More from her Box Opening

My new Minifee didn't end up with a box opening story even though I took a lot of pictures that day. I had started on a story, with all the resident tinies involved, but just wasn't "feeling it" and in the end opted to have the others go take a seat while I did a photo session with just the Minifee Luka. So here's a few of the photos I took, but never ended up putting up on the blog.

 

Here's her pretty face, incomplete at the moment. This closed eye head is the one that is actually mine. I'll be having Ban Sidhe, a talented artist, "open" the eyes and then do a custom faceup. The open eyed head belongs to my daughter but I am using it until her Mirwen arrives later this week. We will be swapping open eyed heads at that time. I'll end up with a modified to open eyed Luka and an open eyed Mirwen (which I'll eventually buy another body for), while my daughter will have a open eyed Luka and a modified to open eyed Mirwen (hers will eventually have a boy body).

Did you get all that? So while this Luka head is out for modding and faceup my Minifee body will wear the blank Mirwen head. Then when I get enough money together for another body I'll send the Mirwen head to the same artist for her/his beauty treatment. I'm not sure if my second one will be a boy or a girl, but at the moment I'm leaning toward getting a second female. I just think their wardrobes are more fun and that side of the hobby is where I find the most enjoyment and creativity.



In this bathing suit photo she is still wearing the 14mm amber coloured glass default eyes (the ones Fairyland provided). Straight out of the box she shows off her amazing balance and posing ability by standing on one foot, unsupported.



By the time I had taken this photo I had inserted the 12mm grey acrylics I had purchased. This dress and jacket came with my vinyl Delilah Noir doll, but I made the tights.



Here you can see that the dress will need a little altering in the bodice. It didn't fit the Delilah Noir right either! It's a cute dress though so I think it's worth the effort....some day.

Now I'm a Cobbler Too

This doll hobby has me really stretching and learning new things. I think the challenges have been good for me.



My newest doll, the Minifee, is hard to find shoes for. Dale Rae, a company that used to stock the right size, has discontinued the line. I know of only one other dealer that stocks the right size of shoe and she doesn't ship to Canada. Another option would involve the hassle of having a US citizen forward shoe orders to me but that just doesn't seem worth imposing on friends I only know online through the ball jointed doll hobby.

So that leaves me with only one option. Making my own!



I made these shoes (real leather!) using a free tutorial I found at the AntiqueLilac website, but I made a few changes.

A while back my daughter and I purchased a step by step lesson package for making Pukifee shoes. Not long after the purchase we found an inexpensive eBay source for shoes of that size. My Pukifee has 14 pairs of shoes! Does she really need any more? (well.....maybe, but they are easily purchased....heh, heh!)

The poor "New Lady" wasn't so lucky. She only had a pair of white pumps and a too tight pair of sneakers that were a real hassle to get on. I had to come to her rescue! So using a few finishing tips I found in the Pukifee lesson package I made improvements to the AntiqueLilac technique and walla! New Minifee Mary Janes. They remind me of the old "Earth Shoes" of the '70s.

The changes I made to the basic MSD shoe tutorial were as follows.

1. I rounded out the shape of the toe slightly so it is less "big toe" shaped.
2. I used crafting foam for the sole of the shoe.
3. I created a bit of a heel using doubled craft foam cut to shape.
4. I covered the gap between the sole and the foot of the shoe with elastic trim.
5. I used stick on Velcro for the fastening.
6. I added a decorative stud in place of the buckle.
7. I padded the end of the toe with half of a cotton ball so that it would not lie so flat.
8. I trimmed the opening for the foot ever so slightly larger.

They're still pretty flat and leave much to be desired, but I'm quite happy with my first attempt. I'd really like to do a proper "shoe last" for shaping the shoes, and also make proper, thicker soles cast from a mold.

So much to be learned and experimented with!

Serenity Meets the New Lady

Serenity was once again doing some modelling for me.



This time it was a dress made for NixiPixie's Neelsie.



It's a good thing she's so good about giving these little outfits away. I think she looks darn cute in this one. Maybe I'll have to find the time to make her one too?

In the middle of the modelling photo shoot, "the New Lady" walked by. Serenity went right up and politely introduced herself.



She never asked once why the New Lady had no faceup.



There seems to be a real bond growing between the two of them.

Ooops! Update.

Things got hectic around here and I forgot to update the blog even though I have had lots to blog about! Now, after a long absence filled with activity how do I narrow it all down to a manageable bit?

I have photos! Maybe I'll start there?

On February 21st a new doll arrived.



She's a 43cm Fairyland Minifee Luka. Pardon her lack of a faceup. She'll be going out to a faceup artist for that in the next couple of weeks. When she returns I'll make a decision about her name.

In preparation for her arrival I spend a lot of time knitting,



and sewing,



and more knitting,



and yet more knitting,




And the Minifee isn't even the only exciting, time consuming thing that has been going on around here. Since just before Christmas I've had the good fortune to be able to add several new technological improvements to my life. Each came with its own ka-thunking big manual to learn how to run it. I hadn't fully digested my camera manual when I received a laptop for Christmas. Yesterday I added an iPhone 4S. I LOVE the iPhone, and thank goodness much of it is intuitive, but there are still some challenging bits and another big manual to look through if I want to take full advantage of all that it offers.

Do you have any idea how thrilling it is to tell your phone to add tomato soup to your grocery list? And then have it actually do that? That "Siri" is my slave I tell ya!

Oh. And the iPhone told me how to find the local yarn store's new location too. Amazing.

'scuse me. I have to go. I have some toys to play with.

Wig Experiment

I've been experimenting with wig making using a tutorial I found at the Antique Lilac website.



The wig is begun with a crocheted wig cap. It is then covered with mohair lock "wefts" that have been sewn together on a sewing machine.



Hot glue is used to attach the wefts which, unfortunately, means the wig can't be dyed after the fact. I'd like to either get my hands on some mohair locks that are naturally of a darker colour, or perhaps experiment with dyeing my own before the wig making process begins.


 Check out those gorgeous natural waves!

Anyway, I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. It's looks better than I thought it would. Now if only I had hairdressing skills and could give it a better haircut!

**Special thanks to Louise for providing the mohair locks!**

Cupid Loves the Month of February

My Fairyland Pukifee, Serenity, is a sculpt called "Cupid". Is it any wonder that she wants to wear her Valentine's Day Dress for the entire month of February?