9 posts tagged “dolly”

As I mentioned in my last post, the last major expense I made was a new sister for Elspeth, my Latidoll. After a long wait (a little over two months), Lati finally sent me the last item I needed to complete my new doll. Honey Tree is a Lati (Yellow line) White Skin Vampire Mystic Miel.

Honey Tree's doll model type is extremely rare and I am very, very lucky to have her. I originally saw the Vampire Mystic Miel in a few of my friends' photostreams on Flickr and I fell in love. Her pale skin and pink blushing on her cheeks, chin, and ears makes her my absolute dream doll. When I first saw her, the bright pink eyeliner made my jaw drop. Squee! ^o^ 

Honey Tree

I was lucky enough to contact the right person when trying to find the doll and have her put me in touch with one of her friends who was interested in selling the doll head. After a lot messaging, we settled on a price. (Honey Tree, by far, is the most expensive doll I own. It looks like her price will only be increasing from here because of her rarity. Shawn paid for most of her as an engagement present back when he proposed to me. ^__^) It was then up to me to find a Lati renewal body (white skin) to complete Honey Tree. I tried to find someone willing to part with an extra renewal body she might have laying around, but I had no luck. As a last resort, I ordered directly from Lati-- I paid a lot of money, but knowing that my doll was going to be complete gave me that extra push to go through with it!

Then, just last week, the package arrived and I was able to complete Honey Tree. Previous to her completion, I had a few months to think up the perfect name for her. At first, I wanted to go with something dramatic to emphasize her vampire-ness. Then I realized that I wanted to make her my own. So many other people had named their Lati vampires after pop culture and historical icons-- I wanted to do something different. Instead, I chose to highlight my doll's sweet and innocent characteristics. After all, how many vampires are known for their deliciously sweet nature?

Honey Tree was named after a group called The Honey Trees; they create haunting and beautifully sweet music and lyrics. Honey Tree herself is sweet to the core and would never hurt a fly. Unlike popular belief in vampire mythology, she only eats and drinks candied foods, made of sweet nectars and sugars.

Note: No, I am not a Twilight fan.

I received an awesomely amazing package the other day, full of presents from a friend that I met through my Vox blog. It's pretty wonderful how blogging about my kawaii adventures has become not just a hobby, but a way of life for me. <3

I'm planning to go into more detail about the crazy-fun package that I received in an upcoming post, but I just had to share the first photos of the package's contents today. I don't want my happiness to go to waste! Tee hee.

The little sweetheart in this post is my very first nendoroid figure. She's sitting right next to me as I type up this post, and I can't seem to get enough of her cuteness. Like my friend told me in the letter he sent along with the package, I'm going to be starting up yet another very expensive hobby now, all thanks to him!

Note: My cubby shelves, which are full tons of my toys (including most of my Blythes), are peaking out in the background of one of my photos. ^^

My Pink Frames are the Best!

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Ever since the semester ended, I've been adjusting to a lot of new changes. I really don't know how I want to sum up the past few months, but I think the best way to tackle the task is by creating a list and then expanding a little on each point. (This is what happens when I have to make lists for both work and school; it starts pouring into my personal life, too! Haha.)

Shawn and Kathleen graduated. I'm not a fan of going to big graduation ceremonies, but as it turns out, I had to go to two within the same month. Shawn had to deal with my bad mood that day (I feel like I kind of ruined part of the experience for him... Bah!), but it ended up going really well. He's completely finished with college and education for the rest of his life. I'm so proud of him, and I couldn't be more jealous. ^///^

Since Shawn graduated, he's been working full time for Kohl's Corporate. Whenever any of my family members, or one of our friends, asks how he likes his job, he always tells them that he doesn't really like what he does there. Even though he says that, I know he really likes it. He's been picking up a ton of responsibilities: going to meetings, being "on call" for days at a time, attending events held by his team, etc. Whether Shawn wants to admit it or not, he likes being needed for something. He really should feel that way, too, especially after all the work he's put into the past few years in school.

Kathleen graduated high school and has been getting ready for college. She's going to the same university that Beth and I are at, which I'm totally psyched about. <3 As happy as I am for her, I have to be honest about the whole situation-- it's been a tough few weeks for her and the rest of our family. We've all been going through some major adjustments and there have been a lot of hurt feelings. I'm not sure where I stand on all of the issues anymore, but I do know that I'm trying to focus on making Kathleen as comfortable as possible with her new living situation with Beth. It's interesting how so many changes in just Kathleen's life have impacted the entire family. Something like this has never really happened in this way before.

LA Series - Tara McPherson

I'm moving in with Shawn in a few weeks. Even though Shawn and I have lived in our current apartment together, with Beth, we finally found a place for just the two of us. We looked around for a few weeks, did some research, and then found the perfect place for us to live for the next year. I started getting a little stressed out when we were looking, because I hated the fact that I felt "homeless" but everything worked out in the end. The biggest challenge for us now is buying all of our furniture and still having enough money for rent. Like Shawn keeps telling me, we "have to take it slow." I guess I'm just excited about the idea of having an entirely new place to live with all new furniture. It's like I'm putting together a new family or something! ^__^ Slow steps are good.

I had to tell Dad that Shawn and I were moving in together. I had to do it. I mean, after all the years that Dad and I haven't been able to communicate, I had to tell him that Shawn and I were taking this step in our lives. Honestly, I wasn't worried about talking to Dad, but everyone else started to freak out about it. Mom even told me, at one point, that she didn't want to be in the house when I was talking to him. *sigh* Every other person I talked to gasped and made me promise to tell him/her how it went.

Elspeth's Cabinet

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The thing is, everyone knows how difficult my relationship with Dad has been throughout my life. His Filipino culture is extremely different from my own, and hearing that two people are moving in together before marriage can tear people apart. There are little secrets to situations like this though: you have to know people. You have to know how they function, how they feel about certain issues, how they react to specific situations, how their thought processes break down information. I did my research and I made a plan.

Last weekend, I went home to talk with Dad. I walked up to him and asked him if we could talk alone. Within the next two hours, we stood there in my parents' bedroom talking about everything. I told him about Shawn and me, and from there we started talking about family and beliefs. Huge breakthroughs were made, and I told him that I wanted to fix everything that had gone so wrong in the past. I know that Dad and I don't have what Mom and I share, but I'm only 23 years old. I can be an adult here and try to fix something like a relationship.

A few times during our talk, Dad broke down. A while back, Mom told me that no one but her had ever seen him cry, and even then, it had happened only twice during their marriage. When he started crying, he told me he felt he was a bad father. And then he kept repeating the same story about how he had left to go on a vacation at a time when things in our family were finally good-- and then how guilty he felt about leaving for those few weeks. Even though I had little recollection about this happening (since I was so little), I felt everything he felt. I know how one guilty memory can tear me to shreds so I did the only thing I could do at the time. I listened.

Not everything between Dad and me is resolved now, but at least we have some of the issues out in the open. I told him that we need to talk more, instead of letting Mom be the messenger between us, and he agreed.

It's been an interesting few weeks. As always, I've been dealing with a lot of the stress by buying myself presents. *guilty look* I know I should be saving money for my new apartment, but having new dolls and accessories makes me feel so much better. They take my mind off of the stress. I'm trying not to repeat what happened last summer! So far, I've only had to take my stress medication for one week and I was able to stop after that. It's a good sign. ^__^

In a way, I feel like I've kind of graduated, too. Usually summer is a slow time for me, but so far, it's proven to be just as hectic as the school year!

Lullo of the Pink

This introduction is way overdue, but alas, it's here. ^__^ I would like to introduce the newest addition to my dolly family: Lullo.

On December 23rd, I went back to my parents' house after worrying about my last project of the semester. Mum asked me what I wanted for my birthday in a few days, and it was after she asked me for the third time that I realized that I truly didn't know what I wanted. It was the first time in years. I hate saying, "Oh, just money will be fine..." Birthdays are about surprises and real, tangible presents, and I like the thought that people put thought behind things like birthday presents. At least, that's what I think birthdays should be about!

That night, I started making my usual rounds online, and then decided to make my way over to some BJD sites to see if there were any good "prospects". Sure enough, Dollmore had some new dolls up, and one in particular caught my eye. She was so beautiful, so unique. From that minute on, I was a goner.

The next morning, I asked Mum if the doll I showed her the previous night could be my birthday present. She was happy that I finally decided on something and said that would be no problem. I ordered her right then and there, and I decided that I would put Mum's present money and the money I would get the next day from Grandma (for the holidays) towards my new doll and her extensive wardrobe (not to mention the huge shipping costs).

I Dream of Lullo

I knew that my new dolly wouldn't arrive for a few days or weeks since BJD companies have to do each, individual faceup for every doll order (if requested by the customer in the ordering process), not to mention having to get together all of the items before shipping. Surprisingly enough, I only had to wait fifteen days for my package to arrive-- I was shocked! Some people have to wait months to receive their orders.

During the waiting period, I had to somehow get my dolly fix. (Seriously, I get this craving for extra cuteness when I know I have a new doll on the way.) I spent almost every free hour during my day online, usually browsing the Den of Angels forum, or trying to find new outfits to buy so I could get new ideas about what kind of wardrobe my girl would have by the time she arrived.

Then, on January 6th, I had my real fix: she arrived! Beth and I made a special trip back to my parents' house so I could pick up the big package. Dollmore always keeps their word, because my doll not only came in a beautiful box with silk pillows as protective wrap, but I was given extra holiday surprises from the company. They also sent me a free Alice in Wonderland outfit (dress, stockings, bloomers, crown, apron), an extra set of eyes, and a Dollmore pen.

Lullo in her Entirety

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It took me a second to let my new doll's appearance sink in. Her look online had been so inspirational to me; it was more Asian-looking than any other doll of mine that I owned appeared. Where some BJD lovers found her eyes not as "appealing," I found it to be incredibly special and more authentic, as far as natural features go.

I had requested very specific faceup (makeup) tones, and with only artificial lighting to go by, it was difficult to tell if my requests were actually looked into. Once I put her new clothes on and fixed her wig, I was in love. Everything about her was just right, and I knew the name I had picked for her-- Lullo-- would be more than perfect for her.

One thing about the world of BJDs is that there's a very "Comic-Con" (for lack of better words) following. Dolls are not just dolls with personalities. There are stories and backgrounds and real-life scenarios that take place within the time spent with their owners. Every single detail about their personalities and lives is thought out, and everything has meaning. I always try to create this persona for my Blythes, but I'm rarely ever successful in doing so (with the exception of Plum, of course).

Lullo made things very easy. From the second I saw her online, I knew her story. I wrote it out for a contest that Dollmore hosts every month. The idea behind the contest is to write a small story for a photo that the owner of the doll takes. Because Dollmore is an Asian-based company, I had to make sure that I put things clearly and simply so it could be easily understood for anyone that doesn't read English very well. If anything, I think the way it's worded makes Lullo's story seem even more real. It's like a children's story. ^^

Lullo is a mischievous and happy girl who has just been given one of the greatest honors of her people. Like every person, Lullo has been given a special job that she must carry out in her world. Her title is "Keeper of Lullabies". This means that Lullo is responsible for helping those around her find their inner lullabies so that they can find peace and happiness within their lives.

Lullo is very young and is still only learning all of what she must do for other people, but she takes great pride in her work.

I'll be expanding on Lullo's background over time, but I think that will do for now. I think her story will grow as time goes on and as Lullo gains different looks and outfits. Her pink piggy outfit inspired the story as it stands right now.
 
I'm a very happy girl right now. Lullo, Lullo, Lullo... 

Lullo, Keeper of Lullabies

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It's cold outside. I've walked in the snow every day this week.
Everything is coming to a close. I'm ready for the finale at the end of December.
(Yay for being vague.)

Over 143 posts have been made, 488 photos have been uploaded, and 360 neighbors have been added to Kawaii in the past year. And in all the chaos of blogging, a lot of love has formed! Today (August 3rd) marks the one year anniversary of my Kawaii blog here at Vox, and to help celebrate the occasion, I've planned another fun event that any Voxer can join. ^___^ The event will take place from August 3rd to August 10th, so while the contest is running, I will not be making any new posts to my blog. In order to be eligible for this event, please read all of the rules provided below.

How to Enter

This is a raffle that I have put my whole heart into, so keep in mind that there is no cost or penalty to enter this event whatsoever. The only real "rules" for this event are that 1) you must be a Vox member, and 2) you must follow the steps below:

1. Read the entire post over so you know exactly what's going on. ^^
2. If you decide to participate, leave a comment in this post with your email address, and tell me that you're joining. (You can scramble your address if you want, since I know people worry about receiving spam mail.)
3. Copy and paste this form and fill out the following information in an email to milkeyes@gmail.com
   
• Name (first and last):
• Vox URL:
• Are you in Kawaii's neighborhood?
4. A raffle number (or numbers) will be sent to you, so keep track of what number(s) you have.
5. Tell your friends about the raffle! (As more people enter the raffle, more prizes will be added to the first place winner's package.
6. Watch for the results on August 10th.

I'll be keeping a list of those who enter with the comments that are left. (Please leave the requested comment. I want to make sure I get everyone's email and make sure none get sent into my junk box. I can keep a running tally this way.)

Every member of Vox may enter this raffle, whether he/she is in my neighborhood or not. Those of you who are in my neighborhood will have the special bonus of getting two raffle numbers entered just by following the directions. Even if you aren't interested in the prize itself, there's bound to be a relative or friend who would appreciate these gifts.

You will not be charged with any shipping. The only people who should be aware of putting money into this are those of you who are not within the United States. I am not responsible for any shipping taxes that outside countries give to those who receive packages. I will be shipping the prize out by Priority mail (if you're within the states) or EMS (if you're outside of the country). If you're not comfortable with accepting a gift that may hold you responsible for taxes, simply don't enter. ^_^

*Keep in mind that I will not ask for every person's personal address. I will only be asking for the winner's address and will contact him/her through email once the raffle is over. I am a respected and honorable member of the Vox community and I will in no way hand out your personal information to any other sources. I would never jeopardize my friendships with those here at Vox. Again, if you don't feel comfortable with the possibility of giving out your address, please do not enter. If you want some kawaii fun though, please read on!

What the Winners Will Receive

Unlike my past Kawaii at Vox events, this event has multiple winners. So, not only do you have a chance at winning free kawaii prizes with free entry, but you have an even better chance of winning because of the high number of winners there will be!

Every single winner will automatically win a <3 Vox hemp bracelet (handmade by Shawn himself ^_^). I will be asking the five winners their wrist sizes so I can tell Shawn exactly how big to make each bracelet. (The <3 Vox bracelets shown in the photos were made specifically for examples.)

The first place winner will not only receive every prize listed in the list below, but he/she also has the opportunity to get several other special prizes as more raffle participants submit entries into the event. For example, once I note that 75 people have entered, the first place winner will receive a very rare prize: a Tokidoki fan signed by the artist himself, Simone Legno. That's why it's important that you enter, but it's also key that you tell your friends about Kawaii's very first Vox anniversary-- the more, the merrier! ^^

Here's everything each winner will receive:

Event: First Place Prizes

First Place:

• Blythe Petite Doll: Spring Chocolat
• Froggy photo album
• Short Cake + Cookie stationary set
• Happy!! Candy stationary book
• Mimippi bunny "checkbook" (notepad)
• Boo Boo Brothers piggy notepad
• Kawaii Boy sticker pack
• Blythe postcard
• Brown Sugar: Cute Girls tin case with goodies inside
• 2 sheets of kawaii stickers
• Moo Stickers pack (NEW!)
• <3 Vox hemp bracelet

20 raffle entries made: 3 small photo prints of mine, all signed
50 raffle entries made: Unipo vinyl figure
75 raffle entries made: Signed Tokidoki fan

Event: Second Place Prizes

Second Place:

• Blythe Petite Doll: Perfect Bohemian Beat
• Hamster photo album
• Cute Animals multi-sticker pack
• Power Girls notepad
• Kawaii kitty notebook (with handles that make it look like a shopping bag!)
• Apple Town item
• <3 Vox hemp bracelet

Every winner will also receive a handwritten letter of congratulations (for winning) and thank you (for participating in) the event. ^__^

Event: <3 Vox

Third-Fifth Place:

• <3 Vox hemp bracelet

For a better look at all of the prizes, check out the special Kawaii Event collection I made. I will be turning off comments on the individual photo pages, so please leave all of your comments/questions in this post.

When the Raffle Ends

Once again, the raffle takes place from August 3rd to August 10th (which is one week). At midnight on August 10th, the last day to enter the raffle, I will be closing down the event. Any entries that come in after that time will not be counted.

At noon on August 11th, I will be announcing the winner of the Kawaii at Vox event in a new post at my blog. The five winners will each receive an email from me to notify him/her of her placement. They will be expected to reply within at least two days after receiving the notification email. If they choose not to respond, I will be drawing new winners. (No worries, no prize will be lost!)

Depending on how long it takes for me to wrap up all the packages and when I have the time to send everything out, the packages should be on their way to the winners within a week of the raffle's end.

Thankies to You!

I would like to thank everyone who has left me comments, written me messages, and let me have the chance to get to know them. I feel honored to know so many sweet and gifted Voxers. Seriously, you guys-- you rock!

Good luck, and have fun! *pumps fist in the air*

Update

For updates on what's going on with the Kawaii raffle, check out the comments I leave with "Updates!" at the beginning. For now, I'd just like to thank everyone that has already signed up for the event. You've helped promote the event so much that this post landed a spot on the Explore page. =D *dances*

This Is Lamb

I wanted to dedicate a quick post to my new Blythe, Lamb. She just arrived yesterday, and I had a chance to take photos this morning-- I snatched up the few minutes before my shift started. I was really happy with the results. Her pale, pale complexion looks so beautiful against her baby pink hair. I've been waiting for a Blythe to be released with pink hair. Seeing the Prima Dolly Peach (the stock name for Lamb) release gave me the shivers, and I knew I had to have her in my dolly family.

Sadly, a Blythe as pretty as her means that I lose a lot of money at once. Lamb was totally worth it though!

Receiving a Blythe so pricey in the mail always makes me wary at first. I feel the pressure of having to take care of Lamb more than some of my other girls because of how rare she is. (Only 500 were made; she's an exclusive Blythe release.) I took a risk and decided to iron her hair straight as soon as I unpackaged her. I've had experience with ironing some of my other girls' hair so I didn't feel too nervous about this "attempt." And everything, thank goodness, turned out for the best. Lamb's hair looked better than the promotion photos released by CWC, and it was extremely fun to style. I couldn't be happier right now.

Like Lamb Lomo

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After cosntantly primping and looking at Lamb, I've discovered some little secrets about her. So far, I know that she's hapa (like her mommy!), only she's mixed with an Asian background (I'm not sure which one yet) and with a flower child background. *grin* I wanted her "ethnicity" to be unique, so I threw that flower child curveball into the mix. She may look shy, but she has an air of being chic about her.

I decided on "Lamb" for her name because of her soft features. I don't have a lot of girls that reflect as much grace as Lamb and Pigeon do, so I'm thinking that the fact that their names are related to pretty animals has something to do with why I chose them. I'd eventually like to have a photoshoot for both Blythes, but I'm waiting for the lighting to be better. (I hate forcing good photos out of a crappy day outside.)

And on completely different note, I'd like to express how excited I was about receiving the photo spot in the This Is Good box on the Home and Explore pages on Vox. I literally couldn't stop smiling. Little surprises like that make me giddy.

Pale & Pink Lamb

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Sweet Lamb

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Oopsie...

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I don't think I've ever been so thankful for the weekend to come. This week went pretty well, considering the last few days were filled with new classes and a new routine, but I think the change in my sleeping schedule, as well as the amount of work I had to complete, really took a toll on my physical self. I was extremely drained after only the second day of classes. My birth control pills are starting to affect me for the second time, and I'm hoping that my health won't go downhill again, especially since I'm still getting used to my new classes. There hasn't been too much pain lately, thank goodness, but my energy has been drained from me, so I'm constantly taking naps. Sometimes I wonder if days even exist anymore. They go by in slow motion throughout the day, yet when I sleep, it's as if I never experienced anything that had happened previous to the nap. It's a weird concept.

Lahlia in the Sky

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I know that I've mentioned Shawn being wonderful to me before, but sometimes I can't help but have everything good about him cycle through my entries. He's had a really rough week, too. We're both closing in on our last year of college, so the classes we're both in right now are getting more challenging by the month. The work load that he's taken on this semester is a little more than we can bear. We rarely get to see each other, and when we do, he's usually working on homework or sleeping on my couch. I think that a lot of couples would have trouble coping with the changes, but we're actually doing very well. I've been appreciating the time we do have together. It's a nice feeling.

I recently found out that I made the Dean's List. When I called Mom about something earlier this week, she excitedly told me about a letter she received in the mail. I've been working hard to get on the list for a long time now, and to know that my GPA has finally reached that peak (over 3.7 now) gives me more encouragement for this rough semester than anything else could. I think that because I did so well last semester, Shawn suddenly realized that he wants to do well, too. He's always tried hard at school, but I know that he has a rougher time taking in information than I do. He's been pushing himself so hard these past few weeks, and I don't think I've ever been more proud of him.

Her Kicks

I was so mean to him yesterday. I hadn't eaten all day and I took out my low blood sugar on poor Shawn when we were talking online. What does he do when he knows that I have low blood sugar? He's nice to me. He's calm and tells me what I need to hear, even though I talk my horrible head off at him. Even though I criticized him (for who knows what), he told me that he was going to not only come over, but he was going to pick up some packages that had arrived for me at my house, and then he was going to pick me up some food. My response to this statement was, "But... I've been so mean to you. Why?" And then, his response, pretty much fixed the whole blood sugar problem. "Because I want to, and because I love you." Sometimes he leaves me speechless, and I really don't think I deserve such sweet temperment from my significant other. I've never met a guy more perfect than Shawn. Even his quirks are put aside most of the time, because of days like yesterday.

Oopsie Upside

Shawn came over and I immediately gobbled up the food he brought me. I then opened my packages. One of Plum's presents arrived (yay!) for her birthday on Sunday, and then I opened the box I had been waiting for, the box that contained my Ginagirl. Ginagirls are new dolls made by the famous Gina Garan of the Blythe world. Because of Gina, Blythe dolls were put back into reproduction, and Blythe love has spread all over the world. I guess that's one reason why Lahlia, my new Ginagirl, means so much to me. Gina sent Lahlia to me herself, tee hee. I opened Lahlia's box and was surprised to find she was a bit smaller than I had though she would be. I wasn't disappointed though. She may have been more expensive for a plushie doll, but she was definitely worth it. The colors her dress fabric is made out of are gorgeous, and they were tons of fun to photograph this morning. Only four Ginagirls were released but the Violet release was my favorite, so I chose her. She reminds me of a little sixties gypsy, and I like that she's so small-- I can carry her around with me.

I took Lahlia around campus this morning. I woke up early so I could have the chance to photograph her in the beautiful natural light that today was blessed with. Once again, it was freezing outside, but the sunlight warmed my hands up after a while, so I could pose Lahlia any way I wanted. I love how flexible her arms are. I wish her legs would have wires in them, too, but I still have a little freedom with posing that part of her body, which makes me happy. Knowing that I have three days to just sit back and not have to worry about waking up for class is more than comforting. I don't think I've appreciated three days off for a very long time. ^____^

Tee hee!

Shummy, Shummy

The Daydreamer

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Waiting

In the Box

I've never had so many photos turn out just right before. In fact, I had some problems choosing which ones to post here at Vox. ^^