Originally posted at http://snowfern-clover.blogspot.com

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*sings* It's the final count dowwwwwnnnnnn~~!! One day (and a half) left to Singapore Doll Carnival 2014!!! Remember to join us at *Scape if you're free, drop by and say "HI" to Asuka and I! We're probably the first table you'll see as you enter the venue :E Woot Woot~!

"ONCE UPON A TIME"

Date : 16 November 2014 (Sunday)

Venue : The Treetop, Scape (level 5)

2 Orchard Link, Singapore 237938

(Nearest train station : Somerset)
Time : 12pm - 7pm
Ticket Price : $18 (door tickets)

(hahha I kope'd Asuka's edit :E)

View the other vendor offerings here!

http://www.sgdollcarnival.com/booth-list.html

After my previous update, I went into full throttle mode and came up with a few more items....

 1:3 scale miniature potato wedges, chicken tenders (suitable for 1:4 too, or YoSD), with BBQ sauce. Air dry clay, epoxy resin, acrylic paint, sealants, paper

2 sets available for each, all items loose

 1:3 scale miniature fish and chip sets, with coleslaw, lemon slice and tomato wedge. Air dry clay, epoxy resin, acrylic paint, sealants

1 set available, the square bowl at back. Casserole set reserved!

1:4 scale miniature nuggets and fries set, for 1:4 or YoSD. Air dry clay, epoxy resin, acrylic paint, sealants, paper

2 sets available.

1:3 and 1:4/YoSD junk food sets XD

Repost of the first pic cos I can't find the photo for the 1:3 nugget set....gyaaa...lazy to take pics. The 1:3 scale miniature nugget and fries sets come with ketchup, coleslaw in a lettuce cup, and a tomato wedge in a ceramic dish. 

2 sets available (far right in photo)

1:3 or 1:4 miniature tomato wedges, air dry clay, epoxy resin, acrylic paints, sealants

For those who have 'liked' my facebook page or followed my Instagram, you probably have seen these.....they seem to be incredibly popular! I made them a tad small so I could use them in 1:4 or 1:3 settings.....they were incredibly time-consuming to make, but well worth the effort I think ^_^v

Back to Japanese food! (or at least, Singaporean versions of haha)

1:3 scale miniature chashu ramen bowl, air dry clay, epoxy resin, acrylic paints, sealants, polymer clay

Only 1 set available, ran out of time to make more T-T 

1:3 scale miniature kitsune udon bowl, with attached chopsticks for posing with dolls! air dry clay, epoxy resin, acrylic paints, sealants, polymer clay, bamboo

Only 1 set available, not sure if this format will be popular...if there's demand I'll make more when I have time!

1:3 scale miniature kitsune and enoki mushroom udon bowl, air dry clay, epoxy resin, acrylic paints, sealants, polymer clay

2 sets available

1:3 scale miniature kitsune and chikuwa udon bowl, air dry clay, epoxy resin, acrylic paints, sealants, polymer clay

Sold, was a custom request that came in while I was prepping the udon bowls :D Thank you!

1:3 scale miniature egg mayo takoyaki, air dry clay, epoxy resin, acrylic paints, scenic scatter, sealants

Sold, thank you!

1:3 scale miniature takoyaki, air dry clay, epoxy resin, acrylic paints, scenic scatter, sealants. not sure what the boat material is, same as the real takoyaki boats....some sort of wood pulp?

2 regular takoyaki sets available, with mayonnaise and bonito flakes. The 'bitten' takoyaki is loose for ease of posing!

1:3 scale miniature lobster salad/salmon mayo, avocado hana maki, air dry clay, microbeads, acrylic paints, sealants

I LOVE EATING THESE! Well, the lobster salad ones. Have never tried the avocado, but seen plenty of photos.....avocado is also so so omnomnommy! ^_^

4 sets available (in trios like in photo)

1:3 scale miniature okonomiyaki, air dry clay, acrylic paints, sealants, scenic scatter, epoxy resin

Bacon and egg okonomiyaki available, 'cut' okonomiyaki sold, thank you! :D

These are work in progress photos, as I have packed them up safely, but hope to take some photos of everything together tomorrow as I price all my items and do a test layout. 

1:3 scale miniature chopsticks in paper sleeves. paper, inkscape, bamboo, sealant

Many sets available! For individual sale at SGD$4, but only SGD$2 if purchased with any Japanese food sets ^_^ 

I also spent a bit of time designing chopstick sleeves from scratch....my initial design was a fugly pink sakura themed one as I felt panicky and rushed to get a generic design out....luckily CH gave me pause to rethink the design. It so happens that we both share the same Chinese middle name, "Yan4", which means "Swallow" (the bird, not the verb heheh), and I had to give my brain a few seconds to recall how to write my name.....*hangs head in shame* In my defense, I hadn't written it in over 2 years......at least I think that's when I last practiced writing it?! *embarrassed* 

Anyhoo, she suggested I use it as inspiration for the design, and I whipped this out in maybe 10 minutes!!! That's got to be the shortest time I've ever spent on a new design bwa ha haaaaaa! *puffs up chest*

The Chinese/Kanji characters mean "Swallow Sanctuary". The 2nd character, "Ting2" could also mean pavilion....or gazebo maybe? I thought it quite sweet :)))) The hiragana should read "tsubame", the Japanese word for Swallow. I hope I got everything right and not committed some faux pas. Out of all my BJD group of friends, I'm the least Japanese-savvy one!!! Heck, I can't even manage my own grasp of Mandarin and I'm =at least= 3/4 Chinese.....*derisive snort* 

1:3 miniature scale "Large" waffles with butter and honey. Air dry clay, acrylic paints, sealant, epoxy resin

Asuka had made some beautiful waffles, and I had coincidentally left some to dry as I worked on the Japanese foods...and when she updated with photos I squealed in delight because 

1) WE ARE TELEPATHIC (hahah joke, joke, I don't believe in woo)

2) as proven many times over, it didn't matter if we made the same stuff, our styles are very different!!

I'll talk about this topic (friend? competition? business partner? collaborator? Folie à deux?) another time as I've been asked a few times how it was that Asuka and I happen to work so well together....it's embarrassing watching us do events, we bicker like an old couple hahahhaha

-_-""""""

ANYWAY. I went back to work on them.....

1:3 BJD scale miniature "Large" waffles vs 1:12 scale dollhouse miniature butter and honey waffles....

Only 1 set available. Waffles attached to plate.

A closer look.....in case anyone was wondering, that's a Singapore 10-cent coin, which is approx 1.85cm diameter. I tried to make the butter look melted.....will try to take a better photo with the DSLR if I have time (or remember to....)

Not for sale at the moment....only made these cos the waffles had been lying around in my UFO (unfinished objects) box for ages, and only needed the resin to complete it...and I knew I would have extra from making the 1:3 one......it also makes this post valid for this smaller scales blog hwa hwa hwa.

WIP 1:3 scale miniature "Large" waffles with icecream, syrup, whipped cream and topped with cherry

Allowing the final sealant coat of resin to cure....I've also broken out in hives from a week of working with resin *heavy sigh*

Above 4 designs available, not attached to triangle white plate (as seen in the honey/butter waffle pic)

My cousin D came over yesterday and helped me finish up the sushi boards, SHE IS A LIFE-SAVER!!!! XD So I'll spend tomorrow sorting out sushi sets....the shoyu dishes are also curing (first attempt was megafail, frustrating, but finally got it right) and will be available separately only with purchase of sushi sets :) I -might- sell some sushi a la carte, but it depends on whether I can figure it all out.....am so tired....and pricing is so difficult...and I can't figure out how to pack everything into the carry-on suitcase.....and my arm itches.......and my bed is covered with unfolded laundry.......and stocks cos I ran out of space to store them.......WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH *whinessssss*

but so exciting na~~~! :P Remember to say Hi! I love catching up (when it's not too hectic) with dollfriends at our "annual meets" haha! So envious when they bring around their new dolls.....Oh ya, I don't think I have space to bring any of mine :( Maybe Yotsuba if I remember........she can sit in my pocket haw haw *manic laughter*

time for bed. been running on only 4-6 hrs of sleep each night the past week. and coffee. mmm. coffee.

There are no ugly women, only lazy ones - Helena Rubinstein

 ...just like there are no bad photos, only lazy photographers (guilty) :X It is no coincidence that I always itch to play with dolls on weekends, my clay order hasn't arrived and so I decided to take a break from commission work and toy (hurhur) with the Canon again.

 The photos still need a lot of improvement, out of the 93, only 9 weren't over/under-exposed, grainy, etc. I still struggle with not moving the camera while pressing down on the button, but I can't afford a remote, so it's best to just keep practicing......

I kept laughing to myself while adjusting her outfit and hair, she does look like a bored housewife doesn't she? Poor Saffron, upkeep is such a b*tch :P While taking at this angle, I kept wishing I had a nail polish or buffer set for her to play with!!

I quite enjoyed this session, though my wrists and shoulder hurt quite a bit due to the heavy camera. I will have to figure out a larger space to set up the tripod!

Table - Daiso
Pinwheel Tart (unfinished) - Air dry clay, by me!
Baking tray - random tin cover
All other props - Re-Ment
Doll - Unoa Sist, Decadent Faceplate, Fresh Skin. Face up, clothes and hair by me!

Ginger has a 'proper' outfit!

This pair of sailor shorts kept me up till 5am drafting the pants pattern and putting it together (including a trial version with scrap material).....the sailor shorts was inspired by a Ralph Pink pattern, used inkscape to modify it to fit my Unoa. Alas, the free pattern did not come with instructions but it was fun, like piecing together a puzzle :E 

The top was an envelope tee-shirt pattern that I drafted myself. Although it is a tad loose, the Unoa large bust is kind of....uh, pointy, and I wanted to keep it a loose fit so I wouldn't have to sew another set of undergarments HAHA. I will, eventually...when I'm in the mood to fail again. 


(side note: yes, one has to have the will or mood to fail when attempting something new. I'm pessimistic that way :~( ) 

I usually keep this winking Lusis face on the body when sewing, as it does not have eyelashes for me to squish, but I've found that this means I tend to sew cuter items (the top, for example) instead of the burlesque items that I mean to sew for Saffron (re: pants, they were meant for a Betty Grable-esque outfit but somehow....lost focus....and wound up making shoes instead of a fitted top -_-")

Speaking of failing, those sneakers? They're also made by me, and after 3 failed attempts, a semi-passable pair~ I put together all sorts of random materials I had collected/lying around, yay upcycling~! Clover needs a pair too...but I'm supposed to list items on Etsy and I keep putting off photography cos....I really dislike it :(

(TOMORROW TOMORROW)

NO CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH

Usagi Clover!

Modified a Daiso coin purse into a rabbit hat, and made a t-shirt pyjama for Clover. Scrump was a UFO catcher item that bf and a friend spent $12 on trying to catch it (was I think $2 per try XD XD XD). Mini bunny was knit from a free pattern ages ago, you can knit one for yourself here: 

http://littlecottonrabbits.typepad.co.uk/free_knitting_patterns/2008/05/teenie-tinies.html :)

I'm winding down from a hectic week, but finally made something for Clover that finally suits her. My friends have been chiding me for dressing her up in "auntie" clothes, in my defense, I had been recycling materials as she was more of an impulse purchase and I wasn't sure about my sewing skills as it had been at least a decade since I sewed anything when she arrived!!! Will try to sew a few more t-shirts for her (and my Unoa)!

I will be listing some items on Etsy this coming week, do look out for them, as well as for the pre-order for the Ramen/Don bowls in early July :) I will be opening up limited commission slots as well, so please check in, or follow my Facebook/Instagram pages for updates!

Saffron

Meet Saffron :) This will be the obligatory box opening post XD I've actually reserved "saffron-tea.blogspot.com" but unless I give her some really crazy back story (which i do not have the imagination for) I doubt that blog will be updated XD

She is a Unoa Sist, Fresh Skin. Alchemic Labo, the company that produces her, used to only cater to the Japanese market, meaning they were pretty difficult to come by. I was reluctant to purchase a 2nd hand version, and so kept waiting for the chance that pre-orders for International orders would eventually be available.....

I waited for close to 6 years! I first came across photos of Unoa Lusis back in mid 2008 when I was trying to make my own BJD and instantly fell in love with these dolls. My hopes started waning as year after year, no pre-orders were made available, and I missed the lottery in -I think- 2012.....but this year in January, a 2 week window was open for pre-orders!! The fiance (then-bf) had promised me one as soon as it became available, and since I did not ask for a birthday gift last year, it became my belated birthday gift!!! (yeah, I'm fussy when it comes to gifts as I don't have much space and am very particular with what enters my room :X) I quickly placed an order, and added 3 face plates so I could have some practice, as well as versatility :)

And so.....on March 31st, Saffron arrived! This will be a lengthy and picture heavy post, so I'll divide it into 4 parts - Box Opening, Faceup, Sewing her first outfit, and Review.

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Box Opening

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Here's Eva welcoming Saffron :P 

TA-DAH!~~~~ That's Ahma's arm, she was even more excited for this box opening as she's now familiar with what I do XD She kept remarking, "This one is much bigger than the other one!" XD XD XD

DUN-DUN-DUNNNNN!!!!!! The biggest surprise was seeing that she came assembled :O

There was an accompanying note explaining why she was strung!

 Another surprise was the paper pattern to use when designing outfits for her O.O LOVE IT. Can't wait to make fitted clothing :D

Although the instructions were in Japanese, there were enough illustrations to help with the re-assembly.  

And best of all, even though it was stated that the eyes would be randomly assigned, I did add a note during checkout that I would prefer Blue/Gray eyes if at all possible....am not sure if it was a coincidence or really wonderful customer service, but I got the eyes I wanted!!! ^_^V

They are acrylic (I think) and have holes drilled for the eye mechanism. Will use them for Lusis!

Ahma kept asking how big she was compared to Clover, and so I quickly threw on a dress I knitted which was too large for Clover to protect Saffron's modesty. Ahma couldn't help but fiddle with her heheheheheh. It was quite sweet watching her marvel at dolls...quite a contrast to when Clover first arrived (she had a hard time understanding why adults would still play with dolls hurhur)

 Sisters! They're both 1:4 scale, or classified under Asian Mini/MSD sized dolls in DoA (I think).

 I coincidentally had 3 spare pairs of 12mm eyes which I had purchased for Clover, which were quickly put to use! The right most one is the Sist Decadent faceplate, I'm wondering if I can mod her into some cyborg type character....*taps chin*. Anyhow the 2 on the left are the Lusis Default and Wink faceplates. TOTES ADORBS. The doll also came with a faux fur (mohair?) white wig, which TBH I'm not too fond of, but maybe after some dyeing I can work it into something more appealing.

Oh and she's in her large bust option (purchased separately) in this photo :) Clover is enough of a tomboy for them both!

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Faceup

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As I was going to wash and re-string Saffron, I thought that Clover needed a bath too. I had made the mistake of spraying her body with MSC even though I had little-to-no-intention of body blushing her....so all I did was wet sand the more visible and sharp flash lines.

WIP photo for quality control :P

So.....since I had done Clover's faceup before, I decided to be braver with Saffron's makeup and go with bolder colours. Although I initially had no idea who the Unoa Sist would become, after a lengthy discussion with CH...I thought that Sist would either be Slutty or Demure. And then I viewed a video of a singer dressed like a Pin-up girl and her deep red lipstick captured my attention. Saffron would be a songstress with a happy, almost burlesque style :) But more sweet than slutty *cough* 

I won't go into detail about my process as I've already documented it here, when I did Clover's face up.

http://clover-tea.blogspot.sg/2013/02/faceup-for-clover.html

This was my 2nd attempt at Saffron's face, the first one was so disastrous I had to clean it off, and re-start the whole process the following day. 4 hours down the drain (stayed up till 3am the first try) T-T But I'm glad I didn't settle for an inferior face-up...because I am totally loving her current look!

Instagram filters make everything look better :E

(I think she looks like Disney's Ariel in this photo!)

She looks so different from different angles!

So where did inspiration for her faceup come from?

Note any similarities?

http://ego-alterego.com/2012/04/illustration-by-bec-winnel/

I had come across this photo in my facebook photostream on a random day...and immediately knew this was how I was going to style her. I opted to go for a friendlier eyebrow shape and keep the red-head tone as she's Clover's sister after all. And at around the same time I had read that blue eyes + red hair is the rarest combination for redheads, so it all worked out great! The wig is an old one I made and as Clover's head is a little larger, I temporarily stuck doublesided tape to hold it down (NOT RECOMMENDED but eh I'm not selling her and I know how to handle tape residue :X) I'll be making a new wig specifically for her but I'm really partial to this combination now. 

Eyes were the default that came with Clover, and I don't feel brave enough to drill holes in it, so they're held in place with blu-tack.

More closeups of her faceup detail. Yeah, it's not perfect, but I'm improving I think. I used heavily-modified eyelashes from Daiso this time since her more dramatic look required more dramatic lashes :P 

I've already had a number of comments about her lips, so I thought to add my process here for those interested:

- base layer of medium pink pastels

- MSC

- Folk art Napthol Crimson, thinned and then drybrushed

- Shiny/glittery eyeshadow dabbed onto previous layer before fully dried. It was from a knockoff MAC eyeshadow palette (not recommended since it's not waterbased, but I figure she's already got MSC coats to protect and it's quite powdery like mica powder so I chanced it) on lower lip, centre area to act like lip-gloss

- Napthol Crimson, used thin liner brush to emphasize outline of lips and increase emphasis of lip-gloss area

- Napthol Crimson + dab of black, highlight mouth slit (?!) with liner brush

- Folkart Gloss Varnish

I want to emphasize that this is not recommended if you're intending to do professional grade face-ups, but since I have no intention of selling my grail doll, I'm quite happy to experiment and in any case, these face plates are far more affordable and replaceable so I'm not too bothered.

I was also careful to keep the line gentle, so that there's more of a subtle transition than a harsh red outline which happened on my first attempt. 

As to the brushes, I used the same ones in the faceup for Clover.

For the eyebrows, they were done differently than Clover's, I painted in the individual hairs...and although it was tempting to sand off the eyebrows in the sculpt, it actually served as a good guide and provides more dimension, so I left it in.

This time round, the only reference I used was the Bec Winnel artwork, so the whole process was much faster, though it did take about 3 hrs the 2nd time round.

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Sewing the Infinity Dress

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I had subscribed to a thread on DoA in which Silver Identity had kindly created a tutorial with measurements catered to a MiniFee. Thank You! (haha I don't think he/she reads my blog but yeah, I appreciate it!) I know that some of you have mentioned that it's difficult to get on DoA, and personally I've been having issues with accessing except on my mobile, so I can't fetch the link either...but there are soooo many infinity dress tutorials out there so just do a quick search on DoA or Google and you should be golden.

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7902149

Just for those who are wondering and might want to use my measurements for your own Unoa, here are the dimensions:

Straps - 5cm (W) x 63cm (L)

Waist - 15cm x 6cm

Skirt Length - 14cm

I won't post the instructions here out of respect for the thread starter's hard work, but you can figure it out pretty easily from the online tutorials and adapt accordingly. I whipped this out in less than 1 hr.

The jersey knit material was a half-yard that I purchased at Chinatown early last year...I loved how thin it was and it draped beautifully, so I knew I could make a beautiful dress out of it....a no-brainer why I used it for this dress! I am quite busy, what with having to think about wedding preparations, flat stuff, commissions and a TOP SEKRET PROJEK (haha I'll reveal that in due time of course!) but I get teased quite a bit by Asuka and the fiance for dressing Clover in "auntie" or "office lady" style clothes so it was IMPERATIVE that Saffron have something more suited to her! 

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Review, and final thoughts

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Overall, I'm a super-biased reviewer since she's been my grail doll....that and I had many pleasant surprises like the detail in her hands (nails!), and how quickly she arrived after receiving notice of her tracking information.  But there are a few things of note:

Positives

- The fresh skin resin is very heavy and lovely....my doll did not have any apparent cracks, faults nor stains

- eye colour that I wanted

- came assembled

- super easy to pose and stands very well

- SHE'S FINALLY MINE

- ALL MINE

- MUAHAHAHA

Mehs

- The default Sist face plate does not sit well in the head mechanism, and I had to sand down some parts so it would 'catch' properly, and also reduce the risk of cracking the faceplate

- Some of the mould seams/flash lines were pretty sharp, and my guess is they probably gave it a cursory run down the seams with a penknife, but I knew I would wet sand it anyway so didn't bother me too much

- Elastic strings seem a little loose...but I plan to suede the joints so she'll hold poses a little better

Okay! PHEW. I hope you enjoyed this post, please comment to let me know it was worth all my hard work!

(or you know, so I feel less stupid for 'talking' to myself...............)

p.s. I named her after my favourite character in "Absolutely Fabulous". That, and as Asuka pointed out, Clover-tea and Saffron-tea works perfectly together!