Snowblind in NC

I captured a silver lining this morning. You can see the snow steaming off the limbs of the plum tree as the sun strikes it with its gentle warmth.

Making up a Unoa Sist and Lusis Practice doll

I had this cute Unoa doll for sometime and didn't do much for her. I am snowed in today, so I decided to work on her some more. I worked on her face up after work a few times last week. I blushed her. I pierced the ears on her Sist faceplate today. I am still debating about whether to pierce her Lusis faceplate. Because I found out with my Minifee doll the piercing makes the doll look older. I still love her but she was fine without the piercings. I like my dolls to look more girly than mature.

I really like the tiny chest for this doll. Most of the MSD sized dolls I have seen have huge breasts. The teeth are so cute too. I really love this doll now that she has a little color in her. She is just coming to life for me. 

I used a Harbor Freight drill with a tiny bit. I didn't want to use Dremel for this. I was worried I might really do more harm than good. The earrings I chose needed just a little bending to put backs on them. They go in without any bending but to get a back on them so they won't fall out easily, I do have to bend slightly the posts. I also used a damp rag to pick up any dust as I worked. It was too cold to go outside and I didn't want resin dust indoors. I did get them a little bit crooked but it really doesn't show unless you are really looking at it just for that reason.

The next picture shows how I had to go in at an angle. The face plates are very thick and the ears aren't separated from the head like on the Minifee. I had to really study about it to figure out how to use stud earrings on her. 

I didn't think it would be a good idea to go all the way through the head plate either. Then the face plate when mounted to the back of the head would interfere with putting in the earrings.  

 I really thought her hands were kind of clumsy and large but she looks great in her pictures. I may even let her have her ears pierced. Come to think of it, I had mine done in 6th grade. 

 The next picture shows how to make her sit without leaning back. She can slump forward with the little piece in her back. The piece doesn't show when she has on clothes either.

 Mirwen's earrings are made from seed beads.

I have finally got to work with dolls again.

I have finally got to work with dolls again. It was cold out so I didn't work on the yard much this weekend. I am getting ready to plant turnips and onions soon. It is supposed to get a little warmer next week. I worked on Icy doll. This was the hardest doll to take apart and put back together I have ever done. I am still having difficulty getting the face plate tight to the back plate. It seems the doll's scalp was glued in some areas and I had to cut a little of the rubber scalp away to get the head open. It has been awhile since I worked on any of the dolls so I had trouble remembering some of the things I did. I took some notes to help me get more into it. 

My Icy doll came with a Tiiger body, which is like Azone but from China. She has almost same body as my first Matte face Blythe but a more petite bust and waist. The feet are the large size like my first Blythe too. They are too big for any Barbie shoes.

1. I pierced her ears with a tiny drill bit. She can wear human earrings.
2. I ground some shape into her face with aluminum oxide Dremel bits. I used wet/dry sanding sponge from dollar store with bleach to clean and smooth. Buffed with cloth wheel and shampoo to clean and lubricate the buffing process.
3.  I flicked in freckles. Dab with tissue and flick as I learned from youtube.
4. Boggled her eyes.
5. Mainly used conte chalks and cloth buffing wheel for blending.
6. Used gesso to make teeth. Took tiniest scissor point scratched it in black conte chalk pastel. Then dabbed in little lines between teeth to make it look like it has 2 front teeth.
7. Sprayed with Krylon matte finish. Later I will add gloss to teeth for wet look.
8. I couldn't get her eyelashes out, so I trimmed them, leaving just enough to glue on false eyelashes.

She is very wobbly now that I worked on her. I combed and braided her curly brown hair. I didn’t see too much hair loss but a few tangles. Not bad, since I got her on Amazon for a very reasonable price. She's cuter than ever now. 

I also worked on my Basaak doll. I made her gold eye chips with gold ink. I tried some doll wigs on her to get different looks for her. She has new lashes too.

Someday I hope to do a real Blythe mod.

My Little Darling doll in mohair curly auburn wig from Global Dolls

This week I tried out one more doll wig on my Little Darling doll. I think this is the last one, because it is the ultimate cutest one yet. It is a mohair curly auburn wig from Global Dolls. The seller even sent a free pair of doll socks.

I was so tickled when I found someone making MIM doll dresses that fit Little Darlings. I crochet but my sewing is not the greatest. Some dresses were a bit long for my Little Darling but most were fine for me. Still no shoes for my Josie. I tried H4H doll shoes on her and just thought they were big looking even with socks. I want to try making some shoes for her first. I feel that having everything made for me stumps my own creative endeavors. So I will be waiting a bit more.

Next I tried another wig on my Goodreau MIM doll. The banana curls aren't very modern but I think she's cute. Now that cold weather is coming I'll be able to make a few things myself.

A different shade of blonde for my Josie

I tried another blonde wig on her today. It is okay but with the reddish eyebrows I still think she is a redheaded little darling. The wigs are tagged size 6 inside them, but almost all of them are really 7/8 inch wigs, so that turned out to be pretty nice for Josie.
I put a Goodreau MIM jacket on her and some cute leggings made by Spindlewick Creations for a H4H doll. The leggings fit pretty well. Still I have no shoes. After buying the doll, I think it will be a while before we get shoes. I could possibly make something. I made 2 right foot shoes one night and used up all the scrap I had to do it. I was so frustrated, I said maybe shoes aren't my thing. I only get so much time off from work and I almost cried. Dolls are usually fun and relaxing for me.
She needs some clothes on, since I am making a cardigan. I need for a cardigan to fit over something like a top. The first problem I ran into with the cardigan is she gets rounder in the middle. For instance, the jacket zips up in the front, but gets snug on her when it is snapped. The jacket was made for a 16" American BJD. Josie can share a few items made for American BJD, Make It Mine dolls. I noticed a jacket from BFC Ink 18" doll fits LDs too. I just love the mini zipper that really works.

Trying out Little Darling wigs

 I got a few wigs this week for some of my smaller BJDs and was surprised to find that several of them fit  Josie. I really like the sausage curls. They are so vintage dolly looking and suit the Little Darlings quite well. I don't have any clothes for her just yet, but I am making her a tiny cardigan. Next Josie will need shoes.

Josie looks better as a redhead.

 I love her intense green eyes. Sometimes they look almost turquoise in color. 

 Different angles show of the chubby baby cheeks. When I first unboxed Josie, I thought her face was slimmer than other dolls. But it is the different angles of the camera that makes her cheeks chubby looking.

I have her dressed in Goodreau Make It Mine clothes for now. She has a cute backpack from BFC Ink 18" doll clothes pack. Still no shoes.

A Little Darling Painted by Helen Skinner

I really love my adopted Dianna Effner Little Darling. I have been gawking at pictures of these dolls for such a long time. I thought they were amazing in photos but too pricey for vinyl dolls. Now I see the reason for the price. The quality of these dolls is amazing in person too. 

The skin tone is so realistic, it is not noticeable that she is a vinyl doll. She looks like a porcelain doll I had, which was also made by Effner. My doll was made in 2013 and retains her lovely color after all this time.  

My Little Darling had no name on her tag. I have named her Josie.

She has such realistic proportions and looks like a real little girl. Her wig can be changed to make her a little more customizable. This next picture is me next to Josie. I was never considered to be a little darling though. I remember my mother would get upset when family members called me little devil.

The Little Darling doll is truly a work of art.