I'm still here! Honest!

I started work on Sailor Moon's Crescent Moon Wand (Moon Stick :D). Unfortunately, I have a few freelance design jobs that take priority....But do not fret, I will not be abandoning my sailor moon endeavors anytime soon!

Now, can anyone suggest a nice, reliable, file-hosting website, other than Mediafire.com? My icon files are currently hosted there, but I have dealt with a few instances of my files ceasing to work or being deleted. I appreciate those that have kindly informed me of down links, though!! All links should be working now!

WooHoo!!! Sailor Moon & Sailor V 

Volume 1 Mangas Released Today!!! 

I ordered mine off Amazon with 2 day shipping yesterday, so I will receive them just in time for the weekend (when I'll have to time to read them!). Anyone going to the release party at Forbidden Planet in nyc on Saturday? I'm supposed to go away this weekend...but now I'm considering popping into the city to check it out :D.

Just wanted to check in and say that I'm planning on getting back to my icon work soon! I also have some new exciting collection updates coming. This last month has been ridiculously busy---designing/printing/cutting all my sister's wedding materials, traveling, the hurricane! Anyway, my sister is happily married, as of this last weekend, so now that all the wedding madness has ceased, I can breathe again!

I was talking about collectibles with my brother over the weekend (he has a massive Jurassic Park collection!) and he suggested that I send out some of my pricier Sailor Moon dolls to be sealed and graded by a collectibles expert. Apparently this will make them worth more. I've heard of this done with rare comics, but not with dolls. Anyway, I'm not sure it's necessary...Does anyone else have any opinion on the matter?

More information about sealing/grading collectible dolls: CDA Collectible Doll Authority

Henshin (Transformation) Super Sailor Moon Doll
Bandai - Japan - 1995 - SuperS Series
Condition: Mint, In Box
Box Size: 11 3/4 in. wide x 12 1/4 in. high.
Description: "Predecessor to the Beauty Change Dolls, these (Super Sailor Moon and also seperately Super Sailor Chibi Moon) were produced with the idea that you could quick change them, with the help of additional clothing pieces included with the dolls" - SailorMoonToys.com

I am soooo thrilled to have found this doll! I've been wanting a Japanese Super Sailor Moon doll of any kind for awhile, but I never thought I'd get the super henshin one, as it is rather rare & usually pricey. Plus, I've always loved this version more than the Eternal Beauty Change, which has a felt bow that I'm not crazy about.

Anyway, I found her on Amazon.com last week. Not only was she listed below $100, but I also had an Amazon gift card I'd been saving for such a rare occasion. Needless to say, she was a steal and I'm very grateful to add such a lovely doll to my collection!

Click Picture to Enlarge:

I took a few more detailed pictures, view them after the cut!

( CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE PICTURES! )

I just noticed that Amazon.com (U.S.) has updated the new Sailor Moon manga pre-order pages with the new cover art (If you didn't already know ;) the first four Sailor Moon volumes & both Sailor V volumes are available for pre-order).

Anyway, I am loving the logo used on the manga! I prefer it much more over the other Italian version, which was used on the anime materials and such. I think the typography for the manga version is cleaner and the flourishes coming from the "S" and "M" seem more interesting and elegant. Also, the crescent moon isn't stretched out oddly.

(I prefer the top version)

As you might have noticed, I've made some layout changes (mainly the header image). I'm still tweaking the CSS a bit, so there may be some more changes later. Let me know if you're having any journal loading issues, as it may be related to my many layout tweaks. New icons will be on the way next.

Anyway, I felt like the journal header needed juicier imagery that "popped" more. It took me awhile to find an image I wanted to use...Then I remembered a picture I saw in the Infinity artbook that always struck me as beautiful...

(click to enlarge)
 

Alas, I cut Uranus out in favor of making pretty butterfly-like transparent wings that Super Sailor Moon sorta gets in her transformation.

Sailor Moon S Memorial Carddass
(2 Prism Card Set, I & II)
Bandai - Japan - 1994
"This card set was released to celebrate the sale of 100,000,000 (hundred million) Sailor Moon cards in Japan." - Dreaming Moon

I'm not a true Sailor Moon card collector, but I have a couple hundred cards. I also don't collect complete sets, I only collect the cards I love---and I LOVE the Memorial Carddass set. I've always preferred the SM manga over the anime, but SM trading cards are mostly anime imagery. So, I was thrilled to find this card set on Mandarake for much cheaper than what they are going for on eBay.

(Click to Enlarge)


Sailor Moon SuperS Jumbo 3D Silky Sticker Cards
(2 Card set, 1 Horizontal, 1 Vertical)
Bandai - Japan

These are absolutely beautiful large cards that I've seen on eBay occasionally and finally decided to purchase (for a reasonable $10). The detailed gold borders/stars wrap around the Senshi, who really do seem to "pop" out of the cards in a 3D way.

(Click to Enlarge)


Sailor Moon World Mini (6 inch) Dolls
Sailor Neptune, Sailor Pluto, Sailor Uranus
Bandai - Japan - 2000-2002

I've had Neptune & Uranus for awhile, but I recently acquired Pluto. The 6in World dolls are really the cutest dolls I've seen and the packaging design is pristine. I've always thought it funny that typically the outer senshi dolls are difficult to acquire/expensive for other sets---However, with the 6in World set, the outers (minus Saturn, obviously) are the easiest/cheapest to find, while the inner senshi are usually rarer and much more expensive. So, I probably won't be adding to this set anytime soon, unless I see some inner senshi at decent prices.

(Click to Enlarge)



Also...
My Current Icon  HOT List:

- Sailor Moon Brooch (which one to be determined, though I want to do them all eventually!)
- Sailor Moon Crescent Moon Wand
- Sailor Moon Luna/Disguise Pen
- Deep Aqua Mirror (Though, ideally, I'd want to release all 3 talismans + grail as a set, so this could take some time to get completed)

I've gathered references for Sailor Moon's Crisis Compact and Eternal Article (Brooch), so I'm thinking one of these will be up next, I'm just not sure which one I want to pursue yet.

My favorite transformation rods/wands used by the Inner Senshi. I love the details (wings!) and the addition of the new attack symbols, which interact with their original planetary symbols.

"Crystal Change Rod was the collective name for the transformation pens given to the four Inner Senshi by Pegasus which allowed them to transform into their "Super" form. The rods appeared only in the anime In the manga each Senshi used their respective Sailor Crystal to transform into their "Super" form. " -Wikimoon

Preview:


DOWNLOAD:  MAC ICONS  |  WINDOWS ICONS

Please alert me to any problems with downloading. I also appreciate any feedback on icon design.


Reference & Discussion



Those wings were a pain to build in Illustrator, but the mesh tool is my bitch friend now...Overall, I'm pretty pleased with this set! Enjoy & Goodnight!!! :D


EDIT: I have adjusted the coloring on Venus' wand to make it more orange (as per request) Please re-download the icons if you want the updated version (The preview picture above has been updated to show the edited version as well) Thanks!

It's been awhile since I updated, but I have been distracted by work & my sister's wedding invitation designs...which I will be cutting/assembling all 150+ this week! Wahhh. Nonetheless, my Sailor Moon related endeavors are moving along nicely!

I intend to post some updates to my SM collection soon & better yet---I have some new icons near completion!

Here's a teaser pic...

Don't worry kids, this set will be up for download soon!

Sailor Moon S Perfume Pens
(Sailor Mercury/Sailor Mars & Sailor Venus/Sailor Jupiter Sets)
Bandai - Japan, 1994

Okay, so I've seen these occasionally pop up on ebay and thought they were adorable. Unfortunately, the price was never what I was willing to pay...but I was patient and found them eventually on Mandarake for a very reasonable price. I still don't have the Usagi/Chibusa pair, of course, but I'm not in a hurry to complete the set (though, if anyone sees them or are selling, do let me know, please ;).

I love that these little "perfume" bottles are actually scented markers. If I had these as a little kid, I definitely would have enjoyed coloring with them. Being the shameless Sailor Moon item "de-boxer" that I am, I carefully took the bottles out to inspect them. They are very light-weight, but sturdy. The Mars/Jupiter bottles are about 4 inches tall, while Mercury/Venus bottles are 3 inches. I took the top of the Mercury bottle off, but left the cap on the marker. Since these markers are over a decade old, any scent that was present in the markers has faded or just reverted back to potent sharpie-like smell haha. The insides of the bottles are hollow.

A pleasant surprise was the little cards that came with each set. Each bottle/character has 3 corresponding note cards. They are thick cardstock, meant to be colored & written on. Very cute overall.

(Click pics to enlarge)