I got the wig from Etsy (Sophie Toy Paradise) and the eyes were a one off pair from Etsy (Bentonvodka) I have two pairs of eyes from this artist, and unfortunately they aren't cured properly, so as soon as I touched them they got cloudy and can't seem to polish back up to a nice shine. I basically am just SUPER CAREFUL handling them, but still managed to cloud up one of her eyes =/ If I have a chance, I'd have them remade by a different vendor to ensure quality. Her new faceup is from Angel Toast though! Who always does top notch work of course I would LOVE to see your Gwen. Every since the VW web site was taken down I regretted not saving the original sales photos. And of course regret not purchasing one haha! :P 10 years ago, the doll scene was quite different and I took for granted that VW would keep making more dolls that I'd have a chance to buy.
I think I might get new faceups for both of mine but I haven't sent a doll away for a faceup before and I'm so nervous about it!!! I probably have the site photos somewhere I could share too- I'll look on my old hard drive and see. I'm not sure if VW ever sold any of the Gwens- I think all the doll scene drama happened right when she was being released? How has the scene changed in all this time? What's different now? Both my VW dolls need restrung and a little TLC at the moment but- I'll post a photo of them anyway, ASAP.
Oh gosh, well first of all DOA is different— most collectors are either in FB, Insta, or Discord groups since forums are old fashioned and a bit limited and inaccessible. Also with 3D printing and BJD casting houses, making dolls is more accessible to creators, and there are many more artists dolls on the market these days. So I think the world of BJD collecting was super small 10 years ago, we all knew each other here and it didn’t seem like it’d stop any time soon. I had emailed VW a while back and she mentioned you might be the only owner of a Gwen now! So I’m super excited that you popped back in Can’t wait to see Odette’s long lost sister!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/cuMj6JKQ7CPBQ7Yp8 Here's a dusty no wig no wing photo because I'm still unpacking from a move but- here's proof of life anyway! I really do want to get her repainted. She's got a lot of smudgyness now over the years... but I'm just so scared to send her off in the mail to someone Also really needs restrung- the elastic holding her wings snapped in 2019 and I only just now have my ducks in a row well enough to replace it. We've all been through a lot but we're still hanging on lol
OH MY GOSH look at her!!! She looks amazing! Congrats on snagging the one and only Gwen haha Definitely send her off for a new faceup! I sent my Odette off twice. Just make sure to use a faceup artist in your own country and super insure the package... she'll be alright!
I really adore my Gwen though I feel a little guilty having such a rare creature! Really, I was just lucky to work with VW, it was a truly great experience. It's interesting to see companies like Doll Chateau now making dolls so similar to what VW was doing back then, now it seems like the concept of a lanky fairy BJD is everywhere.
YES! Artists dolls and these otherworldly fae creatures are certainly more accessible now. I have been looking for a friend for my Odette for a while though and honestly nothing quite works. Doll Chateau is close but they don’t really have the sweet faces, and a lot of their interpretations of wings is just kind of overly complicated or just weird (lots of butt wings… why? That’s so awkward.) Really happy to see Gwen out there though! Thank you so much for sharing her and please share more when you get a chance
