Oh Boy!!

0Did anyone think I died? Not me! It's amazing how much more time two kids take up then just one.

I'm still around and doing my thing. I've gotten quite a few new dolls and all sorts of stuff I need to get around to blogging about! 

For now just a brief little update:

I've been working on a studio apartment for one of my Unoa girls (there is my Momoko modeling in it right now) as you can see it still needs a lot of work. I was going for the feeling of a studio on the second floor of a very old house. 

I made the floor by pasting down strips of cereal box and painting over them.

I smeared mod podge over the top to make it look shiny like hardwood and to seal it some. I love it!!

A new tiny obsession that my 2-year-old daughter and I share comes with a story. I always saw Calico Critters in the TRU and said to myself "I hope I have a daughter so I can have a legitimate excuse to buy some of this stuff." So for this Christmas we got Ivy a small mix of Calico Critters and Lil' Woodzeez (the Target brand tiny animal toys).

(She's pleased can't you tell?)

These little things - called Sylvanian Families in other countries - are freaking addictive. I literally sat and spent 2 hours with her and the tiny sister playing with these critters. They are so flippin cute and come with such cute little accessories!! So of course if Mama is interested and in love let the downpour of Calico Critters/Sylvanian Families begin!!

We now have a Burger Cafe.

A general store.

A big house we got at the Thrift store for half it's original price!! That's Ivy, Daddy, Mama and baby Verity with Uncle Austin (my brother) visiting by the way.

And of course lots of families - This is Kennita, Mrs. Kenny, Kenny, and Lil' Kenny posing with their namesake in the background here.

I am telling you - LOTS OF FUN. I am hoping to post more fashion doll stuff soon. I've been super busy with the two cute little girls (who have a talent for mischief) - but I'm still around and doing doll things!

I hope everyone has been having as much fun playing with toys as we are!!

Inanna - The Beauty of St. Annis

So I'm sure you guys remember my poor Nadja who had no character or name when I first talked about her here. Well since working on my new story, I made sure to create a special character just for her. But first she needed a makeover!

I liked her braids and afro for a more spunky, modern feel, but since the character I created for her is very regal and refined (and in a fantasy setting) she needed a different hairstyle. Liz will be changing the color of her lips for me soon (I want a dark burgundy color, something a little less loud). 

"Where's my hair?!"

It's been a while since I've done any flocking so I decided to flock this girl's hair - and what can I say? I'm in absolute love.

Please meet Inanna:

Inanna Asaria is a very wealthy lady living in the port of St. Annis in the southern country of Venostro. She owns vineyards that produce the best wine on the continent. She has a very kind heart and is known for her charitable works.

Sorry again for the crappy pictures - it's so much easier for me to just take pictures with my phone (since they link straight to my blogger and there is no extra work involved). So let me know: Do you prefer more frequent updates or better quality pictures? I don't want to keep doing blog posts if everyone is secretly thinking "Goodness gracious, why is she posting such horrible pictures...?!"

New Projects

So I've been working on a new story lately and it has me pretty excited. And of course I'm always excited to find an excuse to buy dolls for new characters!!

My new story is sort of a dark fantasy, gothic romance. It takes place in a fantasy world and since I haven't done world building in quite some time, it's been really fun to work on. Sewing fantasy costumes is something I really enjoy, so I am hoping to get more motivated (even though with an almost brand new baby and a two year old I don't expect to hammer things out the way I could in the past).

This girl is Cecily. She has a rather questionable occupation but she happens to be an expert at it.

She is an "Always on her Mind" Dania with restyled hair and rebodied on a Poppy body (which I really prefer to the regular FR bodies...)

Her dress is one I made some time ago for Liz (that is at my house because I borrowed the doll wearing it to play with!) and the shoes I got on E-Bay.

I apologize for the not-so-high quality of the pictures. My new Nexus takes pictures and (automatically!) uploads them to where I can post them straight to my blog from my phone! That makes things super convenient for blogging but the quality isn't as good as my Sony camera.

The walls for my dioramas did not make the move with us - so I will be making new ones as soon as I get some time and make some space (where meddlesome two year olds won't steal pieces!!).

Ivy and baby Verity say hi!!

ON HOLD: NRFB Love the One Kyori $145 includes Priority Shipping in the US

ON HOLD

Hi everybody!

Later this evening (after the munchkins are sleeping) I'll be posting a post with a little more meat in it (including pictures this time!).

For now I wanted everyone to know I have a NRFB Love the One Kyori that I am needing to sell. She is gorgeous but I'm really not feeling her right now.

She is $145 which includes Priority Shipping in the US. If you live internationally, email me for a shipping quote!! Shoot me an email at lovelovekitty@gmail.com!!

Verity Rose is here!!

Verity Rose arrived (10 days late) on 4/23/13. I went to my midwife and was informed that her fluid levels were low and she wasn't doing as well as we had hoped in-utereo so we were sent to the hospital to be induced. I was very unhappy about this, as I planned to do everything naturally as I had with Ivy. After being administered pitocin, I went into crazy hard labor and made it through without ANY pain medication whatsoever. I seriously thought I was dying and there was no way I would survive it. After only an insanely intense 4 hours later with 12 minutes of pushing, Verity came into the world screaming like a banshee! She was perfectly healthy in every way! After about 20 minutes, I hopped off the delivery table and walked to the recovery room on my own (a benefit of doing things without pain medication).

It's safe to say that Ivy is absolutely thrilled to have her little sister. She is the most helpful (almost) two-year-old that ever lived. Ivy fetches diapers, wipes, blankets, binkies, throws away dirty diapers, covers up her sister with her blankie, and is absolutely gentle and sweet with Verity. I couldn't be more impressed with her - she is a perfect Mama's little helper and not jealous in the least.

Verity at 3 days old

Ivy at 3 days old

Is it possible to have twins two years apart? I really have to label their baby pictures well because there is no way I am going to be able to tell which is which years down the road!!

In doll related news: I hope to be blogging more dolls again soon with the moving to a new state/new baby section of this year complete. Ivy's birthday is May 8th and we decided to get her a KidsKraft dollhouse since her Monster High girls and her own Barbies have been running amok with no place to live!! After all the hard work of becoming a big sister this year - I think she deserves a big present. I hope to take pictures and let you all know what I think about it once it arrives, is put together and presented! I've been curious about these dollhouses for some time....

Oh Wow....

I am SO sorry for the lack of updates. My life has been incredibly crazy (in a good way).

I kept telling myself for months and months - "If you aren't going to blog about doll stuff - don't blog. Nobody cares what's going on."

But I feel like I owe everyone an explanation and an update:

- First off, I absolutely HAVE NOT quit the doll hobby. I have been on a long hiatus from doll stuff due to real life interference but it hasn't stopped me from accruing (ever more) dolls and doll items. I just haven't been extremely productive in my own projects due to lack and time and energy as explained below...

- I am currently 3 days from my due date with Baby #2 who was announced in my last(ish) post. I am really happy to say we are having another girl! Here is our little Verity Rose (about 20 weeks ago, but better late then never!)

She has remained happy and healthy this whole pregnancy and while we've been through a lot (to be explained in the next bullet) she's found time and energy to be even more ornery in-utero then her big sister was!

Ivy is very happy and excited. I am tired of being pregnant and you can tell - my mother-in-law arrives on Thursday so we are hoping Verity decides to stay inside until then!

- Do you guys notice anything different? Besides me being huge and my ever changing hair color?

WE MOVED - TO AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT STATE.

The Hubby got a wonderful new job in Michigan, so now Liz and I are practically neighbors (well she lives down the street from me and her dad is my neighbor two doors down!) and Heather lives somewhere around here too! It was a long process and a big, big move for us (especially since it took place while I was 7 months pregnant). All the time I spent packing boxes meticulously really helped things along, because it took one U-Haul trip and now we are in a really sweet new townhouse here in Lansing. There is still tons of work to be done and lots of furniture to buy. But we are really happy and we are more then aware how absolutely fortunate we are to have such a big positive change when the tendency is for others to have big negative changes going on right now.

Unfortunately, the dioramas I had built for the kitchen and the bath didn't make it - which means I just have to make others with the furniture I have ;)


The doll unpacking has taken a huge backseat to unpacking for Verity's impending arrival (I have no freaking clue where my camera even is right now). And all doll projects have been put on hold until we acquire the new furniture we need to store everything (all our books, dolls, crafts, game systems are still boxed up!)

I hope this post suffices to let you all know I'm not gone forever. Just dealing with some big (super positive!) changes in real life. I really hope to have a doll related update for you guys sooner rather then later...

Just Some New Faces...

Hey everybody!

Just updating with some pictures of new folks (or old folks with new things). I'm really not on any kind of particular hiatus - Ivy is, to say the least, an incredibly exhausting child and with the other little one brewing.. I really have just felt like sleeping after she goes to bed (the time I usually reserve for doll things). Even now I've been up waaay too late, but I really wanted to share some things with you guys!!

First up, I decided a while ago to root Phina another head - this time in mohair. I really love mohair on dolls, it has a very etheral and dreamy look. Since Phina is half siren, it gave her a really nice beachy look which I like for my siren girls! Liz (dutifully) gave her another faceup. I think she's really pretty! I might have her intensify her eyeliner and smoky eye a little more... but I really love her alot! Liz also knitted her awesome bag... she knits lots of nice things (and she'll sell them too if you ask!). I made Phina's top and pants.

Next up is a new face. Her name is Ellaria Nightsong and she is my gypsy girl. She is a fortune-teller and is pretty insistent she has magic of her own... though a lot of people are not incredibly convinced. She is a Sunshine Games Poppy Parker - I redid her hair some. I made her top and skirt. The top I made years and years ago, before I knew anything about sewing and you can see that it's falling apart. I need to make her a new one. The corset was made by my good friend Laura.

I was fortunate enough to receive a great skirt from Cat and Adela definitely snatched it. She really needs business-y clothes so this skirt was perfect for her! I really recommend Cat's clothes. They are nicely lined and made! I made the lace shirt (not as nice as her skirt I assure you) and the necklace.

Her date is obviously late picking her up or something... yikes!!