ASRIEL SHIPPED THIS WEEK?

not my work, this is the clay version of the kit ill be getting

so i inquired the kit supplier about when she thought shed ship my kit out, and her reply was, maybe tomorrow.

everyones prepping fro a huge doll show in NC. so theres no real telling. but i suspect it would go out by this weekend. hopefully. no worries, i think the shows only for a weekend, so by weeks start , maybe even mid week hed be shipped.

and hell have a tracking number..cant wait, cause i want to see how large he is to prep him for some cloths.

im STILL trying to figure out if i want him to be a girl, or a boy, he comes with a male belly plate..
hes so beautiful eitgher way to me, maybe ill make him gender neutral and when i feel the desire to make him a boy or girl, ill just put those clothes in him/her.

Not my work, shown for differences in skin color and gender.

i still need to figure out eyes for him...im wanting brown eyes with green in them...more brown than green but not so it looks like that they are only brown, i want the green to be enough you can really tell the difference.

Eyes sources from Pabol Eyes (link below)

as you can see, theres allot to chose from, and to most ppl these all look the same.
but they all have slight differences in the make ,and everyone of these has a series of colors they are offered in, i chose the brown/green hazel ones, because im doing asriel as a bi-racial baby.

im wanting his eyes to be strikingly loely, when you see him/her, you just melt.
 of them all, i think i like CB the best...

i like the dark green ring around the  iris, and the  brown around the pupil. i think the balance of them both is good. so ill prolly purchase a pair of this eye.

im purchasing these acrylic eyes from PABOL EYES, and they have issues with their web page , but you can see allot of the designs and such on their Facebook page, which is where i sourced the images from to compare. 

ive gone back and forth, as well with his hair...
curly, wavey...im leaning towards wavey.
dark, light...im leaning towards dark.

i cant wait till the email lets me know hes on his way...im so excited!

ill have WIP  progress images of him on here and on my Facebook page i do regular dolls at:

www.Facebook.com/WitAndWhimzyRebornNursery
if youd want to join to watch his progress there, simply LIKE the page. :)

BOUGHT MOST OF THE STUFF TO COMPLETE TIBBY

so, i finally was able to purchase the rest of , or MOST of , the rest of the things i need to attempt to complete my TIBBY before my mothers birthday, on may1.

not gonna lie, ive been a bit of a slacker when it has come to working on her, simply because im deadling with the anniversary of my mothers death...its never an easy time.

i did, manage one night, late (and by late i mean early morning ..like 3 am or so) to paint 2 layers of baby flesh on to the kit. its progress, not allot, but its something.

perhaps knowing, or at least recieving the majority of the rest of the stuff, will help me work through this kit.

i feel its almost pointless to work her, and then have no where to go to complete her. so im hoping knowing i have allot of the rest of the stuff, can halp me finish her on time.

MICHELLE

BAKING A BABY

so, after you paint veins, you can bake your kit.

i took pics of my kit in my halogen heat cooker. because the heads a bit big i have to cook this kit in stages. limbs then head.

that film on the cooker part isnt condensation, thats some emition of checmical either from the paints but i suspect more from the vinyl itself.

its recommended that if you cook your vinyl in anything (and many people cook in the same oven they make food in) its advisable to not taint the environment you cook your food in.
im glad i got this cooker, because i can plainly see, after one use...the film thats built up on the cooker. imagine if thats on your oven and seeps into your food. food for thought.

MICHELLE

WASHING & DRYING MY TORY KIT

 i was so excited to start this kit, after all my birthday things we did, late at night, i started my quest by washing my kit.

one of the 1st things youll ever want to do with any kit, is to wash it.

it helps to get rid of any dust, and oil residue that may be on the kit before you begin to transform the kit from a blank vinyl kit to a lifelike doll/baby.

i got a large bowl, something i had in the house. filled it with warm water. allowed the baby wash/shampoo to mix with the water as it was filling.
SMELLED SO GOOD! brought back so many memories of me washing my son when he was an infant. :)

of course when our washing your kit, youll have to remember that youll get he inside wet as well. and as a result, it may take longer for your kit to dry.

tory drying. 

flet like it took FOREVER for her to dry...lol.
i was just that excited to start on Tory, to transfer her into my Daniel...

MICHELLE

TORY KIT ARRIVES (just In Time For My Birthday!)

i am excited. way more than before.
i mean i had allot of enthusiasm for reborning, but THIS kit..i think will make the difference.

i finally decided to get the Tory kit, to do a custom of my son as an infant.

its that intense scowling look i was after. and i think the TORY kit, will follow through for me in my delivery of what i envision in my head.

so, we ordered the kit. and today (the day before my birthday) she arrived!

here spics of what all i ordered,because i got more than just the kit, i got everything i needed to make TOry into a custom of my son Daniel.

and, i wanted the custom of my son to be my 1st adventure into reborning. i adore my son, and he was an excellent baby. my memories of him as an infant are pricless, so i wanted to take on as my 1st project Him, because he was such a delight. i thought if i did him, and did ok, id do others as good, if not better.

i am well aware that my 1st attempt at a doll, and it being Him, may not be a successful adventure, but..i will love every minute of it, because its my son. :)

Polly Fill, used to stuff the body.

Tory Kit, blank, head and limbs

Tory kit head -upclose

plugs and neck ring, neck ring is used to give the head turnability. plugs are used to keep glass beads and filling in the head and limbs once filled.

cloth doe suede body

has joints! so the limbs cab be posed.

i didnt know this, but the bodys come with zip ties for you already in place...

mohair. Dark brown-wavy (2pks), 1 Ash Blond-wavy. its not well known but my son has a small bit of blond hair (fine baby whispy hair) at the hair line on his forhead. when his hair is cut just right, and you have the right lighting, it glows like a halo. i bought the blond in case i decided to root that. i may end up painting it, i havnt decided yet.

close up of the dark brown Mohair

close up of the Ash blond mohair

i also ordered 3 different sets of blue eyes, because i couldnt decide which one i thought would be perfect in this kit for a custom of my son. so i got: True Blue, Newborn baby blue, and new born blue grey

TRUE BLUE EYES

NEWBORN BABY BLUE

NEWBORN BLUE GREY EYES

pantyhose to hold the glass beads and allow for the mobility of them, they are used to weight the baby. Daniel weight 7lbs 15oz when he was born. i want to try to get that

Zip ties, in 14inches and in 8inch lengths

the ends of the 14 inches

the ends of the 8inches

GLASS BEADS..this is what you weight the head, and body and limbs with to give the doll that newborn floppy feel. Daniel weight 7lbs 15oz when he was born. i want to try to get that as close to his actual weight as much as possible, so i ordered..6 pounds, given the weight of the vinyl as the other part to the dills weight.

all of this..for less than 150.00!!!

MICHELLE

STRUGGLING WITH WHAT TO PURCHASE

most people would never thing that buying stuff (as a female) would be difficult.

yet, this time it is.
i have set mysefl up for a timeline (of sorts) to begin working on my 1st doll by the start of 2012.
so i have only a few more paychecks to squeak in those items needed to begin when the new year rolls around.

ive reworked my items sheet 5 different times.
and every time, i come out with the thought that a FULL kit, meaning one that has most of the items in it id need, is really the best and economical way for me to go.
it comes out cheaper that way. and gets me a start, plus id have another kit to add to the 10 i currently have waiting, to at least start with.
problem: none of those kits are available.
problem: they are at the lowest 119.00. and we dont have 119.00 to invest to get me started. not right now anyway.
i am fortunate that i do have one kit (Paisley) whom i will be starting my portfolio with as a custom reborn of my son daniel.
i just need some supplies, and they dont come cheap.

i hate to miss the chance this paycheck to not get anything.
maybe i should take what id actually purchase with (money) and set it aside to save up for one of those full kits?
argh!

purchasing every item one at a time is almost rediculous. it would take me well into february (i think) to get everything i needed to start if i was working on a budget of 25.00 a check. thats 5 pay cycles.

and we have Christmas coming too.

im getting anxious to start.
to push this artist to a new level.
to see if i can work on a 3 dementional canvas, and bring a plain blank vinyl doll to lifelike proportions.

i really havnt a clue what to do...

MICHELLE

ARGH! BLINKINS NOT AVAILABLE ANYMORE-SOLD OUT!

SHOOT!
i was gonna get BLINKIN and NOD today...and BLINKINs sold out!
NOD is still available. luckily for me, in the boy kit.
but BLINKIN is not.
so, now i have to figure out what im gonna order.

theres a new 6 inch kit available
well, new to me anyway.

JADEE

might decide to get her along with CUTIE

and just the NOD kit. (boy)

i was planning on making these little 6 inchers into fairies and elves. i think theyd be so cute!
and the 10 inches BYRON, EMMA, KIRI into GNOMES.
have the idea all in my head. just have to figure out how to make clothes for a GNOME..lol (oh, and FAIRIES/ELVES! lol)

or i may decide to get the DREW kit

the DREW kit reminds me of a friends baby. MASON B. his nose looked allot like DRWS does when he was born.
if i had my scanner, id scan the newborn baby pic i have of mason to show as a comparison.
all DREW would need is barely there whispy blond hair on his head and hed be an almost twin to Mason B.!

i dont think his moms all that crazy about dolls, so if i did do one of Mason, id have to keep it. just in case she ever decided shed want to have it for later on. so hed be one id keep. along with the protoype of my son Daniel, and the one im gonna do of myself as an infant.

of course, if i did allot of Masons, i could sell them and give masons mom some of the proceeds towards masons college, or future. ive considered similar with prototypes i want to scultp as well, talked to several new parents about the possibility of  selling a kit of their childs as a new infant and having some percentage of the proceeds go to some sort of trust fund for the child for later use.
im still deciding on that.
but if i dod do that, and was able to break into the market with a kit for others to purchase its only right to share some of the funds with the people whos child it is in the 1st place.
as well as the child themself.

so i tool around with that idea as well as how much to divide out of any sale for primate preservation.

i do allot of thinking.
so far still just waiting to get started, lol

MICHELLE

IM GONNA GET KIRI THIS WEEK FOR MY NEWEST KIT

ive known a new paycheck was coming for some time.

decided the other day to do a cross research inside Bountifulbaby.com, by listing each baby by its order number, and retail value as well as the rate i can get it at.
and try to make some sort of sense out of an organized listing of these dolls.

so, as i was foing this, and finishing it up yesterday, because i knew today id get to buy another doll...
i noticed when ever craig gets paid, the former cheaper dolls, go up about 5 bucks...
and there were a ton of them that were lower than before...
but they allmost ALL had facial expressions, like crying, or they were babies that had closed eyes.

so, my heart wasnt really into getting any of them, none of them struck me as ones i absolutley HAD to have before the rate went back up again on them.

so, i gravitated towards KIRI, again. and noted she had actually, gone down in her rate from 2 weeks ago when i was wanting to get her, but put her off to get PAISLEY instead (who is now Out Of Stock).
so, im thinking ill get KIRI...which will give me 2 of the 4 ten inch babies. theres another one, but i see her even more rarely than the others that i see rarely. not sure shes ever gonna come back into market again.
but i DO have the chance to get KIRI. and i think i will.
im not to crazy about her expression tho, but, shes another doll i can practice on and work on and do, and sell..
i STILL need to get BYRON, but he seems to always be available.
maybe he wont get bumped in 2 weeks and hell be my next purchase.

so today im going to order the KIRI kit.

MICHELLE

PAISLEY KIT HAS ARRIVED

PAISLEY has arrived.
and my intention was to do a replica of my son Daniel as an infant

i had an incident when i posted this kit and the picture of my son on my facebook into a folder.
someone i dont know, im only connected to because of (ill assume) games, stole the image of my son just moments after i had posted it up in that folder on my Facebook account.

so, if you notice his forehead has some markings, on it, its because the image i now use, has watermark on it.

so, anyway, i bought that PAISLEY kit, in the hopes of making a reborn of my son Daniel as an infant.

theres another kit i saw that has a better facial expression...TORY

TORY has more the scowling forhead Daniel exibits in his baby pic. but his mouth isnt open.
PAISLEY has fuller lips than he had. and they are closed.

i REALLY think TORY is a better match for a prototype of Daniel. and eventually ill get that kit.

of course, i may decide that PAISLEY is right once i see those grey/blue yes in the head. making the head look that much more real.

MICHELLE

PAISLEY KIT IS IN THE MAIL!

i just got email confirmation that PAISLEY has been shipped.
so i should see her within the next few days. so excited! i cant wait!

ill have her on standby as i STILL need to get the body, neck flange/ties, paint, brushes, rooting tools, mohair, eyes, to even start any of the kits i have at present.

it will be good that i have her tho, because she will be Daniel when completed.

i really need to get my web page up...if i could decide on a name for it.

i cant decide if i want WitandWhimzy .com
or
ForeverBabies .com
or
WhitandWhimzy. com/ForeverBabies

i want to somehow tie in the fact that allot of my dolls will be primate reborns.
but also human replicas as well.
so not to push people away from the discovery of my work because they may think all i do is one or the other..when the objective is to make sure i cover them both and represent them both as art works.

MICHELLE

EMMA KIT HAS ARRIVED!

man! im gonna say one thing about BountifulBaby.com THEY ARE FAST!

when did we put that order in? 3 days ago? and today i got her! amazing!

came in a tiny box, not like my monkey kits.
but a box, youd expect to get a hard back book in, seriously. i looked at that thing, thinking, theres no way shes stuffed in that.
and yet, when i opened it, there she was, perfectly fine, no damage what so ever.

and shes small.
i wanted to see how small.
man! 10 inches is like..tiny..lol

heres a side by side of her head and  one of my monkey kits.

im so excited! cant wait to start working on her.
making babies, selling them for some money. i just hope i do well enough at this that it pays off in the long run.

i was on another reborners  facebook page and someone was asking how much her dolls were because the individual wanted to get one for her daughter/grand daughter. and the reborner said they start at 150.00 just for the materials, and thats not including the cost of time invested in working on these babies.

she went on to say it takes several days to  paint the layers.
and it can take as much as 20 hours to do the hair alone.

then, you have to factor in the cost for clothes and accessories to go with the baby when purchased as well...

her quote to the person asking? 300-500.00
and people pay this for these babies.

its a market.
and i want to try to get into it.

theres another doll/train show coming up in about a year, im hoping to have a few dolls in it for sale.
ill even try to have one or two dolls in train outfits on the train side, just for the fun of it, and too see if people would be willing to buy them. im thinking 2. one boy, one girl.
and the doll side (which i never got to go look at last time, for any reborn dolls) ill have (hopefully completed) 5-10 by then, of course, a monkey or two. just to be different.

so, i have to be thinking of the investment going into the 1st baby with a set of overalls, and a tain hat on, with a train toy, as well, because it was my thought at the last show to have a couple of dolls at the show on the train side that were "train" oriented. as display, and for sale.

so i have to find a kit, thats not too expensive , and be working on that at the same time im working on emma.