DollsArtCats

                                                                                              May 2020 be better (by a lot) than 2019!                                             Also, the Critter Cam works inside as well :D

                                                     This is what I got for Christmas that is the nearest thing to "a toy"--it's a Bass Pro trail camera with a motion sensor and an IR setting for night. This is what we got last night: So we have squirrel, possums, raccoons, skunks, rabbits and at dawn, a dove. I like having the time, date, and temperature on there as well! And it says Camera1-- so there is a temptation to get Camera 2 for the section further back. :D

I don't know who is leaving packages in the snow, but here's hoping that all your holidays are merry and bright!

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-50840434 Also there is an article I did not read, but laughed at the title:

https://twitter.com/rokubunnnoichi/status/1207276256946900999 And his computer lights up!!! Hehe!

The Star is finally up , and thank goodness I don't need her, though I love, love her outfit and shoes. She is Vito sized, 53 centimeters, but on a newly designed body. She comes in normal, white and the pale purple blue they are calling "serenity"; she is limited but you can put her on 6 mos layaway. Her limited face has engraved "pockets" for the jewels: And here she is with her faceup and jewels: There is an open-eyed version of her that is "Human Charotte" (And yes, that is how her name is spelled) that I like maybe a bit more than the Romantic Eye version: Look At That Dress:

I think he's pretty neat--he's a fantasy guy but a smaller size, with gold fantasy bits--you can see him here: https://gem.dollsoom.com/en/shop/zedo-the-illusionist/ I have been busy between Christmas and an upcoming sf convention, and I need new glasses, so being on the computer is annoying. But I am hoping that once things settle down in January I can do more dollie projects!

The cheery Luna has always been one of my favorite Iplehouse dolls--what's not to like about a girl who can transform into a giant cat? Now she has been re-released as a swashbuckling Fashion Iplehouse Doll ...and she looks great!  Right now Iplehouse seems to be where the action is at--Souldoll is still messing around getting The Star ready, and Soom has a kind of meh new tiny (the photos are cute, as always though). Here's another Luna promo photo: Here we have been busy getting ready to ship Christmas presents-- for the last couple of years I have tried shipping direct from Amazon, and it was just too unpredictable, so I am back to stuffing things in boxes here. The USPS Click n Ship is a godsend, let me tell you--I can now make labels here and then just drop stuff off at the post office, or in a pinch lurk and wait for the carrier and hand them my outgoing mail. But it does mean that the house is a disaster area of boxes and packing material, and I am always miss...

She's a 64 cm cutie  and so well painted! Impl has really levelled up their faceups. They also ship EMS now, instead of DHL, and while it makes it more expensive, it also means ...your doll arrives! DHL was great in New Jersey, for some reason it's a little wonkier here, though I have no real complaints. You can admire her huge, slow loading photos here: http://www.impldoll.com/goods.php?id=750 I have always enjoyed my Impldoll dolls!

OK, let's be honest here--Iplehouse has exactly the same problem as I do with Halloween leftovers..what to do with them at Christmas? Instead of tossing holly on Kali, they decided to just run with it and put her up, bats and all. Her dress IS gorgeous and I do love the concept, though if you are going full Kali, maybe have her in some sort of Indian-inspired garb, like a sari? Some gold daggers? But anyway, you can do with her as you please when you get her home--she is a nice SID size and I would recommend the new body with her smallish face. By the way, Iplehouse glass eyes are really nice if they have them in stock right now. As for making her more seasonal, you can always find some felt reindeer horns and a nice Elsa dress  to recut if you look around--Frozen merch is practically sliding out the door at Target :D

I have Halloween decorations I leave up, or rather around, all year. I have a rubber rat by the back door that acts as one of those spring door stops, since there isn't one installed there, and various Halloween magnets and cards live around the house until they just become part of the decor. The toad I have here is new, though, so I haven't quite found a home for it--it spent Halloween on the kitchen table, frowning at a tiny bowl of sunflower native seeds that I finally got into the ground this week, so he's still on the table, where the tiny tabletop tree goes. And he looked kind of ..plain. I thought about making him a Christmas collar, but then I remembered that Cat had made me several small crowns, so I found some festive elastic and now the Halloween Toad is now the Christmas toad. Or perhaps the Sugarplum Toad: Toads are awesome. We have real ones in the back in the summer:

                 Just my niece and two seal friends (one is a puppet, not sure about the other).                    When she is famous, I will whip this photo out and show it to the WaPo. :D

I managed to not buy Temperance (and it was hard, I LOVED face and extras) but here comes my favorite Tarot card, the Star. As a Vito, which is the good news-- as they are less expensive than the larger Zenith girls. Here's Souldolls' front page: http://www.souldoll.com/index.php They have some December sales coupons up but I haven't looked at them closely.

This elegant tarot deck was a gift from Sicktress, and is made by Nix Hydra . Like most independent decks, the quality is superb--smooth coated cards with gold edging: The cards are a mix of anthropomorphic animals for the Majors, and regular animals for the Minor Arcana (if you count "Dragons" as regular animals) :D. The colors are gorgeous! The Fool is the blank card you see at the bottom, and the backs are not really reversible--the heart is the giveaway, but since it's at the center of the card, it's possible to pull cards without looking at the center of them. Both sides of the cards have gold details! Another look at the Majors--the top row is Strength, the Hermit, The Empress, and the Emperor. Second row is the Chariot, the Fool again, the Magician, and the High Priestess. (I love the Fox as the Magician, since he can be a con man too :D.) The owl is so perfect as the High Priestess. Still more Majors--the cat as the Star is just the cutest t...

Yes, my new keyboard is delayed, so I am carrying the only one I have back and forth--I hoped the new one would come today, BUT NO. Anyway, Iplehouse not only has their Basics on sale (Soo up there is 479.00 if you buy her blank, a 15% discount--it sort of works out to free shipping to the US), but the Doll Choice is now at the same price as the Basics if they were not on sale. You still pay extra for fancy skin colors, like Peach Gold or Gray or Realskin, etc. You need to be logged in to see the Doll Choice page.  I still would like a Soo but I also need 1) Tires 2) Heater inspection for this winter 3) Dental work for J.  Boo for adult bills. I did sell something on Ebay so I am learning how that works, and that might be a way to narrow down the doll collection somewhat. I just need to not shop as I sell :D I do have a new Tarot deck that was a gift! I need to sort through the photos and I will post it up later today.