Little Pullip Swan

She is my first (and probably only) Pullip. Got her through Joan. It's really great to have fellow doll collectors willing to help you to get the doll you fancy! I was checking ebay for some but the shipping fee instantly doubles the cost so I don't buy online unless I'm "highly motivated".

Dressed in a ballerina outfit with a feathered headdress, Swan Lake has got to be the inspiration for this doll. Unlike regular sized Pullip dolls, little Pullip dolls have limited articulation but that is not gonna stop me from posing her as if she's really dancing ballet, is it?

I mentioned in earlier entries that, to me, these big headed dolls, with their eyes wide open, have a sense of child-like innocence not common in Barbie dolls. That's their appeal to me. Although regular Pullip has a big head and wide eyes, I don't think she's that innocent (by that I mean young or child-like) with her womanly curves.  (That is why I'm only interested in the mini version.) The curves are also reflected in the little version (as shown in the photo below) but it is easy to hide those with loose fitting clothes (it's quite difficult to make fitted clothes for their size).

One good thing about little Pullip is that she can be re-wigged and the eye chips can be replaced. I already like her purple eyes. Once I figure how to carefully remove her glued wig, I'm gonna make her another wig in either black or dark brown.

Sunsun and Seasea

Long before Blythe Loves Littlest Pet Shop dolls were sold here, I already ordered one for myself at eBay. Yes, it cost me more (money and patience) but I thought they were never gonna be sold here. (It's not my loss really. I'll explain in another post if I feel like it.) It was only yesterday that I was able to claim the 1st LPS Blythe I ever bought!

The thing with Blythe Loves LPS Swim & Sun is that it was not my favorite. I really like Playfully Plaid (with her darker hair) but since Swim & Sun has a more buyer friendly shipping rate (since it has a smaller box), I chose it. I was okay with having my 3rd LPS Blythe, but then on my way home yesterday I passed by the toy store and saw LPS Sunshine Island. It looked like my favorite Playfully Plaid but I like it more because it has brown eyes! Although there was one thing I didn't like, the painted on leggings.

I thought I'll just head swap the two and sell the Swim and Sun head on the Sunshine Island body but while de-boxing both I felt that these two are twin sisters never to be parted! I decided to keep them both. Sunshine Island will now be called Sunsun and Swim & Sun will be Seasea.

Sunsun: Seasea, you look cute in your swimsuit.
Seasea: I know, right. I really can't wait to swim.
Sunsun: You're favorite activity must be swimming.
Seasea: Since we don't have a pool and live far from the beach, I find it too much of a hassle. I like bowling better.

Sunsun: Bowling?
Seasea: Yes. We don't have to go far to go bowling and it's indoors so we'll be safe from sun damage.
Sunsun: I guess you're right but you can't go like that bowling.
Seasea: Of course I can. I'll show you. Follow me to the kitchen. (<- click that...*wink*)

Small Steps

The shelf I bought two weeks ago is slowly looking like a dollhouse. The main occupants of the shelf/dollhouse are my two male Heidi Ott dolls but the population of my 12th scale dolls has grown courtesy of a friend.

I'm also slowly procuring more 12th scale furniture, most of which are locally bought. They cost a little more than the ones I can get from eBay but eBay shopping is risky and requires a lot of waiting, things I don't want to deal with right now, so I settled for the local store even if the design options are very limited and the stocks lacking.

Toilet fixtures like the bowl and sink are not available locally so I have to rely on eBay for that. I also noted on each picture things I want to do. Of course, other than what I noted, there are more things to make or acquire like the miniature bedside lamp, changing the sheets etc.

I'm trying to make the dollhouse look like a home for an ordinary couple without kids. I'd like to use less opulent looking furniture and the space for each area of the house will seem cramped, like regular people making do of the little spaces they live in.

I initially planned to use the 1st floor as the living room but I later decided to divide the floor into two areas (area not room)--the living area and the study area. I'm thinking that the occupants of this house are not very much into entertaining guest. They do like surfing the net to maybe blog or shop online. One of them likes books so there must be a big bookshelf. They also like to cuddle while watching a good movie at home.

Both of them agreed that take outs are unhealthy so they rely mainly on home cooked dinner. And just like any Filipino family, they bond over food. They keep up to date with each other over dinner. That is why the second floor is just for that.

Did I say Filipino? But Heidi Ott dolls are too pale to look Filipino. So I'm trying different methods of dyeing the dolls. I've tried dyes for clothes, oil pastel and even ink (yes permanent markers) but they weren't so permanent after all. Some of the ideas I tried are really stupid. I should have put more research into it. I tried to use watercolor pencil and it turned out okay. I just need to find a way making the color even.

And I was able to try my hands on making clothes for these small dolls. Their size limits the things I can to with their clothes but with dollhouse dolls, it's not really about the fashion. :)