Just some little bits of news today:

BlytheLife.com is now on Instagram! @blythelifecom – Follow and there is an upcoming giveaway that will take place both on the blog and on Instagram!

And I am looking for participants for the 2016 Holiday Shopping Guide! Don’t be shy if you’re an Etsy/Artfire/Big Cartel shop owner because it’s essentially free advertisement for you for the holiday season! First part will go up very soon, so get in touch with me soon – michelle@blythelife.com.

The Bun-in-a-Cup thinks everyone should get a doll for their birthday!

What a loaded question! There are so many variables, so here are some things to keep into consideration:

The age of the person. I think we’d all be hard pressed to gift a Blythe doll to a toddler, but it is certainly appropriate for a child (or someone who is a child at heart) who can appreciate Blythe and can take care of them well.

The level of interest in Blythe. The last thing that you want to do is gift an expensive doll to someone who has a passing fancy in Blythe. But if they’ve been collecting, it’s probably a good gift bet.

And if you’re gifting yourself a doll for your birthday… Well I just think that is the most appropriate birthday gift of all – as you know yourself best! As for me, I definitely think that Blythe is an appropriate birthday present for most any age! Devi Delacour is my self-given birthday gift – I certainly know how to spoil myself! (Unboxing photos and fresh-out-of-the-box photos very soon!)

Do you think that a Blythe doll is an appropriate birthday gift?

P.S. If you’re interested in participating in the 2016 BlytheLife Holiday Shopping Guide, check out this post for more information!

The goal: a pretty epic Holiday Shopping Guide for 2016.

Are you excited? Are you a talented customizer or an up-and-coming crafter? Whether you’re new or highly experienced at all things crafty related to Blythe, you’ll want to get in on this! I will be doing a Holiday Shopping Guide for November/December on BlytheLife.com this year, the categories will be $25 and under, $50 and under, and then $50+.

I can be pretty terrible about the holidays and keeping track of them for BlytheLife. Halloween is in just a few days and I honestly have zero new costume plans for my dolls. Why? Because my local Blythe group isn’t having a Halloween meet until the following weekend. Which means I have a whole extra 5 days to come up with an amazing costume idea, create it, and pop it on a doll.

What this really means that I’ll be showing off an unseasonably ghoulish or scary (scary-cute?) Halloween costume sometime after the local doll meet – because spoilers aren’t fun! That said, I’m really looking forward to Halloween! I actually work on Halloween this year, and there are some restrictions to what I can or cannot wear at work. This is pretty much due to fun things like “infection control” and maintaining some sense of decorum and professionalism. One of my coworkers will be scooping up a bunch of fun Halloween-themed headbands and just dropping them off at in the staff room for everyone to pick and choose from. There will be kitty ears, witches hats, and little devil horns. I’m going to opt for the kitty ears because meow.

In the past, I’ve come up with some delightfully fun Halloween outfits for my dolls. For instance, the first Halloween meet we did as a group, Belarus went as a squid. Because why not? I actually quite love this costume and still pull it out from time to time because I had such fun making it! And then one year, I brought all three of my Kenners in costume.

I have zero idea what I’m going to do for this year, but I still have a little over a week to flesh out an idea and execute it. Chances are I’ll be bringing my new Devi Delacour – and she’s already in a Halloween-appropriate outfit – so what I really need to do is just come up with another outfit for one of my other dolls. Hopefully I can think of something soon!

Bonus to having a post-Halloween Halloween meet is that it makes decorations and little fun knick knacks just that much more affordable! I had made the suggestion that everyone attending in my local doll group bring a little treat so everyone could go home with a loot bag – just as if we had gone trick-or-treating. I plan on getting a bunch of cute little things, along with mini chocolate bars and some other fun things – photos after because spoilers aren’t any fun.

Are you going to be attending a Halloween-themed doll meet? (Or have you already attended one?) And curious minds what to know: what fun costume ideas did you come up with this year?

You are all going to think that this is the world’s biggest First World Problem, mostly because I think it’s a FWP.

I picked up my Devi Delacour from the post office yesterday and she is still in her box, under the thick plastic covering. She is out of her shipper carton, but that is about it. And I’m sure you’re asking “But Michelle, you’ve been waiting very impatiently for her, why haven’t you ripped her out of her box yet?” and that is an excellent question. Unless you’re me and you have been somehow added to about two dozen Blythe-related Facebook groups. My news feed is littered with photos of dolls all the time.

Proper photos of my still-nameless Devi Delacour soon!
Bonus shot of Sailor Mars (last Funko Pop I wanted from the Sailor Moon collection!).

And with the arrival of Devi Delacour at many people’s doorsteps, this means that I’ve been seeing a lot of photos of people with their Devi Delacour and all the flaws that they have been finding. Now, I am no stranger to stock dolls that have issues. Eden Mouse (Punkaholic People) had a horribly uneven hair cut when she arrived – that I remedied with a pink mouse hat that is semi-permanently affixed to her head. But with Devi Delacour still under the thick plastic and safely inside of her box, I can believe that she is perfect until proven otherwise. For a few days, she’ll remain in her box, safely protecting the illusion that my first preorder Blythe doll is in immaculate condition and has zero flaws.

In part, this may seem like I am lying to myself (and I suppose that I am), but Devi Delacour is also supposed to be a birthday present to myself and it’s not even the right month yet… Which probably means that I should wait a little bit longer. At least until November hits and I can pull her out of the box!

However… If I pull her out in October, does that mean I need to buy myself another doll for my birthday in November?