18 January 2016

If I only could, I would

Doll dreams, don't we all have them!
Every little second, when my brain is not working on something else I wonder about dolls. I took a little trip through the sites and found some cuties, some sold out - some limited editions - some old favourites and some just being there and giving my imagination a boost.

So far my resin collection includes three dolls - Esther, Zipporah and Noomi - all from Dollmore. Somehow I feel safe ordering from them, as I have been a customer there for many years. But at the same time I am curious about other places, other molds, other artists....

Lately I have realised that I am into chubby dolls and that I prefer them tiny, around 30 cm. Meel and Spün are just like that, from Dust of Dolls. Cute, chubby and tiny. Perfect for the life in the forest around our cottage. And totally cute in a pale white skin.

When it comes to Blythe, that is more of the feeling "it-would-be-nice-to-have-one-in-my-collection" rather than the longing and already bonding before you even get the doll. Alexia and Lucid from Dollmore are all ready there. Bonded and a part of my dreams. Catish is somewhere in the between. But mostly my thoughts are here, at Lucie Koo. With a wild red wig, green eyes, vintage one piece and a beret, ready to take on the world. 

Well, I can always dream! Here is the links to the dolls. The picture above is a collage of print screens, so non is mine. All copyright goes to the artist through these links. 

06 January 2016

Liebster Award

Sitting in the armchair I decided to check my e-mail and found out that Alejandra at Fantasy woods had tagged me in an award. So, I thought that this is a good way to start this years blogging. I'm glad for this award and hope that this will be a nice post for you to read. Thank you Alejandra!

Some rules:

1. Thank the person who presented you the award and link back to their blog.
2. Post the award image on your blog.
3. Answer 11 questions posted by the presenter.
4. Nominate 5-11 blogs with less than 200 followers.
5. Create 11 questions for the nominees to answer.
6. List these rules in your post.
7. Inform the people you chose of their nomination by leaving a comment on their blog and link them your post.

The questions Alejandra sent me:

1. What’s the thing you love the most about blogging?
In some way it is a way to connect with others. You find people that are almost like you. And it is a way to express, write and share.
2. What’s the thing you love the most about your dolls/figures?
Ever since I was little I had a thing for anything and everything cute. Then it was Hello Kitty, Monchichi and other things kawaii, Barbie, Sindy and pens, paper and erasers. With some saved money I bought these things or wished for it for my birthday or for Christmas. There was always fabrics, scissors and thread available at my grandmother's cousin. I could create things for my dolls and figures, in this case my Barbie, Sindy and Monchichi. Oh, they were so hip. And this is the one thing I love with my dolls - bad and monster high, that I can make them mine. Design clothes for them, create a personality and let them live it for the fullest. Then I love to take pictures too!
3. Is there anything you always wanted to do with your dolls but never dared to?
I would like to buy a doll from scratch - one that I can restring, do a face-up, make a wig and make clothes. That is something I want to do and a way to practice is on the monster high dolls I have. So, one day!
4. Are you working on something for your dolls/figures at the moment?
No, not so much at the moment. The weather over here is cold, snowy and to much humid. So I can not spray, do custom make up and at -20 degrees it is hard to take photos outdoors. I have some plans to make new clothes though. At the moment my dolls are sitting nearby my working station and they keep me good company.
5. Have any of your friends/family joined the hobby because they got to know it through you?
No, but they all support me and show their interest when I start to talk about dolls - new or old ones. My oldest daughter had a time when she looked at dolls (bjd) and had plans to start, but she felt that she could not really connect in the way she wanted. She ordered some shoes and a wig, though, and gave them to me. The day she changes her mind, the shoes and the wig will be there for her doll. My youngest daughter have her monster high doll collection.
6. Is there something or someone in particular that inspires your aesthetics, background stories, etc?
Mostly my fantasy and things I see and feel. It can be another doll collector, a photographer, a story I read, a movie I saw. 
7. Do you share your doll or doll photos with people outside the hobby?
Yes, I do. I have a Flickr account where I share my photos of my dolls and when people visit us they can see all the dolls I have, because they all are openly displayed. Or when I visit some relatives I  have a doll with me that I put somewhere nice to be seen. I know that some people can feel that dolls are scary and awkward, so those places I try do avoid bringing a doll along. Don't want to spook them. 
8. Is any of your dolls based on yourself or a person you know?
No, not really. There is a bit of me in every doll because I have created the personalities. A little piece of my nationality, my taste in food, music or other genres.
9. Do you have a favorite doll/figure from another persons collection? Would you own the same doll/figure?
There is a other collector who owns a LUTS doll, a Delf MIYU with sparkling blue eyes, rainbow colored hair and pastel kawaii clothes. The doll is beautiful and I would be happy to own a doll like that. 
10. Three things you like about yourself?
I'm nice, I can cook...aa..and that sounds rather dull. The things I have heard others say about me is that I'm trustworthy, calm and have a crazy sense of humor. But the things I like about myself is that the older I get, the more self-esteem I get, the more self-confident I get (not in a bad way, being all stupid and "I-know-better-than-you-kind-a-way") and these two things makes me grow and be a better person. Not that I always succeed having a Finnish temper, but I am so much calmer now.
11. Anything you have learned in this hobby you wish you knew before joining?
That it is addictive! Hahaha!

And my questions for you are:

1. What is the last picture you took with your phone or camera?
2. Best compliment you have received?
3. What are your plans for your doll(s) this year? New wigs, clothes, new dolls?
4. What is your perfect pizza?
5. Which doll would you get if you could, not matter what? Why?
6. What kind of music do you listen to?
7. What cheers you up?
8. What is your favorite word and why?
9. Have you ever felt that your hobby is too much and that you do not connect well with your dolls?
10. You are going for a trip, a week long, and you can only take ONE doll with you. Which one and why?
11. What's your earliest childhood memory? 

And I would love to give this award to (and have you already received it from elsewhere, that is OK - just send me a smile and be happy!):