Like candy....or Easter eggs

As soon as the annual Paas Easter egg coloring kits came out this year (probably February since Easter was not until April 8), I scooped up one $1.49 box and stashed it with the plain white "Manna Energy Drive" dresses from This is Blythe.
The package said not only were special bonus color tablets included but that bolder colors could be achieved by adding white vinegar. I dyed the mint green dress early on, and then made the mistake of rinsing in cold water, ostensibly to set the color, but in reality washing most of it away instead. I realized this would not be a colorfast method, and the dye on my fingers reinforced that.
But this time I let the dress air-dry on white paper towels and will try pressing with a hot iron to set the colors. Now that I have a candy-colored rainbow of dresses - lavender, pink, light blue, mint, light green and light yellow - I hope to embroider sweet motifs (when my light box arrives) and to add sweet trims.
If the colors do not appear to be safe for Blythe, then the wearing may be limited to a few moments for a photo shoot - enough to capture a living doll pastel rainbow - and then, poof! Gone like unicorns...

More fashion fun with vintage and knits

I'm having so much fun creating fashion combos for "the girls." I think they are so much more pleasurable to dress when they have great hair. Daisy (top photo) came that way, thanks to ruirui on Flickr or Neroli on ebay, a Blythe customizer who has been featured in Dolly Dolly magazine for her entry in the Blythe photo contest. In the top photo Daisy wears a vintage Skipper sailor suit, with capris, T-shirt, jacket (and hat that's a wee too small). And, in the bottom photo Daisy wears a vintage 1980s Barbie dress with hot pink tights and white boots.

Then Daisy and also blue mohair Zena decided to see "who wore it best" to quote People magazine's celebrity challenge, as they each tried on Megipupu's knit hat and sweater from her Etsy shop via Finland. Megipupu (Megan Talarmo) is another Blythe artist who has appeared in Dolly Dolly magazine. Check out her gorgeous knits on her Flickr photostream. Both Megipupu and RuiRui were featured on p. 64 of Dolly Dolly #21 recently.

In the bottom photo with Daisy are my first and second Blythes respectively, Lilly, a Star Dancer and Maggy, an ADG Priceless Parfait. Lilly wears a Sugarmag dress and jacket and Maggy wears a complete mish-mash of Sugarmag, stock from Lounging Lovely, Barbie and items of unknown origin. I cut Maggy's hair in an asymmetrical bob when I first got her. Both Maggy and Lilly have silky hair, so I was totally unprepared for Bunny's coarse, out-of-control hair.

Bunny Velvet, next-to-last-photo, is looking fab, thanks in large part to her new bob wig from Shopholican, who sells on both Etsy and This is Blythe. Bunny wears a vintage Francie dress (another fave one from my childhood), a Sugarmag top as a vest, repro Barbie stockings from Smasheroo, black Mary Janes, a new scarf and an 80s teen Skipper yellow train case. I'm thinking about making her wig a permanent attachment. Can you say Super Glue? I don't know if I can or not. We shall see.

On the road again...

I merely mentioned to the Blythes that one of them might get to go to Indiana with me for the holidays, and there was a flurry of activity in the wardrobe box. All four of them were changing clothes so fast their heads were spinning. Lilly, a Star Dancer, (top and bottom), a girl after my own heart, changed clothes at least three times, from vintage Skipper Town Togs to a Chanel T by rlkataja on Etsy, with Barbie denim skirt and knee-high go-go boots and a white down ski jacket with fur-trimmed collar from the TIB shop.

Maggy, ADG Princess Parfait, chose green cords with fur-trimmed bell bottoms and borrowed Lilly's stock poncho and hat along with a Coach purse. Bunny Velvet (ADG Roaring Red) went for comfort in a TIB shop A-line corduroy dress and a Twinklies Hello Kitty helmet to keep her unruly hair in check. Where are those wigs I ordered?

Zena, my bue mohair custom, was looking demure in the other part of the Twinkies Hello Kitty set with the HK dress, and a red blouse of unknown origin- off the rack, I guess. Not sure who's going. There's only one Sew Pixie carrier to go around, and Lilly always packs too much and loses her earrings. Why did I even mention it? *sigh*

Goodies from First-Ever Blythecon

Although I could not attend Blythecon in Atlanta, much to my chagrin, because of a move and job change, I was there in spirit and wallet as I sent some $$ with "Auntie Maggie," so she could get the girls a souvenir. She chose for us this darling pinafore and bloomers set in pinks, purples and blues from KittyKatDance. It came with a tiny little cake, too!

And she got the last 2010 Blythe desk calendar from Gina Garan, who kindly signed it for me, Gina to Gina.

And, if that weren't fab enough, Maggie brought us a gift also, the tan felt dress modeled by Lilly, and a darling Dolly Molly magnet. Almost as good as being there.

The top photo is hard to explain. My Maggy has been decked out and standing outside Target since last Friday. Apparently she thought it was Black Friday already. She has her felt tote from Barb of Academy Beldam, her TIB Uggs, a hat by me and fashions by Barbie. She looks a little astonished that she's got to stay in line another week if she wants to be first in at 5 a.m. Not for me, no thank you! I like to avoid commerce that day.

And we're back: Slumber parties and high fashion with Vintage Barbie

Like a cuddly lemon--if lemons were cuddly--Miss Bunny Velvet models the vintage Twist and Turn Barbie outfit we snagged from Ebay after careful scrutiny. We were outbid by three cents with three seconds to go on one set and would have paid $30.03. Instead, we tried again with Ebay-like fortitude and found another one for $19.95. Perfect! Love the red and yellow. Pretty sure I had this outfit for my Barbie as a child. I was heavily into Barbie (and Skipper, Ken, Midge, Stacey, PJ, Francie, Casey, etc., etc.,) so it's hard to remember all the outfits. I had cases and cases of them and houses and....then I did it all over again with my daughter about 20 years ago.

Speaking of Barbie, the pajamas on Lilly, Maggy and Zena above are from a Barbie fashions multi-pack at Wal-Mart. Love the colors and the cute owl designs. There were enough pieces and some faux plastic Uggs (Maggy has on the 'real' Uggs from Gina Garan's This is Blythe shop).

The girls decided to have a slumber party because they don't think they are going to Blythecon, where they were going to have a slumber party with their IRL friends, Lindsay and Claudette and Angela and Annie and Arturo and Maggie and Rupa and their girls. Bummercon.

Vintage Skipper Wars

Maggy, in vintage Skipper Cookie Time looks rather aghast that Jolene would dare put on vintage also. But, she couldn't resist. This vintage Francie Side Kick dress just arrive today and it was perfect with her navy re-ment dress shoes. Both girls are gearing up for the 4th of July I guess. Check out my bang-up sale on This is Blythe forum. There's still bargains, even on vintage here http://blythe.swedenunlimited.com/newforum/viewtopic.php?t=84750 and here http://blythe.swedenunlimited.com/newforum/viewtopic.php?t=84629. No fighting, girls.

Lots of Blythe Clothes for Sale on TIB, See also me sets on Flickr

And now a word from our sponsor....(that's me). I did my first closet clean-out as the Blythe people call it on This is Blythe (TIB) forum. Here's my items for sale and one picture here to tempt you. Please respond through TIB or Flickr. http://blythe.swedenunlimited.com/newforum/viewtopic.php?t=84629 or http://www.flickr.com/photos/lillysoflondonish/sets/72157605800998923/.

We Went to Battle Creek, But Not for Cereal!

Big adventure was had by all, well almost all of the girls as we made a road trip to 'Auntie Angela's http://geminiangelsart.blogspot.com for the Michigan Blythe Meet from the TIB Forum http://www.thisisblythe.com/forum. Angela was just as nice as we imagined, and her house and studio are a playhouse. The library! The pool! The theatre! The studio! I could gush for hours.

There were nine crazy women and 50 Blythes present, plus the assorted family members and one Oscar the Pug for good measure as well as Lati, Momoko, Dal, Sonny Angels, Petites and who knows what else.

We had such fun swapping and selling our Blythe goodies and also gift-swapping and eating some great food. Here's just a few pics from the adventures. From top to bottom: Gwynyth stayed home but got the Vintage Skipper Town Togs in the mail. 2. Zena (custom mohair) was a hit. She is unwinding from the trip with the latest issue of Blythe Bliss. We got her shadowbox and trinkets from the Pretty Placings Re-Ment set (seen in background) at the meet. 3. Hitting the road. 4. Photo shoot- 48 girls and two boys. 5. Auntie Angela's Dainty Biscuit Madison came home for the week to play and be Marie Antoinette for awhile. 6. Lilly in her very BoHo outfit made by Angela. 7. Violet in her H Loves R dress and hat we got at the meet from MandieLynn.

I think everyone had a great time. We're already talking about doing it again.

Look Out Beach, Here We Come!

The waiting is over, and tomorrow marks the departure to North Myrtle Beach for half the Smith household and one-fifth of the present Blythe Manor household. So, who is going? Stay tuned for in-vacation photo posting. I will say the lucky girl was chosen on the basis of whose earrings were not going to get lost, whose hair cooperates and who is an all around sweet-demeanored girl. Oh, and it was also based on who is not claustrophobic since she will be traveling in this swell dolly carrier, custom-made for me by Becca of Sew Pixie http://sewpixie.tinfoildreams.com/blog using Vera Bradley placemats.

As you can see, Mystery Girl has her shorts and sunglasses at the ready as well as her tote bag with laptop and $35. I wonder how far that will take her shopping? It won't last long if we find any vintage Barbie or Skipper clothes or some fabulous old-school Barbie cast-off at the outlet shops.

Meanwhile, Lilly has decided she wants to become a famous photographer like Gina Garan http://www.thisisblythe.com, for all intents and purposes the "founder" of Blythe here in America, not to be confused with Blythe in America http://www.flickr.com/groups/BlytheinAmerica, the group I co-administer on Flickr. B in A is having a Blythe pajama party on April weekends, so Vi...I mean, Mystery Girl has several sets of pajamas packed for her trip, along with her beach towel, swim ring, umbrella, cooler and VW Bug for beach cruising. I wonder how many weird looks I'll get photographing that?

We're Feeling Spring-y at Blythe Manor

Just a quicky post to say we love all our new fashions from Louos of Singapore. Louos swears on TIB http://www.thisisblythe.com that he has elves working in sweatshops, but we think it's just HIM and his incredible talent. The girls got "Louos Loves Elephants," a pink hoodie with striped thigh highs, contrast stripe short sleeve T, solid skirt and matching headband as well as an awesome tote. Oh so fun to be a size 00000000.

It's also fun to put and place the various muebles all over the house and to mix and match our vintage Barbie finds, etc. My latest is a Bratz 70's egg chair. It looks quite groovy, baby, but I can't decide if I like it or not. My other find, or maybe I should say "finding," is that if I go to out-of-the-way little discount stores, not Dollar Stores but just weird little mom-n-pop-like variety stores, I can find old Barbie stuff on the shelves that is somehow both cheap and perfect.

Oops! I Did It Again!

Umm, yeah, so another Friday night spent browsing the This is Blythe http://www.thisisblythe.com forum has gotten me into trouble yet again. Now before anyone stages an intervention, let me just say that both of these adoptions were planned! Yes, Mondie and V-Smash are both wanted! This was no accident- although I did not expect to find V-Smash so reasonable on TIB- although she will come naked-eeks! Must find her stock clothes. I also did not expect to find a version one Mondrian about 30 miles up the road from me, down Indiana country roads. She gets picked up tomorrow, thanks to a foot of snow today. Time to visit the big book of Blythe names again!

Girls Just Wanna Have Funds!

As Blythe Manor continues to sprawl and closets continue to burgeon, it is no wonder all three girls have jobs! And somehow, Maggy still has some cash left sticking out of her Dooney & Bourke purse in the bottom photo after a trip to Tiffany's and Juicy, as evidenced by her bags. Apparently, they also made stops at the framing store, carpet gallery, toy store, grocery and BLIKEA too!

At least I was able to save some money for them by choosing the Sugarmag grab bag at the This is Blythe shop http://www.thisisblythe.com. Five wonderful surprise dress sets arrived for a grand total of $20. Lots of great mix and match possibilities, and now there is a $40 grab bag with 10 outfits as well as a new early spring set of four. Tres fun! We'll be needing all those clothes as Mondie arrives Friday. Haven't decided if I will name her Mondie, as in The Mondrian, or if we will go with a more traditional name. I am hoping to soon squelch my quest (habit?) with a redhead and maybe Welcome Winter. Never say maybe.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fashions!

So the girls have been cranky lately. I've been changing their clothes to try out the lovely things I've been fortunate enough to receive in swaps or to get via TIB friends, but I've been busy with work and my art blog and a Valentine swap as well as some new groups on Flickr and promoting a swap there, that I haven't had time to attend to their (the girls') blog here. Yes, suddenly it is their blog, but they really aren't too helpful- no typing and no camera skills. They're just posers, I tell you, posers!

First up, Violet shows one of the 3 lovely dresses she came with, from SeattleBlythe, a stuffie called Stella from nanajones on etsy and the violet mary janes from TIB Forum that complete several outfits. Violet is turning out to be quite a heart-breaker with those eyes!.

Then, Lilly insisted upon going out in the snow with her new momo coat and Uggs from the TIB shop. She added a re-ment leopard scarf, and her "Coach" "Ugg" bag. I wasn't sure how one could have a Coach/Ugg bag until I made it! More on that in another B.I.Y. (Blythe it Yourself) installment either here, in BlytheBliss magazine http://blythebliss.awardspace.com/ which is edited by the bright Manda Panda on TIB who is all of 18!, and/or ZNE Dollz, a website which goes public Tuesday.

Maggy in her crocheted skirt and Barbie top and shrug hangs out in her bedroom, on her new cozy bedding from Etsy. You can't see her new red maryjanes in this pic, but they are the talk of the town as you can see in the last picture where she is in her Hello Kitty dress and hat.

Violet in her Blythe Station hoodie and cords chills in the living room with their 5th pet, Pepe a chihuahua. At least the girls take care of the animals. Now that they have a lanai, pool and beach house, hard telling what will turn up! Violet's hat was made by me, with a pattern from Zoe, grrrlie4 on Flickr. She and I are in the midst of a swap. She makes lovely Blythe clothes, that are hip a la Studio 54, so I can't wait to see what I get. After I got her hat pattern, I ended up making about a dozen hats. The throw pillow Violet has was also made and embellished by me, and I did about half dozen of those from a crochet bead pattern. Now I have a "real people' baby shower coming up for Jen F. in Feb., so I'll have to get the larger crochet hooks going.

And finally, Violet and Maggy, both looking so sweet and docile (unlike Lilly!) hold hands in the kitchen in their new dresses and headgear. No, not that kind of head gear, even though Adrienne might like to take them to Dr. Moryl's some day.

So I have been clicking away, as I am participating in 52 Weeks of Blythe on Flickr. Some of my (crazy?) counterparts are participating in 365 Days of Blythe, changing, photographing, uploading, writing every day. You go, Blythe mommies and daddies. Yes, they have daddies. They didn't just materialize one day at a toy store, you know.

Lilly's Day Out

Lilly was just kind of awful today when I took her to the aquarium and botanical gardens. I think it was her new outfit by Juicy Couture from a TIB friend that made her feel all sassy. All she could do was show off. "Lilly stay out of the flowers," I said. "Lilly, get out of the tree." "Lilly leave the animals alone."

But, she insisted on turning cartwheels and back bends and anything else she could do to be naughty and distracting. About the only thing she paid attention to was the goldfish exhibit, even though there was only one fish in the tank.

She kept striking poses at every flower and every leaf. I indulged her a little since heaven knows my photography skills need all the practice they can get. I have yet to get one really cool shot that made me happy.

We had to hurry home because her skirt kept falling down; thank goodness I made her wear tights since it was chilly! She managed to lose her earrings twice while goofing off, and a cat nearly ate her shoe. More on that later. We stopped to see a Santa who was still listening to wishes (maybe for next year?), although Lilly wouldn't say a word. And I'm sure it's not because she feels satisfied. The girl is too spoiled! In fact she tore the new Juicy outfit out of the envelope before Maggy and Violet even knew what happened. Ever since she saw this Tippi girl on Flickr she's been obsessed with posing, changing her clothes, posing some more. But, I have to say, that Tippi sure looks sweet, and I bet she's well mannered too, huh Lilly?

Well at least we had a day out. Now mom's got to work on deadline for some articles for Blythe Bliss, the absolute fashion and pop culture manual for all well-read Blythes. I'm also working on an interview with the artist Jade Adams for The Faerie Zine. Maybe if Lilly would get serious and apply herself, she could be a writer or an artist instead of a boy magnet.