Getting Back Into Dolls After a Long Absence?

That is a fabulous idea and one I think I will adopt. It would also give me a chance to go through the multitude of doll clothes, wigs, shoes, and other assorted things to see what I want to keep and what I want to sell.

 

I've been sort of off the doll hobby for a little under a year now. The reason for this being that I adopted two kittens last spring, and for safe-keeping, I put my dolls away in their boxes until the kittens were mature enough to not be bouncing off the walls. They're just getting to this point now, and I've been bringing my dolls back out slowly. However, I've found my tastes have changed. So I'm currently selling off the ones I've fallen out of love with (my former grail-doll D: ). The most striking difference is that I'm no longer interested in buying more dolls. There are only a few that I feel like I need to have, and even those it's less of a need than it used to be. I guess my priorities have changed in life.

 

I guess I haven't been out for as long as some people, but I've been completely away from dolls and DoA for 4 months. There was a move, stressful exams, family and money situations, so my one doll sat quietly packed away in his box.

Recently I've gotten back in, since my living and family situations got much better and I've found a full-time job that gives me some money to spend on dolls. I did find that I got a drastically different interest in dolls now. I actually feel like customizing them and sewing stuff for them, and for the first time in my life, I find myself seriously considering buying a girl doll! Now I just need to put away some money from my new job and wait for another preorder.

 

I was out of the loop for three years! (2007 - 2010) I had acquired my grail doll (Unoa Sist) and then graduated from college. I was broke and jobless for a long time so I detached myself from the hobby. It was just easier to be on hiatus than to see what was up and long for dolls and things I couldn't have. Once I landed a steady job, I slowly started visiting DOA again. Then I saw Iplehouse Benny... I had to have her! She looks just like my most beloved original character! I was dismayed at first because I didn't have the funds and she was limited. But then I learned that Iplehouse accepts layaways. Upon further investigation, I found that layaways were now a common practice for most doll companies and shopping services. This enabled me to get back into the hobby full force!

Anyway, long story short, I decided to start collecting new dolls and create a little world for them. I kept my Unoa carefully packed away during my hiatus and was very happy to rediscover her. I display my dolls now which I didn't do in the past. I find that this time around, I contemplate my purchases a little more carefully and I actually enjoy the hobby a lot more now than I did when I first started collecting in 2003. Back then, I was so desperate to get a doll that I settled for one and then another that just weren't the ones I wanted. I ended up selling them to get my Unoa.

 

Yes! I'm actually coming back in after a couple years ... I do feel like kind of a terrible person for ignoring my boys, but it feels good to jump back in.. even if only barely. I plan on buying a MNF shushu sometime soon and start making some clothes and jewelry when I have time so I'm getting ready to dive in.

 

This happened to me 2 years ago and I just came back this year^^ 2010 was the worst I think, because I didn't see my dolls for the whole year and in 2011 I only took them out 1 time and I didn't participate in the forum during those 2 years except when I came to sell 3 dolls. This year, 2012, I want to pay more attention to my boys, it feels great to hold them again

 

I've been absent from the hobby for quite some time, probably around a year. My dolls have been packed away in their boxes and I haven't spent any time with them in a while. I think today's the today to come back.

 

I got a couple of dolls back in 08/09 and that was right after getting married. We moved into a tiny apartment for a while and then got a house and I started doing a lot of work and other hobbies and kind of lost interest for a while. I mean I still thought they were cool of course and liked dolls, but felt like I was not doing anything with them, so I sold them feeling guilty that they are worth a lot and cost a lot and that another hobby of mine, model horses, is also expensive..AND I got a real live horse...and so I felt that I can't do ALL of this at once. I decided sometime to focus on msds and then I wouldn't feel quite so bad since they aren't as big and thought when the time is right, I can get some. So recently I have had a lot of big art jobs and thought ya know I think I'd like to start up again and so I have just ordered a resinsoul song, and a mnf el and I have plans for characters with them so I'm pretty excited! I just needed to realize I don't have to be completely immersed in either hobby of mine to really enjoy them!

 

Mine were in boxes stored for a year and a half in a storage fascility whilst my house was renovated.
Its interesting I did not miss them one bit, I didn't look on the forums or even think of them.
I have literally just got them out of storage and am displaying them and can't believe I survived without them. I back looking for more to buy, as well as clothes and accessories for my existing ones.
I can't believe how much it was out of site out of mind. I was actually worried when I got them out that I would have gone off them. How wrong I was one look and I fell in love again.
PS Looking for another mini gem - pm me if you have one for sale...........see what I mean!!!!

 

I totally feel with you! I've been away for a long while, guiltily promising myself every once in while as I look towards my desk where the boys are that I would get back into the swing of things...then just stepping away...

Then I got to go on vacation and visit friends in Japan, I went on a Volks tour so to say, went to various Volks in Tokyo, that got me excited, I bought stuff, I couldn't wait to get back into the hobby, then I came back, and summer vacation was over, it was back to work (I work in Education)...I lost track with my new demanding position....

My new year's resolution was to get back into the hobby, and my first step was to log into DoA to get inspired by everyone's gorgeous posts....and well, today was that first step... we'll see how it goes!

 

I actually just came back to the social aspect of the hobby as well. In total, I didn't post anything or kept up with the new companies for about 5 years. I was too busy with RL and I also went abroad for a full year, so I didn't keep up with what was going on on DOA.

My dolls never left my side though so I could still enjoy them, but I didn't post anything about it. I'll admit, I didn't buy clothes or accessories for them until last year. I continued to play with them every once in a while however. I didn't stop loving them, I just had other priorities than buying things for them. Mainly, they were on display next to my desk. I didn't feel like I needed more.

Then I fell in love with EID IpleHouse Chase and had to get him home. It made me fall back into the hobby and I even made my first face-up thanks to him.

Hopefully I will be a little more active here now!

 

I'm actually considering taking an extended break from dolls... I'm in the home stretch for my Bachelor Degree (33 units left!) and after that I plan on moving to the other side of the world for work for a year, minimum... I just won't have time or money for them, and I certainly doubt I will take them with me. Was actually thinking it was a mistake getting into the hobby considering my plans but the last 12 months I've been in it have been worth it, so I can't regret too much.

They'll be there when I get back, I guess.

 

I ALWAYS feel out of the loop, but that is because I am rather casual with my hobby. I have my small crew, and I have very specific likes, so a lot of goings on in the BJD world dont' grab my attention even when I am part of them.

I have just started getting off from a 'break' from dolls that has been about 2-ish years. I moved across country, then across province, going from working to full time school to working again, then not working and being insanely broke, working again and moving apartments four times. I just didn't have the time or money to really concentrate on my crew. Or space for awhile.

As of only two weeks ago I moved in to an apartment I think I can stay in for awhile. Family lives near me now and I have a lot of friends. I think I can settle a bit. So I hav purchased a new doll and have started dipping my toes in to the dolly pool again. It's always a bit overwhelming when my dolly friends start talking, but luckily they understand. Thank goodness!

 

I seem to be back and forth with the hobby a lot. I've been on and off for the past several years, and I'm just now coming back from a shorter six month absence. School and life take over, and my priorities change. I still enjoy my dolls, but I'm not as obsessed or up-to-date on company/sculpt knowledge as I used to be. Ah, well.

 

I've been out of the loop for quite a while, but have been drawn back in just lately, there seems to be alot more choice, I don't know if that is a good thing!

 

Haha mine was 2 years, lol. Life got too busy for me to focus on dolls. Around last year I started looking up dolls again and ended up getting excited about the hobby again and ended up buying a new taller doll to fit the look of one of my OC so my old doll I have that is now a no character is just sitting on a shelf and has been there for a year in the same position.. I dust him off ocassionaly.. I just can't seem to sell him.
I've been looking up on meetups and such now and then and reading different topics but I don't think I'm fully back. Almost all of my friends I use to see aren't there anymore or have moved on so I have like no doll friends.. I guess that's another reason for me not being as gun ho about it like how I was when I first started. I still like looking at doll clothes and think man that would look awesome on my doll but I rarely buy any.
I'm just now getting to redo one of my doll's faceups and it's been almost 1 1/2 lol. I haven't even restrung any of them, not sure how and I'm too lazy to learn.
I don't think I'll ever be as interested as I was in the beginning but I still love my dolls, though I've been commissioning more artwork of them then anything else hahaha..
Though I noticed when I "came back" almost everyone I knew from the meetups in my area had left. So I haven't been going to many since but many things have been getting in the way of me even going to meet new people. My job for one and then dog shows are another.
I would love to get back into it like I use to be but I feel that is lost hope. I wont be as passionate as I once was but I don't mind buying things for them every now and then.

 

I think it's been 5 years since I've been interested in abjd's. I saw a knitting designer's patterns for dolls recently and decided I wanted a 10-12" doll. DOA has changed so much I'm learning how to us it again. I'd like to find all the companies that make 10-12" dolls I want and check them all out. I was ready to buy a Fairyland doll and then started reading about problems in the resin and unresponsiveness of Fairyland to address the problems. I must have called DDE on a bad day because the person on the phone made it very clear she had no time for my questions and I now don't want to buy from them.

 

I'm just coming back from that. I was/still am so afraid to touch my dollie at the moment because of all the school stress I'm going through and family stuff. My gf and I were having problems with me coming out to my family which then led me to worrying about everything and I totally forgot to do anything with my dollie, I feel horrible about it too. And so my life became such a lie and now today I brought my mom into my school and we went and saw the social worker together and I just let it all out. And I know for a face that I'll be working on my dollie now because my phone is taken away until monday, I'm not allowed to see my gf, still working through the family stuff, and homework. Because my life is just going to be delayed because of that stuff, I'm just going to be sewing dollie clothes/making props/dollie cosplay and my own cosplay.

Fun.

 

Life was so much easier when I was a college student and worked part time. All of my free time was spent sewing, painting, customizing, on DoA, or hanging out with doll friends.

Fast forward 7 years, and between my hubby, family-pets and my crazy 6 day work schedule - I barely have time to look at dolls, much less do anything with them. It was especially hard the last few months. From vet and hospital visits and saving up for our first real trip in 3 years... I totally forgot about DoA. ^^;;

In all the years I'd been in the hobby, I'm finally really happy with my small collection. All the boys have their primary gear, so I'm not shopping around anymore. And after Kylyk came back home, that feeling of fulfillment was finally mine (even blank and with nothing of his own). --- Now that everything is a bit more calm, I can come back and spend time on him.

I just took my dolls out of their boxes, hopped up on DoA and now I'm here and happy. ^_^ I just bought Kylyk a pair of boots, his wig, and I'll be sewing for him sometime this week. Next up is his faceup and scars. I still see doll friends seasonally, but I just don't have the time like I used to. I try to keep in touch by reading blogs, and poking them on pinterest, tumblr or fb.

 

We do seem to have less and less time to ourselves to do something 'fun' - at least with this hobby you can dip in and out, they are still there patiently waiting for the next time you have a few hours to sit and make them something or just take some new photos.