In the Spotlight - Fiona, Kira and Jenibelle

In the Spotlight - Fiona, Kira and Jenibelle

I had planned on only owning one BJD. One Lishe. Really, that was the plan. This was decided after much research - days and hours reading every post on Den of Angels (DOA), asking endless questions, and exploring all of the BJD websites. I knew I wanted a Lishe, because I had seen some photos of her on Prego, a fashion doll board that I visit daily. Lishes had started to infiltrate the fashion doll world, and when I saw that face, those eyes, hands, body...well, I was smitten. So my research was specifically focused on her, but I was trying to learn as much as possibly about BJDs in general before I made this investment. At the time I was horrified at the thought of spending so much money on a doll, but very soon I came to understand why they were so expensive. I went about selling a few convention fashion dolls that were being neglected and could be loved by someone else, and was ready to buy my first BJD. My first Lishe was ordered through Liria. Not knowing what to expect - I had never held a fashion doll that large, that articulated - I waited and spent my time preparing for her arrival by ordering wigs and shoes and clothing. Without a pattern, I made a top for her, sewn by hand, just to keep myself busy while I waited. I was beside myself with excitement as I tracked the package, getting closer and closer, until Saturday, October 23rd arrived. The regular mailman came by and I asked him about EMS...did they deliver on Saturday? He told me they would, and not to worry, if it had made it to town, which tracking said it had. Shortly after speaking with him, there was a knock on the door, and there was the EMS man, smiling from ear to ear - he had run into our mailman, who told him I was expecting a very special package! It was HUGE and I literally had tears in my eyes as the delivery man handed it to me. My husband and the delivery man were both smiling as I took the package into the living room and set it down on the couch. I was thrilled by my first sight of her, and it seemed almost as if she was pretty happy about seeing me too. What a happy moment! I played with her for hours - changing the couple of wigs I had ordered, and just learning about her. It really was love at first sight. It took me weeks to name her, though - nothing seemed right, and it wasn’t until I was planning my second Lishe, that I found her name: Fiona.

How did I come to want a second Lishe, you ask? Well, I had this picture in my mind of a Lishe face, that sprang from other collectors Lishes. I heard all about how Cerberus Project, Domuya and Luts all had different artists, who painted the dolls very differently. Photos on the websites were confusing, but I did my homework. I decided that I needed to try to get a Lishe with the face I was thinking of. Fiona came straight from CP, and so she had the peach/orange colored lips and the red-edged eyes. It was not what I had originally yearned for, when I first decided on a Lishe, but when I saw her face, it didn’t matter - I loved her fabulous eyes, her coloring, her hugely long purple eyelashes - yes, purple! But I still wanted that rose-lipped, black eyeliner Lishe... I learned that Luts was now taking international orders through their eLuts site, so I wrote to Doogi, who was on his honeymoon, and ended up talking with a lovely person who was covering for him. They could do it, they said - their artist, Lack, was the one who painted the doll I sent a photo of! So, I sold a few more fashion dolls, and placed my order. On Monday, November 22nd, my Kira arrived. She was named Shakira, which means "to be thankful." As it was Thanksgiving week, the name seemed right. I wanted to nickname her Kira, which means "dark", so the name was perfect for her. My plan was to have her be a soft brunette, with chestnut brown hair. Fiona, which means "fair", was to be blonde or a redhead. Kira was absolutely beautiful - with rose colored lips and brown eyebrows and black eyeliner, and looked incredible in her golden brown Natalie (Monique) wig. The two girls were lovely together. Now Fiona had a sister, and all was well.

As January came around, I was anticipating my birthday in February. I thought and thought...what would I like? I was starting to have images in my mind of a dark Lishe...black hair, flashing eyes...vivid, vibrant, bold. I decided that this needed to become a reality, and I would have a Lishe trio. I wrote to Doogi and explained what I wanted - very bright berry pink lips, long black lashes, black eyeliner, gray-black eyebrows, plum-gray eyeshadow. I was very specific, and sent photos of each item, and explanations for each as well. Doogi was lovely about it - no problem, he said, it can be done. I starting looking for a name, and was running searches on names meaning, "bright", "sparkling", etc. I happened across Jenibelle, which means, "Bright and beautiful", and knew I had the name. And when she arrived on my birthday, February 6th, and I saw her face, I knew I had chosen correctly. She is so Jenibelle! Luts came close to my vision. Perhaps the lips weren’t as bright or as dark a shade of berry pink as I’d wanted, and her eyeshadow has no trace of gray or plum in it - it’s brown - and her eyebrows ended up brown as well, but even so she is exactly the vivid, bright, sparkling creature that I had in mind! I put on her black AjumaPama bob, and she took my breath away!

This is how I came to have 3 Lishes. I am incredibly happy with them. My collection has gone from being strictly fashion dolls to being home for some very distinct personalities in resin! I don’t feel the need to have another Lishe (yet), but if a version that is significantly different comes along, I might reconsider. Now I am busy providing male companions for them, and have arranged for three: Liam (a Volks Sakaki) is home, Heath, also from Volks, should arrive today or tomorrow, and lastly Anu’s Hu Die Meng Bermann, who will arrive this summer. I have an Angel Elf Soo head that I am doing the faceup on, and she’ll need a body. I’m also looking forward to a Rainman doll coming out in the near future. That’s as far as I can see my BJD family, at this point.

A little information on the girls: Fiona is the eldest, about 23 years old, and is very calm and wise - she looks out for the other two girls. She is a writer, and is always nibbling away at the end of her pen. She has a trick of looking into your eyes with an _expression that says, "we have a secret, you and I..." She will always be my first love. Kira is the youngest, at 19, and is very caring and tender. She is always worried about others feelings, and is somewhat shy. She is very serene, quiet and spiritual, and shares that with you when you hold her or just look at her lovely face. Kira is a witch, and Liam is a wizard, but that aspect of their personalities has yet to be explored. Jenibelle is the middle girl, 21 years old, and is vivacious and sparkling. An artist, she is very strong-willed and outgoing, bright, animated and dynamic. She is fearless, and wants to experience everything. She always looks like she’s just about to laugh. What’s interesting, is that regardless of what eyes they wear, they are always these personalities - they just develop more facets with each change. They are endlessly interesting, and the sweetest companions. And I can’t imagine them not having each other!

Clothing and jewelry credits:
The lovely halter tops worn by Kira, Fiona and Jenibelle are by Diane Abel. dabel@rochester.rr.com
Jewelry:
Kira (left) Chain by Ange, http://www.dolljewels.net, Earrings by MiniMode, www.minimode.com
Fiona (middle) Necklace and Earrings by MiniMode, www.minimode.com
Jenibelle (Right) Necklace by Ivy Permon