Kind Comments from Bernie Berlin

Although anyone can read blog comments, and these are posted on the post below, I want to share the lovely comments Ms. Bernie Berlin of A Place to Bark http://aplacetobark.blogspot.com no-kill animal rescue and shelter, made about our "Blythe and Friends" fat book project http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arte_du_blythe.

She says, "The book looks fabulous!!Thanks so much for doing this for the animals:) Whatever you need just send me an e-mail or call me. Blessings and Light to you, Bernie."

How wonderful and kind is this? I won't get to meet Bernie this week at the ZNE Convenzione http://www.znecon.com or take her class as I had planned because she has to remain home to take care of family. I hope to be able to meet her at another art venue some day. I love her book, Artist Trading Card Workshop (search Amazon). I missed her at CHA when she was signing her book there.

I'll keep everyone posted when we put this great piece of original art up for auction (soon). I leave Thursday for ZNE, and I will get to meet two of the other Blythe artists, Shoshanah Jennings of Hannah Grey http://www.hannahgrey.com and Miss Vicky of Cut-It-Up http://www.cut-it-up.com.

Miss Vicky is coordinating a Pullip wedding on Aug. 22 in Pleasanton, CA. It is the union of Edward and Eternia, and you can read more about that on ZNE Dollz http://www.znedolls.com or on their very own blog at Edward and Eternia http://edwardandeternia.blogspot.com. Oh, those crazy kids!

Tune in for my Diva Craft Lounge Interview!

I've been traveling so much, the girls and I have barely had time to change. I just got back from four days in Michigan for work, followed by Illinois for the Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) summer trade show and preview. Later this week it's back to Michigan and then Ohio Sunday and early next week. Gotta love the Midwest! Thank goodness I do.
But Wednesday July 30 it is Home, Sweet Home, as I will be interviewed at 3:05 p.m. Eastern time by the famous Diva Danielle of Diva Craft Lounge on Blogtalk Radio. You can go to her Web site at http://www.divacraftlounge.com or by clicking the headline above. From there you'll click the link to listen to the show. You can also register at Blog Talk Radio so you can type in live chat or call in. Don't be shy! I know Miss Vicky won't! Vicky http://www.cut-it-up.com is the one who mentioned me and my Blythe it Yourself (BIY) column for ZNE Dollz http://www.znedolls.com to Danielle. Also on the show after me is the proprietor of The Valley of the Dolls store in Los Angeles.
And wonder of wonders in this big dolly world, I got to meet Danielle Sunday at CHA in the Unity Stamp booth and see her new line of Diva sayings stamps for them as well as Unity's cool wood and acrylic stamping block cassette combo- a super idea. I also met some other famous folk at CHA. Check my art blog http://lillysoflondonish.blogspot.com to find out who.

Blythe, Art & Vintage

I'm always trying to tie these three together: Blythe, art and vintage. From the looks of the framed print above, you can see someone has done it with much more talent and style. Miss Surprise on etsy http://www.misssurprise.etsy.com often sketches out outfits for the ultra cool Eurotrash of Finland http://www.eurotrash.etsy.com before she goes about making the clothes and helmets she sells. I have no idea why American Blythe collectors call knitted hats "helmets," but it makes us feel ultra cool, too.

Eurotrash is so of-the-moment and hard-to-get that her audiences around the globe check the international time converter and set alarm clocks for wee hours just to try to bid. She loads her etsy store about once a month, and I last saw about two dozen (not cheap) outfits and hats sell in less than three minutes.

I didn't even know about Miss Surprise or her role in the fashion process, but I accidentally found a set of three of her prints on etsy and promptly snatched them up. I chose the frame and mats above for the print I kept, and I gifted the other two to Miss Vicky http://www.cutitup.com, Re-ment habit supplier and to Angela http://www.geminiangelart.com. The scene above is the lavender and sage setting atop the armoire in my office. The girl on canvas and the single cat on the easel were both painted by me.

Speaking of etsy, the crocheted throw pillows pictured above on the lovely green faux leather (plastic) couch were made by me for my etsy shop http://www.hpsgsmith.etsy.com. I got the idea from crochet-covered focal beads or buttons used (usually just one) to close a shawl, stole, cape, wrap, etc. They're the perfect size for Blythe-looks like something they might have purchased at "Pottery Blythe"- you know, that cool store.

I even shared a tutorial for making my little pillows (so much for making my own cool million) on ZNE Dollz http://www.znedolls.com at http://chelise.typepad.com/zne_dollz/2008/02/groovy-little-p.html. Now everyone can have tons of tiny pillows, but why make them when you can get them from me on etsy http://www.hpsgsmith.etsy.com? It's the American way.

The top photo is just Olivia (GR) in her $1 vintage dress and a Supergirl comic, courtesy of the US Postal Service, back when stamps were 39 cents.

And now a word from my other blogs...

Just in case you never tire of reading my ramblings, I thought I'd offer a concise list of my latest postings, since it has been a busy little weekend at the keyboard. I've posted another Blythe-it-Yourself (BIY) tutorial on the ZNE Dollz blog at http://www.znedolls.com, and I referenced the reason behind that project here below and on my artist's blog at http://lillysoflondonish.blogspot.com.
I also wrote a profile of ZNE member and doll artist David H. Everett, which will be up tomorrow night, May 28, on ZNE Dollz. Check out his work; there will be lots of pictures.

Next, over at ZNE Artists and Poets, where we are just about done with our self-portrait hand-made books, I added the latest collaborative poetry effort at http://www.znepoetry.com. It needs some artwork yet, but that will be coming. Scroll on down for some other wonderful art and collaborative poetry efforts from our members. I neposticially (is that a word? uh oh, spellcheck says no) added a photo of my late mother from the 1940s for one of our mothers' day posts.

Finally, I am back in the swing of the "Off the Shelf" reviews for http://www.vintageindie.com, having just reviewed three Mexican hacienda style design books. Not sure when the review will be posted, but if you click on "Off the Shelf" in the listing of topics on the left, it will take you to an organized list of all my reviews.

Lastly, but not viewable anywhere (yet), I wrote three pieces dealing with Marie Antoinette this weekend for a MA collaborative some of us from The Faerie Zine http://faerieenchantment.blogspot.comare preparing and hope to self-publish in soft cover. Watch for details here. Besides artwork that we all have contributed, I wrote an historical piece as well as review of the Sofia Coppola movie and a mini-Marie costume tutorial.

Good thing I type fast and love it. Otherwise, I would have had no weekend left for all the other things, both art and family, that I did. Hope you had a fulfilling long weekend, too.

A Blythe Hodge Podge

I don't like just slapping a bunch of un-related pictures on my blog, so I will pretend these are loosely related under the heading "Blythe," which I guess they are. But, I have been rushing around this weekend, getting ready for vacation in FOUR MORE DAYS! Excited doesn't even come close. I soooo need a vacation. A lot of stress and some health issues this long winter have made me crazy. Some pharmaceutical tinkering by my physician has resulted in either lethargy or insomnia, depending on the day, and long, detailed nightmares nightly (is that redundant?) when I actually can sleep. Enough about that.

So, here is some assorted Blythe eye candy...the ATCs are for an upcoming swap I am coordinating for Arte du Blythe http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Arte_du_Blythe/ in May, along with a fat book, I am also coordinating AND binding-eek!

The room scene is the sitting room off the main bedroom, and the aquarium I just snagged from Barb of ArdentCurse. It was ginormous. So I took the legs off, and then I figured out how to light it from behind. It looks almost as real as my 24-year-old daughter's aquarium in her room-and hers only has one real fish, Pinky. Pinky terrorized two Puffers, and we had to have pet funerals-awful- even at my age! Pinky is neglected, because Adrienne is never around. She is 24.

I was inspired by others to organize my Blythe shoes and photograph them for posterity, or for insurance purposes! I also enjoyed corresponding this weekend with Carmen/Mitsubish1984 in Madrid in my second language/my major about shoes for Licca-bodied Blythe. I might as well mention it here, but Carmen will be Licca Mondie Tuesday's new mom. It was somewhat traumatic, but we just weren't bonding (seriously, and Eddo will kill me if he or Tippi find out). Anyway, I felt so bad, I sent a new dress with Tuesday, and then I rounded up a bunch of shoes for Carmen as well.

Zena wears black mary janes with her Alice in Wonderland dress by Girlish, and I am hoping she will take up cleaning.

Meanwhile, Jolene got outside for a bit of fresh air, but it was cold! We're all sick of winter right now! Maggy was so tired of it that she recreated spring inside, and Larry had to get in the middle of things to check it out.

Finally, here's a picture of the blue bedroom with a second bed added. I am really happy with the pillow shams I made and wrote about for ZNE Dollz http://www.znedolls.com/, a group whose blog I co-edit and whose group I now co-mod. I have since changed the flooring here, added another rug, and have some new "blinds" to work on. Check out my Blythe It Yourself series on ZD for dollhouse decorating ideas, and check out my art blog http://lillysoflondonish.blogspot.com/ of March 30 for decorating on an even smaller scale.

Easter at Blythe Manor

No clever egg hunt photos taken here, as the ground was swathed in snow Saturday and some still hung around on Sunday along with chilly temps. So, the girls simply got dressed up. The bedding I completed over the weekend. I love the lace-y pillow shams, and I especially love them since I didn't have to sew to do them. My tutorial can be found on http://www.ZNEDolls.com along with some other sneaky dollhouse tricks. I also added a second bed to the 5th floor while Lilly was out. Shhh! She doesn't know yet, and she'll be throwing a spoiled brat fit soon enough.
Tuesday was also naughty, jumping on the new bed and then hanging from the railings in her new Monkey suit- so appropriate!
Meanwhile, the other girls decided to go all classy. Maggy was thrilled to get to wear the carrot dress and purse from Auntie Angela, an art friend and now Blythe friend (her mention of ADD on her post makes perfect sense to me!). http://geminiangelsart.blogspot.com. Her sewing is as exquisite as all her other art, and she's fun and funny, too!
Lilly put on the school girl dress from Gina Garan's TIB shop along with her Re-ment designer purse. I forget if this is the Marc Jacobs on or the D&G or? Speaking of Gina, THE other Gina: there was much chat about her on 3/17 on http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ZNEart. The show is archived and you can listen any time!
Jolene also has a TIB dress from SugarMag and Violet has a swap dress on that matches her eyes.
Some people ask which Blythe is one's mini me. I would have to say Lilly is my wannabe-me and/or is my daughter, Adrienne, while Violet is probably closest to looking like and being me. Tuesday and Zena are the wild children (wild in a good, pre-1960s way), and Jolene and Maggy are just nice girls who popped in with their unique hair and looks.
The girls are being kind of squirrely because they know there's only one dolly carrier bag here from Becca of Sew Pixie http://www.sewpixie.tinfoildreams.com/blog, and they wonder who is going to get in it to go to Myrtle Beach. Haven't decided but did promise that a different girl could go to Art & Soul, Hampton and someone else to the Castle in the Meadow ZNE event in Detroit. Thank goodness film doesn't have to be purchased anymore!!

BIY-ing Now Underway on a Blog Near You

The lovely Chelise, Queen of ZNE and so much more, http://http.chelise.typepad.com/little_girls_big_world/created the above from a doodle by me, to serve as my icon as co-author of the ZNE Dollz blog http://www.ZNEDolls.com, and my first bi-weekly Blythe it Yourself (BIY) article has now appeared.

Rather than re-running the whole thing here, hop on over to the blog for the Jan. 24 post, and you can get some tips on making tiny necklaces for your girls as well as status-y designer bag tags, as seen above. Afterall, most Blythe collectors don't take too long to reach the point where the girls have better clothes, purses and shoes than the owners. Guilty. Evidence photos posted soon.

What's It All About, Blythie?

What IS it all about, Blythie? I am sure that is what you are asking yourself! Well, ask no more, and hop on over to ZNE Dollz http://www.znedolls.com/ for a new public blog, co-coordinated by me, for doll lovers of ALL kinds from Blythe to Momoko, ball-jointed dolls (BJD), dal, Dolfie, Pullip, vintage, china, paper, fabric, antique, ATC, stuffies and more.

ZNE Dollz is a public blog, affiliated with the ZNE Network (VariaZioNE) art group and ZNE Blogz. There will be bountiful information for an endless variety of dolls, doll makers and collectors, as well as interviews, reviews and a bi-weekly DIY/BIY column by me! Yay! Thanks to creator, founder and co-coordinator Chelise Stroud Hery of California for creating this lovely sub-header as well as the lovely blog in general! Dolls are HOT and so is our blog. Check it out. Please leave comments, questions, suggestions and feedback!