Normal BJD things you've never done

I've never dropped an obscene amount of $$$ on a doll or an outfit or whatever. Even when I had normally higher end dolls I put them together made hybrids from mostly used parts to get them under budget.

My budget on dolls has gone up a little because like everything else the cost of doll stuff has gone way up since I was collecting last time. Out of necessity I took a good few years off and when I came back I got sticker shock just looking at doll accessories.

A lot of my doll stuff got stolen including my best dolls and I couldn't even deal. I barely came here. I couldn't look at doll stuff. I didn't have the $$$ to replace any of it. I didn't even have a roof over my head for nearly six years. Buying dolls and doll stuff wasn't even an option.

I have a few dolls now and I've managed to get clothes on most of them. Some are still works in progress but that's okay. I do what I can as I can but just popping $100 or more for an outfit or spending $25 or more for shoes that just doesn't happen around here..

Unless I somehow get a lot more affluent than I am that's just how it is. It still pains me all the stuff I lost. I had 20 years worth of collecting doll stuff and not being able to use that stuff or replace it really makes me frustrated at times but it is what it is and given what all I went through I'm just grateful to be alive, securely housed and the owner of a few nice dolls again.

Not being able to buy my BJD dolls fancy shoes or outfits that's a minor annoyance by comparison...

 

i've been in the hobby since 2013, and customization-wise, there isn't much of anything i haven't done with my dolls at this point. most of them are hybrids, i've modded, sanded, dyed, painted, sueded, restringing is often the first thing i do with a new doll, most of my dolls are wearing wigs and eyes and clothes that i made...

i do have a few nevers tho: never been to a meetup or a convention, never did a trade, never did a group order, never purchased a head to toe fullset with company faceup, wig, eyes, outfit and accessories all included.

in terms of crafting i think the only never i have is shoemaking, but i plan on doing that this year!

 

This thread is making me realize I have done quite a bit—faceups, wigs, sewing, shoe making, dyed dolls, sanded dolls, opened dolls’ eyes, closed them, modded expensive limiteds, taken off artists faceups, sueding in several mediums, wiring, gone to (and hosted) meetups, &etc.

I think about the only thing people have mentioned that I haven’t done is make eyes. I have all the stuff for it, I just keep getting distracted with other things.

 

I've never bought a doll on actual layaway. I phrase it like that, because I have put a doll on layaway for week to have the dealer hold an instock doll for me, or to take advantage of a sale. I always pay it off in a few days.

I've never made resin eyes. They do have these empty eyes that you can fill something or paint how you want it to look, but I have never made actual doll eyes. I don't think I ever will as I have a ton of eyes already laying around.

I've never dyed a doll. I don't have any that need it. I suppose if I ever got a really yellow or stained doll I would try it.

I've never successfully made doll shoes. I did try my hand at some slippers, but they didn't come out right. I just don't have the talent for cobbling.

I've never been to a doll meet or doll convention. My state (Florida) has quite a few meet ups but they are close to 100 miles away from me, so if would take about two hours for me just to get there.

I've never made a good wig. I did try when I first started collecting but it just doesn't feel like a proper wig for me to glue hair wefts to a cap, and I have never tried to sew hair on to a cloth wig cap. I've tried to make a few fur wigs as well, but I always get the pattern wrong. So, no wig making for me.

I've never done a group order, and I never will. It just feels risky to me, and I can be paranoid.

I've never commissioned a faceup, I do my own.

I never sold a doll, I have no intention of selling any of my dolls.

I thought I did a lot of stuff. But I did experiment enough to know things I am not good at doing.

 

I've been in the hobby for almost 19 years, and I've never bought a doll on layaway. I prefer saving up, then buying a doll.

I've also never bought a 70cm+ doll, or a musclebound male body. Neither of those appeal to me.

 

For around 3 years, I've never done most things in the list. I've customised several wigs, and unstrung and restrung certain dolls to get the aluminium out, and that's all. But I don't think I miss a lot part of playing with dolls.

You are really resolved !!!!! I only do layaway for preorder doll with long waiting time.

 

I never modded, dyed or sanded a doll, I'm too scared of messing it up and regretting it. I also haven't ever sewn because it seems super hard. I have made wigs, eyes and faceups but the rest is too scary for me.

 

It's been almost 17 years since I got my first doll, and was interested in the hobby for several years before that. I'm very hands on, so there's not a lot I haven't attempted. So these things might not be all that "normal" but enough people do it that I'm counting it:

-Been part of a lottery/been to a Dolpa
-Sculpted a doll body (I have tried to sculpt a head more than once and it's not pretty.)
-Designed and 3D printed anything (I've seen a lot of people creating not just doll parts, but also props, shoes and more.)
-Made a Youtube video about dolls/box opening

 

I do layaway, I do crazy mods, I dye, I do faceups, wigs and eyes, I have a lot of different dolls, and a lot of repeat heads, because I’m like that, but there are a few things I’ve never done.

-I’ve never had an anime doll character (though I’ve bought bodies from anime dolls, and sold the heads)
-I’ve never kept a doll that never got a character (some have taken their time, or had characters switch, or they got sold)
-I’ve never been to a doll con (though resin rose is on my bucket list)
-I’ve never given a doll as a gift
-I’ve never received a doll as a gift (I was given one as payment for my assistance once though)
-I’ve never taken a doll with me on a trip, to a museum, theme park, event, etc
-I’ve never sculpted my own full doll
-I’ve never modded a head permanently
-I’ve never made a wig with Alpaca specifically
-I’ve never sewn my own doll clothes (this will have to change soon)
-I’ve never taken faceup/wig/eye commissions
-I’ve—miraculously—never quite run out of space for dolls (but I’m close to running out now!)
-I’ve never paid F&F on PayPal to anyone I didn’t consider at least an acquaintance
-I’ve never spent more than $1200 on a single doll

 

There are a lot of things on this thread I've never done.
The most common thing I don't do is that I do not travel with my dolls. They don't come on trips with me.
I also do not have stories for them - they do all have names, and some have a concept of a backstory, but that's all.

One thing I want to do is dye a body. I have a Soom Trachy in brick red, and although she does have brick red hands, the rest of her body is white skin. I'd really like to dye it. Right now her clothing hides the body, and I blushed her neck and wrists in case they peep out - but I figure that if she's all covered up like that, even if I botch the dye job she won't be worse off?

Another thing I want to do is try to improve my face-up skills. Now that all my dolls have face-ups, even if they're not all good, I feel that I could maybe just randomly take one or two of them and experiment with face-ups. I just need to practice!

 

I’ve never sewed. Hot glueing is not sewing!
I've never dyed a doll. But I need this skill for the future!
I've never done additive mods. I should... But... Not now.

 

I am going to be honest I don’t think I am even five proper years into the hobby. However, everything that I have not done I am honestly not going to do because I am not artistically inclined. I am a chemistry whiz. So I don’t plan ever doing a faceup, stringing a doll, sueding or wiring a doll, sewing an outfit other than to repair, or making a wig or eyes. I am too hard on myself trying to be a perfectionist.

 

15 years. Good grief.
I have done a lot. I've always felt comfortable taking all my dolls apart and adapting them and changing them, to the point of boiling hands to soften the resin enough to change the positioning of fingers I put my dolls through a lot They are there for me to have fun with and experiment with, so there.

I never have:
Created a BJD from scratch ( I have made porcelain dolls, paper clay dolls, Marionettes, cloth dolls, but never a BJD)
Commissioned a face up - I am too particular about things, not necessarily a good thing. Also I don't trust the mail with a treasured head.
Attended a meet-up or any kind of doll event, I like to putter around in private I suppose.
Sold a doll.
Used lay away.
Made eyes. Made everything else but never eyes. I have 25 pairs laying around as it is, so not felt the need.

It's been fun, even the years when life was too hectic to have much time for them. Here's hoping that will change one day, in the meantime I will just have to grab the moments and spurts of energy that I can.

 

Ooh this is an interesting question! I've technically been in the hobby for around nine years but only really super active in the last two. I've tried out a lot of customizing and crafting but there are still definitely some things I have yet to try! I have yet to...

- Make a wig.
- Make eyes.
- Make shoes.
- Do or have a doll with body blushing, besides hands.
- Do any major sculptural mods (I've sanded dolls and done repairs with epoxy, but that's the extent of it).
- Attend a local meetup (I have attended a non-local convention).
- Do a swap/trade.
- Commission a faceup (unless company faceups count).
- Purchase a fullset.
- Participate in a group order.

I really hope to get around to trying the crafting-related ones this year. I could give or take the rest of these things, except that I'd really love to go to a local meetup sometime. Hopefully by the end of the year this list is a little shorter.

 

Things I haven't done yet in my almost 14 years in this hobby, but will probably do sooner or later:
-sculpted a part or a full doll
-dyed a part or a full doll
-gone to a doll convention

Things I've never done and have no interest in doing:
-bought a fullset
-commissioned an artist for a faceup, blushing, wig, clothes, shoes etc

 

Been in the hobby...oh god is it really 18 years?! And I've never:

- wired or sueded a doll
- made eyes
- made shoes
- done permanent mods
- been to a meetup (would love to, but I always seem to miss them!)
- been part of a split

 

14 years in the hobby and there are a good bunch of things I've never done:
- face-ups, mods, or dyes.
- shoe or eye-making.
- been part of a group order or asked for a split in a sales post.
- used layaway.
- bought a doll taller than 52cm or shorter than 20cm.

 

I've been in the hobby since 2019 (so 6 or so years) and I think the most common/normal things I've never done are:
- Restrung a doll (Idk why, it seems very scary to me X'D)
- Been a part of a group order
- Bought a fullset (all my dolls are pretty much second hand)
- Used a layaway
- Been to a BJD meetup

 

Hmmm, things I have never done so far for bjd's:

• Resin eyes - not willing
• Shoes - teeny buckles are beyond me.
• Wig making - I have done this outside of bjd and my god is it tedious for my brain.
• Dye a doll - eep not brave enough.
• Body mods like piercings or tattoos - thinking about it.
• Used layaway - personal pref us to jyst buy it.
• Attend in person meetup - none in area.
• Been part of a split order - group project vibes.
• Public photoshoot - I don't think my garden counts.
• Travel via airplane with one - contemplating this as there is another enthusiast at an annual event I attend.