30 Day BJD Challenge-Day 27

27). Post a crazy/silly pose!

*caramelldansen music playing in the background*

30 Day BJD Challenge- Day 26

26). Do you have a favorite out of your own dolls?

I feel like the answer to this should be obvious but yes I do: Uri.  He's my dolly soulmate, and one of the few dolls who has really persisted over the years.  Even when I find myself feeling out of the hobby, I still keep Uri with me.  He is the most fun to style, take photos of, customize, etc.  We also have a number of matching outfits and jewelry.  So it's pretty clear he's the favorite.

30 Day BJD Challenge-Days 24-25

24). Have you ever modded a doll?

25). Done your own faceups?

Yes on both accounts!  A list of the customizations I've attempted thus far: wiring, seam sanding, sueding, dyeing, eye opening, stain removal, claws, teeth, elf ears, henna designs, body blushing, and multiple face ups!  I might have missed some in there as well, but that's the basic gist.  I'll try just about anything once, depending on the dolly victim...I mean volunteer.

30 Day BJD Challenge- Day 23

23). What is your favorite part of the hobby?

I love the creativity involved and the potential for change.  You can style a doll, then style it again, and again. Uri has had more faceups than months with me I think.  He's been tweaked in everything from eye color, face, hair color/length, fashion styles, piercings, etc.  And that in part is what keeps me coming back.  This hobby is essentially always evolving for me because he is always evolving.

I also like the sense of community that is easily found within the hobby.  Yes, a cursory examination of social networking sites would quickly point out that a lot of shit gets through around in the community.  However, there is a great deal of bonding and connecting that goes on as well.  I have made doll friends all over the world through this hobby, and had endless discussions about things that most people would just shrug at (new eye balls?!).  People are always waiting to offer help, suggestions, experiences, and so on.  Yes, there is drama, but what hobby doesn't have it?  I prefer to look on the bright side, and thoroughly enjoy what I find there.

30 Day BJD Challenge- Day 22

22). Is there a part of the BJD hobby you dislike?

If I had to pick something, it would be the availability of bjd items.  Pretty much anything and everything can be ordered online, but sometimes I need to get something in a pinch, and I just can't.  Things like elastic, spare eyes,and even fur for wigs is hard to come by where I am.  I have had some success in getting comparable elastic, though it's not large enough for a SD doll.  As for eyes, sometimes my local craft store carries them in the doll section, but not often.  Usually I end up having to order items online and just make things work in the meantime.

30 Day BJD Challenge- Day 21

21). What's your favorite doll scale prop?

30 Day BJD Challenge- Day 20

20). One doll you love but will never (probably) get?

A Dollshe Hound.  I love, love, love these boys, especially Bernard.  For a long time I considered getting one, though that was before Uri.  They are just huge and yet delicate, and beautiful in every way.  But they are also expensive, and I believe now discontinued.  They are also stylistically very different from any other dolls I have.  For those reasons and others while I love them, I'm not sure I'll ever get one.  I'm fairly content to drool over other peoples'. :)

30 Day BJD Challenge- Day 19

19). What is your dream doll?

I have never been one to have a "grail" doll.  More so I've had grail items or pieces of clothing, but those could then be applied to any doll.  That being said, I consider Uri to be my dream doll.  He was kind of unexpected at the time I found him, but I had always liked Els and wanted to own one at some point.

That aside, I think it's really his personality and energy that make him my dream doll.  He's one of the first dolls I've felt such a connection with, and that has only continued to evolve as the years have gone on.  He is one doll whose fashion and appearance can change with mine, making him extremely adaptable.  Overall he's my favorite, and I can't imagine owning a doll that would be any better.

30 Day BJD Challenge- Day 18

18). What is your least favorite company?

I think going based entirely on my own aesthetic preferences and past doll history, I would have to say Bobobie/Resin Soul.  Technically the two are separate companies, but BBB is the caster for RS dolls.  They also produce some of the same sculpts, with RS  having much more updated body styles.

My first doll was a BBB/RS Ju in white skin.  I have also owned a BBB Apollo, a RS Gang, and a newer RS 60cm body.  Unfortunately, none of them stayed because I was quite unsatisfied with their posing ability and aesthetics.  That's not to say they aren't nice dolls, because they are.  Some of the RS sculpts are quite fantastic posers these days.  I've also seen people do some really amazing things with the sculpts aesthetics-wise.  For me though, they just weren't a good match.

30 Day BJD Challenge- Day 15

15). Can any of your crew stand on their head?

Alas, no.  I almost got Liam (Vols YoSD Yuki) to do it once, but he's not quite balanced enough to do so.  I wouldn't even dream of trying it with any of my other guys.  The larger ones are lovely, but they aren't posing kings by any stretch of the imagination.

30 Day BJD Challenge- Day 14

14). What does your family think of your dolls?

My sister is somewhat curious and mostly accepting of them.  She'll refer to them by name more often than not, and if she finds something doll-sized will bring it home.  She would never own one herself, but she deals with Uri and the others pretty well.

My mother on the other hand is positively scared of them.  She actually told me once that she's afraid they're going to come to life and kill her in her sleep.  No joke.  She thinks they're creepy, and can't stand their "soulless eyes."

30 Day BJD Challenge- Day 13

13). Have you ever had a floating head?  What about a headless body?  What do you think you would do if you had either?

I have a floating, and in fact he's been with me forever.  He was one of the first doll parts I bought when I initially joined the hobby, and I've never given him up.  Unfortunately I don't have any pictures, but he is a Fairyland MNF vampire elf Shiwoo head.  I have him in dolly storage, and have for a while.  I've just never kept a body that worked for him, at least not yet.

I have never had a headless body, and I can't imagine ever getting one unless it was very temporary.

30 Day BJD Challenge- Day 12

12). Dollie shoes!  Show us how many you have!

For someone who loves her own shoes very much, I have surprisingly few doll shoes.  In fact, Uri really only has two pairs he wears somewhat regularly.

He has this pair of pseudo converse in black.

And my very favorite boots of his, the super goth platforms.

Arashi is the only other one with nice shoes, but they are pretty awesome.  They are sort of like New Rock boots, and this pair has red metallic flames.  Some of my favorite shoes, dolly or otherwise.

30 Day BJD Challenge- Day 11

11).  What do your friends think of your doll/s in general?

They are somewhere between slightly weirded out and not really caring for the most part.  I tend to keep my dolls separate from my friends and most of our activities because they're not superbly comfortable with them (my dolls), and I don't feel the need to shove it in their faces.  The only exception is conventions, where I tend to always take a doll.

On the other hand I do have some doll friends, some online but a few in person.  They obviously enjoy my dolls like they enjoy theirs, so they respond more positively to my dolls.

30 Day BJD Challenge- Day 10

10). Post a picture of a doll and an animal.

I didn't even have to post this one.  I just plopped Uri down and asked Bear to come over, and he rolled right onto Uri's lap.

30 Day BJD Challenge: Days 8 & 9

Another double up, as these ones go together as well.

8). What is your favorite size?

I touched on this in the last question, but around 60cm is my favorite size.  I do like the smaller dolls for their portability, and I enjoy having MSD-sized ones I can tote around with me places.  In fact I used to bring one of my MSDs (Nowell) to class with me when I was in college.  They are a great size for tucking in a large purse or backpack.

However, I still prefer the larger SD size.  SD's are heavier, but in my mind easier to carry.  I usually either tuck Uri under my arm, or sit him across my forearm when we go out to conventions and whatnot.  He is a little heavy, but not so much so that you'd want to put him down.  At least not for me.

9). What is your least favorite size?

I also discussed this in the last one, but I'm going to make this a two-fold answer.  Of the standard sizes, I like the tiny the least (i.e. like the PukiPuki I mentioned).  That size is cute, but way too small for me.  I like to be able to snuggle my dolls a bit, and for them to have some weight to them.  Larger sizes are also much easier to sew for in my opinion.

On the other hand, I also don't like the "slim msd" sizes that are available from several companies now.  I have owned BBB/RS dolls and Minifees, both of which fall into this size category.  Now don't get me wrong, they look awesome.  They pose awesome.  They are definitely good dolls.  But aesthetically and practically speaking I prefer the chubbier MSDs, like Volks.  The slim minis were always difficult for me to find clothes for that fit correctly, and I always liked the look of the chubby cheeks and bodies for the larger MSDs.

30 Day BJD Challenge- Days 6 & 7

I'm combining these two days because they go together.

6). Biggest size you own?

The biggest size I currently own is 62cm, which is Uri.  I have owned bigger, such as my Soom Chrom who was 65cm+ when wearing his wolf legs.  Overally I like the 60cm +/- size the best.  Uri is really the perfect size and weight for me to carry around.  Any bigger and it becomes a little difficult, smaller and it's not the same.

7). Smallest size you own?

The smallest size I own now is a YoSD size (20-30cm), both in Soom and Volks.  I like this size a lot, and it's definitely the smallest I will go.  I did own a PukiPuki once, but that was far too small for me.  Said doll lasted a few months before I sold it.

30 Day BJD Challenge- Day 5

5). What/Who was the very first bjd you saw?

Technically the very first dolls I ever saw were some EB Beauty models of Volks.  Not exactly the one pictured here as it was a few years ago, but you get the idea.  I can't even remember how I had stumbled upon them, but I know it had something to do with deviantART and probably some "Sailor Moon" search.  At the time I didn't have the means or the understanding to really figure out what I was looking at, partially because the website was in Japanese.  I just knew they were cool, even if I didn't get them.


The next time I encountered a bjd was on a craft forum, and she was a Soom Beryl.  I had vague memories of the first dolls I'd seen, but this was so much better in every way.  Not long after that I joined Den of Angels, and the rest is sort of history.

30 Day BJD Challenge- Day 4

4). What/who was the first bjd you ever owned? Do you still own them?

The first bjd I ever bought was a  WS BBB Ju.  I don't even have photos of her anymore, but she was pretty.  I bought her as a test basically, to see if I liked the bjd hobby.  She was shipped from a local business (Denver Doll Emporium) so it didn't take long, and she was inexpensive.  I reasoned that if I didn't like it, at least I wasn't investing too much time and money, and I could always sell her later.  After her came a BBB Apollo, that was my next step up from her.

In the long run while I liked both dolls (Apollo more so), I really didn't like the dolls' designs.  Nothing against BBB or RS as they have both come a long way, but they weren't to my liking.  I hadn't really researched posing enough, or even considered other companies enough.  Which on one hand I was okay with for the money aspect, but on the other had I done more considering I might still have my original dolls.  I eventually sold the Ju after giving her some mods and unfortunately the Apollo's old body was damaged by my puppy (no hurt to the dog!).

After that dolls came and went with a pretty quick frequency, until I got to Uri.  Even though he wasn't my actual first doll, I still consider him a "first" because he made such an impact on me.  And he is still with me.

30 Day BJD Challenge- Day 3

3.) Post a picture of all your dolls!

I unfortunately don't have a recent shot of my guys together as everyone is in one stage of disarray or another, but if you check out the Muses section, you will find shots of just about everyone.