Princess Belinda

Miss Delilah Bones

Today I finished the second of my Lolita Poppets dolls. I wAnT hEr OuTfIt!! If only it was as quick, easy and cheap to make a dress the same in my size!   

Meet *Miss Delilah Bones* who lives on a pirate ship and is the daughter of Captain Bones:

Here she is gazing out to sea:

I am very pleased with how she has turned out as she is only the second doll that I have made from polymer clay. I am getting a little better at designing and sewing clothes on such a tiny scale. I still need to practise a lot with the glue gun because, at the moment, I am getting glue eVeRyWhErE! I am pleased to report that the technique of using baby wipes on my hands  before handling the clay was largely successful in keeping the clay free from dust and fluff. My doll joints work well (read about their development here and their design here) and in terms of movement this doll is a big step forward from my first doll Chloë. With the next doll I am going to work hard to improve my sculpting skills. I will try to model more dainty hands and feet and put more detail in the face. I am also going to attempt to give the next doll joints at the elbows and knees. Ooooh, I am looking forward to making her already!

In a happy coincidence I have found that my Lolita Poppets are roughly the right height to live in a dolls' house in 1/12 scale. Perhaps Fluffball and I will make our dolls' house for the Lolita Poppets! *Hooray!*

Tropical Green

Self Portrait

I took these photos of myself yesterday. I am wearing the new glow-in-the-dark bone hairclips that I had just finished making and my lovely Hell Bunny Alice in Wonderland style lolita dress. I spent a very long time today organising photos and yes indeedy, I even did back-up! Fluffball says that I am computer obsessed but it is just that I love what I can do with the computer!

Other news:

I met Monsieur Antonio Deelight for an afternoon stroll. We walked by the canal as the sun lay low in the sky. We played on the swings together and talked and kissed. Afterwards he took me to an Inn and we sat by the fireplace and drank Mocha topped with cream. I am a lucky girl to have Monsieur Deelight in my life. ♥

Doll Joints

In the morning I found myself trapped in the doldrums, a silly place to visit when you are so lucky and fortunate as me. I was so annoyed with myself for drifting there. Happily I managed to steer myself out of that dreary place, where it always rains, and work on my next Lolita Poppets doll. Here are the baked Fimo doll pieces ready to assemble. As planned I made a torso with two horizontal bores and one vertical bore. The head has a central vertical bore. Each limb has a bore hole through the top of it.

The next step was to assemble the doll. As it was my first attempt at a jointed doll I was making it up as I went along. I devised a system using spandex elastic, thin wire and, one of my favourite materials in the world: buttons! After some fiddling I had doll joints that were pulled tight enough by the elastic and strengthened by the wire but still moveable. YAY!

This view shows the button holder at the top of the doll's head. When I was sculpting the doll head I made a small dip so that the button does not make too much of a bump on the top of the doll's head. The button holder will be completely covered with the doll's hair:

This photo shows the button holder at the base of the doll which joins the head to the body. The button joints look a bit obvious now but they will all be covered by clothing. :)

Next it was time to bring the doll to life. You can see the completed doll here.

Malice@Doll

I spent the morning battling with the Sickening Sprawl. After a sustained offensive I managed to slice its mighty tendrils and force it to retreat to the corners where the spiders hide. At noon it was time for my family to arrive. I love my family very much but I am not a fan of entertaining - it always makes me a little nervous - however the luncheon turned out rather well and everyone seemed happy so I was able to relax and enjoy the most amazing chocolate cake that Fluffball had made for the occasion. Fluffball is the best!

Once everyone was sated it was time for a long game of Cluedo which was most splendid. Lucille was especially happy because she was the first to unmask the murderer and solve the crime.

All in all it was a lovely day spent with Mama, Papa, Lucille & co and, of course, Fluffball. ♥

In the evening Fluffball went to visit friends and I curled up on the sofa to watch  'Malice@Doll' directed by Keitaro Motonaga. This tale of dolls and machines, and their interactions and transformations in a post-human world, is a beautiful and thought provoking anime. The visual element of this film is stunning - it is very strange and surreal. The film explores a dialogue between the beautiful and the grotesque, contrasting the wonder of love and connection, with the horror of loss and destruction. The film has a sexual undercurrent with elements of fetish and bdsm hence the certification of the film as an 18. 'Malice@Doll' is a visual feast for the imagination which I would most definitely recommend.

Spookypie Custom Doll Orders

Hooray! It is half-term and Fluffball is at home with me :) I spent the morning working hard on my NEW CUSTOM DOLL ORDERS PAGE whilst Fluffball played at being Sleeping Beauty ;) I have tried to come up with a page and order form that is easy to use and understand. Let us hope that I can make enough shells this month to keep Doctor Ambiguit Deleter at bay!

It wasn't easy finding the photos that I wanted but I wasn't giving up! I battled through the Sickening Sprawl to find them. It was most encouraging to look at all of the Spookypie Dolls that I have made over the years. I can't quite believe that I started making them in 2006! I will be sharing the story of my Spookypie Dolls from the very beginning with a journal entry about each doll. The dolls are begging me to start on it today - and I would have to say that some of them are trying to jump the queue and get their photo in now - but I told them firmly that they must wait their turn.

Now how did that happen?!?

Creativity clock: 7h
Custom Dolls page 6h
Journal 1h