Have you had a "Yeah I'm doing too much" moment?

I am in a too much moment now , I realised I have a full closet of craft fabric and yarn some of which are even 20years old and I moved 5 times from back then each time I bring those with me , they get more mingled they are in plastic bags from last move , some I might use most of them no, they are not going to be used , and I am this is too much , I like crafting for my dolls but this is hoarding. So I said to them this is my house and you are out of here.
I placed all my monster high on shelves and holly molly such a jibber jabber of visual experience , I know I like them but maybe I have to make that color throw up a bit more tame maybe put some of them on a shelf and besides them one big doll or 2bjd for visual balance , I will also thin this up but decided to go through a professional reseller as I want to get rid of a full box of them at least.
I experiensed another too much moment two months ago I got a vintage Lizzy Batz boy doll which is 80cm tall it was super cheap 15euros 2nd hand , shaped like a toddler but the body is same size to a real toddler not a smaller version of it like las reinas gotz or american girl the head might be bigger than mine .... I got the too much feeling when I shopped it in the old things store but my mom threatened me to come live with us and as I'm getting rid of the clutter I need another deterent ... this is perfect it's innocent , vintage , scary used vintage doll vibes all over it , let her see that and then complain for my bjd's if she come to stay with me I'll put it over her headbed. The good thing with this doll is that it is the last doll I buy , I found it the perfect one and perfect to zone family away of my teritory don't need others.
I am also in a too much moment with bjd's I organized things to sell and I'm fed up with those 2boxes of stuff that have to go in my bedroom , but I understood that I can't let any other job aside just to do that so I'm going to do it in my own time slowly a bit at the time. The key in decluttering is not bring more in .
Otherwise I am just very casual with my bjd dress them up pose them , put them pretty on shelf , with my las reinas I was a bit more weird as I used them to pose as toddlers playing with my sons figures and dollhouses we built together but it looked very cute and I didn't want to post a pic of those dollhouses with my son playing with them cause back then when he was little I didn't want my sons pic online.
I also used an old blanket and baby pillow to make a basignet photoshot for my dolls (the reinas) but it was only for the photos just before donating those.

 

There’s a 1:3 scale living room set up in my guest room.

The bewilderment on my parents’ faces when they arrived and saw the size of their accommodations told me I had gone too far.

 

I was thinking "naaah" but then I read the above post and remembered I used to have a 1:3 scale bedroom permanently set up in my living room. I was living my life around it.

My dining area also used to be completely taken over by sewing supplies and tubs of fabric for making doll clothes.

Eventually I just couldn't cope with it anymore and got rid of the doll bedroom and the fabric. I care too much about having a tidy flat now to let the dolls take over to that extent again!

 

I don't do anything else with my hair but washing and combing it but I got a straightener and a curling iron just to fix my dolls' wigs

 

This is what I am trying to not do this time around. I had that issue back in 2013 and I just ditched the hobby as a whole. All of my money, time and space went to my dolls. SO fingers crossed.

 

I'm saving up 1k in usd for faceup and body blush of two dolls (not including shipping to poland from usa and back). I feel like I've lost my mind

 

Mmm maybe the almost constant layaways for new dolls? Or the box of stands I bought on auction that might not actually work for my bjds.

 

Every time I walk into my doll room/office and see the sheer amount of what I have... I gotta work on moderation and really getting a balance in my collection. I love them all but if it's overwhelming for ME to see all my stuff laid out, I can't imagine what anyone else is thinking LOL

 

I bought a new sewing machine after the old didn't work properly JUST to sew form my ONE bjd and a couple of Barbies, and one MH doll XD And my one doll has way too many wigs XD

 

I go through phases where I'm obsessing over obtaining new bjds after moments of not even bothering with the ones I have for a while. I love all of my dolls but as much as I try to ignore the want when a new obsession crops up, I eventually give in and before I know it, I'm not just having one doll or head on layaway, it's multiple.
I went from being content with 3 for a long while until I looked up and now I've blew past the double digit line and despite waiting on current orders, I am STILL waiting for the next Harucasting preorder so I can get some of those because I have whole lives thought up out for some of the sculpts just by seeing them and now I have to have them

 

I stopped wearing my diamond necklace because Nebo looks better in it…

 

I once bought a bunch of wigs and eyes just to see which one looked best on one doll. Fortunately, over many years, I've used most of them on other dolls. But, I did feel I went too far.

 

I mean I personally don't think so, but some people might consider taking your doll to Vegas to be doing too much. I think it's fine. She's the best behaved one in our group and is never too tired for brunch the next day.

 

Was a 9km hike with a solid torso Volks girl too much? Maybe, but I got some great photos and taking her everywhere with me on a 3 week Japan trip was a great bonding experience and good exercise!
Bonus hike photo:

 

I have TOO MANY mod projects!

-Paladin (73CM muscle girl with articulated tail and wings)
-Vidania (Shrinking a 60cm resinsoul girl down to ~50 cm, extensive tattoos)
-Dia (redoing the elbow and Knee joints on an iplehouse old EID body)
-Ilya (Finished, but not shared on DoA, resin top surgery)
-Adonis (Finished but not posted on DoA, resin top surgery)
-Azerin (Incoming, can't be started yet. Chest mod to get a trans woman-like sculpt out of a "male" body)
-Ki: smooth headcap, make custom wig, paint and leaf horns.
-Zariel: Mod back to accept wings

Add to this my other projects
-Shrike armour: 13 or 14 sets of full armour and masks for a group of assassins. (Have to make a coat, gloves, scalemaille tunic, pants, and mask, that all must be identical, for 14 dolls on different bodies. Also wings for probably half of them. Also also weapons.)
-Lavinia sewing extravaganza: making a wardrobe for Lavinia because her body does not fit anything premade
-Team Auratus armour extravaganza: armour and white clothes for all the children of Auratus, which is 11 people
-DnD shelling adventures: need to get wings and horns for a bunch of my lords of Hell. and also tails for those who don't already have them. Also, and I cannot stress this enough, armour. They all need armour.
-Paradise Lost projects: Find or mod a body into looking inhuman for death, Suede and restring Sin's snake body.

So yes, I am in too deep with Dolls. I also have found myself basing my life around dolls. I make (barely) enough to cover my mortgage, but not enough to cover my mortgage, and buy dolls, so I'm looking for a second job. The biggest thing that motivated me to buy a house? Space for dolls. Having more room to display them, and work with them. DND? it's a source for characters for dolls. Writing? About characters I've made dolls of. Everything I do is secretly about dolls. I'm in too deep.

 

Too much sewing!!!

In my defense I should say that one of the reasons I got into these dolls in the first place was to freely explore my fascination with fashion. These days my decades-long forays into historic reenactment and cosplay are well behind me, and I prefer to dress for comfort myself. But the idea of dressing bjds in styles that had long fascinated me was like a siren’s song. I felt free to explore anything and everything, from historic, to fantasy, to retro, to Harajuku street fashion, to alternative styles. What I didn’t realize going in, however, was that I’d also fall in love with creating characters to wear all those different genres. The initial idea of a single doll wearing multiple styles fell to the wayside almost immediately. And having only a small handful of dolls fell away soon after. So much for good intentions.

After almost two decades in the hobby my collection size has reached 60…and yes, each one with a unique wardrobe all their own (I could probably count on one hand the dolls that manage to share anything.) That means 3-5 complete outfits each, nearly all of which have been made by me. Some days I feel like I’ve been chained to the sewing machine! I have dressers, trunks, and decorative boxes filled with their clothing. It’s a game to keep this all neatly tucked away, out of sight. My dolls are slave-drivers I swear!

So somedays I do feel like, yeah, I’m doing too much…but then I smile to myself and realize just how much I’m getting out of it. I’ve had so much fun exploring the styles, creating my characters, and researching everything in depth. In truth, what a wonderful and joyful ride it’s been! So I won’t be stopping anytime soon.

 

I think you are very much not alone in this! I know plenty of people (including myself) who have massive collections of plants or minerals and can recall every detail about every single one, on the spot. Collecting, exploring, experimenting, researching… that’s half the fun!
Also, if all or most of them are historically accurate in dress, that would be a very interesting museum idea.

 

I doubt I'll ever stop collecting BJDs (and off-topic dolls), but I realize I've overdone the prop collecting. Many of these things I wish I'd had during my early years of collecting (mid-2000s, early 2000-teens), when I made photostories. However it's hard to resist collecting items that are better than what I collected early on!

More recently I'm considering moving on my fabric stash. The past 10 years I kept telling myself I wanted to sew for the dolls; nothing fancy, just everyday basics. However, I have at best half a dozen completed garments. I'd like to be hopeful that I will sew, but I debate if it'd be less stressful to clear that out, and concentrate my energy on enjoying my commercially-bought doll wardrobes.

 

Hmmm....well....I had to move my spare bed to the sewing room to have enough space in the doll room. My dad custom built a full size chest of drawers specifically to hold shoebox tubs for the doll clothes. I have two tattoos as symbols for my first two dolls, and another that matches my two current favorite dolls (though that one is actually a band symbol, so doesn't totally count). Almost all of my closest friends are people I met through the hobby. I roleplay my doll characters almost every night. My parents made furniture for the dolls and occasionally pick up little trinkets they think would be good props for them. I once hosted a doll wedding extravaganza and had people come in from four different states for a week long slumber party. My therapist knows about my dolls. My husband knows my doll characters so well that he sometimes suggests activities, movies, shows, songs and bands various ones would like. My dolls' clothes often cost more than my own.

So some people would say I've definitely gone off the deep end. But.....

Going to doll meets and conventions has encouraged me to get out of the house and socialize more. I was heavily bullied as a teen for still playing with toys, and it's been wonderful for my mental health to find other adults who share my interests and give me a place where I fit in. Saving and shopping for dolls has helped me learn to budget better. Sewing for dolls has taught me a lot about sewing techniques and patterning. Doing faceups has increased my art and makeup skills. Wait times have taught me patience and that instant gratification rarely makes me as happy as earning something and the excitement and anticipation of finally getting it. Roleplay has improved my writing skills, taught me a lot about interacting with others, forced me to understand viewpoints aside from my own, and think outside the box. It's also helped me with problem solving and working through stress. Dolls give me time away from the real world to just relax and have fun. They've helped me appreciate artists more and understand that art is worth more than just materials value, and in a way, that I've been greatly undervaluing my own works. Overall, I feel like this hobby has been much more positive than negative for me, and has really helped me find and accept myself.

So.....no, I don't think I'm going too far, not at all!

 

another thing i certainly think was the deep end for me is that I was keeping old shelves and wood planks from broken furniture to use on doll scenes I made some with those but living in an appartment means those space consuming craft projects either finished or in progress is enormous clutter , it also took me some more time to get rid of those because when you get rid an old broken thing in your own time it means you carry them alone to the appropriate garbage and not have the help you might need . Still I have the bug when a plank of the bed breaks to sand it and make it p.e. a doll bar or whatever but then I remember how much space it will get and how much clutter it will cause .... I am a hoarder at heart and this pops into my collection so I have to be vigilant but the deep end is near there I can see it.

 

I'm currently looking to buy a house. One of my home-buying criteria is a spare room or space/study nook that I can turn into a dedicated doll area. Yah - a bedroom for me and a bedroom for the dolls. --What was that? What I originally wanted was a dedicated craft/art room, but now it's for the dolls? Ehm...

 

I feel this very deeply. I want a doll room very badly. I would have it double as a craft room but I know it will mostly be a doll room lol

 

- uh... I am waiting for a miniature violin and I hope it fits my doll... Props, yeah... Although, I must admit, props for smaller dolls are way easier to find :/

 

When I realized I have 4 heads out for face-ups and tend to be in and out of the hobby and when I'm in I do a bunch of stuff and then don't touch my dolls for years. It's a hyperfixation hobby that always comes back around... but when it does come back around I don't remember why I got the things I got.

 

Yess, I relate to this a lot. I have a head and a 1/6th doll I am giving to my friends because after the obsessive need to obtain them last year, I'm not understanding why I have them. And here I am going through the same phase again of obsessively buying once again

 

I jumped on in with no expectations and wanted ALL of the dolls. I have no crafting skills, no budget for clothes and accessories, and still don't have a radar for what I actually like. ....

 

When I was buying a bjd a month . I have successfully curbed my shopping habits in a healthy way. I am much happier cultivating my collection and only buying dolls I really love.

 

In an absolute blessing, I discovered the hobby during my abject "poor period" (teen-early adult life), and thus had to make critical choices on what I saved for and bought. The result was only being able to buy the dolls themselves, with clothing and accessories being an afterthought, so I had very little with just about an outfit for each doll.

However, jumping back into the hobby with adult money meant finally living out the hobby life I only dreamed of before, and fulfilling some life-long hobby goals, so I started splurging on clothing left and right. Of course, I'm still picky with what I want, but my doll wardrobes have none the less become extensive.

I have stopped and thought, "okay I can slow down now probably" lol, but at the same time, I'm 100% living in the moment to make my previous-me's dreams a reality.

 

I have two MSD-sized dolls, and an entire drawer full of clothes for them. As much as I pine for collecting new faces, fear of selecting the "wrong one" has put me off of getting enough dolls to fill all these clothes, but the lower price and amount of work that go into completing an outfit makes it way easier for me to hoard clothes. But at the same time, I want both my dolls to enjoy their outfits for a long time before I switch them up...I had a moment where I went "okay, maybe this is too much", when I found the clothes drawer was so stuffed I had trouble opening it ;w;

 

I been there with you seven years ago my more baby like dolls have a whole room with crib, car seat, stroller, etc. But I realized I think I am doing too much when I brought 7 dolls in less than 3 weeks this month. Help me. ☠️

 

I ordered too many clothes and too many eyes. I've also been ordering shoes and wigs for my pukis, and the collection is getting out of hand.

I think my "too much" moment was when I found myself making a list of a specific Etsy seller's wigs just because I thought I could "complete my collection" and buy all their puki-sized wigs I don't own yet. Regardless of whether or not I had a use for them. It's one thing to collect dolls, but really, it is a bit much to start collecting tiny wigs!!!

 

2011 I saw BJD for the first time. I really wanted Gin (IOS) and Dia (Soom).
2012 I bought Gin and I was happy.
2018 I bought Dia and I was happy.
We lived quietly, calmly and without fanaticism. I had one small "faceup box", the dolls had one set of clothes.
But...
2020 Tsunya moved in with me. (Tsunya is Atsushi Sakurai minimee.)
Since then I can't stop taking pictures of him and I can’t stop buying or making all sorts of things for him. Clothes, accessories, flowers, miniatures with alcohol, Chanel parfum miniatures, angel wings... This summer I repainted the window on my terrace. Because I wanted to do a summer photo shoot with Tsunya there.
After Atsushi died I kiss Tsunya. Every day.
Who thinks this is normal?
If I go crazy it will be his fault:

DSC01083_02 by Dina Dina, on Flickr

 

I understand all you fellow collectors so much! I only have one room to live in. I also realized it was "too much" when one clear day I saw that most of the room was occupied by my dolls, their clothes, their shoes, their wigs, their accessories, props, their furniture and I'm still thinking about the SD diorama. I'm not talking about colored papers and fabrics, because they can be useful for taking pictures. Suddenly I don't feel comfortable in my apartment anymore. Sometimes I think I'd rather get rid of all BJDs and become a hermit in the woods. On the other hand, taking their photos and making things for them brings me fun. But two years of detailed BJD wedding planning convinced me that I was really doing too much. My mother keeps telling me that I have too much BJDs and their stuff. Okay. I have. But i still love them. Most of them...
In eleven years in the hobby, a person accumulates too many things and does not have the will to sort it out and let go of what he no longer needs. I'm thinking I'll make the diorama (my old dream) and shoot something in it, finish the story, and then slim down my collection.
And maybe eventually I will become a well-paid hermit with nothing but my tea bowl. (Sorry for bad English.)

 

Somehow, I hit 10 years in the hobby this May, and I absolutely know how you feel!! I need to go through my eyes, wigs, and clothes for what I no longer use, and part ways with a truly monumental number of floating heads that I have to face it, will not be getting bodies any time soon.

 

When I went to take a doll box out of storage to put the doll it belonged to back in it… only to find another doll inhabiting it that I’d totally forgotten about I didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry

 

Okay, point one is just practical. Big resin dolls are heavy. And point 2 is absolutely adorable.

Yes, I am in way too deep, but I'm loving every moment of it, so... no?

 

I hope your plans are going good. I've just bought mine and was redoing my bedroom, where I'll also have my dolls

I'd been planning to buy a tiny flat, because that's all I can afford without having to go through 30 years of mortgage. I'd been browsing through adverts and any time I was like 'heck, no, I won't be even able to have my dolls in it' I would close the tab. Because, for real, if there's no place for crafting and dollying, then what's the point even?

Anyway, thus far I'd had cheap stands (they'd be invisible anyway on the photos) but I'm thinking of investing in those nice, wooden-bottom stand ones... for the sake of display

 

I have several folders in my computer filled with GBs of image references, blueprints and measurements that have materialized as of now in parts of a 1/4 diorama (walls, a chimney, a bed, an armchair and several other things) I don't think I'll ever use for more than a couple of pictures whenever it's ready (it won't be soon cause the perfectionist in me won't let it be soon) and it will mostly be filling up an insane amount of space I don't have and getting dust all over. I had a diorama in that size before and that's what ended happening with it. Still, I feel drawn to do it partially because I love crafting stuff but also because I keep trying to convince myself it will help me take more pictures of my dolls, but I know I'm probably doing too much.

 

When I started styling wigs and making eyes myself.... and planning to learn how to do faceups.

 

Once each of my dolls individually had more clothes than I did total. I greatly reduced the amount of clothing for my dolls when I realized how much they actually had. I was going more for quantity at the time, rather than a few pieces I'd really love. It became too much when I realized I'd need a near human closet to store it all. My most recent doll now only had two outfits, and it's easier to manage that way. I'm going to try to keep her closet to a max of 15 main pieces.

 

Well, that depends on how you want to look at it. I have a lot of crafty hobbies and get into more as I get older, and yet somehow they all end up translating back into things I can do for my dolls. I picked up sewing to sew my own doll clothes, and find I actually hate sewing for humans but love sewing for dolls (but I don't mind mending/alteration for humans, it's just full garment construction that I find tedious). I picked up crochet to try and connect with my grandmother when her memories started to go (I wanted something I could talk with her about when she started to forget who I was) and I ended up mostly making small toys and miniature blankets. Currently working up the courage to crochet part of a dress for my Pocket Fairy. I'm also trying to get into embroidery and cross stitch, and realized I could apply those to doll clothes as well.

So am I doing too much for my dolls? Not really, I don't think - I'm not swamped with doll projects. Am I doing too many hobbies for my own sanity? Probably. Do I mind? Absolutely not.

 

I took a "family" photo. It took all day, several naps, and my legs ached for days afterwards. I figure I moved about 200 pounds (90 kg) of resin.
Yeah. I am doing too much.

Family portrait sans cats

 

That is one AMAZING family though! And maybe leave them there for a day or two before slowly moving them back?

Wow! Amazing skills on the wigs AND eyes! Looking forward to seeing your face-up skills!!

 

@MaleficentMrsofEvil Is this really all of them? For some reason, I felt like you had twice as many.

 

Someone is calling me OUT.
These are the "done enough" dolls. There are more.
So many more.
The project pile of shame has not yet been photographed...

 

@MaleficentMrsofEvil now that photo will be perfect for this thread!!!

 

I took this question differently but based on your post:

When I was young, like pre-teens, I had amassed a HUGE collection of porcelain bunnies... So one day I looked at it all and realized that it was just... too much. Like what was I going to do with all these things? So I donated them all spare 1 or 2.

But your question, I first thought meant like doing too much hobbies in general. I felt that recently. So I draw, paint, sculpt, sew, make clothes for my self, do ceramics, I build robots and program. I play board games, video games and card games. I do photography, compose music on the piano and was learning to play the guitar. I also am teaching my self more 3D design and I print things with my 3D printer. Just to name a few.

But I realized I was just doing TO MUCH.

So instead of learning to make clothes for dolls I have decided to hire others to do it for me.
Instead of doing alllll of these hobbies I am trying to hone my skills. So for art I am only focusing on oil pastels as of late. I only play the piano sometimes to work on songs. And I am sticking to the 3D design. Oh and I stopped collecting playing cards (think MTG, MHA). And then I donated a bunch of board games. I also stopped doing the robotics for a while.

Anyways it was a moment of clarity that I realized, I don't have to do everything.

 

I recently did a big sewing speedrun where I was making Japanese tabi socks for 9 dolls, custom-sized to their feet - and I wrote each doll's initials on their socks.

I mean, it's practical right? If for some reason I get their socks mixed up, I sure as all heck don't want to be trying to match custom-fit socks to the right feet. But still ... just like a parent writing their children's names on their school uniforms...

 

Quietly had that revelation when I realized that not even including floating parts, I'll be hitting the early double digits of dolls this year.

I uh....started this hobby near the end of 2024.

I've always been a more passive hobbyist with the exception of art, so this is a little stunning for me, ahaha.

 

Recently I have a lot of anxiety about having too many dolls. I think I am having extential crisis or something

 

Definitely thought "this is too much" as I was checking my email this morning for shipment news- I have two outfits and a wig in commission, waiting on two heads, and waiting for one doll to come back to me with a face up done. It's a bit overwhelming to keep up with time wise.

 

Omg, wardrobe! So personally, I love a good bargain and have been doing good with non overconsumption of clothes but when it comes to my dolls….that goes right out the window. There are times when I had to step back and think, did I just drop a couple hundred on a fashion set?! I barely spend on my own personal wardrobe LOL

 

Saving my cat's (shed) whiskers "in case they come in handy some time"

I'm becoming a bit if a craft hoarder, maybe...

 

This time I feel I'm doing too much. I have 3 heads incoming which I will need to get bodies for, as well as wigs and outfits I'll need to buy for several dolls. I will inevitably neglect my crew if I go through with getting all the bodies first. Yeah sure I'll have all the dolls "complete", but I won't enjoy the ones I already have much. I don't want to leave the floating heads floating for too long but I think I'll have to compromise. What's a reasonable time to keep a floating head in storage? I don't want them to end up yellowing before I get them a body.

 

last year i had one of these moments. i had two bodies that i'd been planning to sculpt my own heads for. i had been working for a couple years on practicing sculpting to try and make heads that i'd be happy with. and it was not going great, and i was not particularly having fun, but i kept working at it. mostly because i was convinced i wouldn't find heads that were right for these two specific characters any other way. but then i randomly saw a head on the marketplace here and i thought about it for awhile and messed around with sketching on pictures of the sculpt and realized: that one would actually work. would need a little modding, but it could work. and then i spotted another one that would work equally well for the other doll. and that's when i decided: i already make all my own wigs and eyes and sew all my own doll clothes and do all my own mods and make crazy hybrids and have been learning to do my own faceups...i do NOT need to actually sculpt the base dolls from scratch myself as well. i bought the one head secondhand and later ordered the other one thru Alices Collections (still waiting on it to arrive.) i am happy at this point to just be a doll customizer, for me trying to be a doll maker is doing too much. (especially since dolls are not my only creative hobby-- trying to learn sculpting just so i could have those two heads was really cutting into my drawing time/energy!)