If you've ever bought a doll from Volks before (my very favourite - and the original -resin ball-jointed doll company) you might know that in most cases, their glass eyes are fixed into the head with hot glue. The eyes are absolutely meant to be removable, but I guess this is the most fool-proof way to make sure they don't go anywhere. (To be fair, it does look a bit terrifying when one eye decides to point in a different direction, which can happen when they're fixed in with putty.)
Anyway, Ivy (previously featured in this post, and this one) still had her original eyes up until today. I've removed many a hot glued eye; I just got lazy with hers.
No technique for removing hot glue from inside a doll's head (a fairly enclosed space) is without risk - especially if you don't want to ruin their faceup. I use 99% alcohol in sparing amounts on a cotton bud, holding the head upside-down so that any excess alcohol can't run to the outside of the head through the eye sockets. I rub the alcohol along where the seam of the hot glue meets the resin inside the head, wait a few moments, then gently pry the glue out with tweezers. Often, it pops out in the most satisfying way.
With Ivy, it did not.
I (literally) chipped away at this hot glue at various moments over two days. The glue was stubborn to the point of obstinate. I managed to get the eyes themselves out fairly early in the process, but for a while I wondered if I was going to have to just leave half the glue in there.
But this morning, I had another good go, and I won.
Funnily enough, I'd left the hot glue in Ivy for so long because I didn't think I had eyes big enough for her, as her defaults are 20mm. But when I started trying eyes in her, I found I liked 18mm best.
I'm 90% sure these are Volks HG glass eyes, so nothing special, but I really like the violet-blue against her warm faceup and wig.
She's still wearing the Melody.C Ribbon Rabbit set which she hasn't taken off since June 2024. (Oops. But it looks so good!) The wig is a limited Volks wig, I believe from one of the releases of Ran, that I managed to find on Yahoo! Japan auctions.
Overall, it was a good year in the hobby. I had one especially lovely thing happen: an online friend was able to get SDGrG Ranma for me directly from Dolpa 53. I'm still so grateful and happy for that. And I ordered my second-ever Full Choice System doll, 22 years after I ordered my first FCS (also my first-ever ball-jointed doll), which was a great experience.
I had more potential doll time than ever before, since my daughter is a little older, though whether I actually used the time well is another question that I hope no one asks... We played dolls together more than ever before, and she got a Licca-chan doll of her own. Sharing the hobby with someone I love so much is pure joy.
Dolls I bought in 2025
Volks MSD Hewitt (arrived in February)
Volks SDGr girl Ranma, switched to a DearSD body (arrived in May)
Claudia, my Volks SD13 Nono bought via the Full Choice System and moved to a DearSD body (arrived in July)
Dollshe Grown Bermann OE head (arrived in October) plus 18M Classic body (arrived in September)
For completeness, I should mention that my two DoDollsDream dolls (Petronella, a Miss Marionette Lullaby Miss Ao, and my unnamed Teacup Marionette Lullaby Lottie) arrived in 2025, though they were pre-ordered in 2024.
Other numbers from 2025
Dolls bought: 4 (plus a few bodies). I'm very happy with this number. I'm running out of space in my small doll/sewing/hobby room, and also running out of mental space to enjoy them all.
Faceups completed: 4. I'm happy with most of them. I thought this would be more than in 2024, but it turns out I also did four faceups in 2024 (one of which is on a doll I plan to exchange, so it never saw the light of day).
Clothing items sewn: 2. I also sewed a couple for my Blythe and Licca-chan dolls, but I'm only counting the two dresses I made for ball-jointed dolls. I wish I had written about the process and posted proper finished photos, because I don't have them for either dress. I like one of the dresses I made, but the other was weirdly-proportioned and may need re-sewing.
Knits knitted: At least 4? I definitely finished at least 4 BJD-sized knits (of course I don't have photos) and maybe more, and I started a few others. I like them all, but knitting is my comfort zone and I've been doing it for ages, so the results are more predictable than when I sew.
Blog posts posted: 7. I posted 10 in 2024, so this isn't an improvement. I'm not too bothered about the quantity here, but I find myself wishing I had documented a few projects or doll arrivals.
Types of other dolls I started buying: 2. Early in 2025 I had a bit of a Barbie moment, and late in 2025 I had a Licca-chan moment. I'm not mad about it, but I also think I have enough of both for now. (I'll also only buy second-hand Barbies from now on, because I don't like the quality/price point of current products from Mattel, or their use of AI.)
Plans for 2026
Buy fewer than four dolls. I don't have physical/mental space for more and while the hunt for a doll remains exciting, I find I occasionally feel anxious when they arrive and I wonder if I'll have the time to do something with them.
Maybe sell some dolls or doll heads, if over 2026 I find there are some I really don't touch.
Maintenance: Get my Volks Masha and old FCS F-28 head sent in for paid exchange, because they are both banana babies. If I do this, I also need to get a new SDGrB body in pureskin white for the FCS F-28 head.
Collapse some doll boxes, especially boxes for dolls I'm really sure I don't want to ever sell. I did this as an experiment with a doll box that I don't care about, and it worked really well. This sounds like such a basic point, but it would give me back a lot of space and make me feel more organised. I might also try putting the doll box cushions in vacuum-seal bags.
Write regular blog posts. When I look back through, I'm really happy that I kept the blog going, at least for myself (I have no idea if anyone reads it; I don't have any analytics).
Document more sewing/knitting/crafting projects. In 2025 I only wrote about one knitting project. I would love to have a proper record of what I was working on, and I think it might encourage me to be a bit more organised as well.
Take more photos. A huge part of my enjoyment in this hobby is taking photos, so I should do it more often. Maybe even with props and backdrops?
Historical sewing for dolls: I've had some projects in mind for years (like an 1895 cycling suit for my SD16 Lady Oscar, or a period-accurate 1650s outfit for Robin, my SDGrB Williams, considering Volks's Oath of the Silver Coin timeline). Maybe 2026 can be the year I finally work on them?
Generally, I hope to use my time even better in 2026, spend time with each doll, work on my skills, and document all the things. Happy new year, and I hope 2026 brings good things to everyone who reads this!
Merry Christmas! I hope everyone reading this had a good day, whatever you got up to. It's a secular festival for me and my family, with presents and food and relaxation, and we managed to tick all those boxes and then some.
This year there wasn't a doll for me under the tree, but there was a new camera lens - a nifty fifty (a Canon RF f1.8 50mm, to be specific). I'd been thinking about it for ages, because while my 35mm lens is fine, I thought I would like the 50mm better for doll photography.
Hazel was my first model, and of course, I had to put her in front of the Christmas tree and stop the lens all the way down to get some nice bokeh.
I should also (belatedly) introduce Claudia. She's a FCS F-07 (or Nono) from earlier this year when there was a special time-limited event at Volks's Tenshi no Sato, and you could order this otherwise-unavailable head. I bought her with boyish make and put her on a DearSD body for maximum cuteness.
I put them both in red for Christmas, but I've been doing some Christmas sewing (which is obviously not finished in time for Christmas) which I hope I can finish before the end of the year.
After this one photo session, I can say I'm very happy with the new lens, and with the fact that I have Christmas photos up only slightly late.
Looking back through my posts this year, I see I've taken photos of Hazel more than any other doll. SDMs are very portable... and she's just got such a soulful expression. I keep thinking about getting another SDM, but in 2026 I would like to work on managing my collection size. I don't feel comfortable indefinitely adding new dolls, and I'm running out of space anyway.
I may do a separate post about 2026 plans, but the short version is that I want to finish all unfinished dolls (two of which involve paid exchange at Volks due to extreme yellowing) and do more sewing, knitting, and photography.
I hope everyone has lovely winter holiday period, and good wishes for the new year! May all your dreams, doll or otherwise, come true in 2026.
