Shopping with the Boiiz

Long time, no craft...

My friend and co-creator of SkippyBJD Mary was in town this week, so we took our YoSD boys with us to the craft store. We were there to pick up polymer clay for some doll-sculpting experiments,  but also wanted to see if there were any good doll accessories or props we could find. It ended up becoming a photo shoot, but we did grab some clay eventually.

We were looking at fairy garden stuff when we happened upon the above zen garden setup. The boys thought it was cool, so we plopped them down and snapped a few pics.

Then, we were wandering through the aisles and happened upon some lilac flowers - perfectly matched to Honu's eye color. He cooperated and let me take a pic or two.

All in all, a successful run. In another post, I'll show the progress we made toward sculpting some heads. Mary went a more traditional route with her's while I...well, I guess you'll just have to tune in and see, haha! Thanks for tuning in.

ABS Plastic - The Solution...is Alcohol!

Rubbing alcohol that is!
As continuation to the previous post...

I wish I had known this first, but I still have an interesting mod project ahead of me! A few weeks ago we got some advice on YouTube from a good Samaritan about our "mod":

NellaCuriosity3 weeks ago
The eyelashes are looking good.
W&N melts/compromises ABS. To clean ABS you want rubbing alcohol, the purer the better.

Thus, we have an answer.
Only use Winsor & Newton on resin!!

Stay safe hobbying out there, friends.

ABS Plastic and Winsor & Newton (Crafting Gone Awry)

Hello there,

For those of you who do not know, I have a YouTube channel called SkippyBJD that's updated about as regularly as my blogger (which is to say, somewhat sporatically). Recently, I put up a crafting video documenting my and my friend's BJD alterations with the title "A Faceup and An Unintentional Mod".

The reason for this post is that I wanted to ask (or warn) about ABS plastic reacting to Winsor & Newton brush cleaner. Now, Winsor and Newton is my go-to for faceup cleaning - it's gentle on the resin and doesn't stain or leave residue. That's why, when the following events unfolded, I was a little more than confused.

I was trying to wipe the factory faceup from an Ai Doll Lagrus and she sort of...melted. Now, I don't want to scare anyone or jump to conclusions; I'm not 100% sure that the Ai Doll I had was even made of ABS plastic (the same stuff used to make Blythes). This is what the result was:

My only thought is that I have to sand her now - honestly not too upset because that means I get to try some modding stuff I've been too nervous to try as of yey - but hopefully that gets her into a presentable state.

Concluding Thoughts: You should always test things like this on a small part of a doll you're not sure about ESPECAILLY if you've paid a lot of money for the doll. I'm still not confident this is made of ABS plastic, but if anyone has any advice, I'm open to suggestions! Hahaha....

Wrap Up Questions: Has anyone had something similar happen? How did you fix it? Or, better yet, if you have a doll you know is made of ABS plastic and used W&N cleaner on it, did it work fine or did it melt?

Follow Up: I have a follow up blog post describing the solution to this problem. In short, please only use Winsor & Newton on resin. ABS aparently does much bettter with rubbing alcohol. Please see the corresponding blog post for a little more detail.

Doll Companies: Latidoll

Latidoll

I suppose this is a review. When I originally wrote this (in 2016), I still had dolls that had not yet arrived, but now I have no outstanding dolls from the company and my experience is a tad dated with their limited releases. I still have a (fairly) large pool of experience with Latidoll and there are always those who will find stuff like this useful. Here we go:

Dolls Ordered

Latidoll and I have had a relationship since 2013 and I have ordered dolls across three of the past four years.

2013

MH Sophie (NS)
Lulu (NS)

2014

BatB Haru (TS)
LoL Sophie (TS) - Sold
PPiS Lea (Open eye, TS)

Sophie (left) and Jia (right)

PPiS Lea (Mystic, TS)
PPiS Haru (TS)
Olympos Haru (Blue Skin)
LAS Jia (TS)

2015

LAS Sophie (Pink Skin)
Penguin T.Jia (NS)
Frog T.Sophie (TS)

[Key:
- MH = Monster House
- BatB = Beauty and the Beast
- LoL = Legend of Lati
- PPiS = Peterpan in Steamland
- Olympos = Sacred Goblet of Olympos
- LAS = Little Angel Sweeties
- TS = Tan Skin
- NS = Normal Skin]

Overall Opinion

While they do get flack for their shipping times (my experience has ranged from 7/8 months on the shorter side to over 10 months as of the Little Angel Sweeties release), they are very accommodating and, for the most part, have high quality fullsets and limiteds. Until buying two Lati Whites, I had not really bought non-limited dolls from Lati, so I cannot really comment on their treatment of regular release dolls except that their new normal skin is much nicer, more natural, and slightly pink compared to the old yellowish tint. The quality of the dolls that I have received has never been lacking.

I do like Latidoll, but their recent limited releases have been meager. They must have come under new management or something because since the Secret Garden release last summer, they haven't had any full (6 doll) limited sets come out. Fair warning, I guess.

Customer Service

Their customer service has always been prompt and accommodating. Sometimes they forget items, or do not include them for other reasons (resin problems, etc...), but they always ship them in the end. Currently, I have gotten all parts and pieces from every set I ordered. In the past, Lati has made it up to me (for waiting times) in the form of small gifts: one I received was a pair of sunglasses for my dolls and the other was a free fullset wig which I had not paid for because I was poor at the time (haha...aren't we all). They don't always comp, though, so you should never expect it.

Contacting a lati representative is as simple as posting on their Question and Answer board. Make sure to check back every day to two days because you probably won't get an email notification. If you have a question about an order, list your order number in the title or the body of your post. Passwords that you must assign to your thread can be as simple as 1234 and that is  what I normally use.

Doll and Fullset Quality

Their dolls (my dolls) have never had seam lines. I personally have never had problems with factory faceups flaking or cracking. All clothing has fit with the exception of one pair of shoes which I never ended up getting around to resolving. Most of their dolls are strung perfectly upon arrival and can stand right out of the box.The only exceptions were my two 2013 NS girls which are a little loose and I just haven't gotten around to restringing them.

Two Event Heads
(they do not come with eyes or wigs)

Fullsets also sometimes come with free event items (usually heads). They are sometimes released later as part of the normal run, but you can never be sure if they'll be back.

The resin is even. The clothing is high quality (and some of my favorite pieces for them to wear). The eyes are a little big for my taste, but they are good glass eyes anywho.

Negatives

As far as lati negatives, I already mentioned wait times; the average was around 9 months the last time I ordered. Some companies I have ordered from ship in as little as three or four weeks (Angell-Studio), so nine months is on the longer side. They are a little overworked; asking them about estimated shipping dates or when points can be received will usually get an answer like "we hope to ship them out as soon as possible" or "once the dolls exceed the standard processing time".

Late Points

My last topic about the company has to do with their point system; there are bonus points for delays in processing. You do have to remind lati to give you your points. They will not volunteer this on their own. Title your thread "Late Points" and list your order number and they will take care of getting the points to your account. The link below is the most current post from the company about the system (I believe).

http://www.latidoll.com/2007_en/index.htm?mode=notice&sc=en&num=353

Diary Adventure (Nakano Broadway)

So my friend, Pjelly, who had been in Japan for some weeks by the time I'd arrived, knew that the real otaku haven was Nakano Broadway. Akihabara has some stuff, but it's spread out amongst electronics stores and such. Nakano Broadway is like an anime mall, where all of the stores are close together in the same building. We saw a lot of neat stuff that day, but in Mandrake, one of the stores that spans multiple levels, I saw some really beautiful Volks dolls and a couple Azone amongst other brands I was not as familiar with. I didn't want to deal with getting a doll through customs (and none of my grail dolls were there), so I didn't end up buying any, but the dolls and other things were fun to look at nonetheless.

Diary Adventure (Volks Store in Shibuya pt.3)

It was really sad that they were closed for restock that day, but the outside of the building was adorable anyway! I could see them redressing some display dolls, but I didn't want to creep too much so I only took pictures of the facade of the building.

Craft Adventure (Castor & Pollux)

Heya hello there,

Castor and Pollux are my two hybrid SD boys; Castor is a Leekeworld Adolf head on a 68cm dollzone body and Pollux is a Leekeworld Mihael head on a 65cm body. Since they're new, I've been working heavily on their bodies, outfits, faceups, etc... I figured I'd put some progress shots here (most of which are on my instagram - mishaverse - already).

I'm also really glad that the resin match is about 80-85% and you can't really tell there's a difference at all when they're wearing their clothes and wigs; I was quite worried about that when I put the money in for their bodies..

The hellscape that is my work table 99% of the time.

I like to have multiple projects out at one time. That way, when one head is drying, I can work on the others. That, or I can redress boys, play around with posing, or even just disassemble them to see if I can make them less sassy and stop snapping me!

Pollux's body holding his and his brother's heads
for a quick pic.
Misha lying comatose in the backdrop.

I included this picture especially, as well as the following, to show off some of the non-permanent modding I had tried out. Pollux's character has gone through some physical trauma and I needed a convincing way to show scars without permanently altering the body (because I am not that confident yet). All that goes into the scars is pastel and glue with a tiny bit of colored pencil. Layering the color really gives it a 3D affect that looks very much like scarring.

Pollux's screaming skull scarification.

Thanks for reading & I'll see you next time,

Nat

Faceup Adventure (Angell Studio Kimi, "Honu")

Hey there,

This is my Angell Studio Kimi. I named him Honu after about a year of figuring his personality out. He's my precious baby angel. I like freckles. I like him. This shows an early version of what I painted on him (first picture) and his current faceup. I think I've gotten 100% better haha............................. (still needs work though >>)

[Doll Arrived: December 2011]

[Faceup redone: October 2013]

His old faceup was very simple. I was nervous to try anything fun and so he had a bland or blank look to him. I hardly tried using pastels at all. It's an adorable sculpt, so nothing looks bad on him, but it certainly wasn't the best look.

As you can see, I've gotten a little more adventurous with colors (adding some purples and blue into the mix). I love his new freckles and his eyebrows are much nicer now; the key is using pastels AND colored pencil. In layers. Layering achieves richer, deeper colors and gives it more...well...depth. The fantasy resin tone was exciting to work with, but it did take time to get used to the way color showed up on it. Even without "real" eyelashes, I love the way his lashes look.

Anywho, I hope you enjoyed seeing Honu's evolution; he's my baby and I hope you grow to love him too.

See you next time,

Nat

Photoshoot Adventure (Honu pt. 2)

Hallo,

I've shared these on my instagram (mishaverse), but I am just so in love with my Honu baby... I update instagram a lot more often than I update this blog, so please feel free to stop by.

[smol photoshoot]

In this photoshoot he's actually borrowing Misha's scarf. His shoes were handmade by myself and I bought the wig off of ebay. His bear and sweater, however, were made by amubleu on Instagram (and I love them to death). Everything she makes is amazing and I currently have at least four sweaters and a pair of leg warmers from her. Please give her some love if you ever need knitted goods..

Catch you later,

Nat

Diary Adventure (Volks Store in Shibuya pt.2)

Hi...

So we did manage to find a Volks store, but it was closed. *sobbing in the distance* This is very delayed because I wanted to post pictures and I haven't uploaded them to my computer yet (I will post pictures of the outside of the store at least).

I did buy some small things for my dollies. I'll put some pictures below of both things I got specifically for my dolls (mostly that tiny shopping basket), but also some other cute stuff. Eventually, I'll make a video for my YouTube Channel (skippybjd) about this stuff, but for now...

Love,

Nat

Diary Adventure (Volks Store in Shibuya)

'sup,

Today we're trying again to go to the Volks store in Shibuya. It's a little hidden and we almost got lost yesterday trying to find it, but we did it and it won't be hard to retrace our steps. However, yesterday they were restocking or something so they were closed haha. They aren't normally closed on Fridays at 14:00. The dolls we could see were gorgeous, though.

I hope I have enough money (probably not). My plan is just to buy accessories and clothes, so we'll see. If they have a tiny that I fall in love with, I might bite at that. *crying* I'm so broke! When we get back from shopping today, I'll try to do an entry about the store with pictures. :D

Love,

Nats

Diary Adventure (Japan2015)

I just dropped $915 on a plane ticket to Japan for this June so it's real; I'm going to Japan to see my friend who's studying abroad. I'm going to spend so much money on souvenirs. I can't spend a penny until then. God help me. 

PLUS: who do I take to Japan?!? A Lati? Honu? I can't think. It has to be a tiny though; Misha is just plain too big. 

Sincerely, 

Nat

Photoshoot Adventure (Honu)

This was really a car trip adventure but w/e. Honu was such a honey I used him as a model for some jewelry. These will eventually be Castor's pieces (I'll explain when he gets a body).

Holy shit I love this baby. He is my one and only. I have such a soft spot for red heads. ♡☆♡

Photo Shoot Adventure (Misha)

Here is my first real photo shoot of Misha (and Castor & Pollux who I will introduce soon). Next time I'll play around with background a little more.

Texting Adventure (Misha)

(Slightly adult convo)

I had a fun day playing with Misha, my Migidoll Miho, today. For the first time I played around with really posing him and I got some gold out of it:

I now feel guilty because he's so out of character posing like that. >___< Baby, don't hate momma. 

Diary Adventure

Dear Diary,

Lati is about to release a new line of limited dolls (they do this around five times a year, then follow it with an order period for normal dolls). They're sweets themed and really darn cute. While I have been mentally assuring myself that I only want boys, in any size, from now on, two girls from this release really caught my eye.

One is Jia. She's a little asian looking, and I love that. She comes in tan and has a red/orange color scheme. I love Lati's tan, too. My favorite tiny-sized doll currently is Lati tan. The other is Sophie. I already have a Sophie, but she's in their old normal-skin, which is basically a mellow yellow. This new one is in pink and has a strawberry themed outfit. I'm so screwed because with all the extras the two of them will run me just over a thousand dollars. That's right. One grand for two dolls smaller than a pencil pouch.

My dilemma is not really whether I am willing to fork over the money. I am. The question is am I willing to sacrifice a potential trip to Japan this summer to visit my friend who will be studying abroad? Five hundred dollars might be the breaking point. I don't know if I will be able to save up enough to pay for my airfare, food, souvenirs and hotel with only a couple of months to go. I'm so screwed.

Love,
Nat

Faceup Adventure (Leekeworld Adolf)

Since this is the first Faceup Adventure, I'll give a brief rundown. A faceup is a cross between make-up and face. It refers to the process of painting a doll's face so that it looks real/in character. There are those that do realistic faceups, fantasy faceups, somewhere in between,or anything above and beyond. I'll just provide some pictures and the company + sculpt name of my faceup victims. I do them for practice. None are commissioned heehee.

Ok, this one is a LeekeWorld Adolf head. This one turned out silly looking because of the red on his cheeks. I think he looks like a cute raccoon though...

Introduction: Hello, What's Your Name?

Hi,

My name is Nat and I am heavily involved in the BJD hobby. I've been with the hobby for about three years now and was introduced to it through our local convention Otakon. I love my babies and this blog is here to allow me to post my silly adventures with my kiddos and maybe post their stories or something. I don't really do blogs, if you can't tell.

My doll family primarily consists of lati yellow/pukifee sized dolls even though I started with an SD sized doll (Migidoll Miho) and my second doll was a YoSD (AngellStudio Kimi). The total number of dolls I hold in my house currently is seven and two floating SD-sized heads. I will go into these later and post a family portrait, I think. I hope.

It was nice meeting you and I hope you enjoy our adventures together.

Sincerely,

Nat