Shopping for dolls in Hong Kong is very, very different than shopping online. When I’m usually shopping for dolls, I can do it from the comforts of my own home where I could be sipping tea while hitting the tempting Buy It Now button and waiting for a shipping notice. I’m sure this is a very familiar setting for most of us when we’re purchasing dolls. It’s either that or waiting for a private message from a seller to let us know that “Yes, that doll is still available”. But buying dolls in person is an interesting experience!

My first Blythe (Sophie) was bought in person, but she was bought in British Columbia at a small, now-defunct store that had a small number of Blythes. My latest doll (Monique Magnifique, still lacking a ‘real’ name) was also bought in person, but in Hong Kong.

There are a few shopping centres that I will mention here that you can go to in Hong Kong to look for dolls. Some of these have multiple Blythe/doll shops, and some aren’t well labelled, so if you’re shopping, you just need to look for the tell-tale signs of dolls. All shopping centres in Hong Kong are multi-floored, so be sure to check out all the floors and the side hallways as they’re not always well-labeled. I wish I’d gotten more photos (or better photos!) of the shop displays, but they were very strict (and upset) over having cameras out and I got yelled at (twice).

CTMA Centre
1N Sai Yeung Choi Street South, Mongkok, Kowloon, Hong Kong – noted by the “A” on the map.

Ginza Plaza
2A Sai Yeung Choi Street South, Mongkok, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Sino Center
582-592 Nathan Road, Mongkok, Kowloon, Hong Kong

All of these shopping centres are easily accessible from Mongkok Station (oval red icon on the map). There is also fantastic shopping in the Mongkok area for human-sized goods!

One thing to note about these shops is that most do not have what I consider to be “normal” business hours (e.g. 9am-5pm). Many of them opened at around 5-6pm and would stay open until 10pm or so. If you are looking for dolls, I would recommend making two trips – one to go to all of the stores and get a feel for what is available and pricing, and then the second trip to do the actual shopping and perhaps some price negotiation.

Not all shops will have clearly marked pricing. Many of them also had dolls behind glass displays or up on shelves – so feel free to ask if they have a specific doll if you’re looking for on. I was initially looking for University of Love and some of the shops had to pull her off a shelf for me to look at before I hemmed and hawed over the pricing. It’s hard to negotiate with sellers about pricing because Blythe has such a high suggested retail price, but it can be done. It helps if you know the language (Cantonese) for negotiating though! It is easier to negotiate if you are buying multiples (e.g. more than one doll) or a lot of items in general.

Many of the shops that carry Blythe dolls also carry clothing and shoes. Some are familiar brands (e.g. Sugar Mag, Azone) while others are created for those shops. I found that, in general, prices of clothing and shoes was on par with pricing found online (via forums, eBay, Etsy) so I didn’t actually purchase many pieces. My big purchase was Monique Magnifique, although I may have eyed the Ambrosial that was on the shelf next to her quite a bit as well! Next time I go to Hong Kong, I’ll definitely have a better game plan (and more spending money!).

Summary of my shopping tips:

• Go check out the doll shops at least twice. Once to scope out what dolls are on hand (and pricing!) and the second to actually purchase a doll (or five).
• Be sure to walk through the shopping centre completely, even the littlest stores in the corners will have Blythes or Blythe clothing for sale!
• Price negotiation is difficult to do – it is easier if you are buying a lot of dolls or items from the shop. They’re more likely to give you a discount of some kind, but don’t expect to save on hundreds of dollars.
• If you don’t see something that you’re looking for, ask! Most of the shops are small and they only put out a portion of their products out.

I don’t know who you think I am, but I do not share rooms with people. Ever.

Lately I’ve been toying with the idea of building or buying a room box. And by lately, I really mean “all the time”. I love the idea of having miniatures and rooms set up, just like I love the idea of having a dollhouse. I love the idea of decorating, having a cute little kitchen set, even set up a bedroom for some of the dolls that are nearest and dearest to my heart (which means, of course, that I’d be making over a dozen bedrooms – unless they deem each other worthy to share!). As I’m currently stuck with the problem of lack of space, I can only dream about what it would be like to have a room box or two (or twenty… or a doll room… that’d be nice to!). It’s definitely one of those “one of these days…” kind of thoughts, yet that still doesn’t stop me from thinking about miniatures and collecting little bits of furniture here and there. It’ll be a very uncoordinated first house for my dolls – much like the furniture that I mostly live with now.

Do you have a room box?

Share a link to a picture if you do! I want to see!

As it is BlytheLife’s birthday month, what better way to celebrate than with presents? I personally think that’s a great way of doing it! It’s a small token of appreciation from me to you as a way for me to say thank you so much to everyone for all of your support! It’s been a busy three years as I’ve gone through this blogging adventure with you all.

Up for grabs is a cute little hand knit cardigan that I knit up myself. It’s white with working pockets and 3/4 sleeves. It is this hand knit cardigan in particular:

The giveaway runs until Saturday July 13th 2013 at 11:59pm Pacific. The winner will be announced here on BlytheLife.com on Sunday July 14th. Remember to use a valid email address for all comments. If you win, I will contact you for your mailing information and get your prize out to you as soon as possible.

Please only use one email address per person, those using multiple email addresses for more entries will be disqualified.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I am a blogger.

This seems like an obvious statement, but sometimes it still takes me by surprise when someone refers to me as a blogger. It feels like it should be capitalized and properly trademarked. Like “Michelle: Doll Blogger™”. Although, more accurately, it would be “Blythe Blogger” but that requires too many trademark icons to make it flow nicely. If you’re new here, this site recently (two days ago!) had a birthday and I couldn’t be happier. But the when I thought about it – I’d been doing this for three years and I’m still coming up with new material for every single week. It sometimes takes me longer than I care to admit to put together a post, and sometimes it just flows right out of me and onto the screen like it was nothing.

For the readers of this blog who are also bloggers, this post is for you! And if you’re not a blogger, but perhaps like to journal or just want to write a post somewhere (e.g. Flickr, Ipernity), this is also for you. These are, in short, my doll blogging prompts for you to use when stuck for an idea about what to blog about. Enjoy!

1. Write about your first experience with seeing/finding Blythe.
2. Share your first doll, the buying experience, what you thought about.
3. Share your first customization mishap.
4. Talk about your new dolly purchases.
5. Write about your first ever doll meet/doll convention.
6. Do a post about shoes (note: Sophie approves of this!).
7. Write about Petites – Takara, LPS or new LPS.
8. Do you love Middies? Talk about that!
9. Do you loathe Middies? Share why you feel that way.
10. Do a review of something you bought!
11. Post some crafts you made recently for your dolls.
12. Have Re-ment? Why not pose your dolls with it and share pictures?
13. Do a stop-motion video of your dolls.
14. Do a Blythe photo challenge – 365, A Doll a Day, etc. – share the photos!
15. Write about your family’s thoughts on your dolls.
16. Did Blythe cause you to have a secondary hobby? Tell your readers about it!
17. Share your favourite hair styles for Blythe.
18. If you’re prepping for a BlytheCon or regional doll meet, share some sneak peeks.
19. Talk about your experiences at a recent doll meet.
20. Discuss the interactions between your kids/pets/spouse with your dolls.
21. Share why Blythe is special to you.
22. Talk about you – why dolls? Did you play with dolls as a child?
23. Scrapbookers – share the pages you’ve made for Blythe!
24. Post about taking your dolls out in public (for the first, second, umpteenth time) and people’s reactions.
25. Share your method of keeping bangs straight and flat on a doll’s head.
26. Talk about that fun new find at the thrift store for your dolls.
27. Share how you come up with doll names – is there a method behind your madness?
28. Do a mini-interview between yourself and your dolls – just don’t give into their new dress demands.
29. Wish lists of stock dolls, custom dolls, clothing, shoes, etc. Share! Maybe one of your readers has one for sale?
30. Do a “Life in the Day of _____” post for one of your dolls – start at the morning and end at bedtime.
31. Start making up doll blogging prompts of your own, and keep those creative blogging juices flowing!

I hope you use some of these blogging prompts! And share below in the comments if you do – I’d love to read some posts!

On July 1st 2010, I started a blog. This blog, coincidentally, began as a little space on the web where I ramble on about dolls. I wanted to open up a space on the internet that was for Blythe hobbyists, but I wasn’t able to go and start a forum. I wanted to do interviews, tutorials, giveaways. And I started off with an interview with Rob & Sioux.

Since then, I have done over 35 interviews – fantastic customizers and crafters alike. It’s been a fantastic ride, and it is only going to go up from here. My doll family has grown as the blog has grown, and it’s been a lot of fun! I’ve greatly enjoyed what I have been able to create here, with the help of the wonderful readership that I have. I enjoy the reading the comments, emails and suggestions that I get from all of you.

Making her mini-debut here today, she’ll be formally introduced once she tells me her name!

A Year in Review

• I started a new series: Love, Sophie – featuring the wise words of Sophie
• I got a Middie, which resulted in posts about Middies
• I wrote a mini-series for those new to the community (starting with Blythe 101)
• After careful consideration, I discontinued regular Friday Five posts for bigger and better things

Top 10 Most Read Posts
(not including interviews/giveaways)

1. Questionable Blythes on the Market
2. DIY Knit Empire Dress (Blythe On A Budget)
3. Spotlight On: Blythe Confessions
4. To Flickr, or Not to Flickr
5. Mind the crack; 1972 Kenner Blythe fixed!
6. Crochet Petite Toque and Scarf (Free Pattern)
7. The Cause of Doll Melt
8. Protecting Yourself Online
9. DIY Knit Headband (Blythe On A Budget)
10. Economical Sewing Tips (Blythe On A Budget)

BlytheLife by the Numbers

• 517 posts (including this one!)
• 36 interviews
• 2371 comments
• 221,732 hits in June 2013

Thank you so much to everyone for all the support that I’ve gotten! I’ve started working on new content, and I’m really excited to share everything with you very soon!

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If you know anyone that you think would be interested in getting interviewed for BlytheLife.com, please send me an email (michelle@blythelife.com) or refer them to the How to Get Featured page! I’m always looking forward to doing more interviews and showcasing more talent in this great dolly community!