Blog Archives

A Mask....

8/20/2018

I've been thinking of doing an FID 'Phantom' couple. More specifically, I've been tempted lately to make another 'Christine' costume, this time for Bianca. Which means I really should do the Phantom too. But it's too risky to try make a mask over a doll with a face up.

But a solution has presented itself. I've never really grown used to my Lawrence, so am going to have him redone. Which means it's the perfect time to make the Phantom masks. I'm not sure when I'll get around to making the costumes, but at least I'll have the masks ready.

Yesterday I made the standard Phantom mask....

It should be mostly cured by now, so I can go remove it, and start on the second mask......

Nature's Wonder

8/19/2018

(*edited to add some extra photos my son-in-law sent me)

Yesterday we went to Windsor to visit our daughter. She has a regular 'butterfly factory' happening. She learned that only one in ten monarch caterpillars actually survives to become a butterfly, so she decided to help them along, so with our two youngest grandchildren, she goes out and looks for any caterpillars, or eggs on the milkweed, takes them home and puts them in clear containers in her kitchen. Every day she cleans out the bottoms of the containers and goes with her kids to gather fresh milkweed leaves. Once the caterpillars morph into cocoons, she carefully removes them from the lids of their containers, and tapes the silk at the top, onto the bottom of her spice shelf....where they hang for ten to 14 days before the butterfly inside is ready to emerge. Just before it does, the cocoon becomes dark, then completely transparent....

My daughter had placed a paper towel underneath, because she says they take a huge s**t right after they emerge, and it's a big, red, disgusting mess.

Checking on the progress. (photo by James)

Even though we knew the butterfly could emerge at any moment, and we were all right there in the kitchen, the butterfly popped out unnoticed. James took a photo of it ....

Photo by James

It hung there, pumping fluid into it's wings to fully expand them, and for the next two hours would stay there waiting for its wings to dry, so we went out to gather more milkweed leaves.

How did all that come out of such a small cocoon? (photo by James)

When we came back it was time to take the Monarch outside and set her free. (my daughter had determined that due to it's markings, this one was a female)

My new camera lens has Macro capabilities, so after the butterfly was released onto a butterfly-friendly flower, I sat down to take some close-ups....

We watched as it took a drink of some nectar, and flew off.

Before we left to go home, another two cocoons had started to turn dark, meaning the butterflies inside would be emerging the next day.

It was really interesting to see all the different stages of the Monarch life cycle. There were leaves with eggs, super tiny striped caterpillars no more than 1/4" long, bigger caterpillars, and finally, a long row of cocoons taped to the bottom of the spice shelf. Over forty individuals in all. Quite the exceptional learning experience for some very curious children (and adults)

Another Look Behind the Scenes

8/16/2018

Continuing to work on making the Behind the Scene albums, and I have another one done. This time it's for 2015. It's a big job to make these albums, but it does bring back a lot of fond memories. I really need to start taking more of these kinds of photos.

Anyways, here's the album....

So, that leaves four more Behind the Scene albums to go. But they take hours each, and I really need to do some sewing. Then this evening we go pick up the three dolls at Charie's spa. FIDs Bianca and Rex are getting their bodies blushed and getting manicures. My Asa is getting restrung. She was just my fourth BJD ever, way back in 2010, and even though I switched her to a newer body when she became the Queen of the Night, her elastic desperately needed replacing.

I'm also going to bring my KID Lonnie for a total redo. She's been loved so much, been out and about on so many trips and photo shoots, that her chin and nose paint have totally rubbed off. It's a bit sad to have her redone, since I really like her, and she won't look exactly the same afterwards, but I'll just have to get used to it. So, off she will go.....

More Behind the Scenes

8/15/2018

I made a giant 'To-Do" List with dozens of things on it, in hopes that it will help motivate me this month while I'm stuck inside with the air conditioning, as the terribly hot and humid summer goes on and on.

I'm slowly making progress on creating the Gallery pages for outfits made over the years, that have never been properly documented. I've done half of the 18 on the list.

The past few days I went through every single doll photo I've taken, since I started back in 2010, and have pulled all the behind the scene photos along with the final picture that was taken. I have enough to make an album for each year, except the first couple, which will all go into the album for 2012. I'm adding the Behind the Scenes albums to each year's Favourite Photos respectively, and will eventually add them all to the Photo Tips Tutorial.

But it's a HUGE job. So far, I have just three done - 2016, 2017, and 2018 up to the present.

Jan is so prevalent in the behind the scenes photos, I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't just rename the albums 'Jan in Liliput Land', or 'Whose that Giant bending over us?' LOL

Escape!!

8/15/2018

No sooner did Nyssa put Rags in her buggy, but he started to squirm so much that it fell over...

He decided to make a run for it....

He wriggled out of the doll clothes as he ran....

...free at last, he darted out of the room as fast as he could....

All Dressed

8/14/2018

Holly was a bit concerned for Rags as she watched Nyssa manhandle him into the doll clothes...

Finally the deed was done...

"See! He fits way better in the buggy than your big old doll!"

But Rags didn't look too happy about it...

Bianca

8/13/2018

With Bianca and Rex scheduled to go to the spa later this week, I need them both undressed. So it seemed like the perfect opportunity to take the studio shots of her gown. First the entire outfit...

Then with the sleeves removed, showing the elastic bands that they snap onto...

I continued taking photos as I removed layer after layer of her costume....three underskirts in all....until finally she was left wearing just her main dress and panties (and shoes)

..and just for fun, because he was standing there looking like he wanted to be in a picture too. He's another OG horse that we found at Value Village a few weeks ago. He was in brand new condition with all his bright pink accessories...