I started 365 with the best of intentions, I really did. But somewhere along the way (in part due to school, and laziness), I fell behind in uploading photos. And then I’d get caught up for a little bit, only to fall behind again. And then April happened, and I was so busy with other things (e.g. studying and preparing for finals) that I fell behind again. And then finals week occurred and I uploaded nothing.

Did I really want to continue the cycle of getting behind, catching up, getting behind and catching up yet again? I decided I didn’t want to. I love taking photos of my dolls, and I do love taking photos of Eden (because, let’s face it, pink look great on her!) but uploading photos was becoming a chore. And I just wasn’t having fun anymore with it. 365 is meant to be challenge, but it shouldn’t become a chore and it should be fun and it wasn’t anymore.

So from now on – no more feeling bad about not uploading photos because I shouldn’t feel bad about it! I’m going to continue taking photos of Eden Mouse, and all of my other dolls, on a schedule that I decide for myself. As hard as it was to make this decision, I know it’s the right one. I barely got through March even with a week-long break in the term because of all the coursework and studying that I had to do for school. And while I’m “only” taking distance ed courses this summer, I just know that I wouldn’t be able to make the time to do 365 as well as keeping up (or even getting ahead) in my studies and my education is always going to be a priority over 365 (no matter how much I love Blythe). And you know what? This decision feels great. It’s one less stress in my life – and that is wonderful.

Hello, my darling fashionistas! It’s time for more Love, Sophie – featuring me, the always adorable Sophie!

Today I wanted to talk to you all about a lovely accessory item that can make or break an outfit. Quite literally, hats are wonderful. That is, until they give you the dreaded “hat hair”. Please see Exhibit A:

All that flat hair, there’s no volume, no body to her hair. It’s positively dreadful without the dreads! No, what you must remember is that the hat should add something to your outfit, not be the center piece. The hat should be wonderful and make you look awesome without taking away from your outfit. What is the point if the hat steals the show? So I wanted to show off some of my favourite hats:

From top to bottom, left to right, we have: slouchy boho hat, famed kitty helmet, newsboy hat (cute!) and the ever-wonderful black helmet with accenting button. Who doesn’t love accenting buttons?

I think that hats are fantastic, but they can only do so much for you. If you were wearing a brown paper bag, I don’t think even the bestest of hats would be able to save your outfit – so it’s a good idea to make your entire outfit stellar at all times. And never, ever ever let your owner dress you without any input from yourself, or else you end up looking just awful!

So fashion fans, what are your favourite types of hats? I want to see them! Send me pics below in the comments so I can see what I should get Michelle to buy for me!

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.

Pre-Blythe, I took photos of nature, people, for parties and family gatherings. After discovering Blythe, I had more opportunities to take photos.

I learned about white balance, contorting myself into odd angles to get a good photo, about lighting and using macro for small, close objects. I’ve learned about focusing, zoom, and I’ve added more to my photo editing skills than I previously knew. Blythe is a willing model, which is nice. Blythe is easier to control than a person is. Somewhat easier to dress (besides tights…), and Blythe probably has a more extensive wardrobe than any person possibly ever well. Lately (pretty much every since I got a smartphone), most of my photos have been Instagram photos, or directly uploaded to Flickr from my phone. It’s a bad habit to get into, but a habit nonetheless.

How has Blythe influenced you as a photographer?

I recently received an email that said this from someone who asked that her name not be included, when I asked if I could blog the answer:

I really like your website. Do you have a button that I can use to link to it? I’d like to help support this site!

And the answer is: yes, yes I have a button. I have many buttons, actually. My favourite is still one of the ones I made ages ago as it features Prim, my messy-haired girl:

I made quite a few new buttons lately. They can all be used to link back to BlytheLife from your blog or website:

In addition, I also accept guest posts (articles, tutorials), freebies to share on this website and I welcome suggestions. And if you’re interested in being interviewed/featured here on BlytheLife, I also love to interview people!

The Blythe community has gone into a bit of an uproar after Flickr unceremoniously revealed a new layout and style. Many people – including non-Blythe individuals – have been referring to Flickr’s facelift as being similar to Facebook. In addition to the new changes on the web-based website, their mobile app has also been changed.

As a Pro account holder for Flickr, I’m a bit iffy about the changes. As of May 20 2013, there are three different account types being offered by Flickr and here are some of the specifications:

• Free – 1 Tb of space, max. 200mb/photo, 1GB/video, ads
• Ad-Free – $49.99/year – same as above, but without ads
• Doublr – $499.99/year – 2Tb of space, all other features the same as above

But if you had a Pro account? Just a taste of what was available:

• Max. 50mb/photo, 500mb/video
• Unlimited storage
• Ad-free
• $24.95/year

Flickr, so soon after announcing the intention to purchase Tumblr, decided to scrape the previous model (Free and Pro accounts) to go with the new model (Free, Ad-Free and Doublr). I personally think that spending $500/year is steep. I’d rather take the $500 and invest it into something else, if I was that into photography (which, I am not). At $50/year just to take away ads? That’s already double what it used to cost for a Pro account, for one year ($24.95/year). Of course, nothing in life is free. By opening Flickr up to advertisers, the many account holders become the product that’s being sold rather than making revenue off of Pro account holders. Granted, if you think about it, $50 for 365 days of ad-free web-browsing, that ends up being $0.137 per day for ad-free browsing. Doesn’t seem like a lot in the grand scheme of things, does it? But if you want to avoid spending $50 per year, continue reading on!

What if I already have a Pro account?

If your Pro account was extended by the 3 months of ‘gifted’ Pro by Flickr, I found that users have been saying that they do not have the option of renewing their Pro account. Additionally, if you were given the “Gift of Pro” by a friend, you are also unable to renew the Pro account status because you weren’t the one who paid for it. Sneaky little loophole, isn’t it?

If you paid for your Pro account yourself, you have the option of keeping the Pro status and all it’s features (including the ad-free browsing capabilities and the option to renew once your subscription is up). The price is currently staying the same ($24.95/year). My Flickr Pro is set to expire on April 1 2015 – so I don’t know if the price will still be the same then!

For those that would like to switch from Pro to Free status, it would appear that you do have the option of doing so. And if you had paid for the account (rather than being gifted Pro status), people have been reporting that they can get a prorated refund. You have until August 20 2013 to decide if you want to stay with your Pro account or if you wish to make the switch to Free. For those that are worried about ads, there have also been reports that ad blockers (there are many plugins available for many popular browsers) are able to block the ads on accounts on Flickr that are Free.

As for the app…

I can’t give anyone an opinion about the Apple-friendly version of the Flickr app, but I updated my (Android) Flickr app to the new version and it mimics the updated website quite nicely – only I like the layout on the app a lot better than on my computer. I spent some time playing around with the app and I find it easier to navigate and to move from one section to another. I can actually get to my groups on the mobile app now – which is a huge plus. The way the website is designed is more mobile friendly than web browser friendly, but I’m still getting used to both of them. Nobody has mentioned seeing ads on the app yet, so I’m unsure if ads will soon be part of the Flickr apps or not.

Do I stay or do I go?

Some people in the Blythe community have decided to leave Flickr out of anger of the changes. Many people have moved to Ipernity. Another alternative for Flickr is 500px.

I will have a post up about these two alternative photo-sharing websites after I get a chance to explore both options a bit more thoroughly (before the August 20th deadline).