(Almost) everything that happened in 2025

I have not been very active on the blog this year, even though a lot has happened during the year. Thus, the last post of the year will be a kind of recap, with a lot of photos taken during the year but not posted on the blog before. I will also look back at last year's recap post and the plans I made for this year, seeing which parts came true and which did not. Lastly, I plan my goals for the next year.

The biggest doll-collecting news of early 2025 was Timeless Tresure re-release of Seila in March. Seila being my very first and the holiest grail, you can imagine how exhilarated I was by announced re-release. However, due to several delays in production and shipping, I did not receive her until October. I did not mind, though; I was just overjoyed knowing that my grail was finally on her way! :D I will write more about her in a separate post next year in order to keep this recap brief. 

I did not take many photos during the winter, and my first proper photoshoot of the year was not until April (not counting e.g. taking photos for doll reviews). I thought My Melody was just perfect for an Easter photoshoot, since she is very Easter-coloured and well, also a bunny, haha. (Is this too on the nose??) 

I also took some non-seasonal photos to be posted beyond the Easter season (which I am finally doing now):

Being able to utilise this My Melody Re-Ment in the photoshoot made me really happy! :D

Cherry blossom season: my favourite time of the year! This time, I took photos of my Amaterasu Nendoroid. Ōkami is an extremely nostalgic game to me, and cherry blossoms and Amaterasu make such an iconic combo. I am also slowly trying to learn how to take better photos with my phone.

 Late spring, I also took photos of Selina with apple blossoms:

   

In August, I got to pre-order another grail as Timeless Treasure re-release of Nosferatu was announced. I have not received him yet, but he is apparently going to be shipped soon – I am so excited! 

A couple of years ago, when I returned to the hobby after a long hiatus, I made myself a promise to try to participate in doll meets. In October, I finally attended a meet for the first time in a very long time at Nippori. Seeing other people's dolls and creations in real life was really cool! :-)

Another season I did not want to miss was Halloween. I am actually really happy with how these photos turned out, especially the latter. Although, due to an unfortunate angle, only one "ear" of his cat-ear beanie is visible, making it look more like a black elf hat, haha. (Too bad I did not notice this until I was uploading the photos.)

Halloween was also the first time I took photos of my Kuromi. I find it funny that the first photos of My Melody were taken during Easter, and the first photos of Kuromi during Halloween, both celebrations being perfect fits for each character's colour scheme and aesthetics. Drafts of reviews for both My Melody and Kuromi are currently works in progress and will be posted probably next month. 

Practicing using phone camera again:

Kotae Expo in November was one of the highlights of my year. I attended a doll meet on Saturday and Green's doll photography workshop on Sunday. 

For Saturday, I made Tilda a new outfit inspired by details of my own coord (such as blouse with an embroidered collar):

Some photos from Saturday's meet:

It was delightful to see so many uniquely styled dolls, and I had so much fun talking with everyone! 

For Sunday, I made another outfit for Tilda, this time matching my coord even more closely:

The doll photography workshop was fantastic: Green was super knowledgeable and helpful with everything! :-) I got a lot of good advice, and we got to use this awesome set up he had brought to the expo:

The end of the year was really eventful time for my doll collection with Pullip Momori, Cassie, and Yami joining the crew. I will make separate posts for each of them later. I also bought two Miku figures and a few Re-Ments, some of which I got to make use of in these Christmas photos:

This is actually one of my all-time favourite photos so far! 

Although the next photo did not turn out as I imagined, I wanted to share it anyway, because I like the idea and the setup. Now that I know what I would do differently, I might try retaking it next year and see if I can improve it. 

The yearly tradition of photographing my dolls in front of the Christmas tree:

The last photo of the year (yay, snow!):

 

Looking back at last year's goals, I can say that this was a successful doll year. Here is some reflection on them, along with plans for next year:

 

Doll collection 

 

I managed to get two of my grails (well, one is still on the way, but anyways). It was fun to read my one-year-old speculations about possible Pullip re-releases, being half-hopeful, half-sceptical about Seila. :D Currently, I am more hopeful than sceptical about Ende's re-release, since she is the only one missing from the vampire family. Knowing how popular Natsume, Lyla, and Glen are, I am keeping fingers crossed for their re-releases as well. Unfortunately, given that both Alura and Kühn were released as exclusives, them getting re-releases is probably unlikely. 

 

These six are the only older releases I am actively searching for, although if I happen to find Shinku for a good price, I might consider getting her. Then there are some models like Alfred, whose face-up I really like, but I am not that interested in the model as a whole or in owning their stock clothes. For these models, I am hoping to find a good deal on ones with missing accessories or such. Among newer releases, I find myself interested in Claudia and Eclata. However, Eclata already seems difficult to find, but then again, she is one of those models I would not mind getting incomplete if it means a more affordable price.

 

I actually surprised myself by not getting the re-released Bloody Red Hood. She is one of my all-time favourite releases and, in my opinion, one of the most iconic Pullips. And yet I just did not feel this re-release was a necessary addition to my collection specifically. Strange. We will see if I end up regretting this decision later. 

 

Nonetheless, I am currently very happy with my collection, and I believe that next year the focus will be more in customization. Last year, I planned to get new wigs and chips for Albireo and ReonHardt. I did find them suitable wigs, but they were both currently sold out, so I am waiting to see if they get restocked or if I need to find alternatives. I actually managed to get them new chips, although I have not changed them yet. I am going to do that once I also have the wigs ready. 

 

Anette (Meg) also got new chips and is currently waiting for her new wig to arrive. Once I get to changing them, she might also get the new obitsu I bought earlier this year. This is the first obitsu I own, so I am excited about all the new posing possibilities for photos and to see if I think rebodying is worth it. If so, some of my older dolls may also get obitsus. 

 

I also got new chips for Vivian (Classical Alice Sepia), but she too is waiting to get a new wig first; I have not found one with the right colour and style yet. I have plans to customize Cassie as well, but that might be postponed, as I want to prioritize other dolls and also photograph her with stock Callie first. I am also dreaming of making my first full custom doll, but due to the discontinuation of MIO kits I do not think that is going to happen anytime soon.

Sewing et cetera

I am happy with this year's sewing projects as well – it seems that doll meets are good for me also this way; wanting to finish a new project before a meet is a great motivator, haha. I am especially happy that I tried new techniques like embroidery. Next year, I want to expand my skills even further. For example, I recently got back into needle felting after a very long time, and I am already thinking what I can felt for my dolls. Maybe mittens? My collection is urgently missing winter clothes. In addition to those, I want to make more clothes for my Taeyangs and Isuls, who have been seriously neglected (so far, I have only made them scarves, hats, and other small accessories). 

 

I am also planning to try to sew clothes in different styles: Each of my dolls has their own aesthetics, hobbies, and lifestyles, and I want their "wardrobes" to concretely reflect that. For example, Anette being into upcycling, customizing clothes, and crafting in general, I would like to make her clothes with unique embroidery. This will not be an easy or quick task: it will take time to study different styles, think about my dolls' characters more thoroughly, find suitable materials, and maybe also learn new techniques. Creating clothes in styles I am not used to also means stepping out of my comfort zone. However, I feel that details like this will add a new layer of storytelling to my photos.

 

 

Photography 

I am also really happy with the progress I made in photography this year. One of my goals was to use props in a more diverse way, and looking back at photos I took this year, many of them do feature props of some sort. I am glad that I have managed to collect some basic prop essentials, like doll-sized furniture; I feel they make photographing indoors so much more interesting and fun. Next year I want to, in addition to collecting Re-Ments, craft some distinctive props myself and, more importantly, make a Pullip-sized roombox. 

 

Another goal was to incorporate more fantasy themes into my photos. I have not done this as much in practice as I have in planning new projects and seeking inspiration from e.g. books and games. Still, I do feel I have managed to attain a certain whimsical, storybook-like atmosphere in some of my photos, which I think aligns with that fantasy theme goal. I have also experimented more, avoiding relying too heavily on familiar angles and compositions and other habitual approaches. (I feel like playing Infinity Nikki has actually helped with this: in addition to obvious outfit inspiration, I have had fun with the in-game camera, playing with angles, lighting, and so on without actually having to put any physical effort, haha.) I think the next step toward more lively, whimsical and fantasy-like photos is utilising fishing line more in my setups. That is something I will focus on next year.

 

 

Other plans 

My other doll-related plans for this year included updating the blog theme and writing doll profiles. I have neglected those, but when it comes to blog's appearance, I am happy with my decision to switch to writing only in English: although I have published only one post in English-only before this recap, I already feel that changing language has helped creating a more polished look for the blog theme and menus. On a related note, I am having a bit of identity crisis with my current nickname and URL. I changed it earlier this year, and while I like it more than the previous one, it still feels a bit like a placeholder. I hope to find a nickname that better captures my aesthetics and sources of inspiration. This will probably require some further introspection regarding my style, like looking for recurring themes in my photos and such. I think it would also help with a new blog theme, having something to build around. 

I have also finally managed to name several of my dolls, which is already progress to their profiles! :D I am currently stuck on word building, specifically with deciding if I want my characters to be part of the same world and if not, how to divide them. My dolls have already many established relationships (who is related to who, who get along well, who do not, etc.) and splitting them up would disrupt that network, but then again, having only one world is somewhat limiting – what if I want both a realistic world and a fantasy world? Perhaps I should not worry about that too much for now; if my photos diverge from a later established "canon", I can treat them as crossover episodes or taking place in alternative universe, haha. 

That's all for now! Here is short summary of my most important goals for 2026, in no particular order:

1. Finish writing doll reviews currently in drafts and be more active on this blog in general. (That includes reading and commenting on your blogs more actively...)
2. Attend doll meets again.
3. Make lots of doll clothes and explore different styles.
4. Try new things in photography. 
5. Continue customizing dolls and developing their characters. 

My dolls and I wish you a happy New Year! See you next year!