I always thought that Junebug’s original outfit, with a skirt and tights, was impractical for all the activities she likes to do, so I finally got her some pants and an overshirt yesterday. Here she is in all her bright, non-matching glory.Continue reading Junebug’s new clothes

Noodge in the Xmas tree.Continue reading Noodge in Xmas tree

Noodge on a ball. Continue reading Noodge having a ball

Noodge, who came to my parents’ house with me for Xmas break, hangs out [literally] in a tree.Continue reading Noodge in a tree deco

Gawd, Sarah’s such a brooding beauty. Continue reading Sarah with flash

My Fairyland RealPuki Soso arrived in the mail today, sadly, after doll club, so I couldn’t show her off this month. I will next month, however. I took a few photos of her in front of her box and with the violent pink yarn that has stymied me in my knitting progress.Continue reading Noodge is here!

In tribute to my grandmother, who died in July, I’m redoing all of season 2 [in which Anneka’s grandmother dies] with dolls, rather than digital renders. In this ep, the funeral is held for Minerva.

In tribute to my grandmother, who died in July, I’m redoing all of season 2 [in which Anneka’s grandmother dies] with dolls, rather than digital renders. Previously, in LHF, Anneka and Will were up in Vermont, struggling in their own ways with Anneka’s grandmother’s death. Disturbed by flashbacks of the deaths of himself and his parents, Will finally reveals to Anneka what’s on his mind. We find out how Will was turned into a vampire and just how stupid his first clan was.

In tribute to my grandmother, who died in July, I’m redoing all of season 2 [in which Anneka’s grandmother dies] with dolls, rather than digital renders. In this ep, Anneka takes her grandma’s illness hard and tries to console herself with help from her best friend.

http://oddpla.net/lhf/?p=51

I ordered my Seed Dolls Inkling today. She'll come with a neutral open-eyed faceplate and the one that she will wear most often, the pouting one. Her name will be Petula, a word that has the same cognate as "petulant," which describes her character: chronically unimpressed. She'll be Sarah's second BJD, after Precious Little.

In tribute to my grandmother, who died in July, I’m redoing all of season 2 [in which Anneka’s grandmother dies] with dolls, rather than digital renders. In this ep, Will thinks of a time in his own past when he was close to death. He has flashbacks of his relationship with the vampire Absinthe.

I really want an Inkling BJD, done by Seed Dolls, or armeleia [aka the person who modded Jareth and Frank BJDs for me]. Done in 1:9 scale. Inkling was made to be a 1:3 doll for 1:3 dolls — a BJD’s BJD. She appeals to me because of her small size, because apparently my own BJDs like BJDs and because she has multiple faceplates. I especially like the pouting faceplate.  I would get an Inkling and have her wear the pouting faceplate all the time, being a permanently bad-tempered doll. HAH!

Experimenting with photos at 20% of original size, rather than 25%.Continue reading Sarah has a Gothy edge, I think.

In tribute to my grandmother, who died in July, I’m redoing all of season 2 [in which Anneka’s grandmother dies] with dolls, rather than digital renders. Here, Anneka’s parents, Mamie, Anneka and Will visit Minerva.

Verdict: Sweet, smooth milk chocolate blends with equally sweet and smooth cream filling with a sparky flavor from freeze-dried strawberries. The creaminess of the chocolate mixes well with the slightly lighter weight of the cream filling. This is a squishy, rich bar — I could only eat half at once — with a dominant, but complex, taste. The two sweetnesses together may be too much for some people, but I really liked it. This is delicious high-grade chocolate for a decent price. Buy it!

I took some pictures in my driveway today after work. When she’s clowning around with the leaf, you can see how small she really is! Continue reading Doll in the fall

One of her big toes is sculpted so that it’s slightly upturned.Continue reading Little feets

In tribute to my grandmother, who died in July, I’m redoing all of season 2 [in which Anneka’s grandmother dies] with dolls, rather than digital renders. In another one of his flashbacks triggered by being around Anneka’s dying grandmother, Will remembers the time over 100 years ago when his old girlfriend, Absinthe, tried to vamp him.

Si chouette!! I wired her arms with pipe cleaners, and she poses much better now.  Continue reading Precious Little with 1:3 nail polish

Here’s Precious Little again. I love her profile.Continue reading Here’s a better picture of her.

Here is Precious Little, a Dollmore Banji Eomji. She’s a BJD who belongs to my BJD Sarah. Pretty cute!Continue reading Meet Precious Little

In tribute to my grandmother, who died in July, I’m redoing all of season 2 [in which Anneka’s grandmother dies] with dolls, rather than digital renders. In our previous ep, Anneka mentioned that she was resting while Will was talking to her parents. Here are the excruciating details of that conversation.

Before I send her head off tomorrow, here are a few more shots of Sarah, showing her current fabulous outfit!Continue reading More Sarah

I don’t know where my 1:3 Tarot cards went or my 1:3 book about Puritan cemetery iconography [handmade by me], so I bought some new mini Tarot cards and books for my 1:3ers. I got them a mini version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and a mini book of The Raven and two tales by Poe. The total shipping was more than the total price of the items. :p Anyway, then they won’t get bored if they want to do something other than talking to each other.

In tribute to my grandmother, who died in July, I’m redoing all of season 2 [in which Anneka’s grandmother dies] with dolls, rather than digital renders. This episode occurs after Anneka and Will have driven up to Vermont to see her family and her dying grandmother. In this ep, Anneka suffers the consequences of being out during the day.

My doll Sarah’s jeans and loafers have been purchased and will soon be in the mail.

I have an inquiry in to PamSD about making her poet’s blouse and vest.

I’m also hoping to commission Lynn Nexus on DOA to make 2 yarn wigs, one wiggly and hot pink, to satisfy my desires for pink hair, and one straight and dark brown, for hair like Sarah had in the movie.

And Arianne02 has agreed to do a custom faceup on Sarah that will give her a complexion and features like Sarah’s in the movie!

I can’t wait. She’s gonna be really cute. Now I just need to find some 16mm hazel or green eyes….

EDIT: Green eyes found and ordered!

Here’s what my Shiva looks like now, before her custom "Sarah" faceup. Picture by zouzou, the DOA seller.  Continue reading Souldoll Shiva G with default faceup

In tribute to my grandmother, who died in July, I’m redoing all of season 2 [in which Anneka’s grandmother dies] with dolls, rather than digital renders. Here is the second episode, in which Will and Anneka are on their way to Vermont to visit Anneka’s ailing grandmother. Along the way, Will dreams about his past.

…a Soom Breccia head. Owner pictures show her much more full of character and smirks and less vapid than the promo pics.

Yeah…like I need any more big dolls.

In tribute to my grandmother, who died in July, I’m redoing all of season 2 [in which Anneka’s grandmother dies] with dolls, rather than digital renders. Here’s the first episode, in which Anneka and Will show off a bit of their huge collection of kinky sex toys.

I got the genius, bad, tempting idea this afternoon that Bobobie Charisma looks like Jareth. And there’s a Bobobie Charisma human head on the DOA Marketplace right now for $30.00. Of course, it’s slate-blue, which Jareth most emphatically ain’t, but that’s why people who have airbrushes who can be hired to recolor a head were invented.

To quote Hoggle from Labyrinth, "Damn you, Jareth! And damn me too!"

Like I need more Jareths in my life…especially after I already got rid of a BJD one [but it didn’t really look like him anyway].

EDIT: Well, shit. I see that Bobobie is on my list of cheating doll cos.

…But Charisma has a smirk...and a cheap price tag.

Did I mention the smirk? And the seductive androgyny? And the face that looks older than most preternaturally young-faced BJDs?

How morally compromised am I, considering the abandonment of my principles for a cheap smirk?

Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, maybe I can go to bed.

Anneka models more Moxie Teens fashions, all of which fit CGs beautifully. The first is marketed as a night gown, but it works very well as a dress and bolero for action figs. The second outfit is made of Melrose’s top and Bijou’s pants. Bijou’s pants actually go up to Anneka’s waist and close in the  back, making a very effective pair of skinny jeans! I bought all four Moxie Teens and the night gown set at full price, but I am very pleased with the results. Now I have to figure out what to do with four naked Moxie Teens on my desk….
Continue reading Anneka in more Moxie Teens clothes

This is The Morning After, by WooThemes. What do you think? Is it readable? Clear? Inviting? None of the above? Any thoughts would be helpful.

In which shoes are lusted after.

I ordered Moxie Teens Melrose and Bijou [I already cannibalized Tristen and Arizona for their clothes], along with a pajamas set that looks like a nice lightweight summer dress. Melrose and Bijou shall donate their clothes to my 1:6ers, and I shall be up more 1:6 outfits at an exorbitant price! I’m really looking forward to Bijou’s transparent pink over-blouse and the jeans [over some long shirts, of course, for I hear they are too short-waisted otherwise]. Since I have a lot of extra money, compared to when I lived at my previous apartment, I can afford to invest in my dollies, hurrah!

Continue reading More Moxie Teens clothes

Anneka and Will wear clothes from Moxie Teens. Will’s skirt and scarf are Moxie Teens, as are Anneka’s shirt and skirt. Fabulous?!Continue reading Anneka, Will and the Moxie Teens

I got my pink-headed Harumika today and promptly named her Bering Lusk. She’s quite imperious [hence the quote from David Bowie’s Within You, from Labyrinth], even with her limited articulation. However, she willingly donned an an42 creation made for a larger doll and allowed herself to be shot in the dying sun.Continue reading “How you turn my world, you precious thing”: Bering Lusk, the Harumika mannequin

Just two more photos of my new AJ.Continue reading My new AJ again

In which we look in on Velvette’s designing skills.

I got a MIB AJ Mcleod recently. I just took off her default outfit and dressed her in an an42 dress, with a hat from someplace and Shoezies fuzzy cowskin boots! In these pictures, she is showing off some new cosmetics erasers that Val gave me, a little big for 1:6, but still workable.Continue reading My new AJ

Ordered today from Amazon! Soon to be mine! I love her headsculpt and elegant hands. I may paint her head and rebody it…not sure.

In which we get a glimpse into Rori’s busy, busy life.

The first Cy Girl I picked up, back in 2001, was A.J. Mcleod. Her pale, melancholy face and brown hair reminded me of Jennifer Connelly as Sarah, but AJ looked more intelligent because her mouth was closed. I’ve loved and used the CG02 headsculpt [appearing on A.J., Blaze, Shadow and Destiny] many times in my collection, but, after customizing my last, I have no stock examples of this beautiful head. A fellow MWDer is selling me a MIB AJ, though, so I can enjoy her pure, unalloyed beauty as the second part of my "congratulations-I-successfully-moved" present to myself. I’ll leave this one untouched, though I’ll certainly change her clothes. I find AJ’s default outfit uninteresting.

P.S. If anyone wants to send me more congratulatory gifts because I successfully moved, comment here, and I will E-mail you my new address. 😀 😀

Tonight I painted Sophie’s eyes orange. I worked on her lips, but I didn’t like them in either black or yellow, so I erased them. I also ended up erasing a bit of the silver around her mouth, so now her lips look very slightly matte in comparison to the rest of her. I don’t think I’ll mess with her any more; her eyes are more visible, and she looks welcoming, rather than creepy. As a bonus, there is a self-portrait in Sophie’s forehead of me holding my camera. :pContinue reading Sophie with orange eyes

I painted Sophie’s eyes black this evening in an effort to make her features stand out a bit more. What do you think I should do to her lips to make them more visible? In these pictures, she’s meeting Ebru, my YNU Group Mixi Houda, who has a new hat. Both of them are wearing an42 dresses!Continue reading Sophie meets Ebru.

Here is my latest 1:6 acquisition. She is a Comic Con 2003 special edition silver Cy Girl. Even though she was produced in small numbers, she’s still available from Echobase Toys, who sold her to me for <$30.00 including shipping. There are only two unusual things about her: first, her color, and, second, her headsculpt, which, as far as I know, was used only on the Comic Con exclusives [there was a gold one too], but not on any flesh-colored dollies. Made completely of silver plastic [except for her joints, which are whitish], Sophie, as I have named her, is very difficult to take pictures of. She has the opposite problem of Velvette, my darkest doll, who swallows light; Sophie, instead, reflects everything. Forthwith, some photos.Continue reading Sophie

In which Viktor listens to the Rolling Stones, who describe his life.

C’est a dire, I have purchased the doll who would play Scanty Sophie if the Intellectum Library project ever came to fruition: a Comic-Con 2003 special silver Cy Girl 1.0. She is part of my "Congratulations, you successfully moved!" present to myself. She will be part of LHF, a robotic creation of Janet’s, and her name will be Sophie. I used to have a silver CG a long time ago, and I’m pleased to be getting one again. Thanks, Echobase Toys. Watch out for her eventual inclusion in LHF!

One of my favorite 3-D models is a cartoon character, The Girl, created by Kim Goossens. I used her as the base for this picture of Frank, who is clothed in free EvilInnocence skirt and top because I’m not up for spending new money on 3-D. The engaging smirk! The gravity-defying boobs! What’s not to love?Continue reading I love The Girl!

The Old Library [the green part of the library complex] boasts a lifesize statue on top of its pointy dome. This naked silver figure, which holds a book, represents Sophia, or knowledge, but everyone in the library calls her Scanty Sophie. No one knows why she has no hair or clothes, but people generally agree that the sculptor, whose name is mercifully lost to time, couldn’t sculpt cloth or hair very well.

Anyway, old-timers at the library always tell newcomers that Scanty Sophie comes down from her pedestal and lurks around the fashion section, trying to find something to wear. Some people swear that they’ve seen her, but they’re also the same people who are certain that a dragon — a book wyrm, to be precise — slumbers below the library’s foundation.

Scanty Sophie is a textureless Daz model, the free Victoria 2. Her book is just a cube primitive rescaled. Continue reading Sophia, the symbol, mascot and haunt of the Library of Intellectum

…But I couldn’t help but go into my old account and order these Dystopia City Blocks 1-10 and 11-20. They’re just so beautiful — I’ve admired them since I first became interested in 3-D rendering — and, besides, they’re free. I’d love to do a multimedia doll soap opera using some of them as exterior shots.

In which we discover that there are two types of people in the world.

In which we find out how Pippilotta got her name.

In which we find out who Mark and Sibley really love.

In which we learn about Janet’s secret vice.

In which we look into Anneka and Will’s dreams.

I just had the pleasure of watching the first 4-ep [back when eps were 30 minutes apiece] adventure with the Fourth Doctor of Dr. Who. That adventure, Robot, appeared in 1974 and involved a morally conflicted robot being manipulated by elitist geniuses to promote nuclear warfare on Earth. Given that the Doctor was played at this time by Tom Baker, known for his indelible and classic portrayal of the Doctor, I was curious to see what Who Classic, as interpreted by a universally beloved actor, looked like.

I must say that I easily see why so many viewers adore Baker as the Doctor. With his buggy eyes, uncontrollable hair and facetiously long but always useful scarf, Baker projects an air much like Harpo Marx. Seemingly childlike in his non sequiturs and mood shifts, Baker conveys the impression of an intelligence and a personality moving much too fast for most humans to grasp. While light-years beyond humans in comprehension, Baker’s Doctor also enjoys playing with them, changing costumes, offering jelly babies and doing other performative flourishes that require an appreciative audience. I don’t think of him as an arrogant performer, but a self-satisfied one, always ready to prove how sparkling he is. His smugness, playfulness and utter confidence wrap up into an endearing whole.

As a whole show, Dr. Who was different in 1974 than it is now. With shorter episodes and stronger musical cues pointing out humorous moments, Dr. Who in 1974 comes across as more sit-com-like than dramatic. At the same time, the constant shooting, blowing up and cliff-hanging endings work against the sit-com frame, suggesting more of an old-fashioned serial drama. The show has an interesting hybrid form, and I can see why it appealed back then to viewers of all ages.

After reading The Red Tree twice earlier this month, I discovered that its author, Caitlin Kiernan, is to blame for a particularly memorable bit of fictional splatter, "Season of the Broken Dolls," that I read online a few years ago and then forgot all the salient details of, except for that it was about living art made out of undone and rearranged people.

Anyway, purely by chance, while looking into the rest of Kiernan’s oeuvre, I found out that she wrote "Season," and I knew then that it was the story that I’d remembered for quite a while. I even found a copy of it online, so here it is in its memorable, disgusting glory, memorialized for future use. It will never get away from me again.

In which Will meets his muse, Captain Thunderpussy, encore une fois.

In which Anneka meets her muse, Leonyssus, again.

I just watched 5.2 and 5.4, "The Beast Below" and "Time of the Angels." The latter appears to be the first part of a two-parter starring my favorite Dr. Who monsters, the Weeping Angels, who look like life-sized cemetery statues when one is looking at them, but transform into fanged killers when one doesn’t look at them. I can’t wait till the second part, "Flesh and Stone," to resolve the story!

I would like to report that I still like Amy better than the Twelfth Doctor; with her sharpness, briskness and quick thinking, Karen Gillan’s portrayal reminds me of a less infatuated, more intelligent Rose. Gillan seems to have more range than, say, Freema Agyeman.

However, even though I prefer Amy over Matt Smith’s Doctor, at least the Doctor has settled down a bit from the first ep and shown himself some more consistent personality. He’s slapdash, risk-taking and fond of waiting till the last minute for his genius to kick in. In his dramaticness [yes, that’s a word that I just made up] and unpredictability, he seems a close follower of Tennant’s portrayal.

In which the end and the beginning of Angelie’s story is reached.

In which Angelie hasn’t been around for a while.

Matt Smith, as the eleventh Doctor, and Karen Gillan, as companion Amy Pond, blast off in the season 5 pilot of Dr. Who with an episode light on plot and actual information and heavy on loosey-goosey antics from the latest incarnation of the character, whose David Tennant form I liked better.

As the Doctor, Smith plays a bouncy, funny, nearly addlebrained version of the BBC’s flagship alien, who talks faster and jumps around more than previous versions. Smith’s Doctor seems much looser and more out-of-control than even Tennant’s, kind of like a puppy whose feet are too big for it.

Meanwhile, with her crisp primness and matter-of-fact reactions to a spaceship in her front yard, Amy, as played by Gillan, offers a certain uptight confidence that is quite likeable. Possibly she is also a study in the faithfulness of human nature, given that she’s been waiting most of her life for the Doctor to come back.

So far, after one ep, the Doctor feels like a big collection of personality spasms and tics rather than a fully fledged character. Amy comes across as more well-rounded and -grounded. In this case, the companion transmits herself as more endearing and accessible than the Doctor. Meanwhile, there is some hope for Matt Smith, as he’s definitely demonstrated the comic chops necessary for the role. It would be nice for him to find the center of the character beyond the farce, however. So far, I haven’t seen it.

P.S. Despite the fact that it’s missing the signature long electrical warping sounds [weeeeee-ooooooooooo!], I do like the new theme. And the new TARDIS looks cool too.

Just as each actor who plays the Doctor brings something new to the role and makes it a different show, so each person who plays a major companion of the Doctor’s changes the balance of the show as well.

Rose, played by Billie Piper, seems to be the most quintessentially human of the Doctor’s companions. Neither particularly smart nor particularly stupid, she is notable for her compassion, even towards Daleks in season 2’s "Dalek," and her adventuresome curiosity that more than matches the Doctor’s in whatever form he’s in. Her constant sense of wonder toward her weird adventures and her ability to see the personhood of non-human aliens makes her the representative of the best of human nature. I think it also helps that Piper had one of the longest-running companion roles, allowing her a full range of emotions in her performance, which thus lets her sort of embody the full gamut of human sentiment. As an actor, Piper is convincing, competent and naturalistic, a permeable Mary Sue with adorable qualities.

Martha, played by Freema Agyeman, seems to be the most academical and dependent of the Doctor’s companions. With her doctor training, she represents human knowledge, but she does not seem to have the same voracious spirit of adventure demonstrated by Rose and Donna. She appears less interested in the awesomeness of space and time and more interested in the Doctor as a love object. Therefore she sticks like glue to him and gets very very anxious when he’s, for example, human in season 3’s "Human Nature" and "Family of Blood." She comes across as more desperate than the other companions of the New Who, probably because of her unrequited love for the Doctor. As an actor, Agyeman gives a performance with remote, high-strung and occasionally wooden notes. Even though I have a very cute doll of her, I dislike her the most of the New Who companions.

Donna, played by Catherine Tate, seems to be the most energetic and snarky of the Doctor’s companions. Her rubber-facedness matches perfectly with Tennant’s [see season 4’s "Partners in Crime" for brilliant examples], while her dry remarks demonstrate that she has a cool self-possession that she almost never loses. Thus she represents the human sense of humor and ability to take weirdness in stride. With her matter-of-fact negotiation of her role as the Doctor’s "mate" and her eagerness to fly around with him, she shows a sort of practical sense of wonder. She’s also the most mature character of the three companions. As an actor, Tate shines with comic flair and energetic snippiness.

The constant succession of Doctors in the long-running BBC TV show Dr. Who allows for the show to expand, taking on a new main performer, even as elements of it remain familiar. Therefore, Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor in season 1 of the New Who makes Dr. Who a different show than does David Tennant in seasons 2-4 of the same show. Where Dr. Who with David Tennant is much more of a whiz-bang fest of funny faces and physical comedy, Dr. Who with Christopher Eccleston is just as engaging, but dryer, more restrained. I find Eccleston’s delivery crisper and smugger, with an edge of arrogance that I don’t find in Tennant. I like Tennant best, but Eccleston rates a good second.

In which the group hears Anneka’s and Will’s writing.

After having sampled seasons 2, 3 and 4 of the new Dr. Who, with David Tennant as the Doctor and Billie Piper, Freema Agyeman and Catherine Tate playing companions, I have come to the conclusion that Dr. Who is a silly and wonderful show. It’s playful and a lot of fun in a way that I haven’t found too much TV to be.

At its best, Dr. Who is a paean to human curiosity and inventiveness, as personified by rubber-faced Tennant, the eternally childlike and brilliant Doctor. It also honors human compassion and bravery as modeled by the various companions. Tightly written and often witty, episodes display the boundless, questing imaginations of the writers and producers, an inventiveness brought to life by solid performances all around.

Watching this show really brings forth a sense of wonder, of continuous joy over the neverending story of a fantastic serial. Even though I have a crush on David Tennant [he smirks!], I wouldn’t recommend watching whole particular seasons, just eps here and there so that they mash together in a pleasing mass of seething ideas to inspire one to one’s own fictional endeavors.

Thank you to bella_fox for sponsoring my acquaintance with Dr. Who in the form of her link to downloads.

In which the writing group discusses Waverley’s and Sarah’s writing.

I bought Tanzen, now named Tamsin, from Andrea, and she [Tamsin, not Andrea] came in the mail today, barefoot, with a bonus off-the-shoulder red knit dress. I took a few pictures of her rainbow hair and, as I did so, she opened up, but still remained shy.Continue reading Tamsin, from Andrea

In which Angelie learns how to slow down.

My Shoezies site, hasbro shoezies: the definitive resource [ooooh, exciting!], is now complete. I just uploaded pictures of the Shoezies Showplace and my orphaned Shoezies. Go learn more than you ever cared to know about small plastic shoes at http://www.oddpla.net/shoezies !

Interestingly enough, I keep checking the Google search results, and hasbro shoezies: the definitive resource doesn’t come up, sob sob. All my LJ entries about Shoezies do, however. So does my Flickr stream, which is entirely made up of Hasbro Shoezies. I don’t understand it. Anyway, I set up links to the Shoezies site all over my Flickr stream.

I got a whole bunch of Shoezies and Shoezies knock-offs from sailorzeo yesterday, so I’ve updated my Shoezies site with photos of them all, including their names and collections where I can find it. The definitive Shoezies resource has expanded! Go here: http://www.oddpla.net/shoezies ! More than you ever cared to know about little toy shoes!

In which we learn more about the mysterious jogger.

The 2010 Harley Barbie and Ken giftset, $70.00, features a fully articulated Ken doll with wrist and ankle joints. He also has the headsculpt first introduced with Mattel's Edward [from Twilight] doll. Since I really like the headsculpt and the increased articulation, I look favorably on Ken. However, apparently the Barbie in this set does not have the same level of articulation. Why not? 1 step forward, 1 step back for Mattel.Continue reading 2010 Harley Barbie and Ken giftset: 1 step forward, 1 step back

In which the mysterious jogger is invited in.

I made a little Web site dedicated to Hasbro Shoezies and linked it to my Flickr photostream [yes, I have one now] with pictures of Shoezies and their use as 1:6 footwear.

In which Anneka and Will discuss what to do about their pushy muses.

Meat pencil toppers. They look 1:6 to me.

I think these Drip Clips would make a really nice 1:6 sink. Continue reading Drip Clips: 1:6 sink?

My two zombies meet.  Continue reading Zinnia Pascale questions Peter’s dietary choices.

Ebru shows off yet another one of my spoils from Andrea’s package. The package contained about 30 items of clothing for $25.00 total, and I kept 19 items, making each item just about $1.32, which is a bargain for clothing by my favorite designer for 1:6! As you can tell, the population is very happy with the results too. I think I need an "andrea" tag, just to keep track of the clothes and packages from her that I showcase here!   Continue reading Ebru in an an42 dress

Vat19 sells 1:7 shopping carts that have fold-out child seats and the ability to be shoved together, just like 1:1 shopping carts. Though they are a little bit small for 1:6, this video with a Barbie demonstrates that they can passably act as 1:6 carts.

I’m still coating his hair with matte gloss, but I thought I’d take a picture of Peter as he stands now. I still need a cutesy graphic, the equivalent of a My Little Pony, for his shirt. However, he’s finished for now. Since the last photo, I added purple to his shoelaces, blue highlights on the green and pink parts of his mohawk and a red wash to his eyes. I also gave him a safety pin hanging off of one earring. I thought he might cheer up after I fed him a lollipop, but he still looks intensely worried. 🙁
Continue reading Peter likes lollipops.

Anneka shows off another garment from the big batch of Andrea’s partly showcased yesterday on N’Yenya, Shaniqua, Materyllis and Janet. Dress is by Andrea, and sleeves are from a Barbie dress by Andrea.  Continue reading Anneka in an42 clothes

Below is a picture of Peter in progress. I’ve painted his boots green and his mohawk green and pink. I’ve also swapped out his white sleeves for ones with a stars-and-stripes design. Peter is unhappy and confused because his eyes are covered with masking tape. Continue reading Pink Squad +1: painting Peter

May I introduce Peter, standing in front of his packaging? I haven’t customized him yet, just turned his Rabid Weasels T-shirt around and trimmed the neckline in preparation for putting a different graphic on it.

I really like the attention to detail in this fig, especially the little buttons on his vest and the specially sculpted bootfeet in awkward, decaying positions. The Prometheus body is okay, with a decent range of motion around the neck and relatively tight joints, but I don’t like the caps on the shoulders that make putting the arms down by the sides difficult. I can’t wait to repaint him a bit and otherwise customize him and make him my own!

Continue reading Peter [Sideshow The Dead: The Punk] before customizing

I bought a bunch of various dresses off Andrea this week, and now some LHFers are modeling the results. From left to right, there’s N’Yenya, Shaniqua, Materyllis and Janet. My favorite article of clothing in the picture is N’Yenya’s dress. Janet’s shirt is adapted from a Barbie-sized dress. It, of course, has robots on it! Now if only I could get Janet to look at the camera… Continue reading N’Yenya, Shaniqua, Materyllis and Janet in clothes by Andrea

Visit my Shoezies Web site at http://www.oddpla.net/shoezies/ !
—
Does anyone have any Shoezies that they don’t want, especially clogs or slides? I want them!
—
I can barely find anything online about Hasbro’s Shoezies, unless I want to purchase said toys on Ebay, so I thought I’d write up a brief description and provide pictures for those interested.

Shoezies were a line of toys by Hasbro that first debuted in February, 2001, according to this article on About.com. They were pairs of miniature collectible shoes, in approximately 1:5 or 1:6 scale. Among the 36 styles were sandals, clogs, slides, flats, pumps, sneakers, roller blades, etc. Each pair came in its own shoebox with tissue paper. The shoes themselves were molded out of plastic in exquisite detail, with distinct lefts and rights, laces and texturing. Tread patterns were individualized for each pair of shoes, though all pairs had a five-petaled flower design on the bottom to signify that they were official Shoezies. Further accessories also included a Shoezies Display Center, a shoe-store-like shelf to shoe of one’s Shoezies, and little boom boxes, which one was supposed to "dance" the Shoezies too.

What were girls supposed to do with these "miniature collectible shoes?" Hasbro advertising suggested putting them on your fingers and "walking" around with them, but doll enthusiasts had other ideas. Collectors of 1:4, or 16-18", dolls such as Tyler and Gene discovered that Shoezies displayed well next to 1:4 shoes, though the dolls’ feet were too big to fit in the Shoezies. And 1:6 nerds, like me, realized that some Shoezies could either be slipped on bare 1:6 female action figure feet without adaptation. Or other pairs could be adapted as "bootfeet" for those female action figures with ball and socket ankle joints.

I have 5 pairs of Shoezies in my femfig footwear collection, and I use them in several different ways. The black ankle boots and the red hiking boots can be wedged directly onto ankle stumps. As you can see, the purple chunky soles and the grey athletic shoes have been modified to be bootfeet for Cy Girl/Perfect Body bodies. Finally, the T-straps in the lower left fit bare femfig action figure feet without any alteration.  Continue reading Hasbro Shoezies and their use as doll shoes

As much as I like Rement’s offerings, I get sick of their constant chocolate, cake and dessert sets. I especially like Rement appliances, animals and Western cuisine. The Candy Shop appeals to me because it contains animals and non-cake dessert. Continue reading Current favorite Rements from Candy Shop and Gyu Gyu Pets

I’m very far behind the curve with this news, but Sideshow has continued its The Dead series with more characters — no more women, of course! 🙁 — including a shambling Punk with a mohawk and sticky fingers. I really like him as a character base. Needs more color, chains and pointy ends, though. If I got him, I would decorate his outfit with safety pins and add some pink to his hair.

EDIT: I just bought him with the last of my Amazon credit, meaning that he only cost about $50.00. I can’t wait to improve him! Watch this space!

In which Will meets his muse.

In which Anneka and Velvette investigate a compulsive jogger.

In which Anneka disputes with her muse.

A lot goes on behind the scenes of LHF that most readers don’t know about. For example, Justine’s head popped off one too many times recently, cracking her Sculpey hair that I labored so long over. Exasperated with the fragility of the Sculpey, I plunked down nearly $20.00 for a size 4 Victorianish updo wig [style = Martha]. Result: I’m poorer, but Justine won’t break her hair any more.

Today I also got in the mail appropriate clothes for Waverley. As a 15cm Elfdoll tiny, she is one of my smallest dolls and also one of the most difficult to clothe. She was in a Bratz Boyz’ shirt and a pair of Kelly shorts, but those looked silly and impractical. I didn’t want to get her a dress either, since Waverley is more butch than that. I finally coughed up $23.00 for a little red-and-black-striped hooded sweatshirt and matching pants. So cute and perfectly in character too.

The upshot of all this is that I blow lots of money on even minor characters to make them conform to my vision of how they should be.Continue reading Doll updates: Justine’s new ‘do, Waverley’s new clothes

Ebru is a Sunset Edition Houda Mixi Doll by YNU Group. As a doll company, YNU Group’s goal with the Mixis is to recreate, in the dolls’ sculpts and skin tones, a realistic blending of two or more ethnicities. Regular editions of the 4 dolls in the series have straight, unjointed limbs and diverse outfits, but Sunset editions have jointed elbows and outfits of sundresses and sandals. Normally either edition runs $60.00 per doll, but they can be found for less on Amazon.com, where I got mine.

I recently picked up Sunset Edition Houda for under $30.00 including shipping. She comes packaged in a sturdy keepsake box lined with a bright blue and green map of the continents, not shown because I quickly deboxed her. Secured by ribbon ties, she is in collector-friendly shape, although her handbag is attached to the box with plastic.

Once freed from her box, Houda makes quite the impression. Her body is molded in warm, honey-colored tones, with light, silky, rooted red hair. Her simple, yet welcoming, facial screening depicts a friendly face with blue eyes and pink lips. Her headsculpt features an oval-shaped face with a tapering chin, full lips and a prominent aquiline nose.

As mentioned, Houda, like the rest of the Sunset Edition Mixis, has elbow joints that swivel and allow about 90 degrees of bend. She is also articulated at the neck, shoulders, thighs and knees [these last with click-stop joints]. Overall, the Mixis body sculpt contains a modest bosom, a thicker waist than the average fashion doll and a defined rear end, as well as shapely, muscular legs and slightly arched feet. Mixis don’t fit into fashion doll clothes unless those clothes are stretchy.

As for Houda’s outfit, she wears a green sundress printed with blue flowers. Darts make it fitted in the back, and the whole garment is lined, as is her matching blue handbag. Her wedge sandals [espadrilles?], being made of white and blue leather, coordinate with her dress.

Houda is definitely a doll for older kids [above 7] and/or collectors. She and the rest of the Mixis are great choices for doll dorks who like their dolls’ faces to have character and their goods to have quality.

Following this review are pictures of my Sunset Edition Houda, renamed Ebru. I have to say that normally I’d be swapping Ebru’s head onto a more articulated body, but she just looks so endearing and soignee as is that I can’t bring myself to give her a new body. I’ve decided that she has chronic lower back pain, which keeps her from sitting down and bending her knees a lot. Maybe she has plantar fasciitis too.

Ebru is standing in front of a netsuke shelf that I am working on, trying to make into a piece of a set.Continue reading Meet Ebru, a YNU Group Mixi

Maggie, Anneka and Will. Will is wearing an A-line dress that Andrea made for CGs with a reversed Jet pleather top as a corset. That pig he’s holding is from Andrea too. Thanks, an42!  Continue reading Maggie, Anneka, Will

In which Will confides in Anneka.

She likes clowning around. She makes me smile! I am continually impressed by the expressiveness and posing opportunities I can get out of her, even though she is not very articulated.

Continue reading Junebug is incredibly cute…also very playful.

In which Anneka admits to missing Will.

Buy the Season 1 book! Use coupon code HUMBUG for 10% off!

Use the coupon code HUMBUG when you buy the book of LHF Season 1 for 10% off. That makes the download version only $4.50! How can you resist? Answer: You can’t.

Signal boost for Vera Nazarian’s monstrous mashup between Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park and an original subplot containing mummies, vampires and other beasts. Regency manners meet things that go bump. Laughs result. It’s Mansfield Park and Mummies!!

Continue reading Mecha Angel clothes for sale

Hello LHF readers and fans! Season 1 is now available in print form! Just think of it…a book for your favorite doll soap opera!

You can buy a print or a download copy right here at Lulu.com: Love Has Fangs

Why should you buy it?

1. Support 1:6 storytelling!
2. It’s better than the online version. See below!

Being undead is the least of Anneka Richardson’s problems. There’s her 140-year-old boyfriend, Will, who borrows her makeup, the weirdo customers she encounters at her bookstore job and, to top it off, her beloved grandmother’s slow death by Alzheimer’s.

The first season of Elizabeth A. Allen’s online comic Love Has Fangs finally appears in book form. It’s all here — the vampires, the melodrama and the pink hair — in your favorite doll soap opera with bite.

This collection gathers together all episodes of Love Has Fangs: Season 1 as you’ve never seen them before. This is the new, improved version, better than what you’ve read online.

Episodes reshot for consistency
Tighter editing for better story flow
High-quality photos, better than those online, for fine-grained detail

Thanks for the comments, mouse clicks and patronage over the years!

In which Qingting comforts Anneka from her sadness.

I saw New Moon this weekend. It was a damn sight better than Twilight, since it had more plot and more active characters. However, I picked out at least 5 times where it could have ended before it actually did. Also, unfortunately, Robert Pattinson was absent for the bulk of the movie, so I couldn’t stare at his nose.

In which Viktor tries to get into Will’s pants [again].

So I really like my GOML Minuk, who I’ve turned into Maggie, but her overexaggerated lip paint makes her look like a child beauty pageant contestant. To improve Maggie, I erased her lip paint, and the deep indent for her lip line works great to great the impression of a mouth. See? She also has a slight, petulant smile, which was not visible in the original paint job. Continue reading Maggie: not a pageant contestant

…about an envious Goth whose popular and perfect twin sister becomes a vampire? Sign me up for Thicker Than Water: Vampire Diaries 1, not coming anywhere to a theater near you. Clearly I need to see this.

In which Anneka meets Qingting, friend of Chow’s and world’s youngest grandmother.

The CSS on the admin page for my WordPress blog, where I post eps of LHF, is broken, prohibiting me from making new posts. DAMMIT! I don’t know how to fix it.

Michaela started off in an earlier incarnation as a CG head on a CG 1.0 body, but, when I redid her, I put her CG head on an articulated Barbie body with Obitsu hands, then painted the arms and neck to match her head’s color. [Linked entry shows her before skintone matching.]

Michaela’s Barbie body, while being appropriately small and slight for a girl that was killed and vamped at 13, does not pose very well. But Michaela is a key player in the next few seasons [in the Anneka and Will vs. Thomas plotline], so she needs to pose well! That’s why she’s getting a Volks Dollfie Plus body. Though I have eschewed these bodies in the past because of their fragile floppiness, I choose one now because, unlike an Obitsu, the neck width of a Volks will make Michaela’s head look in proportion. Hooray!

In which Mark’s Halloween party is fabulous!

While wandering around, looking for another deck that appeals to me as much as the luxurious, out-of-print Bohemian Gothic Tarot, I found the slightly more cheerful, equally intriguing and phantasmagorical Tarot of the Sweet Twilight. Following the general Rider-Waite format of traditional U.S. decks, the Sweet Twilight differs from other, more staid decks with its loopy, curly, slightly cartoony illustrations. Bright, soft colors, large-eyed figures and vibrant depths all add up to a dreamy, melancholy set of pictures. It reminds me of a nighttime circus, compelling and yet slightly creepy. Being in print, the Sweet Twilight deck is much more affordable than the Bohemian Gothic [sob!].

So I was browsing around Aeclectic Tarot, idly looking through decks by theme, and of course I checked out the Vampire grouping. Among these I found not strictly a vampiric deck, but a dark and moody one in general, the Bohemian Gothic from Magic Realist Press. The deep, cool blues and jewel-like brights, the profusion of skulls and the disturbingly staring eyes, all in the style of Victorian lithographs, are heavily influenced by Gothic and Romantic tropes. Admire many of the cards at the deck’s own Web site. Then weep because it’s out of print and commanding nearly $400.00 on Amazon.com. Dammit…and I really liked that deck!

Sadly, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Tarot is never to be, but check out the crisp, clean darkness of the recently issued Vampire Tarot by Robert Place. Heavily inflected by the novel Dracula and other literary vampires of the 1800s, the Vampire Tarot has novel Major Arcana [such as Jonathan the Fool {hah!}, Mina, the Count, the Madman {Renfield}, etc.] and Minor Arcana. Its four suits are Garlic Flowers, Stakes, Swords and Holy Waters.

I am gratified to note that several of the cards refer covertly to the polymorphous perversity of literary vampires, with the Queen of Holy Water being the famous lesbian vampire Carmilla and one of the Major Arcana being the hungry, sadistic, omnisexual Brides [of Dracula]. Poe and his reanimated heroine Ligeia also appear, so the deck may more properly shade into Gothic and supernatural, rather than just the vampiric. It is pretty damn awesome, even though there is no Baudelaire card.

In which Mark shocks Will with some news.

Target is carrying an exclusive series of Kelly dolls, Merry Monsters, including an all-green one, who happens to have the best outfit, as Frankenstein’s monster. Also on the shelves are Barbie Fashionistas, which are your standard articulated Barbies with an under-bust and wrist joints. Unfortunately, 4 of the 5 Fashionistas are white, with no good representation of brown, black, green or any other color. MSRP for the Fashionistas is <$20.00. I need to get me to a Target to see if the Merry Monsters and Fashionistas are available!

A family photo occasions Jennifer’s new body, a DML Eve 1.5. The DML 1.5 body, much more robust and bigger than the original Momoko body, makes Jennifer’s head look slightly smaller, but I think this adds to the impression of her being a mature woman with kind of a baby face.

L to R: Jareth, Jennifer, Frank. Continue reading Jennifer has a new body!

These five dolls have names, but no designated characters. They obviously have personalities, but no assigned role in my fictional universe. Therefore they have the distinction of being dolls with no point besides looking nice.

Uh oh. Five pointless dolls is five too many! What shall I do?

Clearly they need to be incorporated into LHF!

Back row, L to R: Shaniqua, N’Yenya Clippee, Malgorzata Dawiskiba.
Front row, L to R: Dini, Dasu.

Shaniqua is a lovely Alvin Ailey Barbie. N’Yenya is a Fashion Royalty Monsieur Z doll repainted and with a new haircut by Andrea. Malgorzata is a Tao ninja head repainted by Andrea, haircut by me, on a ballerina Barbie body. Both Dini and Dasu are Jakks Pacific Juku Couture Girls.

As for personalities, in case you couldn’t tell, Shaniqua is shy, sweet-tempered and retiring, while N’Yenya is fun-loving and a bit sly. Malgorzata, called Gory, is blunt, straightforward and delighting in sick, twisted things. Dini is a rather skeptical smart-ass, while Dasu is intelligent, highly anxious and very picky about language. All of them dress as if they belong to the LHF universe, even if they don’t [yet].

Of the dolls shown, N’Yenya is my favorite and therefore most likely to appear in a main or side plot of LHF, if only because she, with her smirk and her stripey, starry tights, so clearly embodies the tacky snarkiness that many LHF characters possess.
Continue reading Dolls with no point: Shaniqua, N’Yenya, Malgorzata, Dini and Dasu

In which Anneka talks to her family and thinks of her grandmother.

Comments: In case it’s not immediately clear, the contingent at Anneka’s parents’ house is talking to her on speaker phone.

In which the dryer eats Will’s pants.

Comments: Just an excuse to show off my new laundry set, courtesy of Andrea.

In which Anneka and Will meet for the first time in a long while!

She looks like she’s star-gazing from my desk, swinging her legs. 😀 Continue reading Jennifer wishing on a star

Hey look — a book! April Hamilton offers on-screen views of The IndieAuthor Guide for free.

In which eggs meet a fiery doom.

Comments: Just an excuse to use my new Rement acquisitions, eggs from Eggs Etc. and a microwave from the earlier set of household appliances.

Andrea sold me a 1:6 laundry room [photo by Andrea] with washer, dryer, ironing board, iron, cabinets, detergent, soap, clothing racks, etc. Either someone’s getting a really spiffy basement set, or this is gonna be a laundry facility. Looks like the detergent, soap, etc. could be displayed as in a store.  Continue reading Laundry from Andrea

<victorydance> I just figured out how to make a PivotTable draw data from an ever-increasing range!!!!!!!!!! </victorydance> Gimme a trophy or three!

Yes!

YES!!

YES!!!!!

I’m King of the World!

In which Materyllis kicks Will out of her house.

From melopoeia. When we get older, this article by Tim Krieder, "The Referendum," says, we see that our string of choices in our life has inevitably foreclosed upon greater and greater numbers of options for us. We then look around us at our friends and acquaintances. We see in them representations of the alternative choices we could have made. We contemplate their jobs, their hobbies and their families. We wonder if we made the rightest and happiest choices for our own. Our own finitetude descends upon us like a wall, and we experience "the naked 3:00 AM terror of regret." [That time is, in fact, the dark night of the soul.]

What does it say about me that I’m not in "midlife" yet, but I still experience this sidelong wistfulness all the time?

In which Anneka confronts Michaela with the truth about Thomas.