#yosd rinon

[smallwonderdolls]

Yo-SD clothing set by 新建北村

Shou (Yo-SD Rinon) wearing 棉花熊 (”cotton bear”), a coat and scarf set by 新建北村 (official translation: “Newly-built North Village”).  I pre-ordered this set back in January.  One could freely choose the coat colour, fur colour and scarf colour from several options, which was neat, but also made it very difficult to choose...  I ended up picking out a second set of a mustard yellow coat and dark green scarf as well.

The quality of this set is impeccable!  The scarves are delicately machine knit, the workmanship is neat and clean, the fur-lined pockets and pull cords work, and the little details (like the tiny leather tabs on the ends of the pull cords) are perfectly in scale.  The only potential flaw is the lack of working closures on the coat.  I might sew a couple of loops on there myself, to fit over the two decorative buttons.  

I’ll definitely be watching for more releases by this artist - they seem to be as infrequent as they are collectible.

[smallwonderdolls]

Tea plantations in 阿里山Alishan; a great cuppa made with local beans at Station, 奋起湖Fenqihu; early morning mist in Alishan.

Later in the day, the mist rolled in and covered everything in a sea of clouds (云海).

[smallwonderdolls]

I Sky Villa, Miaoli, Taiwan.

[smallwonderdolls]

七星潭Chisingtan beach, where the waves are deceptively mild and will sneak up on you suddenly; the best yam mochi I've ever had, by 曾记 in 花莲Hualien (peanut and matcha are pretty good too); 清水 cliffs.

(just remembered I packed Shou a waist pouch and completely forgot to use it in any of his pics XD;)

[smallwonderdolls]

More Soo spam. XD I had been planning to bring Shou (Rinon) along with me to Taiwan next month, but now I'm tempted to bring Soo instead.

I don’t know why much of the colour in Soo’s face-up seems to fade away in photos...?  He’s actually quite blushed in real life.  Maybe I should add a little more colour and detail when I next have some free time to work on him.

[smallwonderdolls]

Back from my trip to Taiwan~ It was a good one, in many ways. :) On the doll front, it reminded me how bringing a doll along really gets the creative juices flowing for photos. I didn't bring Shou out with me that much, but I would often think how great a particular setting we came across would look with a doll in it (old railway tracks; a trail through an ancient forest; a quiet corner in a traditional market, etc.) It was fun to think that way again!

I hope there will be more such trips in future. All my older dolls have travelled with me, but I think Shou is the only one I've brought on a trip since Tatsue visited New Zealand in 2008.

Since I forgot to use the pouch I packed in any photos in Taiwan, here's a little series of Shou wearing the pouch at home. XD;

I didn't make it to any doll shops in Taiwan, but I did get to check out a recommended fabric store complex in Daxi Old Street, Taipei. I didn't buy anything, as I only saw a couple of stores carrying good quality small prints (mostly Japanese imports), and the prices were comparable to what I can get elsewhere. However, I did see two stores carrying a huge range of thin faux leathers, which would be worth a look if you needed a particular type for doll shoes, belts, etc. I also saw some nice cotton/linen blends. Otherwise, there seemed to be a lot of synthetics and upholstery fabrics, which I don't use in my sewing at all.

The Daxi area in general had many small craft shops selling cutesy Sanrio prints and craft supplies (including Fujix sewing thread), but prices were not cheap and I didn't spot anything I wanted which I couldn't also find online.

If anyone plans to visit Taiwan and wants food recommendations (such. good. food!), I will be glad to share my Google Maps lists, just drop me a line!

[smallwonderdolls]

Goodbye to our B&B in Cingjing; views from Cingjing Sky Walk; icy, windswept 合欢山Hehuanshan; driving above the clouds.

Beautiful landscapes like I've never quite seen before.... I especially love how the layers of mountains fade blue into the distance (check out the background details in the photos), just like a Chinese ink painting.

[smallwonderdolls]

Travel prep. The cleaning sponge and hook-puller are must-haves if I bring a doll out anywhere. Tip: don't pack tops with back openings, in case you want to do a back shot.

I can't believe I used to travel regularly with an MSD....