summer.

Well summer is here in full force and I feel as though I'm gradually melting. The air is hot and humid and there isn't enough rain.

On a positive note, the heat is bringing out some rather interesting finds in the garden. I've been informed by the lovely regulars at the gardening corner that this is a Crocosmia 'Lucifer'. All I know is that it looks pretty.


The summer also means it's tennis season and I have found myself addicted to Wimbledon. A few evenings ago when watching the Murray-Wawrinka five set epic, Cardy taught me how tennis actually works, and now my enjoyment of the sport has increased. Brilliant stuff, and a very patient boyfriend!

I've also enjoyed some lovely lighting, so I have been busy with the camera. Tigerlily and Ophelia are home and they are making the most perfect models.


I am so utterly in love with them. There shall be plenty of more photos to come! I've also decided that when she arrives, my Miyu shall be called Étoile. It was Cardy's idea.

tea.

I had a pretty rotten day last Thursday, so my Mum took me for a drive to a local garden centre. She bought me a jasmine plant to cheer me up.


I named her Tea, and today she started flowering. The smell is wonderful.

reset.

I haven't updated in nearly two months. So much has happened and if I were to try to write it all down it would take too long. So here is the bare bones:

1. My MiniFee girls arrived, the heads were sent off, presumed lost and then turned up safely at Silvia's. They're having their face-ups done after over a month of looking like ghosts.
2. The three Dals turned up and have been causing havoc in their own bratty way.
3. A very enthusiastic hairdresser has given me the Annie Lennox look.
   
4. I left my job.
5. Myself and Cardy celebrated our first anniversary and decided that we are going to move in together.

So yes, it's all changed rather a lot. I've also started saving for a MiniFee Miyu. I'm not sure what to call her as of yet - I seem to flit from one name to another. All I know is that she's going to be a redhead.

wait.

I'm on the train to London to stay with Cardy for the weekend. I'm looking forward to being in the city again - the last few days at home have been too quiet for my liking. I'm definitely a town mouse.

I've been having dreams about my MiniFee girls arriving. In some dreams I want to take photos of them but I can't find my camera - in others I have really grubby hands and can't touch them. Akiko at Vitta Vera sent me an email yesterday to let me know that photos of their clothes should be in my inbox soon. Perhaps that will take the edge off things? Then again, it may make it worse.

Waiting for the MiniFees has instilled me with the need to throw myself into my Pullips and Dals. I've bought Hero a new outfit - Rovam's stock! I'm looking forward to her being a proper pirate. There has also been a shift in the Dal tribe. My two Dals have been renamed Vesper and Video, and I have plans to get three more, all with names beginning with V (to tie in with the Roman numeral for five). Vesper and Video certainly have much more personality now. I've ordered a new wig, dress and teddy for Vesper, and the two of them along with Hero are getting boots from Ixtee.

All in all, a good week in Starla's dollhouse.

pressure.

Click the picture to read the episode.

let the right one in.

This afternoon myself and Cardy went to see Let the Right One In at the Ritzy Picture House in Brixton. We've been gushing about how excited we were at the thought of finally seeing this film for over a week, so it had a lot to live up to.

Our 'OHMYGODIHOPEIT'SGOOD' gushing has since turned into 'OHMYGODTHATWASAMAZING' gushing. We were originally going to the Soho Curzon to watch it but decided that £12 was a bit steep for a cinema ticket. I would gladly pay that about of cash to see what can only be described as a cinematic gem.

Let the Right One In, a subtitled Swedish film, tells the story of Oskar and Eli, two twelve year olds ('more or less') living in Stockholm in the 1980s. Oskar is a mild-mannered boy who is bullied regularly at school. He spends his evenings imaging revenge and practising his knife-fighting skills on a tree in the courtyard of his apartment block. One night, whilst shouting at the poor, innocent tree, he is startled by Eli, a sombre-looking girl who is adamant that they can never be friends. The next evening, however, these two lonely characters find themselves talking in the snowy courtyard and a friendship quickly blossoms. Unlike your average twelve year old girl, however, Eli is a vampire who struggles to control her predatory instinct. Although she has to battle against her cravings, she becomes very protective over Oskar and gives him the strength to stand up for himself.

This film could have so easily have ventured into the Twilight realm where vampires are glamorous beings who twinkle in the sunlight and manage to curb their need for blood. Let the Right One In is a stark and chilling portrayal of vampirism and the effect it has on the infected. The audience, whilst acknowledging that Eli is no innocent, empathises with her and begins to understand her way of life.

The compelling plot is delivered with perfection by Kåre Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson, its two child stars. For actors of such a young age, the pair are a joy to watch and present two extremely well-developed characters. The tenderness that they share onscreen is achingly beautiful. The direction and production are also terrific - the whole film is very sparse, only Eli's red clothing occassionally shining through the snowscapes and cold blue lighting.

As Cardy has just said to me, 'this film is not about escapism'. It is not your average vampire flick with a gorgeous blonde heroine and a dark handsome hero. Let the Right One In is a blunt depiction of what it means to be a vampire and a victim, and how the two cannot help but go hand in hand.

All in all, a fantastic film. 10/10.

wardrobe.

I often chastise myself over the state of my Pullips' wardrobe. None of them have what I would consider to be a 'complete' outfit and only a few of them have shoes. I did have a finished outfit for Lux, but then I Obitsued her and now her leggings won't go over her bum. Oh the shame.

This problem must be resolved. I will, somehow, find the funds to kit out my girls. I'm considering selling some of my Bleeding Edge Goth dolls - I've worked out that if I sold off my whole collection for around £10 a piece I could raise over £800. When I get the dosh I think that adequate footwear will be the first thing to tick off my list. I'm aiming to get all my girls a pair of Ixtee boots. If I could make them clothes I would, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to search further afield for those.

In order to make sure that my resin girls don't suffer the same fate as the vinyl gang, I've put in an order with Vitta Vera. Photos will be posted when the outfits arrive!