Default VS Mine

Dolly meme time again! I got tagged by some folks on Flickr to do this. I've been meaning to do this meme even before I got tagged, but I only had Blair that time, and it seemed silly to do it with just one doll. XD

I'm most proud of Blair's transformation. I've been told several times that she doesn't look much like most Miyus. Yay for individuality! Miette's not very different from the default Suji, but she looks a lot spunkier and more doe-eyed, which I'm happy about.

Me & My Doll

Photo by: my sister
Location: Calle Crisologo, Vigan, Ilocos Norte

I know there have been several BJD memes going around but what the heck, here's another one!

Rules:

1. Make a diptych of you and your doll!
2. You must have similar poses.
3. Have fun!

Latest Loves: A Dash of Punk and Geek

It may not be obvious judging by this blog, but I am actually a tomboy with a penchant for studs, bones and the color black. The tomboy side of me has been dormant ever since I rediscovered my love for florals and pretty things through the mori girl style, but with the release of Diablo III, I can feel her trying to break free again. xD

Even though I only recently got Miette, I've been pining for a YO-sized boy. I'm currently eyeing Littlefee Chiwoo. I think I'm gonna turn him into a rambunctious geek! I'll probably try to take him home by next year. Fingers crossed!

1. Diablo III from Blizzard
2. Spiked Headband from Anni Jürgenson
3. Littlefee Chiwoo from Fairyland
4. Crossbone Necklace from OS Accessories
5. Wig model CDW-43 (Cream) by LUTS
6. Battles of Westeros Core Set
7. Polibolha Shoes (Black) from Melissa

Latest Loves: Pretty Pastels

I've seen a lot of bloggers make posts where they feature the stuff that tickle their fancy. Seemed like a fun idea to do. So now I present to you a new semi-regular post, Latest Loves! It will be a mix of things, primarily fashion, art, BJD things, and even music. I hope you'll like what I have to share! :)

1. Loose Leaf Headband from Urban Outfitters
2. Vintage Key Double Ring from ShopLately
3. Pastel Boots from Asian Vogue
4. Halter-neck Linen One-piece from Nine9Style*
5. LR-117_L wig model from Leeke World*
6. EXO-K 1st mini album "MAMA"

*for BJDs

What's in my bag?

There's been a bag meme going around for a long time, but I haven't been bothered to do one until I saw my friends Nix, Trisha and Lala do it. So being the occasional sheep that I am, I thought why the heck not? XD

This is what I usually bring when I go out or go to work. ^^

 
1. Black leather bag with studs
This bag is my favorite. I love that it's expandable and the strap is adjustable. It's so versatile! I got it for a cheap price from a bazaar in Alabang Village. I've seen it being sold in malls for double the price so I totally scored, haha!

2. Bran by Catherine Janelle
My one and only (humongous!) fox tail. Er, actually it's a direwolf tail, inspired by the direwolves from HBO's Game of Thrones. It's so big on me that it reaches my knees when I wear it on my waist, so I just attach it to my bag instead. I don't use it as often as I want to for fear of it getting damaged, but when I do, I use it for storing #14 and #15.

3. Sylvanian Family cream bunnies
I take them almost everywhere. It's nice to have cute companions. :3

4. Grey knit beanie
For bad hair days! I lost my hairbrush recently, so this beanie has been my go-to recently when my hair gets in a mess (which is almost always Dx).

5. Alcohol
To get rid of the day's dirt and grime from my hands in the absence of soap and water.

6. iPod Shuffle
Mostly filled with K-pop! Most played song is ROMANTIC by SHINee. 8D

7-11. My make-up items
Nyx round lipstick (Tea Rose), Lip Ice lip balm (Mint Orange), Maybelline Clear Smooth Minerals BB Cream (Natural), Garnier Face Powder (Natural), and my beloved Choco cookie mirror.

12. Fan
To keep cool during these ridiculously hot summer days. = n =;;

13. House keys
But they don't work. xDDD

14. Cellphone
Samsung Corby. I have a love-hate relationship with it.

15. ID/Card holder
I got it from Powerbooks. It's a little pricey, but I couldn't resist! The artwork on it is by MagicSoup.

16. Black leather wallet
It used to be my mom's. It's full of receipts. :'D

17. Miette???
What is she doing there? XD Nope, sorry, as much as I want to bring her along, she has no face mask yet. Maybe that will change when she gets one?

Haha, that was kind of long. If you read all of that, you're awesome. Here's a cute Miette pic as a thank you!

Thanks for reading! ^o^/

Good morning, Miette!

Despite the horribly hot and humid weather we've been experiencing here in the Philippines, I managed to redo Miette's faceup. I'm pretty happy with this one! There are lots of flaws in it, but it's nice enough to stay for a while. I regret using these doll lashes from Leeke World though. I wish I stuck with my gut-feel and went for human falsies, which are more durable and have better feathering.

My little cutie ;w;

A literal headshot! I like how the lips turned out. :3

The lower lashes need more work, but I'm pretty happy overall.

Catching Fireflies on Bloglovin'!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin'!

Bloglovin' is a great tool for following your favorite blogs! It's really easy to use. It reminds me of Tumblr, but instead of seeing entire posts on your dashboard, you only see a short part of it. It's really useful for both bloggers and readers. You should try it! ^_^

One Day Vacay at Anvaya Cove, Subic

My family and I went on a very short but much needed vacation trip to Anvaya Cove, Subic last Saturday and Sunday. We had a good time there! The food was okay, but the place was beautiful as always.

Unfortunately, it was really cloudy most of the day and there were short rain spells. I wasn't able to take photos of the place that much, but I did get several shots of Blair that I'm really happy about! Check them out and the rest of the photos after the cut. ^_^

Feeling down? Have some bunnies!

The past two weeks have been pretty tiring and busy for me at the office. I haven't had enough time to plan my blog posts and take photos of Blair. It feels off, but I just keep on reminding myself that the end product of my work will be super awesome and totally worth all the effort. ^_^ Besides, come July I will be going to Dollism 7 with the awesome people of ManikaManila! It's so exciting. I can't wait! :D

For those of you feeling bummed out like me, here, have some cute courtesy of Blair and her bunnies.

I hope this brings a smile to your face. ^_^

I'm a Sucker for Stockings

...and tights for that matter. For some people, wearing them in a tropical country like the Philippines is uncomfortable, but not for me. I almost always wear a pair everyday! I love how stylish they are. They're more comfortable than wearing jeans, in my opinion.

Online clothing shop ASOS.com carries some really cute stockings and tights. Below are some of my personal picks from their line.

Mall's Birthday Giveaway: I won 4th prize!

One of my favorite artists, May Ann Licudine aka Mall celebrated her 30th birthday last February 24. She held a giveaway on her blog, where the first prize was an original painting! I entered the giveaway but I didn't win the painting. I won the fourth prize though! It's a super cute pocket mirror with her original characters Babu and his cat, Abu.

Here are the photos of the package!

I spazzed when I saw this arrive! It's so cute. Look at those awesome handmade stamps she used!

The contents of the package: the mirror, a business card, a handmade bracelet and a PRINT!
More photos after the jump!

Blair's Fourth Face up: Andreja-style!

I decided to redo Blair's face-up again last weekend. Like I said in my previous post, the last one I did was too pink. I couldn't stand it anymore! So I wiped her clean and started over.

I think I did a pretty good job overall. It's still not very neat (uneven strokes, messy blushing, etc), but I think I like it enough for it to stay for a while. :)

My only big qualm is that she's not photographing as well as she looks in person. Gah. I think the gray eyes she has on has something to do with it. I'll just have to see if she will look better with her default blue-gray ones. >_<

I used too much gloss on her eyes. :c

I like how her eyebrows turned out, though. Not perfect, but it will do. :3

The bottom eyelashes look better in person.

Blair looks more like herself now!

This was the inspiration for the faceup style I did. I'm a big, BIG fan of Andreja's work, and ever since she started making progress videos, I've been itching to try out her style.

Dang. I still have a long way to go, haha! XD

Blair's new face up!

I redid Blair's face up over the weekend. Her chin had a scratch and her dark eyelids were bothering me so I whipped up my materials and had a go at it.

I've done 3 face ups in the past and they were all challenging, but this was the hardest. The MSC kept on frosting, the pastels weren't sticking, and I accidentally dropped the head while blushing! I had to redo it three times. Gah. I'm still not happy with how this face up turned out, but this is as good as it's gonna get for now.

Anyway, here are some progress pics. It's not much, but I figured I might as well chronicle my development.

Clean head! Well, as clean as I could make it.

First layer of blushing

Second layer of blushing. Added darker colors to the eyes and placed more pink in the cheeks (which I shouldn't have done >_>;).

Drew the basic shape of the eyebrows and winged eyeliner.

Placed details in the eyebrows, added lashes, defined the double eyelids, and added gloss to the lips and eyes.

Final touch: pretty false lashes!

All done! Now she has chronic bitchface. XD

Looking past the excessive pink and messy linework, I find it cute. It's just not Blair. Maybe I'll warm up to it in the next few days. We'll see.

About

The Blogger

I'm Kass, a 22-year old Filipino graphic designer. Last 2010, I graduated from the De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde with a degree in Multimedia Arts. It was also around that time that I developed a passion for Asian ball-jointed dolls and the Mori girl subculture, and it is that passion that spurred me to create this blog.

Currently, I own two BJDs, a mori girl named Blair and a sweet little girl named Miette. They both came home from South Korea last September 2011 and April 2012, respectively, and have been my photography muses and fashion models ever since. Through them and the BJD hobby, I've made friends with the members of ManikaManila, who are some of the most interesting people I've met. It's definitely made my life more colorful!

Some of my other interests include K-pop, fashion, handmade crafts, anime & manga, and fiction novels. I can also be found in Tumblr, Flickr, Deviantart and Livejournal (links in the sidebar).

On I'm Catching Fireflies

I'm Catching fireflies is a personal metaphor I associate with my struggle to fulfill my dreams as an artist. For years I have felt stuck in some sort of rut, but now I realize that it's the "fire" that I've been lacking. With the help of this blog, I hope to rekindle my passion for art and design with every post I make.

Aside from my personal goals, my hope for this blog is to be an inspirational and style resource for fellow artists and doll enthusiasts. If all goes well, maybe I can earn a living blogging about the things I love!