Photo compilation: November-December 2020 (plus 2020 recap)

Happy New Year! Hope you all had a nice and safe holidays and a good start to the year. I don't want to get excited too early, because 2020 started quite well and in March things started going downhill. So, yeah, I'll wait a few months to start thinking that this is going to be my year. 

For my first post of 2021, I want to do a photo compilation and a 2020 recap, all in one. Hopefully, I'll manage to stick to a plan and this post won't be all over the place. Let's start.

As you guys may already know, back in mid February I moved home. We had been wanting to move home for years, and it finally happened. The new house has some pros and some cons compared to the old house, one of the pros being much better natural light for doll photography and in general. Lately, I've been taking some doll pics in one of my balconies, using my own plants as props. It's an easy way to get an outdoorsy feel when you can't/don't want to go outside. These were taken at some point in mid-November.

Chloe

Rosie

Fun fact: in the old house we had a small patio, but I never took advantage of it, except when I took the pool photos. To be fair, it wasn't in very good condition, and we didn't plan to fix it since we knew we were leaving. 

Blake

Skylar

Generation Girls Nichelle

I also wanted to experiment taking a few in black and white. I took them using the black and white mode on my phone, instead of taking them in color and then editing them. That way, you can see how they will look in real time.

Asha in black and white

Lea

Victoria

One thing I got to do in 2020 are my photo backgrounds. In 2019, I started exploring ideas to use as a photo background in order to make my photos more interesting. In September 2019 I came up with this idea of using binding cardboard to make my scenes, but I was in school and didn't have time. Then, I was busy moving home and, on top of that, the whole pandemic happened, and I didn't manage to buy any craft supplies. So, I didn't get to start this project until July 2020. You can check out the first post on the series here. 

Victoria and Asha in True Blue

This color is the shade True Blue, by Americana Acrylics. I absolutely love this shade, it looks so vibrant, and it suits most of my dolls. By the way, these photos were taken for an Instagram event called #monday4dolls. The theme that week was jackets and coats. 

For these photos I used the same background, but added a sink mat in a light blue color. I've already used that a couple of times, like here. I'm not crazy about it, I just wanted to try something different. 

These photos were taken with my old phone, so I wonder if I would get a better effect with my new phone that has a better camera. 

I started my whole backgrounds projects wanting to make bold and color blocked backgrounds, but at some point I started moving into colors and ideas that could look more realistic. Now, most of the ideas I have are for realistic looking walls and backgrounds, like the one I used for my Christmas photos. I took these after I had published my last post. I kept the background the same, just invited more dolls over. 

Skylar

Kim and Rosie feeling festive

Blake

Overall, I'm quite happy with the backgrounds I made. I had an idea for 3 posts in the Mix'n'Match series and I managed to write two, which is not bad. I hope I can make part 3 in 2021, as well as other background ideas that I have in mind. 

Courtney

Another thing I wanted to practice in 2020 was my outdoor photography and, well, I didn't have the chance to do so until June. As some of you may know, I don't feel super confident when it comes to take photos of my dolls in public. However, my sister-in-law was spending her summer in a big house that had a garden and a pool, which allowed me to take some outdoor photos with some privacy. This was such a blessing, and I manage to take so many photos that I still have some that I haven't even published. One of them was this pic of my vitiligo doll.

Back in early October, I felt the tick to take some doll pics outside, and we decided to go to the same place we went in 2019. So, we decided to go one afternoon that Mr. Monster came early from work. Unfortunately, a few days before, they changed the opening hours, and we arrived less than an hour before closing time. This already added to the stress of taking pics in public, even though I already had my "It's a marketing project for college" excuse prepared. On top of that, my old phone started acting funny and wouldn't focus on the dolls' faces. This two were the only photos I was happy with. 

On Instagram, I asked for ideas for photos and Barb suggested I could take some fall outdoor photos in my area, since it will probably look very different from how fall looks in other areas of the world. Where I live, I don't have many outdoor areas I can easily go by walking, except for the area you see above. We don't have big parks, or a lake area, but we have a beach. When I got a new phone, I took a few "landscape" photos, mostly of the beach. So, I decided I could share a few to wrap up this post. 

Overall, I'm quite happy with what I have achieved in 2020. I know that, overall, 2020 has been a terrible year, and that many people have been affected by the pandemic. However, despite that, it hasn't been that bad of a year for me. I've managed to move home, which I had been wanting to do for so long, and I'm graduating from college after 8 years of hard work. I've also been working on my mental health, and I'm in a better headspace now. In other words, if I could take "pandemic" out of the equation, I would say it's been a good year. 

When it comes to the blog, it's been a good year. Overall, I'm really happy with the content I've created in 2020 and the response. I've managed to make quite a few of the projects on my "To do" list, plus a few I've decided to make along the way. In past years, I've managed to make 1 or 2 of those projects, and the rest have fallen into oblivion. I'm also quite happy to have gained a few new readers during a time when blogs aren't as popular anymore. 

For 2021, I have a few projects planned. I want to make more doll furniture, so you can expect some tutorials coming soon. Of course, I will keep making walls and wainscots, in fact I have one wainscot started since who knows when. I want to make at least 2 new floor designs, one with a marble effect and the other one I haven't decided, but probably concrete effect. I would also love to do a wooden floor, but I don't think I'll manage to do so many projects, so we'll leave that for 2022. I would also love to start sewing. I know, I know, I've been saying that for the past 5 years, but one of the furniture pieces I want to make is a daybed, so I guess I should at least make some pillows. Hopefully, 2021 will be the year the stars align, and I can finally start sewing. 

I hope you are all doing well and that you had an amazing Christmas time. I still have a couple more weeks of college, and then I will be free until...I find a job, which will be difficult considering the situation. I'm not sure when my next post will be or what will it be about. On January 5th we celebrate the Three Wise Men night, and it's when we get the majority of our gifts. I've asked for a few craft supplies and hopefully they've listened to me. Depending on what I get, my next post will either be a "What I got for Christmas" or a craft tutorial. 

Wish you all a happy 2021. 

Monster Crafts

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