September is upon St. Louis quite suddenly this year! We're ready for apple picking, pumpkin everything, fall leaves and getting ready for the convention in November!

We wish all of our friends heading to Dollism lots of fun this weekend! We can't wait to hear about your adventures!

Convention Doll News:

Programming Changes:
This month we have some big programming changes happening as we adjust our schedule to fit the needs of our guests and panelists. We have some workshops and panels that will no longer be available, which will open up opportunities for panels and workshops we had to cut earlier in the decision process due to time constraints.

Changes:

• Opening Ceremonies has been shortened. This means that Denis Bastien’s discussion, ”How I Got Into Dolls,” will round out our Opening so you can hear our captivating Guest of Honor right of the bat!
  
  

“What is going away?” you ask?

• Denis’ Carrying Bag workshop
• Tangerine’s Wig Making workshop
• Tangerine's panel on Dolls on a Budget.

We are finalizing additional sewing workshops, spa workshops and other surprises to fill these spots. Check the schedule on our website in the following weeks. New workshop announcements will also go out on our social media sites, our website, and the next newsletter.

How do I register for workshops?

If you are an All Access Pass member:
Click here to register for Workshops

If you are a Day Pass member:
Click here to purchase Workshops

If you haven't registered yet:
Register Here!

Vending Room Hours:
We've finalized the hours for the vending room!
They will be as  follows:

Event News:
Thank you to everyone that participated at the Game Night Fundraiser on August 22nd! We had an even larger turnout and raised a lot more for the OBC Pantry!

Today is the last day to receive the All Access Pass at $125 - click here to register!

All Access Pass Information
The All Access Pass gives you access to the entire event from Friday, November 15th through Sunday, November 17th.

While individual Day Passes are $50 each on Friday/Saturday and Sunday is $25, an All Access Pass for the same price also includes:

• Access to Workshops, which include creating a corset with attachable wings, fairy dresses, making a doll carrying bag with Denis Bastien, making jewel eyes with Silverbeam, creating your own bjd, and much more! The workshops are normally $20 each; you get them for free!
• The Main Banquet, where we will have additional prizes, food, and announce the contest winners - a $25 value!
• Food! All day Saturday your food will be provided at the convention site so you don't miss anything! Meals will be catered from local St. Louis eateries. With a day pass, meals are priced individually.

How to Register
To register, click here and fill out the form on the page. When you click Submit, you will be taken to your payment selection page. Click the All Access Pass option, then click Checkout on the left side of the page!

Thank you!
We can't wait to see you at the convention!

Very Important Registration Announcement:
Registration prices increase
from $125 to $150
on August 31st.

Now is the best time to register! If you have any problems with registration, please contact our webmaster Jen at [email protected].

That's right! We had many requests to have another Game Night Fundraiser, and are happy to oblige! To purchase tickets in advance, click here . Please feel free to spread the word, we'd love to see you and your friends there!


At the last Game Day Fundraiser, one of the games we played was a prototype of a game called Flip Hue - we're proud to announce that the finished version of the game is now up on Kickstarter! We will be featuring Flip Hue at the fundraiser, come check it out!

Programming News:
Two big announcements for programing this month! First, the programing schedule is up on the website. This is a preliminary schedule and may change a little but it is mostly the times and definitely the days we are planning everything.

Click here to visit our Programming page.

Next, we would like to get you interested in Eileen Bowen’s awesome Potions and Eyes workshop! Our Special Guest from last year enjoyed the convention so much she wanted to come back this year and offer some great programming. In this workshop choose either to make a set of eyes 10-18mm or a doll size potion bottle using her new exciting techniques. If you wish to do both projects or more than one you can purchase the kits at her table. Sign up now before the workshop fills. Eileen is a fun and exciting presenter!

As a reminder, workshops are FREE when you purchase an All Access Pass. If you plan on getting a Day Pass you will need to purchase workshops separately.



How do I register for workshops?

If you are an All Access Pass member:
Click here to register for Workshops

If you are a Day Pass member:
Click here to purchase Workshops

If you haven't registered yet:
Register Here!

Convention Doll News:
Basic Set: $225
Full Set: $340

Only 60 full set dolls are available, and only 40 basic dolls! Order yours soon before they are gone.

Click here to view the Doll Information Page.

Click here to view the Doll Purchasing Page.


Vendor Highlight:

Last year we were lucky enough to get Stephanie Lynn and Sandra Bong of Bast’s Garden in our vendor’s room. The Ladies of Bast’s Garden have agreed to return this year, with more of their awesome hand-crafted items. Known at renaissance faires and conventions throughout the midwest and the south for their winged plush, custom hand-crafted dragons, and bizarrely cute (or cutely bizarre) kitty sculptures, The Ladies have also turned their artistic talents to the world of BJDs. From hand-painted leather masks in ¼ and ⅓ scale to 3D printed horns and kitty ears, to custom BJD accessories and clothing, Bast’s Garden is a delightful place for anyone who loves dolls.

Local News:
By now many of you may have heard about the heartbreaking events that have occurred over the past week in Ferguson, Missouri. The St. Louis community has been rocked by these stunning events. We wish to assure you that though many mixed messages are coming from media and the web and can be concerning, our St. Louis community and the surrounding areas, especially Ferguson, are beginning to heal.  Our hope is that out of this tragedy we find the courage and enlightenment necessary to make the changes needed, so that such situations will not happen again. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Michael Brown and our Ferguson neighbors.

Hi everyone! Just a quick note to say that we've posted our Programming Schedule! Click here to check out our Programming page.

I can hardly believe it is July already! Only four months until our convention. Thank you to all of you who have already registered!
Jenny, StlBJDcon chairwoman

Don't forget!
Registration prices will go up at the end of next month, so now is a great time to register!

Guest News:
Denis will be in the vendor’s room at the convention selling a variety of clothes, shoes, and wigs for Emily as well as some of his other dolls.

Denis also has offered to accept orders for his latest doll release (Cong) and save you shipping by bringing the doll with him to the convention. Cong is a Yo sized doll that has three extra head caps that give him various fantasy ears! You can order Kong through BeJu dolls online.
Click here!

Programming News:
Mary West of Daydream Creations vends and teaches at many BJD and other Doll conventions. She is a gifted couture artist for dolls. This workshop was planned for last year without the added Faerie wings but for health reasons was moved to this year. We did still offer a corset workshop last year  which many enjoyed but I know this one will be popular. Sign up soon to secure your place. Also do not forget to sign up for our other awesome Sewing workshops which are also on the website. More details about them next month.

Pizza Pajama Party
Friday Night of the St. Louis BJD Convention at our official hotel, the Airport Hilton, we will host a Pizza Party starting at 6:30 PM in our private hotel suite. Our theme for this event is “Pajama Party.” We encourage you to bring your dolls in their PJs or nighties and dress for a pajama party yourself. We will have pizza and snacks, beverages, door prizes, bedtime stories, and activities suitable for a pajama party.

This social event is FREE to those with a full membership and $15 to those with a day pass.

Field Trip Sunday: 
The Missouri Botanical Gardens              
Sunday is our traditional group field trip day to give members a chance to visit St. Louis attractions and to have photo opportunities with their dolls. This year we have chosen to go to the Missouri Botanical Garden. This is one of the most beautiful places in St. Louis. We will stroll in the beautiful Japanese garden, tour the Victorian town house of Henry Shaw and enjoy the tropics in the Geodesic Dome rainforest. There are other indoor exhibits too, should the weather be inclement.

Our Sunday field trip is included in the All Access Pass, or the Sunday Day Pass is $25.

Convention Doll News:
Basic Set: $225
Full Set: $340
Several members have already made their purchase of our exclusive convention doll, Emily. Most of the dolls ordered have been full set dolls with Emily’s charming steam-punk outfit. This doll, created by Denis Bastien, is a limited edition. Only 60 full set dolls are available, and only 40 basic dolls! Order yours soon before they are gone.

Click here to view the Doll Information Page.

Click here to view the Doll Purchasing Page.

Event News:
Our Game Day was really fun! We had a nice turnout of local gaming aficionados of all ages.  One of the most popular games was a brand-new card game created by a team of St. Louis game creators, including our own Jen Patton.  She was beta testing the new game to put on the market. (Insert plug for game here?) We had delicious refreshments and great raffles. The prizes were donated by locals businesses and individuals. Food donations were collected for the OBC Food Pantry and we raised funds to help make our convention extra special!

This is the text-only verion of our monthly email newsletter. If you would like to receive monthly updates on our convention, Click here for email updates!

Game on! June brings us gaming, contests, and artwork. Let's have an adventure this summer!

Event News:Join Us for Games on June 21st!

Game Day Fundraiser:Saturday, June 21st, 1pm-6pm

Join us for a day of fun games and win prizes! Tickets are $5 per person and you receive 3 raffle tickets. For each game you play you receive an additional ticket and 2 tickets if you win. Use your tickets for raffle prizes. Refreshment stand will be open where you can purchase your favorite beverages and snacks. Fun for the whole family! All funds go to support our convention so we can continue to bring in fantastic artists in the doll industry. Check our website for more information.


Click here for more information and to get your tickets!


Contest News:

This year the convention theme is Fantasy and this year’s contest will focus on the dolls’ origin and environment. You may enter your favorite dolls in the following categories which can be interpreted many ways:

Earth - Wind - Fire - Water

Each category might have multiple awards, including:

• A “Popular Favorite” by vote of the convention attendees
  
  
• The "Best of Show" award will be a free membership to our next convention
  
  

Our display area will be open to both contestant and non-contestant dolls, so feel free to show off your dolls - we'd love to see them!


For more contest information, and to register in advance, click here.

Display News:Something brand new!

This year we want to try something new:

an Art Show!

It’s another aspect of our hobby - many people plan photo shoots for their dolls or use them as models for other art.


We’d like everyone to bring their sketches, paintings and photos of their dolls.

Panels will be set up for displaying all your 2D art on the lower level.  

For more information, click here to visit our Art Show page.

Other News:A-kon Report:A-Kon is the premier Anime convention in Dallas, Texas, and 2014  is their 25th year. A-Kon has over 20,000 members and hosts a “Mini-Convention” known as Doll A-kon. We were very well received and made new friends. There were some wonderful guests, including local artist DeAnne Stephanic (VampireAngel13), Don Kinney of Bishonen House and Eileen Bowen of Silverbeam’s Magic... Eileen was a strong supporter of STLBJDCON, and constantly told everyone how AWESOME the St. Louis convention is and how they REALLY needed to go. WE LOVE YOU, SILVERBEAM!!!


Overall, we had a great time. I loved interacting with the doll people and meeting new friends and talented artists. If you have the means to do so, I strongly encourage anyone who loves dolls to go to A-Kon and participate in their con-within-a-con, Doll A-Kon.

To see Tricia's full report on Doll A-Kon, click here.


Spring Fling Report:It was a small meet up but still lots of fun! We utilized the space that hosts the Dealer’s Room during our convention. It was a perfect size for our group. We had snacks and drinks to share, and lots of seating and display options. The photo area was decorated like a renaissance garden, and it was filled with many gorgeous dolls. Bast’s Garden sent their hand-crafted leather Masquerade Masks and 3d Printed ears and horns for dolls for sale, and other local collectors had items available for sale as well. The dollar table had all new items, and we raised $60 for the Food Pantry, plus lots of non-perishable foods and toiletry items. Some of the people dressed up in Renaissance garb as well. My Stars Photography brought out their light and camera rigs and took some lovely photos of people, dolls, and people with dolls. We would like to make this an annual event. We look forward to having it again next year!





Registration Pricing:All Access Pass:

Includes 3 day admittance to ALL programming and events, including workshops, the vendors room, special events and meals at no extra cost. Convention doll must be purchased separately.

$125

Jan 1st - Aug 31st


$150

Sept 1st - Nov 7th




Day Passes:

Includes access to demos, dolly spa, vendors rooms and panels. Workshops, food events, and convention doll must be purchased separately. Please visit our website for more details.

$50 Friday

$50 Saturday

$25 Sunday

Note: our convention space is limited to 100 members. Register early to secure your spot.

Register Now!

Click here!

Convention Doll News:Basic Set: $225

Full Set: $340

There was some confusion at the start of the shop last month - we apologize if anyone wasn't able to order their doll!


Click here to view the Doll Information Page.


Click here to view the Doll Purchasing Page.

Thank you for your patience as we figure out this new fangled technology!


Programming NewsClick here to view all of our programming events.


Did you see the list of Workshops and do not know what you want to sign up for?

For the next few months we plan to whet your appetite with a little inspiring taste of them.


First let us talk about the amazing, Tiny BJD Sculpting Workshop given by our own Anna Pope. This is its third time offered and still we have people who see the finished products and say, “Wow, I did not know what that was and now wish I would have gone to it!” You don't have to be a professional artist to create something adorable!


Click here to view a list of available Workshops.


Vending News:The vendors room is filling up fast! We only have a few spaces left.

Click here to join us as a vendor!

Jenny and Tricia ventured to the land of Texas for Doll A-Kon. Here's their story from Tricia:

"Jenny and I drove straight through starting very early on Friday morning. It was a pleasant drive and we didn't encounter any delays until we reached Dallas proper. On the way down, we stopped at one of the "Ozarkland" rest area/truck stop/tourist locations, and I inquired about any damaged Porcelain dolls that we might acquire for their clothing. I got two 16" dolls and an outfit for a larger doll for a total of $10. One of the dolls was a purple fairy, with jointed shoulders and legs; she was a quality doll and her outfit was gorgeous.

Once we hit Dallas, we were in the middle of rush hour traffic, so that slowed us down a bit. We arrived on-site around 7ish. Many of the parking lots for the outlying hotels were already crammed full of convention folks. Fortunately, I was able to get a spot in the Fairfield parking lot where we were staying. The Fairfield is an excellent hotel to stay in for this event. It is very close, has a pool, and the staff is extra friendly and helpful. It's also a lovely hotel with comfortable beds. We were adjacent to the Denny's restaurant, but they were understaffed and overworked all weekend. The main hotel is stunningly gorgeous. I'd be tempted to stay there the next time I visit Dallas simply to experience the hotel (when there's not 20,000 people in it.) It has an asian theme, with displays of Indian, Japanese and Chinese art, architecture, and styling. The atrium had a mall of stores and eateries, though once again they were easily overwhelmed by the crowd.
Doll A-Kon had its own space in the "Plum Blossom" rooms. It was right off of the beautiful atrium with seating nearby so you could sit and socialize with other doll people in between programming events.  The programming was excellent. Many hands-on workshops and engaging discussions, plus two "socials" each day; one for breakfast and one at the end of the night. The socials were loads of fun, with people bringing in their dolls and showing them off. There were door prizes and sometimes swap meets at the socials.  The second room housed the special Doll-A-Kon Marketplace, a small dealer's room of BJD-oriented vendors. I'd say they had about as many dealers as we did, in much smaller space. Mint on Card was there, as was The Doll Peddler, Sweet Dolls, and some artisans. 

There were some wonderful guests, including DeAnne Stephanic (VampireAngel13), and it was great to be supporting one of our local people! Eileen Bowen was a special guest, too, and she constantly told everyone how AWESOME the St. Louis convention is and how they REALLY needed to go. She pimped us hard! WE LOVE YOU, SILVERBEAM!!! Also, Don Kinney of Bishonen House was there, and he was charming and engaging and an excellent speaker. Jenny got to see the whole resin-casting discussion panel, and we agreed to talk to him about becoming a future guest of our convention. He's seriously interested, and I'm going to try to pursue him for our 2015 convention!
Friday we got there and registered and everything just in time to catch the end of the Friday Night social. We handed out flyers and met some lovely doll people (and lovely dolls!) As we were tired, we grabbed a bite to eat and headed back to the hotel room to sleep.

Saturday morning we got some breakfast and I got dressed up for the day. We headed over to the convention center and I went to the tail end of Silverbeam's body blushing panel, and showed off my Octoboy that I got from her at our convention. Anna attended the whole panel, and did some gorgeous work on her new teeny tiny 3D printed critter.

We cruised the marketplace, tried to get some lunch (that took forever) and then decided to check out the artists' alley and dealer's room before the Display Contest got started. We registered our dolls first, then headed over to the Dealers/Artist's Alley area. It's a bit of a hike, but both rooms were absolutely HUGE. We didn't even make it all the way through the dealer's room before we had to head back to put our dolls in the display contest. The Artist's alley was pretty spectacular, though, and I got to say hello to Jeannie Breeden, as well as several authors and artists we know.  Back at the Plum Blossom room, we set up our displays. There were two categories, each with two sub-categories. In the "Costume" category, one could display a doll in a completely original costume, or a commissioned/purchased costume. I put Sambuca on display in the purple fairy outfit from the porcelain doll I got on the way down. (See why I told that story?) Jenny displayed Rocky in his Cool Cat emo gear. The second category was "Face-ups/Modification" and you could submit a doll to be considered for its face-up only, or display something in the Modification category if there was body modding or body blushing. I chose to display Crikey the Crocodile for his all-over body blush. They allowed me to display him without clothing because he was anthropomorphic, but I had to sit him down because I didn't have a stand for him. I thought that the white soles of his feet might detract from the display, but then decided that this way everyone could see his original resin color.

Mind you, my plan had been to display in both categories because I like to show off my dolls. I had no designs on the awards, and hadn't even really realized that they had real prizes other than the trophies. I wasn't feeling well, and went back to the hotel to lay down and take off my wig and headpiece, as I had a headache. After a bit of a rest, I saw that I needed to get back to the display contest to retrieve my dolls. I walked over and discovered that I had won an trophy for Crikey! There was also a prize swag bag with clothes, a wig, jewelry, and other fun goodies! Jenny says that they applauded for me when the award was announced, and that my darling little crocodile was a huge hit with everyone. She accepted the award on my behalf and had her photo taken with the trophy for me. She also announced at that time that the St. Louis BJD convention would give away a membership as the door prize at the social that evening. So after putting away our suitcases full of doll stuff (and in my case, changing my outfit) we headed back over for the social and swap-meet. I met a lovely girl and traded with her for a short blonde SD wig, which I wound up giving to mom's Sweet William because it looked great on him. (Sorry, Carmine.) I traded for a pair of MSD boots that hadn't really worked the way I wanted them to, but were perfect for one of her characters who didn't have any shoes. 

We chatted up the crowd and mentioned our convention, handed out flyers, and gave away a membership! The young woman who won happened to be the daughter of one of the people who runs Doll-A-Kon, but she was a convention member and won it fair and square and there were no hard feelings about it that I could see.
On Sunday, we cruised the Marketplace again, checked out the programming, including Silverbeam's panel on 3D printing, which she did a really great job on despite the fact that they couldn't get her projector to work. 

I did a thing I rarely do; I waited in line for an autograph. Though I must say that it was a friendly, talkative crowd of fun people, so it was less annoying than I expected. I got to meet J. Michael Tatum, Taliesin Jaffe, Caitlin Glass, Amy Howard Wilson (old school!!), and I got to see (but not talk to) Kyle Herbert. Who are all these people? Voice actors for Anime English Dubs. Tatum voices Sebastian for Black Butler (as well as a TON of other stuff.) Jaffe is also a screen actor and was in Explorers, and was heavily involved in all of the Helsing dubs. Amy Howard Wilson was one of the first American voice actors to do voice over work for Japanese anime. Herbert was the voice of teen-aged Goku on Dragonball Z. All of them were charming, engaging, and fun to meet. They were very respectful and friendly to the fans, and stayed extra-long to meet all the people. (I was at the back of the line, so I really appreciated it.)

Meanwhile, Jenny schmoozed with the doll people and had a nice time making new friends. We got on the road later than we intended, but we made it to Tulsa in time to hang out with my awesome cousin, Audrey. (Audrey is part of the team that put together the Tulsa Trek Expo.) Today we drove from Tulsa to St. Louis and other than the rain it was generally pleasant.
Overall, we had a great time. I loved interacting with the doll people and it was really interesting to be a "fly on the wall" and listen to the commentary of everyone. In our home city, we're kind of popular so it's hard to "people watch" but in a new space like this it was great to just listen to the crowd and talk to people. We have some new thoughts to incorporate into our own events locally, and we'll discuss them at upcoming meetings."