I'm working on finishing two little elf outfits for my new Iplehouse BIDs, Nami and Byuri. I had the fabrics cut out already and it's better to just finish the outfits than store them partially finished. These two elf outfits have most of the colours reversed - reds and green fabrics switched - except for the main dress fabric and the little green 'turtleneck' collar. The sleeves and tights are from a cute red and white 'peppermint' stripe. 
Next Christmas Santa will have twice as many little elf helpers as he had this past one!

The second elf outfit still needs the finishing details, and then it's time to design some BID dress patterns, and make some tutorials.  Oh yes, and start the next commission....

My 17-85mm lens is back too.  Something about a motor or drive needing replacing (?) 
It's all fixed - or seems to be. 

Well, I'm almost embarrassed to announce another doll is on his way - Kyle, a JID boy from Iplehouse. 

We will be going on another cross-country road trip to the Pacific in late spring, early summer, and I wanted to take advantage of all the amazing photography opportunities - the Badlands in S.Dakota, the Beartooth Hwy in Wyoming, Yosemite, the Sierra Nevada, the Oregon and Washington coast and rainforest, and the Icefields parkway in Alberta. I loved the photos of Ryung taken in the Icefields in the fall of 2010, and always thought it would have been so amazing to have had a whole group of well-costumed characters - sort of my own mini LOTR expedition. Well, having mostly girls and just one boy, I decided I needed another boy - one more mature to lead the adventure. Of all the boys I've been looking at, Kyle by Iplehouse caught my fancy. Well, considering there's no way to know how long it takes for a doll to come after it's ordered, many taking several months, and not wanting to risk running out of time, I ordered Kyle a few days ago - on Friday the 6th. And last night they sent me his shipping notice with tracking number!! That's the second time Iplehouse has set me a doll just two working days after ordering!  Nothing like ordering a doll and having him in hand within a week!

My Kyle will be real skin and coming with no faceup. I'll have Charie do it for me. Kyle may have to wait a bit for an outfit though, as I really wasn't expecting him so soon. I'm thinking something "fantasy medieval". I really liked Boromir's costume in LOTR. Maybe I'll finally get to use that chain-mail.

I'm thinking of taking 5 MSD-size dolls along on that great adventure. They all need new costumes, which I'll have to fit in between the commissions and outfits for sale - maybe do one per month.  One of the Naraes will get a Celtic warrior outfit since she looked so amazing in the Celtic commissions I did last summer. I'm not sure about the second Narae yet. Maya will need something new too.  Asa will be dressed in something inspired by traditional Northwest coast native regalia. If I have time, maybe one or two of the little ones can get costumed and go along too. We'll see. Photography will get very challenging with so many dolls, but it could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it's nice to have a goal . . . . . . and dream.

Now if I could only come up with some kind of story....

Finally, took a close-up of Layla with her new faceup. 

Took some photos of Nelly down in the studio, and I especially love this close-up....

Nelly will be keeping this dress.  It was a 'recycling' project made from two items found at Value Village. A few weeks ago I found a cute toddler skirt - size 24-months - which was just a ruffled velvet skirt with the rose embroidery along the hemline. The skirt was lined with a panty and a red polka-dot slip.  I picked everything apart, and cut one of the embroidered swags off the end off the skirt to use for the bodice. Her sleeves and collar are from a crinkle-silk scarf with embroidered flowers all over it - which I found last week. I embellished the sleeves with silk ribbon, and made hair ornaments with silk ribbon and roses matching the colours in the embroidered flowers. I still need to make a Gallery page to show the rest of the dress.

Went to pick up Layla and Nelly from Charie's yesterday afternoon.  Layla had her black shading and brows replaced with soft browns, and was given a softer mouth and pink blush instead of the orange she came with. Charie did a wonderful job on her eyes too - Layla finally has her sweet innocenct look!  Nelly had her orange lips and blush replaced with softer tones, and she was given a much brighter eye treatment. Charie's freckles are also more realistic and softly cover Nelly's forehead as well as her neck and chest.

I dressed them both last night but struggled to find which wigs I liked best. They both ended up as red-heads for the time being.  I took some photos, but couldn't decide which I liked best, so I am posting two............  they are already inseparable friends.

Four of my smaller girls are having a stay at the spa this week. They all came along with their sleeping bags when we went to pick up Nelly and Layla.  Elin and Miki are getting some light spray touch ups to cover some shiny spots that have developed (that tan resin scuffs so easily); Cinnamon is getting some glue-sueding in her hip joints so her legs won't keep twitching all over the place, and so she can hold a pose better; and Byuri is getting the full spa treatment, with a faceup and body blush after she gets a full scrub-down. Iplehouse dolls always need to be thoroughly cleaned to remove the mold-release they use at the factory, especially the darker skin tones, otherwise the finishing spray scuffs way too quickly, and parts of their faceups can just flake off.

I'm so lucky to have Charie so close by! She always does the most amazing job!  It's so great to not have to pack up my dolls for shipping, pay the huge postage rates and deal with Customs (both coming and going) then wait for months until the doll comes back. I just pop on over, have a nice visit, stop in at Michael's or Fabricland on the way back home, and often just a week later I can go pick my doll back up again.  I love it!!

I have to take lots of photos today, and start making web pages for the new outfits. I'm also working on two Christmas elves for the two new tiny girls. Nami will have to model since she's the only tiny here this week. Once the elves are done, I need to choose some fabric combinations for those BID patterns I've been thinking about.  Then it's time to get back to commission.

The tiny girls are all excited to welcome their newest friend, Byuri by Iplehouse. She sure came on one incredibly fast jet, having left Korea just two days ago on the fourth. Byuri still needs a faceup, so it will still be a little while before all the girls can play together.

There's also no spare clothes for Byuri to wear, so I better get busy and make something. I already have two green elf outfits cut out with the intent that they can all be Santa's helpers next Christmas. I'm thinking I should come up with a simple summery outfit, and maybe even offer up the patterns to the public. Something really simple like Narae's "Cute and Colourful" series - a sundress, stockings and arm warmers.  Could be cute!

Finished my second commission - first of the new year - another fairy outfit for a slim mini. Aeran looks amazing as a fairy. She's so beautiful!  I had to take photos using my long tele-photo lens since my other lens is off to be repaired (finally). I have to redo the close-ups as I think I was too close so most of the images are a bit blurry. Long shots were fine.  I guess it just takes getting used to, and as soon as I do the other lens will be back home.

In other news: Charie is in the process of repainting Layla & Nelly, and yesterday Iplehouse sent me the shipping notice for Byuri, so she should arrive early next week. I made Nelly a dress from an old, embroidered red velvet toddler skirt and an embroidered pink silk scarf I found at Value Village, so now she'll have something of her own to wear when she comes back home.

Wishing everyone a wonderful New Year!!

Well, 2012 is off to a pretty good start.  Christmas decorations are all put away, and I'm just about finished a new dress for Nelly for when she comes back, and today I get to start painting the wings for a fairy commission which is almost done.  

We created a mini forest in the back garden using the cut-off tops of discarded real Christmas trees lying out on the street. It's certainly faster and cheaper than trying to grow real trees back there!  Now all we need is some snow, and I'll have a "winter wonderland" for doll photography. Problem is, my best lens has finally totally died, so it's time to take it away and get it fixed. So I'm stuck using my tele-photo lens, or my old camera.

Well, time to start painting those wings!