Boring life update.

Mmm. My hair is somewhat better now thanks to Nice 'N' Easy. Not a 60-year-old-woman-hair anymore. I have this HUUUGE urge to do a thing where I pick a garment and wear it in several different styles. Preferably one style for evey day in the week. Dunno why. Maybe to just see if I can do seven different styles with one garment as a center piece. :P

It's been a boring few days. I went to work yesterday (game testing)- it's very interesting to see game tester find ingenious ways to be lazy with move-controllers. xD Hilarious to watch!

Now to random tech related news;
I haven't mentioned it before, but I've been working on me and my boy's laptops. CANNIBALIZING! So I've been taking parts from my laptop and putting them to my boy's. He was helping in the beginning, but for the most part I've done all the work. I've swapped the memory, hard drive, and screen, as my memory is bigger, my hard drive is better, and my screen isn't broken. (I broke the screen in the first place...) And the reason why I can't use mine is because it's suffered from liquid damage, thanks to my housemate or one of his friends. But now monster/zombie -laptop is almost functional- minus one problem, overheating I presume. I think it's due to not having sufficient thermal grese/compound, and again that's my fault as I took the laptop apart almost completely so that I could also clean everything. Now I just need to pout in moar grease! And hopefully that will solve the problem. Funny thing about operating system though- we've had to install XP, as none of the other operating systems would work- probably due to us not being able to wipe everything when installing them, whereas XP gives that option. I'm quite proud of what I've achieved so far, as I have no knowledge of repairing any sort of electronics. x3 And I have to say it has been a blast, even though I've been pulling my hairs at times.

Aaaanyway. I hope to have some dolly-related stuff later this week, especially now that I'm going for a meet on saturday. :3

I hate you L'oreal.

I have to say I've had a horrible day. It started nicely and I enjoyed it up until my hair was dry and I could see the colour that the hair colour had made it into. I already whined about this at AU, but I just feel so horrible, because my hair is completely unpresentable at the moment. I've sent email to Loreal, because the colour is an absolute outrage, when I followed the instructions to the letter and I end up with a greyish brown mess instead of a beautiful brown. You have any idea how badly a bad hair colour can ruin your day? Enough about that, even though I want to go on and on about it.

I've been experimenting and doing stuff. I did a wig and a couple of hair pieces as an experiment. Unfortunately the bit that keeps them in the hair is quite bulky and visible, and I'm not even sure if I like them that much. (Maybe it's just today, and that makes me dislike them. Dunno.) Hair pieces modelled by Ms Nameless, so that she would get some love. (Nanuri 08, if you're interested.)

#1, The Blue Jewel

#2, The Pink Monstrosity

I'm not sure if it just needs something or if I should just put it apart.

Even though you already saw pictures of the wig I made, I just want to spam you with pictures of Pan wearing it. I do have to say, I keep falling in love with Pan every time I see her. She is just so perfect. :3 (Out of curiosity, do you ever get the feeling that "my doll [insert name] is absolutely perfect." Not necessarily the most gorgeous of all the dolls that have the same sculpt, but just perfect for you. Because Pan makes me feel like that every time I see her or photograph her. x3)

On with the spam!

Now this thing here. Originally I was thinking of making it like the other two, but now I don't know. I don't even know where to go from here. Slightly stuck with this one I have to say. I wish I would have some small feathers, because I would so want to do a feathery hair piece. Also, I would like my sewing machine to be able to sew fur- at the moment I have to sew any wigs that I want to make, by hand. And that is very annoying because I'm a perfectionist and a pessimist, which means that I keep thinking that by sewing by hand, it's gonna come apart very easily (not exactly true), therefore I have to make it EXTREMELY WELL. I just get a bit ridiculous with it at times. Takes too long, whereas if I did it with a sewing machine, it would be done in minutes. *Sigh* 

Well, I'm off now, to moan and despair about my hair, and hopefully to also be crafty and productive. (Wish me luck...)

I so need to redesign the layout. Ugh. No power....

"I'm concentrating very hard on NOT peeing on you."

- Is what my boyfriend said to me in the morning a couple of days ago. How very romantic. xD

So we finally came back from holiday! I haven't updated as we've been going from country to country and due to all the excitement I haven't really wanted to, as I haven't had any time for uploading pictures. But that has now changed as I am back! So this post is just a slight picture spam. I took over 350 photos on our little journey, but I'm only showing about 20. (Cos I can't be bothered to resize and touch-up more of them.)

On we go! First we wen't to Disneyland Paris (to acquire a new Stitch) to have some downtime. We'd booked the tickets and hotel on one of their flash sales, so we had two nights stay, three days hopper tickets, and breakfast for less than £400. For two people- so less than £200pp. And the best part is? We stayed at the Hotel New York! SCORE! It's a 4-star hotel, so normally you pay about double of what we paid. We've stayed at Santa Fe and Cheyenne before, which were good, but New York was amazing, especially due to the location-  no need to take a shuttle bus as the hotel is about 5 minutes away from the parks. Buuut anyway- pictures, and then more talk!

Plaza Gardens Restaurant in Disney Park- quite nice. We've previously been there for lunch and breakfast- both of which were very nice, but alas, this time we didn't go there, but I still wanted a picture.

Crush's Coaster - One of the best rides, but no matter when you go, the waiting times are absolutely ridiculous! We normally go to Disney when it's quiet so that there isn't as queuing, but still this particular ride always has at least a 45 minute wait, while other rides you can just run through and not queu at all! Annoying, as that means that every time we visit the park, we go to this ride only once as waiting is SOOOOO boooring!

This is no ordinary bin. This bin... is ALIVE! Very random I have to say- I've never seen this bin around before, it makes noise when you 'Push' it, and it moves around - due to a guy with a hand suspiciously in his humungous bag. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the dude in the same frame as the bin so that you could see what I mean...

My all-time favourite Disney character- STITCH! We've got five of them here at home. x3

Which one was he? And what in the heck were they called in english?! He was funny! The red stuff on his head? He stole some little girls wig and decided to boogie a bit! xD Awesooome! Another awesome character that we saw, happened the next day when I didn't have a camera; Jafar was near Hati's Outpost (was that the place's name, I can't remember), and he made a little kid cry! So amazing! The kid was scared and everyone was just laughing! Gotta love Disney villains.

And here I had a great shot of The Incredibles until Donald walked into the frame. 

It was quite hard to get pictures of the characters only, as everyone always wants to have their picture taken with them, whereas I have no desire to get into the same frame, but only want them on their own. Surprisingly enough this seems to be a picture of Stitch on his own, but in reality, there's a little boy under his hands, as I just framed the shot so that you can't see the little devil... I love the Elvis-Stitch. It's such a shame they don't sell Elvis-Stitch-plushies as I really want one of those.

Strategically framed again, as I didn't want any park-goers in the frame. Therefore you can't see the whole castle.

One thing that I love about the parks? There's so much work that has gone into making them. I really wish you could go on boat rides on the lakes and little rivers they have- see the scenery from a different angle. 

And now to Finland! This is Eetu- the crazy cat. It's torn so much of the wallpaper at my mom's. I actually didn't take any pictures in Finland beside the cat, as I've played the paparazzi there so many times already! xD

I'm not sure if I said it before, but we did the trip by car, so we needed to take a ferry from UK to France, Germany to Sweden, Sweden to Finland, Finland to Poland (where this picture's from), and back to UK from France. A looot of sailing. 

Arrival in Gdynia!

There was a (pirate) ship in the port!

A little pond near where my boyfriends parents live in Inowroclaw (sp?).

Possibly the parents cat. Not sure as it was near the church.

Have to say, the weather was interesting when we were leaving Poland- ahead of us was black clouds, and behind us a beautiful bright clouds and blue sky.

There was a very nice sunset- couldn't get very nice pictures as I was stuck in the car. (For over 12 hours... Over 20 if you exclude the ferry between France and UK)

Lot of roadworks in Poland, which made me play with shutter speeds a little bit. x3 Exposure time 1/8 seconds.

And here 0.77 seconds. :3

And that's it for pictures! Yay! 

I saw the new Dynamic Views! Looks interesting! I don't know if they would work for me, but they look coool and shiiiiny! I'm a bit over excited today I think. And I've only had two cups of coffee. Which I think should be rectified. On a different note, I took my fabric scraps, trims, and random shiny things with me from Finland! So I've got lots of stuff to make doll bits and bobs from now! I just need to brainstorm and not get lazy... I did take my big fake fur fabric as well, which means that I'll be making a couple of fur wigs! We'll see how they turn out, as I wanna try and make couple of different ones. x3 

Off to help with dinner! Onion rings, sweet potato fries, chicken breast, and blue cheese sauce, here I come!

Mmmm. Sleepy eyes.

I finished the top for Pan today- it definitely is a mock up, and unfortunately I'm not that sure if I should even save the pattern as I don't like how it sits on her chest. I don't have any photos of it atm, but I'll try to take some in the next couple of days, I might not be able to do anything tomorrow as I'm off to work and I might not be back until 9pm. (Keeping in mind that I leave at 6.25, so I might be knackered...) I would so want to take Xian with me to work, but I've only just started there so a random doll sitting on my table would look mucho strange... And I don't wanna just leave her in my bag! So I don't think I'll take her in for now, but as a consolation I might take my boys camera. Hopefully I'd take some pictures as well!

There is a thing I'm afraid of about tomorrow... that I can't remember the door code to work. I've only been told it once and I'm not 100% sure I remember it right... Wish me luck! xD

I can't wait to go to Finland! Me and my boy are doing a three week trip starting from the 18th, and we're going to France (Disney for 2 days), then on to Finland (his first time there so I'm really excited to show him around!), and lastly to Poland (for the christening of his sisters baby). Once we get to Finland, I wanna find the nearest ice cream stall and buy us ice cream cones! :3 I love valiojäätelö. (meaning= Valio ice cream)


Surprisingly I still really like Gamekeepers Reserve! It's a red wine that I got to know in my first job here in England, and it is a wine that I really enjoy! We found it in Tesco the last time we were shopping for £4.99! A BARGAIN! (The place that I worked in charged about that much for a 150ml glass.) Hmmm. I'd still need to hunt down the Brouilly that I absolutely adored when I worked there- it was so lovely, and what was even lovely-er was that when you were still able to get staff drinks there, you could order a large glass of that (250ml) and have the company pay for it (and the glass was about £9-£10)!


Unfortunately I really do need to go and have a shower  cos I have to be up at stupid-o-clock tomorrow, so Bon Voyage! (I just really wanted to say that. x3)

Update on life in general.

I really need to finish the top I started making for Pan. It's been in the makings for about three/four days now, and there really isn't that much left to do! I'm just being stupid and lazy about it. :P

I found my boyfriend's playboy playing cards today! We played a few games before he had to go back to work. He claims he doesn't like them, even though they have some very sexy ladies on them. *winkwink* The chick who is on the Kings isn't that gorgeous though, which makes me wonder how it was decided who gets what number, because for example #6 is absolutely breathtaking! This is a slightly random and weird topic to talk about isn't it? But still! It just baffles me, and I've been thinking about it for half a day now! Grrr.

I keep wanting to make tamagoyaki all the time nowadays as I know how it's made, and how tasty it is when you make it yourself.The only reason I actually tried making it is because I decided that we needed to make some sushi, and as I ADORE tamagoyaki, I had to have it when we'd make sushi. So about a week ago I tested my tamagoyaki-making skills with great success. Funnily enough the trial tamagoyaki looked better than the one I made for the sushi! Beginners luck I guess. But now I just want to make it all the time.

I should go and scout out some foresty spots. All the time I've lived in Oxford not once have I gone out looking for a place to have the photoshoot for Pan's introduction! Unforgivable. But I really have no idea where there'd be a nice secluded foresty spot where I can take photos of a butt-naked doll without people calling the men in white jackets... Pffff... I really do wanna get the story done! But I don't wanna wonder around aimlessly for hours looking for an elusive pretty clearing. Who's being lazy? *raises hand*

Aaanyway, I had something else to talk about as well, but I forgot because my boy came home and we had some pizza. (Mmmm- Pizza Hut cheesy bites... x3) So farewell for now!

Photos~

Uuuh-! The present that he got me yesterday! IT WAS APPLES!!! For most people getting apples would be quite boring, but for me it's an occasion to celebrate if I get apples to eat, as I'm allergic to the apples they sell in stores. It's the preservatives or bug sprays or whatever crap they use on them to make them waxy and keeps bugs away, which makes me have an allergic reaction. It's not just apples, but anything with the whatever it is I'm allergic to. SO, getting apples that I can eat is a real treat.  (BTW don't believe the crap about organic apples and stuff- they're full of the same stuff as all the non-organic fruit. And I can prove it with my mouth! xD Not that I want to...) But Yay Apples!

I was thinking that I really want to put up a 'few' pictures that I've taken of my dolls over the couple of years I've been in the hobby. Some of them have been up in places, and some of them haven't. Lot of my photos never see the light of day as I'm quite critical and I take a lot of photos at times. But I figured I would compile here some of my favourites. ^_^ There may be nudity. They're a bit of a mismatched bunch, so there isn't very much consistency in the arrangement...

Have to say, I really liked going through all my photos- brings back some memories. Cx

Yay!

So hello! Have to say, I'm still getting used to this place, so as a warning; the blog is a bit of a work in progress.

I'm mainly going to use this place for dolls, photography and everyday rare occurances. I do warn you, the posts might get a bit picture heavy at times.

I've been trying to be productive (for the past week or so), so I've been making patterns and clothes for my dolls. I have to say; I HATE making patterns. Whether it's making them from scratch or resizing them, it is Horrible. Unfortunately there isn't that many readymade BJD patterns, so I just have to keep making them even though it drives up the wall. It's probably due to me not actually having any idea how to make patterns easily and therefore I might be making them in a way that makes me do more work than necessary, so... Probably should look up pattern making basics next time... But I have made some stuff succesfully! Not that they're on the cutting edge of fashion or extremely well made, but at least they're wearable! Unfortunately my sewing machine is quite crap, so making small things is a nightmare at times. Therefore I haven't gotten around to making clothes for Xian from the patterns that I've almost finished, as I will have to make her clothes almost completely by hand. Especially the period costumes that I want to make for her.

So this is the top and skirt that I made:

I saw a tutorial for a human sized skirt like this and decidec to try and do a doll sized version- The pattern came out okay. There's no zips or buttons as the fabric is quite stretchy. If I wanted to make a skirt like this from an unstretchy fabric, I might need to modify the pattern a little bit. The top is very strechy as well and can be pulled over her head without any problems. The neckline is very low though, but low necklines are Pan's thing, so it's good. (Or anything that shows an inordinate amount of skin...)

This one is the 'dress that used to be a sleeve'. So I just modified a sleeve from a shirt, (that I don't use anymore) into a dress. In the photos it's riding a bit low, as it seems I wasn't paying attention to it. xP

As this is my first post, I figured I should introduce my doll family. I don’t have that many dolls, and most of them are rolling heads without face-ups, but what can you do? All of my dolls have a background story and there is three different realms that they go into. First one would be the normal world that we all live in (haven’t come up with a proper name yet), you won’t get anything supernatural happening with these guys. Second one would be the ‘Together Forever’-realm, where you can find angels, demons, magical creatures, and humans. Here humans don’t normally know that there is anything but humans in their realm. The third one would be the ‘Divine Masquerades’, where gods of all sort exist.

This little creature here is 险雨 aka Xiǎnyǔ, she is the doll that tipped the scales for me and started me on my road to being a BJD-collector. The sculpt is SOOM’s Uyoo Elf, and I bought her as the ‘Sparkling Forever’ fullset. The picture here is from about three years ago, but it shows her sculpt quite nicely. Her wig looks a bit different now than what it is in the picture, but you’ll see that at some point! If you don’t know Soom that well, I’ll just point out to you that this girl is part of their Minigem line so she’s only 30cm in height. So about the same size as your normal barbie dolls.

This ‘young lady’ belongs to the ‘Together Forever’-realm, together with Angelo, whom unfortunately doesn’t have a doll form yet. No one really knows what Xian is, or how old she is, but a good guess would be that she’s been here since the beginning. So she’s seen it all. The only ‘constant’ in her long life has been Angelo, whom she calls A. Xian and A are in a relationship, but only see each other maybe a couple of times a decade, for varying periods, as A comes and goes without a notice.

This ‘lady’ here goes into the ‘Divine Masquerades’-realm, and in reality is the god Pan. (As in the god of forests, pastures, cattle, and fertility.) Due to a series of events, he ended up in the mortal world, unable to return to Olympos. Once he’d realized that he was stuck in a female body, he took on a more feminine name; Pandora.

At the moment Pandora is the only doll that I’ve got planned for this realm, but I did entertain the thought of getting a medusa to come and play, as I saw Angelheim’s Zion ‘The Medusa’. Such a tempting thought…

I’ve already come up with a few stories…

This piece of resin comes (again) from SOOM, and is part of their monthlies- more specifically April 2008; Beryl- Never Ending Dream. She’s got her human legs and, (as SOOM calls them) succubus legs, hooves, and horns. Face-up and body blushing has been done by jesmo.

And now, meet Eili!

He’s just a normal human in a normal world. Not a lot to tell about him as I’m still sorting out the details of who’s involved with who, and how they relate to each other. Not that it matters too much yet, as he’s just a rolling head at the moment. The head is MsDoll’s #3. Face-up is by Korone. Do have to say that this is one of my all-time favourite sculpts.

Then the rest of my doll family is just heads without faces; there is Dorian, a Cerberus Project (human) Lu-Wen, whose pointy ears have been sanded off. Dorian goes into the same realm as Eili. Then the two remaining ones are without names and backgrounds. One is a Feeple Nanuri 2008, and the other one is a modded Dollzone Ying.

Need to go now. Apparently boyfriend has something for me!!!