Vita Plastica

I'm feeling really weird lately. Like overly giddy and tummy full of butterflies. I'm talking too much. I have endless energy one minute, then I get so sleepy I can't keep my eyes open. I feel like I'm in love. Or I'm on drugs. I have to stop myself sometimes and remember why I'm so excited. It's because doll things are in the mail! Every day, walking home from the bus (I hate driving, and only do it in emergencies), I am full of hope and anxiety. Fridays are the worst. I'm still in my routine and if I don't get my doll package today I'm sure I won't get it until the following week. Yes I know there's Saturday but I'm usually too preoccupied with dolls and kiddies to stalk the mail carrier. If something arrives, it's a wonderful surprise. Things have been tough for dolls at home. I have received three items in the mail and they haven't gotten any attention because of certain tiny females who have the nerve to want to like eat ...

So the Year of Luxury keeps on churning. I'm not working because the US won't give a mom a proper maternity leave. So we have little income now. That hasn't stopped me spending our savings and just hoping rent money would work itself out. That's what you have to do in the Year of Luxury. So anyway, our tax return came through way early. I went to Walmart, got some little do-dads like mini frames and fabric glue. But still, with money in the bank, I just itched for a new doll. I decided it was time for my first Momoko, but didn't mention it to my husband. Here he is spending money on getting new tires and bills and stuff. I'm so irresponsible. I go to our online bank and see there is some money that has been spent on Paypal. Grr, has he purchased more damn comic books? How dare he when I am basically out of work! The nerve! So I go into our ebay account to investigate. And you know what you guys? He secretly bought me a Poppy Parker! And for a bargain! I feel so...

Have you ever reached a point in your collecting where you're like "Okay, I have a problem"? I should have known this would happen during the Year of Luxury. When your main goal is to BUY, you're headed for trouble. I'm glad I decided to temper it with some craft work. Craft goals of the remainder of 2011? Collect/make/paint doodads for my mid century apartment. Speaking of mid century apartment, I said to the Hubs, "So what should Miho's other room be? A kitchen? A bathroom?" He vetoed both. "You already have a kitchen and a bathroom in the other houses. I think you need a new bedroom." Hmmm. So I found some homemade stuff on ebay. But then I found this bed on etsy! I saved it to my favorites, knowing it was meant to be if it was still there on pay day. The price was awesome too. Now I had set some money aside to pay for my laptop which is in the shop. So really there was money just sitting around. It's not like I was going to pay fo...

I have a zillion things on order right now, from doll stuff to kid stuff and nothing had arrived yet! Each day I return home looking at my front step in excited anticipation and each time it's just a stack of flat packages which can only mean one thing: comic books for the Hubs. *Sniff* The day before yesterday was much of the same. I didn't even look at the pile of mail. But then, the Hubs sang, "There's something from Hong Kong...." YAY! Birthday prezzies! He got me two punk rock girl outfits. So cute, down to the little safety pins! Here are my models: The stockings are too big for skinny Dynamite legs, but they'll be fine for some of my other girls. The best part is that if you remove the safety pins, they're like another outfit. The jacket might lose the safety pins. Too many pins and you look like a total poseur. And yesterday, this arrived: (Hey Smidge , didn't you just win the same one?) I'm not impressed. The shoes are worse quality than ...

Well my friends, Year of Luxury strikes again. Due to that magical extra paycheck in a month thing that happens once or twice a year, I had a little extra play money. I was a good girl and did some responsible things. Bought the Hubs some business cards, bought a swanky winter coat and bathrobe for the Youngin' and a just a wee Barbie Basics accessory pack for me. But you know how when you have no money you always know exactly what you would just DIE to have? But then you have some money and can't find anything worth buying? I thought maybe I'd go ahead and buy my first action figure girl. I know exactly the one I want but I just couldn't close the deal. I went to ebay to search for the elusive 1/6th scale PT Cruiser. (Lemme know if you guys run across one.) Anywho, so no luck there. I decided to hit up some of my Favorites on etsy. I really wanted that Birkin, but I just couldn't. $35 plus $10 or $15 shipping for a doll bag that doesn't open? I dunno, I just co...

So Wednesday night I arrived home to find Vintage Vinyl Gavin waiting for me! So I had to break her out and take some pics. Forgive the quality, I wasn't trying very hard. First impression: Cutey pie! Her eyes are a bit too big and cartoonish to me. Well I guess some real people have eyes bigger than their mouth... She seems a bit sturdier than previous Dynamite Girls. She seems heavier and her joints a bit stiffer. At first I thought her hands were not removable, but a good tug proved otherwise. But trouble in paradise. Her shoes don't stay on AT ALL. I mean at ALL! Like they weren't even made for her. Look at that toe cleavage. Not a fan. And the paint job (you can't see here, but they're platforms. The sole is painted black but the platform itself is the same color as the shoe). I have seen better shoes made for Barbie. Well, it's time to comb out her hair and get this girl dressed! I tried on a few outfits. Turns out she can't do the goth/punk thing. S...

I just have to say I HAD to get another Jonathan Adler Barbie (with the side table). What good is a side table when you only have one? Okay the real reason I bought it is because it's only $24 on the Barbie Collector site. Quote the husband: "What? I paid $50 for that crap!" That pink lamp and tray never found a use. Now that I'll have two, I think I'll paint them. Huzzah! The doll will go in the trash (aka: to be repainted) but now I'll have a duplicate dress to be worn by... I dunno back up singers? Okay, that's all! smooches, dani

Happy Friday All! What a great night I had. The hubs and I ordered our new luxurious king sized bed, bought new bedding and I came home to a surprise: stuff from Smidgehouse ! I ordered a doll photography book and a set of lights from her and they were waiting for me, lovingly packaged. Thanks Smidgey! So tonight, I will be lounging in my enormous bed, reading about photography. Then tomorrow I'll set up my doll room (furthermore to be called my 'studio') and try some practice shots. But ya'll, it's payday and it's basically the Year of Luxury so what's say we buy something yeah? I know I said I could not fall in love with any more dolls but you never have enough do you? I was not very pleased with Dynamite Girls' Vintage Vinyl Collection. They look so cartoonish this time around. But the way other doll collectors photograph them can change everything. For instance Electropop Jasper. She looked like the dorky one of the set, the lonely and unloved. Afte...

Okay so my birthday isn't until Thanksgiving week, but the hubs decided to give me present #1 early. A new digital camera! I'm so excited. I've only just been fiddling around but I've gotten the best shots. It's a Nikon Coolpix L22. I don't know what that means, but it's red! He also got me a small bendy tripod (and a full tripod on its way). And not only that, but thanks to Smidge , I will soon be in possession of not only lights but the FDQ book I've been thinking about getting. My dolls goals for the new year are really taking off! Anyway here are some shots I just took: Nadia finally has a moment alone with her crush, Miho. Felix has had enough with Hana's overt flirting. Josephine and Ms. Fear look on. Goth teen with daddy issues, Sooki, escapes her sister's party with Aragorn Ken. With flash: And without flash: I think this is the best picture I've ever taken. I love this camera. Who's a good boy? Of course a better came...

The Year of Luxury won't begin until October 31st, but it hasn't stopped me and the hubs from getting a jump on it. After DJing at a Dragon Con for David Mack, illustrator of the Kabuki comic, his love for his comic book collection has been revived. So yeah, he dropped some coin on mylar bags, pricing guide and some particularly good deals on comics he wanted. I, as you know, bought my lovely couch and the beige and brown LV looking luggage from Fashion Royalty. I wantd to do a little set of photos for you but then I decided to throw a Halloween party in doll land. And the hubs said I may get my bday camera in a week or so instead of the end of November so I might as well hold out and give you some good pics. BY THE WAY, if you have purchased FDQ's book on doll photography, lemme know how you liked it. Anyway, I love the luggage. The vanity case even has a little mirror. I can't wait to play with it. But I digress. The real point of this post was to talk about the Year ...

My Smidge sofa is here! Wow, that was quick! It is beautifully made and perfectly suited to Josephine. I didn't even redress her for this photo. That's just some old thing she was wearing around the house. This weekend was really busy. I decided to take the upcoming Year of Luxury seriously. I painted Josephine's living room and installed the wainscotting. Course, I shoulda painted the wall first and the wainscotting got a bit twisty but I still like it. After it's done, it will look like this: See how perfect my new sofa looks in this room too? This will probably be Josephine's living room sometimes and a cafe at other times. This means I'm still going to need some Smidge chairs for my sitting room. C'mon payday! So why wainscotting on only 3/4th of the wall? Well, the truth is, I don't have a wood cutter mechanism for the molding. Not even a little saw. And I wanted Josephine to have a foyer anyway, so this worked out. I lamented the loss of my damask ...