Having adding my Christmas doll (Mod Molly, bottom row, fifth from the right) to my Blythe collection, I now have 20 neos! I took this picture of them in their Christmas dresses--well, MOST of them are in their Christmas dresses. Poor Bonnie (Raspberry Sorbet, on the bottom left) is the only one without a Christmas dress; I forgot that she was set up in a winter tableau wearing wintery (but not Christmassy) clothes. Next year she will get her Christmas dress! My other plan for next December is to make some sort of headband or hair bow for each of them.
This was my first full year as a Blythe collector (Bonnie was the first doll I bought, in the summer of 2012). It's been a fun year of learning about the dolls and interacting with other collectors. I've participated in many swaps on
Blythe Kingdom,
Plastic Paradise, and
Facebook; I went to my
first Blythe Con; and I've learned some things about myself as a doll collector:
1. I like Blythe the best. Other dolls just aren't as interesting to me (sorry, Barbie.) Although I do think Lala Loopsy is cute--I love the pretty colors.
2. I love the stock dolls best. For one reason or another, most customized dolls don't appeal to me. I've discovered that something as small as the shape of the lips or nose can spell the difference between a doll I like and one I don't. Some day I hope to be good enough at customizing to make a doll with all the details just the way I like them; until then, I am making only minor changes to my girls (changing eye chips and buffing the shine off their faces.)
3. I love crafting, sewing and knitting for Blythe. My favorite part of owning these dolls is creating things for them. I've always been crafty, and I find that I can use all of my talents on Blythe.
4. I need a better camera. My little Panasonic Lumix is okay, but my photos can't compare to some of the beautiful pictures I've seen on Facebook and Flickr.
My primary goal for 2014 is to keep my Etsy store,
Blythe Happy, full, and to start a Facebook page for the store. I also plan to do more swaps because they are a great way to meet new people and to expand my collection of doll sundries. I don't think I will make it to Blythe Con this year though--Seattle is a bit too far for a day trip from Virginia!
