Way back in 2011, I did a compilation of some tips for newbies that five of the people I had interviewed shared. I invite you all to take a look and some of the interviews I’ve done since 2011, as there have been many!

Here are some of the tips that have been shared with you, the BlytheLife reader.

From G. Baby Custom Dolls (interviewed August 8, 2011):

What kind of advice do you have for someone who’s just getting their feet wet into the world of customizing Blythe?
My advice for new customizers is, don’t be afraid!!!! Don’t think, just DO.

Click to read more of this entry.

Thank you so much to everyone who entered and read my interview with Katie. She was a joy to talk to throughout the process!

A reminder, the giveaway was for a gorgeous hand-crafted wire crown and handpainted galaxy eye chips (may not be exactly as shown…):

And the winner is… Click to read more of this entry.

I was first introduced to Katie via social media (either Flickr or Twitter). She has a fantastic blog, comes up with creative things to share with the doll community and she’s very active! She sews, paints eyechips, creates wire crowns and blogs – she does it all!

Hi Katie! What can you tell us about yourself?
Having just entered my 30s it feels a little strange to be playing with dolls, but I love them! I live in Canberra, Australia (the capital) and like most people in my city, I work for the Government in IT, though my background lies in the museum/cultural area. I’ve played music in a few bands, including my own that lasted about 8 years and have created artwork for CDs, etc. My other passion is crime/criminology, and I am currently studying part time in this field. As a teenager, I collected random dolls and modified them into fairies or sculptures that I used to sell at a shop called “Pretty on the Inside”. I guess this is where my doll obsession comes from. My other obsession is travel, I have travelled and lived all over the world, most recently to Japan.

How did your discover Blythe? Who’s in your doll family?
When I discovered Blythe, I was looking for something to replace drinking and going out to bars with. As odd as this sounds, when all of your social life consists of “going out” it gets lonely when you quit. I was looking for a hobby that would let me express my creativity, but also get me outside the house. A hobby that would help me meet new friends, and have more in common with them than alcohol. A bunch of people on a non-doll related message board were posting pics of their Blythe dolls in their own thread, talking in their own secret doll language about RBLs and re-rooting and NRFB hair issues. I fell in love with their big eyes and big heads and was soon trawling eBay looking for my own. In the beginning, $100 for a doll seemed INSANE. Now I have dolls worth a lot more than that, I laugh at my past self.

At the moment I have 17:
Blonde sidepart KB, Raven wispy KB, Redhead sidepart KB, PD Amaryllis, Ayanami Rei, Asian Butterfly, Gentle River, Dottie Dot, Miss Sally Rice, Nostalgic Pop, Heather Sky, Very Cherry Berry, Marabelle Melody (Moofala custom), Angelica Eve, Fruit Punch, Very Vicky and PD Cassis.

Where did the name 2:22 am come from?
Having suffered sleep issues my whole life I find I prefer being awake at night. My most creative hour is around 2am. This is when I get what I call my “creative surge” and I really want to make things. Having a 9-5 job ruins my creativity a bit because I have to be in bed at this time.

What has been the biggest spark of creativity for you when it comes to crafting for Blythe?
The biggest spark for me is that I imagine clothes or accessories that I want, but they don’t exist. Therefore I have to make them. Currently I am in the process of learning how to make my own doll shoes.

You craft a great variety of things for Blythes – sewing clothes, wired crowns, painted eyechips – which is your favourite and why?
Making doll head accessories like crowns and headbands is definitely the most rewarding. I am able to make items that are original and unique. With clothes I find no matter how much I try, all Blythe clothes are a little bit similar, and there’s always someone doing it better. I am really picky about my sewing and have piles of tiny dresses that I have discarded because they aren’t perfect. Making wire crowns is something I have done since I was a teenager, and once I get in the rhythm I find it hard to stop.

How has opening up a shop changed your view of the Blythe community and your position in it?
Putting your goods out there to be judged is a little daunting. I see other sellers’ items being bought within seconds of being posted and I’m really happy for them. They’ve put in years of work to get where they are, which is inspirational. Having a unique item that is wanted in the community is a dream of mine. I’m still trying to work out what “my thing” is as I dabble in so much.

I was a vendor at BlytheCon 2012 in Australia and that was a load of fun, selling in person is so much nicer than online. I got to meet so many nice people and talk about the thing I love the most, Blythe. In regards to my online shop, being in Australia means that to send anything overseas costs a lot. Most of the time buyers don’t want to pay for registration which puts me at risk if the item goes missing. Running a shop has shown me that most of the Blythe community are lovely, considerate and reasonable people. There are a few bad apples out there but I haven’t let that ruin my experience.

What went through your mind the first time you saw one of your items on another person’s doll?
I was really proud that someone liked my creation enough to display it to the world on their doll. I do make a lot of dolly items for friends though and it always warms my heart when I see them enjoying my gifts.

What are your plans for future vending, either online or selling in person?
At the moment I am planning new items for my store, mainly a new Blythe headwear range but my real love lies with Blythe shoes which I am learning to create. I also have plans to sell at future Blythe events in person so please come and say hello! Last year I went to Japan and brought back a lot of stock to sell at BlytheCon that you can’t normally get in Australia. I would love to do this every year.

What can you tell us about your blog and your resources on there?
My blog is really a mixture of my dolly obsessions. It started out with me posting photos of my Blythe dolls but it’s turned into more of a resource. My most popular post so far was about a decline in the Blythe market. I also wrote an entire series of posts regarding fake Blythe dolls. At the time I started investigating this issue, there was still question as to whether inferior dolls showing up on the market were fakes or just poorly made. I think it is pretty well known now that fake dolls exist. My blog contains a lot of “how to” posts, especially in regard to restoring busted up Kenner Blythe dolls or buying dolls.

My background in museums/archives, along with teaching database classes has led to me wanting comprehensive lists of items. For this reason I’ve created lists of all the Takara shoe sets, accessory sets and clothing sets with photos and release dates. Often, I’d see a pair of doll shoes, or an item of clothing and have trouble working out which sets they were from. I’m halfway through creating a catalogue of all of the stock shoes that came with Blythe dolls and have started on a Momoko doll shoe catalogue. Another page on my website contains a list of doll names and commonly used words written in Japanese. It is very useful when searching on Yahoo! Japan for those extra rate items.

Can you tell us about what we might expect from you in the future?
My new range of Blythe headwear, more posts about Blythe shopping in Japan and the usual musings regarding my favourite doll, Blythe.

Thank you so much for doing this interview with me, Katie! What kind of advice would you give someone who’s new to the hobby?
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity. I have always loved your blog and definitely recommend Blythelife.com to anyone new in the hobby. My other advice would be to do your research, ask questions and read up on Bad Dolly Deals to ensure you are not dealing with someone dishonest.

Most importantly, don’t worry about what other people think of your new hobby. Playing with dolls is totally acceptable behaviour for adults.

You can find Katie and all the wonderful things that she makes at her blog, on Flickr and on Etsy!

Crown & Galaxy Eyechips Giveaway!

Katie is graciously offering up a handcrafted wire Blythe crown and a set of her Galaxy eyechips (not exactly as pictured!) to one very lucky reader here at BlytheLife.com!

You can get up to eight (8) entries for this giveaway draw and you can enter until Saturday February 16th 2013 at 11:59pm Pacific. The draw will be held on Sunday February 17th 2013 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 Katie so she will be in contact with you about your 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 Katie of 222am.org! 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 2 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 Katie of 222am! #giveaway http://bit.ly/Xe2Mgm

Bonus Entry #2: Blog about the contest! Be sure to include some details about the contest and include links to BlytheLife.com, this interview/giveaway page, the 222am Etsy shop and to the 222am.org website! For 1 blog entry, this is worth 5 entries into the giveaway! You must comment below with the URL to your blog post.