The Swinging Bills

Okay, obviously I stink at blogging on a regular basis. It has been almost 2 months! I thought I would put something amusing up today. I scanned a portrait of my great grandmother and her 3 besties that my grandmother gave me. Apparently the great gran had a club called "the Nicknamed Bills" in the 1890s. The nicknames weren't that clever, in my opinion, but sounds like an amusing club for the times, nonetheless. I decided to scan their faces and make them into paper dolls. I gussied them up a bit (doubtful pink hair was popular in the 1890s) and gave them new bodies and costumes and hung them in a shadow box. They are now "the Swinging Bills." I thought I should have a hobby, since my avocation and vocation are the same. I didn't get much further than "what else can I do with dolls?" Figures. So, now my new "hobby" is paper dolls, which was my hobby last year, which has been my hobby since I was in 5th grade. Dolls just amuse me, I guess.

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.

A Little Romance

Lately on Facebook I have been posting my fashion suggestions for the day. Not for me, but for Blythe. This week I have been working up some shabby chic or romantic styled dresses for the girls. This style makes for some really fun photography. Between that and my steampunk garb, there is a lot for the lens to grab hold of.



Most of the things I photograph are available in my store. Some are things I have picked up on ebay over time or have somehow come across over the years. Leather jackets seem to go with everything, as do a good pair of stomping boots. We had 2 decent days of sun, and now the clouds have set in. Despite wishing it was springtime weather, the lighting on a drab day is superb and just about perfect for the look I am after.