So…

 … life. It is so precious and there is really nothing one can do about that. If you get easily sad, upset or something like that — just look at the photos. That is totally OK. 

A well known view, my childhood place.

Esther with a gnome.

I have been a bit silent, even if it was not my plan. Some of you know why, I have posted on Facebook and Instagram. Thought that I could post here too, now that I am feeling a bit better. Last post about the wonderful Comic Con, was planned to follow by a post about the things I bought and then there would be a post about my two new Fairyland dollies. 

Esther with some of my mum's and mine collected things.

Made these, the birds and flowers, to my dad.

But that have to wait. For a while. The year started well and it felt nice. On one Friday late night, in January, I was sitting in the kitchen writing in my Bullet Journal and taking my medication for my diabetes, when the door bell rang. I heard some steps before and someone touching a bunch of keys and thought that it was the neighbor’s son coming home from a party or something alike. I was surprised when our door bell rang. 

Esmé.

Esther and a pink/white cat, that I bought in my youth, in my childhood room.

Bentley, sound a sleep, was up fast but did not bark or sound as he usually does. The girls came up too and wondered who was on the door at this time at night. The youngest daughter looked out the window and saw a police. I did not understand why and what had happened. We woke up my husband and he opened the door. Yes, I could have opened the door but I was afraid and anxious for many reasons and did not understand what was happening. I could see it on my husbands face that he knew. 

Esmé and one of my mother's made cross stitches.

Esmé sitting at a book shelf, with some of my mother's collectibles and my dad's books.

Esmé and gnomes.

And when the police asked after me, I knew too, deep down, but did not want to accept it. 

My dad had past away. 

The two police officers told us what had happened but I could not hear a thing, I was crying and felt devastated. He was doing well during the holidays, in the beginning of the year and we had contact as usually. He said he was feeling well and that all was good. His home care takers and some friends told us that they were a bit worried about his health, and kept an eye on him. When we went to his place to plan, have a funeral and clean up, I spoke to some of his neighbors. They had seen him down town, shopping for groceries, just days before. He had bought coffee, bread, saffron buns and Finnish foods to enjoy during the last holiday in January. 

Met an investigator, because my dad was found dead at home, who was really lovely and guided me through this difficult time. I thought that I would never say or write this; but an autopsy has been made and results will come in this summer. Long wait.

Last sniff.

Last hug.

The most is done after my dads passing and he is resting in peace. 

Hope you had a lovely Easter!

A body for Esmé and a broken arm

Hope that all is fine with you!

Well, let us start with some bad news. I have a broken left upper arm. Or as the doctor said, I have a spiral fracture humeral diaphyseal and some other beautiful medical words for some fractures in the  tubercle. About 10 days ago, I was on a walk with Bentley and suddenly I fell from a almost standing still position, as a timber, and hit the asfalt. Do not know if I was unconscious after hitting my head, but my first thought was that I must have a damaged face. But gladly no, my face is ok and so are my glasses. but my upper arm is a sad story. The X-rays are not pretty at all, in any direction. It was so close that surgery was needed. I was on a check up and the doctor said that the X-rays are showing good results and he is happy about my healing so far. First week I had plaster and the arm in 90 degree angle. Now I have an orthosis just on the upper arm and free motion in the rest of the arm. 

I am so proud of Bentley and his support. He lead me home and stayed by my side the whole time - calm, supportive and looking after me. 

And then to the good news.

Since the day when I suddenly decided to do the thing that I had said to myself to never do, I have been struggling with a body.

For a very long while ago I got a Narsha Zihu head, because I just wanted to have one. Had some plans to have that head on Esther’s body and then make a new one to Esther - but no, that is not for me because of my carpal tunnel syndrome. I did give it a try and had a blast during those moments, but I never got the hang of it. I may try it again, in the future. One should never give up.

So, long story made short. I got in touch with Dollmore and asked if they could give me some tips of what body could suit for a Narsha Zihu head and got a fast answer. Sadly they do not sell Narsha bodies, so I had to let that go. Thought about it for some seconds and then made an order. 

The body arrived very fast, but because I was at the cottage and not at home I had to wait until my hubby drove to us during a weekend. With joy, after dinner, I opened the box and put Esmé’s head on it. Perfect. 

I made her a wig and sew an simple outfit for her, so she would not freeze. Her boobs, though, give me some extra challenge. Her joints are so different and she is stringed well and has some light wire too, for great posing. She stands well and I am happy with the body. No floating heads! Esmé has her own body and so does Esther.

And suddenly it happens...

I find my way back to the blog. Since last time it has been some intense months, but we are okay. I have taken some photos during my free and lazy days. So enjoy.

So here is Zipporah, in the early days at the cottage, enjoying the sun. Even if it was sunny, it was not so warm at all. 

There are a lot of mossy rocks, small and very large, around the cottage. Played a little bit. Had to balance Esmé a bit, so she would not just tip over in any direction.

Zipporah and Esmé

Here we have Mai. Her features make her perfect as a little elf in these woods we have around the cottage. 

Someone is curious about Mai. Who could that be? A tiny polar bear?

Some pretty girls talking about pine cones and other strange things in the woods.

Say hello to Bella, a gift from my daughters. There were a sale at the local toy store in the town where my mother-in-law lived. The store is closing, so the girls wanted to buy something for me. This one is so cute, compared to the one I bought. Smile and lips are better. Hair is so soft and so many fun props too. 

This is my daughter. She graduated in early June, we are so so so proud of her. It was a very hot day and I felt like I was melting away and getting a tan at the same time. And it was so crowded in the city with all the students and their parents, relatives, friends and some curious ones too. It was a lovely day!

In the beginning of August we had a friend from Portugal visiting us. She is our daughters' friend and she, as I and my oldest daughter enjoy art. At that time there was a exhibition at the castle in Kalmar so we drove there. This is "Starry Night" by Vincent van Gogh. All his work and sayings were displayed as moving art and I was so mesmerized. One show is about 40 minutes and I could stand there forever. We all enjoyed it a lot, while hubby looked after our new family member.

Let me introduce to you our furbaby Bentley, a Golden Retriever puppy born on 16th April. This is him on the first day at our home. During dinner, he fell asleep. He was 8 weeks when we picked him up from the breeders and he is the smallest one in the litter. 

One of the first times on a walk in a leash. It was fun to run in the soft grass. He still enjoys the softness of grass and moss.

The roadtrip home and to the cottage went well. He really likes to go on a roadtrip and look out. So much to see. He has his own place and his own belt, so that he can travel safe. It is a jungle out there with the stuff you need for a dog, so we have been so glad for the people in the shops helping us and even the breeders. I have had a dog before, so have my husband, but it was so different back then.

Someone is sulking. He could not chew on me or come up into the bed, because it was time to go for a walk. He likes the walks as long as there is a ball along. Have been kicking and throwing balls, so the first days I felt in my arms and legs. Pinecones and pebbles work too as something to run after. We have been working with him a lot with this - running, coming back, retrieving and after that he sleeps like a baby. The circus tricks (as they call it here - sit, lay, paw, wait...) he have already learned. 

By the lake. He climbs up to every rock and the higher, the better.

The first visit at the vet as our doggy. He did well, even if he did not like the treat the doctor gave him. Talking about being picky! Otherwise he is happy to eat, so we give him his food during the day, in portions instead of all at once and then take it away after a while. Much easier to give him smaller portions during the day. Then we can control his health better too.

This is him today. He is still a puppy, easily forgotten because he is so big. My last dog was this size when he was an adult. So I am a bit confused. In a good way.

Hope that you are doing well. Will visit your blog soon! Any doll news? I have some, but more about that next time. 

Project: Doll body

Esther

Gaah, did not really know what I was thinking when the idea of making a jointed body for my Narsha (Esther) head entered my mind. I bought some nice clay and searched for my tools, so that I could work with it. This was a great plan, until it was time to start.

A very simple comparison

In June I wrote a bit about my Mokashura Duyou, telling you about the heavy head and the difficult joints. Musume commented that she was curious to see how this doll looks compared to other dolls. So I took some quick photos outdoors at the cottage and here you can see the differences. 

Some measurements. I have Noomi, Zipporah, a Monster High doll, a 11 cm (4.33 inch) Obitsu body and a ruler, that is exactly 17,7 cm. That is 6.968503937 inches. Just for fun. Zipporah is a Dollmore Narsha, 35 cm. The Monster High doll is approximately 10.5 inch (27cm) tall.

Noomi feels huge compared to the headless Obitsu body.

Noomi was hard to put in this pose, especially with the legs. A mobility type of thighs would have been great.

Noomi's arm do pose very well and she can touch her face, head and have her hands on her waist, but from time to time these arms do as they wish. Pop. I but her arm straight, but she just did not want to do that. Probably a question of stringing.

Zipporah's and Noomi's head-caps. The difference is huge.
Noomi has wigs that are 13 inch and my two Narsha's have 7 inch wigs. 

Headless Obitsu body sitting on a mountain....erhm, on Noomi's head-cap.

Zipporah and Noomi, and their happy faces.

Well, that was for today. A very simple comparison. Hope that it gave you a better picture of the sizes. Noomi really is a baby doll sized cutie.

Enjoy the rest of the week!

A new year

It's a typical 1st day of the new year. Foggy, gray and chilly. Some snowflakes fell earlier and gladly the snow gives a bit of light. The days are short, dark and you get tired easily. 

When I was a kid, I often heard the elderly talk about how you should make the first day of the new year a good one. No fuss, no late morning, being nice and happy, because the first day of the new year would reflect on the whole new year. So, hope that your 1st January has been a wonderful day. I do not know if there is any truth to this, but better be safe than sorry. I wish you the best for 2018!

Head and other stuff

Well, my first post in 2018 will be presenting the new head I bought from Dollmore. I was, in the beginning, not so keen on just buying a head but after many years of thinking I felt that I would give it a try. And it was a perfect way to upgrade my doll. 

At first I thought that I should just buy a wig and some new clothes for my Narshas, but I put a head in that order too. A couple of weeks in waiting and tracking turned into a couple of months. 

They did not have the head, Narsha Zihu, in stock so they let me know that they could contact the designer and ask her to make a new one. But then the wait would be longer. I did not mind. The head and the other stuff I ordered did not come to my birthday as I first had planned, but the wait was worth it. 

Easy peasy.

The head is beautiful and easy to use as it is with a face plate. I do not need to take of the whole head, if I want to work with it - face up, change eyes and so on. I'm pleased. 

Head in place, with eyes and wig.

With a face up and new clothes

"Oh, stop!"

At the moment the head is borrowing Esther's body. A new face needs a new name and that has been an issue for me since the head arrived. But after some thinking I decided for Esmé. 

An artsy photo from Christmas Eve.

It originates from old French language and means "beloved one". It is related to the French name Aimee and to the concept of esteem. It was originally a boys’ name, exported from France to Scotland, via a member of the royal family. Esmé came to be used in Scotland in the 16th century as the name of 1st Duke of Lennox (1542-1583). Until mid-twentieth century it was a masculine name, but slowly become a feminine name.

So, this is Esmé. And she is so cute!