Blythe-O-Mania Untamed

Look who is swimming my way!

2012-01-26T15:21:00.000-05:00

Calypso by Cindy Sowers and Amy Taylor.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T08:38:00.000-05:00

I'm dreaming of some pumpkin pie,
wishing on a star-blue sky.
Wish I may, wish that I might
not count any more calories tonight.
On gravy, on pudding, on jelly and jam:
slather my turkey and spiral sliced ham.
Oh green beans, cabbage and pretty yams,
skip my hips and pass my gams.
Fluffy rolls, brown rolls, yeast and more,
will I ever again fit through the door?
Jello salad, pea salad, pickles and cheese,
pass the relish tray and the margarine please!
Mashed potatoes, smashed potatoes, who gives a rip?
I'm on a delirious, delicious carbohydrate trip,
and when I'm done, maybe I'll run a lap....
after my L-tryptophan-induced, heavenly nap!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-29T11:43:00.002-04:00

Now answer the door!

Halloween and other costumes

2011-10-10T21:19:00.000-04:00

From the top down: Mallory, Polly, Bunny, Brigette, Lilly, Sofia, Cady, Cookie, Poppy, Daisy.

Cookie, Cakes and Halloween Eye Candy

2011-09-25T00:32:00.000-04:00

That's Cookie, singular, (middle photo), of course! My "afro" girl got all faced-up by Aunt Maggie, and look how adorable she turned out! Cookie is an SBL that I bought in parts: faceplate, backplate, eye mech, body, wig -- all separate. She never did have a dome. Maggie gave her a new face, new eyes and made her hair permanent. She "Georgia Peach-ified" her as I like to say, after Maggie's own original afro girl, Georgia Peach.
Now if I could just get a decent picture. It seems all my pix are out of focus lately, and while it could definitely be operator error, I'd like to blame it on my cheap camera. Why? Because I'd rather buy a new, cool camera than admit to shaking hands and bad eyesight!
The hands and eyes come, er, go at the expense of another birthday. The girls (top) helped me celebrate. They look pretty sober, don't they? Don't know why. I gave them 'real' treats.
Mallory snagged onto the Halloween dress first. I finished embroidering it this summer and have been waiting for someone to put it on. Headband and treat bag by Pistachio Libby! Mallory's got the Halloween Medusa Hair goin' on!

Mademoiselle Blythe Features Moi!

2011-09-16T13:19:00.001-04:00

The girls and I are so lucky to have been chosen by the talented and popular blogger Mademoiselle Blythe (her header shown) a.k.a. Fanny Zara. She recently featured some of my dollhouses for Blythe and others on her blog here or click the headline of this post. Her feature begins an interior designer series in which she will also be profiling some of my besties, Angela and Lindsay.
Even luckier still, I got to meet the lovely Fanny in person at Blythecon 2011 in Portland, after having followed her blog and her Flickr, and occasionally purchasing from her on Blythe Kingdom. And Fanny has exquisite fashion taste, let me add!

So, I decided to revisit some pictures of my first dollhouse, Blythe Manor I, which no longer exists. Gosh! I had forgotten about all the itty bitty pieces and parts in here. You can see Blythe Manor II, The Leesburg Hotel and my Petite Princess three-quarter scale dollhouse on Fanny's blog.

Mutiny narrowly avoided; girls get out of boxes finally.

2011-09-03T23:42:00.001-04:00

Notice all the grumpy faces? In fact, everyone looks grumpy, even in their new outfits. The girls haven't been homeless, but they've still been living in boxes for the past month. I told them it was better than living under a rock, but they were pretty humorless.
At top Brigette and Polly get together. Polly has a dress loaned to us by Aunt Maggie, whom we miss terribly! The next three grouchbags are Poppy, Pixie and Cady. Pixie has a dress specially made for us by Pistachio Libby. Same for Daisy, below them, left. Next to Daisy is (we think) Mallory and then Sally.
Bottom, from left, are Charlotte and Sofia, both in Pistachio Libby, and then Lilly and Bunny.
The girls were glad to get some fresh air. They can't wait to see some of their old friends again soon, and Blythe sister Cookie will be back from her overhaul at Aunt Maggie's. Meanwhile, after a trip to Maryland for work and to see some dolly friends, I'm going to 'Aunt Libby's' around my birthday to get a sewing lesson. Fun!

Yumeko meets Ruiko

2011-07-18T12:50:00.001-04:00

Yumeko meets Ruiko, a photo by Gina2424 on Flickr.

A big Blythe mail surprise arrived last week from dear Rui in Japan: a Petite she had customized some time ago, which matched the full-size Blythe she had also customized.
I bought the large one from Obvious Zebra, having always wanted a girl with a brown bob haircut, especially the one I missed when she was first for sale on Ebay by Neroli!
Then, Rui suprised me by sending the Petite!
Blythe friends are so dear!
H Loves R full size dress with MSR collar and Takara boots.

Meet Sofia Sylvia Sylvana Gina Maria Melacaccio!

2011-07-17T13:04:00.000-04:00

A couple things happened at Blythecon. That's another way of saying a funny thing happened on the way to the forum....
I saw several beautiful, customized Prima Dolly Paris Blythes. And, as some of you know, I won two dark-haired girls with this same haircut, and came home to a third. At least two of them were a base of Punkaholic People, which is very similar to Paris, except different face mold and dark hair.
While still at Blythecon, I started imagining a Paris for myself. And I had a chance to meet the lovely, lovely Sylvia of S. Coladolls, formerly known as Sylviecoladolls. She was rooming with my dear friends, Maggie and Angela. I was rooming with glam Lindsay, and we all hung out.
I had seen her work on many of Maggie's dolls. Sylvia is humble, quiet, unassuming, and verrrry talented! So, I decided I would buy a base Paris doll and send her to Sylvia for a faceup. This happened quite literally. As Sylvia is moving very soon, we ended up just swapping faceplates and eye mechanisms, so she could finish more quickly and get on with packing up her studio.
Meanwhile, at Blythecon, I met another Gina of G*Baby on Flickr. I bought a beautiful set of pink eye chips for Yumeko from her and wished I would have bought more. So I contacted her and ordered four pairs: blue, green, lavender and brown.
Then, in another coincidence, the talented eye chip artist Amy, known as Zaloa27, El Duende or Melacaccia contacted me to buy one of my three brown bob girls, the Punkholic People, and we worked out a partial trade to include two sets of her chips, the pink and the grey now seen on Paris.
Patience not being a virtue of mine at all, I was thrilled when everything came within a day or two of each other in mail from all points west, and base doll from Singapore! I quickly put her together with a little help from Maggie, and voila! Exactly as I had envisioned.
Next up: A BIG Petite suprise in the mail!

Her name was Mallory

2011-07-15T11:29:00.000-04:00

And what should it be now?! Squee!! You know what that means.....

My recent faves- got a Paris Blythe thing going on

2011-07-13T14:26:00.000-04:00

See this mosaic on my Flickr for links to the photographers' photostreams for all these beautiful pictures.

We don't care if it's 100F outside! We're always cool.

2011-07-12T07:12:00.000-04:00

Frog welcomes some special guests

2011-07-08T23:39:00.001-04:00

Frog welcomes some special guests, a photo by Gina2424 on Flickr.

My FROG was delighted to have Francine, Buttercup and Penelope over for a visit. It was a working playdate with Aunt Maggie.

Charlotte's Big Bang Theory

2011-07-04T10:10:00.002-04:00

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July holiday weekend!

2011-07-02T15:42:00.002-04:00

Blythecon: Real Friends and Real Plastic Friends Meet

2011-06-29T17:32:00.000-04:00

The girlz left for Blythecon like this, and had to make quite a bit more room on the way home! I was lucky enough to win not one, but two Blythe dolls plus a Petite Blythe and two outfits: Atelier Blythe and MinkiDynamite. If that weren't shocking enough, my tickets for the two dolls were drawn one right after the other! I was weirdly lucky!
The Portland Roller Girl Ruby Blythe was created by Lynne Rutherford from Texas, a.k.a. Happibug. She has an incredible face-up, chips, pull rings, outfit, hat and tattoo. On top of that, I won a NRFB Punkaholic People.Both of these girls have brunette bobs. Then I came home to Yumeko in the mail from Scotland, a custom by RuiRui/Neroli, and also a brunette bob. And Bunny Velvet with her wig is a, say it with me, brunette bob.
It is only by coincidence that my earliest Blythe friend, Linda J and her PE Ebony, Molli, have brunette bobs! Heck, I didn't even know what Linda looked like until Blythecon! As you can see above, she looks a lot like her MiniMe, Molly. Linda also has a darling real-life mini me now.
That's Molli's sister Zelda, a Star Dancer custom by Kyle, hanging out with my Star D Lilly. Molli and Zelda sent Lilly and me our first-ever Blythe gifts and Blythe swaps about four years ago-- back when I still had SO much to learn. I remember asking Linda to explain Re-ment to me! Seems so funny now.

More Blythecon Pics!

2011-06-26T11:41:00.000-04:00

I think I'll be able to actually write about it after I post more pics. However, that is moi in the white jean jacket in the top photo (I hate getting my picture taken!). I'm sitting with in-person and some first-time in-person friends to my right--Lindsay (Ellewoods) my roommate for BC; Angela (Gemini Angel's Art & Dolls); Ruth (EuroTrash), Blythe Banner (?), and Phillaine. At the foreward table from left: Stacy (Tunibug); Sylvia (SylvieCola Dolls); Maggie (Momoko_girl_1/Blythe_Stole_My_Heart). Maggie has got to shorten that name!
Below that is Pommepomme's vendor table with Shershe (Sherry of Indiana) to the left. In the 3rd photo Keelie of Marmalade Forest in OR sells her "Hello My Name Is" nametags on the left and Rag Bag Designs (Sglahe and her mom) are on the left. I think I bought 5 dresses from them!
Below them, from left are GBaby (Gina), MinkiDynamite and Dolly Rockers vending clothes and eyechips. Last photo is just one of the many tables of participants' dolls- these dressed in vintage Skipper. You can see the outstanding centerpieces, too.

Blythecon: Still Speechless!

2011-06-24T18:16:00.000-04:00

Blythecon or Bust!

2011-06-18T21:30:00.000-04:00

2011-05-30T15:53:00.000-04:00

My love of Blythe and vintage not only extends to my great-niece Abby, shown here with her Blythe Rosalie (formerly my Blythe Abby) and her vintage suitcase collection, but it also extends beyond Blythe for me to vintage toys, vintage Barbie, Hello Kitty and stuffed animals.
I finally had a chance to snap a picture in my office of my (clearly former) bed with my stuffed animals. I didn't "try" to collect them; they just showed up. Kinda like cats. In fact, some are my children's childhood playthings, and I couldn't "bear" to part with them--like American Girl doll Samantha and Paddington Bear. And I think the Tommy Lion and the Target dog belonged to one of them before I claimed them.
Taking pride of place is Hello Kitty, as a Japanese wedding couple, made for McDonald's in 1999, and sent to me by my friend Rui of Tokyo. Rui customized Daisy and Yumeko.
And of course there's my porcelain doll head and small bisque Charlotte and Kewpie collection on my wall in Columbia. This little gem above will take her spot there soon.

Look Who's Coming! It's Yumeko by Neroli

2011-05-27T12:03:00.000-04:00

This was always a "girl of my dreams." I missed her on Ebay when offered for sale by customizer and friend Rui Kamata, known as Neroli. Rui made my Daisy. In fact, Daisy, whom I love, was the first custom I ever bought. And I bought her because I missed this one (above) by procrastinating over the decision to spend for a custom (which is kinda funny now).

This beautiful girl is named Yumeko, and she is winging her way to me (with this dress- squee!) via Scotland and obviouszebra, who bought her first. Yumeko will keep her name, I believe, as it was chosen by Rui. I need to find out what it means. She will be a welcome addition to the family, and just in time for Blythecon!!

Fashion Foto Fun From Friday

2011-05-21T12:46:00.000-04:00

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival Report

2011-05-12T13:35:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday I went to the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival right here in Columbia, at the Howard County Fairgrounds. It is the largest festival of its kind on the east coast. I had good advice to get up and go early, because by 9:15 a.m., there was about a one-mile back-up to turn into the parking area.

As you can see, the festival is about much more than just sheep, including goats, llamas, alpacas and rabbits. I'm pretty sure I offended a human owner when I asked if I could take a picture of the "cute sheep." But I apologized- to the owner and the goat.

Cady had to be coerced into posing with a llama? alpaca? and a bunny rabbit. She was whiny about walking the entire festival. I told her not to wear boots.

The sheep/goat booth is also where I got the great hot pink mohair that will make a nice re-rooted scalp for Blythe. I'm big on pink hair. The little clay robots will make some great pullrings.
There was also pottery, jewelry, rugs, beeswax and clothing, as well as plenty of food vendors. I thought about a lamb sandwich, but couldn't do it. I settled for a corndog and a stomach ache.

By the time I trekked to my car three hours later, the parking area looked like that of a giant shopping center. But I guess it was, actually, and handmade is always fun. When I got home, I couldn't resist the urge to doodle some sheep.

Updates from all my properties

2011-05-04T15:55:00.002-04:00

I think I need a property manager!

Meet Cady! Charlotte's Still Horse-y. And an homage to the new Princess

2011-05-01T13:17:00.004-04:00

Name decided upon. Cady. Check.

Urban Cowgirl Charlotte still horse-y, now in Western Skipper. Check.

Barbie's #972 Wedding Day from 1960 still in style. Check.

A beautiful princess made for a beautiful royal wedding. Extra Check.

Her Charms are Many

2011-04-30T20:08:00.001-04:00

Her many charms, a photo by Gina2424 on Flickr.

This is the former Cadence of simplychictiques, or as Momoko_girl_1's girls call her, Miss Tinkles (not Cadence, Anita of simplychictiques!). She is a custom by Pheisty with a Unicornmime skinny scalp.
Names pending: Catrine, Catrina, Katerina, Katrina, Celine, Catherine, Katy.

Here she is showing off her pullrings- very steampunk!

Early Mornings May Not Be Blythetime

2011-04-25T22:09:00.003-04:00

So here's why one possibly should not leap out of bed to "play" with one's Blythe....

I fell asleep thinking of outfits I wanted to put on my new Blythes, Poppy and Pixie. Okay, that may sound lame, but it is easier falling to sleep with that on the brain than world peace-- or the grocery list.

They both have such beautiful eyes: Poppy with her baby blues against her blue hair and Pixie with her long, flirty lashes. I woke up extra early with the sun streaming in and the cat meowing. I guess Tinkerbelle wanted to play Blythe, too.

I had been thinking about changing a couple pairs of Poppy's plainer eye chips, and while pulling her strings through her series to review, I broke one of her pull strings. Already short from a bead change, it broke inside her head. Oh, snap!

I carried her the the kitchen counter, and waaaay before 7 a.m. CST (civilized standard time), I had her head open. I went through three kinds of string before I found something strong enough, and already tired of the exercise, I decided to hook her spring and forget about sleep eyes for the moment. I put her back together, thankful that she cooperated, and I filed off a couple little marks I had made.

Then, in the moment of truth, I realized the string I had fixed was the sleep eye string, and so even though I replaced the spring, her eyes still wouldn't change. Opened the head back up. Had to change strings again to have enough length to match. Tried burning the end of the string to keep it from fraying. No dice. Switched strings. Put her back together. No way was I messing with any of her chips now!

As if enough time had not elapsed and as if I were not already fully awake without coffee or food, I made the mistake of bringing Pixie to the work table. Decided her stock green and orange chips had to go. Used artist's tape to protect her long eyelashes out of the way. Heated glue sticks in the gas stove flame. Stuck them on her eyes. With the first one I realized I had grabbed the too small glue sticks. All I got was a mess and no traction.

Between scraping excess glue off everything and getting out the fatter glue sticks, I managed to leave a couple nail polish scratches on her face. Applied the new glue sticks. Seemed good. Waited. Longer. Yanked them out after the appropriate time, and managed to yank out ALL her new eyelashes. Came out lash by lash. No seam to hold them together to replace them.

Trying to be the model of efficiency and smarts, I decided to remove the other pair of chips while I was at it, instead of waiting 24 hours for the first set to dry. Now mind you, I had not put the first set in yet, so all was well.....not so much.

Too much excess glue remained from my first mess, so her eyes wouldn't change to the next set to be removed. More scraping. No luck. Had to open her head. Cleaned up glue. Removed other chips. Finally. Glued in first new pair. Let set a good long time. Not. Got impatient to glue in the other set and admire my handiwork. Besides the excess glue from the new chips, and the old glue from my fiasco, eyes would not turn again AND I lost a new chip inside her head.

At no time did it occur to me to go back to bed, in case you are wondering. Opened Pixie's head again. Tried to shake new chip out, but it was stuck inside. Fished it out. Glued it in while head was open, and glued in other set, too. Gently closed head, put her away, and did NOT admire any handiwork. I put her down like the plague, to admire her new chips a full 24 hours later, at least!

Total time elapsed: three hours. I need a nap! Dreaming of Blythe....

Hip to be hip

2011-04-25T07:58:00.001-04:00

Hip to be hip, a photo by Gina2424 on Flickr.

Poppy looks fab in a hip tunic by My Own Little World which I got from Auntie Iveta on The Doll Page. I had always wanted one of these tops and missed out the first time they came around. I am still swooning over Poppy's blue eyes with her blue hair!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-23T17:34:00.003-04:00

New girlies at Blythe Manor! Meet Poppy & Pixie

2011-04-18T21:58:00.003-04:00

A very impromptu swap occured today when in-person Blythe friend Jen and I decided to swap a couple girls. We both had Blythes for sale and bills to pay (bah, humbug), but with no action on those fronts we made a little action of our own.

These beauties were called Ever, a blue-haired custom by My Poppies, and Sixx, done by Jen herself. I traded my new black mohair, called Piper by Amelie and created by Morgan Orton, as well as my Phoebe, a Sookie custom. I sure hope Jen is happy, because I am thrilled!

Ever will be known as Poppy and Sixx will be known as Pixie, or more fully, Pixie Sixx.

Blythe, and Barbie, and Petite Princess, Oh My!

2011-04-18T00:11:00.003-04:00

The Blythes haven't even taken a back seat; they've just had to share my day with another new old obsession- three quarters scale Petite Princess Fantasy dollhouse furniture by Ideal (1964-65), a tin litho dollhouse, and Tomy and Renwal 1:12 scale furniture.

My newest project, started on vacation, has been re-acquiring pieces from my first childhood as well as finding just the right tin litho dollhouse to refurbish and decorate. The fun is going too fast though. I'm running out of room already.

It is amazing what supplies you can find for the dollhouse hobby. There are literally thousands of miniatures on-line, both handmade and mass produced and some very intricate. More to show later!

Got to get my beauty, I mean Blythe-y sleep! Big day tomorrow. Swapping two girlies with Jen for two new girlies. More on that soon, with photos, of course! Meanwhile, I have tons of vintage Barbie stuff and a Petite Blythe listed in my Ebay here. And I loaded up my Etsy shop today with vintage treasures, supplies and ephemera. Maybe you feel like shopping?!

Vacation memories

2011-04-10T15:13:00.002-04:00

We're home now, but Phoebe wanted me to post the last few vacation pictures. Here she is at the pool at the condo in North Myrtle Beach, called Nautical Watch. We have been lucky enough to know someone to rent the same first floor ocean-front 2BR/2BT condo for nearly 30 years! of course Phoebe is too young to know that! Here she is in another vintage Skipper bathing suit.

Now we're home to gloomy weather, laundry, cleaning, bills and work. Vacation always seems to end that way. *sigh*

Finding Frog

2011-04-04T14:13:00.002-04:00

First Frog finds Neemo! Then she finds a shark tooth! A very exciting beach day. Good thing she had her Madeleine shovel and bucket that came with her Madeleine swim suit. She couldn't wait to come in to tell Phoebe all about it. Note: Frog-size shark tooth is real. I don't care what size they are; I don't swim in the ocean anymore. I used to. Too many creepy crawly things and riptides. Just not smart.

Phoebe at the beach

2011-04-03T12:08:00.001-04:00

Phoebs & Frog: At the beach

2011-04-02T22:42:00.002-04:00

Phoebe and Frog were The Chosen Ones to accompany me on my flight to North Myrtle Beach, SC. When Frog heard there was a beach, she promptly put on her vintage Tutti & Chris red European-issue rain boots. Turns out the sand hurts her webbed feet.

On the other hand, or foot, Phoebe brought her vintage Ken green scuba flippers so she could swim in the ocean with Frog. She also brought her groovy Teen Queen surfboard and no less than five different swimsuits. Sounds like a lot of photo shoots to me.

New girl still settling in; needs name

2011-03-29T14:22:00.002-04:00

She looks like a "Clarissa Explains it All" right now, but other names under consideration: Suki, Paige, Olive, Bette, Medusa, Iris, Frances, Pugsley. Okay, maybe not Pugsley, but I can't do Wednesday, because I already had a Wednesday...and a Tuesday. Maybe Sunday? What do you think?

It's a New Girl with a Love Gun

2011-03-28T12:45:00.003-04:00

Don't know what to call her yet. Don't even know if she's staying. We have to bond. She just arrived this a.m. from France. First thing I did was give her a Pure Neemo flection body by Azone, on loan from Aunt Maggie for vacay photo fun.

Next up was doing something with her blank milky chips. I was going to remove them, but decided with her hair she is kind of zombie-like. So I painted red irises with black pupils on them. Not sure about that either, but with the plain chips there was definitely no one home.

This is also the first picture I've ever taken with my Love Gun from Atelier Matin. It was such a surprise gift, thanks to a little birdie named RuiRui, that I think I was too "got" to even use it. I know that sounds silly, but whatever. Anyway, it was perfect to wait for this girl. Thank you, Matin and Rui!

She is still nameless, although "Amelia" keeps popping up, or "Ame`lie," but I don't know how to pronounce that for sure. She could be "Sookie," as she is a Sookie-custom, which I got from Amloro (Amelie), who got her from Morgan Orton. So it is in the Blythe world.

She's going to Myrtle Beach with me, so we'll see what develops.

Fashion Forward: Blythecon 2011

2011-03-24T13:17:00.003-04:00

The girls try on some new things we got second-hand in the Sundries sales on Blythe Kingdom. I must say re-sale for Blythe provides a lot more treasures than the ones I can find in any re-sale shops here. On the other hand, my favorite re-sale shop at home, Boutique Exchange, has tons of goodies and bargains, including a pair of Manolos (formerly mine) on sale now!

At top, Bunny tries to look nautical for the theme of Blythecon 2011, June 20 in Portland, OR., for which I've now registered. I think she might just look patriotic. We'll have to work on our seaside garb. The dress is by Crisapop, and the hat and purse are by TeenyWeeny Designs on Etsy. Bunny is an ADG Roaring Red with a bob wig on. Her face is by Blythe Stole My Heart, a.k.a. Auntie Maggie.

Purple Polly, custom by me, wears a deLupi Bad Bunny outfit, perfect with her crossed-eye chips! I am so proud of Polly. She was A LOT of work, especially for someone who didn't know what she was doing. I started a second custom but never finished. Sold her hair to Piparrot and her body to Phillaine.

Charlotte, my Urban Cowgirl, always looks appropriate. Here she has on a simple brown dress and riding boots. This girl has gorgeous, thick hair.

Lilly tried putting her hair up with chopsticks, which works well with her Asian-inspired outfit by Dolly Molly, always one of our favorite designers. Lilly's hair had been in a ponytail forever, and she informed me she wanted to start looking more glam, like "that Claudette," she said.

Finally, pink mohair Brigette wears a crocheted pocket dress by The Future, which we happened to buy from Brigette's prior mom. That's right, even the dolls come second-hand in the world of Blythe. Daisy wears a crocheted dress and hat by unknown makers.

Another fun fashion day at Blythe Manor. But, we're all wondering, will spring ever come?

Coming soon! Very Frenchy Girl

2011-03-22T16:29:00.001-04:00

Lilly: Wedding is off and she's taking it hard

2011-03-20T15:50:00.002-04:00

Her bridal couture restyled by Pistachio Libby. Vintage Barbie veil and robe and Francie shoes. Also in the photo: window wall, curtain, pillows, lamp and plant by Maryann Roy of Welcome Home; chair by Smidgehouse on Etsy; bed, ottoman, rug and linens by Barbie Furniture and Fashions on Ebay; nightstand is vintage Petite Princess; Topiary by Style in Scale/Lucite Creations; vanity is Barbie Silkstone.

Spring Fashions and another Marie wannabee

2011-03-20T15:05:00.003-04:00

Fashion fun and a Kittybomb outtake

2011-03-09T12:46:00.003-05:00

The girls got changed, with some help from Aunt Maggie, and so of course had to be photographed! Tinkerbelle the Cat is always trying to help with everything. She investigates Phoebe's pose at top. Molly is sweet and pure all in white. Charlotte goes Boho in a handmade gift from Auntie Angela of a few years ago. (I think even before AA had ANY of her 75+ dolls).

Then there's Bunny the Cheerleader, Polly dressed by Maggie and looking cute, and then Lilly, Daisy, Cookie and Brigette in vintage, mostly Skipper. This is my Blythe family in total, after a little "reorganization."

Playin' around with our Skipper clothes

2011-02-20T18:15:00.003-05:00

The girlz decided to dig into Skipper's vintage case again to see what they could find. Polly (top) opted for a newer Teen Skipper top and long skirt, but who knows why she chose fluorescent flippers for her footwear?

On the couch, Brigette, Cookie and Charlotte (from left) found some coordinating pink and purple Skipper items, including Triple Treat and Outdoor Casuals, while Cookie has a newer Strawberry Barbie ensemble on.

Phoebe went for the early 1960's Skipper skating outfit, but had a little trouble keeping her balance. She went with red skates instead of the usual white, and I double skirted her.

The pajama party included (from left) Lilly, Bunny, Daisy and Molly, all in vintage Skipper pajamas, from the 1960s to the 1970s. I need to find the name of Lilly's turquoise set, but Bunny is wearing Dreamtime. Daisy chose the Lemon Fluff (my favorite) and Molly has the "Get Up and Go" set with footed pj's. It also came with the sleeping bag. I have the slippers for Lilly's and Bunny's sets, too, but they were already warm (or so they said!)

Blythe: my pictoral history, saved.

2011-01-30T14:46:00.002-05:00

I have no excuses now not to have a visual record of my Blythe collection, past and present. Not only did I start a photo scrapbook, but my talented niece Abby, 13, sent me a lovely fabric collage journal cover. And, squee! She sent a tiny journal with paper for Blythe. I wonder what they will write about?

My 'big people' journal will be for my own doodles, collage, notes, artwork and thoughts. Meanwhile, the scrapbook will be a good place to keep track of my collection. I started with one Blythe in November 2007, and fairly quickly grew to three and then four, before reaching a past high of eight. Then I sold some, as well as my entire dollhouse of many rooms of furniture and accessories. So, I was back down to three for the longest time.

Then, who can explain it--I went a little bonkers in 2010 and was up to 15 Blythes. That's not a lot for some collectors, (friends you know who you are!) but it was more than I could enjoy, manage or dress and display. So, I've sold a few again, and now have 11, although two are still for sale.

And, I have one more, hairless, that I have been meaning to finish. I am rerooting her with green mohair, but after I stabbed myself in the soft part of my thumb base with an upholstery needle, she has layed untouched for six months! I guess I scared myself when it was spouting blood like a geyser.

As my collection comes and goes, it is nice to remember what and 'who' I had, so the scrapbook and journal will be perfect places to record all that. Do you have a Blythe scrapbook or journal?

Barbie Butts in on Blythe Blog. Again.

2011-01-29T15:41:00.002-05:00

Off to see Aunt Libby

2011-01-08T11:28:00.001-05:00

Off to see Aunt Libby
Originally uploaded by Gina2424

Frog took off today--to try to get Leonard off her mind.
She packed like any female....tons of clothes and shoes for any occasion: ice skates, fins, roller blades, boots, etc.
"Auntie" Libby and "Auntie" Phoebe are going to have some amphibious fashion fun.
Oh dear, I wonder if I should have pinned her nametag on her!
P.S. Our outfit doesn't match real well; she decided to leave rather hastily--before the post office closed.

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-24T10:30:00.000-05:00

A new family member, non-plastic!

2010-12-19T14:26:00.001-05:00

Name forthcoming, and not as grouchy as she looks. A six-month-old kit-cat girl.

Diorama photo practice

2010-12-17T14:11:00.003-05:00

In repose
Originally uploaded by Gina2424

I played around with shots using my window seat backdrop, curtain, cushions, lamp and plant, all by Maryann Roy of Welcome Home. Lucite table and topiary by Jenn of Style in Scale, Chair by smidgehouse/smidgegirl. Jason Wu FR "mink" throw as rug, floor and wall box by Adorning Elements from Collector182 from Lafayette, IN on Ebay. Real mink pillow/pom found at the Sideshow gift shop at The American Visionary Museum from old 1960s store stock they were selling. I also got some tiny mink ball earrings that I will use at Blythe pullrings.
Did I say I am IN LOVE with this lamp! Oh, and French guide book by ckworkshop on Etsy.

The girls prepare for winter

2010-12-17T12:41:00.003-05:00

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-17T10:02:00.000-05:00

Blythe Meet...In My Bedrom

2010-12-13T10:48:00.004-05:00

So I hosted our Flickr Group, Dollmarvalous Collectors, for a holiday party Sunday, Dec. 12. While the fireplace was going in the living room, and there was plenty of food in the kitchen, everyone gravitated to the bedroom to see my doll house (Blythe Manor), and pretty soon, the entire party was in the bedroom.

There were 9 adults, two nieces and approximately 65 Blythe dolls. Add a few Wonder Frogs (3), Nikki cats (2), Odecco, Yatsuba, Miu (a Dal), some Dynamite Girls and Fashion Royalty, not to mention my Barbies, and we had more than 80 dolls in the group picture and more than 120 dolls in the room, plus assorted porcelain doll heads and three sock monkeys!

Everyone oohed and ahhhed over each other's Blythes, noting how even the very same doll, such as a Disco Boogie or Factory Girl or even a Kenner or really, all the Blythes, can look so very different! Everyone was dressed in their best, so much so that we had to take written note of the very best places to shop on Ebay and Etsy for Blythe fashions.

A little romantic triangle developed between my Wonder Frog "Frog," and Shelly's pink Blossom and Holly's ever-popular Leonard, the only boy at the party. My niece Abby, 13, attended her first Blythe meet with her Blythe Rosalie, and Maggie's niece Zinnia, who is an old pro at 10, came to yet another meet. Zinnia had awesome knee-high lace up Converse-like tennies on. She also brought her Mini Me American Girl doll.

Our gift exchange was great fun; everyone brought wonderful stuff, and our food spread was fab. I put out meatballs (a new recipe with apple grilling sauce and blueberry jam), cupcakes that Abby and I made, cheese, crackers, pickles, olives, cherry tomatoes and chips and salsa. Many kinds of cookies arrived, and Maggie brought a relish tray and a Panettone fruit bread from IKEA!

A wonderful time was had by all, I'm pretty sure. We wrapped up early as I had to take Abby to the airport so she could zip back to Indiana in the snowstorm. Several of the gals continued the party at Maggie's and had a knitting lesson, and a couple gals went on to a Cookie Exchange. (One reported making 700 cookies the day before!)

I was proud to show off my dollhouse, and after hanging out in the bedroom around it, everyone agreed our next party should be a slumber party! Here's a picture of my Brigette at the party also.

Sweater Dress I crocheted for Molly

2010-12-01T13:15:00.001-05:00

Shhhh!
Originally uploaded by Gina2424

What started as a sweater from a vintage Barbie ski sweater pattern turned into a dress, but perhaps still managed to look cute. Or perhaps cute Molly just makes anything look good. I used baby cashmere yarn so at least someone's getting a cashmere sweater for the holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T12:20:00.001-05:00

Come here often? About once a year.
Originally uploaded by Gina2424

From all of us at Blythe Manor!

Molly poses with mom's sash

2010-11-15T13:33:00.001-05:00

Picture 004
Originally uploaded by Gina2424

Mom is a much bigger person. MBP. Molly is a Blythe Scout. Mom was a Girl Scout, and before that a Brownie. There are badges all the way up the back of my sash too. Little wooden scout found on Etsy.

Joey's back! The making of a Frogumentary, and new scenes from Blythe Manor II

2010-11-11T13:24:00.004-05:00

All this fun in one day! Of course, it is always fun when Auntie Maggie comes to visit. I wonder if my nieces and nephews say that about me? Auntie Maggie took home poor Joey, who has been traumatized too many times to count, to make her lovely blond Disco Boogie scalp and bob haircut a permanent fixture. Since Joey is a CCE with a funky dome, it was a tricky fit. Much work had already been done on poor Joey by the talented Pheisty also. However, Joey was looking babyish, although cutely impish, in a pink mohair Elfins skinny scalp, and I just feel this bob "fits" her better, even though it doesn't fit any better than the pink scalp did.

Then Aunt Maggie, and her photographer's assistant Holly Woods, as well as her Wonder Frogs, Butter Cup, Francie and Penelope came over to 'play Barbies' and film a little frogumentary called, "The Secret Life of Wonder Frogs."

Meanwhile, I added some more little touches to Blythe Manor II, and here's an update....

Happy Halloween, dear dolly & art friends!

2010-10-31T11:33:00.001-04:00

Happy Halloween, dear dolly & art friends!
Originally uploaded by Gina2424

Daisy and her Halloween bear from her "first mama" Rui wish you a Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from all the Blythes at Blythe Manor!

2010-10-31T09:46:00.001-04:00

Halloween Skippers- outtake #1
Originally uploaded by Gina2424

Boo! Aren't we so scary in our vintage Skipper outfits? Everyone wanted to be Skipper for Halloween. Imagine that! From left: Brigette, Virginia, Jane, Lilly, Wednesday, Alice, Daisy, Phoebe, Charlotte, Molly (hanging out), Bunny, Buffy, Polly.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-28T12:08:00.001-04:00

Frog has not left the building
Originally uploaded by Gina2424

From me and all my plastic friends here at Blythe-O-Mania Untamed! (Which should now also be called Barbie Mania! And Wonder Frog Mania. And Poppy Parker Mania.....and well, mania)

Charlotte looking pensive; vacation's over

2010-10-28T12:01:00.001-04:00

Charlotte looking pensive
Originally uploaded by Gina2424

Charlotte gazes out at the Atlantic Ocean, wondering why vacation has to come to an end. I think she's also mad at me since she didn't get to wear any of the vintage Skipper stuff I dragged along for her. In fact, she only got one outfit change, into this cute Hello Kitty halter dress.
Or, perhaps she's dreading the seven hour drive home that we made on Saturday--which turned into a 10-hour trip, complete with in-car vomiting on the driver. And that's already more than enough said on that subject!
The Blythes, Barbies, Poppy and Wonder Frog are looking forward to getting dressed for Halloween and for hosting a winter gathering of our Dollmarvalous (DE, MD, VA, PA, DC) Collectors group here on Flickr.

Charlotte on Vacation: Progress Report

2010-10-21T00:38:00.002-04:00

It's no wonder her red VW was cram-packed. Had to include her vintage bikini, as well as her beach towel, shades, air mattress and flippers, don'tcha know?

Plastic People Need a Vacation, Too

2010-10-21T00:01:00.003-04:00

Here are just a few scenes from the vacation of Poppy Parker, Wonder Frog (a.k.a. Frog), Bubblecut, Silkstone and PonyTail Barbie. Besides the usual over-packing of fashions and accessories, this time I even brought along their furniture! And backdrops. And flooring. Wanted to make time for some photoshoots that I'd had no time at home to do.

Charlotte: Off to Myrtle Beach (with me)

2010-10-17T12:29:00.005-04:00

Yes. We brought Too. Much. Stuff. Also attending: Frog, Mini Frog, Mini Blythe, Tutti, Kelly, Poppy Parker, Francie, Midge, 2 Silkstones and 3 vintage Barbies. Further acoutrements: one book of 562 pages, 19 magazines weighing approximately 42 pounds (3 copies of Vogue), 2 doll beds, 2 room backdrops, assorted cases and shoe sorters, 1 large shopping bag of Ebay sales to manage, 1 small bag of dolly sewing, mending, ironing and tiny vintage bouquets to re-wire and re-glue; laptop, camera and assorted electronic devices; 1 large first-aid kit and bag of supplies for the inevitable beach mishaps that have befallen me in the past (too numerous to mention here but do note at least 3 E.R. visits in 25 years of semi-annual beach pilgrimages); 1 blanket and pillow from home (adult size), and I even managed to remember to pack my own suitcase and bring a swim suit and towel (2 ea.).

Perhaps I need a class in a) How to Relax, b) How to Take a Vacation and/or c) How Not to be So Anal.

Brigette comes to the Midwest

2010-09-22T11:21:00.001-04:00

Brigette
Originally uploaded by Gina2424

Brigette was the lucky (?) Blythe who was selected to fly with me to Indiana for a week for my big 5-0 (ick) birthday with family. She's so adorable; how could I leave her behind? And in her new Skipper Pink Princess dress and coat and vintage shoes, she was ready to travel. My carry-on tote bag contained, besides the usual water and magazine, 1 Blythe, 1 Wonder Frog, 1 Poppy Parker, 1 Silkstone, 1 vintage Stacey and 2 Juicy Couture Barbies. I love to watch the face of the guy running the x-ray machine!
I have had good intentions of many photo shoots this week, some dolly sewing and repairs, reading Freedom (562 pp.), practicing embroidery, updating all my blogs (3), painting and cooking.
So far, I have managed a new haircut, re-connecting with friends on Facebook, flying to Nashville for a day and cooking two fave meals: meatloaf and turkey burgers. No dolly connection with that!

It's a Mod, Mod, Mod world!

2010-08-27T11:01:00.002-04:00

I wouldn't have it any other way. Mod. My favorite fashions. My favorite era. My favorite to wear when I can pull it off. And that's just it. I usually can't. So, much more fun to dress the Blythes and Barbies in vintage mod fashions.

At top, my Jane (right) wears her Skipper "Twice as Nice," while Maggie's Ava wears "Twice as Nice" in their more familiar color combo. This is an early 1970s Skipper felt dress and coat set. Next, Brigette looks pouty perfect in Skipper "Quick Change," a mod 1968 outfit that also came with a mini dress, tassel'd knee socks and ankle boots. I am on a quest for the socks. So, here I substituted some slouchy socks and mock Converse high-tops with floral lining.

And lastly, my gorgeous "flip" Francie is wearing her own "Tenterric," a pleated wonder I've had at least three times now: childhood, a Blythe phase a couple years ago, and now. This time I have the purse (not shown here), but need to find the bonnet thingy, stockings and squishy lime bow shoes. This dress, however, is pristine! Here, I have used the lime-y Fashion Avenue accessories pack to add hose (baggy), slingbacks, a chain purse and scarf.

A couple excellent reference sites to vintage fashions can be found here and here.

Another interloper...here to stay!

2010-08-27T10:32:00.003-04:00

Besides the vintage Barbies which have been claiming a piece of my free time, a.k.a. "Blythe Time," now we have Ms. Poppy Parker on the scene. I had been coveting her pouty face ever since I saw her announced in Haute Doll magazine last fall.

She is produced by Jason Wu (yes, the same Jason Wu of Michelle Obama's wardrobe) for Integrity Toys. She is 12", fully articulated, and has been released already in a variety of hair styles, colors and outfits. This one above, called "Beatnik Blues," just spoke to me, as did her reasonable price!

Here she is wearing a striped tunic dress from a Taylor Swift doll (sorry, Taylor. I luvs ya anyway), Poppy's own black tights, Francie's fuschia Culotte Wot boots, Barbie's 1960s white canvas Resort Set hat (yes, that hat is almost 50 years old!) and the perfect accessory--a Vera Bradley style handbag made in glorious detail by the ever-so-talented Diana Weiler, one-half of La Boutique.

I think Poppy will be a great model for my vintage mod Barbie and Francie fashions, many of which are being restored or repaired by another talent, Libby Sherman of Pistachio Libby. However, Poppy is going to need a padded bra to pull off some of the Barbie fashions! Calling Jason Wu....

The Mod Squad is Back in Town

2010-08-18T13:30:00.001-04:00

Mod Squad
Originally uploaded by Gina2424

Need I say more?

The ultimate in purse pets!

2010-08-16T23:31:00.002-04:00

The ultimate in purse pets!
Originally uploaded by Gina2424

Take that, all you pint-size chihuahuas out there. And you, too, Yorkies, even though I wuv you. Make way for the purse pet of the next decade: mini Wonder Frog! No pooper scooper bags required, no crumbly dog biscuits, no expensive grooming (hey, no fur, and you can't paint toenails that don't exist)! Can't find a prince? Just get a frog. Jessica Simpson, we're talking to you. Basic Barbie wears, in addition to her fab frog, a very vintage Barbie Dreamy Blues dress, vintage boots and lesser vintage Fashion Avenue sunglasses, furry coat, and purse. She's all that, and together, they're all that and more.

The Barbie-Blythe overlap finally sucked me in and won't let go!

2010-08-15T16:23:00.005-04:00

No, these 10 pictures are not of Blythe (as in Blythe-O-Mania, the title of this blog). They are of Francie, Barbie, Teresa, Casey, a host of "barbies," (small 'S'; different than 'the' Barbie, some of you understand that), a vintage Barbie case cover, and okay, one Blythe (Buffy) in pink with Superstar Barbie.

So what have we here? I guess I have to accept it. It's my newest obsession. Although it looks, feels and smells like my childhood of the 1970s, it's really my second childhood, circa 2010. And it's going well. Lots of fun. No angst about boys, zits or homework. Well, less angst.

It all started simply enough. Blythe bodies are the same as Skipper bodies, and as such can wear the vintage Skipper fashions of the 1960s and 1970s with special aplomb. Call it attitude. Call it whatever you will, but I have been slowly collecting my favorite Skipper fashions, many of which I had once before, for my Blythes to wear.

Then I discovered some of the Francie fashions also fit and looked mod. Francie was perhaps even more of a favorite than 'the' Barbie barbies I had. Francie was fun and mod and hip and had a cool friend Casey, whereas Barbie with a big 'B' was always a little severe looking to me with her arched eyebrows, pursed lips and stilettos. Barbie intimidated me the same way she probably intimidated Midge. And Ken.

Francie was my cool pal when I was about age seven to 10. And now she's my cool pal when I'm about ^%&^%*#@. Oh well, never mind that. Anyway, after accumulating a nice stash of vintage fashions, I realized I could enjoy them more if I could display them on their rightful vintage 'owners.' Suddenly, I had a new old Barbie collection (big and small 'S'). And as fate would have it, they display perfectly on top of my Blythe doll house. So now I can have an ever-changing montage of my first and/or second childhood. Or, as the next-to-last photo demonstrates, I can have a "Who Wore It Best" dress-off, a la Us magazine, any time I want.

Fashion Fun & Blythe Friends

2010-08-15T15:52:00.004-04:00

If I reported how many hours I spent preparing late on a Friday night so I could take pictures of each Blythe (and now, each Barbie, Frog and Tom, Dick & Harry, it seems), some one of you would try to have me committed. So, suffice to say, the photo shoot took much less time than the preparation. But then the after-work--editing, uploading, emailing, Flickring, blogging, etc., took the better part of an eight-hour day!

Some of the results are above. I recently received a few lovely things via trades with other Blythe fans (fanatics). In red in the middle, cream mohair Molly wears an incredibly detailed and well-made coat and dress set with hairpin by Trio, which I got from Trish in the U.K. by trading a crochted set by Blanki seen here.

Jane, below Molly, wears a lovely peachey orange hat I received from Judy in Canada in a trade. She sent tiny socks she had made and this perfect hat in exchange for a blue Madeleine coat I had, and some other stuffs.

Daisy is wearing a darling dress made out of cut-up vintage curtains; the fabric I either got in a trade or at a thrift shop. The dress was made by Pistachio Libby, "our" seamstress and tailor on Etsy, and now an IRL (in real life) friend I recently met up with for a play day. I asked her to make a "1978 Gunne Sax Prom Dress," and she interpreted that perfectly!

Phoebe is in a tennis outfit by Bon Bon Blythe that I got second-hand on Plastic Paradise, along with the V-Smash tennis racket, bag and can of tennis balls. She's keeping up her tomboy act so far.

In the same PP sale, I got the amazing new hair/scalp for Joey, at the very top. Joey grew up! See her before here and here! Now she's all sassy with a "leather" Harley Davidson vest snatched from Barbie, a tulle tutu, fishnets, purple suede motorcycle boots from Cool Cat and a shiny silver Barbie jacket with purple fur. Next thing I know she'll want a tatoo. The scalp is from a Disco Boogie. Excellent cutting job, Mnemone!

Black bob Bunny is looking rather stylish in slim black flares, a black Megipupu top with delicate crochet edging, and a standout purse from the lovely Diana at La Boutique. The bag is a scale replica Louis Vuitton Murakami roll bag. Makes Bunny look like a million bucks- or at least a couple thousand!

Lastly, FROG in a Kelly top and Strawberry Shortcake shoes and tights, admires the tiny Barbie house ornament by Hallmark while one of the LPS dachshunds checks it out also. Hey, don't your toys play with toys?

Still Feeling Froggy!

2010-08-04T17:08:00.001-04:00

We Interrupt This Re-root

2010-08-03T21:29:00.002-04:00

My mohair re-rooting for my Save the Animals Blythe, which I started a couple days ago and blogged about here came to a sudden stop at about 1:30 a.m. Sunday. I sort of missed the rubber scalp and stuck myself with the very sharp and somewhat big embroidery needle. When I pulled the needle out, because it was stuck, there was a little, okay big, gusher of blood and a big, weird goose-egg thing of blood formed immediately. Then I was left with this lovely bruise. So, today I moved on to lip-painting.

And FROG says Hello

2010-08-02T11:54:00.005-04:00

FROG, who remains nameless, could hardly wait for me to sew tiny snaps on the 1960s very vintage Tutti top, which he/she/it paired with Strawberry Shortcake tights and Azone shoes, snagged for us by Auntie Maggie at the International Fashion Doll Convention in Las Vegas in July.

I am thinking FROG will remain nameless because 1) the Blythes have names which must be remembered and kept straight. When one has a few Blythes, getting the right name out can be something like a grandma "calling the roll" when trying to call one of her children by name. Why do grandmas do that? Does yours? I know of a "BernDanMax" combo that comes out now and then, as well as a "JackPaulBruce," and then there's me--calling my cat Alex instead of my son.

And 2) since Vogue magazine refers to those of great taste as 'fashion arbiters,' FROG can just be a Fashion R-r-r-ibbiter Of (all things) Green. Makes perfect sense to me.

A W.I.P.: Work in Progress

2010-08-02T11:43:00.003-04:00

My new Save the Animals is getting a major overhaul on my vacation. So far I've sanded away her shiny face, painted her eyelids, changed all her chips (from blue, green, gray and brown to green, red, purple sparkle and Hello Kitty glitter sparkle, the latter two from Milky Way Blythe on Etsy), pulled out her stock eyelashes and replaced them with sideswept lashes with glitter rims, added sleep eyes and changed her pull rings.

I've gotten her put back together successfully--always a scary moment--and now I'm finishing her green mohair reroot, after painting her Cool Cat scalp. The mohair is from a sheep on the farm of Elizabeth's Fiber & Yarns in Washington state. Re-rooting was temporarily halted about 1:30 a.m. today when I stabbed my hand instead of the scalp with the very sharp embroidery needle.

The lips you see above--a combination of a lip sticker and nail polish--have already been sanded off again as I saw how crooked and lumpy they were. Time to try again soon. Hope to have her done this week. Then she will need a name!

The Leesburg Blythe Hotel, our home away from home

2010-07-31T18:34:00.003-04:00

After I brought Phoebe, above, home from the Michigan Blythe Meet, I set about making a dollhouse in the location of my former Blythe Manor I. (Blythe Manor II is the one you usually see). I brought a shopping bag full of extra furniture, accessories, and about 10 different cans of spray paint. Krylon Fusion is made especially for plastic.

Since I had some great pieces left that just wouldn't fit into Blythe Manor II, I knew I wanted to make a second dollhouse anyway. So, I sorted what I had into room grouping and then figured out what needed painted in order to fit in. I especially wanted to use the IKEA-like shelf by Smidgehouse on Etsy and the leopard settee by Barbie Furniture and Fashions on Ebay. I also received a great Takara vintage desk in a trade and snagged a Bratz egg chair and lips bed on EbayUK.

Along with all that, I improvised to make a mirror from a silver tray, a "wicker" wall unit from a coffee table, a window blind from a placemat, a frame from a lid, a hanging light from a photo ball, a lamp from an air freshener, another lamp from a dangly pendant bead, records from stickers and key tags and an art desk from some clothespin photo holders and two acrylic frames.

Some other repurposed items included placemats for flooring, a baby's headband for a photo hanger, a piece of sink mat for a bathroom rug, a Hello Kitty plush keyring for a pillow, and a piece of placemat for a window shade.

All the rooms are pictured above, with and without their plastic occupants. The house was a one-day project, thanks to fast-drying paint.

Road Trip! A Blythe-cation

2010-07-31T13:57:00.003-04:00

On July 23, FROG (still nameless) and I packed our goods and goodies and headed for all points west for a Blythe meet, Barbie exhibit, to create 'The Leesburg Blythe Hotel,' and a little R & R (ha!). No rest for the wickedly clever, right? We traversed, in order: Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia (again), Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Indiana, and in another week, we'll reverse most of that! Ugh.

Our first major destination was the 'Michigan Blythe Meet' at Gemini Angel's Art and Dolls in East Leroy, MI. There was outstanding attendance with 15-17 "real" people and 70+ dolls. Famous Flickr and Etsy names were there, some I was meeting for the first time and some for the second or third, like DeeBear, Mandylynn, Kookanoid, Sealion, Chrissy Snow/Unicornmine, Morganannie, Dolly Pops, Annearchy, Hello Jenny and more!

I think I was the last one to arrive, even though we had folks there from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Canada. The swapping, selling and buying was already underway, but I jumped right in and received some awesome swap gifts and made some great purchases. It wasn't until the end of the meet that I realized Chrissy Snow (Chris) had a Blythe for sale, a darling Sookie custom Disco Boogie with the cutest outfit and freckles. And at a reasonable price, she decided to come home with me. I believe she will be my tomboy, Phoebe. I'd like to spell it "Feeby" to match my 'Y'-ending names, but that's just too weird.

Angela, our hostess, had outdone herself in preparing her doll ROOM. No, not a dollhouse but a room full of dollhouses for the likes of Blythe, Petite Blythe, Strawberry Shortcake, Nikki and Odeco, Wonder Frog, Sun Spots, and I don't even remember what else! It was breathtaking! She even created a very detailed Outer Space photo backdrop and scene for our photo-snapping pleasure!

After a great carry-in lunch and lots of chat and photos, we set up the Blythe girls photo shoot outside, with 70 dolls on the steps of Angela's deck. There remained at least 25 dolls still inside, mostly Angela's. It was a beautiful weather day, and so fun with Angela's good sport husband, Art, her boys and Oscar the Pug.

My next stop was Lake Wawasee to pick up my niece, Abby, and have dinner with Abby's dad (my nephew), my daughter and her boyfriend, Kyle. We took a 20-minute pontoon ride to The Channel Marker. Then Abby came home with me for a few days of art, Blythe and fun. I gave her the Blythe, Abby, which I had named after her, along with some clothes and a travel bag, by Sew Pixie. Abby has since renamed her Blythe Rosalie.

On the last day of her visit, we went to The Indianapolis Children's Museum with our Blythes (and FROG) to meet Pistachio Libby and her daughter, Phoebe, and their Blythes for the Barbie retrospective exhibit. The pic above is in one window of the museum's gift shop, where we also spent some quality time.

Updated Links!

2010-07-18T23:09:00.003-04:00

I spent some time today updating all of the blog links on the lists in the lower far right, so you can easily find my favorite Blythe blogs, shops, Web sites and more. There are some outstanding Blythe blogs, like Lollitams and Mademoiselle Blythe, just to name two. Check out all the links in my lists!

I've gone frog wild!

2010-07-18T21:52:00.002-04:00

Oh! How I adore these Wonder Frogs, let me count the ways! I've been stalking Wanda (the green one) on a lot of Flickr sites, and in my Blythe friends' photostreams. Her name (his?) really is Wanda; that's what the manufacturer, Studio Uoo, says, but it calls Wanda a 'he.' Some of the Asian sites also call him or her a Wonder Flog, so who knows what the gender is! And who cares?

My frog, as yet unnamed, will be a he, she or it, depending on whatever I put on it for a given photoshoot. And although I did go Frog Wild and order a pink one (Flora Heimel) and a blue one (Brandt Windy), I sensibly kept only the green one and promptly sold the other two. They are hot commodities in the world of Blythe and Friends.

I have discovered that while some Blythe clothes and shoes will fit Wonder Frogs, the most adorable clothes are from Strawberry Shortcake or Tutti and friends of vintage Barbie fame. The clothes for the modern incarnation of Tutti, now Kelli, also fit. Can't get enough of Amphibian Fashions. For more, see my Froggy Flickr set here.

Really, really Mad, Mad Men and Women

2010-07-06T16:35:00.001-04:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

The latest photos from around Blythe Manor

2010-07-05T16:33:00.002-04:00

100F degrees outside? No problem. Inside, it can be whatever you want it to be.

Happy 4th of July from the USA!

2010-07-03T21:29:00.001-04:00

From left, Virginia, Jane, Buffy, Wednesday, Bunny, Abby, Charlotte, Alice and Cookie say Happy Independence Day!

Blythe Photo Contest Winners

2010-06-27T15:24:00.003-04:00

Recently I hosted a celebrity look-alike photo contest in my Flickr group, Blythe in America. Some lovely prize donations came from Mama Lisa Designs, Gemini Angel's Art and Dolls, Pistachio Libby and Confettilexi. Entrants ranged from Bjork to the Doublemint Twins.

The winners are posted above. First runner-up was Amelia Earhart by daisyannesmile, and the grand prize winner was Sex and the City II by ellewoods2007. "Amelia" was also a big winner at Blythecon 2009, and her creator, Jessica, was also a winner, along with my Daisy in the recent Lucky Blythe Publishing cover girl contest. Jessica's Ice Rune Acadia was selected for the cover of Blythe Living. The Blythe mini-mags are published by Confettilexi. Here's another shot of her cover.

And then there's Lindsay...a great Blythe friend, and a photographer extraordinaire. And even though she has mad photo skills, it's probably her staging of the photos that attracts the most attention. Check out her other entries: Farrah and Monroe. And if you visit her photostream, check out her Blythe Opera series. This Flickr/Blythe installment soap opera and its star, Claudette, Lindsay's Darling Diva (double entendre-yes), are known to Blythe admirers around the globe.

Two deserving photo winners, I'd say.

Daisy, Daisy, Daisy! And RuiRui!

2010-06-26T14:34:00.003-04:00

I've always said Blythe brings out the best in people and makes friends out of strangers, whether in-person, on-line or around the world. Little did I know when I missed a custom Blythe doll on E-bay, I would end up with a special one from the same customizer. Nor did I imagine the seller and I would become such good on-line friends.

The top two photos were taken by Rui after she finished the doll I know as Daisy. Rui used these photos to list Daisy for sale as she has done with many others. Her Flickr set of her custom jobs is so much fun to look at! I had thought I wanted a dark-haired girl, like the beloved Molli of Blythe fame (an Ebony) or like Rui's own Flickr icon, but I ended up falling for this redhead with the gorgeous lids, lashes and attitude!

Rui and I have corresponded a lot via Flickr, and when Daisy was chosen to appear on the cover of Lucky Blythe by Lexi, I knew I had to send Rui a copy of the magazine. Off it went to Japan for only 95 cents, and it turned up in less than a week! And lucky me, Rui surprised me in return with some miso soup mix, popular cosmetic blotting papers, pics of Daisy, and a mini-mag made by Rui. So nice of her! And so nice of her to create Daisy.

These boots, umbrellas and raincoats were not made for walkin'. Just 4 lookin' cute!

2010-06-24T12:02:00.004-04:00

Take it from the top, girlz! Polly, Molly, Bunny, Wednesday and Lilly.

And thanks to DollyMommy Sandy for my fab new blog design. (It needed it!) See her ad below right, which will take you to her shop. She also pointed me to Smitten Blog Design for cute little trims, and then I got on a roll looking around and still ended up going back to an old fave, Shabby Blogs. I can't believe how many free blog background sites there are now. No one need have a naked blog.

Blythe Meet, Annapolis, Maryland, June 19

2010-06-21T19:16:00.000-04:00

Just good clean fun or how to waste a lot of time on the computer

2010-06-20T14:51:00.004-04:00

From top: Alice, Lilly, Virginia, Bunny and Abby, all courtest of Mag My Pic.

And a few more scenes from my Blythe world

2010-06-18T16:26:00.002-04:00

Behold! A Bevy of Blythe Manor Beauties

2010-06-18T15:03:00.003-04:00

There was a lot of commotion this week at Blythe Manor. Actually it started a little over a week ago, with the arrival of a blank Cool Cat scalp and three ounces of loose purple and blue mohair from Phillaine. I knew I wanted to give it a try, because I had been decidedly underwhelmed by the arrival of my lavender-haired Factory Girl, Polly.

I think Polly was a Takara Lilac Blythe anyway, but her thin hair and weirdly-colored eye chips just weren't cutting it around all the pretty girlz here. I thought sanding some of the shine off her face would help. Then I decided to add some pastel chalk and oil pastel blush. Then her lips needed to be a different color. So after many rounds of sanding and painting, touching, messing up, sanding, re-painting, using gel pens, acrylic paint, nail polish and more, I was finally able to leave a plump set of pink lips alone, long enough for them to dry.

I knew I wanted her to have a beauty mark, and I got lucky that my wildness with a marker actually worked. But she still wasn't looking that exciting. Then two things happened: I saw the leftover mohair from Phillaine's new girl for sale on Plastic Paradise, and I saw the results of a first re-root by ellabellasmommy on Flickr. She did a great job, and it looked so cool! I decided after Googling (or should I say ogling?) a few tutorials that I could do this.

After about four solid days of threading strands of mohair through a tapestry needle, and using a thimble to help me poke them through a thick plastic scalp (maybe that's what's wrong with men- they have thick plastic scalps. Oops, I digress....), voila! Polly's scalp had a full head of mohair. Well, almost. In all honesty, out of respect for my first-ever mohair job, I have to admit I started the mohair a little too thick, holes too close together, so while that looked great, I sorta ran low on mohair at the end. I came up with a working solution that satisfies me, and if I ever decide to find more of the exact mohair, her scalp will easily come off for me to add more. Meanwhile, I don't think I will spill how I solved the problem.

Then there was the matter of figuring out how to get her stock scalp off; never had done that before either. Was not in the mood to break her face after all this work! Also, I wanted to create four sets of unique eye chips, using the flat clear and colored chips I ordered from Cool Cat as well as the foil stickers, designs, nail stickers and other paraphernalia I had gathered. So I made some pink skully chips, purple and green with cross-eyed tiny pupils, dark purple size gaze chips with a white fleck and no-pupil grey, white and blue flower chips. Can't believe I did that either!

I had no patience for changing one set per day as I had done in the past, to avoid other new chips coming loose inside the head, and since her head was already off and open, I changed all the chips at once, which was so much easier! What was not so easy was painting her eyelids. I decided I wasn't about to remove the eye mechanism, since I didn't know for sure how to route the pull-string when putting it back in. So, word to the wise, painting eyelids when the eye mech is in the face is not easy. It is messy; the eye shadow gets messed up, and if you mess up the lids, you run the risk of getting them too thick when you re-paint, causing the paint to be scraped off every time you change her eyes.

After several hours of this nonsense-I must have painted, sanded and re-painted 10 times- I finally was able to leave well enough alone and again get satisfaction long enough for them to dry. I nearly messed it all up again when I tried to add white dots-which had to be re-done several times also. Add stabbing in extra eyelashes with an Exacto knife is also apparently an aquired skill that I hadn't acquired. And just to add to my "never-done" work ethic, I started messing around by painting the tips of her eyelashes white for sparkle. Sheesh!

During all this action with Polly, you'd never know that Miss Bridgette Hansen, the beautiful pink mohair, had arrived Saturday from PP and all points north. I gasped when I saw her and her beautifully-detailed outfit by Devout Dolls--the same outfit featured in the December 2009 issue of Haute Doll magazine. But, I wouldn't let myself touch, photograph, change or enjoy Miss Brigette until I had cleaned up my days-old Polly mess, and I was determined to have her done before I went to bed on Sunday night. Success. And then I found myself trying to photograph Brigette at midnight! Note to self: there is NO photo lighting that is good at midnight.

I have no plans to mess with anything about Brigette, from her name to her chips, even though she has two sets of pink and two sets of gray, they are gorgeous! And her name....she was named Brigette by her previous owner, Blythe friend, Deb Hansen, and since I used to have a nice next-door neighbor Bridget Hanson, well, it all works. I think Bridgette and Polly will be fighting for the spotlight as my glorious, candy-colored mohair sisters. And perhaps Joey (remember this Joey?) will be Brigette's little sister.

Meanwhile, on Thursday of this same exciting mail week (that's yesterday as I write this), Wednesday the Mondrian arrived from Down Under. I had had a Mondrian once before, that I had gotten from Ebay from a person who as it turns out lived one county over from me. I quickly sold her, I think not only because I was shocked about what I had spent then (cheap compared to now), and because I didn't know her floppy body could be fixed with rubber bands or that her stringy hair could get help at the Blythe spas or that her gaudy eyeshadow could be tamed. Live and learn. But, as it turns out, that Mondrian, Tuesday, went to a great home with Blythe friend Carmen in Spain, who named her Elaia Tuesday and who has since swapped her with a different Mondrian with a bob haircut, from Vainilladolly. That Mondrian remains E. Tuesday.

My "new(er)" Mondrian would be named Wednesday; I decided right away, after spotting her marked FA on Flickr by a user name I did not know. However, I quickly found out that gal was the same Justine, under a former user name, who had customized my Abby. So it was all good, and not only did I buy the Mondrian from her, but we exchanged friendship gifts across continents, too. Did you know the USPS no longer sends ships to Australia? Postage has gotten quite salty when the only way you can go is by plane!

I am grateful to have received Wednesday this week, as well as the lovely and cool Frankie magazine, and some great Blythe clothes and shoes. I sent fabric, sewing notions and Dr. Pepper, by request! Gotta love Blythe friendships. And speaking of those, can't wait to see everyone at the Annapolis Blythe Meet June 20, 2010. That's tomorrow as I write this. Have been making a pile of goodies to take for gifts, swap and sell, girlz to show off, and of course my camera. So you know a post is forthcoming.

Sweater girls and mohair

2010-06-11T22:36:00.002-04:00

A work-in-progress purple mohair re-root is my first attempt at covering a Blythe scalp from Cool Cat. Nothing like jumping in head first! Meanwhile, some of the girlz show off their sweaters, in the 90-degree June heat. Oh, to be a Blythe!

At top Virginia shows off her sweater by DeeBear, knitted just for us, and complemented by a crocheted bubble hat by her daughter MandyLynn. I had the pleasure of meeting these two talented Canadian ladies a couple years ago in Michigan. Check out the crocs I found on Ebay! They had Minnie Mouse heads on them, which popped right off, just like real Croc decorations. The knitted wool socks are by Dolly Dress Up. All can be found on Etsy and the crocs by Leo Toy on Ebay.

Also on Etsy are the darling sweaters with felt appliques and felt mascots, like Hello Kitty (seen on Charlotte) and Paul Frank's Julius (seen on Abby). The are made in Brazil by nanistore. And lastly, Cookie wears a crocheted halter top, granny square wrap skirt and headscarf by an unknown maker.

Full House: Blythe Manor

2010-06-06T13:42:00.003-04:00

Now what do I do? That's my lament. Planning and decorating the twelve openings at Blythe Manor has been some fun that I'm a little sad that it is full. I could possibly squeeze in one more tower, but I don't want to get too eccentric or have my bedroom look too ridiculous. So maybe it's time to just enjoy The Manor by photographing some of the girlz actually IN it! And like a true minor OCD player, I just keep thinking: but I don't want to move anything and mess it up! We shall see.

Meanwhile, the Re-ment cleaning products and the orange 'pop' cubes from one of the older room sets make a perfect (and OCD?) finish to the laundry room. I couldn't be happier! I'm never far from my own Windex, Brillo, Comet, Bounty, Glade solid and heaven help us all if the pantry gets lows on toilet paper!

Welcome to Blythe Manor! Y'all sit a spell.

Saturday at Blythe Manor, From Groovy to Classic and Somewhere In Between

2010-06-05T20:19:00.005-04:00

At top Virginia is feeling groovy in her reproduction vintage Becky emsemble with a yellow Barbie/Kayla bag that is too perfect 'fur' words. I might possibly have looked like this in the 70s. There was a period in sixth grade where I tried to dress like a cool hippie, but since I was 11, I probably just looked like your typical sixth grade nerd.

Below Virginia is Lilly, also a mini-me from the 70s. I did have long straight blond hair down-to-there, and I know I had a few fringed vests, and especially crocheted vests. Lilly is posing with her new 'Coach' bag from the talented Diana of La Boutique. Diana and her sister Janet have been doing haute doll fashions and Purse of the Month club for nearly five years to quench the designer hunger of fashion dolls everywhere. The detail and quality are just outstanding! On this Coach bag is a tiny authentic silver hangtag I saved from a recent Coach keyring of mine.

In the middle photo, Alice poses with La Boutique's Chanel shopper. Diana made it as a special order for me, and it even has a tiny Chanel wallet inside! Below Alice, Charlotte looks smashingly classic in her Plonsjeroze pink tweed set with a Juicy Couture bag from La Boutique. I was going to save that purse for my lavender-haired factory girl who should be here any day, but I just couldn't wait to show off this purse!

And lastly but not leastly, Buffy (yup, that's the name I decided upon) wears a darling garden party dress loaned to us by Auntie Iveta along with 'holy-grail-status' maryjanes and a Kate Spade or Coach style wicker purse. Do these girls have expensive taste or what? To answer that, look again at the top photo and Virginia's so-what?-had-to-have-it expression.

A Blythe Meet of Gigantic Proportions

2010-05-27T19:57:00.002-04:00

Proportion would be the key word to the Blythe meet on Friday, May 21 in Baltimore, hosted by Maggie. You see, there were 72 (count 'em) Blythes present and only four humans. You do the math! And, if I tell you, the lovely and smart (PhD candidate) Samara only brought four, that makes the math even more incredible.

And these were just the Blythes that were assembled! Yes, my baker's dozen are there, but as for the rest, well, ask Aunties Maggie and Iveta! Maggie's living room is an awesome display of an awesome doll collection, including Momoko, Fashion Royalty, collectible and vintage Barbie and Friends, Wonderfrogs, Dal, Petena, Generation Girls, Top Model, Madame Alexander and too many more to name (or remember).

Maggie was a great hostess, of course, and we noshed on pizza and Pepperidge Farm cookies while Maggie's fur family, namely Ruby Elizabeth and the cats kept us entertained. There was much swapping and gifting and conspiring about future dolly fantasies. Blythe meets are my favorite R&R!

Daisy gets the big head after cover appearance on Lucky Blythe

2010-05-23T19:56:00.004-04:00

Miss Daisy received her issues of Lucky Blythe Friday from Confettilexi, and boy, have things gotten dicey around Blythe Manor! First, Daisy demanded to put on the Marie Antoinette 'queen' dress and headpiece from My Own Little World creations.

Then, she summoned all the girlz in the house, and even our guest, Fawn, to a cover-signing 'rehearsal.' Daisy believes she will need to have her signature perfected before she ventures out to the grocery store, or anywhere, for that matter, as she expects to be swarmed by the paparazzi.

Since Daisy is a permanent resident of Blythe Manor, she apparently decided she could make a few extra little demands: new Coach or Tiffany pullrings, her own bedroom, first dibs on any new rooms in Blythe Manor, no more 'baby' dresses, a full-time bodyguard, prior approval of any new Flickr pics, a goldfish and a pony. Hmmm. We shall see.

The prettiest girlz in the world

2010-05-23T19:33:00.002-04:00

I might be biased, but here are some of the prettiest Blythe girlz in the whole wide world. Charlotte, top, models the lovely statement necklace we received from Auntie Bryanna. Fawn, in her red Sally Jessy glasses, belongs to Aunt Maggie, but came for a recent visit. Molly models a darling Nippy Cat outfit that Auntie Iveta sent home with us, and Charlotte wears a vintage hanky dress with crocheted bodice that we swapped Aunt Maggie for. Same with the pink and grey NippyCat outfit on Joey. And the sweet sucker you can barely see is another treat from Bryanna. Some of the girls have their Lucky Blythe magazine and pen in hand, as Daisy has scheduled a "practice" autograph session at Blythe Manor.

Updates from Blythe Manor

2010-05-18T15:03:00.003-04:00

The dollhouse is nearly done. I just recently realized I haven't taken a single picture of a Blythe in the house! Must do that. I guess now I will wait until it is done. That top space is already wallpapered and partially filled. In fact the picture of Angela's Nikki cat on the computer was taken in that square.

The three "Charlie's Angels," "MerAngels" or "MerBlytheAngels" feature Maggie's visiting Verde from left and then my Virginia and Charlotte, all customs, although one can still tell Charlotte is an Urban Cowgirl, which is fine. The mermaid outfits are pieces I snagged on Plastic Paradise, and then I made the tops on Verde and Virginia with Blythe stock bras and sticky rhinestones. Photo fun!

As you can see Cherry Cat was caught at the computer late at night. Not sure what she is up to, but I am sending her home to mama! Those little plastic/rubber cats are amazingly expensive- many are well over $100! At Wal-Mart, they would be $3 in the dog toy or baby toy aisle. I am not panning Angela's cat; in fact, I love these Nikki cats by Odecco/PetWorks. I am just amazed at their collectibility because they are the size and material of a rubber squeak toy! Squeak! Eek!

My new Ashton Drake Pow Wow Poncho Blythe arrived, replacing the Gwynyth I used to have. She really is very pretty. I added eyelashes and all new chips: brown, blue, pink/clear and purple/green. Here she models a tagged vintage Skipper dress. I am still considering names and welcome opinions: Gwynyth II, Bitsy, Blondie, Muffy, Barbie, Lindsay, Elle.

My Cover Girl

2010-05-13T07:53:00.003-04:00

Thanks to Confettilexi and Lucky Blythe Publishing for choosing Daisy as the April cover girl. We are excited and grateful! P.S. Get my girl an agent! Here is the link to get this and other excellent Blythe mini-mags.

Here is the link to the Lucky Blythe Publishing Flickr group. Daisy is a custom Takara by RuiRui on Flickr or Neroli on Ebay. I am very thrilled with Daisy.

RuiRui is in Tokyo and has perfect feedback on her customs. I give Confettilexi a perfect 100% on her publishing!

Thanks to Confettilexi and Lucky Blythe Publishing for choosing Daisy as the April cover girl. We are excited and grateful! P.S. Get my girl an agent! Here is the link to get this and other excellent Blythe mini-mags.

Here is the link to the Lucky Blythe Publishing Flickr group. Daisy is a custom Takara by RuiRui on Flickr or Neroli on Ebay. I am very thrilled with Daisy.

RuiRui is in Tokyo and has perfect feedback on her customs. I give Confettilexi a perfect 100% on her publishing!

Happy Mothers' Day, Blythe Friends!

2010-05-09T12:33:00.002-04:00

DC Blythe Meet

2010-05-03T22:37:00.002-04:00

DC Blythe meet
Originally uploaded by Gina2424

It was a great Blythe meet May 3 at the Washington, D.C., Marriott. We attracted a lot of attention, especially during the fire alarm! That's a whole 'nother story.

Meanwhile, everyone present and accounted for:

Back row: Cherry Cat, Joey, Margaret, Floss, Verde, Faith (Kenner), Apple, Wendy Dreary, Virginia, Miss Esmerelda, Daisy, Ash, Ophelia, Anika, Holly Woods, Imma, Tallulah, Coco Kitty and Georgia Peach.
Front row: little pink girl, Ophelia Miss Piggy, Francine, Kermit, Buttercup, Finally, Poe, Whoopie (Strawberry Shortcake), Petena, Happy (Dwarf), Louise, Needs Name, Alice Snow, Molly, Taina', Abby, Lilly.

As far as "big people" the meet was attended by Maggie (momoko_girl_1), Angela (Gemini Angel's Art and Dolls), Theo (Sweets415), Samara (S.F.K.) and me. A good time was had by all.

More DIY, a Coach purse and a tiny Blythe box

2010-04-29T17:20:00.002-04:00

Had such fun making the tiny, one-inch replica Blythe box. Instructions from Dr. Blythenstein on Flickr. I first found one in kittyrobot's room, also on Flickr. I used it, along with other little goodies, for some finishing touches for Blythe Manor II.

The black bedroom dust ruffle, the black throw pillows and the Coach purse all are by Pistachio Libby on Etsy. The Coach fabric is the former wiping cloth from my authentic Coach sunglasses. Ah, the sacrifices we make for Blythe!

I crocheted the little peach throw pillow in the top photo. More details to come.

New family photos

2010-04-29T17:10:00.004-04:00

From the top: Daisy, Alice, Molly, Bunny, Abby, Charlotte. Love, love, love.