Have you heard about Tiny Frock Shop? (Fabulous Vintage Doll Clothes!)

I'll be honest, I have no idea how I even first came across TinyFrockShop.com.  I've spent a lot of time tooling around the internet searching for various types of vintage dolls, it's hard to keep track!

The Tiny Frock Shop is a website filled with modern, vintage and oldstock 1/6th fashion doll clothing.  Occasionally, they also have gently used and NIB dolls for sale as well.

The shop is owned by Pamela Thompson, a fashion designer who worked alongside the likes of Betsey Johnson and Anna Sui.  Once she moved from New York City to Chicago, she founded Tiny Frock Shop as a fashion outlet for her creativity. 

Once I started digging into the site, I knew an order wasn't far behind.  Not only is the selection incredible, the prices are amazing and they update with new items frequently.  Everything on the site very well organized into separate categories for each type of clothing, which is just the icing on the cake as far as I'm concerned.  I love sites that make it easy to find what you're looking for!

My package arrived a few days ago, but I was only able to pick it up this afternoon.  It shipped very quickly, only a couple of days after ordering.

Vintage doll clothing and accessories from Tiny Frock Shop.

Hah, do you see those ridiculously eighties dresses?  I almost died when I found them on the site.  They're two of my favorite dresses I remember having for my own Barbies when I was a kid.  I absolutely could NOT resist!  In all, I purchased a striped blouse, the two eighties dresses, a jacket, a tiny pink canvas backpack, a pleated circle skirt, a Rockers tee, some high waisted shorts and a pair of pink sneakers.  With shipping included, everything came to around $30.  The little butterfly dress was a freebie thrown in :D.

The quality of the clothing is fantastic.  You'd never know these items were vintage if it weren't for their telltale styles.  I dressed up my Mami and Madoka Pure Neemo girls in the super bright dresses.  They look like a couple of Spank! girls!

Pure Neemo Tomoe Mami and Kaname Madoka

It's so cute, I can't even stand it!

Meanwhile, Suzette looks perfect in my new LITD Midge's alternate dress and the high waisted circle skirt.

Uneeda Miss Suzette

According to a post I read on Tumblr, I guess Suzette is out to get herself a man.  From the size of that bow, she really means business.

I'm already planning another order from TinyFrockShop!  I can't recommend them highly enough!

Workspace Wednesday: Sculpting the Monster High Custom Clicker Zombie from The Last of Us

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of videogames.  I'm actually taking a brief pause from hoarding gold in Diablo III to post this >_>.  The Last of Us from Naughty Dog absolutely captured my heart.  Then it stomped on it, set it on fire, and then tossed it in a pile of excrement.  I don't think I've ever seen a game that was quite so completely, unbearably awful to its characters.  Tragedies aside, it's one of the greatest (and most terrifying) stories ever told.

I've been talking about creating a custom Clicker and Ellie custom Monster High set for months and I finally got the kick in the pants to proceed thanks to watching Feral Works' breathtaking progress on her Clicker mask.

Sculpting to the sounds of the Yogscast.

I started off by lopping the face off (and a few fingers) of a Dragon Girl Create a Monster.  Instead of just sculpting the cordyceps on top of the head, I really wanted it to look like it was exploding from inside the cranial cavity.  I laid down a base layer of air drying foam clay for added texture.  Once dry, it's actually a bit squishy and flexible to the touch.  A few days of drying later, I began to add more details using Super Sculpey.  The foam clay is nice, but it's nearly impossible to create little details.

Adding texture and stability to the Clicker using Super Sculpey.

I also wanted to be able to paint these smaller details more efficiently, since the foam clay tends to soak up paint.  It has the added benefit of creating more stability for the foam clay as well.

As with most of my Sculpey use, the layers are kept thin enough to be hand cured with a heat gun.  Tufts of hair will be added between the cordyceps fungus.  I'm playing around with a few different ideas for adding 'decay' to the body, but I haven't decided on which looks best yet.

There's still a lot more progress to go, including creating an outfit, but I'm really liking how the custom looks right now :).  Thanks for reading!

Monster High Commissions: Honey Swamp and Jane Boolittle for Machelle

These two girls were created for Machelle :).  I can't even express how much I love painting Honey.  I really need to get my hands on another of my own so I can really get at that amazing body detailing.

She's one of the most amazing dolls I've ever seen from a playline release.  Pink and green is one of my favorite color combinations, so getting a chance to use these colors on her was so fun.

Jane is quickly becoming another favorite of mine.  I really love her dark lavender skin tone.  She has very nicely sculpted lips and eyewells.

 I'm very glad I have my own still left to work on!

Jane Boolittle and Honey Swamp Custom Monster High Repaints

Thanks so much for reading :).  I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did!

Fallindoll Rabi and Force Ball Jointed Doll Review

Emory over at Junkyspot.com recently got Fallindoll's new Rabi and Force (27cm) in stock and I nearly broke my neck ordering these two.  I missed out on Hujoo's fennec fox, Penny, a long time ago and I wasn't about to let another slip through my fingers!  I couldn't resist Rabi, either, I seem to be amassing a collection of bunny themed dolls.

Adorable little boxes!

Honestly, I don't keep up with the BJD community as much as I used to.  I only get snippets and photos from those few I follow on Tumblr who also collect and customize.  I'd never even heard of Fallindoll until I got the newsletter from Junkyspot saying they'd come in stock.  If you get a second, definitely check out their site.  They have quite a few ridiculously cute offerings.  I've also got my eye on their vinyl Panda, which is akin to dolls like Wonder Frog and Tokissi.

Anyway!  On to the review!

I ordered Rabi in Light Grey.  The information for Rabi is conflicting on the page, the first notice says they take 16mm eyes, which is likely just a typo.  They actually take something more like 12 or 10mm depending on the dome.  High domed eyes would look awkward in Rabi, her eye wells are not very deep or rounded.  I have plenty of other girls who can use the pink eyes I ordered so I just gave her a pair of brown glass eyes I had on hand.

Holy crap, that's cute.

I -instantly- fell in love.  I mean, jeez, look at that face *_*.  Feel free to use either of these headshot photos for your own mock faceups, if you'd like!  I haven't decided exactly how I'll paint her yet, but it'll have to wait until we get over the flu epidemic going on in our house right now T_T.

Force is equally adorable.  I love how mischievous she looks!  The 16mm eyes fit Force perfectly and I'm glad, I really wanted a golden color for her :3.

Ready for all kinds of shenanigans.

So yeah, they're friggin' adorable, but what about their function?  Both of these dolls are constructed from super durable ABS plastic.  I prefer it in my BJD's because I'm not exactly the most graceful creature on the planet.  The one thing you might be astounded to know is that these cuties pose like pros.  I've owned a ridiculous amount of BJD's over the years from pretty much every brand you can think of and I've never, ever seen dolls pose like these two before.

The roombox their standing on isn't even remotely level.  It's propped up on my quilting arm for my sewing machine lopsidedly.  It took about five seconds to get the one legged poses level and sturdy.  There are notches on the inside of their ball joints which 'click' into place for different poses.  You pose them and they... just -stay- that way.  It's crazy and I wasn't expecting it at all.

I mean, holy smokes, that's ridiculous.  Their legs are able to fold up flat against their thighs or out to the side suwarikko style.  Their torso can be moved forward, backward, side to side, and it just holds in place like it doesn't even care.  Their joints don't jerk or slip out of place and that just boggles my mind.  I have several other ABS dolls so I was expecting them to perform in a similar fashion, but no, these are hands down the sturdiest BJD's I've ever owned.

My complaints are few and won't matter after I'm finished customizing them.  The headcap was a complete pain to remove.  I had to insert a butterknife between the gap and gently wiggle it out.  I don't expect to be removing it very much once I finish painting them, but it's something to be aware of if you like to reposition your eyes more than I do.  It's also virtually impossible to position the eyes inside the head with wax or tack while the strings are around the pegs which connect the head to the body.  If you have a full stem eye that extends too far, you also might run into issues with the strings knocking your eyes out of place, so stick to half round or acrylic stems that can be popped off.

I'm incredibly happy with these guys, they're so completely adorable.  I'm really looking forward to finishing them and taking photos, especially now that I know they pose so incredibly well.  Thanks for reading!

Workspace Wednesday: Ambitious Works and Blank References for Monster High Honey Swamp, Jane Boolittle, and Gigi Grant

I... might have gotten a little ambitious about my plans today.  These are all girls that have been waiting in the wings (you know, minus the poor Draculaura and Insect Girl that have had base colors for like... a month...) to be repainted.  I can lay down base coloration much more easily when I have everyone laid out at once.  Some girls use the same color blends (or colors I only need to change a bit), too, so it's easier on my airbrush.  That Lucy Liu is first on the chopping block, though.  She's a commission for dear Seanan :).  I'm definitely excited about painting her!  I love getting to paint dolls I've never worked on before.  I believe she's a Charlie's Angels Lucy Liu from the movie release back in 2000 (judging from the stamp on her head).

Pretty girls all in a row, waiting for new faces.

THE WRAPPENING

I've also started coming up with color palettes for the girls I'm working on, as opposed to just... flying by the seat of my pants.  I have a pretty good understanding of color theory, but I think I'll like having a preplanned color chart.  Mainly so I don't have to dig through bottles of paint, to work more efficiently.

I am never without coffee.

While I was snapping WW photos, I decided to do a few blank shots of the newer dolls.  I'm pretty sure you can find a blank face photo of Ghoulia everywhere, so I didn't photograph her.

Blank Monster High Gigi Grant Reference

Blank Monster High Jane Boolittle Reference

Blank Monster High Honey Swamp Reference

Feel free to use these to plan your own faceups or share them (just please don't remove the watermark).  Thanks for reading!

Toy Fiend Friday! Monster High Jane Boolittle Overview

Jane Boolittle and Needles

This week I'm taking a look at one of the newest Monster High releases, Jane Boolittle.  As a fan of all things dark, creepy, and a little spooky, I was really excited about a voodoo themed doll.  The fact that she comes with her own little voodoo doll sloth is just icing on the cake.

Her outfit is really cool, without being too flashy.  I really love the animal print, skulls, and bones.

The one thing that annoys me, though, is that her feathered epaulettes keep falling off.  They're basically propped up and don't really grab on to anything.  Her color scheme incorporates all of my favorite colors.  I really love the blend of teal, pink, purple and red.  Her skintone is also very pretty, and will be fun to repaint.  It's a soft lavender with blue undertones.

Jumping right on the sloth bandwagon!

Her hair is also very nice, though I'm sure that ponytail isn't staying :).  It's made of soft fiber as opposed to the rough nylon most of the Monster High girls are rooted with.  It's very easy to style and combs out well.  I haven't decided how I'd like to repaint her yet, but I definitely want to stick with her jungle theme.  What do you guys think about Jane?  Have you picked her up yet?  Still looking?  Passing?

Thanks for reading!

Toy Fiend Friday: Kotobukiya CuPoche Tomoe Mami from Madoka Magica

By now, you should know that I have an insatiable obsession for all things Tomoe Mami.  What you might not know is that I'm also a diehard fan of Kotobukiya.  I've been collecting figures by them since I was a weensy teenager.  When they started releasing their CuPoche line, I was ecstatic!  I can't really get behind collecting Nendoroids because of their horrendous posing, but these little figures are amazing and run in the same super deformed, sugar dripping sweetness aesthetics.

Even the CuPoche packaging is super cute :3.

Mami arrives with three faceplates, several sets of differently posed hands, her guns, a magnetic (!!!) stand and a miniature Witch Charlotte, in her first form.

NO SAD FACES FOR MAMI.  She's suffered enough!

She also comes with a variety of clear plastic clasps and hooks to display the guns and Charlotte.  These can be placed into the pegs surrounding her stand to create different scenes.  Her faceplates are very easily removed, but don't fall out or become loose without a bit of pressure to release them.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH MAMI NO

There... that's better.  Pardon me while I go cry myself a river into my pillow T_______T.

As I mentioned when I reviewed Madoka last year, I absolutely LOVE the magnetic stand.  It's easily concealed under a backdrop.  The magnets in her feet are very strong.  Perfect for say...

Later, dude!

...Punting a particularly evil little witch into the corner where she belongs >_>.

I ordered CuPoche Mami from my favorite figure store, Hobby Link Japan.  She's still available and in stock :).  If you haven't had a chance to check these adorable little figures out, you definitely should!  If you're not a fan of Madoka Magica, there are also several other characters to choose from.

Thanks for reading!

Workspace Wednesday! Three new Monster High Repaints, Modifying Clawdia Wolf's Toothy Grin

I usually post an update every Wednesday over on Tumblr, but I've been so busy the past couple of days, I wanted to take a moment to go a bit more in depth with the new doll projects I'm working on.

NO PICTURES D:!  We haven't got our faces on, yet!

You might notice that Clawdia here is looking a bit different.  That's because I wanted to try removing her teeth with the cut and superglue method which has always been popular with Barbies.  I loved Clawdia's character and her doll is absolutely fabulous, but dolls with perpetual open mouth smiles are unsettling to me O_O.  Speaking of Elissabat and Draculaura, I posted a comparison video between the two over here on my Youtube channel, confirming that they are two different sculpts.

THE STUFF OF NIGHTMARES

NO, NOT EXACTLY, BUT EQUALLY TERRIFYING O_O.  This was a moment in the removal process that I found particularly hilarious.  I was laughing so hard, I messed up the first time trying to bond the lips back together with glue.  Sorry, Clawdia.

This is the video I posted for the method I used, though there are plenty of other tutorials available on the web:

Basically, you're just cutting out the teeth with an exacto blade, evening out the opening, adding a few drops of super glue, and then pinching it shut until the glue cures.  Then, you'll end up with how she looks in the first photo above.  One thing I need to recommend is that you use a craft blade instead of the straight blade I had to make do with.  I've lost my darned Xacto and have NO idea where it disappeared to.  It was too late to go out and find a new one, so I grabbed the blade from my scraper.  Kids, please don't ever use sharp objects on your own, always get a parent to help you!

I'm very happy with the way she turned out and can't wait to finish her makeup.  As I mentioned in the video, I ended up with a bit of discoloration from the glue (turning white as it cured) because of her dark skin.  This didn't matter to me, as it was painted over, but if you're planning on keeping her lip color, you might want to think about touching it up afterward :).  Thanks a bunch for reading!  Clawdia and Elissabat's customs will be available in my Etsy shop a little later this afternoon!

Toy Fiend Friday: Revoltech Hello Kitty

My love of all things Hello Kitty is rivaled only by my love of coffee.  Seriously, come have a look at my apartment sometime.  The amount of Hello Kitty related paraphernalia borders on ridiculous, my friends and relatives only feed my addiction.  When I read that Revoltech would be releasing a tiny, posable version of Sanrio's princess, I completely lost my sh-... Er, I was super excited >_>.

Revoltech Hello Kitty

I mean, holy cow, just look at it.  It's friggin' adorable.  I preordered her with the speed of a thousand grabby fists. 

The little playset is pretty cute, if a bit lacking in accessories.

The set itself is pretty simple.  She comes with an easel, crayon, apple, stand and an extra winking faceplate.  The articulation is there, but I don't expect any dynamic posing capabilities here.  Of course, given her dimensions, how flexible could Hello Kitty possibly be?  The little crayon is magnetic, so that she can hold it in her hand.  You could also use other similar scale magnetic accessories.

Hard at work!

I ordered her from Hobby Link Japan (of course), but sadly, she is out of stock and has been discontinued.  I'm sure you could find her from a secondhand market, though.  Mandarake usually gets a lot of like-new items in stock shortly after their release.  I don't know if the Revoltech Hello Kitty had bootlegs produced, but if all else fails, you could try eBay.  Just make sure you're buying from a reputable seller (check the feedback, if they're conning people with fakes, you'll see it there).

Winky face!

I plan on carrying her with me in my bag for impromptu photos while I'm out and about.  She's tiny and capable of standing without her stand thanks to her huge feet, which is always a good thing in my book.  I think die hard fans will enjoy this set, but if you'd like a bit more complexity in your figures, you might wanna pass.  Though... lookit that face?  How could anyone pass up on that face?! :D 

Thanks for reading!  Toy Fiend Fridays are back on schedule and I'll be reviewing a new toy each week!

Monster High Repaint Highlights of 2013, Taking a look back.

Two posts in one day!?  I know, it's craziness.  I was in the middle of migrating my files to our cloud storage and came across all of these photos of repaints from the last year.  It didn't seem like so many until I found myself staring at the hundreds of photos in my folder.

I really worked hard on coming up with a definite style this year and though I tend to deviate from the norm from time to time, I'm pretty happy with how far I've come.  In those folders, I also found pictures of some of my very first Monster High repaints...

 My second Monster High repaint and my most recent.  Three years apart.

I remember being pretty happy with this Gloom Beach Clawdeen when I finished.  She was the second Monster High repaint I'd ever done (from 2011), and the first doll I'd painted in years since taking a break from the hobby ages ago.  I was seriously out of practice, but the job market was absolutely horrible and I was grasping at straws trying to find some way that I could contribute monetarily.  So, I began customizing dolls and toys.  I enjoyed it and people were buying my customs. 

I was so elated that people out there liked my artwork enough to buy it that it fueled me to keep going.  It wasn't a fast or easy process, Monster High was quite new back then and the dolls were so hard to find in stores.  I've met so many amazing people and the community has just been fantastic overall.  Of course there are trolls sometimes, but the good infinitely outweighs the bad. 

I'm still far from finished and nowhere even remotely close to perfect, but I'm content?  I think that's the best way to put it.  My techniques have changed, my materials changed, even the way I approach a repaint has changed.  Three years can really make a difference.  Thank you guys for sticking with me through the awkwardness :).  I hope this year's repaints will be even better than the last!