Sophia (by Bo Bergemann)

I did not have any doll money left.

Moreover, I did not even like Bo Bergemann dolls until now.

And then I saw her... This is the photo that made me discover all about Bo Bergemann, dig her site up, decide that I indeed liked and LOVED her sculpts, contact Bo, and even order another doll because no way I was paying £450 for this one, although she's worth every shilling:


But then I kept on coming back to Sophia's listing. And I saw her price go down to £400. More than fair, a steal for a full-set doll with an artist face-up! But I had no money to spare, period. But even so, I was so tempted I actually started writing a message to the seller (but later deleted it). Twice.

Then something breathtakingly amazing happened. Something so magical I can hardly explain. I think i will write a separate post about it... You see, I had money set aside to buy Nefer Kane's Nexeven. If you go read her story, you'll know why I had to have her, no ifs or buts. However... one night when I was down, sad, depressed and drowning, Nefer lifted me up spiritually. And not only that. She giftedme Nexeven.

Well, that night I could only cry tears of joy and gratitude. The next night, however, I was out there looking at Sophia again. And I saw her price come down to £350!!!

I wrote the message to the seller instantly, and sent it that time. And upon her reply (pretty much instant) paid her - with the money I had set aside for Nexeven previously. And the doll was delivered today.

Unfortunately, my baby boy (3 months old) also got his first set of shots today. So there are no good photos to display, but the box opening ones with a mandatory backdrop of my comforter :) are here for your viewing "pleasure" (behind the fold). And HERE you can read more about this doll's amazing body, appropriately called Dream Doll body. There will be a new doll using it, coming soon - Emily. But now, more of my gorgeous full-set Sophia:

Character List

RealPuki Family: -3

Minu -Fairyland RealPuki Tyni ('the Patriarch')
Attea - Fairyland RealPuki Soso (Minu's wife)
Nelya - DreamHighStudio Squee Piko, Nelya's toddler girl

Their names, in elven speak, basically mean 'first', 'second', 'third'.

PukiPuki Famly: -3

Agnes - Fairyland PukiPuki Pipi
Janusz - Fairyland PukiPuki Piki (Agnes's hubby)
Maria - Fairyland PukiPuki Mary (Agnes's sister)

Nefer Kane group: -2

Nefer Kane Aleah (gymnast)
Nefer Kane Maheya (Aleah's sister and partner in act)

Mixed group #1: -6

Gaby - Nympheas Dolls Nympheline
Laurie - Dollzone Bunny (Gaby's girlfriend)
Sarah - Lati Yellow Basic Lami (their au-pair)
Button - Dollfactory Kiki (their foster child)
Muse - CharmCity Verse Philia (Gaby's daughter)
Alice - Luts Tiny Delf Alice (Sarah's best friend from language class)

Their other child that Sarah is watching is a non-BJD clay baby Phoebe, biological to Laurie

Mixed group #2: -6

Aire - Raspberry by Asella (steampunk witch)
Addie - Bo Bergemann Addie (Aire's toddler daughter)
Sophia - Bo Bergemann Sophia (gypsy astrologer, Aire's business partner)
Lani - Bo bergemann Sugar Baby Leiani (Sophia's baby)
Emma-Rose - Leekeworld Mikhaila (Aire's human maid)
Flickr - Flicker the Dragon by Mushroom Peddler (Aire's magic pet)

Mixed group #3: -6

Moina - Soom Dolomi (dragon girl, guardian spirit of the forest)
Theodore - Nikkibritt Studio Feenix, faun, Moina's closest friend of all forest creatures
Donovan - Mushroom Peddler's Shelly the Turtle, forest spirit of the water
Pierre - Mushroom Peddler's Floppy the Lop, forest spirit on the plants
Uhu - Mushroom Peddler's Hoot the Owl, forest spirit of all living beings
Andrea - Judy Porter's Maddie, autistic 7 y.o., the only one to see Moina's gang; Moina's friend

Mixed group #4: -3 (4)

Hillary - Doll Chateau Hillary (а young teenager that grew up in a circus)
Cheddar - Pipos Cheese Mouse (her sentient mouse friend, possibly imaginary)
Cricket - ApoDoll Bonnie - ornery spirit in Hilary's consciousness
^Critter - star of Hilary's sideshow, trained hamster

Mixed group #5: -3 (4)

^Malvina - Goodreau ABC (Carabass's runaway puppet)
Four-leaf Clover - Mushroom Peddler's Willow (spirit of the meadow)
^Maja - Buzz the Bee by Mushroom Peddler (Clover's pet)
Foggy Dew - Mushroom Peddler's Ivy (spirit of the swamp) **
^Basö - Slimy the Snail by Mushroom Peddler (Dew's pet) **
Penelope - Nefer Kane Nexeven (spirit of the sea) **

Mixed group #6: -3

Ichiro Wakahisa - Elfdoll Mir (retired yakuza assassin)
Amondi - Iplehouse B.I.D. Erzulie (Ichiro's 4 y.o. adopted daughter)
LeGush - Mushroom Peddler's Ribbit the Frog (Amondi's pet frog) **

Mixed group #7: -3

Wynona - BJTales Mouse (tender and artistic young lady living in her own French cottage)
Katie- Irry's Manuna the Mouse (Wynona's maid) **
Gerard - Soom MD Toad Prince (Katie's fiancé) **

Stand-alone characters: -2

Tink - Kim Lasher's Elphie (tooth fairy) **
Patrick - DreamHighStudio Mica (baby rhino)

---
40 /excluding vinyl ABC and 3 pets
10 groups + 2 stand-alons

Another census

BJD list:

Pipos Cheese Mouse
BJTales Mouse @
Doll factory Kiki the Piggy
Latidoll Yellow Lami
Luts Tiny Delf Alice
Fairyland RealPuki Tyni @
Fairyland RealPuki Soso
Fairyland PukiPuki Pipi
Fairyland PukiPuki Piki
Fairyland PukiPuki Mary
Elfdoll Mir @
Leekeworld Mikhaila
Soom Dolomi
* Soom Frog Prince
Doll Chateau Hillary
Iplehouse B.I.D. Erzulie
Mushroom Peddler's Flicker the Dragon
* Mushroom Peddler's Ribbit the Frog
Mushroom Peddler's Shelly the Turtle
Mushroom Peddler's Floppy the Lop
Mushroom Peddler's Hoot the Owl
* Mushroom Peddler's Ivy + Slimy
Mushroom Peddler's Willow + Buzz
CharmCity Verse Philia
Dreamhigh Studio Piko
Dreamhigh Studio Mica
Nefer Kane Aleah
Nefer Kane Maheya + biter
ApoDoll Bonnie
Nympheas Dolls Nymphette Mocha
Nympheas Dolls Nympheline
Nikkibritt's Studio Faun
$ * Kaye Wiggs Larissa
Asella (Noble Dolls) Raspberry @
Bo Bergemann Addie
Bo Bergemann Sophia
Bo bergemann Sugar Baby Leiani
Judy Porter Maddie
* Kim Lasher Elphie
* Irry Manuna-mouse
+ vinyl Goodreau ABC
+ resin pet hamster

$ - for sale
* - pre-order or otherwise incoming
@ - was a gift to me

Total: 35 /excluding vinyl ABC and pets and 5 gifts

Evolution of a Mouse

(in a dress by Smilga)

This is how she looked when she first arrived to me. Notice that she had a full face-up, body pushing and even adorable mani-pedi! My dream doll:



I have later discovered that she can wear PukiPuki clothes (and even stretchy RealPuki ones). Here below she is wearing a Puki miniskirt and RealPuki top (hand-knitted by Smilga) with a wig sold by Jpopdolls especially for her:



Eventually, I somewhat corrected this awful look by giving her a haircut and putting her in a matching Puki outfit (made for my Pukies by Poltorakota). I also swapped her eyes out for more natural-looking ones (I also tried some with smaller iris, but they were a disaster):



Then, I ordered a wig by catesch with a flower wreath, a couple of dresses by Rella and on top of that, totally accidentally, traded my PukiFee Ante for a GORGEOUS dollhouse by bevwales (there are also more for sale). Under the jump, there are many pictures of her showing of those dresses and the new home. Enjoy!

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 30

Q: Have you ever been to a doll meetup? Did you enjoy it/do you plan to go to one in the future?

A: I imagine these meet-ups to be a lot of fun, but I have never attended one. I want to, however! And I probably will, at least one time, and probably many more unless I get disappointed - or grounded by my husband for spending too much money :)

The biggest European con - LDoll - has always been my dream destination, but something always came in the way (like, kids; ha!) and I still don't give up home to get there one day. In fact next year, if I'm still in Germany (which is uncertain at the moment), i have tentative plans again to come to LDoll with my first ever dolly friend. I think she would enjoy it and we'd have the time of our lives!

If I miss LDoll... I'll just die! (joke ;)) Seriously, if I miss LDoll and even if not, I'll probably try to go to one of the big US cons - there are several ones throughout the year in different states. There are also amateur collector meet-ups which can be lovely too. I think I would only go to those if they were not too far from wherever I live, though.

BJD 30-Day Challenge: Day 29

Q: Post a picture of your dolls exploring the outside world!

A: I looooove to take pictures of the dolls in the garden! I was surprised I didn't do it more often :) Here's one, for instance:



This is one of my finest roses she's sleeping on :)

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 28

Q: Post a crazy/silly pose!

A:



She doesn't want to be seen without face-up! :)) (Part of the box opening shot)

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 27

Q: Do you have a favourite out of your own dolls? (Don’t worry, we won’t tell the others ;D)

I always say that BJtales Mouse is my grail doll, the pinnacle of my collection. In fact, judging by the amount of spoiling it receives (handmade dollhouse, exclusive dresses and wigs, etc.) it is easy to see that she is, in fact, my favorite BJD. But deep in my heart, I'm attached to Nefer Kane's weird, anti-cute, unique, amazing Humpty Dumpty. One day I will make a separate post about her, for it's not just the doll that has my heart, it is also the story of its purchase and, most importantly, of my and Nefer's friendship.
So here are both of them:

Mouse with the house :)


Humpty Dympty -

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 26

Q: Done your own faceups? (Again, do you think you’d do that?)

I should try, as I have pastels and paint and can easily get MSC. Experimenting could be fun and waaaaaay cheaper than getting professional face-ups. But... Probably this won't ever happen, for two reasons:
- No. Effing. Time.
- 99% of dolls I buy already have faces-up. Especially artist dolls: this way, they are completely formed by the original author, start to finish.

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 25

Q: Have you ever modded a doll? (Do you think that you would?)

A: No, I didn't. Nor do I think I would. Artist dolls I own I would never mod as they are a finished product - customization isn't really the point with them. A few more traditional ABJD I own I wouldn't mod either as to preserve resell value. For a while I was toying with the idea of a removable pregnant belly for one of my dolls, but gave up on it as I realized magnets would also have to be mounted into the doll's stomach - too invasive for my taste :)

BJD 30-Day challenge: Day 24

I realized I accidentally answered the question no. 23 twice, but since both answers are true - I'm going to keep both of them!

Q: What about your favourite part of the hobby?

A: I think photostories. We all do photography, but the challenge of a story is to have a meaningful 'script' and to make the dolls look 'alive' - which to.me is the ultimate goal of the hobby anyway, hence the jointedness :) At the same time, demands placed on the quality of every single picture are a little lower in photostories, which is liberating...
Here is my first (and so far only) complete and published photostory:

http://flic.kr/s/aHsjuF6rEE

(It's a Flickr set, just click every picture in order and see text underneath)
I also bought a couple of stop-motion apps and plan on taking photostories to the next level of actual moves starring my dolls. Oh, if only I had time.... :))))

Updated census:

Dollzone Bunny
Pipos Cheese Mouse
BJTales Mouse
Doll factory Kiki the Piggy
Latidoll Yellow Lami
Fairyland RealPuki Tyni
Fairyland RealPuki Soso
Fairyland RealPuki Roro
Fairyland RealPuki PuPu
Fairyland PukiPuki Pipi
Fairyland PukiPuki Piki
Fairyland PukiPuki Mary
Fairyland PukiPuki Sugar
Fairyland Multihead Cupid (PKF body) ¥
Fairyland PukiFee Zoe
Fairyland MiniFee Soo
Elfdoll Mir
Leekeworld Mikhaila
Soom Dolomi
Doll Chateau Hillary ¥
Mushroom Peddler's Hoot the Owl
* Mushroom Peddler's Willow + Buzz
* Mushroom Peddler's Flick the Dragon
CharmCity Verse Philia
Dreamhigh Studio Piko
Nefer Kane Humpty Dumpty + doggie
Nefer Kane Suzy + blob
Nefer Kane Iracebeth + * big ear
* Nefer Kane Aleah (layaway)
* Nefer Kane Maheya (layaway)
* ApoDoll Bonnie
Nympheas dolls Nymphette Moka
* Nikkibritt's Studio Faun

* - incoming
¥- Face-up needed

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 23

Q: Is there a part of the BJD hobby that you dislike?
A: Yes. Selling :) It just so happens that I'm a rather impulsive buyer and even though I'm usually pleased with my purchases, sometimes my collection needs pruning and trimming. Like now I need to sell about 3-4 dolls and I dread it because:
- selling on DoA takes daily updating of the posts;
- I have this phobia, a terror really, that I might unintentionally upset the buyer and get bad feedback;
- shipping is always more expensive than I expect;
- waiting for the doll to arrive is nerve-wrecking.
And finally, but most importantly: there was a reason I bought the doll, there was a specific reason I liked it, and so separation is always sad even if its for the best... So yeah, hate selling, but it's a necessary evil I guess.

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 23

Q: Is there a part of the BJD hobby that you dislike?

A: Not so much dislike... Let's say, not so excited about. It is the need to restring a doll. I've never done it, nor I plan on doing it myself, yet the day comes for every doll, sooner or later, when elastic gets too loose - for me, this will mean shipping the doll to the aesthetics' place and paying the fee and... Just this whole hassle for the service that won't even make a drastic visible difference - of course I will notice if they pose better, but...

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 22

Q: What’s your favourite doll scale prop?

A: I really like chairs. Yes, simple (or not) chairs. They are versatile and can be used as a stand (back) or as a seat, and they look natural with just about any doll. Plus, it's rather easy to find a chair in correct scale. Some examples of a chair coming handy:











A chair is often invisible, but invaluable helper!

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 21

Q: One doll you love, but will never (probably) buy?

A: Not one doll, but rather the whole brand: I really love Kaye Wiggs' dolls, they are unusual and well-made and 'solid', as in, do not look or feel fragile... But even then, I don't get, I simply don't, why the heck are they so expensive. One doll runs upward of 700, and they can be over 2000 on secondary market. Shoot me in the head... Even the clothes people make for them, although beautiful and usually very high quality, can easily run 200 and more. So as much as I love them - I'll probably never buy one. I may ask for a gift... But that is too much even for a birthday present, really.

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 20

Q: What is your dream doll?

A: Wow... That's a toughie. Lately I was heard saying, on many occasions to many people, that my BJTakes Mouse is my dream, 'grail' doll that I already posses. But since then I fell in love with Nefer's dolls and now my dream is always whatever next doll she has coming out :)

So just let me post my updated state-of-the moment dolly wish list :) ::::

- Mushroom Peddler's Mini Dragon (currently sold out)
- Mushroom Peddler's new (tall) impling (incomplete prototype at the moment)
- Nefer Kane's Maheya, Bloop, ...
- Kaye Wiggs: MSD (most likely tan Miki)
- Nympheas Dolls: Nympheline

BID 30-day Challenge: Day 19

Q: A least favourite company?

A: There are tons of companies I don't care for - I am very particular with my tastes; it is easier to list the companies I'm interested in.. But I must say I irrationally dislike Dollzone. My first doll was from them, so I don't actually know what my problem is :) , but I don't think I would ever buy from them... I have an anthro bunny from Dollzone, and it is very cute (especially for the extremely low price it sold for), but it was a gift. I would never buy it myself, today.

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 18

So, exactly a month after having a baby, I am happily making my way back to this blog - kind of easing into it with this meme as my time is still very limited...
Q: what is your favorite BJD company?
A: Taking 'company' in a strict definition of a business with several employees, palace that mass-produces their dolls from start to finish (including casting and so on all the way to face-up), my favorite has to be, hands down, Fairyland. Their dolls are really easy on the eye (although more cute than beautiful, frankly), they pose wonderfully - practically the best in every size range, from RealPuki to an SD. By the way, they are making those amazing RealPuki!! And if that's not enough, their prices are very very reasonable, for the industry, that is.
Now if we stretch the definition of a company to lone artists who may not cast their own dolls, but sculpt and face-up them and who have their own brands and stores... The winner is, of course, French artist I am honored to call a friend - Nefer Kane (CircusKane is her company's name). She is amazing! As a person, as an artist... Her dolls are special and all unique. Right now, for example, Iracebeth the Red Queen is on pre-order:




There has not been a doll by Nefer that I didn't want! :)

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 17

Q: What is your favourite item of dollie clothing?

A: I keep on buying kimonos / yukatas for everyone, so you'd think it's my favorite :) , but really, I like elaborate pieces that take a while to put on but then look great and really put together - full-set outfits etc. Like this one that took, well, two nights to just put on:

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 16

The original Day 16 question was as follows:

16) Can any of your crew stand on their heads? (Show us~)

But to be honest, I couldn't possibly be any more bored by the question. Well, yeah, Fairyland tinies probably do a pretty good job at that, and they are a snap to photograph, but I just don't feel like it. Being 41 weeks pregnant kind of makes me rebellious and cranky :) So instead, here is my self-invented Day 16 question, answer to which will also prompt some picture sharing:

Q: Which one of your dolls looks best in the photos and why? (with samples)

A: As much as I adore Real Pukies and other tinies, they can be a PITA in terms of photography. Even with close-range macro on they sometimes work out blurry. On the upside, however, I have the most props for them.

But somehow, my best pictures ever were of an MSD-sized girl Mikhaila by Leekeworld. Her grayish / dusty rose colored skin and the way she had enough area of body and face to actually capture light and shadows... Here she is, with pictures from different shots and types of lighting. Enjoy!

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 15

Q: What do your family think of your dolls?

A: Hard to tell :) Knowing how important (and often therapeutic) this hobby is for me, they support it wholeheartedly, which includes faking interest also in the cases where the dolls I'm interested in are obviously way too 'weird' for them. At the time I was into cuteness above everything, they were for the most part really on the same page with me, even if they did think I might have purchased too many at that stage. Post-Fairyland, however, they are often not impressed by the unusual dolls with character I often select. Does that upset me? Not at all. They don't have to share all my tastes to support me, and I wish they knew that so I would know their true, even negative, opinions of my dolls. Not that it would influence my choices ;), but then when they really admire a doll of my photography of it, it would be more valuable.

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 14

Q: Have you ever had a floating head? What about a headless body?
A: Actually, after vowing I never would, I had this year - and for a while - a floating multihead (Fairyland) head that I planned to put on a PukiFee body but failed to to procure one for the longest time. Only in late July did I finally buy a PKF body on Dairyland forum. I actually tried earlier in the year: bought a cheap PukiFee Ante for the purpose of using her body - but her precious custom face-up made me keep her as-is. You've seen her in the previous post, she is a darling! And here is my multihead Cupid - the wig is on the way from DDE:

And no, no headless bodies here. Hopefully none ever, really...

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 13

Q: Dollie shoes! Show us how many you have!

A: Shoes are actually a part of dolly wardrobe I totally disregard. Only a handful of my dolls have shoes on (plus I have an MSD pair that fits nobody), so instead of trying to fit all the measly collection into one picture, I took this one shoe-themed pic. I think it worked out pretty good, if I dare say so myself! ;)

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 12

Q: What do your friends think about your dolls / dolls in general?

A: Well, considering I tend to pick up friends in the hobby, most of them are into BJDs - in fact I met some of my best friends this way, or the hobby has deepened our relationship. I have two best friends in the realm of BJD now: one was my LJ acquaintance until we discovered we're both into dolls, the other I met on a crochet (another hobby of mine) board. In fact she was the one who invited me to DoA and largely shaped my early BJD tastes. Every day in the community I meet people who are super-nice, and I consider some of them my friends even if we only talk online.

My IRL friends don't know much about my hobby, we do not discuss it and I don't feel an overwhelming need to share. Why would I, since I have such a great circle of 'dolly friends'? :) I do tell all about BJDs when asked, but without preachy connotations. I don't believe that this hobby is for everyone nor do I think I can effectively introduce someone to it, being a distracted collector and all :)

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 11 (10)

Q: Post a picture of a doll and an animal!

A: (Why yes, it's been photoshopped. I have no pets nor would I let a strange animal get anywhere close to my dolls! :) )

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 10 (11)

Day 10 has another picture-taking task that is rather hard to accomplish instantly, so I'm switching days 10 and 11...

Q: How long have you collected dolls? Did you collect dolls before BJDs?

Well, I had been looking at them for a long, long time, fascinated by Real Pukis in particular, but then as I browsed the sites and discovered the hobby in general, I decided to take a leap and purchased my first BJD in 2009 (I believe), so no, I wasn't collecting dolls before BJDs. I wasn't going to become a collector per se either, and to allow my collection to grow as much as it has. All I wanted was a doll or two for photostories... I think it wasn't until summer of 2011 when I finally realized I indeed had quite a collection :)

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 9

Q: What is your least favourite size?

A: It's a toss-up between SD and Yo-SD. And yes, I own exceptions to this 'rule': Elfdoll Mir (but then I'm pretty sure I'm not getting another SD ever), who is a special person for sure, and Soom Dolomi, who is a little smaller than most Yo-SDs and I think because of this, escapes the 'curse'. I have re-homed other two Yo-SDs I owned due to complete and total lack of bonding. They were LittleFee Dark Elf Soo by Fairyland and SouldDoll's Lappy Angel.

Dolomi here, just because I love her:

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 8

Q: What is your favorite size?

A: I would say RealPuki (the smallest out there) - they are 9.5 cm, but I am actually equally happy with slightly bigger dolls as well - anything up to, let's say, 16 cm still falls into my favorite category. So this includes a wide variety of artist and company dolls. Not that I won't buy a gorgeous MSD once in a while ;)

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 7

Q: Smallest size you own? (Have held/seen/like)

A: this record, hands down, belongs to the RealPuki clan: all four of them are, of course, the same size, and it is the gorgeous / glorious 9.5 cm. Now that's the way - a-ha, a-ha - I like it ;)

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 6

Q: Biggest size you own? (Have held/seen/like)

A: I have one SD, and honestly, I don't think I'll get another one ever. Elfdoll Mir has always fascinated me; he probably has the most elaborate and detailed background story of all my dolls, and I have put a lot of thought into his looks and outfits. But SDs are just not my cup of tea. Even Kaye Wiggs's dolls - IF I can ever afford one (big if) I'm getting an MSD by her.

Here is the guy (Ichiro Wakahisa) in his modern-day outfit, still missing a wig he has on today:

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 5

Q: What/who was the very first BJD you saw?

A: I am not 100% sure, but I think I started this hobby from discovering, in my random Internet pursuits of ... something? ... Discovering the site of Fairyland (Korean doll-making company). So one can say I have seen all that Fairyland makes, at about the same time - although I was clearly focused on RealPukis. RealPuki Tyni was the first BJD I ever wanted, and many years later - the first one I bought via pre-order (I got my first BJD off a secondary market).

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 4 (3)

For this day, I was supposed to take a picture of all my dolls together. It was such a huge task (even getting them all out) that even my little switch-a-roo didn't help and I still missed a few days. But here they are, finally: group pictures!!









There are still some characters missing in this group - all for good reasons though:
- Doll Chateau Vivienne and Hillary don't have face-ups yet;
- Multihead Cupid doesn't have eyes (nor clothes, but eyes are the biggie);
- Charm City Philia... Well, to be honest, I just forgot about her :( I should make an effort to get her out more; she's a charming little creature and deserves all the attention.

Apo Doll giveaway (Boni)

Go HERE for a chance to win this adorable little doll or HERE to pre-order her after August 15. Isn't she a cutie? The price is also exceptionally reasonable. I'm definitely getting her even if I don't win :)

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 3 (4)

The task of day three is to post a picture of all my dolls together. Which should take some preparation, so I'm switching days 3 and 4 and will do day 4 today.

Q: What/who was the first BJD you ever owned? Do you still own them?

A: it was DollZone Luna (little PKF-sized vampire girl with tiny bat wings that attached with magnets). I downplayed vampire look as much as I could.. Her name was Shade.



After I decided to find her a new home - right around the same time a year ago - I never replaced her character, even though originally I intended to. Instead, I put existing character (presented by PKF Zoe) into her role as Laurie's partner. She was the first doll I really tried to customize, too (new eyes, wigs, clothes - her look chanted many times within a couple of years I owned her). I decided to let her go because she just never got to look the way I wanted - the typical Dollzone mold with sharp anime nose and slightly bugged eyes only let me go so far.

Real Puki Arrivals

Agnes here!

Maria has been hogging the blog lately, so I need to quickly reign in some sense here or we will necver get over talking about future plans and get back to you, know, my job, - chronicles of the currect 'collection', or as I prefer to call it, a community.

I thought I will start by posting here what a typical arrival - box opening - looks like. I wanted to do mine but then I decided that since I plan to follow shortly with a story of the Real Puki clan... I should just start by showing off one of their arrivals:

- Fairyland signature box wrapping often referred to as 'candy':



- Their box and a manual:



- As you can see, poor guy was too tiny to stay in place and got bumped around in the box:



(many more pictures after the break)

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 2

Q: Do you own any? If so how many and if not, do you have any plans to at the moment?


A: This question has been extensively answered in a few posts below. But as far as plans go... I already have what many call a 'grail doll' - a jewel of one's collection, often considered to be unobtainable. For me, it was BJTales (Lidia Shnul's brand) Mouse. Here she is:

So adding anything else is extremely optional now. But... You all know I fell in love with Nefer Kane's work, so I do have plans to add some dolls by her. Right now I have Suzy on layaway:

As well as Willow by Sarah Seiter, The Mushroom Peddler:

And there are some interesting prototypes coming soon(ish) that I will definitely order when Nefer makes them available:

Disclaimer: pictures shown are a property of respective artists and only used here for promotion, linking back to their own sites.

BJD 30-day Challenge: Day 1

Q: Why do you like BJDs?


A: I have never liked dolls growing up, but I did adore artistic figurines, statuettes etc. - things of beauty, originality and imagination. My favorite place in the city was the Artists' Square, a place where not only artists, but craftsmen of all trades sold their works as souvenirs and deco pieces. For a while, I didn't really 'collect', but once in a while indulged myself in a creature or two of someone's imagination. However, you cannot really play with those things - or, as you age :) , you cannot really customize them. They are a finished work of art that is there to be admired. When I discovered the world of BJD, I loved the concept of endless possibilities that they bring along. You can change hair, eyes, clothes and shoes of your dolls, you can give them thousand of different expressions through painting, you can pose them in various ways and make them act out entire photo stories for you (my favorite genre on doll photography). I like the community of collectors, too, the passion they express for the hobby and never-ending supply of great photography they share. I would like to say I had taken some great pictures too, but that would not be true. It is true, however, that I had lots of fun taking those pictures, thinking up those stories and overall just planning my doll's looks... Even if I have never sewn a piece of doll clothing or done any face-ups myself, I still feel like the ultimate 'author' of the final look because I choose the style of work, the artists to commission, and I create the concept that weaves together the image. And then, when I have time, I get to take pictures and show off my dolls, that have by then become one-of-a-kind works of my imagination.

Characters by Name and Story-line

Updated Oct 27 to reflect latest changes and additions:

Time to move forward on those intros! Here's the list of those of us who are here to stay and/or have a background story I am supposed to work hard to write down:

Realpuki Family:

Minu -Fairyland RealPuki Tyni ('the Patriarch')
Attea - Fairyland RealPuki Soso (Minu's wife)
Nelya - Fairyland RealPuki Roro (Attea & Minu's daughter)
Cante - Fairyland RealPuki PuPu (Nelya's boyfriend)
Luke - DreamHighStudio Squee Piko, Nelya's and Cante's son

Their names, in elven speak, basically mean 'first', 'second', etc... Luke's name is an exception.

PukiPuki Famly:

Agnes - Fairyland PukiPuki Pipi (me! me! me! :) )
Janusz - Fairyland PukiPuki Piki (my hubby)
Maria - Fairyland PukiPuki Mary (my sister)
Lisa - Fairyland PukiPuki Sugar (Maria's girlfriend)

Mixed family #1:

Gaby - Fairyland PukiFee Zoe
Laurie - Dollzone Bunny (Gaby's girlfriend)
Sarah - Lati Yellow Basic Lami (their au-pair)

Their children, that Sarah is watching, are non-BJD characters - Calico Critters

Mixed family #2:

Aire - Fairyland MiniFee Soo (human sculpt, but her character is a steampunk elf magician)
Emma-Rose - Leekeworld Mikhaila (Aire's human maid)

Incoming Raspberry by Asella is going to be Aire's human girlfriend, and incoming Flickr the Dragon by Mushroom Peddler is going to be her magic pet, but names are pending :)

Mixed family #3:

Moina - Soom Dolomi (dragon girl, spirit of the forest)
Theodore - Nikkibritt Studio Feenix, faun, Moina's closest friend of all forest creatures (she also has some non-bjd character friends)
Nina - Nympheas Dolls Nymphette. Girl from a city that met and befriended Moina while on a college camping trip.

Stand-alone characters:

Ichiro Wakahisa - Elfdoll Mir (retired yakuza assassin)
Muse - CharmCity Verse Philia (well, actually, a muse to a bjd-artist ;)  )
Wynona - BJTales Mouse (tender and artistic young lady living in her own French cottage)

Anthros without extensive background story - yet: 

Button - Dollfactory Kiki (piggy)
Cheddar - Pipos Cheese Mouse
Uhu - Mushroom Peddler's Hoot the Owl

Incoming (*), collectible and awaiting integration:

Doll Chateau Hillary - needing face-up
* Mushroom Peddler's Willow + Buzz
Nefer Kane Humpty Dumpty + doggie
Nefer Kane Suzy + blob
Nefer Kane Iracebeth + * big ear
* Nefer Kane Aleah (layaway)
* Nefer Kane Maheya (layaway)
* ApoDoll Bonnie
Fairyland Multihead Cupid (PKF body) - also needing face-up

Pictures will be posted in their individual or family stories, but for right now, just not to leave this post eye-candy-less:

Moina:


Laurie:


Nelya:


Sarah:

"I love to tell The Story"...

I am one of those people who never had a celebrity crush. All those famous, talented, amazing and amazingly rich, all those brilliant and powerful - they travel orbits too high for me to ever relate to. I feel like we are from two different kinds of humanity, not even the same species, really, - and so, even though I profoundly admire many, I do not particularly want to express this admiration to any of them directly. Fan letters? They are almost never read by celebrities themselves; you will be extra-lucky if an assistant or some especially appointed secretary reads your epistle - most likely, even they won't read, but will automatically send back a picture with an autograph or something. So, to all those actors and writers and artists I admire, the best type of 'fan mail' - in my opinion - is a couple of dollars that will be added to their millions if I buy their products. I go by this rule even with the stars of my own hobby-world, BJD artists who may not have millions in their accounts - but still are, in my opinion, people far too busy and important (I mean it sincerely) to develop a personal relationship with everyone who's into their art. For somebody so talented that their creations are one step away from life, there is always a crowd lined up to express their well-deserved admiration, and I just don't like crowds :) But recently, an artist whose artwork I ordered has touched my very soul so deeply that I broke my own rules. Her name (possibly not her real name, but the one she uses on the Net) is Nefer Kane.

So, as to the story... I was looking at J-pop dolls and noticed they offer a doll by Nefer Kane - then, the name was new to me. To be honest with you, I didn't order that doll for it was way too expensive for me after just pre-ordering The Mushroom Peddler's Willow, - but I decided to check out the author's other works anyway because I always like to see new artists that make unusual dolls. I saw that she had a tiny (10cm) doll for pre-order, and I got her ordered because I literally fell in love. Imagine a plump(ish) smily elf the size of a RealPuki, named Suzy... Although, why imagine? This is her prototype I saw:

Suzy
It also helped in my decision-making process that Nefer offered 3-month layaway :) I also loved Humpty (that's the doll below), but she was already all sold out.

Humpty Dumpty

Anyway, my story isn't really about dolls. As I was wandering about, checking out the links, I found an article about Nefer and her artistic journey, and it
really struck me at my deepest core. Here is the link to an article I read:
http://www.bjdcollectasy.com/articles/nefer-kane.html
But let me quote one part that will instantly tell you, if you know me and my life, why I felt this special connection:
Nefer Kane is a single mother of two boys, Louis and Arnaud. When her younger son Arnaud was diagnosed with autism, she and her children were forced to move in with her parents. Devastated, Nefer became distant from her friends, and spent most of her time taking care of her sons. As a child, Nefer had originally wanted to become a writer. She attempted to write in her spare time, but none of her projects panned out. She suffered from guilt over burdening her parents with her problems, and felt that Arnaud’s autism was somehow her fault. She also felt that a part of herself had been lost. “There’s a scientific fact which demonstrates that every human being, whatever his age, gender, weight, height, religion, origin, looses 21 grams at the very moment of his death. Some say that it is the weight of the soul. I do believe so. There is a great movie about this called '21 Grams'. 21 grams is the weight of a chocolate bar, of 5 coins, of a hummingbird. The weight of my Hummingbird; the weight of my soul I lost. because this is what happened to me, my profound guilt made me lose my soul.”

After I placed the pre-order, I had to send her an e-mail to confirm my address; I also needed to ask her when the payment for face up and body blushing (I want it all to be done by her, start to finish, for the doll to be completely her creation) was due. As I wrote that business-required piece of mail, I couldn't resist to tell her how her life story touched me and how I felt I could understand her, because of my daughter. Well, she wrote back to me. Respectful of the privacy of that personal correspondence, I cannot quote her reply here, but just know this: she was incredibly kind to me. And first of all, she did write back - despite of me being just one of thousands of fans and hundreds of customers.

She offered to paint my doll for free, but more importantly, she acknowledged our connection, she shared the special feeling of resonance I had, and needless to say, this letter blew me away. Of course I wrote back to her saying how kind she was with her offer, but I think that to get this kind of a reply from her is even a greater gift to me than to save on a face up. She is this special, artistic person, and I - I only can appreciate the beauty others create. And to think that I could say something that touched her, it's just overwhelming to me. Now when I get that doll - Suzy - she will be a lot more special to me than the whole rest of my collection. Although I already think about things I could sell to also adopt this beauty:

Maheya

Yes, I am a fan, of the most pathetic kind. But the artist who inspires me is not so out of reach that we cannot talk or can just discuss business. She's real, like the earth clay she likes to work with; her talent shows in her interaction with people as well as her art, and I am very happy my first (and hopefully only) fangirl crush is on her :)

/ All pictures linked in this post belong to Nefer Kane and are taken from her blog /

Census

Anal record keeper that I am, nothing I do is free of a system. This blog should have some rhyme and reason too, thought I, and hence it starts with a... census! Yes, the full list of us resin folk who are going to be frequent characters of here-posted stories and news articles. Here we go:

Currently with us

Fairyland RealPuki Tyni
Fairyland RealPuki Soso
Fairyland RealPuki Roro
Fairyland RealPuki PuPu
Fairyland PukiPuki Pipi - yours truly :)
Fairyland PukiPuki Piki
Fairyland PukiPuki Mary
Fairyland PukiPuki Sugar
Fairyland PukiFee Zoe
Fairyland PukiFee Ante
Fairyland LittleFee DES
Fairyland MiniFee Soo
Latidoll Yellow Lami
Dollfactory Kiki (piggy)
Pipos Cheese Mouse
BJTales Mouse
Dollzone Bunny
Elfdoll Mir
Leekeworld Mikhaila
Soom Dolomi
SoulDoll Sweet Angel (she is about to leave the crew though; her for-sale thread is coming up this weekend)
Doll Chateau Vivian
Doll Chateau Bella
Doll Chateau Hilary
Mushroom Peddler's Hoot the Owl
CharmCity Verse Philia
DreamHigh Studio Elvenia

Also, Fairyland Cupid multihead is waiting on a PukiFee body and will be complete and one of us then too!

Pre-ordered at the moment is Mushroom Peddler's Impling Willow.

Owners wishlist

Mushroom Peddler's Mini Dragon
Asella's Raspberry
R. Studio Walter (SD) +special face-up
Nappy Choo

She says that after getting BJTales Mouse, her 'grail doll', she funds it easier to say 'no' to new resin. Good, because it's getting kinda crowded around here. Although I've always believed, the more the merrier, and it's never boring :)

I will be doing a tabloid-style profile on each of us soon, but because it is MY blog, I cannot resist and post a picture of me. Enjoy!


(That is me trying on my wedding dress for the first time - taken last summer)

Dairyland Meme: 10 rules for the hobby

I really like this meme: it actually made me think about my own good and bad habits, plus I learned quite a few useful things from the others here! I'll try my hand at it:

1. Make sure you have time.
To me this rule is even more important than the 'afford it' rule. There is nothing worse than a doll I worked hard to afford (but could), waited for a long time, prepared a character for and even clothes and props, and then I just have no time to use neither doll nor any of these things for it. I have gone down that path quite a few times now - if I ever think this situation is about to become permanent, I will seriously weed out my collection. Great dolls deserve lots of love :)

2. Make sure you have $$.
Even when I'm not actively buying/saving for more dolls, I constantly have 'dolly needs' - outfits, face-ups, wigs... Getting all those things for my dolls is just as important a part of this hobby for me. It doesn't have to be all the time, but once in a while I gotta get something new.

3. Make sure you have room.
On the long stretches between actively 'playing', I like to just look at my dolls. If I run out of room to display them, away from direct sunlight and dust, getting another one should be approached with even more consideration. I may even adopt 'one in - one out' motto.

4. Learn the skills.
I cannot do my own faceup or restring a doll, or sew/crochet as well as I'd like to. All of those shortcomings make the hobby either less enjoyable or more expensive for me - probably both, so I am working hard to learn some skills, starting with clothes-making.

5. Do not be afraid to try.
Direct addition to Rule 4 - often it is hard for me to even conceive trying to face-up or restring a doll myself; I am too scared to mess it up. But then, this is how one learns! Just wipe bad faceup and try again. And restringing will eventually work out too.

6. Be flexible with story / characters.
Sometimes, a great doll arrives and, turns out, he/she don't fit the character designated for them. Before selling the doll, it is always good to consider if there are acceptable changes that can be made to the story and / or character to accommodate the doll. I had to do this for my most recent arrival, DollChateau Bella, and I actually like her new role much better than the original I had in mind.

7. Do not buy too much stuff for the doll before it arrives, at least nothing that would interfere with Rule 6.

8. Make sure there is a story / character.
It is a very personal rule, but I find that dolls I buy on a whim without a place in my 'story' do not get as much attention as they deserve.

9. Build up your immunity to others' 'bugs'.
Seriously, I need to take vitamins or something :) First time in the hobby, I only wanted RealPukis - but after joining DoA, Fairyland fever hit me hard. Now I have almost recovered, yet at the same time seem to fall under Lati spell: it's my Best Dolly Friend's newest obsession. I know that they are way too cute for my own current tastes, but I keep looking them up and thinking of a story I could fit them into... Hopeless.

10. Don't let jealousy spoil the hobby for you.
There are people out there who do things better than me. If fact, there are so many people out there that do better things to the same dolls as mine - it is breathtaking. For any given doll, any given style - there is someone out there that already did the same thing, but better. Took better pictures, made better clothes, built better props. If I let that make me go out and spend more money, or enjoy what I have less, I might as well leave the hobby now, because it will always, always happen. it's so much better to admire and enjoy the work of others without letting competitiveness kick in and spoil the fun.

A blog to be reborn

DSC02391, a photo by Miraclebabymouse on Flickr.

May this rose and this hopeful face be a reminder of my never-dying hope to revive this blog...