How to Care for a BJD Wig- WIP

I'll update this as I get more photos and tutorials together, so I'm marking this as a WIP for my own memory. 

Products

Generally speaking, be cautious about what products you put on a wig. You'll want to know whether the fibers are natural or synthetic, and what products will work and won't work on the wig.

• Volks makes a neutral wig wax here.
• Dollmore has a nice wig spray here.
• I've personally used a little human hair gel and a few other products to tame wild hairs.
• Don't wash a bjd wig unless you know that it has been sewn and not glued. If you wash a glued wig it can fall apart!
• Store your wigs in a wig net when not in use; this will protect them from damage.
• Keep a ball of tissue or other paper inside the wig to help it hold its shape.  
• Be careful to avoid products with oils in them that might sit for too long on the doll's resin and stain or ruin that area.

Heat Styling

• You can boil heat resistant fibers and scrunch them into curls. Don't use this method on non heat resistant synthetic fibers or on glued wigs. I've used this method on vinyl dolls and for Ginny Doll restoration and had great results.
  
• Flat Irons/Curling Irons should only be used on heat resistant fibers. You can use these on most natural fibers as well, but be sure to test all wigs underneathe where any damage won't be seen just in case.

Wet Styling

• For most wigs, you can use a spray bottle to lightly wet the fibers of the wig and then wrap the sections around a tool, like a pencil or straw. When the hair dries you'll have a curl.
  
• You can use this to set most styles, not just curls.

Reminder though, if the hair is glued, be sure not to get the wig cap wet!

Combing

• Don't brush curly wigs! You'll end up causing the curls to separate and end up with a fuzzy mess like this:
  
• If you must tidy a curly wig, boil the wig and scrunch the hair back up, or manually redo each section of curl with a wet styling method.
  
• Long wigs will tangle even when just sitting pretty. Comb them very gently with a wig comb, wire doll hair brush, or your fingers. Start at the ends and work your way up. Be as gentle as possible to minimize the loss of fibers.

Removing Sheen

Got a synthetic wig with too much shine? Never fear! Follow these steps to reduce the shine and give it a more natural, and expensive look.

• First, get yourself some hair spray. (I've been lazy and used MSC, but I don't recommend this as it's expensive. If you do use it, wear a respirator.)
  
• Remove the doll's wig and place it on something else, like a soda bottle.
  
• Spray the hair with a light mist of hair spray and sprinkle baby powder or talc on top. Comb it through gently. Comb and shake the wig to remove excess baby powder.
  
• Repeat as needed.
  
• The baby powder will stick to the fibers of the wig and reduce the shine.

This technique took this wig from Kemper:

http://kemperdolls.com/wigs/modacrylic-wigs/althea-turquoise-modern-wig.html

And turned it into this:

I hope this basic little guide is handy. If you want any more info or have any more questions about wigs, rooted hairs, or fibers, feel free to ask in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

BJDs and Yellowing/Mellowing

Note: I plan to update this post when I can with some examples of yellowing from my personal collection.

You can't reverse yellowing. The good news is that yellowing is very, very gradual. You're not going to see severe yellowing in your doll just from walking to your car and back. They may mellow within a year or so, but you will not see severe yellowing for the most part until after many years of love and play.

Most people find they barely notice the yellowing, because it is something that happens so slowly you often don't notice until you compare the inside of a doll's headcap or a newer doll from the same company to an older one.

Is Yellowing Damage?

In most cases, yellowing should not constitute damage. What yellowing can indicate in a newer doll is a lack of care and preservation for the doll itself. Blotchy yellowing, or the yellowing equivalent of a farmer's tan could be considered damage in most cases. You're obligated as an honest seller to disclose any yellowing. Personally, any doll at least a year or more I always note that it probably has some yellowing.

Daughters and Dolls

My daughter is turning two years old in December. She's a very smart little thing, very verbal. One of her first words was "dollie". She'd lay there, staring at the doll cabinet saying, "Hi Dollie. Pretty dollie. Hi!"

My desire is to have her choose her own way of being. I do not want to pressure her to be more girly or less girly, and honestly, she's chosen to be pretty darn girly. She likes having her hair done, and pretends to put make up on (which is sad because I literally cannot style hair at all haha).

She'll play with her brother's trucks and likes zombies and Pokemon (She says "poke-mon" and "Pi-chu" for Pikachu), but in the end she loves her baby dolls.

For my own nostalgia, I wanted to get her an American Girl doll or two, but in the end with the way she loves my dolls and how gentle she is with them, a BJD was definitely the way to go. After chatting with my bestie, I decided to go the ABS route, and if she does well with this, we will consider a resin girl when she's a little older, or possibly a Hujoo Dana.

Having done commissions on Hujoo Freya and Nano Freya, I feel confident I've made the right choice and can paint her little kitty to be a wonderful dollie for my daughter. I  think this will help teach her responsibility and to take good care of her toys and special things, and this little kitty can be a good friend to her for many years. I hope it inspires her to be creative, to tell stories, to be artistic, and I hope it will help us bond and play together.

My plan is to make her very pink and glittery, just like Emmy always likes.

I've been working on customizing Disney toddler dolls and such (I get them for super cheap at my local thrift shops, touch up their paint and hair, make them simple dresses and voila, she's got a huge collection). I'm working on one now that will end being a Princess Leia doll, haha.

Here's to our future doll collectors. <3

I'll be doing a review of this doll when she arrives, as well as a clothing and a posing post, with plenty of help from Emmy. 

(And just an aside here, my son has zero interest in dolls of any kind. I've tried, even offering to buy him one of his own, and he just laughed and, "No mom, I like zombies." He occasionally plays with my dragons, but quickly grows bored and goes back to zombies and minecraft.)

Scammer Warning and a Note on Scams

So this message has been circling around, and seemingly only to European collectors. There may have been some non-Europeans that have gotten the message, but so far this is all I've seen.

Screen shot from Etsy, via Issy BJD

This is a good opportunity to discuss warning signs of scammers, especially because some of them are far less obvious than this. I've discussed Safe Buying and Selling practices many times on this blog, so I won't go into that, but you can read the posts relevant to this topic here.

Name Dropping: The scammer tries to associate themselves with someone with high popularity, followers, or fame. This could be a company (such as claiming to be a representative or employee) or a person (claiming to be a famous collector or in collaboration with a famous collector). This is to ease you into comfort with a name fo someone you "know" or are familiar with. It gives the scammer an air of legitimacy.

Monetary Reward: Offers an unrealistic amount of money for the object they're desiring. In this case, they're asking to "rent" a bjd for $100 plus more if you send extra things. They can purchase their own BJD for around $100, to be frank, so they've no business renting yours. They may offer a deposit of a ridiculous sum of money, but be unwilling to send it "Friends and Family" or only want to send you money after you send your portion.

Method of Contact: If they've contacted you on an account not openly related to BJDs, like your personal facebook or Etsy, find out how they got the information. Never give out your real life name or address to these people. If they are claiming to be from a company or a specific person, forward their message onto that company or person and see what they have to say.

Google them. Google any names or information they've used in their message. See if anything pops up. the vlogger mentioned in this message is demonstrably mentally troubled (no offense is meant by this, and I wasn't sure of a more delicate way to address this. My mother is mentally unsound as well, so I have nothing but empathy and compassion for this person), but may not even be aware this person is using her name.

This person will prey upon the desperate and the new, and hopefully no one actually thinks this is legit. Pass this information around. Protect your community! Safe collecting everyone. 

BJD Photography Tips and Tricks Part 1: Basics

Upcoming:

Part 2: Editing Photos

Part 3: Working with a Cell Phone Camera

My photography has improved over the years I've been in this hobby. Witness this monstrosity from early in my doll collecting career vs this more recent photo:

On the left is a photo of my first doll, Poe. On the right is Peregrine, who I acquired last year.

So what improved? How can you kick your photography up a notch? What if you only have a cell phone to work with?

Well, read below for help editing photos in general. A follow up post regarding tips and tricks for cell phone photography is upcoming.

iDyepoly Review

Having now dyed a doll with both iDye and RIT I can confidently say I prefer iDye for most BJD applications.

The colors are less accurate, but deeper and richer than you'd think. I was not able to make blue actually come out blue, which seems to be a common problem based on my internet research.

I've never tried to get blue from RIT, but I know it can be done.

RIT dye is easier to work with. It's less temperamental, takes more dunks to get a deep rich color so you can more easily control the shade you're going to end up with, and while warm you can kind of blend the color together before the piece dries and the color sets.

However, RIT dye rubs off pretty easily. I've gotten the majority of RIT off a resin piece with little more than a Magic Eraser sponge with some acetone.

Pink RIT powder dye on Recast Aileen Doll Ashes (Minion)

Clothing a Zaoll- In Progress

Zaoll are very tiny and a bit oddly sized. Here's a few things I've been learning about what they can and can't wear:

Shoes:

• Most SD13 shoes, especially heels, are too narrow for their feet. 
• SD16 heels all seem to fit, including these ones from Snake Eye BJD.

#3, the Snake Eye shoes fit, so most of these should fit pretty similarly since Moe also has wide feet.

Zaoll Body Posing

Disclaimer:

In these photos she has the Feeple 60 double jointed arms. Zaoll default arms are single jointed and cannot do much. Also all these pics were taken at night in those precious hours when the spawn are asleep so pardon the crap quality and the flash. XD I take my moments where I can get them.

She has also been sueded and will soon be wired to help with her posing.

As I mentioned in the review on her when I initially got her, she is single jointed. This does affect the posing ability.

There are several different modifications and such that you can do to improve upon this, including sueding and wiring, as well as poseability modifications to the joints themselves. I'm going to be attempting some on the arms soon and will post when I get around to that.  For now, here is what I was able to get her to do.

It is more than I thought I'd be able to do, and I should note that I can *almost* get her to balance on one leg. She needs ankle support and then I think she'd be able to do it.

First, here is the body with Feeple 60 Moe WS arms attached:

Review Time: Dollmore Zaoll Dreaming Luv

I purchased this pretty little lady second hand from a friend, so I can really only give my opinion as to quality of the doll. I can relate my friend's experience with Dollmore and my own from ordering Dollmore clothes.

Site: Dollmore.com

Ease of Ordering: Always easy to order from, uses paypal to pay. Can't complain there.

Speed: Dollmore is always pretty quick on shipping things, even dolls (my friend who orders frequently says it usually takes around a month). I've never had an excessive wait from them. When they make mistakes they're pretty good about fixing them.

Clothing: The clothing is usually pretty well-made, with a variety of things to choose from. In my early days I preferred to shop there or Alice's Collections. So it's really a taste factor.

Onto the doll herself!

Recasts in Strange Places

Apparently the term "recast" isn't limited to dolls and bootleg toys. 

A year or so ago I dived (hey, a pun!) into the world of mermaiding. It got me in shape and soon I began to research upgrades to my fabric tail. I soon learned there are people making molds of existing artists flukes and selling recast, literally recast, silicone mermaid tails. 

Many of these were made with substandard materials that could literally kill you- by poisoning or drowning. 

A mermaid tail of the silicone variety costs a minimum of $800 worth of materials to make. Factor in sculpting time, artist wage, etc and you're looking at upwards of $1300 for a tail depending on upgrades. 

In this hobby, recast is even more tempting than dolls, but it literally directly hurts these small one or two woman/man studios and could potentially kill you. 

Fast forward a bit, I'm hunting for a storm trooper armor kit for next year. Apparently recast armor is actually a thing! They literally buy a suit from a small company. No, Lucas Arts and Disney are not making 501st grade armor, so scrap that big companies don't get hurt bullshit. After they've made molds from the armor they then sell inferior copies. 

These copies are again made of substandard materials. They crack, the don't hold up to sanding and painting, they aren't tough enough for trooping in. They lack detail, which often means the difference in getting a 501st acceptance. 

These are not just boot leg copies, like a MLP fake. A cheap version of storm trooper armor isn't going to kill you, but it's not going to hold up. It's substandard and you won't get in. 

Storm trooper armor is made by small companies often with few employees. Each piece is hand sculpted before cast and processed through vacuforming. These aren't made in big factories in assembly lines.  In fact, you just receive an unfinished kit and have to sand and assemble it yourself!

This truly makes me question the materials recast dolls are made of. My recast always yellowed faster, always ended up with cracks and breaks and weak spots. We know that early recasts were made with inferior and possibly more toxic than usual materials. But overtime they did seem to improve. This doesn't take away from the impact they have on the individual artists and small companies. 

The more aware of recasting I've become the more I see it everywhere and the greater the impact it really seems to have. No, dolls aren't going to kill you unless this a modern version of the Puppet Master, but it's very clear how much artists depend on your business in these niche hobbies to survive. 

Not much point to this post, but just something I noticed. 

On Popularity, Shame, Perfectionism, and Internet Cruelty

My life motto. (Brene Brown, I don't know who created the photo.)

Today ladies and gentlemen and all others we're going to talk about Shame and Perfectionism and how this relates to popularity in the doll hobby. This will probably be another one of my possibly offensive and controversial posts, so I apologize in advance if I hurt your feelings.

You're probably wondering what perfectionism is doing on a doll blog. I've written about everything from confidence to honesty and economics on this blog, so why not this? With the proliferation of BJD Confession blogs full of snarky confessions about poor face ups and styling or photography to complaints about not being popular (enough), perfectionism is very much a part of our hobby.

I am not a person who is very open about my own struggles. Most of you know my teen brother died last August, and I've been grieving since then. This is on top of an anxiety disorder and cyclical depression and yes--- my perfectionism.

Through the therapy I've been attending for a few years, I've been learning how to deal with my anxieties and with my perfectionism. I've learned that perfectionism is based on something we call Shame. At the end of this piece I'm going to link my favorite Shame and perfectionism books and researchers, and I highly recommend checking these out!

Disclaimer: I am not a licensed mental health professional. Do not take anything I say here as medical advice.

Rrabbit Clothing Review

[Note: At the time I took pics, I wasn't planning on a review so they're pretty bad quality, lol. Since then, everything has been mixed up in my doll stuff boxes, so eventually I'll take better pictures. You'll have to deal with these for now. XD I'm also having major format issues with Blogger today, so if anything's weird I apologize. ]

English Site: http://rrabit.com/rrabitstore/rrabitshop/

I ordered during Chinese New Year, so I'm a little shocked this shipped when it did. Here are a few pics of the items I ordered:

The Dangerous Decline of the Secondhand Market- What that means for the future of the hobby.

There has been a decided decrease in the purchasing power of the average BJD hobbyist thanks to the decline of the secondhand market. We can no longer purchase a doll knowing we cannot recoup most of our costs and turn around and reinvest the money from that doll back into the market.

The large majority of doll collectors, I'd wager, do not have the financial freedom to just purchase full cost dolls willy-nilly. Sure there are some people, perhaps those with large incomes and/or no dependents to care for who can buy several full-price mid or high range dolls a month, but they're uncommon. I'm not qualifying this or saying those with more purchasing power are better or worse than someone with less.  It's simply a fact. It's a fact that most of the doll collectors I know depend on their ability to sell a doll to buy a new doll. I know only 3 doll collectors on a personal basis that do NOT have to sell to buy. They may choose to do so, but they're not required to do it. The point is they're honestly a minority. This piece is concerned with the purchasing power of the average doll collector and what the reduction of that power is doing to the market and thus the future of the hobby.

There is this sense of haggling and deal making in this hobby that has gone beyond respectable. People are wanting top of the line dolls for Walmart prices- and they're wanting them now. No one wants to pay $450 for a minifee, so they begin to search secondhand. They hope that they can snag a good deal- maybe $350 with no long wait time….. then they begin to search for one for $250 because it's not mint in it's box… because another human touched it…. because how dare the original owner hope to get $400 for that minifee?

A Short Review: Vings Eyes

Unedited Vings in my kitchen they day they arrived! <3

Let me preface this with the fact I completely forgot to write this post last year. I even looked to see if I could find an older draft, and nothing. That said, I won't be able to get into details about arrival times and stuff because it's been so long. I'm also not sure exactly which shade of green I ordered either. I know they were about 18mm and teal.

Around the time I ordered, Vings was having issue after issue. A lot seemed like they were just making stuff up, but for you dear readers, I elected not to get a refund and waited something like 6-8 months? for them to arrive so I could review them for you.

We ordered from their taobao to save a little money (the pricing difference on the large eyes was enough we decided to go with that instead of their direct site). I believe my eyes were approximately $60 + shipping. I paid more than average because I had to get giant eyes because Soony has giant eyes.

Anyone who has been following my posts and photography will have seen them, as Junko generally wears them.

These eyes are gorgeous. They are my favorite urethane eyes that I own. The color is crisp, bright, and very accurate to their sample photo. They are even with no bubbling, irises and pupils are the same size.

The catch the light in an absolutely magical way, and rarely require any editing at all, unless it's in low-light conditions.

Vings are definitely worth the money. They've aged well in the year or two that I've had them, as in, no noticeable  yellowing or anything as I've heard urethane eyes can do overtime, just like the dolls themselves.

So basically, if you're on the fence about them, get them.

Here are some pics for you so you can judge yourself. I've noted where I've used editing and to what extent.

Thanks for reading as always, and happy collecting!

Very, very little editing.

Brightened a bit because of the severe lowlight.

All I did here was edit the eye shine and desaturate the image.

Eyeco Eyes and Yellowing

So I got new eyeco today and noticed a huge comparison. The larger pair were purchased in late 2014--- and you can see a notable difference in yellowing. 

No flash: 

Flash:

Why You Should Go Outside: Confidence, Fuck it All, and Dirty Knees

Doll photography can be painful.

Not in the visually unappealing sense (though that happens on occasion), but rather in the physical sense.

Trying to achieve interesting angles and proper scale usually means we look a bit like this:

                                                 

In awkward poses but with a camera. We must suffer for the art.

And our backs ache.

And we get our knees dirty.

Sometimes we drown our cameras.

This is the last thing my old Canon Rebel ever saw. Read about it here:
http://amaranthscastaways.tumblr.com/post/125028357502/ok-so-i-had-a-fiasco-today-i-got-a-great-idea

I think most of the doll people I talk to express trepidation at the thought of going outside- not in the basement dweller who can't stand sunlight way- with their dolls. Why? Because by and large we're scared of being judged.

From judgment can come rude comments, scathing looks, pointing, laughing, and on the rarest of occasions physical confrontation.

I'm about an unsocial as the rest of the BJD hobby. Even now I have no idea what to do when someone asks too many questions. I mostly just stand there awkwardly, mumble a bit, and then fight-or-flight kicks in and I run away back to the safety of burrow home.

Yet, I still go outside. I like my yard mostly because I have trees and cool aging things that make neat backgrounds. I like to challenge myself to make the same areas look different. Plus my neighborhood is used to me by now.

All of that aside however……

Here are reasons why going outside in general is damn good for you:

• Sunlight produces vitamin D. We need vitamin D to survive.
• Being in nature is proven to improve mood and help alleviate depression.
• Walking is good exercise.
• Yoga is also good exercise. And you will be doing yoga poses trying to take photos of your dolls.
• Grounding is an excellent way to relieve yourself of negative energies. There's few better ways to ground than, you know, getting your knees and feet in dirt. Real dirt.
  
  Artistic endeavors, like photography, also raise your good mood. They get positive, creative juices flowing. Combine that with the energies of grass and trees and it's a recipe for Good Vibes.

I hear you--- It's dangerous to go out. People will beat me up. What if someone asks to hold my doll? What if they steal it? I'm scared of dirt. I'm allergic to sunlight. I am allergic to people.

Here's the deal. I have like, 0 confidence most of the time, but I've taught women's self-defense classes and I'm a huge proponent of the Fake it Till You Make it school of thought. There's a few things you can do to make yourself feel more confident:

• Hold your head up.
• Walk with long, powerful strides.
• Square your shoulders.
• Fake it. Faking confidence is the quickest way to actually building it.
• Know that it only takes about 10lbs of pressure to break a trachea. ;) Take a self-defense class. It'll make you feel like a badass. It'll make you safer.
• JUST DO IT.

https://38.media.tumblr.com/cd1da38e194459c94685c7e967fab996/tumblr_inline_o2f6553kXe1sit5r2_500.gif

                                       
Generally speaking, the average thug is just like a mountain lion or a bear. If you seem big and threatening, they're going to leave you alone.

You can also mitigate these fears by taking your doll to a decently public place, where there are people around so you don't get mugged or whatever. Time your visits around less busy times of the day, when there is less chance of heavy foot traffic. In my area, this is pretty much all day on Sunday and the hours between 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM, and then from about 7:00 PM onward.

I've never actually had anyone other than some school kids point at me when I was out and about with my doll. And in all fairness, I would have stared too. After all, it was January and I was hiking up a snowy hillside from a river. The kids were on the bridge, coming back from school. I must have been a pretty funny sight.

Here's the truth:

Most people are so afraid other people are looking at and judging them that they don't have time to look at or judge you.

Instead of thinking of the worst case, think of the good what-ifs. What if you inspire someone else to get out there and do what they dream of doing? What if you make a new friend?

So get out there. Get some nature. Play with some crazy doll angles. Use some trees. Use some playground equipment.

Get your knees dirty. You can do it!

Iplehouse B.I.D Review and Posing

Hi again everyone! I realized I never did a post on my lovely little BID Anne, Pearl Kingston. (I made the little lady a DoA doll profile though!)

Basic Review:

I purchased her last year on impulse. I wanted a little YoSD and fell in love with her because A) my name is Ann, and B) teefs. I love dolls with teeth! I bought her in their white skin, which is a lovely rosey-pink white that almost looks like a very, very pale normal skin.

She shipped very quickly, and arrived in what's probably the cutest doll box I've ever owned. Thankfully, it was spared along with her paperwork when my basement flooded.

As far as criticisms, sad to say but her acrylic eyes sent with her from Iplehouse cracked, so I never ended up using them. I'm not a fan of lower-end acrylic eyes, so I swapped her out with some blue Makos I had laying around. I'd much prefer more realistic eyes in her, but I'm lazy and have yet to do so.

Also, she does have rough seam lines, nothing I couldn't fix myself, but they keep collecting dirt and color from her stockings which is a little inconvenient.

All in all, 10/10 for quality and service.

Info: Though she calls for 14mm eyes, I prefer 12 or 10mm for more realisim. Her head is a little smaller than a 6-7, so I'd guess she's almost a 6" exactly.

Clothing:
The little chubby thing is big, like all Iplehouse dolls are, and a lot of YoSD clothing runs small. Any YoSD shoes I've tried fit her fine. I can force a lot of stuff onto her body, but then her limbs have reduced movement. Promise of the World clothing is the worst offender. It's cut really, really small. Some of the more generic stuff on taobao fits her as long as it has a little stretch, and she's never without this little bear jacket:

Posing:
Note that she has not been sueded, and has not been restrung so she's like ridiculously floppy. Most of these pics were taken at night by lamplight when my kids were asleep, so pardon the gross flash.

First let's start with some head movement. The head has limited range of mobility for up and down movement. You have to use the torso joint to really give the illusion of more movement than is there. This is due partly to the way they sculpted the slope of the BID neck as well as the way the faceplate and head back meet.

Iplehouse EID Woman Review and Poses

[As an additional note, Lahela is for sale. If you're interested in adopting her shoot me a messaged on facebook or tumblr. Due to her damage and Iplehouse's shittastic resale value, I'm asking $600 plus shipping.]

Mold: Iplehouse Lahela, Light Brown Skin, large bust option, no mobility legs

Note: Lahela is only available through Iplehouse's Full Custom System, which is available the first ten days of each month I think.

Site: www.iplehouse.com, however I received her in a trade.

Clothing Options:

The Iplehouse stereotype is that they all end up dressed like "sluts" (I hate this word) or look like Barbie dolls. That's a sad circumstance largely based on the fact that there is very, very little in the way of custom clothing for these dolls unless you want fantasy or evening gowns. Casual wear in the affordable price range is hard to find, and mostly only on Iplehouse's site itself.

I am working on a What Fits thread which will be here when I get it done.

Updates: I'm Back!

It's been about 6  months since my brother died. I can't say I'm really much better, but I'm coping better. I haven't written anything really since he died, and it feels good to be getting my spark back.

There for awhile, I'd gotten a bit soured by the BJD community and started feeling burnt out and overwhelmed again.

While I still feel a little bored and overwhelmed, I think that is starting to abate.

I'm going to resume posting doll-related stuff here, some of which is likely to ruffle some feathers/offend people. I like writing so it's good for me to keep at it, and dolls provide lots of inspiration.

I'm going to start with a 2 times per month schedule, posting on Mondays. This week's post is an Artist head review on KKeRRin dolls. Please check her out and give the artist some love!

Some upcoming post ideas I have:

• EID Woman Review and Posing Pics
• Zaoll Review and Posing Pics
• Modding a Single Joint Elbow to a Double
• Some clothing and Prop Reviews
• The Decline of the Second Hand Market (and what that might mean for the future of the hobby)
• Confession Blogs and Why They Suck
• Why You Should Go Outside (With your dolls!)
• Dolls and the Grief Process
• What fits a Zaoll
• What fits an EID Woman
• And possibly a guest post on different types of fibers for wig making

I've updated a bunch of the pages to link to more posts. There's a still a bunch of unclassified posts, but I''ll get to them eventually. I'm trying to do a few at a time and make sure everything worthwhile is easily referenced.

As usual, I hope this blog continues to be a good source of information. Chances are I've written about your question before, so feel free to search the blog. If I haven't answered it yet in the past, I'm always interested in new topics and ideas. No matter how dumb you think a question is, feel free to ask away. I always answer the best I can. Check out the archive- I've written probably a hundred posts since this blog's been active.

I'm considering changing to a website instead of the blog, though I'm not yet sure about that. Anyone have any thoughts? Would that be better for you than a blog? I know websites are a bit easier to search for info, but my HTML is limited.

Regarding Emails: Please, if I haven't responded to an email know I'm just really lazy and hate checking email. It's best to comment directly on a post, especially one like this. XD

KKerrin Doll Mae Review

 

I stumbled across this sculpt on Flickr awhile ago and forgot about her. She resurfaced on my feed, and I fell in love. I purchased her from the artist's etsy at the beginning of February.

The artist is based in Russia. It took approximately four weeks from the time I ordered to arrive at my door, accounting for 2 weeks in transit.

The artist is quick to respond, and her English is good. She answered all my questions and was very nice to chat with.

This doll is currently not on topic for Den of Angels, because according the mods she has not properly submitted the doll for topicality. Hopefully Kkerrin will do this soon!

Artist Etsy
Artist Flickr

Info:

The head is MSD size, but very small MSD, with realistic proportions. She fits in a 6-7 wig, though all my 6-7s slide off her head. I think she's closer to a 6" wig.

5mm pupils work best in her, but they gap on the side. I'm currently on the hunt for the right size of eyes for her. (Just ignore the gaping in the photos for now.) The artist suggested 6mm-8mm fish eye style eyes.

She arrived in the cutest little box with a certificate of authenticity.