New Outfits for Pullip Dolls

Dear Readers,

I recently bought two new outfits for my Pullip dolls.  A Pullip doll is thinner than a Barbie so she can sometimes fit some Barbie clothes but with alterations.  

But there are many artists who create outfits for Pullip and other Groove dolls.  The dresses I bought recently are from Sandra.  You can check out her creations on Etsy or Instagram under the username @ropitaskawaii.

Her dresses fit the Pullip body perfectly.  The outfits I chose came with a petticoat and a pair of long socks for each dress.  They are really well made with tons of very beautiful details such as ribbons, buttons and lace accents!  Kuddos to all the artists who manage to sew tiny dresses with this level of quality!!!

I was also pleasantly surprised to find an unexpected gift in my package: a super cute pink teddy bear!

In the picture above, you can see on the right Pullip Alresha wearing the the pink and brown dress while Pullip Paja on the left is wearing the pink and blue dress.  

Pullip Alresha is wearing the pair of socks that came with the dress.  Pullip Paja's dress also came with socks but I gave her a different pair for the photo.  She is wearing Licca boots.  Most Pullip dolls can wear Licca shoes if they wear socks.

Where do you usually get your outfits for Pullip dolls? I wonder what shoes fit Pullip too! 

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. I was not paid or received gifts to write this or mention any store or website.  

Byul-tiful Photo Contest

Dear Readers,

I bought a Byul doll a month ago.  I wanted to participate in the Byul-tiful Photo Contest organized by the Dal House Forum so I got myself a Byul Cocotte who is a doll collaboration with Angelic Pretty, the Lolita clothing brand.

Byul is made by the South Korean company Groove, the same company that creates Pullip and Taeyang dolls.  She is Dal's best friend.  Here below is a quick introduction to these dolls and their relationship to each other (from Wikipedia):

Pullip (풀잎) means "blade of grass/leaf" in Korean

Namu (나무, tree); he is Pullip's former boyfriend

Taeyang (태양, sun); he is Pullip's boyfriend

Dal (달, moon); she is Taeyang's younger sister

Byul (별, star); she is Dal's best friend

Isul (이슬, dew): he is Pullip's younger brother

Yeolume (열매, berry/fruit); she is Pullip's future daughter

Are you still following me? :)

Dal is my favorite doll but I had yet to purchase a Byul.  I love Lolita fashion so I decided to get Byul Cocotte.  I named her Delphine.

Here are my entries for the photo contest which spanned over 4 weeks.  We had to submit one picture each week according to a chosen theme, for a total of 4.

Week 1: Beautiful

"Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?"

Since "Beautiful" is the first theme of the Photo Contest, I thought of the vain Evil Queen jealous of Snow White's beauty. Pullip Merl takes on the role of the Evil Queen and Byul Cocotte as Snow White.

Week 2 : Crush

The second theme for the Byul-tiful contest is "crush" so here is my take on it. Delphine has a crush on Isul so she wants to let him know. During class, she asks Yeolume to pass to Isul her love note.

Week 3 : Best Friend

The third theme for the Byul-tiful photo contest is "Best Friend".  Delphine's best friend is always there to lend a sympathetic ear to her stories.

Week 4 : Oh My!

"The awkward moment when you walk into somebody who just got out of the shower... "

The last theme is "Oh My". Byul has to be in a scene where she shows her trademark surprised expression.

It was a very fun contest and I learned a lot because the judges would post their critics of the pictures.  It was informative and I am thankful to the judges and organizers.  I am glad to have participated although I don't think I would win anything!

To view the other photos submitted in the Byul-tiful contest, you can go to the  Photo Contest Flickr Album HERE.

I hope I will be able to take better pictures of my dollies in the future :)

More Ai-Dolls

Dear Readers,

 

I thought I had bought enough A Dolls already but then Pullipstyle suddenly had them back in stock and I just had to get more!  I was very happy to find some models that were very rare but still at an affordable price. 

 

Ai Dolls are ball-jointed dolls (BJD) made of plastic (and not resin like most BJD) so they cost less than  your regular BJD but they are still fully jointed and great posers!  Their faceups are really well done!  Each release is fully clothed and comes in a very sturdy and beautiful box.  Too bad Groove has stopped making them :(  The dolls you still see floating around are the very last ones available!

 

The models I chose this time are :

1. Ai Doll Camellia (because of her Lolita-inspired outfit)
2. Ai Doll Peony (because she is so cute!)
3. Ai Doll Tsubaki (kimono and fox costume!)
4. Ai Doll Zephyr (the aviator outfit reminded me of the pilot in "Le Petit Prince")

Pullipstyle offers free shipping if you order above a certain amount so I didn't have to pay for any shipping cost.  Service is always top notch so I never regret buying from this seller.  No, he didn't pay me to write this LOL but I like to share my experience with other people so they know.

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. I was not paid or received gifts to write this or mention any stores or website. You may find a better store in your area.

Mariko Craft Cafe

Dear Readers,

How have you been doing?  Has Spring arrived yet in your country?  It's beautiful, isn't it?  Blossoms on every trees and green coming back to the landscape!

I have been busy working out 4 times a week and walking the 3 other days, taking care of myself as I promised to do.  I do feel my body is feeling better after weeks of this new lifestyle and I look forward to fully recover from my ailments.

But after my work day, I don't have much time for much else so blogging is impossible to add on top of my other tasks.  However, I have not forgotten my dolls.  I have been buying sporadically a few dolls here and there.  

I want to create a permanent display place for them instead of hiding them all the time in my cupboards.  I look sometimes on blogs and Flickr for inspiration and recently, I found out about a homemade dollhouse which I really like.

It's a very impressive dollhouse project by Laurence Damiani who was a winner of one of my past giveaway. 

MARIKO CRAFT CAFE is her new blog where she presents her dolls and the miniature  furniture she has created for her them!  She is very skilled and has a Youtube Channel where you can see her creations.

She is also a fan of Pullip and Dal dolls like me :D  After I looked at her website, I was very tempted to write more about my dollies as well!  This is why I love blog land: it's such a great place to rekindle your love for your hobbies!

I hope to come back to you soon with a glimpse of my dolls again!

Have a wonderful week everybody!

2015 ADAW 3/52

Dear Readers,

Thank you so much for your kind comments on my previous ADAW picture.  I really appreciate your words of encouragements!  I am not a good photographer and I have so much to learn in this field.  Sometimes it's depressing to look at my photos but I am looking forward to learn new ways to improve so it gives me hope when I read your response to my blog posts ^_^

Today's picture features Dal Cinnamoroll 10th Anniversary!  I wanted to do a shot of boredom and this Dal doll was the perfect model because her eyes are somehow a little sad.  She is looking outside her house, her elbow against the window sill.

"Mélancholie quand tu nous tiens."

(Melancholy when it holds us.)

I don't know why the picture posted on my blog is so dark.  The one I have on my computer and Flickr is much better!  If you want to see the difference, here is the link to my photo on Flick. 

The dollhouse is the Barbie Totally Real Dollhouse which is quite a versatile house because of all the different walls for each room.

You have probably noticed that my ADAW photos are mostly of Dal dolls.  It's because I have decided to showcase them in this photo project so people can see how beautiful they are.

I am afraid that Groove, the company that produces Dal dolls as well as the better known Pullip dolls, will stop making Dal dolls, There have been only 2 Dal releases last year.  Groove had already discontinued their collection of Ai-dolls and J-dolls so it is a real concern to see the Dal production dwindle down to only two in 2014.

I will maybe let my other dolls into the ADAW project from time to time but for now, Dal takes the spotlight.

I hope your Saturday was less boring than it has been for Dal Cinnamoroll!  Enjoy your weekend :)

2015 ADAW 2/52

Dear Readers,

How are you?  Have you kept your resolutions so far?  I have been very busy at the office so it wasn't an easy schedule. But finally it's Friday and I have some free time at last.

I am one week behind on my weekly photo project "A Doll a Week 2015" (ADAW) so I'll post two pictures this week.

The first one is Little Dal Lady Vixy on a Picco Neemo body.  I gave her a new wig and I think she looks much better with long hair.  

The picture on Flickr is better than this one.  For some reason, my picture look so dark on blogger! 

The horse and riding clothes are borrowed from Barbie Chelsea (who came in the same playset as the horse).

The background is a quick watercolor painting I did in a few minutes.  It was fun to paint again so I'll probably do some more for my future backgrounds.

I plan to take another picture tomorrow to post it on time.  I really hate being behind on my projects so hopefully it can be done :)

I hope you will all have a lovely weekend!

Looking forward to 2015!

Dear Readers,

Months ago I had started planning many blog posts for December. I had so many projects in mind and I contemplated a myriad of ideas about miniature scenes to display... but I soon realized that none of my plans would become possible.

My bedrooms had to be renovated and this could not wait any further. All the furniture were moved into the living and dining rooms. I could not access my photo studio anymore.  My dolls and miniature remained sadly in their boxed prisons and concealed neatly inside my cabinets.

And then I dropped my phone and it broke, so I no longer could take photos either and had to wait for its replacement.  To top it off, my mood was spiraling downward because of my strict diet and sugar withdrawal symptoms.

December was a month full of frustration for me as the renovation took much longer than anticipated due to factors out of my control so I could not do anything but wait.  But at last, the wait is now over.  The bedrooms have been redone, the furniture are back into their original spot and I can finally be reunited with my hobbies!  

In addition to my mini photo studio, I now have a proper desk to paint and store my craft supplies!  I really look forward to the new possibilities for 2015!

Today, I took a few photos that I really have been wanting to stage since last Christmas.  The Snow Queen is one of my favorite fairy tale and when I saw DAL Dotori, I instantly fell in love with her because she reminded me of Gerda!

"Please take me to the Snow Queen!"

En route to save Kai!

I wish you all a wonderful New Year!  Cheers to 2015!

Dalicious Challenge 4

Dear Readers,

Mythology was the theme for the Challenge No. 4!

I was very excited about this theme because I remember being totally obsessed about Greek mythology when I was a teenager.  I read every single book I could get my hands on.  So this challenge was like a trip back in time and it was fun to ponder the different scenes I could re-create in my dolly world.

At first I wanted to do Icarus flying away from the labyrinth...or rather falling from the sky when his wings melted.  I needed to make some wings for him and I had in mind a very specific design.   

But I became suddenly very weak and I increasingly lost whatever energy I had left in me.  This past week was just horrible.   I will explain on another day what happened.

I could not make the wings I had planned so I settled for the tale of Cupid and Psyche because it was a scene I could re-create without too much work.  I wished I could have given Cupid his wings, bow and arrows... but time was not on my side.  I took a bunch of pictures on Saturday.

Today, I was in so much pain I nearly collapsed around noon.  I thought I wouldn't be able to submit the photo. I added a little candle flicker and a few light rays but I didn't dare do any drastic photoshop.   Now that I look at my photo, I realize I should have positioned Scout differently.   But oh well, it's too late to change so I'll just cross my fingers.

The story of Cupid and Psyche is one of my favorite in Greek Mythology.  Psyche marries Cupid but she does not know what he looks like since he insists on sleeping in total darkness. Psyche's sisters are very jealous to see that she lives in such a beautiful palace and so they convince her that her husband is a monster and that she must kill him!

One night after Cupid falls asleep, Psyche carries out the plan her sisters devised: she brings out a dagger and a lamp she had hidden in the room, in order to see and kill the monster. But when the light instead reveals the most beautiful creature she has ever seen, she is so startled that she wounds herself on one of the arrows in Cupid's cast-aside quiver. Struck with a feverish passion, she spills hot oil from the lamp and wakes him.

Kai (my Isul Lir) is cosplaying as Cupid.  I really loved the fact that this bedroom scene allowed me to leave Isul in the nude so I didn't have to worry about making an outfit for him!!! ^_^

Scout (Dal Tweety) is wearing a gown I made with leftover white fabric.  The knife is from a Barbie kitchen playset.   The candle is from WYRNA'S MINIATURE BOUTIQUE.  I got it along with some exquisite furniture that I bought to decorate the Chocolate Rabbit grandparents's cottage!

The previous challenge (Vintage) earned me a third position but I think this scene won't win any awards LOL  I am however very glad to have been able to submit the photo in time.  There are two more challenges so I want to stay until the end to finish the contest even though I don't stand a chance of winning anything!

The pictures are not up on the Dolly Market Forum yet but you can view some of them in the Dalicious Flickr Group.

Have a wonderful week everybody!


EDIT: The photos are now up on the Dolly Market Forum or you can go directly to the Challenge 4 Entries.  There are many amazing photos!

Dal Cinnamoroll 10th Anniversary

Dear Readers,

I would like to show you the latest addition to my doll collection: DAL Cinnamoroll 10th Anniversary!  She was released by Groove (which also makes Pullip dolls) on September 2012 to celebrate Cinnamoroll 10th year anniversary!

Per Wikipedia:

Cinnamoroll (シナモロール, Shinamorōru?) is a character series created by Sanrio in 2001, with character designs from Miyuki Okumura. The main character, Cinnamon, is a white puppy with long ears, blue eyes, pink cheeks, and a plump and curly tail that resembles a cinnamon roll. He starred in his own manga series, an anime movie and various animation shorts.

This is not the first time Groove had made a Dal Cinnamoroll though.  There was a first Cinnamoroll produced in 2008 and she was quickly sold out.  This re-release has a few differences in the faceup and accessories.  The new version has notably pink eyelids instead of green.

I have been eying this doll on Amazon for months now.  My finger kept hovering over the "BUY IT NOW" button but I was trying to be good after a month of high spending!  But then I saw her price suddenly drop to $50 (no tax, no shipping fee) and I didn't want to miss out on that chance so I bought her.

She is much cuter in person than in pictures!  And her Cinnamoroll suit is super soft and beautiful!  The lining of the suit is made of a soft fabric in blue with white polka dot.  I had to hide her right away because my baby wanted to squish her in her arms!  You would too if you saw her :)

Her accessories are:

• Cinnamoroll suit (with detachable mittens and boots)
• Black dress and bloomers
• Black top hat
• Teacup-shaped purse
• Moustache Necklace
• Black cane with a charm
• Chocola plushie
• Blue stand   
• Collector card

I like her dress and bloomers very much.  They feel silky and fit her perfectly.  But despite the high number of accessories, there are no shoes for the doll.  The white boots are very tight and it's nearly impossible to put her feet in them!

It's too bad I don't have enough space in my house to keep the box because it is a work of art in itself.  All the Pullip/Dal/Isul/Taeyang dolls produced by Groove actually come in box with an elaborate design!

I like how her doll stand matches her hair color and the inside lining of her suit!  And the moustache, cane and Chocola plushie all include a charm and a chain of some sort which I guess are useful if you want to attach it to your cell phone or handbag/backpack!

All in all I am very happy with this doll.  She is very pretty and has very nice accessories.  I would prefer the 2008 Cinnamoroll because of the accessories (white bag + plushie and a cup!), but that version is usually priced over $200 nowadays so I'll settle for this 2nd version.  And  I think I actually like this doll version better because of her blushing face and pink eyelids!

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. I was not paid or received gifts to write this or mention any stores or website. You may find a better store in your area.

DALICIOUS Photo Contest 2014

Dear Readers,

I own a few DAL dolls but these type of dolls are usually expensive so I can't afford many of them.  Amazon sometimes offers DAL (as well as PULLIP) dolls for quite a good price but I don't like the models that are on sale right now.  However there is a way to win a free DAL doll at the moment!

I came upon a blog post from Pullip and Junk mentioning  a DAL photo contest!  It's called DALICIOUS and is organized by Dolly Market.

The prize is a free DAL doll!  More specifically, a DAL Jouet 6th Anniversary and DAL Tina (the winner will have first pick and the runner-up will have the other doll). 

Here below is DAL JOUET 6TH ANNIVERSARY

And here is DAL TINA

There are other smaller prizes and if you want to check them out, they are posted on Dolly Market HERE.  The RULES are also posted on Dolly Market and I am a little scared to enter to be honest because I am really not sure I can submit so many pictures.

In case you are wondering why I am saying this, here below are the rules as stated on Dolly Market:

--There will be 6 challenges.
--Each photo will be graded on a 1-10 scale.
--You will have 6 days per challenge to take your photo and submit it.
--There will be 1 day of judging between challenges. You can and will be disqualified if your photo is not in by the due date.
--Each challenge the contestant will get an average score from the six judges. The six scores will then be averaged together at the end of the contest for the overall score of that contestant.
--All files should be 1200x1800 or 1800x1200
--All files should be emailed to Dalicious@dollymarket.net with the name of the challenge and the contestants name in the subject.

If you are interested in participating you have until September 15th to do so!  Pullip and Junk gives the details of what information is needed to enter the contest.

Are you going to take a chance and try it out?  Good Luck to everybody who will participate!!!

J-Doll Rewigged

Dear Readers,

I found out about J-Dolls earlier this year and posted about them HERE.  They are so pretty that I could not resist and bought three J-Dolls from Amazon.com.  They were moderately priced at $39.99 and I was very happy with them except that one of them had very bad hair.  I had chosen J-Doll Esplanadi Katu because she is so strikingly beautiful and her outfit is incredibly detailed and well-done.

This is what she looked like on the promo photos.  Her coat and purse are the best doll's clothes and accessories I had seen so far.  

The green dress looked cheap but the rest of her outfit made up for that.

But something I could not get over was her horrible hair.  It had the texture of straw and there was so little of it that I could not style her in anyway.  I didn't like her silver/grey color either.  I wouldn't have minded so much if the hair was of good quality but it was not so the whole wig was a fail to me.  

On the promo photos, the hair length looks even but in reality, it was uneven all over.  And it was too short for me to tie it up nicely or style it in a bun.

J-Dolls are made by Jun Planning, the mother company that makes Pullip and Dal dolls.  Except J-Dolls have normal-sized head and not the over-sized big heads that Pullip and the other dolls have.  Pullip and J-Dolls share the same body but the J-Dolls have no eye mechanism so they cannot close or move their eyes like the other big-head dolls.

Another difference is that J-Dolls are not meant to be customized so their wigs are not supposed to be removed and their eyes are not supposed to be changed.  One would need to break their head out to change their eyes.  However, the hair can be replaced.  Although their wigs are glued to their head, it is possible to unglue the hair with a hot water soak with a mild dish detergent.  I read about this tutorial on Diane's Dolls and Kitties Blog.  

After the recommended 30 minutes of soaking, the wig still felt very hard and did not budge so I let it soak for another  30 minutes and added a little bit of boiling water to the existing water.  So after a whole hour of soaking, I noticed the wig cap was starting to become weaker at some points and so I used my thumb to push it along the edges.  It took a good 5 minutes of pushing to dislodge the wig completely from my doll's head.

I was very worried that I would break her head or her body with all that pressure so I was extra careful while handling her.  It was still a nerve-wrecking process because I was sure she would end up snapping a limb!

Once her wig was removed, I was able to give her new hair!  Many months ago, I bought a size 4 wig for my Little Dal doll but I didn't use it yet so I gave it to this J-Doll to try it first!

Oh it's so soft now!

So what do you think? 

The size 4 wig is a little big for her but I think it would be stay in place with double-sided tape.  Now that she has new hair, I feel she is worthy of display again.  I gave her a Re-ment outfit to try out and it fits perfectly!   I can't wait to try other wigs on her and give try some other clothes as well.   Happy dolly times at last!

Have a great week everybody!

Ai Doll Phlox

Dear Readers,

How have you been?  I hope better than I have because my cold has morphed into a persistent cough and I feel quite ill.   I have been working everyday too so I did not have the time to rest.  I am also feeling a little stressed because of the looming work deadlines.

I have been wanting to show you my Ai Doll but health was not on my side.  But I think the wait is making me grumpy so I finally decided to take some photos today to show you how lovely she is. 

Phlox is my first Ai Doll which my husband gave to me as a surprise present.  She came in a fabulous white box made of cardboard.  The inside is beautifully presented and taking her out was a breeze! There was only a plastic cover on top of her and she was attached with two ribbons made of fabric.  If only all dolls were this easy to unbox!  

Unfortunately for me, my box had been previously opened and someone had "played" with Phlox .  I could tell because her hair was messy, her sleeves were partly damaged and the most obvious clue: she was wearing her shoes (the shoes are packaged in the same box but they should have been in a separate compartment and not on the doll's feet).

My husband had no idea that these subtle clues would indicate a previously owned doll so he didn't think twice before buying her.   I am not very happy with the store for selling her at full price when it was a returned item.  But since I did get her at a very good price and there are no other Phlox available, I decided to keep her anyway.

I set up a playroom for her on one of my bookshelf.  It was so much fun digging into my collection of miniature and dollhouse furniture to find the items that would suit a child's playroom of her scale.

Do you want to play with me?

She can stand on her own and is very easy to pose.  She is my first ball jointed doll (BJD) and I am just in awe at what I can do with her body compared to my other stiff dolls.  

Posing like a Pro

Here she is playing with her dollies.  The Mini Lalaloopsy are the perfect size as her rag dolls!

Would you like another cup of tea?

She has such a sweet face and her dress and shoes are adorable!

Move over Lambie! I am the new Cuddle Princess!

I am planning to improve her playroom eventually.  Add some wallpaper, a proper floor, and give her some friends :)

I will go in detail about the toys in her playroom tomorrow.   I am feeling too tired to write a longer post today.  

Do you like Phlox?

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. I was not paid or received gifts to write this or mention any stores or website. You may find a better store in your area.

Ai-Dolls

Dear Readers,

It was one really long day today.  Super busy and stressed.  It was also very cold so I didn't go out after work.  I just went home to cook something good to eat and to hug my kids.  I made pancakes.  They were either burned or raw.  And the vegetarian sausages had the texture of cardboard.  It was a terrible dinner.  I wanted to cry and I know it was silly but once again I ruined dinner because I am such a bad cook.

And then my husband surprised me.  He told me he had bought some dolls for me.  Earlier today he drove to a far away Tuesday Morning store.  He didn't find any J-Dolls but he found some Ai-Dolls, which are small but incredibly beautiful Ball Jointed Dolls (BJD).  That's not the kind of dolls you would ever expect to see in a store here, let alone a discount store like Tuesday Morning!  They cost $29.99 which is very low compared to their usual cost.  

Ai-Dolls were made by Jun Planning before Groove took over.  They are about 5 inches tall (12.5 cm) and are apparently made of plastic and not resin (despite their description on Amazon.com).  They are not as expensive as other small BJD on the market.  Their names are all inspired by flowers and plants.

Packaged in a hard cover box, the dolls are beautifully presented.  Very gift-worthy!  The dolls look like they could cost $100 (and some of them did when they were initially issued and still cost as much).

Their wigs and eyes are removable so you can easily customize them.  But you would have to buy an additional wig and another pair of eyes (or swap them between the dolls) because it's not included in the box although some putty is included so you can glue-in the new eyes.

Ai-Dolls are issued with three different face molds.

1) open eyes
2) sleepy eyes
3) closed eyes

My husband bought me ALL the Ai-Dolls he found.  Here below are some pictures from Amazon because I can't have the dolls inside my home yet!  I am very superstitious and I can't bring certain things in my home for the two first weeks of the year.  So they are sitting in the mail room for now and I'll go get them next weekend :)

The first one is Ai-Doll Marigold.   Isn't she adorable?  She reminds me of my little baby when she sleeps, with her peaceful and rested expression.  Her clothes and accessories are incredibly detailed and will you look at her shoes? *_*

The second doll is Phlox.  She is oh so adorable!  Her short hair and little curls in the back are so cute and she does remind me of my own baby daughter as well.   I am totally in love with her girly and cheery outfit!

There are a few more dolls but I'll write about them when I'll get to unbox them.  Needless to say, my husband's surprise presents lifted my mood considerably.  We'll probably eat toast and eggs tomorrow  for lunch and I'll try cooking again for dinner (something easy!).

If you don't have a Tuesday Morning store near home, you would be happy to know that Amazon.com do sell them right now for even cheaper, as low as $25.99!!!  

There are quite a few choices at a good price right now so I created a section for Ai-Dolls on my Amazon store :D  Many cost under $30 each, some are around $39.99, and a few are over that price.  

I have always wanted a pretty doll like this but never thought I could own one so I am very happy with this sudden find in a local store!  I can't wait to put them in a nice dollhouse with pretty furniture!  Once I can unbox them, I'll write a full review!

Do you have an Ai-doll or other small BJD?  If yes, please do show them on your blog!  I would love to see which ones you have!   If not, would you like to get one?

This post contains affiliate links.