Skirt-spiration!

Cassie and Riley and I went to the post office yesterday, as we commonly do to mail off etsy goodies or fraternity related stuffs. The weather was nice and I saw a very pretty brown skirt with white embroidered designs. I decided right then and there that I was going to make Cassie a new skirt.

Well, inspiration begets inspiration, apparently! I looked up hand-embroidery and found some VERY helpful sites. Sarah's Hand Embroidery Tutorials is a tremendous resource with step-by-step instructions for every stitch I could imagine. I also found a treasure trove of online patterns at Mary Corbet's Needle and Thread

I made one of the fullest skirts I have ever made, and I used elastic. I wish I had done a waist band instead, because it's so poofy, but it was enough to get started. Inspired by a trim I picked up at Joann's out of the dollar bin, I matched embroidery thread colors to it and embroidered two little lazy daisies on the skirt. I was so pleased with the results! Instant gratification at its best!



Well, I was so excited by the skirt that I dressed Cassie in her garden hat and gathered up her gardening Re-ment (some of my favorite sets!) We headed outside with Riley and took some photos of Cassie and her gardening glam.



I put the little Re-ment flowers in the ground like Cassie had truly planted them. Hehe.



In additon to Cassie's photoshoot, Riley got one too. I got some really cute pictures of her playing on the lawn and a few of the two of us. This one is my favorite!

Friday Five

Life got hectic and I missed a week! Eek! I am dreaming of adding a new segment to the blog and I can't even keep up with the one regular I've got! Oops...

Without further ado...five of my favorite toys for toys :)

1. Lalaloopsy



Shortly after joining the Blythe hobby, I discovered Lalaloopsy, via the "Dolls for your Dolls" thread. I was enamoured with these cute little plastic rag dolls, and decided I had to find them! I had a ton of Toys R Us rewards (which I could have spent on baby stuff...but didn't) so I bought a few, picked a fave, and redistributed the rest to the BK community. :)

2. Knitted Friends



I love Bunny Nuggets by Squirrel Junkie, Little Hoos by Jeds, and all manner of little knit friends. Maybe it's because I can't knit, but these little critters are some of my favorite toys for my toys!

3. Mini Barbies and Blythes



I saw mini Barbies for the first time in Princess Di-o-rama's photo and was so intrigued! I played with Barbies for years, and then with Kelly dolls for years later...but I'd never seen these little mini Mattels! I also love the Blythe figurines and have got to pick up a few! They are too cute :)

4. My Little Ponies



These mini ponies were always my favorites as a child, and I'm glad I hung on to them! They make such perfect little petite ponies for my Blythe girls.

5. Crazers



Besides being adorable, the crazer eraser toys are a good size for Blythe. They are fun to pick up at craft stores and other places and at $1.00 USD each, they won't hurt the pocketbook too much ;)

Hope you enjoyed this installment!

Friday Five

Five of my favorite blog haunts!

1. Blythelife.com


Googled this one, but pretty sure it's Michelle's!

This blog has been mentioned by me several times, mostly in conjunction to Michelle's interviews and fabulous giveaways. Michelle interviews crafsters, customizers, and shop owners and puts together giveaways. Her blog also features a regular column titled, 'Blythe on a Budget' with tips for all of us who can't afford all the designer brands for ourselves, let alone our dolliees. Recently Michelle has posted a mini series on blogging! It was very helpful. Check her blog out for a good read!

2. Rosie Apples and Friends


Shamelessly lifted from RosieApples. Sooo cute!

Rosie's blog is what inspired me to work more seriously on my own blog! I read every entry she had posted when I first discovered it, and I have been a regular follower ever since. Her blog has a regular column called, "Teeny Tiny Tuesday," which features gorgeous pictures of her Rement each week. There are other fun bits, such as "Who Wore It Best" and Blythe DIY Tutorials.

3. Dollybird Blythe


Borrowed from Dollybird ~ This is one of my favorite pictures EVER!

I have followed this blog for a long time too! Dollybird writes about her own Blythes, as well as topics of interest to the Blythe community. This includes reviews of dolls, customization information, and features some of her sewing.

4. Mademoiselle Blythe


Fanny's gorgeous banner!

This is one of my very favorite interview blogs! Blogger Fanny Zara finds Blythe collectors, customisers, Kenner Restoration Specialists, and Fashion Designers. She then posts the interview and tons of beautiful photos. I love the new 150+ Blythe Collector interviews. The dolls in these collections are so impressive!

5. Smidge House

Photo 100% Borrowed from Carmen!

I became an obsessed fangirl of Carmen's perfect Barbie/Blythe sized furniture via etsy. This was made worse by the fact that she is a SWEETHEART to boot. I emailed her asking what type of tools she uses, and expecting either no response, or an, "I really can't divulge that, in case you can make what I make and ruin my life." Instead, I got a beautiful response almost immediately full of her knowledge and advice! (I should know by now...this community is full of wonderful people!) It wasn't until much later I found Carmen's blog. I love looking at her pieces that she repaints and details. They look amazing and difficult to believe what they started life as! Her blog is well written and funny, so all in all a great read!

Up the Punkaholics

Yula is NOT the doll I intended her to be, and this has to be remedied. I am tired of seeing her left on the shelf, and I can't possibly sell her. She was a combined birthday effort from my husband and my mom. She needs a better makeover.

First, her chips. The purple side facing and the purple/green side facing are fine. The green forward are acceptable. The blue? Not her. I will never use them. I need to swap them for dark, smokey gray or a darker blue.

Her lids: They need to get painted and detailed to help further her personality and individualism. Maybe a bass as homage to the bassist she is named after. Maybe an anarchy symbol. Either way ;)



Her Lashes: We can do better than stock! Lashes don't even cost that much! I am trying to get better at doing lower lashes...when I'm there, I will seal them :)

Haircut: I might need to enlist help on this one, but she needs to be more angled and edgy to be, well, edgy! I have got to get her highlights too. That should have happened a long time ago. This was the original inspiration for Yula:




Wardrobe: She needs her own clothes. This girl cannot, and will not dress like Cassie or Fawn or Kylee. She might borrow a thing or two from Hana, but that is not her style either, per se. As I lack funds, I'm going to have to make her some new threads.




This is the improvement we have already made. I made her a skirt and messed with her hair and makeup a bit. :) I can't wait to put some more work into her face up and her wardrobe.

Chicki.co.uk Giveaway!

Nothing is better than a blythelife.com giveaway! The interviews are fun to read and the prizes are generally highly sought after.

My interview was up and I didn't even promote it on my own blog...but it seemed sort of pretentious to do that... Anyway, only two people attempted to tweet-to-win my Pacman headband. Thank you, Pauleen and Jessica.

That said, Vicki's contest is fabulous, her interview is great and contains lots of scrumptious kawaii photos, and her prize pack is full of goodies any Blythe hobbyist would want. Heck, I made a Twitter account finally just to have a better stab at it!

Check out the interview on Blythelife and visit Vicki's Shop. There is a discount code at the bottom of the interview!

Friday Five

In honor of my etsy shop and interview at Blythelife.com I bring you my five favorite headbands!

1. Steampunk Inspired



This headband is wrapped in two tones of wire and embellished with gears to give it that 'steampunk' look.

2. Hootie Cutie



This headband is ribbon wrapped and embellished with a cute little owl button.

3. Make it So



A Star Trek inspired headband with the Next Generation emblem.

4. Pullring and String



A very-Blythey headband complete with a molded pullring!

5. Blacks and Bows



Classy looking headband with polkadots and bows.

I never wanted to make this blog all about my etsy shop, but these headbands are available for purchase if they suit your fancy!