A week ago I posted a link to a survey that I set up to see if people were interested in reading more reviews here on BlytheLife and I thought I’d do a little recap of the answers! If you haven’t already done the survey, you still can and I do take answers/replies into consideration when it comes to developing a plan for this website’s future and deciding, in this case, what to review.

 An overwhelming majority of people want to see more reviews! One individual said no.

As for what people want to see reviews of, the most popular choices written in were new doll releases, patterns and doll books, accessories (e.g. Re-ment, shoes) and clothing from Etsy shops.

The majority of people stated it was not applicable for them to send in products to be reviewed, while a little over 20% said yes that they’d be interested in sending in something to review.

Thank you so much to everyone who participated! It’s very helpful to know what you want to see more of here on BlytheLife! If you haven’t already and want to let me know what you think about reviews here on BlytheLife, click for the survey.

Lately I’ve been all about the miniatures. I’ve gotten into reading dollhouse blogs (primarily 1/12 scale – Blythes are 1/6 scale) and I’ve ever gone ahead an ordered a book from Amazon about making miniatures. It’s a book on 1/12 scale miniatures, but I’m sure that the techniques and ideas can be extrapolated easily to Blythe size. I never really thought that I would be interested in miniatures, at least not to the extent that I have become! I always thought that Re-ment and other mass-produced miniatures are very cute (and I do love the Re-ment that I have), but I never really thought I would end up accumulating any. As it is, right now I have a teeny tiny box of Re-ment and non-Re-ment miniatures that would barely fill a kitchen. I’ve been collecting furniture with ideas to make my own here and there…. Yet I still do not have a dollhouse or a room box. Clearly this needs to change!

Do you collect miniatures to go along with your Blythes?

Since Flickr announced, and unveiled, their big changes in May, the doll community has remained rather split on if the changes are good or bad. I asked then if people were wanting to stay with Flickr or move to another photo sharing site. A lot of people migrated to Ipernity, but then people moved back for whatever reason.

I personally found Ipernity a bit of a pain to use. Yes, it had some fantastic features that I think a lot of people enjoyed (e.g. journaling capabilities, the fact that the Ipernity staff is okay with people using images to sell items), but a lot of people eventually moved back to Flickr. I had opened an Ipernity account, but I found it cumbersome and honestly, I didn’t want to maintain two social media accounts for photos when I had already established myself onto Flickr for years now. As a non-Etsy/Artfire seller, I haven’t been reported for selling on the forums and I know some people have and found it frustrating that Flickr takes selling so seriously – especially when there are some that get away with selling without so much as a peep. I found Ipernity to be slow at times, and I felt that it could have been better organized. Plus, initially I did not have email notifications turned off so when people were adding me as a friend/contact, my email inbox just imploded upon itself and I was suddenly faced with a staggering number of new, unread emails in a very short period of time. But I feel that the community’s stance on Ipernity has also declined as well. While I don’t actively use Ipernity (this may be because I can directly upload Instagram photos onto Flickr…), I’ve noticed a decrease in the number of photos being uploaded there, as well as a decrease in activity amongst the people I had added as contacts. Was the community’s mass migration from Flickr to Ipernity too hasty?

If you are still on Flickr…

1. Have you gotten used to the changes by now?
2. Do you still prefer the old Flickr to the new Flickr?
3. Are you having trouble finding certain pages still or has the navigation system become like second nature?
4. What is, in your opinion, the worst aspect of the ‘new’ Flickr?

If you made the move to Ipernity…

1. Do you find Ipernity active?
2. Do you still check Flickr to see if there are photos you’ve missed seeing?
3. What are your favourite Ipernity features?
4. What is your least favourite aspect of Ipernity?

Remember, if you have a Pro account now, you still have until August 20th to change your account from Pro to Free status and get a prorated refund on your annual subscription. However, once you change to a Free account, you are no longer eligible to subscribe at the same rate (annual fees will double).

Last Friday, I published the first review here on BlytheLife.com on the HUSET doll furniture by IKEA. As it is a new category of posts here on BlytheLife, I thought I’d get some feedback about it – just to see if everyone wants to read more reviews or not.

1. Do you want to see more reviews on BlytheLife.com?
2. What do you want to see reviews of?
3. And, if you’re an Etsy shop owner or someone who crafts things for Blythe, would you be interested in sending something in to be reviewed?

If you don’t want to comment below with your answers, you can submit them anonymously via Survey Monkey!

» Click here to access the Reviews Survey «

Thank you for providing your feedback! I take comments and suggestions into consideration when coming up with new material!

Some collectors are a bit more fluid when it comes to their doll families, I feel. Especially with how often they buy or sell dolls on forums, Facebook and behind the scenes. I’m a fan of looking at photos of what is available because you never know when someone will spark an interest in you. That’s how I ended up with Halo, my Friends With Blythe custom. I was browsing the Going Baroque section over at Blythe Kingdom and I saw her. She was at a price that I could afford and so lovely. She’s been here for just over a year (arrived July 21 2012).

As far as dolls in general go, Halo really bucked the trend for me. Besides her, all my other Blythes are close to stock or are completely stock. I’ve only ever made minor changes (eyechips, sleep eyes, gaze lift), nothing extravagantly crazy like rerooting a doll or painting eyelids. I’m not that talented! She was a welcome change, and I don’t know if I’ll be adding to my doll family with more custom girls or not – it’s always a possibility! But for now, the norm is for stock and mostly stock dolls. I’ve grown accustomed to the extreme shine and trying not to take photos with my face on their foreheads!

What kinds of trends are in your doll family?