Dollieh Sanctuary

So guys, what's your plans for this spring and summer? Are you going to start/take care of a garden? Hit the pool as many times as possible? Get a tan? Stay inside? Write a book?

I'm gonna host a few doll meets. I try to throw one every other month. I'm also going to make some costumes, and go to an anime convention. I'm working on Sailor Mercury and plan on Rei Ayanami. I need to watch more anime to get caught up, but I'm working on it. I will also try to draw again, once my hand trembling gets under control.

I usually try to grow a garden, because due to lack of a car and no public transport in this lousy town either, I'm in kind of a food desert situation. While I do grow some tulips and daylilies and the likes for looks, the veggie patch is pretty much my only chance to see a fresh pepper or tomato.

I've finally got everything together to get started on reroots, and hope to make a good dent there by fall - though, so far, I'm slower than a turtle in molasses at it. I have a few more faceups pending too. Getting all my current dolls prettied up just the way I want is a big to-do. And I really want to flock that horse by the end of the year.

I have a few tools and supplies I hope to save for. Some plans regarding fabrics. Lots of sewing and trying to make patterns that I hope to get to.

No pool or tanning for me... No access to the former and a lack of ability to tan for the latter. (Heatstroke is not a fun thing.)

Past that, read some, write some, maybe work on 3d graphics.

And then there's the big thing. The Bunker. DHHR cut the food stamps from over 180 to 18 (we thought it was a typo the first month), making things annoyingly tight... and it's all set up right now so there's a pretty low 'cap' on how much I can make or it'll mess up the Evil Overlord's SSI (enough to where there'd be more total loss than gain)... but if I'm technically in my own home it'll remove any caps on my income because they won't penalize hers for it. It's complicated. The idea is to move me into a building just in the backyard, kind of like those 'mother-in-law' houses some places have. Close enough to still be on hand if the Evil Overlord gets stuck in the bathtub or needs something heavy lifted, but technically my own 'house' from a legal standpoint.

However, due to the situation... well... the Bunker will essentially be a (at last draft) 20ft by 20ft (interior) building made of cinderblocks (because they're cheap and we might have half a chance of being able to get some). And we'll have to build it ourselves. There's a family history in the construction trade, so, thankfully, we do have some idea how to do this without making something totally unsafe. However, she's 57 and disabled after a car accident more than a decade back, and I'm pushing 40 and have a bad knee. It's mostly going to end up her giving orders (and doing the wiring and the plumbing, neither of which she is technically licensed for but which she has some passing experience in due to family history) and me doing most of the heavier physical work.

First the ground needs leveled. My next Amazon order I have to scrape enough pay from online surveys to get a level and a rake (we still have a shovel, thankfully) and I'm hoping I can squeeze a doll on that order...

And then I'll spend most of my summer hauling dirt, and trying to properly level the planned foundation area. Getting it level (and any bonus square footage I can level will be added to the floor plans) is pretty much the whole goal there for the year. No idea how long it'll take to save for cinderblocks and other such things. Estimates are at least 3 years, but we're hoping less than 10.

My only goal is to finish my book, avoid television, and not admit how many K-dramas I binge. haha

I do have a garden, so far it's like a horde of sprouts have taken over. Come Sproutlings, follow me to victory! The battle against Lady Crabgrass and her Army of Weeds will be a tough one. XD

WhiteDove01s I feel where you're coming from and understand playing the $ tango. I've started exchanging services for Amazon gift cards.

As for this summer I can see staying inside, writing a few books, reading books, crafting, and watching DVDs to make up for a general lack of human contact. I have lots of doll stuff to go through, just have to convince my brain it'll be interested. Hopefully I'll be making more dolls or better versions of recent ones out of polymer clay and then I can try making some molds. If I can ever figure that part out I can start selling them.

DollyKim wrote:WhiteDove01s I feel where you're coming from and understand playing the $ tango. I've started exchanging services for Amazon gift cards.

Just be careful. It might be a regional thing (or a jerk of a caseworker), but last time I was on the phone with the DHHR they told me that Amazon gift cards had to be reported as income because it wasn't 'paid in kind'. Of course, since they've cut the food stamps down to $18 a month, they can take any of their caps and shove em somewhere uncomfy now - I just have to worry about the ones that would affect the SSI, so I have to stay under $600 a year or $100 in a month. Luckily, my income from online surveys usually pays into an account with the survey company and I have complete control over when I get paid. I usually try to hit $50 on even months and $45 on odd months. It's 'fun'.*

(* in this instance, by 'fun' I mean 'tempts me to use another F word instead')

In my situation I can make X amount and I'm okay. It's been small amounts anyway but I'll accept Backstreet Boys and Monster High for currency.

I do want to try and do more doll photo stories this summer. I have an idea about having some sort of Grease party but no one specified which Grease or realized they had to. I have reroots to do too.

So much to do and never enough time to do it, right?!

Well, first, I want to finish my Frozen Fever Elsa cosplay---(almost there!!!!) and then decide which will be our Halloween costumes this year: Frozen Fever or Coronation/Wintry costumes....

My sis decided to go with the temperature! If it's hot on Oct 31, it'll be the summer Frozen Fever costumes, if it's cold, then the Wintry/Coronation ones!!

For dolls, it's just a neverending loop of them. The commissions are crazy this season---everyone wants a Sailor Moon or Disney custom doll!!

For our own sets, I'm needing to make the Anna 17" 'LE' doll outfit for my sister's doll and I want to make an Anna wedding dress for my 11" doll of her.

I think I'm good with the BJDs this year---everyone's complete and done and I have no plans to acquire more, unless I make Frozen 1/3 dolls! (However...that might be a toughie...) I think I'll be happy with the 1/4 Frozen dolls. ^^

For non-doll work? We've been re-concreting a section of our driveway, and then I know we'll be painting our deck concrete edging....so

Busy busy !!!!

I'm going to a couple conventions, namely Connecticon and possibly Otakon, cosplaying as GLaDOS from Portal and Missy from Doctor Who (I may even give Halogen a Cyberman mask). I'll be working on the Missy cosplay, and I hope to have it finished by CTcon.

I also might get a job working at a local grocer at some point, but I'm not sure how that's going to work yet. It would by my first job, and I have some issues for which I'd need accommodations... my school program should help out with that though, hopefully.

This will also be my first year in a while without summer school, since I'm on top of my credits for once. I'm planning on graduating in January, wish me luck!

Dollwise, I'll continue saving for my Spencer, hopefully with some birthday money coming in July. I may also buy the head for my Obitsu version of GLaDOS, if I can decide on which one...

Finally, I'm going to try to be more social and make some online friends, as well as attend as many meetups as I can in my local community (the people here are great! back when I was first getting into the hobby they were really nice too!).

Due to my hubby's job, we will probably move again in the next months. Unfortunately, we still not know where, and we're waiting to know this to make our plans for the future.
My actual job ends with June, and I' don't know if I'll search for another, temporary job until we move or just wait and search for another one in the new city.
If I'll be unemployed during this summer, I'll devote myself to my Etsy shop and to complete at least a first draft for my novel, with some bonus reading on the beach. We live near to the sea and there is a beach at just a 5 minute walk from home. The harbor is also near, so the water is meh, but I can just go there in the early morning, read an hour or two until the sun starts to become too hot for my Victorian lady skin and go back home.

Talking about dollies, I still have my Hujoo Freyr to paint (poor kitten, is almost a year he got here), and I want to give Dahlia a new manicure. I have lots of sewing to do and I hope to finish soon the outfit I'm making for my Dollzone Freddy, so I can finally put him out with all the other dolls. (I always wait to have them dressed to put them on my dollieh shelf.)
There's a doll convention in Milan, this May, and I'd really like to go there, mainly to meet other Italian fellow collectors I know only thanks to the BJD Italia forum.

Sounds like lots of writing and lots of cons and meetups this year. That's great! I've noticed there are many dolly people who are writers too.