I find that one of the best ways to avoid shopping on forums (and Etsy shops, and eBay) for new dolly clothes is to start shopping – in what I already have! Sometimes dresses can get tucked away under other dresses and be ‘lost’. When you unearth them it’s a little like finding something new again. That and making new outfit combinations with a handful of items means more mixing-and-matching (gotta love separates!) and less spending money.

Tights are fantastic and can add a great *pop* of colour to an outfit. Using existing items – like stock from dolls that you don’t use often, can be mixed and matched with newer items to make them ‘fresh’ again. Like that fur coat that came with Cappuccino Chat? Bam, new again. And why not? It’s a well made piece of stock that goes quite under-appreciated. Like most doll collectors, I own a fair bit of doll clothes. And like quite a few Blythe collectors, I keep the stock items that my dolls come with. Sometimes I even seek out items that come with other dolls. Knowing that I’m bad about letting dolls go, it would be a very expensive option to go ahead and buy all the doll that are released with great stock just to get a hold of their outfits on the idea that I would be able to resell the dolls afterwards (most likely, they would become permanent members of the household).

What I’d like challenge you all to do is to consider what’s the least worn item, and try to build an outfit around that. For me, it would probably be the Love Mission police outfit. I rarely use any of the pieces, so I decided to utilize the pants and the shirt-and-tie. Pairing them up with a different pair of shoes (remember, LM came with both heels and loafers!) and a different jacket, it’s possible to put together new combinations all the time and it makes for a fun exercise for making something ‘new’ from the old.

I know some people who thought that Blythe was a bit odd (or just freaky) when they first saw her. Sometime it’s the large head, the changing eye colours, the odd proportions, the unnerving stare. But for me, it was the fascinating eye mechanism, large child-like features and the delightful fashions that kept me interested in her when I first saw Blythe. I was interested enough to track down what kind of doll it was, find out more about her.

Changing eye colours? Large, wide eyes? That is definitely Blythe’s best feature, according to me.

Which feature of Blythe is her best according to you?

Every year in March I’ve been interviewing new talent in the Blythe community. This year is no different! I’m looking for four people to interview this year for the March Talent Showcase. In the past I’ve interviewed customizers, knitters, seamstresses and so many more fascinating and amazing people.

In order to be considered “new” talent, you must have been doing whatever amazing talent that you have since January 2013 or later (not earlier!).

The interview process is really simple and takes place via email. Most interviews are 9-12 questions long and you can send me whatever relevant photos you want included (if photos are not taken by you, please get permission from the photographer[s] prior to sending me the photos with links to photographers).

If you are interested, please head over to the How to Get Featured page and let me know! Please include links to any blogs/sites/shops/pages that you want me to look at so I have an idea of what to ask you and be sure to mention that you want to take part in the March Talent Showcase!

From head to toe, I’m going to be sharing the wardrobe staples that are used on a regular basis within my doll family. Staples to me means things that can go well with many outfits, can be classic designs that won’t go out of style (but it’s dolls, so who cares?) and mostly solid colours. Not that prints or designs can’t be wardrobe staples as well, but solid colours tend to go better with more things (such as black or white). Here are some of the things I’d come up with!

Basic black helmet (or hat). Just something good to travel in, it helps keep the bangs in check and the hair from going every-which-way when your plastic sidekick is in transit.

Solid colour tops – including shirts and cardigans/sweaters. We like a “classic” look here, so a white collared shirt and a cute cardigan is the way to go.

Jeans. Jeans, jeans and more jeans. Notice I’m not showing you dresses or skirts. I wear jeans on occasion and they are fantastic for just looking smart from day to day. Dark coloured ones are best to add to this ‘staple’ collection. (Please, for the love of all things Blythe, do not leave dark coloured clothing on your dolls for long periods of time or have on dark coloured denim on them without tights/leggings on first. Blythes can stain! Don’t put on a pair of jeans at the expense of her legs!)

Now shoes. We all know that I love a good pair of doll shoes. Today is no exception. I utilize the plain, solid-coloured ones the most because black and white go with so very much but never under estimate the beauty of a good pair of brown, yet detailed boots. The brown ones are stock shoes that came with Monique Magnifique and they are darling and I love them. I want a pair for me. And being brown in colour, they can go with quite a bit!

These are just some of the wardrobe staples that exist in my dolls’ ever-expanding closet! What are some of the staples in your dolls’ closet?

Her Majesty, Princess Primrose

Stock doll names make horrible doll names in reality. I would never call my Kenners by the name Kenner. I would not refer to Belarus as Love Mission or Minnow by Hi-Ho! Marine. I find inspiration in many different places for doll names. For Moxie and Mollie (Molybdenum), I wanted names that both started with the same letter. For Emmalynn, I wanted a letter that I hadn’t already used. Cedar ended up with a nature-name because of her reddish hair. Minnow was named Minnow because of her marine-themed box and general theme. So sometimes the original stock does influence my naming scheme, if you can call it that, but sometimes a name is just a name. And sometimes I end up calling a doll Prim(rose) due to the immense irony I see in a vintage doll with frizzy hair become called Prim (and proper).

What influences doll naming for you?