Returned

Something happened.
Something I had never seen coming.
Something I would never have thought possible.
What do you ask?

Let me start at the beginning.
Some months back I was on a selling spree. I had so many dolls (heads) I just did not have a bonding with anymore, so I sold them to new homes. Homes where they would get the attention they deserved.
One of those heads I sold was one of my oldest characters, Patch.
He was a Leekeworld Romeo.
I had been struggling with Patch for months on end. But I kept on struggling for so long because he was very dear to me at some point. But I lost that feeling all together. After trying to find him new clothes, other body etc etc, I still was not feeling him, and he was only giving me stress and desperation.
That is when I decided to sell him. he had to go. Every time I looked at him I felt sad and irritated.
It was a very hard choice to make, as he had once been my grail doll. And he had been with me for such a long time,
Luckily for me, one of my best friends wanted to have him.
That meant, I would not have the problems I had with him anymore, but I still got to see him every now and then. And at that point that was totally okay with me.
And honestly I didn't really miss having him in my doll collection anymore.
It was all good and I was happy with my decisions.

But then a few days back, my friend told me she was thinking of selling him. And I could literally hear my heart break. Ofcourse I understood why she was thinking of selling him. I had the very same problems she was having with him now. But for some reason this triggered a deep feeling inside of me.
A feeling that screamed at me not to let him go.
She did ask me if I might want him back, and I asked her if I could think about it.
One thing I knew for sure. I didn't want Patch back. I can honestly say I have had it with that character for now. Maybe one day he might come back, but at this point I think I just outgrew Patch his character.
But if I was not planning on giving him his old character back, who was he gonna be then?
I was not planning on getting him back without a solid plan as to where he would fit in to my crew.
For those who don't know; All my dolls their background stories are linked, one way or another.
And I simply can not bond with a doll that is not in some way connected to the others.
So that meant I had to find a new character for him and a place for him to fit into.
After some hard thinking I knew had found a place for him. Though I still have to work out the details, he does have a place where he belongs with a job, a brother and a bunch of friends.
And after making the deal with my friend, he returned home shortly after.

But having him back also came with another problem. How did I want to style him? This! had been a big problem before I sold him. Though he has such a lovely head, with his amazing jawline and big round cute nose, he is really really really hard to style. There are a lot of wigs that just looks hideous on him, and sticking him in cute boyish clothes is just not an option either. His face is simply just to masculine for cute clothes.
I knew I had one wig that looked good on him, but that used to be Patch his wig. But I wanted to avoid putting that on him, afraid I would run into old problems with him again.
One thing was fore sure. He was not going to look one bit like he used to when he was still Patch.
Luckily for me I had one wig sitting in my drawer which I was saving for another character (Jules) But seeing Jules in not going to come home anytime soon, I threw the though of saving that wig for Jules out of the window and tried in on. And he looked amazing with that wig.
I quickly pulled his brother (Joshua) off his body and put him on it. And that also solved my clothing issues. He just looked way to good in his brothers clothes. (No worries Joshua has clothes to spare)
And then, right at that moment. All the bad feelings I have ever had with him disappeared into thin air. Vanished from my mind.
And I can honestly say, I fell in love with him all over again.
Now I can see why he once was my grail doll, why I wanted to have him so bad.
And I am over the moon and overjoyed to have him back.
Ofcourse with a HUGE thank you to my friend.

So without further blabla's from me, I would like you all to meet ....

Gabriel

Jam Session

Picture info:

Jules is a Monodee Rich
Brandon is a Dream of doll Dream head 11
both dolls belongs to me
both dolls have default face-ups

The story behind the picture:
Jules (L) and Brandon  are having a little Jam session. Playing all their favorite songs.
And Maybe, just Maybe they are having a little to much fun playing the worst songs ever made and make them sound even worse.

Though this picture is a little older, I still really like it.
In this picture I still had my monodee rich as Jules, whom now has become another character.
I will update you all soon on what happened exactly in a blog new blog post soon, promise!
But for now. Enjoy this fun pic!

My face-up tools: Removal

My Face-up Tools blog post series.

I have had a lot of questions about what tools I use when I do a face-up.
So I thought it would be interesting for all of you do show you just exactly what I use.
What Pastels I use, what brushed I use, which sealants and all the other stuff I use.
Thus, I decided I'd do a little series of blog posts to tell you all about the all the lovely items that help me do my magic.

Removal

When you want to do a face-up on a doll the very first step you do is making sure your head is all squeaky clean. before you go and put on the first layer of Sealant.
And as that is the first step in your journey to a new face-up I thought I'd start this series of post off right there as well.
Sound logical right? hihi.

Nail polish Remover

I use Nail polish remover to wipe off the doll's head. I find it takes quick care of any old face-up or any dirt and grime left on the head. No matter if a doll still has an old face up or not, I always give it a scrub. That way I am sure there is no residue of any sorts on the head, which makes for a good seal when you spray on your sealant.
If you too want to use Nail polish remover to clean your heads, make sure you have acetone free nail polish remover. Acetone can damage the resin of your doll, and you never want that to happen.

The brand I use is a clear liquid and has no fancy girly color in it. I personally prefer using a clear substance. If you use a nail polish remover with a colored liquid there is a chance the color will stain your doll. Not all of the colored removers will do this, but there are plenty of them out there who do. You don't want a doll with blue, purple and pink stains on it's head, right? I have seen what those colors can do to your doll, and I never wish to have that happen to my dolls, let alone those of my customers.
So clear liquid it is for me!
An on top of all that, this stuff is cheap! It's way cheaper that the colored removers, and I can get it at the store around the corner. What more could I want?! Right, nothing.

Magic Block & Make up pads

Now that I have my Nail polish remover at the ready to clean the dolls head I do need something to actually wipe the dolls head with.
And that is where the magic block / sponge and the make up pads come in handy.
I usually start with a make up pad, put some remover on it and start gently wiping the head. Normally the face-up will slowly start to rub off the head. If this is the case, you probably do not need any magic block. You can just keep wiping with out pad until your head is clean.
But sometimes you have a head that has been sealed so well that wiping with a pad just doesn't break up the sealant. That is when you need something  that is a little more abrasive, but not so much it will damage your doll.
And that is when that handy magic block suddenly seems very appealing.
I normally cut up the big pad in to a bunch of tiny pieces as those are easier to use on your doll.
Just put some nail polish remover and gently rub your dolls head just like you would when using the make up pad.
For both the magic block and the make-up pads I just use the cheapest ones I can get my hands on. They work just as good as those expensive ones when removing a dolls face-up.

Toothbrush

Wait what.... did I really just read toothbrush?
Yes you did!
Sometimes, you have those little nooks and crannies in your doll that you just can not reach with a make up pad or a piece of magic block.

That is when that toothbrush is going to be your best friend! Trust me, he is your best friend. I would never lie. I know my toothbrush is my best friend. hihi.
Little bit of advice, buy a new toothbrush and do not use the one you use for your teeth. You don't want that toothbrush anywhere near your mouth when you have dipped it in nail polish remover a dozen of times.
Just buy any cheap brush, but make sure you buy a soft one, not a hard or medium one. Soft is always better for your doll.
It's really easy in use. Just dunk the brush in the remover and start scrubbing! Child's play, I tell you!

You will find those nifty little brush hairs will remover all the dirt and crap from those annoying  hard to get to places.

So now you know all the things I use to get my doll's clean and ready for a face-up.
Neck time I will be talking about sealants, so keep an eye out and don't miss that next post!

P.s. All the above items also work perfectly if you ever want to just clean your doll's body if it got dirty 

Face-up Commission #64

Picture info:
Mold: Another Space Jupiter
Owner: Amariexciryatan
Face-up: by me
Commissions: Click on the Face-up Commissions shop button on the menu

The story behind the picture:
My dear friend asked me if I wanted to help her save a doll that has sort of been abused by his former owner. Want to know more about this poor boy and what he looked like before and how my friend is trying to make him all pretty again. Follow her on her Instagram @Amarie_bjd
She asked me if I wanted to do his face-up. I just could not say no to that.
First of all, because he deserved a little TLC and I loved helping her do that by doing a beautiful face-up. And second of all. There are only three Another Space Jupiters out there in the big wide world. And I, yes me, got a chance to do a face-up on him. How on earth could I say no to that?
And third of all. Who can say no to this cutie? I certainly couldn't.
The mission she gave me was to make him look like her other Jupiter, but a little bit more innocent (yes she owns two of the three jupiters, isn't she a lucky lady?)
And I got to do my most favorite thing on him. Freckles!!! I love doing freckles hihi.
Thankfully I was able to nail the mission, and I could give him back after the face-up to a happy owner.

Fierce & Fiery

Picture info:

Kamdhin is a modded Fairyland feeple 65 Chloe
Mods by: Dragonwings236
Face-up: By me

The story behind the picture:

Mister Kamdhin Welsh.
Oh how I love this man.
At the moment he is probably one of my most beloved dolls.
I am in love with his blue eyes and his fiery orange hair.
His handsome features and his hubbuh hubbuh body. (though that last one is hardly visible in this pic).
Gawd I often find myself just staring at him for the longest time and totally get lost in those eyes.
(Jikes, major weirdo confession, whoops hihi)
So you must understand me wanting to post this awesome picture of him, right?
Thank you for understanding!

Face-up Commission #63

Picture info:

Sculpt: Mirodoll Rain
Owner: Me
Face-up: by me
Commissions at: Http://kyanara-bjd-commissions.nl/

The story behind the picture:
This cute boy was actually not in the planning but he came anyways.
I hosted a small Mirodoll group order as they had these amazing sales. And because the total amount reached a certain amount the order qualified for a gift. And this was the gift. At first I was a little unsure as to if I wanted to keep him or not. But I decided I could at least give him a chance.
And thus I did. I started with trying to style the blank head, and when I found that one perfect styling I knew I had to paint him and make him a real character.
And this is how he turned out.
Unfortunately the head does have some casting faults which I found during the painting, but they are hardly visible and easy to hide. I did have to sand both eyes a little to make them smooth and remove some resins bumpy residue.
But after the light modding he was a pleasure to paint. And he turned out uber cute, if I may say so my self.
His name is Ryden.
More of this cutie when I have more pics to share!

And then.......

And then it happens.
That one thought that brings along a change in your dolls.

How it all started.
Me and my best friend were sitting in my doll room talking about our dolly goals we had promised to fulfill this year.
We both have a goal in mind, and that is bring home a beloved character.
As we talked about her character maybe coming home I came to realize that bringing home my character, which is Zane, would take a very long time as I am currently saving for Ldoll.
This sad fact also brought to mind I have not been touching Zane's partner Cade. Over the last few weeks I have had all my dolls in my hands, except for Cade. (No, worries, Cade is not going anywhere) But we kind of both figured I have not been doing much with Cade because Zane is not here yet.
It made me wish that there was one doll in my current collection that would portrait Zane as I see him.
And then.......
There it was
That thought.
Monodee Rich.
He possible could be a perfect Zane.
So there I went.
I dressed him up with a set of blue eyes and a blonde wig, and a simple set of tanktop and blouse as that is what Zane mostly wears.
And for a moment, it seemed to work.
I pulled Cade out of him spot in the closest. Almost had to dust him off, as it had been that long.
And put together, the two dolls did seem to have a connection.

Unfortunately as the evening progressed, and Sunday made way for Monday something about "the new Zane" irked me.
It was not the fact he did not seem to connect to Cade. Nor was his styling.
I soon found it was the fact that the Monodee Rich has a very young face. I have always wanted the Luts Abadon mold for him, and that mold has bit of more matured look to him. The cute young face the Monodee Rich has was just to young for a multiple century old master demon.
It also didn't really help that Cade is also the owner of a more matured look which made the Monodee Rich look even younger.

So for two days I had been struggling with this and I was not quite sure how I was going to tackle the problem.
I was hoping that with days passing I would grow to love and accept the younger look. But deep down, I knew I would never.
Perhaps I even knew I was not ready to settle.
Or perhaps it was the fact that everything I looked at him I saw Maddox in him.

Can you guess where this is heading?


If you guessed that my Monodee Rich is now the new Maddox. You are correct!
*hands out cookies to those who guessed right*

And I can hear the questions rise within you. What happens now to the old Maddox.
That was a problem I solved quickly by bringing back a certain beloved skater/surfer smexy werewolf dude.
Ice cream for those who can guess who I mean.


If you choose Felan, then here is you bowl of yummy Ice cream!


And that is the whole story of how one little thought brought on a huge change in my characters.
This is so typical of me. Yes, I am admitting to this honestly because it is the truth. You can ask anyone I know. Every single change I make always comes with a though of;  "what if" or "would it be" or even "I wish"
And those who know me well know exactly when a thought like that crosses my mind as apparently it shows in my eyes.
And for one, I hope to have many more of there thoughts as they keep my creative thoughts and juices flowing. It would be a shame to loose all of that.

I promise I will make some new pics for you all to see soon when I have recharged my camera. *oops*