Under the Tree

Christmas wouldn't have been Christmas without a new doll under the tree...and there was an old one too! In addition to the beautiful Cherry Beach Sunset (my first tanned Blythe), there was a sweet Kenner girl waiting for me! Cherry Beach says she doesn't mind waiting a few days to be de-boxed, so more about Jane!

Yes, I did know about her in advance; my husband and I both agreed that the best way to make this happen was for me to choose the doll. I found her in the Kenner group on Facebook.

I wanted her to LOOK like a gift on Christmas morning, so I made her a new dress with matching hair clip and shoulder bag; and because she is special, she got special panties with her name on them! I chose the classic name "Jane" for this classic doll. When I purchased her, she came with two vintage dresses, so those are in her box, along with two pretty dollies for her amusement--blonde, like Jane herself.

My daughter is an artist, so when she asked what I would like for Christmas, I requested some sort of a background for dolly photos. Here's Jane posing in front of the beautiful acrylic painting by my daughter Jenna.

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas.

Quiet

An outdoor manger scene is a perfect spot for a moment of quiet reflection.

Simply Lilac, wearing Lavender Hug stock--it is perfect on her!

Winter Fun

Their hard work paid off! Wendy and Citrine have made the BEST. SNOWMAN. EVER.

Wendy is my Simply Lilac Blythe doll wearing Lavender Hug's stock outfit; Citrine is my Ice Rune Blythe doll, wearing her own stock outfit.

Gift Exchange

They know they shouldn't be materialistic; nevertheless, all the girls agree that the annual gift exchange is their favorite part of the Christmas season!

Sadie Sprinkles, Prima Dolly Amaryllis, Petit Dejeuner, Prima Dolly Peony, Curly Blue Babe.

Details

She takes her time to get the details just right, 

because she knows it will be worth it in the end.

Ivy is my Prima Dolly Amaryllis Blythe doll.

Setting the Scene

...all is calm, all is bright...

Daphne is my Candy Carnival Blythe doll.

Christmas Wish

Our Christmas with for you:

These are my Miss Sally Rice Blythe doll twins.

Our Favorite Color Scheme

A very merry pink-and-green Christmas to all!

Christmas Giving

"It's not how much we give, 

but how much love we put into giving." 

                                                                                               --Mother Teresa

These Blythe dolls are My Little Candy and Prima Dolly Peach.

Decorating for Christmas

Faith has deorated everything in the house for Christmas--including Chester the guinea pig!

Faith is my Pow Wow Poncho Blythe doll. Chester is a Ty Beanie Baby Christmas ornament.

Christmas Portrait

Merry Christmas to all, from all the girls at Blythe Happy!

Woohoo, it's almost Christmas! I love Christmas! This week we brought out the decorations, and I got busy re-doing our mantle with a fun assortment of winter and Christmas themed do-dads. Usually I just hang the stockings, but this year I was totally inspired to go above and beyond the ordinary! Fleur and Charlotte were THRILLED to be chosen to be part of the display! 

I quickly realized that there was room in front of the fireplace to take a group dolly photo, so I grabbed a pair of short bookcases and started retrieving Blythes from all their scattered locations throughout the house. Some of them were already wearing their Christmas or winter outfits, but about half of them had to be re-dressed, so the picture set-up took a while. Finally they were all dressed, lined up, eyes straight ahead, and SNAP! This picture is as close to perfect as it's gonna get!

Feeling Christmas-y

Dreaming

Maisy dreams of becoming an art doll.

Maisy is my Spright Beauty Blythe doll. The pictures in the background are Art Doll postcards, which are from Louis Bou's book "Doll Scene".

O Christmas Tree

Equipped with only a pair of kitchen knives, Citrine and Bonnie are about to discover that they are woefully ill-prepared to cut down their own Christmas tree.

They are Ice Rune and Raspberry Sorbet.

Sewing

Blythe a Day on Flickr Nov. 27, 2015
Pins and Needles

This is Maisy, my Spright Beauty Blythe doll.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Parfait!

Blythe a Day on Flickr Nov. 25, 2015
National Parfait Day

Here's what Penny came up with.  According to Cute Calendar:

National Parfait Day is celebrated on November 25, 2015. Parfait is a French word literally meaning "perfect" commonly employed to describe a kind of frozen dessert, beginning in 1894. 

In The United States, parfait refers to either the traditional French-style dessert or to a popular variant, the American parfait, made by layering parfait cream, ice cream, and/or flavored gelatins in a tall, clear glass, and topping the creation with whipped cream, fresh or canned fruit, and/or liqueurs.

In the northern United States and Canada, parfaits may also be made by using yogurt layered with nuts or fresh fruits such as peaches, strawberries, or blueberries. (With material from: Wikipedia) This text has been taken from www.cute-calendar.com

Around the Corner

Blythe a Day on Flickr Nov. 23, 2015
On the Floor


Life's an adventure...you never know what's just around the corner.

Wendy (my Simply Lilac Blythe doll) and Sake (my 17-year-old Siamese cat).

Going for a Ride

Blythe a Day on Flickr Nov. 22, 2015
Go for a Ride


Life is a journey. Enjoy the ride.

This is Paisley, my Mandy Cotton Candy Blythe doll.

Our Favorite Show

Blythe a Day on Flickr Nov. 21, 2015
World Television Day


These girls don't wait for World Television Day to enjoy the TV...every Wednesday night they make popcorn and get comfy on the couch together to watch their favorite show: Survivor!

Sharing

Blythe a Day on  Nov. 20, 2015
Sharing


Sharing makes you both feel good.

This is Charity, my Mod Molly Blythe doll.

Bad Day

Blythe a Day on Flickr Nov. 19, 2015
Having a Bad Day


Sick in bed with a terrible cold, Brock has decided that this is the definition of "having a bad day".

Brock wants me to tell you that her nose isn't REALLY that big, or that red. I found a fun effect on PicMonkey, called "Cherry Nose", that made it look like that.

Fun and Games

Blythe a Day on Flickr Nov. 18, 2015
Games and Puzzles


Life is more fun when you take time to play games. (I should know! I play Words with Friends and Candy Crush every day, and I'm super happy!)

They are I Love You it's True, and Raspberry Sorbet.

Go Away!

Bonnie wonders...will this rain ever stop?

Bonnie is a Raspberry Sorbet Blythe doll. She's wearing a hat and sweater set I made for her from brown and pink variegated yarn. Her scarf was a recent experiment. I like it, but I will tweak it a bit next time...maybe a bit narrower and a bit shorter.

Not Bad!

She seems to be wondering if she feels more like a "Harriet"or a "Lilly" today!

These hand-embroidered Blythe panties were a recent custom order, and I'm showing them off here because I am especially pleased with how the lettering came out. It can be tricky to get the same slant on all those little letters, and to get them to line up evenly on the bottom. I always re-do some of the stitches as I go along, and sometimes I have to take out and re-do entire letters...these names were no exception.  I am so happy that the extra effort paid off! (I think Harriet and Lilly's "mom" will be, too!)

After writing this post, this customer asked me to add one more to the order. So here's Delphine!

Book Lover's Day

Blythe a Day on Flickr Nov. 7 2015
Book Lover's Day

Reading is dreaming with open eyes.

Coco Collette and Ice Rune.

Recycle

Blythe a Day on Flickr Nov. 6, 2015
Recycle


If we all work together, we can make the world a better place.

Left to right: Littlest Pet Shop Blythe, Puchippu Chappu Pepa, Pow Wow Poncho

A Little Update

You might remember that I wrote recently ( HERE )  about my experience with a Japanese customer on Etsy. The package reached her very quickly, and I'm so excited that she sent me this picture of her dolls wearing their new outfits. She's happy and so am I!

Folger's?

Bythe a Day on  Flickr Nov. 5, 2015
The Best Part of Waking Up


The best part of waking up:  COFFEE.

 This is Promise, my Little Milk Heart Blythe doll.

Fashion

Blythe a Day on Flickr Nov. 4, 2015
Fashion


Quote of the day:

That's my Prima Dolly London Blythe doll.

Favorite Pants

Blythe a Day on Flickr Nov. 3, 2015
Favorite Pants

Sometimes your favorite pants...are no pants!

They are Prima Dolly Peony, Ichigo Heaven, and Prima Dolly London. Oh, and a Sonny Angel!

Circles

Blythe a Day on  Nov. 2, 2015
Look for Circles Day


Merry's deep thought for the day:

"It's easy to find that which you seek...as long as you know where to look." 

Today she looked for circles, and easily found them in her wardrobe, and on the wall.

Merry is my Prima Dolly Marigold Blythe doll.

Needlewoman

Blythe a Day on Flickr Nov. 1, 2015
Something that starts with N


Alice considers herself to be a very fine needlewoman.

Alice is my Simply Sparkly Spark Blythe doll.

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.