BJDs for Beginners

Casting Call for New Book

2015-03-17T15:50:00.001-07:00

The doll clothing designer, MegannArt, is currently seeking a variety of contributions to her new book, Dolly Bureau (Vol 3): All About Tiny Dolls [working title]. The dolls in the book have a requirement of being 11.5cm/4.5in or shorter. How great would it be to have some of your own dolls or handmade designs in a published book?! Dolly Bureau books are gaining popularity and would help people notice your work.

Contributions would include temporary use of the following:

All dolls 11.5cm or shorter (e.g. Ruby Red Galleria Honee B, Mattel Kelly, Fairyland PukiPuki and RealPuki, Peak's Woods Monthly Fairy, LillyCat Colline, Wilde Amelia Thimble, Lati White SP, Felix Brownie, Angelregion Gienie Lilica, Doll Leaves Cherry and Milk, Dollzone Yu with B10-001 body and Teng with B10-001 body, HZ Doll tiny dolls like Tian Tian Roro, IslandDoll Leshy, Polly Pocket, Azone Picco Neemo, Mame Momoko, Fidelia Fireflys, vintage dolls, etc). The list of dolls is endless.
Handmade clothing, accessories, wigs, and props that would be appropriate for dolls of about this size. Items must be made by the contributor.

MegannArt will photograph your items and send them back to you in a timely manner. The deadline for accepted items is mid April 2015. To those who contribute, credit will be provided in the book. MegannArt also provides a contract for contributors to guarantee return, credit, and protection of your property.

Contact her for more info!

Please update your blog feed to my new website!

2015-02-28T13:06:00.003-08:00

Dear readers,

I've just managed to update my website to an elegant Squarespace account. You will now be able to read all of these entries (and future ones) atwww.fashiondollreview.com/bjdsforbeginners. I've also posted a for-sale page, and linked my Fashion Doll Review blog there as well.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Hatsune Miku Dollfie Dream is back!

2015-02-19T07:52:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've had a Dollfie Dream (vinyl BJD) in my collection, but this girl is really tempting! She's the latest Volks release, Snow Miku, based on the popular Japanese Vocaloid Hatsune Miku. I love her mittens, gorgeous two-toned blue hair and headset.

Some parts are made of clear plastic, and she includes adorable knit mittens and a scarf. She is now available for preorder with a September 2016 delivery date (yikes--dates according to the Volks website--I had no idea the turnaround was so long).

Her retail price is $650, with a down payment option of $50. (Volks will keep the deposit if you change your mind.) She will be available for ordering (with a pick-up option at Volks USA if desired) through April 12, 2015.

The specs:

This doll uses the Dollfie Dream Base Body III in semi-white skin, with the SS bust size. She has a new Hatsune Miku/Snow Miku head sculpt, sculpted by Serika Misaku of Zoukei-Mura, Inc. She includes the full outfit, designed and produced by Volks, and special 24mm Dollfie Animetic eyes.

Photos are property of Volks USA.

Dolls Party in LA coming soon!

2015-02-19T07:33:00.001-08:00

Check out this link from Volks USA for complete details, but for now, add Saturday, September 5, 2015 to your calendar. This event will be held at the Los Angeles Airport Marriot Hotel, and it's been five whole years since the last Volks USA event in New York City.

This event is for Super Dollfie, Dollfie Dream and their owners--or would-be owners. Attendance details are still forthcoming.

In a panic...

2015-02-17T08:46:00.003-08:00

Oh my goodness, what's a collector to do? I have to confess, I have been having a few sleepless nights and even nightmares after the latest Peak's Woods update. In one recurring theme, I watch my wonderful tan Briana fall on the floor from a high shelf, and watch her nose chip. Of course, after next month, basic Fairies of Color won't be offered for sale. And while I certainly understand the necessity to limit the number of sculpts a company offers at any given time to combine and group orders, I will be sad!

I'd love to add Wake-Up Cue, Yulli, and Vamp Briana to my collection, but I can't see that I'll be able to do this before the end of next month. Perhaps I might be able to choose just one or two more dolls--and possibly buy a blank head--instead. I currently only have Vamp Goldie on order, and I'm very excited about adding her to my collection.

I suppose I should just wait to see what the specials will be--but what if they add new faces? What will I do then?

New dolls from Peak's Woods - and change in basic dolls

2015-02-12T08:19:00.001-08:00

Dandy Shaia

Wow--big changes are happening at Peak's Woods! First, there are four new Dandy boys coming soon:

They go on sale February 15-28, 2015, and start at $590. Upgrade to suntan or blue-grey skin for another $80. Faceups are $90, and hand blushing and nail painting is available (natural or black) for $35. Basic dolls are 61cm tall (very close to SD13 long leg size), and include a pair of glass eyes, cotton cushions and certificate of authenticity.

Dandy Lottie

Dandy Lavin

Dandy Briana

Additionally, the four original Dandy boys will also be available at the same time (in normal or white skin). These sculpts include:

After February 28, the boys will only be offered as limited edition dolls on occasional release, and basic dolls will not be available. Peak's Woods' update mentions that this is the last release of the original Dandy boys. This change should help increase shipping times, as they will only be offering particular sculpts at specific times.

Next month, there will be a special event for the large girls (both FOB and AB) as well. Heads won't be offered separately, after this ordering period. For now, though, heads can still be purchased, but without a makeup option.

Finally, the selection of Oscar Eyes has been updated as well.

You can read Peak's Woods' update here. Photos are property of Peak's Woods.

Vinyl versions of Kinoko Juice Kiki for sale now!

2015-02-06T14:54:00.001-08:00

Whee! I can hardly contain myself! Two new dolls are ready for preorder for later release this year, and I'm absolutely thrilled! There are two ABS/PVC versions of the popular resin doll Kiki by Kinoko Juice.

Azone is the manufacturer of these non-BJD girls. The body is new, and highly articulated with 23 points of motion. Kinoko means mushroom in Japanese, I believe, and you can see the the mushroom in her eyes. Two dolls are available--one with honey pink hair and blue eyes, the other with marmalade brown hair and green eyes. The dolls are 23cm (about 9 inches) tall.

I've been coveting a Kinoko Juice Kiki for some time, but just couldn't bring myself to make the effort to find a shopping service for these dolls. They are not sold outside of Japan. And these are downright affordable. Hobby Search still has them for reservation for 22,800 Yen (about $194 US). This is a link to the pink-haired girl, and this is the link for the redhead. I placed an order for the pink one. (Yay!)

Photos are property of Azone and Kinoko Juice.

Save the date... September 5, 2015

2015-02-02T07:23:00.002-08:00

Save the date for this special Dolls Party--September 5, 2015, at the Los Angeles Airport Marriot Hotel. This party will celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Volks USA. I think I'll try to make it--though that's my husband's birthday.

More on the website here.

Shooting Star in MegannArt

2015-01-13T08:08:00.000-08:00

Another precious tiny new arrival is Shooting Star (in limited edition suntan resin), a Monthly Fairy by Peak's Woods. She's dressed in a perfect little dress by MegannArt and a wig from Peak's Woods. I simply adore these little fairies--her winking face is quite mischievous!

Redesigned Lottie

2015-01-12T09:31:00.000-08:00

I'm thrilled to introduce Redesigned Lottie (Peak's Woods) to you all. I've been wanting to add her to my collection for a while, but she hasn't been available, due to a mold defect. This girl is extra special: she is a one-off from the Christmas even in 2013 (I think). She's on the Absolute Beauty body in suntan skin.

You can see a few more photos of her on Flickr.

DollPamm BeBe Po-Bi tiny bjd

2015-01-10T10:48:00.000-08:00

DollPamm BeBe tiny BJD Po-Bi

One of my newer arrivals who hasn't had much camera time is Po-Bi, a camel skin tone tiny girl by DollPamm in their new BeBe size. I'm a big fan of DollPamm's stylized bodies--curves, hip, and unique jointing.

Her skin tone is a peachy tan, similar to my last tan Fairyland Pukifee Ante, only perhaps a bit lighter.

She's wearing a top from Peak's Woods Monthly Fairy Bow Jjang, and bottoms from DollinStyle.

She also included a tiny pinky and a tail.

Tiny feet--the details are perfect!

Shushu in MegannArt

2015-01-09T12:33:00.000-08:00

This is Shushu, a Peak's Woods Monthly Fairy (limited edition in this tan skin tone), dressed in a wonderful dress by MegannArt.

I adore this tiny little dolls.

Megu

2015-01-08T07:56:00.000-08:00

One of my grail dolls, Volks Megu (SD10), with a new faceup by Leah Lilly. She's an original from 2004, which I purchased from the secondary market. Here, she's in Enchanted Doll resin eyes (I think these are ED #48 18mm), a Peak's Woods wig (color F4), and Nine9Style clothing (the style is no longer in stock from the manufacturer, but I bet you could still find it from a dealer).

Elf Tristan - Peak's Woods - in real life!

2015-01-07T06:56:00.000-08:00

From yesterday's photoshoot, this is Elf Tristan, one of my 2014 acquisitions. She's just lovely--a gorgeous suntan toned doll (close in shade to Iplehouse's Special Real Skin shade, only a little warmer).

She's wearing a wig by Licht, and this is her limited edition faceup. She has great option hands, too--which included a manicure with crystals.

Mintie

2015-01-06T10:20:00.001-08:00

I've begun on my New Year's resolutions already by spending the morning taking some photos of a few of the dolls who don't get enough camera time here.

Above, it's Mintie (Peak's Woods) who is currently on an Absolute Beauty body (I think she's wearing the outfit from Into the Woods Bella the Moon, a Licht wig, and glass eyes from Mint on Card). I always forget how much I adore this sculpt!

Happy New Year's - and do you have BJD resolutions for 2015?

2015-01-01T12:05:00.000-08:00

Vampire Goldie, Fairy of Color - Peak's Woods

At the start of 2015, I thought I'd take a brief moment to look over my BJD-specific resolutions for the year. I'm not sure resolutions help me much, but it feels important, so why not?

Like or love? The first thing I need to do is pair down the number of dolls I have in my collection. I have too many to enjoy in a reasonable way. I don't like the clutter, and some need to move on. My next project will be to figure out who stays and who goes, with the hard question, Do I like this doll, or really love this doll?
Sticking to budget. I have my next book, the next edition of BJDs for Beginners, well underway, and I'd like to get it finished. Until I do, I need to stick to my budget. So far, so good--I've got Vamp Goldie on order, and I want to sell two from my "like" list before her arrival.
Continuing contemporary. I am in love with contemporary clothing for BJDs. They are really fun to style, though perhaps not as easy to find as other themes. I would like to go through my dolls' clothing and get rid of everything I don't love and that doesn't fit this style.
More photography. Practice makes perfect. I need to take more photos. Because of a recent injury to my rotator cuff, I haven't been able to lift my camera. I'm healing pretty well, though, so I'll want to start shooting whenever I can.
Decluttering the display. Part of what makes collecting BJDs fun is the display. When mine is so crowded you can't see one doll for the next, that makes things uncomfortable. If I want to display each doll I own, I'd better be sure to get rid of enough so there's room for everyone!

I think that will do it for now. Do you have any dolls on your wish list for the year? What about any major changes to your collection?

Most popular photos of 2014

2014-12-31T12:04:00.003-08:00

I thought it would be a nice way to end the year to showcase some of the more popular BJD photos from this past year. I know it's been a slow year as far as my blogs have gone--I haven't been buying as many dolls as I did last year, and my next book is coming along oh-so-slowly. But I'm hoping to have it finished by this summer--and that's being really optimistic.

I've excluded duplicate photos (that is, dolls that show up from the same photo session) in this list.

In first place (actually, in the top three spots), it's Peak's Woods suntan Dlight, default face-up. I chose this photo, the most popular with 29 favorites. This doll totally captures my heart!

In second place with 18 favorites, Lady Bee (hybrid Peak's Woods head/Doll Chateau kid body) makes an appearance with Rex, a resin BJD Pet from Eve Studio.

Next, coming in third, it's a limited edition Sir Tin Vampire Fairy Fairy of Fairytales (also by Peak's Woods). I think this photo shows off his makeup very well, but it was a quick deboxing photo taken with my iPhone.

Elf Tristan (also suntan by Peak's Woods) comes in at #4 with 16 favorites. I think she's amazing and definitely deserves more camera time.

In spot #5, it's another photo with 16 favorites, it's the Peak's Woods booth from the April Korean BJD show. I picked up Cosmo and Segi at this convention.

Spot #6 (14 favorites) is taken by the Queen Bee herself. Lavin (Peak's Woods) is modeling a OOAK gown by MegannArt.

A comparison shot between Dlight (left) and Suntan Shaia, both by Peak's Woods, comes in at #7 with 14 favorites.

In 8th place with 12 faves, it's hybrid KoonieS (Peak's Woods/Doll Chateau). This also was an iPhone photo.

The Chicline girls have been the most spoiled dolls of the year. This is Chicline Chloe, in 9th place with 11 favorites. She's dressed in Hot Blooded, an outfit by Integrity Toys (for FR:16 dolls).

Last but not least, Cue (Peak's Woods Fairy of Color) takes up my 10th spot with ten favorites. This doll was sold as a full set.

Vampire Wedding Wake-Up Goldie

2014-12-11T09:00:00.000-08:00

A quick photo of one of my grails, now in my collection: Wake-Up Goldie in suntan, Vampire Wedding, from the GoGa convention in June 2009. I think she's just lovely!

Queen Bee

2014-12-08T08:06:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to me--a gift from my friend Megann, of MegannArt designs--it's Lavin's new Queen Bee dress, based on the tattoo on my arm. I thin she came out perfectly!

Peak's Woods Lavin Fairy of Color (using the current Lolita body) is modeling, wearing glass eyes from Mint on Card (I think) and a default Peak's Woods wig.

You too can commission a gown from MegannArt when you visit her site or Etsy page.

VF Sir Tin, dressed!

2014-12-03T07:56:00.003-08:00

As you can see, Vampire Fairy Sir Tin (grey skin) is wearing is Oscar Doll jewel eyes, and I believe a Nine9Style cardigan, and a wig now. He is starting to feel at home.

If you missed these limited edition Fairies of Fairytales from Peak's Woods over the summer, you have a second chance of ordering them now--during the month of December only! Don't wait--you won't regret it.

Dlight is here!

2014-12-01T10:41:00.002-08:00

My latest Peak's Woods has arrived! It's Suntan Dlight, and here she is, in her default wig (gorgeous) and eyes. I ordered the special hands, which have long nails and are painted black with rhinestones, and are also blushed. I think she is just perfect!

If you missed out on this lovely girl, you can pick her up this month! Peak's Woods is offering all of their limited edition dolls again this holiday season, in addition to a fabulous one-off grey skin Dlight as well.

Skin tone comparison - tan, normal and blue grey

2014-11-14T08:19:00.001-08:00

A quick comparison shot of Peak's Woods new suntan skin tone (left) on Elf Tristan, and normal skin, on Segi.

Both are lovely, in my opinion--but I am a sucker for tan. Actually, I'm a sucker for Peak's Woods anything.

Plus, I'll add a quick shot of my latest arrival, too. This is Vampire Sir Tin, in the blue grey skin tone. I don't really "do" boys or vampires or fantasy skin colors, but I loved the color when I saw it in person. I think this doll is just gorgeous. This is one of his deboxing photos.

Enchanted Doll FLASH Sale

2014-11-12T08:46:00.000-08:00

It looks like those fabulous Enchanted Doll resin eyes will be available in higher quantities in their Etsy shop for a limited time during a flash sale. It will take place November 16-18, 2014. It appears that it will end earlier in the day on November 18th, so make sure to get your purchases in fast before it's too late. The flash sales are always great since there is a much larger in-stock inventory to choose from and they ship right away at a low cost.

Check them out here at the Etsy shop.

Nanuri, floating in a dream

2014-11-07T08:08:00.001-08:00

This is Nanuri Chicline (Fairyland, normal skin, large bust, faceup by 16-Bit Face-ups), modeling a new outfit by Integrity Toys. It's an outfit for Poppy Parker Fashion Teen, a 16" doll, aptly called Floating Dream. I think its unique retro feel is quite cute, and I love the stitching on the bust.

I almost couldn't get the separate belt hooked--it's very snug--but I did manage it. There are earrings included with the outfit as well. I personally think gloves would complete the look, but I wouldn't bother putting them on, to be honest. Just too much hassle!

Save the date: San Diego BJD Convention 2014

2014-11-07T07:40:00.001-08:00

San Diego BJD Convention
November 15th, 2014
10AM-4:30PM
Marina Village
Starboard & Terrace Rooms
1936 Quivira Way
San Diego, CA 92109

This Year's Theme is Feisty Fairy Tales. Admittance is just $10 (cash only) at the door. There will be a costume contest, and Volks is supplying the winning entry with a Super Dollfie! Notice that this year, the convention is taking up two rooms instead of one--I'm so pleased to see this!

Here is a list of vendors attending this year:

AnimeCoast
Habi's Rabbits BJD Shop
Karlyl's Creations
La Esperanza Doll Shop
MegannArt
Mischief Maker
Nancy Hay Decorative Arts
PamSD's Miniature Costuming
Pixiedust Designs
Shiny Jumble
Snowy Creek Treasures
Studio KNH
Susan Lake Designs
The Doll Peddlar
Volks USA

I'm attending, of course. Come see me at MegannArt's table--I'll be assisting her with her sales and her new baby!

Here is the current schedule:

8:00 AM
Dealer Setup
10:00 AM
Convention Opens
10:30 AM
Announcements
11:00 AM
Doll Costume Contest Opens
12:30 PM
Fantasy Parts Blushing Workshop
2:00 PM
Restringing Workshop
3:00 PM
Costume Contest Ballot Box Closes
3:45 PM
Dealer's Room Closes
4:00 PM
Doll Costume Winners Announced
4:15 PM
Door Prizes Awarded
4:30 PM
Convention Closes