More Pokemon Spam!

My apologies for all the Charmander spam, he's just so cute and photogenic! I also spent the weekend working on some clothes for him, which was surprisingly easy and fun. Since he's a larger "bear," he actually more-or-less fits into some infant clothes. I've used some thrifted baby clothes before for bjd clothes, so I thought I'd try it for him as well. Mostly I had to take the hem up quite a bit, but otherwise they work pretty well.

I try to choose items that don't look completely like baby clothes, as I prefer them to more like miniature adult clothes. This shirt does have little side snaps on the neck, but it's not overly noticeable or identifiable as being specifically for a baby. It also helped with getting the shirt over his head, so it's not a bad addition.

This item was actually a jean shirt that I cut the sleeves off of and re-hemmed. I have additional plans for decorating this, but I thought it was cute even in it's base form.

Hipster Charmander liked Pokemon before it was cool... I couldn't resist a little plaid shirt, especially paired with the jean vest. This one was also taken in at the bottom, and might eventually need some trimming for the sleeves. 

The last shirt, which is much more orange in reality than it looks here. I also hemmed this one quite a bit, but otherwise it fits nicely.

Update!

Is "back-ish" a legitimate expression? We'll pretend it is.

So I am still alive, just trying to adjust things and get back into my normal routines. Without going into too much detail, I was diagnosed with a health issue over the last few months that threw me for a bit of a loop. It's something I can work with, but I've had to readjust the way I do things in terms of time, energy, and health. Still getting there, but I've been trying to be creative in small ways when I can!

One such project is a new, humorous Instagram account for Spock Bear. He is slightly less complicated to pose and photograph than my dolls for the moment, so I've been doing some work with him. I will also be traveling with family this Christmas holiday, and I've planned to bring him along for some illogical fun. If you're so inclined and have an Instagram, you can follow him @justillogicalthings. I will hopefully be able to upload some of his photos here as well as we go along.

Speaking of photos, the other exciting thing to happen since I last posted is that I got a new camera! It's not particularly fancy, more of a point-and-shoot, but it's the first actual camera I've had in a long time. I am hoping to try it out this weekend so that I can get a feel for what it's like, but I think it will definitely be better than just phone shots. So there should be more photos to come!

Birthday Gifts Part 2

The second item I purchased for my birthday was one I had toyed with looking for before, but I wasn't sure how reasonable the pricing would be. I poked around a bit and with some luck I found one! Introducing the Build a Bear Howl-o-ween Werewolf!

This is the second version of the werewolf they've released (the other being the Moons-a-glow Werewolf), and he has grey-brown fur and glow-in-the-dark fabric on his ears and feet.

Unlike the other werewolf, this guy has just one little fang poking out of his smiley little mouth.

He is so cute and cuddly, and he sits very nicely due to his little tail. I had him stuffed pretty solidly as I like my bears to be a bit firmer. He's dressed in fairly simple clothes as I wanted him to have a more casual style, and also because one of the things I wanted for him wasn't available. He doesn't yet have a name, though I have a few in mind for him,

Bonus picture!

They have these adorable little camo bear boxers that I've been wanting to get for someone, but they haven't worked for any of my prior bears. They seemed to suit him well enough, so I decided to get them as well. I liked them peeking out a bit just over the top of his pants.

Birthday Gifts Part 1

This year for my birthday (which is tomorrow!) I decided to purchase myself to little presents and they arrived this week! (For the second one check in on Wednesday!)

The first item I bought was an outfit from Build a Bear's "International Collectiwear" series. I had glimpsed it online in a few pictures, and decided to seek it out. I did manage to find a reasonably priced one on eBay, and ordered it last week. It took a bit of a roundabout route shipping wise, as it somehow detoured once it got close. However, it did arrive, and I put it on Spock as he's just a wee bit spoiled.

This is the "Kimono Boy" outfit complete with hakama pants (attached to the top as well) and geta. It's quite nicely made, and fits Spock very well.

Making Pip

I had mentioned previously that I wanted to turn my Build a Bear "Bear-o-Lantern" into Pip from The Halloween Tree, and I started on that project this week.

For those unfamiliar with The Halloween Tree, Pip is the young boy in the center here. He wears a green/blue shirt, red overalls, cuffed jeans, and red high tops to complete the look. I wanted to try and modify some existing items if possible, though I didn't have a chance to make it out to BaBW as I live about 45 minutes away from the closest one. I think the shoes will definitely come from there, but the other items are ones I could pick up or create from thrifted items. So I made a trip to my favorite thrift store on their 50% off Wednesday sale to get some basic items.

Here is Pip dressed up in the unaltered items I thrifted. BaBW bears do fit into some children's clothing, usually in the newborn-3mo range. I was able to get the shirt and pants for a total of $3, and the suspenders for another $2.

The shirt needs to be hemmed and dyed, the suspenders cut down and re-sewn, and the pants need a tail hole at the very least. I may end up doing some of the weathering/patching as well, though I don't really want to cut the pants.

I have started some work on the shirt (and cut the tail hole in the pants), so see below for the initial steps.

I used Rit Dye in Emerald for the shirt, and just gave it a light wash over in it. I wanted the color to be blue and green, given how the shirt in the movie is interpreted as both.  Once dyed I pupped it in a pot of cold water, and then hung it to dry. This is the finished color.

And now for something completely different...

Okay so not completely different, but it's not a doll!

I went out with my sister before leaving for the wedding to get lunch and also to visit one of my favorite places...Build a Bear Workshop. Silly maybe, but I find it to be such fun. The one I go to also has really fantastic staff who are great with kids and adults alike, and always super helpful and personable. I had planned on taking pictures of my new friend while I made him, but they were just too much fun and I completely forgot!

I was initially going to pick up their new Eevee, but I knew I wouldn't get there before it sold out (it did in roughly 6 hours!), and I saw another option that I actually really wanted to go with first. So I present to you, Spock Bear!

I don't know how I didn't come across the existence of such an adorable creature earlier, but thankfully they still had quite a few in stock. My love affair with Star Trek started when I was very young as my family watched it, and despite not understanding everything, I loved it. I didn't watch the original series until some years later, but I was well-acquainted with the original characters through books and movies. Spock in particular has always been a character close to my heart for personal reasons, and I was pretty excited at the thought of being able to bring my own Vulcan home. 

I did of course purchase his traditional science blues and a phaser (not pictured), but I also got him a few other items of clothing as well. Some of it I had to order as it wasn't in store, but this "dressed down" outfit was.

Little Vulcan tail!

I have some grand plans for Mr. Spock here, so I expect him to pop up on this blog at least from time to time. Especially with Halloween and conventions coming up. I have my own built-in cosplay buddy with him!

Funny little addendum: After I purchased him and all his goodies, my sister and I continued to shop for a bit. At one store I sat down, and a little boy came up to me and stared into the bag. He didn't say anything at first, but after the third time he all but climbed into the bag I smiled and asked him if he wanted to see my bear. He answered enthusiastically, and I pulled Spock out to show him off. He was delighted with the bear, if a bit confused by the ears. The best part though was that he loudly exclaimed, "He looks like you! You have the same hair." No better compliment than that! One final shot of us together in (unintentionally) matching shirts. Maybe there's more to this resemblance than I thought.

Live long and prosper!