So...I did a thing.

A good thing really. Just not something I was planning to do quite yet.

I decided earlier this week to switch my RS layaway to a Mi with a face up instead of blank, as I'm not sure I have the space/time to paint her right away. As I did that, they also asked if I wanted to pay her off and well...I did.

Before doing so I did a little poking around in terms of her zodiac sign/"birth date" which may seem a little silly, but it's important to me character-wise. I had originally planned for her to be a Libra, simply because that's what I am and I thought it would be fun. In truth though, being a Virgo actually suits her character so much better, and fits in with a lot of what I'd planned out already. So I decided I would pay her off and have her arrive in the Virgo time period. Which is why I'm currently refreshing (and refreshing!) my tracking page as she will arrive today.

It feels kind of crazy for four months of planning to suddenly come to fruition, but I'm really excited. Of course today I have a million other things to do, including a Halloween party and some errands to run. But I will be able to open her at the part if I so desire, which is nice. Now I just need to relax for a bit (year right) and pack her bag. So barring any strange and unfortunately occurrences, my next post should be a box opening!

Giant doll box of doom has arrived!

And it's huge!  Really, really huge!  I'm 5'7" or so, and it comes up to mid-thigh on me at least.  I'm hoping to snap a picture of it measuring up before I open it.  Which probably won't be til later tonight if I want to get photos. Dolls always seem to arrive on the day I go to the shelter after work, what's up with that?

Emmanuel III will be here tomorrow. I wish it was today because Thursdays are crazy for me, but I suppose tomorrow works too. Just means I'll probably have to figure out some unique lighting for his box opening photos.

Super Secret Doll Project Revealed!

So right after I decided I would do some modding to Ghost, I peeked in the marketplace on DoA as I do occasionally and...well...  I came across a Volks School A Head for an insanely reasonably price (like..it was crazy).  He was old and modded and needed some TLC, but he was beautiful and well within my price range.  So rather than mod Ghost's head, I decided to get him a new (to me) one!  

The pretty head itself, gosh he is so lovely! Perfect for my frowny boy.

And the head on the body! Funny story, as I was trying to remove his old head the elastic slipped and I ended up having to restring his legs/torso.  On my lunch break. Boo! But he's whole, and Ghost's eyes fit him perfectly.  I cannot even express how wonderful it is to be able to just pop the eyes in and go (though they do need a little tweaking here). Old!Ghost's head had weird eye wells that were uneven and made adjusting eyes a huge pain.  But not this boy.

Repetitive pictures ho!

 The head needs to be cleaned, which I'll be doing tonight.  Painting will have to wait until I can get back into my storage unit (long story, lost my keys :/).  But even blank he's really lovely!

Dolly Talk: The Sound of Music

Since I was little, music has played a big role in my life.  Both my parents were musicians, and I am rarely not  singing, playing, or writing music.  It's not just a part of my life, it is my life in many ways.

I have a habit (okay...addiction?) of making themed mixes.  Sometimes they have an overreaching theme...like mori for example.  Other times they are for a particular day, or even a particular activity.  I have a bunch of driving mixes on my iPod for when I go into the city, each one tailored to the event I'm attending.

My dolls do not escape my music obsession either.  Each active* doll has their own mix that connects to their story line and/or their personality.  Uriel has the most extensive mix by far, but he is also the most developed character.  Nowell just recently got his own mix with some songs I've been collecting for him since I got him.

Whenever I get a new doll, I select a song to play when I open them.  I like there to be a special first song for them to "hear."  Uriel oddly enough didn't have one, I hadn't finalized this practice when I got him.  Granted he now has more songs than anyone else.  Nowell 's song was where he got his name, "What Child, Nowell" by Tori Amos.  Arashi's first song was "Hills and Valleys" by The Rocket Summer.  Sometimes the song is influenced by the idea I have for the doll, and sometimes it influences the development of the doll.

I knew what new doll's song would be even before I paid him off: the live version of "Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac.  That is a song I actually sing at open mic, but I had never heard this particular live cut before.  I stumbled upon it while poking through Fleetwood Mac's discography on Spotify and there it was.  It's mysterious, and magical, and everything that I wanted for this doll. Oddly enough even as the character may be changing, the music I've picked out for him has stayed the same.

*By "active" I mean dolls I'm currently writing about/working with. Arashi for example is inactive because I don't know what I'm doing with him.  Right now Uriel, Nowell, and this new guy are active.

Light at the end of the tunnel.

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.

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

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. :)