Upcoming Preorder: Minifee and Unoa Sydney Dresses

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Hello everyone! Welcome again to my intermittent blog~! Hooray.


I had a lot of people ask me about this dress when I brought it to Doll North last May, but I wasn't quite ready to do anything with it then. It was just a fun project for me to do to give Mali something special of her own - the pattern wasn't finalized, I didn't have much of the fabric, and I had so much else on my plate that it just wasn't going to happen.

However, I've been playing around with the pattern again, a wonderful friend lent me her Unoa for pattern testing, the lace tops weren't working as I had hoped, AND I randomly found more of this fabric while I was on a trip, so it seemed like the perfect time to switch up my plans and release these dresses instead.



This will be a limited release of 6 dresses so that I can get them out in a reasonable time. You can choose between Small and Large/Glamour bust Minifee and Large bust Unoa. :) They are only available in the Royale fabric this time, but in both Navy and Cream. I've been experimenting with other fabrics to see which ones will work in this style and should have more available at a later date.

The preorder for these dresses will open on December 16th (time still TBD) and go until all 6 spots are taken. There will be another post here and on Instagram with the final details.


Hope you like them! ♥

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Coming up next is ideally lace tops and fox skirts! But maybe we'll see something else in between. ;)

5th Anniversary Giveaway Outfits

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Hello everyone! It's been a while since I've shared any sewing here (#thanksgradschool), so let's get up to date! Here are some photos of the two outfits I made for the winners of my 5th Anniversary Giveaways.

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DrMeowgon won the art contest giveaway and asked for a LittleFee sized skirt in the new 'Little Foxes' fabric I had recently bought. It's so adorable that I had to go buy more after I finished the skirt.

She also asked if she could commission a cardigan to go with it and picked out the yellow-orange colour. It's a little fussy to work with, but this fabric always looks great. I hope I can find something similar to replace it soon - it's almost gone. :(

I'm particularly fond of how this outfit came out. The fabrics go really well together and the colours play off of each other perfectly. Also, sewing for LittleFee is so much fun, I need a reason to do it more often.

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Photojoda won the big outfit giveaway and asked for: a floppy black hat, a white bustier top, and a skirt, cardigan and bracelet in brown/gold tones.

We went through all of my white fabrics trying to choose the right one. In the end, I found the perfect lace in the fabric store near my kitties' vet.

The skirt, cardigan, and bracelet were all old designs so they came together relatively easily. I'm quite fond of this colour combination for the bracelet. (Please excuse the paint on my finger ;p)

The top and hat I had to design from scratch. Generally my pattern making takes a while, but when I'm designing something entirely new that is nothing like anything I've ever made before it feels like it takes forever.

I experimented with a few different techniques for the hat, including wet felting and glue moulding. In the end neither were quite right for this project, but at least now I have a MNF hat block and some kinda weird shaped proto-hats? I'm hoping I can make a smaller hat block for Jonas. She really needs a little 1920s cloche. :)

The hat went pretty quickly once I figured out the proper materials and technique. I've got some more cut out for Etsy, and one for Bella to keep, because... look at her.

I spent a long time fussing with the pattern for the bustier top. I think I remade it about 6 times to get it just right. A lot of my clothes fit really tightly, so I have to be exact with my patterns. I think I've finally got this one down though - at least for small bust. ;p

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I'd like to thank the winners for being so understanding of both my school obligations and the long development process that goes into making my items. You are both amazing.

Lots more updates to come now that classes are winding down and I have more time for dolls, so keep an eye out here for details. Hope you all have a wonderful day. <3

Mini Giveaway: Art Contest!

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Hello again everyone!

It's time for another 5th Anniversary Fun Fair activity!

This one is a little bit more work for you, but hopefully still enjoyable - the challenge is to draw one (or more if you're feeling ambitious ;P) of my 4 character dolls. It doesn't have to be coloured, you can do chibi, realistic, draw them as cats, up to you! The most important thing is that they be recognizable as the character you are depicting - so pay attention to Mali's hair and Bella's bitchface, but feel free to get crazy with Tobi's hair and outfits.



To help you out (because I am a fail and don't post about my girls very often) here's a photo of each of them and a few words to describe their personality. For more in-depth information, you can also read the answers to the 20-ish questions set I posted a while ago: [link], or check their '10 Facts' on the 'About my Dolls' tab.

This giveaway is only open for 5 days from September 19th-23rd. Entries will be taken on Instagram: #inessencedrawme, or you can post it wherever and comment the link here.
** Contest has been extended to September 26th because weekends**

The prize is the winners choice of one of three custom items: a custom wrap bracelet, or a custom cropped (or regular length if you prefer) shirt, or a custom butterfly cardigan.* Wrap bracelets can be made for any size, but the top/cardigan is only available for MNF. 

I will be picking my favourite entry, so this will not be a random draw like the big giveaway. This is meant to be just for fun, so please be respectful of others and above all, enjoy yourself. Please don't stress. <3

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*I might be willing to make something else around the same price point if you really have your heart set on a different thing. ;)

5th Anniversary Giveaway Winner!

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Hello potato friends!

Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway! Your support means the absolute world to me and I'm glad I can give back in this small way. All of your responses were so thoughtful and it was interesting to see the variety of outfit ideas you all suggested. I wish I could make everything! DX

That being said, I'd like to announce the winner:

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Photojoda!

      

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Congratulations! I'll be sending you an email later today, so keep an eye out. :D I look forward to seeing what you dream up.

For anyone who is disappointed I hope to hold other giveaways in the future so there will likely be more chances to win. <3

Additionally, check back on Monday for another announcement. ~(^3^)~

Thank you again everyone, you are seriously all so amazing.

<3 Melissa

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Winner was picked via random name generator, if you have any issues with this, please take it up with the math gods.

Now Open: 5th Anniversary Giveaway!

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Hello everyone!

While my storefront has been open for far less time, I started taking commissions on DoA 5 years ago. To mark this anniversary, I've decided to offer a special full outfit commission including one prop and one accessory (+regular shipping*).

'Full outfit' can mean say, a top, pants, jacket and some jewellery, or maybe a dress, a sweater and a hat. I'm fairly loose on this definition, so you can be creative. :)

This giveaway is open to anyone, in any country, but I can only make items for dolls I have (unless you want to send me your doll :p). The dolls I have at home are: B-Line, A-Line, M-Line Minifee girls (small, large, and full busts), LittleFee, Bisou Ai, Maskcat Special Size, and Azone Picco Neemo.

The giveaway will be open from September 1-September 14 at 11:59. I will put all the eligible entries together and draw for the winner on September 15th then email them to start discussing their outfit.

I will announce the winner here and on my Instagram page.
If I do not get a response by September 18, I will draw a new winner.

Please keep in mind: this commission may take a few months to complete - if you are not okay with waiting this long, please do not enter.

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How to enter:

1. Fill out this form completely: [link]
• To make it fair to people who follow me on different platforms, I will not be accepting entries in any other form.
2. Go do a fun thing.
3. That is all.

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I am being very flexible about what kinds of items you can request, but please keep in mind that I am doing this for free and on top of everything else in my life, so there are some things I will need to pre-veto in order to get your items to you in a timely fashion and with my sanity intact.

These include:

1. Shoes
2. Replicas of another artist's work
3. Extensive embroidery/embellishment
4. Bodysuits/leotards with designs on them
5. Lots of hemmed ruffle layers

Other than these things, I'm willing to work with the winner to come up with a feasible outfit - so go forth and design! I look forward to reading your messages. ^^

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*If you want tracked shipping you'll have to pay for that yourself. Sorries!

Custom Orders Now Open!

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Hey everyone! Custom orders are now open in my shop [link]. There are a few spots for butterfly cardigans, halter tops and dresses, and shorts and pants for Minifee - and even more fabrics than last time (I might have a bit of a problem ^^;). Go check it out! :)

ETA 3:20pm: Looks like there may have been a problem with DNS redirects but it should be fixed now. I've updated a bunch of links just in case.

ETA 10:30pm: Apparently today is cursed, Storenvy has been having problems too. If you've had any trouble trying to order things today, please message me and I can take your commission directly. I'm so sorry for any inconveniences. <3

Commissions Open: Jan 16th at 11:30am EST!

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Despite a few hiccups along the way, my wrists are finally feeling well enough that I feel comfortable taking on commissions again. I do want to make everyone aware that there is the possibility of them taking longer than usual if my wrists decide to prove me wrong. 3-4 weeks is a definite possibility, so please keep that in mind before ordering.

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Commission slots will go live January 16 at 11:30am EST (Toronto time) on my custom shop (link). 

They will not be available on Etsy.

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How it works: I have a few slots for specific items. You can order as many things as you want within this limit, but once the limit is reached that's it for the current round of commissions. You can see what is available here: (link), but not the limits, so if there's something you want snatch it quick, because the larger variety of items being offered means the limits are much smaller.

This time around I'll have a few Minifee items from my Subtle Memory Collection available again: Skirts, Shorts, and Cardigans and a very small stock of Halter Tops and Dresses.

Additionally, I will be offering some things from my new collection: Tempest. Tempest is still very new and most of the items are still being tested, but I'm very excited to bring you this little intro.

For anyone who has been watching my Etsy store, this will be old news, but I've been working hard to perfect my pants patterns and will be offering a few custom slots for Minifee Cotton Pants in M-Line and A-Line sizes.

Here are some of the prototypes I've made to get you thinking:

Minifee Cotton Pants in Adelaide

Minifee Cotton Pants in Aurora - Teal

Minifee Cotton Pants in Minicity

Minifee Cotton Pants in Bastas

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! :)

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.

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!

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

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!

Halter Tops and Anime North

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Hello again lovely people!

I've been working like mad sewing halter tops recently. :) I have four more cut out and ready to be sewn, and then I think I'm going to take a break and make something else for a while. :p

Unfortunately, my kitty has been having breathing issues (we've ruled out a polyp, sinus issues, the weather and a bacterial infection so far, but still not sure), so that's taken up some time - but I still feel pretty good about everything I've accomplished recently, so I thought I'd update with some of my favourites.

Large Bust in 'Fuchsia Rings'
with 'Light Neon' Short Butterfly Cardigan

Small Bust in unreleased fabric
with 'Glitter Olive' Long Butterfly Cardigan

Small Bust in 'ZigZag Dots'

Small Bust in 'Eyebleed Flowers'

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In other news, Doll North released the theme for this year's Masquerade: Manga and Anime of the 1990's! I'm planning to enter again this year and have already started my entry. ^^ I picked something a little less ambitious than last year, so I feel pretty confident I can pull it off. We don't have to keep it secret this year, so I'll write a blog post when I'm a little farther along.

They changed the contest to size tiers this year as well, which I think is a great move. Unfortunately, they've also made a few changes to the Market... so I don't think I'll be selling this time around, but maybe next year. At least it will give me a lot of extra time to build up stocks. ^^ Haven't decided 100%, but I think we'll just go for the Sunday this year since there's not too much going on on the Friday or Saturday.

Maybe I'll see you there? :D

Major Update - Custom Orders and Giveaway!

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OOOOKAY!

So, I've recovered from my sickness, and finished all the major assignments and tests from the last 2 weeks, so I finally got a chance to play!

I have a new bracelet I've had finished for a while updated in the shop, plus some new photos of the inset top in a different fabric and with different closures (I am so in love with this fabric I can't even). AND! Bonus bracelet to match (though available separately :P).

In addition, I have some super awesome news (well, I think it's super awesome anyway...)!

I've added (a few) custom orders for the MNF Inset Tops, MNF Butterfly Cardigans* and Wrap Bracelets! Woo~! I'm going to try this as a way of doing (limited) commissions and see how it works out. :) Hopefully, it will be awesome!

To celebrate, I've decided to do a giveaway on my Flickr for a fully custom Wrap Bracelet + free worldwide shipping (not tracked). :D Yay!

Some of the available colours. :)

So if you've been wanting to get a bracelet but haven't yet, here's your chance to win one for ~free~! If you'd like to use this chance to get an SD or other non-MNF sized version, that's also an option!

Also, if you win and would like to order other things, I will still pay shipping for one regular sized bubble mailer. More bonus! :D

Anyways, if you're interested, head on over to my Flickr Giveaway page and leave me a comment!

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*More MNF Butterfly Cardigan photos are on their way, but I don't have a definite answer on when they will be ready - we are currently being plagued by rain and sadness...

Commissions Closed: Indefinitely

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I've decided to stop taking commissions.

While I do (mostly) enjoy doing them, I've become increasingly dissatisfied with my ability to complete them in what I consider a timely manner at the level of quality I demand from myself.

I have two more to finish up (a wardrobe commission that is 90% finished and a MNF cosplay outfit), but after that I'm done.

The new 'free time' will be used to concentrate on collections - which are, somewhat surprisingly, going very well at the moment - and my own dolls. I'm feeling very dissatisfied with them at the moment, which is colouring my feelings about the hobby and my abilities in general.

Much as I may regret it, I think this decision will be for the best.
I have a few projects that I'd like to finish up first, but then I may open up quasi-commissions of a sort through my shop as a compromise.

My apologies to anyone who was wishing to commission me in the future, but hopefully this will help me get into a place where I am comfortable with all aspects of this hobby.

Commissions are Open!

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I have three commission slots open for January if anyone was wanting to order something. :)

Looking back

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I hope everyone had a fantastic New Year's Eve. :)

Looking back on 2012, I'm certainly disappointed with how much I've accomplished, but I think given all the moving and adjusting to different countries I did this year I can cut myself some slack.

I don't make resolutions per-se, but I would like to keep working on the goals I set in September.

More specifically (in a vague order - warning!, long post),

• Subtle Memory
  I would like to get proper samples for everything done and photographed soon so that I can be ready to fully open my shop in April.
  I have most of the patterning done, but the prototypes I have need to be tweaked, so re-sewing them is necessary.
• Commissions
  I really like doing most commissions, meeting new people and trying new things. Unfortunately, while I love doing them, I find commissions always take longer than I think they will and, as a result, I get very stressed and can't take very many at a time.
  This year, I would like to spend some time working on ensuring I have commission slots every month. It may end up only being one or two, but I would like to make sure they are available.
  I have plans to restructure how I take commissions, but that ties in with another goal, so I won't list it here.
• School
  While this isn't specifically doll-related, it does affect everything I will be able to accomplish doll-wise.
  Switching continents was both good and bad for my school career. I got to experience new ways of doing things, some good, some bad, and meet a lot of new people. Unfortunately, it also caused me to be unable to meet many of the deadlines for my school in Ontario, so I will be spending the first week of classes sorting everything out.
  I would like to make a concerted effort to get my work done early this year (I always do it on time, but finishing early would take a lot of stress off) and make a decision on whether I am going to go to grad school or not.
  I think overall this is going to be the biggest challenge I face this year, dealing with university bureaucracy and 18 years of ingrained academic habits, so I'm hoping I can do it.
• Anime North
  I didn't get a chance to enter the theme competition at Anime North last year, nor did I end up getting enough stock made to sell at the market.
  This year, I have grand plans... so I'm hoping they don't fall through again.
  I'd like to get all my stock made before the theme is announced so I don't have to worry about trying to make them both at the same time.
  It's going to be a TONNE of work, so it's a bit low on the priority scale. I don't think I'll be going to AN in 2014 though, so I'm really hoping I can make this work.
• Blogging
  I'm still dissatisfied with both the quality and quantity of my blog posts, so I'd really like to work on that again in 2013. I think I got better after all the moving stress died down, so hopefully starting fresh in Ontario will help.
• Photography
  One of the reasons I first got into BJDs was as photography models. I'm pretty average at photography right now though, so I always get discouraged from practising.
  I've been collecting materials to build some photography sets over the past two years and I think I finally have enough to start and not be fretting about not having this or that. There will be a lot of waiting for things to dry so this project will be worked on in-between sewing and school, but I hope to have at least 2 rooms finished by the end of the year.
  I would also like to start getting into photostories. I have lots planned, but have been waiting for sets to be done. I think I can thank mendokusai for spurring me on in this as she unknowingly does for many things.
  I'm seriously considering joining flickr and getting involved in the community there, but I have enough trouble with this blog, so we'll see. XD
• Web Design
  Finally, I would still like to work on getting a cohesive design done for my site. I have plans to add a bunch of sections and change a lot of things, but while I think I've managed to get my technical skills up to par, my design and layout skills leave a lot to be desired.
  I think this will be worked on throughout the year, with little tweaks here and there. Ideally I'd like to get a 'new and improved' fully integrated (store, galleries etc.) site up by the end of the year, but looking over the list I just typed, I'm not going to be too disappointed if it doesn't happen.

I'd still like to get better with speed and time management overall, but those are more nebulous goals that really only come with practise.

My plan is to make these goals visible around my house so I always have something to remind me of them. Last year, I found the things that weren't visible got ignored and I don't want that to happen again.

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I hope everyone is doing well.

Do you have any specific goals you want to work on this year? :)

Dr. Firefly

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So, a while ago I got another pukipuki cosplay commission. This one was technically much easier than the last (I think partially because I'd got used to sewing for the size and partially the outfits were actually easier), and I think I like the outfits better too.

I almost wish I could go back and redo the other outfits now... but I think I'll be saying that forever no matter how many times I redo something.

Anyway, this time it was for 4 different outfits, one from Doctor Who (Rory), and three from Firefly (River Tam, Wash and Kaylee), which I have never seen.

I'm not very happy with Rory's scrub shirt (mainly the pockets - I should have left them off), but I adore his pants, they're lots of fun. When I get some time (and flanelette :P) I'd love to make a similar pair as PJs for the girls.

River's was quite fun to do and rather simple, though I wish I'd been able to find thinner fabric... but it's difficult to find. In the actual episode (Safe), River's top is a loose weave sweater that's sort of fraying all over the place. It's a very cute outfit. Since I can't knit (tried, failed, I'll leave it to the pros), I pulled at the hems with a pin to simulate the fraying.

I custom printed the material for Wash's shirt to match the one in the reference image, but it came out a bit dark. Oh well. The commissioner likes it and I think it's my favourite of the 4. ^^

And yet again we are reminded of just how bad I am at posing pukipukis.

Lastly was Kaylee's outfit. It was super complicated with all sorts of extra things that look amazing full size (embroidery, writing etc.) but don't translate well at all to puki-size. I had to settle for a few of the bigger details and a plain blue coat. I made an umbrella too, but forgot to take a picture of it. :(