I did get my Poppy Parker doll set, but a sick kitty and life in general got in the way of taking lots of photos. And in the way of sewing, and taking pics.
But fortunately my old kitty is doing better, and now I'm just fighting the day job and other chores for time to play. :D
I managed to make some more Binky Boos, a Pocket Poppet, and finally, some Mini Blobby Monsters.
My Wilde Imagination Amber doll agreed to pose with a monster or two. :)
Don't let the Japanese scare you away when you go to Bakumatsu Koshashin Generator's website: http://labs.wanokoto.jp/olds. They have a handy link to translate it to English, and from there it's a snap to use.
The service offered for free? Add an 'old picture effect' to your photos, either by uploading them to their website or directing them to the image link. It's sort of an Instagram effect, but it's so very cool and authentic looking. I wish I'd known about this before Halloween so I could have taken and posted some old timey, Gothic looking pics of my dolls.
You do have to upload your pictures to their server where you have to trust they are only stored temporarily, and trust that when you download the altered photo you're not getting anything you don't want on your computer. But I have good antivirus software on my machine, so I feel safe using this service. If someone else has heard of any issues, I'd appreciate hearing about it in the comments section. I'm not endorsing this service for anyone else or guaranteeing it is safe for anyone else, I am just sharing how excited I am with what I've done so far. For a free service, I'm very impressed, and willing to take a little risk for the end results.
Here are just a few pics I've applied this effect to. This is going to be a very addictive toy for me...
Marilyn Monroe:
Ellowyne Wilde:
With this picture I toyed with the original photo's contrast, hue, and saturation several times before I got the result below. At first you couldn't even make out her face, but after several iterations, I finally got the contrast and hue on her lovely face stark enough on the original so that the effect applied turned out well. The fact she has dark brown hair, is wearing black, and sitting against a black backdrop both helped the effect, and made it challenging to get a good result.
As far as I could tell there's no limit to how many times you can use the "lab" for free, so I just kept trying! I love the final effect I got with this picture.
And my personal favorite so far, Fashion Royalty Veronique:
I didn't make any changes at all to the original photo. I had very good lighting on the original, and with Veronique's dark hair and makeup, the effect still lets you see her sharp features. This one definitely has that Gothic feel to it.
There are some gorgeous colors out right now. With the weather getting colder and the leaves falling, I'm back in love with heathered purples and greens, tempered with greys and black. I'm also loving the knit fabrics out. Some are so soft they're pure luxury, even if they are a total pain in the behind to work with.
After attending a fashion show at Bellevue Square last week, I'm thoroughly inspired now. I especially want to make some doll sized tights. That green and plum will be a great pop of color with a wool skirt and sweater. The black would make a nice knit top, or a lovely, clingy wraparound dress.
Plus, I have a new doll arriving that has been an agonizing several months wait while I chipped away at the layaway bill. He is going to need some loungewear while I work on his wardrobe! I'll post pics and more information after he arrives safe and sound, and I get him clothed. Just a hint, he's a SD sized BJD doll. Those familiar with these lovely resin dolls also know how anatomically correct they can be. I'm a prude, and just can't handle a "nekkid" manly doll in the house. :D
Now off to do all the chores I have been avoiding. Including finishing up a couple of doll sized sweaters after I still didn't learn my lesson about leaving enough room in the neckline to get it on the doll... *sigh*
I love this time of year. It's not quite fall, but the weather is cooling down enough to dress in layers and not always be at the bottom one.
The dolls are modeling two new offerings currently on eBay. Lately I've been favoring the Wilde Imagination dolls, especially Amber. But this time Prudence got in on the fun, too.
One is a green cardigan sweater I've had nearly done for quite a while. Sewing snaps and buttons on is not my favorite task, but I finally got them on. I like how clingy this one is. It was really meant to be a sweater with a back closure, but I messed up the neckline a little, and it just looks so much better as a cardigan instead.
With the dark wig and her dark eyes, Amber loooks so good in this dark green. The yarn is from Stricken Smitten, a fingering weight yarn I believe was called Glow Worm. It's sadly sold out (her yarns sell out fast!), but I believe I have enough to make another doll sweater down the road. :D
The second is a stripey sweater that I started recently, for Prudence. Lots of fun stripes, and a nice big neckline. Even sleeveless, it looks like it would be pretty cozy.
This is another reclaimed/recycled yarn project. There is a lot of Penelope's Fine Yarns, plus the silver is from Keystone Art and Craft. All luscious and a joy to knit with.
I've already cast on for a new sweater, but I'm still not sure where I'm headed with it. I was thinking of trying something with a ruffled hem, but as with my other doll knits, I'll see where it ends up. :D
I have so many bits and bobs of wonderful laceweight yarn, I just started knitting up yet another doll sweater. After the little fitting fiasco of the red silk one I intended for an Ellowyne doll, but became a Fashion Royalty sweater dress instead, I started off with 18 extra stitches on my cast on, for 72 total. I did a 2 x 2 rib at the hem, so it's nice and stretchy. I also learned my lesson, and will not do an i-cord edging, especially at the neckline and armholes (if sleeveless) without going up at least two needles sizes! I'm sure there are much better edging techniques, but I haven't dedicated myself to learning any new ones for my repertoire.
At first I was going to do solid purple, but the little bits of color in one of my myriad of knitting boxes kept calling to me. So next went a lovely silver, then this gorgeous russet red I'm using on the current stripe. Next may be the teal blue, then green, and then we'll see from there.
I am picturing this as a sweater for Wilde Imagination's Prudence. I think all of these stripes will suit her personality well. This will most likely be a long sweater, with the hemline at mid calf, because I want to get lots of stripes in. I'm not sure how I'll do the sleeves or neckline yet, but as with my previous "for the heck of it" knitted doll items, I'll figure it out when I get to that point.
And if you haven't checked out Penelope's Fine Yarns yet, you're really missing out! Even if you wouldn't knit an adult sweater out of laceweight cashmere, why deny yourself the pleasure of working with a luxury yarn? A lot of her skeins are the perfect amount for a doll sized item, and very reasonably priced.
I've been a customer of hers for well over a year now, and have lots of her yarns in my stash. There's something about having cashmere, silk, and fine merino yarn glide through your fingertips. It's cheaper than therapy! And considering how much my dolls "talk" to me, I'm sure friends and family have at least thought about my therapy needs... :D