A Project is in the Air!

As you all know I have a passion for elves and other such creatures of childish imagination and although I have written stories for and about my "elvin family" of BJD's, I haven't ventured into customising any of them. It took a few days before the penny dropped and I realised the recently purchased recast dolls will enable me to do what I've always wanted to do . . . make my very own customised characters. 

Have any of you read the children's book "Enchantment" by Gill Davies? It has some lovely poems and wonderful illustrations by Eric Kincaid. To quote the author "It was like stepping back into my childhood, reading stories by flickering firelight and really, truly believing in magic again."

I had been rearranging the books in my bookcase after changing our second bedroom furniture around earlier today, when the title of this particular book caught my attention. It had been many, many years since I'd first read it and I felt it wasn't just by chance that I held it in my hands today. I opened to the first page and read . . .

"Enter the world of Enchantment,

Step through the silver gate

To the land where sprites and fairies,

hags and mermaids wait.

Explore the soaring mountains,

Lakes and forest deep,

Stormy seas and snowscapes,

A haunted castle keep.

Enter the world of Enchantment,

Step through the arch of gold

To the land where spells are made

And ancient tales are told.

Bring courage in your heart

For there are dangers here to brave:

Sorcerers and serpents,

Fiery dragons in the caves.

Enter the world of Enchantment,

Step through the mirror glass

To a land that holds you spellbound

As wraiths and goblins pass.

Sing with feasting elves,

Dance where the demons fly,

Enter the world of Enchantment

Before the chance slips by . . ."

Now I don't know what you believe when it comes to fate, but honestly it didn't feel just like a coincidence that I found this book when I did. Only just a few days ago, I had read the names of the future participants in the project/story I was planning, to my hubby to hear his opinion.

This book is exactly what I needed to keep me inspired through my customising journey . . . it's going to be a long one and I'm going to need a few more of these dolls to complete the list.

Did "Curiosity Kill the Cat" ?

I chose not to reply to each individual comment on the previous post, because I'd rather continue my honest and fair appraisal of the four recast dolls I purchased. I am not telling or encouraging anyone to go purchase one, I am simply providing an opinion and understand that it is subject to scrutiny and objection. 

However, I must admit it may appear to some that I am being hypocritical by even venturing down the recast trail. One may think if I was curious, I should have purchased just one doll, but there were four different coloured resins and I wanted to see how each colour compared with the legitimate dolls I had in those colours.

As a retired commercial artist (graphic designer), I understand the reasons for not purchasing recast dolls and agree totally with that thinking, but I also understand the reasons why some people do. Not everyone has the budget to purchase/collect legitimate BJD's, nor do those wishing to begin customising dolls want to risk experimenting on one.

No: 4

The one doll which I really wanted to look closely at, was this very dark charcoal one. Unlike the legitimate dark resin dolls, this doll has no seams showing, which makes me wonder if she was actually cast. Perhaps she is 3D printed or not in resin at all. I am not an expert in either and will leave that to those who are more knowledgeable about such things.

Personally, I'm not overly fond of the Popovy dolls as their elongated limbs and emaciated bodies remind me of people suffering from anorexia and I certainly would not like to experiment on a legitimate one, as their cost far exceeds even my own generous dolly budget. However, I do admit they make a great "clothes horse" and much like catwalk models, are wonderful to dress.

Furthermore, I'd like to think those critical of my four recast doll purchase, will take into consideration I have purchased well over eighty legitimate BJD's. More to the point, I hope those critics don't own any recast or fake dolls themselves . . . as the old saying goes "Those who live in glass houses, shouldn't throw stones".

NOTE: Legitimate Popovy dolls range from AU$1,200 for a blank doll plus shipping, up to AU$?? depending on what you choose (i.e. faceup AU$750, body blushing AU$750, eyes AU$75+, wigs can be from AU$750 to 3,000 ) and waiting time can be from 1 to 3 years.