For those that may remember, I blogged a little bit about Chicki.co.uk a while ago when Vicky was looking for artisans to carry their products in her webshop! It’s a super adorable shop of all things cute that’s based out of the United Kingdom. Her shop carries all sorts of things – both Blythe dolls and accessories and other fun things!

Hi Vicky! What can you tell us about yourself and how you came to discover Blythe?
I discovered Blythe about 9-10 years ago whilst at a fashion trade show in London. A European company was producing bags and Apparel with Gina’s images.

How did Chicki came to existing?
I use to make and sell alternative clothing to a local shop where I also worked part time and decided I would create my own web shop for my items. However after having a baby just over 6 years ago I had much less time so decided to take a new direction. This is when Chicki started to grow into what we see today.

A Zombuki doll necklace (left) and a Scrummyland jelly bean muffin necklace.

What makes your site unique on the internet?
We enjoy what we do and are in love with the products. My partner is the brains behind all of the web stuff and illustration and we both work hard on the visual side of things. We also try and source smaller brands and artists to work with. It’s so hard trying to compete with the millions of websites out there so having fresh new products helps a great deal.

I love the things you have available on your website! How can someone go about getting their products in your store?
Well most of the time I just scour the internet for products and hunt them down until I find them. If anyone has anything they think would fit in well with our store they can email us their product information. I’m a super window shopper and love searching out those hard to find items. I just love finding something that’s new and awesome and can’t wait to share it with the customers.

What kind of Blythe things are you currently carrying and planning on carrying in the future?
We have got a small range of Blythe dolls, wigs, shoes, clothes, accessories and miniatures. We also sell the wonderful Zombuki products that feature customised dolls. We have also just stocked a couple of lovely Blythe fashion bags (for people).

I am working on a new range of Blythe clothing too. Making dolls clothes was one of my favourite pass times as a kid and so I’m happy to get back into this. I also make my own range of miniature food jewellery called Scrummyland so I may also make some doll jewellery.

I am also considering stocking the Blythe Littlest Pet Shop range but I’m not quite sure what I think about it so I would love your thoughts.

For those who have never placed an order with Chicki, what’s the process like from first visiting your website to receiving a purchase in the mail?
Ordering is pretty simple. All you need to do is register as a customer and then shop. We sell worldwide so wherever you are you can get your fix of cute stuff. International orders are sent by airmail so it doesn’t take too long, about 5-7 days on average.

We regularly give out coupons and passwords for money off and freebies through our blog, Twitter, Facebook and mail outs so it’s worth checking them out for great money off deals and FREE stuff.

From left to right: Scrummyland Happy Lemon Mirror, Luli Bunny Momiji Doll Alex, Very Vicky.

I think it’s great that you incorporate your childhood hobbies into your business now! How did you get your start in making miniature food jewellery?
It was about 4 years ago that I started making the miniature food jewellery. I had been making a lot of hair bows and necklaces using vintage fruit shaped beads and buttons previously and they were always popular. At this point I decided to concentrate on producing my own range of food inspired accessories. It was also a perfect fit for the other items being sold through Chicki.

I love that there’s a little something for everyone in your shop. How do you balance the work and the play sides of things when you’re creating the products and having new things arrive all the time?
This is the hardest thing and some days I get very frustrated as I seem to spent so much time dealing with customers, packing orders, accounts, buying, adding new products, product images, the list seems endless. It can be hard to get the time to sit down and create stuff and just when you think you can the dog needs walking or our son needs to be picked up from school.

Most of the time I use my evenings to create new products if I can. Also in the quite months I may get a few days here and there to do the stuff I love. It is very hectic but I wouldn’t want to do anything else.

From left to right: Blythe skull boots, bobbed blonde wig, Blythe bag with a bobble hat.

For both things that you make and other things that sell, what goes through your head when you see the photos that people put up online of the things from Chicki?
I love to see people getting pleasure from the things they have got from Chicki it’s a great feeling.
When I worked in the clothing store I mentioned before and customers were buying items I had made, or I saw people out wearing my items I felt good but never wanted to point out that it was my stuff. I was rubbish at promoting myself. That’s why I like the whole online community. I find it much easier with all of the social networking tools and have met some great like minded people.

Thank you so much for doing this interview with me, Vicky! What kind of advice do you have for someone who’s just discovering Blythe?
Not to be afraid of what others might think! You should embrace all that makes you happy. Toy’s are wonderful and joyful things that captivate the imagination. You are never too old for that.

Chicki.co.uk Prize Pack Giveaway!

Oh yes, one very lucky winner will be winning: 1 super cute Blythe bag, 1 pair of Blythe sunglasses, 1 bobbed wig, 1 box of Re-ment and 1 miniature bag of handmade boiled sweets (not pictured).

You can get up to sixteen (16) entries for this giveaway draw and you can enter until Saturday April 9th 2011 at 11:59pm PDT. The draw will be held on Sunday April 10th 2011 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 Vicky for arranging shipment of 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 Vicky of Chicki! Do you have any questions for her? 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 9 entries into the giveaway. Please comment below to tell me that you’ve been tweeting (1 comment per tweet!)

Check out @blythelifecom interview’s with Vicky of Chicki.co.uk and a great prize pack! http://bit.ly/foOYVQ

Bonus Entry #2: Follow the Chicki.co.uk’s Twitter account! This is worth 1 entry. Comment below to let me know that you’ve followed her Twitter account!

Bonus Entry #3: Blog about the contest! Be sure to include some details about the contest and include links to BlytheLife.com, this interview/giveaway page and to Chicki.co.uk! For 1 blog entry, this is worth 5 entries into the giveaway! You must comment below with the URL to your blog post. In order for blog posts to be eligible for entries, you are not to copy-and-paste information directly (please write in your own words!).

If you can’t wait to find out if you’ve won or found other fantastic things on Chicki.co.uk that you want, Vicky has offered up a discount code just for BlytheLife.com readers!

Enter BLYTHELIFE at check out (and remember to update your cart to apply the discount!) for 10% off your purchase.

I had a blast interviewing Heather! You may know her better by her username, Claribari, or even by her Etsy shop name (Claribari Blythe). There are a few important things you should know about her: she designs fantastic headbands and she loves Blythe. She also sews and is this week’s addition to the March Talent Showcase so I’m really excited to share with you the interview she did with me!

Hi Heather! What can you tell us about yourself?
I am a 25-year-old wife, mother, and Blythe-lover. I have a degree in music education, but I have never had a job teaching. I work as a kitchen specialist at IKEA, and I absolutely love it! My hobbies have always revolved around the arts; I enjoy sewing, crocheting, scrapbooking, and music.

How did you discover Blythe?
I first discovered Blythe in Willynillywaterlily’s blog. She makes amigurumi creations as well as Blythe fashions. I started reading her blog to follow the cute ami stuff, and I kept seeing this CREEPY looking doll. After a year or two I became fascinated with said doll, looked her up, and then obsessed over buying one until I finally did. I fell in love with my Cassiopeia Spice the moment I saw her, and now my hobby is an addiction!

What was the first thing that you made for Blythe?
The first thing dress that I made for Cassie was from the Puchi Collective’s free patterns. I made her two little “Blythe Party Dresses.” The one is a little loose, and the other is almost too tight; but not bad for being made before Cassie even arrived!

Where do you come up with the inspirations for some of your designs?
I started with a very ‘destash’ mentality! A lot of my flowers/buttons/etc are remnants from my scrapbook supply hoarding. Some of the plastic headbands come with their own flair (the black and white flowered one, for example) I will soon be making my own little cabochans from Sculpy. One new headband that is in the works was literally ‘dreamed up’ while I was trying to fall asleep.

How much time do you spend working on your shop?
I spend as much time as I can working on headbands, but my timing is sporadic at best, due to being a new mommy to my 3-month old daughter. I am hoping as she and I settle into more of a schedule that I can devote some more time at regular intervals!

What’s the first thing that you think when you see your headbands in someone’s Blythe photos?
This just happened the other day, actually. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. I just stared at my computer screen and thought, “I made those!!!” I’m really glad people enjoy them and think that they are well-done. My biggest fear was that people wouldn’t like them for some reason once they saw them in person! I kept checking to make sure they fit my girls over and over to be sure.

What would you say sets your headbands apart from the others that are available?
The plain plastic ones are not unique in any way, but the ribbon wrapped and decorated ones share a style all my own. Stacie of Blytheblu is one of the only others I know who does ribbon wrapped bands and her charms and decor style are her own, as mine are my own. It is mostly color selection and materials that set them apart. I love to make a ‘mess’ with all of my ribbon and charms and then just mix and match until I like a combination. I think it makes my husband crazy!

What do you think is the hardest and easiest parts of owning your own business?
The hardest part is keeping track of expenses and setting prices. I tend to just buy supplies like crazy and then hubby has to remind me to calculate those costs out of my profit. I find it really difficult to add the price tag to an item, and will sit starting at the screen debating between fifty cents or so! The easiest part is coming up with fun things to put in the shop. The dreaming part is all too easy sometimes.

What kind of plans do you have in the future for your Etsy shop, Claribari Blythe?
In the future I would like to offer sewn items as well as the headbands, but I think my sewing needs to get a bit better. I would love to do t-shirts and/or dresses that mirror some of my headband designs. If hubby and I ever manage it, we want to design and build Blythe furniture as well.

Thanks so much for doing this interview with me! What kind of advice do you have for someone who’s also juggling between family life and Blythe crafting?
Thank you for interviewing me! If you are a crafter, shop owner, and parent, juggling everything is hard! Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get to do things when planned. Usually you can find another opportunity to work; during naps, staying up a bit later or getting up a bit earlier, or if your spouse will help you out that goes a long way. Biggest piece of advice: Be okay with doing things in stages, because interruptions happen!

Headband Giveaway!

Heather is offering up one Pac-Man headband to one very lucky winner!

You can get up to sixteen (16) entries for this giveaway draw and you can enter until Saturday April 2nd 2011 at 11:59pm Pacific. The draw will be held on Sunday April 3rd 2011 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 Heather for arranging shipment of 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 Heather! Do you have any questions for her? 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 9 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 Claribari Blythe for an awesome headband giveaway and interview! http://bit.ly/h4oDiB

Bonus Entry #2: Follow Heather’s blog RSS feed! This is worth 1 entry. Comment below to let me know that you’ve followed her blog feed!

Bonus Entry #3: Blog about the contest! Be sure to include some details about the contest and include links to BlytheLife.com, this interview/giveaway page and to the Claribari shop! For 1 blog entry, this is worth 5 entries into the giveaway! You must comment below with the URL to your blog post.

New to customizing, Naomi is better known in the Blythe community under her username Weeping Sabicu. A fellow Canadian, I was quite happy to get to interview Naomi as she offers her insights to the learning curve that exists when learning how to customize Blythe. How she manages to work up the courage to take sharp objects to a Blythe doll, I may never know, but it was still fascinating to learn how she does it and what she’s learned from the experience so far!

Naomi and her Blythe, Petey Glum.

Hi Naomi! What can you tell us about yourself and how you came to discover Blythe?
Tell you about myself: Well, I work as a Senior Contracts Administrator for a Software firm in Calgary AB Canada. I discovered Blythe quite by accident. I was trolling e-bay in February of last year and saw the cutest custom with red flippy hair whom I eventually named Mollee made by Neroli Blythe. My co-worker saw her and said I should buy her because she kind of looked like me with the same hair colour and style. Thus the “obsession” was born. I’ve always been into dolls. My mom would buy me Dawn Dolls and Barbies and when I grew up, I was and still am a Barbie collector. I suppose I needed something new? I bought a second Blythe off e-bay around the same time as Mollee and they arrived at my house on the same day. I was fascinated by their big noggins and cool colour changing eyes and how versatile they were.

What drew you to start working on your first custom Blythe?
I didn’t really intend on customizing at first. My second Blythe, Tash who I learned was a partially customized Casual Affair arrived with her face-up not being sealed and a small dent in her lips. I know now that it’s not completely kosher in the Blythe world to re-do someone else’s face-up, but because it wasn’t sealed and my original plan was only to fix the lip I didn’t think much of it. In the process of fixing her, I essentially ruined her original face up. OOPS. I hit the internet with absolutely no knowledge of what I was doing and started from there. I discovered Plastic Paradise, now Blythe Kingdom and sought help. I also joined Flickr and started adding contacts for inspiration through pictures. My original plan was only to fix her, not to start a custom, but as I got into it further, it became more and more appealing. I thought, I can do this!

In progress photo of Tash.

What was the first customization that you did? (i.e. changing eye chips, rerooting hair, gaze correction, etc.)
The first thing I did was to peel off the lip paint and discovered the original was still underneath, but chipped. In the process of removing her lip paint to re do it, I ended up taking off all paint! Looking at this naked faced girl, I delved deeper into how to carve lips. Not using proper tools or techniques, I just went for it. You don’t want to know what I used!! I bought four pairs of hand painted eye chips from GBaby and put them in. I asked a Flickr member how to boggle and gaze correct, and she kindly posted pictures for me so I could learn. I researched Youtube on how to remove eye chips, I found sites about customization and bookmarked them all.

Tash is an on going project. She’s been sand matted, had her lashes removed, and a scalp change. In learning how to do this, I’ve discovered it helps to do things in order. I was so excited that I wanted to do it all at once, which to my dismay caused me to ruin so far three sets of lashes. I read about pastels, and sealer and currently researching how to paint her lips. I’ve had so much fun in this process that I’ve actually purchased a fully stock Blythe to do a second customization on, now that I sort of know what I’m doing and have the techniques under my belt to do a better job.

What is the most complicated thing that you’ve done with your Blythes so far?
Lip carving for sure! That was the most complicated thing I did to her. Considering I didn’t have the “proper” tools at the time and had really no idea what I was supposed to use. I think people would be HORRIFIED to learn that I used some items from my kitchen drawer.

Customization tools: chalk pastels in beautiful colours.

How do you set up your customizing work area?
I live in such a tiny apartment that I don’t have room for an area set aside. My kitchen table doubles for my work area. It’s near a window so I get natural light in the daytime to work by.

What would you say is the most important thing that you’ve learned so far to take into consideration when starting a custom project?
I think the most important thing I learned is to gather all your supplies needed first, and to go in some type of order. I ruined eyelashes, had to re-sand, had to remove paint, lost screws, and killed a t-bar all because I didn’t plan my “attack” as it were. I know now to sketch the idea out or write it down first. For me, to write down the order in which I need to do things also helps to prevent wasting materials. I have a set plan for my second custom and although I may not start it for awhile, I know what I want her to look like. This first custom taught me that I can indeed do it, and I’ll be smarter and more organized with my second attempt.

Be truthful now, how nerve wracking is it to put hot glue sticks to an expensive doll’s eyes?
OMG, SO NERVE WRACKING! The first time I did it, I thought I was seriously going to break something. I found that the RBL I did was way easier for some reason to get the chips out than my EBL, which I have yet to succeed on. Also, the first time I did it, I melted the glue stick too much and the glue went everywhere. Thankfully I had taped the lashes and eye openings with painter’s tape or else there would have been a great eyeball tragedy!

Naomi’s Mollee, customized by Neroli Blythe and hat by Naomi.

What made you persevere through the challenges you’ve come across in learning how to customize your Blythe?
I like to learn new things and at first I didn’t think it would be too difficult. It has been a bit difficult, but in keeping at it, I challenged myself to do something I wouldn’t think I was capable of doing before. I’m not an artist, nor can I draw very well, but this is a creative outlet for me that I needed to try.

How has learning to customize change the way you look at Blythe?
Learning to customize has made me actually love the doll more. I can now appreciate the hours and hours that other customizers put in and now understand the true value of their work and creativity.

When it comes to Blythe, what do you think makes her so appealing for customizers?
I think Blythe is appealing to customizers because of her ability to be a canvas for expression. She’s a quirky looking doll with her huge head and big eyes so there’s a lot of surface area on that head to do pretty much whatever you want to it. She can be a blank slate.

One of the many faces of Naomi’s Tash.

What’s something that you’re looking forward to learning how to do when it comes to customizing?
I think the most exciting thing about the customization process for me is learning how to carve lips. I didn’t really know what I was doing when I started my first, and did not use a guide or have any plan as to how I wanted it to look, I just started a carvin’. I now am researching other people’s techniques to get a better result, including what tools they use. The lips really in my opinion determine the expression of the doll, whether you wish to make her grumpy, sad, happy etc. One doll in particular (Rownan) that belonged once to Bud Loves Sissy is a great source of inspiration to me. I loved that doll’s expression and those lips I strive to learn how to do.

Thanks so much for doing this interview with me, Naomi! What kind of advice do you have for someone who’s new the Blythe hobby?
Advice to newbies? Because Blythe is so versatile she can appeal to a range of tastes, whether you like short hair, long hair, fantasy colours, or natural colours. She can be whomever you want her to be. I would say for sure to budget! They aren’t inexpensive, and it’s incredibly easy to go crazy and buy up a bunch of them and then realize that you blew your grocery money. They are addictive.

Have a plan in mind of how big you would really like your collection. Do you have the room? Do you have a display area in mind? Otherwise, I think just build your collection slowly with what you love. My collection consists of 9 now(three stock, five customs and the one I’m working on myself) For me, I purchased the ones who “sang” to me.

Blythe owners are fierce in their devotion to this doll, so sometimes there can be drama. Try not to buy into that if you can and remember that ultimately collections are about what makes you happy.

I’ve also met some amazing people in discovering Blythe and the community has been nothing but kind to me. I’m very much looking forward to BlytheCon 2011 in Portland to meet these people face to face and share in my newly discovered hobby.

Thank you for taking a chance with me for this interview! It’s been fun!

Go Canadian Blythe Collectors!

Naomi’s first custom: Tash.

Victoria is probably better known in the Blythe community as fruityblythe. She’s an illustrator by trade and I first found out about her new fabric designs on Flickr! She was open to doing an interview for the March Talent Showcase, as she’s new to the fabric designing world. I was ever so excited to interview her because I feel that it’s always important to talk about the different aspects of creativity that are in the Blythe community and she offers a look at one that not a lot of people venture into: fabric design.

Hi Victoria! What can you tell us about yourself and how you discovered Blythe?
I actually used to really dislike dolls as a child, but I saw this very cool looking doll on television for the Alexander McQueen for Target commercials. She was just so cute and wearing all of those Mcqueen fashions intrigued me. I searched for her on the internet and purchased my first girl on ebay.

How did the name of Pamplemousse come about?
Pamplemousse means Grapefruit in French. My boyfriend and I were shopping and he picked up a cologne bottle and the main ingredient was written on the front “Pamplemousse” we both thought this was a very funny sounding word. I took french for 3 years in high school so our running gag is that he mispronounces the word and I try to teach him to say it right.

What gave you the idea to start designing fabric?
I always used to like Lolita fashion brands like “Baby the Stars shine Bright” “France Lippe” My friend brought back this adorable dress her trip to japan and it had all of these illustrated little girls dancing around it with a very pretty pattern on the bottom of the dress. I’m an illustrator by trade, and I originally wanted to print fabric for real people, but then realized that nobody was making Lolita style fabrics scaled for dolls!

Where have you gotten your inspiration for fabric designs?
I love to look at Japanese characters from stationary! I think they are very cute and fun and I try to come up with my own characters that have a similar feel. I also like to think about things that make me laugh, I like to have a sense of humor in my designs. the next set I want to design is going to be called “Fat Unicorns”

Has being an illustrator by trade helped or hindered your designing process?
Definitely helped. I’ve had a ton of time playing with different mediums to try and get different looks with my fabrics. I just sent off a fabric I designed using watercolors! I think parlaying what you’re naturally good at into the doll hobby can be a powerful thing.

I understand that you’ve designed to make your fabric runs limited, can you explain your reasoning behind this?
I understand how I could easily become too satisfied with my own work and just keep reprinting the same fabric, but I want to challange myself. I want to keep making things that can make different and unique dresses! I will reproduce some popular ones, but never exactly the same. I may change the colors so that the first batch will remain unique.

Can you tell us what kind process you go through from the idea to the printed fabric?
I start by thinking about what I would like to see my dolls wear. I always like girly styles so I think about what they would enjoy doing. I imagine that they have likes and dislikes as well and I think about which of those things would make for cute or amusing fabric designs.

What would you say is one of the main things that sets your fabric apart from other fabric available in dolly-friendly sized prints?
I would say that my designs are different because of the attitude of the characters. My second print is called “Spoiled Princess” and unlike other fairy tale designs I have seen, these girls have major tude! Part of me thinks that we Western collectors are much more about the personalities of our dolls and like to see unique facets of them.

How have people in the Blythe community responded to your new fabric designs?
Well, we haven’t been open for very long, but so far the response has been very positive! I sold out of my first batch in a few hours and I’m excited to start selling more!

What has excited you the most about designing fabric?
I always loved crafting things for dolls, but I always find myself without any time to do it! I found that when I made fabric, I was able to craft for my dolls one step ahead of a final product, which is very exciting.

What kind of things do you have planned for the future for Pamplemousse?
More fun and funny fabrics for one! For another I would love to start to work with some designers for collaboration collections where I design fabric especially for them and their designs!

Thanks so much for doing this interview with me! What kind of advice would you give to someone who’s unsure about starting to sell things in the Blythe community?
Test your market first, do your research and see what things excite the community. I started Pamplemousse with only one yard in case it turned out my idea was a total flop, but people seemed excited about it so I’m continuing.

I also recommend making connections! Most of the time, friends of yours will be the best way to get the word out there about your products! Be active on Flickr, take an interest in other collectors, you’ll be a happier Blythe-er and more successful!

Pamplemousse Fabric Giveaway!

One very lucky person will be winning some Pamplemousse fabrics! The designs include one piece each of Spoiled Princess Lolita Stripe, Ice Cream Lolita and Watercolor Tulips.

You can get up to sixteen (16) entries for this giveaway draw and you can enter until Saturday March 19th 2011 at 11:59pm PST. The draw will be held on Sunday March 20th 2011 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 Victoria for arranging shipment of 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 Victoria! 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 9 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 @fruityblythe for an awesome fabric giveaway! http://bit.ly/fVMIpp

Bonus Entry #2: Follow Victoria’s Twitter account, @fruityblythe! This is worth 1 entry. Comment below to let me know that you’ve followed her Twitter account!

Bonus Entry #3: Blog about the contest! Be sure to include some details about the contest and include links to BlytheLife.com, this interview/giveaway page and to the Pamplemousse shop! For 1 blog entry, this is worth 5 entries into the giveaway! You must comment below with the URL to your blog post.

As part of the March Talent Showcase, I had the pleasure of interviewing the sisterly duo behind AnneArchy, a fun Etsy shop that sells things for Blythe as well as things for other human companions and things for people! Susan and Anne are the two lovely sisters behind AnneArchy and they were gracious to answer some questions that I had for them!

Hi Anne and Susan! What can you tell us about yourselves and how you discovered Blythe?
Susan: I’ve always been pretty crafty. I learned to sew at a young age from our Mom and always enjoyed it. I love making things and having a product to show people when I’m done. I like that handmade items aren’t necessarily perfect and that it shows the love that was put into making it. I discovered Blythe though Anne and was fascinated by her look and her large following of super crafty people.

Anne: Like my sister, I’ve always been pretty crafty. I was in 4H when I was a kid, and our group was called Busy Bobbins. We did sewing and related crafts and it helped me develop an appreciation for my ability to create something useful or wearable. That feeling is so satisfying! I now like to sew and knit, as well as general crafting, and I’m hoping to teach myself some more advanced embroidery techniques in 2011. I discovered Blythe through Morganannie, who I know professionally (she and I have similar day jobs: we’re both librarians in Michigan), and the more I saw her beautiful creations, the more I knew that I needed to try it myself.

When and why did you decide to start making things to sell for Blythe?
Susan: While looking around at Blythe online I saw a lot of the awesome handmade items that other people were making and wanted it try it myself. My very first attempts at sewing over 20 years ago were stuffed animals and clothes for them, so it felt very natural.

Anne: Like I mentioned, Morgan got me hooked, and as soon as I got my first Blythe (a Prima Dolly Ashlette, who I call Willow), I jumped right in and started sewing for her. It was in November of 2009 that I got Willow, and I sold my first dresses later that month! Susan and I already had the AnneArchy shop on Etsy, so we just expanded our offerings to include stuff for Blythe.

What kind of places do you draw inspiration from for your crafts?
Susan: I find a lot of inspiration looking at fabric, at the fabric store, online, or in my stash. I also look at colors and patterns in daily life and think about how that might translate into an outfit. One of my favorite dresses was inspired by a dress worn by the daughter of a high school friend.

Anne: Susan and I are pretty similar here – looking at the raw materials provides a lot of inspiration for me, too. The feeling of being at a fabric store and having all that awesome pattern and color around you – who wouldn’t be inspired? I also get excited by looking for little doodads and embellishments that I could use on clothing for Blythe. Sometimes you can find things in unexpected places (tiny flowers at the dollar store? perfect!). I also get inspired by the dolls themselves. Each Blythe has her own personality, and it’s fun to create clothing that suits a girl.

What would you say sets your things for Blythe apart from all the other things on Etsy?
Susan: Anne’s sweaters, hands down. They are amazing! From form fitted to comfy oversized, they are perfect. Plus with the custom listings you can create your own color combinations, how cool is that? Love them.

Anne: *blushing from flattery from the sistrah* I’d say that we really take a lot of care to make sure that our items are detailed and well-made. We both craft for the fun of it and we take pride in our work, so we end up with quality items to offer to other Blythe enthusiasts. Not that everything else on Etsy isn’t quality, of course! I just think we do a darn good job.

How does it make you feel when you see photos of your dollywares on other people’s dolls online?
Susan: I get super excited…every time. I love seeing pictures from customers, and I show everyone! That feeling hasn’t diminished, selling each dress is extremely validating that someone thought my product, the thing I made, was pretty and their special gal would like to wear it! Biggest warm fuzzy ever. I am amazed and gratified all over again every time a dress sells and it makes me antsy to get back into CraftyTown.

Anne: Oh, yes! I love it! It is SO neat to see how people put our items together with clothing from their existing wardrobes, and to see how an item we’ve made can suit a Blythe so well! I get excited about it every time, too.

What kind of process do you go through when making new things (from start to finish)?
Susan: I often start with a fabric that I’m really digging that day, sometimes its a color (the other day I made 5 different dresses all of the fabrics were some shade of blue). Then usually decide what dress style would go with that fabric and if a contrast color might be nice. Every now and then, its the embellishment I fall in love with and I find a fabric that I think would highlight it. Then I sew. I tend toward doing one dress start to finish before moving on to the next one.

Anne: For me it really varies on my mood and which craft I’m doing. For sewing, I usually spend some time staring at the fabrics and embellishments I have in my stash,and then at a certain point I’ll start matching them up. I like to do things in batches most of the time, so I’ll usually match up some fabrics and embellishments, cut out a bunch of them to the size pieces I need, and then sew. I usually do my Blythe knitting on my lunch hours, so I have a little knitting bag in my purse that I take out to a quiet spot and then knit while I listen to an audiobook on my iPod. I almost always have an idea in mind when I pick out the yarn, so I usually start by knitting a bit and seeing what happens – I have some basic patterns I’ve created and I’ll play with one to see if I can change it to get the effect that I’m hoping for, and see if it turns out. I sometimes don’t like what happens and rip it out and start over, but with Blythe stuff, it doesn’t take long to figure that out so it’s not much time spent re-doing things. When I’ve finished knitting the item, I’ll weave in the ends and do any other finishing stuff that needs doing. Then later when I’m at home, I’ll sew on snaps or embellishments or whatever, and I usually am inspired to take a photo of it right away. I love to see how things look on Blythe once they’re finished!

How much time do the two of you spend on AnneArchy in, say, a week or a month?
Susan: I’d have to say I probably spend at least 10 hours a week, but it does vary with what the rest of life throws around.

Anne: I work full-time (sometimes more than that), so I don’t have a ton of time to devote on workdays. I can usually count on 3 or 4 lunch hours per week, but that varies with how busy work is and whether I have any work-related lunch appointments. I try to make at least an hour or two on my days off, so I’m probably somewhere around 6-8 hours per week, and more if I’m lucky! I do try to carve out an extra day here or there that I can take off as vacation or personal time when I can really devote myself to working on Blythe stuff all day. That is so much fun, but it only happens every few months.

How has running an Etsy shop changed the way you view other Blythe-related Etsy shop owners in the community?
Susan: I think it makes me appreciate the items that others make. Knowing everything that goes into making them, from finding the time to craft, the imagination for ideas, to the execution of some seriously amazing stuff. Every time I look around Etsy for items for my own gal I’m always finding tons of things and more often whole stores I add to my wishlist!

Anne: Susan really summed this one up well. It is so neat to really understand what it takes to make something, and see all the effort that others have put into making items for Blythe. It’s also really cool to see all the creativity people show in their creations.

How has working together made your sibling relationship change, if it has?
Susan: I think its made our relationship stronger. I moved across the country a short time before we started our Etsy shop and I struggled with the separation from family and friends. Having this shop and all the awesome items she is always coming up with gives us more excuses to call each other or chat online. Plus having someone to share ideas and problems with is invaluable, she’s always encouraging me and pushing me to do more.

Anne: Again, I agree! When Susan moved to Florida, it seemed like the hugest distance from Michigan! It’s so neat to have a common interest and endeavor that we can share like this. I’m so happy that I encouraged Susan to get into Blythe, too!

What kind of marvelous things can we expect to see from AnneArchy in the future?
Susan: More designs, different fabrics and trims, all showing off the awesomeness that is Blythe!

Anne: I hope that I’m going to continue to expand the types of knitted items that I make for Blythe, and also to different types of sewn items, too. I’d like to make more hats, and to perfect a skirt pattern that I’ve been working on. I’m more of a separates gal in my own wardrobe, and I’d like to make more separates for Blythe, too.

Thank you so much to the both of you for doing this interview with me! What kind of advice would you give to someone who’s new to the Blythe hobby?
Susan: Sharing this hobby with other people who also like Blythe is super fun and there are so many places to find kindred spirits with a love of Blythe. So I would encourage folks to find some fellow Blythe peeps. Join forums, investigate a meetup, share the Blythe! And for those considering making things for their gal, go for it!

Anne: Again I’m going to echo what Susan said – just go for it! There’s no shame in making something that doesn’t turn out exactly how you’d hoped – if nothing else, you learned something! And that in itself makes it a success. It’s really neat to form friendships with other Blythe enthusiasts. There are people from all over with so many other interests as well. I’d also say that joining swaps is a really great way to share the love of Blythe with others. You get the fun of picking out items for someone else, and then the treat of seeing what your swap partner chose for you!

You can find Anne and Susan on:

• Etsy at AnneArchy
• On Flickr (Anne, Susan)
• On their blogs (Anne, Susan)