Journey to the world of DOLL CUSTOMIZATION.

I have been fond of Japanese BJD dolls for several years, but I have managed to stay away from them, though I think couple of years ago I almost bought one. I'm glad I didn't though, in the end they're just overly expensive, super beautiful dolls. I think collecting mangas is already quite an expensive hobby, I don't want another one. But doll customization isn't limited to only BJD dolls, and once I saw people repainting Monster High dolls I decided those would probably be cheap enough for me to get as well. In the end they still felt a bit too expensive to just start experimenting on, so I bought a couple of well-played-with dolls from flea markets before even trying to get my hands on a MH doll. And once I finally bought MH dolls, they were also used, I purchased them from a Finnish online auction website. Anyway, I got 3 dolls, and the first one I decided to start customizing was Frankie Stein.

The moment I got the doll I was so psyched up that I didn't realize to take any photos, I just had to strip her naked right away and restyle her hair! I even shampooed it because it felt sticky somehow (I don't even want to know what was in it). So this photo is after the hair wash and restyling. I think the original hairsyle was probably like this, but because it was a used doll, the hair was just... all over the place.

After that I made a design on how the repaint should look, but it took me a while before I was able to gather the courage to actually remove the original face-up. Besides, the last time I used acetone I splashed it all over our wooden table, so I was pretty nervous about using it again, ahaha.

Well, in the end I mustered the courage to remove the face-up, this time I also made sure the table was protected! Of course this time I didn't spill any of the acetone but better to be safe than sorry. Oh, I also needed to protect the torso of the doll, because I had read somewhere that if the acetone got in it, it would make serious damage to the body (it's different material from the head). And then I also covered up the hair, just in case.

I made the new face-up with watercolor pencils, pastels and acrylic paint. The subtle colors (well, the blush) was made with pastel dust and then I "sketched" the new eyes and eyebrows with watercolor pencils. Then I filled everything in with acrylics. The original sketch I had made turned out being very useful, even though I made some slight changes to it along the way, like the direction where the eyes look and the shape of the eyebrows. I used quite a lot of acrylic retarter, so the doll had to dry overnight before I added some gloss to the lips and eyes. I guess I should still seal the whole face somehow, but I haven't figured out what kind of product I should use for it. Anyway, the finished face-up looks like this:

I think it looks pretty nice for being the first "real" face-up I've made, but obviously I still have lots to learn. But I still have two more dolls waiting to be repainted, we'll see whether I'll continue this hobby after those, or will this be just a small summer fling.

Over the Edge.

Or over the border, whatever you want to call it.

Me and my fiancé made a small trip together yesterday, and it was to Haparanda, Sweden. It amuses me that going to Haparanda seems to be a big occasion to pretty much all the people I know (myself included) even though it really isn't. The main reason why people drive for about three hours to get to this small Swedish city is to visit IKEA and Systembolaget, the liquor store. Of course we went to these places too, but IKEA didn't really offer anything for us. Well, I did get another mini pencil, the kind you can write down your purchases so that you'll find them from the storage section. Well, the main reason why I wanted to go to Haparanda in the first place was to visit Candy World, DjurMagazinet and Skopunkten.

I've wanted to buy a proper climbing tree or whatever you call it for our cats, but in the end the only one that was the right size and right prize for us was broken, and they didn't have any more in the storage. So instead we bought this weird... wavy... thing. Yeah, I can't really describe it, and our cats seem equally suspicious about it, but I hope they'll grow to like the thing. We even put some padding underneath it because our cats are such diva princesses, but for now it remains unused. 8(

For several years I've wanted to buy myself a very basic pair of shoes that every girl should have. No, not black high heels, but ballerinas. Every time I happen to come accross some shoes at stores, I look for them and try them on but they never fit me the right way. And people should know, I really don't like to buy shoes, so it's been a real bother. But finally my search ended, in Skopunkten I was able to find these basic shoes in reasonable price, they're easy to put on but they also stay on. And today I walked around town with them and I didn't get any blisters, so I'd say it was a good purchase!

Then we also bought three packs of wine from Systembolaget (the name always makes me think of hardware stores) and then we were on our way back home. All in all we really didn't buy enough stuff for the trip to be even close to beneficial, but at least we had fun. And it was probably the only trip we'll be able to make during this summer, so I'm glad we enjoyed ourselves. And my fiancé pointed out that it was the second time we went abroad together (this year?). Cute. <3

I am so happy...

... That I decided to include the word "mind" in my blog title, because I totally forgot about this blog after the first few entries. It was just too overwhelming with all the other blogs I had to update. But now that I've graduated and am very much unemployed and without any daily routine whatsoever, I notice my mind certainly is starting to travel. I'm fully aware that I should be job-hunting, but something is holding me back, there's a block in my head that doesn't go away. I know people are expecting great things from me because that's what I'm used to doing: I accomplish things. People are used to it and so am I. Yet I somehow enjoy not doing anything, while at the same time I feel very guilty for just downshifting and procrastinating. I'm sure after I start getting depressed for NOT having a routine, then I'll start looking for reasonable options and taking course in my life. Well, hopefully.

Anyway, this is already taking a turn for the depressive, so lets change the subject. It's now been about two months since I came back home from Iceland. During my last days there I was very homesick and wasn't really able to enjoy anything there anymore, but now I already kind of want to go back. There were certain things that I really miss, though I'm trying to find those things in Finland as well. But here's a small list of the things I miss:

1. The Coffee Culture
It was something amazing, the quality of coffee was divine, and I loved how carefree people were in the cafeterias. If you wanted a good cup of joe, you had to wait for it. Coffee and hurrying didn't go hand in hand, which usually seems to be the case. Everyone seemed to ground their own coffee beans and really took their time to prepare it with care. It was great.

2. Matcha Latte
Something I tasted on my final week and fell in love with instantly. This could have been included in the coffee culture section, but doesn't taste like coffee at all and is actually tea, so it's worth mentioning on its own. I haven't seen matcha latte in any cafeterias in Finland even though Japanese things are getting more and more popular, but I have taken action into my own hands: Yesterday I bought my own bamboo whisk and matcha powder, and today I drank my first ever self brewn cup of matcha tea. It's not the same as matcha latte, but I plan on getting my own milk whisk as well so that I can make it at home. Though the plain matcha tea was also very delicious, and I guess it's more healthy if you don't add any milk or sweeteners in it. So for now just plain matcha it is!

3. Skyr
I've never been a big fan of yogurts, but the second I tasted skyr, I fell in love with it! Well, it IS a compeltely different thing than yogurt, not to mention super healthy. I ate it almost every day for 8 weeks, I felt so weird when I came back home and couldn't have it anymore. Recently I've noticed that they do sell skyr in Finnish stores as well, but the flavours are completely different, and they're a lot more expensive here. Still, it's something I have to buy every once in a while because I can eat something delicious without feeling bad about it.

4. The Scenery
I had my problems with Icelandic weather, though in the end I came to terms with it and was able to even laugh when a random rain came over or if it started snowing, but I sure loved the landscape. Mountains where ever you looked, barely any trees... At first the lack of trees felt horrible, but now that I'm back home I miss the fact that I can't see very far, the trees block everything, it's almost suffocating at times. And I also liked that when I had to go to the store, it actually felt like exercising because all the stores were up on a hill and to get there you had to put some effort into it. I like walking if I have a destination, and while I was there it felt like my fitness might even get better just by doing daily chores. It's not quite like that at home, you actually need to work out... If you want a work out.

5. Laugardalslaug
Okay, there's a ton of different swimming pools in Iceland, but Laugardalslaug was probably the biggest in Reykjavík, and the one I visited most. I was able to go there for free thanks to a friendly acquaintance, and swimming in general is such a big part of Icelandic culture that you were just forced to swim more, and it was great. Swimming is one of the few sports that I actually like, so it was perfect for me. Now I have decided to start going to the local pool regularly again, even if it's not completely free. The only problem now is, it's closed during July!

6. Sushi
Sushi shops/restaurants were everywhere, the fish was fresh and just perfect. There's only one place in my small town where you can get sushi, and it doesn't even compare. The next step is probably trying to make my own sushi, though even the thought of it terrifies me for some reason!

Seems like my small list was food-oriented, but that doesn't surprise me. I just love to eat and drink. Oh, I also miss lamb meat and the way the locals prepared it. Just divine.... TT__TT
Agh, now that I wrote all this stuff down I really feel like going back! I planned to go there again from the beginning, during late summer after a few years, but now I feel like I could go for a visit right away! That is, if I wasn't jobless and broke. Maybe that's the igniter I need to get out of this slump; the want to go back? :)