10 Facts: Me (because why not?)

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So I randomly decided to so one of these for myself... because... I don't know why. But here we go anyway!

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Name: Melissa
Age: mid-20s
Birthday: January 11th
Favourite Colour: Green (generally more yellow/brown toned shades)
Myers-Briggs Type: INFP - Turbulent

1. I am 5' 1" (or 155 cm).

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2. I can (usually) understand conversational French and Spanish but can't speak or write either.

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3. I have a small tattoo on my knee from where I accidentally stabbed myself with a pencil.

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4. The smell of wet peanut butter makes me sick to my stomach.

5. I am lactose intolerant.

6. I have central heterochromia (the most boring kind, but still) - the outside of my irises are blue and the insides are yellow.

7. I went to school for business and sociocultural anthropology.

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8. I am really afraid of moths and grasshoppers.

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9. Crowds and interacting with strangers make me really uncomfortable. My ideal living-space would be somewhere like York, UK or similar, where there are people and lots of interesting shops and things all within walking distance, but you're not expected to actually interact with the people... just sort of... be around them.

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10. Cold rain and wet shoes/socks are things 100% guaranteed to put me in a bad mood. The weather affects my mood and motivation a lot, but wet shoes, just... ugh.

10 Facts: Jonas

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And last, but not least, my sweet baby Jonas.

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Full Name: Jonas Eliza [Lastname]
Age: 4-5
Birthday: November 8th
Favourite Colour: Pale Blue
Myers-Briggs Type: INFJ - Turbulent

1. She is Tobi's youngest sister and the actress of the family.

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2. She is actually really shy and uses her acting as a way to connect with people.

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3. She can mimic accents really well, which has a tendency to freak people out.

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4. Doing mazes is one of her favourite pass-times.

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5. She's very enthralled with pirates and lions, but hippos and teddy bears are her favourite animals.

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6. Her favourite snacks are macadamia nut cookies and candied walnuts.

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7. She has never met two of her older sisters.

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8. She sneaks coffee sometimes, even though she's been told not to drink it.

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9. She really likes vehicles of all kinds (trains are best though) and is amassing a small collection of model cars, trucks, trains, and boats.

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10. Mali was the one who taught Jonas to read; Jonas absolutely idolizes her.

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I posted this on Instagram a while ago, but here's a little extra! Dream Selfys of Jonas and Tobi's sisters:

10 Facts: Tobi

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Tobi's turn! Not sure if this photo quite captures her bubbliness, but it certainly captures her colourfulness!

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Full Name: Tobermory Rhianna Jaxon [Lastname]
Age: 18-19
Birthday: June 21st
Favourite Colour: Lemony Yellow
Myers-Briggs Type: ENFP - Turbulent

1. Tobi comes from a big, artsy family. She has 2 older sisters and 3 younger sisters.

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2. She is a terrible chef and baker (seriously, it's a talent), but is very good at making food look pretty.

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3. Her bedroom is an absolute disaster zone.

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4. She's not a very good swimmer and uses a floaty when she's in the water.

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5. She doesn't really like chocolate.

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6. She has a mild(-ish) fear of dogs, especially big ones.

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7. She is allergic to shellfish (which is completely fine with her - she thinks they're icky anyway).

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8. It often confuses people who know her how focused and organized she is when it comes to painting because she is excessively scatterbrained in every other regard.

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9. Tobi is almost entirely ambidextrous.

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10. She tends to be very oblivious to the feelings of others and doesn't always realize when she has hurt them.

10 Facts: Bella

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Bella's turn!

Full Name: Isobel Ofelia di Villeña
Age: Early 20s
Birthday: March 5th
Favourite Colour: Green (generally more yellow/brown toned shades)
Myers-Briggs Type: ETSJ - Assertive

1. She has an older brother named Gian who is her best friend in the entire world.

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2. Her parents are researchers who study the interactions between humans and their natural environment.
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3. She was born in Japan where her father was giving a talk at a conference.

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4. She is fluent in Spanish, Italian, Swahili, French, and English and can speak conversational Japanese. She speaks English with a slight accent.

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5. Her maternal grandmother taught her how to knit and crochet. She's actually pretty good at it, but don't spread that around!

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6. If you ever see a photo of her without her silver necklace, I have made a grave mistake.

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7. She really doesn't like things that enclose her toes and goes barefoot whenever possible.

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8. Her brother taught her how to play guitar and gave her the one she currently uses.

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9. She is a very good cook and really enjoys making healthy food for people.

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10. She hates the cold with the firey passion of 10,000 suns.

10 Facts: Mali

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One of my New Year's resolutions this year (and last year...) is to share more information about my doll's characters.
So, without further ado, here are ten facts you probably don't know about my first doll, Mali. :)

Full Name: AmaliaRayne Leah Jaymesen
Age: Mid 20s
Birthday: January 31st
Favourite Colours: Teal, Yellow-Orange
Myers-Briggs Type: ISFJ - Assertive

1. She is an only child.

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2. She is a bibliophile through and through. If it’s got words and pages, she will read it.

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3. She's not exceptionally enthralled with modern technology, she can use it fine, but would much rather write things by hand or read a physical book.

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4. She really likes goldfish and sparrows.

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5. She's a classically trained pianist and ballet dancer, but she doesn't do either much anymore.

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6. Her favourite foods are chocolate and raspberries - and anything with chocolate and raspberries in it.

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7. She collects books (surprise!) and teacups.

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8. She has a very good relationships with her father. Her mother... not so much.

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9. She doesn't like lizards very much, but snakes are fine.

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10. She first met Tobi in an art class when she filled in for a life-drawing model who didn't show up.

Liebster Tag: Part 2 - Asking Questions and Recommending Things

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Time for Part 2 of Musume's tag [for Part 1, click here]. :) As mentioned last time, I'm fudging the rules a bit, but here are my 11 questions (+bonus thing) for anyone who would like to answer them, as well as some awesome people you should really check out.

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QUESTIONS:

1. What do you feel your biggest dolly mistake has been since you joined the hobby?
2. What is your favourite prop, accessory, or piece of clothing you have for your dolls?
3. Is there something in face sculpts that continually draws you in? (e.g. pouty lips or big noses)
4. Do you generally choose your doll's styling before or after they arrive?
5. Is there something regarding dolls you wish you knew how to do? (e.g. sewing, face-ups, etc.)
6. What is the story behind your doll-media username?
7. What is something you wish was a bigger part of the doll hobby [in your area, if relevant]?
8. What is your biggest pet peeve in the doll hobby? 
9. Who are your three biggest inspirations when it comes to dolls? (They don't have to be doll people)
10. Have you ever bought a doll or [expensive] outfit/accessory on impulse? How did that turn out?
11. The apocalypse has come and you can only save ONE of your dolls. Which one do you pick? (Seriously. Only one, none of this 'I can't possibly choose' nonesense).

I'd also like to re-point people to my 20-ish Questions doll character questionnaire. It's a really in-depth set of random questions to get you thinking about your characters in new ways. You can find it here: [link].

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Even though there are tonnes of people I'd like to recommend you check out, I'll stick to the 11 people limit from the tag since I'm already fussing with it. Most of these people have presences on other sites, but I'm just going to link the places where I follow them most. I'm going to leave another link for Musume up here, because she was the one who tagged me, definitely check her out - she does really useful and interesting interviews and is also a fellow hand-sewer who makes some really stylish stuff!

RECOMMENDATIONS: (in no particular order)

1. Revilis (Flickr) - Her photography has so much movement and emotion in it, something that I would love to learn how to do.
2. Yenna (DeviantART/personal site) - Yenna is a pretty big presence in doll photography. Even if you don't recognize her name, you'll likely recognize some of her photos. She does atmosphere like nobody else (except maybe Mizya, who I'll link too, because they do a lot of things together). They are also both excellent seamstresses and have made some really beautiful and inventive outfits.
3. Lightly Battered (Flickr) - I only recently discovered Lightly Battered's photography, but immediately went through her entire Flickr stream. She does amazing photostories filled with so much detail. I really want to be able to do this some day. Have to start practicing, she is a master!
4. Roterwolkenvogl (Flickr) - Roterwolkenvogl has some of the most intricate outfits for her characters, and always has such life-like posing. Her stories are also really fun to read - SO MANY CHARACTERS! @.@
5. Denaliwind (Youtube/Instagram) - Alicia is, I think, one of the gems of the doll hobby. She's incredibly sweet and does really lovely face-ups (this Shushu is a personal favourite), but she also has two storylines that have absolutely captivated me. Even though I was a bit sad to see two characters switch over from their original roles, I still wait impatiently for every little bit of news.
6. Antique Lilac (personal site) - I really hope this is old news for everyone, but if not, get yourself over to Martha's website. She takes really wonderful photographs of both large and small dolls, and makes some really beautiful outfits. I'm generally more partial to her larger scale outfits, but her little ones have some gorgeous dresses. Also, free tutorials.
7. Emmr (Flickr) - Emma's been doing a few of the doll-a-day challenges the last few years and her photography just keeps getting better. She's excellent with posing and character interactions. AND! she owns my most favourite MNF Rena of all time. :)
8. Inkyghosts (Flickr/Instagram) - Chanel is no only a wonderful photographer, but she styles her dolls just flawlessly. They always look amazing, and their characters are intricate and fascinating. Her Folklore is one of my favourite MNF ever - and she's also a wonderful artist as well!
9. Wiskebjd (Instagram/Youtube) - Wiske and I have become quite good friends over the last year and it's been wonderful to see her doll family grow and develop. She also started a Youtube channel recently where you can keep up with her massive dolly projects.
10. underthefern (Instagram) - Carolina is one of an ever-increasing list of Spanish doll artists that I need to keep an eye on. I first found her through her art Instagram, where she posts the most beautiful drawings, but she's recently started a dolly-focused account and I simply cannot get enough of her delicate outfits.
11. RenMaaru (Flickr) - RenMaaru is a big sewing inspiration for me, I love everything she makes. Her newest characters also have a really interesting backstory that's been unfolding - definitely check her out.

*Rikkistar was originally on my list, but because Musume linked to her too, I figured I should pick someone else. ;P **
** This is totally not a ploy to get more people on the list... what are you talking about!? >.> <.< >.>

ETA: Because I am a forgetful jerk, I need to point you to starsarerobots (Flickr/Instagram/personal site), because she is not only an awesome photographer, and person in general, but also she's amazing at noticing when my shop is doing weird things or I've messed up a link. So go look at her photos because I <3 her and she has pretty colourful lovelies. I wish I had enough money to pay her to take sales photos for me. :p

Liebster Tag: Part 1 - Answering Questions

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I would like to thank the wonderful Musume of My Dolly Adventures for tagging me in this (check out her blog for interviews with awesome dolly people!!). I'll be a horrible person, and not actually tag anyone because I don't follow many doll blogs - and precious few with not many followers (also I am a chicken and too scared to contact some of these people), but I will include some links at the bottom to a bunch of people I think you should check out, if you're not already, and some questions to fill out for anyone interested, so hopefully that cancels out.  ^^;

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LIEBSTER 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. Inform the people you chose of their nomination by leaving a comment on their blog and link them your post.

MUSUME'S QUESTIONS:

1. Have you learned any craft because of the hobby?
Honestly... just going by 'learned' as an absolute, not really? I dabbled in so many things before dolls that I haven't really taken any up from scratch. I have, however, improved immensely at quite a few. I've gotten far better at sewing because of dolls, and actually learned to enjoy it (handsewing ftw!), as well as clay stuff, dioramas, and doll painting. I've effectively dropped 2D art at the moment though, and really want to get back into it in 2016. Pencil drawings used to be a big part of my life but have been getting less and less frequent since I got into dolls.
2. Have you gotten a doll you thought you would never get?
Umm... well. I never really thought I would end up with a Unoa. I'd spent a long time researching alternate sculpts until Tobi popped up on the marketplace. I also never expected to get a LittleFee. It had been on my list for a far future thing, just to try out sewing for that size, but I didn't think it would actually happen. I got very lucky with both of them.
3. Do you have a preference for any BJD size in particular?
Slim mini is my favourite size. They're big enough to have a presence but small enough they're not super heavy or taking up massive amounts of space. The only thing I dislike about this size is the lack of props and shoes and such available. It's the one thing that brings me back to pining over SDs and tinies.
4. Do you collect any other type of doll besides BJDs?
I have a little Azone Picco Neemo, but she's meant to be my Unoa's BJD, so I don't know if that counts. I'm more of a plush collecting kind of person.
5. Have you ever "re-shelled" a character?
Ehm.... yes and no? When Customhouse was doing their manic discount sales my friend wanted to order one, so I bought a Junior Ai Daria with her to offset some of the costs. I figured I could settle and make her Tobi but really expected it was not going to work - and it didn't. I painted her and made clothes and stuff in an attempt to force it, but she was never 'Tobi'. She got sold within a couple weeks after my friend decided she didn't actually want the other doll.
6. What calls your attention first: the head sculpts or the body sculpts?
Head sculpts for sure. I only really pay attention to bodies when I'm considering buying one, or if someone specifically points it out to me.
7. Do you "research" the hobby? (find new releases, read reviews, find info about brands...)
Yep! All the time. Musume's blog is great, and I get a lot of info on new Fairyland, Merrydollround, Iplehouse, Soom and many artist doll releases and WIPs through Instagram. Since the big DoA migration I've been pretty far out of the loop for other companies. :( When considering a new doll, I research intensely before making any decisions - owner photos, reviews, videos, hybrids, seeing them in person when possible, etc. Dropping so much money on a doll is pretty nerve-wracking so I'm always very careful before I make the final decision.
8. Do your dolls have a back story?
The four dolls I've expressly purchased (and my Picco Neemo, sort of) have a backstory. I've been working on it for a few years and the pieces are just starting to fall into place. Hopefully I can start sharing it properly soon! The other two (LittleFee Chloe, and MaskcatDoll Belina) have a sort of... personality? that makes me gravitate toward certain styles, and feel odd dressing them in certain things but no backstory or specific character.
9. How do you take photos of your dolls: go outside, prepare a big setup, or just snap in any place?
Outside is where my favourite photos are generally taken, but it gets really cold here, and some of my dolls aren't the best posers (even with stands) so I tend to stay inside more than I should. The last while I've been really lazy with photos and just take them wherever, or in front of my little corkboard set up where I do sales photos. In 2014 I was taking a lot using computer backgrounds and they came out really well. My favourite photo of Mali was taken like that. But we've since moved the computer and this isn't possible anymore (my laptop screen isn't big enough). I'm hoping to get a few big photo sets done in 2016 so maybe I can move into the 'prepare a big set up' camp soon. I'd love to be able to pull off some of the things Revilis and Lightly Battered do.
10. Which is your main avenue to enjoy the hobby? Blogs, videos, forums, social sites?
Most of my enjoyment comes from making things for myself, which is quite disconnected from the social parts of the hobby. But otherwise, I think it comes from interacting directly with other people in the dolly world. Looking at beautiful photos and projects on Instagram, Flickr, and blogs is great, but it's not the same as having a real conversation with a real person.
11. Have you done doll cosplay?
Yes indeed! Tobi dressed up as San from Princess Mononoke for DN 2014. The outdoor photos are hiding in this album if you want to see: [link]. We also attempted a Vanille cosplay before that, but ran out of time to finish it. I hope one day to try again and do Vanille, Fang, and Lightning together, but we'll see. :) Jonas also needs to be something cute someday. ;)

And there you have it. ;P

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In addition to the questions, I said I was going to add my own questions and some recommendations for people to check out... but I think I'll put that in a follow-up post because this is quite long already.

30 Days of BJDs - Day 30

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Have you ever been to a doll meetup? Did you enjoy it/do you plan to go to one in the future?

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I've been to a couple meet-ups before. I would say that I mostly enjoyed the ones I went to alone. The couple I brought other people to weren't as fun because I felt like I had to occupy my friend instead of enjoying myself as they didn't really seem to want to be there.

That being said of course, the local group is fairly tight knit and I find it can be difficult for new people (more so the shy I'm-afraid-to-come-near-you type of people [i.e. me]) to integrate into the group, especially if they can't go to many of the meet-ups. Some people are amazing at it and I will admit I'm always a little jealous of the people who find it very easy to make friends.

I'm going to Anime North in May and am going to attend at least some of the Doll North activities (and hopefully joining in on the cosplay contest [*fingerscrossed*] if I have enough time). I think I'll have a bit more luck with this sort of thing because if I'm having any troubles with talking to people, I can just wander away to another part of the convention, then come back and try again later.

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[Full list of questions]

30 Days of BJDs - Day 29

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Post a picture of your dolls exploring the outside world!

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Tobi exploring a tree in Québec. :)

Don't worry, it wasn't too high up.

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[Full list of questions]

30 Days of BJDs - Day 28

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Post a crazy/silly pose!

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I don't have an old crazy or silly pose to post and don't have much time (or light. :/) to take another... so here's another photo of Jonas in the hopes that she's cute enough to get you to forgive me.

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[Full list of questions]

30 Days of BJDs - Day 27

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Do you have a favourite out of your own dolls? (Don’t worry, we won’t tell the others ;D)

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Umm... this one is sort of tough, since my 'favourite' seems to be whichever doll is inspiring me most at whatever moment in time.

However, I think if I had to pick, it would be Mali. Jonas is just too little and Tobi is still very much a work in progress (not to mention if she was a real person, I would probably want to punch her in the face...), but Mali just clicked the moment I opened her box. She always looks perfect regardless of what unspeakable things I may put her through and just makes me very happy.

Much as I adore my other dolls and could never part with them, I think if it was absolutely necessary that I sell them, Mali would stay anyway.

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[Full list of questions]

30 Days of BJDs - Day 26

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Done your own face-ups?

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Yep... I've done a bunch on Mali and one on Tobi. I really liked Mali's last face-up, but I made a mistake with the gloss on her eyes... so it needed to go.. and her sleeping head was sitting around for a year without a finished face-up so I thought I would redo both to match each other... and Tobi's (including attempting to colour match her faceplate) at the same time and they all came out pretty horrid.

Jonas's face-up is scratched and somehow discoloured (not sure how that happened) and the artist who originally painted her doesn't take commissions anymore... so I may have to do hers soon as well, but I would really like to send her and Tobi off to get painted properly.... -.-

Face-ups - fun but stressful. Yay.

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[Full list of questions]

30 Days of BJDs - Day 25

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Have you ever modded a doll?

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I've done some basic seam sanding and evened Tobi's eyes out a little, but nothing major.

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[Full list of questions]

30 Days of BJDs - Day 24

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What about your favourite part of the hobby?

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This is going to seem a little bit odd, but it's the people.

There are so many amazingly creative and phenomenally generous people in this hobby that I am inspired by every day.

Whether it's a beautiful dress, a photoshoot, someone going out of their way to give a horribly detailed answer to someone's question or the incredible support for budding artists or victims of theft, the community at large is just fantastic.

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[Full list of questions]

30 Days of BJDs - Day 23

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Is there a part of the BJD hobby that you dislike?

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There are lots of parts of the hobby I dislike, I could probably go on forever... so I'll just do my least favourite: the people.

This doesn't mean all people obviously. Most of the collectors I've met in person or try to talk to semi-regularly are amazing people.

However, there are a few rather vocal people who sort of spoil the whole 'community' aspect for me. I've not been in the hobby for as long as some people, but long enough I think to notice a sharp increase in the amount of entitlement crap going on, especially with the newer members.
I deal with that enough in my regular life, I don't need it in my hobbies. It's for this reason that I tend to stay away from the community areas on DoA. It sucks because then I miss out on some of the really awesome people... and I would love to have some 'BJD friends', but I don't think I'd love it enough to go sifting through all the cries of 'my doll isn't perfect WTF?!?!?!111' to find them.

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[Full list of questions]

30 Days of BJDs - Day 22

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What’s your favourite doll scale prop?

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I had a hard time with this one. Jonas has some little scale cars that are pretty cute and I have some books and stuff, but in the end (or at least for now) I think my favourite is the little white deer I made for Tobi.

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[Full list of questions]

30 Days of BJDs - Day 21

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One doll you love, but will never (probably) buy?

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Well... Supia Rosy... obviously. But Soom Vesuvia is another. As I mentioned a while back, I can't handle the really large dolls, so as stunningly gorgeous as she is, I will probably never buy one. If I did, it would likely only be as a sewing model... and let's face it, there's no real reason to buy an expensive limited just to have a sewing model - no matter how beautiful it may be.

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[Full list of questions]

30 Days of BJDs - Day 20

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What is your dream doll?

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It used to be a Supia Rosy (I mean really, just look at her!). I had no idea what I was going to do with her, but every time I saw one I was just floored by how beautiful it was. However... now that I've already got three dolls and am thinking more about what kinds of dolls I like vs. ones I would actually want to own, I think I already have my dream dolls, a MNF Shushu and a Unoa Lusis.

Shushu was the first doll I fell for and Lusis has just been there patiently in the back of my mind since I saw the first one a few years ago.

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[Full list of questions]

30 Days of BJDs - Day 19

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A least favourite company?

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Again, this is hard because I don't really buy much from companies past the doll itself... so I don't have too much experience.

From a purely aesthetic point of view... I would have to say Notdoll, Dollzone or Bobobie/Resinsoul. There have been the odd couple dolls from these companies that I've liked, but they've mostly been after a customizer has gone to town on them. I can't say I've ever liked one of their dolls past the: 'oh, I guess that one's kind of interesting' stage.

I suppose that's good though... if I liked every single doll company out there, I'd have a much harder time keeping my wishlist in check.

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[Full list of questions]

30 Days of BJDs - Day 18

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Do you have a favourite company?

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Overall? No, not really. There are doll companies I'm generally more drawn to: Fairyland, Soom, Customhouse, Supia, etc. in terms of specific dolls I like. But they each have their good and bad points.

I guess overall I would have to say Fairyland? I like a lot of their sculpts and their posing + aesthetic is second to none, but they're not as well rounded as others in terms of clothing and the like... I haven't really dealt with many companies either, so I would say I don't really have a clear cut favourite.

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[Full list of questions]