I get a lot of emails as a result of this blog, and a lot of those questions become repeats after a while. So, because I get the same questions again and again, I thought I’d share some of the questions (and my answers!) here on the blog. I’ve omitted the senders’ names and some questions have been edited for clarity. Here are a few questions that I’ve seem to have gotten a lot lately:

Are you planning to do a doll giveaway on this blog? I’d really like to win one!

I was just thinking that I’d love to win a doll too! Unfortunately, as I’m sure most of you know, Blythes are not inexpensive. At this time, I do not have enough money that isn’t already allocated to something more important in my life (e.g. school). I had previously had a custom doll giveaway here on this blog, that was sponsored by Melly Kay. Since then, I have done some customization giveaways with some great individuals as well as giving away a customized faceplate (by cocochoo). If you or someone you know would like to giveaway a doll, get in touch with me!

Can you buy me a Blythe?

See answer above.

Why does BlytheLife have ads on the side?

It costs money to have a website up on the internet. It also costs money for that fancy .com URL that you type in or favourited to get to this blog. If it weren’t for that, you’d have to type in a much longer URL just to get here! Long story short, the ad revenue that comes in goes towards paying for hosting fees (so that the website stays up on the internet) and for the domain fee (for the blythelife.com name). Anything left over, if there is any left over, goes towards shipping costs of giveaways.

Do you get paid to do this? How much do you make writing a blog?

I wish that I got paid to do this! It’d be fun as a full-time job! Unfortunately, most blogs on the internet don’t generate enough income to become a full-time job. I do not get paid to do this, I write BlytheLife out of love for the dolls and the community that goes along with it. I love getting to ‘meet’ new people through the blog and doing interviews and giveaways. It’s really rewarding for me to do this. As for how much I make – didn’t anyone ever tell you that it’s rude to ask how much a person makes? (On a more serious note – ad revenue covers a portion of the hosting costs associated with keeping BlytheLife alive).

How long does it take you to write a post?

That really depends on the post and how much research or work is involved. I’ve spent all of 15 minutes on a Question of the Week post before and well over an hour working away on an interview or an article. It really depends on the post and what it’s about. I’m constantly striving towards producing better content for BlytheLife, so the amount of time spent per post has gone up significantly than when I first started the blog back in 2010.

Are you ever going to talk about other dolls on BlytheLife?

Blythe is always going to be primary figure on this blog, it is called BlytheLife, after all! I have mentioned non-Blythe dolls before (such as when I got my first ball-jointed doll), but posts about non-Blythes will remain rare on this blog, only due to the nature of how it is a Blythe-centric website.

Can anyone be interviewed here?

Anyone! Anyone at all – as long as you’re interested in being interviewed! You don’t need to be a customizer or a shop owner, I’ve interviewed photographers, organizers of Blythe events and even controversial Tumblr blog owners. If you’re interested in being interviewed and featured on this lovely slice of the internet, please let me know!

I hope these helps some people with their questions about BlytheLife! If you ever have a question for me, you can use the contact form or email me at michelle@blythelife.com.

I get some repeat questions from time to time via email and I thought I’d share them in a little question and answer post here on the blog. I’ve chosen to leave out the senders’ names and I’ve also edited some for spelling and grammar. The five questions are some of the more commonly asked questions (#2 is in there because I found it hilarious, not because I’ve been asked more than once) that I’ve gotten recently:

Why don’t you show any appreciation for Middie? I think everyone would want to see photos of Middie!

I would love to show everyone photos of Middies. I have shown some photos of Middies that I’ve taken that belong to others, but as I tend to be the photographer for most of the photos on the blog (interviews not withstanding), I don’t actually have a Middie of my own to photograph at this time. Once I do get my own Middie, you can be sure that I will take lots of photos and do posts about Middies. If you’d like to gift me a Middie, I wouldn’t say no!

Are you one of those snotty collectors who only collect the expensive Blythes?

For one, I take issue with being considered ‘snotty’… Secondly, ‘expensive’ is a relative term. When I first started in the doll hobby, I thought the cost of one Blythe was pretty expensive and I couldn’t see myself ever spending over $500 for a doll (please note, this was before I got any of my Kenners). So depending on what you consider “expensive” to mean, yes I may be one of those collectors who only collect expensive dolls. However, if you were to comparing me to someone who only collects art dolls that go for $2500 each, my collection isn’t that pricey after all. So I’m not entirely sure what the purpose of this question was, but no – in the grand scheme of things, my collection actually isn’t worth that much. It doesn’t cover tuition for a term, so that’s considered “low” for me.

What do you have planned for 2013? Are we going to get to see the results of your survey thing?

I do plan on sharing some of the significant results from my survey (if you haven’t already, you can still fill it out!). As for what I have planned for the blog in 2013… If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise now would it? I do have a lotof things planning for 2013 and I’m very excited for 2013 to begin as I have a lot of fun things that I want to show you all!

Why do you only post three days a week? Can you post daily?

I’m not aware if you all know this – but I don’t actually get paid to do this. Money that I make from people advertising on this site go towards the cost of keeping the website up on the internet (hosting fees). I generally write the posts in advance, editing as I need to keep the information current. However, it takes a lot of time to write posts that are meaningful, fun and somewhat fresh or witty. I would love to be able to devote more time to the blog, but I am a full time student right now and that means a lot of hours in school and a lot of hours doing homework and studying. As it is, sometimes it’s hard for me to get three posts up per week, much less five! If you’d like to help out though, I’m always open to contributions by visitors.

Can you tell me where I can find the $2 Kenner Blythe dolls?

If I knew where to find $2 (of most any currency) Kenners, I’d be buying them for me and maybe sharing them with some friends. Maybe. (The sad thing is, this is not the first time I’ve had a similar question – although usually the amount mentioned is more like $50 or $100.) I don’t know why people think I know where the bounty of cheap Kenners is, but Kenners just are not cheap unless you’re super lucky and at the right place, at the right time or you buy an abandoned storage unit full of dolls from the 70s. Other than that, I have no idea where you can find super cheap Kenners.

What do you mean you wouldn’t pay full price for a girl like me?

If you have any questions for me, you can send them to michelle@blythelife.com.