Since I stopped doing 365 (with Eden) and since I’m a busy, busy person with school (and all the lovely things associated with school…), I don’t have a lot of time for my dolls. It almost seems ironic when I write that, because of this website. I make time for the site and I take photos of dolls (or use photos already taken) for posts and that, lately, has been the only time that I get to take photos of dolls or at meets, which are thankfully more often than not.

I decided to look at my dolls and see which one has been wearing the same outfit for the longest period of time and unfortunately it is probably Halo. She’s been pretty much wearing this dress (by puppy52) since I bought it and because I haven’t really taken her out to any meets or anything, so there hasn’t been an outfit change. The Kenners and Halo (a custom Blythe) don’t get as much photo time on BlytheLife itself because they aren’t displayed (mostly due to lack of space, stands), so they aren’t often the ones I go for when I need a model for a photo. I couldn’t really tell you just how long it has been since Halo has been in this dress, but if the Flickr set for her is anything to go by, she’s been in that dress since November 9, 2012 (with maybe a couple brief changes, then back again). So much over a year. I think it’s time for a change! Perhaps? But I do love this dress so much.

Is over a year too long for a single outfit? It isn’t as if she’s on display all the time so I don’t really notice that she’s in the same dress day in and day out, but if I were to have to wear the same outfit every day for over a year, I’d be incredibly bored, wouldn’t you be? So is a year too long? I’m sure there’s others out there that have kept their dolls in an outfit for an even longer period of time, but it is time for a change for my dear little Halo…

Move over pink, there’s a new colour in town. I know there are some people who adore the colour pink, but it’s just so over by now (sorry, Eden!). With the Olympics right around the corner, I want to remind you all of some really great colours: gold, silver and bronze. More importantly, you should all be decked out in these colours. Now, maybe not necessarily bronze (that is third place, after all!) but definitely gold and silver. More gold and silver, I say!

Gold and silver look great – regardless if it’s super shiny or kinda dulled down to not look too flashy. You can’t be too covered in sequins in the office (or so Michelle tells me), which is kind of boring in a way, but if you want to stay employed in order to buy more friends like me it may be good idea. Now, there is such a thing as “over doing” something. You don’t want to be like my little sister Eden and only ever wear one colour. That’s just awful and, frankly a bit boring. No, if you’re going to go with gold or silver, you should pair it off with another colour. Maybe one that won’t over power the metallic sheen because that would defeat the purpose.

Here’s a look at some of the clothes that I’ve pulled together. Now wearing all of this would be a little overkill (because, hello, wearing two dresses at the same time?), but a little gold or silver here and there works out well! And with that, I’m all ready for the Olympics as I cheer on Team Canada, how about you?

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.

I have quite a few Blythes, being nearly five years into the hobby. It’s a great hobby and I’ve met some wonderful people during this time. But during that time, my interest in the dolls themselves wanes in and out, mostly due to time constraints. I’ve found my interest in particular dolls ebbs with my interests and some dolls capture my interest more than others.

Looking back at my older dolls, particularly not the ones that entered in my plastic family in the last year, I find that I probably neglect Kindred quite a bit. She’s my only SBL, so I won’t ever be customizing her because of the challenges that exist there plus I can’t bring myself to customize her. Then there were the issues with the ‘yellowed’ eyes (different type of white), and the extreme downward gaze. Yet some of Kindred’s most attractive qualities is that her eyes are a dream to roll by hand and she’s got some great makeup (vivid blue eyeshadow, anyone?) and plus she came with some gorgeous (and plentiful!) stock items. Velvet Minuet is still the first Blythe doll that I saw at the beginning, and she was the one that drew me into the hobby to begin with. But now it’s time to acknowledge the fact that I do neglect her from time to time – in particular with outfit changes and bringing her to meets. Maybe that will change now that I’m more aware of this and I’ll bring her to some meets in the future.

Which doll of yours is the most neglected?

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I first became aware of Moo cards back in 2011, when everyone seemed to have them and I was all “what is this madness?!”. For those not in the know, Moo cards are half the height of a standard business card while retaining the length. You can print an absurd variety of photos onto your cards without a minimum or maximum. Want to print 100 cards? You can put 100 different images on them. Yes, crazy. Something that I cannot do at a local print shop because, at that scale, it’s not worth it to them. I also got some ‘faux-Moo’ cards at BlytheCon in Portland, OR. Some innovative individuals had gotten their cards printed at local print shops and then cut them in half, length-wise, because it is cheaper to do something like that – especially if you’re not invested in the idea of having 100 cards with 100 different pictures.

Business cards as a whole, in this community, are delightful. I find them charming and I tend to keep the ones that I am given or get slipped in the mail when I’ve bought something online for the umpteenth time. Because they’re so collectible, it makes it ideal to include your details on them – website, Etsy or Artfire shop, Flickr name, email address. People keep things that they like, bonus if it’s small and doesn’t take up too much room. I like them, and I plan to have them on hand when I head to Seattle, WA in August this year.

And what does one do with all the cards that they amass over time?

I’ve used some as bookmarks, and I want to get a frame one day and put them all together in a collage. A lot of the ones I keep are from people that I’ve met, designers that I admire (and am perpetually jealous of their sewing capabilities!) and friends that I keep in touch with on a regular basis.