Food Market Mii-chan and Lottie's World

I got a Food Market Mii-chan from a seller I met personally. He said it was his daughter's but she has  already grown up and the doll has been neglected. He also said it was bought in Japan.

She wasn't wearing her original outfit, but I also bought a lot of clothes from the same seller and found her original shirt, her cap, shoes and even her pants in it. However, I've already sold her pants to a buyer before I even realised that it's part of the Food Market set. Sigh.

Anyway, I like Mii-chan because of her hair. It's so silky. I think she's supposed to have a pony tail on each side of her hair, but nah. I like her hair down like this.

Fortunately my doll's arms and legs can bend so she can do poses like this. Mii-chan.. what a wonderful addition to my Takara doll collection.

Meanwhile, I started a doll project. I call it Lottie's World. It's just a series of photos of Lottie doing or trying things. I think she inspires me the most when it comes to diorama making.

I sewed Lottie's sweater and messed up the neck line, but I can just look at it as part of the sweater's style. I have to mend Lottie's skirt because the waist band at the back has unravelled. You can't see it in the photo though because the sweater hides it.

This set up was pretty easy, just the way I like it. The background is a sticker sheet filled with planets and stars stickers. It goes so well with this globe I bought with it at a department store. The globe is actually a Maped pencil sharpener! I will never sharpen my pencils with it because I don't want it to get dirty, haha!

I made the iPad and the Goosebumps book. The rabbit is a Kaiyodo figure. The two pieces of carrots are from a small rubber figure of a hot plate meal. The table is made by Mattel, I think, and I thrifted it. The clear acrylic seat is not really a seat but a water container from the Monster High Color Me Creepy pack. It has the perfect height for Lottie and the table.

Convenient to set up, convenient to store away... this is what I want. I don't think I can handle a doll house because I know I will get bored.

I realised that it's much easier for me to make scenes for Lottie because of her size and portability, so I'm focusing my diorama efforts on her. Other dolls that could be included in the scenes I shall make are just going to be supporting characters.

This means I will buy fewer clothing for Barbies and other dolls, and find more items that are proportionate to Lottie. I'm glad that even though Lottie is small, she can actually use Barbie items, except the shoes, of course.

I'm aware that Lottie can somewhat share clothes with Monster High dolls, which I have plenty of, but I'm slowing down my Monster High doll collecting, or I'm putting a stop to it because I have so much now. Besides, the resale value of Monster High dolls, clothes and items is really high, so I don't think I can afford to buy more.

Ah! What else can I do with Lottie??! This excites me.

Brown and Pink Coordinates

I have been a bit unmotivated to write on my blog as of late. Sigh. Anyway...

A few days ago, I made my Mattel Sharpay - Liv hybrid doll wear a Takara Jenny coordinate that consists of a jacket, a belt and pants all in this odd brown pattern. I tried the whole outfit on Made To Move Asha and the pants do not fit her at the waist. As usual I have no appropriate shoes that fit Liv dolls.

I made Fred look more pink.

I found a pink coat at the thrift store, and thought, This is so Fred, so I had to get it. Then I forgot that I have a pink cowboy hat, and found it recently, so I put it on him as well. Now he looks tacky as ever and I love it. The colour is inspired by his old fashions. I looked up photos of this vintage doll and saw that Fred had a lot of pink and tacky outfits, so he has to wear a similar one too!

In other news, I found my cling wrap roll, finally. I forgot that I placed it in the box where I kept my poor Christmas tree, so when I came looking for the tree because I wanted to set it up in our living room (Yes, it's totally acceptable in the Philippines to put up Christmas decorations at home when it's still October), I was pleasantly surprised that it was also there. Now I can make shoes for my barefoot dolls using the wrap and hot glue, haha.

Also this afternoon I found bootlegs of the Shopkins Season 5 blind backpacks! I had to get one set to compare to my authentic ones. Comparison photos of those soon!

And I want to share this photo I found on Tumblr. It made me laugh so much.

Ready For Transport

I've been decluttering lately and figured that I should already set aside the dolls that don't need my immediate attention or look somewhat complete to me. They will be transported to my new place soon.

Disney Store Pocahontas and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)

Both Pocahontas and Aurora were from the thrift store. I bought them nude and their hair was frizzy so I had to boil wash and even trim their hair a little. I got Pocahontas' dress from an online seller, and Aurora's dress from the thrift store recently. I love the length of Aurora's dress. And I'm glad it cleaned up well because when I bought it, the white collar was brownish.

My unarticulated Jasmine would be glad to be reunited with them.

As much as it's fun to dress up my Liccas, I'm quite satisfied with them wearing matching maid outfits.

Bratzillaz' Meygana Broomstix. I really like her side glance. I don't have any ideas yet of what I could add to her look. Until then, she's getting stored and later on displayed.

Jem from Jem and The Holograms. I finally trimmed off her skirt, but I got lazy to hem the skirt so I just taped it down, lol. I also do not want to paint her shoes magenta anymore. She's a big girl, so she's going to stay behind the smaller dolls and her shoes will be hidden from view anyway when I get around to organising my doll shelf.

I'm thinking about Zombie Alice if she should stick around until Halloween because... Halloween. I mean, who would be the one to eat brains during this day when she's not around, right?

My three male dolls. Gaah look at Justin Bieber's crazy looking eyes due to the glare.

Pierre is wearing the outfit he was wearing when I bought him from an online seller. I still haven't made him a nice dark coat to go along with his outfit, but I'm not in a hurry, you know.

I don't have a lot of Ken stuff, so Justin and Fred ended up with baggy shirts and loose shorts/pants which I tightened by tying the loose waistband with rubber band.

So remember my two Liccas earlier? I made them wear uniforms. Too cute.

This bright blue outfit is made of fabric and felt cloth! That's why the jacket looks stiff.

Lastly I decided to dress up a rescued Barbie Fashionistas doll and made her wear a 2011 Holiday Barbie dress meant for a Model Muse Barbie. I'm glad it fits her. I have a problem with that shoulder strap though because it's quite difficult to put it on her shoulder so it ends up hanging on her arm, but that's OK. I had to use a saddle stand for her because if I use a generic Barbie stand, then the stand gets caught up in the skirt and I couldn't display the skirt properly. Underneath, Barbie's feet are somewhat floating. I already made her wear Barbie clone heels but she's still floating a bit. Could it be that Model Muse dolls are much taller than regular Barbies? I have no idea because I've never seen a Model Muse upfront together with a Barbie to be able to make a comparison.

Barbie's earrings are her stock earrings, and her necklace is just a ball-and-chain key chain I wound around her neck twice.

I still have other dolls I've put aside that I haven't photographed yet such as Jenny, Mimi, Twilight Sparkle, Chiffon, and Simba Cinderella. Soon. The dolls above are not going anywhere just yet anyway. They're just stored in two reusable bags, ready for transport right now.

What I have left in my toy box now are the rest of my Barbies, my Liv doll hybrids, some bootleg dolls, and my broken Monster High and Ever After High dolls. I consider my Barbies and Liv doll hybrids as models so they do not have permanent clothing, while my Monster High and Ever After High dolls need work on their replacement arms and new handmade clothing before I set them aside. I still have a lot of work to do! After I'm halfway done, then I can finally move on to making a backdrop for photography, and even simple dioramas to make my doll photos more interesting. So many plans, hey.

A Doll House for Lottie

I got a small doll house from Japan Home Centre:

It's called ハウスセット or House Set in Japanese, by Pony Co. Ltd.

Snow Pixies Custom Dolls Ideas

The lack of articulation of the newest Ever After High Epic Winter Snow Pixies dolls is so disappointing. I wasn't expecting them to have full articulation anyway because of the previous release of the forest pixies dolls from the Dragon Games movie launch. Nevertheless, I was hoping Mattel would somehow improve the execution of the dolls.

I like the Snow Pixies Veronicub and Foxanne. Their box art is really pretty, but it doesn't translate that well on the dolls. They're not as dainty looking as I initially thought, so I'm having second thoughts now of buying them if ever they get released here in the Philippines. Besides, the dolls' price are twice as much here due to importation and taxation, so that's another thing that discourages me.

So I was thinking of ways for me to get that snow fox and polar bear fix on my dolls. What I came up with is to customise the Moxie Girlz Avery doll that I already have. She has blonde long hair and fair complexion, so I feel that she is a good candidate for snow pixie-fying, but my pink hair mascara is not enough to cover the bush that is called her hair and make her look like Veronicub. I still haven't lost hope though because I could use watered down acrylic paint to dye her hair pink, or blue if I want to make a customised Foxanne instead.

Anyway, I see so much potential in Moxie Girlz filling in the spot of the original Snow Pixies in my collection because first, Moxie Girlz is accessible to me. I can buy another one if I were to make both Snow Pixies custom dolls. Second, Moxie Girlz's hair can handle the bright colours and the curls. Take a look:

Moxie Girlz Magic Hair Cotton Candy Style - Avery

Moxie Girlz Magic Hair Cotton Candy Style - Sophina

Some comparison photos I made for fun:

Veronicub and Avery

Foxanne and Sophina

I also made a mock of the faceup. I skipped the yellow eyeshadow on Sophina, and the pink eyeshadow on Avery:

Oh I made her nose really big. Haha oops!!

Well,  I tried on the paw prints.

Ugh I just don't like the execution now of the snow pixie dolls. Why was that so easy to copy!!!!!1111111

Sure, Moxie Girlz dolls are not as articulated as Ever After High dolls, and their attachable feet are a con, but clothing option for these dolls is much more flexible for me than for these puny snow pixies who stand at around 8 to 9 inches.

Another way I was thinking of is to customise my two Licca-chan dolls, but at this moment I am not convinced that I should because they are much more difficult to find at a good price online than Moxie Girlz dolls, but what made me think of Licca as a possible base doll is this photo:

Cat-themed Licca

How adorable! And the faceup looks simple. Just some white paint around the nose and mouth area, and brown paint to add detail to the nose, lips and whiskers.

Now I feel that I am just in love with the idea of animals as dolls, and not necessarily these two Snow Pixies, but I could still warm up to them, you know. Sigh...

What's In The Bag?

Yesterday I was feeling crafty so I made head bands for my dolls. I forgot to take photos of them after I was done, so that would be for another entry.

Anyway, I went to my new place and brought some stuff over. Then I picked up a few items from there. Afterwards, I got hungry, so on my way home, I stopped by a local shopping centre to grab something to eat. I also thought of going to this centre because I want to visit a shop there selling pre-loved items from Japan, including toys.

I've been to this place before, but I was in a hurry so I wasn't able to look around that long. This time, I checked almost everything. There are some nice things in there but the price wasn't good enough for me.

I was about to leave when I spotted a clear plastic bag filled with stuff. What stood out for me is a green item that resembles a doll hanger. I asked the attendant if I could check the bag up close.

Took this photo in the car because I was that excited.

There's the doll hanger at the bottom of the bag. I checked the other stuff inside and soon realised that I had to get it. I asked for the price...

... and the attendant told me it's P75. DEAL! 

Here is what's inside the bag:

Four Takara doll stands, three clip on Barbie hangers, one green Barbie hanger, a doll sack of rice, and plastic carrots inside a small mesh bag! 

Red Ranger was quick to model the doll stand on my dash. Red Ranger and I have been apart for a while and I want to give him new hands soon, so he is one of the items I picked up from my place!

This kind of stand secures a doll by the calves. I just slip the doll legs through the stand in a certain manner and the doll would stay there in place.

At home, I wanted to try out the doll stands using different dolls. Of course, Licca (far right) passed the doll stand test like a champ. Her dad, Pierre, can also use it, but Licca is still my first choice for this kind of acrylic stand.

Next to Pierre is Barbie Film Director Nikki. If her knee joints were loose, she wouldn't be able to stand at all. She would just fall face down.

Anna in a Liv doll body is next to Nikki, and her calves are quite big for the stand. Because of her calves, her legs tend to go forward and her feet couldn't stay flat. I had to bend her knees a little so she could maintain her balance.

The one wearing the zebra hat is Pinkie Cooper. I had to bend her knees so she could use this stand. This is also the case for the tall blonde, Moxie Girlz Avery.

Dawn, in the black polka dot dress with ribbon trim, can use this stand just fine.

I tried a Barbie Twist and Turn body with articulated knees on the stand as well. I had to fix the knees first before I could make the doll balance.

Howleen's calves are quite big for the Takara stand, and her knee joints that are a bit loose make the task more challenging, but I managed.

I chose Cleo to represent Monster High in this stand test because her knee joints are quite tight. I found out that her calves are too big for the stand just like Howleen's, so it's better to use stands that have a clamp on the waist area instead.

Jenny has no problem using the doll stand. She's after all a Takara doll. That hair though. Not even boil wash can take it down!

Pocahontas can use the doll stand too, but she is so tall for this kind of stand so she's a bit top heavy for it. Any slight movement to the box the dolls are standing on could make her topple down.

Now my two Liccas are using the stands, then Skooter uses the third one. The fourth one is now in storage. I am pretty pleased with them all.

Oh, by the way:

There must be a Carrot Man joke hidden in here somewhere, haha.

A Photo Dump! [Part 10]

I found another Licca (the one in the blue waitress uniform below) at the thrift store. It was an unexpected find because I didn't think I'd find a Takara doll at this particular store. Even if I already have a Licca doll, another one for a cheap price wouldn't hurt.

I brought her home, together with another find I'll talk about later, and I found out that my second Licca is a bit different from my first. You can't see it in the photo, but she has blonde hair that ends below her shoulders. Her skin tone is much lighter, and her arms are more bendable and posable.

On her back, if I'm not mistaken, the label is TOMY and not Takara.

The other doll I found with Licca the 2nd is a vintage Skooter doll from Mattel! She is Skipper's friend in the sixties, and I got her really cheap. Her face has freckles, and she has bangs. Her hair is quite frizzy but I managed to tie them into two pig tails, her signature hair style. She has a pink body with straight legs, and her feet are flat and slim. She has discolouration on her cheek and  small bite marks on her leg but I don't mind anymore. Her chest is flat so she could wear Daiso Elly-chan clothes and also Licca's clothing.

I thought it would be cute to dress them up in similar outfits. The hats are from 7-11 Paddington Bears.

I tidied up a bit to free some space on my desk. I selected a couple of dolls that would remain there while the others were bagged and stored in a plastic bin. Oh and that's my Peanuts placemat I bought at the toy store.

This is an old shelfie, by the way.

It's a bad photo, sorry. It's definitely cluttered. BUT I DIGRESS.

On the far left of my desk right now is Disney Pocahontas' gown. I found a 2010 Pocahontas doll (not in photo) wearing this dress, and I brought her home. I gave Pocahontas a boil wash, the first time I ever did a boil wash, but I still couldn't restore all her hair because the ends are scraggly, so I also gave her a trim. The dress form I'm using is another thrift store find, from a Tangled Rapunzel boutique set. I can actually put a doll head on the "neck knob" of the dress form, if I want to.

Next to the dress (which I removed for this photo) is Skooter. She is wearing a Licca dress. The colours of this dress reminds me of her stock outfit, so Skooter might be wearing this for a long while until I find her better clothing. 

My two Liccas (I really should give them names. Soon.) are still in Daiso outfits. I also found a Licca mini doll key chain which Licca the 1st is holding in her arms. The mini doll needs a touchup on her hair paint, but I can do that at a later time.

Attached on Skooter's shoulders is Slugger Doll Battie from Honey Hill Bunch. 

Battie has a similar face to Skooter, freckles and all, so they could play sisters. My two vintage Mattel dolls together!

Next is La Dee Da Sloane as Lollipop Swirl, and beside her are my two Frankies from Monster High, who are literally Frankendollies.

Skultimate Roller Maze Frankie has Cleo and Clawdeen arms, a Cleo leg, and I got her fake hands from an online seller. The gloved hands are supposedly Avea Trotter's. Her outfit consists of a purple knitted hat, a Monster High Physical Deaducation shirt, a Paddington Bear jacket, Cleo's Skull Shores pants, and Kenko World shoe charms. 

School's Out Frankie received an arm from my other Frankie, then her hands are from the same online seller. The hands are supposed to be Madeline Hatter's but the white polka dots on her gloves are fading. She is wearing a top hat I put together (that shouldn't be on her but I don't want to put the hat back in storage just yet), Classroom play set dress, an unbranded pink jacket, and shoes I made out of foam and a tongue depressor. I shall post about these shoes on a different entry.

Next are my only Ever After High dolls.

Hunter Huntsman with a Bratz foot and mismatched shoes, signature Kitty Chesire, and Madeline Hatter which I use photograph quite often for my blog. I talked about her outfit here. She is carrying a rubber bag charm, similar to the ones I posted about here. Her stand is made out of a jar lid, a balloon stick, and foam. The set up is a bit flimsy, but I still have a lot of balloon sticks so I'll keep using them when I make doll stands.

Beside Maddie is Freak du Chic Honey Swamp temporarily wearing a top hat because I didn't want to store the hat yet, and the sweater I made out of socks.

Next to Honey is Skutimate Roller Maze Clawdeen which I really like because of her soft purple hair with green streaks. She's wearing a very small crop top underneath the Paddington bear jacket, Betty Spaghetti Slumber Party pajamas, and unbranded pink sneakers. Her hands are bought online and I haven't identified whose pink hands are those yet.

And the last doll is Lollipop Girls Brigitte who I mistakenly identified as Cassie. I still call her Cassie to this day. She's wearing a Peruvian Barbie dress, and Winx Club Flora shoes. I still have to make her a lollipop she could hold. Her stand is also made of a jar lid, a thick balloon stick, and foam.

The rest of my dolls, nude and clothed, are now stored in a plastic bin. All of them have been bagged using thin plastic ice bags. I didn't put the lid of the bin tightly because I still want to check them all from time to time, to see if they are doing OK inside. I mean, with this kind of weather in the Philippines right now, I can get paranoid about the staining and the sticking. I only collect play line dolls so I think they can withstand this set up.

By the way,

I finally managed to photograph my bootleg Frozen Anna and Mattel Anna together!

Mattel Anna vs. bootleg Anna

They have similar moulds, but they only differ in the faceup. Bootleg here has a faded look to her, but her lips are much redder than Mattel Anna's. Mattel Anna has more detailed eyes and more prominent freckles. I like them both!

Ending this post with a bunch of dolls having spot treatment.