Author: Nikki

Meet Our Models – Gretta

Posted on by Nikki

Name: Gretta
Mold/Company: Volks SD10 Mimi
Size: SD10
Age: Late teens / Early 20s
Gender: Female
Usual Wig Color: Brown/Black
Usual Eye Color: Everpurple 039 (picture shows blue with white line glass eyes)
Additional Info: Gretta can be found modelling clothes for SD girls and wigs in size 9/10. She currently has a mostly default Volks face up from back in the day. When I received her head from her previous owner, she had no lip color (not sure why but….yeah), so her lips are currently the only non-default part of her face up. I’ve been itching to redo her since I got her, but real life seems to always get in the way. Hopefully it will change soon!

Gretta - Volks SD10 Mimi

Dolly Drama…? Chicago & Vinyl

Posted on by Nikki

When I attended the meet up in Minnesota earlier this month, it came to my attention that the Chicago group has a reputation for being “Anti-DD” and “Anti-Vinyl”. This makes me so sad..

While there may not be a large collector-base in the Chicago area of vinyl BJD, there is definitely an appreciation for them. Or rather, I’m not aware of a large collector-base in the Chicago area for vinyl BJD, but apparently that could just be because they feel like they are not welcome…?

That just makes me so sad!

Personally? I love the look of DD! And my first girl was a vinyl Obitsu 60cm Gretel, so I also have affection for the Obitsus. Unfortunately, what I don’t love about them is how easily they stain, which leads to my extreme dislike for how difficult they are to clean.

Those 2 things, though, don’t mean I don’t like them. It just means I’m not crazy about owning them! I love looking at others’ collections, and love oogling the pretties! I really wish I could be happy owning vinyl dolls.. especially since I think they are so adorable!

I mean, seriously, how adorable was Lily??


This was the 2nd version of my Obitsu Gretel, Lily. She was painted by an amazing artist who no longer does face-up commissions. She is one that I do miss… she was adorable!

The first version of Lily had my very first face-up ever! She was the doll that got me into customizing. And she was the one who taught me just how quickly vinyl can stain…

There’s a reason she had a purple “mask”… 😉 When I first attempted her faceup, I used chalk pastels as directed. However, I did not understand the need for proper sealant. Unfortunately, this left very large, extremely uneven eyebrows stained on her forehead. So I did the next best thing – I covered it up with purple paint.. Clever, right? That actually became fairly ingrained in her character. Totally by accident, but still loved her!

At one point, Lily also had the Obitsu 60cm body. This body almost instantly had staining. I was so used to cleaning resin, that I just could not fathom why in the world it was so hard to remove stains from vinyl. Once I read up more about vinyl and proper care, I realized I would either a) need to just be OK with stains, b) figure out how to do the oxy-clean & sunlight cleaning method, and/or c) stick with resins.

I have chosen to stick with resin dolls for the time being. That’s not to say it will be forever… But for right now it’s just one more way I can (attempt to) control the size of my collection.

All of that being said, it seriously makes me so sad that there are folks out there who do not feel comfortable sharing their dolls with the Chicago community. I have always known the entire group to be extremely accepting and friendly towards all collectors, and I really hope the vinyl BJD collectors give them another chance.

So if you are a vinyl BJD collector in the Chicago area – please come to meets! We love all the dollies and want everyone to feel welcome!

MN BJD Meet – Aug 16

Posted on by Nikki

My sister and I attended the MN BJD meet in Roseville, MN on Sunday. It was good to go to a meet, but really awkward being the newbie in the group! I’m so used to knowing everyone that walking into a room and not knowing anybody was really weird….

Anyway, we met some fantastic people and I took loads of pictures! Except I didn’t get any pictures of my dolls or my sister’s doll. Ooops! Will have to fix that next time.

Upcoming Meets! (MN & IL)

Posted on by Nikki

There are a couple meets coming up in both the Chicago (IL) and Twin Cities (MN) areas.

As I transition over from my life in Chicago and helping to run ChitownDollz forum, I will probably still have some of the Chicago area meets posted up here in addition to the MN meets. However, I most likely will not be able to attend too many other than the huge summer & winter mega meets in the Chicago area.

When things get a bit more settled, I will be posting and (hopefully) attending the MN meets in southeastern Minnesota.

MINNESOTA
Date: Sunday, August 16
Time: Noon – 5pm
Location: Ramsey County Library, Roseville, MN (County Road B & Hamline Ave. near Hwy 36)
NOTES: No outside food is allowed, but there is a Dunn Bros where food and drinks can be purchased.

CHICAGO
Date: Saturday, August 22
Time: 3pm – Close
Location: Mitsuwa Marketplace, 100 E Algonquin Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
NOTES: Do not arrive excessively early! We have been asked by Mitsuwa management to not meet during lunch hours due to how busy they are. Feel free to arrive early and eat lunch or peruse the book store, but do not start reserving tables until closer to 3pm.

We’ve Moved (Again)!

Posted on by Nikki

So I seem to have a wonderful habit of moving approximately every 2 years.. Normally, though, the move is just across town. This time, we’ve moved 400 miles northwest from the Chicago area to Minnesota!

I got a new job in March (yep, that’s why the silence!) working for a high school student exchange organization (International Experience). I’m absolutely LOVING it! Now we just need to finish placing our incoming students for the fall…

I’m really hoping that once things calm down a bit, I’ll be able to get back into sewing more creations and customizing dolls. I have a number of new purchases that need to be painted and even some I will be customizing for sale. So many fun things to do, but real life must come first… 🙁 (I can’t wait to be done with our move!)