Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween to you, from all of us at Blythe Happy!

Petit Dejeuner, Cloud 9 Bowl, Mod Molly

Apple Dress

I had some good luck a couple of weeks ago: in the group called Blythe Pay it Forward on Facebook, I won a dress by the awesome designer Laurinda Trio! She lives in Australia, and the dress just arrived here in Virginia yesterday. The craftsmanship is wonderful--all the seams are finished, and the stitches are perfect. Some of the blue apples are accented with hand-embroidery, which I love. Here's the lovely Citrine (Ice Rune) modeling our prize.

It's so much fun to win something once in a while! Now, I guess it's my turn to do a giveaway. I will give it some thought, and try to come up with something soon.

Black Cats

Blythe a Day on Flickr Oct. 29, 2015
Black Cats


It's their favorite time of year.

Eve, my Milky Way Sugar Blythe doll, with her black cat Lalaloopsy.

Translation, Please!

A few days ago, a customer in Japan bought two of the Blythe Christmas dress sets that I had for sale in my Etsy shop. Yay! The only thing is, she sent me a message...in Japanese! And her name and address were in Japanese characters too! Thank goodness for Google Translate; even though the translation sounds a bit weird, I can kind of figure out what she's saying.

Message from Buyer: 支払いました。ご連絡まちます。 あとで、住所メールします。

Google Translate:   i paid. Wait contact . Later , it will address e-mail .

So, I sent a an quick message (in English), thanking her for her purchase and asking her to confirm her address. She replied in fluent English, which makes me wonder why we started out in Japanese, when all the verbiage in my shop is in English! I guess it's just an Etsy thing.

I packed up her order and printed her address in English AND Japanese on the package, just to be sure.

Thanks for your purchase, Junko. I hope you and your dollies love the dresses!

Good Costume

Neither Grace not Promise knows who this new kid is, but they do like his mummy costume.

Grace is Petit Dejeuner. Promise is Little Milk Heart. The mummy is a Ninni monster I received in a swap on Craftster.org .

We're Ready!

Blythe a Day on Flickr Oct. 21, 2015
Seasonal Decor

These girls are READY for Halloween!

They are I Love You It's True, Petit Dejeuner, Milky Way Sugar, and Little Milk Heart.

A Kitty for your Dolls

Awww, look at the cute little kitty! 

Heidi is so happy with her new little friend. I made this one, and you can make one too, because the generous Shelly at Gingermelon is offering the pattern and a tutorial on her blog--for free! That's really an wonderful gift, because she does a thriving business selling her patterns on Etsy . I've admired her sweet little dolls and animals for years, but this is the first time I've tried one of her patterns. 

The pattern downloaded and printed out easily. I read through the well-written instructions, then grabbed my felt and got to work! I used only the craft supplies I had on hand, so there are several differences between my kitty and hers; for example, the craft eyes I had were either a size larger or a size smaller than what she used (I used the smaller size, because the washer that holds the eye in place inside the head was too big on the larger size.) Also, I ADORE the way she glued crystals at the neck for a collar, but I didn't have any on hand, so I strung some seed beads on thread and tied it in place for my collar. And I have to mention that I didn't use the placement lines on the pattern--I free-handed everything, which accounts for small differences between mine and hers.

This was a fun little project that took less than two hours. Try it!

Gingermelon Blog: http://gingermelondolls.blogspot.com/2015/10/free-tutorial-sparkle-kitty.html

Gingermelon on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/es/shop/gingermelon

Heidi is my Cousin Olivia Blythe doll.

Leaves are Falling

Blythe a Day on Flickr Oct. 20, 2014
Leaves are Falling


There's no doubt about it--it's Fall!!

Grace is my Petit Dejeuner Champs Elysees Blythe doll.

Twilight Zone...the Movie

Blythe a Day on  Oct. 17, 2015
Twilight Zone


Will they...or won't they?

Simply Sparkly Spark Blythe doll, Puchippu Chappu Pepa Middie Blythe doll

Shopping Disaster

Blythe a Day on Flickr Oct. 16, 2015
Shopping


After a long morning of shopping, Juliette was looking for a cab when disaster struck--she dropped a bag and it spilled out onto the street! Now everyone knows that even though she looks sophisticated, Juliette loves to shop for toys.

Juliette is my Sadie Sprinkles Blythe doll.

Sweater Weather

Blythe a Day on Flickr  Oct. 15, 2015
Sweater Weather


Bonnie loves this time of year, when the leaves start to turn...because finally, it's sweater weather!

This is my favorite outfit on Bonnie, because the pink and brown are perfect for her. I made all four pieces (hat, sweater, shirt and skirt). The embroidery on the t-shirt was an experiment, and I learned that it is hard to embroider well on knit fabric!

Bonnie is my Raspberry Sorbet Blythe doll.

Halloween is Coming!

I had a request for some custom Halloween-themed Blythe panties through my Etsy shop last week. This person has ordered custom designs from me many times, so she feels confident just telling me what she has in mind and letting me come up with something for her. This time she asked for "a bat, a moon and a star" and "a Halloween pumpkin".  Here's what I made:

Usually my designs are outlines of the shape, with a few details...recently, however, I've been doing more of my custom orders like these with the entire shape filled with stitching. It takes a little longer, but it looks really good! Here's another example of a completely filled-in design: this recent custom order for a pansy.

Something NEW!

It's so very exciting to learn something new; this week, I FINALLY got around to making a pattern for a Blythe dress with long sleeves, hooray!!! I took the easy route, and made the sleeves and bodice all one piece. After I've made about a hundred of these (in different fabrics, of course), I will probably try for set-in sleeves!

This all came about because a customer on Etsy--someone who is also a Facebook friend--asked if I could make her a dress for her Blythe for St. Lucia's Day on December 13th. According to Wikipedia, in Sweden the custom involves the eldest daughter arising early and wearing her Lucy garb of white robe, red sash, and a wire crown covered with whortleberry-twigs and nine lighted candles fastened in it, awakens the family, singing Sankta Lucia, serving them coffee and saffron buns, thus ushering in the Christmas season.

I made the first dress much too short. That's okay, because there were a couple of other changes that needed to be made--the sleeves were a bit too long, the waist a bit too loose--so I made a second dress, and it is just right. The customer, Angie, already has the red sash, so I will leave the dress unadorned. Angie needed a tray, which I happened to have, so that will go along with the dress.

So I have a happy customer, which makes me feel happy! But I'm also happy to have a new pattern to use for dresses, for my own girls and for my Etsy shop. I've always meant to make long-sleeved dresses, but I never had the motivation until now. Thanks, Angie!!

That's Snowflake Sonata on the left, and Ichigo Heaven on the right.

I Call Her Rose

Prima Dolly Peach is one of the more rare Takara Blythe dolls; only 500 were made and released in 2007. In the group Blythe World on Facebook, we are currently having a little "peach picking" fun...everyone with a Peach is asked to post her picture, and we're seeing how many we can find. So far, there are about 8! (And I noticed two on Ebay, so 10 are now accounted for!)

This is the picture I took of my Peach to post in the group. Isn't she pretty? I call her Rose.

She's Not Alone...

Blythe a Day on Flickr Oct. 6, 2015
Are You Alone in the House?


Her sisters had gone out, so Bonnie was enjoying a quiet evening alone at home, when suddenly...

Bonnie is my Raspberry Sorbet Blythe doll.

Halloween Decisions

Blythe a Day on  Flickr  Oct. 6, 2015
Angel or Devil?


Little sister Bree has decided to be a cat for Halloween, but the big girls are all arguing over who gets to wear the angel costume!

Pow Wow Poncho, Can Can Cat, and Sadie Sprinkles Neo Blythe dolls. Lena Elena Middie Blythe doll.

Colors of the Equinox

Blythe a Day on Flickr Oct. 5, 2015
Colors of the Equinox

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, the Equinox is all about gold, russet, orange, and brown.

Sadie Sprinkles, Mod Molly, Petit Dejeuner Champs Elysee.

Leaf hats from Elifins on Etsy. Sparkly leaves from World Market.

No Thanks

Blythe a Day on Flickr Oct. 4, 2015
Exploring the Occult


It would appear that Stella does not want to explore the occult with you, Charity!

These girls are Mod Molly and Stella Savannah.

White Dress 2.0

Ever since I started collecting Blythe, it's been my goal to make each girl her own white dress embroidered with her name. At first it was easy to do this, but as more dolls came into my house, and I became busier keeping my Etsy store stocked, the "white dress project" faded quietly into the background. So about a third of my girls have their own dresses...and sometimes I put the "Ellie" dress on Eve, or the "Bonnie" dress on Hope, because I need a white garment for a photograph of that doll. So I decided I should have a white dress without a name that would work for anyone; but it shouldn't just be plain. Here's the dress I came up with, modeled by Calliope. I added embroidered flowers at the neck and hemline, and a matching ribbon at the waist. She needed something on her head, so I made a matching headband, adorned with raw-edged flowers and leaves. This is actually a 3-piece set, since the tulle underskirt is a separate piece. 

Yes, I know this outfit is better suited for spring or summer, but I have to work when the inspiration strikes!

Furry Friends

Blythe a Day on Flickr  Oct. 2, 2015
Furry Friends


Hope and Wendy agree: cats are the very best kind of furry friends!!

Simply Peppermint and Simply Lilac

Morning Routine

Blythe a Day on  Flickr  Oct. 1, 2015
Morning Routine

When I was thinking about how to set up this photo for the theme, lyrics from a Beatles' song went through my mind:

"Woke up, fell out of bed
Dragged a comb across my head"

(from "A Day in the Life")

So here's Peony, still rather zoned out, dragging a comb across her head.

It's What's Inside That Counts

Blythe a Day on Flickr Sept 30, 2015
Favorite Bag

This is Collette's favorite bag, because it is the perfect size to use as a chikin carrier!