u/telstra_3_way_chat

I can't with Mattel and the flat, mono-tonal pinks and apricots they insist on giving their Black dolls!!

Repainted Looks 21's lips with a mix of browns and reds (using nail art brushes). I didn't remove the factory paint and instead used it as a guide for the repaint. For now I'm enjoying the 1990s matte finish, but I may add a coat of satin varnish... will see how I feel later today!

I also upgraded her blush and contouring with a bit of powdered pastel, and gave her a beauty spot. Obsessed with how she turned out!!

Mine's Haute Couture 3848 from 1992!! I actually owned this glorious piece of Gianni Versace intellectual property infringement back in the day, but over time I gradually lost all the individual pieces. One day I'll win the lottery and buy it again :')

She's wearing the Maxi & Midi-inspired ensemble from Barbie Boulevardier's 'Icons' collection :)

As I mentioned in my other post, my local agricultural show had a number of bookbinding classes to enter, including a new 'Reimagine A Book' class where one of the options was to rebind! So, in addition to doing my first binding project for the Show, I also did my first rebind! I chose this chunky big boy, and its size was a bit of a challenge at every step, but I learned so much and am really pleased with how it turned out!

I followed DAS Bookbinding's video about rebinding a paperback (with an oxford spine and leather false bands), mostly to the letter, as well as cruising some of the many great posts on this sub on the topic, but I added made endpapers as well at the last minute (I can confidently say this would have been better to incorporate from the get-go!!).

I used a 50/50 PVA/wheat paste combo for every step, which was really forgiving for beginner repositioning needs.

The leather for the spine was a very 'scratch and dent' veg tan calfskin that I dyed and finished myself; the judges may not agree, but I wanted it to look a bit beaten up and like it could come out of a Westerosi library! Being lower quality it was a bit stiff to begin with (and Angelus leather dye has a habit of making leather a bit papery at the best of times), so turning in the ends was challenging, but I got there in the end. Next time I would probably add a final coat of conditioner.

It was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to my next project :)

This was my first ever binding project, and I learnt SO MUCH. Predictably, plenty of things went wrong - sewed the made endpapers in the wrong way around, book block ended up a funky angle because I had to trim by hand (it may be funky but after a good sanding at least it's smooooth), suspect I got the grain wrong for the manila strip along the spine as it creased rather than curving, initially made the wrong sized case... but all things considered, I'm so happy with the result! And even if I don't place, now I have a guidebook to accompany me on my Duolingo adventures :)

btw it's not matte black with dust all over it: it's a really nice "night sky" coloured sparkling buckram book cloth with glitter - it's impossible to photograph!

I've been hanging onto these Macfarlane minis for years, but never got around to making scenery for them! I only had a couple of hours to throw this together (love to leave things to the last minute - if you're wondering why the last couple of in-progress shots are dark it's because it was 5am on the day I was due to deliver my Show entries lol) so I just freestyled a Hallelujah Mountains inspired setting because it was going to be quicker to pull together than a night-time forest locale (that's my next project). Stoked with how it turned out.

It's a little squished inside the jar because I couldn't find a wider one that was also tall, but once the Show is over I'm going to take it out and make a larger scene in an even bigger terrarium jar!

For those interested, here's how I made it (last three pics are progress shots): the base is fencing wire wrapped in masking tape, and the 'mountains' are polystyrene chunks stuck together with a mix of masking tape and hot glue. The 'vines' are hemp cord wrapped around the wire. I did a few layers of acrylic paint, starting with a dark grey, then stippling a lighter beige, and finally dry brushed some green. The plants are a mix of Gamer Grass alien ferns and tufts, and some Woodland Scenics grasses. God bless Loctite!!

Printed my signatures on my friend's Brother laser printer, and it's given the pages a real wave. (I've read that this can happen with laser printers.) This is what it looks like after a night between boards/bricks.

Has anyone ever managed to reverse this effect? I can live with it for my own use but these are pages I was hoping to use for a local fair's bookbinding contest, and I don't think this will cut it with the judges!

EDIT: thank you all for your great advice! I tried re-humidifying the paper and pressing it and it's a lot better already. Another night and I think it will look close to normal again :)

It was kinda overwhelming but incredible! A local long-time collector (50+ years) has been downsizing and periodically does a big sale. This was the first one I had been to and I nearly lost my mind! Happily nearly all the ones I wanted were in the AUD$20-30 bracket; I splashed out a little more on Astronaut Barbie ($70) as I've been trying to find her for soooo long, but overall I couldn't believe how reasonable the prices were. And now I feel like the luckiest kid on Christmas!! Will be sure to post the girls (and MC Hammer lol) as I bust them out of their boxes!!

Would this be a pressure issue, or the angle, or a secret third thing? The top edge didn't have this issue.

Generally I'm pretty happy with how it turned out (this is just some scrap paper that I sewed/taped and glued, just to get the feel of the various stages), but would like to try to work out what happened here so that I can avoid it next time!

It's a very, very close cousin of Aesop's Hwyl! A nice option for when I don't want something quite that strong (or long lasting lmao let's be real) but still want to smell like a spicy forest

Mum gave me this cute little plant basket for my birthday but we both agreed he was too cute to put in the garden and be eaten by snails - then she had the bright idea to use him for pocketbacs. Since I like to change them up depending on what fragrance I'm wearing, now I have a handy way to grab one as I go out the door!

We had such a nice morning out for the big 4-4. Had pancakes for brunch and then she said "Shall we go look at Bath & Body Works??"

I had mentioned Sweet Heart Cherry a while back and Mum remembered. She went straight up to the shop assistant and asked if they had anything in that scent - the SA said "I found ONE candle this morning when we were setting up, she's over here!"

SAS is still going strong here in Australia - she got Pistachio Glaze and some hand soap for herself. I feel very lucky!

Pic 2 is after it all gets stirred together so the cheese melts! (Yes the burger is a bit nuked; was my first time trying out my new air fryer, haha)

She came to me well-loved and in random clothes (including the cute boots she’s wearing here); I cleaned her up, tidied her hair, and put her in an OG skater girl outfit I had lying around. I love her!! Going to make her some Girl Of Today fashions so she can be my ‘90s cool girl 🥰