Claudia & Gerard Episode 6 VIDEO Is Up!

Things are improving slowly here. I’m getting a little better week by week and hopefully, I’ll be at full strength soon and able to continue to film the next 30 episodes of this story?  Yes, my outline has it at 40 episodes now… why am I doing this to myself? LOL. 

Please leave comments at the bottom of the Claudia and Gerard story page so I know how you feel about it. I always love feedback.  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.   Thanks for reading!!  JATMAN

Here are photos from next week’s episode. 

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Claudia & Gerard Episode 5 STORY is Up!

Woo Hoo, I don’t have any damage to organs, that they can find.  My allergic reaction to the vaccine could have been a thousand times worse (full body paralyzation), and I just need to start physical therapy and pushing myself to move around to get better.   So I’m on my own personal hourly schedule for home PT to move as much as possible, exhaust myself, then rest for an hour and do it again.  I will be back to my normal self as quickly humanly possible so I can return to work, and return to my life.  I got stuff to do, people to see.  I’m feeling soooooo lucky for everything I have and the wonderful people in my life.  Huge shout out to my mother, who’s been taking care of me for the last 5 weeks.  She’s been an absolute angel and I love her to death.   

I’m back to filming future Claudia and Gerard… well, let’s be real,  I’m taking all day to set up a shot because I can only move for 15 minutes at a time, but I’m trying real hard to film scenes again.  I’m determined to build up more time on my feet in a few days or weeks, soon.   Might as well use this story as physical therapy, right? Lots of bending, arm stretching to pose dolls inside the dioramas. climbing on ladders to get in there, this 4’x5′ thing is practically a jungle gym, good times.   So not sure yet when I’ll need to take a break from posting to catch up with making future episodes.  For now, you’ll get weekly posts.  Hope you enjoy this week’s episode.  Hugs to all and hoping your weekend is hopeful and filled with love of friends and family.  

More photos from Episode 5 of Claudia & Gerard:

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Claudia & Gerard Ep 5 VIDEO Is Up!

Photos from Next Week’s Story:

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Claudia & Gerard Episode 4 STORY Is Up!

I’ve been dreading typing any of the words I’m going to now say.  Posting this episode got delayed by 3 weeks because 3 weeks ago I became very ill due to my extremely, (and I mean extremely) rare allergic reaction to the 2nd Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. 

I want to follow that with PLEASE GET EVERYONE IN YOUR FAMILY VACCINATED.  Let nothing stop you from getting the shot.  The chances of anything besides minor side effects like a fever or headache happening to you are so astronomically slim, that you can count ME as your chance for bad luck. I’ve taken one for the team, and all of you are now pretty safe from harm.  Besides, with my reaction to the vaccine, I’m still better off because it’s safe to say I’d be dead if I’d actually contracted Covid 19 without being vaccinated. 

As far as what will happen with my doll story schedule… It’s unclear as I am temporarily disabled from doing anything but the bare minimum movement.  I’m so thankful for the things I can do because it could be so much worse.  But for the last 3 weeks, I’ve been unable to move my arms or walk for longer than 10 minutes, or do anything which requires any effort without being suddenly out of breath, then instantly exhausted leading to fainting if I don’t cease moving and rest.   The photos I took below took me three weeks to take, 5 minutes at a time over many many days.  I did them to gauge if I was getting any better and to find where my limits were. 

Until my doctors find a way to fix me it will be impossible to continue filming any doll stories.   So I’m going to post the episodes I have finished so far and then will need to take a break again to catch up.   I’ll just double my efforts once I get well again.  I’m itching to go back to work and back to filming this story again.  Hopefully, this will only put me behind a month or two.   

More photos from this week’s episode:

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Claudia & Gerard Episode 4 VIDEO Is Up!

As soon as I get over the vaccine sickness this weekend, I’ll be back to filming and writing on this story.   I only have a week left of working remote, big sad face.  Once I’m back at work, I’ll be posting probably on Saturdays if I can’t get them done on Friday nights.  It takes a few hours to post videos or stories, but I’ll do my best. 

Photos from Next Week’s episode:

ETSY FINDS – Crafty Craft RU (Bar set, and bar stools) They’re in Russia, lovely to work with and ship super fast for international, they’re made of a light wood and use laser cuts to finish the edges, so they have a fun mesquite burnt smell when you get them, makes me hungry for BBQ.  I have a few more items coming soon from them will share photos when I get them:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftyCraftRU?ref=yr_purchases

ETSY FIND – White Rabbit Minis, fabulous 1/6 scale cocktails.  They have a huge variety of very high quality small stuff: 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/WhiteRabbitMinis

ETSY FIND – JS Tiny Creations sells cool industrial pieces like this fire hydrant, and dominos playing table and chairs.  The chairs and table are for 12″ or smaller dolls, Barbie, Poppy, Dynamite girl and shorter action figures.  The Fashion Royalty girls can’t bend their knees under it. 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JSTinyCreations

New male head sculpts that have arrived:   Paul Walker by GACToys, and an eBay custom head of Taeyang for the K-Pop Band BigBang:

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Claudia & Gerard Episode 3 STORY is up!

I wrote a book with all these characters 30 years ago, but only the main two characters ever got a back story, because in a novel you don’t have time for a lot of stuff.  You’re too busy describing everything, every movement to define what the reader should imagine without giving any visuals.   

Writing this WITH visuals that take care of all description… wow. Now I have time for everyone’s back story, so expect flashbacks in future episodes.   I was even lucky enough to find some head sculpts that  work as younger versions of characters.

I’m having such a ball with this story, I can’t wait to see what happens, and am as surprised as you are most days.  I film a bunch of scenes with a general idea of what’s going to happen, but when I write it… complete surprise. The characters say things I didn’t expect.  It’s making have to backtrack a bit and fix prior episodes to make it all cohesive, so if you re-read this later, you may find changes in episodes you thought you read… sorry.  With 30+ episodes and I’m filming like movie studios (all scenes in 1 diorama in all episodes forward), so out of order and context.  Once I start really putting an episode together, I may need to go back and fix some details in other episodes to make it work.  I hope you enjoy this week’s episode and Gerard’s crazy family.   Thank you for visiting my site and reading, it’s always appreciated.

More photos from this week’s story:

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CLAUDIA & GERARD EP#3 VIDEO IS UP!

When I’m not working at my job, I’m working on this story.  I think I got eye strain the other day from writing, LOL.  I’m a maniac, I know. I can’t wait to get my second covid vaccine so I can get an eye exam.  I’m pretty sure my glasses don’t do what they should anymore.   

I can’t wait to get back to life again, but I don’t think it’s ever going to be like it was again.  This event is a time stopper… BC/AC  Before Covid/After Covid because I’ve never seen anything else change the lives of every human being on the planet before.  It’s altered so much that I felt I had to re-write this old story within the new world.  There’s no way to ignore it anymore, even though I see so many movies and TV shows trying to sweep it under the rug as if it doesn’t exist.   We’ve got to see examples of people making the best of things within the confines of what we have now, so we can get inspired and start enjoying our lives again.   

Positives of this past year for me: I got to work from home, LOVE working from home. I actually get more done, with a lot less stress.  I have to go back in May, so the fun times are ovah in three weeks.   I gained a heightened appreciation for everything in my life: having enough food, a roof over my head, being able to pay rent every month, having a job, my family staying alive.  I think a lot of people got a real appreciation for having enough toilet paper, (giggle), but I was happy food could be delivered to my door, that’s a blessing all in itself.  Thank you electricity, hot showers, Internet, Amazon, Netflix, Zoom, email and phones to text with.  I’m very, very, very thankful for everything I have, and everyone in my life. 

I’m very thankful that I can still do these doll stories.  You have no idea how close I came to selling my entire collection when things started to get real bad last fall. The thought of taking away this creative outlet broke my heart and I just couldn’t do it. Working on this story is bringing me back from the dead emotionally.  I had fallen into a nasty depression and this is giving my life purpose again.  If I’m not creating something I’m not happy, so thank you for coming along on this ride with me.  I hope it’s entertaining and that you’re coming back good time again. 

Photos from next week’s episode:

New Actors In my Guild: Antonio Banderas (Zorro Custom on eBay), Sebastian Stan (TOP-006 on eBay) and Peter Parker (Custom on eBay), two of them will be in later episodes of Claudia & Gerard. 

So much more is coming, keep coming back to my website for more updates!  Sign up for the weekly newletter. 

CLAUDIA & GERARD EPISODE 2 STORY IS UP!!

I redid all my preview videos from episode 3 on with a new template, so when it comes out next week, expect a new look.  Been working non-stop on filming and writing for this story. This weekend is going to have long hours ahead.   

One of my characters in this story loves to remodel the house, so I’ve got all kinds of ideas for a kitchen… or two that I’m going to build in a month or two.  Can’t wait for that.  Hopefully I can make a new tutorial from it.  I’ve been watching diorama tutorials on YouTube and they’re so much better than anything I could make.  I might ask a few of them if I can feature their videos on my website.  Nothing wrong with more views, and their work is amazing. I’ll keep you posted.   

Hope you like this week’s episode, much, much more coming!

More photos from this week’s episode:

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Claudia & Gerard Episode 2 VIDEO is up!

Last weekend was intense! I slaved over the diorama you’ll see below. 15 hour back breaking days, but it was worth it.  I felt like Danny Glover in the ‘Lethal Weapons’ movies… “I’m getting too old for this sh$#” LOL.   When I first started doing doll stories I was 13 years younger, more spry and could work for hours and hours without the feet barking and the back cursing my name.  Now… at least I got a workout. And the diorama turned out to be very photogenic.  I start filming multiple scenes in it tomorrow, so fun!  Did I say I was so excited to show you all this story in this post yet? I say that a lot.  It’s wonderous to be this excited about a story again.  I’ve missed the feeling more than I can express. 

This format has allowed me to expand on characters that never got a chance to have real strories in the novel, but with no end to the episodes, I’m having a ball bringing the drama to all. 

I got a cool curved screen so I can do background shots for sets I can’t possibly build, like planes, trains, automobiles, landscapes, etc.  I’m hoping to use it for lots of different background purposes, maybe even outside of windows.  We’ll seee how I can set it up.  I’m just jazzed to fill in for the scenes where I needed more elaborite setups and I had no room, finances, or time to make a dio for them, plus they’re short scenes, so a background photo works best.  I’ll let you know when one comes up on an episode so you can let me know what you think.   

Enjoy the teaser video and photos below.  Episode 2 story will be up next week.  Probably on Friday again, because I can hardly wait until Saturday to post.

Here’s photos from next week’s Episode 2: 

New Diorama from upcoming episodes of Claudia & Gerard, the Game Room  – With 2 removeable walls to capture many angles of the room, you can also click on the small photos below to open the gallery if you want to see them bigger:

Connected to it through the archways is the Ballroom/Dance Studio which has 1 removeable wall for more angles into both rooms. You can also click on the small photos below to open the gallery if you want to see them bigger:

With a Fashion Royalty Natalia, who is staring in Claudia & Gerard: 

So much more is coming, keep coming back to my website for more updates!  Sign up for the weekly newletter. 

Claudia & Gerard Episode 1 Story is UP!!

Yippee!!! It’s up, it’s finally up! I hope you like it.  Much, much more is coming on this story.  If I can get far enough ahead I can start posting weekly.  It’s taking up every minute of my free time after work and on weekends, please leave comments at the bottom of the story page.  Thanks for reading. 

I also posted photos of the new Bar and stools furniture I got from Russia with love on Etsy.  Here’s their story at CraftyCraftRU: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftyCraftRU?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=847991262   

Lastly, I got a few new girls this week. I’ve never purchased Victoire East 39th street girls before.  They’re very photogenic.  

Photos from Claudia & Gerard Episode 1:

New Bar and Stools Set from CraftyCraftRU.  This set will be in Claudia & Gerard in upcoming episodes. 

New Dolls: Integrity Toys East 59th Street  Victoire Roux – Pin-Up Allure &  Victoire Roux Divine Evening,   They’re also in sets you’ll see in Claudia & Gerard episodes. 

So much more is coming, keep coming back to my website for more updates!  Sign up for the weekly newletter.