We're gearing up for Kawa Kon in February, and I'm running the Ball-Jointed-Doll track and the Cosplay track. We have some awesome things going on, not just in my tracks but also in the whole convention.
I love that this is a convention that embraces not only Anime, Manga, Japanese culture, and associated art, but also embraces SF/Fantasy elements such as Dr. Who, Harry Potter, Space Opera, Weird Counter-culture, music, internet phenomena, Steampunk, and many other genres. If you can get to St. Louis in mid-February, you should really come and check us out:
www.kawakon.com
Two weeks thereafter, I get to put my feet up and relax at Conflation, which is a convention for 21+ fans. This year's theme is "Vaudeville", so I'm going to hit it with The Devil's Carnival like a ton of infernal bricks.
In the mean time, I'm selling dolls and doll stuff to help me pay my bills. This is such a bone-thin time of year and I wish it were otherwise. Therefore, I am playing with the dolls I'm keeping, taking inventory of my accessories and doll clothing, and trying to treat myself with exotic teas and eating food out of the fancy dishes.
Go, self-care!
I'm really happy with the results that I am getting with the Pan Pastels I got in December. Sarah Seiter recommended them during her panel at the St. Louis BJD Convention, and I must say that I was seriously impressed. They're a powdered pastel with no fillers or binding agents so they give excellent coverage. I also utilized some of Sarah's technique and you can see the results on my "Colorful Crikey" and "Colorful Crocodile" deviations. Crikey is very happy to have some color. He didn't want to be Leucistic.