover dirt/grime in that individual towel.
• dish soap- I use Dawn or a similar soap.
• acetone- I used a straight, pure acetone bought from the hardware/home improvement section of most stores. This way there are no other unknown ingredients or dyes that can interfere with the cleaning.

Steps:

1. Remove all the doll's clothing and jewelry.
   
2. Unstring the doll. I generally set the head off in a safe place as some of the solutions we'll use can damage the face up.
3. Wash each part with the magic eraser, and then soap and water. This gets off any surface grime.
4. For more stubborn stains use some of the acetone. Generally I pour a small amount into a glass bowl and use a toothbrush to clean the doll. *Important* Acetone can eat away resin. It's use is hotly debated in the doll community so please use at your own risk. Never leave a doll soaking in it for long periods of time as it will degrade the resin. I scrub the doll with it, then immediately wash the doll off with soap and water.
   
5. Lay the pieces out to dry as you wash the others on a clean, preferably white surface. You can then go and dry the pieces once you're done.
   
6. Restring your now clean doll and enjoy!

So there you have it, that's how I keep my dolls clean and stain free! If you have any questions don't hesitate to comment.

Convention Photos!

The wonderful Peeples Photography made the convention photos available yesterday, and I ran right over and ordered copies of mine. They came out amazing, and this coming from a girl who blinks constantly in photographs. Uri even got some camera time!

The stunning woman in these shots is the lovely Ei, my friend and co-conspirator. Doesn't she look like a Tim Burton vision in that outfit? She even made her own hat, how cool is that?!

A full review of the convention is on the way, I'm just waiting for the last of the vendors to get in contact with me so I can link everyone!

Party Poison Jacket Review

Taking Pictures of oneself is not as easy as you might think. I ended up using the timer function on my camera and then running to stand against the door. In any event though, here's my review!

Materials & Construction
There were some complaints that the jackets were too expensive for the materials/work, but that's not the case. Note that I can't speak for all the jackets/vests, but given the quality of this one I'd say they're all probably equal. This isn't a mass produced tour t-shirt, it's a custom designed, carefully sewn jacket. The base is nylon (think a wind breaker, but much softer), with both fabric and pleather accents.

My favorite part of the construction is actually the inside, which I don't have a picture of yet but will add soon. Unlike most nylon jackets this one is lined, and lined in a cotton fabric rather than more nylon! I know that probably sounds silly, but that is my biggest pet peeve of jackets. The jacket itself is nice everywhere else, but the moment you slide your arms into that sleeve...cold! Not the case with this one, making it the only jacket I've found like it.

Wear & Tear
As for wear and tear, I can see this jacket holding up nicely over time. I wouldn't suggest actually fighting Dracs (the villains from the killjoy universe) in it, but otherwise you should be fine. Everything is well-secured and nicely finished.

My only warning wear-wise is to be careful of your pocket zippers. When unzipped, they do have rather jagged edges, which can catch the nylon of the coat. Just keep an eye out for that and you shouldn't have any problem with tears.

Fit & Sizing
This is definitely one of the most comfortable jackets I've ever owned. The fit is actually really nice. A more boyish cut without making one look too masculine. I would say to definitely measure yourself before ordering as size will be important for obvious reasons with this jacket. They gave the medium measurements on the site, and if you compare your own measurements to that it should give you a better idea. I generally wear a small in shirts/sweatshirts, but for this jacket I meet the medium measurements. When I first opened the package I thought it was going to be too big, but it fits perfectly.

Overall I think this jacket is amazing, and absolutely worth the price ($99.99). Collectors and concert-goers alike will find something they like about it. I personally, plan on wearing mine as much as I can. It's comfortable, well-made, and looks great, what more could I ask for?

Uri

Uri in both of his new shirts from Wicked Stitchery. :P

New clothes all around.

My MCR Party Poison jacket arrived yesterday and unlike with the sweatshirt, I couldn't be happier! I took a bunch of photos yesterday after which my camera promptly shut itself off due to lack of power. So, I will be charging it this evening so I can get the photos off and do a proper review. I know a lot of people were waiting for them to arrive before ordering any because of the price, but let me just say that are 100% worth every penny.

Uriel's new clothes from Wicked Stitchery arrived as well, and they look awesome. I mentioned previously about Uri being very...particular when it comes to colors. Well this morning I put him in a pair of jeans and a grey striped top. He had this sort of bemused pout on his face the whole morning. Once the clothes came in I changed him into the red and black striped shirt I ordered and he seems much happier. Silly boy.

This totally just made my night!

So I commissioned some ponies a few weeks back by a customizer whose beautiful ocean custom I bid on and bought. Oceania (the sea custom) is visible in my "stable" from my desk. Anyway, I had gotbunny do a "daddy" and "baby" version of my favorite Hasbro pony Starshine (also in my stable). I just got pictures back from her and oh wow...well, judge for yourselves:

Damn.

So I'm a little upset. :/ I ordered a hoodie from MCR.com along with a set of pins. The pins arrived fine, but the hoodie came with a hole in the front. It is a small hole, but due to the material it is made of, the hole will spread with wear and washing. I contacted customer service to let them know that I needed to return it and got a bit of a disheartening response.

It will take up to two to three weeks for the return to be processed, culminating in either a refund or another sweatshirt being sent out. I have to pay for return shipping, which they may reimburse in full. Maybe. They suggest sending it via a track-able mail (i.e. priority or something) to make sure it gets there and speed the return up. However, they will pay for media mail, and the mail cost may not exceed what I originally paid. So...if it's expensive to ship back I'm screwed.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet. A big part of me wants to just send it back for a refund which I may do, despite liking the sweatshirt. They do have another of a different style I like, but I don't know if I want to play that game again. I do have a jacket coming from them, which should be here any day now, so I may see how that arrives and go from there.

Meh...I hate messing with things like this. I guess it's good I haven't had to deal with it very often, but still.

Photos from my desk.

A little help from my friends.

I don't post a lot about myself here generally, unless it's directly related to dolls/toys/the topic at hand. However yesterday I was talking with someone about the reasons I like my bjds, and this came up.

I have what I'd call a chronic illness, which at times is rather debilitating. Usually when it flares up it means I'm stuck in bed (or on a couch) for a while, or unable to eat anything more than crackers and water. Or my current favorite, organic rice cereal. :) It's annoying, and at times extremely painful, but I've been dealing with it for enough years to be used to it.

Where my dolls come in is that during these times of illness, they are my steadfast companions. There have been some discussions on DoA about this topic, and it's interesting to see how so may people use these dolls to cope with all kinds of illnesses. When I'm stuck in bed, or feeling so sick I just want to cry, it does help to have a little friendly face staring back at me. It means having someone there all the time, just for me. Much as Volks likes to say, they are your perfect companion. :)