July Doll Meet

July's doll meet was at Village by the Grange again! Like the first Dollfie Dream meet back in February, some of us opted to meet and eat at Manpuku for lunch then move the dolls into the food court to set up the dolls. It was really sunny that day and since part of the food court has a sun roof, it was quite warm. Although sunlight doesn't affect Dollfie Dreams that much, since I'm one of the regular attendees who brings a resin doll, sunlight is a bad thing! I was a bit worried about it since it yellows the resin faster...and we eventually moved to another corner of the food court that had more shade for the dolls.

Group shot!

Zephyria, a Volks MSD Myu

I opted to bring Zephyria this time since she has never been to one of these dolls meets and I keep bring my tiny dolls. She went out briefly last year when I met up with Whitefrosty, Laelen and Draa. Otherwise she stays at home since my MSDs are heavier to bring out to doll meets. Someday I'll have Ventus and Zephyria go out together again... (^__^*)!
I'll have to make them matching outfits first!

I changed up her usual look from her blonde hair and violet eyes to pink hair and blue eyes. They were items I had not used for her yet, and also the dress is from the Tokyo Dolpa we attended! The hat was temporarily borrowed for the picture. I'm not sure which DD outfit it's from, but it's super cute! It fits Zephy's head really well, even though it doesn't look like it in the picture. 

I'm not entirely satisfied with the look I styled her in and my sister said she looked scary! (>__<;;) LOL..

Styling woes~~!

After most of us showed up, we all agreed it was steadily becoming too warm to sit there. It was cooler outside than inside of the food court! So we moved to Grange Park which was right around the corner. 

After searching for a nice area to sit or a nice tree that didn't have a bunch of pigeons stalking about, two gentlemen at a picnic table saw our group headed in their direction since I pointed out some big trees in that area. They kindly let us had the picnic table which we all set our dolls on.

Bigger group shot!

Zephy and Penny ^__^"

Most of the group went to go take photoshoots with the dolls near some of the surrounding buildings and scenery. I opted to sit around the table, take some pictures and chat with some of the people who stayed behind. Turns out AgentPanda (who is Penny's owner) also collects resin dolls too! She stated that she didn't know she could bring her BJDs to DD meets. I just figured...I would bring whatever dolls I had to these meets so I wouldn't feel left out, and it didn't matter if you brought resins dolls or vinyl ones. It's just nice to meet other people who share the same interests and hobbies (^__^@)!

She told me she would bring some of her YoSDs to the next meet, so I'll probably bring Delilah and Lareine again!

Pictures from this doll meet can be seen here, and my sister's are here. She took a lot more pictures than I did, so you can see a lot of close ups of all the girls who were at the meet!
(You might have to add me as a contact to view my pictures ^__^;;)

~Omake (Extra)~

Random bunny bread from the meet!

♥

Luts order: Summer Event 2012

Finally, the Luts group order I did last month finally came in late last week and I picked up the box over the weekend! It's time to blog about what we bought and the summer event head that I received. 

Chun-kun makes an appearance!

I was a bit baffled why it took so long for Luts to ship the order, but I figured because of the event and the fact that we qualified for a free face up on the event head, it would take longer to ship. Although, when a month went by with no notifications, I sent them an e-mail inquiring about the status of the order. The nice thing about Luts is that they have always replied to me promptly and this time around they reassured me that the order would be shipped the following week. 

Since I was at work the day it was being delivered, I picked it up the next day at the post office!

The goodies!

I had to wait until the next day to open the box for some natural light and to take pictures. The large bubble wrapped item is the event head. The order was originally between my sister, Keiko and I, and since they had no interest in the event head, we all agreed that I would keep it. 

Since you have to pass the $300 mark to get the event head, it helps to run a group order to qualify for the free item. Because the final total managed to surpass the qualifications for the free head, we also could get the free face up option for the head too! Since the total between our orders already reached that amount already, I asked Alice if she wanted to participate in the order so we wouldn't have to debate who would have the head. She could still save on shipping for whatever she wanted to buy. (The drawbacks to group order politics! (@_@'')

My order! Ducky ducky!

Haha, Initially, the hoodie was intended for one of my Tiny girls, but I haven't tried it on them yet. I think I'll designate it for the new addition to my BJD family, who will be arriving soon (^__~)!

Yellow tape?!

MSD Rocking Horse shoes

I got a pair of MSD sized rocking horse shoes, inspired by the originals by Vivienne Westwood, and seen in some Lolita fashion! 

At the panel my sister and PlasticFantasic were holding at Anime North, I was flipping through the Leeke catalogue and saw that they had rocking horse shoes. They were super expensive though! Luckily, I found a pair on Luts that were cheaper, so I got them for Zephyria to wear :)

The smaller package is a pair of black lace stocking that are Tiny sized. They were cheap and I thought it would be a nice addition to their wardrobe when I redress my dolls. It was taped to one of the dress sets so it wouldn't slip through the cracks in the box! I thought that was very amusing!

Keiko's order

Keiko has been bonding really well with her MSD girl, Eliza! So most of her order were items for her girl and expanding her wardrobe. The Rose Dress set she got looks really detailed from the packaging! The buttons are made from the same material as the dress, and there seems to be lot of pieces to the set. There was a bit of a hiccup because the original dress she wanted was 'out of stock' even though it was listed as available on the site. So Keiko had to replace the dress with some other items. So she ended up getting the wig, bunny headband (which I have too!) and a pair of glass eyes. The wig should be the same as the one seen in the promo pics for La Sirenita Pine (which is the MSD she has!)

My sister's stuff

My sister got a boy clothing set for her new SD13 boy, Thaddeus, to wear. It's very "Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock)"-like. She'll probably take pictures of her boy in it soon since she picked up her stuff over the weekend. She also got a pair of rocking horse shoes for her MDD and a pair of shoes for her boy. 

Luts HDF paper hands

I didn't take a picture of Alice's item. 

She only asked for a pair of HDF sized Paper hands for Myles.

After checking they were the right item, I've left them bubble wrapped to protect them. (>__<);;
EDIT: Took a picture of the hands since Alice wanted to see them! LOL

On to the event head! I got Type B face up version, since Type A did not appeal to me at all...

Luts Summer Event head 2012 Type B Face up

The face up is dark and I really like it. The sculpt by itself was very nice and although we weren't trying to qualify for the face up, I figured if we had the option to get it since we had surpassed the amount for it, why not? The lips are a bit too dark, since the shade is like a 'shade of dead', but I suppose it fits into the dark and broody concept.

Event head with eyes.

 I put in a random pair of eyes to see what the head would look like with eyes. I don't have a wig that fits this size of head/doll, so it's going to stay bald for the pictures! But there's a definite cold/icy aura from the sculpt and expression. I really like it. The details are fantastic and the shading is really lovely. 

I'm not sure what to do with the head right now...since I don't have the correct sized doll or body for it right now. I guess I'll have a small floating head collection going on?

Until next time Luts!

♥

Atomic Lollipop 2012 Report!

Here we go again, the Meido don't stop! Atomic Lollipop is a small 2-day convention in it's 2nd year with a more laid back anime, fun, carnival atmosphere. This year it was on the weekend of July 14-15, 2012. We brought Cafe Delish to Atomic Lollipop this year after some persuasion from our friend, Kevin. It was in discussion for a bit and I actually didn't have too many details of the event until the week (and day before) it happened.

We were invited as guests to host a small 3 hour cafe seating serving drinks, cookies and cake on Saturday. Since it was a smaller event, only a few maids were needed for the cafe, so Yumi, Chiyou, Nana and I were there to represent! (*o*@)!

All Photo & Video Credits: Bosu

We also hosted a 萌え (Mo-e) Dance panel  and taught all the participants how to dance to Cafe Delish's version of Mune Mune Kyun. Initially, I wasn't sure how the panel was going to go and whether people would show up for it, but we had a good turn out and everyone learned the dance so quickly within an hour! They were all really amazing! Thanks to everyone who came to our panel (^__^)/*

Yumi and I sending some love to the rainbow cake!

We were serving complimentary lemonade and cookies from 2 - 5pm, but we also offered a 萌え package for $5 that included a slice of rainbow cake and iced tea. Whoever purchased that package got to play games with the maids and got a complimentary Cafe Delish pin badge. Bosu only bought 2 cakes thinking it wouldn't be that popular, but we ended up selling out of the cake! All the proceeds from the 萌え package went to the charity, World Wildlife Fund!

Serving tables

The cafe was more restaurant style since we would seat groups as they came and went. There wasn't a time limit, but everything seemed to move very smoothly. Since we were set up in the lobby (rather than outside in the blistering heat and super loud airplanes that would pass by), the chairs there served as a waiting area for other patrons. We only had 4 tables which sat around 3-4 people each, but in the picture above, we somehow managed to fit in 6 people plus their friend who came by to visit later on after I had served the cake and drinks!

Everything went along smoothly in my opinion! Our two volunteers were a great help and we were very grateful to have them (*o*♥)! We would perform some of our older maid dances to keep the energy up and play some random games with everyone.

Of course, after the cafe was done and we had packed everything away, it was time to eat! We all went to eat at Montana's next door in our maid outfits, which I thought was pretty amusing. We did stay behind to check out some of the panels and events happening at Atomic Lollipop. There was a Ferris wheel, bouncy castle, etc. set up in the second parking lot of the hotel. Sadly, we didn't stay behind for the fire show only because it was happening at midnight (>__<)"

\

Here's the video from our dance panel! Everyone did so well! ♥

Overall, I had a great time and it was really fun. We made double the estimated amount for WWF and I'll do a post of the animals we've adopted for donating to WWF! Thanks for everyone for coming by to the cafe and for everyone's hard work to make it success!
 ♥

Addiction: Theatrhythm Final Fantasy

I've been raving about this game ever since they had announced and revealed the trailers for it at TGS and other events in Japan earlier in the year. It was one of those random games I wanted to play because it was cute but since it was for the Nintendo 3DS, it wasn't going to happen since I didn't have one...

Fast forward a few months later, I have a 3DS and I also have Theatrhythm. I got into a funny argument at work with a co-worker about how you pronounced the name of the game. Really, it's not hard at all!!

Theater. Rhythm. 

Not, Tee-at - rhythm. >_>;;

The pre-order of the game came with a stylus for gameplay, and a sheet of cute stickers, where you choose one to stick on the limited edition stylus.

I've been addicted to this game! It's really fun to play and not particularly hard at the beginning, but the songs on ultimate mode are crazy intense! It's basically a rhythm game modeled off the idea of Dissidia: Final Fantasy. Where all the main characters of each Final Fantasy game from I - XIII are represented. As you clear stages and certain modes, you can unlock characters. Currently, I have 8 unlocked! There's 16 un-lockable characters in total! So I have a long way to go if I want to get them all!

It's Theatrhythm time!

Comparing styluses.

Why is it so cute?!

The sticker sheet is super cute but I'll probably never choose one to stick on the stylus. I won't even use the special stylus since I have a DS pen! It makes playing much easier, and when you compare the sizes of the 3DS stylus to the other ones, you can see why. The first weekend when I was playing this game for a significant amount of time, it felt like I had arthritis! And that's just using my normal ergonomic pen too... I don't want to know how it felt using the other ones..

I also wanted to mention that the inside of the game case is super cute too!

There's 3 types of game play in this game. One is called FMS (Field Music Stage), which mimics the feeling of traveling through the world map in each game. If you pass a certain part of the music, you can get a chance to ride on a chocobo in this mode! You might also meet a moogle, who will give you an item!
There's BMS, which is the battle mode. You tap, slide, hold to the rhythm of the music to defeat monsters that appear in this mode.
The last is movie mode, where iconic movie moments of each game are played on the screen and you tap to the cues given. It's actually quite distracting, because you end up engrossed in the movie clips and miss everything!

As you play through the game, Cosmos asks you to earn Rhythmia points, and when you reach 10,000 points,  you are challenged by Chaos, and when you beat him the game credits roll. The game isn't over since you can continue playing and try to unlock characters.

At a certain point you will get a Chaos Note, which are special game levels in the Chaos Shrine. You can earn special items in this level, and as you clear one note, you will get a new one. It's a good way to train, besides doing all the Challenge songs.

My party in Theatrhythm

My main team I used was Terra, Bartz, Cloud and Zidane. I went for a party that would be quick and agile, Cloud was the brawn! :3
You can also see some of the secret characters I have unlocked along the way too!
I've already maxed my main team to lvl 99, so I'm working on a 2nd team while I try to clear more challenges.

This game is really cute, and addictive. If you love the music of Final Fantasy, and like rhythm games, this is something for you! There's not much of a storyline, the game play is really simple and casual.

Now, I just have to figure out how to unlock Sephiroth and Kain!

♥

Mint on Card Order: Review

My sister and I placed the order for some doll shoes from Mint on Card quite awhile back. The order finally showed up on my doorstep (which I was surprised about because I didn't know my sister was shipping it to me!). 

Originally I wanted to get some boots and flats for my MSDs for a project I wanted to make and finish for Anime North, but I didn't end up having enough time for it and the shoes had not come in either. At the time the items I had ordered were in stock, but one of my sister's 1/3 shoes was a pre-order, so it was not known when the order were going to arrive at Mint on Card. 

The site carries a large selection of shoes, wigs, dolls, etc. The prices are quite reasonable and the quality is not bad at all. They import many well known company items which makes it easier for us to order the items.

Mameshiba makes an appearance!

The site doesn't accept paypal, so you do need to have a credit card to make an order. Also if you do make a pre-order you have to wait until all the items are in stock before they can ship your final order. They don't split up the shipments. (Which is why ours took awhile). We made the order back in the middle of March and it arrived today, a 3.5 month wait!

Mint on Card invoice

The box arrived at my front door, and it was packaged in a sturdy shipping box. Inside was stuffed with packing peanuts and a layer of bubble wrap. The invoice had a marshmallow stuck on it. Wouldn't a mint been more appropriate? (^_~)*

The goodies

Forgive the horrible lighting in these photos. There wasn't much sunlight when I took the photos and I haven't installed photoshop on my computer yet (and I'm too lazy to run them through the editor on Flickr!) >3<;;

All the shoes were individually packaged in plastic zip lock bags and they also have some price tags on them. I was a bit worried about the pair of 1/3 heels that were crammed into the tiny bag. I'm surprised how they got it in there!

1/3 shoes from Angell Studio

A-S Fairy Lady Heels

A-S Lace High Heels

These are the 1/3 shoes my sister ordered from Angell Studio. On the left are the Fairy Lady Heels and on the right are the Lace High Heels. They're really cute and I wish they were real sized because I really like the houndstooth shoes!! The detail on the front is very pretty. The Lace heels have a cute detail on the sides and I was glad that the feathers didn't get crushed in the packaging! These shoes remind me of a pair my sister owns...or something really similar to ones I have seen in person somewhere. Maybe Zara? Or a Louboutin shoe?

Once again I have to wonder why dolls get all these pretty accessories and items when our own closets are lacking... LOL! The pain and woes of a doll collector.

1/6 and 1/4 shoes

These are some of the cheaper shoes that were part of my order. I just got the panda ones because I thought they were cute..and there weren't expensive at all! The flats will get transformed into something else. I don't expect those bows to stay on there for a long time...

These are the boots I got for my MSD boy from Dollzone. They're being modeled by my girl right now though out of convenience just to make sure they fit... >3<;; 

They're quite nice and the belt straps on the top come off too. The style is meant to either be worn up, or folded halfway down. I like how the bottom portion of the shoes look.

I just have to make the outfits that some of these shoes were intended for now! (*o*@)!!

Overall, the order from Mint on Card was a pleasant process. The site is quite up to date with their stock and their pre-order conditions are listed well on their site. They do say when the order will be made, but the time in between isn't really determined. You just have to be patient and the order will be put through. As long as you're not in a rush for some of their pre-order shoes, everything else would arrive within a timely fashion. The package arrived within 2 weeks of shipment through regular First Class post from USPS.

Thanks for reading!
♥