Fascinator

 "One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love." – Sophocles

This beautiful Blythe doll is Lovely Katherine’s Corner. She is showing off the strawberry fascinator I made just for this photo challenge, “Strawberry Heart.” There is one like it in the display at Junie Moon right now…theirs has blue leaves and stem, for some reason. I thought it would be easy to make from felt, and it was. It stays on her head with an alligator hair clip. I also made the heart, years ago. I have made literally hundreds of hearts in my life, and this one is my favorite.

Beary

Wishing you the “BEARY” best Valentine’s Day!

This Blythe doll is Daunting Drusilla, posing for the theme “Strawberry Heart” in the Blythe Pure and Simple group on Facebook. I managed to include strawberries by putting this dress on her; Sandie Sinatra made the pretty heart-shaped pincushion for a swap we did. I don’t know who made the bear helmet…I’ve had it for a long time.

Blue is Beautiful

Blue is her color. Also pink, purple, orange, yellow and green.

This Blythe doll is Float Away Dream, wearing another one of our favorite hats.

Sunny!

This is one of my favorite Blythe hats because it is so bright and happy! I bought it years ago from Kawaii Kandy.

This Blythe doll is Simply Bubble Boom, with two of the Lalaloopsy’s I was recently gifted. Have you ever heard the song “Keep On The Sunny Side”? It’s an American song that was written in 1899, and it was used in the soundtrack of the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou” in 2000. I love that movie, and I’ve listened to the soundtrack a lot—that’s how I know the song.

Whatcha Lookin At?

Boketto (v.): the act of gazing vacantly into the distance without a thought.

WhenI came across this word, “boketto,” I knew it applied perfectly to my sweet Kenner, Jane. No one stares more vacantly than she does! I wanted to use my new doll, Lovely Katherine’s Corner, for this shot, but she just looked too focused and alert! (Her photo is below).

Describe That Feeling in One Word

 blazemoche  /blahz-eh-mow-chay/

(n.) - The therapeutic tranquility one feels when listening to the crackling and burning of firewood.

I’ve been wanting to use this happy little campfire in a picture for several months, and I finally found the perfect way to do it! It is an ornament from World Market. These Blythe dolls are Odette Lake of Tears and Cousin Olivia. I paired these two because they both have the “snow” complexion.

Now That’s Talent!

The crowd reacted with great enthusiasm to Merry’s first appearance as a ventriloquist. Today, Small Town USA; tomorrow, the world!

I was recently gifted a bag of Lalaloopsy’s, (thanks Angie!) so I’m eager to use them in some pictures. I started with this one because it works for our “Hat” photo challenge in the Blythe Pure and Simple group on Facebook. The funny thing is, the Lala is actually wearing two hats—one with bunny ears, and a top hat (sadly, don’t have a proper bunny ears hat for Blythe. I tried to use the hats from Lovely Katherine’s Corner and Spring Hope, but neither one was right.) This Blythe doll is Prima Dolly Marigold, wearing the stock dress from Cream Cheese and Jam.

Word of the Day

Here’s another fun word: nelipot (one who walks barefoot), as demonstrated by my Blythe doll, Blue Rabbit.

Makeover

 “I was going to give myself a makeover, but then I realized that I’m perfect just the way I am!”

This Blythe doll is Prima Dolly London, posing for the theme “Makeover “ in the Blythe a Day group on Flickr.

Rediscovered Item

I ordered a Barbie play set before Christmas, then tucked it away and forgot about it. Today’s photo theme (rediscovered item) made me remember it, so I opened the box…and was very underwhelmed. Everything in this picture is part of the set, except Pretty Peony and the floor. I was hoping for a nice big background for photos, but it is no taller than a Blythe, and only as wide as what you see here, so my options are limited when using it in pictures—seated Neos only! There are a few other pieces, most of which are not great, including two “beds” (really just skinny plastic platforms) but there is a good purple chair that will work as a Blythe prop. I love this sofa though, and the entertainment center, footstool and laptop are cute. It is the “Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams” set, if you are wondering which set it is.

Let’s Knit!

 I learned to knit as a child, but I never did anything with it until Blythe came into my life. I found some easy patterns and started making hats for my dolls, then sweaters, and then I made my own pattern for this dress. It’s so fun to make things for our dolls, isn’t it?

This Blythe doll is Lovely Katherine’s Corner, posing for the theme “Hobby” in the Blythe a Day group on Flickr.

Favorite Outfit

“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” - Marcel Proust

These Blythe dolls are Lovely Katherine’s Corner and Spring Hope, wearing beautiful dresses from Junie Moon, for the theme “Favorite Outfit” in the Blythe a Day group on Flickr. I have MANY favorite Blythe outfits, and I didn’t know how I would choose for this photo, until I remembered that I had these brand new, unopened dresses. So maybe the newest outfit is always my favorite!

Friends

“There is much we can learn from a friend who happens to be a horse.” - Alessandra Layland

Because the antique rocking horse they saw at the toy store yesterday was much too big for their house, Nellie Nibbles and her little sister Ivanka Corneille were happy to bring home a pair of pony friends that are just their size. Playful Raindrops looks on.

These horses are reproductions of vintage toys. This picture is for the theme “Doll’s Best Friend” in the Blythe a Day group on Flickr.

Perfectly Vintage

It’s either “Perfect!” or “Much too big!” depending on whom you ask.

My favorite vintage dolly item is this rocking horse, which I found at an antique store. It’s rather battered, missing its tail, and the hand-hold on the other side of its head is gone, but I think it’s cool! The oddest thing about it is that it seems to have two bases: the horse is fastened to a platform with wheels, which has been screwed onto a rocking base. Why??

These Blythe dolls are Nellie Nibbles (Middie) and Playful Raindrops (Neo) posing in front of a jigsaw puzzle for the theme “favorite vintage item” in the Blythe a Day group on Flickr.

A Good Memory

 For the theme “best dolly memory” I had to go waaaaay back through my photos to 2013, when I took this selfie with My Little Candy, while riding the train to New York City for my first Blythe Con. I was new to Blythe and super excited for this adventure, and not really knowing what to expect. My husband came with me and spent the day at the Con with me—what a great guy!

As you can see, Candy’s hair has faded from the original bright pink to a soft peach, but we all change as we get older, right?

Staircase

 “My soul can find no staircase to Heaven unless it be through Earth’s loveliness.”                 —Michelangelo

Lady Panacea and Lena Elena are posing on a wonderful old doll-sized staircase I found at the local antique mall. This picture is for the theme “favorite thrifted item” in the Blythe a Day group on Flickr. Since I don’t have any dolly things from thrift stores, I decided to showcase something that is second-hand. Although I love this staircase, I have trouble finding ways to use it in pictures, because it seems to require something at the top—a door, a porch, or a platform of some kind. In the past, I’ve used my chalkboard as a background and drawn the front of a building for the stairs to connect with, but today I decided to ignore that and just used it the way I wanted to. Random stairway to nowhere in the middle of the park? What’s so weird about that? 

Favorite Gift

I’ve received many nice Blythe-related gifts over the years. One of the first was this Middie, Lena Elena, which my husband gave me for Christmas when I started collecting Blythe dolls about 10 years ago. The funny thing was, he didn’t know much about Blythe then, and they all looked pretty much the same to him, so he didn’t realize he was purchasing a Middie until she arrived. The price was around $100, which was what he was expecting to pay for a Neo Blythe doll (I didn’t tell him I paid $159 for my first Neo, Raspberry Sorbet!) After that mistake he said he wouldn’t buy me any more dolls…and he hasn’t…but that’s okay, I buy the ones I want for my own birthday or Christmas gifts.

This picture is for the theme “favorite gift” in the Blythe a Day group on Flickr.

Mend It

If it’s made of fabric, you can mend it…yep, even your old underwear! Patch it up and it will last much longer. Mend and make do! 

This Blythe doll is, appropriately, Patty Patch, mending a pair of undies I made just for her—back when I was still making undies. She’s wearing her stock dress. This picture is for the theme “mend and make do” in the Blythe a Day group on Flickr.

 

Monopoly

“Bear in mind three essential qualities in all games of intellect: Never to show selfishness or to wound the feelings of your adversary. To be modest with a good game. To lose without ill-temper and to win without bragging.  --W. Patterson

Playful Raindrops, Float Away Dream, Snowflake Sonata, and Tokyo Bright are using the “World’s Smallest Board Games” version of Monopoly. It is really incredibly detailed for its small size.

This picture is for the theme “Favorite game” in the Blythe a Day group on Flickr, and for “Fun and Games” in the Facebook group Blythe Pure and Simple.

Happiness

 “Happiness is like a cat sleeping on your lap. You can’t force it to come to you, and you can’t force it to stay with you.” -Pierre Foglia

His Blythe doll is Float Away Dream. This picture is for the theme “most used prop.” I like to include a kitty in my doll pictures any time I can, so I have a lot of cat figurines. This sleeping cat is one of my favorites.

Weather

“And now, here’s the national weather with our Channel 10 meteorologist, Windy Storm.”

This lovely Blythe doll is Sarah Shades, wearing stock pieces from Asha Alvira (the top) and Fruit Punch (the pants). 

This picture is for the theme “out in today’s weather.” As you can see, I didn’t feel like actually going outside for a dolly picture, so I gave it my own interpretation.

Year of the Rabbit

Happy 2023, Year of the Rabbit!

This Blythe doll is Sadie Sprinkle. The rabbits were a recent impulse buy on Amazon. Thanks Angie for this pretty dress from Blythe’s Big Closet.

This picture is for the theme “Favorite Background.” I use this outdoors/tree scenery A LOT—sorry if you are tired of seeing it! It’s perfect for so many pictures because it’s simple. I made it about 7 years ago from scrapbooking paper and felt glued to a piece of foam core board. It is rather the worse for wear now, but it still looks okay in pictures.

Just Five More Minutes?

Today’s vocabulary builder is “dysania,” which is the state of finding it hard to get out of bed in the morning. 

This Blythe doll is Playful Raindrops, sleeping under a beautiful quilt made by Angie Coppi. Angie made the matching eye mask and pillows too. Gorgeous, right?

This picture is for the theme “favorite piece of dolly furniture” in the Blythe a Day group on Flickr. It’s the bed! The bed is my favorite piece of dolly furniture. It’s very sturdy, made of metal, and painted to look old and battered. I got it from Dream Come True Beds on Etsy. What’s great about a bed is that you can change the look completely with different bedding, so it works for any time of year and any kind of doll. I like dolly beds so much that I also have two wooden ones, AND a set of wooden bunk beds. Sleepover, anyone?

Coffee and Donuts

Who likes jigsaw puzzles? I do! One of my favorite places for a doll picture is on top of a jigsaw puzzle. First I get to do a puzzle, then I get to use it for a picture background! This puzzle appealed to me because of the strong colors and the subject matter—I love coffee and donuts (even though I don’t get to eat donuts very often), and adding a Blythe doll to it brings a lot of my favorite things together. This Blythe doll is Lovely Katherine’s Corner, wearing an outfit from WoollyRockers on Etsy. This picture is for the theme “favorite place “ in the Blythe a Day group on Flickr.

Novalunosis

I’m always looking for new ideas for doll pictures. Recently I came across some beautifully illustrated and unusual words on Pinterest, which gave me the idea to add words to doll pictures…so I get to play with my dolls and improve my vocabulary at the same time! 

This doll is Tsumori Spirit, wearing an outfit I made just for her to match her hair, with fabric and trims chosen for the project by my friend Angie (I made an identical outfit for her Tsumori.) This picture is for the theme “something you made” in the Blythe a Day group on Flickr.

Novalunosis (n.) – The state of relaxation and wonderment experienced while gazing upon the stars.

Everything Old is New Again

 After finding a trunk full of clothes in the attic, Bonnie and Jane are going to try to start a new fashion trend: retro granny dresses!

My Raspberry Sorbet and Kenner Blythe dolls are together again today for the theme “Oldest Outfit” in the Blythe a Day group on Flickr. These dresses came with my Kenner. The yellow one came with Francie dolls around 1970, but I don’t know anything about the blue one.

Oldest

Friendship is a sheltering tree.

Which one of these is my “oldest” Blythe? Raspberry Sorbet (left) was the first Blythe doll I purchased, back in 2011. My lovely Kenner (right) joined the dolly family in 2015. This picture is for the theme “oldest doll” in the Blythe a Day group on Flickr.

Happy 2023!

 Wishing you a happy New Year 2023!

This Blythe doll is Winterish Allure, wearing Allie Gabrielle’s stock outfit.