Mood:
a-okNow Playing: XM 150 - Uncensored Comedy
Well, I did it. I stared at the anime images of Nephlyte and Naru (aka Neffy and Molly), and picked up the scissors. There was another reason I was unsatisfied with these dolls - Nephlyte had too much hair ! I cut out a handfull of it from the undersides, mourning how I'd cut it earlier, but before long, I was much more satisfied with the 'finished' doll.
But before I could do their photo shoot, I had some work to do. Spent over two hours cleaning, sorting, arranging and tossing Dearest Son's toys. Got a bagload of donations (stuff he hasn't touched except to get to other stuff since 2003) and two loads of broken pieces and assorted mixed-in trash. He still has an abundance of toys, but now it's a bit more managable.
At least until Christmas. (sigh) He was happy to have the 'play space' back, and agreed to help me keep it picked up. He then fell asleep two hours before his usual bedtime, on the markdown Spiderman 2 carpet/playmat I got him because it looked like city streets, and was darn well made for $5. For some reason, the day I clean up his toys, he's soooo tired !
Oh, and you get to see it here first - Neffy and Naru's comparison photo !
This is after his haircut, and I wanted you to see how they're supposed to look. It's been great to spend some time with them ! They're my favorite anime couple, and making their dolls helped me get over a few things.
They both got rerooted, but only Molly/Naru got a repaint. I altered her eye color and reddened her lips a bit. I also ditched the yellow moon earrings (she was originally a Sailor Moon doll) for tiny gold stars. Her hair is pulled back and her trademark bow (it's black here) is on a pin slipped in between. Originally, her hair was held back with a brown rubber band, but it either rotted or broke (or both), so now a small snap-clip does the job. I may need to trim her hair, too.
They both got boil perms, which accounts for the waves. The perms were done in 2001, and withstood numerous brushings yesterday. Clothes are standard Mattel stuff - they're a bit smaller than Barbie and Ken, all over.
I hope to have some time to redo the Barbie page tomorrow. I've never really liked it, and I'd rather shift the focus to the custom dolls rather than the clothes. After all, Babs and co. have millions of garments, but there's darn few of my customizations ! Just not sure how I'm gonna do it yet. I may instead post the dolls that mean the most to me, with a brief 'bio'. Especially when they're wearing clothes I made ! :)
Found the shirt I bought at that junk shop Saturday. It's from #1624, 'Fun at the Fair'. I just have the shirt, but since I only paid $1. for it on a doll, that's fine with me ! It's in remarkably good shape, just a few loose fray threads and a snap that came off on one side, but is still there. Even the faux buttons are both there. Once I get it cleaned up and fixed, I'll post the image - probably on Midge !
It's funny about the junk shop. I used to go about every three months. They had a wall of toys, haphazardly tossed into various bins, any which way. It was always fun to root around in there. I found the very Maxie doll I wanted, and my #2 brunette painted-hair Ken there. I think the Maxie cost more, at $2. ! I even found a very worn 80s Ideal-made Shirley Temple once. This doll had been very well loved by a child, to be that tired ! I realize what a cultural icon Shirley is/was, but there are times I get tired of the endless articles about her in doll magazines. I'd rather read about Dusty and Crissy and gimmick Barbies, but that's just me.
Anyway, when I went Saturday, it'd been a year or more since my last visit. Some things had changed, but it was still a dusty temple of hope, and I beelined it for Toys. There must have been over 200 Barbie dolls - my arms actually started to ache going through them all. Nothing vintage this time, save the blouse, but the blonde array was endless. Saw about six Kiras, about twelve Teresas, and five or six Disney Princesses, even some small-scale Skippers, but only three male dolls. Found a scratched Western Stampin' Tara, and I thought about getting her, but her legs were badly damaged, and I don't have the spare dolls to go head/body matching anymore.
In the end, the 'Fair' blouse was on a painted swimsuit Teresa, so I just bought her. They don't sell doll clothes separately. Teresa's been cleaned, redressed, and stored for the next charity who calls. I've been beating back the urge to go back to the junk shop with a trunk full of clothes and some good hair brushes all week. Just spend a few hours brushing hair, dressing nudes, and making them all look their best so they find homes.
Oh, don't I wish I could !
