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I made a dreadlocked wig for Rupali. It still needs some work, but I'm pleased with the results thus far. (Rupali wears her hair short, but in her downtime she sometimes puts on a wig with big, chunky dreads.)


Look under the cut for another shot of Rupali, a couple pictures of Zsuzsa, and two photos of Darryl 2.0. )
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I am completely beat, but the show was awesome. There were so many people that for a while it was practically standing room only. I put up pictures of the displays on DoA, but here are some more detail photos of my diorama. I wasn't able to finish all the parts I wanted, but I'm pleased with how it turned out. I'll keep adding to it and tweaking it, and use it for a photo set.

I'll start off with a shot of Ǝrəšiš. She was displayed alone, on a pedestal in the middle of the exhibition room.


More photos, all stupidly large. )
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Currently freaking out all over my apartment about this, and the fact that it's taking place in less than a week and I am so not ready.

I have to finish the walls of my set (the floor is at least done, though it took about a week and dozens of hours of labor, and completing it caused inflammation in the extensor tendons of my right hand - but it is gorgeous), paint a doll head, MAKE A TAIL FOR ZSUZSA (insert panic here), repair the two pieces of doll furniture that Kami damaged within minutes of their arrival (she bit the corners off both of them - but I have wood putty, paint, and acrylic varnish, and I will not be stopped!), make a miniature window and fireplace, and make a bunch of little accessories that will go in the set (which I need to get more supplies for - FUCK MY LIFE).

I had hoped to get Tlaloc's wings done in time for the exhibition so I could display him as well, but the feathers I want were just too freaking expensive when added onto all the other supplies I had to buy, and once I had the spare cash to drop $100+ on feathers, it was too late for them to be shipped to me in time for me to finish the wings, so he's not going to be in the display. (Also, it's possible that the sheer size of his wings would have made it impossible to see a lot of the set, which would have been a shame.)

On the plus side, Ǝrəšiš is basically done (she's the one who needs a faceup), and aside from her total lack of tail so is Zsuzsa (I finished the final touches on her face and jewelry today), and I don't really need to do anything with Davlin. So at least the only actual DOLL stuff I have left to do is Zsuzsa's tail and Ǝrəšiš' face.

Big hurdle right now is the fact that my dad's miter saw is broken, so I have to find some other way to make the dozen or so 45° cuts I need in this wood. TT_TT

Alright, venting done. Going back to panicking now.
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That's apparently what May 2011 is.

I ordered the Canon T2i at the beginning of the month, and it's scheduled to arrive today (YAY!!!), yesterday I ordered not one, not two, but THREE Iplehouse EID heads, and today I broke down and (on impulse) purchased GRANADO's "Boyd" sculpt. I don't care overmuch for his head, but the body is right on track for what I want for the long-disembodied Luke Alan (Esthy "Peroth"). So hey, if anyone wants a Boyd head in the normal skintone, let me know, because I'm probably going to sell it.

EDIT: Holy shit I love this camera. @_@ It takes better pictures of my dolls THROUGH GLASS than my other camera does when they're all carefully posed and lit.

Also, there is a halo-shaped rainbow around the sun. It looks very strange. I tried to take a photo of it, but it's too big. I gave up because the light outside is so bright that just being out there is making my eyes water. Ah, the joys of being a night owl.
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Several of my heads are currently out for faceups, and I just got preview pictures of Hunter. He's looking just how I had envisioned him. Now if only I could find him a more suitable wig...

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Rupali has returned from her visit to Lyn Raftis, and is definitely rocking her new faceup. I'm in love with this. Lyn took my sketchy "I kinda' want her to look professional, but also casual, and I want her lips red but not too red, more like reddish, and her eyebrows black and nice, but really just do whatever you want" and turned it into EXACTLY what I wanted. She's a miracle worker, really. And just in time for me to get my gal all put back together again and ensconced safely in the WUNPO-crew doll cabinet before I go under the knife next week. DOUBLE WIN!



I do apologize for the crappy photo. I snapped it quickly at work, and the lighting here sucks. (Also, I think I will get a new camera this year. My point-and-shoot just...isn't cutting it anymore.)

Rupali

Dec. 8th, 2010 05:26 pm
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Rupali arrived yesterday. Her head is going out to Lyn Raftis for a faceup this week, but here's a quick-and-dirty shot of her anyway. ^__^



I was without a computer for the last two weeks of November, thanks to a failure in my power adapter and then some shipping issues. So I've been pretty limited in what I could do online until this last weekend when the new adapter arrived, as I only had an iPod and a Kindle to access the internet on. ^_^;; Have you ever tried to write HTML on an iPod? It's possible, but NOT easy. So while the website framework is done now, I've still got a lot of content to create, write, and upload. But that's the easy part. I'm pleased with the progress I made despite the limitations of the tiny touchscreen, though!
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Here are two quick shots of Ha-Neul, as requested. He needs new eyes, new hair, and new clothes, but I adore him all the same.



And one more. )
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The new resin incarnation of my half-Korean, half-Mongolian acrobat and martial artist, Choi Ha-Neul, arrived today. He was originally a Littlefee Pipi, but that doll was far too young-looking for him. I wanted him to be around 12-13 years old, not 4-5 (which is the age the Littlefee appears to be). This new doll is a bit more mature looking, so I'm placing him at around 17 years old, but he's a MUCH better fit for the character.

I haven't yet decided what I'll do with the Pipi - I'll likely hold onto him for a while, at least, while I decide. As much as I like the cuteness of many of the tiny dolls, every time I get one I don't do anything with it. The larger sizes really are more to my taste (which kind of sucks, because they're so much bigger and take up way more room in my apartment, but such is the way of life). I already know what larger doll I'm probably going to be getting to replace Hiiroshi's current YoSD Rengemaru form. I'm about 95% settled on selling off all but three of my tinies. I'd keep Child!Aiko, Miss Marcheline, and Miss Adrienne, because they're all meant to be those smaller sizes (in proportion to my other dolls from the same storylines). But YoSD Hiiroshi and the Littlefee Ha-Neul are just too little and childish for their characters, and my other two tinies (PukiPuki and the Littlefee El) are impulse purchases that sit around and that I haven't done ANYTHING with because, as cute as they are, I don't know what to do with them.

Anyway, I digress. The new Ha-Neul is a Dollti D, thanks to Alex/Nathankatt, who remembered how much I loved him when I restrung him five or so years ago, and who PM'd me last month asking if I was interested in purchasing him. I've been looking for one of these boys for years, and am tickled pink that I finally have one.

No pictures, yet, because he's still in need of things like an appropriate wig and eyes, and some clothing. (Though amazingly, I do have shoes that both suit and fit him).

Gave In

Sep. 16th, 2010 02:08 am
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I just ordered the new Kindle. (Just the wifi version, not the wifi+3G, as I don't have any need for the 3G capabilities. Plus, I plan on loading most things onto it manually from my laptop, so I probably won't even use the wifi all that much.)

I also shelled out the extra $4 for overnight shipping, so it will be delivered tomorrow (Friday).

I'm stupidly excited about this thing. I already bought an EVA cover for it, from China, and it should be here sometime next week or the week after.

In other news, I'm once again trying my hand at making a crew cut wig for Hunter. (The faux fur was a miserable failure, totally the wrong texture.) To that end, I'm spending all of my free time hand-tying kanekalon, four strands at a time, to a Monique wig cap onto which I have added French lace edges. Once it's done (which will probably be sometime next year, if my current progress is any indicator) I'll cut it down to the right length and style. Hopefully.
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This is a redux of the Moonlight on Water shoot I did with Aiko back in January of 2009. She's got a new body and a new haircut now, and she's rocking both of them. I swung by the park on the way home and spent a few minutes taking pictures of her in the early morning light.


The rest of the photos are under here. )
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The (unenthused) target of these questions is Ming Jian Yuan.

1. If your doll was a reptile, what sort of reptile would he or she be?
    Leiolepis gutata (Giant Butterfly Agama).
2. Your doll has decided he or she is sick of living with you. Why?
    He doesn't get to be nearly active enough when he's stuck keeping an eye on me. Also, he's
    read every book in the apartment twice, and is more than ready to move on to a larger selection.
3. What is your doll’s favorite condiment?
    Dou ban jiang. It makes him think of home. Though he doesn't have it often.
4. Would your doll survive the zombie apocalypse?
    Not only would he survive, he'd organize a successful resistance force, probably using a
    stolen airline carrier as a base (Miles and miles of ocean make a great barrier to zombie attacks,
    didn't you know that?), with stolen helicopters and destroyer-class battle ships tacked on
    to the flotilla for assault capabilities (After all, the best defense is a good offense.), and over time
    he'd add a few captured cruise ships for extra housing space. He would also rescue as many
    scientists and medical doctors as he could, for the express purpose of attempting to find a cure.
5. If your doll was a cheese, what kind of cheese would he or she be?
    Cablanca.
6. Quick! Before it drives him or her crazy, what song can’t your doll get out of his or her head?
    "Amnesia" by Chumbawumba. He heard it on the radio once, and can only remember the chorus line: "Do
    you suffer from long term memory loss? I don't remember."
7. Oh no! Your doll has suddenly become a pound of ground beef! What dish are you having for dinner tonight?
    A pasty. A whole bunch of them, in fact. Sub-par, since they'll be made with ground beef instead of
    steak, but better than meatloaf, which is pretty much the only other thing I know how to make with the stuff.
8. Your doll has taken up a pretentious hobby. What is he or she snootily doing?
    Re-potting a bonsai.
9. What was your doll’s imaginary friend like when he or she was just a little tiny?
    His name was Xiao, and that's all Jian Yuan will say.
10. Cake or death?
    He doles out death pretty regularly, yes. However did you know? Did the guns tip you off?

BONUS
If your doll could be Truffle for one day, what would he or she do?

    Figure out how to catch his own tail.
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As promised, here are a couple (crappy) shots of Hunter. He's got a ways to go yet before he looks like himself, but that attitude is already coming though loud and clear. (Amazingly, he may be keeping these eyes.)


And an individual shot of Hunter, with an extra one of Aiko sporting her new body and a new haircut! )
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Hunter is here! WHOOO HOOO!!!

And damnit, I need to go to sleep, because I worked last night and have to work again tonight and I stayed up all day so far waiting for him to be delivered.

Pictures will come later. Right now, he looks like he's stuck halfway between being a stereotypical gay waiter and a drag queen who's out of costume and just has makeup on still, which is just messing with my head. This guy needs his goatee. And as pretty as the faceup is, it's NOT staying.

Jeebus. I don't have a proper wig for him. @_@ I never found one.

No.

Must go to bed.

This would not have been possible without FairEmma. And I mean that literally - I've wanted him for years, but with aftermarket prices being what they are, I doubt I ever would have gotten him. She is an incredible, amazing, selfless person, and I am honored and grateful to call her "friend."
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I want a Kindle. Where did this come from? It hit me out of nowhere. And they're only $140 nowadays. I actually prefer the aesthetic of the Nook, but the Kindle accepts a wider range of file formats (.txt, .doc, .html, .rtf, .png, etc), and the Nook does NOT accept those formats, which is a serious sticking point with me. So I want a Kindle. Hmmph. Don't know yet if I'll give in to this urge.

In other news, Aiko's new body (Aria Doll 14 Years Elegance girl) arrived yesterday, and is delicious and perfect for her. I'm not a big fan of one-piece torsos, but this one works for this particular character and head. The neck is a tad long, and I will have to fix that at some point, but for now I can live with the .7 cm or so of excessive length. Delightfully, her clothes all seem to still fit (or at least what I've tried on her so far does).

In other other news, Williams/Hunter is in the mail, presumably, and will hopefully be here tomorrow or the day after. His tracking number is not updating at all, but apparently that's what everyone's LE dolls from the NY Dolpa have been doing. It seems the accepting PO didn't bother to scan any of the dolls when they took them in, so the numbers are only being scanned once they reach the destination post offices. Go figure.
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Organizing a doll meetup (hike/picnic) in the Bellingham, WA area. Hike will be the Bagley Lakes trail, near the Heather Meadows parking area on Mt. Baker Highway. It's a very easy 1.5 mile loop, and really beautiful. Tons of photo opportunities. Picnic will follow the hike (after we've all worked up an appetite).

All local doll people who are interested, check out the planning thread on DoA.
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Here's Waldere with Zsuzsa and a sleeping Jisszhurat (his head is not permanent at this point). I had him out of his terrarium to check him over (we're still working on the "handling" thing, though he's the tamest gecko I've ever seen), and he leapt from my shoulder to the sofa, where I had the dolls set up to take some photos (Zsuzsa just got a new faceup). He started to climb Zsuzsa - I think he thought her braids were vines. I managed to snap two pictures before he bolted and I had to abandon the camera to go lizard hunting, and this was the one that was closest to being in focus.

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I was bored, and came across the Family Tree meme on DoA, so I thought I'd give it a shot. This is...extremely simplified, but it'll do. WUNPO universe crew, obviously.

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Well, I'm going to be joining my first Minimee order. Someone on DoA started a group for Thane from Mass Effect, and it finally filled up. I'm apprehensive, but hopeful. I've liked such a small number of the Minimees I've seen, but the ones I do like tend to be the ones that are less human, so here's hoping this guy will turn out well.

He'll have no body, as of yet. I haven't yet decided if I'll get him one. I'm mostly jumping in so that my floating Milwha head, the FemShep, will have someone around that's from the same storyline as she is. (If only there was a Garrus Minimee preorder...then I could have my Garrus/FemShep/Thane floating heads threesome, and be content.)
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Are there enough obnoxious capital letters here? I think not. We need more.

Just got the news. Because FairEmma is made of WIN and AWESOME, I'm getting an LE "The Hatter" Williams from the NYC Dolpa. He's #21 out of the 25 they made, apparently - FairEmma says I'm "an incredibly lucky girl." They will be shipping in August some time.

I have to go sleep now, because it's Father's Day and I'm spending most of it tromping around a mountain with my dad and a pistol. Since I worked last night, that gives me about 2.5 hours to sleep before he wants us to head to the mountain.

I don't know if I can calm down enough to sleep, even though I'm so tired I'm dizzy.

HUNTER IS FINALLY COMING HOME, BABY!