this week.

1. The return of Doctor Who - tonight saw the return of the almighty Doctor and his three companions (yay for Rory the Roman!) and what a start to the new series it was. I can see that I'm going to spend a lot of time heroically hiding behind a cushion on Saturday evenings for the next few weeks...
2. Rearranging the bookcase - now that Neko and Blythe have arrived (squee!) I've had to make some more room on our already very busy bookcase. I ended up taking everything off, giving it a good dust and then got to have fun putting everything back. I can't really rearrange the furniture in this place so it's a good substitute!
3. Candybar - I recently discovered that there is a fun programme that allows you to change the dock icons on a Mac, so I'm now rocking the most amazing dock set up ever. I have ice lollies, bananas, cake, mushrooms... it's all going on!
4. Indeepop - when I found out about Candybar I went on the hunt for gloriously crazy icons and I came across this gem.
5. Thunderstorms - we had our first storm of the year this evening and I'm still smiling like a loon. I love thunder and lightning!

this week.

1. The return of Being Human - myself and Cardy are both happy to see Series Three of Being Human on BBC3. A werewolf, vampire and ghost sharing a flat? Yes please!
2. Choir - one word. Madonna. My WORD I am looking forward to our concert!
3. My new haircut - I've got my Louise Brookes bob back and I'm loving it. I'm not having to sweep the hair out of my eyes anymore and it looks so glossy.
4. Nakd's 'Cocoa and Orange' bar - I decided to try this out as an 'on the Tube' snack on my late nights this week. It's delicious and strangely filling. Definitely going to become a firm favourite.
5. Cardy's bolognese - last weekend Cardy cooked up some bolognese for the freezer which we cracked into on Tuesday night. While it was defrosting he told me that he hadn't even tasted it. He didn't have to worry, it was brilliant, especially with garlic bread.

1. Skinny jeans - roller derby is excellent. I can buy skinny jeans! And I don't look like a beast!
2. Glee - namely the Britney Spears episode. 'I petted a snake'. Good for you Britt!
3. Desigual's new collection - especially this top and this skirt. I'm already saving my pennies.
4. Paramore - after last week's Glee I tracked down the original 'The Only Exception' and found Paramore's fantastic music video. I won't lie, I've been doing my usual trick of having my iPod on repeat.
5. The 'just ordered new dolls' feeling - I finally ordered my Luka and Chloe. Now the waiting game starts! I don't mind the long production time, I've got so much to organise before they get here.

creating.

Well I said told myself that I had to make more time for writing this year so I made a start today. As well as being treated to a bit of a make over, my Carnaby Street mini site now has the beginnings of an introduction page. I'm hoping to be able to order Neko and Blythe in about four month's time - very exciting! Between this and doing a truck load of ironing today I feel like I've had a productive start to the month.

resolutions.

I don't usually like to make resolutions as I only feel guilty when I break/don't achieve them, but I'm feeling rather positive about this year. This is what I'm hoping to achieve over the next twelve months:

• pass my roller derby minimum skills test
• pick up my DSLR camera more and not just to take photos of dolls
• start writing again
• actually pick up my guitar instead of just using it as an ornament
• develop my professional knowledge at work
• continue to save up for a mortgage
• save up and buy Neko and Blythe
• try my hand at photostories
• finish my Project 365

portraits.

I spent this morning taking some photos of the girls. I'm rather impressed with how the winter light turned out.

this week.

1. Cinnamon and Nutella cake - I found this recipe in a book that my mother sent me to London with and my second attempt to cook it this week has been a great success. I baked yesterday morning as my parents were coming for lunch before we had a day out in London and it went down a treat.
2. Winter weather - I will be the first to admit to being cold, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I'm complaining. I'm quite small so I do feel the chill quite easily, but I actually prefer the winter to the summer months. I like coming in from the cold and sitting beside a radiator or curling up in a blanket with the laptop warming my legs and a cup of hot chocolate on the go. And you can't really snuggle that much when it's stifling hot.
3. Dressing up my dolls - I had the day off today and decided that it would be silly to go outside when I didn't really have to. My girls have matching underwear sets so they've been lounging around in them since January. As the weather has turned I thought it was time for them to wear something a bit more substantial. They look good in anything since they're thin and have legs that go on forever, so it's fun to play with different styles.
4. Liberty's Christmas Shop - I adore Liberty in general. There's just something about it, a combination of the rich woodwork and the elaborate displays. So going to their Christmas Shop with my parents yesterday was a trip well made. More fairylights than you could shake a stick at, cheery Christmas music and the decorations on offer were beautiful.
5. The new series of Peep Show - it started tonight and it looks like it's going to be a good 'un!

this week.

1. Remembrance Day - well, not quite a 'favourite', but it is very important to me. This year I wore my poppy with pride and had a quiet two minute silence on my own in the office on Thursday. Cardy went to a small service at the war memorial in Docklands. My Dad is a veteran so it has a lot of personal significance.
2. Pukifee - I never thought that I'd ever like a BJD this small, but I've been overcome with Pukifee admiration. I'm especially fond of Luna and Zoe. So cute!
3. Our new lampshades - I'm slightly embarrassed to say that although we've been living here since January, we have only just found lampshades that we liked for our living room. No more naked lightbulbs for us!
4. Peep Show - during the week myself and Cardy like to watch one of our many TV series DVDs. This week we have got through the first series of Peep Show. Alan Johnson - what a legend. But remember, there's man love and there's business love, and never the twain shall meet.
5. My sturdy umbrella - it's been foul outside this week and my umbrella has blown inside out a few times, but it's still going strong. We salute you little brolly. We salute you.

ghost.

I do so love my little Asphodel. Bisou is such an amazing sculpt.

spring.

The clocks went forward today signalling the beginning of a long awaited spring. There is a tree across the road from our flat that is sporting a fresh new blanket of soft pink blossom. When I turn the lights off as I leave the office at the end of the day I'm not longer plunged into darkness.

Life is most certainly sweet.

I'm loving living in London. I'm loving living with Cardy. I'm loving our flat and my job and lounging around at the weekends.

The light in our living room is astonishing - I'm looking forward to getting snap happy over the impending Easter holiday. I love the creamy tones in this photo of Svetlana. I never thought I would be able to take such good photos of my beauty white girls.

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.

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!

rush.

In my haste to leave the house this morning I failed to eat a proper breakfast. All I had was a pitiful portion of honey nut cereal. I found myself snowed under by a blizzard of printing and photocopying and, despite my plummeting blood sugar levels, I didn’t manage to consume anything until after midday.

The sugar is filtering gently into my system. I can feel it, like a tingling under my skin. It’s glorious.

Cardy has begun to read The Sandman. I’m so glad that he’s finally giving it a go. Neil Gaiman is a literary genius. I need to do a photo-shoot with my Endless girls next week.

Daphne is finished but I feel that Lux needs an eye of Horace to look legit. And then I need to attempt to sew.

fresh.

I’ve decided that today is the first day of spring. It’s been the first day in a while that has not been accompanied by drizzle and a biting wind. The sky is a bright tapestry of white cotton wool clouds and a marigold sun. The heady scent of pollen is on the breeze, making me dizzy with delight.

Today was an Astrid flavoured day.


Her lime hair and apricot lips have a real kick. She’s like eating tangy sorbet on a warm day.