Showing posts with label custom blythe doll. Show all posts
Showing posts with label custom blythe doll. Show all posts

Friday, July 5, 2013

Spooky Girls

I just looked at the date of my last blog post. I don't think I have ever let that much time pass between posts. I don't know where the time goes. I have been so busy! Happily it has been a good busy. My store is going strong. My dolls are still selling. I haven't had to check into debtor's prison yet. I quit my job last August to pursue my doll making "career" full time. I don't think I can really call it a career. It is more of a hobby gone wild. But I do it full time now, custom dolls, clothing, accessories. Everything is Blythe doll related and it's a lot of fun.


This past few weeks I have been working on some spookier or more dark side dolls. With Blythe, it is hard for me to get too spooky. The doll still has her comedy, of course. But, I have been darkening them up or giving them a ghost-like quality. I have also added the ICY doll, which is a version of the big-eyed, big-headed doll done by a company called Arker. I don't even know if those dolls are actively being made, but they have sort of a tragic appeal to me. There are enough of them out there to make a dent on the Blythe world anyway.


These are the girls. This is what I have been up to. In the meantime, it has not stopped raining in Vermont since about June 1. We have had so much rain it isn't to be believed. I thought for sure I would be getting outside to do yard work and that sort of thing this month, but for now I am skeptical. I am pretty sure those of us in Vermont are becoming seriously vitamin D deficient. It's warm, but all you can see is clouds on most days, in between the raindrops.


Hope your summer is warm and wild, wherever you are.

Friday, April 5, 2013

An Apple for New York



Blythecon 2013 in NYC is happening in October. For a lot of reasons, I will be there, but really I am just excited to see the many people who love Blythe as much as I do. Jean Yates


and I wanted a super duper donation to give this year that would be a cool gift for someone attending Blythecon this year, but would also be reflective of the things we like to do.



Jean likes to make cool jewelry and give things to people. I like to customize dolls and make outfits for them. While I was on a trip to Syracuse this past week, I was emailing her from my phone while hanging out in the car watching John drive. We decided on Apple, which is a green-haired doll Jean sent to me with a load of jewels fit for a queen.



I did a faceup for her and a couple sets of eyechips (she already had some really pretty ones she arrived with) and gave her a steampunk costume. Jean sent so many things, I wasn't completely sure I could get them all on her and also get them in photos. I think I did pretty well.



There was one really long belt piece that I used as a drop on the little top hat she is wearing. It is like a drapery pull with class. I think it goes with the overall theme and makes her especially ornate. The rest of the stuff includes earrings, a necklace, some wonderful pullcharms.



This girl is not going to leave here wanting, that is for sure. I got a vintage metal toolbox and sprayed it randomly with metallic and green paints, and she will ride in that as her time machine, to New York City.



Jean and I will both be there, along with a motley crew of dolls and people. If you are going, plan to stop by and say "hi".



We will be at a table set out for our For the Love of Blythe project. Hope to see you there.



Sunday, March 24, 2013

Time Traveler



Have I ever told you how much I love picmonkey? I really do. It makes playing with photos so much fun.



I took a bunch of photos for an etsy listing with a doll that was going to be leaving the next day, and I am so glad I did.



Now, since I don't have the doll anymore, I have some really cool photos of her. She is dressed as a steampunk time traveler.



She is hoping to leave this galaxy behind.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Amelia - A Girl and Her Corgi


This is Amelia. She is my 64th custom girl. Spring is bound to come soon, or at least I am hoping. I dressed her in spring green silk as a gesture of good faith :)


I am a big fan of the color green, but I tend to like very specific greens. Pale greens. Acid green is my favorite color. Chartreuse, lime, spring green, love those. If you add a little bit of gold to green, I like it equally as well. With this doll I gave her fairly bright auburn hair to contrast with the green. I think it makes her stand out. Her eyes are various shades of greens and sometimes I mixed in gold.


This doll has a hair color I love matched with an outfit in the color I love. It's a good combination. I have her up on Ebay for another day. If she doesn't sell, I am tempted to keep her myself. I have been keeping some dolls lately. I don't really need another doll, as I have run out of space, but sometimes there is one that I think I might miss. This might be one of them. Hope spring comes soon!

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Lilibeth - A Girl and Her Bunny


I started a series of Blythe girls last week I am calling A Girl and Her Pet. I have been collecting Blythe dolls and Littlest Pet Shop pets for about the same length of time. Since early 2010. I like them both. I think in some ways they go together. Hasbro agrees, as they did the tiny little Blythes with the pets. I like the big girls with the pets, too. Both sets have big eyes. I like that.


My first girl, as was in my last blog post, was called A Girl and Her Chinchilla. Girl number 2 is called A Girl and Her Bunny. She makes me smile. She has a really cool color of mango alpaca hair that I dyed up and rerooted. Her outfit is a pale turquoise blue, which I love. Those 2 colors together, to me, are very vibrant and fun. She, of course, has a Littlest Pet Shop pet. This time a bunny named Barley. I put her up on Ebay yesterday. She will be there through Friday.


Lilibeth has been completely customized by me. She was treated with loving care and careful attention to detail. The base doll is a Takara Blythe RBL Nicky Lad. I rerooted her scalp in a lovely hand-dyed mango suri alpaca. It is done in a layered cut, with the longest length to her finger tips. It is straight and shiny, incredibly soft, with a side part. Gorgeous.


Her face has been sandmatted, nostrils, philtrum and lips carved, and carefully painted with acrylic and chalk pastels, with dramatic painted lower lashes. Her eyelids are a shiny turquoise blue with purple, peach, silver and turquoise sparkly glitter.



She has been given sleep eyes with 2 pullcords (pale blue cotton floss, braided for strength, with 2 charms that are photos of Lilibeth encased in heavy domed glass in round, shiny silver-tone metal frames. She was given new lashes.


Her lips are a peachy pink with a bit of a pouty look. They are glossed. She has dramatic lower black painted lashes. She has 3 sets of handpainted eye chips to match her color scheme (2 different blues, 1 peach) and 1 set of pale blue stock chips. Her face has been carefully sealed with MSC flat UV-cut sealant.


All clothing and accessories for Lilibeth, with the exception of her over-the-knee white stockings and plastic boots, were designed and constructed by me. Fabrics were hand-dyed, cured and laundered for a soft, vintage feel. Her little pet rabbit is a purchased plastic Littlest Pet Shop pale orange rabbit. For her dress I wanted something with a vintage feel, a soft hand, something in pale turquoise blue. Short, short-sleeved hand-dyed silk/rayon crushed velvet wrap dress, in palest turquoise blue.


Crushed velvet bodice, silk crepe silk skirt with habatoi silk underskirt. Ties at front for an open look. Lilibeth can be dancing with the stars in this little dress. Or perhaps just out for a stroll with her little rabbit, Barley, or maybe an afternoon party, or a walk in the park. Fun,flirty, feminine and sexy, comfortable, always versatile. Retro yet modern.


Lacy, flirty, ruffled nylon lace underskirt with an elastic waist, gives the dress a bit of nostalgic flare. White over-the-knee stocking and below knee orange plastic boots, with a turquoise velvet scarf, knotted at ends.


A hand-dyed turquoise silk/rayon velvet shoulder satchel, lined in silk charmeuse, with a flap front and shoulder strap. Has a hand-rolled silk/peach flower at front with pearl bead center. Perfect for carrying her little pet, or just used as a shoulder bag for carrying other things.


Her under things include a white lacy long-line bra top that is see-through with her little dress, and white silk charmeuse bloomers.


A lovely peachy 2-tone wool felt tiny topper with little flower accents and pearl bead centers, made especially for Blythe. Extremely romantic, entirely classic. Fully lined. Designed and constructed by me. Has a hair clip sewn underneath to secure to head. I use traditional millinery techniques.

















Tuesday, January 29, 2013

A Girl and Her Chinchilla


I have a goal this year of putting at least 3 dolls a month up on Ebay. I am new to Ebay in terms of selling. I have been buying there for years, but have always been tentative about selling. I have a thriving business on Etsy and I am very comfortable there. So this is branching out a bit for me.


Last week I put my custom Blythe Gwynn on Ebay and she sold. She was a really good doll, and I feel confident I am selling a high quality product and offering good service. I think that my clients get a very good value for their buck. Even so, my Etsy clients are not necessarily Ebay shoppers. I have to start building an Ebay clientele and that feels like a bit of a challenge to me.


So, with 1 sale, moving forward, let's see if I can keep to my goal of 3 dolls a month. Maybe 4, if I get really ambitious. I still have my etsy store and custom clients to keep up with, but I want my Ebay dolls to be really special and will be adding extra special touches to sweeten the deal.


For Ebay doll #2, which will go up tonight, Tuesday, January 29, (hopefully this link works) I have started a Girl and Her Pet series. Blythes are funny to me. They should have funny pets. So, first girl and her pet will be Analiese, a Girl and Her Chinchilla.


Analiese is my 62nd custom Blythe girl since 2010. She is a beautiful little girl in lovely shades of lavender and purple, with mustard yellow accents. The base doll is a Takara Blythe FBL Simply Vanilla.


I changed out her scalp for a Takara FBL Very Vicky, which is a sandy blondish brown, which I gave a special conditioning and straightening treatment to add shine, giving her long, full-of-body hair with just a hint of wave at the ends. I added in some streaks of lavender saran at the front to give her beautiful highlights to frame her face.


The hair is ultra-thick, ultra-smooth and shiny. Gorgeous. I am really happy with how her hair turned out. I have been experimenting with treating stock hair. A lot of times it will come to me, NRFB, and have a bit of frizz at the ends. Or the waves will be a bit haphazard and the cut is a little goofy. I have been working on remedying that by trying some things. I think I have worked it out and this hair is truly gorgeous.


I gave her faint freckles, dramatic lower lashes and shiny purple with sparkly multi-color glitter eyelids. Her pullcords are lavender cotton floss, braided for strength, with 2 charms that are photos of Analiese encased in heavy domed glass in round, shiny silver-tone metal frames. I think I am going to give that style pullcharms to all my Ebay girls from now on.


Her clothing is various shades of lavender and purple, all designed and constructed by me. Fabrics are silk and silk/rayon, all hand-dyed, cured and laundered. They all have sort of a vintage, lived in feel. The cotton leggings and plastic boots are purchased, but everything else is hand-made.


She has a little purple velvet satchel with a hand-rolled silk velvet rose on the flap, for carrying her little Pet Shop pet chinchilla, Lacey.


My plan is for all my Ebay girls to have pets and hats. Hats have always been my thing, and I have been collecting Pet Shop pets for ages. They make me laugh. They have giant eyes and bobble heads. They go good with Blythe, and Hasbro agrees, as they had the little Blythe and Pet Shop pet series for quite awhile.


I added a little bit of irridescence inside the chinchilla's ears to match Analiese's lips.


Both the doll and her pet will be up on Ebay tonight. She is a beautiful doll. She has great hair, and she has a cute pet. Who can resist?