2024 Doll Goals/Resolutions

Let's see. We've got:

• Minimize purchases of new dolls (I'm not gonna say no dolls at all. I know myself.)
• Touch up a couple damaged faceups in the crew when it's not 11F out
• Find a wig and do the faceup for the incoming doll when she gets here
• Decide whether I'm going to DollCon Dallas alone or a queer reader con with my mother!
• More doll sewing and knitting, especially for my odd-sized dolls
• More furniture for their cabinet. If I can find a loft bed that fits and doesn't have crap underneath it, perfect
• Maybe redo Ara's faceup? He's adorable but the bright red lips aren't my thing
• Spend time enjoying them! I've got all these lil stinkers for a reason

 

My BJD resolutions are these.

1. Customize the blindbox BJD's that I bought this year (ie. Dividing Line, Qian He)
2. Try to sell the dolls that I do not want anymore (already in process)
3. Work on skills in making clothes, wigs, dyeing, face-ups, painting (this works with resolution 1.)
4. Not buying new dolls

 

I always look forward to these threads every single year. Setting new goals for the upcoming year helps me to firm up priorities and stay on track…and I’ll refer back to this post every month, working and refining it throughout the year. It’s a great way for me to get things done. I had wonderful success with my 2023 list, so here we go again…

1. Despite my very good intentions to not buy anymore dolls, admittedly last year was an unmitigated disaster…but I am determined to do better in 2024! So here’s hoping I can stick to my no-buy plan! Nope! You guessed it…I didn’t even make it out of January! Ringdoll released a limited SD-sized Jade (who is an absolute dead-ringer for me as a teenager!) As a little ol’ lady who loves BJDs, how could I possibly resist such a sweet trip down memory lane? So yeah, add her to the layaway list! And only 3 days later Doll Chateau released a plant-based/horror MSD who is absolutely perfect for my Victorian plant conservatory display, so I added her to the layaway list as well! And finally I found my one last remaining character I’d been hunting years for in the form of a Dollzone anime cat, so he’s on the layaway list too. That makes 3 BJDs added for 2024, which is pretty much my normal yearly average…so yeah, this goal has officially gone up in smoke! (And now it’s gone up in smoke even more! I made it to October, but then Dream Valley released a limited ghost moth girl who is perfect for my Victorian attic display…that’s it! I’m officially throwing in the towel for this year’s no-buy plans!!!)

2. Pay off my final remaining layaway that rolls over from 2023 (for the shocking rerelease of Dollzone Moment that I absolutely couldn’t pass up.) (Done!)

3. Increase my subscription (Done!) and catch up on my doll profiles here on DoA. I’ve worked very hard on completing my crew and I want everyone to be properly represented. (5 new doll profiles uploaded...caught up for now.)

4. Faceups and artwork:
a.) Do the artwork and faceup on my amazingly huge (120cm) lavender-skin mermaid, Dollzone Sawarieda (Jewell.) I’ve been happily admiring her blank sculpt for the past few months but it’s time to finally make her truly mine. This will be my biggest artistic endeavor of 2024. (The most I’ve been able to accomplish with this is to make definitive artistic decisions about theme, color and imagery. That’s something, but the rest is just going to have to wait until next year!)
b.) Do the faceup on my Kaniboom Rabbit Bianca head (Button) once she arrives. (Done!)
c.) Begin the artwork and faceup on my green skin Dollzone Moment (Mesquite) once his long layaway is paid off and he finally comes home. (Faceup and all artwork for the headpiece is now complete. I still need to do his body artwork, but that will have to wait until next year.)
d.) Do the faceup on my tan Realfee Toki (Brambles) once she arrives. (Done!)

5. I love sewing and designing, so I’ll be taking part in the monthly sewing projects in the workshop area here on DoA as needed to achieve my sewing goals. I’ve spent many, many years working on my large crew’s basic wardrobes…and in 2023 I finally completed them for every single doll in my collection (with anywhere from 3-5 outfits each.) I promised myself that when that happened, I would finally slow down and henceforth focus only on making very special outfits for specific dolls and really taking my time with it. And now that I’m finally there, I have a few in mind:
a.) Barrio Luminaria wants some fancy and fanciful suits in a 1980s “New Romantics” style (made from outrageous fabrics!) (One complete outfit finished! And a second complete outfit done as well. Barrio is now properly outfitted for this year at least.)
b.) I want to make a full blown and very detailed “Country Lolita” outfit for Second-hand Rose (in a fun strawberry theme.) (This is now underway as my official Spring project.)
A pair of ruffled bloomers and an elaborate underskirt completed
3 lace-trimmed coordinating blouses finished
A heavily detailed overskirt and a pair of wrist cuffs completed (this outfit is now officially done!)
c.) Once Mesquite finally arrives I will need to begin working on a specialized Toreador wardrobe. Pattern devised and one outfit completed. A second outfit completed as well.
d.) Collect the special “Anne of Green Gables” collection of cotton fabrics to begin work on a quaint cottagecore mix-and-match wardrobe for Tatters. (Fabrics finally ordered and arrived!) And sewing for this wardrobe is now complete: 3 blouses and 3 culotte/skirts that can be mixed-and-matched in various ways.

6. My dear hubby rescued a wonderful vintage 1940s/50s doll trunk from the rubbish bins, and I want to work my magic on it. It will make a great display piece for one of my BJDs (plus extra storage for their clothing!) (Thoroughly refinished and reupholstered inside and out…a great success story!)

7. Turn my extra floating Luts BabyDelf Gabriel head into a fancy hat stand display.

8. Purchase any little necessities my dolls might need.
Bought a new faux fur wig for Barrio Luminaria (and restyled it with an asymmetrical shaved-side look)
Purchased a gorgeous deep red twin tail wig for my incoming Ringdoll Jade
Bought a special new hat by my favorite hat maker on Etsy for Chinoiserie Rose

 

In theory, my goals are simple (not waiting til '24 to start on this, december is dangerous):

1. enjoy what I have
so I
2. don't plunge into getting more resin*

*Exceptions may be extra hands/feet/faceplates and maybe a very cheap restoration project.

 

My goals aren't that grand, but I still need to get them done

• Send out remaining heads for faceups (Lumi, Lanaya, Rozen, and Bonnie)
  
• Order custom colored body for Blodyn, my minifee Alicia, as I don't like the posing as much anymore.
• Order more clothes for Blodyn and Briar Rose
• Figure out styles for two of my dolls (MNF Lami and F65 Rozen)
• Buy elf ears for F65 Rozen
• Buy new wig for Lanaya
• Set up small diorama for Blodyn
• Organize and sort through clothes and wigs

I'm hoping I won't be tempted by many new dolls, if anything, I might buy one or two. My plans are in Flux, but these are the important ones

 

• I have binged on doll clothes, now I must purge
• Face-up for my blank doll and complete my OC
• Sell off/trade dolls
• I'd love more old Volks dolls! ...But they'd need to be a trade or bought with money from a sale.

 

• I'd like to try "one doll in = one doll out", as buying no dolls at all is always a fail.
• I'd like to continue crafting wigs, outfits and accessoiries
• I'd like to find the time to paint at least one doll's tattoos (I did it in 2023, so that is reachable)
• bying less. Less outfits, less accessoiries, no wig at all, only the needed eyes...

 

• Sell/Trade my DF-H 65cm body for a 62cm body, since it's just a touch too big for the head I put on it
• Sell my remaining extraneous dolls/bodies so I don't have to store/transport them anymore
• Buy a body for my Comibaby Misa head
• Practice/commission faceups for the rest of my crew
• Learn to sew some doll clothes

I promised my husband that I would finish some of the dolls I've got before buying new ones, so most of my 2024 goals revolve around that.

 

Oh man, I have been very on the low regarding purchases and such the last years. Mostly because I am, more or less, pretty content with the crew and unwilling to add more hungry, demanding for stuff-dolls to the mix
I also stopped trying to predict how things will go. For years I told myself "this time I will repaint them all!" or "no blank dolls anymore", and nothing happened on that front.

Anyway, the "plans":
- receive my LLT order (Lazuli, and Brilthor)
- sell my old LLT Lazuli hybrid, and not actually keep it because "haha wouldn't it be funny to have twins? jk........unless"
- try more aggressively to sell some more things, like heads I don't use anymore (I am just so lazy with it)
- receive my Akhmel Tomoe
- paint some dolls, the usual problem

I still wish to finally find a doll for the MSD version of my Soom MD Afi, but it's so hard. His SD version now finally comes in with Brilthor after 10+ years of searching, but his MSD one is still a no show. I just have yet to see a doll I really click with

 

I have only one doll goal this year: learn to do face-ups!

 

November UPDATE!
I always give myself very small goals so I don't feel bad if I don't get to complete most of the list. For 2024, this is my to-do list:

• Take more pictures of my dolls to share! At least one a month. FAILED!
• Get some more in-character clothes for Lianda and the Doctor. Done!
• Decide what to do with the doll I don't enjoy anymore (changing character, selling...). Done!
• Sell the doll body I don't have a use for or make a new character for it. Done!
• Commit to the making of the diorama. FAILED!

 

• Figure out what color of eyes I want for Migidoll Mu.
• Figure out what type of wig I want for Migidoll Ryu.
• Buy more dresses for Soom Mylo.

And maybe get more outfits for Volks Cecile and Latidoll K, but that is much, much lower on the list than the first three. I'll of course keep an eye out for Volks Scarface Reisner too, but that's less of a goal and more of an "eventually".

 

I'm going to try the reverse psychology method of 2024 goals:

buy all the secondhand dolls that you see that you can't resist because they are from your fav Doll Co's and are now too cheap to pass up ... ha ha ha
don't practice faceups on the 15 that are currently blank, half of which have a base coat of sealant and are ready for you to start ...
don't finish the dresses, pants, and socks that are currently half way sewn ...
don't! under any circumstance buy any new display cabinets (I like to see all my stuff) so you can proudly show your acquisitions ...

don't catalog all the secondhand dolls that came in in 2022 and 2023 ... hee hee hee

 

Ohh, I've got a lot of plans to muddle through...

• Sell the boy I have listed.
• Cuter clothes for Oliver- something mori themed or lots of lace.
• Better wig for Yu.
  
• Hunt down the outfit from the original SD Lieselotte release.
  
• When my FCS order arrives, determine if SD size is still too overwhelming for me as a collector. If so- sell the body. (The head sculpt I purchased in FCS already is planned to be on a Dear SD body I have.) Any doll purchases I make depends on that body from this point really- I'm happy with my other dolls and I've got a couple heads I like a lot that will probably be a pain to track down, so the true hunt begins after that confirmation.

Who knows what I'll complete tho haha.

 

My top priority is finishing my current sewing projects so I can move on to the ones I've planned, but not started.

Next is to continue not buying dolls.

 

My 2024 resolution is to just get all the dolls I have paid for already, lol I’ve ordered like 4 fully paid and am just in the waiting game.

Other than that, a more real answer would probably be hope/pray a Soom Elf Zak would come out this year with a Vampire head available.

 

Oh I don't remember if I did this for 2023, but I'll put my thoughts out there and hope for the best!
1) Finish paying off layaway for Fairyland Nuia
2) Buy more stands for the dolls so they can all be on display in one place.
3) If they can't all fit, maybe decide some of them need new homes.
4) If they need new homes, take pictures and list them for sale.
5) Take pictures and list for sale the wigs/clothes you already put in a "sell" box.
6) Maybe finally go to a doll meet up? You're on how many groups/discord servers where you see them make plans for meetups? Too many! There has to be a weekend that works...in 2024.
7) Maybe find Soom Heliot a body? He's yellow but he still deserves a body...or a bust stand...something.
8) Maybe finally design an outfit and make it out of the fabric hoard?
9) Maybe get another body for the Luts event head? Yes, you said the 2 heads would share the body but the second head hasn't had a turn yet...maybe he needs a bust stand too to chill on.

 

I'm categorizing my goals in a few different ways bc I have a lot:
Getting Full Dolls:

• Get a Luts Rain w/ a faceup bc he's on my for sure list
• Get another Impldoll Sicily w/ a custom faceup and a Supia doll ballerina body

Getting Bodies:

• Get an impldoll model body for my Impldoll Mila
• Figure out a lanky 75cm boy body I like

Face-ups:

• Get a faceup for my Lupin the Third head
• Consider doing raised scar mods for a lot of boys to be blushed

Clothes:

• Sew Giselle’s dress
• Sew Albrecht pants
• Suffer through sewing ballet costumes
• Knit Harley a sweater
• Put in a big taobao order to get everyone something
• Put a big Alice order in too

 

Oh, hey, is it already that time of year again where I make plans I'll change by the end of January??

Projects (already ordered, just waiting) :
-Gianna (Supia Naomi--faceup, blush, put together)
-Romi (Iplehouse black cat--paint)
-Bren's second head (Migidoll Siho --mod and faceup)
-Razzle & Lola (Eve Studio cats--dye/paint, string)

Buy:
-New body for Bren
-Twyla (Iplehouse FID Lahela, most likely)
-Clothes for Gianna (and Twyla if I get her)

Make:
-Lumi's wedding outfit
-Opaline's wings

Sell:
-Unsure. I really need to go through my doll stuff and sort things and see what, if anything, I can part with.

 

1. Sell the excess of dolls the ones that I don't want anymore and not going to use , and especially sell the majority of floating heads spare fantasy parts etc

2. Tidy up the shelves with bjd dolls
3. Tidy up and organise all their props shoes, wigs , eyes , clothes etc
4. Make, sew knit enough clothes for all of them
5. Get a camera and get more and better photos