I had a lot of fun reading the comments in this giveaway – and I know that Manon did as well! Thank you so much to everyone who commented, blogged, tweeted and shared!

There was a lot of entries to go through and add up. I’d like to make a kind reminder to everyone that I am unable to verify tweets/shares from private accounts. Providing me links to where you tweeted/shared helps me to find your entry a lot faster.

Here is the dress that the giveaway is for…

And the winner is…
Click to read more of this entry.

Welcome to the fifth and last installment of this year’s March Talent Showcase! Last, but certainly not least, I introduce you all to Eve! She knits delightful little sweaters in all sorts of fun colours and designs! As a knitter myself, I always appreciate the work that goes into tiny knits and other fiber-related crafts!

Hi Eve! What can you tell us about yourself?
I live in the city of Vancouver with 2 sneaky rabbits. I love all sorts of crafting and cute things. My main hobby is knitting which eventually lead me to knitting for my dolls.

How did you discover Blythe? Who’s in your doll family?
I discovered Blythe only a few years back when I was into Lolita fashion and notice a few of the girls collected Blythe dolls. Girls who want to look like dolls must have pretty dolls too. So it was then that I got exposed to it which sparked my interest then eventually ventured into getting one myself. I only have 2 dolls in my family, Very Vicky & Kiss Me True. I decided that I was only going to have 2 dolls because it would be difficult to divide my attention if I had too many. Haha I hope I can keep it that way.

Tell us about where the name Quenne came from.
The name Quenne is actually just an online alias that I have been using for a a few years and I even have a domain name of the same too for daily things. I wanted something simple and easy enough to use for my doll shop, QuenneDoll. The dolls are my models and shopgirls, they run the show. 🙂 I am just the worker who makes their clothes to wear.

What made you decide to start knitting for Blythe?
I knew I wanted to make cloths for my Blythes from the start. I started out sewing a little, but I didn’t have the patience or talent for it. I am always knitting anyways and decided why not give knitting for the dolls try. Knitting is relaxing for me and I enjoy small quick projects.

How did you feel when you made your very first sale? And when you got to see your work on someone else’s doll?
I was happy that someone wanted an item that I had made. If made me feel more encouraged to make more and be able to share it with others.

What is your favourite part about running your own business?
I can just do what I want and change things up when I feel the need. There is no rules to follow except the ones I decide.

How has running a business changed the way you view the hobby of Blythe?
It has not change the way I view Blythe as a hobby at all, because I considering my knitting for Blythe as an extension of the hobby too.

If you had to give someone a quick blurb about what makes your work great and why they should buy from you, what would you say to them?
I hand make all my items with love and attention and make sure they are up to my own standards. I feel it’s good enough for my own dolls, only then is it good enough to share with someone else’s lovely doll. I try to make my items simple, cute and fun with lots of colors and I am always thinking up and trying new styles and ideas.

What’s a tool that you use that’s indispensable when it comes to your work? (Besides knitting needles!)
I would say my knitting note book, because I write down all my patterns, ideas and details in there.

What has been a challenge for you so far with running your own Etsy shop?
The only challenge has actually been getting the shop running and keep going with it.

How has Blythe changed your life for the better?
Being able to see so many people with wonderful looking dolls and their beautiful creations. It has encourage me to be more creative and craft more then ever.

Thank you so much for doing this interview with me, Eve! What kind of advice would you give to someone who’s new to the doll hobby?
Thank you for having me.  I think as with any hobby, take your time browse around, learn about it before jumping too quickly into it. So many cute dolls and goodies out there. And of course, just enjoy it.

You can find more about Eve on Flickr and her Etsy shop, QuenneDoll!

Custom Sweater Giveaway!

Eve has generously decided to giveaway a custom sweater from her wide range of designs! You can choose between short or long sleeves, collars, kangaroo pocket, etc.! The winner should have a lot of fun choosing their final design!

You can get up to ten (10) entries for this giveaway draw and you can enter until Saturday April 6th 2013 at 11:59pm Pacific. The draw will be held on Sunday April 7th 2013 and the winner will be announced on BlytheLife.com. Remember to use a valid email address for all comments. If you win, your email will be forwarded to Eve so she can get in contact with you regarding sending you the prize.

Please only use one email address per person, those using multiple email addresses for more entries will be disqualified.

Mandatory Entry: Comment below about the interview with Eve of QuenneDoll! This is worth 1 entry into the giveaway.

Bonus Entry #1: Tweet about the contest! Please retweet the following once per day from your public Twitter account! (If you look below, there is a box for you to include your Twitter username, if you do, I can easily verify your bonus entry!) Each tweet is 1 entry into the giveaway for a maximum of 2 entries into the giveaway. Please comment below to tell me that you’ve been tweeting (1 comment per tweet!)

Check out the @blythelifecom interview with Eve of QuenneDoll! #giveaway http://bit.ly/ZsDiws

Bonus Entry #2: Blog about the giveaway! Be sure to include some details about the contest and include links to BlytheLife.com, this interview/giveaway page and QuenneDoll Etsy shop! For 1 blog entry, this is worth 5 entries into the giveaway! You must comment below with the URL to your blog post.

Bonus Entry #3: Share this giveaway on Facebook! Include a link back to this interview page! For 1 Facebook share, this is worth 2 entries into the giveaway! You must comment below with the URL to your shared link.

Hello, lovelies! It’s time for another installment of your absolutely favouritest column in the world: Love, Sophie! And I’m, of course, your host!

Now that it’s finally spring  (in the Northern Hemisphere), you need to start dressing appropriately to go with the seasons. It’s time to put away those winter coats and big ol’ hats and get something cute on. And I’m all about the cute! So here are my top 5 fashion must-haves – in no particular order – for spring!

#1. Cute skirts. Notice I said skirts – not pants or shorts, but skirts. It’s spring time! You need something you can flounce around properly in.

#2. Cute dresses. See what I wrote above about flouncing? Totally applies here!

#3. Cute shoes. Shoes are fantastic because they can add a pop of colour in your life. See mine? Darling, aren’t they?

#4. Cute sunglasses. Nobody looks cute when they squint! This is a rule. Thou shalt not go out in the sunshine without sunglasses. Plus UVA and UVB protection for your eyes! It’s a win-win!

#5. Cute leggings. Leggings are awesome. But leggings are not pants. Repeat this with me: leggings are not pants. Tights are also not leggings, ergo tights are not pants. Now that we have that sorted out, wear them! With your cute skirts and dresses!

Don’t be like Eden. Put on pants!

Stay fashionable! Until next time…

Sophie is a mostly stock Cappuccino Chat that came to live with me in June 2009. She loves shoes, new clothes, playing with her hair, fashion, magazines full of fluff and shopping. She aspires to be a model and would like to model for some of the ‘great’ dolly fashion houses one day.

Every once in a blue moon, I end up going through my dolls’ things and finding what I no longer want or can’t remember even owning (let alone buying) and it ends up in my ‘to sell/swap’ pile. I don’t do this often, but whenever I come across things that I don’t want anymore, off it goes into a bag. And eventually I remember to go through and price things before bringing it all to a Blythe meet and letting people go through it. I’m not particularly picky, I often taken trades or offer up something for a trade. Once, when I really wanted a dress that someone else had for sale, I offered up a custom handknit cardigan and a trade agreement was formed!

Not for sale!

While I will frequent Blythe Kingdom’s sundries sales – I don’t often sell on the forums. It’s mostly due to me being lazy (the need to take somewhat decent photos plus uploading and/or resizing the photos, then writing up a big long post and then having to deal with all the messages?) and because Canada Post is expensive so I always assume nobody wants to pay for shipping (besides, really, who does?). But I’ve done it once or twice with some success(!) in selling things and getting some money back. But I find selling to be hard at times, especially when a lot of other people are selling things as well.

My best tip for people who do sell on forums is to keep it organized! Make it easy for potential buyers to see which price corresponds with which item. And then also make it easy for them to tell you which item that they want! If you don’t include a description, you’ll have a bunch of people describe things as ‘that black dress’ and if you’re selling multiple (but different styled) black dresses, you’re kind of setting yourself up for failure there. Making it easy for buyers makes it easy for yourself as well.

How often do you purge your Blythes’ closet?

You have a doll-related website and I’ve got your target audience!

BlytheLife.com is an active doll website with a high readership that primarily consists of women who are Blythe and other doll collectors. By advertising your doll-related site or business with BlytheLife, you can ensure that your ad is being seen by the people that are your potential customers. Sponsorship costs are kept low to keep advertising accessible to people in the doll community.

There is one spot currently still available for the month of April and all sponsorship funds go towards keeping BlytheLife up and running!

Large – 1 spot available for April! (325×200 pixels)

• $10 – 1 month
• $18 – 2 months
• $26 – 3 months

If you’d like more information on how you can advertise on BlytheLife, click here.