Dolls dolls and MORE dolls !!

Over the past couple months, when I haven't been busy Kayaking or playing with my Kitty, I have found a renewed interest in my dolls.

This is a curious thing for me, as I never liked dolls as a young girl, but add the customization and the photography aspect and it is a new and interesting thing for me.

Just to refresh on how it all started ... I first discovered Blythe through a friend and got a Cinnamon Girl with the sole purpose of making her into something even better than her original concept.

She started like this:




She went through several incarnations .....

this being one of my favorites:



Then finally she was completed ( she can wear the red wig anytime, but I put her original hair back on her)
After my Blythe A.J. was done, I went a bit crazy with Pullips.

I have a Taeyang Timulus named Lar, who is the A.J.'s boyfriend. They had a baby together !!

This is A.J. Lar and little Mindy




Isn't little Mindy cute !!?
But there was always something about Lar's eyes that bothered me ... like they were kind of vacant ... so I took the eyes out of a new Pullip I had just bought for a major custom overhaul and put them into Lar.

Ah yes ... MUCH better !!



Meanwhile, I had also been working on my Pullip Sandi ... she was to get some blue eyechips ( sanded to fit Blythe chips, previously from A.J. ) and a pinker shade of lip gloss.

Sandy came to me looking like this:



But as my Mother's name sake, she had to have blue eyes ... so now she looks like THIS:



It took me three tries to get her lips the way I wanted them, but it proved good practice for my upcoming custom .....

BUT FIRST, I got a great deal on a girl who needs nothing ( except perhaps an eye chip change )

Meet Sashi my Rida Pullip



Sashi joined my Doll family just before my Nahh-Ato arrived. The Nahh-Ato, who was to be named Gita, was beautiful when she came, but I had big plans for her and had already ordered some things for her makeover.

Here's what she looked like when she came:



You may note that she had the eyes that went into my boy Pullip.
As beautiful as she was, it didn't take long for me to start her transition ...

First add the wig ...



Then multiple tries at face painting ... followed by a complete re-do with pastel chalks.





and finally ... just waiting on her Eyechips from Coolcat, that will be a deep brown.
Right now she is wearing a slightly damaged set of chips that came out of my other Pullip Sandi, who exchanged her brown eyes for blue.



So after all this Pullip love, I felt compelled to spend a day with A.J. We went for a walk down by the river and had a great time !






She had such a good time, she didn't want to leave ...

Back to Nature

After spending a few months in limbo about whether or not to continue to sell jewelry online, I have decided not to decide. My plan is to enjoy the summer without the commitment to making and promoting my jewelry. I will re-evaluate after Labor day.





So in leu of that time constraint, I have decided to do something that will enhance both my health and well being. Several years ago I was big into whitewter kayaking. I miss it and long for the days on the rapids, but realize I am not in the kind of physical conditioning that it takes to be safe on the rivers that I would want to descend. But that doesn't mean I can't kayak at all !





I sold one of my " high end " guitars that I wasn't playing much and that afforded me the cash to go in search of a nice touring kayak. I live on the beautiful Lake Champlain, often considered America's 6 th " Great Lake ".





I was a bit shy about looking for a boat .... wondering if I would be taken seriously, due to being 100 lbs heavier than when I was an active boater. I dreaded meeting up with a 20 something paddler who would take one look at me and try to sell me a flat bottomed " fisherman's boat with a barcolounger for a seat and a beer holder :P But I was quite fortunate to find the owners of the Kayak Shack, a couple in their late 30's who were not only professional but just plain NICE.





I didn't end up with a floating tank ! I ended up buying a 17 foot sleek boating machine ! The perfect boat to get me out there paddling and back into shape !









I smile to myself every time a man asks me if I want help getting the boat up on the car. It must be some sight to see a 5'3" overweight chick heft this boat over her head and up onto a car that is taller than her *smiles* But that is part of the " workout " .... it would be like asking a girl at the gym if she needs help lifting the dumbells O_0



So I have been out boating several times already and I was ready to up the ante. I challenged myself to a long paddle - circumnavagate Valcour Island. My plan wasn't to simply paddle around the island, but to explore every bay and inlet getting to know the entire shoreline ... no short cuts !



Valcour Island is the forth largest Island on Lake Champlain at about 2 miles long and 1 mile wide. It is almost 1000 acres and has over 7 miles of paths traversing it's perimeter. It is conveniently located just a few miles south of my house.



I set out to make the trek on Sunday, April 27 th . In the early part of the day, the wind was Southerly at about 15 MPH. I chose to paddle around the southern part of the Island first and get the hardest part over with, as the shore would be unprotected from the waves there.



Just crossing over to the Lighthouse was a bit hairy. As I paddled up the shore, I saw a man paddling for all he was worth and met up with him when he came toward shore.



I said, " Beautiful day we're having ! "

He said, " You think so ... I'm terrified ! "

He was in a beautiful wooden Kayak.

I said, " Well, just stay close enough to shore so you can swim in before hypothermia gets you ! " He said " that's why I have this dry suit on ! "

We wished each other luck and I headed for the unprotected south shore of the island, wondering if maybe I should turn back .....



I met 3 - 4 Ft waves on the southern shore !!



I considered turning back, but pressed on, remembering that it wouldn't be the waves that would flip me, but how I reacted to them. I calmed down and just relaxed and rode the biggest ones ... and once through those, I found protection on the western side of the Island .

I didn't just paddle " around " the island, I explored every bay on both sides. So it was the absolute longest trek around the island that you can do ! I'm not sure of the distance ... but I would guess between 5 and 8 miles ??!



By the time I made it to the northern shore, the wind had calmed down to about 6 MPH. I had mild waves heading back to the New York mainland. It took me 5 hours all told, with one 45 min. break to stretch my legs and take photos.



I WANT TO DO IT AGAIN !!!





I have photos on my flicker where I stopped to have lunch.







http://www.flickr.com/photos/blondezilla/2446985593/

Well, this three day weekend is shot.

A great chance to be productive has been lost due to a miserable chest cold and sinus infection :P

Since I can't seem to lay down to get some sleep, but I don't have the energy to do anything else, I thought I could catch up on my blog.

I've been a bit busy since after the holidays. I got my kitty spayed in the beginning of January. She has since forgiven me :)

I was busy practicing on my flute and guitar for our annual Memorial Service for the families of our deceased Cancer patients. This was especially hard as one of my co-workers lost her Mom who had been a patient and friend for many years - a wonderful lady. Another co-worker is out due to her 22 year old son's battle with Cancer. My sore sinuses seem so trivial in light of that :P

Each year for the last 5 years I have played the music for this Service, and each year I got nervous and choked in some way. Well, finally I made it through and was even better than any of my practice recordings. You can see some of those on my Youtube : http://www.youtube.com/user/5timesstray

After I got past the stress of the Memorial Service, I tackled another stressful task .... opening up my Blythe doll for her customization. I should give a little background history here.

I never played with dolls as a child. I was the quintessential Tom Boy. But somewhere along the way, a friend's custom doll and browsing Flickr, I became interested in buying a doll strictly to customize her. For those who know ... I got Cinnamon Girl. She is a doll with a sun tanned complexion, sweet face but gaudy orange make up :P Even with the gaudy make up, I fell in love with her fast and procrastinated the custom work.

This is what she looked like when I first got her home.

This is what she looks like now.

I still haven't glued her back together. I want to be ABSOLUTELY sure I have done everything to her that I want to that requires having her head opened up. For the doll geeks this is what I have done so far ....

Sand matted her face
reapplied make up on her face and eye lids
applied freckles
changed out all 4 eye chips ( foiled and painted )
replaced her stock eye lashes
gave her sleep eyes
gave her new pull strings and pull rings
Washed, conditioned and soft curler set her hair
Put her back together ... mostly ;>)

My Doll's name is A.J. ( Amanda Joyti )
Amanda = Latin for worthy of Love andJyoti = Hindu for Light.

Of course it's hard to stop at just ONE Blythe, so I had a game plan ....

I bought two Pullips :D A boy and a girl, and I bought a bunch of wigs for A.J. to switch in and out of, thus making her seem like more than one girl ( but hopefully not making her feel like Sybil )

One of the really fun things to do with these dolls is to photograph them on adventures, and the three of them had their first adventure out of the house on Valentine's Day.

Am I crazy to put my dolls in such peril for a photograph ? Especially considering the cheapest Pullip was about 55 dollars and the Blythe was over 100 dollars ??

I think the photos were worth it :)

Do you ?

I've been Tagged !

I have been Tagged ! I've seen this before, but this is my first time. Now I have to reveal 7 things about myself, which could be hard as I have already revealed so much and want to give you things you haven't already heard about.







Well here are the rules:







1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.




2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.




3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.




4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.











So, I was tagged by a dear friend who I admire and respect - Amanda at http://pomomama.blogspot.com/ Please check out the cool things she does in her spare time while raising a cute kid !







Seven Facts :







1) As seen in the above photo, I wasn't always Blonde. I started turning gray at 25 and brown just didn't cover it well, so by the age of 30 I started dying it Blonde. It gets lighter every year - even though I am using the SAME COLOR ! :P







2) Also as referenced by the above photo, I was once a friend's Maid of Honor for her wedding. I hated it ! It was a stressful job and I had no idea what the protocols were. I had written a poem and she asked if she could have a friend set it to music and then have me sing it at the wedding. At the last minute, she confessed to me that she told her husband-to-be that SHE wrote it ! OOPS ! So it was very awkward as this was announced at the wedding :P We have since drifted apart.







3) I have a Pituitary Tumor. It's nothing really, now that I am on medication for it. But it explains a lot about the years between age 16 and 37, when I was basically in menopause because of it :P







4) Once in college I dressed up as a Drunken Clown and went out with my friends to a bar. I made a production by throwing some change on the floor and going through all kinds of stunts to pick it up. Patrons of the bar started throwing their change down for me to pick up. I made enough money to drink for free that night :>)







5) I was big into Karate in my 20's I went to New Orleans for a National AAU Karate Championship and ended up placing 2nd in Sparring in the brown belt division ! I was days away from testing for my Black Belt when I went into Nursing School and got buried in course work for that. I never went back to it after I started nursing full time.







6) I love Mountains and Rivers and Whitewater ! I have Kayaked many New England rivers and also the Ottawa in Canada. The Ottawa is BIG, raging Whitewater and I was really nervous, but lived through it :D







7) I HATE wearing shoes :P






**********








Now to TAG 7 friends - weeeeeeeeeee !





1) Amanda at http://beadnfiberbabe.blogspot.com/ She makes Jewelry, knits wonderful socks and tiny sweaters and is responsible for introducing me to Blythes :D





2) Amber at http://trollflings.blogspot.com/ She is a truly inspiring Mommy of 5 by day and a master clay artist by night, chugging away on our mutual addiction - COFFEE !





3) Ouissi at http://memoryisart.blogspot.com/ She is as sweet as her nickname " Cupcake " and has a great eye for color and texture. She creates beautiful three dimensional cards.





4) Nico at http://nicoletirona.blogspot.com/ She is a driven, outspoken and honest girl who has a flair for style and a thriving jewelry business.





5) Simone at http://www.blog.simonewalsh.com/ My friends and I love and respect her so much, we call her "god" :D She is very smart, independent and creative. She makes beautiful things out of metal.





6) Andy at http://www.andymathis.blogspot.com/ A fun, smart and handsome fellow who helps animals and paints !





7) Starry at http://starrydesigns.blogspot.com/ Just one of the sweetest Jewelry makers on the web !











Boy, that was hard to pick JUST 7 people !!! There are a few people I would have loved to include, but I know their lives are too hectic right now to participate and I didn't want to put more pressure on them :P





Writing this has made me realize I need to update my " friend's link " list !!!





Bye for now ! Off to TAG the above peeps ~ :D

Update on Kitty and the life of B.Z.

Gosh ! It's been over two months since I have updated my blog ! It was such a busy holiday season for me even though I did absolutely nothing with my Jewelry business :P



First, about the most important change in my life ... my Miss Pawly, or as I have come to call her " Sweet P "


A lot has happened since the night of December 1 st when Pawly came inside and decided to stay ... she has only been outside once for a few hours to play in some new fallen snow. I thought it only fair to give her that opportunity, as she had not yet experienced snow. Her only other outings have been to the vet.


Pawly had gone into heat the week of Christmas, and that was a curious thing for me, having never owned a cat before, as she would go downstairs and call for a mate. It kept us awake at night, but she was even cute doing that. I swear, she was shouting " HELLO ! " and would have loved to share an audio of it, but every time I got out of bed to tape her ... she stopped.



Her second week long episode of calling for a boyfriend came immediately after the holidays. She gave us only 9 days of rest ! I had been putting off getting her spayed, as I didn't even know if I could catch her to put her in a carrier, but our lack of sleep was becoming a reason to push forward. I started to pick her up when she would present herself, elevating her bottom toward me in hopes of some "action". She was much harder to catch when she was not actively in heat, as she was not used to human contact. I scheduled the vet appointment and hoped for the best.



Meanwhile, it was obvious that Pawly was attached to me. She followed my every move like a toddler underfoot. But I could only pet her while she was eating. So on the morning of her first vet visit, I fed her and picked her up just before she was finish ... plopped her into the carrier and we were off. I was amazed how well she did at the vet's. In her anxiety, she allowed me to hold her while she was examined and all went well. We scheduled the spay for two days later.



It was hard for me to leave Pawly alone at the vet. She peed in her carrier due to fright and watched me as I went out the door. I worried all day, but was told to call ANY time to check on her. All went well and my kitty recovered very quickly. You can see her on my Youtube just 2 days after surgery - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxMLQQSLwTM


Now she is tearing around the house as if she never had surgery. I am on a mission to get her used to being picked up and cuddled. At this point she tolerates it, but doesn't seem to enjoy it ( YET ) but she seems to have explored every inch of the house now, and calls it her own. She has several favorite spots and sleeps on the bed with us occasionally. She comes calling on us in the mornings, impatient to have someone to play with. She is spoiled in every sense of the word ... and I don't know how I ever got along with out her :D

As for the Jewelry business, I am at a crossroads with that and will update at a later time. I need to think about where I want to go with it. I haven't created a thing since being banned from the Etsy forums. I have followed the goings on through friends still on Etsy, and it seems like a tumultuous time over there, still. My website and Mintd provide a platform for selling my jewelry, but I need to re-evaluate what I want out of the whole venture.

Lately my time has been divided between my new furry family member and some projects with Jer that have been on the back burner. I have also spent more time on the guitar, as I have a Memorial Service to do in a few days. I play my flute and guitar and sing for this event annually, and still get nervous about it every time :P I'll report on that in a few days.

And finally, I have a new hobby ! One that has me a bit befuddled, as I never played with dolls as a youth, nor did I have interest in them. I am fully smitten with Blythe and Pullip dolls. I think part of the attraction is the photography of the dolls and the option to customize them into little works of art and personalized "buddies".

Here is a photo of my girl Sandi

http://www.flickr.com/photos/blondezilla/2211713168/

So I have been very busy with new things and old commitments, but have not forgotten all my good friends from Etsy ! I hope everyone is doing well and I will be more diligent with keeping my blog current now that the holiday madness is over ;>)

Miss Pawly Purface found a home

This kitty first showed up early this summer as a baby kitten often seen in our yard. She was a bit thin and often dirty.
We have several neighbors who have cats ... a certain apartment rental across the street is the home of many ... the turn over in that apartment complex is outrageous, some folks are gone again before the month is up. Not sure if this kitty was one of theirs that got abandoned, or if it was dropped off.

We finally realized that kitty doesn't have a home, but has managed O. K. with help from our kinder neighbors .... but now it's getting cold, so we provided a nice place for kitty and a guaranteed food source. She has spent the last several nights in her little box on the back porch and seldom strays too far now. I think she has adopted us !

I was a bit concerned that she had owners and was just visiting us .... but after several cold nights spent in her box on the back porch, I am convinced now she has no other owner. So it was time for us to give her a name.

Jer and I were brainstorming one night and giggling at the ridiculous names we were coming up with, when Jer says, " She seems like a Lee to me ... Paw Lee " .... giggles ensued, and we decided Pawly was her name .... Purface came naturally because she's such a purry kitteh ... she purs ALL THE TIME !
Some of my friends know the story of Jer and his cats. Several years before we met, Jer was a typical " Cat lady " His previous home was on a main road headed out of town that had a huge field behind it. He started with two domestic cats, but began to feed strays that came along.

Soon he had well over 20 cats of various temperaments. Some were feral, some were indoor/outdoor and some were new babies from the mix. His crew blossomed and began to overwhelm him. Then he had the tragedy of a flood and had to move, but couldn't take the cats with him. He called the humane society for help. In his mind, they just stole his cats.

He managed to find a friend to take in a handful of his most domesticated fur balls, and she still cares for a few of them today. He swore he would never own another kitty, because it was too heart breaking.

But here we are ..... and "Daddy" is hopelessly attached already. I came home from work Friday to this note -

Jer had gone to a gig after fretting about Kitty ALL DAY ! He got home at 1130 PM and I had still not seen Miss Pawly Purface, even though I had called for her multiple times throughout the evening. About a half hour after Jer got home, he went downstairs to get a drink, and Miss Pawly was in her snuggle box on the back porch. We got her some wet food and she gave us some love and then got all playful and ran around the back yard all happy. She can jump straight up into the air about two feet to catch a snowflake !
I finally had to come inside, because it was only 30 degrees out, but I am happy to report that Miss Pawly is home after prowling around all day ! She slept over night in her box and was still there this morning until after we fed her. Now she is out and about again ... just like her Daddy ;>)

We have tried to lure Miss Pawly into the house, but she is too skittish yet and she seems to enjoy being outdoors .... we'll see how it goes.




See Kitteh Live on Youtube

BEE VERY AFRAID !

Some days my job is VERY stressfull. Today was a crazy day, we had a heavy load and we worked hard, but it was also EXTREMELY FUN !

Every year on Halloween we bring in cookies and candy and snacks for our patients to munch on while in the waiting room, and MOST of us dress up. In years past I have been a kayaker, a pumpkin, a skunk, a witch, etc etc ... Some of our fellas have dressed up as pregnant ladies, sexy Maids and even a PINK Ballarina, complete with pink shoes, lace and Tutu !

This year I had a few ideas I was toying with, but finally decided to dress up as Bee Zee !

I made a video this morning while my make-up was still fresh .....

My wings were a bit unruly and I had to take care not to poke anyone with them, but I got through the day without smudging my make-up too badly. But oh the itchy face ! We had a few patients who came in dressed up and even two babies - one was in a pumpkin suit and the other was in a Santa suit. Every time I walked by the older baby, she made an " OH! " face, like this {:O I think I scared the poor child.

Oh, and I must add, horizontal stripes just do NOT flatter my figure, but it was worth all the fun !