What's something new you learned about yourself as a collector recently?

I've recently learned that I actually really like huge eyes and cutesy smiling faces! Everyone else is so serious or frowny in my collection and then there's my DZ Shoyo looking at me like And now I'm certainly looking out for more smily doe-eyed gals

 

I learned that I like sweet and cutesy dolls even more than I thought I did
I'd planned on my crew being gloomy grumpy little cuties (think adorable and angry) but now that it's finally faceup season and I've been looking at my dolls a lot, I've started to think I might skip the gloom and doom and just go straight for the sunshine and rainbows

Oh and I found out that I really, really like modding. There's just something so exciting making the dolls truly unique or hold poses better, or stand up straighter or or or... The possibilities are endless!

 

Short version: I have way, way too much doll stuff. But it's pretty cool stuff, so I find that I don't really want to get rid of most of it... Meaning that I'm basically my own inner-curator's worst nightmare. Or secretly a dragon hell-bent on assembling a prop-horde for the ages. Or maybe both... And I'm not at all sure rather I should be okay with that, or if I should be feeling some kind of "OMGI'VETURNEDINTOSUCHAMATERIALIST!!1" guilt over it. It seems to vary on the daily. o_0 (*)

Longer version: You don't realize sometimes just how *MUCH* stuff you've accumulated until you find yourself having to pack it all for a move. We bought a new house and I'm wrangling with the logistics of moving a collection that's very large by any objective measure, plus the almost-20-years-of-collecting-it pile of doll clothes, props, display-pieces and other assorted things that go along with a tribe the size of mine. That assemblage accounts for easily as many boxes and as much packing space as our entire library or my kitchen gear (and I'm a serious cook and baker, so that's not trivial-). I really surprised myself with how little of it I was willing to part with as I was packing it, though. I still like most of this stuff. I enjoy having it around, even though I rarely use it for photography or elaborate displays anymore. Keeping it feels decadent, and utterly materialistic and a little silly. Closet space is precious in the new house and on some level keeping this stuff feels like wasting it... But I'm not ready to part with it. So, I haven't. And some days that makes me raise an eyebrow at myself.

(*) No. I'm not a hoarder. Put down your Psych 101 books and stop clutching those pearls.... I have no trouble getting rid of junk, objects that no longer serve a purpose, broken things, books that need to move on, or other objects that I'd rather not have cluttering up my space. I'm still the unapologetic neat-freak at heart that I've always been... I just find myself not wanting to pare down my collection of doll items as much as I expected I would, and seeing the sheer number of plastic storage boxes that the collection takes up when packed is sobering for someone who used to be able to move everything she owned in one load in the back of a friend's pickup truck.

 

One of the first things my mom mentions whenever my bjd hobby comes up is "I don't know where it came from, she was never really into Barbies!" and for the longest time I've been wondering the same thing myself...where DID my interest in dolls come from? Because she's totally right, even now I still have no interest in typical playline fashion dolls.

But then a flip through an old yearbook from middle school on one of my work from home days had me laughing. They'd gotten a candid picture of me in an art club I was in, and right on my desk with me was a little figure of a digimon, watching me work...just like I had my doll posed on my desk that day! Turns out I'd always been like this, my toys are just more expensive now.

 

I learned that I'm not competitive and am fiercely independent, I dont care what anyone thinks of my dolls or me. If only this hobby could help me overcome my laziness like it did at the beginning.

 

I learned that my dolls are kinda doomed to forever wear the first wig I put on their heads. I've tried buying alternate wigs for various dolls, and have had exactly ZERO success with changing their hairstyle. Eyes, faceup and clothing style I can kinda shift around, but when I get used to a doll with a certain hairstyle, I can't imagine them with anything else. So, I need to be very, very careful about which wig I put on a doll when I unbox them, because chances are I'll be stuck with it forever!

 

I finally bought a 1/3 doll (A Feeple60 girl) after only owning MSD's and smaller, and oh. my. goodness. I thought I'd never get a "big girl" because they would be too big, but she is just the perfect size to sew for, photograph, all the things. I still love my minis, but there's something about having such a big doll that really changes the game for me. I want to swear I won't buy another SD, but I'm sure I'll end up buying her a friend at some point... They're like Pringles, you can't just have one.

 

That MSD's feel awkward to me anymore. I used to think they were the perfect size for me, so have quite a few of them. After months of photographing and handling my SD dolls, it just feels kind of weird to even pick them up anymore. They just feel so tiny and delicate. When I go to take their pictures, it feels small and clumsy. When I take the larger dolls pictures it is like zeroing in on small humans and it's much more comfortable to me.

I'll probably only ever get one more of the smaller dolls. Only because I have an outfit shoes and wig waiting for a boy. But they mostly they just sit on a shelf and look cute for me. Which is nice. But I don't have plans to do any major things with them they just feel frustrating for me to handle anymore.

I was really surprised by this. My original plan was to do both an SD and an MSD web comic, but now I just decided to continue with the SD dolls because they feel so much more agreeable to me. I feel more confident photographing them.

 

I like to draw fantasy creatures with odd proportions, and I learned about BJDs through pictures of DC dolls - that aesthetic is pretty much what I draw - but I quickly realized I prefer more realistically proportioned dolls. I think sculpture works best when the proportions are more natural. This made me rethink the proportions I use in drawing. In a sense BJDs are reshaping my taste in artwork.

 

I’ve recently discovered that I’ve (finally!) lost the urge to seek out new dolls with stories to tell. After all these years of adding roughly 3 BJDs per year to my collection, I’d lost hope of ever being able to stop. But suddenly here I am with a fairly large collection of around 60 dolls, and lo and behold the desire has finally waned. I adore my collection exactly as it stands, and none of them will ever be going anywhere. But could I really be done…really? Here’s hoping.

 

Joining the "You don't know how much stuff you've accumulated until you need to move" :')

I'm pretty good at organizing every little thing the moment I get it. Everything has a home or else it doesn't get to stay in mine mentality. I live in an apartment and we needed to move into a smaller unit in the same building and as soon as I started going through my racoonferretdragon hoarding type stuff I was just like

So I've spent the last year going over and over and over it all again to see what I can truly part with or not and the answer is... not much. So now I'm just crying myself to sleep about it every night wondering why I'm like this LOL. It took me so long to get to where I am - I have all my grails, I have collections of stuff from companies I love, I have clothing I've always wanted and everyone looks nice and proper to my standards. But there's just TOO MUCH of it. I never thought THIS would stress me out.

I've changed so much over the years too. I used to collect only romantic heads, white skin dolls (I love stark contrast), big boys etc and now I'm almost opposite. I'll never give up my boys, but I prefer open eye heads, minifees, tan and fantasy tones, etc. One reason I love the hobby is the ability to change! I love challenging myself to give something up or try something different. I love learning about myself through these challenges too - like learning that I can in fact do something uncomfortable and be alright.

I love my dolls and as much as I'd like less of them, I only want more lol. I thought I'd never get girls either, but that's changing! Slowly. Sort of.

 

For the longest time since I started in this hobby, I had this like notion in my head that all my dolls needed to be original characters of mine (I'm a writer before a doll collector) and that having dolls that were media characters or celebrities and such was unoriginal, lazy, and overall not something I wanted for myself (even if I had already written fan-fiction and that I was completely okay with).

Well, in the past year I learned that was the dumbest lie I could've told myself. Now my MSD-sized family includes my Marvel OC, but also Doctor Strange and Storm (who is a work in progress but it's filling me with joy) and I'm feeling the happiest I've ever felt with my dolls in years. I guess that what I failed to understand is that having them made into dolls was no different from fan-fiction because even if the base were other's characters, my dolls are my interpretation of them.

 

I've learned that I have lost all patience with floppy dolls, difficult to restring dolls non easy to sit dolls if a doll can't sit on shelf and falls front or back out it goes lol

 

This is so relatable, I suspect I'm going to be in your camp on this as well, at least with the wigs. I can't say for sure as yet since I'm new to BJD collecting, even though I've owned lots of dolls over my lifetime, and still have quite a few from childhood. But the resin dolls at 45 cm or taller are totally new experiences for me!

But I often file my dolls in my mind under their first visual appearance (facial features, hair color, etc.), and it can be harder to change that up without feeling a sense of unease that something isn't quite "right" afterwards. So wild how the brain works on stuff like that, guess life really is just full of all kinds of interesting variety!

I love the way you've constructed this concept, how owning dolls that belong to someone else's creative process is akin to writing fanfiction. It's so true that what you do with them is uniquely your own interpretation, and I'm really glad you're able to feel more relaxed about that and enjoy your dolls that much more!

My background is in history, and what's so neat about that field, imho, is how all of it revolves around making original interpretations around the facts we think we know, but putting them together to form new frameworks and ideas about people's experiences in specific times and places.

In a way, that's what you did, and I think it's rad!

Also, the way we customize the base model BJD we buy is ultimately our own interpretation from the start, too. And I love that concept overall.

I've learned that I often cycle through collections of things that seem wildly disconnected from each other, but then I'll circle back to something years later and fall in love with it all over again, usually from a new angle. Like with dolls, I owned an AG Samantha in my childhood, and I still have her, but she's just been on display for years as a beloved object.

Then I discovered BJDs a few months ago, when I decided I really wanted some visual representations of characters I'm writing, and now I'm back into doll collecting, and even talking with my mom about learning to mock up my own patterns. I'd given up sewing years and years ago, so it's like all of these things are returning at a time where I needed to rediscover them.

Plus, the big dolls are really neat! I was intimidated by the 60cm size and larger, but now that I own one and am handling her, I really like the perks!

 

I've rediscovered my love for tiny pets and anthros! I had a few in the past and sold them off years ago, but this year has just been a tiny explosion over here. (And I've discovered that I'm dangerously addicted to Penny's Box centaurs...I've tried several blind box dolls and at this point I've sold off all my little human girls to get more centaurs....) This has been a wild ride for me, since I've really only had interest in 1/3 humans for years!

I've also learned that dyeing tinies isn't too hard, and I'm not really afraid to try anymore.

Aaaand I've learned to stop limiting myself to a certain number of dolls. Long long ago, I had around 39 at once and it was overwhelming, I didn't care for over half of them and didn't even properly finish them. I had a ton of cheap terrible hybrids in bad wigs with eyes that didn't fit and low quality clothes and accessories because I had the "quantity over quality" mindset. Because I was buying so fast, I didn't put much effort in their characters and would end up with a full character just being something like "Her name is Danielle and she's in college" and nothing more. I'm the type of hobbyist who needs fully fleshed out characters, so that prevented me from really enjoying any of them. I sold off most of them and started over with a smaller crew and told myself no more than 19 at a time. And for awhile, that worked. I'd try to stay around 13-16, and usually when I started creeping near 19, I'd start getting that overwhelmed and unloved feeling again and sell....it cycled. A lot. But I've recently realized it's actually not the number that stresses me out, it's my connection to them. I can manage around 23 and enjoy them all because they're fully developed characters with ongoing stories, the right wig and eyes, a full wardrobe of clothes and they are the sculpt/body they should be. It's less about the number and much more about putting in the work and bringing them to life as they should be.

 

Another thing I'm learning... I've always wanted to keep a small-ish doll collection, and turns out I don't need a strategy to achieve this, I just need to follow my enjoyment.

I'm not a collector personality and I don't like rushing into things quickly, but when I came back to the hobby in late 2022 after a 10-year hiatus, I went kinda crazy with buying resin. Before I went on my hiatus I bought one doll at a time, and never had more than 4 dolls at once. But I started 2023 with 3 dolls and ended it with 7 ... at one point I was waiting for 2 full dolls, 1 doll body, and 2 floating heads concurrently. This is a LOT of resin for me, thinking about it stressed me out a bit. And the temptations and FOMO were still coming!

I'm the analytical sort (scientist by trade, what can I say... ) so I tried to analyze on my doll-buying patterns and figure out ways of saying No to new doll temptations. Turns out that I didn't need a 10-step plan, I just needed to do whatever I enjoyed most in this hobby, and if I don't enjoy it - don't do it. Indeed, at some stage, I stopped being eager to buy new dolls. I got much more interested in playing with the crew at home, and when I thought about spending hobby money I found myself wanting to spoil my crew instead of buy a new doll. When that shift happened, the temptations dropped to nothing, it became much much easier to say No to new dolls and opt out of FOMO.

So I don't stress out anymore about "oh no, what if I buy a new doll???"... partly because I'm back to my original pattern of slowly buying dolls, and partly because enjoyment feels more relaxed and fun than a strategy. And it's proven effective: currently I'm having fun playing with my dolls and spoiling them, and I don't care anymore about all those shiny new preorders out there - I'm actually quite contented to miss out on them. It doesn't mean never buying dolls either - if I get a hankering for a new doll and think I'll enjoy having it, there's nothing wrong with following that enjoyment too. So I didn't really have to stress about keeping my collection small - it's happening naturally by itself.

 

Something I've learned about myself as a collector recently is that I don't actually like the cattiness that can result when cliques form - I recently had a falling out with an online friend group in part because the hypocrisy was starting to get to me, but then also because some of that cattiness was starting to get directed toward me - so it was kind of a double whammy. After I separated myself from the situation (in this case, by leaving that online space), though, I found that I didn't really miss it as much as I would have thought. I was so worried that being on the outside looking in would be devastating, but, actually... I don't really seem to care? I still enjoy my dolls, and interacting with people on other online platforms, and chatting with IRL doll friends (who I might only see in person every couple of months, but who I've still managed to form deeper friendships with than I ever did with the online group). All this is to say, I think the lesson learned for me was that I'm more independent-minded than I thought. But also, that spending time with people that seem to bring out the not great aspects of my personality (not just in terms of spending, but more in terms of gossiping, mean comments, excluding others) isn't really something I want to be doing.

 

Before I began collecting I said, "Those people with huge collections are crazy, I will probably have a couple and end it at that." The joke's on me, I was wrong, the list of dolls I am hoping to buy in the future is not getting any smaller because there are so many beautiful sculpts out there and artists with amazing talent, it is so frustrating. I also thought I only liked my dolls a certain way, but after the purchase of my Chloe, which was secondhand, I figured out that I was wrong, I don't want dolls with larger busts that are super femme, the smaller chests like the fairyland B are more approachable and nicer in my opinion and when it comes to what I want from my collection. I am ever-changing and so is my preference for dolls, and I have come to accept that.

 

I thought I was squarely in the elegant-retro, frilly dress camp, but I've bought modern clothes this time and I enjoy the shift in style.

 

Maybe a bit silly, but I learned that I restringing my dolls isn't as scary as I thought and I should definitely do it more often! I had to learn recently since the second hand body I purchased came in and was super floppy, but I was glad to learn how to do it myself!

 

Thank you! I'm glad to hear that my post gave you encouragement! I had to read/watch several tutorials, and it took time but it's definitely something I feel I will get better at with time!

My tip is to take photos of your doll as you disassemble it for your reference! It helped me stay organized while my brain was focused on learning the whole process haha

 

It might sound dumb but I learned that dolls are much sturdier than I thought. This was the first time that I had to change hands on a doll and the amount of force the poor doll could take was impressive.

 

@Hannya When I wanted to change a foot the first time I went very delicately and thought something was stuck... Nothing was stuck, it just took a lot more force than I thought to pull the elastic ... I'm amazed with how much pressure is resting on the joints.

 

@Hannya @lutke Trust me, before long you'll be putting them under your leg, between your thighs, kneeling and sitting on them, to restring them. Humiliating? Perhaps, but if they want to pose and stand sturdily and not be a floppy mess, a bit of humiliation is worth suffering!

 

@aihre When I took off the head the first time I muttered "oh no" and "I am so sorry"

 

I've learned that I actually DO like boy dolls. I just hadn't found the right sculpts for me!

 

"Remember, it's worth the suffering!" is something that I'll tell myself over and over the next time I need to change anything on my doll Maybe that'll make me feel less bad haha

 

I'm so glad I'm not the only one that is constantly apologizing to their dolls

 

I come from 1:12 figures and model kits... I never thought I'd care, but it matters a lot that BJDs are a lot more unique. Even with the same company face-up, my doll is different than someone else's doll. There's no way you'd put my doll along with someone else's doll with the same sculpt side to side and I wouldn't be able to tell which one is mine. The stuff I owned before, there's no denying it was industrially made. Everyone else who owns the item has the same item as mine, and there are thousands out there probably. I never thought it would matter.

 

I learned that I'm more tolerant of resin colour mismatch than I used to be. I have a couple hybrids where the undertones of the head doesn't match the undertones of the body (pinkish head vs creamy/yellowy body), and ... seems that I'm chill with it? I may not be able to unsee it, but it doesn't vex me as much as I thought, and I can overlook it most of the time. It helps a lot that those two hybrid bodies are fantastic in all other ways: I like the physique, jointing, handling, texture and weight/feel in my hands, and the proportions work well with the head. The hybrid is excellent, the colour mismatch is literally the only downside. Of course I'd like my doll's head and body to match in colour, but it seems like all those other positive traits can outweigh this one negative.

 

I used to only want very realistic looking glass eyes in my dolls, but this year I have found that I actually do quite like some fantasy-ish eyes. Not sure why it took me so long to try them out because I’ve always really liked them in other people’s dolls.

 

It's unfortunately something one can only learn by touch, but I've found that sanded/sandblasted/"soft finish" resin gives me an intense ick, which I never would have known to think of. Dolls are a very haptic thing and buying them online makes it a gamble sometimes, because you can never tell what the resin feels like. I think I just got incredibly lucky with some of my earlier dolls that it never crossed my mind, but several years later I feel like resin texture can become a dealbreaker for me.

 

@cobaltconduct I can understand this. To me my Little Monica feels way off from my other dolls. It's not a deal breaker for me, but the resin just feels weird to touch. It's very course, and make my fingers feel very dry just to touch it, It's difficult to explain.

I like the doll it's not a deal breaker for me, but until I got the doll, most of my resin dolls felt very similar to each other. This one just feels very different. I got her years ago, maybe Little Monica changed up the resin now.

 

I used to think that I would only like dolls with realistic skin types - fantasy colors just didn't seem to appeal to me because it felt unnatural or I might have a harder time finding clothes that would suit them. Then I took a chance and bought a Peak's Woods and I've since fallen in love! I'm definitely open to the idea of getting another doll in an unusual color in the future.

 

I've found, though this is oddly specific, I like dolls the best that I can pick up and comfortably hold with one hand.
For myself, the heaviest I can do this with is 1/3rd.

I have one 75cm doll who definitely needs more care when moving him about, and the largest in my collection, and though I adore him, he's a lot!

I've had the lovely opportunity in my local doll meets to handle dolls of all different shapes and sizes, from little 15cm tinies to ones that are like the size of a large dog, and they're all amazing, but I've found I really like a doll that I could shift about easily if I need to move them to a different place or pick them up to dust or redress or whatnot. I've also had a chance to handle a variety of vinyl dolls, and though I own one vinyl myself, it's still wild to feel the sheer difference in weight and I'd love to put together a Dollfie in the future with the floating head I have.

I uh...man, I might consider having another 75cm in the future though despite this because despite being a lot, I do still like the presence and one headsculpt I really like only comes in that size, ahaha..

 

I just learned that I like more realistically proportioned dolls than I thought I would! I'm pretty compulsively attracted to the late aughts/early 2010s style of big eyes and large heads, so I've pretty intentionally leaned into that as the basis for my collection.

However, I finally unboxed my Maskcat Astrid for the first time and, oh my goodness, I find it hard to look away from her. She is exquisite! Her face holds such a different presence than what I'm used to and I'm positively charmed.

 

I started off with mature tinies, and only more recently got slim MSD sized dolls. I've realized I like handling and sewing for MSDs better.

 

Generally speaking (with the exception of my Dollmore Lusion Pino and some other Dollmore dolls I may get later on), I tend to like the 2000-2010's style of doll. The larger head with a more stylized face (Volks, CP Delf, etc.). I also realized within the last couple of years that I really like dressing my dolls in mainly black clothing, black boots, etc.

 

Over the years, I have grown to prefer buying dolls secondhand vs brand new. My favorite dolls in my collections are the previously owned and the hybrids. There is something really rewarding about giving a doll a second (or third) life and having them fit in with your collection perfectly.

 

I'm still fairly new at the hobby, but I've learned that I absolutely adore tinies. 1/6 and 1/8 are totally where it's at for me!

I'm also very into older sculpts like Custom House and Rosenlied. Makes me a bit sad to have missed out on when they were still around and producing dolls, but looking for them secondhand is actually really fun and tickles the thrift-loving part of my brain, so maybe that's part of the appeal.

 

This was me until I recently found the type of male dolls I would love to own: faces that feature a combination of strong jawlines, pronounced cheekbones and brow bone, contrasted by hollow cheeks--like Demiurge Dolls and Granado's rugged men. Their sculpting makes them so distinctive and aesthetically pleasing to me.

Also, I've found that I'm not much of a BJD collector but rather treat the hobby as a medium for further enjoying the OCs I'm obsessed with. So while I continue to stare and gush about many pretty BJDs, I'm not tempted to throw any real money unless they serve my OCs in some way i.e. getting a body upgrade. I think it's enough to live vicariously through other people's excitement and their photos.

 

Two things I've realised:

1. 75cm is Enough Doll. I currently have three of them, all of which are supposed to be unusually tall characters, and I currently don't have any plans for a fourth. I might be open to one in the future, but I don't want anything taller
2. I enjoy my dolls more when they have at least one other doll to interact with, whether that's a friend, family member or just a smaller doll to antagonise them.

 

Even after so many years in the hobby, I feel like I've learned so many things recently about my collecting habits.

I found I actually love getting dolls with face-ups already done, usually second-hand. Sending them out for a face-up is exciting in its own right, but being able to look at the exact doll I want and knowing that's what's coming home helps me plan better. I just miss the rapport that comes from the excitement of gushing to an artist when the work is done.

SDs are a bit too big for me, but I still want 2 resin 60cm one of these days (hence hanging onto one of my floating heads). My Dollfie Dreams I also don't plan on adding more of, but even if I'm no longer collecting them doesn't mean I don't still love them.

And I am no longer afraid of hybrids! This took me way too long to realize, but it opened up so many doors for the artists and studios that only release head sculpts. It helps sometimes if I have to wait on a body because I take the production period to find wigs/eyes/etc.

 

I have yet to see any SD male dolls in person, but I do have a 71 cm on layaway. I saw a video the other day and the person had their hand on the leg of a 77 cm doll, upper body not even on screen, that had me screaming, "holy fuck, that's a BIG BOY!"

As a person with very small hands, I need to move my 60-65 cm dolls around with both hands and a sweaty death grip

In my experience, waiting for the faceups to be done is a type of separation anxiety as you'd be staring at your headless doll(s) for several weeks to months unless you decided to put them away and just "forget about them". But as I am deeply attached to my first dolls, I didn't want to do that.

 

I've learned that I have a weakness for 1:4 dolls, not just tinies. I just don't get to indulge much because of my budget.

 

I thought I was into small 1/4 dolls only, but suddenly am falling in love with a lot of 1/3 dolls. I wish I had more space.

 

I am also the camp of 75cm is Enough Doll. I recently bought a studio Naiko male body (waiting on head) and my Lord this is a huge doll. Even for me and I’m a tall, heavyset woman. After 2 decades in this hobby I’ve hit my size limit.

Also I’ve come to the conclusion that I will never like yo-Sd dolls enough to own them, except for a sei tenshi that is an unreachable grail.

 

That I have such a better time when I fully commit to not taking it seriously at all. I feel like every artistic/skill-based interest I've ever had was eventually poisoned by this mentality of feeling things were either perfect or worthless, i.e. my worthless vs apparently everyone else's perfect. Looking back on those things in my teens and 20s, I don't really see a person actually enjoying those things as much as being perpetually stressed out by what they represented about me as a person.

I'm pretty new to dolls in general, but I actually feel like it's a hobby vs a stressor for once in my life. I just kind of do whatever with no direction, don't feel any need to compare my dolls to others', take a quick lazy photo and that's good enough etc. Which is kind of freeing. And funnily enough I feel like that attitude has been more conducive to noticing improvements in faceups etc over time. More willing to experiment/practice more often when it doesn't seem to matter so much I guess.

I don't know, example, I did a faceup on a new doll over the weekend. Sealant did something weird on her cheek at one point. 20-year-old me would have flipped and wiped the whole thing immediately; I just decided on the spot "oh, I could paint a scar here" and ended up liking it better with it anyway.

Then put her on the shelf next to one of my older ones, was surprised that she looked noticeably better than he did. Again 20-year-old me would have only been deeply ashamed by the older one in that situation, like the contrast just reinforced how terrible I was. "This one's bad already; how could I not see that it used to be even worse!" etc. But because I'm not that pressed about my dolls I just felt motivated to amend his face and now he looks a little better too. Very longwinded but it's been a nice sort of self revelation lately.

 

I used to be a massive collector in the sense that I was constantly acquiring new dolls, but now I think I'm more or less satisfied. I'll still buy a doll here and there, but the one I have on order now is the first I've bought in three years, so it's few and far between. I think at this point I'd rather work on the dolls I have and make new things for them than keep getting new dolls. New dolls just feel like a lot more work.

 

That as girly and feminine as I am, I basically only want boys! I'm interested in a few girls, but only because I want to shell them as very feminine presenting men. I just love my rockstar boys so much!

 

Here’s something I learned that really and truly surprised me…that those fascinating characters I’d long ago given up on have somehow managed to stick around in my mind, only to rear their heads quite suddenly when a perfect shell appears in the marketplace. Geez, I really thought I was done. I truly did! I’ve come up with no new characters for several years now…and whoever never got shelled for whatever reason, I simply gave up on and moved on. I was quite happy with my completed collection, because time marches on and trends in dolls change, and there you go. And then a forgotten old-school grail pops up in the marketplace and hits you between the eyes. It turns out that his character never died…he was just biding his time.

 

Delete

 

I enjoy body blushing. I HATE doing face-ups. Hate hate hate. So..... I'm finally biting the bullet and commissioning others to paint my dolls' faces.

I'll paint a whole head/body to color match, no problem. Sueding? Love it. Restring all day every day. Same with dyeing, sanding, and mods. But put a face in front of me and ask me to paint on some eyebrows, and I'm permanently frozen in executive dysfunction land.

 

I also like buying dolls with faceups already as a few others have stated. Having been out of the hobby for a long time, most of the artists I know of are retired or MIA so it's a little bewildering to know who to send to now. I've also had not the best experience recently shipping off for a faceup compared to before.. It'd just be nice to have the faceup to start with. Haha. I realize, only after experiencing all of my urethane eyes yellowing, that I prefer glass eyes because they're future-proof. And glass eyes have improved a lot in terms of quality compared to when I last shopped for them. Also I've thankfully never ran into clothing or shoes disintegrating (the kind made out of pleather) because I prefer cloth products but I will continue to steer clear of plastic doll products for similar reasons to the urethane versus glass logic.

 

I got my first bjd a couple weeks ago, and so far I've learned that I enjoy sewing! it always intimidated me before, but there's something about sewing on a small scale, with the fairly quick dopamine hit of seeing it on my new girl, that's motivating me more than I ever expected

 

I realised that I am really picky about clothes and how they fit a) a body and b) the character and c) how the dolls look together. Recently I bought a larger amount of clothes for the first time since switching to SDs. While I use the shoes frequently and absolutely love changing them and just looking at them really, the clothing I have yet to use... maybe one or two outfits stick but the rest? That surprised me a bit, as I thought it would give the uncompleted dolls a boost from sitting around naked and "unloved". And also that maybe I was to rigid in thinking "oh, I want to do it all myself". But the reality is that I enjoy the crafting part so much more than the buying one. Wigs, eyes, clothes I'd much rather take a few weeks to months but have them be (more or less) the way I envisioned them.