A new home for the Blythe girls; a new project for me

A work in progress......

Mademoiselle Blythe Features Moi!

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.

Updates from all my properties

I think I need a property manager!

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

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?!

Diorama photo practice

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.

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

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....

The Leesburg Blythe Hotel, our home away from home

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.

And a few more scenes from my Blythe world

Full House: Blythe Manor

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.