Crafting...

Today was an interesting day. I decided to do something I'd been avoiding, fearing I couldn't do it. I decided to switch out some Liv doll eyes. Sounds simple, and for all the dolls I did it too it was simple. I decided to practice with several before I did the doll I really wanted to do it to. Yeah, what should have been a 5 minute craft with this one doll turned into a 3 hour adventure. For an hour I couldn't figure out why her right eye was wonky. I finally saw, after taking the eye out and putting it back in a million times, that the vinyl was very thin in one part of the eye well and ripped. So I couldn't put the eyes in as is. So I decided to cut off the cap of the head and install the eyes with some putty. I put some bjd acrylic eyes in, tonssss of putty, and now her head is drying from glue. I used plain clear glue so I can change her eyes if I want. In the morning I may not like her eyes. If I do then I will go back in and use E6000 to make it more sturdy. Ugh! It was suppose to be simple. I switched eyes and bodies all evening with no issues, and then the one I really wanted to turn out right doesn't. Oh well, I wouldn't have been able to use the eyes I finally did if I hadn't cut the eye well open. I just hope the cap glues well so the wig won't pull it off again. Fingers crossed. I'll update on it tomorrow. It's crazy, I was so crafty today. I finished the lips on the doll and it turned out really nice. I'll have to post about that later as well. And on that note I am off peeps. Time to get to work on some lenses. Bye for now.

Frustrated and tired,
Michelle

Image From Free Digital Photos

In a Toy State of Mind

Hey all! So while I was surfing around the web tonight, I found myself on a website...that I have no earthly idea how I got there in the first place, that had some interesting articles on it. It's one of those media sites that once you read one you find another interesting related one and before you know it a few hours have passed and you have read some of the most interesting useless knowledge in the world...but i digress.

Now, not trying to get you hooked into a hour long reading frenzy, I did find 4 articles of interest. All related to toys of course. LOL!  Take a look at these interesting articles. Warning, if you don't want to get stuck on this site for an hour or more only read these links I have provided. If you look on the sidebar or at the related links you may never get off the site. You have been warned.

11 Dolls the World Could Have Done Without

8 Seemingly Harmless Toys That Were Yanked Off the Shelf

 

11 Toys You Only Played With at the Doctor’s Office

Why Is Toy Packaging So Difficult to Open

 

 What did I tell you? Interesting, right? Ok, maybe not, but it gave me a giggle. LOL! And I am in shock to see they has a Six doll. My sister had Blossom and Joey. I would have loved a Six doll. I loved her personality. Oh well, maybe some day. ;-) And on that note I am off. I am working on an article for Squidoo and then I need to start my Christmas articles. I think I will so all doll related articles. So expect me to share those here eventually. Talk to you lovely peeps again later on today. I should be able to get my doll's head swapped out today since I feel a little bit better lately. So I hope to have her ready for viewing today. Hope you are all having a great Friday. :-) Bye for now.

Feeling sleepy and cold,
Michelle 

Time To Think About Christmas!

Hey guys! Oh my goodness, you won't believe how much I've missed posting here. It's always been in the back of my mind to post, but then I just didn't know what to post. I am completely out of the loop of what anyone is doing in the hobby and have only been keeping connected to dolls through some bjd videos on Youtube. It's not the same as reading blogs guys, it's just not the same. So I decided, yes I am super behind on reading blogs, yes I have no idea what's going on in the hobby, and yes I have no earthly idea what I am going to blog about really, but I'm back.

I guess the thing keeping me away really is that last one. What do I blog about? What do I have to say that is impressive? I mean I can show you guys my ill attempts at sewing, but I'd be so shy about what you guys would think of it. But then again I could ask for advice on how to improve. I read an article today about asking for help from your peers, and I realized I didn't do that because I don't want to be a bother. So I've decided to ask for help when I need it and give it when I can. So that leads me on to my title. Christmas is coming!!! Yes, I know it isn't even Halloween, but I have come to realize time is passing quickly.

I came to this realization about time while writing on Squidoo. Fair warning, that link is my referral link, if you decide to write there and use my link, when you make your first 15 dollars we both get a nice extra money perk. Now, about Squidoo, I've been writing there for almost 4 months. I have a little over 50 lenses now, lenses are what they call articles there. A lot of them not so good, but they got me writing, a lot. And hey, I even got paid this month. Ladies and gents, you are looking at a gal who has made $6.08 from her writing. Actually $6.20, but Paypal deducts it's fee. No, no, don't get jealous. I worked hard for that $6.08, and it's all mine! Now what shall I spend it on?  Hummm...oh sorry, got sidetracked. So anyway, with Squidoo, if you want to get your articles viewed you need to get them being picked up by Google months in advance. Those of you who do Etsy can kind of relate to this getting things, like inventory, done way in advance. Well I started strong there at Squidoo, doing Halloween articles in July, but now I am still slowly chugging along with Halloween articles knowing they won't be picked up by Google but I have to finish them for a quest there, and Christmas is quickly approaching and I have no niche topics to write about. Ahhh!!! Well this lead me to thinking about Christmas in general.

As some of you may remember, I start out a tiny bit before Christmas sewing wardrobes for two dolls. One being my sister's and one being my mom's. Yeah, I never finished them. They are still as I left them last year. Heck, I haven't sewn a thing since then. So my goal this year is to not only finish that wardrobe, but to create a second wardrobe for them. Too much? Maybe not if I start now. Keep in mind, though, that I will also be writing for Squidoo, also trying to get my foot in at two other websites, and writing an article can take me a few hours to a few days. *faints* But I love these deadlines and the forced writing. Oh that reminds me, I forgot to mention, I'm doing Nanowrimo this year as well. *gulp* So, can I do it folks? Can I manage to achieve all these goals...plus work on losing weight? Yep, another goal I am working on, along with trying to learn how to draw.  Ahhhh!!! This post is starting to make me doubt myself. LOL! But yeah, these are the goals I have for the rest of the year. And since I am getting better at putting myself out there, I have decided to show you the pieces of the wardrobes I make as I make them. Some are already made but I think they will be getting remade as some are just not right in size or look. I'll show you those so when I correct them you can hopefully see the improvement.

So yeah, that's about it guys and dolls. I've been keeping myself busy just writing articles, hoping to make this a thing that gets me income while I continue to work on some other stuff behind the scenes here. I want to help my mom finally set up her Flickr account. I'd forgotten until the other day I set one up for her so she can set up dioramas, take pictures of them, and post them. I want to customize some Liv dolls to get back into that again. I want to sew more. Oh and I think I've decided on what my niche in doll clothing will be. That was part of the reason I never opened my shop. Everybody and their mama was making doll clothing, I wanted to make something that set me apart. I have decided on what, now I have to figure out how. LOL! Oh the joys of learning. And well, on that note, I am off! I need to go update some lenses, yeah it's not like blogging you have to keep updating the lenses. Oh, also I will be doing a layout change here, doing a layout change at my cross post blog after learning more about SEO, and I am just working on getting completely caught up and organized so next year will be a more productive year. I hope everyone is doing great, and I will talk to you soon!

Ready to fall asleep,
Chelle

Image From Free Digital Photos

No Update, No Problem

OK, so yes, I know, I promised an update. But do you know how quickly a weekend goes when you have free time from writing and you want to play Guild Wars 2? Very quickly, I tell you! On top of that, it takes forever to take dolls out of their boxes. My video is longish and I need to cut it down big time. I don’t even know if anyone will watch, but it’s there for people curious about anything I bought. And now there are two more dolls I want to buy and then I swear that’s it, no more Liv doll buying…unless I find them really cheap somewhere, then all bets are off! But it doesn’t look like I will be getting to an update or working here on the blog at all until this weekend again. I have some articles due and I need to start figuring out how to promote them. I’ve started making some sales, it’s pennies and quarters still, but for being there only roughly two months, I’m not doing too bad. If you are interested in writing for Squidoo, come over and check it out, it’s fun and addictive. And hey, if your work gets noticed, you can make some money on the side.

So, since I don’t have a personal update for you, I thought I’d leave you with some interesting doll pictures I have found on the web. Warning, two of the pictures are of the same doll cut in half with exposed organs. I think it’s pretty cool, but some may see it as an ick factor.

(source)

I thought this was interesting. Barbie encouraging girls not to eat? For shame! I love little bits of “dollie trivia” likes this.

Ok, so these are the same doll, one with her hair down of course. I thought this was just so neat. From what I can gather, this is a piece of art displayed somewhere overseas. I couldn’t find much more about this picture as it was on Tumblr and making the rounds everywhere. But I had to share this. I remember when I was a little girl wondering what the inside of Barbie looked like and then wondering what it would look like if she was real. So finally seeing “both” is kind of neat.

So yeah, brief update just to let you know, nothing has been forgotten, just pushed back. Ugh! I need more time in my day!!! I have so many blogs to catch up on, I feel like I don’t know what anyone is doing lately. But I’ll update this weekend for sure and try to catch up as well. Hope all of you are doing well. I will talk to you soon. Be good until then. Bye for now.

Tired as heck and needing to write a new article tonight,
Chelle

Hey guys, look what I did!

Ok, I’m going to admit it, I’m like a proud mama tonight. I found a kind of blogging article site that you can just write what’s on your mind and have people view it. If you are lucky you will make money from it. I thought it would be a nice outlet for when I just need to talk and don’t really have to place to do some. Some things I wanted to talk about are doll related but I don’t think they really fit in here with the blog for some reason, so I decided to make it into a Squidoo Lens.  I know, crazy, but it was fun.

I had heard about Squidoo while doing searches but never really looked into it until I recently found myself researching how to make money from home.  I decided it couldn’t hurt and I was doing it more to write and get my writing out there, so why not try it. Only problem was I didn’t know what to write about.  I decided to be easy on myself and write something doll related. That when I came up with the idea to help newbies to the doll hobby with tips and tricks on how to find doll clothes and accessories.  I know, this may sound like common sense to some, but there are some places one may not look to find clothing.  Like for example, did I ever tell you about the time I found an either MSD or SD size shirt on a note pad? Kid you not. It was front and back and super cute. I was going to post about it and I don’t think I ever got around to it. I bought two thinking I’d have to slice up the back in order to get it on the doll and wanted to be able to have both sayings on the shirt, but decided to just pop a future doll’s head off instead of ruining the shirts. Guess that means I’ll need twins. 

So if you are interested in some tips on finding doll clothes and accessories or if you are just interested in seeing what I’ve written, I would love for you to head on over to my Squidoo called “How To Start A Doll Clothing And Accessories Collection”.  If you like what you see feel free to like and share with the buttons located on the side of the article page and feel free to leave a comment.  I have several doll lens in the making and I’ll be sure to share them all here with you. But for now I am going to curl under these blankets and rest. It was 105 degrees Fahrenheit today and now I am freezing my butt off, go figure. Ok, talk to you lovely lads and lassies soon. Be good until then. Bye for now.

Excited to start her new lens,
Michelle

P.S.-
Oh yeah, and speaking of Liv dolls, if you didn’t hear, the official word was given, they have been discontinued. They last wave I believe will come out around Fall. Get them now peeps or forever face the wrath of the secondhand market. Just and FYI, just bought a Liv Spa Alexis for just over 5 dollars on Amazon. Oh yeah, and lens about Liv Dolls coming soon. I will so miss the line. I need to get on more Jake but hoping Toys R Us will give me a chance to get one for $7.50 again. Fingers are crossed tight I’ll get lucky on Sunday. Scary to think I will be starting a comic soon that is Liv Doll based.  What if I break one?!?   Ahhhhh!!!  Ok, now I’m really going.  LOL!  Bye guys.