Ghost of Empire

Princess Portal

2007-03-16T06:31:39Z

I feel bad that I haven't been updating this journal lately. Miss Charlotte and I are actually sharing a brand new blog here and I haven't been very active in the doll community lately, mainly because I've been focusing on other hobbies like Lolita, and because I feel I'm at a bit of an impasse, because Charlotte has a huge wardrobe of clothes.. and there's not much more she needs. I really want to get an SD, but I have yet to start seriously saving for one or decide which one I want. I really adore Anais.. but maybe it would be strange having two dolls with such similar faces? Part of me wants a BW F-01, and another part of me says get a Tiny. So I don't know, I'll keep thinking about it.

Miss Charlotte misses you all and hopes you'll come to visit at her new home The Princess Portal!

Merry Christmas

2006-12-27T06:07:58Z

Miss Charlotte wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Portrait of a Young Girl

2006-11-03T03:22:51Z

Its been a while since I've posted because I have been without a camera, however I have just recieved a new one for my birthday so I thought I would take the opportunity to test it out! The camera I used to use (which belongs to my boyfriend) tended to over-expose everything, wheras this one tends to underexpose. Its a little hard to get used to, but allows me to take more mellow images. For anyone who is interested its a Canon A540. The most annoying thing is it takes AA batteries instead of having a rechargable lithium, so I can't get many photos in before they die.

Exquisite Scent

2006-08-07T08:12:18Z

It was windy and wet and horrid today, but the star jasmine is flowering on the wall outside my window and I brought a small spring inside to remind me that spring is nearly here. It smells heavenly and the delicate pink and white blossoms are enchanting, they matched Charlotte's current outfit so well I simply had to photograph them.

Blouse by Dollheart, skirt by Musedoll, Toppi's default wig.

Dollicieux Birthday Edition

2006-07-26T03:47:18Z

This month's issue of Dollicieux is their anniversary edition, and sadly, the final issue. Miss Charlotte was honoured to be the Doll Spotlight, so please go check it out!

http://www.dollicieux.com/

I thought I'd also share the full size images I took for the zine, another nursery rhyme series that required 7 seperate photoshoots! I hope you enjoy ^^

Cherry Polka

2006-07-09T12:28:35Z

Miss Charlotte has something new to show you! I fell in love with this sweet SisterSister dress on Y!Jp and it was everything I had hoped for, not to mention she looks adorable in it ^_~

Garage Sale!

2006-06-26T02:22:43Z

I've come to the conclusion that Miss Charlotte has far too many things and I have far too little money, so I'm having a small garage sale.

I'd like to offer these items to people on my friends list first, if they don't sell I'll be putting them up on DoA. All prices are USD, ask me about shipping. I accept non cc Paypal only from international buyers. So please help me clear out Charlotte's closet ^_^

Luts "KDW-09" For KID DELF (Blonde) - Fits MSD, DoD, etc $20

Dollheart "MS-05" for MSD/DOD/KDELF etc (Black) $20

JPOP Dolls Mohair Wig for MSD/etc. (Platinum) $10 [SOLD]

Wigs will come in wig nets, shoes in their original box.
I would consider trades for the following items: MSD sized shoes in Pink, Red or Blue, Volks or Dollheart MSD clothing, Pale blue glass eyes in 16mm.

New Face-up

2006-06-21T00:45:38Z

Miss Charlotte might be getting a new face up by the talented Viya of http://www.innerblue.net !

She does eyebrows like Violet Poem's, and I simply adore them! Her lips and eyelining are quite striking too, I'm very excited about this!

Good Morning Miss Charlotte

2006-06-13T04:36:28Z

Images Imaginings

2006-05-03T07:32:26Z

Rozen Wigs

2006-04-30T03:20:51Z

Has anyone noticed the new wigs Leeke released? One of them looks exactly like Shinku from Rozen Maiden's. Curious, I went back through their wig selection and found other wigs that closely resemble RM dolls:

Shinku
Suiseiseki
Souseiseki
Hinaichigo
Suigintou

I couldn't find one for Kanaria or Bara-suishou. Wouldn't it be fun to create the RM cast with BJD's though? If one had the funds.. *daydreams*

Dollmore

2006-04-27T07:35:07Z

If anyone is thinking of doing a Dollmore group order in the future, please let me know. I want to get this http://www.dollmore.net/shop/step1.php?number=1885

But I don't want to pay $20 shipping :/

Presenting...

2006-04-25T07:40:00Z

I can't really describe what its like to finally get your dream MSD. I just hope these two quick pictures (taken on my Mum's b-grade camera and unedited due to lack of PS access ^^; )give you some glimpse of the sheer adorability of this girl. For those of you who want to know every detail read on.

First Impressions
Ok, Masamachi is the God of packaging. Seriously, it took me ages to remove the layers of newspaper and bubblewrap just to get to the Volks box and then the doll herself was bound up like a mummy with each arm and leg wrapped seperately in bubblewrap and masking tape, face mask, the lot. They even removed the eyes and wrapped each eye individually! So, she arrived safe of course.

The Volks FCS box is beautiful. Hard cardboard covered in white fake leather with the words Super Dollfie embossed in gold on the lid. Stunning. I can't help but feel that Volks really do love their dolls when the very packaging is luxurious and beautiful. Its a nice change from AR packaging I can tell you.

I was so happy when I finally removed the last bit of bubblewrap and picked her up, I nearly cried. I sat there for about ten minutes admiring this bald, eyeless, naked doll :P

The Body
One thing I wasn't prepared for was the weight, I swear MSD just weigh more than LF or DoC! I don't know if its the resin itself or the body size but she is quite heavy. The pureskin is beautiful, it has this soft glow to it. I've been holding her hand up to the desk lamp and admiring the way the light shines through, just like when you put your hand over a torch. She hasn't been sanded, but the seams are almost non existant. I will probably sand them off later.

I really like the Volks MSD body, its cute and childish. Very similar to the AR LF body, but a bit thicker. The swarikko legs are lovely! She naturally falls in to the famous swarikko pose. She doesn't seem to be able to kneel though, her legs just swing out in to that pose. Its very cute though ^_^

The hands are OK. They're H - 06. I'd really like to get the 01 or 05 hands someday. These are FCS only hands though, so worth holding on to.

The Face
I love the sculpt! She's so delicate and petite, and she has the Anais nose! Her face is in general softer than Anais and much softer than Ren. I love the way it goes from cheeky to sweet to sad depending on the wig, angle and lighting. I think I will have a lot of fun photographing her.

The face-up is lovely, but I'm not sure its exactly how I want. The eyebrows and the lips are the main things I'd consider fixing. I might actually try doing her face-up myself at a later date, need some MSC.

The eyes she came with are beautiful, very clear and detailed. I have no idea what brand they are but the colour is a pale pinky-lavendar-mauve. Quite similar to HG Pale Purple but a bit more pink I think. The Monique wig is very delicate and I've only tried it on once, I think I'll save it for photo's as I believe it will go frizzy quickly otherwise. I like her better in fringed (with bangs) wigs so far, they make her look more alert and happy. I'm waiting for a default Toppi wig I bought to arrive, I think it will suit her nicely.

All in all I'm very happy with her ^^ she's perfect.

ghostempire @ 2006-04-24T21:13:00

2006-04-24T13:13:54Z

She's here!

I'll write heaps tomorrow and post pictures, right now I'm just in awe *_*

Arrival Day

2006-04-24T00:36:01Z

Well, according to the EMS she's in Perth and scheduled for delivery. That means she should be getting delivered today. Due to unfortunate circumstances I'm at a different house to where she's getting delivered so I have to wait until 1ish and then convince my mother to give me a lift down there to pick her up.

Waiting is so hard!!! ;_; *looks at clock* 8:35 am ;.;

News!

2006-04-20T00:52:18Z

She's been shipped!

Omukae Ceremony

2006-04-18T03:02:21Z

I've been thinking for a while that it would be fun to have a little Omukae ceremony when the new Miss Charlotte arrives. If I'd had the chance to order her in person at Sato I would definitely have liked to have a Volks ceremony, so I thought it might be fun to do something similar at home.

I'm comissioning a pretty white dress from the talented Stardust for her, and I think I'll try and make her some special jewelry for the day too. I was lucky enough to recieve a giant box of fake flowers from jasmine_flame for christmas so I can have a table overflowing with flowers to put her box on.

I've been trying to come up with ideas for the ceremony itself. I want something short and simple, not too cheesy. I thought maybe it would be nice to have the guests come up and say a wish for her, a bit like in sleeping beauty ^_~ and I like the candle thing Volks do. I wonder if I should ask someone to act as "doll priest" only they don't have to wear the robes *chuckles*

I hope the other Perth doll owners will be able to come ^^ there will be food!

xxx Pandora

Victory!

2006-04-16T14:50:10Z

I won her o.O

http://www.rinkya.com/twview.pl?URL=http://page10.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/m30393013

Waiting is the Hardest Part

2006-03-13T12:39:16Z

Just a quick note to apologise for my lack of activity lately. See I'm waiting for Aimee to get two more Sato orders so she can order my f-06.. and looking at dolls is making me even more impatient ;_; I miss my girl.

*hugs*
Pandora

Belita

2006-03-01T13:12:27Z

http://www.dimdoll.com/shop/step1.php?number=156

Is it just me or does she look a lot like Ciel? Cute though ^_^

One Soul, Two Bodies

2006-02-20T14:08:26Z

I've been looking at some gorgeous Anais's today on various japanese websites, now I've always been a fan of Anais.. but I've never been quite sure which character of mine she could possibly be. She tended to see-saw between two characters in my mind but never settle with either. Well today I had a bit of an epiphany.

I think the reason I am so drawn to f-06 as the young Miss Charlotte.. is because Anais looks exactly like the elder Miss Charlotte! I can't explain very well without giving away more of her story.. but she is! Now, something came back to me from when I was first debating a change of body for my girl. dollseye mentioned the possibilty of having Miss Charlotte embodied by two dolls, now it didn't appeal to me at first.. but with a greater split in the ages (Anais would be about 17-19 I think) it tempts me.

Have you heard of anyone doing this before? Having two or more dolls share a character? The concept is somewhat strange but fascinating. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

*hugs*
Pandora

Just Like this

2006-02-15T12:46:02Z

Writing FCS Make up descriptions is hard! I'm trying to keep it simple enough to translate while at the same time making it detailed enough to explain exactly what I want.

Description of Make-up: Colour scheme is dusky pink (1) and milk brown (2) lips are pale dusky pink (3). Overall look is ‘antique natural’ similar to Volks LE Sasha (Sasya). Wig colours worn by this doll are usually light; blondes and pale browns.

Eyes – Dusky pink (1) mixed with milk brown (2) eyeshadow above eyes, eyelid crease lines darkened but not drawn in heavily. Eyeliner in milk brown (2), tear ducts and inside of eyesocket painted in pale dusky pink (3) and glossed. Eyelashes on lower lid painted in many very fine lines close together, colour is milk brown (2), length is medium-long getting shorter towards tear duct. Some milk brown (2) eyeshadow over painted eyelashes to soften the lines. Very fine line of gloss around the edge of the eyesocket.

Eyebrows – Milk brown (2) in curved shape, tapering at the outside ends. Shape and position as shown in picture. Eyebrows painted with fine milk brown (2) lines that are diagonal like hairs. Over this is softer painted shape of eyebrows. Eyebrows are not sharp, angled or painted high on head. Hair lines are faint not strong.

Cheeks – Blushing in dusky pink (1) at corners of cheek, gradually fading towards the face. As shown in picture.

Lips – Painted in pale dusky pink (3) with darker pink line between lips painted to the corners of the mouth. Lips are glossed but not very shiny, more satin than shiny. Lips are painted not airbrushed.

Description of Personality: Miss Charlotte is a sweet, fun loving girl. She is 8 years old and lives in victorian england. She is also very cheeky and sometimes mischievous and has a very vivid imagination. She likes to play games with her toys, pretending to be pirates or adventurers and to play tricks on the servants. Sometimes she can be quiet and sit and read a book or watch the rain fall outside her window. Her expression is sweet, but with a bit of cheeky mischief in it, as if she knows some secret that she won’t tell.

The numbers refer to colours on a pallette I've added to the reference photo. I wouldn't mind suggestions from anyone who's done this before ^^;

Looking towards the future..

2006-02-14T04:17:54Z

Thats the closest image I can find to how I would like Miss Charlotte's face up. Only I'd have the lips painted and glossed a little (I don't like airbrushed lips) and light brown lashes. Picture from Bouquet

I've been thinking a lot about how Miss Charlotte is going to 'fit' into f-06. I think I was attracted to Ren and f-06 because they both express different sides of her personality. Ren represented her more secretive private side, an older Charlotte who has learnt to keep her daydreams in her head. Ren-Charlotte was mysterious, private, introvertive... whereas f-06 Charlotte shows her other side, a younger Charlotte who is more adventurous, cheeky, fun loving and wild. She still has her quiet, reflective moments, hunting Phaeries and the like.. but she has a lot more energy and joie-de-vivre. I think she appeals to me more because of her openess, I'm a naturally introverted person and thus drawn to extroversion in others. I think f-06 captures my imagination more because she gives out personality so easily, where as with Ren it was a little more hidden.

So yes, Charlotte will change, but really she's just giving me the oppurtunity to show you another side of her then what you've seen with Ren.

Shinku's Teaparty & Ren's Farewell

2006-02-12T11:58:35Z

It was a truly lovely day, for those of you who don't know, Shinku is Juri's new Doll, an AR Dana. You can visit her journal here baranohime, Juri and Mirai are welcome to take any of these pictures for their own journals.

And this is Ren's new Mummy.

More f-06 Love

2006-02-11T11:29:08Z

Just look at this little Angel!

http://www5.plala.or.jp/yucca/sd-cus-mini6.htm

She's so precious ^_^

Tomorrow Miss Charlotte's old body will be going to her new Mummy, so the poor dear is going to be in Limbo for a bit. I'll try and post farewell pictures when I get home ^^

*hugs*
Pandora