Recently in Travel & Adventure Category

Best houseguests EVAR. Junk shopping, Kaiju popping, Okonomiyaki flipping happy goodness. Paul & Melissa.

Sunday was super hot so we had an impromptu Film Fest, with banana shakes and sundry other boozes. Once the sun went down Paul got to work in the kitchen and made a series of Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake-like griddled dish) of ever increasing complexity and awesomeness. The Grande Finale was Octopus & Hamhock— or, HAMHOCKTOPUS—that bloo my mind. For real, it was superb! Whoddathunkit???

Pose Doll by Melissa! She is so dreamy, I will name her and play dress-up for DAYS. More, better pictures to come!

And last but not least, Mr. Kallisti has spent the last few months dissecting vintage Kappa, analyzing how they were made, and recreating the art of Kappa Kraft!

Film Fest for the Aging Hipsters:

Craigslist.org + + Unemployed Mr. Kallisti =

Stay tuned!

My winter has been all about low profile. We've had a rough and wonderful year, hard to take it all in. But now I'm hibernating in what little downtime I have. Work has been non-stop, so the quiet moments are like tiny baby birds that are easily squashed! I'm busy though, just not online much. Lots of writing and research, it gives me some awesome pleasure. Rainy days with small dogs and kitties and books and needlework. One is never too young to be grandmotherly.

And I uploaded a bunch of our pictures from the trip to London last June. Click thumbnails to be magically wisked away to Flickr!

Favorite:

Needless to say we are preparing fun postage for the severed head gallery. Woot!

Ok, these dollga leeke collab wigs are KILLING ME. Too. Many. Wigs

And I just got last pre-order where they threw in a free wig. I was totally expecting an ugly leftovers or something, and they sent a long super cool pink wig. They knew!

also, best website flash evar:
http://www.club-internet.fr/le-duel/

When life gets ya down, just think of the moat bunnies.

Taken in June 2007, Château de Saumur, France.

Moat bunnies.

Something weird, aside from myself, going on with my blog. For some reason ImageMagick and NetPBM aren't being recognized on my server so the MT software can't process images into thumbnails etc. I also upgraded to MT4, but it is barfing on my old templates. So I've moved to a slightly modified default for now and will be cleaning it up as I time allows! I hate doing things in stages this way, but it was brokey. *whine*

Also, what eeediot (me) thought it was a good idea to have a tooth extracted and then move the day after? This was my first bit o' tooth surgery, I guess I've been lucky... but holy crap! That was horrible. How come I only got nitrous during the needle part, and not the pulling, smashing, banging and stitching??? I've never taken so many pain killers in my life. My face ballooned up very unattractively, and I had to stumble around directing my 70+ year old parents in moving token boxes up the hill to the new place (they insisted on helping, it was very sweet ♥).

I get my stitches out this morning... dude, I have stitches IN MY MOUTH o_0

Any way, welcome to the worst month of my life. Seriously. This entire year (except for that whole trip to Europe fabulousness) has bit the big donkey schlong.

But this morning on the way to work, as I was turning down Moeser and confronted with the AMAZING view of the bay from the end of our block, I felt the first glimmer of optimism since that poor man was murdered on our lawn.

It is not over, but there's hope. And orphaned hedgehogs and a brush.

I still have to cancel DirecTV and eat the $175 contract cancellation fee they tricked me into 6 months ago for ordering their useless DVR that I returned anyway and ate the $99 non-refundable fee on already. As well as the preliminary AND final walk-through with our previous evil landlord and hope he doesn't try to withhold our deposit beyond reason. Oh, and we have to eat another $150 contract fee from Earthlink because they don't offer DSL at the new location. WTF, indeed.

I did manage to snag 5 pairs of shoes from the Haute Doll MA collection. Rawr. The dollies are still packed. I'm going through withdrawal. And my mother-in-law arrives on the 6th for a holiday!

meh.

I'm in a happy place. I received tracking info from Volks (no, not Masha, who has been delayed til late July, but another baby), and I've been alternately lazy and crafty about the house.

After the previous few months of utter madness and thriftiness and selling, I'm so relieved!

I've sewed two new dolly dresses, from my own patterns (go me!) and finished one of the corsets I used as a sample for Dollectable. And there is lots of laying around in between watching BBC costume dramas I picked up in the UK that won't even be released here for another year or so. Gads, I'm so happy!

Oh, and season 3 of Dr. Who started. And Torchwood is coming in September.

And all the animals follow me from room to room, I feel like Cinderella.

I know I am slow with my travel diaries. We're waiting for a cd from a friend who was kind enough to offload 2 gigs of images in Switzerland onto his laptop. So I have earlier images, and pix from the end of the trip, but I'm missing the middle o_0. You know what that does to a storyline, yikes!

In a Swiss farmhouse on the top of a mountain drinking absinthe and vintage vermouth and eating fondue with loved ones. Life just don't get much better.

But there's been a ton of pix uploaded to flickr, with more to come. You are welcome to browse.

I'm still in awe of the magickalness of the trip. But there was still so much to see, especially Paris. Didn't have nearly enough time. Half a day lost in Les Halles totally scarred me for life with all the Burger Kings & Footlockers and GAPS and UGH! Stab the eyes out with hot pokers. We were looking for the Marais and took a right instead of left at the Pompidou Center and were DOOOOMED. We did find porn and sausages eventually though. So it worked out in the end.

I'm reading an amazing book, "Liberty: The Lives and Times of Six Women in Revolutionary France" and there are numerous mentions of Les Halles as the market center of Paris. I guess it still is, but where are the fishwives? They're hocking Nikes and burgers these days. It hurts my soul.

or, Kallisti Fest 2007

"I'm sorry I caused all that absinthe." —Kallisti

Click here to skip to the flickr album! 204 pix and counting

Since I started the absinthe website, now FeeVerte.net, friends from the forum there have been poking me to join in the fun at the annual Boveresse Absinthe Festival, or at least to visit and see the absinthe and related sights. I'd refused up until now. I'm a total scaredy cat when it comes to flying.

2007 is the ten year anniversary of the Fee Verte website and forum. Ten years! I made a new header banner to celebrate! Oxygenee, who has since taken over the site (though I still help), finally convinced me that now was the time. They'd hold a fund raiser to help with tickets etc and arrange a special fun absinthey activities. How could I refuse!?!?!

KallistiFest 2007 was born.

Madame Tussaud's was surprisingly very fun.

We're back, and recovering from jet-sleepy. Again, Virgin Atlantic is the awesome. Left London 11am Saturday, arrived 2:30pm in San Francisco same day. Since we were chasing the sunset on the way back, there was no dark sleepy, so they just kept feeding us yummy snacks, juice, drinks, water etc for ten hours. I watched "Miss Potter" and "The History Boys"... two movies I totally wanted to see, they were both very good.

We have a couple thousand pictures to sort and edit and choose from. We'll get right on that.

So long, farewell, Auf wiedersehen, good night, I hate to go and leave this pretty sight. So long, farewell, Auf wiedersehen, adieu, Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu.

So long, farewell, Au'voir, auf wiedersehen,
I'd like to stay and taste my first champagne
So long, farewell, Auf wiedersehen, goodbye,
I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye,
Good bye

Ok, so this was supposed to be posted before we left over a week ago, but I ran out of time. It was very hectic! The flight went well. I recommend Virgin Atlantic's Media Wonderland for anyone who is nervous or bored on long flights. And about 328,000 mg of Xanax. Does wonders.

The Pan European Absinthe Safari is over! Just back from Paris-Saumur-Paris-Pontarlier-Couvet-Paris! Shacking up in London for the next five days. Staying in one place for the last leg of the trip is the best decision I've ever made. Wow.

Not too much shopping, but we've eaten our entire bank account. It is awesome. I think we had all of one meal that didn't consist of sausage. There will be pictures.

More when we're rested. Or home... I can't decide. Ha!

Heading to the Tower of London first thing in the morning for the London leg of the Kallisti Severed Head Tour 2007™. And then over to the Borough Market to get Mr. Kallisti some for real South African biltong.

What does one need for one's first trip to Europe?

Cyber-shot® Digital CameraDSC-T20/P

Tha's right! The world's greatest pink camera. Sony is da bomb when it comes to styling. Makes nice cameras too. That picture makes it look huge. It is tiny. 4oz w/o tiny battery.

Saw it at the Metreon Sony Store last week. Became obsessed. Had a bad day yesterday. Needed shopping therapy. Big box stores are retarded and worse, do not stock pink cameras. So we ordered it online. Saved some tax, yo.

If anyone is interested in my fab little Nikon Coolpix 4300 for $110 + some shipping, let me know. When the new cammy gets here (a week I hope) it'll be going on ebay. Here are the specs: Nikon Coolpix 4300 - 4 megapixel!

It comes with manual, small nylon camera bag, extra battery, charger, and prolly some other stuff if we still have the box ^_^ We've used it well, but it has never been dropped or abused. And it got really great CNet reviews a couple years ago!

It seems quiet here, don't it. Well looks can be deceiving! All the action is IRL and I can barely keep up.

I lost the Volks lottery for the BtSSB Alice & The Pirates outfit, so if there is anyone out there who wants to let a hapless girl takeover their lottery or what have you, pleeeease let me know!

I just paid for my tickets to Europe in June! OMG. First time going, I'm completely freaked (hate flying) and ecstatic (dream come true) at the same time. Mostly I'll be on tour to the Kallisti-Fest in Boveresse for the Absinthe Festival... but the Mr. and I will be in London for five days on our own.

I need suggestions for the absolutely coolest things to do for a art-history-lit geek like me! Tower of London, Madame Tussaud's & the V&A are a given. What else?

And maybe spend two of those nights in another town? But where?

In any case, there will be more coming from me soon. No worries. This is a big, busy year!

For Ondine.

And then:

for Christmas? I'm waiting for more peektures. And there's a whole slew of Dolpa 16 goodies we haven't seen yet. *smacks head*

But for sure:

Hurrah! & 3-6 months would be good. Some time next year Ginevra & Ermengarde will get their Dollstown body!

And not to mention the eventual release of the Hypermaniac dollies. Ugh!

In the meantime: Reno this weekend with Toddums and Switzerland in June for the 10th Anniversary of FeeVerte.net at the Boveresse Absinthe Fest.

Seriously. I hate to fly, the only reason why I waffle. I must pray to ye gods of dutch courage and get my ass on that plane. Gar.

Hermione & Miette won 2nd Place and a big granite trophy in the dolly costume contest for "Bo Peep and Her Sheep." I didn't get very good pictures as it was really crowded! So official photoshoot for the archives SOOOOON. Also got interviewed by Mikey for the Japanese Television. That was nerve wracking. I look real purdy in my Laughing Sal outfit with my toof all blacked out. Pretty girl! It was a barrel of excitement, everything happens so quickly it is hard to keep up. Such a whirl!

But here's the news:

1) Christmas 2006: new doll or re-release of an LE girl
2) June 2007: 2 day NYC Dolpa w/ FCS & Painting Class (and LE doll)
3) October 2007: Japanese Style Dolpa in Los Angeles. They will be hiring a 747 to fly out 500 Dealers & Fans from Japan, and encourage U.S. people to get sewing so they can be dealers too! Location at Hotel and reservations to be announced. Also an LE doll for this event.

Wow.

My Pix: Volks Halloween 2006 - a photoset on Flickr

And a couple more choice selects from Melissa (swak!): Paul & Heads, and me in really fancy company w/ trophy.

P.S. Special congrats to Aimee for finally winning the baby angel of her heart. And A.J. too! Wow! No postcards!

Thank you Auntie Kelly! Butter's swanky anthropologie sweater really did the trick in this mornin's fog. ♥!

More pix from our walk this morning...

Not our intention to have a big shopping weekend, but it was!

Picture Butter running 'long side, or sitting in the basket, ears blowing in the wind.

Came home Tuesday to find the biggest box in the world, all wrapped in minty green paper that perfectly matched our decor. Tearing it open revealed a dream come true! The full set of Camille Rose Garcia vinyls. They're so much bigger than I thought! 12" or more? Only one girl has come out so far. Don't actually have room for them right now :/ but expect more peektures of them coming soon. And then the girl vinyls will fight the boy vinyls TO THE DEATH!

Got back late Monday night! So I'm late with the pictures... I was lame anyway. I always mean to take more, and to take more of the people and not just the dolls. But I'm such a flibberty-gibbet at these things. It is all I can do to go get another glass of wine!

So here's another round of one-offs (that you've seen 238473 times by now) and the dolls at our table. This is my first Flickr gallery! Check it.

Other people's pix I like: Liz, Melissa, Nadja!

I brought: Hermione, Miette, Aphra, Lord Foppington, Leopoldina and Aschenputtel! People laughed at me... I also had a couple people tell me that Hermione had changed their minds about F16 being a girl. Now that I have a Chris, even the new one, his features are much sharper, more pronounced, and the head is bigger. They make lovely twins ^_^

Speaking of The Mold™... I finally turned in my Sasha Petition, directly to Mr. Shigeta, the president of Volks! I was almost too shy. Mr. Kallisti had to drag me over and his youngest son who was there helping out translated. I had it all attractively printed out, and put in a cute icecream colored folder. Translating the concept of a petition, or vote was difficult, but I think we finally managed it. They were both very lovely, Mr. Shigeta gave me his card, made some notes and took down my name and email address. So. It is done. The rest is in the hands of fate.

I didn't put in for any of the one-offs this time. Most of the dolls I swooned over were dolls I already had like Liz & Sweet Dream Nana (there were TWO!). The closest I got was Sweet Dream Nono, and had she been white resin I totally would have... her outfit was gorgeous and I loves SD Nono muchly. She was very popular at our table though, but someone else got her, I hope we see pictures! They also had TWO F-28 boys, but they were both sunlight. Again, had he been snow... I was about to order him through Sato FCS when WC Chris was released, so he's still on my list somewhere down the line! They didn't use the LE beauty white resin at all this round, it was all the FCS white, except for one sei-tenshi I saw the next day in line... beauty white sei-tenshi! Aieeeeeeeeeee!

We didn't win anything at bingo either, but some of our friends won the dolls of their dreams! It was super fun, and we got to meet Angie (nofunangie) & Keith (Friends of Todd, or FoT for short) and hang out all weekend. Angie's old skool F-04 Tallulah is badass, I love her style, and Angie did the most amazing back tattoo on her that no one managed to get a picture of 0_o. Nadja and Will were also down, and we took over a couple awesome restaurants both Saturday & Sunday with dolly people. Wow.

The weather was stunning. Totally San Francisco style summer... breezy and not too hot, even inland! I was all prepared for the blistering LA heat, and I got none.

I took an extra day off to dress dollies for the Tea this weekend. Holy cow!

Sure is fun, though. We leave early tomorrow. Vroooooooooooooooooooooooooooom!

Mr. Kallisti just got the biggest box ever from Rinkya o_0 ... it is Kaiju Kristmas at House of Blastmilk! But among the oodles of vinyl there was this (not necessarily work safe):

Just sayin'. *falls over laughing*

K, two more dollies to dress. And some errands to run. If I don't post again... see ya'll in LA!

♥ kallisti

I dream often of living some place less expensive, where I could afford to buy a house, where the people are a little less politically correct, and the cars are fewer... (insert "Swiss Family Robinson" theme music here)...

But I've had such an amazing week, all due to local color and local comforts.

Last thursday we took my uncle to see "Restoration Comedy" at Cal Shakes theater, which neither of us had ever been to. A gorgeous outdoor theater in the wilds of Orinda, nestled amongst the hills in a glade of giant eucalyptus, we were dive bombed by dragonflies throughout the performance, but no mosquitos (pronounced muskeetas if you're like me and yer mama is from the midwest)!

Look! I took a pictures with my new camera phone:

Wow. 1.3 megapixels and it still sucks. Only use in case of emergency! New phone is cool though :p

I'll let you read more about the play here. It is only playing til the 30th. It was so brilliant and so funny, and oft times so very GAY that I was literally falling off my lawn chair I was laughing so hard. And the costumes! Oy! Lots of costume puns and general fabulousness. If this play comes to your town, SEE IT.

We had dinner downtown at "Casa Orinda"... and old timey relic of a restaurant that has gone a bit upscale but still serves awesome fried chicken and and steak and spaghetti and stuff. And they had REAL GRAVY. Like not brown gravy, or craft service yellow gravy... real gravy. I could bathe in it.

The icing on the cake of a perfect evening: when we dropped my Uncle off he loaded me up with yet another chunk of his ancient library... specifically the Restoration plays (printed late 17th century), a contemporary copy of The Beggar's Opera (18th century), and a biography of Henry VII by Sir Francis Bacon (16th century). More on those later. After I roll around in them naked for a bit.

Sunday night, in the middle of our little heat wave (yes, it was 94 in El Cerrito) we went to The Merritt Bakery for dinner in Oakland. Another relic, and old diner, again specializing in fried chicken and cake! It was sooper. We then went and saw the pirate movie at The Grand Lake, yet another beloved anachronism: the gigantic gilded movie house. Used to go there quite a bit as a kid.

Last night we drove to the City for a hair cut. And nipped down to 16th Street and Pancho Villas for burritos. It may be hard to believe, but you just can't get Mission style burritos anywhere but the Mission. Berkeley don't have it. No sir. It is only fifteen miles away, and there ain't nothin' like it no where else. Sigh.

I am replete. Living here is no punishment, despite the high cost of living. I still fantasize daily about Baltimore or Portland or New Orleans or the Wilds of BigFoot Country. Sigh.

Yesterday we celebrated July 14th with Ze "Bal de la Victime" Bastille Day Dolly Picnic! 'Twas awesome. Myself, Mr. Kallisti and Butter, picked up The Robots (Nadja & Will) and met up with St. James, Idrisfynn & JennyNemesi near Pioneer Meadow in GG Park. Unbenownst to us the meadow had been taken over by large tents and giant african foam heads o_o. So once KellyHime and Mr. KellyHime showed up on their vespa, we nipped around the bend to the Rose Garden (two rose garden dolly picnics this summer!) and claimed the least swampy bit of rising ground. Maggie joined us shortly, I'm glad she got the communique that the little group had moved!

(Ondine as the costumer who forgot her contacts :p)

The weather was wacky, alternately sunny and bright then cold, blustery with billowing fog. You'll notice in the pictures how they suddenly turn leaden grey or are over exposed. Ugh! Still, we had parasols, lots of parasols. Cake and booze unburdens the soul. Olives and brie feed the mind. And my new favorite cocktail: Trader Joe's Blueberry Soda with B & B (cognac & benedictine)... YUM!

I've been sewing for two weeks preparing two outfits. The empire Merveilleuse dress Aurelie is wearing and the split bodice Patriot dress for Hermione. I think pattern making has finally clicked, I drafted two dresses and a corset in the past two weeks. Wooo! You can see inspiration from my collection of images of costuming circa the French Revolution.

(the custom cake from The Cake Gallery. reeeeeeeeeeally goooooooood! btw, re: marie antoinette... she never said that.)

Click for full gallery!