I decided to bring Timonium and either Yamarrah or Araminthe to Dollism. First, they represent my major scales, 1:6 scale and 1:3 scale respectively. Second, they have no small movable parts to lose. Timonium’s wig fits snugly; his skirt’s rubber-banded around his waist with clear elastics, his choker is hot glued down, and he doesn’t have detachable ears [like Flower’s] to come loose.

I’m not sure about whether to bring Yamarrah or Araminthe. Yamarrah’s earrings, wig and glasses are all secured to her head with hot glue, so her hair won’t escape [the way that Araminthe’s occasionally does]. However, I really need to extend the orange of her hands up her wrists if I’m going to bring her, as her color mismatches really piss me off. Araminthe has a sturdier, less fiddly body than Yamarrah, but she doesn’t represent my fabulous [har!] skills in faceups and wigmaking the way that Yamarrah does. Araminthe’s faceup is completely default, and I haven’t yet worked up the courage to wipe and redo it.

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They’re actually thigh-high on her, while they reach only over his knees, much to my eternal disappointment. :'( Araminthe looks rather uncomfortable in footwear that doesn’t conform to her usual style.
Continue reading Araminthe tries on Jareth’s boots.

I’m still entertaining the idea of a 1:2 scale BJD in the form of Dollmore Trinity Elysia, previously mentioned in July. She appears occasionally on the secondary market, which is good, as I can’t patronize Dollmore’s primary market for moral reasons. Recently one just popped up on the DOA marketplace for ~$2.2K excluding s/h, which I find a damn sight more affordable than ~$3K. Janna says we don’t have the space for a BJD that big, but I’d make the space.

I wish that Elysia wasn’t solely available as various LE fullsets. Very few of my BJDs end up looking exactly as they came from the manufacturer, Araminthe, Janvier Jett and Submit being the notable exceptions in my current population. I derive most of my enjoyment from customizing the heck out of my BJDs and personalizing them as much as possible. In practice, this means that they end up with bright, scribbly faceups, wild faux fur hair and meretriciously mismatching outfits. Therefore, if I bought Elysia, I would, of course, remove the faceup, change the eyes and set aside wig and outfit, thus leaving me with hundreds of dollars of nontransferable doll stuff that I have no use for.

I’d love to get an Elysia kit — unstrung, unpainted. Blah blah blah!!

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The latest to join the Addiction line of dolls by Iplehouse [whence Yamarrah] is Victor. Like Doria [Yamarrah], he comes with an open-mouthed vampire head revealing teeth and tongue. Victor’s expression looks more like B&G Dolls’ Burrysa snarling [Araminthe] than Doria’s, though.

Continue reading Great addition to Iplehouse’s Addiction line: Victor!!!

Just came across a picture of Timonium on the BJD Showcase Tumblr, a collection of messily done BJDs. That makes…hmmm, let’s see…how many BJDs of mine that have been mocked on various boards and blogs?

• Jareth 1.0 for looking deformed
• Frank for being a defacement of a Volks LE
• Sardonix 2.0 for having a schematic, indestructible faceup made of undiluted acrylic paint
• Timonium for being messy

In a special subcategory is Araminthe. When B&G Dolls put out their LE Burrysa with neutral and snarling heads, a thread started on Den of Demons mocking the crabby expression on her snarling head. I didn’t even know this doll existed until I saw the DoD thread, which inspired me to purchase Araminthe. No one has specifically mocked Araminthe, but her sculpt has been made fun of.

I’m quite sure that someone out there is heaving their guts out over photos of Jareth 2.0, but I haven’t found proof of that yet.

Man! Just wait till I puke all over my color-mismatching hybrid between a super-expensive LE Iplehouse head and a mechanically recalcitrant, cheapo body! [That’s Yamarrah, folks.] Maybe I can make the BJD Showcase again!

Actually, you know what annoys me the most about Timonium’s appearance on that Tumblr? My photo was used without attribution. I told the blogger to either put a source link or take down the photo. Otherwise, how are Showcase readers gonna know where to fling their poo, huh?!?!?!?!?

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So it looks like Dollism Plus, a gargantuan BJD convention usually held in Hong Kong, will occur in 2014 in the US, specifically Niagara Falls, New York! That’s just a 7-hour drive away! I’ve already buzzed to Janna about this, and we look forward to taking a DOLL ROAD TRIP WOOOOOOO HOOOOOO there and back.

I’m really excited to have a BJD con somewhere close by. In the past, many interesting BJD events have occurred in the South and on the West Coast, but very, very few in the Northeast. While I have been to shows for all types of dolls, as well as large BJD meetups, I’ve never been to a con dedicated to BJDs, so I look forward to meeting people, taking lots of pictures, playing with unfamiliar dolls and buying some stuff. Of course, I have to save up quite a lot of money for travel, lodging and, uh, doll stuff.

I’m already thinking about who to bring. Members of the Me and My Muses or Zombieville universes are not eligible, so that reduces the pool of available attendees to those dolls who pester me in my universe:

• Araminthe
• Flower
• Ginevra
• Janvier Jett
• Jareth
• Jujube
• Mellifer
• Sardonix
• Submit
• Timonium
• Yamarrah

Jareth is out because I’ve decided that, while he may go out in public with me, he’s never going to any meets. I’m also leaning toward eliminating people with fragile or fiddly parts, like Flower with his hot-glued ears, Ginevra with her detachable wing and Janvier Jett with her articulated fingers. I won’t bring Jujube either because she is so small, likewise Submit.

That leaves me with Araminthe, Mellifer, Sardonix, Timonium and Yamarrah. [There may be some other options by next September, depending on who I acquire before then!] I’d like to bring a 1:6er, especially if people are selling sets and accessories in that scale; then I will have a basis for comparison. I’d also like to bring a "standard" 1:3 scale BJD because she could serve as a fit model for any clothing I’m interested in. Hmmm…

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Iplehouse Doria’s special edition fantasy head amuses me to no end [as does the phrase "tonsil hockey"].

Continue reading TONSIL HOCKEY!!!

\o/ I will be purchasing some Lumedoll Lumelight heads: elf Koit in tan, Blaze in yellow and Arine in tan. I’m very excited about Koit and Arine, as I love those sculpts, while Blaze will be a challenge. He looks stupefied in all the owner pics I’ve seen of him, so I’d like to try to make him look…uh…less stupefied. Typically, I like dolls with open mouths [witness Araminthe, Janvier Jett, Lola Paprika], but somehow Blaze tends to look like his train of thought is still boarding at the station.

Woo hoo! An excuse to hit up Hujoo for some bodies, at least two chocolate ones. Are you listening, Andrea? That’s at least $40.00 of the way toward free s/h!

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It was the proud, the free and the few at doll club this Saturday [usual place, usual time]. I attended, of course, along with vermont chick and Lyrajean.

Continue reading Chittenden County Doll Club: 10/20/2012

I just acquired a pair of Soom Euclase dead hands [thanks, tygati!], so, this morning, I decided to see how my current assemblage of parts fits on Lura's proposed body, for which Araminthe is currently standing in.
Continue reading The Lura Project: parts on Araminthe’s body

Just for the heck of it, I stuck Lura's head on Araminthe's body. Araminthe is a Boy and Girl [B&G] Doll Burrysa snarling. She is a 60cm doll in grey resin. As far as resin matches go, B&G is on the paler side of grey, so it doesn't look that bad with Lura's rose grey head. She would definitely need a longer neck if she were to use this body, though!
Continue reading The Lura Project: testing body, eyes, wig

Lura's Eyes That Can See Forever have moved on to Araminthe, where they have become the Eyes That Freak You Out. Observe how they catch light!

Continue reading Return of the Eyes That Can See Forever: now with added vampire!

Araminthe, as my loyal readers [all 2 of them!], know, is a 60cm Boy and Girl [B&G] Doll Burrysa snarling in grey resin. I noticed recently that B&G Doll updated its Web site with a 25cm version of Burrysa. She most closely resembles the 60cm Burrysa with a closed mouth. Even their outfits are similar. It's like an extra-portable Araminthe! :p

B&G Dolls do not seem very popular on DOA. I only know of 2 other users with Burrysas, and I think they both use the closed-mouth head, which is a pity because it's not that exciting. I'm the only one who has posted pictures of my Burrysa snarling on the boards.

Tonight I'm going to work on Lura…and Araminthe as well. I want to try the 14mm eyes in Lura's head and get rid of those O_O eyes. Since they glow so nicely, I think I'll put the O_O eyes in Araminthe's sockets, substituting for her current murky red ones. I also want to put Lura's head on Araminthe's body to see resin matching and proportionality.

Well, hopefully. Just listed her for sale on the DOA marketplace. I took a few shots for the sales thread below.

Continue reading Petula is moving on.

I bought Lola Paprika some black loafers with white skulls on them especially for her relatively large feet. She can't stand in her high heels [except for that one time she magically stood somehow during my first photoshoot], and that's why I don't take her places. Soon she'll be able to go outside for photos!

Continue reading Lola Paprika will have new shoes!

From left to right: Araminthe, Janvier Jett, Lola Paprika, Sarah, Sardonix. None of their dolls are shown. Junebug and Precious Little are not shown because they have permanently moved to work to keep me company.Continue reading All my 1:3 BJDs

May be getting these Dikadoll jointed hands for 60cm fems. Not sure if I want to give them both to Janvier Jett so she can play the guitar, or if I should divide them up between 2 dolls. I imagine there would be a big fight for the extra jointing:

• Sardonix would want to be able to give people the finger.
• Sarah would want to hold a book.
• Lola Paprika would wish to hold her Tarot cards individually in her fingertips.
• Araminthe would not be able to benefit because there would be too much of a mismatch between her grey resin and the hands, which are light tan with a pinkish undertone [NOT "nude" or "flesh-colored!"].

A commanding presence on my desk. Her pointy face looks best in dramatic light. Continue reading Araminthe at night

Here is Araminthe, or at least her feet, modeling Lola Paprika’s shoes.  Continue reading Lola Paprika’s shoes

Good pictures just seem to fall out of my camera when I place Araminthe in front of it. I would say that she’s the most photogenic of my 1:3 dolls, with Sardonix and Junebug being equally second most photogenic and Sarah being the most difficult to capture on film.

I really like Araminthe as a doll. She’s wonderfully balanced; as you can see in these pictures, she’s leaning realistically, balancing on one foot and the wall. She’s also strung nice and tightly so that I can pose her limbs in almost any position without having them flop or fall. I also like her wonderfully pointy face. [See profile pic.] Continue reading Araminthe hanging out in front of the sky

So today I ordered my Angelsdoll Hyang, who came, avec faceup, to $309.00. Her name is Lola, inspired by the classic Kinks song, and her concept is that of a cool, somewhat mismatching, ‘80s style girl.

I met her in a club down in North SoHo
Where you drink champagne and it tastes just like Coca Cola,
C-O-L-A, cola.
She walked up to me and she asked me to dance.
I asked her her name and in a dark brown voice she said, “Lola.
L-O-L-A, Lola.”

I’ve been shopping for her since this morning. I chose her some 14mm Captured in Glass eyes that are colored like a muzzy pie chart in various light pastels. I hope that the light colors of her eyes will catch light, which apparently none of my dolls’ eyes really do.

Her faceup will be a custom job painted to look like this one, shown on Angelsdoll’s Cat Avatar Ieseul. Look at all that blue and yellow eyeshadow!! 

Not sure what I’ll do for her wig, but I do have a nice light pink candy floss mohair wig that Divas by Design sent me along with Araminthe’s custom order. Or the hot magenta fur wig! Or she could wear the violent pink yarn one, assuming that custom order ever gets finished. 🙁

For her outfit, she’ll be wearing some of the default pieces that come with her, namely the black stockings, red snakeskin fur-trimmed jacket, black hot pants and black turtleneck sleeveless shirt. I hope to add hot pink leggings that go to the top of the calf, matching short armwarmers, as well as yellow stockings with white polka dots, worn slouched down, and black pleather platform pumps. I’d like to fit some neon green in there somehow too. She’ll look so obnoxious! 😀 😀 😀

Araminthe was hanging out in the sunlight today; she’s not the kind of vampire who shrivels in the day. In fact, she revels in the coming spring! See?
Continue reading Araminthe enjoying the springlike weather

Pictures taken at about 5:00 PM to take advantage of the rich acute-angle light.
Continue reading Araminthe and Petula looking moody in late-day light

Araminthe received her default wig yesterday, a pale pink one done up with roses. Here she is in all her glory.
Continue reading My vision of a cutely dressed vampire is complete.

I made a papercraft laptop for my dolls tonight. I’m sure it would have looked better if I had printed it out on cardstock [which I didn’t have] and used some adhesive other than clear tape, but it’s close enough for my purposes. Modeled by a chronically unimpressed Araminthe.Continue reading Papercraft laptop for BJDs

Here’s Araminthe in a long blond wig. Look at the blending of her red and black eyeshadow. Pretty nice.Continue reading Araminthe in blond

I got Araminthe a frilly and obnoxiously colored dress set, Watermelon Idol, from Tenshi on DoA. Isn’t it fabulous? Also please note that Noodge apparently likes Araminthe’s shoes too.Continue reading Araminthe’s outfit of awesomeness!

Araminthe has yet to arrive — her putative date is the middle or end of February — but I have been collecting her clothes, wig and shoes, everything but the red eyes, which she comes with. Behold now her shoes of awesomeness, which are the highest of femme in all details. They even have butterflies and flowers on the soles. Can you imagine a bad-tempered vampire wearing these? You will soon see one in the person of Araminthe.
Continue reading Araminthe’s shoes of awesomeness!

The newest large doll in my group of large dolls will be Araminthe, a previously mentioned B&G Burrysa with snarling head. Ordered from Denver Doll Emporium. Should be here in 6 to 10 weeks. Yay! She will be my cutesy bad-ass vampire!

B&G Dolls [Boy and Girl Dolls] has a several-months-old line out called the Old World. These dolls represent the most popular dollified supernaturals, viz., vampires, elves and elfy vampires.

I currently have a crush on Burrysa, an elfy vampire. One of her full sets http://www.towdoll.com/OldWorld/goods.php?id=16 comes with one head with open eyes, with the option of goblet-holding hands, wand-holding hands or regular hands [I think]. The open-eyed sculpt has a slightly open mouth, a very stylized face with high and flat cheekbones, long pointy ears and a surprisingly thoughtful and innocent expression for a vampire.

Another full set for Burrysa http://www.towdoll.com/OldWorld/goods.php?id=17 comes with two heads, the open-eyed head and a dramatic head with partly closed eyes. The closed-eyed head features glaring, lowered brows, narrowed eyes and bared fangs in an open, yelling mouth. She looks supremely irritated, like she’s in the midst of saying, “I’m so pissed off I could bite something!”

I can just see her now with poofy pink ponytails or cyber dreads and a decora outfit as elaborate as Zinnia Pascale’s. Her name would be something soft and plushy, like Trisha or Priscilla, and her outfit would be bright and cheery, while her personality would be curmudgeonly and semi-evil, but actually not that bad. She’d be the bigger vampire version of Zinnia Pascale, and she’d sure be a lot of fun to piece together…