Second First Christmas

...'cause in the old posts I got rid of, I'd written a post titled 'First Christmas' as it was my first Christmas on the blog, only now it's the second one, but since it's a new start..... Y'know what, yeah, nevermind.

Christmas morning is only three days away now, so I'll make sure to post with all my loot, but until then... have some dolls.

If you gave someone money so they could buy you a present, would it be from them, or just a present to yourself? I ask because I'm not quite sure what to call my incoming....'gift'. See, a long time ago, I bought the fantasy parts of a limited Soom Monthly Doll that my friend had bought. The doll was cast in black resin - not brown 'black', actual BLACK - and was meant to be some sort of cat creature. I got the sleeping version head, the magnetic tail and ears, and the cat arms and legs, while my friend kept the 'human' version of the doll. After a while I decided to make the parts into a Japanese lucky cat boy, and I named him Sherlock. (In the second episode of the first season of the new BBC Sherlock series, Sherlock and Watson visit a Chinese pottery shop called the Lucky Cat. I had JUST watched the episode, so naturally my brain went, 'kitty boy, lucky kitty boy, lucky cat, Lucky Cat, Sherlock' and I couldn't think of another name, so it stuck. And now you know.) Anyway, I customized and painted Sherlock and custom-ordered him a special wig, and I even bought him a sushi-themed kimono while he was on a borrowed body from my friend. But even with the borrowed body, he didn't seem complete.... His closed eyes gave him a very limited array of expressions, he didn't interact with any of the other dolls, and the black resin was a bitch to handle, since the darker color made every tiny scratch in the MSC glare out at you.... He just.... didn't belong. He was ADORABLE, but.... I don't know. End of tangent: I decided to sell Sherlock.

After I took him off the borrowed body, I didn't feel as sad about letting him go, so up went the sales thread on DoA. I originally wanted $280 for him, but there were some bigger doll heads I was willing to trade him for. Lo and behold, about a day after I put the thread up, someone (who for privacy's sake, I'm going to call Krow) contacted me, asking if I would like to trade Sherlock for their Migidoll Jina head. Migidoll Jina is one of the heads I'd been wanting! Krow had modified their Jina to have gauged ears, and had given him a very well done - and also very goth - faceup. (I say 'him' because even though Jina is supposed to be a girl, most people turn theirs into very feminine boys. Eh. Whatever floats your boat, I guess.) But, not only did Krow offer to repaint Jina to my specifications, they also restored her ears! (I say 'her' because at this point, I had begun considering Jina as mine, and I intended to make her into a girl.) I received the progress pictures, gave the okay, and we decided we'd ship out both sides of the trade on the same day. I carefully packed Sherlock up as securely as possible for his journey to his new owner, and I dropped him off at the post office this morning. And, as promised, Augustine (my Jina) was shipped this morning as well. I don't know how long it will take either package to arrive, but I hope it is soon, I hope nobody gets lost in the mail, and I hope Krow will be very happy with their half of the trade. I know I'll be happy with mine.

(Here's a progress picture of Augustine. Here's another.)

{Augustine is Ian's older sister, by the way.}