Hey There...Remember Me?

The one who used to post on this blog at least once a week...usually? Yeah. Just thought I should stop by and let you know I'm still alive.

I don't really have a valid excuse, other than the usual "my life is so crazy right now" thing. ;) The holidays were nuts, Hubby's work shifts have been all over the place (night shift, day shift, away from home for a week shift, etc.), I've been working on several projects...the list goes on. And, to be honest, the farther behind I got, the harder it was to get back to the blog. (I'm really good at avoidance when I'm overwhelmed.) ;)

I knew it was time to shape up and post SOMETHING when someone left a comment on my Facebook page today, asking if my blog was still functional. :}

So, Merry Christmas and Happy 2017! (Hey, at least I posted in time for Valentine's Day...a whole three weeks early!)

As usual, I have several posts in the works (when do I NOT have posts in the works?), part of my aforementioned avoidance/overwhelmed thing. ;) I thought for this post, though, I'd briefly share a bit of what I've been up to since you last heard from me, and then share a few things I'm looking forward to.

Christmas

Our family had a lovely Christmas together, though it was quite different from years past. For one thing, this year Christmas was held at my mom and dad's house instead of my aunt's. Due to financial issues related to medical issues, my aunt had to move this year, so her home was no longer available to us. It was a bit crowded, but we survived just fine. ;) It was great to all be together once again. And I have to admit, there was something special about spending Christmas in the home of my childhood, thinking back on old memories. :)

Watching Papa's train go around the base of the Christmas tree.

All ready for Christmas morning!

Interestingly enough, I didn't bring a doll or toy to Christmas this year. It was all I could do to get the people in my life packed. ;)

I did manage to get pics of the display the girls and I set up for my mom's living room, though. :) 

Doll Customizing

The girls all got Pullip dolls this year, which was super exciting for them. Middle Gal got a "Make it Own" Pullip set, and did a fabulous job customizing her doll.

Pretty good for an almost eleven-year-old. ;)

This got all of us on a doll customizing kick. I've admired the YouTube tutorials of doll customizers such as Nicolle's Dreams and Dollighful, but aside from a few feeble attempts at customization, I've never really taken the plunge.

This January, I did, and for a couple of weeks, that was pretty much all we did. The girls' dolls are still in progress, but here's how my first one turned out:

Ever After High Raven with face paint removed.

After repaint:

It was a LOT harder than it looked on the tutorials, but I'm super pleased with her. :) Can't wait to share pics of the girls' dolls, too!

Decluttering

The doll customization was brought to a screeching halt, however, when at this month's doll club meeting, I discovered that the doll club would be meeting next at my house on February 1st. Eep! Time to put the dolly stuff on hold and clean the house.

But, of course, I couldn't just do things the easy way, clean things up, and be done with it. No. I had to do the whole, "Blech!!! My house is a mess! I can't find anything! I have too much stuff! The girls have too much stuff!" thing and embark on a major decluttering adventure.

Which has pretty much taken up the entire month of January. Especially since I discovered black mold on one of my walls. :(

But we're making progress, and I LOVE what we've done so far. Hopefully, I can get it all done in the next week and a half...and figure out what on earth I'm going to talk about for the meeting. ;)

A great shelf I found at Goodwill for just $10...perfect for the younger two girls' room!

Our newly organized doll customization/craft center.

The still-in-progress part. ;)

I'm hoping to do some eBay sales in the coming weeks (probably after the doll club meeting), but I feel bad even saying that since I've been talking about eBay sales for months now. Sigh. I really need to get more organized. I'll let you guys know if I actually get my act together and get some stuff listed.

Snow

In the midst of all of this excitement, in early January, it snowed for the first time in three years! We had a wonderful time playing outside. I got a few great doll and toy photos, too. :)

The girls took doll pictures, too. This is Middle Gal's...

...this is Little Gal's...

...and this is Oldest Gal's.

Fan Mail

I got some incredible fan mail from my online friends Treesa and T.K.Wilson. I feel horrible that I haven't done a Fan Mail Friday post about it yet. But girls, please know your gifts were loved and appreciated. You both brightened my day so much. :) And don't despair. I WILL get that post up as soon as I can...possibly after the doll club meeting, as all of my time right now is being spent in frantic cleanup. ;)

Toy News

Boy, this was one of the things that killed me as I sat on the sidelines, trying to get myself to jump back into the fray. Sooo many new toy releases have been showing up!

Shopkins Happy Places Season 2!!

Milly Mops

Rosie Bloom

Queenie Hearts

Tippy Teapot

Chelsea Cheeseburger

Daisy Petals

Now that I had some new Lil' Shoppies, I needed a way to display them. I found these great little shelves at Target for $5 each. I think they look great! :)

Twozies Season 2!!

Groove Pullip dolls at Tuesday Morning stores!

I bought this one, Marianne, with some of my Christmas money. :)

So pretty!

And, of course, I can't possibly go on without mentioning all of the incredible Beauty and the Beast live action merchandise that's started popping up everywhere! As you can imagine, I've been oohing and aahing and making wishlists and generally feeling like a ten-year-old again.

My only B&tB Purchase so far: the Enchanted Rose Scene Playset.

While I haven't done any reviews yet, I've been very active on my Pinterest boards. ;) You can see my Beauty and the Beast 2017 Pinterest board HERE, and my Shopkins Happy Places board HERE.

For those of you who are wondering, my current plans are to purchase the Disney Store Belle (Yes, I know she's not the most attractive portrayal of Emma Watson, sadly. No, I will not go as far as to say that she looks like Justin Bieber.) ;) and the Disney Store Beast. Even though I think Gaston is the best of the Disney Store dolls, I don't think I'll be adding him and village Belle to my collection. At least for now. I also plan on purchasing the Toys R Us exclusive Belle and Prince set. (I'm so disappointed the Disney Store didn't do a Prince doll.)

I will most likely not purchase any of these until the girls' birthday trip in February. For those of you anxious for reviews, be sure to check out my Pinterest board, as there are several from other toy bloggers/vloggers there.

Plans and Road Bumps

I can't guarantee how frequently I'll be posting over the next couple of months, but I'll do my best to not leave you hanging again without fair warning. ;) I have some pretty involved writing and illustrating projects coming up (and a house to resurrect).

Also, I just received the news this week that my daughters' school, the same one Hubby and I attended K-12, which has been around for 51 years, will be closing its doors at the end of this school year. So, as you can imagine, in the coming weeks I'll be busy making phone calls and setting up appointments and school visits. For my brothers and sisters in Christ, please pray that we can make the best decision for our girls as we figure out where to place them next year.

Things to Look Forward To

On a brighter note, there are several upcoming events I'm very excited about.

First, I actually have the funds to purchase a Disney Store Limited Edition Doll for the first time in my life!! :D

It came about in a rather random way. Back in November, Hubby and I took advantage of an incredible cell phone upgrade deal through Best Buy which left us with around $900 in Best Buy gift cards...plus new phones. (Whaaattt?) ;D I used $100 of the money to purchase Disney Store gift cards. And now, I just have to wait for the perfect doll.

Originally, I had planned on getting a Belle doll from the live action film, but if the LE doll is anything like the regular one, I don't know that I'll be interested. That's okay, though. I'm going to take my time. Eventually, the perfect doll will come around, and then I'll be ready. ;)

As I mentioned before, in February we'll be taking the girls on their annual birthday trip to Roseville. It will be so fun to go to Toys R Us and the Disney Store and see so many of the new items I've seen online in person. And it's always a joy to spend that time with the girls, my mom, and my aunt. It's something we look forward to every year.

In May, Hubby and I will be taking an early anniversary trip to see The Phantom of the Opera in Sacramento! :D I haven't seen Phantom live since high school, when my friends all pitched in and bought me a ticket. It will be so fun to see it again and get away for an evening with Hubby.

Especially since this guy is the one playing the Phantom. (Gotta love that voice!)

Finally, I'm excited about Realm Makers, a writer's conference I'll be attending in July of this year that is specifically for speculative fiction writers. Sadly, I won't be making it to Mount Hermon this year, but I'm thankful I get to attend RM. We're staying at a hotel in Reno, and the conference includes a cosplay dinner and...a zombie apocalypse Nerf gun war. :} Not too sure about that part. Still, it will be great to join my friends Sarah and Rosemary once again for a new adventure. :)

*****

I think that's about all for now. Thanks for hanging in there without me, guys. Hope you're having a wonderful 2017 so far. Here's to a great year, fun dolls, and fabulous friends. :)

And grinning puppies, too. ;)

Jun Planning Batman Taeyang Doll

Here's number two of my promised posts! ;)  This time around, we'll be taking a look at the Batman Taeyang doll from Jun Planning, a San Diego Comic Con exclusive from 2012.

Later on in the post, I will be sharing pictures of the doll undressed to show his articulation.  He is not anatomically correct, but if you would rather not see undressed male fashion dolls, please skip this post. 

When I purchased my Pullip Dorothy at Tuesday Morning, the store also had Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion Taeyangs (interestingly enough, those three are still at the store).  It got me thinking about Taeyangs and how much I would love to find one.  I was a bit tempted to try the Cowardly Lion, but I knew that if I got him, I would want to figure out a way to take off his facial hair and make him more "normal" looking.  I wasn't sure I was up for such a challenge.  (I must admit that part of me is still tempted to get him and make him into a custom Beast from Beauty and the Beast...but then I'd need to find a Pullip to play Belle). ;)  

This whole line of thinking got me started on a bunch of online research about the various Taeyang dolls.  One thing I discovered, much to my disappointment, was that many of them looked too feminine for my taste.  I decided I wanted to wait for the right Taeyang doll for the right price.

It was only a few days later that I stumbled across some pictures of the Batman Taeyang doll produced for San Diego Comic Con in 2012.  He had much more masculine features than many of the other Taeyangs, and he had short hair (another plus).  I instantly started searching eBay for Batman Taeyangs, and after about a month of searching, I finally came across one for a fairly reasonable price.

I'd like to take just a moment and apologize that I do not have any extra-large picture in this post.  For some reason, Blogger decided to pixelate my pictures when I did them extra large.  The weird thing is, when I published the post and clicked on the pictures to make them larger, the resolution was beautiful, even on the ones that looked pixelated.  It drove me crazy to have icky-looking pictures, so I changed all of them to the standard "large" size.  If you need a closer look at anything, click on the picture to see more detail.  In the meantime, if any of you have had this happen and know what causes it, I'd love to hear your suggestions.  I've only had it happen once before, and as far as I know, I haven't changed any settings or anything on my camera.  All of my pictures for my J-Doll review were fine, even when I expanded them to the extra-large size, so I'm not sure what's going on. I hope I figure it out soon, though. :{

Even though Batman was an eBay purchase, he had never been removed from the box, so felt like buying a brand new doll. :)

He was based on Christian Bale's portrayal in "The Dark Knight Rises".

San Diego Comic Con's logo is on the box.

The back of the box.

As always, the majority of it is in Japanese.

The box opened at one side with a tuck-in flap.

The cardboard opened all the way around the front.

Here he is!

A closer look at his handsome face.

One side of the box had his collectible card and some accessories attached to it...

...while the other side had his stand and cape.

The instructions in his box appear to be identical to my Pullip instructions.

The inner cardboard lining came out easily.

He was held in place by tape circles, plastic, and twist ties (almost identical packaging to the J-Doll I purchased).  It was not difficult to get him out. 

His cape...

...mask...

...and collector's card were wrapped in protective plastic covering.

The cardboard lining, now empty.

Sigh...it's so frustrating to have a less-than-perfectly-clear picture here, but I wanted to make it large enough for you to be able to easily see everything. :{  This picture shows everything he comes with, which includes his body suit, a padded tank top and stretch shorts (underneath...more info to come), a belt, arm accessories, gloves, boots, a cape, a mask, a stand, and his collector's card.

The cape is long and thick and made of that almost sticky-feeling pretend leather material. 

It attaches to his bat suit with little hooks.

His mask has Velcro closure at the chin and at the back of the head.

Here he is with his full outfit. :)

A closer look at his mask.  I found this rather difficult to get on him, especially since I was trying to be super careful of his eyelashes.

I also had a difficult time getting the Velcro to close all the way in the back, but again, I was really nervous about messing up his eyes, so I didn't try very hard.  His eye mechanism really stuck out in the back and interfered with the closure.

Side view in his mask.

Another view of the fearless defender of Gotham City.

"Here I come to save the daaayyy..."  Oh wait, that was Mighty Mouse. ;)

His gloves are very detailed.

A look at the "leather" pieces on his mesh-like bodysuit.

His belt, legs, and boots.

Here's a view of the suit from the back.  The belt has Velcro closure in the back and is completely separate from the outfit.

A closer look at some of the detail:

His boots are hard plastic and have a wide space in the back to allow for easy removal. 

Undoing the Velcro at the chin of his mask...

And now we can get a better look at his face.  Just like Pippa, he can move his eyes to the side...

...straight ahead...

...and to the other side.

I was rather surprised to discover that he had very deep green eyes.  In the online pictures I'd found, he looked like he had brown ones.

Also like Pippa, he can wink with one eye...

...close both eyes...

...wink with the other...

...or just keep both open.

I took off his body suit to continue my review photos and had to laugh at these hilarious underclothes.  Taeyang dolls are pretty lean and lanky, so apparently the doll's producers decided he needed to bulk up a bit for his superhero role. ;)

The leather-like tank top has a big cushioned area in the tummy...

...and the stretch shorts are padded as well.

It almost looks like a bathing suit full of water! ;)

Batman's arms, legs, and body were completely covered with clear plastic, as you can see here...

...and in this picture, too.  I'm assuming this was to protect the body from staining.

However, even with this precaution in place, my doll still had several light stains on his body:

He also had a rather large crack in one thigh. :(

And while I was posing him, I gave him a little stress point on one shoulder. :(

Taeyang from the front...

...and the back.  I really don't like all of the screw holes in his back.  They almost look like bullet holes. :(

Taeyang dolls are very flexible.  Their numerous joints make for all sorts of posing possibilities, as seen in the following photos.

As great as his posability looks in photos, I found my Taeyang to be very fragile.  Many of his joints would make a horrible squeaking noise when I moved them, making me afraid that I would break him if I wasn't careful enough.

His hands are made of a softer plastic material and can be super hard to move without breaking (sadly, more on that later on in the post). :{

This was actually not my first Taeyang doll.  About a month after Pippa arrived, I caved in and purchased a Captain Hook Taeyang (this would have been in early 2013...February or so).  However, due to a bad foot that wouldn't stay in his leg, some really long hair, and an odd paint job, Hook did not stay with us. When I bought him, I did a photo shoot, intending to do a review.  It was during this photo session that I noticed his problems and had to return him.  Because I had these archived pictures, though, I decided I would use them to supplement my Batman pictures, especially since I was worried about breaking my newest doll.

I found the many joints on these dolls fascinating.  For instance, Taeyang's neck doesn't just turn, it can rotate (with some effort) back and forth in the joint, allowing for more poses for the head.

The shoulder is a completely separate piece from the rest of the arm.

The elbow is made up of several parts and can bend out...

...bend down...

...and also bend in towards the body.

The arms can hold all sorts of interesting poses.

Here's a better look at Hook Taeyang's hands:

Hook in a kneeling pose.

The knees are incredibly flexible.

The feet are made up of the same softer plastic as the hands...

...and can flex back and forth.  I found this was more difficult with my Batman Taeyang, however.

I have to say, I think it worked out for the best that Hook had some issues for which I needed to return him.  I am much happier with Batman's facial paint and hair.  

Pippa was very excited to meet the handsome new visitor.

I think she was quite smitten and curious to see the face behind the mask, but at first she was a bit cautious about the whole situation, too.

You see,  Pippa had grown rather attached to Captain Hook Taeyang and was crushed when he had to go back to the store.  And of course, we can't forget the Dorothy Pullip doll I bought last fall and decided to pass on.  She and Pippa had become rather good friends before Dorothy found a new home.  So I think this time around, Pippa was a bit wary of getting close to another doll.  Batman's been with us for a while now, though, so I think she's starting to realize that this guy is here to stay. ;)

I knew from the beginning that I didn't want Batman Taeyang to remain "Batman", so I wanted to find him some more typical clothing.  I remembered that the Taeyang dolls could wear current Ken clothing (the current Kens are skinnier than the older Kens and closer to Taeyang body size).  The next time I was in Tuesday Morning, I saw this great set for just $4.99, so I thought I'd try it for Taeyang.

I think it's got nice coloring for him.  How about you?

Pippa certainly seemed impressed.

I decided that I wanted my Taeyang to have a different name, and after some deliberation, settled on Alexander.  Pippa and Alexander has a nice ring to it, I think. :)  

I was super thrilled with the two of them.  And then, "tragedy" struck. :{

One night, I was trying to pose Alexander and accidentally broke off his hand! :(  The ball joint in the wrist has to be turned a certain way for the hand to be able to move without breaking, and I didn't have it at quite the right spot.

As you can see, the part of the ball joint that holds the hand in place snapped right off inside the hand cavity. :(  The only way to "fix" it will be to superglue his hand and not have it move anymore.

Thankfully, Jen, my blogging friend from Dolls and Nachos, had a spare Taeyang body she wasn't using, so eventually, Alexander will have a new body.

The coloring is different, but I think if I keep him in his long pants and long sleeves it shouldn't be too horribly noticeable.  The swap won't happen anytime soon, though.  I'm terrified of removing his wig and taking his head apart (the required steps for switching his body over to the new one).  For now, I think I'll just content myself with super gluing his hand on and keeping him stiff in one wrist.

Thankfully, his "handicap" has not changed Pippa's affection for him. ;)

A few more photos:

So, it's time to share my overall thoughts on this doll.  I'm super happy to find a friend for Pippa.  I like Alexander's coloring and thinks he looks great on the shelf with her.  I have to say, though, I was a bit disappointed with his quality.  His hand broke so easily, and as I mentioned in the post, his joints were so stiff and squeaky, I was afraid to move them too much.  Having a super articulated doll that you're afraid to pose is definitely a letdown.  After my experience with this Taeyang and my Captain Hook Taeyang, I can definitely say I would not feel comfortable paying full price for these dolls.  They are also NOT for children (the box does say ages fifteen and up), and because of their fragility, they are not even going to be the best doll for every collector.  I don't regret purchasing him, but I am sad about his hand.  I would love to see Jun Planning work on making joints that were a little sturdier.

As far as his clothing, it was incredibly detailed.  I would have liked the mask to close a little better in the back, but that was really my only complaint.  

I'm not sure exactly how to do his score.  Even with all of his problems, I still really enjoy having him in my collection.  Still, as far as this particular doll goes, I'd have to give him a 3 out of 5 simply because of the fragility of his joints.  A doll that normally retails for over $100, in my opinion, should not be so easy to break.

Would I recommend a Taeyang doll?  I would to some.  The detail on these dolls really is amazing, and they have a unique look that appeals to many collectors.  I know there are a lot of people out there who enjoy customizing them, and I've heard they are a lot better on Obitsu bodies.  So if you're a collector interested in a unique doll or a crafty, artistic type that enjoys working on custom doll projects, I would recommend adding a Taeyang to your collection.  However, I would definitely suggest buying one at Tuesday Morning or finding a nicely priced one on eBay rather than paying the full amount for a new doll.

Hope you enjoyed the review!  What did you think of Batman Taeyang?

P.S.  Because I'm not a huge Batman fan, I decided to list Alexander's complete Batman outfit on eBay.  It ends tomorrow (Saturday, January 18th), so if you're in the USA and interested in a Batman outfit, be sure to check it out soon. :)