Blythe a Day June 14th-17th

June 14th: Tell me a story- Rabbit want a story about cowboys.

June 15th: Heart- Ginny is wild at heart.

June 16th: What's in your pocket?- Gatsby has a half eaten gingerbread man in her pocket.  At least he looks happy about it.

June 17th: You've got mail- Sun says, "Open the Birchbox, woman!" Someone is impatient.

I'm skipping June 12th.  I can't get myself motivated to go back.  

Skipper fashion

As mentioned in previous post I have become obsessed trying to find vintage Skipper fashion for my Blythes.  My passion for the search has waned a bit.  I actually have some advise for people who are hunting for vintage pieces.  I am no expert on vintage or Skipper or Mattel.  I just found a few things in my purchases and searching.

Suggestion 1-  Avoid lots.
     Although lot of items are tantalizing and sometimes are great deals, I found most often that the items were not completely as described. I got many duplicates because of this and there was a lot of trash with treasures. In the long run, I don't think the lots really paid off.

Plus, I ended up with dolls that I don't really have a use for. And, a doll case.

Suggestion 2-  Don't pass up the single items.
     In the long run buying single pieces probably adds up in cost, but you get exactly what you want the first time.

Suggestion 3-  Cross reference.
     Cross reference prices on Ebay and Etsy. And, make sure to check recently ended auctions also. This gives you a better idea if you are paying a fair price.  Sometime paying a little more for a clean item is worth it.  Little laundry can be tiresome.

Here are a few of my finds:

Ginny is recovering...

Ginny was my very first Blythe.  She hasn't had anything but freckles and a fringe trim.  Oh man, now she is recovering from an arm transplant!!

I bought a Licca off of Ebay that is pretty discolored.  (I couldn't tell from the pics.)  I thought the arms would match my Simply Mango but they didn't! I had already pulled out one arm and then I couldn't get it back into the socket.

Fortunately, I won another Ebay auction with 2 Liccas.  Both are tilty necks but one was taller.  So, she was a perfect arm donor.

Nearly ripped off the second Blythe arm and cracked the socket in the process. I also sustained an injury of a busted knuckle trying to get the damn thing into the Licca.  Finally, after many attempts the Licca is a whole person again.

I give the Licca heads on new bodies to my daughter. She loves them.

But, Ginny now has new arms.

Here is the tutorial on Blythe Arms Transplant made by Sai and hosted by Jaszmade:

Edit, 12-18-2014 The tutorial appears to be no longer available. I will keep my eye out for a new one.  http://www.jaszmade.com/customising-blythe/licca-arm-transplantation-by-sai/

My mini-me, a custom I Love Your It's True, has a new Licca body, also.  I want to do another arm transplant on my Claudia.  I'm going to buy a brand new Licca for her since she is so pale.

My mini-me I customized.  I will try to get a good photo of her soon.

Silver Snow is on the way to her new home!

Socks from socks

My daughter is notorious for loosing just one sock.  I have been doing a major overhaul on my crafting/dining area.  I found just one sock.

I made Blythe socks from the one.  They are super cute!  Ginny is modeling them.

Slouchy Hats

I added a new set of Slouch hats to my Etsy shop.  I recreated the photo layout and I like these photos, too.

Recognize the eyes from my banner?

I have nearly changed my mind about selling my Mod Molly, George. I haven't had any purchasing offers and if I trade I really want a Cloud 9 Bowl (or another red head). No offers on any red heads, one very tempting blue haired offer though.  I know myself, I would have to have a second blue haired doll and that is defeating my purpose of selling/trading her.

So, it seems George is hanging around. She may grow on me. She is so sly looking.  I should make her fox-themed items.

I hope to make "Harry Potter Fan Kits" for Blythe soon.   I want to this weekend but with a family reunion and (Saint, according to Rowan) Father's Day, I will be lucky to knit a little.

Hopefully Angelica Eve will be here soon! I can't hardly wait to see all of her eye chips- light blue, dark blue, brown, and green!

Naming my dolls has really been hard lately.  I STILL haven't named my second Black Blythe.  My factory is Lilith and my Fruit Punch is Pansy.  I think I may use Penelope and Fleur again. Doesn't Angelica Eve look like a Fleur?

Ginny and Nymph

Ginny and Nymph sporting Slouch Hats for my Etsy shop, Blythe Knits.

I love the second photo a lot.  

One week I made about 9 of these cute head wear!  I kept several for myself.

Ginny's Beehive Hat

This hat is inspired by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  The eyelets did not work out perfect, but I guess it doesn't really matter.  It is cute even with the flaws!

Okay, so a few too many pics.  I couldn't resist!

 I hope to make some Luna, Tonks, and Hermione inspired items next.

New Etsy Sweaters- Harry Potter!

Now available in my Etsy shop- Harry Potter inspired sweaters! Each represent house sweaters from the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Hogwarts. 

Coming soon to Blythe Knits!

Coming soon in my Etsy shop, Blythe Knits, is the vintage inspired A dresses.  The A dress is a pattern that I hand drafted that was inspired by a vintage Skipper or Charlie's Angels doll outfit.  The original dress was a hand-me-down from my older sister, and I think, it was handmade by a cousin.

It fits Blythe so sweetly.  Here is some of the example dresses:

The prints and trim will vary between each dress.  This is Nymph and Ginny modeling.  Nymph is brand new as of yesterday!

Fake Takaras

This is scary.  There are people selling dolls that are fakes (maliciously or unintentionally, I don't know).  I know I am buying clones with Basaak and Blybe but I did not even think about fake Takaras!

Ginny is outraged!

Simply Mango is one of them.  I am certain my Mango is real because I bought her from This Is Blythe. 

This is something to think about when buying dolls!  Go to the Flickr group Fake Takaras Galore and educate yourself!!

Ginny's New Pull Cord

Ginny has a new pull cord. I bought these cute little chihuahua bells from Etsy a couple of years ago. How perfect for a chihuahua loving Blythe.

I made the dress from a Puchi Collective pattern. Glasses from Mimiwoo on Ebay.

Want to know more about Ginny? See my post, Meet Ginny. 

Meet Ginny

Meet Ginny!

She was my very first Blythe doll.  I was so excited seeing a chihuahua, I was counting down the days until she was release in April (2010).  The only modifications are the freckles and snipping her fringe to look more natural. I used a tutorial from Puchi Collective.* She is a Takara Simply Mango.

I am a member of the knitting and crochet community on Ravelry. I found Blythe while searching through doll clothing.  How could I not love such a unusual doll? When people ask about Blythes, I describe her as a Betty Boop head with a Skipper body.

In the photos she is wearing a dress of my design. The shoes are from This is Blythe (I have seen them on Etsy, too.) Her little chihuahua friend is wearing my sweater pattern.

*Puchi Collective is no longer active.  You can still access some of the content through the Wayback Machine.  8-5-2015