Sparkle Sugar | where we think pink

May 10, 2012
by alice
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Ms. Mariko No Longer

It took me a very long time to name my poor Dollfie Dream girl! I’ve been agonizing over her name for weeks now. Nothing seemed right, and I kept flip-flopping. Did I want a floral name? A Victorian name? A Japanese name? I had a whole list of suggestions, but just couldn’t make up my mind. I like to wait to name my dolls until I’ve settled on a name that I’m satisfied with, but I also don’t like leaving them unnamed.

Finally, I decided on Lily. ♥

I wanted a name that is floral (check), Victorian (check), short (check), and simple (check). Lilies aren’t one of my favourite flowers, so it didn’t immediately come to mind. For a while I was thinking about calling her “Mary.” Thinking about the name “Mary” turned my thoughts towards “Mary Lennox” of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I’m particularly fond of the musical version of The Secret Garden, which expands on the plot and some of the other characters, and in the musical the late Mrs. Craven (Mary’s aunt and Colin’s mother) is named Lily. She’s a beautiful and tragic figure, loved deeply and deeply loving, with a life ended too soon only when it seemed she would be happiest. Despite that, her ghost remains present during the musical, always watching over the ones she loves. With that in mind, I decided on “Lily” for my Ms. Mariko~

I also took the plunge and swapped out Lily’s bust!

Ms. Mariko’s default bust is a “Large Shapely Bust.” It is very large indeed, and the “shapely” phrase describes the fact that the breasts are sculpted as if in an invisible push-up bra. I know it’s a very popular bust for Dollfie Dream girls, but it really isn’t to my taste. It was easy to overlook when she was fully-clothed, but every time I changed her outfit I thought to myself that I would prefer she be less endowed.

There are no alternate body parts available for the Dollfie Dream Sister body, particularly not in whiteskin, so I purchased a DDII-B-03S Small Bust from Volks USA. I wasn’t sure it would fit on the DDS skeleton, but I was willing to give it a try. I finally worked up the courage to act, so last night I removed her head, slid her default bust off the skeleton, and replaced the new bust. The DDII small bust is not exactly the same proportions as the DDS bust. The DDS bust is slightly shorter, slight wider at the abdomen opening, slightly narrower in the shoulders, and the curve of the neck is much more gentle. It was a nerve-wracking tight squeeze to fit the narrower abdomen opening of the DDII bust over the DDS skeleton, but I didn’t need a hairdryer–just patience and steadiness. The DDII bust piece sits slightly higher than the DDS bust piece by a few millimeters, which causes very slight gaps at the top of the arms after the arms are re-installed. It’s not very noticeable, however, particularly if the doll’s shoulders are covered; I am definitely not bothered by it in the slightest.

Lily, with her new bust, in the darling tartan dress set I had my eye on from the very start with the promotional images~
I’m much more satisfied with Lily now that she doesn’t have such an extreme chest, even though some of her dresses now seem quite loose in the top. I’m excited that she’ll now be able to wear Lucy‘s default outfit with no trouble~

April 10, 2012
by alice
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Ms. Mariko Has Arrived!

I am so thrilled~! My newest doll is finally here!

I posted a short photostory about her arrival on the Dollfie Dream forums, which can be viewed here. ♥

She’s just so CUTE!

March 22, 2012
by alice
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Counting Down to Ms. Mariko

I am so very excited about Ms. Mariko~ I thought I wouldn’t hear any more news about her until mid-April, but last week I learned that the Dolpa 26 dolls were ready to ship to Kerbey Lane! I paid her remaining balance immediately, and I’ve been anxiously awaiting more information since then~ I am so thrilled to finally have her almost here.

I was lucky in another doll-related way, too~ There are some outfits from the Dolpa 26 collection that I hoped to get for my incoming Dollfie Dream. Dollfie Dream are able to wear some Super Dollfie clothing and my doll will already have an included outfit, but I wanted to get something special and just for her. I really love doll clothes, after all! Kerbey Lane offers an advance lottery for regular items, and through her I was successful in securing the Missionary High School Girl Set and the Cache-Couer Dress Set~ ♥ (Although there is one more outfit that I still want… maybe I’ll be lucky via Volks USA.)

Missionary High School Girl Set
I’m quite excited about this outfit because I really adore uniforms. When I saw some of Salica‘s posts showing photos of Ms. Mariko wearing one of the older gray school uniforms, I was smitten! I really like the collar of the blouse for this uniform and the belt-esque waist details.

Cache-Couer Dress Set
This outfit is an absolute “win” in my opinion, because it was one of the first outfits that I saw Ms. Mariko modeling on the Dollfie Dream blog. It was really this redressed picture that made me see how cute the doll was, much more than her default photos in her casual professional attire. I already have an affinity for plaid and gray is one of my favourite colours; it’s the sort of dress that I’d like to wear~

Extra-exciting is the fact that these outfits will ship with my doll, so it will all arrive at once~ ♥

WM-88 from WigWing
I also have a wig waiting for her arrival~ I don’t mind her default, but I have been envisioning her with dark hair. Several weeks ago I spotted the perfect wig for her at WigWing, but I put off ordering it for a while. After staring at it dreamily for days, I finally ordered it.

I am really satisfied with WigWing, and I am already eying a few more wigs I would like to buy eventually. It took me a little while to figure out their system, as they accept English-language international orders on a message board–not via a shopping cart. Once I was registered and posted with what I wanted, however, it was easy. They responded very quickly–usually less than 24 hours–and my wig was shipped the day after I paid. Their shipping method is EMS, and the wig arrived with blazing speed!

The wig stretches funny on Mimi’s head because it’s much larger than the size for this wig, so I displayed it on her hand.
The wig itself is very soft, very full, and has a skin base at the part, which I like. The cut is just like in the pictures, too! No additional styling required. If all of their wigs are this nice, I definitely wouldn’t mind owning a few more. I think I like this wig more than the Crobidoll wigs.

I did get one other thing for Ms. Mariko–her very own Lucy Maria Misora!

Another whiteskin Dollfie Dream with a melancholy expression!
Haha, that’s mostly a joke~ ♥ I did enter the lottery for Lucy, and I was successful, but I’m not in the market for another Dollfie Dream so quickly. Lucy is pretty cute, but not really to my taste. Her outfit, however… absolutely to my taste. I’m not concerned by the fact that she’s a small bust and my incoming doll is not; I’ll make it work somehow. (I’ve wanted to swap out her bust anyway.)

There’s already someone else who wants the doll very dearly, so it seems like it will work out very well between us. Just one more thing to wait for~ ♥

Also, maybe my new camera eventually. Tracking that thing down with the back order is very tough!

February 7, 2012
by alice
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Dollfie Dream Ms. Mariko

In late December I was idly browsing the Volks USA website and happened to take a peek at the Doll’s Party 26 limited items. I’m not a very close follower of new doll releases, particularly because I’m so satisfied with my current dolls, but I do like to see what’s new every once in a while. I scrolled down the page idly, admiring the two new Nonos but not terribly interested in trying for one myself, and then I hit the section of the page with the Dollfie Dream releases.

Before I became interested in ball-jointed dolls and even before I started wearing lolita fashion, Pullips were a major hobby of mine. At one point I owned four Pullips and one Taeyang (Pullip’s second boyfriend). Considering that I was also a teenager working a part-time job and I still collected My Little Pony toys actively, that was dedication. At the time, one of the popular websites for Pullip owners to buy wigs for their dolls is Can Can J Series. One of the Pullip models featured on this website (currently in the banner at the top of the page) is a Pullip head on a large Obitsu vinyl body. (Here is a picture of her! I think she used to be featured on their website, but I can’t seem to find that area anymore.)

I thought she was AMAZING! (In fact, I still do!) The Pullip head is actually approximately the same size as a 1/3 scale ball-jointed doll’s head, so when the head is on 1/3 scale body (I’m not sure if this one is 50cm, 55cm, or 60cm…) it is technically proportional. If you collect Pullip dolls, whose proportions are dramatically exaggerated, it looks very strange–but if you collect ball-jointed dolls it looks just about right, but with a less realistic face. For years this was something that I wanted to do. It takes some modification to the head for it to fit on the larger body–you need to dremel the neck hole to be larger, but there are tutorials for that sort of thing.

For a while I planned to make a “big Pullip” of my very own, inspired by the doll I had first seen and the tutorial I found later. That didn’t ultimately happen, but I think in a way it helps explain how I feel about Dollfie Dream. I really like Dollfie Dream. Ball-jointed dolls are fun, but so are vinyl dolls. There are advantages and disadvantages either way, due to the differences in materials amd construction. Some people are exclusively devoted to one way or the other, but since I’ve owned dolls with small articulated bodies and larger elastic-strung bodies I’m not opposed to either.

I hadn’t previously been interested in buying a Dollfie Dream because I just hadn’t seen a doll that I really liked. I did follow some general announcements about Dollfie Dream simply because they are made by Volks and news about these dolls is sometimes included with news about Volks’ ball-jointed dolls. When I started reading about the Dollfie Dream Sister body I really liked its smaller size and slighter build. I thought Akira was pretty cute, but nothing about her made me want to enter the lottery.

I love this image of Ms. Mariko! This plaid dress is so sweet on her~

When I saw Ms. Mariko, my reaction was immediate. I didn’t even really think about it, I just did it. I found the information for the two USA vendors, We Love Dolls and Kerbey Lane Doll Shoppe, and I did my best to the USA lottery as fully as I possibly could. I even started preparing for possibly entering the international lottery or searching Yahoo!Japan auctions.

Thankfully, it didn’t come to that! I received notification from one of the vendors that I had been successful in the lottery and promptly did an excited dance and rang up a doll friend to squee about it.

Since then, I’ve been trying to learn more about Dollfie Dream dolls before she arrives. I’d also like to get a few things for her, like eyes, wigs, clothing, and shoes…but that’s not as easy as it used to be now that I have student loan payments. I do have until April, however! That’s plenty of time!

I have no idea what I will name her or what “type” of girl she will be for me, but I love her timid face and her pale skin. Her frightened and unsure expression makes me want to reassure her that everything is okay and she’s in a wonderful place~ ♥ I’m feel really satisfied lately with my current “doll family,” and Ms. Mariko will be a perfect addition~ She’ll even be able to share some clothing, shoes, and wigs with Mimi, although they aren’t precisely the same size.

I can’t wait to see her! Maybe by that time I’ll even have my new camera!

January 2, 2012
by alice
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2012 Doll Resolutions

I didn’t quite get around to crossing everything off of my list of doll-related resolutions for 2012, although I feel like I made good progress. The two that I did not complete in 2011, a faceup for Mimi and a couch for the dolls, were mostly left off due to budgetary constraints. I entered the Volks lottery to purchase a new doll, Dollfie Dream Sister Ms. Mariko and thus allocated funds towards the doll purchase instead of towards a faceup and couch. (I’ll be posting about Ms. Mariko soon; I’m so very excited!)

As such, I’m carrying over my previous doll resolutions into 2012 to start off my list:
1. Commission artist to repaint Nono’s makeup
2. Volks couch for larger dolls
3. Petit Luxury furniture for Pullips (Marshmallow couch)
4. Sell Pullip Raphia
5. Smaller bust for incoming Ms. Mariko

I’ve settled on the artist that I’d like to commission for Mimi’s new makeup, and I’m hoping to be able to do that at least by the middle of the year. The couch is something I’d like to purchase before 2012 is over. It’s both high on my priorities and simultaneously not terribly high on my priorities. I don’t have any new resolutions, at least not concerning those two dolls. I’m branching out my doll resolutions for 2012 to include Pullips and Dollfie Dream, dolls that I didn’t own in early 2011.

Petite Luxury couch (Marshmallow)

This is the “marshmallow” fantasy colour for the Petit Luxury furniture series.

I currently own two Pullips, Clover and Thistle. I really adore them just as they are, with their stock faceups, stock wigs, stock eyechips, and stock outfits. (The only exception is Romantic Alice Pink ver.’s shoes; they’re terrible. Clearly they’re made for type 2 feet rather than her own type 4 feet.) I’d like a nice place to display them sitting down, and the Petit Luxury furniture is really adorable.

During 2011 I bought several Pullips; I was a bit overwhelmed about getting back into a hobby that I used to be a part of. I eventually realized that I only want two Pullips–Romantic Alice and Romantic Alice Pink ver. This left me with a few girls that needed to find new homes; the Stica head that I customized, the Bloody Red Hood that I never opened, and the Raphia that I never opened. The customized head and Bloody Red Hood found new homes quickly, but not Raphia. I’d like to actually sell her, rather than having her sit around in my closet.

DDS Ms. Mariko This is one of the promotional shots for Ms. Mariko. It really emphasizes her…assets.

My newest doll for 2012 will be a Dollfie Dream, Ms. Mariko. She’s a vinyl doll of 1/3 scale, with a slightly shorter and slimmer proportion than a normal Dollfie Dream because she’s on a Dollfie Dream Sister body. Some of her unique features include whiteskin (she’s the first DDS with that skin tone) and a “shapely” large bust. I really adore her skintone and her face, but I’m not quite a fan of her bust. I’d like to get her a smaller bust, at least to have an an optional piece. However, there is not currently an M or S optional bust for the DDS body in whiteskin. I haven’t decided yet whether I want to use a DD piece that won’t fit quite right, or wait and see if there will be options forthcoming.

That sums up my goals for 2012, though~ I hope the next year will be a good one! (And I’ll have to put some of my doll plans on hold for a wee bit, as I was sideswiped by the new year’s Angelic Pretty lucky packs and hit my bank card on the way down. XD)

January 1, 2012
by alice
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2010 FCS Milk Tea Omukae

On various doll forums that I frequent, my username is typically “milkytea.” In 2010, “milk tea” was the theme for Volks’ full-choice system welcoming (omukae) outfits. I adored those outfits the moment that I saw them–they’re ruffled, old-fashioned, and in muted tones of ivory, dusty rose, and chocolate brown. I liked the outfits so much that at times I imagined ordering a full-choice doll just to keep the outfit. I kept my eyes open for an FCS split where I could chip in for the outfit, but none were available during the times I would check.

2010 FCS Omukae "Milk Tea" The two that I have my eye on are the SD girl and MSD girl sets, as those fit the two dolls that reside in my home.

Owning those outfits had become a distant daydream. “Someday,” I’d think, “I’ll find them for sale.” I’d seen a few “want to buy” posts for the outfits, or spotted people selling only pieces (particularly the white coats, which are fairly unpopular), but I really wanted the complete sets. The boots are particularly beautiful; because of that, they are particularly difficult to find for sale.

In mid-December I made a comment on another Flickr user’s photo…and I nearly fell off my chair when I saw a response offering to serve as a proxy for the outfits. It didn’t take me more than a second or two to make up my mind. Yes, I was serious, and yes, I wanted those beautiful dresses for my dolls! We worked out the order details as quick as a flash, and by the end of the month I saw the confirmation papers for the outfit orders.

I am so thankful to be able to purchase these beautiful outfits for my dolls. There are truly some generous and kind people in the doll community. I’m so excited~! Hopefully they’ll be ready to pick up in four to six weeks from the date the order was placed, and then the proxy will check them for quality before sending them my way. When they finally arrive I’m sure my dolls will wear only those outfits for weeks~

August 14, 2011
by alice
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Another Shoe Saga

Wishing for no postal service-related issues was just not to be. I feel like I am under a shoe curse–if I purchase doll shoes, the postal service will somehow make it less than a smooth transaction. The girl that I purchased the shoes from was courteous, prompt with communication, and shipped very quickly. The package was traveling internationally via registered mail, so I knew that I had a while to wait. I checked the tracking every few days or so, so that I wouldn’t miss it like last time. I didn’t see much activity there, but one day I came home to the orange “delivery attempted” slip in my mailbox.

The next day I headed to the package annex (my old enemy…) and tried to retrieve my parcel.

This did not go as planned; they couldn’t find my package.

I left a photocopy of my “delivery attempted” slip and my phone number. The worker told me that they would keep looking for my package and I’d be called when it was found.

I waited one week before I finally called back. This was an adventure in and of itself, because package annexes aren’t listed in the United States Postal Service directories that are available on the website or through the annoyingly-automated phone line. It wasn’t until I spoke to an actual customer service representative that they could search the full database and give me the phone number for the carrier annex. It isn’t an actual post office–you can’t mail packages or buy stamps, you can only pick up mail that couldn’t be delivered.

When I called, I was worried that if wasn’t located soon my package would be returned to the sender due to being “undeliverable” even though I had been trying so hard to complete the delivery. I spent a very long time on hold–around 45 minutes–and spoke to several different people. No one even asked for my tracking number or name, and only eventually did anyone ask my address! The last person that I spoke to told me that they still couldn’t find it, and I hadn’t been called because they hadn’t found it, but they’d call me soon. I interrupted her and let her know that it was sent internationally, via registered mail, and that I didn’t want it returned to the sender.

At the mention of “registered mail,” suddenly they found it. ¬_¬

After work that day I hurried to the annex and waited patiently, only to be told–yet again–that they didn’t know where it was. I explained that it was international registered mail and that I had spoken to someone not too long ago who had said they knew where it was. The worker I was talking to looked at the slip again and goes, “Oh, it’s a letter.”

I interjected, “No, it isn’t a letter. It’s a very small package.”

The slip was flipped over and the front array of check-boxes pointed to. “See, it says letter. I’ll be right back.”

Thankfully my “letter” was actually an airmail envelope clearly stretched over a small box. It was handed to me with a off-handed “here’s your letter-that-isn’t-a-letter.”

I opened it as soon as I stepped outside. The shoes are lovely–demure and cute. They’ll look amazing with so many light-coloured outfits that Mimi might wear. I’m so glad they’re here now, but I’m not so keen on buying other shoes and having them shipped… this is just kinda ridiculous. I hope this doesn’t become a recurring theme with all of my mail!

July 7, 2011
by alice
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Update on 2011 Doll Resolutions: SHOES

I’ve been working on crossing items off my small (but respectable, I think) list of doll-related things to do this year~ There was a bit of a wrench thrown in, at least in terms of getting black shoes for my SD, but thankfully that all worked out in the end. ♥

White shoes (MSD)
Black shoes (SD)
White shoes (SD)
Commission artist to repaint Nono’s makeup
Couch for display

I’m not sure if it happened this way because shoes are at the top of the list or if shoes are less expensive or easier to find, but so far I’ve been making progress only on my shoe-related goals. Regardless, I’m glad to be making progress of any kind. The year’s about half-way through, so that gives me time to work on the final two items on my list, which are more involved.

This is the official image of the Volks Shoes BOUTIQUE shoes that I purchased for my MSD, Claire.

The first item on the list was a lot easier than I thought it would be~ I’d been looking for a pair of white shoes for my MSD to wear. She has a few pairs of shoes already, but both are black. They tend to look a little bit out of place when she wears outfits dominated by a lighter colour.

When these cute little shoes appeared on the Volks USA website, they were too perfect to resist. They look darling on her. I particularly love the criss-cross straps (Two pairs of her shoes have straps of this kind; that’s how much I like them.) and the small bow. I wish I had a pair of shoes like this in my size~

Volks x BABY the Stars Shine Bright Rocking Horse Shoes

The official image for the Shoes BOUTIQUE Collaboration Shoes from Home Town Dolls Party Kyoto 5. These are the Volks x BABY the Stars Shine Bright rocking horse shoes in black for Super Dollfie.

The second pair of shoes, this time for my SD, was significantly more difficult thanks to the postal service. However, they’re now here safe and sound, and I’m very happy. One of the things that I really like about rocking horse shoes, in general, is that the design is simple and thus matches well with most outfits, but despite the simplicity the design is also bold and unique, so they aren’t boring.

I’ve always been partial to the silhouette and aesthetics of rocking horse shoes, but I hate the way that wearing platforms makes me feel very tall, so I didn’t want a pair for myself. Now I can admire them on my doll~ ★

A cropped section of the official image for the Volks Serenade Rose outfit from the SD High Competition: Nono, to focus on the white shoes.

I thought that would be it for a while in terms of shoes, but I was wrong!

I like the overall design of the Serenade Rose outfit. It’s very elegant and romantic, with all that lace and pink and ruffles~ A close friend of mine owns this outfit for her Nono, and it’s so charming! The pictures on the website don’t really do it justice. I wasn’t interested in buying this outfit for my own doll, because even though I like the design it’s a bit too mature for the way I like to portray my dolls. I think the top is reminiscent of corsetry or lingerie, and the exposed garters are a bit risqué. It’s not inappropriate, but it’s not quite what I want my doll to wear.

The shoes, however, are beautiful. The rounded toe, evenly raised sole, bow detail, and crossed velveteen straps are all the sorts of things that I really like. I was particularly impressed when I saw the shoes on my friend’s doll, as the pictures online don’t exactly highlight the shoes.

The Serenade Rose set is fairly popular, so I didn’t think I would be able to purchase just a piece of it…but I was~ I found someone selling only the shoes on the Den of Angels Marketplace. ♥ Hopefully this time there won’t be any postal service-related hassles!!

I’m going to be thinking about Mimi’s new face up next. I ought to figure out exactly what I want from the finished product before I choose an artist. There are so many styles available~

July 6, 2011
by alice
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Rocking Horse Shoe Saga

As mentioned in an earlier post, I was thrilled to find a pair of black Volks x BABY the Stars Shine Bright rocking horse shoes for sale at Dollfie World, and purchased them immediately. I ordered on May 9, and opted for registered airmail instead of EMS. I usually choose EMS for overseas shipments. It’s pricey, but it’s also very fast, insured, and reliable. I don’t mind paying more for that peace of mind. I didn’t choose EMS for this purchase, however, because I didn’t need the shoes by a certain date and the jump in pricing from airmail to EMS was nearly quadruple!

In hindsight, I wish I had ordered EMS!

My item shipped on May 12–very promptly after my order. I kept an eye on the tracking information, noticing that it made it to the US and passed customs on May 20. The final note stated that it had been delivered on May 23.

The only problem was that I didn’t have it.

I searched my area, asked around about it, called the postal service to inquire, and almost put up signs near mailboxes asking if anyone had received my package. I didn’t find it in a week, or two weeks, and I started to feel convinced that it had been stolen. I live in Chicago–packages get stolen all the time. For me, this was really upsetting. The post office had delivered my package and recorded it as delivered, so I couldn’t claim the insurance. I was simply out of luck.

This soured my interest in dolls. I stopped being very active on Den of Angels, left my dolls in their carrier, and didn’t browse doll-related websites. Every time I did something doll-related, it reminded me about the shoes that I had paid for and never received. Whoever had stolen my package certainly wouldn’t be able to profit from a pair of doll shoes, so I imagined that the still-sealed card was tossed into a garbage can or dumpster, discarded by the perpetrator as worthless. I briefly looked for a replacement pair, but it was so upsetting to think that I’d have to buy the same item twice just to own it once!

When I was finally coming to terms with the fact that the shoes were gone, I came home from work on June 30 to find a “we missed you” delivery notification in my mailbox. I wasn’t waiting for anything and the tracking number wasn’t filled out, so I didn’t know what it was. I stopped at the post office the next day, handed in the card, and received a book-sized package. The customs form noted the contents as “DOLL SHOES.”

I'm so lucky to have finally received it! I had given up hope of ever seeing this package by the time it arrived.

I opened it and was thrilled to see the rocking horse shoes I bought in May!

I was so excited about receiving these shoes that I did my best to chronicle the "box opening" (err...envelope opening) despite it just being shoes.

I contacted the postal service to ask what had happened, and the explanation that I was given was that my package had been scanned incorrectly–indicating that it was delivered when it had never been out for delivery. It was later found and then the actual delivery was attempted. Not a very satisfying explanation, but I can’t really do anything to change it!

Overall, Dollfie World did a wonderful job packaging the shoes. Within the outer brown envelope, the shoes were taped up in layers of bubble wrap, and the bubbled wrapped shoes were then slipped into a cardboard sleeve to prevent them from being crushed. I really appreciated that kind of detail, because I wanted to save the plastic bubble and back card. (At least for a little bit.)

The shoes were very close to gether, with their straps tightly wrapped around the outside-facing soles of both shoes, so the straps look kinked in this picture. They started to "soften" when I put the shoes on a doll.

They look really great~ ★ I’m so satisfied! They look even nicer in person than they did in the pictures that I saw when buying the shoes. The material is smooth and has a nice sheen without being shiny. The straps are thick, but don’t look too overwhelming, the fit is good (it should be, since they’re from the same company as my doll, but sometimes that sort of thing just doesn’t work out as it ought to), and the platform soles look really nice. (I’m not sure if they’re actually wood or not–they’re well-painted so they could potentially be plastic or another material.)

I adore the way they look on my doll's feet~ They're so cute! I can't wait to take pictures of her wearing them. They should go well with several of her outfits.

Overall, I’m incredibly satisfied!

Quality: 10/10
These shoes are so nice that they just don’t have anything to improve on!

Price: 9/10
These were not inexpensive, but I didn’t feel the price was totally unreasonable. The amount that I paid was actually slightly less than it would have cost me had the shoes been brand-new shoes subject to the current exchange rate between yen and the US dollar.

Communication: 10/10
Dollfie World was particularly helpful during my ordeal with the package. I emailed to get more information about the shipment, hoping to track down more information, and Natalie always responded to me right away. Before the fiasco even started, they began with solid communication regarding the order–I received emails to update me at every step along the way.

Service: 10/10
The order was processed without complication and shipped immediately. My only lack of service came from the US postal service.

Shipping: 10/10
Was this a shipping nightmare? Yes. Was it Dollfie World‘s fault? No. They filled out the forms correctly, addressed my package correctly, packaged my purchase sufficiently, and mailed quickly. They don’t deserve to be penalized for something beyond their control.

Satisfaction: 10/10
My satisfaction with the reseller, Dollfie World, is 100%! I would certainly order from them again.

My satisfaction with the US postal service…not so much. At least I received my package eventually!

May 16, 2011
by alice
1 Comment

2011 Doll Resolutions

I’ve set a few goals for this year that are specifically related to my dolls. There are things that I really like about my dolls, and things that really frustrate me about my dolls. I’m aiming to take care of the things that really frustrate me so that I can overall enjoy my dolls much more~ Sometimes it’s tempting to alleviate those kinds of feelings by purchasing new dolls, but that is not what I want to do.

Shoes are a big sore spot for me. I have high standards for shoes; I don’t like seeing glue marks, over-sized hardware, or raw and unfinished edges. I’m also not very much interested in “gothic” or “punk” styled footwear, nor do I like most of the girly shoes that are chunky and have bold design elements. I don’t care much for high heels, either. I’m also rather picky about the fit, because I don’t like it when the shoes are loose enough that they gape or fall off. This makes it difficult to find shoes that I really want to own…but I dislike it when my dolls don’t have shoes to match their lovely outfits. Getting “proper” shoes is very high on my list.

Another thing that I’d like is a sofa that both of my dolls can sit on. I think it would be a nice place to display them. I like to keep them tucked away when I’m not doing anything with them–usually in their boxes or carrying case–but it would be nice to have a space to leave them out for a bit. Although they’re both very stable when standing, I don’t like to leave them up like that. I usually sit them on boxes or books that happen to be nearby, but it would be much nicer to have an actual couch in their scale. I really love a certain couch that Volks makes, but it is out of stock~ (And really, really expensive…)

This is the couch that I really love. I think the fabric and the detailing are amazing. I wish I could find this in a size for my own home~

Mimi currently has her default airbrushed faceup that all standard 2008 renewal Nonos have. It’s not horrible–I actually like it much more than I thought I would, particularly now that her eyes are changed from the stock acrylics. However, it doesn’t have the impact that I’d like her makeup to have. I want her to look natural, but less neutral. I’m currently toying with the idea of sending her to a “big name” artist, but I’m concerned that the look will be too overdone. Her future faceup is something I’m really thinking about.

White shoes (MSD)
Black shoes (SD)
White shoes (SD)
Commission artist to repaint Nono’s makeup
Couch for display

I’ve already started working my way towards crossing off my list~ I found a darling pair of white shoes for Claire when I ordered the tweed carrying case, and the black rocking horse shoes for Mimi will be her black shoes. I’m looking at faceup artists and trying to decide who I would prefer to have Mimi repainted–hopefully that can happen before the autumn.