Swap time!

I think I might have a gotten a wee bit carried away with my Swap excitement. I have committed to 3 in total, but one includes sending stuff to 2 people. (Which I didn't realize was a possibility? Maybe I missed that in the sign up....) I know I have all month, but seriously, time literally FLIES when there is a deadline in site. I don't have my swap partner for one, but I have the other three. I'm pretty solidly booked with commissions right now as well, so I need to get a move on! I have a pretty good idea what I am going to be making for at least 3 of my people. Still need to figure out the fourth one. I have gotten started at least, so that's good. 

I'm hoping to have time as well to get some new stuff in my shop for the Christmas season. Christmas food, and some new AG dresses. Maybe a couple of Blythe items as well. I am making one outfit that will probably end up in my store for Pipos. I am working out a pattern for a commission, and while I love how the outfit is shaping up, it doesn't really fit the style of any of my dolls. Been quite awhile since I listed anything Pipos in my Etsy store. 

I do expect to be hectic this time of year, as it is always that way. I think it just started a little earlier this year? The water is boiling on the stove for the noodles. I am HUNGRY!

Halloween was great this year

I had a pretty darn good Halloween this year. We had errands to run after lunch, so I wanted to be sure to get into my Halloween costume before leaving. My costume this year was a mish mash of what I had, in an attempt to create something cool out of it.

Last year I had bought one of those half masks, you know the Venetian carnival kind. It was in black and silver. Then I got a cloak from Wal-Mart to go with it. I am not sure what I had in mind when I bought them at the time. I can't wear masks - I feel too smothered. So I was struggling to find something that appealed to me, and settled on those.

As I have probably said on here before, we spent last Halloween moving. This day in particular was the 3rd day of the trip, and was spent battling horrific winds in WY which slowed us down. We didn't make it to Rock Springs - our stopping place for the night - until 8 or so. Hours after what we had planned on, and what would have been had those awful 50 mph winds not forced us to go around Elk mountain at slower speeds than normal. So, that was fun, as you can imagine.

One year later, settled in our new place, it was time to think about dressing up again! I was a little disappointed with what I had bought, and wasn't going to spend any more money on anything new. So, there was my 2 costume pieces, my clothes which didn't match, and a make up set that wasn't as advertised. The white wasn't white white, and so I had to sponge grey over it to make it look like I was dressing up for Halloween! In the end, I was pretty happy with it. After putting a sponge under the mask to make it more comfortable to wear, of course.

We had some errands to run, so off we went. It was much too warm for the long sleeves I was wearing. We had a few stops to make, and the final one was picking up the ingredients for pizza. I baked the pumpkin cupcakes after coming in. They turned out alright. I didn't end up making the chocolate frosting, but they didn't really need them any ways. (I only ate half of one, though.)

After dinner I got all my anthros out on the porch for their pictures. I am really pleased with what I managed to make, although I wish I hadn't run out of time to make Honeysuckle something nice. Here's how they looked, all together:

We did have some trick or treaters come down the street. That was pretty fun. Having lived out in the country for so long before moving here, it was one thing I was looking forward to. Of course, it started out really well with one of the first little girls falling off the porch. Moment of pure horror. She luckily landed on her feet, and our porch isn't all that high. But my heart literally stopped. There weren't any more disasters after that. I had planned to watch a movie, but ended up just making Christmas paper plates for my store. The biggest 'wow' moment of the night is when some neighbors a few houses down lit some fireworks that had to have been the loudest I have ever heard. Very unusual to see fireworks on Halloween, but a fun treat!

I never thought I would say this, but I am for once, glad Halloween is over. Not that the Halloween decorations will be coming down any time soon. Probably not until the Christmas ones go up. And now, here's the question. Is it still to early to listen to Christmas music? And when to set up the tree? :D

Obitsu 11cm has joined the family!

I just sort of fell into getting this guy. I was wanting to save up for a PKF, but then I saw this body is the same size as the PukiPuki via someone's body comparison photos, and decided, what the hey. It's cheap, cute and easily obtainable. So, I bought him last week. I bought the body in the white skin (which isn't white) and the Cocco head. I also bought a pair of 12mm eyes, which were the recommended size for him.

He got here yesterday. Junkyspot always ships so quickly! As soon as I opened him, I knew he was the right choice. Yes, he's small, but no smaller than what I have already sewn for.  I have had a larger Obitsu in the past, but I sold him before we moved. I didn't see my doing much with him at the time, and the more I didn't have to pack, the better. So, I figured it wouldn't be much different. But when I tried to put his head on, it just wouldn't go on. :/ I watched a tutorial, which didn't really help. I did some more searching, and found out that it isn't uncommon to have to use a blow dryer to get the head on. (And that was probably obvious, but I wanted to make sure so I didn't mess my little guy up! Which I will do once I give him a face up. So, I ended up just unscrewing the neck piece, put the head on and popped the neck piece on top of it. It stays on just fine. The body comes with 2 other pairs of hands (fist and sort of gripping hands), 2 other neck pieces, and also a ring which is supposed to go on in the middle of the neck piece, to keep the head resting where it is supposed to. Mine doesn't need it, as the ring is a little bit too big for the neck whole on the head. I'm also having the damndest time taking his head cap on and off.

These little heads have molded eye sockets made out of the same vinyl as the head. When I tried to put the eyes in, there was just no getting them in. I did some more research, and I read that putting little slits in the sides of the eye sockets can help. I did that, and still no fitting. They are just too big. I am going to get some 10mm and see how they fit, although I am considering getting 8 instead. Maybe I'll just order both sizes and see which one works. So, for anyone getting the Obitsu Cocco head 12mm DO NOT FIT.

Small issues aside, I adore this little guy. He's so cute, and amazingly posable. I've named him Pepper, and I will be getting him a black long fur wig. I am not sure what style of clothes to make him yet. It's going to be hard to find any boy shoes in his size. Most are the typical Mary Janes. Here's a picture of him, bald, eyeball-less, clothes-less and face up-less,

Paper plates for dolls!

Another weekend has come and gone. It was a good one. Watched the Packers wallop the Panthers today until the station decided the game wasn't "competitive" enough. GRRRRRRRRR. Thank you. I suppose a 28 - 3 score wasn't enjoyable for everyone. But did you HAVE to make me - a Packers fan who doesn't get to watch many of their games -  watch the Seahawkes and Rams? I admit, it was a more "competitive" game. Not a bad ending, interesting, coming down to the last minute sort of thing. But I sire was enjoying watching my team.

Yesterday after we got the house all picked up, I opened the package I ordered from Joann's. I hit a sale on the paper punches and also had a coupon code for shipping. So, I got 2 punches the right size for my 1/12 and 1/6 plate molds, and also some triple thick gloss. Let the paper plate making fun begin!! Which it did.

After dinner we rushed to Michael's to spend that 50% coupon that expired later that night. I wanted to grab some felt tipped pens to put edging onto my plates. I used acrylic paint with both a thin brush and also a tooth pick, and while it worked, I figured pens would be much easier. I also wanted to get some more scrapbook paper. The paper was 4 for $1. Yay! I found some pens that I thought would work, and figured I would use the coupon on them. (They were $8.) I wanted to check the clay section before we left to see if anything was on sale. And then I saw it.

I had watched a tutorial before dinner on making ice cream out of clay. She used some sort of tool that was a Walnut something or another extractor. I couldn't remember what she had called it, and did a half baked search trying to find it. (Because I didn't want to re-watch an 8 minute video to write down the name. Makes sense, right?) Well, lo and behold, there it was! A Walnut Hollow Clay Extractor. With 50% off coupon, it would only be $14. Yep, it was coming home with me.

I didn't try it out until today, and it is wonderful. Last night's paper plate mania ended with my making nearly 50 plates. I still need to seal some of them. What fun! Next up is making food to go ON the plates. Here's a picture of some of my plates:

Inspiration for clothing

I have been so busy with commissions (always a happy thing to say!) and Halloween food for my shop that sewing new doll dresses just has not happened. It's Fall - Winter will be coming up pretty darn soon (wow, already??) and I want to make some winter weather dresses for Blythe and AGs. But what? Since I only make Historical AG clothing, I've been looking for some inspiration from real vintage patterns, catalog images and the like. I'm really getting excited about some Edwardian designs for Samantha. I need to go fabric shopping....:D I actually book marked these images in an organized manner. Go me! This way I am not sifting through a massive pile of unnamed images. (Which is the way it has been.) I'm putting them into their own labeled folders. I will thank myself later.

I then got to looking at Victorian Mourning Dresses. I have to make some for my Blythes. One thing I love about these dolls is they are small (less fabric!) and I can make them these sort of dresses and it'll look right! I stumbled onto this site called DevilInspired. Oh, do they some amazing clothes! I find I tend to prefer the gothic Victorian dresses (big surprise) vs. the technically more historically accurate. At least to make for my dolls. Though one of these days I want to take on making as historically accurate ensemble as I can manage. But back to DevilInspired, I want to make Lotus a dress like this:

http://www.devilinspired.co.uk/gothic-victorian-dresses/82-classic-black-bow-and-ruffle-gothic-victorian-dress.html

It is so amazing, I was practically drooling in my coffee. They have so many gorgeous gowns. My girls will be thrilled when I have time to make them something like these!

So many wonderful things to make, and not enough time to do it all! Hmmm, I need one of those time bender things from Harry Potter.....

Guilt Free Buying :D

It's a nice feeling when you spend money on something that you feel no guilt over. We all do it, as collectors, when you buy something and kind of cringe in between the feelings of ecstasy when you buy that something that you really didn't need. This time, I am so thrilled with what I bought. And it is completely guilt free. 

I did buy another TBL Blythe. I had to. She is en route as we speak (or as I type.) I cannot wait for her to arrive. I justified her purchase when I decided I would re-home my Very Cherry Blythe. I am just not bonding with her either. Lenore will have to find a new body later on. My yellow haired TBL is just perfect, I think. I have her all figured out, and do feel pretty confidant she will be as I have her planned. I had some commission money free, so I grabbed her. I have still to list my VB Blythe. I am hoping she will sell pretty quickly. Not sure what I will do with the money from her selling, but it won't be more Blythes. Not for now. I'm settled with just the 2.

I am been splitting my sales money between buying more supplies (I had to grab more clay for more Halloween food) and also supplies for my own creating. I have this unbelievably awesome commission for a Pipos outfit with a buyer I am very familiar with, having sewn more than once for her. She is wanting to go all out, which is basically music to any commission artist's ears. I suggest investing in some milliner's supplies for a really nice hat. And I bought some silk to make it with. She was all for it, so now I am impatiently waiting for my supplies. I also grabbed some tiny trim and a book on making doll and doll sized trims, which I  hope will prove useful. 

I also bought some tights for my Blythes, shoes, and some tiny eyelets, and eyelet tool, and about 4 yards of black lace. Yesterday I grabbed some black pleather for some Blythe sized corsets, so now I will have the eyelets to make them look right. (Lotus is wanting a black and white Steampunk outfit, complete with corset.) I also got some tools for tiny slay sculpting.

It's been awesome! I have some money set aside to buy some better clay for doll figures. I'm going to re-research it out - I've looked before, but I need to re-look. I have plans for a creepy fun house, which needs some properly creepy figures. Sculpey is just too soft, but if in the end that't what I get, that's what I get. 

In case you can't tell, I am really happy. And stuck watching the world's most boring football that just happened to go into overtime. 

It's September, its football season, and some doll ramblings

September really did come up fast. Tonight its supposed to be in the 40's - Fall has arrived in UT!It got pretty warm the last few days, but the type of warm has definitely changed. I love it.

This weekend will be Week 2 of the NFL. Last Thursday I got to watch the Packers get beaten by Seattle. I was getting the flu so it was miserable enough without seeing them lose. Then Sunday we watched the Patriots lose to the Dolphins. Let's just say I am not overly hopeful about the Pats. Between the pathetic game calling by the coaches (where was that halftime adjustment??? Or any adjustment for that matter???) the terrible defensive play (though the secondary wasn't too bad, did the defense realize they were supposed to stop the guy running forward with the ball???) and the offensive line that was doing it's best swiss cheese imitation (pocket collapsing that quick, so many times???) I am sort of dreading their game against the Vikings this Sunday. If Miami had good luck running against, Adrian Peterson must be licking his lips at the amount of yards he is guaranteed to get. The Packers I am not quite so down on, but losing Raji was HUGE. (No pun intended there on the man's stature.) Their offense didn't look quite together, and their defense was lacking. However, they were playing against the World Champs, a team looking to totally dominate the league this year. So, I expect a much better showing against the Jets. :) If the Jets, the Bills and the Dolphins all end up 2-0 next week while the Pats are 0-2, there will be some howling at the moon. As that would also mean the Packers are starting out 0-2 while Minnesota goes 2-0. We also watched the Colts/Broncos game on Sunday night, and while Denver may have won, I was super pleased to see their lackluster play in the second half. I have never been a Denver fan in any realm of existence. And while I do not wish any serious ill on Peyton Manning, I am dreading the 16-0 and 19-0 the ever annoying media will be pushing. Again. Okay, bitching over. Now on to something that makes me prickle less!

I am working on some Halloween food treats for my store. It probably won't be too much of an emphasis for me this year, but I want to add a little something. I have 2 things made tonight. I planned on more, but I had a near disaster trying to fix the Rebecca dress I just listed in my store tonight. (It took surgical like care and about an hour to remove all the thread, and the serging stitch without damaging the loose delicate weave of the fabric, but all is well.) I'll work on it some more tomorrow along with some commission work.