Bonding with your Dolls

I know it sounds crazy to anyone who isn't part of Blythe-mania, but it's true. You need to bond with your dolls. I was constantly seeing dolls for sale on the forums with the simple explanation: I couldn't bond with her, so she has to go. I thought to myself, "Why would you buy a doll you didn't like to begin with?!" but that isn't quite what it is.

Even when I took the plunge and ordered Cassie, waiting for her to arrive I thought, "that's just crazy. How exactly do you bond with a plastic toy?"

I, of all people, should know better. Afterall, I find myself overly attached to clocks (there was a small meltdown involved when my mom changed the one that had hung in our kitchen all my life) I have always had my 'favorite' dolls and toys, and of course, my beloved Kiri.

With Cassie I didn't even realize it had happened until the other day. I didn't actively think about bonding with her; I just took her out and about with me so I could take her picture for my flickr groups. If you read this, you know I'm part of the Blythe Challenge, a group that demands you take your dollies public. I also embarked on 365 Days of Blythe, where it is a pic a day for a year with one doll. Since I only had Cassie at that point, she was my natural choice.

When perusing the forums I found a thread about how to bond with a new girl that it just isn't happening with. The suggestions were to take her out, photograph her, customize her, do the 365 challenge, etc. Some people commented that their first doll was effortless.

I thought about that. Cassie is certainly my favorite. I didn't mean for it to be that way...it just is. I naturally grab her to go out with me when I run errands and such.

Hana never goes out, because she is in pieces...but Hana also has her own charms. Due to the custom work that I have put into her, I look at Hana with awe and think how pretty she is and will be. I think I have also bonded with Hana.

Then there is poor Yula. I received her on my birthday; two days before I was induced and had Riley. I was proud of myself for putting in all of her new eye chips, sand matting her, and fighting with her lip painting after I had the baby. Somehow though, the customizing didn't do the trick on her. I sat her on the shelf, the window sill, the dining room table. I changed her outfits and her look, but she didn't seem to have the personality I thought she would.

The other night I ran out to get a pizza. Thinking I would stop at the pet store, I thought about taking Cassie. Remembering my lack of time with Yula, I took her instead. When I got into the car that "Like a G6" song was playing. Not the best of the music world, but fun to rock out to in the car. Before I knew it, Yula was throwing her hair around with me. Pink's new song, "Raise Your Glass" came on next, and the rockout continued.

When we got to the pet store it was closed. Bummer. No fun pictures of Yula with budgie birds or mice. We headed to Papa John's, but the pizza wasn't done (hubby had planned on me shopping the pet store first so he waited to order) I went back to the car to grab Yula so we could wait. I definitely felt her fun and pretty silly mood and personality. Seeing the "Now Baking" sign, I was amused and inspired. Yula got the joke. ;)



I also snapped her picture inside while we were waiting. We attracted some interested glances from customers and employees. When the pizza was finally up, the one guy brought it around the counter to me so he could get a better look at Yula!



When I got out to the car I looked at Yula and said aloud, "If we hear Ke$ha on the way home, it's official." We R Who We R came on as soon as I pulled out of the lot. :) Yula and I are officially the coolest. :)

Ambition Galore

I have so many things I'm doing and want to do and start to do...

...that I never get anything done.

Whether it's that it never gets started or never gets finished...that's how I have always been with my projects.

It of course is harder now with the baby, because I have a limited amount of time per day that I'm not feeding her, changing her, holding her, or just admiring her. ;)

One of my major goals I set when I became a parent was to not become all consumed by my child. I love her, and I want to teach her as much as I can, care for her, and help her to grow and flourish, but I don't want to lose my identity in the process. So, my plan was to continue my hobbies and not put everything I do on the back burner.

I have found myself more committed to my hobbies; in particular sewing and working on my reroot. Before Riley was born I had gotten away from both. I worked on the quilt for Riley with my mom and I really wanted to make more things for my daughter's room. I am currently working on curtains that match the quilt. I also started sewing doll clothing again, and am trying to get my gear together to stock my poor Etsy shop. I plan to offer jeans, long sleeved shirts, pajamas, and headbands. I have to get some more sewing and photos done for this, but I am on my way!

It seems like having Riley hasn't stopped me from doing the things I want to do; the pacing has just changed a little bit. Face it; I couldn't spend an entire day sewing and being really committed and on task, so it isn't so bad to get a little bit of sewing in while Riley sleeps and then waste the rest of that time on the internet (ahem) and pretend that I would have gotten more done, but for the baby. I'm still plugging away at my own pace, and someday, I will have my shop stocked and the house clean. Someday... ;)

Blythe Blog Favorites

One of my favorite things to do is peruse the various craft and Blythe blogs. There are two that are favorites; no matter the subject matter or the post, I enjoy them.

Mademoiselle Blythe (Fanny Zara) posts a variety of interviews. She includes collectors, customizers, restoration experts, etc. Lately she highlighted (no pun intended) Saran (synthetic hair) and her most recent was about Alpaca and Mohair. These are great inspirations to me, because I am working on a saran reroot on Hana, and I have some unwashed mohair ready to go!

Mademoiselle Blythe

My other favorite is Dollybird Blythe. I found her blog through the TIB forum. She posted about "Jaybird Knickers" she had made (for those Blythes that come buck nekkid!) I found her blog from there and I love following it!

Dollybird Blythe

DBB's most recent post is about a great customizer named Melly Kay. Often I don't like the way customizers over-carve lips and go really overboard. If a Blythe doll looks like something that should go on a shelf and never be touched, I am NOT interested! Melly Kay's customs look realistic and warm. They are really pretty works of art, but can still be active members of a doll collection.



I am in love with this red-head! She is so, so pretty!

So, two more links for you all; Melly Kay's Blythe Blog

Melly Kay is giving away one of her beautiful custom dolls. One of the ways to enter is to blog about the contest...so here goes!

Win a Melly Kay Custom! Find the details at http://bit.ly/c7Giog

Light Custom Work

I bought Cassie and received her in May. By July I received Hana (in need of some major love. She had a bad haircut and was gritty all over from being sanded while still assembled, etc) I am still working on Hana's reroot, and I knew that once I had Riley it would be harder to find time to work on my dolls; especially since I was not good about consistantly working on Hana while pregnant. For my birthday, I wanted another doll, and my mom and my husband offered to go in together to get me Yula. I had plans for my next custom, but could not justify having another doll in pieces.



Yula was a good compromise. She has the black hair that I would have rerooted myself on a bait doll, but she wasn't much more than buying a doll in pieces (I checked out many options) So I won Yula on ebay and then purchased new chips, a sanding sponge, (what I thought was...) purple saran, and intended to paint her lips.



I am proud to say that with my daughter only about a week old, I swapped out Yula's chips. Granted, this was a much easier feat on an RBL (Hana is still waiting to have the rest of hers DRILLED out) While Yula was open and I was waiting for her chips to soak, I decided to sand matte her. I figured I could keep her lips and do those at a later date...only, I hit them with the sanding sponge >_< D'oh! So onto lip painting we went! I had to paint and repaint and sand and wipe and there was much frustration. Finally I got them looking decent enough, so I hit them with a gloss the next day and they will stay! Yula also has sleep eyes -_- zzz

Next up is to finish Hana's reroot and eyes, invest in a good sealer for Hana and Yula, and maybe tweak Cassie's eye colors. :)

Babies are NOT Dolls, and Dolls are not Babies.

This tends to get confusing, since many people say, "Oh, that baby is a little doll!" and the prevalence of "Doll babies" only adds to the confusion.

Why do I bring this up? Well, it's odd enough when you delve into a doll hobby at almost 25 years of age. I suppose it is worse when you are just into your second trimester with your first child when your doll hobby begins.

Is it nesting taking some strange, twisted course? Is it because you thought it was a boy and had to do something intensely girlie? Is it because you are grasping at your childhood as pregnancy is both the epitome of adulthood (I can MAKE children!) and winds up regressing you into childhood as you play with and interact with your children.

Either way, I freaking like dolls. Always have.

So for the duration of the pregnancy I grinned and took it when concerned friends/casual passers-by made comments about how I had better get over the doll thing and on with parenting. People who at least meant better would say things like "well, enjoy it now, because your priorities will change."

I had Riley on the 25th of October. In that time I had multiple people (people who are close to me even) make really asinine comments. The best is "Well you don't need Cassie to dress up anymore. You have a baby now." Other comments were similar...

For the most part, people assume that the Blythe hobby is to either take the place of or prepare me for the baby, and won't be necessary anymore. It's fine (but stupid) to assume that Riley can replace Cassie. It's worse that people insinute that Cassie was or could be a substitute for Riley.

Allow me to reiterate: Babies are not dolls...dolls are not babies.

My Blythe hobby is just that; a hobby. Cassie can be put on a shelf, left in a bag, wear the same outfit for the rest of her life, etc. She doesn't need anything. She is a doll. NOT A BABY. I get enjoyment from her. I try to remember (half the time forget) to photograph Cassie everyday for 365 Days of Blythe challenge and other flickr groups, and make her clothing, meet new people (yay TIB and Flickr!) design and create her doll house, etc. Blythe = Hobby and creative outlet and joy.

My daughter is a living, breathing, baby. She is the beautiful blending of me and the love of my life, my husband Glenn. She will grow and change and always keep me guessing. I change her when she spits up and/or pees on herself. I get to make her things and watch the world through her eyes as she learns and does new things. I photograph her everyday without even thinking about it. Riley = Life and Love at it's very, VERY best.

That is all.

Dolly Fashions

I have a new dolly sewing love!

After my success with the Simplicity pattern, I pulled out my Dolly Dolly Coordinate Recipe Book and whipped up a new pair of jeans for Cassie. It only took four previously failed attempts (one that was the completely wrong size, if you recall) to get it right!

I also used the t-shirt/long sleeved pattern that was in the book and some rib knits to make Cass some adorable tops. It has gotten so chilly out that I can't have the poor thing in sun dresses!



Here is the turquoise shirt...annnnd, some new headbands! I followed the tutorial that was on the TIB forum and they came out pretty well for my first batch! Four headbands for a dollar :)



Next up, I want to make either a jacket or a hoodie from the Dolly Dolly patterns. I am also attempting to organize all my teensy patterns so that they don't get lost/I don't have them floating around in my fabric box.

Since we are on the topic of fashions, I will end with this awesome ensemble I bought from Jokunda on Etsy. I had been eyeing them for sometime and finally caved over a month ago to get this for Cassie. The top is crocheted and the jumper is felted knit. I absolutely love this outfit!

Title? I have no Title. I'm Titless...erm, Title-less?

Wow, it's been awhile! I have been very busy getting ready for the baby, and trying to finish up a million and one other projects (that I won't have much time or energy for for at least a little bit!)

One thing that was majorly on the docket (dockit?) was the kitchen of Cassie's house. I had all of the pieces ready to go, had the tile, cut the sides, and then FINALLY we assembled!



I bought teensy craft mosaic tiles to do the tile backsplash, and I painted. The green is actually the green for Riley's room! We have a gallon of it and will not even come close to using all of it. Still left to do: Glue and grout the floor tile, paint and put up the window and wall trim (it's cut and ready) touch up the fridge, make some curtains...whew! Doll houses are almost as much as real houses (YEAH RIGHT!)



I also finally got around to making something from the Simplicity 2353 pattern for Blythe! I bought a quarter yard of this cute purple check fabric and made Cassie "Dress F" which is more coat-like, but still turned out cute.



Work has been off and on, but is generally a motivation for me. I get a lot more accomplished when I know that I have to be at work (or anywhere) at a certain time. It's like "You have this much time...GO!"

Several sisters asked for SAI letters (I think everyone wants them before the baby; I won't be driving down to the college with her in nasty November!) I had a lot of fun making letters for a newer sister, because she gave me some new fabrics. I looooove new fabrics! Also had some fun creating a totally new hoodie look. Typically I offer long and short sleeve Ts, over-the-head-hoodies, and totes. This time around I made a zip up hoodie with some extra goodies. Pics to come eventually. ;) I was so inspired that I FINALLY made some of my own letters, including a giant brown hoodie to wear in all this nasty weather we've been having lately!



I think I am more and more sure that I want Punkaholic People. I was thinking I would go with a cheap(er) doll and just customize her completely with black and purple mohair and such...but I really like PP, and I want a doll that I can enjoy right away. If I get PP and customize her little by little (add some highlights, but not a full reroot) I can still photograph her and take her around. I am so sad waiting for Hana to get finished (and whose fault is it that she isn't? Oops...)

We will see what my birthday brings this year. Maybe a new doll and a new baby. :)

Etsy Wishlist

Etsy is such a cool place to browse. This post goes out to the top three obsessions of mine...

1. Bella the Wool Felt Plush by GingerUrchin



I love the way this little bear looks. The steampunk flair is cute!

2. A Blythe Bubble Pendant by Mirella von Chrupek



I love the shots of her Blythe, Nutella. She also does customs with pics of your own Blythe! I wonder if I should get one of Cassie...

3. Panda by Knittingdreams



I love pandas, and always have. This little guy is just too cute and has been on my wish list for some time.

Of Tails and Wings and Pretty Things...

This post is a mish-mosh of all that has been happening lately.

This past weekend was my baby shower, and I hid Cassie in my purse because I couldn't bear not to bring her. I realized recently that most people react very positively to Blythes, despite their creepy appearance, there is something very alluring about them. No one at the shower who hadn't met Cassie seemed particularly bothered by or concerned about her presence. My sister, who hadn't seen her but in pictures, set her next to a cute pink elephant and brushed her hair. ;)



The shower was really nice, and I got a lot of really beautiful clothes for Riley. It was great to see my friends and family, and to hear that my big sister got engaged! I also got to see my best friend Jeannette, and she helped tote all of the gifts home, since her Suburu holds a lot more than my Neon. It was such a wonderful day!



Next up...Ren Faire! I sewed my little fingers to the bone and tried my patience fixing an outfit for Cassie to wear. I was pretty dismayed that it rained for most of the day. Luckily it was a misty rain, so we weren't getting drenched. I couldn't fit into my bodice (surprised?) but I wore my skirt and blouse. Here is my favorite pic of Cassie:



I have been reading great blogs lately, and am feeling more inspired to post entries than ever. I will also try to splice in some things that aren't totally Blythe related.

Kitchen Design!

The kitchen, as mentioned in previous posts (like my first few...) is very, very dear to me. I work in kitchen planning, and though I don't cook, I LOVE beautiful, functional kitchens!

So for Cassie I was obsessed with creating the most perfect kitchen possible. I started with a love affair of the Kenmore kitchen, and then, after realizing that tons of Blythe and Barbie lovers have this exact set, I sought something more unique.

I paged through ebay listings galore of Barbie kitchens, before finding Vintage Sindy had a MUCH better kitchen than Barbie ever did... The pieces came with yellow doors and white countertop. What really impressed me was the cooktop cabinet and wall oven. Those were big in the seventies, but then became passe for a few decades. Now, built in is all the rage. The sink amused me the most, because it looks just like IKEA's Boholmen sink with drain board. With IKEA kitchens in mind, I realized that I could paint the cabinets (which sort of resemble our Abstrakt door style)

From there it was a long, drawn out process of acquiring pieces. I don't even want to know how much was spent on ebay in the past few months. I got the wall oven first, then a sink and cooktop cabinet. I decided on the Kitchen Littles refrigerator (it has an ice maker and great interiors). The worst (monetarily) was getting the Sindy cabinet that has four drawers and one door. The auction was in euros, and once converted to US I cringed and went "I did WHAT?!" It came with a second sink and a second cooktop cabinet.



I chose one of the sink cabinets to experiment on, since one had a broken door. Armed with Krylon Fusion for Plastic, I spray painted it white, and I couldn't have been happier with the result. Once I taped up the 'appliances' I went to town on the other pieces. The refrigerator was hit with silver spray to give it a 'stainless' look (since it was white and purple before that...)

I was obsessed with making this kitchen great, so I didn't want to simply paint the countertop...I wanted Cassie to have some custom laminate! I ordered samples from Wilsonart. They have small samples for free, but I got 8x10 sheets for a dollar. They also conveniently allow you to up the quantity of samples. I got three sheets for the kitchen. The first cabinet to get covered was the drawer unit.



From there it was just covering the other cabinets and detailing the handles. I used my husband's miniature paints that we get through Reaper. They are a steely black. The cooktop cabinet was difficult to cover with laminate, so I took my handy spare and experimented with popping the cooktop off. Let me tell you, Sindy stuff is WELL MADE. I couldn't remove the doors to paint because they are secure with METAL rods, rather than plastic, and they run all the way through the door, not just a little nub at the top or bottom. The cooktop was equally secure, so I had to use pliers to BREAK the pieces that held it on. That made covering a flat piece MUCH easier...and...I discovered I had a second cabinet at my disposal!

This changed Cassie's layout quite a bit. I went from an A-line kitchen to an L shape. I liked the way it put the fridge; when you open the refrigerator side you can see all the interiors if you look at the house straight on. It also helps hide my one paint boo-boo. I plan to detail the ice maker in black with silver buttons, and then paint the sides and top black as well. It will look like IKEA's Nutid fridge. :) The oven/microwave have not been painted yet, but Glenn cut the floor pieces, and I picked up some tile for the kitchen (yes, it will have real tile. :)



I can't wait to finish the detail work, add a window and backsplash, and then assemble the room. :) Cassie's Re-ment goodies finally have a home!

Adventures at Rice's

I got it into my head awhile ago that I wanted to make steampunk for Cassie. I'm not sure why, but I did. I saw tiny watch gears at Rice's the last time I was there and fought the urge to buy them...but recently found myself wanting to go back to find them.

My friend Robert and I went this past Tuesday, and I brought Cassie-belle. It was the first time Robert met her, and he took the whole doll-thing pretty well. ;) By the time we went in 'the barn' he was like, "Oh, put her over here with this mummy..." and "over here with the pumpkins all around her..." :)





We had fun shopping and I told Robert about the Blythe Physical Challenge to find a funny sign...Well, Robert found one alright. It is so Blythe appropriate too! I want to submit it but make sure the language is okay (it does say B*tch, afterall)



I bought Cassie some black and white hair clips. I may have to decorate some of them a bit, as they are rather plain ;)

After Rice's we went to a farm market near where we live and picked zinnias. Here is Cassie holding them. Mine wilted, and Robert told me it's because I was choking them! It's hard to hold a doll, a camera, and a bunch of flowers...not to mention being 8 months pregnant, struggling against the heat, uneven ground, and poor footware choice (flip-flops)



Overall a productive day...as I also did some Blythe furniture work! More to come about that in my next post!

Adventures at B-Lo

The Blythe Physical Challenge #9 was "Blythe vs Food" and was supposed to be a photo with a local 'dare eat' a la that show on the food network. A lot of the other group members sort of punked out and just went with fast food (Five Guys is delicious, but not a dare eat...)

I thought immediately of the gordo at Burrito Loco, and while I was too cheap to buy one (especially because I don't like burritos...) I took Cassie and headed down to West Chester.

It was a dual purpose mission, because I needed my B-Lo shot and I had made SAI letters for a sister that needed to get delivered. Tri-purpose if you count that my brother moved in that day as a freshmen!

After dropping off the letters at the music building (which was also the most convenient parking and not nearly as much of a zoo as the rest of campus) I set off to find my brother, Jack. We headed over to Burrito Loco, and he told me he would "freak" if I took "that doll" out of my bag. He's no fun.

My sister and friend, Kristi and her husband are much better sports. Kristi was moving her little sis who is Jack's age in that day as well, so she and her entire family met us for lunch. Kayla, like Kristi, loved Cassie at first sight, and wanted to hold her and change her eye color. :) Too bad I don't have another little sister!

After snapping a shot of Cass with Kristi's burrito, I elected to put Cassie on this giant fake cactus that is right near a big 'Burrito Loco' banner. This attracted some attention...When I got over to the "Wall of Fame" the cashier made it a point to check out Cassie. She said she wasn't sure what she was (I don't think she knows even now...haha) but overall Cass was well received in West Chester. Here is the photo-montage of my labors...

Cassie Ventures

I've been posting a decent amount about progress on Hana, and Cassie is feeling left out. She shouldn't, because I've been spending extra amounts of time on dollhouse efforts, and I joined a new flickr group. 365 Blythe is a group where you take a photo of your doll every day for a year. It has to be the same doll all year, so naturally, that is Cassie!

I also took a trip to the Poconos, and pretty much brought Cassie everywhere with me. I don't even feel that odd about it anymore. It helps that my husband gladly holds her and poses her for me, and my friends had no qualms about toting Cassie for me.

This is one of my favorites from a natural spring waterfall we visited. The water was 40 degrees F! Brrrr.



And my other favorite of Cassie roasting a marshmallow. I was so afraid the fire would singe her or a bit of ash would get her...but she is okay!



And last but not least for photo sharing...my submission for the Blythe Physical Challenge #8: Blythe in Space. You know I had to go with a Star Trek theme. It sort of came together at the last minute, and THANKFULLY made it into the pool in time!



Borg Cube: We are the borg. Lower your shields, and surrender your ship. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own...

Cassie (looks at R2): You're a robot...you talk to them.

R2: Beep; Whistle.

Me: Why is R2D2 on the bridge of the Enterprise?

In other news, the final pieces of Cassie's kitchen arrived today. We also got a cute little squirrel dress for her and a pair of shoes (I tend to leave Cass barefoot for fear of losing what few she has) Other than that, tons of Rement has been pouring in, and I fear I have yet another addiction. I can't wait to get Cassie's house together so that it all has a place to go... Now if only I had a place for her house...

Gimme a Head with Hair...

Long, beautiful, plug-by-plug hair.

Lots going on as of late. I went on a buying spree and ordered all of my custom goodies from Coolcat. I also had a Re-ment relapse. There will be photos when those goodies arrive.

Here is a Hana-chan outing. It turned into a failed kayaking endeavor, but I got to take Hana out as she was one time before the big changes coming her way.



...but the big news is that I ripped up Hana-chan. I unscrewed the back two screws and then pried and cut and pried some more, and destroyed about half of the flange, and then, FINALLY got her scalp off of her head.

The glue wasn't as bad as I anticipated. I had read ADG horror stories about glue and plugs and was planning on taking a Dremel to her head if need be...but I was able to de-hair the scalp with just a needle, scissors, and my fingers. Poor Hana-chan's dirty, poorly cut hair is no more...



I think she looks like the one toy from Sid's room in Toy Story. Haha.



First attempt at rooting hair using the crochet hook method...Failed.
Second attempt at rooting hair using the crochet hook method...also FAILED.
I was worried I would have to weft, when finally...
Third attempt: The needle method...Moderate Success
Fourth attempt: The modified needle method, now with string...Great Success!

Houston, we have thatching. Here is the progress shot...



I'm very proud.

In other news, and so Cassie-belle isn't left out, she got to go ghost hunting this week! The Blythe Physical Challenge was to find a haunted location, take a photo and make it black and white, and tell the creeeepy story. So here goes:



Charles Hunsicker was one of the earlier burials, in 1895. His grave was later robbed and his coffin discarded in the woods. Officials recovered the coffin as well as the three grave robbers, but Hunsicker's skull was never found.

All three grave robber's deaths involved dismemberment!

That's all for now. :)

...And Then There Were Two

"New girl" arrived rather unexpected today! She was mailed on Tuesday, and it is only Thursday! Most excellent...

Cassie and I got her cleaned up (literally, her sand matted little face was all dirty) and changed her into a new dress (she came in the red thing in the first pic I put up) Brushed her hair a bit, and then gave her a cute little clip to hold her bangs. She looks much better here, than she did upon her arrival!



Looks can be a bit deceiving...her eye mech was dirty as heck. I think they didn't take her apart to sand. Her hair is very gritty and dirty. I'm contemplating washing it and cutting it before her new scalp arrives, if just for the experience. That's the other thing...her hair is so choppy and uneven it kills me. I discovered her part, and it goes the opposite of how I envision it going...so I will start anew. Her hair plugs are very, very sparse. It must be an ADG thing. Cassie has thick, gorgeous hair.

We named her Hana, after playing with several names. Hana is getting a very new look soon. I went on Coolcat and ordered two wefts of wine red/black hair (it has black highlights!) That will be put onto a brand new, blank Coolcat scalp, with the plug pattern modeled after Cassie's (Though Hana is getting a side part and likely short hair.) Along with those items are new chips: Enlarged pupil in a dark grayish purple, Sakura chips in a dark blue, oblique angle in brown, and custom flat with a green hue. I plan to make her some kickass customs, and probably will spruce up the eyeballs of the enlarged pupils. For good measure, I threw in new eye lashes (they were very cheap) and a green sparkly pull ring, which is for Cassie. I will use her discarded ring for when I do sleep eyes on Hana, and get Cassie a second ring when I finally do sleep eyes on HER. Whew!

Also found out that Hana has had an arm transplant. Either that or ADG sucks at matching skin tone and makes their arms of totally different material (aka, I'm reasonably sure they aren't her arms) I'm debating getting her a Takara body from the forums or going for an obitsu or Neemo, trying on her, and then maybe donating to Cassie if I like it. :/ Gr. The Takara body will wind up being twenty with shipping from the UK, but the same seller is offering a clover stand for a dollar, which I also need. Decisions.

Hana doesn't seem as rough around the edges as I first assumed she would be. She has no makeup, and half her lip color, but I meant more figuratively I guess. I thought she would be a tough little cookie personality-wise, but she isn't really. She and Cassie seem to be getting along, which is something else I didn't quite expect. I suppose when I finally make "Cassie's House" I will have to include somewhere for Hana to crash. She can be *that* friend.

Speaking of friends (and I know this post is really long...I'm typing a mile a minute, and you KNOW I don't edit) my best friend and SAI sister Kristi came over. Not only was she *not* freaked out by Cassie, she actually liked her a lot. I went through all my blythe geekdom with her, and she was there when Hana arrived this afternoon. Kristi understood Blythe personality so much, that when I mentioned Cassie's she didn't even bat an eye, and told me she completely knew what I meant!



More to come about Ms. Hana...

ADG Girl for Customization!

We are getting a new girl!



She doesn't look like much right now, but that will change! She's an ADG that was purchased by her current owner for customization. I believe she was given a (bad) haircut but nothing else. She was a steal at $45.00, and I intend to use her for the same thing!

My plans for un-named ADG Girl:
-Reroot her hair with a straight synthetic from Coolcat. I think the deep wine red.
-Change her eye chips to some custom colors that compliment her hair
-Sleep eyes and new pull rings
-Sand matte or complete that process on her (think she may have been sanded)
-Completely new makeup
-Possible lip carving
-Possible new body

It will be a lot of work, but a lot of fun. I sense customizing is a very satisfying process when the results are good. Plus, I want to do the eyes on a doll that ISNT Cassie, before swapping out her hideous chips. (Lately I am only using her blue)

What is interesting is Glenn seemed unusually opinionated about hair color for the new ADG. He wants a punk rock blue. Haha. I am not so sure I like the blue haired girls, and if I were to do a blue or purple, I feel like it would have to be a very dark shade. I would dig a punk rock doll, but that is a ways away. I think a wavy reroot would suit her better, and I'd like to try straight first. Maybe this will just give him reason to let me buy more dolls! Haha.

Next post will hold some info about my soon-to-open Etsy shop! Cassie and I are very excited to unveil our line of summer dresses. Accessories and other fun may be next if they are at all successful!

Butterfly Dress Design

Round 2: Clari versus the sewing machine attempting to create another Cassie dress...

I started thinking I would attempt to dart the top again, but after one fail and a second quasi-fail, I changed my design a bit. The top is modeled after most of the summer dresses that I wear. This is the end result.



Traveling back to the Blythe Challenge, Glenn and I took Cassie to Cabela's and kayaking at Blue Marsh Lake to get her out of town...here are some of those results!

Cassie in the kayak, and...


Cassie versus the bear!


Glenn actually helped me with this photo. I loved seeing him holding Cassie and messing with her eye chips to find the perfect "horrified" color. :) Challenge: Met. I submitted a photo collage of images that I was quite proud of, along with the story of Cassie's trip. Can't wait for the next challenge!

You have much to learn, young Jedi...

This is my first (piss poor) attempt at creating a pattern. I wanted the bodice of this dress to be fitted, and well, it fits Cassie about as well as a sack of potatos would. The skirt came out nice (usually gathers look terrible whenever I do them) the straps are too long (one is too low so that if the dress shifts, you can see her boob. Scandal!) The most irritating part is that the waistline is NOT even, and with the addition of the ribbon you can really tell. I sewed it and seam ripped it twice because it looked so bad. Then I gave up.



I posed Cass so that the dress looks the best it can. To be positive: I love the pink accent with all the blue, I love how the darkest blue in the dress is the color of her blue eye chips, and I love that I have cute little blue clips to match. I am so frustrated, but already can't wait to try again, and tweak this pattern until it is something I can make to sell in my non-existant Etsy shop!

...And now for something completely different!

This post is *not* about Cassie or Blythe. (gasps from the crowd)

This short little ditty is about my first little Bento lunch that I made. It was a super quick, easy to build Bento. It isn't really aesthetically pleasing, and it probably doesn't even qualify as much of a Bento, but it was tasty, and exactly what I was in the mood for.



Bento Contents:
-Triangular Onigiri with Salmon furikake (inside)
-Blackberries
-Cherries
-Snow Peas and dressing

The most involved part was just making the rice and shaping the rice balls. I have two very, very handy onigiri molds that turn out perfect onigiri.

I was inspired last night in the book store when I found "The Manga Cookbook." I fought the urge to buy it, as I've barely used my Kawaii Bento Boxes cookbook that I got at Katsucon.

Naturally with my affinity for buying new things, I had gotten the book, a bento box, onigiri and sushi molds, some silicone divider cups, sauce containers, and Hello Kitty veggie cutters. Before I even made this weak little bento today, I found a ton more bento supplies for way cheaper than I paid at the con. Here are some things I want...


A cute strawberry bento box (because I NEEEEED it!)

Panda food picks...

Egg Molds that shape hard boiled eggs into a rabbit or a bear (come on, that's COOL)

Two sets of Veggie/Ham/Cheese cutters

The animal cutters look sooooo cute in this pic...