I love attending local Blythe meets. It’s fun to see what new dolls someone has, or to see what someone is trying to destash (I love getting new-to-me clothes or shoes locally this way because it helps save on postage costs!). I really enjoy the company of my local doll friends, and a lot of the time we don’t even talk about dolls! It’s fun when we do talk about dolls though (and new dolls…!). Here are some fun activity ideas for Blythe meets:

1. Cookie decorating station – this can be made themed for an upcoming holiday and someone can prebake the cookie bases ahead of time. For Valentine’s Day, perhaps some heart cookies with white, pink, and red royal icing and fun sprinkles?
2. DIY mini t-shirt decorating – this one will take a bit more planning, but if someone orders a bunch of plain doll tees (e.g. from Cool Cat), shirts could be decorated with embroidery, fabric markers, iron-ons (printed from a printer or store-bought), or little patches.
3. Button making – this one requires someone having a button maker, but everyone could draw out their own button design (perhaps a pull ring or an eye chip?) and then pin in to their doll bag!
4. Scrapbooking – A great way to use all those photos of Blythes we’re always taking! It is surprisingly not that expensive to get photos printed these days, and a lot of scrapbooking supplies can be found at dollar stores or big box craft stores. Just make sure that you get acid-free papers and glues to prevent damaging the photos.
5. Tutu making station – I’m a huge fan of tutus and I even shared a tutorial here on BlytheLife on how to make an easy tutu! A roll of tulle can be fairly inexpensive (it can be found in floral shops as well as fabric/craft stores), and it’s an easy tutorial that most anyone of any level of crafty ability can do.
6. Furniture painting/decorating – It sounds like a lot of work, but I’ve found that a lot of dollar stores and big box craft stores will carry 1:6 or 1:12 sized furniture (usually wooden) for fairly low prices. With a few bottles of acrylic paint and maybe some sand paper, your group could make some cute and one of a kind pieces in afternoon!
7. Do a present exchange – this is not limited to the month of December! Set a reasonable limit (say $10-15), have people bring in wrapped gifts for Valentine’s, spring, Easter, summer, Halloween or just because. It’s fun to receive presents, but it’s even more fun to give! Make it doubly fun by making people do silly tasks to earn their presents (e.g. “bobbing” for gifts, or answering Blythe trivia questions!).
8. Host a sew-a-long – find a simple (free?) pattern online, and have everyone bring in some fabric or supply it to them. You’ll need needles and thread, along with scissors and pins. Try one of the projects on BlytheLife, like the trimmed skirt or felt slippers.
9. Have a tea party – this for me personally combines my love of tea and love of dolls (and friends). My local group and I have done afternoon tea at some tea houses and it has always been a lot of fun, but it isn’t cheap! Do it yourself at home with your friends, get everyone to bring in a light snack to share (some examples would include: mini cupcakes, chocolates, sandwiches, scones) and get your tea steeping!
10. Organize a swap meet – have everyone bring their gently used, but unwanted, clothes and shoes. Sell, trade, give away – and have everyone go home with something new-to-them. The easiest way to find joy in having something new without breaking the bank!

I hope these ideas come in handy when you plan your next Blythe meet! If you have any suggestions, share them below in the comments!

365 Blythe/A Doll A Day/any other daily photo challenge participants… You’re really not my target audience for this question at all (but feel free to answer below! And perhaps share the link to your Flickr album for your photo challenge?). For the every day Blythe collector (or just the lazier ones like me!), I’m wondering when the last time you took a photo of a Blythe.

For me, it was two days ago, and it was this photo:

While I wish I could spend more time taking photos of my Blythes, it’s not really always feasible. When I work, all I do is work-eat-sleep (rinse and repeat for four shifts) and that’s pretty much my life. I spend very little time with friends/family when I have work because I’m just too tired to do anything else, much less take out a doll and photograph her. It does lead to feelings of neglect on my part for my Blythes because while I do love them, I don’t spend nearly as much time with them as I wish I could on a regular basis. Some days I just don’t have the energy to do it.

How often do you photograph your Blythes?

I’ve been spending the last several weeks brainstorming a whole list of DIY Blythe-related projects that I want to tackle. The list is getting a little ridiculous, and my sister looked over my shoulder the other day and said “What if nobody actually wants these tutorials?” Of course the first thing I did was make a face at that idea, but then doubt and uncertainty started to set in. What if nobody really wanted to read the tutorials?

So my question to all of you today is: What kind of DIY tutorials do you want to see? Share below!

For those curious, I want to tackle making some miniature food items and furniture (which will be quite photo-heavy tutorials!), and also continue to do paper craft and knitting/crocheting DIYs for Blythe (Neo, Middie, Petite) as well. Any suggestions made, I’ll do my very best to make it happen if it’s within my abilities to do so! I currently have no plans for customization tutorials – it’s not really my forte as I am not a customizer. What customization abilities I do have, I will share tutorials on those (and have in the past).

The Blythe Adores Anna (Anna Sui collaboration) Blythe lottery has come and gone, and there are some disappointed people in the community! Not surprisingly, there was only 500 dolls in the international lottery via Junie Moon for the otherwise region-exclusive collaboration doll. This limited edition beauty is one of the more unique dolls to be put out by Blythe in a while, what with the hair-make up-eye chip combination, as well as the style of the Blythe stock (and we all have Anna Sui to thank for that).

But what happens if you’re one of unlucky ones that didn’t win the lottery? If you’re still hoping to get your hands on the limited edition beauty, here are some of your options:

• Find someone who did win the lottery draw but decided not to buy her. Partner up and have them buy the doll, and then sell the doll to you.
• Wait until the doll ships – there are usually some people who get their hands on the doll and then their financial situation changes or they decide to not keep her.
• Go to eBay and pay extraordinarily absurd secondhand prices to secure the doll.
• Or, perhaps, realize that everything happens for a reason and decide that your money is better spent elsewhere.

I personally had entered the lottery on a lark. I figured if I decided to not buy her, I could always resell her or find someone else who was really wanting her. I do love the look of her in photos though, so I kinda wish that I was a lottery ‘winner’ (even if I am trying to save up for BlytheCon later this year).

Did you fall short of winning the lottery for the new Blythe Adores Anna doll?

WANTED 5 talented people (or groups) in the Blythe community to participate in the annual BlytheLife.com March Talent Showcase!

It’s super simple: I interview you for the March Talent Showcase, and we discuss how you came to do what you do, and then I share that interview (and photographs of your work) here on BlytheLife.com in the month of March.

Interviews are typically 8-12 questions in length, we talk about how you came into the Blythe hobby, how you got started in your awesome talented thing that you do. Some people opt to do a giveaway (completely optional!) or include a coupon code (also completely optional!).

Some examples of previously showcased talent includes: customizers, knitters, sewers, crocheters, eye chip painters, and more! The only caveat is that you must have been doing this thing that you do for 1 year or less. If you’re an Etsy shop owner, that would mean that you’ve had your shop for a year or less.

If this sounds like something that you’d be interested in doing, please email me (michelle@blythelife.com) or check out the page on How To Get Featured for more information on getting featured here on BlytheLife!