just a little update

Hi everyone! How have you been? It looks like I'm becoming a weekly blogger doesn't it lol.. It's on the weekends that I get a bit of time to post, as the hubs is around and the kids get more into his hair instead haha.. So I thought I'd quickly write about Lucy, and a new little girl who's up for adoption!

Well, actually Lucy came and went within the past week; I didn't even take as many pictures of her as I'd have liked to, in part because I've been feeling so terribly sleepy. There's sleep debt with the baby of course, but I've just had a revelation that I'm entering into that stage that precedes the big M: perimenopause, whee! Mood swings, headaches, fatigue -- I've even learnt that there's something called crashing fatigue! And then, plus the annual acrid, smoky haze wafting over on the breeze.. well, thank goodness for a bit of dolly goodness to cheer one up.

Here are Lucy's eyelids. Blythe eyelids are just as important as any other part of the customizing process -- some artists do amazing work on these tiny "canvases". The lashes are swapped out too -- Blythe stock lashes are just awful, stiff and poky.

And this is my new little girl, Ophelia! I love how dark she is, and a little melancholy, but sweet too. 

You see I couldn't quite get away from the whole Victorian/old world thing haha.. 

Ophelia is up for adoption in the shop now (though about 10 minutes ago a lady requested that she be reserved..). I'm off now to get the kids cleaned up -- catch up again real soon!

I’ll go with you on ships across seas

Remember how I told you about the heartache of sending off my little munchkins -- Blythes or Bikbiks -- into the big wide world? Well, here are some snaps of what it's like, and how long and drawn out it can be -- suddenly you can't seem to take enough pictures!

This is Sadie in her original stock outfit and box for travelling. Sadie got very close to Orso while she was living with me.

One last hug.

This sort of face is very hard to cotton-wool and bubble-wrap.

Well, I'm trusting to see lots of pictures of Sadie in her new home -- she'll have lots of friends, and plenty of lovely clothes! In the meantime, a quick little peek at a new little girl -- here's Lucy! More about Lucy soon -- have a super lovely, blessed week, my friends :)

treasury clipping

Rainbow fox, by Red Horses, creator of gorgeous hand stamped jewelry and accessories. The entire list is here.

1. Rainbow fox mask by Ninn Apouladaki

2. Audrey Hepburn collage pin by Bikbik & Roro :)

3. Swarovski rhinestone earrings by Nonnasoul

4. Little House embroidery hoop art by My mind's attic

5. Fabric bridal bouquet by My Secret Face

6. Set of coffee sachets by Handy Happy Hearts

tastes like umami spirit

Hi everyone! How have you been? I'm writing a quick post today to say that the Bikbik & Roro shop is going on a little hiatus -- I've gotten so busy with the other shop, it's been a challenge comfortably juggling the two (and the kids, and their schoolwork, and o yes! Jake! lol)!

So, ready-made items are ready-to-ship, but custom, made-to-order ones are dependent on what projects I'm working on at the time. The little girl you see at the top is my most recent custom -- her name is Sadie and I love her shy, sweet nature!

I'm so honoured that Sadie's been adopted and found her forever home. As some of you did email me asking for more details about the other "mystery" shop, let me tell you more about it now.

I named it Umami, because it was a word that jumped out at me from a magazine I saw lying open on the bathroom floor (I'm sorry it wasn't a more profound story lol). But the meaning of it, and even the sound, seemed just right to me.

In case you didn't know, umami is a Japanese loan word -- it means something like "pleasant savoury taste". It is the fifth taste, the other four being sweet, salty, sour and bitter. One tastes umami through receptors for glutamate, which scientists consider distinct from saltiness. Many of my favourite foods are umami-rich, including mushrooms, potatoes, soy, fish, and green tea.

I've come to think that my penchant for antiques, Victorian literature, vintage films and the like has influenced my style of Blythe. Some artists create distinctly babyish Blythes; others do sultry, or sulky, punk or goth. To a large extent I guess one can tell an artist's nature, style or culture from his or her work; my Blythes seem to be vintage-y and old worldly. I think I'd like to try punkish vamp at some point, though she will probably end up looking like a Victorian punkish vamp lol.

You can find UmamiBaby here on Etsy, and here on Flickr. People on my adoption mailing list get a sort of one-day heads-up on when a new girl is up for adoption, giving them the opportunity to reserve her before she's listed publicly in the shop. To get on the mailing list, you can just convo me on Etsy with your email addy, or email me directly at little.umiumi@gmail.com 

Have a lovely new week filled with child-like joy and wonder!

oh you sweet thing

Hi everybody!! How have you been? Here's wishing all of you a blessed, prosperous Chinese new year! I'm taking advantage of the hubs being out with the kids to get some blogging done lol. I'd been thinking of sharing some crafty type things I'd been up to over the past couple of weeks!

Remember Blythe? Well, after admiring them for so long, I finally decided to take on the challenge of teaching myself to customise. There isn't a lot of information on this art form available anywhere, and rightly so, because it's plain hard work and every artist has the right to keep her or his hard-earned trade secrets. I realised that the only way to learn was to dive right in and trust to the Lord's leading!

So, let me introduce you to Peregrine! She holds a special place in my heart because she is one of my first two customs ever. As most Blythe artists will say, she's not perfect, but that's what makes her special and unique :)

(Oh, Becky just popped in and said I should show a picture of what Blythe looks like before being customised. Well, like this).

I've been enjoying the whole process so much, despite the time-consuming labour and sweat, as it really stretches one and employs so many different art forms -- carving, sculpting, painting, even beading! This is Francoise -- my little Parisienne!

I'm so honoured to say that Francoise has already found her mommy -- that's Blythespeak for a dolly's adoption. And yes, that's right -- it also means that I've set up a new shop, quite separate from Bikbik & Roro. It concentrates purely on finding forever homes for my little dolly girls :)

Francoise is all ready for her trip to her new home -- it's quite on the other side of the world, and I very much hope her new mom will keep me up-to-date on what she gets up to. Yup, it's true -- the heartache of sending Sailor Ghost or Guppy to their new home has reached a whole new level with these girls! One can't spend hours on such a labour of love, creating expressions and personalities, without forming some depth of attachment!

Well, I've still largely kept the two shops separate, out of some weird sense of shyness, but my Bikbik & Roro FB friends know about it from a few of my posts (the new shop has a Flickr page which posts updates). Later tonight I'll be putting Deirdre up for adoption (that's her up there and right at the top), unless someone on the shop's mailing list contacts me to reserve her first, which was what happened with Francoise and the other girls (feel free to email me about her if you're interested ;)

So that's my little bit of news. I trust all of you are doing super -- catch up again real soon!

cold stuff

Picture sourced from herbalogic.com

Hi everyone! How have you been? I've had my hands full with the kids and custom orders and... certain... artistic... things.. that I might write about at another time. Today I just wanted to quickly post this while Jakey's having his nap!

I'd written this ages ago actually -- in November last year I think -- but had thought twice about publishing it at the last minute. At the time, I'd come across some comments in a forum questioning the efficacy of what I'm writing about, and it made me feel doubtful about the usefulness of sharing it. However, since it has continued proving useful for me, I've decided to share it now for what it's worth:

I think most of us have our magic potions for coughs and colds when we first start feeling that scratchy soreness in the throat, or launch into those unmistakably irrepressible wet sneezes. What are some of your desperate, hopeful fixes? For me, there's prayer first of course, but what about echinacea, vitamin C, and zinc? I read an article in Prevention magazine on this; they listed some of the common ones, dividing them into those that really do help, and those that are just hype.

The verdict on echinacea, for instance, was that it was just hype -- the herb might shorten the duration and severity of symptoms, but it seems many brands don't contain the amount listed, and some formulas have none at all. Megadosing on vitamin C was found to be hype as well -- a 2007 review of 30 studies found no evidence that vitamin C supplementation prevents colds in the normal population, and megadoses can cause kidney stones, upset stomach, and even internal bleeding in children.

Among the supplements that were found to be of value though, were vitamin D, omega-3s and zinc. Which leads me to what I wanted to share from my own personal experience. See those barky things up there? That's astragalus propinquus, one of the main herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine. At the drugstore, it's just called astragalus, or astragalus root. The Prevention article categorised the herb as the real deal, stating that it was shown to stimulate the white blood cells that fight infection. Studies had found that astragalus appears to boost immunity in mice and may have similar effects in people (from Prevention, Dec 2011).

In its write-up on the herb, the University of Maryland Medical Center states that the herb is "an adaptogen, meaning it helps protect the body against various stresses, including physical, mental, or emotional stress. Astragalus may help protect the body from diseases such as cancer and diabetes. It contains antioxidants, which protect cells against damage. Astragalus is used to protect and support the immune system, preventing colds and upper respiratory infections, lowering blood pressure, treating diabetes, and protecting the liver.

"Astragalus has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. People sometimes use it on the skin for wound care. In addition, studies have shown that astragalus has antiviral properties and stimulates the immune system, suggesting that it may help prevent colds. In the United States, researchers have looked at astragalus as a possible treatment for people whose immune systems have been weakened by chemotherapy or radiation. In these studies, astragalus supplements seem to help people recover faster and live longer...

"Recent research in China suggests that, because astragalus is an antioxidant, it may help people with severe forms of heart disease, relieving symptoms, lowering cholesterol levels, and improving heart function. At low-to-moderate doses, astragalus has few side effects. However, it does interact with a number of other herbs and prescription medications. Astragalus may also be a mild diuretic, meaning it helps rid the body of excess fluid" (read in its entirety here).

Well, I'd been taking astragalus for some time already, but at a low dose, as -- in my mind -- a vague sort of booster for my regular multivitamin. During pregnancy and in the early postpartum period, the immune system is suppressed, which would account for the colds and other infections pregnant women and new moms commonly complain of. I wasn't sick once the entire time I was pregnant with Jacob, praise the Lord, but I did catch the kids' colds almost right after I delivered.

So I started taking the astragalus. I'd often seen the roots in the Chinese medicine stores, where they're sold to people who don't mind drinking the stuff. I do mind, so I get mine nicely encased in easy-to-swallow gelcaps.

Well, over the past couple of weeks, both the girls have been having the flu, passing it back and forth to each other -- considering our daily close proximity, I held out pretty well till a few days ago, when I felt the first irritated inkling of a sore throat while I was reading in bed.

I decided to go get a mug of the old standby -- honey and ACV -- and then, on a whim, the astragalus. As I'd mentioned, I'd been on a low half-dose all the while, so I just took another half-dose (which would essentially make it the recommended daily full dose).

The next morning, the sore throat was there in its full glory, as well as the beginnings of some nose-runniness. Well, I popped another dose of the astragalus, and guess what -- by the late afternoon, the sore throat had eased off. I carried on with the full strength dosage for another day and the cold never manifested, thank you Lord! And so, I felt I really had to share this with all of you.

After what I'd read in the Prevention article, I hadn't even really bothered with the vitamin C megadosing thing; I mean, I think it's handy if you routinely miss out on your regular intake of fruit and veggies, but I think vitamin C works together with other nutrients to boost your immune system rather than being a powerhouse entirely on its own.

Anyway, shortly after writing this, we'd gone to Beijing -- the kids caught colds, and looking after them in that small hotel room, I'd soon felt that familiar sniffliness coming on. Well, I full-dosed on the astragalus, and cleared it off overnight -- I was perfectly fine the rest of the trip, praise the Lord.

And so, having turned to astragalus a couple more times in recent weeks, I just thought I would share this with you after all, especially since some of you are dealing with the worst winter ever. Of course though, this is my own personal view -- I am by no means a professional -- do be sure to do your own research before trying any health supplements, and be aware of possible health and drug interactions. Have a super blessed new week everyone -- catch up again real soon!

ain't nothing in the world like a big-eyed girl

Tanyusha and Isadora discuss whose turn it is to go shopping.

Do you know Blythe? Well, I thought I did, having a few of them in the house among our other dollies, but only recently did I discover what a following she has around the world, and what a treasure she is for serious collectors. A beautiful Blythe really is a work of art -- a OOAK piece equal to any sought after painting or haute couture outfit. Collectible Blythes can easily cost into the thousands, and dressing and photographing Blythes has in itself become an art form.

Ro et al.

Personally, I've always found Blythe plain adorable; while she can have any number of personas -- cute, geeky, sultry, sad -- my Blythes have always been chosen for their endearing sweetness, their lovable expressions of innocence, wonder and affection (yes, even Rebecca's vampire Blythe, Persephone).

When the kids were younger, they did find Blythe a little unnerving, mainly because of their discomfitingly large, staring eyes. But now that they're older, they're appreciating the artistry of the dolls as much as dressing them up and taking photographs of them (Becky has in fact been doing this with Isadora -- see here).

Isadora and Orso share their thoughts on safety and sizing.

Anyway, since Isadora and company were starting to go out more, it was only a matter of time before I had to come up with something for travelling with Blythe. It simply isn't practical, or even cool, to go around clutching a doll in your hand, even if it is Blythe, and even if you are five.

A lady who saw Becky's post on Isadora's Beijing trip emailed me about the messenger-style bag we'd used to carry Isadora around -- a week later, I'd sent her two of the satchels and have now decided to include them in the shop.

As any Blythe owner knows, carrying Blythe out is a tricky venture -- you can't just zip her up in your handbag or knapsack (especially if she cost you a mint!), and if you try sticking her in a tote, her big head makes her lean forward dangerously and look like she's hanging herself.

Happily strapped in. Most Blythe dolls also have a pet they'd want to have along.

Having discussed these concerns with the mini Blythe moms at home, I realised that I had to think up a satchel that had the ease and convenience of an open tote, but also some safety feature that prevented Blythe from leaning over and falling out. Well, this satchel is designed for carrying Blythe upright, and for showing her off -- she can see the world and the world can see her. What stops her from leaning down and out? A strap inside the satchel that holds her in place. You just tuck her in and belt her up, and off the two of you go on your adventures -- hands free!

Orso demonstrates that the satchel isn't just for Blythe. 

The satchel features a protective sueded interior and on the outside is a carefully hand-painted Tabby Cat pocket. This particular satchel is available here and ready to ship -- custom satchels are available through the shop or via email.

Have a lovely rest of the week everyone!

she had rings on every finger

Hi everybody! See that pretty lineup? Each of these sweet little treasures are looking for a new home! They've been well-loved and well-kept, and, being wonderfully handcrafted by some very talented artists, they are all super special and one-of-a-kind.

As you can see, they are all very strong and sturdy, being made of sterling silver, and five of them feature the loveliest stones! These are details about the rings from left to right, going by the picture right at the top:

1. This fierce and faithful companion was hand cast from an antique button, using the "lost wax" casting method. The band is adjustable.
2. This ring features a gorgeous Botswana agate, framed with sterling silver beads. It is a size 5.5.
3. This lush lemon quartz is set in a super tall tiered bezel, with two hammered discs on each side -- a perfect cocktail ring! It is a size 5 3/4, though it feels a bit snugger due to the width of the band.
4. This one is set with an amazing star ruby! A beautiful asterism manifests in a six-pointed star that winks and moves with the light! The ruby is set in a super tall bezel and sits atop a rectangular band, hatched all over both sides. It is a size 6.
5. This gorgeous floral ring features a robin's egg turquoise and a sweet little pearl! The turquoise has a very tiny chip that occurred during setting, but it definitely does not detract from the overall beauty of the piece. It is a size 5.5.
6. This ring features a brilliantly coloured amazonite. It measures 19mm across, with eight silver balls scattered around its edge. I believe it is a size 5.

I'm selling these rings at 30 to 40% off -- they range between $160 to $75 (and that's negotiable ;) -- so they're really quite a steal! If you'd like to give any --or all! -- of them a new home, just email me at bikbik.roro@gmail.com. An added bonus? Shipping's on me :)

Have a lovely rest of the week everyone!

treasury clipping

Hello friend, by Shop Indigo Rocket, maker of fun, modish accessories for the family. The entire list is here.

1. Whale art print by Amyisla Illustration

2. Guppy pins by Bikbik & Roro :)

3. Handmade rag doll by The Dolls Unique

4. Hair bow by LumiStyle

5. Crochet baby mobile by Yarn Ball Stories

6. Fox scarf by Tre Melarance

on being really really blessed

Thank you so much everyone who left me such kind, supportive comments on my last post and who wrote me such warm, encouraging emails. They meant so much to me, far more than you could know -- it's just another proof of God's loving presence in my life. With such experience and revelation come a wonderful uplifting, and reassurance of God's faithfulness.

I was just telling my husband last night how much I love his mother's cheerful, optimistic, genuinely sanguine attitude. Once, she almost died from a terrible infection, but even through the long days of being in hospital, in pain and the doctors unable to come to any conclusions, she remained calm and unworried, listening to music on her little radio, and chatting just as usual to anyone who cared to.

Referring to how people either have a glass-half-full or half-empty approach to life, my husband says she's the sort who, even if she had just a quarter of an inch of water left in her glass, would still happily say "Look how much I have!" I really need to learn from her -- I think I am, bit by bit, by God's grace.

However, I did not intend this post to be entirely serious and reflective; while I have some free time now, I thought I'd also share with you some fun stuff the kids and I had been up to -- yay! For one thing, they finally got to see Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera!

There they are at the top, all-dressed up in their silk dresses -- I hadn't told them I was bringing them to see Phantom, despite the continual begging to for months; that night I told them we were going to a friend's wedding dinner, which they bought (in fact, I think they were rather looking forward to doing that).

It was great fun of course. I hadn't seen Phantom since I was in high school; it was fascinating watching it again over 25 years later, this time with children and the added pleasure of their enjoyment. Here, a little family portrait in the theatre lobby :)

Now this is what pure happiness looks like.

The place is humongous -- I'm always impressed by this gigantic "fountain" called the Rain Oculus.

Nothing quite like a sad little monkey with cymbals to bring on every poignant memory you've ever had. Read more here!

Then, there was our little staycation! O man, I can't tell you how much I needed and appreciated that time away. I mean, you know I love Jakey to bits, but sometimes one really does need to just kick back and zone out to avoid feeling completely overwhelmed. There's Becky doing the dance of joy.

And Ro doing hers.

A hotel mirror portrait with Becky almost two years after this one. Yeah, I'm pretty set in my sartorial ways.

The kids always welcome a swim. 

All wrapped up afterward.

And then of course -- those wonderful breakfasts. How indescribably uplifting to saunter downstairs and find tables full of comfort food just waiting to be picked! I wish I knew how they do their scrambled eggs -- smooth, and sort of creamy. I'm told I make great scrambled eggs, but I still want to know how hotels do theirs! What's your scrambled egg recipe?

Another mirror portrait, this time with Ro. You can see my super fashionable thumb splint here!

Fountain fun.

Feeling luxurious with complimentary drinks after an awesome time out.

Miss Too-Cool-For-School.

I was super glad to find these Japanese fish-shaped cakes called taiyaki. I haven't had these in eons, like since I was eight or something, and always associate them with outings with my Mom. This place -- called Ooki -- has the usual red bean filling which I love, but they have other cool flavours too, like chocolate, and ham and cheese. Becky and Ro were immediate converts!

Home after a hard day's shopping (I wanted to put the word home in quotes, but Becky said don't).

Our feelings whenever it's time to go. We'll be back though -- we'll be back!!!

Have a lovely, blessed week everyone! (More pictures here :)