2015 in Review and Plans for 2016

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I think the dolly highlight of the year was getting to know more people in the doll hobby through the trade I did with Rikkistar and crafting sessions with her, wiskebjd, and raouken. I can't describe how wonderful it's been getting to know such amazing people and sharing dolly ideas with them. <3 I hope it will continue into the new year. :)

As for last year's resolutions... well... there's a reason I don't normally make them. But here we go anyway:

1. Spend more time working on my own dolls. 
• ahaha ha.... nope. I failed on this one BIG TIME. Just straight up fail. I don't think any of my dolls got anything new this year that they got to keep, and Tobi has been faceless for over a month. DX
2. Get back to working on my photoset. 
• Yes and no? I didn't work at all on my indoor photoset, but did start on a brand new set, so it kind of counts? Maybe?
3. Take more photos!
• lol... no.
4. Share more about my dolls' characters.
• This one I think I actually did okay! I'm going to be reposting the 10 facts things because I never did get anyone but Mali posted properly (they're written, I just never took a photo for them -.-;). 
• I did little character interviews with each of them on Instagram, and made a 20 questions thing on the BJD Worldbuilders page that I then filled out (Thanks to Rikkistar for the motivation!). You can see those answers here: (link), and a blank list of the questions is here: (link)
5. More doll meets!
• Yes? I think? In addition to Doll North this year, I got to visit starsarerobots and opalescent_raven, and they came down with bumblebeeena to visit me at my house. I've also been able to meet a bunch of new people in the area and got to play with an SD and a beautiful Withdoll Ruby (omg Withdoll hands *drool*) belonging to binrand. Still not quite sure about the SD size, but that's okay.
6. Finish at least one big personal project.
• Ehhhh..... no... not at all. :/ I think I've decided on the big project for 2016 so lets hope it happens. I might need to call on my fiancé and wiskebjd to keep me on task. :p
7. Get a MNF Moe body for Tobi (with small bust)
• DONE! Shorty Tobi is go.

3.5/7? Not as terrible as I was expecting, but still not ideal.

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This year, I'm going to restrict myself to 5 concrete(-ish) goals and try to focus on continuing with the good things from this year while weeding out the things that I think need improvement.

And so, without further ado, my list for 2016:

1. One full, complete outfit (+accessories) for each of my 4 character dolls.
• Considering I will have had Mali for 8 years the end of next month, the fact that she doesn't even have pants right now is pretty pathetic. 
2. Finish my two main personal projects.
• I'm not sure if I want to reveal either of these just yet, but they are my main dolly goals outside of clothing my own dolls for 2016.
• Both are somewhat related, so I should be able to work on them concurrently, which will be a big help.
3. Set aside time every week and practice taking photos.
• I feel like I've regressed with photos recently and it's hindering my ability to represent my dolls as I see them.
• Not to mention I'm getting really bored of the same old thing, so taking photos right now feels like a chore rather than something fun.
• I'd love to do A Doll a Day again, but it's quite a bit time commitment, so I might go with A Doll a Week and one of the monthly prompt lists if it seems like a good idea.
4. Continue building relationships within the doll hobby
• I feel that while I've been building strong relationships with certain people that I've let others grow weak. Growing apart is a natural process, but I may have helped it along in a few cases and I want to remedy that as best I can.
• As I find more people to chat with, I've realized that just striking up a conversation can be the best way to start a friendship so I plan to reach out to some people in the new year. It might take a while as I'm quite an anxious person, but I'm definitely going to try!
5. Get organized! (This is not as small and concrete as I'd like, but it's an ongoing process that needs to continue)
• Plan out my days and figure out where I can improve my time management
• Organize all my fabric, unfinished projects, and other supplies
• Finding a better way to display my dolls
• Continue upgrading my accounting and auditing methods
• Set aside time every day for exercising and eating properly - and actually do it!
• Revamp and streamline my web-presence

I have a lot of ideas for things in 2016 that I'd like to see come to fruition so some major changes will need to take place in order to make all that happen.

Has anyone else made any resolutions for this year?

20-ish Questions - Round One

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Hola everyone!

Over on the BJD Worldbuilders page on Facebook, I posted a list of random questions designed to get people thinking more deeply about their characters. It was meant to get creators out of their comfort zones and learning about their characters in ways that might never be relevant to the main story, but are nonetheless important for development and realistic portrayal.

Be warned, these questions are rather odd, and some require fairly in-depth answers: it took me a few days to answer them all, even though the questions themselves were written in less than an hour. I've posted the blank version here for anyone who wants to try it out. If you fill it out, send me a link, I'd love to read it!




Mine is filled out for all four of my character dolls: Mali (Minifee Shushu), Tobi (Unoa Lusis), Bella (Minifee Rheia), and Jonas (Customhouse Bisou Ai Bonbon). It's somewhat harder to follow, but I like how easy it is to see the contrasts between them all as you read through their separate answers.

If you'd like to read it, please click here: [link], and if you have any more questions or comments, I'd love to hear from you!

Trade with Rikkistar/Fleece + Feather

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A little while ago Rikkistar of Fleece + Feather Studios contacted me about doing a trade with her. She gave me carte blanche to make an outfit for one of her dolls. It was a tough decision, but I ended up making some pieces for her doll Xoxo. She's a very edgy but fashionable character, so I was excited to make something for her with my collection of sparkly fabrics. Rikkistar wanted the outfit to be a surprise, but since she's received it I think I'm safe to share photos. ;)

For the first top, I tried out a new pattern that I've been working on for a while. It looks great in the sparkle fabric, but didn't come out quite how I wanted. None of my photos came out well, but you can see Rikkistar's photo of it here: (link). She's a master of accessories! I'll be trying it out again at some point, but still work to do.

The second piece was a pair of pleather pants. The ones I sent were v.2 since this is yet another new pattern, but I'm really happy with them. :) Hoping I can find more fabric like this, it's a total dream to use. I've had it for about 4 years and got it out of a remnants bin, so not quite sure where to start, but I'll keep looking!

It took me a bit longer than I wanted because my wrist started hurting again (stupid thing) and new patterns always take longer than I think, but I'm pretty pleased with the outcome.

Because I wasn't entirely satisfied with the indigo top, I made one of my gathered halter tops as well in a fun 'dragon skin' fabric because Xoxo is meant to be a dragon hunter. It looks like Rikkistar's Nanuri (Dragon) has claimed this top, so I'm wishing I'd thought to make it in one of her colours instead. Maybe next time.

To finish off the look, I made a bright red butterfly cardigan. I think it matches really well and gives a pop of colour.

Playing with textures is one of my favourite things with sewing, so I tried very hard to pick ones that complimented each other well and could be easily mixed and matched while still feeling balanced. I'm hoping to get a chance to work with more textures in the future.

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The 'dragon skin' top with lovely gold details.

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In exchange for the outfit, Rikkistar made me a cute little pudgy raccoon! This little one is going to 'belong' (as much as a wild animal can :p) to Bella - I have a lot of plans for her that I hope to be able to make happen in 2016.

The Fleece + Feather photos are way better than any I've taken yet (and probably any I will take /skillz), so I asked to share one so you can see tiny raccoon in her proper glory. :D

I love doing trades because they give me a chance to make things I don't usually get to make, and push my boundaries with sewing. They can also be really stressful because I worry about ensuring I'm living up to people's expectations. I hope to be able to do more trades in the future, but I think I need a bit of a break in between. ;)

Etsy Update: December 6th

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Hello everyone~!

Just a heads up, the probably last Etsy update of the year is going to be on Sunday December 6th at approximately 11:30am (Toronto time).

I've got a whole bunch Minifee skirts ready for everyone, including restocks of each Sumomo colourway (there is two of each colour) as well as a bunch of one-off skirts in some new fabrics. One of the skirts is in a new Liberty Tana Lawn fabric that I picked up in NYC. I'm having a REALLY hard time letting it go - should hang it up on my wall so I can look at it all the time. ;)

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Commission slots are coming in the new year, but will be pretty limited, but I've also got something new in mind to try out, so keep an eye out for lots of new stuff in early 2016! :)

Etsy Update: November 3rd

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Good morning(-ish) everyone!

Back to work after a short little vacation - finally getting through my TODO pile that's been sitting on my desk since DN. It's nearly done, and I've got some fun ideas in the works for afterwards. ;)

Storenvy is still giving me issues, so my custom shop is still closed until they fix it. Looks like it's a bug on Paypal's end (seems Etsy is having issues as well), so hopefully they can sort it out soon.

Some of the cardigans for the update.

In other news, I will be updating my Etsy store on November 3rd at 10am (Toronto time).

This update is relatively small and will include MNF shorts and cardigans (both long and short), but I've got another in the works for skirts. :) There is a possibility of some other items as well, but not definite.

Hope everyone is doing well, and I'll post and update for the next re-stock soon!

Storenvy... Seriously?

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warning: mildly ranty

I've been using Storenvy as a selling platform for quite a while because, unlike Etsy, it allowed me to customize my shop to fit the rest of my webpages. Some months ago, they introduced Stripe as a payment option. At first I thought: no big deal, another way for people who don't want to use PayPal to shop online. But when I went to set it up, the form was asking all kinds of invasive questions, like wanting my SIN. Umm... yeah, no. Thankfully, there was an option to just keep using Paypal and that was that.

Then they decided to only use Stripe for marketplace transactions. Okay... that sucks, but whatever, I'll just disconnect my shop from the marketplace.

A while later, they announced a 10% take from all marketplace sales. For reference, Etsy only takes 3.5% plus the 20¢ listing fee. Because I hand sew, I am undercharging for literally everything I make (I know... working on it), so 10% is a HUGE deal. It means I can't really do sales, ever, because I'm already losing the percentage I would discount things by, and it's just kind of ridiculous in general. Pretty glad I was already apart from it at this point.

Not to mention the incident where a large number of Stripe accounts got hacked.... Big confidence boost there.

A few days ago, (maybe 3?) I noticed a banner at the top of my Admin pages with a 'getting started' sort of vibe. Since I've been using Storenvy for a few years, it came off as a little weird. Noticeably, the two unchecked boxes belonged to 'Payments' AKA, 'connect to Stripe', and open 'Marketplace Store'. I understand where Storenvy is coming from as a business, they need people to use specific services in order to make money, but throwing the two part of their service I can't really use in my face every time I try to use my shop is pretty irritating.

At this point, my custom shop was still open, and everything was fine and dandy. Now, technically, my shop is closed for orders, but it's still online for people to browse. However, just now I went to change something in my HTML files and was greeted with a little 'your shop is currently closed' banner.

No warning. No 'you need to do x' emails or pop-ups. Just closed. And I can't open it up until I connect a payment option - thankfully Paypal is still listed - and seem to be allowed for marketplace use. BUT, from the way the 'get started' bar is organized, it's looking like I'll be forced into opening a marketplace storefront and taking that 10% hit every time someone uses that instead of my custom shop which I just cannot do. (ETA: Possibly I won't need a marketplace store?)

I'm not really sure what to do at this point. I've put a lot of work into my Storenvy store, and I would hate to lose all that, not to mention all the stats and stuff that have been collected. I've been having some issues with the usability of Storenvy for a while though... and this whole series of events has left a really, really bad taste. :|

I'll do some digging and see if it's still going to work for me. But until then just know I have nothing to do with the supposed 'maintenance' my store is undergoing. -.-

ETA: Apparently it is some sort of bug on Paypal's end. Hopefully it can get sorted out soon.

Edit (Nov 4, 2015): So it turns out that Paypal was not entirely to blame. I am on the list of countries not yet available for integrated payments through Paypal and I guess some kind of miscommunication happened there so no matter what I did it would have never worked. I'm really glad my shop was on hiatus through this nonsense or it could have been really detrimental. I bet a few people lost a lot of revenue because of this error. Hopefully it will teach a lesson to make sure they have everything straight before unilaterally requiring a feature.

NYC and Big Ideas

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This past week I had the opportunity to visit New York City for the second time. Last time I was there was a whirlwind of fabric shoppes and meeting people - feeling totally overwhelmed by everything going on. Last week was far more low-key. Since I'd been to most of the stores last time, I just visited my favourites this time around - getting some fabrics and trims that are impossible to find where I live, and of course the obligatory Liberty of London print, I always feel the need to pick up (This time it was Eleonara).

One new location from this trip was the Fashion Institute of Technology. I was far too intimidated to stop by last time, but finally plucked up the courage on my second day there. As it turns out, I really had nothing to worry about because most of the campus is not open to the public. I did, however, manage to visit the FIT Museum which had a 'Capitals' exhibit showcasing work from designers in world capitals. Their geography was a little suspect at times, but walking through the gallery was really inspiring. I even went back a few days later to see everything again!

On the plane back home I ended up watching a documentary called 'Dior et moi' (which is apparently rated R for reasons I don't understand)

It got me thinking a bit about the differences between commission work, ready-to-wear, and haute couture, and the directions I'd like to take with my little brand.


The last few days I've been trying to dig up some of my old sketches to see if any of them are feasible for the near future as a trial for doing some OOAK works. One of my New Year's resolutions for 2015 was to work on a special project, but that has yet to actually happen - they're all still largely in the planning stages, though I have collected materials for some.

I doubt I'll be able to finish one before the end of the year - they're all MASSIVE - but starting something is the first step to finishing it!

New Items: Trying Etsy - Various MNF Items In-Stock

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Hello peoples! :D

After some helpful tips from other hobbyists, I've decided to give Etsy a try. Shop name is still 'inEssenceCreations' - you can find it here. :) I will only be using it for in-stock items - custom orders will still be exclusively through my personal shop.

Because of some software and tax-stuff differences between Storenvy and Etsy, I've had to switch prices to Canadian Dollar rather than US, and so they do not match up at the moment. Apologies if this confuses or annoys anyone - ideally I will be able to get both shops matched up at some point, but right now that's not a possibility.

The items in the first release are for Minifee. There are a few cardigans and dresses, and some shorts and skirts. I will also be listing some shorts for B-Line Minifee that will also fit Unoa (for sure those made after 2013, can't guarantee earlier dolls)

There are a number of items in the works for future dates if Etsy works out, so I'll update again to let everyone know where they will be available. :)



I hope there will be a few things you will like in this update. I'm crossing my fingers that this experiment will be successful and there will be many more releases of in-stock items to come.

Little Miss

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I posted this photo on my Flickr account as well, but it was just so cute I felt the need to share it here too.

My LittleFee doesn't get quite a much love as she should from me (none of my tinies do), but every once in a while I'll take her out and be rewarded with a lovely photo like this one. :)

Onwards and Upwards~

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It's only been a few days since I decided to take a break from commissions, but I thought I would share some of the new developments. :) It might look crazy, but I promise I'm actually resting my wrists!

Still needs a bit of tweaking.

There are about 4 new patterns in the works right now, and lots of skirts, shorts, and cardigans getting sewn up. :) Nearly 1/3 of my Doll North backlog is gone - things I cut out to make for Doll North that never got finished. This means lots of ready-made items on the way in a while. ^^

I've been trying to figure out the best method for offering ready-made items recently, since the Storenvy interface is not exceptionally well suited to constantly changing inventory, especially small quantities. It's really excellent for custom-made things (oddly enough), and the fees are unbeatable, but gets pretty crazy when you've got 150 active listings.

Etsy has been in the back of my mind for a while now as a possibility for ready-made sales, but even though the fees are only 3.5% (+20¢ and Paypal Fees), they're still quite high for me. If I were to use Etsy it would mean a price hike, but perhaps easier for people to use and find things they want. I could probably get away with Instagram for a lot of things, but I am starting to rely heavily on the analytics generated automatically by the store software.

If anyone more familiar with the selling platforms has any suggestions I would love to hear from you!! <3

In other news, Youtube has become my love recently and two songs in particular are filling my head with inspiration: Bright - Echosmith and Paper Planes - Victoria Duffield. The amazingful Wiske (go follow her!!!) is doing the same. Fanciful plans of pillows, wigs, and furniture. She's got me itching to start my roombox again, and to make a caravan for Bella. Maybe revamp the website... who knows. ;)

I hope everyone is doing well, more pictures soon!

Musings and a Commission Hiatus

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Update time!

I know a number of people have been waiting for me to reopen, however, my wrists are still not 100% and I don't know exactly what is causing the problem.

With that in mind, I've made the decision to close my custom shop for the rest of the year to give my hands time to heal properly, and to give myself the time to devote to other important things in my life.



In regards to sewing, I will not be stopping entirely, unless advised to do so again by my doctor, but I will be cutting down significantly. Instead of commissions, I will be doing some ready-made items and working on props and things for my own dolls. I will make an announcement here and on Instagram when I have things available, so check back from time to time in case something you want comes up.

I have a lot of plans for my dolls that have been put on hold for quite some time, so it will be nice to have a break to really dive in to some of them. :)

Hopefully a longer term hiatus will also give me the time to figure out if I can actually continue to take commissions without doing permanent damage to my health.

I hope everyone is doing well. We shall see what the next few months have in store. <3

Working, working...

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Blah. -.-

I've had a number of emails recently asking when my shop will re-open and realized I never mentioned why it's taking so long here on my blog. Time to fix that!

The first thing is that I hand-sew everything I make. Because of all the work I put in preparing for Doll North, I ended up straining the tendons in both my wrists/arms. They're currently taking a VERY long time to heal, so all of my current orders are going super slow. I'm finally nearing the end (I hope), but it's still a while away.



The second thing is that I was really looking forward to working on my own projects for a little while after these orders were finished, before I started up again. With the current delay, I don't know if that's really feasible anymore, unless I stay closed for quite a bit longer. This is something I really don't want to do - but I also know how rough burn out can be and don't really want to go through that again.

Since there are days where I simply cannot sew at all, I've been working on some non-sewing personal projects and drafting new patterns on those days, but there is still a backlog of things I want to do. Mostly this consists of prototypes for new designs but also long-planned items for my own dolls. Since I can't sew, they're just getting further and further away as I concentrate on finishing orders. Unfortunately, this is squashing my ability to bring out new items like I'd planned.

Honestly, I'm not really sure how to deal with this without making myself crazy....

Alpaca Wig I made while I couldn't sew. :)

 

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Finally, the third thing affecting when I reopen is that I've recently gotten engaged to my wonderful fiancé. So now I need to spend lots of time planning non-doll things. :)

All this said... I'm working very hard to get at least one new item done for a very soon release. Hopefully some people will like it. ^^ In the meantime, I'll keep plodding away at everything else and take things as they come. Crossing my fingers my wrists heal up properly soon!

Leftover Doll North Stock

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Good morning everyone!

Now that I've had a few days rest to tidy up and recoup from Doll North it's time to list the leftover stock. Please send me an email if you would like to purchase anything. I only have one of each thing listed and they are all first-come-first-served, but I do have more of most of the fabrics if you miss out on something you wanted.

Butterfly Cardigans: ($15 USD)

Large Bust Halter Tank Dress in Fuchsia Rings
 and Butterfly Cardigan in Bright Aqua

Short, 3/4 Sleeve in Baby Pink
Short, 3/4 Sleeve in Electric Blue
Short, 3/4 Sleeve in Bright Aqua
Short, 3/4 Sleeve in Lavender
Short, Long Sleeve in Lilac

Halter Tank Tops: ($25 USD)
Small Bust* in Green Leaves Batik
Small Bust in Sakura
Large/Glamour/Full** Bust in Antique Rose
Large/Glamour/Full Bust in Amalia
Large/Glamour/Full in Navy Puffs

Halter Tank Dresses: ($28 USD)
Small Bust in Mellow Stripes
Large/Glamour/Full Bust in Fuchsia Rings (--->)
OOAK Large/Glamour/Full Bust in Butterfly Wish ($30 USD)

Spring Dresses: ($26 USD)
Small Bust in Daydream

Simple Skirts: ($23 USD)
Waist Style in HELLO!
Waist Style in Chrysanthemum
Waist Style in Annelisse
Waist Style in Sumomo Plum

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* Small Bust Halter Tops/Dresses will also fit Large and Glamour bust, but are a bit more revealing.
** The Large Bust size fits all three of the bigger MNF busts, I don't have one in each size.

June Orders, New Fabric, Prices and Temporary Discontinuations

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Hello everyone! First off, thank you for being so patient with me while I prepared for Doll North this year. <3 I know a few people have been waiting for my shop to open up again, so I wanted to post an update to let everyone know that I will be doing things a little bit differently going forward.





I want to thank you all for the overwhelming support the last few months, I never really expected to get so many orders! However, because I still hand-sew every item I make, it obviously takes up a lot of time. And while I love making things that people want, it also means I can't release new items as often as I would like. So when my shop opens again on Monday, there will be a limited number of order slots and once they are gone, I will be temporarily discontinuing a few things to make room for new items. Don't worry, they will come back in a few months once the new items have had a chance!

Affected items will be:

• Minifee Simple Skirt
• Minifee Halter Tank Top
• Minifee Halter Tank Dress
• Minifee Spring Dress
• Littlefee Halter Tank Dress

As some of you may have already noticed, I have also decided to raise my prices a little bit. It's not much, and I apologize in advance if these changes mess up anyone's plans, but hopefully the new stuff will make up for it. :)

In happier news~ While I was in Spain I picked up some beautiful knit fabrics that are perfect for cardigans, and to add to that, my mother and I spent the day in Toronto a few weeks ago, and I picked up even more! XD So, there are now 10 new colours to choose from and a restock of three that were running low (Chocolate, Black, and Turquoise). Cerise is a beautiful match for Little Bit and Sumomo Plum. ;) I hope you like them!

Doll North 2015 Wrap-Up

The last two weeks have been a complete whirlwind. Between preparing for Doll North, packing, attending, and all the clean up afterwards, I'm pretty exhausted. -.-;

Minifee Chloe as Rose Tyler

I didn't actually get to see much of Doll North this year, but I enjoyed the parts I did. There were a lot of nice entries in the Masquerade this year - I think my favourites were a tie between Rose Tyler and Snow White. I didn't end up staying long enough to know if either of them won anything, but I hope so.

Magic Mirror Sinead

Saturday I was selling for basically the whole day, so I didn't get a real chance to browse the market, just a few glances here and there, but there was a huge selection.

My sales went well, but I do have some stuff left over, which I'll be posting on Saturday if anyone is interested. I wanted to so a special shout-out to midnightferret, who is just awesome, as well as the girl who bought on of my Bisou Ai dresses for her Obitsu 25. I didn't catch your name, you are the sweetest. <3

Soom, Loong Soul, Enchanted Doll Eyes, Batchix, and Nanyalin (Magic Mirror) were in attendance as well as a whole bunch of other awesome vendors. Off the top of my head - Milk+Honey, Eleanoranne, Steampetal, HighPriestessIce, and Du-hast.




Directly across from me were two girls who had some seriously high-quality stuff. I think it was seasaltt and blumen-lippe, but don't quote me on that. If I had boys I would have been all over it. Thankfully the one dress I was eyeing got snapped up pretty quick, so I bet it's gone to a really good home. :)

Soom had a bunch of Teenie Gems and a few of their big guys. They had a limited edition Glot and Glati pair that just killed me. I don't really like the YoSD size... but I was so sorely tempted. Those outfitsss. DX They also brought along a Doll North special Cutie Pie Beaver named Tinn designed specially for Canada. I didn't get any good photos of him, but it was such a sweet gesture!

Cafe Zephyros Alphie

I think the highlight of the market for a lot of people was the Cafe Zephyros table. Run by the same man who came with Bluefairy in 2013, Cafe Zephyros had some ridiculously adorable little Alpaca Dolls that were a huge hit at Doll North.

For me, my favourite part of the weekend was meeting up with resinmuncher, blindflower, starsarerobots, and artemiselani for Minifee fun times. We kind of took over the Kinton Ramen set for a while and filled it with minis. XD

opalescent_raven's Minifee Mir, Opal

Overall, I had fun, though I think I could have spent my time more wisely. I missed out on meeting a bunch of people - especially Cats10/micaeverywhere and her doll Kaine. Serious fail there on my part. DX

I don't know if I'll be back again next year, and probably not as a seller, but if I am, my top priority will be actually getting people's names. I met so many awesome people this year that I can't contact again because I never got their names. *sigh*

I hope everyone else had an awesome time at Doll North 2015 and I apologize if I seemed all over the place. ^^; <3

Doll North 2015

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Doll North is this weekend and I'm finishing up all the last minute everythings. There are always so many. ;)

As I mentioned before, I'm bringing a whole bunch of items for MNF (sorry, nothing for tinies this year). Most things are OOAK-ish, meaning I'm only bringing one in that fabric/size/style with me, but you can order items after DN if you miss out on something you wanted.

To reiterate from my last post:

1. I will be selling on Saturday May 23 from about 11am-4pm.
2. If you ordered anything from my shop before the May 1st deadline and want to pick it up at AN, please send me an email letting me know when you'd like to get it from me.
3. I will have a computer available for Paypal/credit card purchases.

I've been posting sneak peeks on Flickr and Instagram (mostly Instagram), so please check it out if you'd like to see. Anything tagged with #dollnorth is coming with me this year. :)

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Eyebleed Flowers with white top-stitching and magenta

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Finally, for anyone who reads this far, I've also been working on a (not so) secret project for Doll North this year (check Instagram ;) ). I hope everyone likes it as much as I do!

Finally DONE! :D (Vacation and Temporary Shop Closure)

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Today, I handed in the last assignment of my undergrad career. It feels both freeing, and super scary. XD

I have to start looking for jobs soon, but first I'm taking a two week trip to Spain! Bella is coming with me (because I have a small fear she would come alive and murder me if I didn't...), but I'm leaving the rest of my dolls at home so I can concentrate on enjoying and unplugging a bit before I have to dive back in to responsibilities.

I'll be gone April 12-April 26, and when I get back I'll be concentrating my sewing efforts on Doll North stock. As I mentioned in my first DN update post, I'll be closing my shop for the entire month of May. Anything ordered before May 1st is available to be picked up at Doll North to save on shipping costs. ^^



When I come back after Doll North, I'll be posting anything that is left over for sale online. I'm not sure where yet, so if you have suggestions I'd love to hear. I hope to have some new designs available when I get back too so stay tuned! :)

I expect somewhat spotty internet while I'm in Spain, so don't anticipate perfectly fast answers to any emails.

Sorry for any inconveniences, but I hope that being done school will mean a lot more time to spend with my dolls and experiment with new designs. /soexcitedddd

Doll North 2015 Preparations

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It's that time again! Woo Doll North prep!

This year I will be selling items in the Doll Marketplace on Saturday, May 23rd from approximately 11:00am to 4:00pm.

I am focusing exclusively on MNF this time around, so I will not have LTF or Tiny sized clothing available in person unless purchased beforehand.

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A few announcements before I get on to the previews:

1. Anything ordered from my shop before May 1st is available to be picked up in person at AN (May 23-24). Please email me around the time of your purchase so we can coordinate. I will be closing orders on May 2nd, so I can focus on Doll North stock.
2. I will have a computer available for Paypal/credit card purchases assuming hotel Wi-fi cooperates.

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Okay! And now on to the fun stuff!

I'll be bringing a variety of clothing items in different fabrics. If you'd like to see something specific, I'm open to suggestions! Trying to decide on other items and fabric choices, so let me know what you would like to see (t-shirts? leggings? more blue things?).

So far I will have a selection of:

MNF Butterfly Cardigans (both long and short)

MNF Halter Tank Tops

MNF Spring Dresses and MNF Halter Tank Dresses 

MNF Cotton Shorts

MNF Simple Skirts (mostly waist style, but a few hip ones)

MNF Wrap Bracelets

and a few misc. items like MNF Angelina Dresses and some sweaters.

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I am posting photo updates on both my Flickr and Instagram accounts, so you can check there for new items or to make suggestions. I will make one or two more updates here before the event as well.

Hope to see everyone at Doll North! It's going to be fun. ^^

Phases

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I've noticed that I go through sort of... phases?... with my sewing where there are certain things that just come out really well all the time... and then others that just... don't. No matter how hard I try there's always something wrong with the finished product.

I went through it a while ago with my halter dresses - no matter how carefully I measured or how often I checked the fit, the bust bands kept coming out too big. Maybe the fabric was stretching or I bought magic snaps or something... but now I have a pile of non-fitting dresses sitting on my desk that need to be fixed.



I think I might be going through a phase right now with knit fabrics. It seems like I just can't get anything right the first time around with them and I have to redo the sewing over and over. I guess my pile-o-cardigans will have to wait until this is over. The one I started last week has needed to be re-sewn 4 times already. -.-;

At least all my skirts are coming out well. :) I cut out 4 more to sew up for Doll North and they're getting very close to done. ^^ Now I just have to frantically check the Doll North page every 5 seconds so I don't miss the market sign-up! XD

Hope everyone is doing well!

2015 Resolutions

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I normally don't like making resolutions because I invariably fail and feel bad, but I'm going to try anyway. I've already posted a wishlist on my instagram, but now that I've had some time to think about it, I want to add to it/revise it a little.

So, without further ado:

1. Spend more time working on my own dolls. 
• Most of them don't really have an outfit that is 100% them (even Mali! yikes. .____.), so I'd like to make at least one for each of them.
2. Get back to working on my photoset. 
• I had a minor disaster that made me quite sad for a while, but I really need to get over it and get back to working on the project, I was having a lot of fun.
3. Take more photos!
• I tried the 'A Doll a Day' challenge last year, but with my school schedule it was just impossible. I think I might try using one of the monthly prompt lists to work on some more creative photos, but I won't be following any schedules.
4. Share more about my dolls' characters.
• Reading about other people's characters is a great pleasure of mine, but I've never been very open about my own. Now that I have my main story characters, I really want to start sharing them.
5. More doll meets!
• I really enjoy getting together with doll friends, but I live pretty far away from the main group here, so I'd like to try to organize some more regular events with people who are more local.
• I've also been waffling on the SD size for AGES, so meets might give me a chance to become more familiar with them and finally decide one way or the other.
6. Finish at least one big personal project.
• Other than the photoset, I have tonnes of ideas buzzing around my head. I'd like to finish at least one of them this year. Need to pick it soon!
7. Get a MNF Moe body for Tobi (with small bust)
• Tobi is supposed to be much shorter than Mali and Bella, but none of the bodies I've seen (or bought -.-) quite worked. I highly doubt I'll be able to swing another doll purchase soon, but I'd really like to get Tobi properly finished.

Sale: Happy New Year!! :D

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10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... Happy New Year!!!!

Just a little reminder that everything in my shop is 10% off from now until January 10th. :) Coupon code is 'newyear2015'.

Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays! :D