The Vessel

My little nerdy girl!

2012-03-07T06:04:00.002-08:00

Sick again, as ususal. :(

2012-02-29T14:05:00.000-08:00

I feel like I've been out of commission forever, even though it's only been a week or so. I caught some virus last Monday, and it wouldn't go away. Then I started developing some odd symptoms, namely my throat becoming so swollen that it's almost closed up. And the "tonsils from hell" as my nurse put it. Found out that I'm apparently allergic to the virus that I caught, hence the throat swelling.

Joy.

So I'm on meds and lots of ibuprofen until I can get this all under control. Wish me luck!

Yay crazy doll people!

2012-02-23T10:18:00.002-08:00

I've been sicker in the last few weeks than I have been in a while, so pardon my lack of updates. I'm finally up and moving around today, although slowly per doctor's orders, and I had some fun news to share.

I happened to meet a woman the other day through my work, and she mentioned that she belonged to a local doll club. I asked what kind of dolls and we talked briefly about mine before she made an appointment for later in the week.

She came today with another member who showed me a beautiful Sybarite (fancy French ball jointed dolls made of special resin), and we talked shop as it were. They've invited me to come to their monthly meetings, and eventually become a full member! I guess they don't currently have a lot of participation from bjd owners, so this would be a fun opportunity from everyone.

Gabe was my mascot today (as I just finished his millionth face up), and he was such a smiley little monster. I swear, he's not as much of a spoiled brat as he comes off looking... Or maybe he is. :P

An excerpt

2012-02-16T11:12:00.000-08:00

I love when I have a character in writing or otherwise who comes through strongly. Bits and pieces of their storyline suddenly appear as if they were there all along. Gabriel is this kind of character to a fault, and this is a piece I wrote maybe a minute or so after I figured out his name. It has to do with when he told his parents he had become a vampire.

"Mama broke every piece of glass in the house that day. Even the decorative plates she had lined up in little rows in her sitting room. Father had to purchase a china set from the merchant down the street just so that they would have something to eat off of that night. Neither he nor mama ever spoke of it again, but that was the last time she called me by my given name. From the breaking of the glass, I was Gabriel."

He's no pinhead!

2012-02-15T07:28:00.000-08:00

Just got my order in from Denver Doll Emporium for a new wig and silicone wig cap for Gabe. The wig cap is just right, but unfortunately they sent the wrong size wig. :( Instead of the 7-8 he needs they sent a 6-7. I've just e-mailed them about it so we'll see what happens. They're always a pleasure to deal with, so I imagine it will all be resolved soon.

Productivity without proof.

2012-02-14T09:43:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling oddly productive lately, though I don't really have any pictures to show for it. ;) My camera is somewhere safe, so safe in fact that I'm not quite sure where it is. However I will find it soon as I'd love to share some pictures of my new projects.

I made Gabe a necklace last night with some very tiny sterling silver chain and some small gemstones in settings. I can't stand jewelry that is out of scale, but these pieces were perfect.

I also found him a carry case that works for his character and for my future steampunk costumes with him. It's a small wooden suitcase with leather handles and metal hook latches. The sides of the case are covered in old map print, and it's the perfect size to fit him and some padding. I've already started getting pieces together to customize it, but I'll leave the details a mystery for now. It has to do with his character which I'm still working on developing. :)

Sometimes...

2012-02-09T06:21:00.001-08:00

...you have to admit you're lost before you can find your way.

I was in the midst of writing a post yesterday about how I was giving up on finding my Arashi a name, when something struck me. Arashi is described as an angel or "tenshi" by Volks specifically. My mind wandered and I thought, could he be Tenshi? Angel? No and no, but how about an angelic name...?

Gabriel.

And in an instant, everything came together. Here was Gabriel, or Gabe for short. My snarky, sarcastic, and not at all brooding vampire boy. The character I'd been both writing about and dancing around for weeks. I actually have quite a bit of dialogue and several scenes written about him, but even that didn't spark the name. Regardless, he now has a name that we both like, and I don't feel so weird. :)

2012-02-08T20:41:00.000-08:00

New face!

2012-02-08T18:50:00.000-08:00

Decided to redo Arashi's face up tonight. I love the first one I did, but it just doesn't work with his two new pretty wigs. :P To art!

Camera fixed!

2012-02-07T12:24:00.000-08:00

2012-02-07T08:02:00.001-08:00

Well my plan was to update with some new pictures of Arashi in his new wigs and eyes which both came in yesterday. However, it seems my phone camera is dead, or something similar. So since my real camera is at home, I'll have to wait until later to show you all how lovely he looks in his new duds.

Speaking of his new duds, I must say that these new eyes are absolutely stunning. They are essentially his "default" eyes, 16mm Volks cadet blue with black lines. I say "default" because while these are the eyes that any Arashi originally came with, I don't really know the history of this particular pair. There was at least one other limited Volks doll that came with these same eyes, so they could very well have been theirs. Regardless, the eyes are beautiful!

And of course as usual the wigs from Spite&Malice were perfect. Better than perfect really, they're awesome. :)

Update

2012-02-03T09:21:00.000-08:00

I feel like there should be another post here somewhere that I made last week... Oh well.

Work has me held captive as we move into our busiest season, so I haven't had a lot of extra time. I have been doing some sewing to relax after work, but no pictures yet. Arashi (name still pending) has some new shirts and a funky wig, and I'm working on something a bit more medieval for him as well. Or steampunk, not really sure what direction it's going in yet.

Be that way. :P

2012-01-17T14:05:00.000-08:00

So My little Arashi is going back to being just...well Arashi. Despite the name seeming to fit earlier, it just doesn't. So because I can't seem to find a name that we "agree" on, I think we'll stick with his sculpt name for now.

Updates

2012-01-17T10:03:00.000-08:00

A little non-doll update just because it's fun...I got my septum pierced. :) It's a piercing I've wanted for a while, but just hadn't done. Well no more! It's funny to me that because it's so easy to hide. Currently it's flipped up until I get the courage to take it down (ouch!), but no one even notices anything which is nice. Now I'll be the girl with tons of tattoos and a facial piercing no one can see.

In doll news, I'm working on ordering Arashi some new wigs. I contacted my favorite wig maker, Elena at Spite & Malice wigs for some fantastically colored hair. I'm hoping to get one in orange and another in turquoise and neon green.

I've also started working on Arashi's Steampunk costume for our local convention. It's not for a few more months, but I'm trying to get ideas together now and see what I want him to dress as. Thus far I've considered purchasing him an outfit from MoC, which is nice but a bit pricey. I've also looking into having him wear the MSD size overalls I have with a ton of accessories, funky boots, and his new sweater coat when it comes in. We'll see!

Crappy picture is crappy!

2012-01-16T11:58:00.000-08:00

But he's just so darn cute! Still Sirius, though not in his Sirius wig. I have a feeling that he might just keep bits of the character and I'm already planning out multicolored wigs...

Doll Lol

2012-01-14T17:11:00.000-08:00

One more funny story about my boyfriend and my dolls.

We had just pulled into his house, and were getting things together to get out of the car. I had Sirius in my arms and was grabbing my purse. At the same time we were listening to the end of a song wherein the lead singer says "let's go" to his band mates. I knew this because I've heard the song probably a hundred times. My boyfriend apparently did not.

He hears the "let's go" and freezes, with this look of utter horror on his face. I can't even describe the look other than to say it was pure terror. He turns to me and said "What the hell was that?!" To which I ask "What?" He then says, "I thought your doll just talked to me!"

He had heard the words and thought my doll said them, and proceeded to have a near coronary. He informed me that if any of my dolls ever talked, he would be hightailing it out of there so fast I wouldn't even see the dust cloud.

Granted Sirius, being the Marauder he is, had a mischievous look on his face... :D

Siriusly

2012-01-12T12:17:00.000-08:00

Sirius' leather pants and New Rock boots came in yesterday, and I couldn't be happier. They are perfect, both in fit and suitability. I feel the need to buy stock in small leather pants now...

I did buy him some new glass eyes and some boxers today. The eyes because his are just too small to position correctly. I found a lovely pair of gray glass ones on Denverdoll that were perfect. The boxers just sort of happened. :P I wasn't really intending to buy him more clothes until the weekend, but I saw them in pink and teal (with black stripes) and I couldn't resist. Plus he'll look so good in them.

It's actually quite fun having an established character for a doll, a new experience for me but definitely fun. Granted I think I've tweaked him ever so little, though he's still essentially Sirius from the books. I preferred that one over movie Sirius, although I do love Gary Oldman. He just wasn't quite how I'd pictured Sirius, so I consider them two separate things.

Introducing...

2012-01-11T07:11:00.002-08:00

It seems that my little Arashi has picked his name and character, though it was not one I'd even considered. It's funny when a doll blindsides you like that. :P

Deciding on a doll name (for me) is a process where several different factors come into play. There's the doll's character if they have one (and you know what it is), their physical attributes, their personality, their nationality, and their preference. I don't mean that the doll stands up and says, "Hey, I'd like to be called Jimmy if that's okay." However, it is easy to see if the name fits or not.

Last night I was toting Arashi around on my errands, and my boyfriend mentioned something about Sirius Black from the Harry Potter novels. I'd previously joked that I wanted to have my license plate be "SIRIUS" since my car is black, and we'd found a car that had that exact plate. So I had that in mind when I was fiddling with Arashi's wig (haircut time!) and fixing his eyes. Suddenly I looked at him and realized he resembled a young Sirius Black quite closely, complete with grey eyes and all. Sirius is one of my favorite characters from the HP series, second only to the Weasley Twins.

So my little Arashi has been christened Sirius Black III, in his teenage form. Which I might add is quite perfect for the rough character outline I'd had before. Not to mention how ironic it is seeing as the money I used to purchase him was initially going to go to a HP tattoo... Funny dolls with their own agendas. :)

Face Up #3

2012-01-10T09:28:00.000-08:00

As much as I love Volks dolls in just about every other way, I don't think I'll ever get over how difficult they are to paint! It's something about their eyes, either the shapes or the way the lids are sculpted...either way it's frustrating. However, I persevered and re-painted Arashi last night and I'm really happy with this go. I tried to mimic his original make up and aside from some slightly silly eyebrows, I think it looks okay.

The eyes are still a little too small (although lovely), so I will be replacing those as soon as his defaults come in. :)

Funny doll moment with my boyfriend.

2012-01-10T07:24:00.000-08:00

My boyfriend doesn’t like my dolls. He’s not flat out doll hating, but he avoids being involved with them when he can.

Last Saturday we were out all day shopping after I got out of work, and by the time I got home I was exhausted. I made it as far as curling up on his bed with my new little Arashi and his dog, before falling asleep. He woke me up at one point to make the bed and get me into pj’s and the following hilarity ensued.

He helps me get dressed and then says that “The doll has to go though.” Fair enough, he picks up Arashi and goes to put him somewhere. Now my boyfriend almost never touches a doll if he can help it, so this in and of itself was funny. So he takes Arashi and we go through the usual game of “where should I put the doll?” Outside? Maybe in the drop ceiling? How about it that box over there? And so on and so forth. Eventually he found a place to put Arashi, and went to set him down.

Suddenly I hear this man shriek and my boyfriend jumps back. “Ack, it moved by itself!” Arashi is pretty tightly strung and SDCs can be very kicky, but still this amused me. Not so much my boyfriend. :P

What's in a name?

2012-01-09T07:49:00.000-08:00

I'm still working on finding the right name for my new boy. Initially I had liked Aiden James, but now that he's here I don't think that fits. So far I've considered Willow, David, and Michael; but I'm still looking. I think Willow is the favorite as I was looking for something a little more"abstract" name-wise.

New Boy

2012-01-08T07:20:00.001-08:00

New doll!

2012-01-02T08:52:00.001-08:00

Well I did exactly what I had planned not to... I had some money set aside from Christmas and selling my junky old car, specifically to get a new tattoo done. However, when I started looking at which design to get next, I just couldn't decide. Nothing really "hit" me like I prefer tattoos to do before I got to get them.

Then I made the "mistake" of looking at the DoA marketplace. Dolly karma struck in an oddly perfect way, and I found a Volks SDC Arashi just within my price range. Arashi is one of my favorite Volks sculpts, and I've always loved his expressive and more mature SDC body. However I'd resigned myself to lust from afar, as not many people ever want to give up these lovely little guys. Imagine my surprise when I saw one on the marketplace! I pmed the seller planning to think it over first, but he was just too adorable not to do it.

I felt I had to be a little responsible though, so I did pay off a loan before sending the fund over for him. That's my adult showing. ;P

So my very own Arashi will be heading my way tomorrow, and I'm very excited! I've got a tentative name picked out for him that just sort of popped into my head: "Aiden James." Not sure why, but it did. I also bought him a pair of leather pants and some New Rock esque boots with red flames. Despite his sweet smile, I've always pictured Arashi as a little rocker; probably due to Jennynemesis' Rowan. :)

Since my bf got a lovely Nikon for Christmas, I'm even hoping to have a guest photographer for the box opening which would be a first. Stay tuned!

Fumiko really exists!

2011-12-28T07:22:00.001-08:00

Welcome to the land of perpetual viruses...

2011-12-27T07:01:00.000-08:00

Well it appears that someone or something has a vendetta against my computer, because as of the 23rd, it is basically a paper weight. :( This time it's bad enough that I'm going to have to send it out somewhere to get it fixed. Generally I can rehab most problems, but this one has got both myself and my computer stumped. So for now I am computer-less except for at work and maybe at home if I can borrow somebody's laptop.

However, I did have a fun Christmas regardless, and I hope everyone else did as well. :) I spent some time with my family and my boyfriend's family, actually slept in one of the days (!), played with our new gadgets, and generally had a good time. My favorite gift of the year was from my boyfriend and his family, a new iPod!

My prior iPod lasted about 8 years, which was pretty good for an iPod at the time. It recently decided to stop turning on/charging, and I was just shy of devastated. Poor little thing had been through most of high school and college with me, and I just got a car that would allow me to play an iPod through the sound system. I had almost suspected that the bf was getting me one, but I wasn't positive. He also boxed it all up in small individual boxes, to then wrap those in a larger box which threw me off even more. He also taped weights to the bottom of the box...always the trickster.

So Saben (the iPod) and I are now getting acquainted and trying to find an apporpriate case which is apparently near impossible since the iPod Touch came out... We will persevere though!

No real gifts for the dolls this year, though I did finally get some pictures of Fumiko in front of the Christmas tree...right before my computer fried. At least my camera works right? I'm going to try and commandeer my work computer this week to upload those if all goes well.

Dolly Talk: Do your dolls cheer you up?

2011-12-22T12:43:00.000-08:00

This is a current thread from the DoA "Discussion" section wherein the OP asks if people find that their dolls cheer them up. The original question pertained to illness (temporary or continuous), but has been expanded to include bad days, depression, and so on.

Personally, I've always found toys* in general to be a big help at the end of a bad day, whatever the reason. this has only continued to be the case with bjds, though probably more so with them now than any other part of my "collection." As a child toys played an important role in my life as friends and confidants. Bjds have gone beyond that because of their interactive nature. One reply on the thread stated this in particular, talking about how many of us go from just owning bjds to sewing and painting for them.

Above all though I think bjds provide me with a great escape from this world when I'd prefer not to be here. Just like some of my favorite books and movies, they lure me into another world where I can put my real life problems aside for a time. Whether it is through writing, crafting, or painting them, I enjoy this departure they provide.

If nothing else they help me remember to pause on busy and/or stressful days. Sometimes I just keep going, believing that if I can just get to the proverbial end of the line, I'll feel better. The dolls though offer a small distraction, even if it's only for a few minutes of dressing or posing. In that time I can relax and collect my thoughts, making the subsequent time considerably less stressful.

Speak of the devil...

2011-12-20T09:03:00.000-08:00

Last night I was working on cleaning and rearranging my room, specifically my closet. I'll admit this up front: I'm weird. Ever since I was little I've loved to find small, cozy spaces to spend my time in. I became particularly fond of closets as I grew up, and tended to use them more as a little reading nook rather than storage. So I decided to clean out my present closet and return it to its former purpose.

I was in the midst of cleaning off the shelves and re positioning everything when I encountered an interesting (read: creepy) phenomenon. Every time I'd place something on a shelf and turn around, it would suddenly fly off and hit the carpet with a thud. The items weren't just sliding off the edge, they were shooting off the shelf and across the closet. I ignored it at first thinking I'd simply placed a few things incorrectly, but then it started happening with both shelves, and no matter how many times I'd put things up there they'd come flying down.

Prior to this these shelves had been stacked with the very same objects, for the last several months or so. I'd never had an issue with anything falling off before, so I didn't suspect and uneven shelf or something of the like. I tried to ignore it for a while, but it was happening so frequently that I was doing more replacing than cleaning.

I grabbed Fumiko from off my bed and sat her in the closet with me and suddenly it stopped. Not another object fell inside the closet for the rest of the night. The other parts of my room weren't so lucky, but by then it was late enough that I just went to bed and ignored it completely.

The Haunted Vessel: Fumiko

2011-12-19T11:27:00.000-08:00

I think I've discussed Fumiko's...penchant for the paranormal here before. Essentially I've found that above and beyond any other doll I've ever had, she is most responsive when it comes to ghosts.

I haven't caught much visible movement (i.e. seeing her in a different position than the last one I had her in), but I have heard movement very frequently. As I mentioned in the last post, I'm currently experiencing what I'd consider an active haunting. Owing to this I've returned to my old habit of having a doll in the room/car with me to even the playing ground so to speak. I've found that Fumi tends to be the most successful at this, and so she's been accompanying me all over the place recently.

In particular I've noticed a lot of movement sounds in the car. The spirit I'm dealing with seems to "enjoy" my car even more than the house, and routinely hops in for a ride. As someone who can be a nervous driver to begin with, this isn't the most ideal situation. However I've found that if I keep Fumi in the front seat the spirit will all but leave me alone. No odd noises and no crossing the "line" (to my front seat). Fumi on the other hand makes all sorts of noises.

Generally I'll place her on the seat in a particular position, one which should eliminate any further movement. So all her joints and usually straight and she is tucked up in a sweater or bag or similar vessel. Once that's done I get my own things together (adjust mirrors, pop in cd, adjust temperature etc.) all without moving the car. Almost each time I do this, I can instantly her the distinct sounds of joints being moved, a lot. These instances are always at night so I can't see anything occurring, but the sounds are so frequent and many that I recognize something is happening.

Of course most times I flip the light on I find nothing has changed, though once or twice I've found her head turned to look at the back seat. Something similar happens in the house as well, regardless of where or how I position her.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

2011-12-19T07:12:00.000-08:00

Christmas time always ends up being so busy for me, mostly I think because I make a lot of the gifts I give. Right now I'm working on finishing a Harry Potter scarf, two t-shirts, some embroidered ornaments, and a Harry Potter gift set. Granted it's a lot of fun to be doing all these crafts, but it's also time consuming. This year it seemed to come up so fast too!

Alas I've had almost no real doll time lately, or at least not time to do anything productive. I have taken Fumi all over the place, but haven't gotten any pictures of her. I finally got her bodysuit in today (beautiful, by beachgirlnikita) and can't wait to have her try on some of Uri's clothes she hasn't borrowed yet due to staining. I'm not very paranoid about staining at this point as she already has some marks and you can purchase new "skin" pieces as it were. Still I've been holding back on a few things just in case. Now that doesn't matter, and the bodysuit is pretty in and of itself.

Unfortunately this year I don't get very much time off for the holidays, but I would like to spend at least a little time taking my traditional "under the tree" photos. I always like having pictures of my dolls at Christmas, and this year Fumi even has a dress reminiscent of one from the Nutcracker. I'm I could even force Uri into something festive for the occasion. :)

I got soul but I'm not a soldier.

2011-12-07T10:42:00.000-08:00

I've discussed haunted items in the past, and a few famous stories of them. I also have my own haunted item stories, this being the most interesting of them so far.

It concerns a Civil War soldier’s uniform button I purchased at a favorite antique store. It was an interesting piece and well within my budget, so I decided to buy it along with a few coins for my boyfriend. I purchased the items and didn’t really feel anything from the button at that point. I had it at home for a few days before bringing it to my boyfriend’s house to show him. At that point nothing odd had occurred in my house. The night I moved it over however was the “super moon.” It was supposed to be the fullest moon we would see in a long time due to the moon being physically closer to the earth when it became full. A fascinating astronomical event, but also very powerful. The energy that night was intense, but I went to bed not really thinking anything would happen.

I was awakened around 3am by sounds in the room. My boyfriend does have cats, and so I generally attributed any nightly noises to them playing or fighting. However after listening to these noises for a minute or so, I realized they weren’t feline in nature. I could hear footsteps and breathing as someone made their way through the room. They were rifling through drawers and moving things around as they searched for something.

At this point I was fairly certain we’d been broken into and were being robbed. My boyfriend kept some things of value in his room and they were located in the very drawers our intruder was looking in. There had also been a pretty serious robbery/murder in the recent past, and I was still on edge at times. I remained frozen in bed, afraid that any movement might alert them that I was awake. The person seemingly dug through everything on that side of the room, at times tossing things to the floor.

After a while this whole scenario struck me as odd. How had the person gotten in? I hadn’t heard the sliding door open or anything break. Unless they had somehow broken in upstairs and come down to the basement, but that didn’t make much sense. How did they know where to look? As the minutes went by I observed the situation more closely, and realized abruptly that this wasn’t a burglar, or at least not a living one.

The interesting thing about ghost encounters is that they are fundamentally not real. Yes they may interact with the real environment, but often when they appear they are missing things. It’s an incomplete picture in some way. A person walks by but you don’t hear any steps, or there’s someone smoking a cigar but no smell. Little things, little hints that this is removed from reality. Sometimes it’s even just a feeling of a disturbance or disconnect with reality. This particular experience seemed so real at first, but something just wasn’t right. Coupled with the question of how they would have gotten in, and the fact that no one had woken up (including my boyfriend), I came to the conclusion that it was a ghost.

As we reached the early morning hours things quieted down slowly, and I finally felt calm enough to sleep. Prior to this I hadn’t moved or closed my eyes, despite being buried under the blankets. At this point I decided to finally roll over and go back to sleep. The moment I moved however I heard someone start. From the opposite side of the room someone ran; I could hear each individual footstep. They jumped up on the bed and on top of me, and within a split second there was a knife in my throat. Not a knife to my throat, but in it. I felt the blade slide in and cut through skin and muscle. I tried to speak, to cry out, but only sickening, wet noises came out. The feeling was one I couldn’t even begin to explain, other than to say it was real. I wasn’t just seeing this or even sensing something emphatically, I was feeling my throat being slit.

I remained awake for the last hour or so until morning, and as soon as light returned to the room I got up. I tentatively asked my boyfriend if he’d heard anything the night before, to which he replied a sleepy no. I then asked him where his valuables were and went to check. The other side of the room wasn’t disturbed at all, everything was exactly where we’d left it the night before. I got dressed and left, only to return again that night and explain things to him. I actually ended up crying as I discussed what happened at the end, as the experience had been so frightening. We both speculated the instance had something to do with the button rather than our normal farmer ghost. It had felt completely different, and further examination showed that the button was placed where the individual had been rummaging the night before.

There was no further activity at my boyfriend’s house, and I took the button home and tucked it away. Time passed, and the button was tucked under my bed in storage with a few other items. By this point I’d completely forgotten about the button. Then at the beginning of July I began to sense something in my house. At first it was very nondescript, just the feeling of a presence. Form there though it branched out rapidly. I would feel confusion and loss, as if the person didn’t know why they were here. I could catch small glimpses of them that soon grew. The figure was in a dark shirt and pants, and at times appeared standing on my porch or in the living room.

My puppy Bear also seemed to sense something at the time. He began to get very nervous in certain areas of the house as certain times. For a while he wouldn’t enter our larger living room, or would only stay if I was there. At one point we were playing with a toy and he suddenly stopped mid-fetch and froze. He dropped the toy and began to bark at the room behind me, and wouldn’t come any further. I had seen a shadow in the room and assumed it was the ghost visiting again. This continued for a few days until one night when I was home alone with our two dogs. I spent the night watching movies, and then settled down the animals and myself around midnight. My puppy was tucked into his crate and soon fast asleep, and all the doors were locked and windows shut.

A few hours later around 3am by my cell phone’s clock, I was woken up by the sound of steps. Again this felt very real at first. It sounded like someone walking through the hallway and heading to my room. Initially I thought I was dreaming, and was about to ignore it when my dog woke up. My puppy had very specific barks that meant different things. There was a happy bark, one for food, another for play, and one very distinguishable bark for when someone was at the door or approaching. Bear woke up and began to use that last bark, and the footsteps stopped briefly. They started up again after a moment and headed into the room and for my bed. I began my standard protection chant and the steps stopped, and Bear ceased to bark. I continued this for some time, stopping only when light finally came into the room from dawn.

When I finally got up and went downstairs, I found the living room (the same that Bear barked in) had been trashed. The blanket that was normally on the couch was strewn across the room. Papers, my jewelry, and the television controls had been knocked off the table and were scattered around the room. The batteries were even removed from the controls and tossed separately. The rest of the house remained untouched, and there was nothing missing or broken to suggest and intruder.

The more general disturbances continued after that, with the entity making its presence known in the upstairs hallway or some of the downstairs rooms. Bear was particularly affected, refusing to even remain in the kitchen to eat if I wasn’t there. I continued to sense and see something on occasion, though it suddenly seemed more focused on bothering Bear. I eventually sat down and spoke aloud to the spirit, telling it that it couldn’t bother my dog any longer. I told the entity it could stay, and I’d even help it if there was something I could do, but that any more interactions with my dog would force me to ban the spirit from the house. After that the entity stopped bother Bear and it quieted down considerably.

Several months later I began to have the same experiences again. I would wake up in the middle of the night to hear footsteps outside my door, but they did not attempt to come inside again. I had done a very quick blessing and doorway protection spell so that it had to stay outside. Around that time I began to look my records over and realized that this manifestation was very similar to that which I experienced at my boyfriend’s house. When I looked up the initial date it began here, I found that it coincided with a major Civil War battle, which my soldier could possibly have been involved in.

Since then the activity has died down again, but it has left me wondering what to do with the button. There is now no way to reunite it with the remaining pieces if they are even still in existence. I’d considered burying it, but I’m not sure that’s even a good idea. The concept of a haunted item is not a new one in the paranormal world or even to any major culture. Cases of haunted items have popped up in just about every century and all around the world. From dolls to paintings to music boxes, these items have been connected to hauntings much like my button. If the soldier died in this uniform or simply saw it as important and now it is being sold piecemeal, I can understand his frustration. Perhaps time will help reveal his true intent and a path for me to take in this case.

Update

2011-12-07T10:35:00.000-08:00

Don't you just hate it when real life gets in the way? Back from Nano, though alas I didn't make it this year. Two surgeries (neither on me thankfully!) and quite a few mishaps later I had to put my writing aside. Then my car started having issues...and my mechanic had issues...and then it died (the car not the mechanic unfortunately). So I'm back with a new car and really nothing new that's doll-related!

However, I will post a story that was to be the end of my Haunted Vessel series for October that wasn't finished in time. Look for it in the next post!

The NaNo monster...

2011-11-15T10:32:00.000-08:00

I've been stolen away by NaNoWriMo, and I'm currently at 16,473 words. Way behind but some real life things got in the way. I will return after November!

Snow!

2011-11-02T05:53:00.000-07:00

Hello from the land of much snow and little power! I'm starting to think something out there doesn't want me to finish my Haunted Vessel posts. Wake up Sunday morning to...no power and a little over two feet of snow! We were luckier than most in that we got power back Monday evening, though we didn't get any phone service until late yesterday. Kudos to the utility crews!

So, I do have one last story for HV this year, which should be posted later today.

The Haunted Vessel: Objects

2011-10-27T07:33:00.000-07:00

Since I’ve discussed items being used in magic to embody a person, I think the next logical step is to look at items which actually do embody a person: haunted items. There is a wide-spread belief in the paranormal world that spirits remain here because of their attachment to physical things; be it a person, place, or even possession. This could be for any number of reasons…perhaps it was involved in their death, or had a special meaning in life.

There’s actually a show out right now that explores this concept, Haunted Collector. Now as a disclaimer, I really don’t like the show. I find it entertaining, but lacking any real scientific or moral backing. There’s a lot of controversy around it right now, as many believe the participants to be defrauding their “clients.” However, that aside it is entertaining and does discuss the idea of haunted objects.

Rather than the entire house of an individual being haunted, it may just be that there is an object within that a ghost has attached to. Haunted dolls often fall into this category, such as Robert or Anabelle. The Haunted Collector website has a virtual museum of its pieces, discussing the origins and supposed supernatural abilities of each.

If you Google "haunted object" you'll get a metric ton of websites devoted to everything from dolls and paintings to music boxes and even pieces of clothing. Here are a few of my favorites of the most publicized ones.

"The Hands Resist Him"

Some may recognize this painting from its internet fame as "that haunted eBay painting!" I remember coming across this several years ago when it was first making the rounds, and it's still at the top of my list. If nothing else the painting itself is creepy. Serious child? Check. Creepy expressionless doll? Check. Strange, somewhat horrifying background with disembodied hands? Check!

However the painting gained its fame when it was sold on eBay with the details that it was haunted. The sellers claimed to have had odd experiences, as well as feeling ill when in its presence. Also, as was confirmed by the artist himself, several people in connection with it died not long after coming in contact with it. Either way it's a very creepy painting!

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel Mirror

This hotel is known not only for its historical guests, but for some apparently spiritual ones as well! A mirror which currently hangs in the hotel was previously installed in the favorite suite of the one and only Marilyn Monroe. She had a great fondness for the Roosevelt, and supposedly she hasn't left yet. Hotel staff and guests alike are said to have seen Marilyn's reflection when looking in "her" mirror. She is also purported to haunt their ball room as well.

Of course no haunted object post would be complete without including both Robert the doll and Anabelle. I've discussed these two in their own entries, so if you don't know much about either, go check them out!

More information on "The Hands Resist Him."

Haunted Roosevelt Hotel mirror: Wiki, article.

The Haunted Vessel: My favorite voodoo doll.

2011-10-17T05:54:00.001-07:00

The above title is from Voltaire's song "Don't Go by the River," a piece that sings of New Orleans and its darker side. I've done Haunted Vessel pieces in the past about the purpose of dolls in magic and religion, but I don't think I fully explored it enough.

I won't delve too deeply into magical theory, but the branch of interest for this post is something called "sympathetic magic*." Basically sympathetic magic is the use of an item (or items) as a representation of the person/thing you wish to do magic for. A practical example would be the use of poppets or voodoo dolls. The item is made in the image of the person, sometimes using personal identifiers (hair/nails/etc.). Once you have the doll created, magic is then worked on that, with the understanding that through this method it is also worked on the individual the doll represents.

Obviously this is most famous in some voodoo practices, but this kind of magic has been worked by all different cultures for many, many years. The ancient Romans and Greeks for example had something called curse tablets*, which used a form of sympathetic magic. The individual would create a tablet of varying materials, and inscribe words on it detailing a curse. Sometimes these would be made in the image of a person, but more often they remained in a general tablet shape. The words themselves though would specify a certain person or thing that the individual wished to curse.

Poppets are found in movies and literature as synonymous with witches and/or magic. Ranging from works like The Crucible to more contemporary venues like anime. Ghost Hunt which I have discussed here before, illustrates the use of sympathetic magic in two sets of episodes: After School Hexer and Forbidden Pastime. In both cases sympathetic magic is used in conjunction with "dolls" formed in the shape of a person and named. I won't spoil the endings, but if you're interested you can catch Ghost Hunt on Hulu.

As I mentioned above, voodoo dolls are the epitome of sympathetic magic at least where popular culture is concerned. Voodoo itself is far more multi-faceted than that, but generally most people recognize it for this practice. A voodoo doll is an item made in the image of a certain person, frequently using specific items to connect it to that person. Be it hair or skin or otherwise, these pieces are believed to create a stronger connection/focus with the individual in question. Of course these days you can go out and buy your very own "voodoo doll" in any number of mass-marketed kits, giving everyone the opportunity to do some sympathetic magic should they wish.

*If you're looking for more information on sympathetic magic, Elfie Music (of Paranormal State fame) has a great article here.
**Curse tablet information here. Above tablet picture from this site.

Anniversary

2011-10-17T05:49:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow will mark the one year anniversary of Uriel coming home (aka his first "birthday)! I hope to get out and take some pictures with the birthday boy and Fumi, as I've been quite remiss so far. The decimation of my computer by that virus really knocked me for a loop. I lost everything, doll photos and Haunted Vessel pieces included. :(

However I am starting to get back on my feet and I expect to feature a few HV pieces at once for your reading pleasure. :)

Update: Virus

2011-10-10T10:13:00.001-07:00

The Haunted Vessel posts have been delayed a bit by a virus that completely devastated my computer. It deleted everything (programs, files, etc.) in under a minute. :( However the system is almost back up and running, so expect posts again soon!

Tattoo update!

2011-09-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update concerning my most recent tattoo. It was my birthday this week, and it's my tradition to try and get some art on or around my birthday. This year I chose to get a Voltaire-themed tattoo. If you're unfamiliar with Voltaire, he's a goth musician who is also a bit of a renaissance man. He's done everything from stop-motion animation to toy designs to music of all kinds. He's a fantastic artist, and also a very down to earth, nice person.

I actually went to see him last week as a sort of early birthday celebration, and after such an amazing show, I felt a tattoo was appropriate. :) The piece was done by the very talented Frankie at Scorpion Tattooing. I credit him with the real design work, as I basically brought in a mock up and he turned it into something really amazing.

Jewelry Review

2011-09-21T06:08:00.000-07:00

I occasionally throw in posts here about things other than dolls. I think that jewelry can fall under the category of a "vessel." These are two of my newest pieces that I just received, one of which was made for me while the other was a happy accident I stumbled upon.

This first piece is made by a jeweler I have worked with before, for my vampire ring. I contacted ChYMieRa in the hopes of having a pendant made to resemble the one Paksenarrion has in the book The Deed of Paksenarrion*. Said book is my favorite book ever (which is saying something), and I wanted to do a loose Girdish** warrior cosplay for King Richard's Faire this year. So I got in touch with ChYMieRa with my design idea, and after a few days I was sent pictures of this beautiful piece.

The pictures really don't do it justice, in person the crescent is amazingly shiny and so perfect. I couldn't be happier with the product, and as usual ChYMieRa was an absolute pleasure to work with. If you're looking for some unique jewelry or to have a piece made, check out the Etsy shop here.

This next piece was the "happy accident" one. I have a habit of just browsing Etsy from time to time, using certain keywords. In particular I tend to look for Sailor Moon and Buffy items. So imagine my glee when I searched "Buffy" and came up with this stunning piece. It speaks to the goth in me, but it's not over the top. I also am fond of the rosary style necklace, as long as it's not actually a rosary. This one has enough of a mix that I loved it.

An added bonus to the beautiful jewelry was that the Feral Strumpet was fantastic to work with. I have a general rule that I don't buy a lot from overseas simply because of the extra costs and problems that can arise with shipping. This time however I took a chance on her great feedback, and was very satisfied. The item shipped quickly, and she kept in touch even after it was sent. It arrived about when I expected, but even that was quick for overseas shipments. It was beautifully packaged (which is a weakness of mine I admit) and came with a great little bookmark as an extra gift. I am just tickled pink at the whole transaction, and will definitely be buying again. Please check out the Feral Strumpet's shop for more beautiful jewelry!

*The Deed of Paksenarrion is by Elizabeth Moon, and is sort of a "Middle Earth" style story involving paladins, elves, gods, and monsters. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.
**Gird is one of the main gods/saints in the book, and by far my favorite.
Photos are credited to their respective creators. I use the photos from the actual item listings.

Back from hiatus/vacation finally!

2011-09-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

I'm back! Life tends to throw me curve balls when I least expect it...often right before I have a planned vacation as well. So here I am, refreshed and ready to blog once more!

This post will just be a "coming attraction" for the next few weeks. I've got Fumi pictures uploaded and ready to go, new pictures of Uri in his Vocaloid outfit, a traveling Vessel doll report, and a jewelry review! Not to mention the fact that October is fast approaching and that means the Haunted Vessel shall return with weekly posts. So keep your eyes peeled...or don't because that sounds positively gross. :P

More Fumi Updates

2011-08-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

Despite being in the path of the hurricane, everyone here in the house of many dolls is okay. We had a lot of rain, some strong winds, and because of that no work today! As you can tell I'm not exactly broken up about it...

Fumi has her second face up which is much better than the first, and she is awaiting a new wig. She'd been borrowing an old one of Uri's (his blond synthetic one) for the time being, but that's just not cutting it. I found a Leeke wig on Denver Doll that's actually the same exact style I have, so I bought her one in a rich brown. Even though it's SD dolls that are supposed to be "another you," I think Fumi is quickly turning into my lighter twin. We actually might go as Lolita-esque twins to the convention in October if I don't decide on something else for her.

Pictures to come, but not tonight. I'm actually off to bed early for once!

Queen Fumiko

2011-08-24T07:58:00.000-07:00

Well Fumi has quickly taken over my entire dolly kingdom and crowned herself queen indefinitely. She charms just about everyone despite her continued lack of face up. Aside from my sister who is quite convinced that Fumi is going to kill her in her sleep...

My problems with the Volks order were corrected, and her items should be arriving today along with the MSC I also ordered. That means that Fumi will finally have a face up either this evening or tomorrow. Knowing me I'll want to do it tonight, but we'll see how awake I am after work and puppy class.

Overall I am loving having another Volks doll in the house, and especially a DD! She is so fun to pose and play with, and she's got such personality. I'm sure she'll get her own Haunted Vessel post here at some point, but she is really full of life in a way that a lot of my other dolls aren't. As I've said before, Volks dolls are different from all other dolls. It's the way they feel, and the personality they bring with them, and Fumi is no exception.

I do have some shots on my camera to prove that she exists, but of course now my camera cord has gone missing...

Still Dollfie Dreaming

2011-08-17T06:25:00.000-07:00

I am so enjoying having a DD girl! :) She's lightweight, and soft, and oddly enough warms right up when I carry her places or sit her in my lap. I don't have a lot of clothes for her yet, but she's stealing some of Uri's things, and fits the grand ball gown I have rather well.

I ordered her some MSC so I can do a face-up some time next week, and a few things from Volks. They had a DD restock, so I got her some underwear and two sets of optional hands (peace signs and kitty "paws"). Of course being me and Volks, my order was never confirmed even though the money came out of my account... They won't be in until this afternoon so I'll wait until then and see what happens.

Otherwise everything has gone really well. She poses like a dream, especially when not restricted by Uri's clothing which is a bit small for her. I'm thinking I'll spend this weekend making her some dresses and maybe a pair of pants.

Dollfie Mythology

2011-08-16T06:36:00.000-07:00

Volks in particular has interesting "mythology" about their dolls, and DDs are no exception. Here are some of the myths surrounding them:

The soul is in the eyes. This is a myth that relates to all kinds of Dollfies, and it is something explored in the movie The Doll Master. Supposedly the doll's soul is contained in it's eyes, so if you were to remove them (and apparently the head) you would effectively kill or at least greatly change the doll. This is why many people keep the same eyes for the whole life of the doll, Volks-lovers especially. I do know of one bjd collector who has been collecting for about seven years. While her other dolls have gone through eye and wig changes, her first retains his original eyes for this reason.
Dollfie Dreams are Daughters. I mentioned this one in my last post about Fumi. DDs are affectionately labeled "Daughters" by their owners, often with it capitalized.
Dollfie Dreams are said to 'imprint." Imprinting is something that occurs naturally within certain animals. The first entity that the young see after being born is identified as "mommy" and they tend to follow and love this individual. Supposedly DDs are the same; the first person they see is the one they will love and speak to.

Light at the end of the tunnel.

2011-08-15T06:38:00.000-07:00

My DD girl arrived this morning after much trial and tribulation. Her delivery was apparently attempted on Saturday, but it was after the PO closed, and they sent it to my physical work place instead of the PO. Since no one was at my work either at that time, she was sent into a loop for undelivered packages. Her tracking said she was sent to the next town over and I'd have to pick her up. However when I called the PO this morning, they let me know she was there and ready to be picked up!

I picked her up as soon as they opened and opened her in my car. She is beautiful in every way. I can completely understand why Dollfie Dreams are fondly referred to as "daughters" by the culture (as SDs are "another yourself"). While initially I didn't think I'd call her that, I can see she is definitely my "daughter." :)

As for her given name, it came to me as soon as she got here. I had picked out a few beforehand, but none seemed right for her once I'd seen her. I did a very quick search of some female Japanese names, and one of the first to pop up was "Fumiko." It has several meanings, but the one I liked the best was "little friend." What is a Dollfie if not my little friend? So Fumiko she is. :)

I'm going to wait for pictures until this afternoon or evening. Right now she's dressed in some of Uri's things, but even the stretchy leggings are really too small for her vavavoom body. :P I'm going to try a dress on her instead and hope that works. His shirts fit her though which is nice. I also have yet to get her headcap on because of how tight it is. I'm going to go home on lunch and cut the little tabs out as Volks suggests so I can compress it a little more.

Coming Home

2011-08-11T17:01:00.001-07:00

It only took three days, but my DD girl is finally coming home. :)

I dropped Volks an e-mail last night with some information from my payment company, and as of this afternoon they were able to get things straightened out on their end. Barring any more acts of god, she should be shipped out tomorrow morning and be here Saturday!

Communication is a beautiful thing.

2011-08-10T11:38:00.000-07:00

So I contacted the Volks store earlier today to see if I could change my shipping method from UPS Ground to USPS Express. I dropped them an e-mail detailing what I was looking for, and asking if it was possible. Either way I asked for them to get back to me.

Now when I check my order I see that it is "on hold," but I haven't received any communication either way. If it can't be done that's okay too, I just want to know. :/

Edit #1: Spoke with a lovely girl from the Volks store who was very helpful. I got problem the first problem cleared up, but now there's another one which looks like it will prevent me from getting the quicker shipping. We shall see.

Edit#2: I generally love my Firefox browser, but not this time. It was at fault for the order not going through. >:( Now however things seem to be fixed so I should be okay. *sigh of relief*

Edit#3: I spoke too soon. :( Still having trouble getting the order through, but the Volks representative has been very lovely to work with. My card company on the other hand... Hopefully good news soon.

Edit#4: Final edit for the day, and it's not a good one. Volks has my money, but they think they don't. Or that's at least the impression I get from the rep. My CC company has proof that Volks has it, no matter how much Volks suggests otherwise. So I'm stuck at an impasse here. I can't complete the order until the money is returned, but Volks won't acknowledge they have it. Not even a little. I can't request a cancellation of a charge, so I have to wait for them to figure out what's going on. They are closed now. Worst of all, the faster shipping I just paid for is worthless now. :(

Sigh

2011-08-09T10:09:00.000-07:00

Well my girl is ordered, but not without problems (as usual). I had everything in my cart yesterday, and allotted the correct amount of money for my order plus shipping. I go to place the order today to find that shipping has changed. Not much, but beyond what money I had set aside. So I took an item off my order and paid the higher shipping charge.

I figured that ordering early in the morning meant she might get shipped out same-day. Then I look at the Volks' site to find that they are not open on Tuesdays. 0_0 So she won't be shipped out until tomorrow, meaning she probably won't be here before the weekend. Ah well it wasn't mandatory, but it still would have been nice to have her here sooner rather than later. Granted there's always a small possibility she'll get here faster, but I don't plan on holding my breath.

New Doll PII

2011-08-07T15:15:00.001-07:00

Well it looks like I'll be able to bring my DD girl home earlier than planned, but she won't get her "look" until later. She'll need a wig, eyes, and a face up. She can borrow some of the former for now, but I will need to purchase some MSC. Testors is good on resin, but not at all on vinyl. So my lady may be face up-less for a while, but still cute. :P

I also decided to alter my plans for her a bit after looking at some comparison photos and poking around the DD threads a bit. I'm going to get her a dynamite body instead of the regular base body. I like the lines of the DDdy much better, and it gets her closer to my first "want." I think I like the DDH04 so much because it reminds me a bit of the Yoko DD Volks made (from Gurren Lagann). Yoko had a DDdy body, and after some consideration I'd like my girl to have one as well.

She won't be ordered until Tuesday, meaning she *might* be here before the week's end though I'm not sure. My plan is to hopefully have her outfitted by October for fall pictures and maybe a convention. I was going to take Uri, but DD's are much easier on the arms. :)

New doll?

2011-08-02T06:39:00.000-07:00

The choosing of a new doll is, at least for me, a very particular process. If nothing else the amount of money I'll spend on a doll is an important factor. If I'm going to allot money for said doll, I want to make sure I'll really enjoy them when they arrive.

I've been thinking about getting another doll lately, and I've tried to narrow down my requirements a bit to assist in the selection process. First and foremost I want a Volks doll. Maybe it's a brand name thing, but I would really love to own another Volks doll. I love their quality and the detail which they put into every aspect of the doll. I also want the doll to be a female, which is surprising considering my normal penchant for male dolls.

That point actually leads me into my next one, which is the new doll must work well with Uri. Not to say I need his "permission," but I realize that Uri is a big part of my doll "collection." I devote more time and energy to him than any other doll, and I wouldn't want to buy one that would compete. So I decided a female doll of similar size would be good in that she'd be different enough not to compete with Uri, but they could theoretically share clothes.

Price of course is also a big factor in my decision-making process, as some of these dolls can be rather expensive and I'm on a tight budget. I've decided to set aside a very small amount of each check (less than 10%) for "fun money," which in this case applies to dolls. It will take a little while, but eventually I will have the necessary funds without overtaxing my budget.

This morning I decided to browse the Volks USA site again, and checked out their SD's. Again, none of them really jumped out at me. I like Kun, but while she's pretty, she's not quite what I'm looking for. Then on a whim I checked out the Dollfie Dream section. Instantly I knew that one of these girls would be perfect. She'll be in a larger size, she's not as expensive, and she's worlds away from Uri. That last part was probably my biggest motivator.

So now I just have to decide what head to get. I'm currently torn between heads 2, 3, and 4. My top choice is #4. I like how she's different and very cute, but still mischievous. I think she'd be perfect for the ghost of the character wandering around in my head. The others are pretty too, but I think I like them just because they're pretty. They don't have quite enough personality for me, so I think it's #4. I will be buying her a wig and eyes separately I think, though I may purchase some pretty animetic eyes. I'm thinking blond and blue-eyed for some reason.

It will be a while before I can bring my girl home and have her fully put together, painted, and dressed. I'd say at least a few months, though perhaps sooner depending upon how my next few weeks go. Plus I do have a birthday coming up next month...

Killjoy Alias: Baby Berzerker

2011-07-31T19:10:00.001-07:00

A very bad picture, but a picture nonetheless of my Killjoy cosplay (in progress!) of Baby Berzerker. M0re info and pictures to come. :)

The Haunted Vessel: A new friend?

2011-07-26T07:01:00.000-07:00

In one of my recent posts I alluded to some paranormal activity that's been going on in my house lately. That has continued to increase, leading me to believe that we've got a "friend" visiting. This is actually a pretty common occurrence in my life, so while I'm not thrilled I'm also not that upset.

For the most part this friend is relatively harmless, sticking to the stereotypical loud footsteps and occasional flashes of presence that ghosts are so famous for. We had a slight issue with him bothering my dog, and one episode of room trashing, but after a little talk things have gone back to normal.

When it comes to the dolls however, the entity seems perfectly happy to avoid them at all costs. Initially I was having issues with it coming into my room at night, and I would have to actively get up and "usher" it out. Both annoying and time consuming, so I decided to try something a little different instead. I put Nowell by the door and Uriel on the other side of the bed, and since then the entity won't even come close to my door.

This also seems to work when I'm in other rooms as well, so I've taken to carrying one of the boys with me when I don't want to be bothered. I knew this was generally the case with Uri as he has this sort of "no nonsense" vibe around him when it comes to spirits. He's bigger and badder, so don't even bother. :P However this is a new development for Nowell, and it's interesting.

Insert witty and appropriate title here

2011-07-19T09:09:00.000-07:00

Back from a week-long streak of really bad luck. My poor puppy hurt himself, my car broke down, my computer cord sparked, and a half gallon of milk exploded in my car. :( However we're doing good now and there's a lot more to come soon!

And the resident clothes whore wins again. :P

2011-07-09T18:03:00.000-07:00

I swear that Uri has a better wardrobe than me sometimes. The new shirts from Diverse designs arrived this weekend, and he looks fantastic as usual. We also have a few more shirts coming from a custom order on DoA. Of course there's also the Vocaloid commission which I'm so psyched about! The seamstress I commissioned is spectacular, and I can't wait to see what she does with this. :)

Tonight we're doing a Star Wars marathon, and of course Uri gives me *that look.* The look which says, "Please make me some Jedi robes?" I actually have some fabric in the closet that would be perfect, so he may just get his wish. I am rather powerless to resist a man in Jedi robes after all. ;)

Granted I will admit that Uri would probably not be a Jedi were he in the Star Wars universe, Dark Side and all... However, I'm taking a little artistic license and doing it anyway.

The Haunted Vessel: Uriel

2011-07-07T11:46:00.000-07:00

Uriel the Magnanimous strikes again. :0

I've been seeing a lot more activity* around my house lately for whatever reason, be it the changing season or the current emotional climate. I've had more doll-related experiences all around, and Uri is no exception.

Last night I got home after having gone to obedience class with my pup and running quite a few errands. I ran upstairs to grab some things for the dog before taking him on a walk, and saw Uri sitting on my bed. I'd left him there that morning propped up against the pillow with both arms tucked into each other (essentially crossed). I grabbed the dog items and glanced at Uri again before leaving.

After taking the dog for a walk and getting rather soggy in the process, I ran back upstairs for a change of clothes. There was Uri on my bed, but instead of looking the same he was positioned differently. Both arms were outstretched and his hands turned as if he was saying "No wait, take me!"

Given Uri's stringing, this wasn't something he could have fallen into. If anything due to how tightly he is strung, his arms would snap back into a folded position. But these were outstretched, barely bent at the joint. I am the only one in the house now, so threre was no one who could have moved him. I of course felt chastized and took Uri down to watch TV with me. :P

*For the sake of clarification, "activity" in these posts will always refer to supernatural activity. I dont' want you to think I mean hiking or biking or something. :)

Update

2011-07-06T06:44:00.001-07:00

I've been having a busy, somewhat frustrating but ultimately satisfying doll week;

Re-did Nowell's face up, but it took me at least eight tries. Seal, remove. Seal, remove. Seal...
I also ordered Nowell a new fur wig because it's been a while since we changed his look up.
Uri is getting a bunch of new clothes as usual. :P I ordered him his usual Diverse Designs order (some t-shirts), and I've got a commission in for a Kagamine Len outfit for him. Uri is most definitely not Len, but I like the juxtaposition and he does have a blond wig. Plus the boy will wear anything, I might as well take advantage of it!
Dresden is still in-progress as we hit a small setback with some of his outfit. I was supposed to do a split but the other person couldn't do it yet, so I'll be waiting a bit for that. He'll be finished eventually, but even unfinished he looks pretty cool. :)

Still workin'!

2011-06-27T19:10:00.000-07:00

Working on Dresden's staff while watching a good episode of Criminal Minds that surprisingly I haven't seen. :P

The Haunted Vessel: Mr. Dresden

2011-06-27T08:26:00.001-07:00

*Disclaimer* I'm a strange person and have strange experiences. If you're not interested in the possible paranormal, feel free to skip this entry. :)

It's been quite a while since I've written an installment of the HV, primarily because I haven't had many experiences as of late. With the dog here and the boss on vacation, I've been much busier than normal. However with the arrival of Mr. Dresden, things appear to be picking up.

When I go to bed after having had a doll out, especially with the puppy around now, I am very careful to place them in a particular spot. So for example with Harry I have him sitting with his arms just so, his head in this direction, legs here etc. This is partially a carry-over from my bjds who can fall and get damaged easily. So it is best to have them in a safe position and know how their joints are bent. Pullips aren't quite as fragile, but the habit carries over anyway.

A little background information on Taeyangs which will make the following all the more interesting... Taeyang bodies have a unique neck joint that attaches at their collar bone. This allows you to turn the head in various directions without moving the body. Very cool feature for posing.

Now each night I have posed Mr. Dresden in a particular way as is my custom, and each morning I wake to find him moved. Not substantially, but enough for me to notice. His body is generally in the same position, but his head/neck are turned to face me in bed. I'm not in the habit of having dolls stare at me while I sleep, so this is not something I would do. Also, given the type of movement it is, I know it's not due to furniture being bumped. The neck joint will only move when someone deliberately moves it. As for someone doing that...we only had company for one of the nights, and I highly doubt (read: dolls freak them out!) they would have snuck into my room at night and touched the creepy doll.

It is interesting to note that like Daemon before him, Dresden is the bearer of several "magical" accessories. Whether they are intended as toys or not, they do have certain symbols inscribed and special meaning attached to those symbols. It makes me wonder on a witchy level if that's why both the dolls were/are active...

So who knows, perhaps I will have more Haunted Vessel posts to come!

Progress Pictures: Dresden!

2011-06-26T16:28:00.000-07:00

Some progress shots of my Dresden and his accoutrements, i.e. his hockey stick staff and Bob (skull in the lower left hand corner). I like elements of both the books and the show, so I combined them a bit here. In the books Harry has a wooden staff with carved symbols he uses, in the show it's a hockey stick. I thought the hockey stick idea was fantastic, so I used that as my base. There are a number of carved runes down the side, and I'm going to be painting it as well as adding some fabric and maybe crystals.

A better close up of the runes:
Not pictured are his drumstick wand and pieces of his shield bracelet. More to come!

Introducing the one, the only....

2011-06-25T19:08:00.000-07:00

Harry Dresden

Yes, that Harry Dresden. :) More information to come!

Kain II

2011-06-23T05:04:00.000-07:00

Kain II's (still unnamed) eyes actually came in yesterday about an hour after he arrived, which was awesome! So here he is with his correct hair and eyes, but not necessarily clothes. Sorry for the repetitive pictures, but I couldn't help it. :)

Stress...stress...stress...doll!

2011-06-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

My Kain II arrived today and not a moment too soon. It's only Wednesday and my week has been insane and extremely stressful.

He arrived in a battered shipping box that looked like it had been stomped on and kicked down a flight of stairs. o_o I opened him right in the post office to check for damages, but thankfully Denver Doll packs their dolls really well. The post master was really curious so I showed him the doll, and oddly enough he thought Kain II was kind of cool. :)

Once I got back to work I freed him from his pretty cardboard prison and set about taking his wig off and replacing it with the blond one I had waiting. He looks fantastic as a blond. :) Unfortunately I found that his right shoulder is damaged, just like with my other Kain. :( It's not a damage I could call DDE about as it's really just due to Jun Planning being crappy at making bodies.

So...I really would prefer he not be on an Obitsu, not to mention the fact that I don't have an Obitsu lying around for him. Instead I think I'm going to go home and cannibalize poor Kaleb a bit to make things work. Kain II's arms aren't actually broken, so I will swap them with Kaleb's and everyone will be happy. Since Kaleb is just hanging around right now, I'm not worried about having super move-able arms for him.

Of course I can't call him Kain II forever, but it seems that he may not in fact be Ronin... As of now we both seem to be leaning towards calling him Dresden after the Dresden Files (good TV series, FANTASTIC books!). I even considering making him sort of an alternate world Dresden, but we'll see. :)

Another Kain II Update

2011-06-21T06:24:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if I quite believe this because it seems a little too good to be true, but according to Kain II's tracking, he should arrive tomorrow. o_o I guess this guy really wants to be home!

Last night I browsed eBay for a bit and picked him up a bunch of good basic clothes. Some jeans, a pair of white leather pants, a pair of skinny black jeans, and a Harley Davidson shirt. It's amazing how expensive Ken clothes can run you, and forget putting "Taeyang" in the title... I also picked him up what I believe is an Elvis outfit for Ken. It's cute, black and white stripes with black jeans and a jacket.

I'm very excited for my boy to come home, and I can't believe it could be as soon as tomorrow!

Kain II Update

2011-06-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

I ordered Kain some eyes over the weekend, finally deciding on getting him another pair of yellow ones. They are acrylic, but rather than the normal ones I was looking at, I purchased him a pair of Volks Animetics. They are acrylic anime-style eyes that come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors. I've only seen one other Pullip with Animetics, but it looked pretty good so we'll see.

I also attempted (and hopefully succeeded) to pay Kain II off today. Unfortunately my bank was having some issues, so I don't know if everything went through okay. I'm waiting to hear back from Denver Doll to see if they were successful. If so Kain should be coming home some time this week, and his eyes will be here Thursday. Now I just need more clothes for him!

*Edited to add*: I just received confirmation that the payment went through, so Kain II is on his way home! :)

Monster High OC: Damien Night

2011-06-19T16:16:00.001-07:00

Name: Damien Night
Age: 1200
Monster Parent: The Nighmare
Killer Style: Kind of gypsy goth; I like to mix rich colors with black.
Freaky Flaw: People recognize me all the time...from their nightmares. So embarrassing. And I have no eyebrows, it's a nightmare thing...
Pet: Shadow (He's a shadow.)
Favorite Activity: Scary cool dance parties, I love to dance!
Biggest Pet Peeve: When people (and monsters!) won't give me a chance. Just because I'm scary in your dreams doesn't mean I'm not a good guy.
Favorite School Subject: Art and Undead Studies, I'm so fascinated with the Zombie culture. I hope to be an exchange student at some point. :)
Least Favorite School Subject: Clawculus. Numbers and I don't get along.
Favorite Color: Red.
Favorite Food: Tacos!
BFF's: I don't know anyone at school yet, but hopefully the monsters here are way more scary cool than the ones at my last school.

I repainted my Monster High Deuce this weekend because I wasn't really going to do anything else with him. It was sort of spur of the moment so I didn't really have anything in mind, but I love how he came out! I *did not* make the wig, it was actually bought for my Puki but it's way too big. I feel like Damien needs more clothes now...

Kain II the Sequel

2011-06-16T08:17:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping to have Kain II home by next week, assuming my surprise bonus is enough to clear his balance. I was fiddling around with Kaleb last night to see how other wigs looked on him, and I think that Kain II will be talking one of Uri's old wigs, the blond one he came with. I do love Kain's stock wig, but it tends to get a bit...unruly? I'm very picky when it comes to synthetic wigs, and alas Jun Planning isn't always the best for quality control.

I think I will also be installing acrylic eyes rather than using the eye chips and mech he'll come with. I won't be sanding down the mech, rather I'll be using eye putty for the eyelids and eyes. That way if I decide I want the eye mech in again, I don't have to worry about always needing acrylic eyes.

That being said, I have no idea what color to get. I love his stock yellow color, but those are hard to find in the right size. Currently I'm leaning towards a forest green, or something similar with complex tones. Or I might just go the opposite way and get him some Ersa Flora reflective eyes. :)

Seeing Double

2011-06-10T07:30:00.000-07:00

Well the bait head from my last post isn't going to work out, so I browsed around a bit and did something I knew I'd do eventually...I ordered a second Taeyang Kain.

Kain is my favorite Taeyang thus far, and I missed having him in a more "stock" form. I do enjoy Kaleb obviously, but I wouldn't mind having back the character I originally created for him, Ronin. Plus I'd like to have a non vampire/werewolf/demon/etc. guy around here again. At least for a little while... :P

He's on layaway with Denver Doll, so it will be a little while before I see him. That's best considering what I'm going to be spending on the puppy in the near future. I'm trying to balance my doll love with dog love. :)

Just a quick little update...

2011-06-07T11:47:00.001-07:00

I just contacted someone on DM about a bait Tae head, and I'm hoping he's still available. That would be even better right now as I know I'm going to re-body any Tae I get anyway. So hopefully I'll have another boy coming home soon!

Hey look, I'm not dead!

2011-06-07T06:11:00.000-07:00

Having a puppy is a full time job, so unfortunately I've been a bit (well a lot) lax with this blog. However, I do have all sorts of neat dolls and toys to post about, and my little boy now has some toys that occupy him for hours so...

I've started a little collection of Vocaloid-related toys as I alluded to in some of my last posts. I have a plush Miku, a plush Len (my fave!), and a Miku nendoroid so far. I saw the new Pullip editions of the characters, but none were ones that really spoke to me. Well I loved Miku, but I knew the hair would kill me. I liked Len's costume, but he just wasn't quite right.

Then came the second installment of the Vocaloid characters and well...I'm a little smitten. I'm actually not a big fan of Kaito in "real life," but I love his Taeyang version. I think it's the funky colored hair, I have a thing for boys with crazy hair. :) He won't be released until September, but I'm going to preorder him through whoever gets him first. Pullilpstyle preferred, but there's also Entertainment Earth, so we'll see. With my little monster around I can't really afford to buy new big dolls, but a little Taeyang wouldn't be a problem. :)

Stuff, stuff, and more stuff!

2011-05-04T06:00:00.001-07:00

I have all sorts of interesting things to post, but my life has suddenly become a little crazy. So hang in there folks, I will be back! I did receive my Miku yesterday and she's amazing, completely worthy of a long detailed review. I'm still waiting on Len, but it might be a while longer before he arrives from China.

Some exciting non-toy news for me: I'm getting a dog! I graduate in two weeks, and as a present my mom is going to get me a dog! I've got one picked out and we're just waiting on confirmation which should be coming either Friday or Sunday. I'm so excited!

Shopping Uri

2011-04-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

Found blue eyes!

Bigger picture...

2011-04-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-29T18:42:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-04-28T14:56:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-04-26T20:39:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-04-26T06:28:00.000-07:00

Be jealous, very jealous. :P

My demonic harem.

2011-04-25T19:28:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-04-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-04-23T19:09:00.001-07:00

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

2011-04-22T06:26:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-20T21:14:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-20T04:45:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-19T05:50:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-04-19T05:39:00.001-07:00

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...

2011-04-16T10:32:00.001-07:00

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

2011-04-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-04-14T04:54:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-04-11T07:48:00.000-07:00

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:

Remove all the doll's clothes/jewelry.
Make sure both your hands and the surface the doll is sitting on are clean, hence the white towel.
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.
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:

Remove all the doll's clothing and jewelry.
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.
Wash each part with the magic eraser, and then soap and water. This gets off any surface grime.
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.
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.
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!

2011-04-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-07T04:20:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-06T18:12:00.001-07:00

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

New clothes all around.

2011-04-06T08:25:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-04-04T17:31:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-04-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-04-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

A little help from my friends.

2011-04-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

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. :)

He's so fired.

2011-03-31T20:30:00.000-07:00

I joked at the convention that Uri was the "guardian of my checkbook," but overall I don't think he's very good at that job. :P

This week I paid for some lovely jewelry for him from orangebab ydolly on DoA. I had previously purchased a piece a while back for ye olde Paks from them, and it was stunning. So when they re-opened ring orders I jumped on the chance to bedazzle Uri. I ordered an engagement style ring with garnet stone and a drille d silver band for him. They were just finished on Wednesday, when I promptly saw a beautiful opal and silver necklace they also had for sale as a limited item. Cue money flying out of my wallet so fast you could hear it whistle by.

I also just ordered Uri some new duds from Wicked Stitchery on Etsy, a red and black vest and a long sleeved red/black striped shirt. Can you see a theme here? Someday I will do a little shot of all of Uri's red stuff, and it will probably take up my whole floor. It's funny to have a doll who has such a clear preference for colors. Uri loves red and black, likes blue, and can deal with a few others if he has to. Who am I kidding though, I love my picky little boy!

Off to bed now so I can get to work early and pay for my dolly habit. :)

Photos from my desk.

2011-03-31T07:07:00.000-07:00

#SINGItForJapan

2011-03-29T17:23:00.001-07:00

My Chemical Romance is sponsoring a movement to bring hope and beauty to Japan. They have a call out to all the fans to submit messages, art work, even just a picture of themselves referencing #SINGItForJapan. I decided to get Uri in on the act.

Post Convention

2011-03-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

The convention was awesome! I'm still a bit exhausted now, but it was fantastic. I didn't get half as many pictures as I'd hoped to get, but everyone else got some so I just have to wait for those. Uri was a huge celebrity! We got our picture taken about a hundred times, and he was greeted by everyone. We even stopped by the photo booth and had some professional shots taken, and I can't wait to order some of those! We also got ourselves matching top hats, which everyone loved.

So there will be pictures once I edit the few I have and get the others from people. So much fun!

The Vessel

My little nerdy girl!

Sick again, as ususal. :(

Yay crazy doll people!

An excerpt

He's no pinhead!

Productivity without proof.

Sometimes...

New face!

Camera fixed!

Update

Be that way. :P

Updates

Crappy picture is crappy!

Doll Lol

Siriusly

Introducing...

Face Up #3

Funny doll moment with my boyfriend.

What's in a name?

New Boy

New doll!

Fumiko really exists!

Welcome to the land of perpetual viruses...

Dolly Talk: Do your dolls cheer you up?

Speak of the devil...

The Haunted Vessel: Fumiko

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

I got soul but I'm not a soldier.

Update

The NaNo monster...

Snow!

The Haunted Vessel: Objects

The Haunted Vessel: My favorite voodoo doll.

Anniversary

Update: Virus

Tattoo update!

Jewelry Review

Back from hiatus/vacation finally!

More Fumi Updates

Queen Fumiko

Still Dollfie Dreaming

Dollfie Mythology

Light at the end of the tunnel.

Coming Home

Communication is a beautiful thing.

*Sigh*

New Doll PII

New doll?

Killjoy Alias: Baby Berzerker

The Haunted Vessel: A new friend?

*Insert witty and appropriate title here*

And the resident clothes whore wins again. :P

The Haunted Vessel: Uriel

Update

Still workin'!

The Haunted Vessel: Mr. Dresden

Progress Pictures: Dresden!

Introducing the one, the only....

Kain II

Stress...stress...stress...doll!

Another Kain II Update

Kain II Update

Monster High OC: Damien Night

Kain II the Sequel

Seeing Double

Just a quick little update...

Hey look, I'm not dead!

Stuff, stuff, and more stuff!

Shopping Uri

Bigger picture...

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

Collection shots!

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

Moon crystal power, make up!

My demonic harem.

Happy Easter!

Painting, piercing, and shopping.

Uri's Day Out

The Contract

Sigh

Insert witty and appropriate title here

New project and...oh Uri! Updated