Blythe is sometimes difficult to explain to others why we’re so interested in these big-headed dolls. Some people find the whole changing-eyes thing creepy or that the pink chips even look evil. But we’re all pretty lucky because we can afford to buy our own dolls and buy or make clothes for them.

If you’re at all crafty, you might be interested in The Toy Society. The Toy Society started in Australia in the year 2008 and now happens all over the world.

The whole idea is that you express your interest in doing a “Toy Drop”. You make a small toy and you make sure it’s in a rain-proof bag with a tag saying that it’s a free toy along with a toy number and the address to The Toy Society website. While not all of the finders of the Toy Drops email into The Toy Society about finding the toys, a lot of them do and they also include photos of the toy with the new owner.

If you’re interested in doing a random act of kindness for someone, please check out The Toy Society and see how you can get involved today!

For those who already know or are learning how to sew (Mama Lisa is doing a guest authored series called Sew With Me, check out part 1 and part 2!), one of the things I find that ends up being the more expensive part of the whole sewing hobby isn’t the sewing machine itself – it’s the fabric and all those little notions you end up buying (ribbon, trims, snaps, hooks, lace, elastic, buttons, thread, etc.).

One way to save on all that money spent is to go do a closet clean out! And I don’t mean a closet clean out for your dolls, but for you. I go through my wardrobe maybe 2-3 times a year and pull out the things that I no longer wear, that no longer fit properly (i.e. I’ve grown or it’s shrunk due to the dryer or it’s been stretched out) or is somehow otherwise damaged (i.e. bleach stains due to someone else’s laundry ineptness, rips in the knees of jeans). There’s always something that can be removed from my wardrobe.

Anything that’s still good to wear gets donated – I donate generally to the Canadian Diabetes Association, it’s also an organization that my mom volunteers with twice a year for a week seeking donations. They collect used clothing and other items, usually for resale to earn money towards research and educating the public about diabetes.

But the things with the holes or the stains are either used as rags around the house or are tossed. Or, at least, they used to be.

Provided that there is a decent amount of fabric that’s not stained left, I’ll use it for making doll clothes. Remember that clothes for Blythe don’t require a large amount of fabric. If you were using patterns you find online or the Simplicity Blythe patterns, you will notice that it all calls for fabric scraps. This is because they use so little that you won’t need anywhere near a fat quarter.

There’s always something that you can make with the fabric out of old clothes. For instance, I had this ratty old dress shirt that I was given by my parents to use as a painting smock when I was younger (size large for men covers a lot of a small young child when they’re painting!). I used that shirt for making my first-ever Blythe dress and for the linings for bodices for (so far) 12 different Blythe dresses. That’s fabric that I probably would have cut out of the ‘good’ fabric if I didn’t already have it available.

Used clothes that you don’t mind cutting up are also a great way to test a pattern that you’ve never used before so you don’t use your more expensive on a pattern that you may end up making a lot of adjustments on. It’s also a great way to recycle and to keep it out of the landfills – so you’re both helping the environment and clothing your Blythes at the same time. I call that a win-win situation.

I’ve always been told that good things come to those that wait.

Now I’m not sure how truthful that phrase is, but I’ve been waiting to find a good deal on a certain wishlist doll for a very long time now (Sunday Best!). Every time that she shows up in the Buy/Sell/Trade (BST) forum of certain Blythe forums (This is Blythe, Plastic Paradise) I always have the need to check out the posting to see what the doll looks like, what kind of customizations have been done and if I have that little bit of spark of love when I see her. If there’s nothing there, I move on.

Prices for dolls have been moving around a little bit lately, some days you can’t look through threads without bumping into a few for sale threads all featuring a Goldie with “the best hair” the original poster has ever seen in their life (and, to be fair, if it’s the only Goldie they’ve ever seen, there’s not much competition, now is there?). It really is a competitive market. Those who really need to sell their dolls might do it at cut-throat pricing, or offer incentives for those who buy more than one doll or even free domestic shipping, which is a nice bonus if you were planning on buying that doll in the first place.

Click to read more of this entry.

This is a guest post by Mama Lisa. If you’re interested in contributing and writing for BlytheLife.com, click here for more information.

You just bought the very first Simplicity sewing pattern for Blythe. Now what?! Don’t panic! It isn’t as hard as you think it will be. Get a great pair of scissors and follow along as you learn all about sewing with patterns.

Click to read more of this entry.

1. Save a specified amount in a jar every month. Even if you only save $10/month, every little bit adds up. Alternatively, have a monthly deposit into a bank account dedicated to dolly savings.
2. Have a lot of clutter around your house? Garage or yard sale it! Of course, if it’s not all of your own things, only put part of it towards a new doll.
3. Closet clean out! Haven’t had your dolls wear that dress in months? Sell it online!
4. Learn to crochet or knit – make hats, sweaters or cardigans and sell them to other Blythe enthusiasts.
5. Get a second (part-time) job – dedicate those paycheques towards a new Blythe.
6. Do chores around the house for extra allowance/money (sadly, this only works if you’re still getting allowance and if you get paid for doing chores).
7. Do a bake sale (check with your local laws regard selling food first).
8. Learn to sew and start making your own dolly clothes – sell them online.
9. If you can do any other craft (not related to dolly outfits), consider make those and selling them (craft fairs, online, etc.)
10. Collect pop cans and return them to bottle depots, save the money for a new doll.
11. If you have a regular budget for groceries, use some coupons to save some money – anything ‘extra’ can go into a savings jar.
12. Cut out something from your monthly budget. If you normally spend $100 on alcohol per month, consider a dry month and put the money that would have gone to alcohol towards a new doll.
13. Consider doing a doll swap – you trade your doll that you no longer want for a doll that you do. Best way to save money is to do a straight swap (no money exchanges hands).
14. Do sponsored posts on your blog.
15. Babysit your friends’ kids for a few nights when you don’t have any plans and they do.
16. Do freelance writing (maybe not on your blog).
17. Join affiliates programs and link to those on your website.
18. Offer to customize Blythes for other people (it helps if you have a portfolio of work you’ve already done, plus a website with a clear pricing list and other terms and conditions).
19. Offer to do custom clothes or other accessories for their dolls.
20. Go to thrift stores and seek out some good deals to resell online.
21. Sell used items  to secondhand stores.
22. Put ads on your website and hope people click on them.
23. Do paid product reviews.
24. Come with a new thing to make for Blythe – market them and sell them!
25. Auction something you no longer want on eBay.
26. Do sponsored tweets!
27. Do commissioned design work for websites (or offer to do it and get paid for it)
28. Take out a loan from your significant other (repay in kisses or homemade baked goods – only works if they’re willing to take baked goods as compensation – also, repay promptly).
29. Sell textbooks. Not if you actually need them though (or maybe even if you do…?).
30. Pick up change found on the ground. Find a penny, pick it up, and all day you’ll have good luck.