So Similar yet So Different

I have three Blythe dolls that I thought looked very similar, so I took this side-by-side comparison shot of them--and now they all seem very different to me!

When I first got into the Blythe hobby, my grail girl was Veronica Lace (released in 2008.) She's the girl on the left in this picture. I was thrilled when I found her, used, in a Facebook doll group; she came with only her stock dress, but her price was so good that I didn't mind. It was her beautiful, multi-toned hair (a combination of brown and light purple) and pale complexion that drew me to her, and I love her old-fashioned clothing style.

Last year at Christmas the beautiful Gerda Eternity joined my dolly family (released in 2017.) She's the girl on the right. As soon as I saw her promo pictures I knew I would buy her...I loved her winter-themed outfit, and her hair and skin tone reminded me of my beloved Veronica Lace. It turns out that her hair is a single color, a soft, light brown, not the purpley-brown I thought it would be, but it is long, slightly wavy, and very beautiful.

Princess Milk BisQuit de Q-Pot is another doll I have dreamed of for quite some time, and she became mine just this month--she's in the center (released in 2009.) Like Veronica Lace, she has multi-toned hair (various shades of reddish-brown); that, combined with a darker complexion, and accessories in different tones of brown and cream, make me think of a piece of gourmet chocolate. I recently purchased her NRFB online at Mandarake in Japan, and I am in love with her!

So here they are, Veronica, Q-Pot, and Gerda. And the winner is...Q-Pot!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Can you guess what I bought myself for my birthday last week?

Correct! A Blythe doll! 

I have loved Princess Milk BisQuit de Q-Pot for years, but since she is an older doll (released in 2009) and only 3000 were made, she goes for a higher price than I normally like to pay. But the combination of my birthday plus a family issue (that had me very stressed out) equaled the need to treat myself to something great. And here she is:

Although I prefer fantasy-haired dolls, the first two Blythes I ever bought were both brown haired (Raspberry Sorbet, and Petite Dejeuner), and I've gotten a couple more over the years, so it takes an extremely special brown haired girl to get my attention--and this is that girl. She has so many special features I don't know where to begin to tell you about them! Her hair is a mix of several brown tones which are especially striking in person. She has pretty brown eyelids, and special long eyelashes. Her lipstick has an iridescent shine. Her pull ring is the same dark brown as her stand, and features the burgundy ribbon that is also on her cane and the strap of her bag. Her eye chips are all made with holographic paper, so they are especially sparkly, and the front-facing brown chips have a Q in the pupil. Her look, from head to toe, says "chocolate" to me, and I do love some delicious chocolate!

I had to do a little research to find out what "Q-Pot" means. I discovered that it is a fashion brand in Japan, designed by Tadaaki Wakamatsu. The products are mostly whimsical fashion accessories. There is also a Q-Pot Cafe, featuring sweets and chocolates, which probably explains why she looks so very chocolate-y!

I can't wait to take more pictures of her! I especially want to see her with Gerda Eternity and Veronica Lace, both of whom have multiple tones in their brown hair. 

She did have a few minor issues. The first two can be explained by her long confinement to her box: a slightly musty smell, which doesn't really bother me, and which I expect to dissipate with time; and her boots, which were in a plastic bag, had become oily. I've seen this before with the older plastic boots. A thorough washing with Dawn removed all the oil. The last issue was the most surprising to me: her hair was a mess! In all the pictures I've seen of her, her hair is smooth and beautiful, but right out of the box, hers was frizzy, tangled, and had several bad knots that I had to cut out. She also shed quite a bit the first time I brushed her hair...but she has such thick hair that it didn't matter at all. First I washed her hair in Dawn and gave her a quick soak in fabric softener, but her hair was still frizzy when it dried. Next, I dunked her hair in near-boiling water, then ran it under cold water, then left it to soak in fabric softener for an hour. After that the frizz was gone and now she looks like a proper princess.

It's Spring!

The calendar says it's spring...and the daffodils say it's spring...but the temperature, not so much! 

It was snowing here just two days ago, but yesterday, when I looked out the window and saw the beautiful daffodils, I knew it was time for a "spring" photo. I gathered up an armful of blonde Blythes and went outside to set them up near the flowers. I decided to pose them in their stands because the wind was really blowing, and they were all in danger of tipping over at any moment! 

They are Playful Raindrops, Mrs. Retro Mama, Cousin Olivia, and Prima Dolly Marigold. 

Relax

I'm heading out of town for a week to help my mother with some things, and I will keep thinking of this picture while I am gone, because I am anxious! I don't like to travel, and I don't like to be away from my home, husband, and cats...so I will remind myself repeatedly to be like Pretty Peony, and relax!

Reality TV

Next time on Survivor: 

I really like my new Pretty Peony! She seems to look good in anything. Today she is posing as a castaway in one of my favorite TV shows, "Survivor." This photo is for the theme "Reality TV" in the Blythe a Day group on Flickr. 

Water

Marina says: "To look and feel your best, drink lots of water every day!"

This is Playful Raindrops wearing her stock dress, posing for the theme "water" in the Blythe a Day group on Flickr. I have been a bit lacking in inspiration recently, so I used this simple formula that always works for me: 1 doll + 1 background + 1 prop = a nice, easy picture. The background is a page out of a magazine. 

Saving Winter

They didn't want to say goodbye to winter or to Frosty, who was truly an outstanding snowman. So they saved his head (the only part of him that would fit in the refrigerator), turned the temperature all the way down, and hoped for the best. 

Vera Florentine and Nellie Nibbles are the actresses in today's little drama. 

Small is Beautiful

As Dr. Seuss said: "A person's a person, no matter how small."

These are my Petite Blythe dolls Ivanka Corneille and Connie Corneille, wearing their stock outfits. I love how tiny they are! My only worry is that their shoes will fall off and be lost forever because they are almost microscopic!!

The Cat Collector

Ruth never intended to have a cat collection...it just happened.

This is Pretty Peony, wearing a dress I made. My daughter painted the two funny individual cat portraits for me when I asked for pieces that were small and brightly colored. The amazing cat banner came to me in a craft swap when I was active on Craftster.org a few years ago. My swap partner is an artist, obviously...she asked for pictures of my four cats, and she painted a cartoon portrait of each one. Her name is Kira Nichols, and if you would like to see more of her work, you can find her blog HERE.