* Pollipop By Grace *

hola!

2009-10-27T11:43:00.002+11:00

Been sewing up some things lately, and this blog is so sadly neglected.

The days are warmer, longer, and i'm like the cat chasing the sun.

Sometimes I wish there are more hours in a day for me to do my work.

Alrighty, these little owls are my latest creations.

I'm a sucker for anything owl.

To the extend I went even went on an owl hunt simply because someone told me one lived in the Fitzroy Gardens. I took that person's hand drawn map, and went searching for the tree which that owl lives in.

That was 2 years ago, and I believed that owl still lives in that tree, catching mice or possums every night.

You can find these owls at the Style After Dark market every Thursday evening at the South Melbourne Market. My stall is located along Cecil St near the Greek and Spanish eateries. *yum, lamb shank and spanish paella*

If you are not much of a night creature, don't fret. The owls can be found at the Camberwell Market every Sunday too. : )

Other than that, I had a Dead Man's Expresso blend at Dead Man's Expresso in South Melbourne last Sunday. Enjoyed a nice catch up with dolls and good company :D

Eva's Faye is such a cutie that I took so many photos of her, and only 2 for Haru (my little candy).

This is Eva, with her marvelous film camera. :D

Ohh, i haven't been sewing for blythe dolls lately, and this done last month!

okie. Back to work! :D

Hair Pins Special in my shop

2009-09-21T10:59:00.000+10:00

September Specials! Each pair of Hair Pins is only $2.50. See Shop for more details!
They fit Blythe and Humans alike. Made from vintage buttons and these are great accessories to pair up with your favorite frock or jeans!

Exhausted Weekend!

2009-09-21T10:49:00.001+10:00

I hate it when my internet is down.
Nothing much gets done usually when that happens. Stall updates come to a standstill, no flickr, no checking of emails or replying of conversations. No Twitter or Facebook. Everything to be done online becomes a virtual standstill.
But guess what, due to the above inconvenience, I managed to move my entire studio into my living room to make way for a new lounge room to make way for Spring parties and late night bbqs.
Right now I'm knee-deep in boxes and piles of fabrics and materials and work has come to a halt due to all the re-moving around. Even the kitchen is not spared. Boxes seemed to make their way in there quietly.
How did I ended up with so much fabrics and trims and buttons in the span of over a year since we moved here? I can see a garage sale in the works because mr penguin is exhausted from carrying all my stuff and stared in disbelieved at the sheer amount of things I had collected over the years. "No more buying", he said.

And guess what I caught... Hay Fever! :D
The menace of springtime is back and had both mr penguin and me in tears, runny noses and sore throats.
He had to cut the grass yesterday, which made everything worst!
Alright Grace, stop the whinging and get back to packing.
Oh, I need a tea first.

Did I mentioned I did 3 batches of laundry already, it made me felt like a superwoman! Ha.

Love,
Grace

New Head Band, Shoulder Wraps and Eye Masks for Blythe

2009-09-11T08:05:00.000+10:00

I've designed a this series of head-pieces in conjunction with the spring festivities of the Melbourne Spring Fashion Week and the spring racing carnivals...

This multi-purpose headband has several uses,
a) as a eye-protection cover ( sleep mask )
b) shoulder- wrap
c) as a headband

All Pollipop Headbands are made using
-100% quality cotton
-lace trims
-vintage 1950s plastic buttons

Please visit my Etsy Shop for more details or see my flickr stream!

♥All Designs and Photography ©Pollipop 2009♥

Mim in English Rose dress

2009-09-10T10:14:00.000+10:00

Who said Sleepwear must be daggy?

Mim is all dressed up and getting ready to attend Marie Antoinette's Bedtime Party. Cake, sweets and desserts are part of the menu, and of course, a pillow-fight too...

English Rose

2009-09-10T10:11:00.001+10:00

Little shop update with my latest creation...
See my shop for more details.

It's Spring and it's also Fashion Week in Melbourne

2009-09-05T08:52:00.002+10:00

I'm loving the Spring weather in my part of the world, hay fever, pollen dust and the best of all,
its Melbourne Spring Fashion Week.
I had so much fun this entire week and it's still ongoing!
*phew*, no time to breathe but hey, a fashionista needs to do what she needs to do.

Nina visits Claude (the bird) in Armadale... I absolutely love this shop, it's filled with little treasures thatboth Nina and I loved very much...

too tired to blog, but here's a photos of Mirin

2009-09-04T21:30:00.000+10:00

This is the prize give-away which I organized for my Pollipop Group on Flickr.
The draw is today and one lucky Blythe and her mommy will get this outfit in their mailbox soon.

Dolly day out in Fitzroy!

2009-08-31T10:33:00.000+10:00

omg, giant russian dolls Trio in Fitzroy. *oink* (Eva), patchwork_avenger (holly), Jooli and I explored Fitzroy yesterday after a brief doll meet at Block Arcade (koko black). Sue (Purple_Tiger/ Jam Slammington) had to leave earlier after Koko Black and we missed u, hope dinner was fantastic and I'm sure it was!

Sleep Needed and much appreciated

2009-08-27T10:38:00.004+10:00

I can't believed i worked through the night editing all the button hairpin photos. Fatigue is sinking in and I'm finally able to get some rest after up-loading my Etsy shop listings.

Right now I'm lying in bed and trying to sleep but the morning sun's really bright, so here I am, updating my blog.

Kinda hungry but too lazy to whip something up in the pantry. Mom will be buying lunch home and that's a bonus so I've got a couple of hours of rest, no cooking required.

I wish I have more time to blog here, but Twitter is a faster way to keep in touch and I can do that with my iphone on the move or while lying in bed. Nowadays I surf more on my phone than with my macbook, which is good coz usually the macbook is plugged into the stereo for constant music streaming ( i like blasting my music out loud.)

Currently listing to Ella Fitzgerald, Lily Allen and Black Eyed Peas. They are so random I know but I like my music taste to be super varied.

Editing mode=black eyed peas for that 'Beat'.

Surfing/evening time= Ella

Morning= Lily Allen's witty lyrics perks me up

okie. The sleep deprieved lady needs to see the sandman of dreams.

Tata.

Pollipop's Etsy Shop update

2009-08-27T03:48:00.003+10:00

Shop Update: From 10am Melbourne Australian time, 27 Aug (26 Aug evening for US customers)

-Vintage Button Hair Pins for Blythe or you!

-Russian Doll Dress

Do you like Russian dollies?

2009-08-26T18:54:00.006+10:00

Hello! I'm Charlotte and I'm dressed up as a Russian Dolly today. I like my outfit and it has my favorite Babushka dollies on the hem.

I found this red phone and it's in such good condition. Both Charlotte (Blythe doll) and the phone are vintage, but I wonder who's older?

Quinn and Charlotte are wearing my latest handmade creations... I had always been so fascinated with Russian Matryoshka nesting dolls and I think I found the perfect combination for my love of red, black and cream! Hope you like my kenner twins, and thanks Eva *Oink* for re-igniting my kenner fire love : )
Hope you enjoyed this photo spam of my twin Kenner girls...

See more of the girls' adventure coming up soon, here on my flickr

Lucky Draw by Pollipop! Win freebies!

2009-08-20T12:06:00.005+10:00

Hello!

Pollipop has been busy with non-dolly life commitments and now I'm back!

To celebrate this occasion,
I'm going to organize a super duper cute Pollipop outfit set giveaway.

Lucky Draw Date: 4 September 09 (Friday, Australian time)

Click HERE to register for the draw and Good Luck!

Miya vs Ikea 2010 catalog...

2009-08-19T12:39:00.001+10:00

Miya on top of my freshly delivered Ikea 2010 catalog!

She wants me to look at her, and not the catalog.

Lati Lea and Doe the Bunny

2009-08-18T13:30:00.006+10:00

If you are tiny like me, you can sit on top of a bowl of oranges too.

Life's pretty good on top of the Orange World, until I came tumbling down.

This is Doe, my Dollzone bunny.

Pollipop's Portfolio Mosaic

2009-08-18T08:10:00.005+10:00

Click on the image to view full mosaic!

Afternoon in Paris...

2009-08-17T10:16:00.003+10:00

Quinn says Hello everyone!

She's my super model in my new handmade dress titled 'Afternoon in Paris'.

I wish I'm in Paris right now.

My girls wish they are in Paris too, especially Quinn and Bebe.

New Arrivals of Blythe Dresses by Pollipop

2009-08-14T08:38:00.003+10:00

After a long hiatus, Pollipop Blythe Shop is Open!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my regular customers and friends for all their support since 2007.

This Tea Dress Collection is the first range done by yours truely (Grace) in 2009. It was first showcased in Robio's Blythe Exhibition back in April, and I'm offering a small quantity to my customers in my Etsy shop, www.pollipop.etsy.com/

15% of the proceeds from this Tea Dress Collection will go to the australian Animal Protection Society, http://www.aaps.org.au and the RSPAC of Victoria. Here's a sneak peek,

See my Flickr for the entire collection http://www.flickr.com/photos/cutiehoney/

Love, Grace.

Pollipop updates...

2009-08-11T11:28:00.006+10:00

My stall at the Thread Den Market last Sunday.

This was taken at Northcote Town Hall Market in 2008.

I made these gorgeous key rings for little miss sunshine's friends.

Since I had been an iPhone fan and user, I made these to store my phone and keep it clean.

A small collection of hair-ties with my favorite fabrics.

Pollipop will be having a stall tomorrow!

2009-08-08T10:54:00.005+10:00

Venue: 44 Errol St, North MElbourne
Time: 10am to 2pm!
Date: 09/08/2009

I'm expecting a lot of turnout so be early before the goodies fly outta the door fast!

Just a little sneak peek at my new batch of russian dollies,

Sisters Market tomorrow!

2009-07-31T16:14:00.005+10:00

Hello folks from Melbourne,

{Pollipop} invites you to the Brunswick Town Hall tomorrow (1 August 2009),
from 10am till 4pm for a special event at the Sister's Market!

Address: 233 Sydney Road, Brunswick, Victoria. Australia.

See you there!

travelling...

2009-07-30T21:01:00.006+10:00

Sometimes we all take some time off to enjoy what mother nature has to offer. I love clear blue skies, stormy weather and sunny days. Winter is my favorite season and while others hibernate, I go to the mountains and soak up on some UV and snow action. Been going around snapping pictures with my click click and trusty camera and here's a few I particularly like.

More travel photos here on my flickr!

A dosage of fairy tales is good for you

2009-07-08T17:54:00.005+10:00

I always adored reading fairy tales, especially ones by The Grimm Brothers.
Although they are tales, they make a lot of sense. Not quite sure if a child enjoys stories of wolves eating 7 lambs at a go, or the beautiful princess briar rose who fell asleep for a hundred years due to a curse. Fairytales do have meanings behind them I supposed, but may be too hard for a child to swallow. I shall post some of my favorite ones in weeks to come since I spent a lot of time devouring these tales in my free time.

Cat and Mouse in Partnership, by the Grimm Brothers.

A certain cat had made the acquaintance of a mouse, and had said so much to her about the great love and friendship she felt for her, that at length the mouse agreed that they should live and keep house together. ’But we must make a provision for winter, or else we shall suffer from hunger,’ said the cat; ’and you, little mouse, cannot venture everywhere, or you will be caught in a trap some day.’ The good advice was followed, and a pot of fat was bought, but they did not know where to put it. At length, after much consideration, the cat said: ’I know no place where it will be better stored up than in the church, for no one dares take anything away from there. We will set it beneath the altar, and not touch it until we are really in need of it.’ So the pot was placed in safety, but it was not long before the cat had a great yearning for it, and said to the mouse: ’I want to tell you something, little mouse; my cousin has brought a little son into the world, and has asked me to be godmother; he is white with brown spots, and I am to hold him over the font at the christening. Let me go out today, and you look after the house by yourself.’ ’Yes, yes,’ answered the mouse, ’by all means go, and if you get anything very good to eat, think of me. I should like a drop of sweet red christening wine myself.’ All this, however, was untrue; the cat had no cousin, and had not been asked to be godmother. She went straight to the church, stole to the pot of fat, began to lick at it, and licked the top of the fat off. Then she took a walk upon the roofs of the town, looked out for opportunities, and then stretched herself in the sun, and licked her lips whenever she thought of the pot of fat, and not until it was evening did she return home. ’Well, here you are again,’ said the mouse, ’no doubt you have had a merry day.’ ’All went off well,’ answered the cat. ’What name did they give the child?’ ’Top off!’ said the cat quite coolly. ’Top off!’ cried the mouse, ’that is a very odd and uncommon name, is it a usual one in your family?’ ’What does that matter,’ said the cat, ’it is no worse than Crumb-stealer, as your godchildren are called.’

Before long the cat was seized by another fit of yearning. She said to the mouse: ’You must do me a favour, and once more manage the house for a day alone. I am again asked to be godmother, and, as the child has a white ring round its neck, I cannot refuse.’ The good mouse consented, but the cat crept behind the town walls to the church, and devoured half the pot of fat. ’Nothing ever seems so good as what one keeps to oneself,’ said she, and was quite satisfied with her day’s work. When she went home the mouse inquired: ’And what was the child christened?’ ’Half-done,’ answered the cat. ’Half-done! What are you saying? I never heard the name in my life, I’ll wager anything it is not in the calendar!’

The cat’s mouth soon began to water for some more licking. ’All good things go in threes,’ said she, ’I am asked to stand godmother again. The child is quite black, only it has white paws, but with that exception, it has not a single white hair on its whole body; this only happens once every few years, you will let me go, won’t you?’ ’Top- off! Half-done!’ answered the mouse, ’they are such odd names, they make me very thoughtful.’ ’You sit at home,’ said the cat, ’in your dark-grey fur coat and long tail, and are filled with fancies, that’s because you do not go out in the daytime.’ During the cat’s absence the mouse cleaned the house, and put it in order, but the greedy cat entirely emptied the pot of fat. ’When everything is eaten up one has some peace,’ said she to herself, and well filled and fat she did not return home till night. The mouse at once asked what name had been given to the third child. ’It will not please you more than the others,’ said the cat. ’He is called All-gone.’ ’All-gone,’ cried the mouse ’that is the most suspicious name of all! I have never seen it in print. All-gone; what can that mean?’ and she shook her head, curled herself up, and lay down to sleep.

From this time forth no one invited the cat to be godmother, but when the winter had come and there was no longer anything to be found outside, the mouse thought of their provision, and said: ’Come, cat, we will go to our pot of fat which we have stored up for ourselves–we shall enjoy that.’ ’Yes,’ answered the cat, ’you will enjoy it as much as you would enjoy sticking that dainty tongue of yours out of the window.’ They set out on their way, but when they arrived, the pot of fat certainly was still in its place, but it was empty. ’Alas!’ said the mouse, ’now I see what has happened, now it comes to light! You a true friend! You have devoured all when you were standing godmother. First top off, then half-done, then–’ ’Will you hold your tongue,’ cried the cat, ’one word more, and I will eat you too.’ ’All-gone’ was already on the poor mouse’s lips; scarcely had she spoken it before the cat sprang on her, seized her, and swallowed her down. Verily, that is the way of the world.

mirin

2009-03-31T17:43:00.000+11:00

Mirin, mohair Blythe doll customized by me. She's wearing my latest creation, 'kingyo' goldfish dress.

Grace's world in cross-processed

2009-03-17T13:29:00.002+11:00

merry christmas 2008

2008-12-22T11:08:00.004+11:00

Hello all, : ) It's a couple of days till the most jolly season of the year, I wish all my readers a Merry Christmas, and a Happiest New Year.

I had a fantastic weekend filled with seeing old friends, meeting new people and playing with dolls. Every year, Christina, a fellow Blythe lover and collector of Jam Fancy fame, holds a Christmas Meet at her place. Paul and her made the cutest spread of sweet goodies and wicked fruit punch, and the whole house is filled with the most adorable Festive critters, bunnies, Christina's handmade softies and of course, Blythe Dolls!, all dressed in their Sunday's Best.
Ever since Slinky's death, I had been so uninvolved in the Blythe community in Melbourne and I was so happy to see my dear friends, and meet new ones too. I met up with Louisa, one of the first few Melbourne Blythe people who turned up for one of the first few meets in Melbourne. Claire from Loobyloo was also there at Christina's. It has been 5 years since I last saw her at a Camberwell cafe meet and she told me she remembers me as I looked familiar, and her daughter Amelia is a big girl now and an even bigger Blythe fan!
Jo from New Zealand came too and its goods to place a name to a face. And yes, she's moved back to Melbourne so we can look forward to seeing her at local Blythe gatherings.

I'm taking a short Christmas holiday break from work for a couple of days. I've been a bit overwhelmed with orders that I need to replace which got lost in the mail and I need to get things sorted and organized. In the meantime, I won't have time to update my blog due to the major house cleaning I have to do. My floor is littered with fabric scraps and I can barely see the base of my table, which is currently covered with tons of sewing materials, threads and buttons. I will be back here to you asap, my dearest friends and valued customers! Thank you for your understanding and I hope to be up and running in the first week of January.

Settling Things at the moment

2008-12-09T11:10:00.002+11:00

I had the busiest two weeks in the entire year.
Had been making stock, preparing and helping out with Jooli's marriage ceremony, sewing replacment blythe dresses for my customers and bringing overseas' friends out for dinner or coffee. So busy that I almost forgot I have a blog which still exists!

Being busy is good. It helps me to forget that two months had passed since I lost Slinky. He's not forgotten, but I have slowly moved on and came to the conclusion that he's living in my memory, for now.

Good things first, Jooli got married last Friday. She looked gorgeous and congrats to her new married life. Other than preparing for her ceremony, we did the usual girly things like shopping, coffee in the city in the middle of the afternoon and hanging out together.

Darryl and David came over and visit Melbourne too, so did Jace. I just wish I have more time to bring them around and 'makan' or go sightseeing but Chrismas period is my busiest working season in the entire year.
I had to complete my wholesale orders and luckily I have a nice team of helpers, including the new bride! hee.

All good things come to an end and I was horrified to discovered that several of my parcels had not reached their recipients yet and it had been over a month. They could have gotten lost in the mail or I imagined the worst case scenario, someone had fallen in love with Pollipop dresses and decided to send their Christmas Elves to nick them off in transit. This is the strangest and most unsettling thing to happened ever since I started my Pollipop Blythe businesss over a year ago.
I had a 100% delivery record so far and lately I'm very disturbed by this episode of missing dresses. I'm working 14 hours a day this week in order to complete and replace those dresses for my valued friends and customers and I hope the Blythe Gods hears my prayers and the missing dresses do turn up.

Anyway, I have to much to blog about but I only wish I have more time and energy. I woke up with a sore throat and pounding headache. Perhaps its the crazy Melbourne weather or the lack of sleep or the overdose of overly rich food yesterday. Had tea and desserts at Brunetti's at Lygon Street, then we head over for dinner at Tiamo 2. Their risortto Nero is cooked to perfection. Lovely Bruschetta and mama mia, their pizza crust is so crisp and nice.
As usual, we needed a chocolate fix and headed over to Koko Black for their famous Belgian hot chocolate and called it a night.

Okie doo, Onions needs breakfast and so do I. And I have lots of work to complete today.

Ta,
Gracie

weather conditions, windy

2008-11-20T15:09:00.002+11:00

I do not like rainy days if i'm outside. I love a thunderstorm when I'm indoors.
I hate windy days. Simply because I have a fear of being blown away.
I love sunny days, but I do not like to be in direct sun.
I hate cloudy days, because it dampens my spirits.
I love watching the weather. It's unpredictable and amazingly comforting to watch, if I'm indoors and out of mother nature's fury.

Hot off the press... Fabric Badges!

2008-11-14T18:32:00.005+11:00

Super cute and kawaii badges made by me.

This set is available in my Etsy shop. : )

TGIF

2008-11-14T11:23:00.003+11:00

Another week flew past.
I've finally deboxed my new baby, my Macbook baby! *woot*
Thanks Sel and my dear for the CDs. Now I can finally work on my new lappy. She's so sleek and sexy and quiet. The resolution is great and the size is perfect. I'm so glad I went with ahead with a macbook instead of an imac . The 24inch screenon the imac is tempting but I would prefer mobility as I can bring my baby everywhere.

This weekend is going to be exciting! Jooli is flying over this weekend and we'll be happily hanging out and doing lots of shopping and girly stuff.

I'm also awaiting for D's arrival. He'll be Father Xmas this year as he's bringing over my new toy. Mom will be passing it to him sometime this week or the next and I'll be a happy camper, and you blog readers will enjoy the results of it! Shhh.. its a secret.

Okie. Back to work. Tons of stuff to do for the markets and I'll be busy till Xmas. : )
I like being busy. It keeps me sane, in a good sort of way.

A bit of sewing done...

2008-11-06T12:21:00.003+11:00

Yoo hoo!
Been a month since I updated my Etsy shop.
New dresses are out, fresh from the oven, err, my atelier.
2 contemporary black, white, red and super mod dresses in cherry blossom prints.
2 lush tropical maxi style dresses in bold floral prints.

Other than sewing, I got myself a new iphone. My partner caved in and bought one too...
My fishes are okie too, they are getting territorial!

On Melbourne Cup Day (Tuesday), we had a last minute BBQ. It wasn't planned, we just went out, got some food and grab a few friends over.
Leg of Pork. Took 2 hours to roast that! In the meantime, we watched Tropic Thunder!

We also had garlic bread, sausages, chicken wings and tofu fish cakes. Mr Q made a kick-ass cabbage salad and our friends brought beer, sausages, crackers and dips ice-cream and cake!

outdoor time

2008-11-03T17:47:00.004+11:00

Seems like we are enjoying a little bit more of our spring time at the moment.
Q and I had been having breakfast in the garden, and when we have friends over for a meal, we eat outside because its warm and nice.
Was supposed to have a BBQ last Saturday, but due to unforeseen circumstances, it had to be cancelled. There goes my plan of having 2 BBQs, 2 Saturdays in a row. Had a test drive on the new BBq pit 2 weeks ago prior to the supposed one on Nov 1.
We had roasted lamb, and Q made carrot cake. To make full use of the good weather, we had a last min. small pot luck on sunday night too, with steam fish and a small assortment of dishes like steamed minced pork and vegetables.

Am hoping to have the next bbq on nov 29. This one will be massive and I hope it all goes well as planned.

Crafting still continues... Making more badges for xmas stock as well as sewing for Blythe dollies. Was supposed to launch a new series of 'noir' japanese styled dresses, but that got pushed back due to the 'unforeseen' event which took place last week.

Cup day tomorrow, and it's a public holiday, but I think it'll be a good time to release some Pollipop goodness on Etsy. Hopefully the weather is good and I can take some photos and upload them. I think it had been a nearly a month since Slinky's death, and I had excluded myself from the world of dolly affairs and internet socializing. No flickr, no msn and not much of surfing for me. I got new fishes in my tank to keep me occupied, and they are very amusing to watch. Fish keeping is an addictive hobby. I know doll-collecting is hard to resist, but the telly isn't on much because I 'm more keen on the fish telly tank than the

And I finally caved in and bought myself a new iphone. Talk about checking emails on the go and also having a new 'alarm' clock and organizer.

If you are looking for me, Pollipop opens shop in Camberwell Market every Sunday. See ya there.
: )

2008-10-29T18:22:00.002+11:00

1) Ben... notice the white and dark orange tips on his dorsal fin.

2) Sally. No white coloration on her dorsal fins at all. She turns a bit darker when my camera lens gets too close.

gold ocellatus tank

2008-10-28T12:08:00.007+11:00

Just re-arranged my occie tank yesterday. I had been wanting to keep gold ocellatus for ages, and had been waiting for the fry to be big enough so I could bring home a pair. Been a 5 month wait I reckon, but so worth it. These fishes had very unusual behavior, unlike the usual tropical fishes like tetras. They like to burrow sand around their 'homes', which are shells.
Can you see the little female hovering at the entrance of her shell? Her name is Sally. She lives at the back corner of the tank. She's pretty daring and likes to wonder around her perimeters, and try to engage in the male's attention. The moment she's outta her bag from the shop, she's busy exploring her new suroundings.

Another female takes over both these shells at one corner of the tank. She's hiding in the white shell when I took this photograph. I named her Mel. I thought she's the new comer of the trio, because I got a pair of fish to start with, but now I have every reason to believe she's the original female that paired up with the male occie. She rotates between both the shells in the photo above, but she usually likes it better in the conch shell in the front of the photo.

Both the female occies are less shy than the male. This is the male (photo below). His name is Ben. He's about 1.5 inches long (+/-) and he's very shy, as compared to the females. He doesn't move away from his shell much, and I haven't seen him eat today. The food just flows past him but he doesn't make a move for it. I hope he gets hungry soon.

Edit to add: Mel and Ben has swapped territories. He's now in the white shell, and no logner guarding the green one, which was a bit tiny for him. I could still see his tail when he hides in the green one, but he could fully hide in the white shell now.

When I first got the pair, she tried to squeeze in with him in the same shell, even when I have 5 other shells sitting around. He didn't bulge, so she found herself another shell instead. Mel is in the green shell now since Ben has vacated it and found a new home.

Ben has swapped shell with Mel again, and he's back to his usual spot in the middle.
Sally is alternating between her two shells on the right, and behind the rock.
Mel is still skittish and hiding in her shell on the left.

... life quieten down a little...

2008-10-21T11:43:00.006+11:00

*phew* Finally a breather...
I've been sewing and punching buttons non stop for the entire of last week to prepare for the Sister's Market, and also sewing Blythe outfits too... Talk about multi-tasking. I've got new stock of Babushka dolls, fabric coaster packs and tons of new badge designs.
The Sister's Market was a quite a success. So glad to met a new Blythe Friend, B For Blythe from Melbourne, and I'm even more thrilled to when my lovely Blythe ladies Sue, Narelle, Georgia and Alana, who came down to the market too. : ) Thank you all so much for thinking of me, and your kind condolences about my kitty Slinky. *Tears*...

I've been getting requests to list my buttons and badges in my Etsy Shop. I'll be listing some this weekend. Hopefully by then I have a new computer.

All the Blythe outfits are mailed out and I'm so relieved that its all done up and I can move on and sew the next series of dresses for my Blythe. The sample pieces are already sewn up and now its time to sew up a storm.

Spring is a time for growth, and I hope growth comes in all good areas in life.
I've been so lucky because a lot of people are there for me, aiding me and helping me. My friends are great, and my family is so supportive. My online friends that I met through Blythe are always there for me too, I felt so lucky.
Despite the loss of my beloved Slinky recently, life is smooth and I slowly move on. It had been almost two weeks, and I can't say I'm coping very well, but I' ve tried my best.

okie. Time for a cuppa tea eh?

life updates...

2008-10-14T11:32:00.004+11:00

Hello.
I know the lack of updates is shocking, but for those of your who had been following my flickr,
Thank you for your condolences.

I'm still overcoming the sudden departure of my cat. My customers had all been so understanding and told me not to rush the orders and take care of myself first, and that really touched my heart and I wept even more. I had made so many nice friends all over the world and I'm so glad most of you knew my cat from the photos I've posted over the years, and some in real life. He's very missed and I'm still coping the loss of him.

I won't be making new Pollipop Couture updates till next week as I'll be busy preparing all my Etsy orders prior to my cat's sudden death. Work is all in progress this week and orders will be promptly mailed out. My first priority is to finish all the current orders, and preparing for this Saturday's Sister's Market at Brunswick Town Hall. Please drop by at our stall and say Hello!... As usual, I'll be bringing a couple of Blythe dolls with me on that day.

Sister's Market is a craft market and this will be second time we set up stall there. Hope to see you there this Saturday (18 October)
http://www.sistersmarket.com.au/

As I've broken my laptop last week, I won't be online often till my new Mac arrives. I've got to heal my broken heart and also deal with the loss of my only connection to my online world, but rest assured I'll be back as new, hopefully, after this difficult period's over.

Singpore Day on Oct 4...

2008-10-02T17:52:00.002+10:00

Details here,
https://app.singaporeday.gov.sg/index.html

2 sleeps away... heee.. and my stomach is growling at the thought of all the local hawker food and performances.

New at my Etsy Shop

2008-10-02T14:50:00.003+10:00

Etsy Shop update tomorrow!

2008-10-01T17:00:00.002+10:00

Pollipop's Etsy Shop is almost running out of dresses to sell, so I'll be uploading a couple more dresses with very cute fabrics tomorrow. Usual morning time, Melbourne Australia from 10am onwards!

bunny dresses!

2008-09-27T10:37:00.004+10:00

Mom got these cute bunny fabrics for me and they look super cute on my girls.
The Kenners test out the dresses for a perfect fit before I pack them up to be sent to their new dolly recipients.

Beijing Hot Pot night

2008-09-27T07:44:00.004+10:00

Hello! Its early Satuday morning and I can't sleep, so I'm here.
As I'm lying in bed and typing this, I felt hungry. Thinking of Macdonald's breakfast later on.
It's Saturday, which means it time to clean the house, do the laundry and I'm going out later to get a much needed hair-cut too. My dolls have better hair than me anytime, and my hair is terribly neglected.

Ok! Food picture time. I'm probably the skinniest person in the world who loves food, and I can eat A LOT! heheeeeee....
This was Selwyn's birthday celebration last Wedesday. We had dinner at Beijing hot pot.
For my readers who are not familiar with Asian hot pot, its basically a huge pot of soup and you cook your own little morsels of food in it. There' prawns, fishballs, mussels, lotus roots, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, chinese cabbage, beef slices, lamb slices and much more.
We are eating the Chinese version. I know in Korea, Japan and other Asian countries, they have different varieties of hot pot too.
We order a 'Yin and Yang' soup base, which is super hot at one end and mild on the other. Basically all the ingredients are slice thinly so it'll cook in seconds. You can choose a variety of sauces like garlic, sesame, satay or 'sha char' to dip your food into. Usually, a hot pot meal can last up to two hours.
Its' usually a winter meal and you'll feel so nice and warm after dinner.
Needless to say, we had a good meal that night.

If you are in Melbourne, Beijing Hot Pot is on Whitehorse Road, Box Hill.

Miss Sally Rice Twins?

2008-09-26T18:12:00.002+10:00

I think Miss Sally Rice Twins are cute. These two belongs to Alana and Candace. Photo taken during last Saturday's Blythe meet at Max Brenner's.
Arghhh, I'm falling for MSR so much. I kept looking at my current girls and contemplating which one to sell to fund for a MSR blythe.

We Play With Dolls!!!

2008-09-26T18:04:00.003+10:00

I'm not exactly the most active person in dolly forums. I've been visiting all my usual dolly haunts less frequently due to ever increasing workload, but there's this new forum called We Play With Dolls which I love going to. It's an Australian doll forum and its a super nice and cosy place to chat about anything, dolls included. Check it out, you know you want to :)

Hello Stranger~!

2008-09-24T10:55:00.003+10:00

You guys missed me? I've been busy sewing and crafting that its hard to find time to blog. Lots of birthdays over the last two weeks so its hard to find time to come online.
I've been sewing cute dresses us usual, and will be completing a mountain of orders this week too. It's almost a non-stop process but I enjoyed it very much as I know all the dresses will be loved by the dolls and their mommies.

Last Saturday I managed to make it to a Blythe Meet in Melbourne. It's a tiny meet but very cozy. I'm so happy to see my Blythe friends after 4 months of absence in the dolly-meet world since I moved. There were two Miss Sally Rice Blythe dolls and that seal the deal for me. I need a Miss Sally Rice, and my wish is coming true : )

Anyway, I've got heaps to do today as its another birthday dinner tonight. Lots of September Birthday babies I know. heee..

So, I'll leave you a photo of Kozy, she's a cutie!

2008-09-09T14:28:00.003+10:00

It's been a crazy day. I've been trying to pack up my untidy table before embarking on the sewing tasks, and it's not going anywhere because I'm just so slow at packing/tidying up.
And to make matter worst, I'm having crazy food cravings...

Current cravings:
1) Japanese Rice Crackers with nori (seaweed)
2) Kim Chi ( Korean preserved vegetables)
3) Thai Fish Cake from Saffron Thai (in Auburn Road or in Caufield)
4) Soba Noodles from my favorite Japanese soba place in South Melbourne. They have the best soba noodles I've ever eaten and the japanese owners of that place made their special stock daily.
5) Grilled chicken wings marinated in honey, soy and garlic.

You can probably guessed what I want to dinner tonight... All of the above! hahahaa

marmalade collection

2008-09-09T10:35:00.002+10:00

3 new frocks up for sale in my Etsy shop.

Kate and I on vacation at Mt Hotham

2008-09-04T11:00:00.002+10:00

Kate's dolly retreat up at Mt Hotham was a blast. We had a fantastic 4 days vacation and it was loads of fun in the Victorian Alpine resorts. The air was fresh, the snow was so white and nice. Best of all, breathtaking views from the top of the mountain.

Indoor photoshoot of Kate : ) She wears a new dress designed and made by me. I titled it Marmalade Jam and Sugar Drops.
She wonders out in the snow later in the afternoon in her folklore-ish frock. All she needs is elf ears to look Elvish!

miss sally rice blythe

2008-08-26T19:02:00.003+10:00

Hi Mom! You know I so want her! Miss Sally Rice is her name and she has light blue hair and a mullet cut fringe. She wears a red dress with a black cat on it. So hopefully you can recognize her in her pink flower box during your vacation in Hong Kong. And I'm envious that I can't go to Mong Kok and you can. : (
Have a nice trip.Top: Souce, flickr, Pon_ne's photograph.
Bottom: Source, www.blythedoll.com

inspirations

2008-08-22T15:41:00.003+10:00

This is what I'm currently reading at the moment. It's a watercolor sketchbook by Sarah Midda. In the midst of her watercolor sketches, I fell in love with the countryside in South of France where Sarah spent a year creating her wonderful book of memories. It's her personal journal with vivid images of her day-to-day discoveries.

Soft colors, french country side and little bits of nature all packed into this beautiful book.
The colors are amazing and I felt like going out and getting a watercolor paper Moleskin sketchbook and start sketching right away. I've been so busy sewing and I forget how it feels like to have a pencil scratching the surface of paper.

My next collection of dresses will be soft and nature inspired, with lots of florals and light colors. It will be sweet. : )

Etsy Shop updates

2008-08-22T12:03:00.006+10:00

New Frocks will arrive on Friday 22 August, late afternoon for US time zones.
Saturday 23 August, 7am Melbourne Australia Time.
Please use a time converter to convert to your local time.

There will be 8 one-of-a kind dresses in Riverside Adventures, Riverstones in Cherry and Wild Geese. Dress designed to fit both Blythe and Lati Yellow ball-jointed dolls.

2 dresses in 'wild geese' will be available.

Lati Yellows wear the dress as a full length version, and Blythe dolls, a mini-dress style.

Small selection of Blythe Dresses... featuring...

2008-08-21T09:26:00.008+10:00

A small launch tomorrow evening with a couple of pieces. This is a very, very note-worthy collection, because it will be the first time I sew with Lara Cameron's gorgeous screen printed fabrics. I've been saving up my small stash of her precious and limited fabrics for a rainy day, and finally decided to make something pretty with them. Well, its a rainy day today and it's perfect!

I've made them in a mini-dress style with the sweetest grape colored (it's lilac, but i love grapes!) trim at the bottom. Words cannot describe how much I love that trim and I've used up half of my only meter of it *sad*.
Dresses are Blythe sized but may fit Lati Yellow ball jointed dolls too.

More photos coming up tonight. These dresses will be one of a kind due to the placement of the prints on the fabric.

Cold wet rainy morning

2008-08-21T09:17:00.003+10:00

Alas, the sun! It's still in bed and not much could be done. This morning was dominated by showers, ah, typical Melbourne winter weather.
I'm sadden that I could not make it to the snow this year. This will be the first break after 5 seasons of snow at either Falls Creek or Mt Hotham. No skiing or boarding this year for Mr Penguin and I.
On the bright side, I could concentrate my winter blues on making pretty summery frocks for Blythe dolls, which makes me happy because the colorful fabrics took away the gloom of winter.
Today's breakfast consist of 'simply tea' from Twinnings of London with milk, two sugars. I'm not that hungry but I'll have strawberries and crumpets for a snack before lunch.

Artists who drew girls

2008-08-14T18:56:00.005+10:00

As usual, I ran out of things to blog about. It's nearly dinner time and I'm pooped out from working all day since 7am.

Today I'm going to let you in on a little something I do whenever I feel a little off the weather...
I love to hunt for art prints, and they must have a certain theme... girls...
I have many favorite artists and illustrators, and I discovered new ones I love through Etsy or Flickr...

And today, I found her...

This is 'Girl and Fox' by Coco and Matilda.
The fox is adorable and I have a weakness for girls in dresses like this.

I'm sure many of you are familiar with Emily Martin's works.

Birdnest Girl by The Black Apple.
I want to have so many of her prints because they are all so beautiful.

My next favorite is Art&Ghosts's haunting images. I love Louise's sense of melancholy and dark humor.

So, there's my visual dinner for tonight.
Good night, sleep tight, my little ladies...

Lush Lush colors for my new dresses

2008-08-13T22:42:00.003+10:00

I've made more dresses... short bohemian-style dresses and full length maxi dresses blooming in lush colors.This one is call Amber Bloom. I like the bold floral (poppy?) prints.
Midnight Bloom. I imagined a lot of lily or lotus leaves on this particular piece of fabric. Now, where is the little frog?
Holly Paisley Dress... Pinks and Chocolate colors are my favorite colors.
Emerald Paisley Dress. The fabric on this one is a classic paisley dress.

I think I shall call this collection: Garden of Earthly and Nightly Delights.
Paisley Dresses and Maxi dresses in the most lush floral fabrics in amazing colors of ambers, chocolate, cyans and greens.

cooking pork belly...

2008-08-13T20:34:00.003+10:00

I'm not exactly very good at cooking, but I attempted to cook pork belly in dark soy and five spice powder today. It's still boiling in my pressure cooker, but it smelled wonderful. The house smells like cloves and cinnamon. Mr penguin asked if I added vinegar, and I replied, " No, please don't. You are not Kylie Kwong" (Ms Kwong adds heaps of vinegar into her cooking. I gasp each time she pours like half a bottle of light soy or vinegar into her wok... I just wondered show salty or sour her cooking must be in those stir fry dishes.)

Cooking, is not like sewing at all. It's more of a trial and error with the favours and the amounts of what ingredients to add. It's not as straight-forward as sewing because a lot of factors like heat, timing and ingredients can alter the taste of the food even with a slight variation. Why is sewing more straight forward? It's more structured. Sketch, select fabric, cut pattern out, sew!
Cooking can be structured too, that is if you follow a cookbook with the exact measurements of ingredients.
To me, cooking is experimental. Sewing is too, but the results are not as drastic. For example, I made beef stew two weeks ago. It was fantastic. The problem is, I forgot exactly what I put in it. I tried to make it last Monday and it tasted totally different and not as nice as before. I had 3 guests who were coming over for dinner and I panicked because the gravy tasted not as good as before. I was actually ashamed of my dish. After apologizing to my guests (who ate the whole pot of stew), I figured out that it's the amount of radish (white carrot) that probably caused the whole pot of stew to taste that way. I have no idea how my next pot of beef stew will taste, but I kind of knew what I needed to add to make it perfect again.

I missed living by the Yarra river. No more walks along the banks in the late afternoon. I could take a short stroll in the garden, but it's too cold or rainy. It's too cold to do any gardening now and I'm looking forward to warmer weather to plant some herbs in the garden. Winter is the time to hibernate, and I do so by staying warm and watching telly.

Anyway, I think the pork is done. It has been cooking for three hours and it's almost 9pm! I'm as hungry as a bear and I want my dinner. Did I mention it's the first time I cook pork belly?
Wish me luck.

Shop update tomorrow

2008-08-12T22:57:00.002+10:00

A small selection of Blythe dresses will be available for sale at 11am Melbourne time, 13 August 2008 at my etsy shop, http://www.pollipop.etsy.com

Blythe... in my life since 2002.

2008-08-10T18:46:00.004+10:00

Blythe... they had been part of my life since 2002. I was back in Uni (university/auzzie slang) then, although I first saw Blythe in a japanese magazine in 2000. It has been 6 years, and the dolls are still a very important part of my life. My Blythe family has stopped growing in numbers, but I'm continuing the pursue of making fine dresses for them.
Back in 2002, there was no flickr, vox or facebook. None of those things existed. There was TIB back then, and that was probably the most important portal for Blythe doll lovers to gather and chat about their favorite dolls. Back then, I don't even own a sewing machine. Everything I made was handsewn in the those early years of my Blythe journey...
Blythe dresses, made, circa 2005. All handstitched to perfection, which took about 2 weeks to complete a dress.

Now there's a gazillion choices of forums and places for our good old Blythe. I have a few blythe blogs i frequent ( see links on side ), but lately, i'm finding it harder and harder to check them out. I only wish I have more time to visit each of them daily.

Anyway, i'm rambling and its dinner time.

Badges and Buttons

2008-08-10T12:10:00.002+10:00

Badges, buttons, buttons, badges... Some sold, some to be sold at the upcoming markets and some will be uploaded onto my Etsy shop once I find the time and energy to do so. Having a nasty cold at the moment is not speeding things up. I'm recovering, and getting some much needed rest at the moment.
Here's a little assortment of button hairties and badges for the month of August.

Cold Central!

2008-08-07T16:50:00.003+10:00

I've been hit, with a nasty cold! It had been two days of hugging the heater/ hot water bottle and blowing my nose almost non-stop. Not much sewing done lately and I'm so guilt ridden because all the fabric for my new batch of outfits had been cut and ready to be sewn since Tuesday.

Anyway, a little photo uploads of our stall at the Sisters' Market last Saturday.
Carol and I shared a stall. Our products are all fabric based and compliment each other's products very well.
I went to bed at 3am on Saturday morning because I wanted to pack the hairties into packets of two's. They are so pretty I wanted to keep several for myself.
The big/gigantic/ enormous fabric wrapped hairties were arranged in a little ratten basket. : )

I'm craving for chicken soup with home made chicken broth. If only that's possible. I can't cook since I'm feeling well, and I think I'll have to settle for a packet of tomato soup instead.

Come and visit us at the Sisters' Market!

2008-08-01T20:31:00.008+10:00

This is a last minute announcement!!! *excitement*
My friend Carol (http://www.carol-craft.com) and myself will be setting up a stall together at the Sisters' Market, so pop by and say Hello if you are in Melbourne!
Venue: Brunswick Town Hall,
233 Sydney Road, Brunswick.
Time: Saturday 2nd August, 10am to 4pm
More details here.

storm warnings...

2008-08-01T14:39:00.005+10:00

I'm stuck. Indoors that is. I have to make a trip to the post office, but the moment I walked outside, my umbrella caved in. The flaps went flying upwards the other way and I was struggling to keep my balance. The wind is pretty strong. I could almost feel it moving me along. It sure didn't help with the rain at all. I got pretty much soaked and didn't make very far.

Here I am, having a cup of warm water in my favorite mug (I already had too much tea for today), sitting at my table watching the trees quivering madly in the wind. Quiver may not be the best word to describe it. It's more like dancing wildly. To the right of my window is this huge almost 3 storey tree opposite the road. It's swaying brunches is quite a site to behold.
Closer to my side of the street is a tree with pink and white blossoms. It looks like a cherry blossom tree. The flowers are probably clinging on to the branches as tightly as they could. When will this terrible storm ends?

Okie, checked weather report... A lot of Showers with local hail and thunder. Cloudy with strong and squally west to southwesterly winds, reaching gale force at times.
Gale force indeed. No wonder I felt like mary poppins when I walked outside. Melbourne sure lives up to it reputation of having four seasons in one day. It was all bright and sunny this morning, and now it's all dark and about to rainy with gale force winds. This is the perfect weather to curl up and sleep, but I 'm watching and waiting for the storm to clear so I can make a trip to the post office by foot. Mr Penguin took his 'lady in red' to work today so I can't drive to the post office, which will make life easier than walking there in this terrible weather.
But hey, it's good to blog and watch the stormy weather at the same time.

The door is rattling. I can feel a cold draft in the room as I type. To be honest, this sort of weather freaks me out.

Well, it's the waiting game between me and the weather.

20kg cat found

2008-08-01T12:03:00.002+10:00

This is Princess Chunk. She has been found at at the Camden County Animal Shelter.

"She's built like a quarterback," said Deborah Wright today, a shelter volunteer and current foster owner of the kitty. "I mean, how do you lose a 20-kilo cat?!"

Yeap... How far could a 20kilo cat possibly walk to? She looks like a Queen doesn't she. The queen of cats is looking for her owner.
Read here for the full article.

new banner! yay

2008-07-31T09:48:00.003+10:00

Okie, I'm so in love with my new black and white abstract arty farty fabric that I have to use it for my new banner.
I'll be using the same fabric to deck the walls in my living room in canvas frames too.

2008-07-31T09:28:00.003+10:00

My lack of updates has been appalling, but I'll try my best to keep you guys in the loop with frequent updates. I've got new buttons! These are so lovely...
The buttons are then turned them into hairpins.
It's been exceptionally cold this winter, and I had been snacking a lot lately. Right now, I'm craving for this,
It's century egg porridge. I had this last sunday and it was super yummy.
Okie. I need to go get some work done. It's a mad rush to finish up some new dresses for next week's updates.

Launch details for Oriental Bliss Collection

2008-07-27T23:23:00.002+10:00

Oriental Bliss Collection. Spring/Summer 2008.

Oriental Panel Frocks & Manatsubi Midsummer Dresses will be available in my Etsy Shop on Sunday, July 27, 2008 at 23:30:00 UTC , 9.30am Monday morning Melbourne time(Australia). For US folks, dress launch will during late afternoon/evenings, use a time converter so you don't miss out. www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

Panick behind the Pollipop... a little rant.

2008-07-27T22:47:00.004+10:00

It's a sleep away till my collection launch tomorrow. I just realized that out of four different colorways and fabrics styles for my panel frocks, I'm short of two individual shots of the panel frocks. I had group shots , but somehow I managed to miss out on two designs. *grrrr*

Plan A is to wake up at 5am to shoot, but there's no natural light because the sun is still sleeping...

Plan B: Shoot under fluorescent light which is a pain to edit in photoshop. I haven't had my indoor photography area set up for shoots yet, so it's impossible not to get much noise levels with the current set up i have, which is my humble all in one table.

Plan C: Wait for sunrise at 7am (Fingers cross that it's bright. Afterall, it had been raining almost everyday during winter, with average temperatures of 8 degrees .
Plan C has the highest possiblity of failure due to the fact that the time to shoot, edit and upload and list the listing in my etsy shop is pretty impossible with a tight dateline to the lauch time.

Plan D: Go to bed now, and wake up at 5 am, ponder over the above plans and pick one.

I have a plan E too, which was procrastinated because I was unable to carry out this task today. I wanted to add some cute black polka dot socks to go with the dress sets, and also some rosette hairpins. I'm intending to make some right now, but perhaps I should wake up earlier to do it.

A work in the process shot of the midsummer dresses.
Finished product! Each piece of the 'rosette' is individually hand embellished with faux pearls, silver leaf and seed beads. They reminds me of hanabi(fireworks) which I love to watch.

Okie, I should go to bed now since i have less than a few hours of sleep till I have to decide my plans to deal with the missing shots and making more kanzashi (hair pins) and socks to go with my frocks.

And don't miss out on the launch of my new collection of dresses in my etsy shop at 9.30am Melbourne time. (which is in a about 9 hours time from now.)

The oriental frock line-up

2008-07-27T10:13:00.005+10:00

I made these beautiful panel dresses inspired by chinese folding fans : ) I think this is my best work to date.

Midsummer dresses. A mixture of contemporary and traditional patterns gives these dresses a unique blend of oriental goodness. Manatsubi means midsummer in Japanese, まなつ.
Using a mixture of fabrics using Japanese traditional geometric prints, this beautiful summer dress is perfect for those midsummer parties watching fireworks ('Hanabi' 花火)

Oriental chinese fans inspired me to create the dress pattern. Nature, sakuras, ume blossoms and traditional japanese geometric prints all blend into one frock.
I enjoyed mixing all the different fabrics on each 'panel' , using different type of japanese and modern fabrics to create this oriental panel frock.
Kanzashi (hair pins) are bold and beautiful to accent the dress.
I have no idea how to make tsumami kanzashi (traditional fabric hairpins), so the modern pins will have to do for now.

Lenore models panda manatsubi dress with asanoha patterned trims at the base of dress.

New Creations with oriental influences

2008-07-25T12:10:00.002+10:00

Pollipop re-opens tomorrow after 2 months of absence with her latest creations.
Inspired by Nature and the Zen Qualities of the Orient, with hints of Japanese and Chinese influences, Esumi models Pollipop's Panel Frock with Peonies.

It's good to be back!

2008-07-18T09:54:00.003+10:00

It's a rainy day today, so not much sun=badly lit shot of my cat lea.

life is allmost back to normal

2008-07-16T11:08:00.004+10:00

After a long hiatus, life is almost back to normal again. Strangely, I barely managed to survive without broadband internet for almost a whole month. Did I mention that I just took the dolls out of their packing boxes yesterday? They had been in storage for 3 weeks. I haven't used my trusty scissors to cut any fabric, neither had I touched a needle for close to a month.
Life had been stagnant and sad without any virtual online dolly fun. I missed all my flickr friends, I missed browsing through my contacts' photographs on flickr. What is TIB or ATP? I haven't been there for ages and I felt so alienated and lost.

This was what I had been doing, unpacking...

Luckily, I have a little friend to keep me company...

1st dolly photograph since June 12...
So yes, its good to be back. Life is pretty boring without the world wide web, dolls or crafting.

swimming in the sea of boxes!

2008-06-19T12:36:00.002+10:00

Moving is hard work. I'm swimming in a sea of boxes, clothes and stuff accumulated over the years. It's time to de-clutter all the junk and get rid of things I do not use or wear or eat.
I found packets of baking mix for cakes which expired in 2006. Sauces and other stuff got thrown out too because they never saw the light of day in my pantry for their entire shelf live-span.

I barely had any dolly or sewing time for the past two weeks, and I foresee it being the same for the next week due to all the unpacking. I'm suppose to send my sewing machine for servicing on Monday but I think I can only do it this afternoon. I have lots of clothes to give away to the Salvos.
And don't get me started on books, way to much and I don't think I'll read them, but could not bare to throw them out either.

I got a breather yesterday by watching my cousin's kids swim at their swim class, which reminded me how much I used to love swimming when I was young and cute (and I'm still cute ). I played a bit of Bach on the piano, and it's such a luxury because I do not have my own piano now. And I also learnt that it's not easy cooking for kids. I love boiled potatoes but I think kids prefer fries. Thank goodness the steak was okie and they love steak as much as I do. *yeap, I seldom cook for myself or Q, but I enjoyed cooking for Sarah and Eugenie.*

Okie, time is precious and I have to pack pack pack. The packing in the kitchen is done, all 13 boxes of pots, pans, food and crockery. Next is my clothes and my craft stuff. Hopefully, I can get a bit of cleaning done at the new place before them movers come in.

I won't have net access for the time being, and will be back soon okie!

We are moving!!!

2008-06-12T15:28:00.000+10:00

Hello Dear friends,
Gracie and all the dolls of Pollipop are in the midst of moving house and we are unable to come online because we are getting our new internet connection fixed up. (and tons of cleaning/moving/unpacking to do too)

We'll miss viewing our friends and contacts flickr streams but we'll be back soon at the end of this month!

All new arrivals and updates in the shop will be available at the end of this month. : )

Regards,
Grace + Pollipop Blythe and Lati girls

hiatus alert over!

2008-06-08T18:48:00.004+10:00

hiatus.. ah, the word had seldom been in my books but lately, it's happening. I tried to blog at least one a week or 3 times a day, depending on time schedules or workload, but lately, I can't blog or come online at will because of the internet connection failure.

The internet connection at my current place is the most happening one around town! New place=reliable connection. No more Telstra this time. Their mobile network is atrocious too may I add. (That's another story)... The connection at my place breaks down, simply don't work at the hours I needed to go online most, eg. launch time for Pollipop Couture, or at the weirdest hours when I need to post stuff out. I'm pulling my hair out!!! *grrrr*
So I'm sorry I can't blog as and when I want to recently, and I know many of you had been coming here and the lack of updates must had been quite boring ya know! But I'm sure most of you had killed time by visiting my links on the side ->

So, after a twirk by my dear winnie, and a new modem/wireless router and fingers cross*, I hope all goes well! *yay*
I must be quite a nerd/geek for saying this but IT's Great To be Online Again!!!!!

Hey, it's good to be back! It's the long weekend, so it's a public holiday tomorrow (Queen's Birthday). I'm going to sleep in and have breakfast at Browns, if its open. If not, I want homemade pancakes with jam and honey. Or even bacon and eggs.

I had a busy and terrible week, all good, all bad and all in one day too!

The Blythe Meet at Narelle's place last Sunday was ace. I'm so glad to meet old friends, and meet new ones too. And it was so sweet to meet Blossom of Oscarpop! She made an interstate trip down for the meet and it's so good to put a face to an avartar from Flickr! And super thanks to Blossom for her wonderful encouragements to soldier on from design-copycats in the dolly world. I'm so glad to find a kindred soul who values design and fine workmanship.

Last Monday I made some cute stuff for Pollipop's brooch collection. Photos coming up on flickr soon.

Tuesday, I went on an adventure trip with Purple_Unicorn and PinkyPigs into the moo- moo lands in the hunt for a wool shop in the middle of the hills!
You would not believe what happened last Tuesday. It was quite a crafty/dolly meet adventure I'll never forget for life. That tale deserves a whole blog page by itself, and I've got photos too, which will be uploaded with that story shortly

Okie doo, let me go settle my tons of emails and work related errands first.
I know you all miss me, and I'll be right back with updates real soon.

And, thanks for visiting my little stall today I, N and F. And thanks for popping by too Padmini, hope you had a good shopping trip. I'm wiped out of all my Pollipop Puffy brooches today at the market and I foresee a bit of sewing this week coming up.

catch ya later alligator!
*G*

Latidoll Cat Lea arrived!

2008-05-30T07:32:00.004+10:00

How to not love this cutie? She's a Lati Yellow limited edition Cat Lea doll. Ball-jointed 16cm of cute-ness. Who says good things don't come in small packages?

She's so worth the two and half months wait. I'm tempted to make her a 'him'. Cute little boy latidoll.

You know what, I desperately need to pee and I'll update soon, provided my internet connection is still around somewhere.

sleep to dream... and waking time comes, it's time to sketch

2008-05-20T19:25:00.003+10:00

When ideas are bursting out of my head, I go to sleep, and the dreams take over.
It's not exactly 'sleeping', my mind is still working non-stop, its just that I work better in my dreams. And then I make sure I jot/sketch down all that has happened during that rapid eye movement.

I already have new ideas for my next collection, when this current collection has not even finished it's launch yet.

I'm tempted to review what's on my sketch books, but I guessed I want it to be a surprise too.

Okie, back to the moleskin (ya know, every designer/artist needs one). I've got 3 and it's not enough...

mental notes...

2008-05-20T12:38:00.002+10:00

As you can see, I'm hogging the laptop and internet connection while it lasts.

List of mental notes to self:
Do laundry.
Clean Bathroom
Eat Lunch
Defrost meat to cook soup for tonight
Reply to sis's flickrmail
Go on msn for a while? Been offline for ages!
Pack up messy desk.

mental note for new place:
Must have gas cooking.
A fireplace will be a bonus.
Undercover parking/ garage
A storeroom will be useful

Introducing the usual suspects!

2008-05-20T11:21:00.004+10:00

All lined up in a row, are 'the usual suspects'.

Back by popular demand, the usual suspects from Aunty Cookie's delicious character series...
This time, the Lati yellow dolls benefit! (Sorry Blythe Dears).
I can never seemed to make enough of these dresses to go around. I'm terribly sorry to those who missed out on the first batch of the Lati-sized ones in February. Here's 6 of them, which should be up on my Etsy shop tomorrow.
You can also flickr mail me if you would like to purchase any.

Miko models 'Lucy' Frock.
This dress is sold, but Miya wants to wave hello anyway!

Pollipop's shy models

2008-05-20T11:08:00.003+10:00

Yay I'm back! Or rather, my internet connection at home is back *fingers cross and hope it will stay.* I had to go to Kim's place to list yesterday's etsy shop listings. Thank Kim! Without your help, I won't be able to get the listings up on time.

Today, I'm going to introduce to you 2 of my models for the current fashion shoot. They are Kozy and Hayley!
For this week's fashion parade, I've chosen two super shy models. They are always near me, but they seldom make an appearance on my flickr photo gallery. First up is Kozy (Kozy Kape Blythe). She's always so child-like and adorable, and I think Lenore (All Gold in One Blythe) has a more 'mod' look than her, but she looks so cute in the mod dresses I did the whole photo-shoot featuring her only. There were a few pictures of Lenore and my love mission blythe, but they got eliminated.

I'm so proud to be able to do braids. And she looks so bohemian in this whole paisley dress and braids in hair get-up. She's wearing faux suede moccasin boots too (hard to tell in this photograph).

Romantic Paisley Dresses for Blythe Dolls

2008-05-16T09:08:00.003+10:00

Full length summer dress for Blythe.
Collection titled 'Summer of Love'. Spring/Summer 2008.
This is my first 'experimental pattern'. I wanted a boho look, but I don't like 'granny sleeves' which are so common on paisley print dresses. Out with the traditional, in with the modern paisley summer look.
The lined bodice is quite painful to make, and it's tricky to sew the straps, but I enjoyed sewing the ruffles on the hems.

I've named all of them!
From left, Chocolate Cyan, Nordic Mornings, Mango Tango, and Princess Frou Frou.

Out this Sunday in my Etsy Shop. See previous post for details.

I'm craving for pancakes. I need breakfast. Pancakes with honey and strawberry jam. Simply delightful. (Edit to add: I had pancakes. They were indeed delicious. I had pancakes ofr breakfast for 4 days in a row. hmmm... I wonder when I will get sick of them?)

Mod Party Date!

2008-05-16T01:38:00.007+10:00

*Phew* I just completed my second Mod Collection to date.
This series is called Retro Groove.
5 geometric style mini dresses for Blythe dolls. I'm calling these my mod-mini babies.
I had always been drawn to bright colors and patterns. I knew I had to make a retro revival sort of dress when I saw the prints on the fabric. The dress needs to be stylish, yet has a simplicity element which will make the patterns and colors stand out.
The fabric is so deliciously tasty, if that's a good way to describe it. The lime color just rocks! And what can I say about the prints? It's SuPer GRoovy and 100% love.
I always have a weakness for geometric prints, and these are the perfect dolly sized ones.
Mod is a lifestyle. A sort of cultural revolution in the early 1960s. Gone with the prissy chanel coats and skirts, and party with the groovy beats. These dresses are perfect for a Dolly Party in the hippest discotheques, ken dolls not invited! *grinz*
Mod-Mini Dresses available for sale in my Etsy shop on 18 May 2008 (Sunday Afternoon/US), (Monday morning/19 May Australia/Asia). I usually upload from 8.30am in the morning( Australia, Melbourne time)
Convert your local time to my time over here, http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

Now I have to think of individual names for these five beauties.
Okie, Bed time! : )

May 18 Etsy Shop update... Blythe and Lati dresses...

2008-05-13T18:00:00.007+10:00

Shop Updates: 18 May 2008 (Sunday Afternoon/US), (Monday morning/19 May Australia/Asia)
Time of launch is at 8.30am, which is my local time in Melbourne.
Convert the time of launch to your local time here,
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html
-New retro and mod-ish printed dresses
-Lati yellow sized Aunty Cookie Character Dresses.
-Small selection of paisley frocks

Okie. Back to my regular surfing and checking of emails.
too-dee-loo peeps!

Hello! Doe has a new face!

2008-05-13T10:18:00.003+10:00

Last week I worked on Doe's face-up. Added more blush on her cheeks and also make the freckles more prominent. Work in progress shot of eye-less bunny above! Shot taken after I coated her face with Mister Super Clear to protect the make-up.

And this is the end result! ta-da! Pink cheeks = love.

Chain reaction!

2008-05-09T13:08:00.005+10:00

When one thing goes wrong , everything else wishes to go wrong too, and they did.
Two wrongs does not make a right, it made a third 'wrong', and more.

I was pretty upset Lati had sent me a dodgy doll with a scratch on her face and uneven seams.
Then they do not wish to correct their mistake at all until I bugged them with several emails and messages later. I'm so sick and tired of this that I do not wish to look at that doll which I had waited two months for.

Then more bad things came along. Auspost did a boo boo and I have 1/3 of my parcels posted out last Wednesday returned to me due to some troubles with postage issues....... They had rectify the problem now and sent their apologies.

Now I have to send out all the 'returned' mails again.
I'm terribly sorry to those who haven't received you items yet. I have 7 packages to be sent out today, and hopefully all goes well. My sincerest apologies for this, its so unexpected and should not happen, but it did.

And the worst of it all, is my internet connection. It's quite irregular at the moment, and I have been unable to get online for the past 3 days. So if I'm a little late in replying to your emails and conversations, my apologies. Once again, shit happens, and it does in a chain reaction.
My internet connection is provided by for the entire apartment blocks around my area, and since it's not under my account, I can't call up and make noise about it. It's usually quite slow, but at least I can surf and upload stuff, now I can't even get in. I thought there was a problem with the wireless modem in my house, or the cables. I checked everything, its fine. I think its just a server problem by the provider, or may be its the heavy download of undesirable porn from my neighbours. I do not know, but at least I can come online now, and I hope I'm able to do so without much problems at all.

So, miss me, for a while. I'm not away, just unable to get online thats all.

Oh yes, if you are a fan of Pollipop, there will be a little lucky draw with dolly goodies to be won. Check out the discussion on http://www.flickr.com/groups/pollipop

Birthdays, Market day, Etsy Melbourne meet...

2008-05-04T20:08:00.008+10:00

Heya beautiful people!!!
I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend. I'm totally flat out this weekend. I wish the weekend is three days instead of two. Yesterday, the penguin and I went to Boronia to check out the aquarium over there, and they have fantastic selection of aquatic plants. It was quite a long drive from where we stay, and we were almost tempted to go up Mt. Dandenong, but could'nt find a near enough petrol station to top up the tank, hence, we went home early.
Later in the evening, we had BBQ buffet in the city to celebrate Winnie's birthday, in a cute and authentic Japanese restaurant on Kings Street. (note that I'm not revealing the name here, its a nice secret place and I would like to keep it that way!) Dessert was delicious too. I ordered Green Tea ice-cream served with traditional red bean pancakes. Super yum!

I met a lot of wonderful people today at the market (super thanks to Kirsteene for your generous help), and also thanks to Cari( i hope i get your name right) for the lovely handmade toy necklace! I was offered delicious greek cookies by a lovely gentleman(Neil), and I hope you like my little badge in return.

Later in the afternoon, I attended a Melbourne Etsy meet at Fed Square, organized by the lovely annalaura

The turnout was pretty good, about 18 local crafters/designers/things-maker/creative folks.
It was nice to meet all of you today...what a bunch of talented people, and thanks for all the tips and chit-chat about etsy and stuff! It was lovely to see some familiar faces and new ones too.
Happy crafting folks, Melbourne's pool of creative people grows everyday.

There was a little namecard swap, and these are the ones that reached my side of the table. : )
apartmentcat
shara's etsy
muchlove
me.u
kalliopi
neverever
megsthreads
koiwabiru
byzan

curiousllama

Please check out the above links of some lovely and talented people.

Okie, its bedtime. Good night, and sleep tight.
And if you are at the other side of the world, good morning/good day, and enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Doe, not the deer!

2008-05-01T13:00:00.002+10:00

This is Doe. She loves tea, just like me.
I think she loved it here, and is the household tea brewer.

She's the first bjd i gave a face-up to.
At first she had pink eyeshadow, but i wanted a smoky eyed bunny. In the end i settled for black eyeliner, flirty bottom lash and metallic white eyeshadow.

I think doing my own makeup with smoky eyes and eyeliner has a huge influence on this look.

Doe has pinky cheeks, a little light hazelnut colored nose with a little blush on top of her nose. She has white eyeshadow on her eyelids and also at her bottom lash area.

I've added 3 tiny freckles on each side too.

tiesto in melbourne... love comes again

2008-04-29T14:48:00.007+10:00

If you are a fan of Tiesto, he had been playing 'live' in Melbourne at the Festival Hall. The first two shows over the weekend was awesome. (i've been viewing clips of them on youtube). There's one last show coming up, but i won't be going. : / le sigh.
He will be back right, like the song 'Love comes again'.

I remembered missing Daft Punk last year when they performed in Melbourne. I was in Singapore/Hongkong. To miss Tiesto live in concert, *shudders*

*okie, back to work after a short rant*

More empire cut dresses with applique

2008-04-29T11:09:00.002+10:00

This one has a lot of French influence. I like polka dots, and black and white polka dots are very chic no? Add a little poodle and one word sums up this dress, Sweet! I can imagine Lenore in her dress, going out shopping in quaint little shops in the streets of Paris, and later sipping a latte in a tiny cafe.
My photo doesn't do this dress justice. It's so much better in real life, and the white flowers are shown more clearly. It's not white polka dots on the dress but close. All the white spots are diamond shape.
Please meet the wallpaper behind Pollipop's Fuchsia by Night Dress. I love the olive tones and light greyish/blue background. I think I'll be using this wallpaper often for my photoshoots.

new arrivals

2008-04-29T08:08:00.005+10:00

A parcel arrived! My books and namecards arrived! *does a little dance*
It was sent one week after I came back to Melbourne, and was shipped by sea. And its here!
Thanks mom!

Falling in love with a bunny is easy. And very soon a bunny is coming to live in Pollipop's doll house. I had always wanted a Dollzone (DZ) fox, or the Elfdoll Piggy (1st edition), or a Pipos Curo. I didn't know Dollzone made bunnies for a promotion, an Xmas gift bunny.
So yeah, I'll be picking up Bun Bun tonight from Jamie. *thankies* My lati yellow girls will have a new friend in their size!

Charlotte and Quinne went for a Blythe Meet at the Werribee Mansion on Sunday. I took lots of pics, but haven't got the time to upload any yet. Here's the only one I had edited so far,

Pardon my camera. It's really hard to take photos in the mansion due to dim lighting.
And my nose is running today. *snifles* Need vitamin C!
The cats were playing 'catch' in the room last night and I didn't sleep well, but I can't go back to bed now. I've got to pack the orders and get them ready to be mailed out.

2008-04-28T10:51:00.005+10:00

Super chic Fuchsia By Night Dress. The lace trim is sexy yet not over the top. A tiny fuchsia colored flower applique is stitched onto the dress.
Appliqué is a French needlework technique in which pieces of fabric, embroidery, or other materials are sewn onto a bottom piece of fabric to create designs. I found this flower applique 5 years ago from a dusty old lace shop in Melbourne, and it has finally been put to good use.

Lenore loves Egg Trees Dress, handmade with love by me! I love the green grosgrain ribbon/lace at the bottom.

Little Red Riding Hood series of Blythe tops or dresses, to be worn with tights!

Okie, and this is a random quote I got from a friend ages ago,

This is a story about four people named Everybody,
Somebody, Anybody,and Nobody.
There was an important job to be done and Everybody
was sure that Somebody would do it.
Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.

Somebody got angry about that,
because it was Everybody's job.
Everybody thought Anybody could do it,
but Nobody realized that
Everybody wouldn't do it.
It ended up that Everybody
blamed Somebody when Nobody did what
Anyone could have.   

Author Unknown

Lenore (Goldie Blythe) & my kenners models Pollipop

2008-04-28T08:43:00.005+10:00

Debbie Paisley Dress. Pinks and Greens and a bit of light yellow on this paisley print dress.

Teal Party Dress. Teal is my favorite color at the moment. The colors on this one is just gorgeous! Charlotte, my Kenner Blythe would not take off hers!

Desert Rose Dress. Vintage feel and colors on this one. Full of swirly wirly paisley prints.
Sunshine Paisley Dress. There's a matching teal colored dress in this print as well.
I love Rosy Mini Dress. This one is my fav. I absolutely adore Cath Kidston's designs and style, and managed to find a similar fabric which is Blythe-size! Got to love the rose print and babyblue and white polka dots.

Check out http://www.cathkidston.co.uk for more floral printed goodies for your home and kids!

And a new batch of socks in all sorts of wee prints and colors for Blythe doll is available from my Etsy Shop too.

Pollipop Shop update in 8 hours time

2008-04-28T00:14:00.004+10:00

Mini Dresses for Blythe dolls, so yummylicious.
I'm absolutely pleased with this new batch of dresses.
Okie, they are available for sale here from 9am Melbourne time today.

A little announcement, Shop Update.

2008-04-24T22:00:00.006+10:00

Shop update will be from 9am Melbourne time on Monday, 28/04/08.
Please convert that time to your local time here,
time and date converter.

It's a public holiday tomorrow, and I'm attempting to crochet a new lati hat in the most delicious new yarn I've bought.

I also need to dress up a couple of girls for this coming Sunday's Blythe Meet in Werribee.
It's going to be at the Werribee Mansion from noontime, and its going to be fun! I brought my blythe doll there once back in 2003, and at that time it was only my friend and myself. (I didn't know any blythe collectors in Melbourne/Victoria then, and there wasn't an online blythe community like now).
Back then, I brought Ruby (rouge noir blythe), as that was my very first(and only, may i add) doll that I had. And my friend brought her Kozy. Later that year, I adopted Kozy from her because she's giving up her Blythe doll. Kozy and Ruby still lives with me now, perhaps they should go for the dolly meet because they first met at the Werribee Mansion. Okie, its decided then. : )

Good night! It's bedtime for me now.

work in progress... sneak peek

2008-04-23T11:18:00.003+10:00

Polka dots, paisley prints and new batch of socks with the most yummylicious colors... I'm working on these now. Be patient. The new stock should be ready on 25/4/2008.
Hayley is helping me to promote my wares in her milkjug, which I found in Vinnies for $3.
Besides Ruby (rouge noir), she's the only other Blythe who can pull off with this hoodie!

Lovely paisley prints for the new batch of boho dresses. I think they will be super popular.

Teal and polka dots are so sweet. I've added a little poodle and flowers.

Lati tights or finger warmers? Both! These are Lati tights which I made yesterday, modelled by my fingers! heee.

Puffy Pollipop Brooches!

2008-04-22T11:42:00.002+10:00

I made these two weeks ago. They look like cookies! Or lolli. : )
Speaking of cookies, I just had a couple of Kingston Biscuits. It's a sort of sandwich biscuit with chocolate in the middle. Pretty yum!

Tea Party

2008-04-22T10:20:00.004+10:00

Most of you who know me well enough will know that I obsessed with drinking tea. I like coffee, but coffee leaves me with a pounding heart and headache. Tea is a different story. Camomile gives me the calm I needed. A bit of Earl Grey perks me up pretty quickly, and I could probably drink 8 glasses of green tea a day instead of water. Previously in this blog I had mentioned about this particular tea called 'Blue Mountain'. I like the name, hence I tried the tea and I was hooked.
When I was a kid, mom and dad brought me to the Blue Mountains in New South Wales (was living in Sydney at that time in kinder days) to visit the Three Sisters. If I'm not wrong, the Blue Mountains got its name because of the colors of the trees. No, the trees ain't blue, but from far, they have a bluish tinge which is quite unusual. And as a kid, blue trees are cool! hehee.
So, if you ever have the chance to come across some Blue Mountain tea, try it.

Korean corn tea is another tea I love, but I haven't drank that in ages. It's very fragrant and not very tea-like at all.

And right now, I'm drinking Teh- tarik. 拉茶. It's common in South East Asia. I call it the 'Pull- milk - tea' because of the way its prepared.

I was curious and wikipedia-ed it,

Teh tarik (literally pulled tea or 拉茶 in Mandarin) is a type of tea which can be bought in restaurants, outdoor stalls and kopi tiams in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. It is often compared to cappuccino because of its frothy top. The main ingredients are tea and condensed milk. Ginger water may also be added to form teh halia, or ginger tea. It has become the de facto national drink of Malaysia. In Malaysia, there are also occasions where teh tarik brewers gather for competitions and performances to show their skills in making this drink.

This tea is special in that it is prepared using a unique technique. The tea is poured from a hand held high into a container held in a hand below. The tea is poured back and forth in this manner to create a thick froth. Aside from cooling down the tea to drinking temperatures, it is believed that this method mixes the tea with the condensed milk more thoroughly.

An element of showmanship also exists in the preparation of teh tarik, the ability to drag a long stream of tea well over their heads is an amusing novelty for the locals and tourists alike.

Teh-tarik and prata, yum! *photo from wikipedia*

I could go on forever about tea, the ways of drinking tea, the benefits of tea and blah blah blah, but I need to go sew up some orders right now.
This topic shall continue another day.

So, tea tea (instead of 'ta ta')

*GRace*

What's in my Bag... 21/4/2008

2008-04-21T11:38:00.002+10:00

What's in my Bag... 21/4/2008
Originally uploaded by cutiehoney

I joined this group in flickr ages ago, and once in a while I'll post 'what's in my bag'.
And these are the contents today.

Chicken Rice

2008-04-21T09:43:00.002+10:00

I love anything chicken. Especially Hainanese chicken rice. I could eat that dish 7 days a week and won't be sick of it. Trust me, I've tried and it didn't put me off chicken at all.

Yesterday, my boyfriends' brother made a fantastic chicken rice lunch for 8 of us and it was so yummy. It's hard to find good and authentic Hainanese style chicken rice in Melbourne, and the best I've tried so far was at Old Raffles Place in Collingwood.

So, what's so special about the Hainanese chicken rice? It's the tenderness of the meat that's so amazing. I have no idea how its cooked, I just love to eat it okie!
And, it needs to have a kick-arse chilli sauce to go with it. And this chilli sauce is made with a blend of lime or lemon juice, with garlic. Add all these and the chilli into a mortar and pound it with all your might. If you do not have a mortar, I suppose a food processor would work well too.

And you can guess what I'm going to eat for lunch today. : )

*hugs and kisses*,
Grace

weekly update

2008-04-13T23:11:00.002+10:00

If you just pop by my this place for the first time, a Big 'Hello' to you. : D
Pollipop made tons of new stock for 2008! : )
If you own one of Pollipop's little badge and pin, thank you so much for your support. You will have good luck for the entire year, heehee, with warmest regards from me and the stars above.

I love collecting fabrics, and finally made use of my collections to make these recently.
Photograph taken at my little stall a couple of weeks back!

Since I had 'locked' my photos to friends only on Flickr, its time to upload new photos of Miya and Miko.

Little update on 'Going Private' on Flickr.

Fans of my dolly photographs must be wondering why I had taken down my photos off this blog and on Flickr. They are still there, its just that by marking my photographs 'private', they are only seen by a selected group of friends who I had added to my contact list. I like to keep my list clean and tidy for now till I edit those photos with 'watermarks' to prevent inappropriate use of my images. There's just so much photo theft going around in the dolly world and I've had really bad experiences with people using my photos without my permission on various occasions.
The worst happened a few year ago when I walked into a shop in Melbourne, and found bags and mirrors with 'blythe' prints on them. It was shocking to discover that someone had ripped my images and printed them on coin purses, bags and pouches. They even pop up on Ebay. When I went to Asia on a vacation that year, I saw those bags in various shops and markets too. There's nothing much I can do because these vendors bought the bags from some 'made in china' company who prints them, and piracy of goods is so rampant in China.

I shall not name other instances where my works were stolen, blatantly copied, and even right down to the stylized way I do my set-ups. Most recently I discovered someone was using an avatar of my photograph in the Flickr 'Pollipop' group which I had set up. Somehow that amuses me and yet I didn't confront anyone or point any fingers, simply because I just assumed how much that person must had loved my dolly or my image, or perhaps copying/piracy is inevitable and I do not have the time and energy to pursue such matters at this point in time.

It will take a super long time to edit over 450 photos since 2005. So please be patient, and I'll make sure I upload new photos of my girls as and when I can.

And there'll be more tights and dresses and skirts for the upcoming Blythe couture collection.
Should be out next week. So yeah, .... I'm making them now... I'm a person too and I have a life too besides dolls, and can only produce a certain amount of outfits. (Unless I employ elves to sew for me in wee hours of dusk till dawn, and I couldn't, because there are no elves and if only my cats can sew tiny dolly dresses).

okie. Bedtime. Tata.

Going Private!

2008-04-10T09:01:00.002+10:00

relax, and its back to work

2008-04-08T08:27:00.002+10:00

I'm craving for beef right now. Red meat, succulent juicy char-grilled and seasoned. ahhhh.... and I must say we had a wonderful meal at Angus Steakhouse last weekend. The drive up to the Mornington Peninsula was alright, and the hot springs twilight soak was relaxing as usual. It was fully booked for someone's hen's night, but luckily Cindy made a booking for a private pool for the five of us. We had lovely Husk tea in the relaxation room before proceeding to our pool. It's the dinner later than ends the day perfectly. Just wondering if its worth one hour drive if the steak craving continues. There's no beef in the fridge right now, and I 've got pork belly to cook a stew pork dish for dinner tonight.

New week, new sewing bits to do. I managed to find some very pretty japanese fabric in cherry trees, like the green ones I had, but in pink and white this time. I also found some paisley fabrics in my own stash, bought ages ago but forgotten. It's time to bring them out and make good use of them.

Things to do today:
Sew the first collection of Pollipop Brooches for 2008.
Cut up patterns to prepare for new Blythe outfits.
The Lati girls are craving for some attention lately, and I should bring them out for a short stroll by the river, if the weather permits.
Cindy loaned me her copy of Dolly Dolly 15, and I shall take a peek at it today! *yay*
And, the laundry calls out once again, but right now, its breakfast time. Tata.