Blythe, Blythe, Blythe.....

I love dolls. One doll I am drawn to and go away from is Blythe. The big head, the eyes on the string that 'switch' ...she is ultimately fascinating and intriguing and sometimes can be repulsive with the big head, little body and adorable and cute and beautiful all at the same time. I remember wanting one in the 70's as a kid when Kenner made them and my mother simply hated their big heads and eyes. My mom had this thing about dolls with weird eyes, and not letting them in the house. (I think it had something to do with her 6th sense and being able to see spirits, but that's another long story, lol. ) 

But back to Blythe. One of the things on my long to-do list this year was to finally to something with the factory Blythe I had purchased on Ebay a few years. I had purchased her with the intention of doing a faceup and getting 'into' Blythe. Regular Takara Blythes cost as much as a bjd- up to $99-300 dollars, depending on edition size. Kenner Blythes run about $2000.  'Factory Blythes' are for the most part, essentially 'fake' Blythes and are made with parts from the Chinese factories. They are great for customization, body swapping, etc. 

My factory Blythe has a great wig, so I didn't take her wig /scalp off to do any work, just a light sanding on her face which was easy to do and I did the faceup on her brows, and lips and cheeks with watercolor pencils and chalks. I have not sealed it yet because now and then I occasionally add some color to it here and there. Here is a photo shoot I did this morning with her. I really need to get her a new body and some clothes.

Here she is on a Saturday morning adventure going exploring with Marigold Finch, Mr. Tickles the bear and Minuette Mouse. I have shown her here and I don't have a before picture but before, her face was extremely shiny and now it is more 'matte' finish. I want to swap out her body for a jointed Obitsu body so she will stand more easily and get some better shoes for her than the barbie ones I have. Her eyes are so big and 'all-knowing' ...one of the things that draws me to these dolls when they are customized is the look of intelligence in their big eyes. 
NEWS...AND UPDATES...
So, I am currently beginning work on the staircase set, Set B, and it is hard going. I did some cleanup from Christmas in my workshop yesterday and hopefully I can get over there today.  I have several irons in the fire, so to speak and really want to get the staircase set done so I can do a whole host of new dioramas done. 
I also got a new phone! It's a samsung and the camera is awesome, even more better than my little cannon, which I may now have to upgrade.......it takes great pics. I took some pics of the Gothic mansion yesterday with it, and they were really sharper than my camera pics. Simply amazing. 
Enjoy!Lisa

Sewing, sewing....

I did two sewing projects last night and need to continue on more. I finally buckled down and did Mrs. Claus' skirt. I cheated on her outfit. Nancy's doll things on Ebay made the little Christmas vest, and the white ruffled blouse was from a Silkstone clothing pack. I got her little glasses at the GLOSS convention. I made her skirt from red fabric in those fabric squares for .97 cents. (You would not believe how hard it is to find approriate scaled Christmas fabric.)
I also buckled down and sewed my Realpuki SoSo (Wren) some Christmas pajamas out of a Christmas sock from Michael's. I still need to add some buttons or pom poms to the front for her. I was surprised that they came out so well, it has been a long time since I sewed something this small. 

For those unaware in the fashion doll world, Wren is a Realpuki ball jointed doll. Their feet have magnets in them as do their hands and she stands on a small metal doll stand without support because of those magnets- I took the wire part out of the back of it. (sorry about the very visible price tag.) Her hair is a wig made of mohair. 

I need to make some pajamas or sweaters for Maizie and Dixie, my Felix Brownies as well. 

Mrs. Claus was busy yesterday with her photo ops with Santa and overseeing the elves working on the assembly line.

Well the elves are pensive and under alot of pressure! That's alot of dollhouses to get ready before Christmas! 
Still waiting on the door component which should arrive today or Monday.
Lastly, here is a display in my dining room created with the rest of the mini trees and one string of lights. The deer are from my mother's vintage Christmas collection.

In my next post I will explain a little more about the storyline of Wren and Finch Express and her role in Santa's workshop. She normally takes care of all the mail for the dolls with Marigold (a tiny sparrow who delivers the mail with the help of Wren) and now has volunteered to help Santa with all of his letters this year. More pics coming up soon!