Smidge House

Wowie Zowie, I'm Back! With a Very Late (But Great!) Xmas Post!

2012-01-28T20:05:00.000-06:00

Wow! Hello peeps! Let's see if I can remember how to use this blog thingy! It sure has been a while!

So, I've come to the end of my latest set design job, sort of. I'm on a mini hiatus for a few days, before I start up again on a couple of things-- including more of that pilot! But, more on that in the next post. I think I slept for about 12 hours yesterday, which is kind of insane, but I feel (and look) a little more human now. It's sad how long it's been since I've worn clothes that aren't covered in paint and glue, lol.

Aaaaaaanyway. I'll have a few pictures of the sets to show soon, and actually a ton of other posts planned too. I'm going to do my best to blog more this year, since otherwise, my brain seems to fill up too much, and overflow! Not pretty. :P

Aaaaaanyway. No, really this time.

The first post back is going to be a very belated Christmas post, showing you all the incredible goodies I got from my extremely sweet and patient bestie, Erica, back in December. (You know, back when Christmas was? How did a whole month race by so fast??)

I think I told you guys that I accidentally deleted the first pics I took, (idiot) but luckily, we didn't take the Christmas decorations down until just a couple of days ago (yes, I realize that's crazy) so I got to snap some pics in front of the tree to give it that Christmassy vibe! I just didn't get to take another pic of them wrapped, but they looked very pretty. :) So, lets just climb into out mental DeLoreans and crank it back to Christmas 2011. Falalalalalalalala!

Ta-Da!

Yay! Look at my haul!

Since this Christmas was a little on the rough side, all this fantasticness really made it so much better. :)

Let's take a closer look, huh? And let's start with the card, which totally rules.

Merrit and Mallory decorating for Christmas. :) How cute are they? Freakin adorable! Seriously, it's just too much. This thing is staying up in my office year round. Next year, I'm totally doing a doll Christmas card, if I have to shoot it in June, damnit!

Back to the presents! I can't pick a favorite, because I just can't, but I always love adding more CorsetKitten heads to my collection, and now I have 2 new ones! (Naturally, I put them on bodies right away, at least temporary ones.)

So, I thought Erica did a blog post on this gal when she painted/flocked her, but I couldn't find it, so maybe I'm wrong. (That does happen every now and then.) She's just freakin goegoues, and her features are so strong she can totally pull off the barely there hair. Which rules.

I put her on an obitsu body, one of 3 I bought back in November(?) They were kinda busted up, but super cheap. This body came with no feet, but you can't tell in this pic. I've since fixed that, though, so that's another post coming up. :)

I think the outfit kind of suits her, a little flannel, a little frilly. But also, my clothing cupboard is just about bare! (But, I'm working on that too!) Still batting around names for her, nothing's settled in quite yet. But, she's currently hanging with the favorites club on my desk, so she'll start chiming in soon enough. :) She's also holding some scrumptious peanut butter bars. More on those later.

Lalalala! I've wanted a Modern Circle Melody for a couple of years. But to be honest, I was mostly drawn to her hair and just the hip Modern Circle story line, lol. I'm actually a huge fan of the Twist 'n Turn head sculpt, but globbing it up all Midge-like, with crazy face blue bug eyes and big fat freckles... not so much. (I know, I know, I'm a terrible person, and totally anti-feminist for not liking Barbie's ugly friend better than I like her, but whatever.) Here's original Modern Circle Melody:

Before

Just really super-sweet-cartoonish, not my style. However, give me an MC Melody with the pretty head sculpt and the blue hair, but repainted with heavy lids and quirky eyebrows, so she looks like a sort of haughty stoner chick... um, yes please!

After

Super Rad. :) :) You can see her body doesn't watch the face too well, so I'll have to dig up a body soon to remedy that, but it's not terrible terrible, so it's okay for a little while. While I don't call dolls by their box names too often, I've been calling her Mel, and she doesn't seem to mind, so she might be an exception.

I guess Blaine & Erin would be exceptions to that rule, too.

And look how well they turned out, lol. ;)

So, yay! 2 new CK repaints! That makes 5, altogether. I'm a lucky girl. :) One chick is still a head without a body, (Can someone please step it up and make some skin tones beyond mildly tan!?!?) but as soon as I find (or more likely paint) one, I think it will be family photo time!

Let's see more stuff! Okay, moving on to the biggest surprise of the package-- a quilt! Or, to quote myself when I opened it, eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, ohmygod-ohmygod, I quiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilllllllt!!!!! Or something like that. ;)

So, here's Mel modeling for scale. (She really should be covering up with it. Shorts? Really?)

Not only is it super gorgeous, it's super detailed. I mean, suuuuuper detailed. I'm in awe of people who can sew to begin with, but sewing on a scale this teeny tiny is mind boggling. I kinda sorta think Erica is putting us all one and is making her dolls do all this work, because I can't wrap my head around human fingers doing the tiny work she does. But, for now, we'll just go with the story that she did it herself. ;) Take a closer look at the teeeeeny tiny slices (um, yes, sure, that's a real quilting term) of fabric she sewed together to make this:

Insane, right? Not to mention gorgeous. Sorry the pictures aren't super sharp, I had the lights down to photograph the tree better, and didn't even think about blasting them for these shots. But, no worries. You'll see this again, lol.

Next! (yep, there's more!)

Since I don't quilt, or paint, I can't guess which of these took longer to create, but they're equally gorgeous. Handpainted, on a handcrafted canvas, if you can believe that. If you looked closely, you can see a painting in the background of her Christmas card, too. Erica's getting her art on these days, and I'm glad to be on her Christmas list!

The colors are gorgeous, and I love that it's called Freedom of the Female. (Hopefully representative of the year to come, since I know a few females yearning for some freedom!) Don't worry, I'll take more/better pics once I hang it. I'm already planning a room around it in my head. I've been dying to do something with purple.

Next up, more baked goods! (I am getting fat just by looking at these things.)

Two kinds of chocolate cupcakes and peanut butter bars. These are why I haven't used my stash of polymer clay to make anything besides bongs, lol. The textures are insane. The swirls in the frosting, that like soft, creamy sort of peanut butter filling-- your mouth knows exactly what these taste like, and it's the textures that really make these rock at a level above rement. I'm not saying rement isn't rad, but it's not this. (Did I mention the cupcakes have foil wrappers? Yeah.

Hey! Next is something non doll related, if you can dig it. No really. We doll nerds do have other interests, lol. One of mine is jewelry. And look what I got!!!

Yummy delicious vintage pendant. Ooooooh! I'll be finding a better chain for it, but this works for now. Almost forgot to take a picture, since I was wearing it. Just try to take it off my neck. I dare ya. Looooooove!

And! Rounding out the package, (as though it needed more rounding) my new stash of teeny beads! Yay!

People, this is the year my dolls finally get clothes and jewelry. You heard it here, and I'm sticking to it. (Since this is looking to be the year of being flat ass broke, since all our money is going into the moving fund, it's a great year to pull out all the stops creatively, lol!)

So, yay! Super rad package, right? A definite big bonus to my Christmas! Thank you bunches and bunches, Erica!

I'll be back next week with a new post.

Hope your weekend rocks!

Super Speedy Post!

2012-01-09T09:21:00.015-06:00

Hiya, folks!

Well, if you know me (and I know you do!) then you know that if I'm blogging at 9 am, it means I've pulled another infamous all-nighter. :)

100% back in the swing of things here, after a really kind of stressful holiday. A lot of you are still asking, so I wanted to make sure to post that my kid brother is on the mend, and doing super well, considering. At this point, he just looks like he's healing after a fight, and not like he got hit by a truck. (which he did, if you're just tuning in.)

He was gashed in the forehead pretty hard, which left a big scar, so can you guess what his new nickname is? Yup. He's being called Harry Potter everywhere he goes, lol. He was completely overwhelmed by all the love & good wishes you guys sent our way. He send his thanks, and so do I. You guys really are the best.

So, Christmas was small and kind of sped on by the year, but at least I got to spend it with people I love, which is all that really matters. Plus, the super fabulous Erica sent me a spectacular 1/6 package (About the only 1/6 stuff I've gotten all year, if you can believe that!) which I'll photograph and post as soon as I can. I would post them now, but I think I accidentally deleted the pictures, since I can't find them, so I guess I'll have to take them again. Oh well! They're totally worth taking again-- it was a kickass package!

So, work is the reason I haven't been around, and don't be surprised if I don't post again until the end of the month. I'm on an insane deadline, (aren't I always, lol) but this job is sooooo worth it. It's about as close as I can get to my dream job. (Without going over.) Ha! Ha! Raise your hand if you knew I was going to make that lame joke.


I Did!

Shut up, Bob.

Aaaanyway. Without giving away any show details, I will be able to give you all a good look at the main set when I'm done, but I really won't have time to do that until the end of the month, when everything is finished. These sets are for a completely insane 1/6 stop motion television pilot, which is just flat out the coolest thing I've ever worked on, so far. The main set is freaking enormous-- a living room area measuring out at about 30 deep by 60 wide.

I know you've heard me moan about my teeny apartment before, and right now, about half the space (oh, lets just say 2/3!) is filled up with this project! I can't even explain to you how insane this place looks at the moment. We had to get one of those big folding banquet tables to hold the set as I build, so with that set up, and the dining table moved into the living room, not to mention the Christmas tree & decorations still up, since I don't have a free second to take them down... well, it's not pretty, lol! But it will all be worth it. :)

Okay, gotta go! Hope you all had super rad holidays & that your New Year is already shaping up to be exciting or relaxing, or whatever it is you're in need of! I'm hoping for a little of both! :)

A Happy Update :)

2011-12-22T20:11:00.000-06:00

Hey, Peeps!

I hope everyone is enjoying the merriment this week! Santa is nearly here. Hope he's staying on top of things!

I wanted to pop in and say a huge thank you to everyone who left comments, emailed me, flickrmailed me, etsy convoed me, called me, sent cards & gifts, etc, etc. You guys are amazing. The love and support I've gotten time and again from people in the doll world is just astounding.

So, I wanted to update you guys on my brother. He is home from the hospital, and all drugged up on painkillers and muscle relaxers. so he's feeling fairly jolly now, considering. ;) While he's still in pretty rough shape, and looks like an extra from House or General Hospital, he's up and around, which is amazing in itself. He's extremely bad at taking it easy & getting bedrest, (We're a little too much alike in that regard, lol!) but luckily, all the pills are keeping him knocked out a good amount of the time, whether he wants them to or not. :)

He was very lucky, and looks like he's going to be just fine, eventually. It will just take a while. So, that's a very, merry Christmas for me! (And him, of course!) I hope all the rest of you will be celebrating up a storm as well! (Has anyone seen any snow yet? It's still in the 40s here, no snow!)

While I was searching my computer like a crazy person for a furniture template (someone tell me why I don't label things with names that make sense!) I found a folder filled with some photos I'd scanned a long time ago, including my brother & I at Christmas, when he was just a baby. Thought I'd share it with you all, but no laughing! (Well, you can laugh quietly, but at least pretend you're coughing.)

Yes, I was the biggest dork on the planet, and yes, my sister did wear that dress the next year for her Annie Oakley book report, but look how cute my baby bro is. He's only a few months old here. Awwwww. (And so be fair, my grandma used to buy us hideous outfits at least once a year & force us all to take pictures together. The one with me, my sister & my cousin all in matching dresses, you will not be seeing. )

At any rate, I'm so glad the kid is okay, and thank you all so much for your good thoughts & wishes sent our way. I'm sure it's helping-- I know it's helping me!

In a little bit of doll related news, here are a few pics or a commission sofa I finally finished. (I've been working on it for a few weeks, on top of work, so it did take a while, but it turned out pretty rad, I think:

It's a 3 piece sectional, with a curved center piece, and it's pretty huge. I only have the 3 Blythe dolls (this was made for a Blythe family) so you can't really see just how much room there is, but it easily seats 6, lounging, and 8+, if they're willing to sit politely. ;) Here are my girls enjoying it.

As you can see, they weren't thrilled to hear they couldn't keep it, lol. Maybe next time, girls!

Well, at any rate, just wanted to pop in & update you guys. Hopefully I can pop back in before Christmas!

Hugs, everyone!

Could Use Some Good Thoughts Sent This Way, Please

2011-12-17T00:30:00.001-06:00

I'm not usually one to post about anything terribly personal, but if you have any good thoughts/vibes/prayers/pixie dust/whatever to spare, could you please send some this way? Whatever your bag, I'll take what I can get.

My little brother (who I'm closer to than anyone in the world) was in an extremely bad accident. He was hit by a semi truck while crossing the street. Whether the driver nodded off, or wasn't paying attention, or what the deal is, isn't clear at this point. My brother doesn't have any memory of it at all, which I guess is something to be thankful for in a way.

How anyone can survive something like that, I don't know, except my brother seems to have some kind of super power that way. (He's fallen off bridges and roofs and towers, and never had a broken bone in his life.) He managed to escape this with no internal injuries, still not even a broken bone. But he has a hardcore concussion, a fractured eye socket, a shattered vertebrae, and stitches and bumps and bruises by the dozens. Probably hundreds. He pretty much looks like he's been hit by a truck.

While the fact that he's alive is of course the most important thing, he's in so much pain he can hardly talk, and he has a lot of recovering ahead of him. So, his holiday season is looking pretty rough.

If you could send some good thoughts our way, I'd really appreciate it. He's truly an awesome kid, and I know he'd appreciate it too.

I'm going on a bit of a hiatus now, I have a lot to try and deal with. I'll try to get back for a holiday post sometime next week, but I can't guarantee it.

At any rate, thank you so much for being there, I love you guys, and please stay safe!

Office Sets, Accessories, and General Blah Blah Blah

2011-12-15T04:20:00.003-06:00

Hey, Peeps. How are ya? I'm afraid I don't have too terribly much to post about, but I'll do my best! Things have been all topsy turvy here for a while, with the holidays, and work, and family stuff. It's hard to find time to post stuff, let alone do things to post about, lol.

We finally got the tree up this week. It's a fake one, as usual, so we bought our Christmas tree scented candles too, lol. Almost like the real thing. It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas. ;) I still need the hang the lights, I think I'll do that tonight if I'm not too zonked. :) No snow in Chicago yet, unless you count the flurries last week. It's raining like cats & dogs today though. What's up with that? I want a White Christmas, not a Wet Christmas! (Geez. I know. Lame. Cut me some slack, I'm tired, lol.)

Seriously, though, it's hard to believe Christmas is so soon. I don't think I'll probably enjoy Christmas on the west coast, but I guess we can always come back to spend the holidays in Chicago. We spent one day tooling around doing Christmas stuff a couple of weeks ago when we went to go see Being Elmo at the Gene Siskal Film Center.

If you don't know already, I'm a huge muppet nerd, lol, so I've been waiting to see this movie since it debuted at Sundance last year. It was cool & inspirational. I'm glad we went, though it might be more enjoyable to someone who does't already know most of what they were documenting, if that makes sense. Still, totally fun. It was the first time I'd actually seen a movie at the GSFC.

It's one of those places that surprises you just by exsisting, because the theaters are sooo tiny, and not stadium seating, so you actually really have to want to see a movie if you're going to go. (Glad we bought our tickets in advance, because it was sold out pretty much instantly.) Also, they sell booze in the lobby, which is pretty cool. We'll be back!

So, what else.

As those of you who are signed up for the mailing list already know, I've updated the Unplugged shop with a few more things.(You are signed up for the mailing list, right? It's right on the side there, and mailing list people get secret treats.) This will be the last chance I get to make things for the public for a while. Next week I start working on a tv pilot. It's going to be a ton of work in a short amount of time, (The deadline is the end of January! Yikes!) So I won't be having the free time I have now. But, it will be super fun and challenging, and I'm excited to get started. :) I really need to work, I'm going crazy!

Here are a few of the new items available-- my favorites first:

Office accessory sets!

Doesn't Bailey make a great Vanna White? ;) This is something I've always wanted to do, but never quite got around to it. Office/school props are some of my favorites. Each set includes a tack board, a Dictionary, and a Thesaurus. Everything a student (or professor!) needs. :)

I only made 3 sets of these, so if you want one, grab one!

I added a few other things as well. Some Pin Up Girl pillow sets, since everyone went crazy over those, lol :

And a handful of holiday items:

I wish I'd had time to do more holiday stuff this year, but you do what you can, right?

Okay, folks, I'm gonna grab some cocoa and then some sleep. I have some big stuff on the burner the next several days, but I'll try to find a little blog time somewhere along the way.

Hope you're having a great week!

Mattress Testing

2011-12-09T01:09:00.000-06:00

So, during the photo shoot last weekend, I set up about a million shots of the bedroom set I showed yesterday:

It was a great excuse to pull out (and knock over. and swear at.) a lot of the rement pieces I rarely get to use. Like I said, I haven't done a photo shoot like this in months, and there's no real reason for me to use rement in my work pics, so my teeny props have been getting dusty!

Here's a closer look at the desk:

I really love that little mirrored vanity jewelry box thingy, and all the teeny bottles of lotions and potions-- well, that's how you get hooked on rement in the first place, right? Well, that and the liquor! ;P Hmm. I'm trying to remember the first rement piece that sent me scurrying to find out what rement was. I can't remember! I'll keep thinking. Anyone else remember? I'd be curious to know.

So anyhow, I rarely do bedroom scenes, so, I hardly ever get to use all the bedroomy stuff. Since this is a bedroom desk, I got to use some of the cool officey stuff, too. Yay! (You can click on the photos to make them bigger, though I'm sure everyone probably knows that.)

This shoot also gave me a chance to use something else I don't use often-- pajamas! I actually have a lot of pj's, I'm not sure why. They were kind of a rare and wonderful thing when I was little, so it's cool to have them now! I picked a few of my favorite dolls, so I could model a variety of people on the bed.

Shall we see what some of the gang wears to bed?

Well, we've already seen Joey Joe. But let's look again, huh?

Boxers and a tshirt. You can't really see the boxers, but they're cool. I think they're vintage. (Once I bought this lot of vintage Barbie accessories from someone of etsy. They were kinda slow shipping out my package, and as an apology, they sent me this huge ziplock bag of vintage barbie robes and things. It was awesome. It's where a lot of my pajamas came from. And these boxers.)

Joey's also sporting some dorky socks to match his dorky glasses. But hey, that's kinda cute. He's like a buff nerd. Like Dean Cain when he played Clark Kent.

Hubba Hubba Hubba. Yes, that's three hubbas.

Now you know my weakness. Dean Cain is my Kryptonite. sigh.

Moving on.

So, does anyone recognize Annabel's nightgown? It's a Barbie nightgown from the 80's. I used to have it when I was little, which is why I forced her to wear it. This is definitely not her style. But, hey, if she's going to wear those pigtails, she needs to expect this sort of thing. She's a model. She can handle it.

For some reason, I thought it could be really easy to find a stock photo of this nightgown. I guess because it seems so super familiar to me.But, it turns out there were a lot of pink barbie nightgowns. Shocking, right? Whatev. This one is the best by about a million. And it looks waaaaaaay cuter on a momoko than it ever looked on one of my Barbies, lol.

Heading to the opposite end of the lingerie store, here's Erin:

I think she looks pretty happy in this skimpy little thing. Well, as happy as a Fashion Royalty doll can look, anyway. Just kidding. Erin and I have kind of bonded. After I put her hair in a ponytail, I kind of like her a lot more. She looks more insecure & less bitchy.

This sexy thing came from the same apology bag as Joey Joe's boxers. It has no markings, but I guess it was intended for Barbie. Though it seems pretty hot stuff for her. I had to pin it in the back, since FRs are kinda bony, but it wasn't crazy big. Anyone recognize it? This is definitely what Erin is wearing to bed.

One more.

Oh yeah.

Honestly? Does this surprise anyone? Blaine wears speedos. Yes, they're actually the bottom half of the Barbie Joe Boxer set, and they fit absolutely none of my girls. Not even close. What style Barbie was that outfit intended for? But really, who cares? They look much better on Blaine.

LOL. Can you believe I was ever going to reroot this guy as a brunette? Man, he showed me. He's one of my go to guys now, flaunting his mop of blond hair. Oh well. Maybe one day I'll find another guy to reroot.

Well, that's it for tonight! Hope you enjoyed seeing everyone in their underwear!

SMIDGE HOUSE: UNPLUGGED!

2011-12-08T01:19:00.000-06:00

Yep. That's what it looks like! I've relaunched a fresh new shop!

The last few months I've been building a piece here and there, when I could find the time, in order to get a little stockpile together. :) Since I wasn't sure how long it would take to actually get the whole thing live, I haven't mentioned it. (Okay, maybe I hinted to a few of you!)

But, SMIDGE HOUSE: UNPLUGGED is now open for business!

As you can see, I've changed the name, and the look! The addition of the "Unplugged" basically means I'm a badass now. :)

Okay, not exactly. It's really just a way for me to show that things have changed. The shop has been unplugged, if you will (and even if you wont) and the vibe has been reset. While this is just the start, these items represent my true style & vision far better. Prepare yourself for more unusual, unexpected things that you can't find anywhere else!

Since my free time is still super limited, that means items and availability will be super limited too. I'm fully booked for the next few months, and this month is spectacularly busy. Basically, I'll update as often as I can make it happen. It will just depend on my schedule. I still have a handful of things I hope to list this month, so we'll see what I can do. Realistically though, UNPLUGGED will most likely remain a fairly exclusive little group of items. Let's call it fashionably empty, lol.

For now, here are a few of the goodies available from

SMIDGE HOUSE : UNPLUGGED!

Just click to visit the shop and see more.

You also may want to check out the Floor Models Section. Which is basically just a less vulgar way of saying "discount." I'm clearing out some items left over from the old Smidge House shop that no longer fit the vibe, as well as prototype pieces, at very low prices. Just in time for the holidays! (Listen to me! I could totally be a salesgirl!)

Okay, I could so not be a salesgirl. My early experiences in retail were super disasterous, and usually ended with me getting yelled at because I couldn't learn the cash register, and crying in the bathroom. Do you know how hard it is to try to fix your makeup in that crappy florescent bathroom lighting? I'm really not an idiot, okay? I just can't learn well with people watching over my shoulder!

sigh.

Good times.

If you are a salesgirl, I hope people are being nice to you this time of year, although I know they're probably not. Let's all try to be nicer to salesgirls, okay? It's a stressful job, especially at Christmas time. Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Salesgirls. And boys.

Okay, that's all! I'll be back later. Until then, Go get UNPLUGGED! (Yeah, that won't get old or anything. Expect wordplay, people. It's coming. Prepare yourselves. Just sayin.)

Girls Don't Make Passes at Guys Who Wear Glasses

2011-12-06T02:25:00.002-06:00

Jenny Prefers Jocks

So, over the weekend, I spent about-- never mind, I don't want to think about it. Let's say a LOT of hours-- taking photos! It's been awhile since I took some with the extreme drag out allllllll the lights and props and dolls and clothes and everything plan, so it was an ordeal. :)

At some point during the shoot, I found a little pair of glasses sitting on the table, and started passing them around, to see who they'd fit. Once Joe got ahold of them, he wasn't letting them go. But honestly, don't musicians look even hotter with glasses? ;)

Well, don't they?

I do believe he thinks they make him look smart.


Hmm. . .


Hmmmmmmmm. . .

Maybe even a little sexy in that just got out of bed (or spent all day in bed!) look.

"Search Results for Joey Joe Rules"

Unfortunately, throw a pair of specs on him, and suddenly he thinks he's an intellectual. Not everyone was amused.

Am I boring you?

But what else is new? ;)

Dude! I'm Really Still Here! Really! Seriously!

2011-12-05T12:33:00.000-06:00

Wow, that was a reeeeeeeeeeally fast vacation!

Seriously, folks, I don't know what happened! Like, two days ago, I was gearing up for Thanksgiving, and now I'm back to work! Where did the time go? And what's up with me accomplishing less with more time than I do with less time? Oh well. I guess part of the vacation part is the vacationing, huh? Well, I did a little of that, so I guess I can't complain. You work with what you've got. ;) And now I'm back in work mode, so hopefully my free time will be more productive. Well, actually, it already is! Look who's blogging during tea time! That would be meeeeeeee!

So, yup, I am officially back on the clock today, working on a new project. This is a fairly quick one, I'll be wrapping up in less than a month. And I hope you guys will cross your fingers for me, as I'm on the trail of a new gig that I really, really want, (Yes, that is bolded, italicized, and underlined.) and the waiting is kind of killing me! :P

At any rate. Dude! I have so freakin much stuff to tell you guys! Like tons of stuff! And my blog list account thingy is filled with half written blogs I've been working on all week that I haven't posted yet, lol! So, forgive me if I backdate some of them when I finish them, it's only fair.

But, seriously, I have a lot to tell you guys, and I'll be back later with a few updates! (Seriously! Later today! Or more likely tonight!)

Also, it's snowing again here on the blog! I couldn't care less if that makes me look like a geek or a blogger newbie, I love it! Yay snow! If only you weren't so cold and didn't last so long and then get dirty and gross and ruin all my pants...

But not on the blog! Yay snow! More festivities to come!

The Charlie Brown Tree Returns. Also, Snow in a Can!

2011-11-25T18:47:00.006-06:00

Hello, folks! Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving/ Thursday Nov. 24, if it wasn't Thanksgiving in your part of the world. Our was pretty quiet. Nice, and filled with food, but I did so much prep work on Wednesday, that Thursday was mostly just sitting around, waiting for the oven to cook things! I'm so used to scrambling to get things done on Turkey Day itself, I was almost bored, lol! You know me, I don't do so well unless I'm busy & moving!

But, I'm back to busy & moving now. :) I'm still working on making some 1/6 Christmas gifts. Wish I could post pics, since they're turning out kinda rad, but that would sort of ruin the surprise, lol. Maybe after the holidays. Okay, definitely after the holidays. :)

I've also been working on some more commissions. Since I opened the door a bit in the last post, I've gotten quite a few emails, so that should keep me busy for a few more days as well. I got a surprising number of requests for the mini Charlie Brown tree that I sold in the etsy shop last year!

Since I so enjoy making holiday items, and these still seem to be a favorite, I decided to make some extras. The etsy shop may be closed, but the Charlie Brown Tree has returned for one more holiday season. :)

They stand about 4 inches tall and make adorable holiday decor for your dolls-- or maybe even for a lucky friend. ;)

I currently have 12 trees for sale.
Edited: 10 left Thanks!:)
Edited: 9 left Thanks! :)
Edited: 8 left Thanks! :)

Edited: 7 left Thanks! :)
Edited: 6 left Thanks! :)

They are available for $20 each, plus $3 US shipping. (I'm happy to ship international, but can't guarantee Christmas delivery. Just send me your address for a shipping quote.)

If you're interested in snagging one (or more), they'll be first come first serve. Just email me at smidgehouse@gmail.com. I'll get back to you in the order I receive the emails. (Paypal only, please.)

In other news, remember the trip to the dollar store I told you about? Well, while it was mostly uneventful, (other than the thrill of snagging things for a dollar that sell elsewhere for 5, like candle lighters and magic erasers-- yaaay!) I did pick up one thing that seems exciting:

Instant Decorative Snow in a Can!

The directions say: "Just add water. Looks and feels like real snow." For a dollar, how can I lose, right? Will it poison me, and/or make me blind? Who knows! Hopefully not!

I'll be opening it later tonight, so I'll update you either way. Should be interesting! :)

Okay, I'm back to do some work. (I'm not doing so well with the whole "vacation" part of being on vacation, but I'm sure you all knew that would be the case, lol. Although we are headed to the movies on Monday, so that's totally vacationy! See? I'm not a total workaholic!)

Anyhow, see you all soon! (Assuming the instant decorative snow doesn't blind me.)

Happy Holiday Weekend!

Boomboxes and Twiddlebugs (AKA: Lets Catch Up!)

2011-11-20T05:45:00.001-06:00

Hey guys! Well, first up, thanks so much for the love on my last post. It's nice to know you guys still understand me-- or at least try to understand, lol. I know sometimes my points get lost in the blather, but I know a lot of you speak my language by now. ;) So, for this post, let's sit back, chillax (that was for you, Erica!) and start to catch up a little!

Okay, well, it's been a good long while, so I'll do my best to get you up to speed on what I've been up to the last six months or so! (This may actually turn into a couple of posts, depending on how long it goes on, lol-- we'll see.)
Btw, this starts with a lot of text, but there are lots of pictures too. :)

So, lets recap. I closed the Smidge House shop at the end of May for a few reasons. I'll go deeper into some of that later, when I talk about... well, I'll get to that later. ;) The main reason was, I was starting a massive project that was going to take all of my time, and I knew the shop would go ignored for probably a few month. I'd put so much effort into creating it, and then to not be able to spend any time making new stuff, updating it or promoting it, well, it seemed like a bad way to go. So, rather than just let it go ignored, I closed the doors.

It turned out to definitely be the right decision, because the next 4 months or so, I barely left the house, I was so busy! (My boyfriend did most of the grocery shopping and cooking-- we ate a lot of cereal.) So, I definitely couldn't have done anything with the shop. It was a crazy weird time, and a lot to adjust to. Getting organized on a big level was a definite learning experience, but totally priceless, because it's 100% changed the way I do things. Not saying I'm stress free, (who is?) but my chicken with their head cut off days appear to be gone. Not having the shop or blog to keep up with anymore was definitely a switch! Although it was absolutely a necessity, while I focused on switching gears, and moving full steam ahead into a new career.

I basically spent the summer in a fog of awesome, building tons of cool stuff, figuring out some new techniques, being totally challenged. The extremely frustrating part (as I may have mentioned 30 times or so) is that I can't show you, or tell you anything about it. While it's a totally acceptable tradeoff, considering, it's enough to make you a little loony, when you're used to sharing what you do. It was hard enough keeping the Brick Novax stuff a secret, lol. But, things need to stay under wraps for all sorts of reasons, so it's cool.

One note I can add, is that it took close to a year for Brick Novax to air/screen for the public, from the time I started working on it, to the Sundance premiere. (Obviously, they were working on it for a while before I came on board.) Brick Novax was basically a no motion production. When you film actual stop motion stuff, you usual average filming about 15-30 seconds a week. Nope, that's not a typo. Seconds. A week. Obviously, it depends on how many characters you're animating & how many people you have on staff, so independent productions with a small crew... well, you can imagine. It can take years to complete a stop motion film, and months for even the shortest ones. So, sometimes I'll be able to share stuff, and often... not. At least not for a while. But, it is what it is, and it's just part of the job.

But, every job is different, and in the fall I started working on a new stop motion project, and this one I have a few sneak peeks to show. (Sorry, if you follow me on flickr, you've probably seen these, but I'll see if I can find something I haven't posted yet.) This set is a sort of crappy, rundown studio apartment, for an aspiring screenwriter, slacker, bachelor dude.

With such a specific character in mind, it was easy to think back to all the slacker/bachelors I've known, and their horrible apartments. They all had some similar "decor" for me to draw from. First of all, every dude needs a place to eat. And if it can double as a desk, all the better. And if it's under 20 bucks... well, it's perfect! So, card table it was! Some of you might remember that my sweetie gave me a folding table as a gift last year so I used that as a model, and ended up with this:

Yep, it's a folding table! Before someone asks, no, it actually doesn't fold, since there's no need for it to-- it's always going to remain upright. I took this pic at my new (like 6 months ago new, lol) mini workstation, which I'll post pics of one of these days. It's kinda cool.

Here's a comparison photo, for anyone who doesn't know what a human scale folding table looks like. ;) And because, I just like comparison pictures.

And, of course, every dude needs a little storage, to hold books and a tv and video games, and all that kinda jazz. And, so, I built this guy, a metal, utility style shelf you can pick up at any hardware store. It's kinda one of my favorite things, and I'll probably make again, lol, because I need one (or many)!

If you've ever had one of these, you know the shelves are adjustable to suit your storage needs, and this one has a big shelf for a television. When my sweetie and I got our own place together in college, it was a studio (a really big studio, with an awesome layout, and loads of storage space, that definitely rivals our current one bedroom-- you know, except for the having a bedroom part, lol.) and we had one of these shelves. It's where we kept our bigass stereo. Remember when people had stereos, lol? Ours looked like this:

Yep, it did have a tape player, that we even occasionally used, because we were both super old school and brought tapes with us to college, even though it was the ipod age by then, lol!

Man, am I weird to be nostalgic over this ugly piece of plastic? Wow. I totally just remembered that I used to have one of these babies in high school that had like the 4 inch black and white tv in it. Anyone else have one of those? Lol, I have to say, I still think that's pretty cool.

Yep, there she is! How futuristic is that!? I used to lay in bed and watch David Letterman on that thing. Well, not so much "watch" as squint and listen, but it was still awesome! And, yes, it had 2, count em, 2 tape decks. That's so you could make mix tapes from your existing tapes. Man, I used to stay up nights in jr. high with my finger on the record button, taping songs off the radio, lol. *sigh* Good times.

Aaaaanyhoo. Went off the rails a bit, didn't I? Well, what else is new, lol. I was talking about the utility shelf. Here's the requisite comparison shot:

Not bad, right? Yup, definitely need some more of these. :)

Naturally, it needed to be filled up, with the appropriate books:

They don't really open, they're just props, but they do have true full color fronts, backs, and spines, and look pretty good regardless. It's a pretty tedious scanning and resizing these things, I'll tell ya! But, having tiny books that look exactly like your real books, lol, well, it's rad.

I got this book for my birthday this year. I'll let the Twiddlebugs borrow the tiny copy. ;) Remember the episode where they tried to hang the postage stamp?

Oh, those Twiddlebugs!

Okay, what else. Oh! Duh. The pullout sofa. Our studio was big enough so that we could fit a sofa and a bed, but most aren't. This set needed a pullout sofa. I've known some dudes who just kept the pullout open all the time, and used that as a sofa, which is pretty skeevy, but hey, whatever. It's your house, I guess you can do what you want. Anyway, here it is as a sofa.

(You might recognize this fabric, I've used it before, but it was totally appropriate for this sofa. I was looking for something that could look old, used, hand me downish.) The set is in the early stages in this photo-- the windows are only half done, and the stuff is just thrown around to give you the idea. Instead of leaving the walls smooth, I spackled the crap out of them, really poorly, and used multiple layers off white, dirty looking paint, framing out spots where old tenants had their stuff hanging. Basically, high renter turnover + super low quality maintenance.

So, that's where bachelor dude sits with his laptop, or to watch tv, or whatevs. The, night falls, and, ta-da:

Now it's a bed! (Btw, I never usually take pics with the flash on, but I just really liked the way it looked with these photos.) It's made of two modular pieces, so the sofa cushions can be removed, and the pullout frame/mattress can be attached. It doesn't actually fold, since that's not required. Here's Blaine testing it out:

Wow, does that look comfortable. You can see the sofa cushions off to the side there. Also, just ignore the whole his pants are unbuttoned thing, lol. I didn't notice that until after I took the pics, and he totally looks like aforementioned skeevy guy.

That's about all I can share of this set for now. You'll probably see more, eventually, but this project is still in pre-production, so I really have no time frame for when that might be.

For now, I'm officially on vacation! (Well, sort of a vacation. I have loads of stuff I'm doing, but I don't actually have a job at the moment. Sounds like a vacation to me!) I don't start my next film project until the beginning of December, so I have close to 2 weeks off! So far, I've started (thinking about) making some Christmas gifts, and I've even done a few customs, for people who've emailed me the past few months. (I've tried to touch base with everyone who emailed me while I was gone. If I've missed you, feel free to go ahead and email me. (It's in the about me, up there on the sidebar.) )

I'm thinking about taking some customs on a case by case basis when my workload is light enough, but the only thing predictable about this job is that's it's completely unpredictable, lol. So, I'm not sure how often that will be. But, we'll see. You can always email me, on the condition that you are not crazy. Seriously, do not email me if you are a nutbag, if you want me to build you an entire house in 2 hours for 5 dollars, or you are a creepy stalker. (My inbox has been quite interesting the last few months, lol. Quite a few oddball stories I could tell you... but probably shouldn't. ;) )

Aaaaanyhoo. Guess what? It's five in the morning, I've been typing for a couple of hours, and it will probably take me a few more posts to get somewhat caught up. Oh well! I'll probably mix it in with some current posts, because I've got some doll stuff in the works some folks might like to know about... ;)

Also, I'm going on a date later today, to my favorite date spot. You all know what it is. The Dollar Tree! Next to the Dunkin Donuts! Wooooo! (Clearly I've posted about this slice of heaven much too often, because in my attempt to snag a picture of it, I entered "Chicago Dollar Tree Dunkin Donuts" into google images, and it came back with a bunch of pictures from this here blog, lol!)

Anyway, I'd better catch a few zzzzzzz's. See ya soon! :)

Now then. Where were we?

2011-11-05T04:02:00.004-05:00

Hello there, peeps!

Well, that didn't take long, did it?

Yep, I realize some of you are probably thinking I've gone totally off the deep end by now, lol, but trust me, it's not true. No more than usual, anyway. :)

In the past six months or so, I've had a lot of life to tend to, and for quite a while, I really felt that when it came to this blog, I'd come to the end of the road. And I guess in a way, I had. Just not in the way I thought. This is probably going to be one of those long babbling posts, that I tend to write at 3am, so feel free to grab a cup of tea (I'm about to-- we can drink together.) and hang out a while.

Sorry, I'm cheating-- I don't have any new relevant photos, lol.

Well, here it is in a (long rambling) nutshell. I needed a break. A good looooong break. For the past couple of years, I've basically been smidge girl of Smidge House, and not much else. Which, in a lot of ways has been awesome. I've gotten to spend lots of time hobnobbing (that's right, hobnobbing. I am ninety.) with my heroes in the 1/6 world. I've made loads of friends, established a nice following, and received more compliments than I've ever gotten in my life, which is, of course, all good for the ego. :) The only thing is, the rest of my life started to atrophy. And it wasn't good.

So I've needed time and space to grow out my personality again, and reestablish myself in other parts of the world. Before I became smidge girl, I was about a zillion other things. And I needed to get those things back and move forward-- as a whole person, and not just one tiny piece. What I said in the last post about this blog not really representing me anymore is definitely true. That's not to say I don't enjoy it anymore, but it had overwhelmed the rest of my life, to the point where it was getting in the way of me building a new community. I really, really despise being pigeonholed, and that's what had happened. So, basically, I just had to step away, regroup, kick some ass, and prove that I still got it. In multiple areas. Turns out I do. ;)

Now that I'm reengergized, (that's a real word, spellcheck. Look it up.) and I'm feeling like some of my other skills are being recognized, this blog isn't feeling so much like a prison anymore. (Sigh. Isn't that an awful thing to say? But it really did feel like that for a while.) Now it feels more like a vacation home. And I'm pretty excited to start (I will not say chillaxin. I will not say chillaxin. I will not say chillaxin.) hanging out here now and then. I can't say it'll be full time, but I fucking miss you guys, and I miss being part of this world, even if it's just on a part time basis. I have a few plans, and I'll be making a few changes, so if it looks wonky around here for a bit, don't worry, it's just me redecorating. :)

So. I guess that's kind of it! That wasn't as long and rambling as I expected, lol! But now it's 4 in the morning, and I have a hardcore editing job that has to be finished over the weekend, so I actually have to bring this to a close. (I've been doing some editing on the side lately, which I really love. Like I said, multiple areas. I'm a Jacqueline Bisset of all trades, as they say. And by "they," I mean no one.)

Have a great weekend everyone! Next time I'll have some stuff to talk about besides just myself, lol. And I'll bring some pictures. :)

Until then...

This is it, Peeps-- Closing Day!

2011-05-20T21:12:00.000-05:00

Yep, it's finally here, beleive it or not. I close up shop in 5 hours and counting. (That's midnight Pacific time, 2 am here in Chicago.) Hopefully everyone is able to snag whatever they want before I close the doors for good.

Erin is weeping with joy-- she hated being a Smidge House model, lol.

Me, I'm happy and sad at the same time. :)

It's been sort of a weird day, some of which I can contribute to lack of sleep, lol. I'd been up for about 30 hours when I crashed hard around 10am, and slept like a freakin dead body for a few hours. So, I slept through some of closing day! I've gotten some absolutely beautiful emails from people, wishing me luck, and letting me know how much they've enjoyed the shop. I appreciate those more than I can say, and please know, I will email you all back, my inbox is just overflowing right now, so it will take a few days! Also, to all the people who posted on their blogs/flickr about the shop closing, I really, truly appreciate that. Sadly, I'm still getting people saying What? You're closing? to me, even today, but hey, we tried, right? You can't get to everyone!

So, I start my new gig on Monday, and while I can't tell you what it is right now, it's super exciting! :) But, it's going to be incredibly time consuming, so I probably won't be around much for the next few months. I promise to update when I can, and I certainly won't disappear into thin air, but don't expect too much for a while, lol!

To sort of celebrate/commemorate to closing of the shop, I've created a Smidge House Decor flickr group. I hope you'll all join, and upload photos of any Smidge House goodies you might have. I always wonder where and with whom my pieces end up-- which dolls are sitting on the sofas, and putting their feet up on the tables, and hanging the Christmas ornaments. I really would love to see pics!

Okay, well, my sweetie and I are going to have dinner, and toast to the end of an old era, and the beginning of a new one. I hope you have all enjoyed this one-- I know I have!

And for the next 5 hours, please shop till you drop, lol! And use the code CLOSINGSHOP15 for 15% off everything!

Love you all, and have a great night!!
smidge girl

Only 2 Days Left!

2011-05-19T19:06:00.001-05:00

Blaine agreed to take a (short) break from being awesome, in order to help me spread the word. As you can see, he really put a ton of effort in this. Thanks, Blaine, for cleaning up before the photo shoot. Seriously, Thanks. You really helped make my attempt at promotion super classy.

Aaaaanyhow! The point of this little post was supposed to be to tell/remind/beat you all over the head with the fact that there are only 2 days before Smidge House closes up shop. And by 2 days, I mean today and tomorrow. I will be officially shutting everything down late-late night on Friday. (tomorrow!) I don't have an exact time, I want to be be fair to as many peeps in other time zones as I can, but I can't drag it out indefinitely, ya know? So, seriously, please do not wait until the last minute, because I'll feel so bad if you miss out and then tell me how sad you are that you didn't get what you wanted.

I feel like I've really gone to the brink of -- and probably past-- being obnoxious and annoying when it comes to saying Extra! Extra! Smidge House is Closing! Except every time I post, there are still people who are hearing the news for the first time. Which bums me out, because I know some people are never going to find out until they go to visit the shop and find it closed. If you're on twitter, and want to hit the retweet button at the end of this post, I'd love ya for it.

I'm starting to feel a little butterflies in the stomach about this whole thing, to tell you the truth. While I know it's definitely time (past time) for me to get on with this, the shop is kind of my baby, you know? We've had a lot of good times together, (and a lot of struggles, lol) and it's been a part of my day-to-day every day for the last year and a half. So, while I'm essentially going to be doing the same thing work-wise (as far as building 1/6 goodies) it's going to be very strange not to check in on the shop every day!

But anyway. I kind of said all this same stuff in the last post, right? I'm starting to repeat myself, I guess. Seriously, thank you to everyone who has given my stuff a good home during the run of the shop. It's really nice to know it's being used and appreciated!

Anyhow, I gotta go, zillions of things to do yet today! For anyone who'd like to stroll through the shop one last time, here's some of what's left!

You can use the new coupon code BLAINE15 to take 15% off your goodies!

Hugs, everyone!

smidge girl

ps- Also, I meant to say this last time, and forgot. Most of the 1/6 artwork you see is available upon request for $5 a pop. So, if you see anything you like in the shop or flickr pics, just contact me through flickr or etsy, or directly at smidgehouse@gmail.com. Thanks!

Fried, Scrambled, and Ready to Crack, lol!

2011-05-18T04:00:00.002-05:00

Yup, I'm talking about me, not my breakfast, hehe. Not that I eat eggs for breakfast. I kind of hate eggs. In fact, when we used to have to write those poems in school, where you wrote your name vertically, and had to make up a sentence about yourself starting with each letter (You guys know what I'm talking about, right?) my "E" would usually be "Eggs, I hate." Yeah, I know. So sue me. "E" is hard.

So, I've been meaning to blog, really I have, and I've been blogging in my head, so that sort of counts, right? Then, when I actually did sit down to blog one day, Blogger was doing updates or some crap. I've been here for like 2 years, and I've never had that happen before! Maybe I've just always been super lucky, but I didn't even know blogger shut down to do updating! huh. Learn something new every day, I guess! Oh well. Here I am now!

It's 2:45am, and I'm on my third all nighter in the last week. Been a while since I did this. I'm not really even tired-- running on adrenaline at this point, I think. I caught a couple of hours this afternoon, and I'll catch a few more tomorrow, so whatever. It's all good. :) I'll admit, I was a little panicked when I made the shop closing announcement public.Ii thought, is this the right thing to do? The right time? Well, trying to balance all this work the last week and a half or so has made me realize without a doubt, hell yeah it was. It's just more work than one person can handle, lol!

Of course, to be fair, the shop's been busier in the last week than it has in the last year. Not entirely sure how to feel about that, but you can believe I certainly appreciate the business! Thank you so much to all of you reading who have stopped by, made some purchases, sent me some kind words, and just pretty much reminded me how many great people are out there. It thrills me to no end that you would take the time out of your day to wish me well, or spend your hard earned bucks on the goodies in my shop. So, thanks again. :)

(Of course, there always have to be a few nutjobs who crawl out of the woodwork and share their two cents, but, I guess that comes with the territory. It you're a lunatic who is reading this, you're most likely not going to think you're a lunatic, so there's really no point in my telling you to suck it, is there? Oh well!)

So, today, I finally (talk about procrastinating!) got all the remaining goodies listed in the shop. Wow. Have I mentioned it's an insane amount of work to run an etsy shop? I'm pretty sure I have. But holy crap, people that make this your full time business, hats off to you, because between photographing, editing, resizing, uploading, writing descriptions, tagging, doing the whole packaging/tissue wrap/bubble wrap/pick the right box thing, weighing & doing the paypal thing, answering convos, following up with shipping info, promoting on a zillion sites, without trying to be too obnoxious, posting pics on flickr, answering emails... I don't know how people do it when they have a lot of sales steadily.

Thank goodness my sweetie is more than happy to take the actual packages to the post office for me! (It doesn't hurt that it's right across the street, lol.) And it's not like I had to make anything, this was all stuff that had been waiting to be listed for months, and I just haven't had the time to do it! Honestly, I don't know how I found time to do it this week, but I'm so glad I did!

So, if you haven't been to the shop in the last couple of days, go on over for one last stroll, I've got lots of new stuff for the final 3 days.

Accent tables in all different styles and colors:

Corkboards for your 1/6 office:

Many styles of throw pillows:

And the very last 2 Smidge House Ornament Boxes:

Kind of nostalgic looking at those. :)
This box of ornaments, The Funky, Funky Christmas Collection, was the first thing I ever sold:

(Hard core NKOTB fans might know the name refers to a song on the New Kids Christmas album, lol. I never expected the new kids on the Block to have such a strong presence on the blog, lmao!)

I still remember getting that email telling me I'd made my first sale! Wow, was I thrilled! I couldn't believe I'd actually sold something on my first day! I'd introduced myself on the doll boards, with a link to my (one post) blog, but was too afraid to even post about my etsy shop, lol. Didn't want to seem too pushy! (I still have trouble with that. promoting is one thing I definitely will not miss!) I totally freaked out because the person who bought it lived in Canada, and I'd never shipped anything internationally before, lol. Turns out it was pretty simple.

Thank goodness I made the decision to ship internationally! (Lots of peeps don't.) Half of my customers have been outside the US. It's pretty awesome to think that there are Smidge House goodies the the US, Canada, the UK, Brazil, Australia, Poland, France, Sweden, and the Netherlands! (Yeah, I'm a dork who keeps track of that stuff. I dunno, I get a kick out of it. Someone's speaking French around my furniture, lol. It's just cool.)

Hey, so also, I just wanted to say, that I've had several people (who maybe don't so much read the blog, lol-- but hey, that's cool) ask if I'm closing up shop because etsy sucks. I want to say straight up that I think etsy is an awesome place to sell. Yeah, they tinker with the site, and the little changes can be annoying and piss people off, but get a life, really, if that's enough to make you say this place sucks.

This is all my opinion of course, but in my opinion, there is not another selling site that can hold a candle to etsy as far as bang for your buck, traffic, and just simple user friendliness. Yeah, it's a hell of a lot of work to maintain a shop, but that stuff really has nothing to do with where you actually host the shop. That work is all on you, in your creativity, your ability to make a good product, your photography, your marketing skills, etc. I've never had a single bad thing to say about etsy, so I wanted to clear that up for anyone who might have wondered.

(Obviously, if you're reading this a year from now, I'm not going to be a relevant judge anymore, so do your own research, ya know? And of course, do you own research anyway. On everything! Don't take other people's opinion's as the absolute truth, no matter who they are! Not even me, lol. Different things work for different people.)

Okay, I'm not sure why this is starting to veer into a high school graduation speech, lol, but I think that's I sign I've done enough blabbing. I have a ton of work to do tonight, and then a quick nap and a ton more, so, I'm outta here.

Don't forget, Smidge House is closing for good on Friday, May 20. that's this Friday. The lights go off when I go to bed, so it'll be late, but please don't wait until the last minute if you want something, okay? I'd feel really bad if you forgot and came to the shop after it closed. :)

Hope everyone is having a good week, and hugs to those of you who aren't. Hell, hugs all around, who can't use a hug? :)

smidge girl

Smidge House is Closing-- The Official Announcement

2011-05-07T17:20:00.000-05:00

Hi, everyone, and Happy Saturday!

Well, if you read my last post, this one isn't coming as a shock. If you missed my previous post, well, maybe you're a bit surprised, lol. But yes, it's true. The Smidge House Etsy Shop is closing.

Here's a brief recap, for those who need it. I've been lucky enough to transition my furniture/set design skills into a new career, and I'll now be working full time creating for film and television. :) So, basically, this means that I simply don't have the time to be an etsy shopkeeper anymore. As anyone with an etsy shop (or similar) can attest, it is definitely a full time job, and two full time jobs is more than anyone needs, lol.

The shop will be closing on Friday, May 20.

This seems like enough time for everyone to be notified and make their final purchases. I really do want everyone to have the opportunity to get what they want from the shop. Hopefully 2 weeks is just the right amount of time. If you do need more time, I will continue to offer layaway with a 50% (nonrefundable) deposit until the final day. If you have specific questions, you can always email me at smidgehouse@gmail.com

As a thank you for all the support you've given to me and the shop, please feel free to use the special coupon code BLOGTHANKS15 to get 15% off all purchases until the shop closes. Simply enter it into the box at checkout, it can be used as many times as you like.

Here is a sample of items still available in the shop. (Clicking on each photograph will take you to get a closer look at that item in the shop.)

Now, I don't want to hammer anyone over the head with this, but just so everyone is totally clear, and doesn't yell at me later, Smidge House furniture will no longer be available after May 20. The shop is closing permanently, I will not be opening another one, this is it. So, if there is something you want, please get it while the gettin's good, lol. :)

Since many of you have asked (which I am amazed and flattered by-- thank you!) let me say that the Smidge House blog will be staying. Although I can't promise to post on a regular basis, I will try to update when I have sixth scale news to share. I'm pretty well booked for the near future, and I'm not sure how much actual hobby/free time I'll have in the upcoming months. And although I'll be living & breathing sixth scale, I'm not sure how much of what I'm working on I'll actually be able to share, which kind of puts me at a bit of a loss, as far as blogging goes, lol! But I still consider the blog to be a home base of sorts. People know this as a place they can find me, and it's where I get to connect and keep up with all of you. :)

So, while you won't see me as often, I won't be disappearing forever-- you can't get rid of me quite that easily! Plus, I'd like to think the back posts might provide a decent source of entertainment or information for people, so no plans to delete it, or anything drastic like that. :)

I hope that covers everything. But, again, if you have any questions about anything shop related, feel free to post a comment below or email me. I'll get back to you as quickly as possible. :) Oh-- also, since I've had one person ask this already, I'm perfectly fine with anyone sharing this news on their blog, in fact, I appreciate the interest, so thanks. :)

Okay, I think that's really all for now. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

hugs!
smidge girl

Visit the Smidge House Etsy Shop

Where am I Going, Where Have I Been...

2011-05-05T21:42:00.000-05:00

Hiya, folks! Well, I'm back. :)

If you follow the blog, you know I've been gone the last week or so. It's been interesting. The boyfriend and I took a sort of bittersweet trip back to Boston. The sweet part was being able to see some friends we haven't seen in way too long. The bitter part was why we were all there to begin with. If you've been here a while, you might remember that I lost a close friend around this time last year.

Well, last weekend was a reunion of sorts, and the first of an annual benefit concert in his name. A very weird kind of celebration, where the whole night, I felt like crying, but was laughing my ass off, being around some of the best people in the world. So, it was awesome, to spend the night with so many of the people in my life I really consider my family. But beyond devastating that one of them was missing. Without sounding outrageously corny and cliche, it was a pretty big reminder that life can be short.

However. It was an equally big reminder that life can be long! And if, for whatever reason, you are living the wrong life, it can seem endless. And not at all fun! Who the hell wants that!?

It's become laughably obvious that loving every possible minute of life, taking full advantage of every opportunity, is really what it's all about. There's absolutely no sense in spending it with your priorities all out of whack. Putting up with things, or letting people or situations guilt you or lull you into less than you want, is really just an enormous waste of time. And there's no reason to waste time, lol!

As a result, plans I've kind of thought I'd ease into over the next few months have become immediate plans. Because, really, when you know you want to change things, why on earth should you wait? Honestly, things have been changing behind the scenes for a while already. But, I haven't fully committed to all the changes I need to make, because, well, I'm not fully sure why. I guess big changes are scary, so instead of leaping from one life to another, I've kind of been keeping one foot in both. Which basically means I've been making tons more work for myself than is necessary, and living in a weird, unnecessary kind of limbo, just to avoid rocking anyone's boat. Silly, right?

So, what is all this rambling leading up to? Well, it's time for me to close up shop.

I opened the Smidge House Etsy Shop because I wanted to be part of the sixth scale world, share what I could do, and just see where it would lead. Fortunately, it's led to bigger opportunities than I could ever have imagined, and jobs I never really knew existed! :) My life and career have changed in huge ways in the last few months, as a lot of you know. I can't tell you how happy it's made me to have all of you to share my successes with. Having people who have supported me and my journey from the beginning has made everything all the more fun.

There hasn't been much I could share lately, but I've been working a lot. My focus is on a new film project, which has become a full time job, and needs to be my first priority. Trying to keep up with an etsy shop on top of that has just become too much to keep up with. So, I'm going to be shutting down the shop permanently, in order to make the transition into set design. I'll miss the shop, it was a lot of fun, but this is a decision I'm super happy with, and it is definitely time to make the leap. :)

The next post will share all the details, press release style-- the official closing date (later this month) and all of that. But this post is really for all of you guys who read my ramblings to the end, who I can share my thoughts with, who have always been so excited and supportive when I post photos of my etsy goodies and such. I'm thrilled that I'm able to end my time there on a successful note, and I hope you have all enjoyed shopping there. :)

Talk to you all soon!

smidge girl

The Infamous Retro TV (And Happy Easter!)

2011-04-24T21:29:00.001-05:00

Hiya, Peeps!

Get it? Cuz it's Easter? Hahahahaahahahahaha!!!

Happy Easter to all of you who celebrate that. We did, sort of. Nothing big and crazy, like we normally do, but some baskets and a little candy... we're getting ready to leave this week, so things are sort of crazy, with the impending travel and all. I know I said I might say where I was headed... just can't really seem to get into that... I'll probably tell you about it when I get back, instead.

All over amazing things happening otherwise, but, well, more on that later too, lol. Sorry, I'm a bit scattered-- traveling seems to do that to me. I'm not a good traveler. I hate flying, it's physically painful for me, (screaming ear pain, feel like my head is going to explode-- super fun) which adds to the stress. I think sensitivity to air pressure might be a genetic thing, I know my brother and cousins have a debilitating time with it, too. Eh, well. What are you gonna do? If anyone has any tips (I always chew gum and wear earplugs, although neither does a damn thing for me.) I'd be happy to hear 'em!

Buuuuut, moving on! So, if you've been following for awhile, you remember the infamous retro tv I made for HBO. The tv that drove me crazy, that nearly killed me, that made me cry, lol. Yeah, you remember. ;) Well, I made the decision to take back the control, lol. Yeah, I know, this is going to sound sort of therapy-ish, or something, but it's sort of a mindset thing. Instead of remembering the bittersweet torture it put me through, I decided to freakin own it, and totally master the retro tv. So, with that in mind, I've spent some time over the last few weeks, making a limited edition line of televisions. Aside from a few tweaks & upgrades, they are the same as the "famous" Brick Novax tv's. Except they're a little better, lol. ;)

You can see the original tv "in action" here, if you like:

Obviously you guys know, having taken the HBO journey with me, that these tv's hold a strange and special place in my heart, and are also a huge pain in the ass to make, lol. That being said, once they are gone, they are officially goooooone. I won't be making them again. The run is limited to twelve, and available to purchase through the etsy shop, or, if you prefer, directly through me. Just email me if you'd rather get one that way. My email's on the side over there, if you need it. I know some people have an aversion to etsy, or signing up/in to purchase things online, or whatever, so that's fine.

And now, on to the best part, the photos. Now, let me just make it totally clear, these tvs do not work, lol. So, you will notice a bit of photo manipulation going on in some of these, my photoshop obsession was dialed in loud an clear. But hey, at least all that editing experience is finally coming in handy! Plus, you can see what's possible with a bit of imagination! ;)

That last pic is my favorite. I had sooooo many horror movie sleepover marathons in jr high and high school. (And beyond-- okay, I still have them now if you count living with my boyfriend an endless sleepover, which I pretty much do, lol!) But that one resonates with me a lot. :) Plus, the lighting/editing turned out pretty badass.

Aaaanyway. I guess that's all. This will probably be the last post I make before we leave, so know that I'll be gone and unavailable for the most part between April 27 and May 3. Any orders placed in the shop during those dates will ship out when I get back. Hope everyone had a nice Easter, and has a great week!

hugs!
smidge girl

Shelf Absorbed

2011-04-13T20:11:00.000-05:00

Sooooooo, the last couple of weeks have been pretty nutty, but then again, when don't I say that? I have a new ongoing animation project I'm working on, and I've also taken on some big custom orders. Not something I usually do, as most of you know, but I suddenly had a bunch of people asking at once, and it seemed like a good enough time for one last hurrah. So, I'm doing that too, for the next couple of weeks or so.

Not that I'm complaining, I mean, I love my job, so what is there to complain about, but some days I wish I could just be all witchy and magical and pause the rest of the world for a while, while I get ahead, lol. Clearly, I've been watching too much Charmed. XD Now that the weather is swinging back and forth from 30 to 90, like it's the freakin Apocalypse (Too much Angel, too. Am I the only one watching TNT at 4 in the morning?) I'm getting the thick headed, asleep-on-my-feet allergies, like I do every year, which is slowing me down when I wanna be speedy! Bah, spring! Make up your mind already!

And don't even get me started on spring cleaning! I'd also use those magical powers to clean the house. Seriously, the place is such a disaster, I think if someone came to the door, I'd pretend not to be home! Not that anyone is coming to the door, since I've stopped ordering stuff. The UPS guy is going to forget about me. *sniff*

I still love you...

So sad, but we're traveling a lot this month (I'll post about later, maybe.) and well, if anyone else is buying plane tickets/booking hotels, you know what a ridiculously bizarre world we live in. As in, a week of travel = a new car. Well, a used car, but still. It's just absurd! But, hey, I'm too busy to shop anyway, right? I can barely keep out from under all the stuff I have stashed around here now!

I think my lack of organization may be having an effect on me, because it seems all I've been making lately is shelves, lol. It's quite satisfying to have a place for everything, and put everything in it's place, even if it's only in sixth scale! A girl's gotta start somewhere, right? ;)

So, hence the title. I've been shelf absorbed. Freakin clever, right? Like you probably think I thought up the title and then made the shelves, huh? Nope. It just all happened organically. lalalalala. Yeah, I don't know. I'm rambling. (And also avoiding doing the dishes, lol!)

Okay, picture time! Make yourshelf comfortable! (Yeah, I said that.)

Tealed With A Kiss Cubby Shelf

Crisp White with Lime and Turquoise

Soft Caramel Cubby Shelf

(featuring Reptile Style Club Chairs)

Beachcomber Cubby Shelf

And this one is gone, but I like the picture, so you get to see it anyway. :)

Jadeite Cubby Shelf

Yep, so all of these except the Jadeite are still available in the Smidge House Etsy Shop. So if you're dying for a little sixth scale organization, grab yourshelf one! (When will it end?)

I'm telling you, it's addicting, putting stuff in all these little cubbies, lol! (And it makes me want to buy more rement to fill them up!) You'd think I'd be yearning to do this myshelf (yup.) with my own 1:1 shelves and stuff. Well, I am, actually. Moving furniture and taking down & rehanging shelves and all that jazz is such an undertaking though, I really have to clear a week or so to do it. But seriously, I'd better do it, or we'll be moving before I actually accomplish anything! Life is undergoing some pretty major changes right now, so I guess we'll see what happens! In the meantime, I guess I'll just keep making shelves! And of course, other stuff. :) And tomorrow, I get to go fabric shopping! (Doesn't count as real shopping, because it's for a commission, so yay! Loophole!)

Yep, so I guess that's it. No clever little shelf pun to tie it up with. But, don't judge me, okay? It will lower my shelf-esteem.

hugs,
smidge girl

What is a Shank Cutter?

2011-04-07T05:02:00.000-05:00

Hey, so, after yesterday's post, I got a bunch of messages asking me what a shank cutter was, so I snapped a pic of mine to show you.

Depending on where you get them/what brand they are, they might be called shank cutters, button shank cutters, shank removers, button shank removers, but it'll be something like that and you'll know them when you see them. (Shank cutter is also a term you might use when you're talking about drilling, but that's a totally different thing.)

They look and work pretty much like wire cutters, but no matter what anyone tries to tell you, they are NOT the same as wire cutters. Believe me, I am famous for trying to double use tools for things they aren't intended for, just because I'm a cheap ass, or because I feel like someone's trying to rip me off making a "specialized' tool that I don't really need, and doesn't do anything new. A lot of times, that's true, but not with this little baby.

These are awesome for cutting through plastic, even the super hard kind, I grab for them at least a few times a day. They're actually intended for snipping the backs off shank buttons, and slice right through anything, even super hard plastic. They're not exactly sharp, so I don't have any idea how they work, lol, but they totally do, and that's all I care about! . Not sure if I mentioned this, but they are awesome!

I bought mine online, but you can get them in-store at a craft place like Joanns, Hobby Lobby, etc. Or maybe even a Walmart. But probably not a hardware store, since they are actually a sewing tool. They cost around 5 bucks.

Hope that helps clear things up, for all of you who were interested!

happy shanking! (hmm... that doesn't sound right...)

smidge girl

Another Armoire? Hell yeah!

2011-04-06T12:03:00.000-05:00

So, I haven't had time to post this, although I actually did it some time last month. But, I'm currently waiting for some paint to dry, so rather than just sit around an watch it dry (just as boring as the critics say.) I thought now would be as good a time as any! If you don't remember the last armoire/minibar makeover, you can check it out: here.

So, this one started life out as a Gloria piece, as many of these makeovers do. Although Mattel and whoever else is making 1/6 type stuff these days has similar-- if not exactly the same-- pieces. Here's the before picture:

This picture is super old, like a year ago or more, and pretty crap, so sorry about that. I vaguely remember having to take it is the semi-dark for some reason, but I can't remember why. And of course, I never took another one, lol. Oh well! Also, I'm pretty sure that isn't the original color of the handles, I think I had painted them before I took this picture. This piece is from the Gloria Home Office set.

I had a terrible time deciding if I wanted to take the doors off or not, or if I was going to leave the doors on, if I wanted to replace the "glass" (it was scratched to hell, like all the plexiglass stuff usually is, before you even unpack it) or replace it with fabric, of what. The doors would have to be painted, if I kept them, since they were icky pale pink-- Here's a closer look at the doors:

(Everything you're seeing through the glass is just a cardboard insert that slips into the open back. Super cheesy cartoonish, but it kind of reminded me of the 80's style Barbie stuff, that at least had some fun & personality. Like the back walls in the barbie town house. You know, at least they used to try. Now everything is just pink plastic glitter. :P But, at any rate. this post isn't about that, lol. Back to the makeover. So, doors, or no doors?

Lucky for me, the piece made the decision for me. I opened one of the doors, and kind of pried at the corner, where the plexiglass was attached to the door--and it just cracked right in half, lol. So-- no doors! So, I removed both doors. That left some partial hinges, with I snipped off with a shank cutter. (One of the best tools, ever! It cuts through hard-ass plastic like it's butter!) Then, I filled in the holes/indents that left behind with putty, and sanded it smooth. You know I didn't take any pictures of that, lol. But, it's pretty self explanatory, right?

Then, came the ugliest part of the whole thing, that stupid "G" logo at the top. While it's not as in your face as the B for Barbie and silhouette that Mattel stamps all over everything, it still looks stupid. I mean, why would you want a big letter G on your armoire? Although, is it an armoire now that the doors are gone? Kind of a debate over that. But, I think it kind of became a bookcase at that point. Anyhow. Here's a closer look at the G thing I'm talking about. Notice I didn't say better, just closer. ;)

You can tell from the photo, it's not an indentation, it's a raised circle part. But, with my handy dandy shank cutters, and a nice, sharp, hardcore box cutter, I just sliced it off! And I kind of totally hated those two swishy things on the side of it too, so, I filled them in with more putty, and then sanded it smooth. I know, I'm removing/destroying more & more of it, lol. But, I'm just not a fan of overly fancy crap. Trust me, it looked waaaaaay better. Did I take a pic of that step? You know the answer to that, lol.

After all that, the next step was the usual one. Spray it down with the white Fusion, and then stare at it for six months, trying to commit to a color choice. This was a little easier, since after I'd done the last armoire, I pretty much got the woodgrain/scuffed up bug out of my system-- at least for a day or two-- and could go with something more colorful. Teal, baby!

Mmmm, I totally love this color!

Pretty different without the doors and all the crap at the top, right? I left the shelves and some of the trim white. Originally, I left the outer squares on the bottom doors white too (you know what I'm talking about, right?) But it just looked too busy/overwhelming. That space is just too small to get overly detailed-- the same reason I didn't dig all the swishy crap at the top.

I painted the knobs a metallic black, and used the original cardboard insert as a template for the new red backing. Can you believe I didn't have any red scrapbook paper/cardstock? Easy fix-- I just took a piece of white and painted it, lol! It has like a crosshatchy texture-- I don't think you can really tell in the picture, but you can tell in person. I'm obsessed with the teal/red combo, but really, is there any color that doesn't look awesome with teal? I don't think so.

So, yup, that's the new armoire/bookcase/cabinet/shelf/whatever ya want to call it. :) Hope that was somewhat interesting, anyhow! My paint should be dry by now, so I guess I'll get back to work. Happy Wednesday, peeps!

hugs,
smidge girl

I'm going to be in Haute Doll! :)

2011-04-02T19:16:00.000-05:00

Here I am again, peeps, popping in for an update! Hope everyone has had a good week. Mine has been productive and relatively peaceful, if not exactly the most exciting week in the world. But I guess you can't have everything. At least not all the time, lol. ;)

So, last week, I mentioned I had another bit of doll-related news. Here it is. I'm going to be in Haute Doll magazine! (sort of, lol.) So, most of you probably read/know of/have heard of Haute Doll. It was a fashion doll magazine that folded last year-- or more accurately, was acquired by/folded into Doll Reader magazine. So, it's kind of 2 magazines in one now.

A few weeks ago, I got an email from an editor at Haute Doll/Doll Reader, who wanted to feature some of my furniture in a story about fashion doll decor. So, yay! Pretty cool. :) (Looking back at the email, she still calls in Haute Doll, so I guess I can too.) It's supposed to run in the June/July issue (as of now, anyway.) so I'll update you if that changes, and of course when the magazine actually comes out! (Until then, I'll just try not to think about it, because I reeeally hate waiting for things, lol!)

Waaay back in the day, when I first started taking part in the doll world, being in a doll magazine was on my to-do list. While my list has changed drastically, and my life has taken a lot of unexpected twists and turns, it's still flattering to be thought of and included in a feature like this. Not to mention there's still something extremely cool about print magazines vs online content. (And something I can show my grandma, who only has a vague notion of what the internet is, and has no clue what I'm doing with my life, lol.) So, yay. :)

Here's a picture of a soon to be famous chair, lol:

Wild Flowers Armchair

Well, so that's my doll related news for the week! Hope you all had a great one, and got to tick something off your to-do list.

smidge girl

The Evolution of Chase

2011-03-27T21:56:00.000-05:00

Hey, so, finally something doll related to post! Hooray! Actually, I have another doll thing to post, but it will get a different post later. So, I have a new girl to share. Actually, she's not new at all, lol, she's been hanging around for months and months and months, just waiting for me to do something with her! Poor girl. I can't remember if I posted a picture or not, when I first got her, but if I can't remember, you guys probably can't either,so let me look for one.

Okay, now I'm just officially horrified. I searched the blog to see if I'd posted about this girl when I first bought her, which I did-- back in September!!! So, this poor gal's been waiting for her makeover for almost 6 months! Eek!

Well, to be fair, it did take a few tries to get it right. Here's the picture I posted waaaaay back after I first bought her on ebay.

That's the photo from the listing, and here she is out of the box, how she looked when she was hanging out on the shelf all those months:

Yep, she's a Blythe clone, a Basaak to be more exact, the same as Petty. She looks really dreadful in this picture, sorry I don't have anything more flattering, lol. I'm not sure why she looks so creeped out! But, as you can see, her face is mega shiny, and her hair is just a mess. Petty's hair was much, much nicer than this. To be fair, I did wash and cut Petty's hair, but it was just a different texture or something altogether. Who knows. Anyway, she pretty much looked a lot like Petty did originally, only with bangs.

(Petty Before & After, if you don't remember: )

I bought both dolls from the same seller, and was super happy with them. Well, you know, they're clones, so they have issues, but I happen to like clones. I know some people take issue with the whole clone thing/controversy, but that's not what this post is about. Personally, I'm not a name brand girl, that means nothing to me, it's the specific doll that I'm drawn too, not the type of doll. So, I'm just as happy-- happier, in fact-- to pay $30 for a doll vs $100+, seeing as how the body is useless on both, and just about everything about them will be changed anyway. But that's just me. End of my opinion on that. Anyway.

So, the new girl! Yeah. So, she came in that horrific wedding dress, which was awful, made of that cheap, stiff, plasticy, silky stuff, you know what I mean. And what the hell does she need with a wedding dress anyway? I ditched it right away.

I'd bought an adorable short flippy blond wig at the same time, from Shopoholican, (now called Blythaholic) a blythe wig seller on etsy. (Another awesome transaction, btw.) See, I had this image in my head of what I wanted her to look like, before I even got her. Which I never really do, I'm not sure why I did this time. So, I got all the parts/supplies I needed, and a couple of months ago, when I had a little down time, I decided to finally put the pieces together and build the new girl.

I sand matted her, and did a little (very little, I haven't really developed a knack for it yet) lip carving, and repainted her makeup. Instead of using a wig cap, I just cut her hair really short and put the wig on her, since I didn't want her to have the black hair, I wanted the wig to be her permanant hair. I mean, not glued on or anything, but I didn't want to swap it out like it was a wig. Yeah, I know. I just don't get any joy out of a doll having diferent wigs or different eye colors. It doesn't compute with me. Why not just get different dolls instead of using a doll as a mannequin and changing their look all the time. But then, I guess a lot of people do use their dolls as mannequins, and not characters, so that would make sense for them, I guess. But not me. Anyway, I'm rambling. So, I put the doll together just like I'd been doing in my head for months. I even had her name picked out. Olivia. And she turned out just the way I'd planned. Except.

Except, she just wasn't right. Except it didn't really work. I mean, the wig was/is super cute. I liked her makeup and everything, but I don't know what it was, it just wasn't right, it wasn't how she was meant to be/look. I think just trying to build a doll from parts instead of letting the personality come through on it's own just didn't work for me. So, this is what she looked like after the first attempt, when she was still Olivia:

I mean, cute. I liked her look a lot, but there was just no connection, you know? So, even though I took a few pictures of her, I never even posted them, and she went back on the shelf, leaving both of us pretty frustrated. Every time I looked at her, it bummed me out. She wasn't happy, I wasn't happy. So, fast forward to last week. Last week? Yeah, I think it was last week, lol.

After wandering through flickr, drooling over all the blue haired blythe girls, I figured what the hell. I'd been jonesing for a reroot, so I may as well try a blythe (clone- last time I'll make this distinction, you guys know what I mean.) scalp, right? Dude. Okay, so I actually like rerooting. I've done it a lot, and I just find it kind of meditative and theraputic, and I love the fact that when it's finished, there's such a drastic visual difference, and I can say hey, I did that! It's like repainting furniture, or whatever. Well, I have to say, compared to smaller barbie sized heads, rerooting a Blythe head is a breeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze!!!

First of all, hello! The scalp comes off! You don't have to shove the needle through the neck, all the holes are visible from the inside and the outside, you can hold it however you like, and it's huge! It's like rerooting a freaking frisbee! Did I take pictures? Oh come on, you know I didn't, lol. I never remember to take pictures. Well, I took one. Here it is:

This is Olivia (she was still going by Olivia at this point) holding her own scalp. See, it's huge, and you can see the holes clearly from here. It was painted black, since her hair was originally black, but I used the same sort of sanding sponge I used to sand matte her face to remove all the black, so it woudn't show through the hair. It was pretty easy, and also, it left like a tiny black outline around each hole, which made rerooting even easier. (Not visible any more after the hair plug was in.)

She sat around like this for about 3 days while I was working on her scalp. I kind of got used to her this way, lol. Maybe I'll have a bald Blythe one day. ;) But not any time soon, I've stopped buying stuff. No, seriously. But that's another story. Anyway.

Originally, she had a center part and bangs. While I really love bangs, hell, I have them myself, I just wasn't feeling it this time. Bonus, I didn't have to figure out how to cut bangs, lol. next time. Maybe. Can't plan it out in advance, clearly! But, the center part part was kind of ripped and mangled after I took the plugs out. You know, that part just tends to rip a little, because the holes are so close together. So, I drew a new side part on her head with an ink pen. Just a couple of dotted lines, pretty much, that I could follow when I made the new holes. The scalp was sort of hard, harder than most of the smaller heads I've rerooted, so I thought it might be a pain to poke new holes in, but it really wasn't, it was easy! And doing it on a giant head, I finally understood thatching the part! I don't know why, but I could never really wrap my head around it before, and I always felt like I was doing it wrong. well, it turns out I wasn't, it was just hard to do a neat and tidy job on such a tiny head, so mine was just always kind of sloppy. But, being able to see it, I totally get it now. So, yay!

Ready? Ready? Ready for the final product? omg, I am so freakin happy with how she turned out. Even though I still want to give her some super long eyelashes, and add a little more hair to the back (it's a little thin, but no one will see it anyway, so oh well, that can wait) she's pretty much done. Soooooo...

Here's Chase:

Did I mention, I loooooove her? I thought I'd end up changing her makeup, but I ended up liking the way it looked with blue hair. (And I swear, underneath the big black bow, there's a really good part, lol.) But I will add the longer eyelashes, like I said. Remember back when I got Petty and said I'd probably never get a girl with crazy colored hair? Ha! Yeah, well, I was totally wrong, what else is new? ;P I think I've crossed over to the dark side with everything out there now. Well, I still have zero interest in Fashion Royalty dolls. But, I could have told you that from day one. Everyone told me I'd get hooked on them, but they just don't do anything for me.

Oh, don't cry, Erin, I didn't mean you. You're the exception.

But, anyway. So, that's the evolution of Chase. And it only took six months, lol. But hey, life is busy, you do what you can. Now I smile when I see her, instead of frown, and that's always a good thing!

What's that? A before and after photo summary? What a wonderful idea! Let me whip something up!

Yup, so that's pretty much it. Well, I have one other short bit of news, like I said in the beginning, but it's completely unrelated, and rather than bury it here, I'll make a separate post for it later. Okay, well, I'm back to work. I'm been trying to tie up a few loose ends before I move on to another big project.

See you guys soon!

smidge girl

(By the way, if anyone is interested in the blond wig, email me. I don't need it anymore, so it's for sale. smidgehouse AT gmail.com)

Happy St. Patricks Day! Chug-a-Lug, Folks!

2011-03-16T20:45:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I know St. Patrick's Day isn't technically until tomorrow, but since we're all bound to be too busy (drunk) tomorrow to spend much time online, I figured I'd post tonight. Most places seem to be doing a green theme, which is lovley and all, but I figured why not post some pics featuring the true theme of St. Patrick's Day? Boozin in Up! Luckily, my dolls are quite skilled at this, all year round. :)

Hope everyone has a great St. Patrick's Day, with lots of fun, but no hangovers!

Cheers!
smidge girl

Yay! I'm back! With pics! And Etsy goodness! And BH 90210! (and I say "ass" a lot for some reason.)

2011-03-14T04:09:00.000-05:00

Soooo, yep, I'm finally back! Betcha all thought I abandoned the blog, huh? No such luck, you'll have to keep listening to me blab, peeps. Life is pretty crazy right now. Like Erica said after my last post, I'm interning for the FBI.

Kidding, kidding! Or am I? Hmmmmm. If I was, I probably couldn't tell you, so maybe I am! How would you know? How would I know!? At any rate, let's just say I'm working on some stuff I can't really say much about and leave it at that for now. :)

Buuuut, I really am trying to keep up with the doll community as much as I can, (and doing a crappy-ass job of it, lol.) If I haven't commented on your blog lately, that doesn't mean I'm not reading it, just that I didn't have time to post. I know that's lame, so sorry! I love my blogs! But, I've had to seriously limit my computer time-- I've not bought anything online in like the last month, which should tell you just how much I'm not online, LMAO!

BUT! I finally, at long last, got all my etsy stuff listed this weekend! Hooray! Well, technically, it's not all my etsy stuff, but it's everything I have photographed as of now, and that's quite a lot. 20+ listings, and it took me forever. (Yes, folks, that's bold, italicized, AND underlined. That long!) I made a deal with myself that if I finished all the listings yesterday, I'd get to go to the 1/2 off sale at my favorite thrift today. Yeeeeeah. I didn't get to go.

I thought I was going to make it, and list it all yesterday (If you follow me on twitter, you know I was up all night, lol) but I seriously ran out of brain cells when I had 3 things left. Like, I really could not think of any words to write, or even remember how to construct sentences, so I had to stop and finish up today. Then, I thought maybe I'd go shopping anyway, after I finished listing today, but I was just too damn exhausted once I was done! XP (But next time, I'm totally going!!) So, instead, my sweetie made lunch, and we sat on the couch and I forced him to watch design shows with me for a bit. FUUUUN! (Do any of you guys watch Rehab Addict on the DIY network? Nicole Curtis is freakin awesome, I have a total girl crush on her!)

So. For those of you who don't list on etsy, (which I guess is probably most of you.) lemme just tell you, it's not for wimps, lol. You think the buying supplies and designing and making of the stuff is a lot of work, and it IS. And you think the staging and photography and editing is a lot of work, and it IS, but then, after all that, you have to write up descriptions for everything, (not to mention measure & weigh it, and calculate postage for all over the world), and make it all sound at least mildly interesting, without sounding like a total jackass in the process... yeah, that's the part that I really wish I had a robot to do, lol. But, it's done, and I bet you wish I would just shut up and post some pics already, huh? Will do, chief!

But, we get to start with one of my favorite pics that has lots of furniture in it, but really features the dolls more. I really love group shots, with lots going on. The more I can add, the better, lol.

Yay! Group shot! Even Scraps makes an appearance in this one. Scraps love! Lots of my faves in this pic, and a couple of you will notice girls who used to live at your houses. :) Also, please notice my (partial) collection of fabulous Patisserie CK boxes. My dolls can't get enough of those fabulous pastries! (Thank goodness I skimmed this for typos-- that almost said pasties!)

My sweetie started singing the Beverly Hills 90210 theme song when he saw that pic. (Which isn't easy, since it's an instrumental, but he does is pretty well anyway.) But ya know, I'm okay with that, lol. Since that was one of the most awesome theme songs of all time. (I'm talking about the REAL show, of course, don't get me started on the remake. Booooooooo remakes. ) Yeah. I was going to put a link to it, in case you don't know the theme song by heart, but I just sat and watched the opening credits twice, and decided we should all share this kickass nineties-ness together. (That, and I will probably want to watch it again. Multiple times.)

Shall we?

yeah. that was awesome.

I really don't know if my furniture can follow an opening act like that. But, let's try anyhow. New stuff! On Etsy! Hooray!

Spring has Sprung Sofa

Houndstooth Accent Chair Set

Industrial Chic Rusted Blue Shelf

Criss-Cross Club Chair

Living Room Furniture Set-- The Downtown Collection

Neapolitan Club Chairs

Reptile Style Club Chairs

I betcha thought I was going to list all 20+ new items, right? LOL. Nah, I won't do that. To see all the new goodies, you can just go browse the shop. And I hope you do! Let's end with another group shot. Feel free to sing the theme song, since you all know it now. :)

These 3 lovely ladies (my current faves) are enjoying what I wish I was sipping on right now. Rum & Cokes. Mmmmmm. (Don't worry, they're all 21!) Blaine seems to be preoccupied playing with Skeet, but with alcohol in room, it won't be long before he crashes the girl party!

Yup! There he goes!

Someone better pour him a drink. Just don't spill any on the sofa!

and p.s.-- Those kickass jeans he's wearing were a Christmas gift from Nat. Thank you, Nat!

Hope you all had a party-riffic weekend, with no hangovers! I'll be back when I can!

Hugs!

smidge girl

Smidge House Shop

Not much to say...

2011-03-04T19:44:00.000-06:00

Hey, guys!

So, I really wish I could keep up with the blog better these days, but there's only so much a girl can do in a day, ya know? And suckily (is that a word?) I can't really share any of the stuff that I'm spending my days doing! Which is cool, since I'm working on lots of exciting stuff, but not-so-cool in the leaving the blog kinda empty way, lol. XP

Had to shift priorities somewhat, so don't have etsy pics to share just yet. I'll be taking a mini-hiatus to take care of some things. I'll be back in a few days, but thought I could at least pop in and let you know I'm still alive!

And, so this isn't purely text, here's a pic that making me happy right now.

Noogie!!!!!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

smidge girl

Coffee Break

2011-02-23T14:34:00.001-06:00

Hiya, folks! So, I'm busy, busy busy today, but I thought I'd grab a cup of coffee and chat with you guys for a bit before I get back to work. So, here's a picture of what I'm working on:

Yep, I'm building a tower out of boxes. Going pretty well so far...

Just kidding. :) These boxes are actually filled with stuff I've made over the past couple of months-- furniture & props & goodies like that. Trudy's standing there to give you an idea of how big the boxes are. Big enough to make my living room into a total disaster, that's for sure! There's actually more stuff scattered around the room, but you get no pictures of that-- much too messy! One day I'll show workspace photos, really I will. Probably after we move, and I get a new workspace, lol. But, at any rate, that's what I've been working on. About half of it, maybe a little more, will be headed to the shop, some is Work in Progress stuff, and some is for other jobs. Today I'm putting the finishing touches on some things-- touching up paint, sanding, sealing, sewing some pillows... you know, the stuff that should take 5 minutes but end up taking 3 days? ;P

So, that means I get to finally have a dedicated photo day this week. In my mind I'm thinking it will be friday, but I'm usually wrong about these things. But, it will definitely be through the weekend sometime-- I can't avoid it any longer! Among other things, I've been going through a combination of not wanting to take photos and not wanting to stop building furniture lately, which is how I've ended up with piles of stuff no one has seen, lol. Being a control freak can be extremely annoying. Especially when you end up doing things you don't even like doing, because you know no one else will do them the way you want! That sounds crazy, doesn't it?

Anyone else listen to tv when they work? I generally do all my fabric cutting, sewing, ironing, etc in the living room, & lately I've been bored with music, so I've been listening to a lot of tv. The bummer is, I can't watch anything I really want to watch, like my HGTV crack, since I can't really pay attention to the screen, lol. So, I end up listening to a lot of CNBC biographies, and American Greed shows about scam artists who get away with millions. Am I the only who who watches those shows and thinks Wow, I could do a waaaay better job of robbing a bank than that guy. I mean, seriously, all their screw ups are so obvious-- anyone who's seen a single episode of Law & Order could have seen it coming. I'm not going to rob a bank, I swear. I'm much too shy. But, a huge sack of money would really be nice, you know? (Don't mind me, I'm just going through shopping withdrawals, lol!)

Aaaaanyway. I'll post again when I can grab the time. It might even be interesting. But no promises. ;)

smidge girl

My Blythelife.com Interview & Giveaway!

2011-02-18T19:33:00.000-06:00

Yay! So, more fun for today, my interview has been posted at Blythelife.com! It's so exciting to be included with the awesome collection of artists that have been featured there already! :) The site owner Michelle is an absolute sweetheart, and asked such great questions, about my business, my process, my blythe love, and more. Really, is there anything nicer than a thoughtful question? It was such a fun interview!

I'm also giving away a big prize-- a Smidge House sofa!

So, if you'd like a chance to win, just check out my interview to see all the ways you can enter. Thanks, and good luck! :)

smidge girl

Another Makeover Project & A New Toy

2011-02-18T10:35:00.000-06:00

Hiya folks! So, what am I doing posting at 8 am? What am I doing awake at 8am? Getting ready for a trip to the Dollar Tree, of course! Is there any other reason to get up early besides shopping? Hehe. I haven't been to the dollar store since like back around Thanksgiving, if you can believe that! See, I really have been not shopping so much. But, sometimes a girl's gotta do hat a girl's gotta do. My sweetie is around today, and when he asks if I want to go to the dollar store, you'd better believe I pounce of that invite! 2 extra hands means I can buy twice as much stuff!

Plus, it's convieniently located right next to a Dunkin Donuts! mmmmm, coffee! Don't judge me, people, I have to have my coffee! (It's also convienently located next to a liquor store, a laundramat, a post office, and a chinese restaurant. Catering to the college crowd, ya think? lol) Super sadly, there used to be a Joann's right there too, but they moved it. Not that I go to Joann's all that much, but I probably would if it was still there. So, I guess I'm lucky it's not. ;P

Aaaaanyhow! So, yeah. Remember after the Armoire post, I said I made over something else? I think I said that,anyway. Well, I snapped a few pics to share. Nothing special, I'm not so much in picture taking mood these days, but I figured I could at least show you, and also show you one of my V-day gifts from my sweetie. More on that later. So, the project.

A while back, I won a lot of random barbie-type crap on ebay. One of the lots where you're gambling, because they have a big gallon bag full of clothes, but you can't really tell what's in there, except for a few things. There were also a bunch of accessories, and some furniture & stuff. It was worth the 8 bucks I won it for, though ultimately, I think I've sent about 60% of it back to ebay, lol. But, that's how it goes. But, one of the pieces in the lot was this hunk of junk:

I know, right? It's already so realistic, how could I possibly improve on it. The tassels on the handlebars! The holographic spokes! Pink, purple, and --whoa, here's a curveball-- neon green! Move over Lance Armstrong, Barbie is serious about biking!

Was that enough mockery? It'll do for now. So, this was actually broken when I got it-- the seller did say that in the description, and I didn't care, because I really had no interest in it. Some of the plastic was broken in half around the gear part. Someone had tried to fix it, but just make a big gluey mess, plus it was still broken. So, I just stashed it in a box, not sure what to do with it. I thought about fixing it up, but wasn't too inspired to do it. I didn't want to recycle it back to ebay though, since it was broken, I thought maybe I could use it for parts somewhere down the line. But, since I've been digging through my stuff lately, I found it again, and thought instead of tossing it, I'd try to spruce it up.

So, before I move on to the makeover part, here's a little bit of history. The bike belongs to 1994 Bicyclin' Barbie. You could strap her into the bike (There were straps to hold her hands & feet to the pedals & handlebars, but I cut them off.) and push her around, so she was "really" riding.

What? You want to see the commercial? Well, if you insist! Here we go:

Okay, so, am I the only one thinking Yeah, right? This is the kind of toy that totally would not have worked. She never would have stayed on that bike, I bet it took them like a week to shoot all those closeups of barbie pedalling, because she was soooo going to fall off that thing and get tangled up. Now, I can't swear to it, I never had this doll, but anything Barbie was supposed to hold onto or strap into just never worked. that was a pretty sweet jump, though.

Anyhow. So yeah, it was supposed to be a sporty type bike. A racing bike, I guess? I don't know much about bikes. It had some of the other pieces attached when I got it, the flag and a water bottle, and a little holder thingy on the back. I took it all off, and cut off the kickstand too. I fixed the broken gear part, sort of. The chain doesn't move anymore, but it's all in one piece and looks good. That's good enough for me. Basically, I wasn't too interested in having anyone ride it, I just figured that it could make a pretty cool prop to stick in the background.

Sooo, here's the after version:

Better, right? Slightly less girly, and yep, I had to cut off the tassles. It couldn't be helped. :) There were too many pieces to this thing that were basically welded shut for me to take it apart & spray paint it. So, I used my usual backup plan, and colored over the whole thing with my trusty plastic markers. I've mentioned them a lot, and so I looked them up, so I could show you what I was talking about:

As far as I know, this is just the Hobby Lobby brand-- it's called Tree House. No Hobby Lobby around here, so I have to buy them online. They're about 3 bucks each, so not super cheap, but they last a long time if you're just using it on tiny 1/6 stuff. There are about a zillion different kinds of paint markers, or scrapbook markers, or whatever you want to call them, and I know a lot of doll folks swear by the Galaxy Markers, but in my opinion, those really suck. They have terrible coverage, and wipe off if you look at them. But this brand is awesome.

Anyhow, so, I was able to break down the bike into a few parts-- the seat came off, and the handlebars came off, so that helped a little. I just looked online to find a picture of the bike I was imagining, and used it to help figure out which parts should be red, black, silver, etc. Then, I just colored it in. I used the paint markers to color over everything, and then painted over the marker with acrylics. (So I could mix my own colors.) Then sealed everything. Easy peasy! It took maybe two hours or so.

And you know I couldn't just leave it looking nice, so I had to throw some rust on it, lol. No one takes perfect care of their bike. You're going to leave it out in the rain sometimes, and it's not going to look brand new. Not sure how well it shows in these pictures, but I threw some rust around the joints of the bike, and on the chain. The chain is my favorite part. :) (It started out black.)

I need to crap up the tires a little too, they look too clean, and I might even replace the pedals, if I get super inspired. They're really overscale and weird, they look like flippers:

But, like I said, this is really just a background prop, so I think it's good for now. It definitely looks better anyway! And it was easy, so if you have and ugly bike you're wondering what to do with, take a couple hours and mess around with it. It's not too hard to fix it up a little.

Aaaand, now... Valentines Day! My guy knows how to do it up right. :) First a big box of candy. (No pictures because it's all gone, hehe. But, I did share, and anyway, holiday calories don't count.) Then the nerd kit I've been asking for! Again, no pics, since no one's interested in this stuff but me, lol, but it's a big case full of rulers and protractors and compasses, and other measuring goodies. Yay! (You know I can never have enough rulers, lol. By the way, the current missing ruler count is at a very respectable 1! Of course, it's my favorite one.)

But aaaanyhow... the present you guys are going to be interested in:

Woohoo! It's Jake the Snake! This is the new Liv guy doll, and I've been dying to see what his body is like. (Info I beat my boyfriend over the head with, lol.) Of course, you all know he's not going to be sticking around for long. Gotta rip his head off and steal his body for someone else. (I mean Jake, of course, not my boyfriend.) Which is kind of a shame, because despite being fairly Bieberous, he's kind of growing on me. (Again, Jake, lol.)

Jake will get his own post, so we can get all up close and personal, and I can show you his body. A little compare & contrast action.

So, anyhow, that's that. I think I covered it all, so now it's time to head out for my dollar store adventure! See you all soon, and hope you had a nice Valentine's Day!

smidge girl

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T07:43:00.001-06:00

Hope yours is filled with love!

hugs,

smidge girl

The Armoire Makeover, Part Two

2011-02-11T08:07:00.001-06:00

Hey guys. Wow, it's been longer than I thought since I posted, I swear it seems like just a couple of days ago! Well, I guess it just boils down to the fact that I've been so busy actually doing stuff, that I haven't found much time to write about it. I've thought about it, but it seems like every time I head for the computer, I get interrupted, or distracted doing something else. Which is good, mainly, but apparently makes for a long blog absense, lol. But, whattaya gonna do, right?

So, last time, I was talking about the Mattel armoire/desk thing I was making over. I showed the outside, but the inside was still drying when I took those pics (I decoupaged on some vintage paper, like I said, and I still had to fill it with goodies. So, as a refresher, here's in original piece, showing the inside:

The inside was white, with one faux drawer painted light purple. (why?) It also has stickers attached to the inside of the doors, that were supposed look like cork, like a tack board, since this was originally a desk. It came with some fairly cool accessories, even if they are a little small, but for props, it's not that bad. A keyboard and mouse, pretty cool. I still have most of this stuff, I've even repainted some of it, believe it or not. I remember being really annoyed, because the pillow wasn't sewn shut-- the part they'd left open for stuffing was still open when I took it out of the box! I stitched it up and threw it in an ebay lot. It was ugly anyway. I got rid of the lamp too. It was seriously top-heavy, and kept falling over, and it just wasn't worth it to fix. Aaaaanyway. How did this turn into a review? Who knows. At any rate. I always liked the armoire piece, and knew I'd do something with it eventually, so this is how it looks now:

Yup, I turned it into a bar. I never thought it made a very good desk. Or maybe, I just don't like those desks in 1:1. At any rate, it'll see much more use this way. If college taught me anything, it's that a bar is much more useful than a desk. ;) The paper I used was just something I found online, searching for vintage wallpaper. I downloaded it, tweaked the colors a little in photoshop & printed it out. I only needed like 5 x 7" of it to cover all the spots I wanted to cover.

The basket on the top shelf is just a regular miniature basket that I painted to match the yellowish-green flowers in the paper. (A little nod to the original color of the armoire, since I'm a dork that way.) It's makes a nice little place to stash away bottles and glasses, and the keyboard tray will make a great drink mixing station! I kind of want to get an armoire myself now, lol.

So, at any rate, that's what I did with it. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I tossed it into some photos I took last week, so I might as well spam you with those, since I don't have a whole lot else to say! I know some of you have already seen these, so you can just nod and smile, lol. All the other stuff in these shots is stuff I made, these pics are just me playing around with some furniture configurations and stuff.

That's Portia, there in the last shot. If you remember, she was a gift from Erica, and you can finally see her pretty face now. I've been using her as a model a lot these days, because her body is awesome. The book she's holding was made by Erica too, and is one of my favorite things ever! It's a vintage fashion book, I don't know if you can tell.

I am still working my way through my big box of fusioned furniture. It's a nice little burst of creative energy & accomplishment to start my day with, finally repainting something that's been waiting around forever, so I can add some background pieces to photos. It's almost like getting new stuff, which you'd think would help curb my urge to shop for new stuff, but of course, that urge never really goes away, lol. I think some of it's just a little cabin fever.

I need to bundle up & brave the elements here in a little while. I need a new pair of scissors. No matter how careful I am with mine, I kill them all within a matter on months. I keep them clean, I never cut paper with them, I don't what what I do, I just murder them. The fiskars go just as quickly as the guys from the dollar store. Ahhhhh... the dollar store. Haven't been there in ages... sigh. Okay. Trying to be good. Sadly, it's time to stop spending money. We have a lot of major things to save for. Yup, and this is the rambling point, so I'm gonna end this. I'll try not to let so much time go before I blog again. I already have another before & after to show, so it shouldn't be too hard to fit in a post soon.

Hope you're all taking care & keeping warm!

smidge girl

Storm of the Century? Well, not yet.

2011-02-01T21:23:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone! So, is anyone buried under a foot of snow yet?

Here in Chicago, they've pushed the "blizzard" back a few hours, it's scheduled to start late tonight now. It snowed pretty steadily for a few hours last night. It started right as we walked into the grocery store. (Apparently, ground turkey and sparkling water are on everyone's panic list here, since the cupboards were bare when we went to get those, lol!) and by the time we left (the store was a bit crazed, so probably took an hour + to get out of there, plus, I got distracted, and paused to read a magazine for 15 minutes or so...) there was a good inch or two on the ground. But, then it stopped. We may have gotten another inch or two today, so far. It's super windy here, so when you open the door, the snow is blowing sideways. My sweetie says it looks like that opening shot of the storm in Rudolph, lol. It's true. But, not much snow yet, even though the weather channel shows this:

I kind of posted this for my own amusement. For some reason, the fact that it says Blizzard, Blizzard, Sunny just cracks me up, lol.

So, yeah. I just opened the door to check again, so I wasn't misinforming anyone. Mostly blow, and not much more snow, so far. (At least in our little neighborhood. Of course, a mile from here, they could have a foot of snow, Chicago's weird that way.) The airports are grounded, and it would be horrific to drive in-- it's foggy and wet and like I said, visibility is terrible, but no mountains of snow just yet. So, there's the Chicago weather report. I know that's why you all stopped by, lol. Oh, and the weather brought a celebrity to town. Jim "Dr. Doom" Cantore!

Well, he's a celebrity if you're a Weather Channel/Winter Olympics geek like me, lol. Otherwise, never mind. ;) Too windy to go out stalking him, so I've just been watching him on the weather channel. Hi, Jim! I know you're reading this!

(You guys can't tell I started drinking coffee again, can you? Oh, I'm terrible, I know, but what can I say. We belong together. )

They keep saying on the news that this will be the worst storm to hit the Chicago area since January 1999. I was sitting there with my boyfriend, and asked him if he remembered that storm. Then, I realized, that was back before we knew each other! So strange! We've been together so long, I forget there was ever a time before we met, lol. That storm was crazy. It started snowing on New Years Eve, and didn't stop for days. I mean, you can say It snowed for a week straight, but when it really does, and you're looking out the same window at the same steady snowfall day after day, it gets a little weird. I was at my grandparent's house when it hit, and they have a light pole in their front yard, that looks kind of like this.

My grandma and I kept watching the snow climb higher and higher around the pole, trying to figure out how deep it was getting. Also, I was listening to the radio (plain old FM, this was eons before XM, lol) and the dj got trapped in the station, with no one to relieve him for like 3 days. I thought (and still think) that was so awesome. I mean, how 80s sitcom can you get? Ultimately, I think we got about 14 inches of snow. But of course, in the midwest, it drifts like crazy, since there's nothing to stop the wind, lol. Pretty nuts.

Buuuuuut, anyway.

Yeah, so, what have I been up to? Oooh, boy. Lots of stuff. This time I'll elaborate a bit more, lol. So, still feeling the after effects of the big Brick Novax Sundance win, and the (continuing) tv show. That's not gonna fade any time soon, and it's leading to so many interesting things. :) :) :)

But, in the here & now, I'm doing lots of sixth scale stuff. I have about a bajillion pieces that have been hanging around half finished for the last month of two, that I would work on a few minutes here or there. Well, now everything is about 99% done. A few coats of paint/sealer here & there, and then it will be time to take photos. Some of it will get listed in the etsy shop, some is for me, and some well, who knows. But, the photos come first, and I have to admit, I haven't really been in photo taking mood lately. I snapped some pictures last week, and they turned out like such shit! I couldn't figure it out, I thought something was wrong with my camera-- well, ultimately, it turned out the boyfriend had been screwing around with my camera, and whacked out a bunch of settings. Why? Oh, who knows, lol. He does that sort of thing. He's a genius at managing to push a button no one even know was there, and erasing everything on the dvr, or blowing the power, or who knows what, lol. But, problem solved. So, I guess I have to take pictures now. You all know how much I love doing that. Bleh.

Well, it's not the pictures I hate, it's just the setting up & taking down of the walls & lights and tables, and yadda yadda yadda. Can't WAIT until I have an actual room dedicated to me & my stuff, and I can just keep all my photo stuff up all the time, instead of behind the sofa, and in the closet, and under the sink, etc etc! But, it's going to be soon! I'm looking forward to having a kickass studio this time next year. :)

So, yeah. I have a ton of furniture to polish up-- some chairs, tables, desks, sofas, lots of little mini pieces & new types of stuff. So, I will have some pictures to show soon, and I'll be super happy to have all those things finished, because I hate having unfinished projects, especially when there are other things I'm so excited to work on. I have a lot of new sets I'm going to be building, and also a new website, and I'm also itching to have some fun & feeling like I want to try some completely new things, so I may actually get out all the polymer clay & supplies my boyfriend gave me for my birthday and give that a go. It's also been a while since I rerooted a head. I have one I've been looking at a while, and went virtual doll hair shopping with Erica last weekend (well, at least until gchat kicked me offline repeatedly & then all day. Grrr!) which kinda got me in the mood. So I think I might do that this week. Well, if I have any good hair. It's been so long, I don't know what I have. I'm just feeling so jazzed to shake it up a little. I think that will help keep me on track with the big projects. And who knows, I might actually pull the little studio hub together once and for all. I mean, it's gotta happen eventually, right? LOL! I bought paint to paint my new desk, and fabric to cover my lampshades, and I think I finally know how & where I want everything... I just have to carve away a little time to pull it together. maybe this weekend? Well, who knows.

Oh! Also, I have FINALLY started tackling my gigantic box of Fusioned furniture.Well, okay, by tackle, I mean I did one piece, lol. But, it's a start! I snapped a quick photo, which yes, kinda sucks, but no complaining, at least it's a photo! I'll be taking more later tonight, but you get a sneak peek now. So, this is the piece I re-did, the big yellowish armoire. (Dude, why is armoire not in spellcheck?):

You guys all remember this thing, right? It's from the Barbie My House series from a few years ago. I actually have the house (well, it's been mostly dismantled for parts, but it was the first big doll gift I got after I jumped into the fray a couple years back.) I'm pretty sure this was the only furniture set I got from that batch. Now, it's perfectly possible that I actually did take a before picture of this. But, it's been so long, I can't find it if I did.

So, I went to Amazon to snag a before picture, and they were nice enough to tell me that I bought this on May 15, 2009. So, it's been waiting that long for a makeover! Poor armoire. (Also, my amazon prime membership is expiring in 2 weeks. I think I'm gonna let it lapse. It's toooootally worth it to get the megafast/free shipping, but I think it makes me shop there more! Which I do not need to be doing.) OMG, there are suddenly a bunch of items on my want list after like a year of meh-- but never mind, I'm so sidetracked. that'll be a different post. ANYWAY! That was the piece I redid, and here it is now:

The point was to make it look kind of weathered & beaten up, which is why is looks kind of scratched up & crappy on the front. It was intentional, lol. And took a really long time. Like that just rolled out of bed look. See all the cool detailed scrollwork on the front? Well, originally, the doors are just white on white, and you couldn't even see it! That makes me nuts!

It's like, sometimes Mattel (or Gloria, or whatever) puts all this detail into the mold, and then just makes the whole thing solid pink or purple or white or whatever, and you can't even see it! That makes no sense! So, anyway, I traced over all the detailing with a galaxy marker knockoff (the kind that will write on plastic, you know what I mean. Actual galaxy markers suck as far as I'm concerned, but hobby lobby sells a great off brand.) and now you can see actually it. Anyway, the idea is to make it look like a dream thrift store find that gets all prettied up. So, the inside is, yep, all prettied up. But you don't get to see that quite yet, sorry!

Okay, well, I think that's going to be it for now. I wanna go finish up my nearly finished stuff & then get some photos taken. I still have a bunch of stuff left to say, but I guess that's good, I'll have something to talk about next time. This one's long enough already!

See ya soon!
smidge girl

Brick Novax, Sundance Winner!!!

2011-01-26T23:52:00.002-06:00

I'm so thrilled to be able to return with such awesome news! On Saturday, the Brick Novax film premiered at Sundance, to rave reviews. Yay! So happy it could be appreciated there! Then, last night, Brick Novax snagged top honors when it won the Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking! Woohoo!!!!

I wish I could have been there, naturally, but I couldn't be more honored that I was able to contribute to this film! It's so clear that it was a labor of love for everyone who worked on it. I just adore the fact that everyone involved gets so excited when they talk about it. :) (And that all the guys have no problem calling them "dolls" instead of action figures, lol! ) I know we can all appreciate how insanely labor and detail intensive setting up a 1/6 scene is, and I'm so happy this project was able to come to life in such an exciting way! Don't you love it when a plan comes together?

I am so impressed, amazed, excited, and incredibly proud of all the hard work that went into the making Brick Novax a reality. Something like this, featuring dolls, and miniatures, could have easily been treated like a joke. But, so much care went into it, to make it not just a movie in sixth scale. The talent across the board is astounding, and the dedication and attention to detail in this project is just stunning in so many ways. It deserves this honor, and so many more, and I'm so, so happy that it's getting the recognition it deserves!! Congratulations, everyone!

(Yes, I realize I'm saying so, so, so and happy, happy, happy repeatedly, lol. So, sue me! I'm happy! Oh-- and again, I'm totally non-biased!)

If you'd like to read some press on the awards ceremony last night, here are a couple of links.

Rolling for the Glory at Shorts Awards (via sundance.org)

Brick & Deeper: 2011 Sundance Shorts Awards (via The Huffington Post) If you're a mega junkie, you can even see footage of the awards ceremony at the end of this article.

(I'm finding it kind of ridiculous to see these articles picked up and gossiped about by people who clearly haven't seen the movie, and have no idea that it's all in 1/6 scale, lol!)

Soooo, what else is up? Oh man, so much! You wouldn't believe me if I told you! Last weekend was absolutely life-altering! As unbelievable as it sounds, the Brick Novax premiere was just the beginning! A big part of it was a major development in the boyfriend's career/life. Wow! So huge! So happy his talents are finally being exploited, lol. And in such a major way. (Congrats to you too, sweetie!) So, basically, it boils down to a ton of crazy new adventures starting here, some sixth scale, some otherwise.

I'm going to busier than ever, and there's no way I'm going to be able to go back & tackle that backload of blogs I should have written, or thought about writing, back in November/December, when I was working like crazy at that temp. gig. How I thought I'd be able to do that anyway, I have no clue, lol! I'll do my best to keep you updated with all the new stuff as much as I can. :)

Thanks sooooo much for all the comments you left, the emails you sent, the phone calls, and everything else! I can't even tell you how much I appreciate all your support for the show, and your sweet thoughts and compliments, etc on the work I did. Let's hope it's only the beginning, and that 2011 brings awesomeness for everyone!!

Aaaaand the second episode of Brick Novax's Diary will air this Friday night at midnight, during HBO's Funny or Die! Don't miss it! :)

smidge girl

Brick Novax Trailer

New Brick Novax Teaser

2011-01-15T16:57:00.000-06:00

My buddy Mark over at HBO was nice enough to send me some fresh new teasers to post-- without all the annoying ads & popups. Thanks, Mark, you're super cool! And big time congrats on an awesome show!

The Brick Novax Premire! (And a video clip.)

2011-01-15T04:57:00.001-06:00

So, this was the night! Finally, after 9 loooong months of waiting, I got to see my furniture on television! Wow. WOW. Surreal! Kind of hard to put into words, really. :) Stuff that was in my house, that I made with my hands, that started out as just pieces of fabric and foam and wood and plastic, turned into furniture that was just on tv. That anyone in the world could watch. What can I say, it was cool! (It's On Demand even! So I can watch it whenever I want, and just fast forward to the Brick Novax part and pause on the furniture! Not that I'd ever do anything as geeky as that.)

A couple of hours before the show aired, it finally sunk in that I'd soon be watching my own stuff on tv! I love tv! I've always loved tv! And now Smidge House furniture is sort of immortalized on it. Weird! I started getting super nervous! Massive butterflies in my stomach! I can't remember the last time I was that nervous about anything! (Naturally, it had to be the last thing on the show, so I had to sit there biting my nails for 20 excruciating minutes. Longest 20 minutes of my life, lol!)

The show opened in the seedy motel room, and I got to see lots of my stuff ! My sofa, my bed, and the opening title was right over my table and chairs! You can see just the tiniest bit of the dresser & desk, if you know where to look. Oh, and my hospital bed! So, not bad for the first episode! :)

It was kind of crazy how the whole thing was shot. The camera movement sort of tricked you into thinking it was animated, when really, it was filmed almost like a photostory. I wasn't sure how they were going to pull this off, but I really love how it was done. I've never seen anything like it, and it came across as so realistic, not at all cartoonish. It was beautifully shot, you almost forgot you were watching dolls. (Of course, I was so focused on the furniture, I could barely pay attention to the plot, lol.) Luckily, I'd read the script, so I knew it already. :) It was so awesome to watch it all come to life!

Brick Novax's Diary was far and away the best part of the show (haha, I'm not at all biased, I don't know what you're talking about!) Everyone just put so much effort into just making it awesome. You can tell it was made with so much love and care, and total respect for the 1/6 genre. We all know how insanely difficult, and what a long process it is to set up the shots we do. It's just kind of cool to know they went through the same thing when they were filming this, setting up all the teeny tiny details. Really, Brick Novax could be it's own program all together. I'd watch half an hour (or more!) of this any time! I'm sure it's going to do really well as a film next week at Sundance. :)

Okay, enough gushing (for now) I'm just really proud of all the effort that went into this and of everyone who participated in the making of it. You can tell by reading the credits, there was a huge cast and crew. Including-- GASP!-- Me! Yep, rolling right along with all the big blockbuster names like Will Ferrell and Matt Piedmont was little ole yours truly, if you can believe it!

I realize that's basically impossible to read-- it's a picture taken of the tv, so you get all the vertical lines, etc, but the third credit from the top says: Furniture Construction-- Carmen Jessee! That's me! You should have seen my face, lol! Too crazy! Got all geeky and took my picture next to the tv, pointing at my name. :) (It's cool, you can laugh.)

Me & My Credit!

Yes, peeps, that's me, in all my geeky glory. So, if you've ever wondered what I look like, that's pretty much it! (Though keep in mind the photo was taken by my boyfriend, who is normally forbidden to take photos of me because he does such a terrible job. I made an exception just this once, since it was such a special occasion, lol.)

Thanks so much, everyone, for all your support, and all the excitement you shared with me over this! I can't believe all the people who told me they'd be watching tonight or waiting to see clips tomorrow! You all rock! And a special thanks to Chelle, over at The House of Mouse who went crazy this week, blogging and tweeting and facebookering on my behalf! That was amazingly cool, Chelle, thank you!

I know there are several special guests coming to the blog this weekend, who aren't regular visitors here at Smidge House, or even regular internet users, for that matter, lol.

So, for those folks who aren't fully caught up, let me once more add the links to my previous posts, detailing my Brick Novax adventure, and showing the photos of all the stuff I made.

HBO Part 1
HBO Part 2

And now, (finally, right?) I promised to post a video for anyone who didn't/couldn't watch tonight's first episode. So, here is a trailer for the series. You'll be able to see lots of different clips/sets. There's tons of my furniture in this, as well as Brick Novax himself! Enjoy, and I'll see you all soon!

smidge girl

Sex, Drugs and Season 2 of Funny Or Die Presents from FODPresents

Counting Down!

2011-01-11T12:06:00.000-06:00

Since I won't be back to post any more until after the weekend, I'm just gonna keep this countdown going right here! :)

Brick Novax's Diary finally airs this Friday, during the Season 2 premiere of Funny or Die Presents!

1/14/11 at 11pm CT on HBO!

Yay! Counting down the minutes until I get to see all my furniture in action on tv!! Yippee! Guess it's finally time to let the family know, lol.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, more info HERE. :)

Have a great week, everyone, and see you soon!

Huge Happy Hugs!
smidge girl :)

The Obligitory I'm Still Alive Post!

2011-01-09T02:06:00.000-06:00

What are you doing?

You're sleeping?

Why are you sleeping?

Wake up!
Let's play!
I'm hungry!

Why are you sleeping??

Doesn't she look comfortable? How much do I want to be taking that nap right now, lol? That oh so lovely girl above is Portia, and her cat Skeet. Portia's still a bit worn out from her loooong trip from the UK. :) They are both Xmas presents from my super sweetie, Erica. You can't see her killer paint job in this photo, seeing as how she's asleep, but she is a CorsetKitten custom, and soooo kickass. Actually, you can see her on the CorsetKitten blog, so if you want to see her face, go here: http://corsetkitten.com/blog/archives/2996.

You may or may not notice that she's had a breast reduction, lol. Erica was sweet enough to switch bodies on her, so I didn't feel so inferior! ;)

So, can I tell you, I got the coolest ever Christmas packages from my super sweet doll friends! I feel truly horrible that I haven't had time to snap photos of all the goodies yet. Because they are awesome, and appreciate the gifts, and most especially the thought behind the gifts, more than you could imagine. Everything is still sitting out on my desk so that at least I can see it every day, even if I don't have any play time yet. :) I'm just basically way behind in everything, so I hope no one takes my absence/lack of communication personally. I'm trying not to let the guilt eat me up. :P I used to say that I had no free time. Dude, that was such crap! Now, I truly have no free time, believe me, it is waaaay different, lol. Totally looking forward to getting back to my previous "overworked" life!.

Well, this is the halfway there post. Another week, and I should be back to normal hours around here! I'm so glad. I have so many emails, blogs, phone calls, photos, etc, etc to catch up on, not to mention a zillion new furniture ideas, some photostory ideas, a couple or huge projects I'm about ready to start, a new website, and well, it's a never ending list of stuff I'm dying to get back to! I have to say, my outlook/priortities have already changed so much since last year. This year is going to be so much fun! I'm looking forward to everything, instead of it weighing down on me. Not sure how or when that all changed, it just did! I'm just so grateful and excited that I'm going to have the time to do what I need to do!

And only one more week until the Smidge House television premiere! My boyfriend is already planning a viewing party, hehe. I still haven't even told anyone in my regular life about the airtime, or about Sundance. For one thing, I haven't really talked to anyone, but gaaah! Am I the only person who is basically incapable of taling about themselves? Is that weird? I meant, how do you bring up your own good news? It's so awkward for me. I don't know, maybe I'm crazy, I just don't know how to do it. I'm in the middle of answering some interview questions right now, and it's so just so hard to talk about myself! I just always think, why would anyone be interested in what I have to say? Which doesn't really explain why I carry on for hours here on the blog, but hey, what the hell. Life is full of contradictions, right?

Yep, running out of steam here, so I'll cut this short. Time to go catch some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz's of my own. See you all soon, huge hugs to everyone!

smidge girl

The Big HBO Update--- Fiiiinally! (plus some!)

2010-12-30T04:09:00.000-06:00

Okay, so technically, I could have posted this sooner, like in November. But, I just really, really wanted to make sure all of the info was accurate before I posted. The lamest thing is having to come back and re-update with Ooops, now, it's actually going to be this date, or Actually, it's been changed to yada-yada, you get my drift. Then, all of the sudden there was MORE news, and then the whole job thing totally buried me, but at any rate... here I am, with the official HBO update! :) Woohoo!

So, if you're new to the blog, you might not know that back in the spring, I was asked to make a ton of furniture for a sixth scale series that will be airing on HBO in just a few weeks! Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! At the time, I really couldn't give much info, not even what show it was for (though some of you guessed, lol) , but now everything is announced and official and awesome, so here I am finally, with the updates. (Here's a link to part one of this adventure, if anyone wants to reread.)

Okay. So, time to reveal everything. :) Starting January 14th at midnight, (check your local listings, lol) you'll be able to see lots on Smidge House furniture goodness on new episodes of HBO's Funny or Die Presents. If you're not familiar with the show, it's a half hour comedy skit show (an adult show, NOT for kids!) with some recurring segments, basically like Saturday Night Live.

One of the recurring spots this season will be "Brick Novax's Diary" a sixth scale adventure series! The characters are all dolls! (some are OOAK sculpts, made by other people in the 1/6 community.) I mean, how cool is that!? While working with the guys who put this together, I was able to read some of the scripts,which was awesome. I'm really excited about what I read, and can't wait to see it all come to life! From the script length, I'm guessing each episode will be about 5 minutes long, though I haven't seen one yet. I'll be watching it for the first time on the 14th, like everyone else. Counting down!!! Let me say again though, this is an R rated show, and not for everyone. However, the furniture is totally PG-13 ;)

Here's the official write-up for the Brick Novax series:

"Penniless in a seedy motel room with only weeks to live, international superlegend Brick Novax records his amazing tales as an astronaut, movie star, corporate CEO, and famous musician to preserve his legacy as the coolest guy in the history of the world."

That seedy motel room the mentioned? That's me!!! It's where each episode begins, so hopefully, we should all be able to get a pretty good look at everything. (Yeah, I know, the show isn't really about the furniture, it's about the characters and the stories, but to me... it's about the furniture! But really, for me, every show is about the furniture, so that's nothing new, lol)

And, now, so everyone can pick out the Smidge House goodies, it's finally time to show more photos, hehe! Some of these you might have already seen, but most of them, no one has yet.

The Seedy Motel Room:

So, when I was first asked to built the pieces for the motel room, they sent me a couple of photos, just as a jumping off point. With that as inspiration, I was pretty much able to do whatever I wanted. Is it wrong that Seedy 70's style motel is basically my dream set? LOL. Here's what they sent me:

Sigh. Perfection. :) Basing what I did on these photos, some actual industrial furnishings catalogs from the 70s (Is there anything I love more than catalogs and research?) and my own love of stuff so ugly it's gorgeous, these are the pieces I made for the motel. First, the bed.

Seedy Motel Bed-- King sized, it's huge!

With seedy motel linens. Eeek!

The bed included the frame/headboard, (it does seperate to flat pack, though I doubt they had to do that, since not everyone lacks space like I do, lol!) bedspread, flat sheet, fitted sheet, 2 pillows, 2 pillowcases, and mattress. The stars totally alligned for me as far as the fabrics I found. I was able to track down everything I wanted and then some. Just the right mix of orange and gold and brown, and yikes is it awful! (Lucky me, lol.)

Here are some pieces you haven't seen yet, all pieces that are part of the motel set. I made the upholstery on the dining chairs and the desk chair match, since that was how your options went in the catalogs I looked at for reference. Basically, you got to order the rooms in sets, and the upholstery of all the chairs would match, and the hardware on the the drawers-- desk, dresser, nightstand-- would match-- you know, there were thematic parts that tied the rooms together. I'm really excited to see the whole room pulled together on the show, because there were so many pieces, I just didn't have the room anywhere to put everything together and imagine what it would look like. So, I'm really jacked up to see the layout of the room and everything! Well, aaanyway! Here are some more pieces to be on the lookout for!


Desk

Dresser


Party Table

No lie, the catalogs call these dining/ sitting/card playing/whatever tables "Party Tables!" Appartently, these sleazy motels had some partying going on in them. Who knew? ;) It was a little bit of a challenge to make everything look slightly shabby (as in used hundreds of times, by hundreds of people, so not new or in perfect shape.) but not like it wasn't well made, you know? So, I had to sort of make the stuff, and then scuff it up a little, lol.

Then there was this sofa, which I know you've seen before. It was awesome that they really wanted true, true sixth scale stuff-- this thing is big! I know most people prefer a smaller, sleeker sofa, at least when it comes to their dolls, but I love these dimensions. This baby is the love of my life. Sadly, there was only enough fabric to make one. But, at least he gets to move out to Hollywood and become famous, lol. So proud of my little sofa. It was just so hard to let go. :)

sofa

And yep, there it is, next to the sofa-- that's the infamous tv that dragged me across my breaking point and cracked my brain open, lol! Omg, seriously, I cannot even look at that thing without tearing up! I still remember all too vividly the totally wacky onset-of-insanity feeling I got, when after 2 weeks of almost no sleep and nonstop work, I got to this last piece, and just could not seem to turn my brain on. It was like I'd drained every last smidge (haha) of energy from a battery, and that was just it. Click-click-click, empty, no more! I just sat there, looking at a huge table full of supplies, thinking, I can't do this. How the hell am I supposed to build a tv that doesn't look like some cartoon piece of shit, or a cardboard box with a picture of a screen pasted on it?? Yeah, I so tweaked, lol! But, eventually, looking at some old ads for console tvs cheered me up. I mean, seriously, those things used to be so crazy elaborate, they were actually pieces of furniture, you know? Not just electronics, like they are now, but really beautiful, artistic pieces! And there were so many varieties, really, it could look like almost anything! I maybe overthought it, but ended up choosing an earlier model tv, just thinking, hey, this is a fleabag motel. They wouldn't be upgrading their tvs as often as their linens and stuff. So, I chose a simple later 60's style model, figured out a way to make an actual screen (It's plexiglas, painted on the inner side to give it that cloudy, turned off look, lol.) built the frame around it, added the details like the speaker and the dials, and whattaya know. It's a tv!

console tv

I was soooo happy when that thing was done, and everything was shipped out! But, it turned out I wasn't done, since after I finished all of the motel stuff, they were so happy with it that they asked me to make more stuff. (Yay-ness!) The rest is sort of a random collection of items that you'll see somewhere throughout the series-- some things only for one quick cutaway, so you'll just have to watch for them, lol. (Don't worry though-- I'll by posting clips and screenshots and everything else here so often I'm sure to become annoying, so if it's a blink and you miss it thing, I'll be sure and point you to it, lol! )

hospital bed

The hospital bed included bedding, and a pillow and mattress. It was much easier after having made the hotel bed already, though the frame was much different. I used actual dimensions that I researched, and thought it looked overly high when I was done, but once the mattress and bedding was on, it looked normal. How cool is that blanket? I was so excited when I found it, I had no clue what I was going to use that looked sterile and plain, but not too plain, but also not like hotel bedding! This was a baby blanket! :) I think the waffley texture was just right. The nightstand/side table was crossed off the original much longer list, to help stay within budget, but I whipped that one up and sent it anyway, cuz I'm nice like that. ;) I don't know if they'll use it, though.


Velvet Rope Stanchions

I was happy to make these, since I'd been planning to make some for myself anyway, and pretty much had them build in my head already. (Man, I build a lot of stuff in my head!) I really like how they turned out, though if I could do them again, I'd use a different paint I've since found that's a brighter, more metallic-metallic. That's okay though, we'll just save that trick for me & my etsy store, hehe. Drove myself crazy trying to find the right weight & color for the velvet ropes. It was my sweetie that finally tracked it down. He was so helpful during all this. He took so many trips to Home Depot and Joann's and fabric shops with me. It's always nice to have an extra set of eyes. (and hands to carry the shopping bags!) I know the picture is odd, but yep, look for the velvet ropes in a similar scene on the show, lol.

Then, there were multiple pieces to furnish a living room/kitchen in a mid-century style Hollywood Bachelor Pad.


Mid Century Bachelor Pad

The Bachelor Pad they wanted included loads of stuff, including this sofa, chair & table. Also a big back wall full of windows, and a kitchen island and fireplace. Here's the original sketch that they drew up:

And here's what we ultimately ended up doing:

There were some changes along the way (It was a super tight schedule and there was a budget to consider.) but it ultimately ended up being pretty close to the original concept! I like looking at the photos of the sketch and the finish product side by side. (Cuz I'm a dork.) They had some sort of stone covering they wanted to use for the fireplace and back wall, so all I did for that was build and prime the skeleton for it. That back wall is all windows, the white you see is my bedroom closet that it's propped up against for the photos-- the window wall was I think like 30" x 20" or something like that, so there weren't many places in the apartment I could set it all up for a picture, lol. I got to choose the colors and everything for the furniture, which was awesome, but you all know how I am about making color choices! Soooo hard! I love everything! But, I wanted it to be as different a vibe as possible from the hotel furniture (This is a happy room.) so I went with just bright, bold basics. Classic, but still with a retro vibe.

So, that's pretty much the gist of the HBO thing. January 14, at midnight. Premeire. Woohoo! Buuuut, that's not all!

This next bit took me very much by surprise, and I have to say, knowing a lot of filmmakers, and knowing what the odds are of this happening, I almost feel a little guilty about this (not that I actually had anything to do with it, lol), buuuut... the creators edited the Brick Novax footage into a short film that was accepted and will be playing at Sundance later this month!

How cool is that!? Smidge House is going to Sundance! It's just so bizarre! Okay, I just realized that I don't know if Sundance is in everyone's vocabulary like it is mine? Sundance is the biggest indie film festival here in the US. It happens in Park City every January. Although it's not as noble as it once was. (sorry, just sayin) it's still amazing to be included, even on the fringes of the fringe, like I am, lol. It can still definitely make a filmmaker's career, and has a huge impact on the entertainment industry each year. Lol, okay, end of lesson. You can google it if you want to know more than that. ;)

So, if you click this link, it will take you to the Sundance website, and the official Brick Novax listing. (The film is screening in two parts, the link I'm sending you is to Part 2, cuz it shows a picture of my furniture!!! EEEEE!) There are three stills, and though they're not exactly furniture-centric, lol, you can see one photo of Brick sitting in a yellow chair. That's my chair!!! Oh screw it, here's the screenshot, lol!

Recognize it from a few clicks above, there? Is that insane, or whaaaat!? Ohmygod, people, I know I'm a huge dork, but this whole process fiiiinally coming to life after all these months of waiting, and actually seeing my stuff out there that way, knowing in a couple of weeks I'll be sitting on my own couch watching my own mini couch and mini tv on my tv... it's surreal. (My boyfriend hates that word. It's true, it's totally overused by airhead actresses, who don't know what it means, but sorry, G, this is absolutely surreal. :) ) And how totally weird is it that my furniture is trekking all over Hollywood, has a movie and film career, and I'm still busting ass to help make the rent? LOL! Slightly jealous of my furniture. Hehe, well, it's all gotta start somewhere. :)

Okay, so I suppose that's about it. It's taken me 3 days to write this blog, because my free time is zilch, and well, because it's very long, lol. (Plus, you know how neurotic I am about not sounding braggy or bitchy about things, so that came into play too.) I'm up waaay later than I should be, but I just couldn't go another day without posting, no matter how long it took! I had to share!(Naturally, I would post it in the middle of the night when no one is around, lol, but oh well! It'll still be here tomorrow!)

You guys have all been so lovely and amazing and supportive this year, and I am seriously overwhelmed by all the good thoughts you've sent my way. You've all been so positive and encouraging, and talked me through many a stressful time with comments and emails, and I just appreciate it so much. There really is no way to thank you all for that, but thank you, just the same. I'm thrilled to have people I can share good news with, and even better, doll people, who appreciate things on a whole other level. This is an awesome way to finish up 2010, and I'm so glad I have all you guys to share it with! :)

See ya soon!
smidge girl

The After Christmas Post!

2010-12-28T21:59:00.000-06:00

Hey, everyone! Hope you all had a Merry Christmas! I absolutely did. :) It was pretty low key this year, since we've both been crazy busy all month leading up to it. There was just no time to go whole hog like we usually do, and hit every hot Christmas spot, and go crazy with the shopping and baking and whatnot. But, you know what? It was ultimately more relaxing to just spend the time at home, snuggled up and watching goofy Lifetime Christmas movies. I only baked one kind of Christmas cookie this year (that's okay, because we ate them all, lol) a brownie cookie filled with caramel and topped with walnuts. Yummm. And I made the usual Christmas Dinner spread (Rosemary and horseradish crusted prime rib roast, and a spinach salad with warm bacon dressing. Yep, I'm a closet cooking junkie, lol. I pretty much on cook on the holidays anymore, though.) So, like I said, it was a lot less than I normally do, but it all turned out ok. Maybe I'm slightly letting go of my crazy perfectionist tendencies? Hmmm. Well, I guess time will tell, lol.

Sooo, what did you guys get? Hope Santa was good to you and brought you all kind of fab stuff! Did you all know Santa shops on etsy? :) He brought me :

this kickass lamp

that I've been dropping hints about for like the last 6 months, lol! So nice that he made the exception to shop handmade instead of making it himself in his workshop. That Santa is quite the guy. :) The lamp is super cool, and I know just where to hang it. Though technically, it will be more of living room decor than office decor, lets face it, people. The living room/office thing really is not even worth pretending. You know it's just going to be 90% office by the time I'm done. But hey, whatever. As long as it still has a sofa and tv and a chill vibe, that's all it needs to be to technically still be a living room, right? ;) I will actually, finally, honestly be showing some photos in a few weeks, after the Christmas cheer is boxed up for another year, and the whole space is finally done. I'm still shuffling make and forth between calling it an office or a workspace or a studio. I love the way studio sounds, but calling a corner (or corners, hehe) of your living room a studio sounds awfully pretentious, don't you think? Ah, well. No sense waiting till I have the perfect spot and then calling it a studio. This will just be Smidge House Studios 1.0, I suppose, lol. Why postpone joy? ;) Am I babbling yet?

So, anyhow. Okay, quick update on the freelance front. Looks like two more hardcore weeks, and I should be finishing up and back to full time Smidge House! OMG, you have no clue how happy/excited/crazy jazzed I am about that! My head is absolutely exploding with ideas and lists upon lists of things I want and need and am dying to do!!!! Oh, I can't even explain it! Just so happy to be coming back!

So, it wasn't just Santa that was good to me this year :) I didn't ask for much doll related stuff, since there really wasn't much I wanted. I mean, sure, I'd like to have a couple more blythe dolls, a couple more momokos, but those are just things that I have to find and fall in love with at the right time, you know? It's funny, as a kid, it was just "I want Crystal Barbie" or whatever, and maybe you got one, and that was it. But, now, as an "adult," is when I want to see the dolls myself and pick out the right one, When certain dolls just call to me more than others. I just really care zero about the "Crystal Barbie" aspect of the doll, as far as buying a doll for her stock bio. Dolls are really more for parts now. Funny, I meant one definition of parts, but I guess it applies both ways. I'm either looking for a doll to donate their head/body/clothes/shoes/props so I can make a new doll, or I'm looking for a doll with a specific personality that can fill a role I've written in my head, as so-and-so's brother, girlfriend, whatever. (Okay, now I know I'm babbling, lol) It's just that the dolls I typically bond with and keep are frankendollies, or used/nude dolls that seem to find me somehow. (Yes, it still counts as them finding me if I type "nude momoko" into ebay search, lmao!) So, okay, wait. Oh right. Doll stuff. Totally forgot the point, lol.

I got some dolls for Christmas! Now, I'd be totally remiss if I didn't thank Chelle for her post about the huge Liv sale at Amazon, lol. I badgered my boyfriend by repeatedly sending him the link, and basically forcing him to buy me some, even though he typically never buys me anything I ask for, because he likes to surprise me. This is very sweet, but also very frustrating, lol. (Happily, I am quite good at manipulating people into thinking the brilliant idea I just fed them is something they came up with on their own. ;) Sometimes job skills work at home too, lol. ) But I just didn't have the patience for manipulation this year, so a barrage of emails pointing him to my wishlist had to do.


I'm wearing you down baby. I'M WEARING YOU DOOOWN!

Ummm, yeah. Sorry. Dolls. Back to dolls. (Have I mentioned I'm back on the coffee? Couldn't tell, could ya? ;) ) I got some dolls! Liv dolls, so be exact. Now, granted, it's kind of hard to ask someone to buy you something when your plan for it is to bust is down into pieces, and sell the reject pile on ebay, lol. But, my boyfriend is good that way. He gets me. So, I got these 3 girls in a giant box under the tree. Yaaaay!

(Excuse the crappy pictures-- I was still in Xmas mode when I snapped these, not taking good pictures mode.) Like I said, the original plan was to steal their clothes and behead them. Keep the bodies and the cool threads, and sell the heads and wigs. (My general Liv M.O. Part of why I love buying these dolls is the fact that I usually come out ahead by selling back the pieces I have no use for, lol! There are a lot of Liv lovers out there, more than you'd think, that like to customized the heads, and even put them on other bodies. To me, that seems backwards, but, hey, to each their own.)

But you see, after I opened these girls and played with them a bit, I sort of started bonding with a couple of them. Though not my usual cup of tea, they really are very pretty dolls. The glass eyes are just so cool. So, I've decided to keep the Daniela (brunette) and the Sophie (blond) dolls.

The Hayden doll just really does nothing for me. I know she just a doll, but something about her really rubs me the wrong way. She seems so fake, I'm just not buying her hippie-dippy animal lover persona. Poser. Eh, it happens. (to crazy people!) More than likely, she subconsciously reminds me of someone I hate in real life, lol. So, she'll get the usual treatment. But the other 2 get to stay. They'll need new names, of course, and they'll have to hang in an unrelated world, because I can't do the mixing massive heads into regular-head world, tht doesn't work for me, but that's okay. I kind of have a bizarre idea for them anyhow. So, it all works out, and instead of just getting 3 super cool new outfits, which is really all I wanted, (I soooo love the liv outfits!) I get two new dolls and 3 new outfits. Bonus!

I also got this little chest guy, which I totally love:

Not sixth scale, but that doesn't matter-- it's not for dolls, it's for meeee! It's about a foot tall, and will be great for holding all the little things I usually drop all over my desk and lose, lol. My boyfriend snagged it at a thrift store, and was very proud that he was able to talk the guy down on the price by pointing out all the flaws, lol. But, he said, I knew you'd like it better that way, so you could fix it. Lol. Does he know me, or what? You'll be seeing it touched up and in the new studio, soon. :)

So, I got lots of goodies, but my favorite gifts were handmade by my sweetie. He's spent lot of time locked away in his office lately, working on "Top Secret Christmas Projects," so I was crazy curious about what they might be. The first one was this:

He went through all my photos I have scattered around, on flickr, etsy, etc, and picked a bunch of them to print out and make into this big framed photo collage. Sigh. I have the best boyfriend. :) It's like, just having these pictures on flickr and stuff, they're there, but I certainly don't look at them every day. Having so many of them grouped together like this, it's kind of amazing to see that I've made so much stuff, and taken so many pictures! Who knew I'd like seeing my own photos so much, lol! And it's so colorful! I always think of myself as such a neutral, banana republic kind of girl, lol. I guess that's just entirely inaccurate! ;)

The second Top Secret project was this:

This is a little bin of cut up strips of paper. Again, he went through my flickr comments, my blog comments, my etsy feedback, and every little strip of paper is a comment he printed out--printed out all sorts of amazing compliments and lovely things people have said about my stuff. He folded them all up and put them in this little bin, so whenever I'm feeling stressed or overwhelmed, or bummed, I can pull them out and cheer myself up. :)

Man, what an amazing way to be uplifted, I can't even tell you. I know it took him forever to find all these things and print them out and cut them up, lol, but it was so worth it. It's like the sweetest thing in the world. And it's like the photos. Just because people have said nice things doesn't mean I think about them or remember them all the time. I'm straying here, but once there was this episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch (yup, I'm that kinda dork, lol-- that's what I was doing on Friday nights in high school!) and she had this door she could open, and inside was just a ton of people applauding for her. I remember thinking how cool that would be, totally wishing I could be a witch, lol. (Yeah, I know, my witchy desires weren't exactly overly creative!) Well, this little box is basically that. An instant uplift any time I want it. So thank you, sweetie. You are the best. :)

Alright, alright, enough mushy stuff! On with the show! Well, actually, I think that's it for the show tonight. I have some other Christmas gifts I need to take so pics of, and believe me, I haven't forgotten about the HBO update post, I'm working on that next! Just wanted to get this one out there before the new year! And I've working (in my head) on the top ten list for this year too. It's slow going, but I think I can come up with 10. I'm going to try and pop around later and see what some of the rest of you have on your lists.

Sooo-- okay, like I said, in about 2 weeks, you'll be seeing be normally again! (that's a figure of speech, of course, don't expect me to be any more normal than I ever was!) Until then, I really am doing my best to keep up with emails and stuff, but I just don't have the internet time I used to, so I'm slower at doing it.

Okay, see you guys again soon! Hope you all had awesome holidays!

smidge girl

A Quick Hello on Christmas Eve Eve!

2010-12-24T00:58:00.001-06:00

Helllooo out there! It's all crickets and dust and tumbleweeds here on the 'ole Smidge House Blog! It's been quite lonely without you all the last few weeks! I miss playing/working in the doll world every day, but some other work/stuff has taken priority for just a little while. Hoping to be back to normal here in early 2011. :) So don't forget about me, lol. I'm still here-- well, physically anyway. I think my mind is at least half gone!

Well, I don't know about you all, but December has completely flown by for me! Since I never even got to share the pictures I took of our tree last week, I'll show it now, and just punctuate the rest of this with some closeups of some of my favorite ornaments! Unrelated, but pretty, and at least this won't be all text, lol!

Ahh, so pretty. Our tree, 2010. :)

So, this certainly wasn't the month I was expecting, but then, life never really is what you expect, is it? ;P The last week especially was a real roller coaster, filled with some really awesome news, and some really awful news, and I've been too busy to let either sink in much. But, now it's Christmas Eve Eve, and I'm just going to sink into the season and enjoy just that for the next few days. The world will still be here on Monday, and I can sort everything out then. Until then, deep breath, and relax! Ahhhhhhhh!! Well, technically, it just turned midnight here, so now it's Christmas Eve! Happy Christmas Eve everyone! Hope you all have some kickass party plans! I know we do!

I'm really looking forward to Christmas this year, though the weeks leading up to it have barely registered. Now that I have a couple of days to totally chill and eat cookies and drink cocoa, and oh yeah, open presents from Santa, well... yeah, I'm ready for that! (Though there was basically nothing on my wish list, so it will all be a big surprise! I'm not all that good at telling people what i want-- for the most part, I don't know, until I see it, especially when it comes to 1/6 stuff.)

I spent a couple hours tonight wrapping gifts for my sweetie-- after I went out and spent an hour buying some! Yup, I'm a wait till the last minute-er! Not everything, but, well, some stuff! So, now there's finally a little pile of gifts under the tree! I swear, next year, I'll be organized again. Usually, I start Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving! This year, I just kept thinking I had more time! Oh well! As long as you get then wrapped by Christmas Eve, right?

Don't know who else is planning to do it (I know Erica has already started hers) but I am going to be doing the Top Ten Toys List again this year. (If you're doing the list, please feel more than welcome to leave the link in the comments, I want to read them all! I'm very interested! ) I'll be waiting till after Christmas to start mine, since some of my Christmas gifts were on the list last year, and ya never know what may be under the tree! Another #1? I've been thinking about this off & on for the last month or so, since people started mentioning it. It's going to be a really difficult list this year, which really makes me sad, and kind of pissed. With all the stuff I've bought this year, the fact that I'm having trouble thinking of 10 things that totally rock... well, that's pretty pathetic! And it really makes me want to buy no more than 10 things next year, lol! We'll see what happens when I actually devote some time to figuring out the list, but I'm really thinking of putting some sort of buying strategy in place next year. My interests have expanded and narrowed this year, if that makes any sense, and I'm really looking forward to having another big cleanout after the new year!

I guess I'm kind of just babbling! Since I haven't had any time to blog, sometimes I'm half writing blogs in my head when I'm doing other stuff, and so you're kind of getting all this mixed up jumble of stored half blogs, lol-- sorry about that! I promise to be more cohesive soon!

Sooooo, I doubt I'll be back until after Christmas-- tomorrow is fully booked (With fun stuff, thank goodness! Soooo excited! Can't wait!) and Christmas and computers just don't mix for me, lol, so I'll be back probably over the weekend sometime. With so much to say, you won't even believe it!

Not just a Christmas update, but a huge HBO update too! I have so much news! Wish I had time and brain cells to share it all now, but I know everyone else is preoccupied with the holidays too, so it all works out. But big news to share when I get back!!I have dates and times and pictures, and new extra news, oh man, I can't get started now, I'll be up all night writing this blog, and I have food to make and gifts to wrap still tonight, but like I said-- after Christmas. Lots of news, lol. Okay, another deep breath! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I hope everyone (who celebrates Christmas) has an awesome and safe holiday weekend, and that you get loads and loads of whatever you want, and you all win the lottery, so you don't have to worry about those credit card bills in January, lol! Take care, and enjoy every second of it!

Love you guys!
smidge girl

Announcing the Giveaway Winners!

2010-12-18T01:23:00.001-06:00

Thanks so much, everyone for entering the ornament box contest! (Honestly, I was afraid no one would enter, lol, so I figured as long as there were more than 2 entries I'd be happy!)

I didn't count the shoes before I put them in the jar, because I wanted the winners to be a surprise to me too. :) I just sat here and counted them, with my boyfriend as my fact checker. So... without further ado...

There were 149 shoes in the jar!

Which means the winner are:

Jill, who guessed 133

and

Matthew, who guessed 128.

Congratulations, guys! Email your addresses to smidgehouse@gmail.com and I'll get your packages out ASAP!

Thanks again, everyone who entered. I'll be doing more giveaways next year, so I hope to have you all come back again!

Big Holiday Hugs,

smidge girl

Better to Giveaway Than to Receive! Time for a Holiday Giveaway! (Closed)

2010-12-16T23:59:00.002-06:00

** The contest is now officially closed-- I'll be posting the winners shortly. Thanks for entering, everyone, and good luck! :)**

Yep, I'm feeling very Christmassy, and even though I don't have much time to blog or catch up right now (busy with another job) I still want you all to know how much I appreciate you hanging around and following the blog, when I can show up, lol. So, I thought I'd throw a little Christmas Contest!

**I'm currently hosting another giveaway over at Blythelife.com, and you are more than welcome to enter both. The prizes are different, and in the extremely rare event that someone wins a prize in both contests, well, I guess you just have crazy luck!**

So, there will be 2 winners for this contest. Each winner will get a box of two dozen sixth scale ornaments.

Each box holds two layers of 12 ornaments, in little segmented sections. This keeps them from getting all tangled up and damaged, and also looks really cool if you want to use the ornament box in a diorama! :)

The ornaments are small, actually a realistic size for sixth scale ornaments, which I why I made them in the first place. You all know how I am about scale, lol. Each one is handmade, using glass, plastic, and metal beads and charms, wire, and jewelry findings, and is attached to a tiny hook, ready to hang on your tree!

Like I said, I have two boxes of these to give away. Each box will have a different variety of 24 ornaments-- these photos just show some examples of what you might get.

Okay, ready for the contest? Don't worry, there's no skill involved, lol. All you have to do is...

Guess How Many Barbie Shoes are in This Jar

See, I told you there was no skill! Just an easy guessing game. Unless maybe you're one of those crazy mathematician dudes from NUMB3RS, and then possibly you have an advantage. Well, it's okay. Mathematicians are still eligible to enter. ;)

I got Aaron to pose with the jar, so you could get an idea of it's scale:

Clearly, he had things to do, so he didn't stay long.

Okay, rules. Very simple.

Rule #1. One guess per person. Fair, right?

Rule# 2. You must be signed in, or tell me your name in your post. Anonymous posts won't count.

Rule #3. The 2 people who guess the closest will win!

You don't have to be a blog follower to enter, though I always appreciate it when people choose to follow. :) But, if you're a lurker, or a newbie, feel free to speak up and enter. International people, you're also welcome to enter, although obviously, this won't get to you in time for Christmas.

The contest starts right after I post this, and will end midnight Smidge House Time (Central Time, US) on Friday. I'll announce the winners late Friday or early Saturday, and as soon as you email me with your address, your prize will be in the mail!

Well, I guess that's it! That's pretty much it for me tonight, lol!

Good Luck, and Happy Guessing!

smidge girl

Smidge House Giveaway at BlytheLife!

2010-12-12T14:23:00.000-06:00

Hey, everyone! Are you ready to win some prizes? Yay! Prizes!

I'll be giving away a few Smidge House holiday goodies over at Blythelife.com! The contest is open until Saturday the 18th, (the winner will be chosen on the 19th.) so you'll have a whole week to enter. What do you win? Oh yeah! That! There will be two winners, one for each of these prizes:

One person will win this sixth scale mini Charlie Brown tree. :)

Neato!

And other person will win this rockin little wreath!

Pretty cool!

If your girls need some holiday cheer, pop on over to blythelife.com and enter to win! It's open to everyone. it's super easy to enter, and FYI, this contest is open to international folks as well, so no one gets left out. (That always makes me so sad!)

And while you're there, do stick around for awhile, it's lovely site, run by just one ultrasweet and overworked girl, who clearly has waaaaay more energy than I can even imagine, lol! It's a very friendly and welcoming place, even to a relative Blythe newbie like me. There are terrific interviews with some popular Blythe folk, crafts, tips, and general doll randomness, which is my favorite part. (Ya know how I love randomness!) She brings up some great topics, and the site is just fun, so I'm super happy I was able to contribute some holiday prizes. :)

Now get over there and win something!

www.blythelife.com

Hugs!
smidge girl

ps-- What's that? You want to know who that girl in the top picture is? Ummm... yeah, that's my new Blythe. Her name is Trudy, and yes, I know I have a problem. You'll hear more about her later. :) Right now my sweetie and I are off to decorate the tree!

pps- If you don't feel like waiting, you can always pick up holiday goodness now in the Smidge House Shop! :)

Haaaaave you met Annabel?

2010-12-11T22:03:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I'm finally ready to post about my latest doll. Very likely the last doll I'll buy in 2010. Thank goodness the year ends with Christmas, or I might go through withdrawals! ;)

There's a reason it took me so long to post about her, probably a reason a lot of you can identify with, but we'll get to that in a minute. First, this poor girl has waited long enough to be introduced, so say hello to Annabel!


*Hello!*

Yup. A second Momoko. :) Yippee! Yes, you can say it, I'm hooked on Momoko. I admit it! It's true!

Annabel is a Sweet Poodle Momoko. Who is not sweet any longer, lol. If you don't know Sweet Poodle, here's her stock photo:

Ick, I know. She looks like she's headed to a tea party. (No offense, to anyone who loves her this way, it's just the whole uber pink/little red riding hood/lolita thing doesn't appeal to me.) But. I really liked a lot of photos I'd seen of her on flickr, post makeover-- out of this outfit and in casual clothes. So, when I saw her on ebay, I really, really wanted her. So, I do what I usually do, because I'm absurdly cheap, even with stuff I MEGA-WANT! I put in a stupidly low first bid. Like, no way are you going to win this, why are you even bidding low. But I won! Add to that my ebay bucks balance and a $10 off coupon I had, and she became mine for less than $30. I knooooow! Can you imagine!? Happy day, right? Ummmm, not exactly. Here's the rest of the story.

So, I won my new Momoko and paid right away. Like I always do, because I'm a good customer, right? And then I wait. After about a week has passed, and there's no doll, and no update from the seller (not at all unusual, sadly. I mean, how hard is it to let someone know the package has shipped? Come on, people!) I emailed, just to make sure the doll had shipped, and to ask for the tracking #. I mean, I paid for Priority Shipping, I should have my tracking #, right? She emails me back, saying sorry about the delay, and she'll ship it the next day. Um, okay. Very lame, you said in your listing it would ship within 3 days, but what are you gonna do?

Next day, no update. No tracking #. Sigh. So I email again. And again, I hear Having trouble getting to the post office. It'll mail tomorrow. At the same time, I'm looking at her (100%!) feedback, and people who won their dolls on the same day I did are getting them already! Which really pisses me off, and makes me feel like this is personal. Which obviously it isn't, I have no clue who this chick is, but still. Why hasn't MY doll shipped? I mean, she's not a scammer, and she's not new to ebay, so what the hell?

*sigh*

So, finally, like 2 weeks in, I get the tracking #. Okay. Great. except it doesn't update. If you ship stuff, if you use paypal, you know what I'm talking about. You get that first "post office has been notified" update as soon as you ship out the label. Doesn't mean you shipped it, just means you printed out a label. sigh. So, after 2 days of no updates, I emailed her and (very nicely) told her just that. Amazingly, the package finally appeared at her post office the next day. A few days later, I finally had my new doll. This who process took like 3 weeks! (And this was not an overseas dealer, she was shipping priority mail from Florida to Chicago. I should have had her in like 3 days.)

UGH. Okay, so for alllll the people who are probably thinking Why the hell didn't you just cancel the transaction and get your money back? Well, the reason is simple. I realllllly wanted the doll, lol. I still had time to open an ebay claim & get my money back. (An extremely easy process, which sadly, I've used a few times when sellers just disappeared, and I never got my stuff.) so why not wait it out. If they'd had bad feedback, or been getting bad feedback from around the time I purchased my doll, it would have been different, I would have backed out. But, I rolled the dice, and it ended up working out. The the wait was ridiculous, I got my super cheap Momoko that I really wanted.

Except. When she got here, I was so pissed off about the whole transaction that I barely even wanted to look at the doll. Which sucks, and is super sad. I mean, it's not the doll's fault. I know a lot of people have gone through this-- getting a doll, and for whatever reason, the transaction sucked, or the doll arrived on a bad day, or whatever, and it makes you just never quite able to bond. I really didn't want that. So, I just put her on a shelf and we avoided each other for a few weeks.

After a bit of a struggle, I ended up giving the seller negative feedback. Which, I have to say, made me fel quite a bit better about the whole thing, as petty as that is, lol. I mean, yes, the doll was in good shape. But you have to rate the whole transaction, you know? And this was just terrible. Not good, and not neutral, bad. It was the first time I'd ever given bad feedback, but when I went to leave it, I saw that some other people had gone through the same thing after all and left it too, so I stopped feeling so bad.

So, anyway, when I started getting ready to take all the holiday pictures, I decided it was time to take her down and see if we were good. As it turns out, we are. :) She desperately hated the pink bows in her hair, too, so we bonded over that. :) And now Jenny has a sister. You all remember Jenny, right?


Jenny

She's been a little lonely lately, so she was super psyched to find out that her sister had come to live with her, just in time for the holidays!

A little to your left. No, your other left!

I'm not sure how their living together is going to work out, as Jenny is rather quiet and sweet, and Annabel is pretty obnoxious, and a little slutty, but hey, it worked for the Odd Couple, right? (Well, maybe not so much the slutty part, but you know what I mean, lol!) Hehe. These two are begging for a photostory. But that's a 2011 kinda thing. (And maybe I might need another Momoko or forty, but that's a 2011 kinda thing, too. )

Sooo, that's the story of Annabel. It really does suit her, actually. She just screams trouble maker. Now that we have officially bonded, I absolutely adore her, and she was worth all the trouble.

Well, of course I was. Now, bring me more cookies!

Happy Holidays from Annabel, Jenny, and Cinnabun!

Hugs, and more updates soon! Something exciting happening tomorrow!

smidge girl

A Change in the Weather

2010-12-10T22:10:00.000-06:00

So, every time I think I know what direction I'm heading in, life throws me a curve. Just as I'm about ready to catch up with doll related stuff, I'm approached with a (non doll related) freelance gig that I can't turn down. So, blog posting will be sporadic over the next few weeks or so, with a lot fewer 2, 3, & 4 am posts, lol. I'm going to have to get used to living and working this "regular person" schedule! Yikes and Yuck and Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! With no coffee, it's going to be rough, so wish me luck.

Honestly, though, I kind of need a break, I'm pretty exhausted! (I know that sounds bizarre, calling a job a break, lol!) But when your playtime is also your work time, like it is with Smidge House, it becomes more and more difficult to draw the line and say, okay, this is the end of your day, time to stop now. It just keeps going, and going, and going, with projects that never end. Even having fun can be exhausting, if you do it 18 hours day, lol!

I pulled so many all nighters getting all the Christmas goodies made, photographed, edited, listed, etc etc that I completely lost track of what day it was for like a week! So, stepping back for a bit, being forced into the non-doll world several hours a day, I think it will be just the thing I need to clear my head a little! :) But, don't worry, I'll still be around and doing as much doll stuff as I can. This is a temporary thing, but hopefully it will put my schedule back on track. I want to finish off 2010 with a bang, and start 2011 with a... hmm. Not sure of the sound effect yet. I guess it'll come to me. ;)

So, I know there are still 3 weeks left, but I have officially stopped adding things to my to do list for 2010. I'll do my best to tackle what's on it now. But some of it most likely won't get done. And that's okay. It's not going to kill anyone. The stuff I'm really, really excited to do is moving up to the top, and that's what I'll be doing. (Um, yeah, that seems obvious, I know!) Having less time to work on what I want is making the priorities a lot more clear. Funny how not having all day to get things done can make you get things done quicker!

This weekend, I'll be spending my free time finally pulling the new office together, getting Christmas packages to my dolly friends wrapped and ready to mail, doing some blog posting, and putting up the tree. Yaaaay!

Okay, back to putting this room together! I finally have my speakers hooked up! I know it doesn't sound like much (haha), but it was way more trouble than you could imagine, lol! And now I can listen to Christmas music! Falalalalalalalalaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Back soon, just wanted to update you!

smidge girl