sunny day

It hit 90°F in La Jolla today and I thought it was terribly unfair of me to leave my girls in long sleeves in such hot weather. Luckily my rRabit order came in today so I was able to change their clothes and give them nifty accessories ^^

Bought 2 headbands, one plain black and the other with a black bow. When I took them out of the packages I was mildly alarmed at how small they were, thinking they sent me the wrong size, but it fits pretty well on Lenny's head. Weird things happened with Porii though, probably because Little Monica heads have a relative flat top, so the headband doesn't fit too well... combined with the loose wig it's a positioning disaster.

 

And the rest of my tiny little order is the knee-length green skirt Porii is wearing. It's a pretty comfortable fit; the elastic is a little bit too taut for my liking and the scrunching around the waist makes the skirt difficult to layer under shirts that aren't really baggy and loose, but it's good for tucking shirts into.

❤ mura

closet update!

Yesterday I got notifications for 4 packages, 2 of them being my things from Taobao and Nine9 Style. Unfortunately, by the time I was finished with lab, it was already too dark for me to take proper pictures of anything. So this morning I got up nice and early to take a bunch of pictures :)

 

This one is my favorite because it's by far the EASIEST outfit to put on. It's super cute, too! I bought it from 42workshop on Taobao, the same place as where I got Lenny's sweater/long black skirt outfit from.

This is the qipao that I waited weeks for! At the time, the seller only had the DD version of this in stock, but they later asked me for my doll's measurements so I suspect this is custom made. Sadly, while I really love the fit of this outfit, the part between the bust and waist is a little too small for my doll's relatively wide torso, and I'm scared that the seams are beginning to rip :(

 

Bought this one off a sales post on the BJD Addicts Sales and Commissions page. It's perfectly cute, but again, because Little Monica girls have a really wide torso for SD13 size dolls, it doesn't quite fit right. I might remove some of the snaps in the back and replace them with hook-and-eye closures to help the dress actually close up in the back.

Lastly, here is a cute denim dress from Rosemary Shop on Taobao! They're an independent shop that makes very cute and girly clothes for SD and DD. The wonderful shop owner even gave me a necklace as a free gift! Will definitely be ordering from them again.

I still have clothes in the box that I haven't photographed yet, but I'll be getting around to those soon. Also, did you notice that Porii has different eyes? I bought some very lovely high quality glass eyes from MaoDoll that I will be reviewing soon. :)

❤ mura

accessory finds!

I went to Forever21 yesterday looking for a cheap t-shirt to screenprint things on for an upcoming event, but I found some adorable hair clips that work as doll accessories, too! They come in packs of 2 or 3, about $3 or $4 a pack, respectively. They're the perfect size hairbows for 1/3 size dolls, and would probably make for some cute oversized hair accessories for 1/4 dolls too! Here's Lenny modeling one.

Isn't it cute? It's a pretty good bargain too. Here's what the other bows from the pack I bought look like. I'm probably going to be using at least one of them on my incoming doll~

❤ mura

[review] promise of the world

Hello! I just picked up my package from Promise of the World now that my school's parcel service is up and running again. I have to say, I am very pleased with my order (minus the customer service and the wait). All the clothes were beautifully packed and true to the product images on the site. They're so adorable! I think I have to iron them when I get home though, they're quite wrinkled and that bothers me. Anyway, on to the review!

This is the box I received in the mail, with each of the items in their original packaging. As you can see, they're all individually wrapped in bags with the POTW sticker. From left to right, I ordered

+Mischievous boys and girls+Don't hurt baby birds!, summer's office half sleeve shirt in white, Peekaboo stars rompers in pink, Preppy Navy school bow tie in black, and strawberry skirt in blue. I also found a small packet of candy in my parcel as well. I feel like that's gradually becoming a thing among doll companies and clothes sellers? I remember I got free goodies when I ordered Lenny too...

Here's some coordinates I put together and detail shots. All the clothes fasten with snaps in the back and they fit perfectly! I can't wait to  pull out some of Lenny's older closet items and start mixing them up with the new goodies =3=

While I can't say much for the lack of communication and the unusually long wait for shipping, the clothing I received from Promise of the World is definitely top-notch quality. All seams are finished well and pintucking/tailoring is on point :) If they improve their customer service or find a better business model, I think I would definitely order from them again.

❤ mura

february wishlist

I just noticed I've acquired quite a few followers from when I first started this blog. Welcome to Cafe Amaretto, everyone! Sorry for the delay on this post, I was meaning to do a wishlist post for this month but I've been very busy with schoolwork and midterms and other things, so I haven't really quite found enough time to make good picks until now. I'll be taking a slight departure from my last official wishlist post. Instead of pointing out shops/artists, I'll be selecting specific outfits that I like. All of these outfits are listed on Taobao, so if you're interested in getting them for your dolls, I highly suggest finding an agent to do so.

The first outfit I'd like to introduce is nothing like what I usually pick - it's actually a sweet lolita dress! I purchased a natural-style outfit set from 42workshop before, but as you can see, they're really great with ruffles and pleats too. The Sweet Candy lolita outfit also comes with a set of neckwarmer and mufflers that you can buy separately, and also has a pink version of the dress set. Yo-SD size is also available.

Infinite Love has always been one of my favorite brands for doll clothes, but I think this is the first time I've seen them make something different from their pretty printed kimono sets. I really love this mori-style outfit. All the crochet lace and tulle ♡ (I actually might buy this in the near future!)

Forest Memory Set by Infinite Love

Have I expressed my love for ballerina-style dresses here (both on people and dolls)? Because I love them! This adorable dress set comes with a dress with a poofy skirt, a beige knit sweater, and earmuffs. Winter's almost over so this won't really fit into a summer closet, but I think it's really cute.

Autumn Dress Set by treehouse

This last one isn't an outfit, actually. Miko makes fancy doll jewelry that looks like jewelry for people at first glance. The image below showcases a pearl necklace and bracelet set. Perfect for a sophisticated little doll, don't you think? :) I think the owner only sells the jewelry at conventions though (or at least in very limited quantities on Taobao), so the listing price of 999 yuan is not accurate.

Riviere Necklace/Bracelet Set from Miko

❤ muramin

ideas for polaire

After a 4-month long debate I think I've finally decided what I want for my next doll. Or rather, after two tumblr polls, asking all of my friends an unhealthy number of times, and a great deal of deliberation I've chosen Eris!

I've got a few qualms about her, namely the problem I have with her ears, and of course the problem that comes with dolls that only exist as heads - resin matching. The current version of Eris that's available has droopy ears that I'm not a huge fan of, but I think they're starting to grow on me. As for the resin matching problem, some kind DoA members have told me that OR-doll NS matches LittleMonica, Supia, and Spiritdoll well, so I've got a few choices. I'm planning on hybridizing with a LittleMonica small bust body though.

Now that I've decided on Eris, I'm going to have to change closet plans too... I had a full set of links for clothes that fit SD16 girls just in case I chose Siean, but I have to go find pretty corset dresses for "flatter" girls... I've listed a few of my ideas below.

 

Both these pretty dresses are made by ★Akatsuki☆ for Xaga-Doll, and I think they'll fit with Polaire's image pretty well :) I also found these really cute boots that apparently fit SD13 heel feet, which is absolutely perfect! Thinking of getting these in the red-brown color, since black and white are no longer in stock.

Now all that's left is getting enough cash for all of this. Oh boy...

 
❤ muramin

january wishlist

This is kind of a personal thing I'm starting to help me keep track of shops I like and inspiration for any outfits I try to recreate in the future. I wouldn't consider this a wishlist in the most conventional sense, since I probably won't be getting any of these clothes in the future... but they're good for reference.

One of the people I really admire is the proprietor of Atelier O'clockworks on Etsy. Her clothes capture the mori girl style perfectly, from the materials she uses to the kinds of clothing she produces. I can only hope that someday I'll be as good of a seamstress as her :(

  

CLOVER series blouse, cardigan, country dress by O'clockworks on Etsy

Another shop I really love is Applebin from Korea. They do accept international orders, but having to pull out a translator for every item I want is pretty troublesome. Plus there's the issue of international shipping. I've got reasons to love them though - everything in store is really, really cute! I'd definitely wear them if they came in human size.

SG11, WG03, SG04 from Apple Bin

This doesn't include all of the things I"ve bookmarked on Taobao. I'm going to have to work hard this year. :(

❤ muramin

closet showcase 1

I bought Lenny a few outfits off Taobao not too long ago and I've decided to show them off in my not-quite-inaugural blog post. the manufacturer (cross church) advertised them as mori girl style, and I think they fit in pretty well. I wonder if Lenny's pleased with her current wardrobe...

 

first outfit: mint chocolate series retro hair tie set

I haven't made use of the hair ties yet, but I'm in love with the brown outer jacket ❤❤

second outfit: winged girl set

comes with a handmade necklace! I adore the culottes too

bonus: t-strape mary janes from M.V.S!

I've got three other outfits coming in the mail, and I'll show them to you when they get here. Here's to a quick delivery! ❤❤❤

❤ muramin