Wednesday, March 28, 2012

wigs wigs wigs!

now that the birthday project is all over, I've had to get busy on the backlog of commissions that I'd put on the back burner so I could work on my personal project.
I'm not by any means done, but I've busted out three wigs in the past two days.
one is the last of fee's wigs, one is a very late christmas present for a friend, and one is a commission for someone on dA. 

wiggiewiggiewiggie

wiiiiiiig

rainbow dash? xD

these are the last of the wigs from the current commission list that I'll be doing for a bit.
I've still got a few more on the list, but I've got to wait on fur for all of those before I can get started on any of them.

Friday, March 23, 2012

mission accomplished!

so my birthday has come and gone.
over all it was a really good day.
one of my best friends surprised me by stopping by with a gift, a beautiful snow globe with two cute little pandas in it ;3;
and my dad also surprised me with a handful of gifts. he got me the muppet movie on dvd, breaking dawn on dvd (it's going back to the store shortly xD), some really cool sharpies for writing on fabric, a set of canvases and easels "for the dollies", and an artist manikin "because you like those jointed things" xD
I really do appreciate that he's trying to be more tolerant of the dolls and even a little supportive.
 
and I managed to finish my not so super secret project in time, and am now finally completely finished with it since I've got the video detailing the assembly process all uploaded and ready to watch.
the set will change and evolve each time I use it, just like Lena's room does; but I'm happy with what I did get done in time for the photos yesterday.
it was definitely a challenge, and ended up more work that I'd thought it would be; but I think it was well worth it, and I hope that everyone else enjoys the pictures and getting to watch how I put everything together.

just like any other day.

yeah, I'm stuck here all day...

happy birthday, now get back to work...


-WHERE I GOT EVERYTHING- 
walls are two large foam project boards purchased at walmart and taped together in an L shape
door was added to the back wall with spray paint and a balsa wood door frame
floor is a large piece of dark grey fleece
counter is a miniature wooden dresser purchased at hobby lobby and painted/customized with spray paint and scrapbook paper
corkboard is from hobby lobby flyers were made up in photoshop and printed to size
metal nail art decorations were used as fake tacks for the notice board
computer is from nightfall, but you can buy them nearly anywhere
sheet music was found online and printed to size
various knick-knacks on the counter are either made by me, iwako brand erasers, or re-ment
feel free to ask if you're curious about something specific ^_^

Sunday, March 18, 2012

blaaaaaaaah

got lena's keyboard finished, so yay for that.
used up the last of my black spraypaint painting the door on the wall, then ruined the wall when peeling the tape off 'cause it decided to rip the paper surface of the foam board -_-
my mom has an eye doctor appointment tomorrow to talk about vision surgery, so I'm not sure how I'm going to get to the store to buy more paint and another foam board; and not having that kind of puts a giant damper on being able to finish up the music shop 'cause with only one wall I can't set it up :/
and on top of that, because of the surgery I may not have a ride to laura's this coming weekend 'cause if they do operate this week she won't be able to drive and I'm not sure I can get anyone else to take me.
I mean, I'm happy that my mom is going to get her eyes fixed 'cause her vision has gotten a lot worse lately, but it's times like these that remind me how big a pain in the ass not driving is.
I really wish it was as simple as just getting over it and learning, but I get uneasy just riding in cars; so the idea of driving one scares me more than a little.
ugh...

well I'm going to try to at least get a bunch of the other things for the set done tomorrow since finishing the walls is on hold.
I'm aiming to attach the scrapbook paper to the counter, make the guitar picks and bags to put those and the guitar strings in, and hunt down a bunch of sheet music/guitar tabs online to shrink down and print out.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

so much to do, so little time...

repaint the door frame pieces 'cause they got green flecks on them somehow :/
paint the keys on lena's new keyboard
make a whole bunch of tiny plastic baggies to put the guitar string and picks in
make the tiny guitar picks
paint "door" on the "wall" and attach the frame
decorate the counter
make some tiny candy and other knick-knacks for display on the counter
make more flyers for the notice board, print all the flyers, and attach them to the corkboard
write out class schedule on the chalk board
find some sheet music and guitar tabs online to resize and print

and there may be more that I'm forgetting, but that's what I can think of off the top of my head.
all of this needs to be done by, but ideally before the 22nd >.<

I'm aiming to get at least the first two things on the list knocked out tonight.
I've spent most of the day sanding, painting, sanding again, and repainting the door frame and base of the keyboard.
the keyboard is drying now.
after it's dried all the way I'll respray the door frame, and be sure to change the plastic sheeting on the spraying platform before I do so that I don't get more of any of the other colors on it again >.<

again, if anyone wants to make any tiny flyers for me you're more than welcome to. they can be for your characters' bands, or businesses, or at this point pretty much anything else aside from flyers for voice or any sort of instrument lessons, or for secondhand instruments for sale.
for size they need to be about 2" tall x 1.5" wide give or take a little.

and here's a little look at what lena's keyboard is going to look like :3
I used a combination of the krylon flourescent green and the shimmery lime green testors "one coat" for the body of the keyboard.

so much to do, so little time...

Thursday, March 15, 2012

busybusybusy!

pretty much finished up painting the dresser/counter so later I'll be adding the scrapbook paper to decorate it.
I'm also going to cut and put together the pieces for the door frame and paint them after I figure out how big the door frame needs to be.
then I want to try and start putting together some of the little knick-knack bits like little packs of guitar picks, packages of guitar string, and other various little "impulse buy" type stuff that's generally found around the counter area in music shops.
and I need to work on some more flyers for the bulletin board 'cause I've only got one done so far xD

finally got shipping notice from my fur supplier for the fur that I ordered for Fee's last wig and a wig for another friend. it should have shipped nearly two weeks ago, so I'm kind of annoyed; but at least it's finally on it's way now.

and in other news, I'm getting a blythe :D
my feebb has been nice enough to trade me an sbl silver snow that's in need of some serious love.
I'm planning on doing a full custom.
mohair reroot, new chips, gaze correct, repaint, and I'm probably going to stick her on a pure neemo advance flection body because I like the look of them and I'd like to have the added poseability.
this will be my first attempt at a blythe custom, and it's  probably going to be a long process 'cause all the bits and pieces are looking more expensive than I'd thought they might be; but I'm excited about her none the less.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

progress!

I got what I'd call about halfway through with the counter today.
I've got the whole thing coated with black paint, but I need to get another can to go over everything one last time so it's all even 'cause I just barely had enough to get the drawers coated so they're not as dark as everything else; plus the very end of a can of matte paint will sometimes give you a semi-gloss finish instead of matte, which is what happened to the base of the counter (actually it's a tiny dresser, but it's what I'm using as the shop counter), so I want to spray lightly over the whole thing to make it matte again.
 
I'm really happy with the result so far though, the front side (the back of the dresser) didn't end up so much a semi-gloss finish as the other side did since I sprayed it first; so it looks like what the whole thing should look like when I'm done.
after I get some more spraypaint and finish coating it one last time I'm going to add the scrapbook paper with the music notes on it that I got to decorate the front of the counter with.
DSCF9989 
in this shot lena is bent forward at the waist with her chest joint latched back so she could lean forward with her elbows the counter. when she's standing up straight the counter comes up to about her waist.

when I go to pick up paint I also need to pick up the foam boards for the walls and pick a shade of fleece to use for the floor.
I also have to figure out something to use to make a door frame 'cause the door to the back of the store, where izzy's office/the stock room/etc are, is supposed to be behind the front counter.
I'm thinking that I'll probably use either some more foam board or some balsa wood, and just glue it to the "wall" then paint the inside of that and add a doorknob for looks 'cause I don't need a door that functions or anything, I just need it to look like a door xD

I'm thinking that I'm going to try and work on some flyers for the corkboard tonight just to try and get something else taken care of.
my feebb is planning to do a handful for me, so that helps a lot; if anyone else is interested in making some too, the info about what I need is in the post I made yesterday.
if I happen to end up with more flyers than will fit on the board at once they will definitely still get used 'cause I do plan to rotate the flyers each time I use the shop set-up so that it doesn't look exactly the same each time.

Friday, March 9, 2012

not so super secret project.

so I figured I'd go ahead and explain this  "project" that I've mentioned a couple times already since I'm hopefully going to start working on some parts of it tomorrow.
my birthday is March 22nd, and two years ago my dollzone aimi arrived on my birthday.
at the time she was Lena, who has since been re-shelled as a mnf ryeon, and though Lena was a character that had been around for several years I'd never given her a set birthday; so since Lena is my oldest character and is so special to me I thought it'd be fitting that we share a birthday.
now that the aimi is Livi rather than Lena I still treat the 22nd as Lena's birthday (and Livi's character birthday is in December on mnf!lena's arrival date) but it's also still the Aimi's arrival date, and since she was my first I consider that to be something special.
so because it's a special day for both of them I wanted to do something, a photo shoot, involving the both of them.
here is where the not so super secret project comes in xD
I don't want to do just a boring, stick them out on the porch and snap portraits, shoot; not only because that wouldn't be as fun or interesting, but also because the way that they know each other in the story is through the music shop where Lena works 'cause Livi is a dancer and would shop there for stuff like background tracks for performances and what not.
so I'm going to build a photo set-up of the music shop just like the one that I have of Lena's room.
it will be a floor with two walls to form a corner. the front counter where the register and stuff would be. a chalkboard with group class/workshop schedules on it. a corkboard with flyers and stuff like that hanging on it. and other various knick-knacks and decorations to make it look more real/lived in/worked in.
so far I have a small wooden dresser that I bought the other day at hobby lobby that I'm going to paint black and decorate the back-side of to use at the counter. when I turn it on it's side it's pretty much just the right size for a shop counter, and it was cheaper than if I'd bought wood to try and build a counter that probably wouldn't have looked nearly as nice (plus I can use it to store the bits and pieces of the set-up in when I have to stash everything away after I'm finished using it for the day).
and also from hobby lobby I purchased a little wooden framed chalkboard that I'm also going to paint and decorate 'cause right now it's boring unfinished wood.

tomorrow if the weather is nice I'm hoping to try and get the dresser painted at least part of the way.
I'm not sure if I have enough spray paint to actually get it finished, but I'd like to at least get started on it since I only have something like just shy of two weeks to get everything done at this point. 

if anyone might be interested in  doing something to help me out, if you'd consider making a flyer (or a few, it's up to you) that is either made small to begin with (no bigger than probably 2"x1.5"-ish)  or that are big but not too busy looking so that I could shrink them down to print and have them not look like a jumbled mess.
the subject of the flyers is kind of up to you, but I'd prefer them to be for music related.
things like band auditions (preferably for made up bands), shows (again, preferably made up bands/performers. can be your characters. locations can be real or made up), "performers needed" type flyers, and stuff like that.
oh, and they can be in color or just black and white 'cause I'll probably print any that are black text/images on different colored paper since I have lots of different color options.
I don't foresee that many people sending me stuff, so it's likely that your flyer will end up on the corkboard in the picture that I'm going to be posting on the 22nd if all goes according to plan and I get everything done in time, but if somehow I get enough that I don't feel like they're all going to fit I do plan to rotate the flyers out each time I do a shoot with the set-up so they'd end up there at a later date.
if you do decide to make one (or more) you can email me by clicking the link in the right sidebar.


I'm also still trying to get rid of a couple Monster High dolls.
I have a Mad Science Lagoona and a Skull Shores Abbey.
for more info about them you can check the post that I made about it yesterday.
feel free to email me with any questions about them if you're interested.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

take them awaaaaaaaay. please take them away xD

I picked up a mad science lagoona and a skull shores abby for a friend awhile back and they've decided to pass on them now because it'll be too long before they can afford to pay me for them.
I'm not trying to make money on them, just get back what I paid.
they're both brand new and have never been removed from their boxes. I don't mind removing them from the boxes for cheaper shipping if that's what the buyer would like, but that will only change the shipping price and not the price of the actual doll.
please note that I do live with smokers and do have a dog and a cat, but the dolls have been stored away untouched in a trunk since I brought them home.


lagoona is $20
abby is $15


in their boxes they'll ship for $10 separately or $15 if you take both
out of box I should be able to ship them for about $5 separately or $10 if you take both.
and this is for shipping in the US.
I will sell internationally, but I'm not sure at the moment what shipping would cost.




I don't have any pictures of either of these dolls at the moment, but if you'd like proof pictures I'd be more than happy to take some for you.


 all gone.
abbey went back to the store, and I decided to just keep lagoona for myself.
thanks to everyone who at least looked ^_^

+2 productivity!

finally finished up the last two of fee's wigs that I had fur for.
hopefully the place where I get my fur will get back to me soon about why the stuff for her last one still hasn't shipped so I can get that one done too 'cause it's starting to stress me out.

this one is pukifee size.
it's meant to have a straight fringe, but I'm leaving it up to fee to cut it 'cause I know she prefers to cut it on the head it's for.

and this one is for a yo-sd size doll, but pan has to model since she's the closest size head that I have that's not too big.
she's swimming in it so it looks crazy fluffy, but I think you get the idea xD

 the back has a green under-layer with flashes of blonde on both sides. 


now that those are done I'm going to try and bust out the three tutu commissions that I need to get done so that I can feel less horrible about wanting to work on my not so super secret project.
I'm excited to start working on the music shop set since I picked up some of the things for it yesterday, but working on personal projects when I have stuff that people have paid me to do still waiting always makes me feel bad.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

well today has been interesting...

so I was getting ready to go to hobby lobby earlier to pick up some stuff for a project that I'm trying to get done with before my birthday, and was going to put some different clothes on Lena to bring her with me to compare size of things.
one of her feet was backwards, and as I was turning it around I noticed a hairline crack in her calf piece where her ankle ball sits ;;
I'm not sure if this is a new development, or if it was there all along and I'm only just noticing it now.
I'll have to take pictures of it tomorrow and contact DDE (since I purchased her on layaway through DDE rather than direct from FL) about it to see if it's something that FL will fix or if I'll have to pay for a new part 'cause I'm pretty positive that it's a stress crack from the resin in that spot being rather thin in combination with tight stringing, but I did get her in December so it may be a little late for them to replace the part without me paying for it.
and I mean I'm not opposed to paying for the part if I need to,  I just can't really afford it right now 'cause I already have pretty clothes for Livi from Airee on order.
why do things always have to break when you can't afford to fix them >.<;;

on a happier note, I did find things for the project.
I also got some cute crochet lace trim (which I found in the scrapbooking section xD) for use on clothes for livi when I have some more free time to sew things that aren't for commissions, and some more charms/chain for necklaces for livi.

after hobby lobby I headed over to target since it's in the same shopping center.
unfortunately they didn't have the clawdeen/howleen monster high two pack that I'm looking for, but they did have a whole bunch of mini lalas and as far as I could tell all of the singles were on sale for $4.99
they had the hatter/alice set that I want really bad, but I just couldn't convince myself to get it since the double packs were full price; I did get Marina Anchors though.
apparently she's one of the brand new characters, but she was one of the ones that was $2 off so yay.

finally, today is Pan's birthday.
one year ago today this little bundle of happy showed up on my doorstep. ;3;

HAAAAAPPY BIIIIIRFDAY...

Monday, March 5, 2012

omnomnom chicken soup.

I know most of you probably follow me for doll related things, but I know that I can't be the only one that's pitiful and flu-y right now; so I figured that I'd share the recipe that I made up for the chicken noodle soup that I just made another batch of yesterday, in case anyone else happens to want to try it out.
this recipe will make quite a lot, so if you don't want to make enough to last a family of five for a few days you may want to cut everything in half xD

you can certainly switch the veggies that I use for different ones if you prefer something else, I just used things that my family and I all like.
you can also definitely use all fresh veggies or all canned stuff, I just used a mix of both because it's what I had.

DSCF9814-1 
x2 48oz carton of low sodium chicken broth (I use Swanson brand)
x1 small package of chicken tenderloins
x1 can green beans
x1 can whole kernel corn
x5-6 small red potatoes
x1-2 handful of matchstick carrots
x2-3 handful of small pasta of your choice (I used ditalini) 
various herbs and spices to taste
 
I trimmed and put the chicken on to cook first.
cleaned a chopped the potatoes into cubes (I left the skins on, but you don't have to) so that I could put them and the matchstick carrots on to pre-cook while I shred the chicken after it'd finished cooking.
I boiled the potatoes and carrots for about 10 minutes.
after the potatoes and carrots were finished cooking I put the pasta on to boil.
I heat the chicken broth up in my big soup pot, putting in parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper to taste; when it starts to boil add in the pasta and cook it for about 7-8 minutes.
after the pasta was mostly tender I'd add in all of the chicken and veggies and let it all cook together for another 15-20 minutes.

I hope that all makes sense for anyone who happens to want to make this.
I'm definitely not pro at recipe writing, I generally just kind of add stuff until it tastes good xD

Sunday, March 4, 2012

flu ;-;

so I was going to be all productive and get stuff done, but now I'm all flu-y and haven't done anything but lay around and watch stuff on hulu for the past two days...
hopefully I'll start feeling less shitty soon 'cause I've actually been taking medicine even though in general I don't like to take anything unless I absolutely have to.
definitely only just realized that I forgot to go look for nasal spray when I went to the store earlier though.
had to go pick up more sick person supplies xD
tea, honey, lemon, orange juice, tissues, and stuff to make another batch of the homemade chicken soup that I made for my dad last week when he had the flu that I have now.

and since I'm a horrible person, I like to make my dollies suffer with me xD

influenza.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

busy @.@

I procrastinated for the better part of the day 'cause I was just super tired from staying up until obnoxious hours of the morning yesterday, plus allergies have been kicking my ass this week.
but tonight I busted out two of the four wigs I'm working on for fee right now, and finished the one that I'd gotten mostly done yesterday.

wigswigswigs

I'm really happy with how the rainbow-y one turned out.
and everyone seems to really like it, so yay for that.

now I just have to wait for the fur for the last one to get here so I can get done with it too.

so, tomorrow I'm going to finish up the two wigs that I got mostly done tonight.
and hopefully get done with a few tutu commissions that I have lined up just so that those are out of the way before the fur for fee's last wig as well as fur for another commission comes in the mail.

Friday, March 2, 2012

sleep is for the weak...

had to stay up until 5-ish to make sure my brother woke up to go do army stuff.
was busy finishing up the first of what will probably be many tiny rainbow wigs xD
so now it's edging towards 7am and this is the disaster area currently occupying my bed.

0302120640.jpg 

at least I got the wig done 8D
and chibi!bb wig plans are under way. 
now to clean all this crap up so I can pass the hell out

Thursday, March 1, 2012

workworkwork!

finally for real trying to be productive and bust out at least one of fee's wigs tonight.
I made the prototype for the pukifee size one 'cause I needed to test the pattern to make sure it's the right size since pan's wig is actually too big so I didn't want to use the same pattern I'd used for hers. I gave it a quick wash 'cause I'd brushed the fur that I used for one side of it and it looked awkward, so now I'm waiting for it to dry so I can try it on her and then get to work on the actual wig that size if it's okay.
and I cut out the pieces for what's probably the most complicated of the 4 that I'm doing for fee right now. hopefully it's going to turn out awesome though. and I think that if I can manage this one then chibi!bb wigs will be a go, so that's good.
here's a preview picture of the complicated one.
crappy cellphone picture washed the colors out, they're much more pretty and vibrant in person.
0302120205a.jpg 
and just so you know, the measurements beside it are in inches. so that gives you a clue as to how tiny it is xD